Multiple spindle flexible sanding head

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An abrading head 10 has a housing 12 open ended in one direction to act like a hood.
A support member 14 with inner member 14a and outer member 14b is located in the housing.
The outer support member 14b has a series of spaced apart openings 16 shaped like an outward extending frustum of a cone.
A free floating cylindrical shaped member or head 18 is sized to fit in each opening.
These members have an abrasive disc 20 on the outer end and an enlarged diameter 22 at the other end.
Each cylindrical shaped member is continuously being urged outward by a compression spring 24 mounted to the inner support member 14a to continually press the abrasive disc into contact with and to follow the contour of the surface 26 to be abraded.
A series of openings 28a are located in inner support member 14a and a series of holes or openings 28b are located in outer support member 14b to provide communication between the surface 26 and chamber 32 formed inside the housing 12.
A coupling 34 extends through the housing 12, joins to an elbow 36 and a flexible hose 38 for connection to a vacuum source, not shown.
A bushing 40 is centrally located in the closed end of the housing and extends inward toward the support member.
A gear case 42 joins to the bushing then connects to an air motor 44 which is fed from a source of compressed air, not shown, through line 46.
The air motor drives shaft 46 which acts through bevel gears 48 and 50 to drive shaft 52; which rotates inside the bushing 40.
The drive shaft 52 is also joined to a sleeve 54; which acts to join the inner and outer support members for rotating the abrasive discs in response to action by the motor.
In this embodiment, handle 56 is fastened to the gear case to provide hand operation of the abrading head.
However, it is not intended to limit this to a hand held operation as the positioning of the head may also be accomplished by any known automatic means, such as, by use of programmed cylinder actuation.
In operation, the abrading head 10 is positioned with the abrasive discs 20 contacting surface 26 to be abraded