Engraving fixture for multiple serially arranged objects
OwnerTong Liinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fixture for facilitating the serial engraving of a plurality of cylindrical objects such as glasses or mugs mounted on individual serially arranged stations along a master base plate. Each station includes a drive structure and, spaced therefrom, a passive support structure. The two structures in each station can be gang-adjusted for object length. In addition, the support structures can be height-adjusted to level the engraved surfaces of tapered objects. All of the drive structures include drive wheel pairs and all are driven by a single stepper motor via a single shaft and individual belt and pulley systems.
Claims9
A fixture for use with an engraver of the type including a tool moveable along a horizontal axis for serially engraving a plurality of serially arranged cylindrical objects wherein said fixture comprises:
- a base alignable with said horizontal axis;
- a plurality of object receiving stations arranged in series along said axis, each said station including a drive structure and a slave structure, the drive and slave structures being spaced from one another along said horizontal axis;
- each drive structure comprising drive wheels for rotating an object thereon;
- said slave structure having slave wheels adapted to support an object in concert with said drive wheels;
- a drive system including a motor with a output shaft gang-connected to said drive wheels for synchronously incrementally rotating all of said drive wheels between linear passes of said engraving tool during an engraving process;
- and
- means for gang-adjusting the height of said slave wheels relative to said base for all said stations.
A fixture for holding a series of identical cylindrical objects during an engraving process using a tool movable along an axis wherein the fixture comprises:
- a base beam arranged parallel to the tool axis and supporting thereon a series of equally spaced plates holding driven wheels for holding and rotating objects resting thereon;
- a drive motor for driving a shaft connected commonly to all of the driven wheels so that all objects arranged in series are rotated simultaneously;
- a slave beam mounted parallel with the base beam and supporting passive holders for said objects equal in number to the plates holding the driven wheels;
- a first adjustment device for simultaneously adjusting the distance between the plates and the passive holders according to the lengths of the objects to be engraved;
- and
- a second adjustment device for simultaneously adjusting the height of the passive holders relative to the drive wheels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.