Abrading – Abrading process – Glass or stone abrading
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-02
2001-05-15
Eley, Timothy V. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Abrading process
Glass or stone abrading
C451S053000, C451S057000, C451S190000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231429
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a process with the features of the introductory part of claim
1
. The invention furthermore relates to a device with which the process can be carried out.
Glass panes are cut by scratching and breaking to the desired size; this is generally done on so-called “glass cutting tables” and “breaking tables” assigned to them.
The glass panes obtained in this way have very sharp-edged borders with burrs; this is a disadvantage for subsequent handling of glass panes, for example, in the manufacture of insulating glass panes. On the on hand, there is the danger that the edges of the glass panes will break off and on the other hand there is the serious hazard that someone will be hurt on the sharp edges of the glass panes by cutting. In addition, the support and transport means (for example, delivery rollers or conveyor belts) which engage the edges of the glass panes are subject to heavy wear by the unworked edges of the glass panes.
The object of the invention is to make available a process and a device for edging the borders of the glass panes, with which the glass panes can be worked such that their borders are no longer sharp, in particular have no burrs.
This object is achieved with respect to the process first of all with the features of the independent main process claim and with respect to the device first of all with the features of the independent main equipment claim.
Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the process as claimed in the invention and the device as claimed in the invention are the subject matter of the subclaims.
Since in the process as claimed in the invention the machining tools used for edging engage both edges of one border of a glass pane at the same time, compared to an approach in which only one edge of a border is machined, therefore edged and deburred, not only is worktime saved, but it also results in that significant forces do not act on the glass pane transversely to its plane, so that it is possible to hold the glass pane or move it in a controlled manner using simple means when it is being edged. Short cycle times are also achieved.
The process as claimed in the invention can be carried out in different ways. Thus, for example it is possible to edge all four borders of a glass pane on both sides in succession, for which the glass pane is turned after edging the edges of one border, for example around an axis perpendicular to its plane until the next border of the glass pane with edges to be edged is in the machining position.
The process as claimed in the invention in one embodiment makes it possible to edge several borders of a glass pane at the same time; this is especially preferred for rectangular or square panes. Thus for example it is possible to proceed such that first of all, for example in glass panes standing essentially vertical, the edges of the vertical border which is the front one in the direction of motion, then those of the upper horizontal border, then those of the vertical border which is the rear one in the direction of motion, and finally the edges of the lower horizontal border of the glass pane are edged.
An approach is also conceivable in which edging of the edges of the lower horizontal border of the glass pane is done first and then one vertical border, further the upper horizontal border and finally the second vertical border are edged.
Further acceleration of the edging of glass panes in the area of the edges on their borders can be done by providing several machining sites for edging. For example, it is possible to proceed with two machining sites such that in one machining site with an edging tool the front vertical border and then the rear vertical border of the glass pane are worked in succession and in a second machining site with two machining tools, for example, at the same time, the edges of the top and the bottom horizontal border of the glass pane are edged.
One especially efficient and high speed embodiment of edging of glass panes using the process as claimed in the invention arises when with a (single) machining tool in a first machining site the vertical border of a glass pane which is the rear one in the direction of motion and the border of a following glass pane which is the front one in the direction of motion are worked at the same time. Preferably then the first of the two glass panes (therefore the one with the vertical border which is the rear one with reference to the conveyor direction has already been machined—its front border was already machined beforehand) is conveyed to a second machining site in which with two machining tools in a continuous process and essentially at the same time the upper and the lower horizontal border of the glass pane is edged. In this approach the glass pane which was machined in the first machining site jointly with the preceding glass pane in the area of its vertical border which is the front one relative to the direction of passage continues to move in the first machining site until the machining tool of the first machining site is assigned to its border which is the rear one in the direction of motion and then stopped until the next glass pane has been delivered, whereupon its vertical edge which is the rear one relative to the passage direction is edged jointly with the front vertical edge of the next glass pane.
Alternatively, within the framework of the invention it is also possible to proceed such that in one machining site at the same time first the two vertical borders of one glass pane are edged, in which for example one of the grinding tools provided for this purpose can move from bottom to top and the other from top to bottom, and that subsequently the two horizontal borders, therefore the top and the bottom horizontal border of the glass pane, are edged at the same time in the continuous process. This embodiment of the process as claimed in the invention can be carried out in two machining sites with four machining tools.
All embodiments of the process as claimed in the invention are carried out preferably, but not exclusively, with glass panes aligned vertically or essentially vertically during machining of the borders of the glass panes. Working with vertically aligned glass panes has the advantage that the process as claimed in the invention and the device provided for this purpose can be easily integrated into systems for producing insulating glass panes which work almost exclusively with vertically aligned glass panes or insulating glass panes. Then it is no longer necessary to tilt into a horizontal position the glass panes with borders to be edged using the process as claimed in the invention or in the device as claimed in the invention when they are removed from storages for glass blanks (for example, compartmented trucks) to be machined using the process as claimed in the invention or in the device as claimed in the invention. In addition, the edged glass panes need no longer be re-aligned into the vertical or essentially vertical position when they are supplied for example to a glass plate washing machine. Nevertheless the process as claimed in the invention can also be carried out when the glass panes are aligned horizontally. This can be an advantage for example when glass panes are edged immediately after having been cut to size from glass slabs on a glass cutting system using the process as claimed in the invention.
A device suitable for executing the process as claimed in the invention works for example with (at least one) machining tool which has belt grinding means arranged crosswise which engage the two sides of one border at the same time in order to break, therefore to edge the edges of the borders of the glass pane, and to remove sharp burrs.
When the device as claimed in the invention has a single machining tool with a pair of belt grinders, the four borders of the glass pane are machined in succession, the glass pane, after one border has been machined, being turned by 90° and then the next border being machined by the pair of belt grinders and so forth until all (four) borders of the glass pane have
Eley Timothy V.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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