Grinding machine and method of sharpening blades
AssigneesHeinz Berger Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co., Karl-Robert Kuller
InventorAndreas Gross
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a grinding machine for sharpening (honing) blades (4) of knives, scissors, hand tools or the like, with a magazine, a feed station (1) or similar, and with a honing station (2) for the blades (4), which has two contra-rotating grinding wheels (6a, 6b). In order to automate a method to be performed using the said machine whilst maintaining a high degree of machining accuracy, it is proposed to use a robot (3) with memory-programmable control having a manipulator (5) moveable in at least four of the six possible translatory and rotational degrees of spatial freedom, a gripper head, which has a holding device for accommodating and moving a blade (4), being fixed to the manipulator (5).
Claims15
Method for honing blades (4) of knives and scissors, said blades (4) having a longitudinal extent (L), a thickness (D) and a height (H) and cutting edge (19) with a contour (K), the method comprising the main steps of:
- taking up a blade (4) from a feed station (1),
- feeding the blade (4) into a honing station (2),
- honing the blade (4) between two contra-rotating grinding wheels (6a, 6b) of the honing station (2), and
- depositing the blade (4), and
- performing said main steps by means of a robot (3) with a memory-programmable control and with a manipulator (5) movable in at least four of the six possible translatory and rotational degrees of spatial freedom,
- accommodating the blade (4) in a holding device (9) of a gripper head (8), fixed to the manipulator (5)
- and, before carrying out said main steps, approximating the contour (K) of the cutting edge (19) of the blade (4) between selected, succeeding pairs of support points (Xi, Xi+1;
- Xi+1, Xi+2;
- Xi+2, Xi+3;
- . . . ) over the longitudinal extent (L) of the blade (4) by a contour (K) approximation selected from the group
- radii (Ri;
- Ri+1;
- Ri+2;
- . . . )
- elliptical sections,
- exponential functions, and
- spline functions
- feeding said pairs of support points (Xi, Xi+1;
- Xi+1, Xi+2;
- Xi+2, Xi+3;
- . . . ) and the associated approximation values into a computer operatively associated with the robot (3) with memory-programmable control;
- and
- using said computer to calculate a movement program for the manipulator (5), including the gripper head (8) with the holding device (9), to determine the position of the blade (4) during the honing operation by a line of cutting action (S—S) of the grinding wheels (6a, 6b), running between the grinding wheels (6a, 6b) parallel to their axes (A—A, B—B) and touching tangentially the contour (K) approximation of the blade (4).
Grinding machine for (honing) blades (4) of knives and scissors, the blades having a longitudinal extent (L), a thickness (D), and a height (H), comprising:
- a magazine (1);
- a honing station (2) for receiving blades (4) from the magazine, the honing station having two contra-rotating grinding wheels (6a, 6b);
- a robot (3) with memory programmable control having a manipulator (5) moveable in at least four of the six possible translatory and rotational degrees of spatial freedom;
- the manipulator having a gripper head (8) fixed to the manipulator and having a holding device (9) for accommodating and moving a blade (4);
- and
- said holding device (9) being operable for lateral displacement and tilting of a blade (4) clamped therein, in the direction of thickness (D) of the blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.