Sunnen Products Company

Frank E Vanderwal, Jr

Robert M Sunnen

Richard S Jackson

James K Davis

An improved honing head construction having one or more honing stone assemblies arranged around a rotatable mandrel body that includes a central body portion and pair of opposed end plate forming together a scroll feed up assembly operable for radially moving the honing assemblies during rotation of the mandrel for such purposes as adjusting the honing diameter, honing pressure and material removal rate, the scroll feed up assembly comprising helical scroll feed grooves located adjacent to each opposite end of the mandrel body and arranged to be positioned as mirror images of one another, each honing assembly having a pair of pin members arranged in axially aligned pairs and extending radially inwardly into radial extending bores in mandrel body, each of the Pin members having at least one tooth cooperatively engageable with one of the respective helical grooves such that all of the honing assemblies move radially in concert when the end plates are rotated relative to the central body portion.

Scroll feed honing head

An improved radially expandable honing mandrel construction wherein a radially extendable work engaging portion can be positively retracted into the body member of the mandrel by operation of the adjusting member in a direction opposite its direction for expanding the work engaging portion, which positively retracting feature comprises a surface adjacent one side of the work engaging portion and a tab extending from the side of the adjusting member for engagement with the surface to retract the work engaging member when the adjusting member is operated in a direction opposite from that used for expanding the work engaging member, the surface and tab also cooperating to retain the work engaging portion in the mandrel. The invention also includes structure on the mandrel engageable with the adjusting member to prevent lateral movements thereof in the body member.

Positive retracting honing mandrel

An apparatus for supporting workpieces while feeding them into position to have a surface thereof operated on by a machine tool such as a honing material rotatable about an axis including a support assembly having a canted wall structure located to be intersected at an intermediate location by the axis of rotation of the tool, a plurality of spaced sprocket assemblies mounted on the canted wall structure each having a pair of space sprocket gears, an endless chain assembly mounted on the sprocket assemblies for movement when the sprocket assemblies rotate, a reach of the chain assemblies extending adjacent to where the axis of the tool intersects the canted wall structure, at least one elongated workpiece support member extending transversely through and from one side of the chain assembly substantially normal to the canted wall structure for supporting a workpiece to be fed, and mechanism for laterally displacing a portion of the chain assembly in the reach thereof that extends adjacent to where the axis of the tool intersects the wall structure whereby the elongated workpiece support member thereat is moved from a position normal to the canted wall structure to a position parallel to the axis of the tool so that the workpiece supported thereby can be moved off of the support member and into a support fixture or onto the rotatable tool.

Workpiece delivery magazine

A device for gripping and holding workpieces while they are being worked on by a machine tool or like device including a support structure, a flexible band having first and second opposite ends, a first assembly mounted on the support structure and having a mechanism thereon for attaching to one end of the flexible band and a second assembly on the support structure spaced from the first assembly and having a mechanism thereon for attaching to the second opposite end of the flexible band, at least one of the first and second assemblies being positioned on the support structure for pivotal movement whereby the opposite band ends are moved relative to each other to form a band loop in one position for receiving a workpiece to be gripped and supported and to another position to grip and support a workpiece positioned in the space defined by the band, and apparatus associated with one of the assemblies for maintaining the band engaged with the workpiece while the workpiece is being worked on.

Workpiece gripper and support

An improved drive chain for a machine tool such as honing device comprising a machine tool with at least one radially movable work engaging assembly thereon, a power train operatively connected to the honing device to rotate same, and a feed motor positioned in the power chain and rotatable therewith, the feed motor being operatively connected to a power source and to the machine tool whereby energization of the feed motor changes the radial positions of the work engaging assemblies on the honing device. The invention also resides in the rotatable power chain with a motor mounted therein, novel electric contacts for introducing energy to the rotating motor and a novel control circuit for supplying power from the power source to the feed motor.

Feed-up means for expandable work engaging members

An apparatus for controlling the application of feed motion to a working member in a machine such as a honing machine including a working member mounted on a support structure or mandrel and movable thereon into engagement with the work surface, mechanism movable to advance the working member under pressure into engagement with the work surface, and other mechanism to predeterminately control and limit the feed motion, independent of pressure, the other mechanism comprising a dash pot assembly having relatively movable portions one of which is pivotally attached to the machine and the other of which is axially movable relative thereto, a spring normally biasing the portions of the dash pot assembly together into a predetermined inoperative condition, cooperatively engageable cam and cam follower members including mounting structure therefor operatively engageable with the other portion of the dash pot assembly, a link member operatively connecting the cam follower member to the feed up mechanism on the machine that is used to movably advance the working member into engagement with the work surface, an operator actuatable member operatively connected to the cam and to the other portion of the dash pot assembly and movable when actuated to preset the cam and the dash pot assembly to predetermined positions at the beginning of each machine operation to control the feed of the working member against the work surface, and an adjustment mechanism operable to establish the distance over which the apparatus controls and restrains the application of feed to the working member, the dash pot assembly including an adjustment member operable to establish fluid flow between the relatively movable portions thereof.

Feed control means for honing and like machines

A gaging head for the in process gaging of a surface such as a cylindrical surface while it is being honed, ground, or machined by a device which increases the diameter thereof, said head having a work engaging portion of a size and shape to accurately test measure the diameter of the surface, a portion for attaching it to a gaging device, and an adjustment feature for adjusting the work engaging portion to increase the preset accuracy thereof. The present invention also resides in a novel fixture for preadjusting the subject gaging heads.

Heads for gaging devices and fixture for setting same

Improved guide means for supporting a rotatable member or mandrel during reciprocating motion thereof including a machine feed portion having a pair of guide rails spaced apart on a fixed support structure, a plurality of longitudinally spaced support members for supporting each of the guide rails at spaced locations therealong, each of which has an upwardly facing rail engaging surface defined by angularly related surface portions, a carriage structure having spaced rail engaging support members mounted for movement on the respective rails, and apparatus associated with the rail support members including mechanism adjustable to precisely align the support members with the respective rails.

Guide means for honing and like machines

An apparatus for gaging a workpiece surface during an enlarging operation thereon, said enlarging taking place by a working member which enters the work surface from one direction and by reciprocally moving the workpiece relative to the working member during said operation, said apparatus including a support structure with a gaging member thereon which is located to engage the workpiece opposite from the working member in position to be engaged by the workpiece adjacent to the workpiece surface during each cycle of reciprocal movement between the workpiece and the working member, said gaging member being of a size to be able to enter the workpiece surface only when the workpiece surface has been enlarged to some predetermined size, structure supporting the gaging member including a yieldable member on said support structure normally biasing said gaging member in a direction toward the workpiece, and mechanism for detecting movements of the gaging member relative to the support structure including a sensor operatively connected to the gaging member, which sensor includes a mechanism operable to distinguish when the gaging member moves into engagement with the workpiece at times when the gaging member is not able to enter the workpiece surface and when it is able to enter the workpiece surface. The detecting mechanism means include structure capable of producing a distinctive response indicative of at least one condition of the gaging member when engaged with the workpiece.

Process gaging apparatus

An apparatus for automatically controlling the operations of a machine tool such as a honing machine or the like, which apparatus sets in motion apparatus which controls and maintains the operating cycle of the machine automatically and without requiring further operator attention once the machine cycle is started and until the operation has been completed whereupon the machine operation is automatically terminated. The subject apparatus includes control features which relieve the operator from maintaining pressure on a foot pedal or other machine operator member, it relieves the operator from making a decision as to when a machining or honing operation has been completed, it enables an operator to make more uniformly consistent parts, it minimizes the operator attention required to repetitively hone or otherwise produce similar parts, and the subject control apparatus may include features by which the rate at which the work engaging members are brought into operative engagement with the work is predeterminately controlled depending upon the condition of the work including the smoothness of the work surface and the characteristics of the work members. The present control apparatus is especially adaptable for use with automatic shut-off apparatus such as that disclosed in Sunnen U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,007, issued Feb. 25, 1975.

Growing community of inventors

Frontenac, MO, United States of America

Frank E Vanderwal, Jr