Buffing ball made of compressible material

• US 7,669,939 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): GUIDOTTI, LAURA COLE
• Application Number:
  US11/077,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 300/21, 15/971, 15/973, 152/301.4, 152/301.7, 152/441, 264/162
• US Class Current: 300/21
• 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 rotary driven 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,

said compressing and holding step including;

inserting a stud threaded along its full length and having a driving head on one end along said axis through the layered body from one outer surface,

pressing a bearing head having a threaded connector along the rotational axis from an opposite outer surface toward the threaded stud, threadably engaging the stud to adjustably compress the layers between the driving head and the bearing head; and

,

continuing the threadable engagement of the bearing head toward the driving head until a level of compression is attained that is sufficient to hold the layers in the compressed state as a generally spherical ball, transmit the necessary drive torque to the ball, and prevent movement between the layers or between a layer and one of the heads.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 comprising the step of forming the disk-like layers from separate layers of materials of different compressabilities.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 comprising the step of forming the disk-like layers from separate layers of two different diameters.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 comprising the steps of forming the disk-like layers from separate layers of different materials.

5. A method of making a rotary driven 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,

said compressing and holding step including;

inserting a stud threaded along its full length and having a driving head on one end along said axis through the layered body from one outer surface,

pressing a bearing head having a threaded connector along the rotational axis from an opposite outer surface toward the threaded stud, threadably engaging the stud to adjustably compress the layers between the driving head and the bearing head;

providing the driving head with axially extending driving projections spaced circumferentially around and radially outwardly from the axis of the stud; and

,

continuing the threadable engagement of the bearing head toward the driving head until a level of compression is attained that is sufficient to hold the layers in the compressed state as a generally spherical ball, transmit the necessary drive torque to the ball, and prevent movement between the layers or between a layer and one of the heads.