Products : Wheel & Rim Machines :
Uniformity Measuring Machine

Purpose

This machine is engineered and designed to measure automotive wheels for several dimensional characteristics and to check them for existence of their valve hole.

Based on this inspection, it will color code and sort the wheels into good and reject categories.

An important function of the system is to apply the good wheel color code mark at the low point of the first harmonic of the average radial runout of the wheel's bead seats.

In addition to the marking function, the Uniformity Measuring Machine has auditing capabilities to permit on-the-spot inspection of individual wheels. It also keeps a running tally of various radial and lateral characteristics.

Description

The machine is comprised of a dual gaging system which shares a common statistics computer. The incoming parts are conveyed from the assembly welding station (with rim short side bead seat up) by rolling down a gravity roller conveyor to the entry of the uniformity machine.

The first two parts that enter the machine will come to rest against the escapement's stop pins which locate it at the brush stations. The rotating brushes will rise, brush off the parts and then lower. At this time, the escapement's hold back pins will rise to retain the next part just upstream of the brush stations. Simultaneously, the stop pins will lower and release the first two parts from the brush stations. The first two parts will come to rest against the stop block in the load station.

The transfer will now raise the part, move it to the right and lower it into the idle station.

As the transfer starts moving to the right, the escapement shifts again, its stop pins rise and its hold back pins lower. When this occurs, the second part moves into the brush station.

After lowering, the transfer moves back to the left and if a second part is present at the idle station, the transfer will repeat its routine and move the first part into gage station number one and then number two. A double index will occur at the gaging stations to fill both stations before the gaging heads are activated. With each index at the gaging station, a part is transferred to the exit station.

As the transfer lowers, the following sequence occurs at the gage stations: the top tooling lowers, the arbor expands to center the part and rotation begins. The gage head will now swing into gaging position with its upper and lower gage rollers contacting the wheel in its bead seats. After a slight delay to allow the mechanism to stabilize, measurements will be made during the 360 degrees of wheel rotation and this data will be fed into the machine's gaging computer.

The gage head will now swing back to its retracted position. While this is occurring, the gaging computer will calculate the four (4) computed measurement characteristics.

It will then advise the PLC control system of the wheel's disposition and transmit the computed measurement data to the statistics computer for storage in its core memory.

The wheel continues to rotate until its low point is positioned at the low point marker. With the wheel still rotating, a yellow mark is placed on its curb side just inboard of the rim at the first harmonic low point just calculated. (Argent wheels are an exception - they are marked on the O.D.).

If the wheel is a reject, (its low point will not be marked), a red mark will be placed on its O.D. by the reject marker.

When marking is complete, the transfer moves the wheel to the segregator station. If a reject, it will be pushed out the front of the machine by the reject cylinder. If good, it will remain in the station until it is pushed out the end of the machine by the transfer during the next transfer operation.

KNOWLEDGE CENTER : UNIFORMITY MEASURING MACHINE

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