Automatic machine and automatic method for grinding the edges of glass sheets
AssigneeForel SPA
InventorsFortunato VIANELLO, Riccardo VIANELLO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic machine and an automatic method for grinding the edges of glass sheets are disclosed. The machine is provided with a machine body with motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts, an input conveyor with motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts, an output conveyor with motorized support and conveyance rollers and belts. There are at least two elements for conveying the glass sheets, a lower one and an upper one, which actuate respectively the synchronous motions about a lower axis and an upper axis, which engage and convey the glass sheets, which are interfaced alternately, for example the odd sheets with the lower conveyance elements and the even sheets with the upper conveyance.
Claims12
An automatic machine for grinding the edges of the perimeter of rectangular or non-rectangular contoured glass sheets (1) that are substantially planar and arranged vertically or slightly inclined with respect to the vertical, comprising a machine body (2) provided with a pseudovertical resting and sliding surface, preceded by a corresponding upstream pseudovertical resting and sliding surface and followed by a corresponding downstream pseudovertical resting and sliding surface and with corresponding motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts (3a, 3b, 3c), arranged below respective pseudovertical resting and sliding surfaces and actuating a synchronous axis X0 for the conveyance of the lower portion of said glass sheet (1) and of at least one pair of working heads (500, 600), which can move with respect to said glass sheet (1) along its perimeter with a synchronous feeding motion and provided with a synchronous rotary motion (ϑ5, ϑ6), each one of said pair of working heads (500, 600) being movable on corresponding vertical carriages (300, 400) provided with a synchronous vertical translational motion along the vertical axes (Y3, Y4) and comprising a fixed body (501, 601) and a rotating body (502, 602), each fixed and rotating body (501, 601, 502, 602) ending with a working head (508, 608) which comprises a tool (509, 609) of the type with a rigid grinding wheel which has a circular shape in rotation with a cutting motion in order to perform said grinding, adjustable with an adjustment motion along the axes (Z7, Z8), which are perpendicular to the plane of said glass sheet (1), characterized in that through said machine body (2b) and said motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts (3b) and said input conveyor (2a) and said motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts (3a) and said output conveyor (2c) and said motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts (3c), or part thereof, at least two conveyance means for said glass sheets (1), a lower one (100) and an upper one (200), which actuate respectively the synchronous motions about axes (X1, X2), engage and convey said glass sheets (1), said glass sheets (1) being interfaced alternately, the odd sheets with said lower conveyance means (100) and the even sheets with said upper conveyance means (200).
The machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said working heads (500, 600), which can move with respect to said glass sheet (1) along its perimeter, in addition to said working heads (508, 608) with corresponding tools (509, 609), contain jaws (511, 512, 513, 514, 611, 612, 613, 614) for retaining the portion of said glass sheet (1) which act transversely to said glass sheet (1) at their perimetric margin in order to prevent the vibration thereof during the active machining step of said tools (509, 609), said retention jaws (511, 512, 513, 514, 611, 612, 613, 614) arranging themselves tangentially with respect to the perimeter of said glass sheet (1) by the action of said synchronous rotation axes (ϑ5, ϑ6).
The machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that by means of the combination of the synchronous motions of said motorized support and conveyance rollers or belts (3a, 3b, 3c) with respect to said synchronous axis (X0), of the motion of at least one between said at least one pair of working heads (500 or 600) with respect to said rotation axes (ϑ5, ϑ6) and of at least one of said vertical carriages (300 or 400) along said vertical axes (Y3 or Y4) and of at least one of said four sucker carriages (104a, 104b or 204a, 204b) with respect to said axis (X1) or (X2), the grinding work follows contours of said glass sheet of the type 1′ or 1″ or 1′″ that are other than rectangular.
The automatic machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tool (509, 609) is a diamond grinding wheel.
A method for grinding the edges of the perimeter of rectangular glass sheets (1), comprising the following steps:
- grinding the vertical front side (1a) of the odd glass sheet (1D) by the action of a first working head (500) provided with a rotation axis ϑ5 and with the axis Y3
- grinding all or part of the horizontal upper side (1b) of the odd glass sheet (1D) by the action of a first working head (500) with said odd glass sheet (1D) moved along a lower axis X1
- simultaneous grinding of any remaining part of the horizontal upper side (1b) of said odd glass sheet (1D) by the action of said first working head (500) and with respect to said axis X1 and of the horizontal lower side (1c) of said odd glass sheet (1D) by the action of a second machining head (600) which acts along said lower axis X1, until said horizontal lower side (1c) is completed
- grinding of the vertical rear side (1d) of said odd glass sheet (1D) by the action of said second working head (600) provided with a rotation axis ϑ6 and with the axis Y4, characterized in that the grinding of the even alternate subsequent sheet (1P) is performed by controlling the horizontal displacement of the even sheet (1P) by means of the horizontal longitudinal axes X0 and X2 and so forth for the subsequent sheets:
- odd alternating ones (1D) coupled to said lower axis X1, even alternating ones (1P) coupled to an upper axis X2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.