Abstract:
A method of leveling a machine on a support surface includes supporting the machine on the support surface, the machine including multiple load-bearing supports, and inserting a stack of support plates underneath a load-bearing support of the multiple load-bearing supports, the stack of support plates having an area and a strength that are sufficient to support the machine. The stack of support plates includes a first plate that includes multiple projections that extend outward from a bottom surface of the first plate and a second plate that includes multiple recesses that extend inward from a top surface of the second plate, the multiple recesses being sized to receive the multiple projections, respectively, and multiple grooves disposed along respective edges of the top surface. When the first plate is stacked adjacent the second plate, the first and second plates bear against each other to support a load of the machine.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/672,665, filed on Jul. 17, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This specification relates to leveling plates, including nesting leveling plates that may be used to level industrial equipment, such as calibration and testing equipment, military hardware, and precision electronics, and related systems and methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Certain industrial equipment, such as milling machines, need to maintain certain predetermined operating tolerances, oftentimes as small as fractions of millimeters. To achieve such precision, a milling machine should be positioned as level as possible on a machine shop floor, but typically, unevenness of machine shop floors make such leveling difficult. To compensate for uneven floors, metal shims referred to as “leveling plates” are selectively inserted as needed underneath one or more legs of a milling machine in order to level the machine. 
     SUMMARY 
     This specification describes nesting leveling plates, a method of manufacturing the nesting leveling plates, and a method of using the nesting leveling plates to, among other purposes, securely level industrial equipment. 
     In one aspect, a method of leveling a machine on a support surface includes supporting the machine on the support surface, wherein the machine includes multiple load-bearing supports, and inserting a stack of support plates underneath a load-bearing support of the multiple load-bearing supports, wherein the stack of support plates have an area and a strength that are sufficient to support the machine. The stack of support plates includes a first plate including multiple projections that extend outward from a bottom surface of the first plate, a second plate including multiple recesses that extend inward from a top surface of the second plate, and multiple grooves disposed along respective edges of the top surface. The multiple recesses are sized to receive the multiple projections, respectively. When the first plate is stacked adjacent the second plate, the first and second plates bear against each other to support a load of the machine, and the multiple projections extend within the multiple recesses, respectively, such that the first and second plates nest with each other and are substantially prevented from moving with respect to each other in two dimensions, and the multiple grooves form respective cavities between the bottom surface of the first plate and the top surface of the second plate. 
     In another aspect, a stack of support plates includes a first plate including multiple projections that extend outward from a bottom surface of the first plate, a second plate including multiple recesses that extend inward from a top surface of the second plate, and multiple grooves disposed along respective edges of the top surface. The multiple recesses are sized to receive the multiple projections, respectively. When the first plate is stacked adjacent the second plate, the first and second plates bear against each other to support a load of the machine, and the multiple projections extend within the multiple recesses, respectively, such that the first and second plates nest with each other and are substantially prevented from moving with respect to each other in two dimensions, and the multiple grooves form respective cavities between the bottom surface of the first plate and the top surface of the second plate. 
     In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a support plate includes forming a core of the support plate, wherein the core has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, forming multiple projections that extend outward from the first surface, forming multiple recesses that extend inward from the second surface, wherein the multiple recesses are sized to receive respective projections of another support plate, and the respective projections of the other support plate are configured substantially the same as the multiple projections of the support plate, and forming multiple grooves along respective edges of the second surface. When the support plate is stacked adjacent the other support plate, the other support plate including respective projections configured substantially the same as the multiple projections of the support plate, the respective projections of the other support plate extend within the multiple recesses of the support plate, such that the support plate and the other support plate nest with each other and are substantially prevented from moving with respect to each other in two dimensions, and the multiple grooves form respective cavities between the support plate and the other support plate. 
     The nesting leveling plates, the method of manufacturing the nesting leveling plates, and the method of using the nesting leveling plates may include one or more of the following features. 
     In some examples, the method of leveling the machine on the support surface further includes adjusting a thickness of the stack of support plates. 
     In some examples, the method of leveling the machine on the support surface further includes adding one or more additional support plates to the stack of support plates. 
     In some examples, the method of leveling the machine on the support surface further includes inserting another stack of support plates underneath another load-bearing support of the machine. 
     In some examples, when the stack of support plates is disposed underneath the load-bearing support, the first plate is in direct contact with the load-bearing support. 
     In some examples, the first plate includes one or more recesses that extend from a top surface of the first plate, the one or more recesses sized to engage a leveling component of the machine. 
     In some examples, the first plate includes a textured surface configured to reduce movement between the first plate and an object that is in direct contact with the first plate. 
     In some examples, the textured top surface includes a scoring. 
     In some examples, the textured top surface includes patterns that are oriented about 90 degrees with respect to one another. 
     In some examples, the second plate includes a non-marring surface. 
     In some examples, the stack of plates further includes one or more of a third plate and a fourth plate. 
     In some examples, the cavities are sized to receive a separation tool. 
     In some examples, the stack of support plates is made of one or materials including steel, aluminum, and titanium. 
     In some examples, the stack of support plates includes a precision ground material. 
     In some examples, either of the first plate and the second plate is configured to support a load of up to about 10,000 lb about 50,000 lb. 
     In some examples, the first and second plates have thicknesses between about ¼ inch and about 1.0 inch. 
     In some examples, the multiple projections and the multiple recesses have generally circular cross-sectional areas. 
     In some examples, the multiple recesses each have a diameter of about ⅞ inch and a depth of about 1/16 inch, and the multiple projections each have a diameter of about ¾ inch. 
     In some examples, the first and second plates have generally square cross-sectional areas. 
     In some examples, the first and second plates have lengths of about 3.75 inches. 
     In some examples, one of the multiple projections is located at a center of the first plate, and one of the multiple recesses is located at a center of the second plate. 
     In some examples, one or more of the multiple projections are located near respective corners of the first plate, and one or more of the multiple recesses are located near respective corners of the second plate. 
     In some examples, the one or more of the multiple projections are located about ⅝ inch from respective edges of the first plate, and the one or more of the multiple recesses are located about ⅝ inch from respective edges of the second plate. 
     In some examples, the core of the support plate, the multiple projections, the multiple recesses, and the multiple grooves are formed by casting a block of material. 
     In some examples, one or more of the multiple projections, the multiple recesses, and the multiple grooves are formed by a subtraction operation. 
     In some examples, subtraction operation includes milling. 
     In some examples, a texture is formed on at least one of the first and second surfaces of the core. 
     In some examples, the texture is formed by face milling the at least one of the first and second surfaces of the core. 
     In some examples, the texture includes patterns that are oriented about 90 degrees with respect to one another. 
     In some examples, the method of manufacturing the support plate further includes finishing the support plate. 
     In some examples, finishing the support plate includes forming one or more beveled edges on the support plate. 
     The leveling plate includes a substantially planar body having a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more first nesting features disposed on the top surface, and one or more second nesting features disposed on the bottom surface, wherein the first and second nesting features are configured to be complementary such that when the leveling plate is stacked adjacent to another leveling plate the first and second nesting features mate in a manner that substantially prevents horizontal relative movement between the leveling plate and the other leveling plate. 
     The leveling plate may be composed of steel, aluminum, titanium, or other non-compressible material. The one or more first nesting features may include recesses and the one or more second nesting features may include posts, either or both of which may be circular in shape, or may take other, non-circular shapes. The leveling plate may further include one or more release grooves disposed along at least one edge of the leveling plate and/or a texture on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces, the texture configured to grip an object to be leveled. The first nesting features may include multiple recesses disposed near one or more corners of the leveling plate and the second nesting features may include multiple posts disposed near one or more corners of the leveling plate. The one or more first and/or second nesting features may include at least one feature disposed at a center of the leveling plate. The leveling plate may be rectangular in shape (e.g., square) or may be other than rectangular in shape (e.g., circular, triangular or the like). The method of manufacturing the leveling plate may involve obtaining a block of material having a top surface and a bottom surface, forming one or more first nesting features (e.g., recesses) on the top surface of the block, and forming one or more second nesting features (e.g., posts) on the bottom surface of the block. The first and second nesting features may be formed to be complementary such that when the leveling plate is stacked adjacent to another leveling plate the first and second nesting features mate in a manner that substantially prevents horizontal relative movement between the leveling plate and the other leveling plate. The method of manufacturing may involve milling, casting and/or one or more other suitable manufacturing techniques. Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may be configured to realize various potential advantages. For example, in leveling an item such as a piece of industrial equipment, two or more leveling plates (e.g., nesting support plates) may be stacked in a highly secure manner such that, despite mechanical vibrations, the leveling plates will not separate from one another, preventing the collapse of a large and heavy piece of machinery. This not only creates a safer environment, but saves money in scrapped parts due to an improperly leveled machine that has been knocked out of level due to vibrating off of its shims. In addition, due to the scoring on the face of a leveling plate contacting the item being leveled, the leveling plate-item interface will be more secure and less susceptible to slippage or other relative movement, which typically results over time during industrial equipment operation. This movement can lead to loss of tolerancing, scrapped parts, and wasted man-hours. 
     Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and potential advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a stack of leveling plates. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a top surface of a leveling plate of the stack of leveling plates of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of a bottom surface of a leveling plate of the stack of leveling plates of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a portion of a surface of a leveling plate of the stack of leveling plates of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example process for manufacturing a leveling plate. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an example process for leveling a machine on a support surface. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present inventor recognized that two or more stacked conventional leveling plates, which typically are flat, relatively smooth slabs of metal, tend to move relative to each other over time as a natural result of the mechanical vibration of the industrial equipment under which they are disposed. That relative movement could pose a safety hazard if, for example, one of the conventional leveling plates slipped from its stack and caused the industrial equipment that it was supporting to tip, fall, malfunction or break. In view of that recognition, the present inventor further recognized that leveling plates incorporating a nesting feature—that is, one or more features that prevent stacked leveling plates from moving any substantial amount relative to each other in one or more dimensions—would help to prevent the safety hazards posed by slipping conventional leveling plates. Furthermore, such nesting leveling plates may additionally incorporate a locking feature which secures the leveling screws (also referred to as “jacking” screws) inherent to most machines into one of the machined recesses (e.g., a recess  205  as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , and as will be discussed in more detail below). This ensures that the machine will not move off of the leveling plate. 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a stack  100  of leveling plates (e.g., support plates)  105 ,  110 ,  115 , and  120 . As shown, the leveling plates  105 - 120  are stackable about a vertical axis A and can maintain a horizontal position relative to each other, as a result of features (e.g., described in detail with respect to  FIGS. 2A and 2B ) that cause each leveling plate to nest with one or more adjacent leveling plates. In this example, the stack  100  includes four leveling plates including a one-inch-thick base plate  120  (which has nesting features on its top surface but not on its bottom surface to better maintain contact with the ground), a one-inch-thick intermediate plate  115 , a half-inch-thick intermediate plate  110  and a quarter-inch-thick top plate  105 . The leveling plates  105 - 110  may be stacked in a different order than that shown in  FIG. 1 , and fewer than all four leveling plates  105 - 110  may be stacked such that an overall thickness of the stack  100  may be adjusted to accommodate different leveling heights of industrial equipment. The plates  105 - 120  have a generally square-shaped cross-sectional area with a length of about 3.75 inches. The leveling plates  105 ,  110 , and  115  each has the nesting features shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  on both its top and bottom surfaces, respectively. Although the leveling plates  105 - 120  are shown having specific thicknesses and sizes in the example of  FIG. 1 , any suitable sizes and/or thicknesses can be manufactured and used depending on the specific end application. In addition, the leveling plates  105 - 120  could have cross-sectional shapes other than squares or rectangles (e.g., circles, ovals, triangles or the like) if appropriate to the particular end application. In terms of material composition, the leveling plates  105 - 120  may be made of one or more of any suitably hard, resilient, and/or non-compressible materials (e.g., steel, aluminum, titanium) that are appropriate to the end application. Such suitable materials provide the leveling plates  105 - 120  with a strength that allows the stack  100  to support particularly heavy pieces of equipment (e.g., a shear, a lathe, a mill, a press brake, or a water jet cutter) that may not be adequately supported by conventional shims. For example, each of the leveling plates  105 - 120  may support loads of up to about 10,000 lb. to about 50,000 lb. In some examples, the leveling plates  105 - 120  may be made of one or more precision ground materials, such that the stack  100  may provide leveling within 0.125 inch of the desired leveling height. In some cases, one or more leveling plates  105 - 120  of the stack  100  may be welded to a floor surface or to a machine. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective views of a top surface of the top plate  105  and a bottom surface of the intermediate plate  110 , respectively. As shown, each of the plates  105 ,  110  has features that, when the plates  105 ,  110  are stacked, mate with complementary features on adjacent plates and effectively prevent any substantial amount of relative horizontal movement between the plates  105 ,  110 . More specifically, in  FIG. 2A , the top surface of the plate  105  has five circular recesses  205  (about 1/16 inch deep and having ⅞ inch diameter) distributed on the surface in a pattern such that one of the recesses  205  is centered in the middle of the plate  105  and the other four recesses  205  occupy respective corners of the plate  105 . The four recesses  205  located near the corners of the plate  105  are centered at about ⅝ inch from surrounding edges of the plate  105 . The center recess  205  of the top plate  105  accommodates the leveling or “jacking” screw included with most machines and heavy equipment and prevents the equipment from sliding off of the plate  105 . 
       FIG. 2B  shows the complementary features—namely, posts  210 —on the bottom surface of plate  110 . The posts  210  are sized and arranged such that, when appropriately stacked with any of the plates  105 ,  115 , or  120 , the posts  210  mate with recesses  205  and cause the two plates to be nested such that any substantial amount of horizontal movement between the two plates is effectively prevented. In the example of  FIG. 2B , the posts  210  have a generally circular cross-sectional shape that has a diameter (e.g., about ¾ inch) slightly less than that of the recesses  205  and a length that is complimentary with (e.g., slightly less than) the depth of the recesses  205 , such that the posts  210  can nest within the recesses  205  of an adjacent plate. Thus, the positions, heights, and diameters of the posts  210  are appropriately chosen such that the posts  210  nicely mate with the recesses  205  when the plate  110  is stacked with any of the plates  105 ,  110 , or  120 . In this manner, the intermediate plate  110  and an adjacent plate with which the intermediate plate  110  is nested may be substantially prevented from moving with respect to each other in two dimensions (e.g., in a horizontal plane that is parallel to the top and bottom surfaces of the plates). Accordingly, one post  210  is positioned substantially at a center of the intermediate plate  110 , and the other four posts  210  are positioned near respective corners of the plate  110 . In some examples, the four posts  210  located near the corners of the plate  110  are centered at approximately ⅝ inch from surrounding edges of the plate  110 . Alignment and nesting of the posts  210  with respective recesses  205  provides an adequate distribution of a load supported by the stack  100  across a horizontal plane of the stack  100 . 
     Each of the plates  105 ,  115  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) includes a bottom surface that has substantially the same form as the bottom surface of the intermediate plate  110 . Accordingly, each of the plates  105 ,  115  include the five posts  210  that are located in substantially the same positions as are those located with respect to the intermediate plate  110 . The base plate  120  includes a bottom surface (not shown) that is substantially flat (i.e., a bottom surface that does not include the posts  210 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , the top surface of plate  105  also includes four grooves  215  (e.g., release grooves) that are each located along a respective edge of the top plate  105 . The grooves  215  help facilitate separation of the top plate from a plate (e.g., the intermediate plate  110  or  115 ) that may, for example, be stacked atop the top plate  105  and therefore be stuck to the top plate  105  after being stacked under pressure for a certain duration of time. For example, an appropriate tool (e.g., a screw driver, a chisel, or a pry bar) may be inserted into a groove  215  between the top plate  105  and an adjacent plate that is stacked atop the top plate  105  to separate (e.g., pry apart) the top plate  105  and the adjacent plate. In the example of  FIG. 2A , the grooves  215  have a generally semi-circular shape with a diameter of about ½ inch and a depth of about 1/10 inch. However, the grooves  215  may generally have a different shape and size. In some examples, the top plate  105  may include more than four or less than four grooves  215 . 
     Additionally, the number, type, size, position, shape, and nature of the nesting features  205  and  210  need not be those shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , but rather can be varied to take essentially any appropriate form depending on the desired application and/or manufacturing specifications. For example, a shape other than circular could be used for posts  210  and recesses  205 . Furthermore, the number of nesting features on each surface could be more or less than the five shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , and positions of those features can be varied as desired. 
     Each of the plates  110 - 120  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) includes a top surface that has substantially the same form as the top surface of the top plate  105 . Accordingly, each of the plates  110 - 120  include the five recesses  205  and the four grooves  215 , which recesses  205  and grooves  215  are located in substantially the same positions as are those located with respect to the top plate  105 . 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of a portion of the top surface of the top plate  105 . As shown, the surface is formed to have scoring or other texture  305  such that the top plate  105  better grips the surface of the item to be leveled, thereby helping to reduce slippage or other relative horizontal movement between the stack  100  and the item being leveled. In this example, the texture  305  can be achieved by milling patterns in the surface of a plate. The patterns may have a curved shape. In some examples, adjacent patterns may be oriented at ninety degree angles with respect to each other to enhance surface adhesion between a piece of equipment and reduce equipment slippage of the piece of equipment along the stack  100  in the x and y directions (as indicated by the coordinate system shown in  FIG. 3 ). The bottom surface of the top plate  105 , the top and bottom surfaces of the intermediate plates  110 ,  115 , and the top surface of the base plate  120  similarly are formed to have the texture  305 . The bottom surface of base plate  220  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) typically does not have any scoring or texture, but rather is smooth on its bottom surface. Such a sufficiently smooth bottom surface of the base plate  220  provides a non-marring surface that substantially prevents floor marring or other damage to a manufacturing floor and helps ensure that the weight of the machine is spread out evenly across the manufacturing floor. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example process  400  for manufacturing a leveling plate (e.g., any of the plates  105 - 120  of the stack  100 ). One or more of the process steps depicted in  FIG. 4  may be performed serially or in parallel (i.e., overlap in time with each other, at least in part), and/or may be performed in a different order than that shown in  FIG. 4 . In some examples, the leveling plate may be manufactured by milling a block of material. In some examples, the leveling plate may be manufactured using a different manufacturing technique (e.g., by casting a plate in metal using a mold or other form). 
     In the example manufacturing process  400  shown in  FIG. 4 , a solid core of the leveling plate is formed ( 405 ). For example, the solid core may be formed by cutting a block of material to a rough dimension of the overall size of the leveling plate. The block of material may include one or more of any suitably hard, resilient, and/or non-compressible materials (e.g., steel, aluminum, and titanium). In some examples, the block of material may be a precision ground material. Next, at  410 , a texture (e.g., the texture  305  of the leveling plates  105 - 120 ) is formed on a top surface of the leveling plate. For example, the texture  305  may be formed by face milling the top surface in the X direction and then face milling the top surface in the Y direction (or vice versa), thus providing the texture  305  with patterns that are oriented about 90 degrees with respect to one another. Next, at  415 , the recesses (e.g., the recesses  205  of the leveling plates  105 - 120 ) and release grooves (e.g., the grooves  215  of the leveling plates  105 - 120 ) are formed in the top surface of the leveling plate by a subtraction operation (e.g., milling). Then at  420 , after the block has been turned over and secured, an additional texture (e.g., the texture  305  of the leveling plates  105 - 120 ) is formed on the bottom surface of the leveling plate by face milling the bottom surface in the X direction and then the Y direction (or vice versa). At  425 , the posts (e.g., the posts  210  of the leveling plates  105 - 115 ) are formed in the bottom surface of the leveling plate via an appropriate manufacturing technique (e.g., milling or stamping). In some examples, finishing processes (e.g., beveling edges of the leveling plate) may be performed on the leveling plate. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an example process  500  for leveling a machine on a support surface (e.g., a machine shop floor). In some implementations, the machine may include load-bearing supports (e.g., support legs) that extend from a bottom side of the machine (e.g., from the bottom side of the machine near respective corners of the machine). The machine may be supported on the machine shop floor ( 505 ). In some implementations, a distance may be determined at which the machine should be positioned above the support surface ( 510 ), in order to level the machine for appropriate operational performance. According to the distance, two or more plates of a stack of support plates (e.g., the plates  105 - 120  of the stack  100 ) are selected and stacked adjacent one another ( 515 ). The stack of plates may have a surface area and a strength that are sufficient to support the weight of the machine. The stack of plates is inserted underneath one of the load-bearing supports of the machine ( 520 ), such that the respective region of the machine is lifted above its initial height, thereby leveling the machine for appropriate operational performance. In some examples, the stack of plates may be positioned such that a leveling component (e.g., a jacking screw) of the machine engages a nesting feature (e.g., the center recess  205  of the plates  105 - 120 ) disposed on the top surface of the top plate of the stack of support plates. In some implementations, one or more additional stacks of support plates may be inserted underneath one or more other respective load-bearing supports of the machine in order to further adjust the height of the machine for appropriate operational performance. 
     Particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in certain claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results.