Grinding machine for bearing rings

Abstract

A bearing ring grinding machine having a grinding unit arranged to machine the bearings with micron-size tolerances and reduce a grinding cycle period. The grinding unit includes a fixed plate which supports a horizontally movable loader and sliding carriage. A carriage stopper, in the loader, holds the ring against the plate and between two lateral channels. The fixed plate has an opening for passage of a rotatable spindle, equipped with a magnetizable bush, to support the ring during machining and support stops for automatically positioning the ring on the bush. Initially, the carriage releases a ring to be ground which then passes toward the bush. The ring is then secured, machined, carried by a magnetic carrier of an automatic discharge device.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A grinding machine ( 10 ) for bearing rings ( 100 ), the grinding machine comprising:
 a support frame ( 11 ),   an automatic feed device ( 14 ),   a grinding unit ( 13 ),   an automatic discharging device ( 15 ) for ground bearing rings,   an electric equipment cabinet ( 12 ), and   a control console ( 16 ),   the grinding unit ( 13 ) comprising a rotary spindle ( 22 ) fitted with a magnetizable bush ( 23 ) which supports a bearing ring, during a machining process, and two adjustable support stops ( 24 ,  25 ) which automatically position the rotating ring on the magnetizable bush ( 23 ), the feed device ( 14 ) comprises a magnetic transport surface for the bearing rings to be ground, arranged in a plane of the magnetizable bush ( 23 ), and a sliding carriage ( 20 ) designed, at a first point in time, to free passage of the bearing ring ( 100 ) to be ground toward the magnetizable bush ( 23 ) of the rotary spindle ( 22 ) so as to, at a second point in time, hold the ring ( 100 ) in contact against the two support stops ( 24 ,  25 ) while the ring ( 100 ) is being machined and, at a third point in time, to transfer the ground ring ( 100 ) from the position of contact against the support stops ( 24 ,  25 ) toward the automatic discharging device ( 15 ).   
     
     
         20 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the magnetic transport surface for the bearing rings to be machined is a conveyor ( 14   b ) located in a magnetic field. 
     
     
         21 . The grinding machine according to  claim 20 , wherein the conveyor ( 14   b ) is a magnetic tape. 
     
     
         22 . The grinding machine according to  claim 20 , wherein the conveyor ( 14   b ) is a magnetizable tape. 
     
     
         23 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the sliding carriage ( 20 ) carries an abutment stop ( 21 ) which retains a bearing ring ( 100 ) to be subsequently ground in a loading device ( 14   c ) during grinding of a previous bearing ring ( 100 ). 
     
     
         24 . The grinding machine according to  claim 23 , wherein the stop ( 21 ) frees the bearing ring ( 100 ) to be subsequently ground to pass from the loading device ( 14   c ) toward the two support stops ( 24 ,  25 ). 
     
     
         25 . The grinding machine according to  claim 24 , wherein the two support stops ( 24 ,  25 ) are permanently fixed on the sliding carriage ( 20 ) at positions which are adjustable. 
     
     
         26 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the sliding carriage ( 20 ) has a base ( 50 ) on which a support ( 51 ) is mounted to which the two support stops ( 24 ,  25 ) are fixed, the support ( 51 ) is mounted on two elastic arms ( 52 ,  53 ) which form two sides of an elastically deformable parallelogram. 
     
     
         27 . The grinding machine according to  claim 26 , wherein the sliding carriage ( 20 ) comprises a hydropneumatic damper ( 55 ) which co-operates with the support ( 51 ) and the elastic arms ( 52 ,  53 ) to dampen relative movement between the bearing ring ( 100 ) to be ground and a grinding wheel ( 26 ). 
     
     
         28 . The grinding machine according to  claim 27 , wherein the hydropneumatic damper is mounted on the base ( 50 ) of the sliding carriage ( 20 ) via a further support ( 54 ). 
     
     
         29 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the discharging device ( 15 ), for ground bearing rings ( 100 ), comprises a mobile carriage ( 40 ) on which a cylindrical body ( 41 ) is mounted in which is accommodated a magnetic field generator, the body is closed by at least a first closing disk ( 42   a ,  42   b ) which is mounted on a sliding axial rod ( 43 ) that passes through the cylindrical body ( 41 ), and a fixed stop ( 44 ) which co-operates with the rod ( 43 ) to discharge the ground bearing ring ( 100 ). 
     
     
         30 . The grinding machine according to  claim 29 , wherein the magnetic field generator comprises at least one permanent magnet located against an inside surface of the first closing disk ( 42   a ). 
     
     
         31 . The grinding machine according to  claim 29 , wherein the sliding axial rod ( 43 ), passing through the cylindrical body ( 41 ), is mounted axially in the cylindrical body so as to slide freely. 
     
     
         32 . The grinding machine according to  claim 29 , wherein the first closing disk ( 42   a ,  42   b ) is permanently attached to an end of the sliding axial rod ( 43 ) and is arranged to move clear of the cylindrical body ( 41 ) when the sliding axial rod ( 43 ) contacts the fixed stop ( 44 ). 
     
     
         33 . The grinding machine according to  claim 29 , wherein the closing disk ( 42   a ,  42   b ) is made of a non-magnetic material. 
     
     
         34 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the sliding carriage ( 20 ) supports a pneumatic measuring probe ( 30 ) which measures an outside diameter of the bearing ring ( 100 ) to be ground. 
     
     
         35 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the grinding unit ( 13 ) grinds an outer bearing ring ( 100 ), and comprises a grinding wheel ( 26 ) having a diameter smaller than an inside diameter of the outer bearing ring ( 100 ), the grinding wheel moves at the same time as outer bearing ring ( 100 ) to be ground, at least during a portion of a loading cycle, for machining and discharging the outer bearing ring ( 100 ). 
     
     
         36 . The grinding machine according to  claim 19 , wherein the grinding unit ( 13 ) grinds an inner bearing ring ( 100 ), and comprises a grinding wheel having a diameter larger than an outside diameter of the inner bearing ring ( 100 ), the grinding wheel moves at the same time as the inner bearing ring ( 100 ) to be ground, at least during a portion of a loading cycle, for machining and discharging the inner bearing ring ( 100 ). 
     
     
         37 . A machine ( 10 ) for grinding bearing rings ( 100 ), the machine comprising:
 a support frame ( 11 ),   an automatic feed device ( 14 ),   a grinding unit ( 13 ),   an automatic discharging device ( 15 ),   an electric equipment cabinet ( 12 ), and   a control console ( 16 ),   the feed device ( 14 ) has a magnetic transport surface which conveys the bearing rings ( 100 ) from a supply of bearing rings ( 100 ) to the grinding unit ( 13 ), the feed device ( 14 ) aligning the bearing rings ( 100 ) with a magnetizable bush ( 23 ) of the grinding unit ( 13 );
 the magnetizable bush ( 23 ) of the grinding unit ( 13 ) being supported by a rotatable spindle ( 22 ), the magnetizable bush ( 23 ) securing one of the bearing rings ( 100 ) to the rotatable spindle ( 22 ) such that the bearing ring ( 100 ) rotates during a grinding process, 
 the grinding unit ( 13 ) supporting two adjustable stops ( 24 ,  25 ) which communicate with and automatically position the bearing ring ( 100 ) on the magnetizable bush ( 23 ); and 
 a sliding carriage ( 20 ) is biased from a first position to facilitate passage of the bearing ring ( 100 ) from the feed device ( 14 ) to the magnetizable bush ( 23 ) of the rotatable spindle ( 22 ), the bearing ring ( 100 ) is supported by the two adjustable stops, when the sliding carriage ( 20 ) is in a second position, to facilitate grinding of the bearing ring ( 100 ), in a third position of the sliding carriage ( 20 ), the bearing ring ( 100 ) is magnetically coupled to the automatic discharging device ( 15 ) and removed from the sliding carriage ( 20 ).