Balance Technology, Inc.

Gary K Grim

Bruce James Mitchell, Jr

Matthew Kimble

A machine for determining dynamically a residual unbalance in a workpiece having a conical surface is provided with a plurality of support elements, such as roller elements, that communicate with the workpiece at the conical surface thereof. The roller elements are arranged circumferentially equidistant about the workpiece and may have cylindrical or conical configurations. Further support elements, such as roller elements, can be applied against an annular surface of the workpiece, such as on a flange portion thereof. At least one of the support rollers that communicates with the conical surface is arranged to rotate about an adjustable axis of rotation that can be oriented with respect to the workpiece to achieve good rotative communication therebetween. The rollers are arranged to rotate at different speeds from the workpiece, whereby an unbalance signal associated with the workpiece can readily be isolated from a composite signal having unbalance information related to a residual unbalance of the workpiece combined with residual unbalances of the rollers.

Conical tool holder for precision balancer

The balancing machine of the present invention automatically determines the position of unbalance in a rotating part and stops the rotating part with the unbalance position in a predetermined location. Sensors on the bearings holding the rotating part generate signals proportional to the instantaneous unbalance. These signals are filtered and digitized at a sampling rate synchronous with the motor driving the rotation. Two contiguous sets of samples, each set spanning several revolutions of the part, are stored. The X and Y components of the unbalance signal are calculated for each sample set and the actual rotation rate of the part is calculated from the assumed rate and any difference in the phase angle of the unbalance location between the first and second sample sets. These calculations are performed during a calculation interval of predetermined length which follows the sampling. Once this calculation interval has passed and the unbalance location has rotated to the predetermined location a predetermined deceleration of the rotating part is begun. The motor is controlled to decelerate at a predetermined rate.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Gary K Grim