Abrading – Abrading process – With tool treating or forming
Patent
1996-11-20
1998-06-02
Eley, Timothy V.
Abrading
Abrading process
With tool treating or forming
451 28, 451523, 451526, B24B 100
Patent
active
057590907
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a sanding pad suitable for sanding or grinding a coating, putty and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sanding pad for sanding a curved surface.
BACKGROUND ART
In order to sand a surface of a workpiece having curved in three dimensions by a hand tool, a hard shaped tool or a flexible tool such as sponge has been used. Examples of the hard shaped tool include commercially-available products under the trademarks "Diapad.TM.", "Stikit.TM." (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M, Tokyo Japan), "Q-File.TM." (manufactured by Kobax Co.), and the like. Examples of the flexible tool include non-woven abrasives such as known handheld sanding pads, commercially available under the trademark "Scotch Bright.TM." (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M), and the like.
However, in the instance of the hard shaped tool, it is difficult to repair or shape by sanding a three-dimensional curved surface because the hard surface of the tool tends to only form a point- or linear-contact between a curved surface of a workpiece and the tool during sanding, and thus uniform contact is not established along the contour of the curved surface. Further, in the flexible tool, which more favorably conforms to the contour of the three-dimensional curved surface, it is also difficult to repair or shape by sanding such a three-dimensional curved surface because an uniform pressure cannot be applied over the surface, which results in nonuniform sanding.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-153277 suggests a sanding tool comprising an abrasive provided on a substrate formed of a shape-memory alloy, as one proposal for imparting curvature to the sanding tool which better conforms to a curved surface of the workpiece. However, while such a tool is effective for sanding a curved surface having a relatively large radius of curvature, it is not suitable for a curved surface having a small radius of curvature or a complicated sectional shape. Because a deformation limit of the shape-memory alloy is 7%, it is therefore difficult to impose a large deformation thereon. Also, there is a problem that the cost of the sanding pad becomes high because the shape-memory alloy is expensive (e.g. priced at 100,000 Yen/kg).
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above problems while providing an inexpensive sanding pad capable of sanding a three-dimensional curved surface, uniformly and facilely.
In one embodiment of the present invention, there is a sanding pad comprising a plate-shaped substrate and an abrasive fixed by the use of a fixing means onto a main or major surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate is formed of a heat distortable polymer having a dimension-retaining first state within a normal use or first temperature range of use of the pad, and a deformable state at a second temperature greater in value relative to the aforesaid normal use or first temperature range. One of the advantages of the present invention is that the sanding pad, via the shaping of the heat distortable polymer of the substrate, can provide a heat deformed shaped conforming to a nonplanar surface of the workpiece desired to be sanded.
In a further embodiment, the heat distortable polymer used to form the substrate comprises a shape-memory resin. In an even further embodiment, the heat distortable polymer has a heat distortion temperature from between 30.degree. to 150.degree. C. In another embodiment, the heat distortable polymer contains a copolymer of urethane (meth)acrylate and (meth)acrylate as the main or preponderant (>50% by weight) constituent of the polymer.
In yet another further embodiment of the invention, the fixing means comprises either an adhesive material or a mechanical fastener.
Also, the present invention provides a process for sanding a three dimensional curved surface of a work piece, which comprises the steps of:
(a) heating the aforesaid sanding pad to a temperature above the heat distortion temperature of the heat distortable polymer;
(b) pressing th
REFERENCES:
patent: 3491776 (1970-01-01), Fleming
patent: 4690642 (1987-09-01), Kyotani
patent: 4945127 (1990-07-01), Kagawa et al.
patent: 5057252 (1991-10-01), Kagawa et al.
patent: 5189110 (1993-02-01), Ikematu et al.
Furutani Hitoshi
Imai Hiroshi
Kawate Kohichiro
Yoshizaki Sadao
Banks Derris H.
Eley Timothy V.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
Schulte Daniel C.
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