Description

Technical field

The invention refers to the finishing process for sanitary ware and products of ceramic industry.

Background art

The surface finishing operations of the sanitary ware and product, made in the ceramic industry are currently carried out manually for the major part of the products. In such enviroments a high dispersion of silicic dust is present, which causes damage to the healt and consequently attributes professional illness ( silico¬ sis ) to personnel. Manual surface finishing operations further provoke, a slowing-down in the industry production cycle, which has, by now, automatized or semi-automatized all other phases which constitute such productive cycle. The scope of the present invention is to carry out all operations, necessary for the performance of the surface finishing of the ceramic sanitary-ware, without the use of manual labour and in total absence of enviromental dust surrounding the machine, so eliminating the problem of silicosis in the surface finishing department.

The invention as described as follows, has the characteristics to carry out all surface finishing operations automatically, according to the pre-arranged operation sequences, manually stored in function with the pieces to be surface finished. Such sequences are repeatable in automatic in a closed enviroment, of which internally a flow of aspirated air is created and sent ( after oportunal filtrage ) directly to the outside of the working area. The invention as described can be therefore used in the ceramic industry substituting the usual manual surface finishing operations, with the scope of making better working conditions for personnel, consenting, furthermore, increase in production of the industry.

Disclosure of invention

Is formed, therefore, specific object of the present invention a machine for the automatic realisation of the necessary operations for the surface finishing of sanitary-ware and ceramic products, consisting in : - a manipulator ( or mechanical arm with electronic position control ) able to move in the space surrounding the piece to be surface finished, in such a manner to reach, with the correct tools , all points which are subject to surface finishing ; - an enviroment ( tunnel ) , closed on all sides, of which internally is situated the manipulator and of which inside the piece is surface finished ; two openable gates in correspondence to the

extremes of the tunnel to consents the entrance and the exit of the piece ;

- a guide rail system or a revolving support system for the entrance movement, the positioning for the surface finishing in the tunnel and the exit of the pieces ; a device shaped in such a manner to consent the taking and releasing of the available tools for the finishing ;

- an aspiration system applicated to the tunnel, which consents the aspiration of dust deriving from the finishing operations, extracting them and removing them from the piece under working, before the exit from the tunnel ;

According to the invention, the manipulator can be cartesian type, in the case that the piece to be finished in positioned internally of the tunnel and remaining still while the manipulator moves in its surrounding space, or the manipulator can be antropomorphic type, in the case that the piece is positioned, internally of the tunnel, on a revolving table in such manner to consent the manipulator to reach all points subject to finishing.

In accordance with the invention such manipulator is preferred to be made with a first bridge structure on which are carried out the three ortogonal, horizontal an vertical ( X,Y,Z ) movements of the arm, with a second structure made in such a manner to rotate around the vertical axis and a third structure named "pulse"

made in the way to be able to rotate around any horizontal axis in the working space of the manipulator. 85 In according to the invention, the relative movements of the elements are made by means of position controlled electric motors and may be however carried out with any other form of position controlled actuator. 90 At the end of the "pulse", interchangeable tools are applied, in function of the type of sanitary-ware to be finished.

Such tools will be actioned by means of a variable speed electric motor, with the eventual interposition 95 of a reducer, and will be realized by means of different shaped sponges and pads, all simmetric as regards to the rotation axis.

According to the invention, the gates which allow the entrance and exit of the piece, are preferrebly

100 vertical slip type with belts or chains actioned by a motor reducer.

The scope of the invention is also that to supply a procedure for the automatic finishing of sanitary-ware and ceramic products, consisting of phases :

105 - entrance, positioning, processing and exit of piece, completely run automatically by the machine; shaving of irregularity from the piece surface by mean of abrasive action of sponges and open celled pads made in Scotch Brite type or Abralon type material,

110 obtaining a regular surface, yet still ruled;

- surface smoothing by abrasive action of fine granulometry pads and by eventually amalgaming action of humid sponges; aspiration of dust deriving from the finishing

115 operations.

According to the present invention, the procedure, compared to the manual one , has the advantage of complete personnel absence during the realization phases of the finishing process. This characteristic

120 together with the fact that the finishing operations are completed in a closed enviroment with the aspiration of the dust powder, therefore allows the elimination of the professional illness problem, typical of this processing.

125

Brief desciption of drawing

The present invention is now described according to its preferred realization form with particular reference to the figures of the accompaining drawings in which :

130 - fig. 1 is an axonometric assembly schematic design of the machine in accordance with the invention ;

- fig.2 is an axonometric assembly schematic design of the manipulator in accordance with the invention ;

- fig. 3 is a lateral assembly schematic design of the 135 machine ; fig. 4 desribes schematically some types of tools used by the machine according to the invention ;

- fig. 5 is a detailed view of the rapid clutch device

for the tools with the relative function ;

140 - fig. 6 is a schematic view of the tool deposit with the relative taking and releasing operations . Such figures describe, by way of examples, non restrictive, how the previously described scopes may be obtained.

145

Best mode for carrying out the invention The example of realization is constituted by a frame or basement on which are mounted two parallel horizontal guides ( direction X ), which consent the movement

150 along them of a structure ( 3 ) with orthogonal axis to them. On such structure ( 3 ), two other horizontal guides are positioned ( 4 ) orthogonal to the previous ( direction Y ) on which is carried out the movement of a plate ( 5 ) . On the above mentioned plate ( 5 ) two

155 couple of slides are positioned ( 6 ) of which internally run two vertical guides ( 7 ) ( direction Z) coupled with a structure ( 8 ) .

Such structure ( 8 ), therefore, results moving in the space by means of the composition of the three

160 orthogonal motions obtained with the above described elements.

On such structure ( 8 ) an arm is present ( 9 ) made in such manner to rotate around the vertical axis ( rotation Rz ) at the end of which is positioned a pulse

165 ( 10 ) in the conditions to be able to rotate around an axis ( Ry ) which is orthogonal to the vertical one of the rotation Rz.

At the end of the pulse an interchangeable tool is positioned ( 11 ) placed in rotation by a motor 170 positioned into the inside of the pulse.

An adeguate rapid engaging pneumatic clutch device

(37,38 ) assembled coaxially to the motor axis ( 12 ), allows the automatic change of the under working tool in function of the operation to be carried out. 175 The five movements described are made by means of position controlled electric motors with reducer interposition.

The actuators of the three translations ( X,Y,Z, ) (

13,14,15 ) and of the pulse rotation ( 16 ) act on 180 tangent screws ( 17,18,19,20 ) coupled to bearing volutes.

The rotation actuator ( 21 ) Rz, works directly on the vertical arm ( 9 ) .

In this way the manipulator is in condition to 185 adeguately position the tools in the working space so to carry out all necessary finishing operations for different pieces.

The sanitary-ware and ceramic products are positioned on trolleys ( 22 ) which by means of a rail ( 23 ) are 190 transferred to the internal of the tunnel until they reach a pre-arranged position and finished by the manipulator.

Such trolleys are carried over to the rail by means of a couple of chains ( 24 ) which are engaged to them. 195 The motorization of such chains comes by mean of a

motor reducer ( 25 ) .

At the entrance and exit of the tunnel two automatic vertical slip gates are present to allow the entrance and exit of pieces.

200 At the inside of the finishing tunnel is a deposit ( 27 ) for the different tools made in such manner to allow the manipulator a rapid substitution during the finishing phases. According to the invention, such tools are made by

205 means of different shaped sponges or pads, all si metric as regards to the rotation axis. Some of them ( 28 ) , are coated in padded material, Scotch Brite type, and have the function to shave the irregularity on the surface of the pieces, others ( 29)

210 have a surface contact made by sponge, and carry out the function to smooth the surface of the piece by eventual means of water, others ( 39 ) are made using abrasive pads, Abralon type or Scotch Brite type, allowing to obtain the shaving and the smoothing of the

215 piece surface, without water, variating the distance and the speed of the tool with refer to the piece surface. A typical characteristic of this type of tool is to match to the surface in finishing thanks to the centrifugal action exercised on the pads by means of

220 the high revolution speed of the tool.

The entire working space of the manipulator is closed by means of panels ( 30,31,32,33,34,35 ) some of which are transparent to allow the view of the manipulator and of the relative actions in the inside of the

225 tunnel .

The upper part of the tunnel is conformed as an aspiration hood ( 36 ) and allows to convey towards the outside the dust deriving from the finishing. To allow to the aspiration system to withdraw and

230 evacuate the mix with powder air from the tunnel, are positioned, on the lateral panels, scale gates able to automatically open when necessary to allow air input. According to the invention, the machine is run and controlled by means of a controll consolle, which

235 allows to actuate the work cicle according to the previous operations manually set out and memorized. During the phases of manual planning of the cicles and of the trajectory that have to be carried out automatically by the manipulator, are furthermore

240 programmed the more adapt tools and their rotation speed in function of the forms and of the pieces to be finished.

With this described machine an automatic process is actuated, which, substantially foresees the phases of :

245 - ENTRANCE OF THE PIECE TO BE FINISHED ( and consequen¬ tly exit of the piece previously finished ) : during this phase the entrance of the piece, positioned on the trolley ( 22 ) , in the is realized, in the tunnel, by means of carrying it

250 over on the rails ( 23 ) by means of the chains (24) put in movement by the motor reducer ( 25 ) . During this phase the gates are opened ( 26 ) to

allow the entrance of the trolley, and are re-closed at the moment in which the piece reaches the 255 finishing position;

- SHAVING OF THE IRREGULARITY OF THE PIECE SURFACE: during this phase the manipulator withdraws from the deposit the requested tool in function of the form and of the positions of pieces to be finished, it

260 puts it in rotation and runs the zone which are interested to the operation. At the end of this phase the piece should result not to have anymore irregularity on the surface, but only superficial rules;

265 - SURFACE SMOOTHING OF THE PIECE:

This phase begins at the end of the previous and consists in the smoothing of all visible and/or paintable surface of the piece. Such smoothing is carried out by withdrawing from the tools deposit

270 those more adapt, already programmed in the manual planning phase of the cycles.

At the end of this phase the piece results to be finished and is ready to exit from the tunnel ;

- EXIT OF FINISHED PIECE ( and consequent entrance of 275 the successive piece to be finished ) :

During this phase the exit of the piece, positioned on the trolley ( 22 ) , is realised by means of carrying it over to the rail ( 23 ) by means of chains ( 24 ) put in movement by the motor reducer 280 ( 25 ).

During this phase , the gates are opened to allow

the exit of the trolley which are re-closed at the moment when the successive piece to be finished, results to have reached the finishing position.

285 An aspiration system is in function during the whole cycle, described as above, and allows to withdraw the dust and to send it outside in an opportune filter which separates in from the air.

The present invention has been described with specific 290 reference to some preferred mode forms, but variations and/or modifications may be brought from the experts in this branch without going out of the relative protection field.