Abstract: Multiple floor treatment operations, such as burnishing, polishing and scrubbing, may be performed using a single floor treatment machine having a motor, the speed of which is governed by a controller that responds to sensor signals indicative of the type of floor treatments pad or pads operatively coupled to the motor.

Abstract: Preventing slurry, dirt, and grime from being ejected from a safety cage of a power trowel, and infiltrating the motors, gears, electrical and electronic components of the power trowel is achieved by temporarily installing an isolation assembly comprising one or more plates and associated locking mechanisms.

Abstract: Multiple floor treatment operations, such as burnishing, polishing and scrubbing, may be performed using a single floor treatment machine having a motor, the speed of which is governed by a controller that responses to sensor signals indicative of the type of floor treatments pad or pads operatively coupled to the motor.

Abstract: Multiple floor treatment operations, such as burnishing, polishing, and scrubbing, may be performed using a single floor treatment machine having a motor, the speed of which is governed by a controller that responds to sensor signals indicative of the type of floor treatment pad or pads operatively coupled to the motor.

Abstract: An adapter plate for use with a floor finishing machine for coupling abrasive drive plates to the spider arms of the floor finishing machine which includes a plurality of stamped plate components which when joined together form a polygon on which is mounted a plurality of hub members in which shafts are journaled for rotation in a spherical bearing. The shafts are, in turn, coupled to the abrasive drive plates.

Abstract: An adapter clip to be used to mate an abrasive support plate to the drive plate of a floor finishing machine used to grind and/or polish concrete and stone flooring is designed with an internal aperture shaped to conform to and clip onto a protuberance on an upper surface of an abrasive support plate and an external shape to mate with a mounting recess formed on the machine's drive plate.

Abstract: A drive plate attachable to a driven shaft of a floor-finishing machine has a central circular recess and a plurality of radially extending pockets having beveled side edges formed in a surface thereof. Located in the pocket is a rectangular stabilizing bar. The abrasive tool includes a plate sized and shaped to fit into the pockets when inserted from the central recess and having a groove formed therein for receiving the stabilizing bar. On the surface of the tool plate opposite the groove are abrasive members.

Abstract: A device for attaching abrasive drive plates to the motor driver, rotatable arms of a floor finishing machine so that it can be used to grind and polish hardened concrete has a polygonal shaped driver member to which is affixed at least one abrasive drive plate using spherical bearings on its or their drive shafts so that it is or they are free to both spin and to tilt relative to a vertical axis. A locking cap containing a radial bearing may be affixed to housings for the radial bearings for constraining the drive plate shafts solely to pure rotation about the vertical axis. A plurality of channel members is affixed to an upper surface of the polygonal shaped driver for coupling it to the arms of the floor finishing machine.

Abstract: An adapter plate for use with a floor finishing machine for coupling abrasive drive plates to the spider arms of the floor finishing machine which includes a plurality of stamped plate components which when joined together form a polygon on which is mounted a plurality of hub members in which shafts are journaled for rotation in a spherical bearing. The shafts are, in turn, coupled to the abrasive drive plates.

Abstract: A 3D metal printing machine or apparatus includes a welder that deposits one or more layers of metal, and a powered cutting tool that may be utilized to remove a portion of the metal deposited by the welder after the metal has solidified. Numerous layers of metal can be deposited and machined to form complex 3D metal parts. During fabrication, a part may be formed on a support whereby the part can be fabricated by welding and machining operations without removing the part from the support. A 3D CAD model of a part may be utilized to generate code that controls the 3D metal printing apparatus. A measuring device such as a probe or laser scanner may be utilized to measure the shape/size of parts in the 3D metal printing machine.

Abstract: A drive plate attachable to a driven shaft of a floor-finishing machine has a central circular recess and a plurality of radially extending pockets having beveled side edges formed in a surface thereof. Located in the pocket is a rectangular stabilizing bar. The abrasive tool includes a plate sized and shaped to fit into the pockets when inserted from the central recess and having a groove formed therein for receiving the stabilizing bar. On the surface of the tool plate opposite the groove are abrasive members.

Abstract: A device for attaching abrasive drive plates to the motor driver, rotatable arms of a floor finishing machine so that it can be used to grind and polish hardened concrete has a polygonal shaped driver member to which is affixed at least one abrasive drive plate using spherical bearings on its or their drive shafts so that it is or they are free to both spin and to tilt relative to a vertical axis. A locking cap containing a radial bearing may be affixed to housings for the radial bearings for constraining the drive plate shafts solely to pure rotation about the vertical axis. A plurality of channel members is affixed to an upper surface of the polygonal shaped driver for coupling it to the arms of the floor finishing machine.

Abstract: For use with a power trowel, an abrasive assembly attachable to a rotatable arm of the power trowel that comprises a circular, rigid plate having a central hub projecting out from a first major surface and affixed to its second major surface is a ring of a resilient material. Adjacent the resilient ring is a molded plastic ring in which a plurality of permanent magnet members are imbedded at regularly spaced intervals. The plastic ring further includes at least, one boss projecting outward from a surface thereof and designed to fit within an aperture disposed in an outermost ring, which is entirely or partially of a ferrous metal and which carries a plurality of abrasive members on its outer surface. The resilient ring is fastened to the rigid plate by internally threaded tubular pins and the plastic ring is secured by screws that pass through the plastic ring into the lumens of the internally threaded tubular pins.

Abstract: An adapter clip to be used to mate an abrasive support plate to the drive plate of a floor finishing machine used to grind and/or polish concrete and stone flooring is designed with an internal aperture shaped to conform to and clip onto a protuberance on an upper surface of an abrasive support plate and an external shape to mate with a mounting recess formed on the machine's drive plate.

Abstract: A replaceable tool mount for rotary floor treating machines consists of a wedge-shaped block having downwardly and inwardly sloping side edges designed to fit within a correspondingly shaped slot formed in a bottom surface of a circular drive plate. The upper surface of the wedge-shaped block includes a radial notch. A latch connected to the block by a living hinge overlays the notch and has a tab at its free end adapted to engage the peripheral edge of the drive plate when the block is advanced along the slot in the steel plate to a point when the tab snaps over the plate's peripheral edge. This prevents the block from any further movement until the latch is again released by raising it to the point where it no longer engages the front edge of the plate.

Abstract: For use with a power trowel, an abrasive assembly attachable to a rotatable arm of the power trowel that comprises a circular, rigid plate having a central hub projecting out from a first major surface and affixed to its second major surface is a ring of a resilient material. Adjacent the resilient ring is a molded plastic ring in which a plurality of permanent magnet members are imbedded at regularly spaced intervals. The plastic ring further includes at least, one boss projecting outward from a surface thereof and designed to fit within an aperture disposed in an outermost ring, which is entirely or partially of a ferrous metal and which carries a plurality of abrasive members on its outer surface. The resilient ring is fastened to the rigid plate by internally threaded tubular pins and the plastic ring is secured by screws that pass through the plastic ring into the lumens of the internally threaded tubular pins.

Abstract: A drive plate for a concrete or stone grinding/polishing machine includes one or more abrasive elements in the form of short sintered metal bars having diamond crystals mixed therein. Due to the triangular profile of the abrasive elements, as the drive plate is rotated by a drive motor and the apex of the triangular abrasive element engages the floor surface being treated, the abrasive elements are able to more readily strip off mastic, sealers, glue, or most any thin film topical coating present on concrete or other hard floors.

Abstract: A method of creating a sand mold for rapid casting, including the steps of determining a mold shape, providing a generally uniform thickness layer of sand, curing at least a portion of the layer of sand, machining the cured portions of the layer of sand based on the desired mold shape, and repeating the layer-forming, curing and machining steps until the sand mold is complete. Another aspect includes a machine for creating the sand mold having a build envelope defined by side walls, a movable build platform and at least one movable tool assembly, the movable tool assembly having a single or plurality of tools chosen from the group consisting of a sand dispenser, a sand leveling device, a curing device, and a machining device.