Apparatus for increasing the accuracy of electrochemical grinding processes

Claim 1

An electrochemical grinding apparatus, comprising: a tool electrode with a rotatable machining surface; means for positioning a workpiece in proximity with said machining surface, said workpiece being thereby constituted as a counterelectrode; means for supplying electrolyte to said machining surface; means for applying an electrochemically grinding electric current between said electrodes to electrochemically erode the workpiece at the region in which said tool electrode and said workpiece are in proximity; and a system for modifying the electrolyte on said machining surface prior to the entrainment thereof into the region of said workpiece to increase the accuracy of the electrochemical grinding of said workpiece, said system including a nozzle arrangement trained toward said machining surface including a nozzle arrangement trained toward said machining surface for directing a high-velocity gas jet thereagainst to strip excess electrolyte from said surface, said nozzle arrangement being located between said means for supplying electrolyte and said region and ahead of the latter in the direction of rotation of said machining surface.

Claim 4

An apparatus for the electrolytic treatment of metallic elements comprising at least one electrode movable with respect to the element to be treated and disposed adjacent the element to be treated, a current generator having first and second terminals respectively connected to the movable electrode and to the element to be treated, supply means for supplying an electrolyte of a composition appropriate for the treatment envisaged to the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode, and deflector means for acting on the flow of electrolyte between the supply means and the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode so as to cause a decrease in the thickness of the layer of electrolyte deposited on the movable electrode by the supply means such that the layer of electrolyte has the character of a thin film and preserves this thin film character as far as the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode, said deflector means comprising at least one nozzle for delivering a gaseous jet at high speed, said nozzle being oriented such that the gaseous jet makes contact with the movable electrode, the point of contact between the gaseous jet and the movable electrode being located between the supply means and the element to be treated.

Claim 5

An apparatus for the electrolytic treatment of metallic elements comprising at least one electrode movable with respect to the element to be treated and disposed adjacent the element to be treated, a current generator having first and second terminals respectively connected to the movable electrode and to the element to be treated, supply means for supplying an electrolyte of a composition appropriate for the treatment envisaged to the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode, and deflector means for acting on the flow of electrolyte between the supply means and the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode so as to cause a decrease in the thickness of the layer of electrolyte deposited on the movable electrode by the supply means such that the layer of electrolyte has the character of a thin film and preserves this thin film character as far as the space located between the element to be treated and the movable electrode, said deflector means comprising at least one nozzle for delivering a gaseous jet at high speed, said nozzle being oriented such that the gaseous jet makes contact with the movable electrode, the point of contact between the gaseous jet and the movable electrode being located between the supply means and the element to be treated.