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US 8,801,498 B2Granted
Finisher with on-board loading and unloading mechanism
AssigneeHammond Machinery Inc.
InventorsJeremy Paul Hammond, Kyle James Elmblad, Stuart William Quick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A finisher arrangement for surface finishing of parts, including a bowl-type centrifugal finishing device for agitating a mixture of parts and treating media within the bowl, and a handler for loading and unloading the parts/media to and from the bowl, respectively. The finishing device and handler are positioned sidewardly adjacent but on opposite sides of a rotary drive unit which defines a transfer horizontal drive axis. Arm linkages couple each of the finishing device and handler to the drive unit so that each is independently vertically swingable about the drive axis into respective loading and unloading positions.
Claims22
A finisher arrangement for surface finishing parts, comprising:
- a frame;
- a drive unit comprising a rotary actuator mounted on the frame and including a rotary drive shaft supported for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis;
- a handling device supported in a first position disposed closely horizontally adjacent a first side of the rotary drive shaft, the handling device including an upward opening hopper for accommodating therein a mixture containing a quantity of finishing media and a plurality of loose parts;
- a centrifugal finishing device supported in an operational position disposed closely horizontally adjacent a second side of the rotary drive shaft, the centrifugal finishing device comprising an open bowl-shaped container defining therein an upwardly opening finishing chamber for deposit of the mixture therein;
- a first drive linkage drivingly connectable between the handling device and the rotary drive shaft for vertical upward swinging movement of the handling device about the substantially horizontal axis from the first position into a second position wherein the upward opening hopper is disposed over a mouth of the upwardly opening finishing chamber for enabling discharge of the mixture from the upward opening hopper into the centrifugal finishing chamber;
- and
- a second drive linkage drivingly connectable between the centrifugal finishing device and the rotary drive shaft for vertical upward swinging movement of the centrifugal finishing device about the substantially horizontal axis from the operational position into an unloading position wherein the open bowl-shaped container is disposed in a partially inverted position generally above the handling device for discharge of the mixture from the open bowl-shaped container into the handling device.
4 more elements
A finisher arrangement for surface finishing parts, comprising:
- a frame;
- a drive unit mounted on the frame;
- a handling device including an upward opening hopper for accommodating therein a mixture containing a quantity of finishing media and a plurality of loose parts;
- a centrifugal finishing device comprising an open bowl-shaped container defining therein an upwardly opening finishing chamber for deposit of the mixture therein;
- a first drive linkage drivingly connectable between the handling device and the drive unit for swinging movement of the handling device from a first home position to a second position wherein the upward opening hopper is disposed over a mouth of the upwardly opening finishing chamber for enabling discharge of the mixture from the upward opening hopper into the centrifugal finishing chamber;
- and
- a second drive linkage drivingly connectable between the centrifugal finishing device and the drive unit for swinging movement of the centrifugal finishing device from an operational position to an unloading position wherein the open bowl-shaped container is disposed in a partially inverted position generally above the handling device for discharge of the mixture from the open bowl-shaped container into the handling device;
- the handling device being in the first home position when the centrifugal finishing device is in the unloading position and the centrifugal finishing device being in the operation position when the handling device is in the second position;
- the first drive linkage comprising at least one first drive arm rotatably connected to the handling device;
- the second drive linkage comprising at least one second drive arm rotatably connected to the centrifugal finishing device;
- and
- a driving arm configured to be selectively engaged with either the at least one first drive arm or the at least one second drive arm;
- the driving arm rotating the at least one first drive arm with actuation of the drive unit when the driving arm is engaged with the at least one first drive arm, thereby moving the handling device between the first home position and the second position;
- the driving arm not rotating the at least one first drive arm with actuation of the drive unit when the driving arm is not engaged with the at least one first drive arm;
- the driving arm rotating the at least one second drive arm with actuation of the drive unit when the driving arm is engaged with the at least one second drive arm, thereby moving the centrifugal finishing device between the operational position and the unloading position;
- and
- the driving arm not rotating the at least one second drive arm with actuation of the drive unit when the driving arm is not engaged with the at least one second drive arm.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.