Shot processing apparatus and projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035241-B2
Application number	US-201515321556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 24, 2014
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a shot processing device and a projector such that the projection amount of a projection material can be minimized. The present invention provides a shot processing device equipped with a centrifugal projector for projecting a projection material onto a workpiece and a support mechanism for supporting the workpiece at a processing position where surface processing by the projector can be carried out, wherein the projector is equipped with: a cylindrical control cage which the projection material is supplied into and which has an opening formed on a side wall as a projection material discharge port; and an impeller that has a plurality of blades, which are arranged outside of the control cage and extend outward in the radial direction of the control cage, and rotates about the central axis of the control cage, wherein each blade has, disposed on a front-side surface in the rotation direction, a rearward inclined section inclining toward the rear-side in the rotation direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shot processing apparatus comprising:
a centrifugal projector for projecting shot blast materials onto a workpiece;
a support mechanism for supporting the workpiece at a processing position where a surface of the workpiece is treated with the shot blast materials projected by the projector; and
a cabinet having (i) a loading/unloading zone at a first height location in which the workpiece is loaded on and unloaded from the shot processing apparatus, and (ii) a processing zone at a second height location in which the workpiece is surface-treated at the processing position with the shot blast materials projected from the projector, wherein the first and second height locations are defined at vertically different locations; and
a raising/lowering rotation mechanism provided in the support mechanism, the raising/lowering rotation mechanism being configured to raise and lower the workpiece between the load/unload zone and the processing zone while supporting the workpiece, and rotating about a raising/lowering direction,
wherein the projector comprises:
a case provided with a motor operable to rotate around a rotation axis;
a stationary cylindrical control cage provided inside the case coaxially with the rotation axis and stationarily with respect to the case, the stationary control cage being formed with an opening in a circumference of the control cage; and
an impeller including a cylindrical hub and multiple blades disposed around the hub at angular intervals, the impeller being provided coaxially with the rotation axis, the hub being provided radially outside the stationary control cage for rotation by the motor relative to the stationary control cage, wherein each of the blades has a front surface facing a rotation direction of the motor, and at least part of each front surface stands inclined at an angle from a radial direction of the hub toward opposite to the rotation direction.

2. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening is formed in a rectangular shape having two parallel sides parallel to the rotation axis.

3. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least part of the front surface of each blade is inclined by an angle of 30° to 50° from the radial direction toward opposite to the rotation direction and throws the stop blast materials towards the workpiece within an angular range of about 30°.

4. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the front surface of each blade is bifurcated along the radial direction into a first front surface and a second front surface located radially outward of the first front surface, and
wherein the first front surface is inclined by a first angle from the radial direction towards opposite to the rotation direction, and the second front surface is included by a second angle smaller than the first angle from the radial direction towards opposite to the rotation direction.

5. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the impeller is attached to a rotary shaft of the motor via the hub.

6. The shot processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first front surface has a first radial length, and the second front surface has a second radial length shorter than the first radial length.

7. The shot processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first and second front surface are connected continuously with a curved surface.

8. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a distributor provided radially inside the stationary control cage coaxially with the rotation axis for rotation by the motor relative to the stationary control cage, the distributor being provided radially outside the control cage with an annular gap present therebetween, the distributor being configured such that during rotation of the motor, the distributor centrifugally pushes the shot blast materials supplied inside the distributor toward radially outside thereof into the annular gap between the distributor and the stationary control cage, wherein the annular gap is dimensioned so that the distributor while rotating moves the shot blast materials to travel along the annular gap relative to the stationary control cage in the rotation direction and throws the travelling shot blast materials out of the opening of the stationary control cage in a direction inclined from the radial direction toward the rotation direction.

9. The shot processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a rear surface of each blade facing opposite to the rotation direction comprises a rear base surface in a base end portion of the blade, the rear base surface standing inclined at an inclined angle from the radial direction of the hub toward opposite to the rotation direction, the inclined angle being larger than the angle at which the front surface of each blade in the base end portion of the blade stands inclined from the radial direction of the hub toward opposite to the rotation direction.

10. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an inner lid configured to move vertically between a first position located at an upper side of the loading/unloading zone, and a second position located between the loading/unloading zone and the processing zone;
and an elevator mechanism operable to move the inner lid vertically to the first position when the workpiece is loaded or unloaded from the loading/unloading zone, and to the second position when the workpiece is placed in the processing zone.

11. The shot processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the raising/lowering rotation mechanism has a hold down portion configured to move vertically through the inner lid and operable to hold down the workpiece from above while rotating with the workpiece about the raising/lowering direction.

12. The shot processing apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a workpiece inspection device provided adjacent to the loading/unloading zone,
wherein the workpiece inspection device is movable between a retracted position where the workpiece inspection device is laterally inserted between the workpiece and the inner lid when the inner lid and the hold down portion are raised above to separate from the workpiece while supported by the raising/lowering rotation mechanism, and an inspection position located at an extended position, which is lateral to the retracted position, where the workpiece inspection device encompasses the workpiece.

13. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the projector is disposed on a side wall of the cabinet adjacent to the processing zone.

14. The shot processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the impeller of the projector is driven to rotate in a direction in which the impeller blades move downward when they throw the shot blast materials towards the workpiece.

15. The shot processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a circulation mechanism operable to bring the shot blast materials, which have been projected by the projector to the workpiece, back to the projector,
wherein the circulation mechanism comprises:
a separator having an inlet at a top portion of the circulation mechanism, the inlet being configured to receive a mix of dusts and the shot blast materials already used to treat the workpiece, the separator being operable to separate and remove the dusts from the received mix of dusts and the shot blast materials and discharge the separated shot blast materials from a lower side of the separator;
a shot tank provided adjacent to the inlet of the separator and having a shot supply port at a top of the shot tank, wherein the shot supply port is configured to receive the separated shot blast materials suppli

Assignees

• Sintokogio Ltd

Inventors

• Kaga Hideaki
• Suzuki Hiroaki
• Yamamoto Shoichi
• UMEOKA Masato
• Koyama Takuya

Classifications

• B24C3/24

  Apparatus using impellers · CPC title

• B24C3/14 Primary

  Apparatus using impellers · CPC title

• B24C3/18

  essentially provided with means for moving workpieces into different working positions (B24C3/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B24C5/06

  Impeller wheels; Rotor blades therefor · CPC title

• B24C9/00

  Appurtenances of abrasive blasting machines or devices, e.g. working chambers, arrangements for handling used abrasive material · CPC title