JP3657471B2 - Flexible tube polishing machine and flexible tube polishing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a polishing machine or a polishing method for a flexible tube used in an endoscope or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in the process of finishing a flexible tube for an endoscope, the surface of the outer surface of the outer surface of the outer shell of the flexible tube, such as kickback at the time of extrusion molding and the fish eye of the resin, has been uneven. A wiping operation using an ethyl acetate solvent is performed as a correction operation for the uneven portion.
[0003]
In other words, in order to smooth the outer surface of the flexible tube in the pre-process of placing the white line and top coat of the flexible tube, a polishing operation is performed in which a solvent is immersed in sylbon paper or the like and wiped until the outer surface has no irregularities. ing.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such an operation using a solvent such as ethyl acetate, the working environment is deteriorated by the vapor evaporated from the solvent, and there is a risk of fire. In addition, it takes man-hours due to manual work and there is a variation in quality.
[0005]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a flexible tube polishing machine and a flexible tube polishing method capable of improving the working environment, reducing the number of steps, and stabilizing the quality. There is to do.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotation support mechanism for supporting both ends of the flexible tube in a state where the flexible tube is pulled in the major axis direction and rotating the flexible tube around the major axis. A polishing machine having a rotating polishing belt, and a movement for bringing the polishing belt into contact with the outer surface of the flexible tube from a direction perpendicular to the long axis and moving the polishing machine in the long axis direction. A polishing mechanism for polishing the outer surface of the flexible tube, and a through hole for loosely fitting the flexible tube supported by the rotation support mechanism, and pulled by the rotation support mechanism And a steady-state preventing mechanism for preventing vibration in the vicinity of the polished portion of the flexible tube supported by the flexible tube polishing machine.
The invention according to claim 2 is provided with the two steadying mechanisms arranged respectively on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube sandwiching the polishing mechanism. Flexible tube polishing machine.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the steadying mechanism is arranged so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube supported by being pulled by the rotation support mechanism. A flexible tube polishing machine according to claim 2.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supporting step of supporting the flexible tube on a rotation support mechanism in a state in which the flexible tube can be rotated around a long axis of the flexible tube while the flexible tube is pulled. The step of placing the flexible tube in a steady-state mechanism having a through hole to be loosely fitted, and the rotation of the flexible tube supported in the supporting step to rotate about the long axis while loosely fitted in the through hole And a polishing machine having a rotating polishing belt, the polishing belt is brought into contact with the outer surface of the flexible tube from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube, and the polishing machine is And a polishing step of polishing the outer surface of the flexible tube while being moved in the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube.
[0007]
In the present invention, the outer surface of the flexible tube is polished while moving the rotating polishing belt in the axial direction of the rotating flexible tube. Thereby, the outer surface of the flexible tube is finished smoothly.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the flexible tube polishing machine of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 1, the flexible tube polishing machine of the present invention includes a gantry 2, and a rotating chuck 10 is provided at one end of the gantry 2. The rotary chuck 10 is connected to a main motor 4 disposed at the lower part of the gantry 2 via a belt 8 and is driven to rotate by the main motor 4, and the rotation speed is displayed by the tachometer 3. The rotary chuck 10 has a gripping mechanism. The gripper mechanism grips the member holder 11 at the center of rotation. Further, an air cylinder (not shown) is attached to the rotary chuck 10, and the rotary chuck 10 is pivoted by the air cylinder. It can be moved back and forth in the direction. The output of the main motor 4 can be adjusted by using a speed reducer slidac, and the number of rotations of the rotary chuck can be freely changed.
[0010]
The other end of the gantry 2 is provided with a spindle portion 12 incorporating an air cylinder. The spindle unit 12 includes an air chuck 14, and the member holder 11 is gripped similarly to the rotary chuck 10. An air cylinder (not shown) is also attached to the air chuck 14, and the air chuck 14 can be moved in the front-rear direction by the air cylinder. A hook 15 is hooked on the tip of the member holder 11 held by the air chuck 14 and the rotary chuck 10, and a flexible tube 17 to be polished is hooked and held by the hook 15.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of rails 16 are disposed on both ends of the gantry 2 with a predetermined interval. As the pair of rails 16, rails having a circular cross section are used, and a grinder moving table 18 is movably attached.
[0012]
In parallel with the rail 16, a ball screw 20 is rotatably attached to the gantry 2, and a nut (not shown) engaged with the ball screw 20 is fixed to the moving base 18. The ball screw 20 is connected to a ball screw driving motor (not shown). Accordingly, by driving the ball screw driving motor, the ball screw 20 is rotated, and the moving table 18 engaged with the ball screw 20 is moved in the axial direction in accordance with the rotation of the ball screw 20.
[0013]
The output of the motor for driving the ball screw can be adjusted using a slider, and the rotation speed of the ball screw can be freely changed, so that the moving speed of the moving table 18 can be freely changed.
[0014]
A frame 24 is attached to the moving table 18. A pair of linear bearings 26 are fixed to the frame body 24, and the rails 16 are inserted into the linear bearings 26. In addition, a holding plate 28 that presses the flexible tube 17 from above is pivotally fixed to the frame body 24. The pressing plate 28 is formed in a substantially U shape, and a space is provided in the center thereof.
[0015]
Further, a belt grinder 30 is attached to the frame 24 by a grinder holder 31 so as to be swingable. The belt polishing machine 30 has a polishing belt 32 that is rotated in an approximately elliptical shape by an electric motor, and the polishing belt 32 extends forward. The polishing machine holder 31 has a mechanism (not shown) that adjusts the contact pressure between the flexible tube 17 and the belt polishing machine 30 with an elastic member such as a spring.
[0016]
The polishing belt 32 contacts the outer surface of the flexible tube 17 to be polished in the space of the pressing plate 28 in parallel from above, and further rotates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the flexible tube 17. So that it is positioned. The polishing belt 32 and the flexible tube 17 are rotated in opposite directions as indicated by arrows in FIG. However, since the peripheral speed of the polishing belt 32 is set faster than that of the flexible tube 17, the outer surface of the flexible tube 17 can be polished at a predetermined relative speed.
[0017]
A suction port 33 of a dust collector (not shown) for sucking dust generated when polishing by the belt polisher 30 is disposed on the side of the belt polisher 30. This dust collector is activated during the polishing operation.
[0018]
A pair of steady rests 34 and 35 are arranged on the left and right of the moving table 18. A pair of linear bearings 36 are fixed to the steady rests 34 and 35 at intervals, and the rails 16 are inserted through the linear bearings 36. Accordingly, the steady rests 34 and 35 are provided so as to be movable in the axial direction on the same rail as the movable table 18. Further, a through hole 37 is formed substantially at the center of the steady rest 34, and a guide bearing 38 is attached to the through hole 37, and the flexible tube 17 is loosely fitted and held in the guide bearing 38. .
[0019]
Further, although not shown, the steady rests 34 and 35 and the moving table 18 are connected to each other by a strip or a strip. Accordingly, when the moving base 18 moves in the right direction, one of the steady rests 35 is pulled in a state where the chain or the like is extended, and at the same time when it approaches and comes into contact with the other steady rest 34, it is directly pushed and moved. On the other hand, when the moving base 18 moves to the left, when it comes close to and comes into contact with one of the steady rests 35, the steady rest 35 is directly pressed, and at the same time, the other steady rest 34 is pulled after the chain is extended. By such movement of the steady rests 34 and 35, it is possible to always prevent the polished portion from being shaken during polishing of the flexible tube.
[0020]
At both ends of the gantry 2, control panels 40 and 41 with a built-in control unit are provided. These control units include a main motor 4, a solenoid valve (not shown) for controlling an air cylinder attached to the rotary chuck 10 and the spindle unit 12, a belt polisher 30, a dust collector (not shown), and the like. Connect and control these. Further, three limit switches 43 are attached to the gantry 2 so that the positions thereof can be adjusted in the axial direction of the flexible tube, and these limit switches 43 are connected to a control unit in the control panel 40. Two of these limit switches 43 on both sides are used for setting the moving end of the moving table 18, and one in the center is used for setting the reference position of the moving table. That is, these limit switches 43 are turned ON / OFF by contacting the moving table 18, and a ball screw driving motor (not shown) is controlled by this signal, and the moving table 18 is sent in a predetermined direction.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the flexible tube polishing machine and the flexible tube polishing method according to the present invention will be described.
[0022]
First, the main power supply of the flexible tube polishing machine is turned on. Then, the flexible tube 17 to be polished is passed through the through holes 37 of the two steady rests 34 and 35, and both ends are respectively engaged with the hooks 15 of the member holder 11 held by the chucks on both sides. At this time, the length of the member holder 11 is adjusted according to the length of the flexible tube 17. Then, the pressing plate 28 is placed on the attached flexible tube 17.
[0023]
Next, the positions of the steady rests 34 and 35 are adjusted with a chain (not shown) according to the length of the flexible tube 17. At that time, the steady rests 34 and 35 are positioned so as to be located approximately in the middle between the polishing belt 32 and the hook 15.
[0024]
Next, the position of the limit switch 43 is adjusted according to the length of the flexible tube 17. At that time, adjustment is made so that the hard portions at both ends of the flexible tube 17 can be completely polished.
[0025]
The above operation is performed only once at the start of work, and after the second operation, only the operation of engaging the flexible tube 17 with the hooks 11 through the steady rests 34 and 35 may be performed.
[0026]
When these operations are completed, one of the left and right air cylinders (not shown) is driven to apply a predetermined tension to the flexible tube 17. The switch for controlling the air cylinder is provided on the upper part of the control panel 41 or on the right side of the gantry 2.
[0027]
Next, a feed direction switch (not shown) of the control panel 40 is set to either R (right) or L (left). For example, when the head of the belt polisher 30 is on the left side, it is set to R.
[0028]
Next, an activation button (not shown) on the control panel 40 is pressed to start polishing. When polishing is started, the flexible tube 17 is rotated by the main motor 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, and the polishing belt 32 of the belt polishing machine 30 is also rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. . Then, the belt polisher 30 moves left and right in the axial direction of the flexible tube 17 as indicated by arrows in FIG. Here, a dust collector (not shown) is operated simultaneously with the polishing operation to suck dust generated during polishing.
[0029]
When the movable table moves while polishing the flexible tube and comes into contact with one of the limit switches on both sides (the limit switch on the right end when moving to the right), the polishing belt stops and the polishing operation ends.
[0030]
When the polishing is completed, the switch of the air cylinder (not shown) is turned off, and the flexible tube 17 is removed from the hook 15.
[0031]
Finally, the state of polishing is inspected. Here, it is visually inspected whether the entire flexible tube 17 is evenly polished to the hard portion at the end, and whether there is any uneven polishing or scratches.
[0032]
In this embodiment, a belt-like ridge having a particle size of No. 80 to No. 800 having a belt width of about 10 mm is used as the polishing belt 32, and the flexible tube 17 rotates at about 650 rpm during polishing. Rotate at speed. The polishing belt 32 is rotated in the opposite direction at a peripheral speed faster than the peripheral speed of the flexible tube 17 and is moved in the axial direction of the flexible tube 17 at an adjustable speed about 1 m per minute.
[0033]
In addition, when the polishing belt 32 is replaced, the new polishing belt has a sharp polishing surface, so that the outer surface of the flexible tube 17 is deeply damaged and causes water leakage. The surface of the polishing belt is smoothed before use.
[0034]
When performing this operation, a metal polishing rod (not shown) may be attached to the hook 11 instead of the flexible tube, and the same operation as the polishing of the flexible tube may be performed.
[0035]
The guide bearings 38 attached to the steady rests 34 and 35 need to be replaced periodically.
[0036]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, two or more belt polishing machines may be provided on the moving table 18. With this configuration, the polishing efficiency can be further improved.
[0037]
Also, regarding the polishing method, it is desirable to optimally set conditions such as the particle size and rotation speed of the polishing belt, the rotation speed of the flexible tube, and the feed rate of the movable table in accordance with the material and dimensions of the flexible tube to be polished.
[0038]
<Appendix>
(1) a support mechanism for supporting the flexible tube in a state of being pulled in the major axis direction and rotating the flexible tube around the axis;
A polishing machine having a polishing belt rotating in a substantially elliptical shape; and a moving table for bringing the polishing belt into contact with a flexible tube from a direction perpendicular to its axis and moving the polishing machine in the axial direction. A polishing mechanism for polishing the outer surface of the flexible tube;
A flexible tube provided on both sides in the axial direction with the polishing mechanism interposed therebetween, and having a steadying mechanism that loosely supports the flexible tube and prevents vibration in the vicinity of the polished portion of the flexible tube. Polishing machine.
[0039]
(2) The flexible mechanism according to (1), wherein the support mechanism includes a rotation driving unit that rotates the flexible tube, and a pulling unit that applies an axial tension to the flexible tube. Tube polishing machine.
[0040]
(3) A ball screw provided with a pair of rails for guiding the movement of the moving table and the steadying mechanism in the axial direction, and the polishing mechanism being provided in parallel with the rails and rotated by the rotation driving means. The flexible tube polishing machine according to (2), further comprising a moving means including a nut attached to the moving table.
[0041]
(4) The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), further comprising a limit switch that controls a moving end of the moving table in the axial direction.
[0042]
(5) The flexible tube polishing machine as set forth in (1), wherein the moving table can continuously move back and forth in an arbitrary number of times according to the setting.
[0043]
(6) The polishing mechanism supports the flexible tube holding plate pivotally attached to the movable table and the polishing machine in a swingable manner, and the contact pressure between the flexible tube and the polishing machine is determined by an elastic member such as a spring. The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), further comprising a polishing machine holder having an adjustable mechanism.
[0044]
(7) The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), wherein the steadying mechanism is connected to the moving table by a strip such as a chain or a wire.
[0045]
(8) The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), wherein a suction port of a dust collector is disposed in the vicinity of the polishing belt of the polishing machine.
[0046]
(9) The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), wherein a plurality of polishing belts are provided on the movable table.
[0047]
(10) The flexible tube polishing machine according to (1), wherein a plurality of polishing belts are provided on the moving table and are moved by a single drive system.
[0048]
(11) While supporting the flexible tube in a state of being pulled in the major axis direction, rotating the flexible tube around its axis,
The flexible tube is loosely supported to prevent vibration near the polished portion of the flexible tube,
A flexible tube characterized in that a polishing belt rotating in a substantially elliptical shape is brought into contact with the flexible tube from the direction perpendicular to the axis thereof and simultaneously moved in the axial direction to polish the surface of the flexible tube. Polishing method.
[0049]
(12) The flexible tube polishing method according to (11), wherein the flexible tube and the polishing belt are rotated in opposite directions to make the peripheral speed of the polishing belt faster than the peripheral velocity of the flexible tube. .
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As described above , according to the flexible tube polishing machine and the flexible tube polishing method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the work environment, reduce the number of work steps, and stabilize the quality.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the flexible tube polishing machine of the present invention, since the polishing is performed without using a solvent, the working environment is improved. Also, since manual work is changed to mechanical work, the number of work steps is greatly reduced and the quality is stabilized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an entire flexible tube polishing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a polishing portion of the polishing machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
4 ... Main motor, 17 ... flexible tube, 18 ... moving table, 30 ... belt polishing machine,
32 ... Abrasive belt, 34,35 ... Stabilizer.

Claims (4)

The flexible tube with in a state of pulling longitudinally respectively support both ends portion of the flexible tube, the rotation supporting mechanism for rotating the flexible tube about its longitudinal axis,
A polishing machine having a polishing belt rotating in a substantially elliptical shape, and abutting the polishing belt against the outer surface of the flexible tube from a direction perpendicular to the major axis, and the polishing machine in the major axis direction and a moving table that moved, a polishing mechanism for polishing the outer surface of the flexible tube,
An anti-sway mechanism that has a through-hole for loosely fitting the flexible tube supported by the rotation support mechanism, and prevents vibration in the vicinity of the polishing portion of the flexible tube supported by the rotation support mechanism. When,
A flexible tube polishing machine comprising: The flexible tube polishing machine according to claim 1, further comprising two steadying mechanisms arranged on both sides in the long axis direction of the flexible tube across the polishing mechanism. 3. The flexible according to claim 1, wherein the steadying mechanism is arranged to be movable in a major axis direction of the flexible tube supported by being pulled by the rotation support mechanism. Tube polishing machine. A supporting step of supporting the flexible tube on a rotation support mechanism in a state where the flexible tube can be rotated around the long axis of the flexible tube in a state where the flexible tube is pulled;
  Disposing the flexible tube in a steady-state mechanism having a through hole for loosely fitting the flexible tube;
  A rotating step of rotating the flexible tube supported in the supporting step around the major axis in a state of loosely fitting in the through hole;
  A polishing machine having a rotating polishing belt is used, and the polishing belt is brought into contact with the outer surface of the flexible tube from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flexible tube, and the polishing machine is connected to the flexible tube. A polishing step of polishing the outer surface of the flexible tube while moving in the major axis direction of
  A method for polishing a flexible tube, comprising:

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