US 2017/0282331 A1Published application

Control cage assembly for centrifugal blast wheel machine

AssigneeWheelabrator Group, Inc.

InventorsRaymond Paul Bitzel, JR., Jürgen Wruck

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Abstract

A centrifugal blast wheel machine includes a wheel assembly, an impeller positioned about an axis of the wheel assembly, a motor coupled to the impeller to drive the rotation of the impeller and the wheel assembly, and a control cage assembly surrounding the impeller and secured to the wheel assembly. The control cage assembly includes a control cage and a locking ring secured to a peripheral edge of the cylindrical wall. The locking ring includes an indicator projecting radially outwardly from the locking ring, and an adaptor plate secured to the wheel assembly. The adaptor plate includes at least one recess formed therein to receive the indicator when securing the locking ring and the control cage to the adaptor plate. The adaptor plate further includes a retaining ring secured to the adaptor plate to firmly secure the locking ring and the control cage in place.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A centrifugal blast wheel machine comprising:

a wheel assembly having a plurality of blades configured to throw blast media introduced into the wheel assembly against a work piece;
an impeller positioned about an axis of the wheel assembly, the impeller having a media inlet at one end adapted to receive blast media and a plurality of impeller media outlets constructed and arranged to allow egress of blast media upon rotation of the impeller;
a motor coupled to the impeller to drive the rotation of the impeller and the wheel assembly;
and
a control cage assembly surrounding the impeller and secured to the wheel assembly, the control cage assembly including
a control cage having a cylindrical wall defining an interior chamber and a media outlet formed in the cylindrical wall to allow the egress of blast media from the interior chamber,
a locking ring secured to a peripheral edge of the cylindrical wall, the locking ring including an indicator projecting radially outwardly from the locking ring,
an adaptor plate secured to the wheel assembly, the adaptor plate including a central opening configured to receive the cylindrical wall of the control cage therein and at least one recess formed therein configured to receive the indicator when securing the locking ring and the control cage to the adaptor plate, and
a retaining ring configured to be secured to the adaptor plate and to firmly secure the locking ring and the control cage in place.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.