Method for producing bearing components by means of a production line, production line and production system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10695885-B2
Application number	US-201615748425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Aug 17, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method for producing one or more bearing components along a production line, comprising honing the bearing components along the production line, cleaning the bearing components along the production line, grinding the bearing components along the production line, and transporting the bearing components along the production line utilizing one or more transport units.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing bearing components by utilizing a production line, comprising:
utilizing at least one grinding machine to grind each bearing component;
utilizing at least one honing machine to hone each of the bearing components;
utilizing at least one cleaning unit to clean each of the bearing components; and
utilizing at least one transport unit to transport each of the bearing components along the production line, wherein each bearing component is transported throughout the production line in a lying position, wherein the bearing component is formed as either a bearing outer ring or as a bearing inner ring, and that the grinding includes a step of an internal grinding of the bearing ring by utilizing a vertical grinding machine.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bearing component is formed as a bearing inner ring, and that the grinding furthermore includes a step of an external grinding of the bearing component by utilizing the vertical grinding machine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one honing machine is a vertical honing machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method also includes utilizing at least one demagnetization unit, and that the bearing component is demagnetized after the grinding or after the honing.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the bearing component is cleaned in the at least one cleaning unit after the honing or after the demagnetizing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method also includes utilizing at least one measuring unit and that the bearing component is measured either before the grinding, after the grinding, or after the honing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer bearing ring features a diameter between 10 to 500 mm.

8. A production line for producing bearing components comprising:
at least one grinding machine;
at least one honing machine;
at least one cleaning unit; and
at least one transport unit, wherein each bearing components can be transported along the production line using a transport unit, and can thereby be brought to the at least one grinding machine, to the at least one honing machine, and to the at least one cleaning unit, wherein the at least one grinding machine is a vertical grinding machine, and that the production line is configured to allow the bearing components to travel on a horizontal plane, wherein a first and second respective production line are arranged on each side of each control lane, whose operating and display units are arranged in such a way that the operating and display units are facing each other, and wherein the production line comprises at least one assembly station that is successively interlinked with the respective production line and which is configured for a final assembly of a rolling or sliding bearing comprising the bearing components that came from the production lines.

9. The production line of claim 8 , wherein the at least one honing machine is a vertical honing machine.

10. The production line of claim 8 , wherein the production line further includes at least one demagnetizing unit configured to demagnetize the bearing components.

11. The production line of claim 8 , wherein the production line includes at least one measuring unit configured to measure the bearing components.

12. The production line of claim 8 , wherein the bearing components of the first and second respective production line travel through on the same horizontal level.

13. The production line of claim 12 , wherein each control lane features a width between 0.75 to 1.5 m.

14. A method for producing one or more bearing components along a production line, comprising:
honing the one or more bearing components along the production line;
cleaning the one or more bearing components along the production line;
grinding the one or more bearing components along the production line;
transporting the one or more bearing components along the production line utilizing one or more transport units; and
demagnetizing the one or more bearing components along the production line.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method further includes measuring the one or more bearing components along the production line.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more bearing components are transported along the production line in a lying position.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Schnabel Wolfgang
• Sterzinger Benno
• Scholtz Detlef
• Lutz Martin
• Schmitt Thomas
• Kuckuk Andre
• Heuer Werner
• Pichl Klaus
• Seubold Daniel

Classifications

• B24B33/04

  designed for working external surfaces of revolution · CPC title

• B24B5/355

  Feeding means · CPC title

• B24B5/12

  for grinding cylindrical surfaces both externally and internally with several grinding wheels · CPC title

• B24B41/005

  Feeding or manipulating devices specially adapted to grinding machines (feeding, loading or unloading work specially adapted to lapping machines B24B37/345) · CPC title

• B24B27/0069

  with means for feeding the work-pieces to the grinding tool, e.g. turntables, transfer means (see also B24B27/0023, B24B7/16) · CPC title