Automatic belt-inserter device

Abstract: The invention discloses an automatic belt-inserting device for honing machines comprising a leading casing (2; 102; 302) for the sliding insertion of the belts (72; 201; 372) between the rotating cylinders (71; 171; 202) of a honing machine (7; 107) and a moving element (4; 104; 304) to which said leading casing (2; 102; 302), is hinged and able to slide along a driving unit (5; 105; 305) attached to a supporting structure (6; 106; 306). The belt-inserting device is provided with means for the displacement (42) of the moving element (4; 104; 304) along said driving units (5; 105; 305) and with means for the rotation (22) of said leading casing (2; 102; 302) around the hinging point (3), said means being suited to bring said leading casing (2; 102; 302) parallel with the external surface of the cylinder of the honing machine (71; 171) into which the belt (72; 201; 372) is to be inserted.

Description: The invention concerns an automatic belt-inserting device for the insertion of sand or lamellar belts between the rotating cylinders of a honing machine. It is a known fact that the lapping operations on wooden materials, either rough or varnished, are performed by means of honing machines on which the material to be smoothed is placed over a conveyor belt which conveys it under of a plurality of sand belts, each of them being wrapped around rotating cylinders. The granulometry and the type of abrasive material depend on the working operation to be performed, therefore, the sand belts are replaced both depending on the type of product to be smoothed and on the degree of finish which needs to be obtained on such product. Moreover, sometimes, each sand belt is pushed against the piece to be smoothed through a lamellar belt interposed between the cylinder around which the sand belt is wound and the back of the sand belt itself. It is a known fact to the operators of this field, that the replacement of the sand belts and of the lamellar belts is a rather long operation both because it is performed manually and because the operator is forced to work in a rather uncomfortable position, given the dimension of the belts and the position of the honing machine, where the rotating cylinders on which the belts are wound are mounted. Moreover, if one considers that the current trends of the market force the users of the honing machine, such as furniture-makers, to produce lots of limited quantity in a high number of colour variations and superficial finishes, it is easy to understand how the machine idle times for the replacement of the belts can become very long, thus having a considerable effect on the machine tooling time, and therefore on the total cycle time. In order to replace the belts, it is necessary to remove them from the cylinders, around which they are wound, then to insert in their place other belts having proper characteristics for the product to be obtained. In such a replacement operation what happens to be particularly difficult is to fit each belt on the corresponding top winding cylinder. It is with the purpose of facilitating the replacement operations of the belts and in particular the fitting operation of each belt on the corresponding top cylinder, that the patent for industrial invention which makes the object of the Italian patent application No. VI92A000082, in the name of the same inventor, has been realized, which describes a leading casing for inserting the belts between the cylinders of a honing machine, the purpose of which is to make the belt replacement operation easier and faster. The advantages of using the leading casing, object of the mentioned invention, are partially limited when said casings are applied to honing machines wherein the top winding cylinder of the belts is arranged at such a height which cannot be reached by an operator of average height working standing up. In these cases the operator is forced to use an uprised platform on which he can stand in order to reach the height necessary for fitting the belt on the cylinder. The replacement operation of the belts, therefore, besides requiring a higher performance time as compared to the time necessary should the operator be able to work standing on firm ground, becomes also more hazardous considering the dimensions of the belts that the operator has to handle in this uprised position in relation to the floor. The document PATENT ABSTRACT OF JAPAN Vol. 11, no. 205 (M-603) (2652) discloses a belt-inserting device for a honing machine having a loading casing horizontally displaced which can move up and down and which can rotate horizontally round an interlocking shaft. In such a way the leading casing with the belt can be positioned aligned to the drum of the housing machine receiving the belt. It is with the purpose of overcoming the inconveniences mentioned above that the present invention realises an automatic belt-inserting device, whose main purpose is to expedite the replacement operation of the belts on honing machines wherein the top winding cylinders of the belts are arranged at such a height that can not be reached by the operator standing on the ground. Another purpose is for the automatic belt-inserting device of the invention to permit the insertion of the belts without forcing the operator to use any up rised platforms such as stools, ladders or others. The last but not least purpose is that the automatic belts-inserting device of the invention can be used on any kind of honing machine available on the market. The described purposes are reached by an automatic belt-inserting device for honing machines in accordance with claim 1. Advantageously, the automatic belt-inserting device of the invention not only expedites the replacement operation of the belts, but it also permits to perform more safely the replacement of the belts themselves. Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description and from the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the automatic belt-inserting device according to the invention in its rest position; Fig. 2 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig.1 with the leading casing arranged in its horizontal position, lined up with the top rotating cylinder around which the belt needs to be wound; Fig. 3 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig. 2 with the leading casing in its lowered position for receiving the belt; Fig.4 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig. 3 during the inserting operation of the belt into the leading casing; Fig. 5 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig. 4 during the inserting operation of the belts between the rotating cylinders of the honing machine; Fig. 6 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig. 5 at the end of the inserting operation of the belt between the cylinders of the honing machine; Fig. 7 shows the automatic belt-inserting device of Fig. 6 with the leading casing placed again in its rest position; Fig. 8 shows the front view of the automatic belt-inserting device represented in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 shows a different embodiment of the belt-inserting device according to the invention; Fig. 10 shows the different embodiment of the belt-inserting device of Fig. 9 in a different position; Fig. 11 shows the front view of the different embodiment of Fig. 9. As can be observed in Fig. 1, the automatic belt-inserting device according to the invention, indicated as a whole with 1, comprises a leading casing, indicated with 2, hinged through a pin 3 to a moving element 4 sliding along a driving unit, indicated as a whole with 5, connected to a supporting structure 6, that, in the described case, consists of the structure of the honing machine, indicated as a whole with 7. It will be observed in particular in Fig. 8, that the driving unit 5 consists of a pair of vertical uprights 61, each of them presenting their bottom ends attached to the supporting structure 6, through a connecting plate 8, anchored to the supporting structure itself by means of fixing elements, such as screws, and each of the top ends attached directly to the supporting structure 6 itself, as can be observed in particular in the Figs. 3 and 4. With regard to the leading casing 2, it will be observed that it consists essentially of an external surface 21, having a convex profile, which can rotate around a pin 3 hinged to the moving element 4, belonging to the driving unit 5, through rotating means. In the case of the described embodiment, said rotating means consist of a pneumatic cylinder 22 presenting the end 24 of its body 23 hinged to the moving element 4, and the end 25 of its stem 26 hinged to the external surface 21 of the leading casing 2. Finally, it can be observed in Fig. 8, that the moving element 4, is attached, through a connecting element 41, to the sliding element of the displacement means, which, in the described case, consists of the piston of a cylinder 42 without stem which presents its body 43 attached to the supporting structure 6, consisting of the frame of the honing machine, and the piston which slides axially in the interior of said body 43 (not represented in the Fig.), and is connected to the connecting element 41. It can be easily understood, therefore, how through the pneumatic cylinder 22, the leading casing 2 can rotate around the hinge pin 3, following any of the two directions of arrow 27, while the moving element 4, and consequently the leading casing 2 and the rotating cylinder 22 both connected with it, through the displacement cylinder 42, can vertically translate following any of the two directions of arrow 44, as represented in Fig. 3. Whenever the belt-inserting device according to the invention is in its rest position, its leading casing 2 is arranged vertically, as represented in Fig. 1, in its highest up rised position and lined up with the top cylinder 71 of the honing machine 7. In order to insert a belt on to the top cylinder 71 or to remove from the latter a belt supported by the same, it is necessary, first of all, to cause the leading case 2 to rotate, so that it will be brought, as represented in Fig. 2, into an essentially horizontal position. The rotation occurs by acting on the rotating cylinder 22 through a push-button or other mechanism of control belonging to the pneumatic feeding circuit of the cylinder itself, and attached to the supporting structure 6, which is not represented in the Fig. for the purpose of simplifying the description. When the leading casing 2 is arranged in its horizontal position, the displacement cylinder 42, visible in Fig. 8,is activated through another control push-button, and it lowers the moving element 4 vertically toward the bottom by causing it to slide along the driving rods 61, so as to bring it into the most suitable position for receiving the sand belt 72, as can be observed in the Figs. 3 and 4, whenever the belt itself is pushed by an operator following direction 73. The sand belt 72 can be inserted into the leading casing 2 manually by the operator performing the insertion. It can be observed that on the external surface 21 of the leading casing 2 is arranged a pneumatic sensor 28 connected with the feeding circuit of the rotating and displacement cylinders 22 and 42 respectively, as well as with the control push-buttons, such a sensor automatically controlling the displacement cylinder 42, when sensing the presence of belt 72, so that the moving element 4, the leading casing 2 and the sand belt 72 inserted into on it, are driven vertically toward the top, following the direction represented in Fig. 4 and indicated by arrow 45. When the moving element 4 has reached the upper end stroke, as represented in Fig. 5, the sand belt 72 is placed in front of the top rotating cylinder 71 and it can be easily make to slide on the external surface of the top rotating cylinder 71 itself by the operator exerting another pressing action on the side of the sand belt 72 itself, following the direction of arrow 73. When the sand belt 72 is placed on the top rotating cylinder 71, as it can be observed in Fig. 6, by acting again on the pneumatic cylinder through the push-button, the leading casing 2 is made to rotate following the direction of arrow 29, so that it will be brought as observed in Fig. 7, in the same configuration as represented in Fig. 1, that is to say back to its rest position. It is easy to understand how the same operations are carried out whenever it is necessary to remove the belt 71 in order to proceed to its replacement. A different embodiment of the automatic belt-inserting device according to the invention, based on the same idea of solution and suitable to be used in particular on honing machines into which the sand belt is driven by a lamellar belt, is represented in the Figs. 9, 10 and 11 wherein is indicated with 101. Such a different embodiment is applied to a honing machine supplied with lamellar belts, represented in Fig. 9 and indicated as a whole with 107, where it can be observed that the lamellar belt 201 is supported by an intermediate rotating cylinder 202, arranged parallel and at a lower position in relation to the top rotating cylinder 171, around which the corresponding sand belt is wound, which is not represented in the Fig. in order to simplify the description. In that case, it can be understood, that, when there is the need of replacing the lamellar belt 201, it is necessary to displace the whole driving unit 105 toward the bottom, following direction 144, so as to prevent the vertical sliding rods 161 from interfering with the profile of the belt 201 itself, whenever there is a need of removing it. For this purpose, the driving unit 105 is attached to the end 35 of the stem 36 of a pneumatic cylinder 32, whose body 33 is connected in correspondence with the end 34, to the supporting structure 106, consisting, in this case too, of the framework of the honing machine 107. In that case, the driving rods 161 will present each, only their bottom end connected with the supporting structure 106 itself, again through the interposition of the connecting plate 108 attached to the supporting structure 106 itself, wherein the ends of said rods 161 are sliding, being coupled in the interior of the driving seats 181 obtained in the connecting plate 108 itself. Moreover, in such a different embodiment, the body of the cylinder 142 without stem, which causes the moving element 104 to move, is connected with the bottom ends of said rods 161, therefore it moves integrally with them and with the whole driving unit 105, whenever the latter is vertically displaced by the pneumatic cylinder 32. Therefore, it is easy to understand, that the described different embodiment permits the removal and the insertion of both the sand belts and the lamellar belts. In fact, in order to remove or to insert the sand belts, the driving unit 105 has to be brought into its utmost upright position, as represented in Fig. 9, so that the leading case 102 is lined up with the top rotating cylinder 171 of the honing machine 107, whereas, in order to remove or to insert the lamellar belt 201, the driving unit 105 has to be displaced toward the bottom, as observed in Fig. 10, so that the same leading casing 102 is lined up with the intermediate rotating cylinder 202 supporting the lamellar belt 201 itself. On the basis of what has been described, it can be understood how the automatic belt-inserting device according to the invention, reaches, first of all, the main purpose of expediting the replacement operation of the belts on honing machines, wherein the top winding cylinders of the belts are arranged at such a height that is not reachable directly by the operator standing on the ground. In this way the operator is no longer forced to use up rised platforms such as stools, ladders or others, and consequently the replacement operation of the belts is carried out faster and under improved safety conditions. The described different embodiment reaches the mentioned purposes too, with the additional advantage of permitting the replacement of the lamellar belts too, in case the honing machine is provided with them.

Claims: An automatic belt-inserting device for honing machines having several rotating cylinders for driving the belt, comprising a leading casing (2; 102), with an external convex surface (21) for the sliding insertion of the belt (72; 201) around the top winding cylinder (71; 171; 202) of said rotating cylinders of said honing machine (7; 107), characterized in that it presents a moving element (4; 104) supporting said leading casing (2; 102) and sliding vertically along a driving unit (5; 105) attached to the frame (6; 106) of said honing machine, said belt-inserting device being provided with displacement means (42) for displacing the moving element (4; 104) along said driving units (5; 105), said leading casing (2; 102) being hinged in respect to said moving element (4; 104) for a rotation in a vertical place containing the axis of said top winding cylinder (71; 171; 202) of said honing machine, the rotation of the leading casing (2; 102) being provided by actuating means suited to bring the convex surface (21) of said leading casing (2; 102) in parallel with the external surface of the top winding cylinder (71, 171) of the honing machine around which the belt (72; 201) needs to be wound. An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving unit (5; 105) consists of one or more driving rods (61; 161) essentially vertical, with which the moving element (4; 104) is connected, which slides longitudinally along them, said at least one rod having each at least one of its ends connected with the frame (6; 106) through a connecting plate (8; 108) attached to the frame itself. An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said at least one driving rod (61) presents both ends connected with the frame (6). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said at least one driving rod (161) presents one free end and its opposite end slidingly connected within the interior of driving seats (181) obtained within the connecting plate (108) attached to the frame (106). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving unit (105) is attached to the end of the moving element of an actuator (32) the fixed part of which is attached to the frame (106). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuator consists of a pneumatic cylinder (32). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for the vertical displacement of the moving element (4; 304) are a pneumatic cylinder (42) without stem presenting its body (43) attached to the frame (6) and its piston attached to the moving element (4) through a connecting element (41). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for the vertical displacement of the moving element (104) consist of a pneumatic cylinder (142) without stem presenting its body attached to the bottom end of the rods (161) and its piston attached to the moving element (104) through a connecting element (141). An automatic belt-inserting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means causing the leading casing (2; 102) to rotate around the hinge point (3) are a pneumatic cylinder (22) presenting the end (24) of its body (23) hinged to the moving element (4; 104) and the end (25) of its stem (26) hinged to the external surface (21) of the leading casing (2; 102) itself.

Inventors: BAU ELIGIO, COSTA LUCIANO, BAU', ELIGIO, COSTA, LUCIANO
Applicants: COSTA LEVIGATRICI SPA
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B24B57
IPC codes: B24B21