Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Dominion Technologies Group, Inc.

Scott Bradley Holland

Daniel Mark Mietling, Sr

Abraham Hamade

Michael Edward Essad

James P Youells

A crankshaft balancer machine for balancing a crankshafts having a measurement station configured to rotate the crankshaft to obtain vibration-related data, a transfer station configured to transfer the crankshaft between the measurement station and the correction station, and a correction station configured to drill at least a portion of the crankshaft to correct an imbalance in response to the imbalance data. The measurement station includes a base structure, a measurement bridge support, a plurality of flexural support legs extending therebetween, at least one sensor, and a drive system to spin the crankshaft and output imbalance data. The transfer station includes at least one lifting arm selectively engaging the crankshaft and supporting the crankshaft during transfer. The correction station includes a drilling device horizontally disposed to achieve a horizontal drill direction into the crankshaft to correct any imbalance according to a customized software protocol.

Crankshaft balancer machine

A drive location compensation system determines a deviation between an actual and nominal position of a drive location on a rotor relative to an attachment location on the rotor. The compensation system uses a balancing machine and a sensor that detects when one of the attachment locations passes a known position. Based on the output of the sensor and a known position of a drive spindle of the balancing machine that is coupled to the drive location on the rotor, a relation between the drive spindle and the attachment location is determined. This relationship is compared to a nominal relationship that is based on a calibration standard. The deviation is compensated for during the balancing or the rotor.

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Shelby Township, MI, United States of America

Scott Bradley Holland