Patent GB-1053015-A (GB)
IPC: B24B41/00
Abstract: 1,053,015. Grinding. CINCINNATI MILLING MACHINE CO. April 1, 1965, No. 13943/65. Heading B3D. A centre-type grinding machine having a pair of spaced support units 16, 17, each having a work holding member for supporting a workpiece 15 on a work axis extending therebetween, includes an automatic workpiece loader comprising a support for locating a wheel 18 between the support units so that the wheel rotates on an axis spaced from and parallel to the work axis, a plurality of work carriers 50 equispaced around the periphery of the wheel, each carrier being adapted to support a workpiece across the periphery of the wheel and parallel to the work axis at a radial distance from the axis of the wheel corresponding to the spacing of the axis of the wheel from the work axis, and means for indexing the wheel angularly through a fixed angular rotation to present the work carriers to an operating position between the work holding members. The machine has a grinding wheel 14 which is driven by a motor 9 and mounted on a slide 11 movable transversely of the axis of the wheel on a bed 10. A front portion 12 of the bed slidably supports a work-table 13 adjustably supporting a headstock 16 and footstock 17 having centres 20, Fig. 2 (not shown), for supporting a workpiece to be ground. An arm 25 is secured to the footstock and at its outer end supports a shaft 44 on one end of which the hub 19 of the wheel 18 is mounted. The other end of the shaft is connected by a gear train to an hydraulic motor 27 which is controlled by a cam 45 rotated by the motor and a control device 46 to rotate the wheel step-wise by an amount corresponding to the spacing of the work carriers about the periphery of the wheel. Each work carrier comprises a pair of rods 47, 48, Figs. 2 and 3 (not shown), which are adjustably retained in bores in the rim of the wheel by screws 51. A pair of pocket members 49, 50 are adjustably mounted on each pair of rods and each member has an insert 53, 54 having an opening 55 to loosely receive the shaft portion 68 of a workpiece 15. The workpieces are loaded manually or automatically on to the wheel and carried over the wheel to the grinding position and, after grinding, are carried under the wheel to be unloaded. To retain the workpieces in the openings 55 during their movement after grinding, arcuate members 56 of plastic are disposed on support member 57 in close proximity to the wheel. During grinding, the workpieces are gauged by a unit 21 which is mounted on rods 22 extending from the headstock 16 and has a piston rod 65 carrying a pair of calipers 66, 67 to span the work as it is being ground. The indexing movement of the wheel 18 by the motor 27 is controlled by an electro-hydraulic circuit, Fig. 4 (not shown), the precise positioning of the wheel being determined by a roller 71 of the control device 46 engaging a recess in the periphery of the cam 45 which is mounted eccentrically and rotated once for each angular step of the wheel, the cam being urged towards its initial position, shown, by the roller 71, the hydraulic motor at this time having its lines 78, 97 connected together so as not to offer resistance to the final movement of the cam and wheel.