Kenneth Delaney Allen

US Patent:

53678362, Nov 29, 1994

Filed:

May 14, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/882947

Inventors:

Kenneth H. Allen - Hendersonville NC

Assignee:

Giddings & Lewis, Inc. - Fond du Lac WI

International Classification:

B24B 326
B24B 4700

US Classification:

451331

Abstract:

An automatic drill loader is used with a drill grinding machine to automatically present drills to the drill grinding machine workhead for being ground thereat and to carry ground drills to a storage receptacle. The automatic drill loader comprises a magazine, a timing station, and two sets of grippers. The magazine stores a quantity of drills, which may have stepped shanks. The magazine is adjustable to suit drills of different lengths and diameters. The magazine presents one drill at a time to a staging station. A load gripper grips the drill at the staging station and conveys it to the timing station, whereat the drill is linearly and angularly oriented. The load gripper then transports the drill to the drill grinding machine workhead. Simultaneously, an unload gripper carries a ground drill from the drill grinding machine workhead to the storage receptacle. After the load gripper has transported the timed drill to the drill grinding machine workhead, the load gripper returns to the staging station to grip another drill.