Buffing ball made of compressible material

• US 20050188491A1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lake Country Manufacturing Inc
• Original Assignee: Lake Country Manufacturing Inc
• Inventors: McLain, Scott S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,669,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/230
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/001 Cylindrical or annular brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/02 power-driven carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 29/00 Machines or devices for polishing surfaces on work by means of tools made of soft or flexible material with or without the application of solid or liquid polishing agents polishing tools in general B24D13/00
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 13/12 comprising assemblies of felted or spongy material, e.g. felt, steel wool, foamed latex

Abstract

A surface finishing ball of compressible material, adapted to be driven on a rotational axis is made from a layered body of compressible material that is formed in multiple disk-like layers that are separated in planes generally perpendicular to the rotational axis. Layers are also slit on circumferentially spaced planes that extend generally radially from an outside surface to define a plurality of foam fingers. A clamping system is used to compress and hold a center portion of the layered body in a direction along the axis of rotation such that the uncompressed outer ends of the fingers define a generally spherical ball.

Claims

1. A method of making a buffing and polishing ball of compressible polymeric foam material, comprising the steps of:

slitting a substantially uncompressed body of foam material from an outside surface of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to a rotational axis and further slitting said body on circumferentially spaced planes extending generally radially from said outside surface to define a plurality of foam fingers, and compressing and holding a center portion of said slit foam body in a direction along said axis such that the uncompressed outer ends of said fingers define a generally spherical ball.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of mounting said ball for rotation on said axis.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said body of foam has a cylinder shape and said rotational axis coincides with the axis of the cylinder.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the generally perpendicular extending slit extends through the foam body to define a plurality of foam layers.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of providing the foam body with a through bore coincident with the rotational axis, and wherein said compressing and holding steps comprise compressing the foam body axially between a two-headed fastener having heads larger than the bore, and connecting the heads of said fastener together in the bore with the compressed center portion of the foam body surrounding the bore captured between the fastener heads.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first slitting step comprises making a single spiral slit.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the center portion of the foam body is unslit.

8. A body of compressible foam material for use as a buffing and polishing ball comprising:

a generally cylindrical body of said foam material having generally flat and parallel opposite ends;

a single spiral slit or a plurality of slits extending generally perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and radially inwardly from the outside cylindrical surface to define a plurality of foam layers; and

a plurality of second slits formed in circumferentially spaced planes extending generally radially from the outside surface of said body to define a plurality of foam fingers.

10. The body of compressible foam material as set forth in claim 8 wherein the plurality of slits extending generally perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder extend partially into the body.

11. The body of compressible foam material as set forth in claim 8 wherein the plurality of slits extending generally perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder extend through the body.

9. The body of compressible foam material as set forth in claim 9 comprising articulated polyurethane foam.

12. A surface finishing ball of compressible material mounted to be driven on a rotational axis comprising:

a layered body of compressible material formed in multiple disk-like layers separated in planes generally perpendicular to the rotational axis, said layers slit on circumferentially spaced planes extending generally radially from an outside surface to define a plurality of foam fingers, and means for compressing and holding a center portion of said layered body in a direction along said axis such that the uncompressed outer ends of said fingers define a generally spherical ball.

13. The surface finishing ball as set forth in claim 12 wherein the disk-like layers comprise alternating layers of different materials.

14. The surface finishing ball as set forth in claim 12 wherein the disk-like layers are of materials having different compressibilities.

15. The surface finishing ball as set forth in claim 12 wherein the disk-like layers comprise alternating layers of materials having different diameters.

16. The surface finishing ball as set forth in claim 12 wherein the compressible material at the center portion of the body has a ratio of thickness in an uncompressed state to a thickness in a compressed state of at least 5:

1.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said compressing and holding means comprises a two-headed fastener having heads smaller than a diameter of the body of compressible material, the heads of said fastener connected together with the compressed center portion of the body captured between the fastener heads.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said fastener comprises:

a driving head having a plurality of driving projections spaced radially outwardly of the rotational axis and extending axially through the body toward the other fastener head; and

means for connecting the fastener heads together.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein said connecting means comprises:

a threaded stud connected to one fastener head and extending along a center bore on the axis of rotation toward the other fastener head;

a bearing head on said other fastener head, said bearing head having an inner face comprising a bearing plate facing said one fastener head and a center opening for receipt of said threaded stud; and

,

a nut threaded on the stud and adapted to bear against an opposite outer face of said other fastener head.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein the body is provided with a plurality of axially extending bores for receipt of said driving projections.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said fastener heads are of different diameters.

26. The apparatus as set forth in claim 25 wherein the diameter of the larger diameter head is approximately two-thirds the diameter of the compressible material body as measured perpendicular to the axis.

27. The apparatus as set forth in claim 26 wherein the diameter of the small diameter head is approximately one-fifth the diameter of said body.

17. A method of making a surface finishing ball of compressible material, comprising the steps of:

forming a body of compressible material from multiple disk-like layers separated at least partially from an outside surface radially inwardly in planes generally perpendicular to a rotational axis, slitting said layers on circumferentially spaced planes extending generally radially from said outside surface of said layered body to define a plurality of fingers, and compressing and holding a center portion of said layered body in a direction along said axis such that the uncompressed outer ends of said fingers define a generally spherical ball.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 comprising the step of forming the disk-layers from individual alternating layers of materials of different compressibilities.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17 comprising the step of forming the disk-like layers from individual alternating layers of two different diameters.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17 comprising the steps of forming the disk-like layers from individual alternating layers of different materials.