Copying machine tools

Claim 2

In a belt grinding machine for grinding a profiled surface of a workpiece, including a supporting structure, means carried by said supporting structure and mounting a cam having a profiled surface and a workpiece for movement in synchronism, a member also carried by said supporting structure and relatively movable toward and away from said profiled surfaces of said cam and said workpiece, a follower mounted on said movable member for engagement with said profiled surface of said cam, biasing means connected between said movable member and said supporting structure for pressing said follower against said profiled surface of said cam, an abrasive belt, belt supporting means carried by said movable member for supporting and driving said abrasive belt to remove material from said profiled surface of said workpiece under the control of said cam, said belt supporting means including a belt contact wheel around which said abrasive belt passes and by which said abrasive belt is pressed against said profiled surface of said workpiece, the improvement comprising: further mounting means carrying said belt contact wheel, said further mounting means being movable relative to said driving means toward and away from said profiled surface of said workpiece; stop means carried by said movable member and limiting the movement of said further mounting means relative to said movable member in the direction towards said profiled surface of said workpiece; and yielding means connected between said further mounting means and said movable member for urging said further mounting means to carry said belt contact wheel and said abrasive belt in the direction towards said profiled surface of said workpiece, said yielding means being incapable of transmitting to said further mounting means the whole of the force applied to said movable member by said biasing means; whereby said follower is held in engagement with said profiled surface of said cam by said biasing means even in the event that said belt contact wheel and said abrasive belt encounter resistance from said profiled surface of said workpiece, said yielding means yielding to permit movement of said further mounting means and said belt contact wheel relative to said movable member in the direction away from said profiled surface of said workpiecE.

Claim 3

A belt polishing machine for polishing a profiled surface of a workpiece, comprising: a supporting structure; means carried by said supporting structure for mounting a workpiece for rotation about an axis; an arm mounted on said supporting structure for pivoting movement about an axis parallel to said axis for movement toward and away from said profiled surface of said workpiece; a follower carried by said pivoted arm; further mounting means carried by said supporting structure for mounting a cam having a profiled surface for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivot axis of said pivoted arm in synchronism with the rotation of said workpiece, said further mounting means being located to support said cam with said profiled surface of said cam positioned to be engaged by said follower as said pivoted arm moves toward said profiled surface of said workpiece; biasing means connected between said supporting structure and said pivoted arm for moving said pivoted arm to press said follower against said profiled surface of said cam; a polishing belt; belt supporting means carried by said pivoted arm for supporting and driving said polishing belt, said belt supporting means including a contact wheel which is movable relative to said pivoted arm, around which contact wheel said polishing belt passes, and by contact wheel said polishing belt may be pressed against said profiled surface of said workpiece, and a stop member carried by said pivoted arm for limiting the movement of said contact wheel relative to said pivoted arm in the direction towards said profiled surface of said workpiece, and yielding means connected between said contact wheel and said pivoted arm for urging said contact wheel to press said polishing belt against said profiled surface of said workpiece, and being incapable of transmitting to said contact wheel the whole of the force applied to said pivoted arm by said biasing means, whereby said follower is held in engagement with said profiled surface of said cam by said biasing means even in the event that said contact wheel and said polishing belt encounter resistance from said profiled surface of said workpiece, said yielding means yielding to permit movement of said contact wheel relative to said pivoted arm in the direction away from said profiled surface of said workpiece.

Claim 4

A belt polishing machine for polishing a profiled surface of a workpiece, comprising: a supporting structure; means carried by said supporting structure for mounting a workpiece for rotation about an axis; an arm mounted on said supporting structure for pivoting movement about an axis parallel to said axis for movement toward and away from said profiled surface of said workpiece; a follower carried by said pivoted arm; further mounting means carried by said supporting structure for mounting a cam having a profiled surface for rotation about an axis parallel to said pivot axis of said pivoted arm in synchronism with the rotation of said workpiece, said further mounting means being located to support said cam with said profiled surface of said cam positioned to be engaged by said follower as said pivoted arm moves toward said profiled surface of said workpiece; biasing means connected between said supporting structure and said pivoted arm for moving said pivoted arm to press said follower against said profiled surface of said cam; a polishing belt; belt supporting means carried by said pivoted arm for supporting and driving said polishing belt, said belt supporting means including a contact wheel which is movable relative to said pivoted arm, around which contact wheel said polishing belt passes, and by contact wheel said polishing belt may be pressed against said profiled surface of said workpiece, and a stop member carried by said pivoted arm for limiting the movement of said contact wheel relative to said pivoted arm in the direction towards said profiled surface of said workpiece, and yielding means connected between said contact wheel and said pivoted arm for urging said contact wheel to press said polishing belt against said profiled surface of said workpiece, and being incapable of transmitting to said contact wheel the whole of the force applied to said pivoted arm by said biasing means, whereby said follower is held in engagement with said profiled surface of said cam by said biasing means even in the event that said contact wheel and said polishing belt encounter resistance from said profiled surface of said workpiece, said yielding means yielding to permit movement of said contact wheel relative to said pivoted arm in the direction away from said profiled surface of said workpiece.

Claim 5

A polishing machine according to claim 2 which further includes: sensing means responsive to the position of said contact wheel relative to said pivoted arm and having a first condition and a second condition relating respectively to first and second positions of said contact wheel relative to said arm, movement of said contact wheel from said first position to said second position corresponding to a movement of said contact wheel towards said profiled surface of said workpiece; and control means controlling the operation of said machine in response to signals from said sensing means whereby said machine is stopped when said sensing means assumes said second condition for more than a predetermined period.

Claim 6

A polishing machine according to claim 2 which further includes: a second arm pivoted about the same axis as said pivoted arm carrying said follower, said contact wheel being mounted on said second arm.

Claim 7

A polishing machine according to claim 2 which further includes: a pivot on said cam carrying said follower; and a lever mounted on said pivot, said lever having first abutment means for engagement with said stop member and second abutment means for engagement with said second arm, said second abutment means being closer to said pivot than is said first abutment means.

Claim 8

A polishing machine according to claim 5 which further includes: a sensor mounted on said arm carrying said follower, adjacent said stop member, said sensor being responsive to the position relative to said arm carrying said follower, of a portion of said lever adjacent said first abutment means, and having first aNd second conditions relating respectively to first and second positions of said lever relative to said arm carrying said follower, movement of said contact wheel from said first position to said second position corresponding to a movement of said contact wheel towards said profiled surface of said cam; and control means controlling the operation of said machine in response to signals from said sensor, whereby said machine is stopped when said sensor assumes said second condition for more than a predetermined period.

Claim 9

A polishing machine according to claim 2 wherein: said mounting means for said cam and said workpiece are reciprocably mounted on said supporting structure for movement relative to said belt supporting means in a direction parallel to said axes of said mounting means.

Claim 10

A polishing machine according to claim 2 which further includes: a peripheral speed cam; mounting means carried on said supporting structure for mounting said peripheral speed cam for rotation in synchronism with said first-mentioned cam and said workpiece; a follower movably mounted adjacent said peripheral speed can on said supporting structure to move under the control of said peripheral speed cam; and speed control means controlling the speed of rotation of the mounting means for said workpiece, said first-mentioned cam, and said peripheral speed cam in response to the position of said follower.

Claim 11

A polishing machine according to claim 8 wherein: said mounting means for said workpiece, said first-mentioned cam, and said peripheral speed cam are reciprocably mounted on said supporting structure relative to said belt supporting means and said follower in a direction parallel to said axes of said mounting means for said workpiece and said first-mentioned cam, the axis of rotation of said mounting means for said peripheral speed cam being parallel to said direction of reciprocation.