PROCEDE, ROULEAU A FIL ET LEUR UTILSATION POUR LE TRAITEMENT DE SURFACE D'UN OBJET

A METHOD, A WIRE ROLLER AND USE THEREOF FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF AN OBJECT

Abrégé français

La présente invention concerne un procédé utilisé pour le traitement de surface d~objets (7), des rouleaux à fil (15) étant amenés au contact de l~objet (7) pour exercer un choc de martelage ou de soufflage, lesquels rouleaux à fil (15) ont un mouvement de rotation partiel (8), un mouvement de révolution partiel (12) et un mouvement transversal partiel (14) par rapport à l~objer (7) sur la courroie (11). Un traitement efficace et totalement uniforme (piquage, nettoyage) des revêtements de surface, y compris des couches d~oxyde, est ainsi assuré par un traitement non abrasif ou non coupant, uniquement sous l~effet de l~effort au choc. Un rouleau à fil (15) peut être utilisé avantageusement, lequel rouleau à fil se compose d~éléments de fil (1, 2, 3) montés sur des supports (4) de sorte qu~ils puissent légèrement rebondir en arrière (9) au moment du choc ou alors rester dans la même position sous l~effet de la force centrifuge et de l~engagement de l~extrémité du fil avec un support adjacent (4).

Abrégé anglais

According to the invention, a method is used for surface treatment of ob¬
jects (7), wherein wire rollers (15) are caused to contact the object (7) to
exert a blow or hammer impact, which wire rollers (15) partly rotate (8),
partly revolve (12), partly move (14) transversely to the object (7) on the
belt (11). This ensures an effective and completely uniform treatment
(knocking-off, cleaning) of surface coatings, including oxide layers, by a non-
abrasive or non-cutting treatment, but solely an impact stress. A rotating
wire roller (15) may advantageously be used, which roller is composed of wire
elements (1 , 2, 3) mounted on stays (4) so that they may bounce slightly
rearwards (9) at impact, and otherwise remain in the same position by means of
the centrifugal force and the engagement of the wire end with an adjacent stay
(4).

Revendications

8
CLAIMS
1. A method for surface treatment of an object, which is preferably placed
on a conveyor belt with a view to being advanced and treated by wires on
one or more rotating wire rollers, characterized in that each wire
roller (15) rotates (8) about a shaft (5) extending radially form a revolving
shaft (13) which revolves (12), and wherein the revolving shaft (13) and the
wire rollers (15) are moved transversely (14) to the conveyor belt (11) at the
same time, so that the object (7) is treated from all sides with a uniform im-
pact stress from the wires (1) on the wire rollers (15).
2. A wire roller for performing the method according to claim 1, c h a r -
a c t e r i z e d in that the individual wires (1, 2, 3) are made of a piece
of
spring wire.
3. A wire roller according to claim 2, characterized in that the free
end (1) of each wire is curved and provided with an eye (2) which may ex-
tend around a stay (4) on the roller (5), and with a rearwardly directed wire
end (3) which extends in a direction toward an adjacent stay (4) such that
the wire end (3) engages the stay (4) in the working position of the wire (1)
during the rotation (8) of the roller (15) and is thereby secured in this posi-
tion during the treatment of the object (7).
4. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it
is used for cleaning the surface of objects of coatings, oxide layers, etc.
5. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it
is used for generating adhesion roughnesses for optional subsequent sur-
face treatment.
6. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it

9
is used for strain hardening.

Description

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
1
A METHOD, A WIRE ROLLER AND USE THEREOF FOR SURFACE
TREATMENT OF AN OBJECT
The prior art
The invention relates to a method for surface treatment of an object, which
is preferably placed on a conveyor belt with a view to being advanced and
treated by wires on one or more rotating wire rollers, as well as a wire
roller
for performing the method, and use thereof.
Surface treatment of this type is carried out in various ways and by means
of various tools.
Where the object is to be subjected to a cutting treatment, abrasive or
scraping tools have to be used in order to clean the surface by removal of
both the coating as well as a portion of the object.
This, however, involves removal of useful material to a greater or smaller
degree, and also the risk that the removal is different in dependence on the
shape and type of the material.
To avoid these drawbacks of the cutting treatment, it is known to brush the
surface using a roller having plastics or metal wires. These wires serve as
bristles, but will only be able to remove fixed deposits, such as oxide layers
and the like, to a limited extent.
Further, DE 10 2004 029 294, US 3 958 294 and GB 1 537 440 disclose
wire rollers, all of which are composed of stays on which a wire eye, which
is provided on a piece of wire, may rotate, so that, at rotation, it will be
ro-
tated into contact with the surface of the object by means of the centrifugal
force.

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
2
It is common to these known tools that the free piece of wire, which is to
treat the object, is arranged such that it may be rotated during the treat-
ment, as it will be rotated backwards when striking the object. This means
that the object is subjected to a dissimiiar impact stress depending on the
backwards rotation of the wire that takes place and the elasticity of the wire
itself.
The obiect of the invention
The object of the invention is to improve the surface treatment, and this is
achieved according to the invention by using a method wherein each wire
roller rotates about a shaft extending radially from a revolving shaft which
revolves, and wherein the revolving shaft and the wire rollers are moved
transversely to the conveyor belt at the same time, so that the object is
treated from all sides with a uniform impact stress from the wires on the
wire rollers.
In this surprisingly simple manner the method will bring about a completely
uniform impact which will be able to remove coatings, both unevenly dis-
tributed coatings, such as soft shells, and fixed smooth coatings, such as
oxide layers, layers of paint, burrs, etc.
Apart from the removal of coatings, the method will not affect the object in
any way, since the object is left cleaned without any damage. Thus, "inox"
may be deburred without damaging the protective sheet. In addition, galva-
nized objects may be deburred without removal of or damage to the zinc
layer.
As mentioned, the treatment is completely uniform, which is of great im-
portance, in particular where the method is applied for deburring, as the
object is treated such that a completely uniform treatment is achieved by

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
3
passage during the combined movement comprising rotation, revolving
movement and transverse movement which the wire rollers perform.
When, as stated in claim 2, spring wire is used, the effect will be strong be-
cause of the inertia which brings about the desired impact stresses when
the wire strikes the object.
When, as stated in claim 3, the wire is curved, so that, around the centre, it
bows forwardly in the direction of rotation, an expedient impact angle will be
achieved and thereby a maximum impact stress, and when the wire is
twisted to form an eye, the wire may be mounted on a stay in the roller, and
the individual wire turns will give an expedient damping of the wire because
of the friction between the turns. After mounting, the rearmost part of the
wire will bring about additional inertia, which will give an enhanced impact
stress and also a good fixing of the position of the treating wire part be-
cause of the centrifugal force, which affects the wire as well as the wire
extension which will be pressed against the adjacent stay.
Thus, the extension of the wire prevents the wire from being moved rear-
wards during the rotation, thereby intensifying the effect of the impact
stress.
When, as stated in claim 4, this method is applied for removing surface
coatings, an effective and very gentle treatment is achieved.
When, as stated in claim 5, the method is applied for improving the adhe-
sion, a uniformly treated surface having uniform adhesion properties is en-
sured.
Finally, as stated in claim 6, it is expedient to apply the method for impact
hardening, strain hardening, of metal objects, which thereby become more

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
4
resistant in use.
The drawing
The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the
drawing, in which
fig. 1 shows a system for performing the method, seen from above,
fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a wire roller, seen in the di-
rection II-II in fig. 3,
fig. 3 shows a cross-section through the wire roller, seen in the direc-
tion III-III in fig. 2, and
fig. 4 shows a single wire and its movements in operation.
Description of an exemplary embodiment
The method according to the invention will be described beiow with refer-
ence to fig. 1, which shows the principle of the surface treatment of objects
7, which may be metal or plastics objects, which are either to be surface-
cleaned, deburred, surface-hardened or to be subjected in another manner
to an impact stress provided by the wire.
The objects 7 are preferably arranged on a conveyor belt 11, which may be
a magnetic belt or a vacuum belt.
The objects 7 are moved inwards below the wire rollers 15, of which six are
provided in the example shown. Each roller 15 is mounted on a shaft 6
which is caused to rotate and preferably such that adjacent wire rollers 15

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
are rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows 8.
The radially disposed rollers 15 are mounted in a revolving head which re-
volves around a vertical shaft 13, as indicated by an arrow 12.
5
Finally, the revolving head with the rollers is moved across the belt 11 with
the objects 7, as indicated by an arrow 14 at the bottom of the figure.
The treatment of the objects 7 is thus a combination of three movements,
viz. partly a revolving movement of the individual wire rollers 15, partly a
rotation 12 of the shafts 6 with the wire rollers 11, and finally a reciprocal
movement 14 of the equipment over the conveyor belt 11.
This ensures an even and uniform treatment of all objects on the side as
well as on edges and surfaces, no matter whether these extend in the same
or different levels.
The wire roller according to the invention will now be described.
As shown in figs. 2 and 3, the wire roller 15 is constructed on the basis of
flanges 5 between which stays 4, extending mutually in parallel, are
mounted, said stays being equidistantly positioned around the flange 5, as
shown in fig. 3.
Wire elements are inserted on these stays 4, said wire elements being uni-
formly bent and configured to form a wire I which treats the object, as will
be described later.
Fig. 3 shows the actual configuration of the wire element, and it is noted
that the wire is bent to form an eye 2 through which the stay 4 may extend,
and such that the wire element may revolve around this stay.

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
6
The free end I of the wire is curved, as indicated in fig. 3, such that it
points
forwardly in its direction of rotation 8.
The opposite end of the wire, after the eye 2, is configured as an end 3
which extends between the eye 2 and engages the adjacent stay 4, as
shown in fig. 3. It is ensured hereby that the wire element 1, 2, 3 assumes
the correct position during the rotation of the roller about its centre axis
6.
The wire element itself is shown in fig. 4, which shows the position of the
wire before it strikes an object 7.
The roller rotates in the direction of the arrow 8 at the same time as either
the roller revolves 12 around the object and/or the object 7 is moved below
the roller, e.g. on a vacuum belt 11.
When the wire end I hits the object 7, it will strike into this with a certain
strength to create a blow, as the wire 1 will be secured in the position
shown because of the engagement of the rearmost piece of wire 3 with the
adjacent stay 4.
Spring wire is advantageously used, which is wear-resistant, and which has
a suitable elasticity, but other materials, such as plastics wire and the
like,
may be used.
The wire diameter may e.g. be about 2 mm, the free end about 100 mm,
and the rear end 3 about 60 mm. Other dimensions may be used, provided
that the mutual ratios essentially correspond to this.
The wire may optionally be moved a small distance around the stay 4, as
indicated by the arrow 10, just as it may bounce, as indicated by the arrow
9.

CA 02601853 2007-09-27
WO 2007/009456 PCT/DK2006/000237
7
Immediately hereafter, the centrifugal force will move the spring element
back to the starting position, as shown in figure 4, whereby the wire will
have the same position at the next impact against the object 7.
The stop, which is formed by the adjacent stay 4, ensures that all the wires
are secured in the same position, as indicated in figs. 3 and 4, during the
rotation.

Dessin représentatif