Abstract: A removable mounting bracket with an extended sanding foot for attachment to a vibrating or orbital sander which mounts against the platen of a sander to allow for sanding of inside corners and edges.

Abstract: In the process or internally grinding bores with the aid of a slightly conical grinding wheel (15) in a computer controlled manner, the rotational axis (14) of the grinding wheel is adjusted to a small angle (.alpha.) in relation to the rotational axis (3a) of the workpiece (5). The grinding wheel is sharpened along a generatrix which lies opposite the generatrix of the wheel when the wheel is in rough grinding engagement with the bore. The rough grinding operation is carried out at a feed pressure such that twice this angle (i.e. 2(.alpha.) is levelled-out or eliminated and the respective generatrices of the wheel and the bore will substantially coincide. The fine grinding phase of the grinding operation is carried out with substantially coinciding bore and grinding wheel generatrices along an opposite bore generatrix in relation to the rough grinding engagement location. The invention also relates to a grinding machine for carrying out the method.

Abstract: The contact wheel according to the present invention comprises an annular support portion having external surfaces, and a generally cylindrical peripheral surface. The peripheral surface has spaced edges each adjoining an adjacent external surface, and circumferentially spaced elongate grooves formed therein with land portions disposed between the grooves. The grooves are spaced from the respective adjacent edges of the peripheral surface to provide annular land surfaces at each edge of the peripheral surface. The contact wheel further includes one or more passageways formed therein, which communicate with a groove at a first end of the passageway, and with either an external surface of the annular support portion, or an adjacent groove at a second end of the passageway. The passageways aid in reducing the amount of noise generated by the contact wheel when it is rotated with the abrasive belt entrained thereover.

Abstract: A system for forming a polished groove in a glass panel has separate grooving apparatus and groove polishing apparatus. The grooving apparatus has a rotating grinding unit which moves endwise along its rotary axis to form a groove. This unit has a leading tapered section and a trailing cylindrical section containing a finer abrasive than the abrasive in the leading section. The formed groove has an arcuate transverse profile with a radius determined by the radius of the trailing section. The polishing apparatus has a rotating and oscillating buffing cylinder with a pile surface layer which is brought into engagement with the surface of the groove while wetted with a polishing liquid. The radius of the buffing cylinder approximates the radius of the groove profile.

Abstract: A chamfering width maintaining and glass plate shape sensing apparatus for use in a glass plate chamfering machine is disclosed. Two chamfering width maintaining and glass plate shape sensing rollers are provided so that they serve as function sharing rollers for sharing the function of changing the chamfering direction in accordance with the shape of the glass plate, when chamfering a glass plate in a chamfering machine. The provision of such function sharing rollers improves the contact state of the glass plate. Further, there is also provided a horizontally maintaining roller for supporting the glass plate during a chamfering, and such a provision makes it easier to chamfer or side-finish the glass plate.

Abstract: A blasting apparatus for blasting a predetermined portion of a work by spraying a powder to the work in a blasting chamber. The blasting apparatus includes a work bed for placing the work thereon, a spray nozzle for spraying the powder onto the work, a first driving section for linearly moving the work bed in a first direction, and a second driving section for linearly moving the spray nozzle in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Accordingly, the blasting apparatus can be reduced in size.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for recovering a cleaning material and a surface material with a vacuum source. The surface material is removed from a surface by projecting the cleaning material such as sand, water or the like from a plurality of rotatable nozzle to impact upon the surface. The apparatus comprises a housing having a housing opening for projecting the cleaning material through the housing opening onto the surface. A fluid seal provides a seal between the housing and the surface. The vacuum source is connected to the housing for withdrawing the impacted cleaning material and the surface material removed from the surface.

Abstract: A method for grinding cast steel railroad wheels is provided. The apparatus comprises a railroad wheel support assembly that includes a roller assembly to receive and grasp the railroad wheel and rotate the railroad wheel about its center axis. A grinding assembly is also provided that includes a motor operatively connected to a grinding wheel. The motor and grinding wheel are mounted to a support assembly. The railroad wheel support assembly oscillates about an axle assembly during grinding. The grinding assembly is designed to advance the grinding wheel laterally into the railroad wheel during grinding. The lateral advancing of the grinding wheel and oscillating of the railroad wheel are controlled to achieve a finish grinding of the selected surface of the railroad wheel to a preselected contour.

Abstract: The invention proposes a grinder having a rocking shaft adapted to set a grinding tool into an oscillating movement about a rocking axis fixed to the device, the grinding tool having a grinding surface comprising at least one corner area. For the purpose of extracting the grinding dust, there is provided a suction hood, which can be fixed on the device and which communicates with a suction pipe. In order to prevent the risk of surface marks forming during micro-finishing of surfaces, and at the same time to guarantee efficient dust removal, the grinding surface is designed as a continuous, closed surface, without any openings, the suction hood enclosing the grinding tool from above and at least part of the lateral faces of the grinding tool. The suction pipe opens laterally into the suction hood in an area opposite the corner area of the grinding surface. Further, the suction hood comprises a suction chamber extending from the suction pipe to the corner area of the grinding tool.

Abstract: A system for precision cleaning of contaminants from the surface of a substrate, such as delicate surfaces or precision parts, utilizing streams of carbon dioxide snow or other cleaning gas. The system includes an enclosed or sealed cleaning container in which at least one jet spray device is housed for directing a stream of cleaning snow against the surface to be cleaned. During cleaning, the cleaning container holding the substrate to be cleaned is maintained under a vacuum or, optionally, at ambient pressure, filled with a clean dry gas. The dislodged contaminants and spent snow are removed from the cleaning zone and disposed of or recycled. Cleaning is accomplished by pulsed application of the cleaning snow in combination with intermittent or continuous heating of the surface so that the surface is at an elevated temperature prior to and during each application of cleaning snow.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) and method is disclosed for recovering a cleaning material (12) and a surface material (20A) with a vacuum source (25). The surface material (20A) is removed from a surface (20) by projecting the cleaning material (12) such as sand, water or the like from a nozzle (14) to impact upon the surface (20). The apparatus (10) comprises a housing (16) having a housing opening (18) for projecting the cleaning material (12) through the housing opening (18) onto the surface (20). A fluid seal means (30) provides a seal between the housing (16) and the surface (20). The vacuum source (25) is connected to the housing (16) for withdrawing the impacted cleaning material (12A) and the surface material (20A) removed from the surface (20).

Abstract: An air powered, portable abrading tool having a valve operable in response to engagement with a surface to be abraded for driving an abrasive disk.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for buffing the balls of ball joint studs. The apparatus includes a frame structure including a base; an index table; a plurality of fixtures spaced circumferentially about the index table and each arranged to rotatably mount the shank portion of a stud, with the ball portion exposed, so that the stud may rotate about its lengthwise axis; an index drive mounted on the base and operative to indexingly move the table so that each fixture is moved successively through a loading station, a buffing station, and an unloading station; and first and second buffing wheels mounted on the frame structure at the buffing station with their respective peripheries arranged to buffingly engage opposed portions of the spherical surface of the ball of the stud as the ball is moved between the wheels by the index drive.

Abstract: Liquid abrasive slurry for chemical-mechanical polishing of semiconductor wafers is held on a rotating polish table by a containment device having two continuous circular bonded strips of differing flexibilities. A releasable clamp seals the entire length of the more flexible strip to the table periphery.

Abstract: A method of lapping teeth of a pair of gears by positively rotating one of the pair of gears at a predetermined constant speed, in mesh with the other gear in the presence of a lapping powder, while applying a braking torque to the other gear. The braking torque is controlled such that the braking torque is smaller at least when an angular acceleration value of the above-indicated other gear is maximum, than when the angular acceleration value is minimum. Also disposed is an apparatus for practicing the method.

Abstract: A faceting device for holding precious stones during cutting and polishing the facets. It comprises a two-part indexed quill member having a mounting at one end for mounting and locking the stone position relative to a horizontally rotating abrasive lap wheel and a cylindrically configured tailstock element at the other end. The tailstock is tightly and diametrically received in a backplate containing trigonometrically positioned multiple rows of grooves which obtain a multiplicity of different angular settings. The upper and lower portions of the quill attach by a male rod in the lower quill which is slidably received in an elongated opening in the upper portion where a hand set screw extending radially into the upper quill portion can be turned against the male rod to secure the lower quill in angularly rotated adjusted position. The backplate attaches to a vertical mast and is locked at desired heights by a hand set screw threaded radially through a backplate collar and turned against the mast.

Abstract: An industrially feasible method of grinding silicon nitride ceramics, is disclosed and provides a sufficiently smooth surface. Namely, the surface has a maximum height-roughness Rmax of 0.1 microns or less and a ten-point mean roughness Rz of 0.05 microns. Further, with this method, surface damage can be repaired while grinding. The vertical cutting feed rate of a grinding wheel into a workpiece should be within the range of 0.005-0.1 micron for each rotation of the working surface of the wheel and change linearly or stepwise. The cutting speed of the grinding wheel in a horizontal (rotational) direction should be within the range of 25 to 75 m/sec. With this arrangement, the contact pressure and grinding heat that is generated between the workpiece and the hard abrasive grains during grinding are combined. In other words, mechanical and thermal actions are combined.

Abstract: In a sanding apparatus (10) including a drive roll (14), at least two feed rolls (16, 18), a guide roll (20) and an endless belt (12) arranged to engage each of the feed rolls to thereby define a closed loop; and an elongated smoothing bar (30) located between the two feed rolls with a back side of the belt passing over the smoothing bar, an improvement wherein the smoothing bar is constructed of an elongated metal bar having a mounting face (36), a belt face (34) and a pair of side faces (38, 40). At least one cooling passage (42) is formed in the bar and extends longitudinally from one end of the bar to the other. A plurality of air shower holes (46) are arranged to discharge cooling air onto the back side of the endless belt (12).

Abstract: An improved device for machining workpieces in a chamber surrounded by a housing. The housing has a hollow space defined by housing walls. A blasting nozzle is positioned in the chamber and is connected by a line to a supply of blasting medium in a container. The chamber is separated by partition walls from the hollow space of the housing. A carrying structure in the hollow space carries the container through a loading opening defined by the housing walls. The loading opening can be closed by a wall. The carrying structure for the blasting medium container is movable between a working position in the housing through the loading opening into a loading position where a filling opening in the medium container is outside the housing.

Abstract: The blast machine consists of a self-propelled vehicle including a pair of independently driven magnetic treads capable of adhering to and traversing ferromagnetic vertical surfaces and the underside of ferromagnetic horizontal surfaces. The blast machine includes a blast unit having a pair of blast wheels supported on the magnetic treads for propelling the blast unit over ferromagnetic surfaces The blast unit is mounted so as to be able to pivot about two axes relative to the treads so that the treads can follow and traverse curved surfaces without changing the orientation of the blast unit. The treads can also flex allowing them to traverse surfaces having varying contours.