CONTROL OF PARTICLE SUPPLY OF BLASTING APPARATUS

• US 20180264625A1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentenso GmbH
• Original Assignee: Volker Schneidau
• Inventors: SCHNEIDAU, Volker, BRENDEBACH, Daniel, BEHLER, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 10,513,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 57/04 for feeding of solid grinding, polishing or lapping agents
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 7/00 Equipment for feeding abrasive material; Controlling the flowability, constitution, or other physical characteristics of abrasive blasts
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 7/0015 with control of feed parameters, e.g. feed rate of abrasive material or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 7/0053 with control of feed parameters, e.g. feed rate of abrasive material or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/10 Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for adjusting or operating a particle-metering system for a particle blasting installation, in particular a blasting installation for the working of surfaces, the abrasive throughput of which is preset by means of a passing-through opening that can be varied on the basis of time and/or variables and is determined by means of a downstream throughput sensor as a throughput sensor signal (DS), wherein the throughput sensor signal (DS) is used for controlling a manipulated variable (SG) for the degree of setting of the passing-through opening, wherein to adjust the metering system for at least one value of the manipulated variable (SG) the actual throughput (D) through the passing-through opening is determined by means of a measurement of the weight of abrasive material (M) allowed through within a defined time period (Dt), and the manipulated variable (SG), the actual throughput (D) and the corresponding throughput sensor signal (DS) are stored in an assignment table, wherein the relations between the actual throughput (D), the manipulated variable (SG) and the throughput sensor signal (DS) are used during subsequent operation.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting or operating a particle-metering system for an abrasive-blasting apparatus having a feed orifice of variable flow cross section through which abrasive particles pass from a supply of the particles to an outlet, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring abrasive throughput through the feed orifice by a downstream flow sensor generating a flow-sensor signal;

using the flow-sensor signal to control a manipulated variable for an output setting of the feed orifice;

in order to adjust the feed assembly for at least one manipulated variable, determining the actual throughput through the feed orifice by measuring a weight of the outputted blasting abrasive within a defined time period;

storing the manipulated variable, the actual throughput, and the corresponding flow-sensor signal in an allocation table; and

using relationships between the actual throughput, the manipulated variable, and the flow-sensor signal during subsequent operation.

2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step, in order to adjust the feed assembly, of:

calculating the manipulated variable from the measured values of the allocation table as a function of the actual throughput.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising the step, in order to adjust the feed assembly, of:

calculating the actual throughput from the measured values of the allocation table as a flow-sensor signal.

4. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising the step of:

calculating a functional correlation between the manipulated variable and the actual throughput as well as between the actual throughput and the flow-sensor signal by a linear interpolation between the values of the allocation table.

5. The method defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of:

calculating a functional correlation between the manipulated variable and the actual throughput as well as between the actual throughput and the flow-sensor signal as an at least second-order polynomial from the values from the allocation table.

6. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps, in order to adjust the feed assembly, of:

altering the manipulated variable by a program in discrete steps; and

storing the actual throughput, the flow-sensor signal, and the manipulated variable in the allocation table for each step.

7. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps, in order to check the adjustment for a required throughput from the allocation table, of:

determining the corresponding manipulated variable;

applying the determined variable to the feed orifice; and

comparing the actually measured throughput to the required throughput.

8. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating appropriate allocation tables for different blasting abrasives that are used during the operation of the blasting apparatus to control the feed assembly.

9. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step, during operation of the feed assembly with a required actual throughput, of:

adjusting the feed orifice according to the corresponding manipulated variable from the allocation table.

10. The method defined in claim 9, further comprising the step, during operation of the feed assembly, of:

determining the actual throughput with respect to the flow-sensor signal from the allocation table that was prepared during the adjustment.

11. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps, during operation of the feed assembly, of:

measuring ambient conditions including ambient temperature, air pressure, and air humidity; and

multiplying the manipulated variable or the flow-sensor signal from the allocation table by a correction function dependent on the ambient conditions.

12. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

switching automatically in a blasting apparatus between adjustment and operation by feeding the blasting abrasive either onto a workpiece or into a collecting vessel.

13. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step, in order to determine the weight of the blasting abrasive, of:

measuring an increase in a weight of a collecting vessel into which the blasting abrasive is fed or a decrease in a weight of a supply vessel from which the blasting abrasive is fed.

14. An abrasive-blasting apparatus for treating a surface the apparatus comprising:

a supply vessel filled with blasting abrasive

an outlet directable at the surface;

a feed assembly between the vessel and the outlet and having a feed orifice of variable flow cross section;

a downstream flow sensor;

a weight detector that determines the weight of the blasting abrasive that passes through the feed assembly into a collecting vessel and generates;

a processor that regulates the adjustable feed orifice in accordance with an output of the flow sensor and of the weight detector.

15. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the weight detector determining the weight of the blasting abrasive passing through the feed assembly is connected to the collecting vessel and measures the increase in the weight thereof.

16. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the weight detector determining the weight of the blasting abrasive passing through the feed assembly is connected to the supply vessel and measures the decrease in the weight thereof.

17. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the variable feed orifice is a mechanically adjustable flow section or solenoid valve.

18. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the flow sensor is a microwave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a baffle plate sensor, an induction sensor, or an induction sensor.

19. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, further comprising:

an additional separator between the feed assembly and the collecting vessel in which the blasting abrasive is separated from other process materials so that it reaches the collecting vessel in its entirety.

20. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a deflector between the feed assembly and the outlet guides the blasting abrasive either into the separator or onto the workpiece to be blasted.

21. The abrasive-blasting apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the processor has a manipulated-variable interface and a flow-sensor interface for connecting to the feed orifice that are digital or analog with an analog-to-digital converter, a microcontroller with memory controlling the processor and being connected via a digital computer interface and/or a machine interface to a computer and/or a controller.