Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1889
Complete Spécification Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1889
I, MELCHIOR MALEVEZ, Engineer, of 37, Rue Philippe le Bon, Bruxelles, Belgium,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
:-
The present invention relates to appliances for polishing and grinding plates of glass
and more particularly to the platform and polishing discs as well as to the base-plate
or table to which. the glass plate is secured.
This table which constitutes an important feature of my invention, is arranged so,
that it can be first placed on the platform of the grinding apparatus and subsequently.
(after the grinding operation) transported to the polishing apparatus. This table has
grooves for the reception of rails secured to the platform of the polishing and
grinding apparatus and serving to maintain the relative position between platform and
the table.
The table is preferably made of cast-iron and composed of four circular sectors or
quadrants secured to each other by bolts. The frame work carries a disc of sheet
metal to which is secured the glass plate to be operated upon.
To facilitate the transport of the table from the grinding or polishing apparatus to
the shunting platform and vice versa, the table has, on its lower side, four excentric
shafts, each of which carries four supporting rollers mounted on the excentric portions
of the shaft and receives its motion from a shaft extending across the four roller
shafts by means of a worm and wormwheel. The cross shaft carrying the four worms
may be set in motion by a crank handle situated at one end of the shaft.
For transporting the table,-it-is first lifted by means of the rollers and the table
may then be propelled on the rollers along their respective rails, by turning the handle
mounted on the cross shaft.
The platform which supports the table is fixed to the top of a vertical axle, carrying
a worm-wheel provided with a clutch-coupling. The said worm-wheel, together with
the vertical shaft may be set in motion from the horizontal main driving shaft by
means of a worm and a pair of belt pulleys. The clutch coupling serves to
disconnect the worm-wheel from the shaft, when desired, and is operated by a system
of levers.

page_text: The polishing process is performed by polishing discs or plates, preferably 63
mounted on 6 frames, three of which carry 10 discs each, and the others 11.
The frames are arranged radially at equal angles around the axis of the platform.
The said frames receive a circular motion (parallel to the platform) by means of a
system of beams or girders set in motion by cranks mounted on vertical shafts, pre-
ferably six in number.
The vertical shafts are set in motion from the horizontal main shaft by tooth gear-
ing. The two central shafts situated diametrically opposite each other are preferably
driven direct from the main shaft by bevel wheels, and each of the central shafts. set
in motion the two vertical shafts situated right and left of the same, by means of
spur-wheels, in such a manner, that all shafts move in the same direction and with
the same speed. The system of beams or girders comprises three parallel main beams,
each end of each beam being connected with its corresponding crank and receiving
its circular motion from the same.
Instead of using 4 driving cranks in the corners in addition to the two in the centre,
the four cranks in the corners may only be used as guides, set in motion by the system
of beams or by the disc-carrying frames. In order to set one or more series of
polishing discs out of action, when desired, each frame is connected with 'the
respective main beam by a pair of vertical screw spindles, passing through screw nuts
fixed to the said beam and adapted to be turned by means of a horizontal shaft placed
along the said main beam.
In order to render the position of the disc-carrying frames radially adjustable, I
employ for each frame a horizontal screw-spindle, situated in the interior of the
girder or main beam and passing through the same blocks which serve as screw nuts
for the vertical screw spindles.
The turning of the horizontal regulating spindle causes a longitudinal motion of its
screw nut, together with the entire disc-carrying frame.
The horizontal position of the polishing discs belonging to the same radial frame
may also be altered independently of the others, by shifting the axle of the roller in
a slot of its supporting frame.
'
It will be understood, that the polishing apparatus described above, may be adapted
equally well to grinding machines with fixed platforms and to those with portable or
exchangeable platforms.
1000

page_text: and Analogous Objects.
I, MELCHIOR MALEVEZ, Engineer, of 37, Rue Philippe le Bon; Bruxelles, Belgium;
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by. the following
statement:
.
The principal part of the improved apparatus is a circular table hereinafter
described, upon which the crude glass plates aro secured by means of a suitable
adhesive substance. This table is first placed on the platform of the grinding
apparatus, and after the grinding is finished, it is transported on a truck to the
polishing apparatus which will be described later on.
.
This table, as illustrated in sheet I of the annexed drawings, is made of cast iron,
but it may be equally well made of wrought iron; it is composed of 4 segments of a
circle bolted together and is covered with a plate of sheet iron from 10 to 15 milli-
meters thick, on which the glass plates are fixed.
To facilitate the transport of the table from the grinding and polishing apparatus to
the truck and vice-versa, I have provided this table with a mechanism composed as
follows:
Four shafts A, A, A, A, each of which is provided with four friction rollers G
mounted on excentric portions of the shaft, receive their motion from 4 worms J,
gearing into worm wheels keyed on each of these shafts. These worms mounted on
the cross shaft B are actuated by a crank handle M*.
On the platforms of the grinding and polishing appliances are fixed four rails of
half round iron R³, R², R³, R; and in the supporting table are formed recesses into
which fit the said rails, so as to secure the supporting table to the platform.
For transporting the table, it is first lifted on the rollers by turning the crank M*
which controls the shafts A, A, A, A,, whereupon the table can be easily shifted on
these rollers, so as to pass on to the truck.
The polishing appliance comprises a platform P, on which is fixed the movable
supporting table T, as stated above; this platform, mounted on a pivot or otherwise,
is controlled by an independent tooth wheel E keyed on the vertical axle of the plat-
form and likewise operated by a worm keyed on a horizontal shaft e which receives
motion by means of belt pulleys, one of which is keyed on the horizontal shaft
mentioned above and the other on the horizontal main shaft A.
In order to set the platform out of gear, when desired; I have combined with the
worm wheel E a clutch coupling F controlled by a suitable mechanism, for instance, a
system of levers, as shown on Fig. 4 of the annexed drawings which is partly an
elevation and partly a section along line A-B of Fig. 5.
This addition enables the attendant to turn the platform by hand, for instance in
the case of certain operations or for inspecting the glass plate.
da

page_text: To produce a uniform polish on the entire surface of the table, I employ 63 polish-
ing discs p arranged in concentric circles on 6 frames C, as shown in Fig. 5, three of
these frames carrying 10 discs each, and the others 11. The object of this arrange-
ment is to facilitate the polishing in the centre of the table, but a certain number of
polishing, discs may be added or withdrawn, if necessary, my invention consisting
partly in the manner of arranging the frames for this purpose. The frames C receive
a circular motion by means of a system of iron beams or girders. This system or
framework is controlled by 6 cranks M M' receiving motion from the horizontal shaft A
situated in the foundation of the apparatus: This main shaft. imparts motion in any
suitable manner, for instance by means of bevel wheels. B.and two vertical shafts C¹³
which carry the central cranks M'.
These shafts CC impart a similar_rotary motion to the cranks M M, by any
suitable means, such as driving belts, friction discs, but preferably by means of tooth
wheels D, as shown in the drawing.
I may use only two driving cranks proper. (such as M' M' on the annexed drawing)
and combine them with four other cranks one of which is placed in each corner of
the machine, these four cranks being guided by the frame so as to describe a motion
exactly similar and in the same sense, as the central cranks M¹, the system of beams
being connected by four screw spindles provided with regulating nuts, in addition to
the two beams which connect the four corner cranks.
'
However, this arrangement, which has only been embodied in detail drawings, does
not seem to distribute with sufficient uniformity the considerable power required by
the working of the machine.
For setting out of action one or more series of polishing discs, when required, or
for lifting these entirely off the plate, when the work is finished, I connect each of
the frames which hold the polishing discs, with its main girder or cross beam by
means of two regulating screws ff passing through blocks held between the flanks
of the said girder and adapted to be set in motion by a pair of bevel wheels g, g. The
latter receive their motion from a horizontal shaft & mounted on the girder parallel
to the same and carrying a hand wheel.
This arrangement, in combination with that described for preventing the rotary
motion of the platform when required, enables the operator, when a portion of the
glass plates on the table is not sufficiently polished, to stop the table and to act on the
said portion with that or those series of polishing discs only which correspond to it.
For regulating at will the horizontal position of each frame on the table from the
circumference towards the centre and vice-versa, I provide them with an arrangement
which enables the operator to move them in this direction on a horizontal plane.
This arrangement which the drawing represents in figures 3 and 4 consists of a screw
spindle m adapted to be operated by a hand wheel and entering the same cast iron
blocks (lodged in the interior of the girders) through which pass the spindles f for
lifting and lowering the frame. At the place where the screw spindles f pass
through the blocks, the latter are slotted, so as to allow each of the blocks (which
serve as screw nuts for the screw spindles), to be propelled by the screw spindle m
and consequently to impart motion to the frame belonging to the polishing discs.
Besides these devices. I form slots in the frame, at the places where the polishing discs
are attached, each slot receiving the pivotal pin of one of the polishing discs. In this
manner, I am able, to regulate the horizontal position of each. polishing disc inde-
pendently of the regulation of each frame.
:
I wish it to be 'understood, that the polishing apparatus forming the subject of the
present invention, may be applied equally well to polishing apparatus with stationary
platform and to those with portable platforms of my, system or of other systems. In
the first case, I employ the movable supporting table described above which would be
carried on a truck from one apparatus to the other, that is, from the stationary plat-
form of the grinding apparatus to the stationary platform of the polishing apparatus.
In the second case, it is sufficient to transport the platform itself from the grind-
ing to the polishing apparatus. In this case the polishing apparatus is provided
with the circular plate on which the platform is placed.

page_text: The industrial advantages of the new polishing apparatus and of the portable
table characterised by its consecutive employment with the grinding apparatus and
with the polishing apparatus are as follows:
1, The glass plates need not be detached after the grinding and mounted again on
the table of the polishing apparatus.
•
2, A larger surface of plate glass can be polished and in a shorter time than with
the old appliances.
3, As the surface of the glass is polished immediately after the operation of
grinding, without detaching the glass plates, the surface of the said plates remains
exactly in the same plane, which is an essential condition for obtaining a regular
polish.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1, Grinding and polishing apparatus comprising in its construction a supporting
able T secured to the platform of the grinding or polishing apparatus, and means
for lifting the table off the platform and transporting it from one apparatus to the
other.
2, In grinding and polishing apparatus, the combination of the platform and
driving axle, with a worm tooth wheel E and a clutch-coupling F adapted to be set in
and out of gear by means of suitable mechanism.
3, A grinding or polishing machine comprising in its construction polishing discs
arranged in circles, frames adapted to hold the said discs, and a system of girders
supporting the said frames and adapted to receive a circular motion by means of
cranks M for the purpose of producing a uniform polish on the entire surface of the
table.
4, The combination of polishing discs and supporting frames; with means sub-
stantially as described for changing the number of discs actually in operation and
for lifting them in groups off the table.
5 The combination of polishing discs and disc axles with supporting frames having
slots corresponding to the disc-axles for the purpose of changing the horizontal
position of the individual discs.
The whole substantially as described and illustrated.
•