IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING/FINISHING MACHINES FOR MECHANICAL PARTS

Abstract: The disclosure relates to washing and/or finishing ma­ chines for mechanical parts (3), including a transfer system (1) for the parts that must be washed and/or finished; at least one working chamber (2), in which the parts are intro­ duced and sprayed by washing liquid, or by sand spraying or deburring compounds. In order to supply the parts from the transfer system to the chamber and to place them in dif­ ferent stations or attitudes for the washing or finishing oper­ ation in the chamber, at least one robot (4) is provided with at least one clamping system (5) for the part or parts that must be washed and/or finished, to give the clamping de­ vices horizontal translation movement, an up and down vertical movement and a rotating movement around an ho­ rizontal axis.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING/FINISHING MACHINES FOR MECHANICAL PARTS The present invention refers to improvements in the washing and/or finishing machines for mechanical parts, specially the type of machines that include a transfer system of the parts that must be washed and/ or finished; at least with one working chamber or cabinet, that includes a working station in which the parts are successively introduced and sprayed by washing jet sprayers, or sand spraying or deburring products; and positioning devices with the purpose of taking successively the pieces from the transfer system and place them in the different washing stations, sanding and/or deburring. In the production of parts in series, the initial statement has always been to define at priory the operations that must be done on the difficult places of the parts and the time that each one of those operations must last. Any change of time, place or nature of the operation, implied automatically changing tools changing parts of the machine or include additional devices. Although, till today the operations in general are made in line, that means that the transport system of parts is located inside the machine itself, and that in case of incident, the whole line is shut-down. The improvements of the invention here described avoid totally those difficulties, because with them it is disposed a separate machine from the transport system and the inclusion of a robot in order to take the parts from this transport system and introduce them inside the working cabinet. This robot has such a flexibility, that a big part of the costs of changing tools or operations are avoided. Also, an installation following the improvements of the present invention, can be converted in a conventional installation, saving then design costs. Essentially, the improvements treated are characterized by the fact that the transfer system is placed outside of the working chamber or chambers and that the positioning devices arise at least one robot, provided with at least one clamping device of the piece or pieces that must be washed and/or finished, being all those clamping devices provided of an horizontal translation movement, a vertical up and down movement and a rotation around an horizontal axle. Other characteristics and advantages of the improvements described, will arise from the description following and related to the joint drawings, that illustrates, as a non limitative example, a way of execute them. The figs. 1 and 2 are a side view and a plan view of a machine embodying the improvements of the present invention; the fig. 3 shows a cross section view and in detail of the extremity of the robot device; the fig. 4 is a flat view similar to the fig.2 but including a drying station; the fig. 5 shows a perspective view, in an enlarged scale, of the opening to enter the robot arm inside the working cabinet and the fig. 6 is a cross section view, showing the sealing system of the enter opening of fig. 5. In those drawings it can be seen that a machine for washing and/or finishing the mechanical parts following the improvements object of the present invention, include a transfer device 1 for the parts that must be washed and/or finished, and also a working cabinet 2 and positioning devices that take the parts 3 in succession and place them in the different working stations. Those positioning means are formed by at least one robot - device 4, that includes at least one clamping device, formed by a clamp 5 disposed at the extremity of an horizontal arm 6 having a longitudinal translation movement. This horizontal arm 6 is mounted on a vertical column 7 that provides a vertical translation movement both upwardly and downwardly. The vertical column 7 stands on an horizontal table 8 that can translate itself in a parallel direction to the advance direction of the part 3 on the transfer device 1. This transfer device is constituted by a walking beam of the type described in Spanish Patent of Invention No 469.728 of the present Applicant. The parts 3 are transferred by the walking beam 1 until they reach a position in front of the cabinet 2, and in this moment the arm 6 of the robotdevice takes them by means of the clamping devices 5 and after, this arm 6 rises and extends to introduce the parts 3 inside the cabinet 2. In this cabinet 2 there are disposed spraying manifolds 14 through which a wash or deburring liquid is delivered, that is, water, or water and abrasive mixture. Each manifold 14 is fed through an electro valve 15. Once the parts 3 are inside the cabinet 2, they are successively placed in front of the manifolds 14, each one of them operates when the corresponding part 3 is correctly placed in front of it, and in that moment the corresponding electrovalve 15 opens. When all the succession of the operations done inside the cabinet 2 are finished, and all the electro valves 15 are closed, the robot device places again the parts 3 on the walking beam I, and then the latter advances placing new parts 3 in order to begin a new cycle. The fig. 3 illustrates the fitting of the parts 3 in the extremity of the arm 6 of the robot-device, in a way that several parts can be taken at the same time and give them the necessary rotating motion in order to present successively the faces of the parts 3 in front of the manifolds 14. The housing 16 is linked to the extremity of the arm 6 of the robotdevice, and the clamps 5 rotate on the axles 17 that are driven by the gears 18 linked to the axle. The driving is made by means of another gear wheel 19, driven by the axle 20 that is driven by an independent motor 21, placed at the opposite extremity of the arm 6. With all this it is possible to get a simultaneous rotation in the same direction and synchronized movement of the clamping devices 5, and in consequence of the parts 3. It is obvious that this type of device can be applied also to three, four or more rotating clamping devices 5, increasing then the production. This type of mechanics also permits that everything is enclosed inside a carter and that the motion element or motor is placed far away of the working area, that means that it is not inside the cabinet 2 and then it is not submitted to the heavy ambient conditions inside it. in the figs. 5 and 6 it can be seen that the sealing device provided for the penetration of the arm 6 of the robot-device when extended into the cabinet 2. The side wall of the working cabinet 2 is open and it is closed by means of a double wall 9 linked to the horizontal table 8 of the robot, and essentially perpendicular to the horizontal arm 6 of it, that defines a cavity 10 as a vestibule, destined to receive any splashing. An air exhaust device is placed in the vestibule 10 together with a separator of drops from the washing and/or finishing compound, not represented here. In the centre of the double wall 9 described there is an opening 11 for the passing of the horizontal arm 6, this opening 11 being provided with vertical brush strips, having horizontally reaching hairs 12 pushing against the arm 6 and against themselves, closing the opening 11 in any position of the arm 6, to prevent any splashing passing to the outer side of the wall 9. Also at the bottom of the vestibule cavity 10 there is a bottom slope 13 inclined to the inside of the working chamber 2, that communicates with it, in order to return all the splashing taken inside the cavity. This device is very important in the case that, due to the high production rate, there is no time to translate the parts 3 to a cabinet 2 placed to one side of the walking beam and it is necessary to work above the transfer device itself. That means that, then, the walking beam 1 passes through the cabinet, and that the manifolds 14 are placed above the walking beam 1 and in consequence the horizontal movement of the robot is shorter, gaining production time. Finally, in the fig. 4 there is shown a drying chamber 22 with hot air, through which the parts 3 cross once they are washed and/or finished and to where they arrive already drained, thanks to the described rotation motion of the parts 3 placed on the clamping devices 5 of the horizontal arm 6 which motion continues also during the extraction of the parts 3 from the working cabinet 2 in order to drain them.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A washing and/or finishing machine for mechanical parts, including a transfer system for the parts that must be washed and/or finished; at least one working chamber or cabinet, that includes one working chamber where the parts are introduced successively and are sprayed by washing liquid, or by sand spraying or deburring compounds; and indexing means for taking the parts successively from the transfer device and placing them in the different stations, for sanding and/or deburring characterized in that the transfer device is placed outside of the working chambers and in that the indexing means are made of at least one robot, provided with at least one clamping system for the part or parts to be washed and/or finished, the clamping devices being provided with a horizontal translation movement, an up and down vertical movement and a rotating movement around a horizontal axis. 2. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the fact that each one of the clamping devices of each robot-system is composed of a clamp placed at the extremity of a horizontal arm having a horizontal translation movement. 3. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in claim 2, characterized by the fact that the horizontal arm is mounted on a vertical column that provides a vertical translation movement in either direction. 4. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the vertical column stands on a horizontal table that can move with a translation movement parallel to the advance direction of the parts in the transfer system. 5. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a number of clamping devices on the horizontal arm of the robot device have a simultaneous rotating motion, of the same speed and sense, for use during the working time for washing and/or finishing the parts, inside the working cabinet. 6. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in claim 5, characterized by the fact that the rotating movement of the parts placed on the clamping devices of a horizontal arm, is maintained also during the exiting of the parts from the working cabinet, with the purpose of draining them. 7. A washing and/or finishing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a side wall of the working chamber has an opening which is closed by means of a double wall linked to the horizontal table of the robot device, and essentially perpendicular to the horizontal arm of it, that determines a cavity like a vestibule, with the purpose of collecting any splashing, there being disposed in the vestibule an air exhaust device and a separator equipment for the wash and/or finishing compound droplets, being done in the centre of the mentioned double wall that delimitates the vestibule, an opening for going through the horizontal arm, this opening being provided of vertical brush strips on the sides, in a way that the hairs push against themselves and against the arm, closing the opening in any position of the arm, preventing the splashing from going out of the chamber, and being placed also in the bottom of this cavity as a vestibule, a floor with a slope to the inside of the working chamber, that communicates with it, in order to return all the splashing taken inside.

Inventors: AGULLO NEGUI, MIGUEL
Applicants: AGULLO NEGUI, MIGUEL
Application year: 1983
Main classification: B08B3
IPC codes: B08B3, B25J9, B25J15