Crystal cleaving machine

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, FIG.
1 discloses a crystal cleaving machine according to the invention which includes a level base 10 having a fixed rigid post 11 rising therefrom.
A first conventional linear motion positioning control device 12 is suitably fixed to the post 11 with its operational axis vertically disposed under control of a rotary knob 13.
A second identical linear motion positioning control device 14 is fixedly attached to the top face of base 10 with its operational axis horizontally disposed at right angles to the axis of the first control device 12.
Typically both of the devices 12 and 14 are comprised of commercially available Velmex Unislide devices identified by catalog part Nos.
A4009QI and A4006QI, respectively.
A vertical hammer mechanism baseplate 15 is fixedly attached to the position control device 12 and carries on its outer face a pair of vertical parallel spaced guide bars 16 for a vertical reciprocatory slide plate member 17 having an attached hammer body 18 in the form of a stepped block.
Also fixed on the baseplate 15 are two pairs of parallely aligned vertical axis adjustable linear bearings 19 for a pair of parallel vertical hardened steel shafts 20.
A bar type anvil 21 is fixed to the tops of shafts 20 in underlying transverse relationship to the stepped block hammer body 18.
A blade holder 22 is similarly fixed to the bottoms of shafts 20 and carries dependingly at its lower extremity a crystal cleaving blade 23, as shown in FIGS.
4 and 5 having an inclined (4.
degree.
) cleaving edge 24 defined by ground converging flat faces 25, which form an included angle of approximately 60.
degree.
.
The blade 23 is formed of file hard steel or other suitable material.
The bearings 19 provide substantially friction free vertical motion of the cleaving blade 23 without introducing horizontal movement that would break thin crystals.
The inclined edge 24 permits commencement of the cleavage at one corner of a crystal by injecting a shock wave, to be described, thereat that propagates through and along a cleavage plane