CN1684805A - Apparatus and method for making product having oval shape - Google Patents

Abstract

A pottery spool for forming oval pottery such as plates and bowls has a die (26) for positioning the clay to be shaped and a revolution-rotation device (24). The revolution-rotation device (24) provides the die with revolution about a first axis and rotation about a second axis. A tool is provided at a predetermined position relative to the first axis. When the direction of rotation is the same as the direction of revolution, the rotation speed is half the speed of revolution.

Description

Apparatus and method for manufacturing a product having an oval shape

technical field

The present invention relates to a device and method for manufacturing elliptical objects.

technical background

As a typical oval object, it is oval pottery. Traditional methods for forming such oval pottery include slip casting and press molding. Slurry molding is a method of forming oval pottery by combining a plurality of molds to define a cavity suitable for pottery and pouring clay into the cavity. The problem with this method is that because of the low-density clay used, high-quality pottery cannot be formed. Compression molding utilizes a die and a press punch. The shape corresponding to the lower (or upper) part of the elliptical pottery is set in the die, and the shape corresponding to the upper (or lower) part of the elliptical pottery is set in the lowering press punch. Although the density of clay can be increased to some extent in compression molding, the quality of the pottery is degraded compared to (round) pottery produced by wheel throwing. Meanwhile, a rotary type jigger can manufacture round pottery, and has advantages in that pottery's strength can be increased and its deformation can be reduced by arranging clay particles while applying pressure to the clay from a peripheral direction. But by using conventional pottery wheels, forming devices, rolling mills, etc. pottery forming devices that are only capable of forming round objects, it is difficult to make pottery that has an oval shape rather than a precise round shape.

Contents of the invention

The main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for manufacturing an elliptical object, particularly an apparatus and a method for manufacturing an elliptical object using a tool that forms or shapes the workpiece while causing the workpiece to rotate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a forming device for forming elliptical pottery.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing elliptical objects capable of adjusting the eccentricity (degree of elongation) of the ellipse of each object.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for manufacturing elliptical objects capable of adjusting the size of the ellipse of each object.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for forming elliptical objects which is also capable of producing objects of various sizes with precise circular shapes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shaping roller and an apparatus and method for forming an object using the shaping roller.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing an object at least partially elliptical in shape by forming or shaping said workpiece by utilizing relative motion between the workpiece and a tool, comprising mounting thereon A workpiece support for the workpiece; a revolution-rotation device having a revolution drive unit and an autorotation drive unit, the revolution drive unit is used to make the workpiece support revolve around a first axis, and the autorotation drive unit is used to make the workpiece support rotating about a second axis parallel to the first axis; and a tool holder for supporting the tool and maintaining it in a predetermined position relative to the first axis. The revolution-rotation device maintains the workpiece holder so that its revolution direction is the same as its autorotation direction, and the ratio of its revolution speed to autorotation speed is 2:1.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotation drive unit of the revolution-rotation device comprises a fixed revolution center shaft located on said first axis; a rotation center shaft located on said second axis and connected to said work support ; an intermediate shaft parallel to the central axis of revolution and the central axis of rotation; a first link for connecting the central axis of revolution to the intermediate shaft; for connecting the intermediate shaft to the rotation a second connecting rod of the central shaft; a pair of gears respectively fixed to the revolution central shaft and the intermediate shaft and engaged with each other; and a pair of gears respectively fixed to the intermediate shaft and the rotation central shaft and engaged with each other . In addition, the revolution drive unit includes a drum surrounding the rotation drive unit and rotating about the first axis; and a connecting rod for connecting the rotation center shaft to the inside of the drum.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the revolution drive unit includes a drum surrounding the rotation drive unit and rotating around the first axis; A linear feeder unit whose axis intersects the second axis, whereby the distance between the rotation center axis and the revolution center axis can be adjusted. The linear feed unit includes a support block fixed to the drum; a feeding block connected to the central axis of rotation; a lead screw extending through the feed block between the two support blocks (lead screw); and a guide rod extending parallel to the lead screw and passing through the feed block and fixed to the support block.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the revolution drive unit includes a drive shaft rotatably mounted inside said fixed revolution center shaft; and a drive link for connecting said drive shaft to said rotation center shaft . In another embodiment of the present invention, the revolution drive unit includes a revolution drive motor, and the autorotation drive unit includes an autorotation drive motor.

In one embodiment, the apparatus for making elliptical objects is an apparatus for making elliptical pottery. At this time, the workpiece holder may be a mold having a shape conforming to a part of the oval pottery. The tool may be a forming roll. Alternatively, the tool may be a shaping pallet.

The device used to make elliptical objects can work wood or metal. In this case, the tool is a cutter for working wood or metal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an object having at least a portion thereof having an elliptical shape, comprising the steps of: mounting a workpiece to be formed or machined on a workpiece support; positioning said workpiece support about a first axis revolving and simultaneously rotating about a second axis; and positioning the tool at a predetermined distance from said first axis.

In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises the step of adjusting the distance between said first axis and said second axis. In addition, the method further comprises the step of adjusting the distance between said first axis and said tool.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a circular or oval object by forming a formable material using a forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: mounting said workpiece of formable material on a mould; the mold rotates about an axis of rotation; and placing a forming roll at a predetermined position relative to the axis of rotation of the mold, the forming roll rotating about another axis of rotation different from the axis of rotation of the mold.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a forming apparatus for producing circular or oval objects by forming a workpiece of formable material, comprising a mold on which said workpiece of formable material is mounted; for a drive unit that rotates the mold about an axis of rotation; and a forming roll that rotates about another axis of rotation different from the axis of rotation of the mold.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a forming roll mounted on a forming apparatus to form a workpiece of formable material, comprising an axis of rotation; and a circular body fixed to said axis of rotation, said circular body having a The circumferential surface that the workpiece contacts.

Brief description of the drawings

In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the object and aspects of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 is a plan view, a right side view and a front view of a piece of pottery to be manufactured using a forming device according to an embodiment of the device for manufacturing an oval object according to the present invention, wherein the right side view and the front view are in partial section show in form;

Figure 2 is a schematic view of the forming device according to one embodiment of the device for manufacturing an elliptical object;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in Fig. 2, wherein the drum is partially cut off;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in Fig. 2, wherein the drum is shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in Fig. 2, wherein the drum is shown in section;

6a to 6e are diagrams for explaining the operation principle of trimming an elliptical shape using a revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in FIG. 2;

Figures 7a to 7c are diagrams showing the relationship between the elliptical shape of the object to be formed and the distance between the center axis of revolution and the center axis of rotation of the revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in Figure 2;

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elliptical shape and the distance between the center axis of revolution and the distance between tools of the revolution-rotation device of the forming device shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a revolution-rotation device having a different structure applied to a forming device in another embodiment of the present invention; and

10a to 10i are diagrams showing various embodiments of tools used in the apparatus for manufacturing elliptical objects of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a piece of elliptical pottery to be formed by a forming device according to an embodiment of the device for manufacturing an elliptical object according to the present invention. As an example, the elliptical pottery 10 is a generally elliptical disk having a major axis Da and a minor axis Db (where the major axis Da is twice as long as the minor axis Db), a lower extended rim 12, a small thickness t and base (bottom foot)14. The section of this oval pottery is shaded in the figure. Because the oval pottery 10 formed using the forming device shrinks during the subsequent drying and first and second firing processes, it is first formed slightly larger than the final product.

Referring to Fig. 2, there is shown a forming device 20 according to one embodiment of the device for producing an elliptical object according to the present invention. The forming device 20 includes a support 22 , a revolution-rotation device 24 , a mold 26 and a tool holder 28 . The stand 22 includes a base 30 made of steel and a stand cover 32 covering the base and having sufficient strength to support the rotation of the drum to be described later. The carrier cover 32 is shown in section in FIG. 2 . The drive motor 34 is mounted on the base 30 . The driving device used in the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned driving motor. For example, the drive motor 34 is equipped with a reduction gear (or transmission gear), and may also have a motor shaft 36 and a pulley 38 mounted on its end.

The revolution-rotation device 24 receives the driving force from the motor 36 and transmits the driving force to cause the mold 26 to revolve and rotate, as described below. The clay to be formed into the workpiece is placed on the mold 26 and then formed into the oval pottery 10 . In FIG. 2 , the mold 26 and the oval pottery 10 placed thereon as a workpiece are shown in section. At the same time, the forming device 20 also has a tool holder 28 . The tool rack 28 includes a lever bracket 42 fixed to the base 30, a rotatable lever 44 pivotally connected to the lever bracket 42, and a forming roller 46 mounted on the bottom of the rotatable lever 44 as a tool.

The forming roll 46 is mounted for rotation about its central axis. The forming roll is preferably installed such that the rotational axis of the forming roll intersects the revolution center axis of the revolution-rotation device 24 . A roll drive motor 47 is mounted on a lever 46 which extends beyond the pivot point so that the shaft of the roll drive motor can be connected to the shaft of the forming roll 46 to cause the forming roll 46 to rotate. In actual operation, when the operator grasps and lowers the handle 48 at the end of the lever 44, the roller 46 is turned and squeezes the clay as the workpiece to form an oval pottery. If the roll is turned by a roll drive motor connected to the central shaft of the roll at a speed several times the autopropagation speed of the mould, the advantage is that the surface of the pottery becomes smooth and the particles of the clay are arranged more evenly and densely.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 , the revolution-rotation device 24 generally includes a revolution driving unit, a rotation driving unit, and a linear feeding unit. In this exemplary embodiment, the linear feeding unit also functions as a part of the revolution driving unit. The revolution drive unit has a drum 50 . The drum 50 is connected to the pulley 38 by a belt 52 so that it can receive driving force from the motor 34 and then be rotated. At this time, the drum 50 is rotatably supported by an upper support bearing 54 installed on the bracket cover 32 . The drum is also rotatably supported by a lower support bearing 56 disposed between the drum and a fixed shaft (see FIG. 4) to be described later.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 5 , the autorotation drive unit autorotates the mold 26 connected to the mold shaft using links and gears provided between the three shafts. The revolution-rotation device 24 includes a fixed shaft 58 as a revolution center shaft, an intermediate shaft 60 and a mold shaft 62 as a rotation center shaft, which are connected to each other in parallel by connecting rods. The fixed shaft 58 is fixed to the base 30 and is positioned on the rotation axis of the drum 50 . The die shaft 62 is connected to the die 26 and rotates while revolving around the fixed shaft 58 . The fixed shaft 58 is connected to the intermediate shaft 60 by a first link 64 . Although not specifically shown in the drawings, bearings are interposed between the first link 64 and the fixed shaft 58 and between the first link 64 and the intermediate shaft 60 . At the same time, the intermediate shaft 60 is connected to the mold shaft 62 via a second link 66 . Although not specifically shown in the drawings, bearings are interposed between the second connecting rod 66 and the mold shaft 62 and between the second connecting rod 66 and the intermediate shaft 60 . The second link 66 is positioned above the first link 64 . Although the length of the first link 64 and the length of the second link 66 are described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto.

Still referring to FIGS. 3 to 5 , the fixed gear 68 is fixed to the fixed shaft 58 . A first intermediate gear 70 engaged with the fixed gear 68 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 60 . In addition, the second intermediate gear 72 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 60 above the first intermediate gear 70 . The second intermediate gear 72 is engaged with an autorotation gear (ie, a die gear 74 ) fixed to the die shaft 62 .

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 , the length of the first intermediate link 64 is the same as the length of the second intermediate link 66 . That is, the distance between the fixed axis 58 and the intermediate axis 60 is the same as the distance between the intermediate axis 60 and the mold axis 62 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the pitch circle diameters of the fixed gear, the first intermediate gear, the second intermediate gear, and the die gear is 1.5:1.5:1:2. But the present invention is not limited thereto. The ratio of the lengths of the links 70 and 72 to the pitch circles of these gears can be varied. Any combination of the ratios of the diameters of the pitch circles of these gears may be used as long as the die shaft 62 rotates once while it revolves around the fixed shaft 58 twice.

The revolution-rotation device 24 includes a linear feed unit 76 for linearly feeding the mold shaft 62 toward or away from the fixed shaft 58 . The linear feed unit 76 includes support blocks 78 located at and fixed to both diametric ends of the drum 50 . The feed block 80 is interposed between the support blocks 78 . Die shaft 62 extends through feed block 80 and is rotatably connected to feed block 80 by bearings. A lead screw 82 extends from one of the support blocks 78 through the feed block 80 to the other support block 78 . One end of a lead screw 82 extends beyond the support block 78 and a manually rotatable dial 84 is attached to that end of the lead screw. The lead screw 82 is rotatably supported by the support block 78 . Lead screw 82 cooperates with a feeding nut (not shown) provided inside feed block 80 such that lead screw 82 linearly moves feed block 80 when turntable 84 is turned. Although a lead screw is used for the linear movement of the feed block 90 in the present embodiment, the structure of the linear feed unit is not limited thereto. Guide rods (guide rods) 86 are arranged on both sides of the lead screw 82 and parallel to the lead screw 82 . The guide rod 86 is fixed to the two support blocks 78 while extending through the feed block 80 . The linear movement of the feed block 80 is guided by guide rods 86 . Meanwhile, since the linear feed unit 76 is fixed to the drum 50 and connected to the mold shaft 62 , it transmits the rotation of the drum 50 to the mold shaft 62 to simultaneously serve as a revolution link that makes the mold shaft 62 revolve.

The revolution and autorotation operations of the mold shaft 62 are described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 . The drum 50 , which receives the driving force from the motor 34 via the belt 52 , rotates around a fixed shaft 58 . Although the drum 50 in this embodiment is described as rotating in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the present invention is not limited thereto. Rotation of the drum 50 rotates the linear feed unit 76 as a whole and causes the mold shaft 62 and the intermediate shaft 60 connected thereto by connecting rods to revolve around the fixed shaft 58 . At this time, the first intermediate gear 70 revolves while being engaged with the fixed gear 68 , and simultaneously rotates on its own axis around the central axis of the intermediate shaft 60 . The rotation of the first intermediate gear is transmitted to the intermediate shaft 60 and thus via the second intermediate gear 72 to the mold gear 74 .

At this time, in the mold shaft 62, the direction of rotation is the same as the direction of revolution, and the speed of rotation is half of the speed of revolution. Specifically, when the rotation axis at a predetermined distance from the center line revolves around the center line in a clockwise direction, assuming that there is no medium between the rotation axis and the center line, the rotation axis rotates in a clockwise direction while revolving once Orientation rotates once. On the contrary, in the present embodiment, since there is the fixed gear 68, the intermediate gears 70 and 72, and the die gear 74 as intermediates between the fixed shaft 58 and the die shaft 62 as an axis of rotation, the engagement of these gears generates a driving force. The mold gear 74 is caused to rotate counterclockwise at half the revolution speed. The driving force is then transmitted to the die shaft. Therefore, the actual rotation speed of the mold shaft is reduced by half. As a result, the mold shaft rotates at half the revolution speed in the same direction as the revolution speed.

Next, the method for forming the workpiece into an ellipse when the revolution and rotation directions are the same as each other, the ratio between the revolution and rotation speeds is 2:1, the workpiece moves under the following conditions, and the tool is fixed will be described with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6e operate. Figures 6a to 6e show the process of one revolution. In these figures, P indicates the position of the die axis, T indicates the position of the fixed axis, and S indicates a point of the tool. In Fig. 6a, point S corresponds to one end of the major axis of the ellipse to be formed. Additionally, point R in Figure 6a corresponds to one end of the minor axis of the ellipse to be formed through point S. In the description given with reference to Figures 6a to 6e, TS represents the distance between point T and point S, and L represents the distance between the centerline of the mold axis and the drive shaft (i.e., the distance between point P and point T ), the circle represents the revolution orbit of the mold axis. In Figures 6a to 6e the ellipse to be formed is shown in dashed lines and the portion of the ellipse actually formed when the workpiece passes a point S representing a point on the tool is shown in solid lines. At the same time, the ellipse represented by the dotted line in Figures 6b and 6c is shown for the purpose of comparison with the position of the ellipse in the absence of the gears 68, 70, 72 and 74 in this embodiment, which is consistent with the present invention Not directly related.

The state shown in FIG. 6a is an example of a starting position in which the tool S, the revolution center T and the center P of the mold shaft are located on the same straight line. At this time, the distance PS (ie the sum of TS and L) between the center of the mold axis and the tool is half the major axis Da of the ellipse to be formed. The difference between TS and L is half the minor axis Db of the ellipse to be formed. The major axis of this ellipse coincides with PS and the minor axis is orthogonal to PS.

The state shown in Fig. 6b is the state after the mold axis revolves 90 degrees along the orbit. At this time, the workpiece has rotated 45 degrees. Therefore, the major and minor axes of the ellipse to be formed intersect the line segment TS between the revolution center axis and the tool at an angle of 45 degrees. By the time the mold axis has been moved to the position shown in Figure 6b, a portion of the ellipse, indicated by the solid line, has formed.

The state shown in Fig. 6c is the state after the mold shaft revolves 180 along the orbit. At this time, the workpiece has rotated 90 degrees. Therefore, the major axis of the ellipse to be formed is orthogonal to the line segment TS between the revolution center axis and the tool, and its minor axis coincides with the line segment TS. By the time the mold axis has been moved to the position shown in Figure 6c, a portion of the ellipse, indicated by the solid line, has formed.

The state shown in Fig. 6d is the state after the mold axis has revolved at any angle within the range of 180 degrees to 360 degrees along the revolution track. At this time, the workpiece has rotated by an angle of half the above-mentioned revolution angle. By the time the mold axis has been moved to the position shown in Figure 6d, a portion of the ellipse, indicated by the solid line, has formed.

The state shown in Figure 6e is the state after the mold axis has revolved 360 degrees. At this time, the workpiece has rotated 180 degrees. Therefore, the major axis of the ellipse to be formed coincides with the line segment TS between the revolution center axis and the tool, while its minor axis is orthogonal to the line segment TS. By the time the mold axis has moved to the position shown in Figure 6e, a portion of the ellipse indicated by the solid line (ie half of the ellipse) has been formed.

When the mold shaft is caused to revolve one more time to repeat the state shown in Figures 6a to 6e, the remaining half of the ellipse is formed. When the workpiece is caused to revolve and rotate at a ratio of revolution speed (number of revolutions) to autorotation speed (number of rotations) of 2:1 and the point S is located at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the center of revolution T in this way, The points on the workpiece passing through the point S draw an elliptical orbit, so that the ellipse is finally formed.

Next, a method of changing the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the ellipse will be described with reference to FIGS. 7a to 7c. This can be accomplished by linearly moving the die shaft 62 to vary the distance between the center of the die shaft 62 and the center of the fixed shaft 58 . For example, referring to Fig. 7a, assuming that the distance between the revolution center T and the tool S is TS, and the distance between the revolution center T and the rotation center P is L, then the major axis is twice as long as TS+L, and the minor axis is Twice as long as TS-L. As shown in Fig. 7a, if TS is 16.5 and L is 1.5, then the major axis Da is 36 and the minor axis Db is 30. As shown in Figure 7b, if TS is 17.5 and L is 7.5, then the major axis Da is 50 and the minor axis Db is 20. Thus, ellipses with different major-to-minor axis ratios can be formed. In addition, if the revolution center T is caused to coincide with the rotation center P, L becomes zero. If TS is 10, a circle is formed in which the major and minor axes are equal to each other (ie, diameter D is 20).

Referring to Figure 8, the effect of a change in the position of the tool can be appreciated. If the distance L between the revolution center T and the rotation center P is kept constant by fixing the revolution center T and the rotation center P and the distance TS between the revolution center and the tool is changed by changing the position of the tool, the circumference of the ellipse can be changed . For example, if TS1 is 17.5 and L is 2.5, the major axis Da1 is 40 and the minor axis Db1 is 30. Here, if only TS2 becomes 7.5, the major axis Da2 is 20 and the minor axis Db2 is 10. That is, it is possible to obtain ellipses whose major and minor axes have a constant difference but have different sizes and eccentricities. In Figures 7a to 7c and 8, point I represents the center of the intermediate shaft, and the solid line between the points represents the intermediate link.

The revolution-rotation device 924 of the forming device according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 generally includes a revolution driving unit and a rotation driving unit. Even in this embodiment, the linear feeding unit functions as a part of a revolution-rotation device described later. The revolution drive unit has a central drive shaft 950 which receives rotational force from the motor instead of the drum 50 in contrast to the previous embodiments. The central drive shaft 950 passes through the center of the fixed shaft 958 with bearings interposed therebetween.

Still referring to FIG. 9 , the autorotation drive unit autorotates the mold connected to the mold shaft by using links and gears disposed between the three shafts. The revolution-rotation device 924 includes a fixed shaft 958, an intermediate shaft 960 and a mold shaft 962, which are connected to each other in parallel through connecting rods. The fixed shaft 958 is fixed to the bottom frame. The mold shaft 962 is connected to the mold and rotates while orbiting the fixed axis 958 . The fixed shaft 958 is connected to the intermediate shaft 960 by a first link 964 . Bearings are interposed between first link 64 and center drive shaft 950 , and between first link 964 and intermediate shaft 960 . Meanwhile, the intermediate shaft 960 is connected to the mold shaft 962 through the second link 966 . Although not specifically shown in the drawings, bearings are interposed between the second link 966 and the die shaft 962 , and between the first link 964 and the intermediate shaft 960 . The second link 966 is positioned above the first link 964 .

Still referring to FIG. 9 , the fixed gear 968 is fixed to the fixed shaft 958 . The first intermediate gear 970 engaged with the fixed gear 968 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 960 . In addition, the second intermediate gear 972 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 960 located above the first intermediate gear 970 . The second intermediate gear 972 is engaged with an autorotation gear (ie, a die gear 974 ) fixed to the die shaft 962 .

Even in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 , the length of the first intermediate link 964 is the same as the length of the second intermediate link 966 . That is, the distance between the fixed axis 958 and the intermediate axis 960 is the same as the distance between the intermediate axis 960 and the mold axis 962 . In addition, in this embodiment, the ratio of the pitch circle diameters of the fixed gear, the first intermediate gear, the second intermediate gear, and the die gear is 1:2:1.5:1.5.

The revolution drive unit of the revolution-autorotation device 924 includes a revolution drive link 976 and a link bracket 978 , which are rotatable by the rotation of the central drive shaft 950 . Link bracket 978 is fixed to drive shaft 950 . Die shaft 962 is fixed to drive link 976 . The upper portion of the link bracket 978 is formed with a hole through which the drive link 976 extends. Drive link 976 is stationary relative to link bracket 978 in operation. If desired, the drive link 976 (and ultimately, the die shaft 962 ) can be released from rest and then moved linearly through the aperture of the link bracket 978 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such securing and loosening of the drive link can be accomplished using setscrews. By moving the drive link 976 relative to the link bracket 978, the distance between the center of the drive shaft 950 as the center of revolution and the center of the mold shaft 962 as the center of rotation can be changed. In addition, although not described in detail, those skilled in the art should understand that the first intermediate link 964 and the drive shaft 950 , the link bracket 978 and the drive shaft 950 may also be respectively connected to each other through releasable fixing screws.

Still referring to FIG. 9 , as drive shaft 950 spins, link bracket 978 and drive link 976 spin to cause die shaft 962 to revolve. At this time, the intermediate shaft 960 connected thereto through the links 964 and 966 also revolves. The first intermediate gear 970 revolves while being engaged with the fixed gear 968 and simultaneously rotates about the intermediate shaft 960 . The rotation of the first intermediate gear is transferred to the intermediate shaft 960 and from there through the second intermediate gear 972 to the die gear 974 . Thus, the die shaft 974 spins in a desired direction and at a desired speed. At this time, its rotation direction is the same as the revolution direction, and the rotation speed is half of the revolution speed.

Referring to Figures 10a to 10i, there are shown various embodiments of tools for use in an apparatus for manufacturing elliptical objects according to the present invention. Figures 10a and 10b are, respectively, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view along a plane extending radially from the axis of rotation of the forming roll 46 shown in Figure 2 . Roller 46 has a central shaft 88 and a circular body 90 disposed thereon. The circular body 90 is configured in such a way that two circular truncated cones are axially aligned such that their diameter decreases towards the center of the circular body (ie their apexes face each other). A groove 92 is provided between the two circular truncated cones. The base of the oval pottery is formed by grooves 92 . The angle determined by the slope of the two circular truncated cones is the angle formed between the base and the extended edge of the oval pottery.

Figures 10a and 10b show only one embodiment of a forming roll according to the invention. The present invention is not limited thereto. As an example of a further forming roll, there may be a forming roll in which two circular truncated cones engage each other such that their bottoms engage each other (see Figure 10c), and in which a cylinder and a circular truncated cone Connected forming rolls (see Figure 10d). In rollers in the form of circular truncated cones and cylinders, the contours (lines defined by the surface of the roller) obtained by cutting through a plane extending radially from the axis of rotation of the roller are straight lines (see Figure 10b , 10c and 10d). However, the aforementioned contour may be a concave curve (see Figure 10e), a convex curve (see Figure 10f), or a combination of straight and curved lines. These embodiments of the shaping rollers can also be used for the production of round pottery in conventional shaping devices in addition to the production of oval pottery in the shaping device according to the invention.

Figure 10g shows the use of forming trolley 46a to form a piece of pottery 10. The trolley is formed to conform to the shape of the base, seat and extended rim of the pottery. FIG. 10h shows a forming trolley 46b for forming the inner shape of the pottery 10 . The forming trolley 46b is shaped to conform to the shape of the inner bottom and extended edges of the pottery.

FIG. 10i shows an example in which a workpiece 10d (such as metal or wood) is processed into an ellipse by using a bit 46d. The workpiece 10d is driven by the revolution-rotation device described in the previous embodiment, and the turning tool 46d is fixed. Such an ellipse can be obtained by machining using a cutting tool such as a milling cutter or a grinding tool such as a grindstone, in addition to the turning tool 46d.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with the embodiments, it is not limited thereto. The workpiece is described as being elliptical overall. However, it is also within the scope of the present invention to form an object whose portion is an ellipse (as shown in Figure 1Oi). In addition, although in these embodiments clay is employed as a workpiece and then formed by a forming device, other than clay, other moldable materials (such as rubber clay or flour dough having some degree of plasticity) ) workpieces to form pottery is possible.

In the revolution-rotation device in these embodiments, the ratio of the revolution speed to the autorotation speed is adjusted to 2:1 by using the mechanical power conversion means. Other types of revolution-rotation devices are also contemplated. For example, in other embodiments, the revolving drive motor and the self-rotation drive motor can be equipped separately. That is to say, the revolution drive motor makes the mold shaft revolve, and the autorotation drive motor makes the mold shaft rotate. At this time, the autorotation drive motor generates a driving force for autorotating the mold shaft at half the revolution speed in a direction opposite to the revolution direction. Then, the mold shaft finally rotates in the direction of the revolution at half the speed of the revolution through the self-rotation spontaneously generated by the revolution and the self-rotation by the rotation drive motor.

According to the present invention, the objects of the invention are fully achieved and it provides a device for the manufacture of wholly or partly elliptical objects. For example, it provides means for forming oval pottery (ie forming means). By using the forming device according to the present invention, it is possible to produce oval pottery having the same high quality as normal round pottery produced by using a conventional forming device. Thus, the rotation of an axis thought to form only circular objects can be used to semi-automatically or automatically produce objects having an ellipse rather than a precise circle (the circle being obtained by using conventional pottery discs, forming devices, rolling mills, etc.) manufacture) pottery.

According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture objects having elliptical shapes of different sizes and eccentricities (degrees of elongation) by using a single manufacturing device. In addition, it is possible to manufacture circular objects using this manufacturing device. According to the invention there is also provided a forming roll for forming a formable material, such as clay, in a forming device.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments and examples, it should be understood that various changes, modifications and additions can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims (27)

1. One kind be used for by utilize relative motion between workpiece and the instrument to form or be shaped described workpiece with make its to small part be the device of the object of elliptical shape, comprising:

   The work support of described workpiece is installed thereon;

   Revolution-rotation device with revolution driver element and rotation driver element, described revolution driver element is used to make described work support around the first axle revolution, and described rotation driver element is used to make described work support around the second axis rotation that is parallel to described first axle; And

   Be used to support described instrument and keep described instrument to place tool rack with respect to the pre-position of described first axle,

   Wherein, described revolution-rotation device remains described work support and makes its revolution direction identical with its sense of rotation, and to make its revolution speed and the ratio of rotational velocity be 2: 1.
2. 2. device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the rotation driver element of described revolution-rotation device comprises:

   Be positioned at the fixing revolution center shaft on the described first axle;

   Be positioned on described second axis and be connected to the rotation central shaft of described work support;

   The jackshaft that is parallel to described revolution center shaft and described rotation central shaft;

   Be used for described revolution center shaft is connected to the first connecting rod of described jackshaft;

   Be used for described jackshaft is connected to the second connecting rod of described rotation central shaft;

   The a pair of gear that is individually fixed in described revolution center shaft and described jackshaft and is bonded with each other; And

   The a pair of gear that is individually fixed in described jackshaft and described rotation central shaft and is bonded with each other.
3. 3. device as claimed in claim 2, the length of wherein said first connecting rod is identical with the length of described second connecting rod.
4. 4. device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said revolution driver element comprises:

   Around described rotation driver element and around the rotating cylinder of described first axle rotation; And

   Be used for described rotation central shaft is connected to the connecting rod of described rotating cylinder inside.
5. 5. device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said revolution driver element comprises:

   Around described rotation driver element and around the rotating cylinder of described first axle rotation; And

   The inner radial ground that passes described rotating cylinder extend and with the linear feeding unit of described first axle and described second axes intersect,

   Distance between described thus rotation central shaft and the described revolution center shaft can obtain adjusting.
6. 6. device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said linear feeding unit comprises:

   Be fixed in the back-up block of described rotating cylinder;

   Be connected to the feeding piece of described rotation central shaft;

   Between described two back-up blocks, pass the leading screw that described feeding piece extends; And

   Be parallel to described leading screw extension and pass the guide rod that described feeding piece is fixed in described back-up block.
7. 7. device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said revolution driver element comprises:

   Be rotatably installed in the driving shaft of described fixing revolution center shaft inside; And

   Be used for described driving shaft is connected to the drive link of described rotation central shaft.
8. 8. device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said revolution driver element comprises the revolution drive motors, described rotation driver element comprises the rotation drive motors.
9. 9. device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said revolution-rotation device further comprise the linear feeding unit that is used to adjust distance between described first axle and described second axis.
10. 10. as each the described device in the claim 1 to 9, wherein said object is an oval pottery.
11. 11. device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said work support are the moulds with the shape that conforms to the part of described oval pottery, and the other parts of described oval pottery use described instrument to form.
12. 12. device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said instrument are the rollers that is used for form described pottery when axis rotates.
13. 13. device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said roller are arranged to the pivot center that makes described roller and the axes intersect of described revolution center shaft.
14. 14. device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said roller is made of two circular truncated cones of arranging along the pivot center of described roller.
15. 15. device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said work support is the mould with the shape that conforms to the part of described oval pottery, and the described instrument that is used to form the other parts of described oval pottery is the shaping chassis.
16. 16. device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said workpiece are timber or metal, and described instrument is the cutter sweep that is used to process described timber or metal.
17. 17. make its at least a portion and have the method for the object of elliptical shape for one kind, may further comprise the steps:

    The workpiece that is formed or processes waiting is installed on the work support;

    Make described work support around the first axle revolution and simultaneously around the second axis rotation; And

    Instrument is placed the position of the described first axle preset distance of distance.
18. 18. method as claimed in claim 17 further comprises the step of adjusting the distance between described first axle and described second axis.
19. 19. method as claimed in claim 17 further comprises the step of adjusting the distance between described first axle and the described instrument.
20. 20. method as claimed in claim 17, the step of the described instrument of wherein said placement comprise that placement is as the step of the forming rolls of described instrument and the step that makes described forming rolls rotation.
21. 21. one kind by utilizing building mortion that moulding material is formed to make the method for circle or oval articles, may further comprise the steps:

    The workpiece of described moulding material is installed on the mould;

    Make described mould around the rotation of rotation axis; And

    Forming rolls is positioned over pre-position with respect to the rotation axis of described mould, and described forming rolls is around another pivot axis different with the described rotation axis of described mould.
22. 22. method as claimed in claim 21 further comprises the step that described forming rolls is rotated.
23. 23. one kind is used for forming to make the building mortion of circle or oval articles by the workpiece to moulding material, comprises:

    The mould of the workpiece of described moulding material is installed on it;

    Be used to make the driver element of described mould around the rotation of rotation axis; And

    Forming rolls around another pivot axis different with the described rotation axis of described mould.
24. 24. building mortion as claimed in claim 23, the described rotation axes intersect of the described pivot center of wherein said forming rolls and described mould.
25. 25. having, building mortion as claimed in claim 23, wherein said forming rolls be used to drive its rotating drive unit.
26. 26. a forming rolls that is installed on the building mortion with the workpiece that forms moulding material comprises:

    The axis of rotation; And

    Be fixed in the round of the described axis of rotation, described round has the circumferential surface that contacts with described workpiece.
27. 27. forming rolls as claimed in claim 26 further comprises being used to drive the driver element that the described axis of rotation rotates.

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