Dressing method and dressing apparatus

A dressing apparatus 1 includes a regulating body 13 which has a ridge portion 12 with a surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of a grinding surface 6 of a grinding wheel 5, the surface being brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface 6 of the grinding wheel 5 which rotates; a jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 serving as a device for generating a pressure fluid with abrasive grains mixed therein; and a jetting port 15 for jetting abrasive grain-mixed compressed air, the jetting port 15 serving as a jetting device for jetting the mixed compressed air as a pressure fluid with the abrasive grains mixed therein from the jetting abrasive grain generating device 11 into a space between the grinding surface 6 and the surface of the ridge portion 12 of the regulating body 13 which are brought into face-to-face contact with each other.

This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2016/003677 filed Aug. 9, 2016, which designated the U.S. and claims priority to JP Patent Application No. 2015-158582 filed Aug. 10, 2015, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of dressing the grinding surface of a grinding wheel and a dressing apparatus thereof.

Further, the present invention concerns a dressing method suitable for dressing the grinding surface of a grinding wheel for grinding an end face of a glass plate and a dressing apparatus therefor.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, the dressing of the grinding surface of the grinding wheel is carried out by abutting a stick-like dresser against the grinding surface.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problems that the Invention is to Solve

Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which a dresser is pressed against the grinding surface of a grinding wheel which rotates, so as to perform dressing. In such a technique, the dresser which is pressed against the grinding surface of the grinding wheel, if worn, must necessarily be replaced by a new one. However, since the dresser is tightened and fixed to a holder, this replacement operation involves time and trouble and is inefficient.

The present invention has been devised on the basis of the above-described aspects, and its object is to provide a dressing method capable of eliminating the above-described conventional drawback and performing good-quality dressing as well as an apparatus thereof.

Means for Solving the Problems

A dressing method for dressing a grinding surface in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: causing a regulating body conforming to a shape of a grinding surface of a grinding wheel to be brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface of the grinding wheel which rotates; jetting compressed air with abrasive grains mixed therein into a space between the grinding surface and the regulating body; passing the grinding surface in a rotating direction with respect to the regulating body; and maintaining a state of application of jetting force of the abrasive grains onto the grinding surface by means of the regulating body during the passage.

In addition, another dressing method for dressing a grinding surface in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: causing a regulating body conforming to a shape of a grinding surface of a grinding wheel to be brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface of the grinding wheel which rotates; jetting pressurized running water with abrasive grains mixed therein into a space between the grinding surface and the regulating body; passing the grinding surface in a rotating direction with respect to the regulating body; and maintaining a state of application of jetting force of the abrasive grains onto the grinding surface by means of the regulating body during the passage.

Furthermore, a dressing apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises: a regulating body which has a surface having a shape corresponding to a shape of a grinding surface of a grinding wheel, the surface being brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface of the grinding wheel which rotates; a device for generating a pressure fluid with abrasive grains mixed therein; and a jetting device for jetting the pressure fluid with the abrasive grains mixed therein into a space between the grinding surface and the regulating body which are brought into face-to-face contact with each other.

In the present invention, as the abrasive grains, it suffices to use free abrasive grains of a material such as WA (white alundum, alumina base) or GC (Green carbonite, silicon carbide base) with a grain size of 180.

Advantages of the Invention

According to the present invention, in a state in which the rotating grinding surface and the regulating body conforming to the shape of the grinding surface are brought into face-to-face contact with each other, a fluid such as compressed air with abrasive grains mixed therein is jetted into a narrow space between the grinding surface and the regulating body in the rotating direction, whereby the abrasive grains are pressed against the grinding surface widely and over a long length by the fluid pressure of such as compressed air flow and by the regulation by the regulating body and the rotation of the grinding wheel, and move at high speed while rolling, thereby making it possible to perform the dressing of the grinding surface with high quality.

In addition, according to the present invention, since regulation is provided by the regulating body, dressing can be performed with a small amount of abrasive grains.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the dressing apparatus can be mounted on a grinding head and is made to move together with the grinding head, so that the dressing of the grinding surface can be carried out while performing grinding.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereafter, a description will be given of the present invention and a mode for carrying it out on the basis of the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

InFIGS. 1 to 5, in a dressing apparatus1of this embodiment which is applied to a pencil edge type grinding wheel5for grinding an end face4of a glass plate3, compressed air21is used as a fluid which is jetted together with abrasive grains onto a grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5.

The dressing apparatus1includes a jetting abrasive grain generating device11which sucks abrasive grains9from an abrasive grain tank7through a pipe8, mixes the abrasive grains9with the compressed air21, and jets the same; a regulating body13with a required length and having a ridge portion12which is brought into face-to-face contact with the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5; a jetting port15which is open at a top portion14of the ridge portion12to jet the abrasive grain-mixed compressed air; a communicating passage16and a pipe17for allowing the jetting port15and the jetting abrasive grain generating device11to communicate with each other; and an elastically pulling device18for causing the ridge portion12to contiguously oppose the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5with resilient force.

The jetting port15expands toward an outlet side24and is formed such that an average diameter thereof becomes approximately 2 mm with respect to a 5 mm width of the grinding surface6.

The jetting abrasive grain generating device11is constituted by a mixed compressed air generator37using a vacuum generator having an intake port20communicating with free abrasive grains inside the abrasive grain tank7by means of the pipe8, a supply port22for supplying the compressed air21, and a discharge port10for discharging the mixed compressed air of the compressed air21and the free abrasive grains9.

The regulating body13, which is formed of a plastic resin such as Bakelite resin, is formed such that its front side25ranging with a length of 40 mm to 60 mm from an inlet side23to an outlet side24is arcuately shaped by being concaved along the grinding wheel5.

The regulating body13on its front side25has a pair of wall plates26formed at upper and lower sides so as to be U-shaped in its cross-sectional shape. The pair of wall plates26are adapted to sandwich the grinding wheel5to prevent the regulating body13from being dislocated from the grinding wheel5and prevent the jetted abrasive grains and compressed air21between the grinding surface6and the ridge portion12from being blown out to the outside.

In the regulating body13, the ridge portion12is formed in an intermediate range between the pair of wall plates26, and the ridge portion12is formed such that both its cross-sectional surface shape and its top surface shape from the inlet side23to the outlet side24conform to the shape of the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5. The jetting port15of the abrasive grain-mixed compressed air is open in the vicinity of the inlet side23at the top portion14of the ridge portion12.

The jetting port15communicates with the jetting abrasive grain generating device11through the communicating passage16inside the regulating body13as well as a joint and the pipe17.

A mounting portion31is integrally provided on the regulating body13, and the mounting portion31, which is mounted on a cover bracket33of a grinding head32through a pivotally supporting unit34, holds the regulating body13to allow the regulating body13to swingingly rotate retractably in the horizontal direction with respect to the grinding wheel5.

A tension coil spring36of the elastically pulling device18is stretched between the mounting portion31and the cover bracket33, and the mounting portion31, the regulating body13, and, hence, the ridge portion12are brought into face-to-face contact with the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5with a resiliently pressing force, e.g., 1.2 Kg on average in a preferred example, by the elastically pulling device18provided with the tension coil spring36.

As described above, the dressing apparatus1is comprised of the regulating body13which has the ridge portion12with a surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of the grinding surface6, the surface being brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5which rotates; the jetting abrasive grain generating device11serving as a device for generating a pressure fluid with abrasive grains mixed therein; and the jetting port15for jetting abrasive grain-mixed compressed air, the jetting port15serving as a jetting device for jetting the mixed compressed air as the pressure fluid with the abrasive grains mixed therein from the jetting abrasive grain generating device11into the space between the grinding surface6and the surface of the ridge portion12of the regulating body13which are brought into face-to-face contact with each other.

The dressing apparatus1is adapted to perform the dressing of the grinding surface6by causing the regulating body13conforming to the shape of the grinding surface6to be brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel which rotates, by jetting the compressed air21with the abrasive grains mixed therein into the space between the grinding surface6and the regulating body13, by passing the grinding surface6in the rotating direction with respect to the regulating body13, and by causing the elastically pulling device18to maintain the state of application of the jetting force of the abrasive grains onto the grinding surface6due to the regulating body13during this passage.

A dressing apparatus50in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 6jets the abrasive grains9with which pressurized water40is mixed, and is adapted to suck by a water pump41the pressurized water40with the abrasive grains9mixed therein by a mixer43, and pressure feed abrasive grain-mixed pressure water42from the water pump41to the jetting port15of the regulating body13, so as to jet the abrasive grain-mixed pressure water42from the jetting port15of the regulating body13onto the grinding surface6.

The dressing apparatus50shown inFIG. 6is adapted to perform the dressing of the grinding surface6by causing the regulating body13conforming to the shape of the grinding surface6to be brought into face-to-face contact, over a required length, with the grinding surface6of the grinding wheel5which rotates, by jetting the abrasive grain-mixed pressure water42serving as pressurized running water with the abrasive gains mixed therein into the space between the grinding surface6and the regulating body13, by passing the grinding surface6in the rotating direction with respect to the regulating body13, and by causing the elastically pulling device18to maintain the state of application of the jetting force of the abrasive grains onto the grinding surface6due to the regulating body13during this passage.

It should be noted that, instead of the tension coil spring36, an air cylinder unit may be used for the elastically pulling device18.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS