Tipton Corp.

Tipton Manufacturing Corporation

Lipton Manufacturing Corporation

Katsuhiro Izuhara

Hisamine Kobayashi

Akihito Fujishiro

Fumiaki Kobayashi

Takeo Suzuki

A spiral-flow barrel finishing machine having a cylindrical stationary barrel and a rotary barrel closed at the bottom thereof includes an escape layer or air layer provided between an inner side of a metallic wall of the stationary barrel and an outer side of a lining layer being formed thereon for allowing for outward thermal expansion of the lining layer. The escape layer is provided over a specific area between the inner side of the metallic wall of the stationary barrel and the outer side of the lining layer formed thereon.

Method of forming an escape layer and a method of adjusting a gap in a spiral-flow barrel finishing machine

Spiral-flow barrel finishing machine with gap adjusting function

A vibratory finishing machine includes a base having an upper face, coil springs mounted on the upper face of the base, a vibrator having an outer peripheral face and mounted on the base via the coil springs for vibration, a vibrating motor mounted on the vibrator, and a helical tubular container into which an admixture of workpieces to be finished and finishing media are loaded. The container has upper and lower flat superposed faces extending lengthwise and is helically wound on the outer peripheral face of the vibrator at a plurality of turns so that the upper and/or lower superposed faces of each turn of the container are superposed on the lower and/or upper superposed faces of the adjacent turn or turns respectively. A method of making tubes constituting the helical tubular container includes the steps of forming a tubular core by helically winding a band-shaped member having two lengthwise ends while the ends of the band-shaped member are being adhered closely to each other, and disposing the core in a casting mold, pouring a forming material into a space defined between the casting mold and the core and hardening the forming material, and removing the core from the casting mold by pulling out one of the ends of the band-shaped member forming the core.

Method of making a tube for use in a vibratory finishing machine

Any part of an abrasive media in a solid particle or liquid form is prevented from entering a seal and/or the area where a rotary shaft bearing for a rotating barrel is sealed, thereby protecting the bearing and/or its seal against any possible damage that may be caused by abrasive media. A the barrel finishing operation performed by rotating a rotating barrel rotatably mounted inside a cylindrical stationary barrel on a lower portion thereof in a spaced relationship to the stationary barrel. The stationary barrel has an outer bottom plate at the bottom end thereof. At least one blade is mounted on the back side of a rotating plate forming the bottom end of the rotating barrel, and is rotated by rotating the rotating plate to any part of the abrasive media existing between the back side of the rotating plate and the top side of the outer bottom plate in the direction remote from the rotary shaft, thereby developing a negative pressure or vacuum area located on the back side of the rotating plate and on the side of the blade nearer to the rotary shaft. Air is then drawn from the atmosphere into the vacuum area by the action of the negative pressure, and thus an air layer is created in the vacuum area. The air layer prevents that part of the abrasive media from entering the rotary shaft bearing and/or its seal.

Seal protecting method for use with spiral-flow barrel finishing machine

This invention relates to a spiral-flow barrel finishing machine having a cylindrical stationary metallic barrel equipped with a lining layer at a lower inside portion. A rotating barrel is equipped with a lining layer on a metallic rotational body and is loosely engaged with the lower part inside of the cylindrical stationary barrel so as to rotate freely. A constant clearance is kept between the inner wall of the stationary barrel and the outer wall of the rotating barrel, regardless of the temperature change and the moisture content change. A measure to allow for thermal expansion having a specific vertical width, properly corresponding to the vertical width of the clearance, is circularly arranged between the inner wall of the metallic stationary barrel and the outer wall of the lining layer on the metallic stationary barrel. This makes an allowance for thermal expansion of the lining layer on the stationary barrel toward wall side of the metallic stationary barrel.

Spiral-flow barrel finishing machine

A vibratory finishing machine includes a base having an upper face, coil springs mounted on the upper face of the base, a vibrator having an outer peripheral face and mounted on the base via the coil springs for vibration, a vibrating motor mounted on the vibrator, and a helical tubular container into which an admixture of workpieces to be finished and finishing media are loaded. The container has upper and lower flat superposed faces extending lengthwise and is helically wound on the outer peripheral face of the vibrator at a plurality of turns so that the upper and/or lower superposed faces of each turn of the container are superposed on the lower and/or upper superposed faces of the adjacent turn or turns respectively.

Vibratory finishing machine having a helical and tubular container

A magnetic separator for separating a magnetic substance such as metal parts or workpieces from a nonmagnetic substance such as abrasives used in a barrel finishing includes an infeed passage along which a mixture of the workpieces and the abrasives is conveyed. A rotary drum is rotated in a direction crossing the infeed passage, and a magnet is mounted in the rotary drum so that the magnetic substance is attracted to a circumferential surface of the rotary drum. The workpieces picked up onto the rotary drum are conveyed along an outfeed package, and a demagnetizer establishes an alternating field in the middle of the outfeed passage along a direction in which the magnetic substance is conveyed along the outfeed passage. A sweeping brush is located on the infeed passage in the vicinity of the rotary drum so as to scrape the surface of the workpieces attracted to the surface of the rotary drum to sweep off granular abrasives adherent to the surface of the workpieces. A removing brush is located at the outfeed passage for scraping out the workpieces to dissociate them from the rotary drum.

Magnetic separator and sweeping brush used therein

A barrel polishing machine includes an electrically conductive inner container for containing workpieces, the inner container having a number of holes formed in a circumferential wall thereof so that an electrolyte supplied to the workpieces passes through the holes, an electrically conductive outer container disposed to surround the inner container with a predetermined gap between them, a pair of electrode terminals connected to the inner and outer containers respectively so that the containers serve as electrodes with polarity opposite each other, respectively, an insulator interposed between the inner and outer containers with a predetermined gap between the same and each container, and a drive source supplying a rotational or vibratory force to the inner container. The gap between the inner and outer containers is 10 millimeters long or below. The barrel polishing machine may be diverted to an electroplating machine when the polarity is inverted.

Surface treatment apparatus for workpieces

A barrel finishing machine includes a dual barrel structure including a cylindrical stationary container and a rotary container concentrically mounted in the stationary container for rotation, with a small gap between them. Linings are formed from an elastic material and are provided to cover inner surfaces of the stationary and rotary containers respectively, and a stopper is mounted in the lining of the rotary container at a position in the vicinity of an outer circumferential edge of the rotary container. The stopper is effective to restrain expansive deformation of the lining of the rotary container due to thermal expansion. The stopper circumferentially rises from a base of the rotary container. The stopper member is detachably attached relative to the base of the rotary container.

Barrel finishing machine

A full-automatic multi-function workpiece finishing machine provides different types of operations that can be caused to occur in any sequence that meets the requirements for a particular type of workpieces to be surface-finished. The machine includes a series of individual operational or functional units which are controlled by a computer-based sequence controller. The sequences of the different types of operations may be identified by unique code numbers which are entered into the computer from the terminal keyboard or by reading them by any optical or other means.

Full-automatic multi-function barrel finishing machine

A method consists of causing a barrel container to revolve with less than the numbers of axial and orbital revolutions n and N defined as n=42.2/.sqroot.d x.sup.4 .sqroot.1+x.sup.2, where n is the number of axial revolutions per minute for the barrel container, x is ratio of the centrifugal force produced and the gravity, equal to o&lt;x.ltoreq.1, d is the diameter of the inscribed circle of said barrel container; and N=42.2/.sqroot.D, where N is the number of revolutions per minute and D is the distance, in meter, twice value from the revolving axis and rotating one; and causing a resultant force substantially equal to 1G&lt;Y.ltoreq..sqroot.2G where Y is defined as the resultant force to be produced by the centrifugal force combined with the gravity action and given to the mass within the barrel container. The method provides a heavy resultant force that is composed of the produced centrifugal force component and gravity action component, under which the workpieces can be finished with the higher efficiency. Various types of workpiece finishing are available on a single machine implemented on the method, by making use of a programmable sequence controller.

Rotating barrel finishing method under heavy resultant force

For use with a container with a removable cover at the top opening, at least one pair of cover tightening members are pivotally linked with each other and are mounted to the cover so that they can be operated to tighten the cover to the container or release it from the container. Specifically, each of the tightening members has an internally threaded central bore through it for accommodating its operating member which is also threaded to engage the central bore. The tightening member further includes stationary or fixed pawls at both ends thereof that engage or disengage with the flanged lateral sides of the container. Thus, when the operating member advances through the central bore, the pawls are disengaged from the flanges to allow the cover to be removed from the container, and when operating members are retracted, the pawls are made to engage the flanges to tighten the cover to the container. In either case, one tightening member is operatively associated with the other by means of the pivotted links. The operating member is operated automatically by a manipulating device which includes a pair of socket guns for rotating the operating members and a pair of pivotal latches for engaging and disengaging the cover. The manipulating device is movably mounted above the cover for selectively removing or attaching the cover to the container.

Apparatus for closing and reopening the cover for a container

A multi-function barrel finishing machine includes a central work processing section which is supported by a tiltable main spindle from horizontal to vertical or to inclined positions, and vice versa, the central work processing section including a turret rotatably supported by the main spindle and a plurality of barrel containers carried by the turret and which are capable of both axial rotation about their own axes, and orbital revolution about the main spindle. A single machine construction incorporates the various functions provided by the individual machines such as the horizontal-type high-speed centrifugal or planetary revolving barrel finishing machine, vertical-type high-speed centrifugal barrel finishing machine, horizontal-type rotating barrel finishing machine, and tiltable-type rotating barrel finishing machine. Those functions may be selected and performed singly or in any combination, depending upon the particular work processing requirements. The work processing functions performed by the machine include the work surface finishing, deburring, stirring, mixing, and milling. The machine includes optional automatic lid opening and reclosing for all barrel containers, a mass charging device, and a mass separator. All the functions of the machine are automatic and are performed sequentially.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Katsuhiro Izuhara