# US 5,700,182 A · Apparatus and method for automated honing of elongated straight-edged cutting blades > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,700,182 A - Document ID: US5700182A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/449,885 - Filed: 1995-05-25 - Granted: 1997-12-23 - Earliest claimed: 1995-05-25 - Assignees: Dunbar & Miller - Inventors: Lance A. Dunbar; E. Anthony Miller - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5700182A ## CPC - B24B 3/38: for planing wood, e.g. cutter blades - B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS ## Abstract An apparatus and method for automated honing of elongated straight-edged cutting blades such as those used in the printing and binding industry for the trimming of books or pamphlets and the like, wherein a sharpened blade which has been ground on other equipment is thereafter registered and secured at a predetermined angle upon a moveable blade holder support of the apparatus hereof, which support is then cycled to longitudinally displace so that the blade edge is thereby brought into sequential engagement with progressively finer abrasive surfaces of a longitudinal array of cooperative upper and lower orbitally driven honing heads whereby on a single reciprocated pass therethrough the blade is efficiently finished to a smooth sharp cutting edge. In an alternate embodiment of the apparatus and method hereof it is the honing heads which are longitudinally reciprocated while the blade to be honed is held upon a stationary blade holder support. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for automated honing of elongated straight-edged cutting blades said apparatus comprising in combination, a support frame having assembled thereto a moveable blade holder support provided with a blade set jig pivotally assembled to said support frame for registering a cutting edge of said blade, said jig cooperative with a blade register end stop at a honing head station infeed end thereof said end stop bring perpendicularly positioned to a longitudinal axis of said apparatus, a plurality of regularly spaced clamp means assembled to said blade holder support being adapted to registrably secure by means of said jig and said blade register end stop at least one sharpened straight-edged cutting blade compressivly thereto for automated honing, a pneumatic drive piston assembly for cyclicly displacing said moveable blade holder support from a place of beginning linearly along the longitudinal axis of said apparatus, a blade honing station longitudinally displaced from the place of beginning along said longitudinal axis having a cooperative plurality of orbitally driven blade honing heads adapted to sequentially engage and progressively hone a cutting edge of said sharpened straight-edged cutting blade to a finished honed state on a single longitudinally displaced cycle therethrough, and a recycle switch assembly to automatically return said moveable blade holder support to said place of beginning at the end of said single longitudinally displaced cycle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said blade set jig is profiled at an angular disposition to said longitudinal axis of said apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2 in which said blade set jig is provided with a resilient blade edge contact bar to angularly register said cutting edge of said blade at a corresponding angular disposition to said longitudinal axis of said apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said pneumatic drive piston connectably communicates with said moveable blade holder support by cable. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said blade honing station and the cooperative plurality of blade honing heads thereof are comprised of a leading blade honing head set and at least one of a trailing blade honing head set. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5 in which said leading blade honing head set is comprised of an upper blade honing head and a lower blade honing head. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5 in which said trailing blade honing head set is comprised of an upper blade honing head and a lower blade honing head. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6 in which said leading upper blade honing head and said leading lower blade honing head are each provided with a honing medium abrasive sheet. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7 in which said trailing upper blade honing head and said trailing lower blade honing head are each provided with a progressively finer honing medium abrasive sheet. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for automated honing of elongated straight-edged cutting blades said apparatus comprising in combination, a support frame having assembled thereto a blade holder support provided with a vertically reciprocal blade set jig cooperatively assembled to said support frame for registering a cutting edge of said blade, said jig in turn cooperative with a blade register end stop at a honing head station infeed end thereof being perpendicularly positioned to said longitudinal axis of said apparatus, a plurality of regularly spaced clamp means assembled to said blade holder support being adapted to registrably secure by means of said jig and said blade register end stop at least one sharpened elongated straight-edged cutting blade compressively thereto for automated honing, a moveable blade honing station at a place of beginning longitudinally displaced from said blade holder support linearly along the longitudinal axis of said apparatus, a cooperative plurality of orbitally driven blade honing heads comprising said blade honing station, a pneumatic drive piston assembly for cyclicly displacing said moveable blade honing station from said place of beginning along said longitudinal axis co sequentially engage and progressively hone a cutting edge of said sharpened elongated straight-edged cutting blade to a finished honed state on a single longitudinally displaced cycle thereby, and a recycle switch assembly to automatically return said moveable blade honing station to said place of beginning at the end of said single longitudinally displaced cycle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10 in which said blade set jig is at an angular disposition to said longitudinal axis of said apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11 in which said blade set jig is provided with a resilient blade edge contact bar to angularly register said cutting edge of said blade at said angular disposition to said longitudinal axis of said apparatus. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said pneumatic drive piston connectably communicates with said moveable blade honing station by cable. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10 in which said moveable blade honing station and the cooperative plurality of blade honing heads thereof are comprised of a leading blade honing head set and at least one of a trailing blade honing head set. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14 in which said leading blade honing head set is comprised of an upper blade honing head and a lower blade honing head. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14 in which said trailing blade honing head set is comprised of an upper blade honing head and a lower blade honing head. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15 in which said leading upper blade honing head and said leading lower blade honing head are each provided with a honing medium abrasive sheet. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16 in which said trailing upper blade honing head and said trailing lower blade honing head are each provided with a progressively finer honing medium abrasive sheet.