Chip treatment device

Details Chip treatment device Chip treatment device

2000-05-05

2001-12-25

Lithgow, Thomas M. (Department: 1724)

Liquid purification or separation

Diverse distinct separators

Including a filter

C210S295000, C210S298000, C210S323100, C210S336000, C210S320000, C210S402000, C210S413000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06332983

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for treating the swarf (so-called chips) discharged from machine tools, and more specifically, to a device for conveying the chips, removing from and filtering the cutting fluid contained in the chips, and collecting the fluid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
FIG. 26
is an explanatory view showing the outline of a chip treatment device according to the prior art.
The chip treatment device denoted as a whole by reference number
1
comprises a box-shaped housing
10
arranged in a horizontal orientation, and a sloped portion
20
rising up slantwise from one end of the housing
10
.
On the other end of the housing
10
opposite to the sloped portion
20
is formed a chip entrance
14
for receiving the chips discharged from the machine tool.
A chip discharge opening
22
is provided to the upper area of the sloped portion
20
, through which the chips separated from soluble or oleaginous cutting fluid are discharged.
A drive shaft
42
supported by both side walls of the sloped portion
20
is mounted near the upper end of the sloped portion
20
, and the drive shaft
42
is equipped with a pair of sprockets
40
.
On the other hand, a shaft
46
is equipped near the chip entrance
14
of the housing
10
, and a pair of driven sprockets
44
are supported by the shaft
46
.
Plate-like chain guides are equipped to both side walls of the housing
10
and the sloped portion
20
, which guide the pair of chains
30
along a route shown in the drawing.
A plural number of scrapers
34
are mounted to the chains with appropriate intervals, which act to convey the chips.
The drive shaft
42
drives the chains
30
via the drive sprockets
40
in the direction of arrow A.
The chips C
1
provided through the chip entrance
14
are pushed by scrapers
34
on the chains
30
, and travels along the bottom surface of the housing
10
and reaches the sloped portion
20
. When the chips rise along the sloped portion
20
, the cutting fluid contained in the chips are separated from the chips, and collected in a tank
12
inside the housing
10
. The cutting fluid inside the tank
12
is sent outside through an appropriate filter unit, and provided to the machine tool again by use of a pump.
Recently, the works to be processed by the machine tool are made of a wide range of materials, including ferric materials and aluminum alloy. This causes the chips generated during the process to be of various shapes, such as long strip-shaped pieces or very fine pieces.
Especially, strip-shaped chips are generated from aluminum-system materials, and they are complexly intertwined when being discharged from the machine tool.
These strip-shaped chips conveyed from the machine tool cause chips C
3
to be caught in the discharge opening formed to the upper area of the sloped portion. Further, the strip-shaped chips may be caught in the scrapers
34
, and instead of falling from the discharge opening, they return towards the entrance
14
, and tangle with the chips introduced from the opening
14
, forming a ball-like chip C
2
and blocking the conveyance passage.
The present invention relates to a chip treatment device that solves the problems mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The chip treatment device according to the present invention comprises a box-shaped housing, an entrance opening formed to one end of the housing for introducing the chips, a discharge opening formed to the other end of the housing for discharging the chips, driven chain guide units provided under the entrance opening, driving sprockets equipped above the discharge opening for driving chains, a pair of chains each stretched between the driving sprocket and the driven chain guide unit, one or more scraper units mounted to the chains, and a partition panel extending between the driven chain guide unit and the driving sprocket, wherein the scraper units convey the chips along the upper surface of the partition panel.
Moreover, the chip treatment device comprises a first cutting fluid bath formed above the partition panel, a second cutting fluid bath formed under the partition panel, and a first filter unit equipped within the first cutting fluid bath.
Further, a first filter unit is mounted above the first cutting fluid bath, and a filter element of the filter unit is cleaned by the scraper unit. In another example, the chip treatment device is equipped with a passage for guiding the cutting fluid filtered by the first filter unit to a second cutting fluid bath, and a second filter unit, mounted within the second cutting fluid bath.
In yet another example, the scraper units are mounted to scraper units for conveying the chips, and are equipped with cleaning means for cleaning the filter element of the first filter unit.


REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 32135 (1986-05-01), Creps et al.
patent: 2861688 (1958-11-01), Harms
patent: 2865509 (1958-12-01), Harlan
patent: 4396506 (1983-08-01), Damerau
patent: 4735730 (1988-04-01), Bratten
patent: 5217613 (1993-06-01), Tashiro et al.
patent: 5858218 (1999-01-01), Setlock et al.
patent: 5961847 (1999-10-01), Creps et al.
patent: 189171 (1986-07-01), None
patent: 2-070606 (A) (1990-03-01), None
patent: 5-031645 (A) (1993-02-01), None
patent: 9-150342(A) (1997-06-01), None
patent: 11-033870 (A) (1999-02-01), None
Patent Abstracts of Japan, 08085981 A, Apr. 2, 1996 **Abstract **.

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