Patent GB-1213631-A (GB)
Title: Profile grinding machines
Inventor: MASON PETER ALAN
IPC: B24B49/18
Filed: 1966-11-18
Abstract: 1,213,631. Grinding. WICKMAN MACHINE TOOL SALES Ltd. 15 Nov., 1967 [18 Nov., 1966], No. 51779/66. Heading B3D. A profile grinding machine in which the grinding wheel is adjustable about two mutually perpendicular axes toprovide front and side clearances during grinding of regular or irregular profiles comprises a grinding wheel support assembly and a workpiece support assembly, the grinding wheel support assembly being additionally arranged to adjust the grinding wheel 11 towards the workpiece W to compensate for wear, angularly about a vertical axis 30, and bodily in a horizontal direction transverse with respect to the direction of movement towards the workpiece, and the workpiece support assembly being movable in two mutually perpendicular horizontal planes and vertically. The grinding wheel is mounted on a shaft assembly 12 such as described in Specification 1,213,632 and driven by an hydraulic motor controlled so as to maintain the peripheral speed-of the grinding wheel constant despite wear and dressing, the assembly being carried by a slide 14 vertically movable by an hydraulic cylinder 19 on a part 15 carried by a portion 16 of diamond cross-section guided by slides 18 in a side clearance housing 17. The part 15 is movable by means including an electrical transducer responsive to wheel diameter to maintain the grinding wheel so that its periphery always passes through a fixed point 0 to compensate for wear of the wheel. The housing 17 has two part cylindrical surface engaged in a front clearance housing 21 whereby the housing 17 can be adjusted by hydraulic motors 22 about its longitudinal axis so that the grinding wheel axis can be tilted out of the horizontal. Such adjustment can be combined with adjustment about a pivot of the slide 14 on the part 15 to effect transverse adjustment of the grinding wheel. The housing 21 is supported by pivots 23 in bearings 28 in a platform 24 and can be adjusted to various inclinations determined by an adjustable stop by an hydraulic motor 25. Such adjustment moves the slide 14 out of the vertical to provide the front clearance of the grinding wheel. The platform 24 is adjustable about a pivot 30 which is disposed on a base 10 and has an axis passing through the point 0. A microscope 34 is mounted on a bridge 29 on the platform and is vertically adjustable between a lower position in which the workpiece can be viewed and an upper position for viewing a dressing device. A limit switch 35 is provided to ensure that the microscope is in its upper position during grinding. A light 47 is disposed below the microscope to illuminate the workpiece. The workpiece is adjustable in two horizontal directions by slides 48, 49 and is vertically adjustable by a hand wheel 51. A liquid coolant may be supplied. The machine may be automatically operated through electronic mechanism having a tape reading hand so that the workpiece support assembly and grinding wheel are moved relatively in accordance with a predetermined programme. Alternatively, the machine may be operated manually under the control of a pantograph. After a predetermined number of cycles, the grinding wheel is dressed by a diamond impregnated or similar dresser 37, Fig. 5, mounted on a housing 38 which is advanced about a pivot 39 against the action of a spring 43 by a cam 40 moved about a pivot 41 by a handle 42.