Vacuum enclosure for confining and removing debris produced by tool operation
An enclosure cooperates with a vacuum source to confine and remove debris produced by operation of tools on workpieces. The enclosure comprises a housing and a work plate that defines the bottom of a work chamber in the housing and a work surface where tools and workpieces can be placed. A vacuum chamber is formed against a lower surface of the work plate, and the work plate has an extensive array of holes that place the work chamber in communication with vacuum chamber. A vacuum source coupled to the vacuum chamber draws air flows through holes in the work plate that remove debris in the work chamber. A window permits viewing of the interior of the work chamber, and an access port permits a worker to insert his hands into the work chamber to handle workpieces or operate tools.
The invention relates to enclosure for confining and removing debris created by the operation of power and hand tools upon workpieces, and more specifically, to an enclosure in which suction is used more effectively to remove debris.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTPower tools, such as a grinder, sander, and arc welder, produce particulate debris and often noxious fumes. Particulate debris poses an immediate risk eye injury and often necessitates the use of goggles or other protective eyewear. As well, debris produced by a grinder or sander can scatter widely about a work area, making clean-up tedious and time-consuming.
The prior art has suggested enclosures that cooperate with a vacuum source to manage debris and fumes produced by operation of power tools and the like. Closed environments may be created around tools and workpieces using rigid or flexible enclosures. Special openings may be provided to permit hand access while preventing any significant scattering of flying debris. A vacuum line may be coupled to the interior of the enclosure to remove air borne contaminants. As well, a movable suction head may be provided in the enclosure to allow a worker to remove particulate debris otherwise accumulating in the interior. Examples of such practices are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,977,386 to Holes; U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,462 to Linn; U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,348 to Clayton; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,771 to Wehrmann et al.
Although the prior practices are useful, it would be desirable to provide a vacuum enclosure that not only removes fumes and airborne contaminants but also continually removes particulate debris continuously and effectively during power tool operation without frequent intervention by a worker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect, the invention provides an enclosure that cooperates with a vacuum source to confine and remove debris produced when a tool operates on a workpiece. The enclosure comprises a housing that cooperates with a work plate to define a work chamber. The work plate has an upper work surface that defines the bottom of the work chamber and serves to support tools and workpieces. A window permits viewing into the work chamber, and a hand access port permits manual manipulation of tools and workpieces within the work chamber. A vacuum chamber is formed against a lower surface of the work plate, and the work plate is formed with a multiplicity of holes that place the vacuum chamber in communication with the work chamber. The holes are preferably distributed to span most of the work surface so as to distribute suction and entraining air flows about the work plate. The vacuum source may be remote from the enclosure and coupled to the vacuum chamber with a pressure line, but the source is preferably mounted in the enclosure itself to provide an entirely self-contained unit. In a preferred form, a filtering mechanism is installed in the vacuum chamber to remove debris from entraining air flows, and the debris is allowed to deposit in a tray that can be removed from the housing for cleaning.
Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from a description below of a preferred embodiment, and will be more specifically defined in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention will be better understood with reference to drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment, in which:
An overview of principal components of a vacuum enclosure embodying the invention will be provided with reference to
The enclosure includes a housing 10 formed of wood panels. The housing 10 has a left side wall 12, a right side wall 13, a rear wall 14, a bottom wall 15, a front wall formed as lower and upper sections, spaced-apart 16, 26, and a top wall 28. A wood work plate 30 cooperates with the housing 10 to define a work chamber 22 within the housing 10. The work plate 30 has an upper work surface that defines the bottom of the work chamber 22 and supports tools or workpieces placed in the work chamber 22. A light 90 mounted to the rear housing wall 14 illuminates the work chamber 22, and a shielded window 11 permits viewing into the work chamber 22 during tool operation and workpiece handling. The window 11 is simply a rigid transparent sheet of plastic fastened with screws (only one screw 24 specifically identified in
A removable wood door 17 permits access to the interior of the housing 10 for insertion or removal of the work plate 30 and a metal tray 45 used to collect debris. A hand access port 80 in the door 17 is normally used to transfer items such as tools or workpieces to and from the work chamber 22 or to reach into the work chamber 22 to handle objects or operate tools. A vacuum chamber 23 is formed against a lower surface of the work plate 30, and the work plate 30 is extensively apertured to place the work chamber 22 in communication with the vacuum chamber 23. A suction or vacuum pump 70 is coupled to the vacuum chamber 23, draws air through the work plate 30, and entrains debris from the work chamber 22 into the vacuum chamber 23. In the vacuum chamber 23, a filtering mechanism separates debris from entraining air flows, and the debris deposits in the tray 45.
The removable front door 17 is apparent in
The hand access port 80 is apparent in
The work plate 30 is shown in
The vacuum chamber 23 is most apparent in
The debris tray 45 is located within the vacuum chamber 23 as apparent in
The filtering assembly is illustrated in
The aperturing of the work plate 30 is most apparent in
Electric power required for operation of the enclosure is supplied with power cords collectively indicated in
A significant advantage is that the work plate 30 with its extensive array of holes 34 cooperates with the vacuum chamber 23 to distribute suction about the work surface and effectively remove debris that settles on the work surface. As well, the slots 33 remove debris that would otherwise lodge at the base of chamber walls. Within practical limits, the work chamber may be self-cleaning.
Other changes can be made to the enclosure of
Various materials and fabricating techniques may be substituted for those described. The housing 10 is preferably formed of wood to reduce cost and weight. A steel or plastic construction might be adopted but such materials might require milling, welding, molding of grooves, or provision of more complex and expensive joints between panels. With a steel construction, the housing 10 may be unduly heavy or unduly flimsy if thin metal sheet is used. The work plate 30 is expect to be scored or otherwise damaged, for example during grinding operations, and trying to protect its upper surface may be impractical and not conducive to quick use of tools. For such reasons, the work plate 30 is preferably formed of wood, once again light, inexpensive and easily replaced. Other material substitutions should be apparent to those skilled in the fabrication art. Also, the enclosure may be dimensioned and shaped to enclose larger pieces of machinery, such as drill presses.
It will be appreciated that a particular embodiment of the invention has been described together with suggested modifications and that further modifications may be made without necessarily departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An enclosure cooperating with a vacuum source to confine and remove debris produced by operation of a tool on a workpiece, the enclosure comprising:
- a housing;
- a work plate mounted in the housing, the plate cooperating with the housing to define a work chamber above the work plate, the work plate comprising an upper work surface for supporting the tool and the workpiece;
- a window attached to the housing and permitting viewing into the work chamber;
- an access port attached to the housing and shaped to permit manual manipulation of the tool and the workpiece in the work chamber; and,
- means cooperating with the work plate to define a vacuum chamber against a lower surface of the work plate, the vacuum chamber comprising an inlet port for coupling the vacuum chamber to the vacuum source, the work plate comprising a multiplicity of holes extending between its upper and lower surfaces that place the vacuum chamber in communication with the work chamber, the passages positioned to distribute vacuum within the vacuum chamber about the work surface.
2. The enclosure of claim 1 comprising a filter located within the vacuum chamber and shaped to enclose the inlet port against entrainment of debris from the vacuum chamber to the vacuum source.
3. The enclosure of claim 2 comprising a tray located within the vacuum chamber and positioned to collect debris entrained through the work plate into the vacuum chamber.
4. The enclosure of claim 3 in which:
- the inlet port is formed in a bottom wall of the vacuum chamber;
- the tray rests on the bottom wall and comprises an opening vertically aligned with the inlet port of the vacuum chamber; and,
- the filter seats against an upper surface of the tray and surrounds surrounds the opening in the tray.
5. The enclosure of claim 4 in which:
- the work plate is associated with means releasably supporting the work plate in a predetermined position within the vacuum chamber; and,
- the filter is fastened to a bottom surface of the work plate and rests freely against the tray;
- whereby, the filter is removable with the work plate to allow access to the tray.
6. The enclosure of claim 5 in which:
- the housing comprises a parallel pair of grooves that receive opposing sides of the tray for relative sliding movement along a predetermined axis;
- the housing comprises an access door positioned for sliding insertion and removal of the tray along the axis.
7. The enclosure of claim 1 in which:
- the vacuum chamber has a bottom wall;
- the inlet port of the vacuum chamber is formed in the bottom wall;
- the vacuum source is located within the housing.
8. The enclosure of claim 1 in which the access port comprises:
- an opening in the housing;
- closure means for at least partially closing the opening automatically after insertion or removal of an object through the opening.
9. The enclosure of claim 9 in which the closure means comprise a flexible flap that restores elastically to rest position in which the flap is substantially coplanar with the opening and and deflects from the rest position in response to contact with an object.
10. The enclosure of claim 8 in which the closure means comprise:
- an upper elastic flap fastened to the housing;
- a lower elastic flap fastened to the housing;
- each of the flaps biased by the elasticity of the flap to rest position in which the flap is substantially coplanar with the opening.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2005
Inventor: Philbert Castello (Toronto)
Application Number: 10/896,368