ITBS20110078A1 - SAW BLADE MACHINE FOR WOODEN OR SIMILAR PANELS AND CUTTING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

â € œSECTIONING MACHINE FOR WOODEN OR SIMILAR PANELS

AND METHOD OF SECTIONINGâ €

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a horizontal cutting machine for panels or in any case pieces of flat shape, single or even superimposed in packs, as well as a cutting method with this cutting machine. The panels or pieces can be raw and ennobled in wood, plywood, mdf - medium density fiber panel, chipboard, fiber, wood-cement, plasterboard, plastic materials, composite material, aluminum and its derivatives. Most commonly they have a rectangular shape, with dimensions, for example, from 1200 -: - 2440 X 3200 -: - 6100 mm even if they vary considerably depending on the material produced.

State of the art

The sectioning machines for the aforementioned use essentially comprise at least one work surface intended to receive the starting panels to be sectioned (loading individually, in packs, by hand or by means of an automatic loading device), at least one cutting line for the panels placed on the work surface in a direction usually transversal relative to the plane itself, a feed pusher guided and movable on the work plane to cause a progressive advancement of the panels towards the cutting line, and a plane downstream of the cutting line to receive the strips or segments resulting from sectioning.

The cutting line here and generally refers to the trajectory followed by a cutting unit arranged orthogonally to the plane on which the panels to be cut rest under or above the work surface. A pusher means a system of pliers on board a movable crosspiece above a work surface to engage and move the panels towards the cutting line.

Since the starting panels usually have large dimensions, their optimized use, with minimized waste and compatibly with the size and shape of the pieces to be obtained, usually requires sectioning with cuts in at least two orthogonal directions, in particular longitudinal and transverse. Therefore, the strips or segments deriving from a first sectioning of the panels by means of a cut or a series of parallel cuts in one direction, must be rotated by 90 ° to reach the cutting unit in a second direction for another cut or a further series of cuts. Then the panels must be resumed downstream of the cutting unit and brought back to the work surface conveniently rotated. These operations still require a significant use of manpower, a significant transfer time and a considerable effort as well as effort for the operators.

Commonly, known horizontal cutting machines comprise one or more cutting lines and may or may not include a pre-cutting operation.

Machines with a cutting line have a base under which a tool carrier moves; these machines must necessarily have a cutting gap equal to or greater than the width of the panel and a stroke of the pusher equal to or greater than the length of the panel to be sectioned.

With this type of machine, the cutting operations to be carried out on single or stacked panels, for example according to the diagram shown in Fig. 1 of the attached drawings include, considering the direction of advancement indicated by the arrow:

- trim cut of the longitudinal front side (11), the one facing the cutting unit;

- sequential cutting of parallel longitudinal strips (12);

- trim cut of the longitudinal rear side (13);

- manual rotation of the strips (12) obtained;

- trimming cut of the transverse front side (14) of the strips;

- cutting in the transversal direction (15) of each single strip (12) to obtain the pieces (16) of the desired dimensions.

In the case of a sectioning with pre-cut, for example according to the scheme shown in Fig. 2, the single or stacked panels are presented to the cutting line oriented transversely and subjected to a succession of operations such as:

- trimming cut of the transversal front side (21);

- execution of the pre-cut (22) with separation of a portion of pre-cut panels (23);

- provision of the portion (23) deriving from the pre-cut (22);

- automatic or manual counter-rotation of the remaining portion of the pack (24);

- alignment against the pusher pliers;

- longitudinal front trim cut (25);

- cutting the longitudinal strips (26) in sequence;

- longitudinal rear trim cut (27);

- manual rotation of the single strips (26);

- transversal front trimming cut of the single strips;

- transversal cutting (28) of each single strip to obtain the pieces (29) of the desired dimensions;

- take up the pre-cut (23) to make the necessary cuts;

- trim cut;

- sectioning (30) of the pre-cut as previously described, according to need.

In addition to their considerable size, the machines with a cutting line also have the disadvantage of requiring a large number of manual and heavy operations to be carried out by one or more operators, which negatively affect their productivity.

Other types of machines called "angular plants" are also known, substantially composed of two machines with a cutting line positioned at 90 ° with respect to each other.

A first of said machines will have a cutting gap equal to or greater than the length of the panels to be machined, the second machine will generally have a cutting line at least equal to the width of the panel.

In this case, the cutting operations are much more productive, but the plant has a much higher footprint and cost (almost double) compared to those of a machine with one cutting line (that is to say, single blade).

Furthermore, these machines require an automatic panel feeding system by means of a lifting table, by means of suction cups or other, since the operator in charge of removing the produced pieces finds himself very far from the feeding position of the machine.

The installation of these machines in addition to the availability of ample space involves a considerable time for commissioning.

A work cycle of these machines for a cutting process similar to that shown as an example in the diagram in Fig. 1 includes, in fact:

- loading of the panels on the work surface by means of a lifting table or other loading device;

- automatic alignment of the panels above the worktop;

- execution of the trim cut;

- unloading of the trim, rather problematic as it is located in the middle of the machine and therefore requires a trap door or other opening system and a system for collecting the trim itself;

- realization of the strips by means of longitudinal cuts of the panels; - unloading of the longitudinal rear trim, always with the same problems mentioned above;

- translation of the strips made;

- lateral and frontal alignment of the strips;

- transversal cutting of the strips carried out on the machine in the direction of the smallest cutting gap.

For the execution of a sectioning with pre-cut as in the example shown in the diagram in Fig. 2, angular machines of this type generally have a system of rotation of the pack before the longitudinal cutting line or use a so-called Pre-cut Logic. According to this logic, the panel or pack of panels is entirely moved to the transverse cutting area where the pre-cut is made, while the main portion of the panel or pack of panels is taken up, brought back to the initial phase and processed as above. In the meantime, the operator makes the cuts on the pre-cut, rotating the latter by hand.

These angular machines or systems require a minimum or in any case less heavy work on the part of the operator, work which, in the case of machines with an integrated panel rotation system, is limited to the simple unloading of the pieces. However, these angular machines or plants still have a very considerable footprint, many parts that require precision movements and many alignment movements.

There are also other machines, called multi-blade, in which the material to be sectioned is pushed against groups of parallel blades, which simultaneously make all the required strips. However, these are machines for very high production, rather rigid and requiring considerable space and investments.

Objectives and Summary of the Invention

Starting from these premises, the aim of the present invention is to provide a cutting machine designed to solve the problems of space and intense use of labor linked to the aforementioned sectioning machines with a cutting line, and advantageously capable of guaranteeing greater flexibility. operating times, remarkably low costs and simplified management in the cutting of single or pack panels.

This objective is achieved with a cutting machine according to the preamble of claim 1 and which comprises, in association with the work plane, two cutting lines with orthogonal orientation of one with respect to the other. The first cutting line is intended for cutting the starting panel or pack of panels in a longitudinal direction for the formation of strips; the second cutting line is intended for a subsequent cut in the transverse direction of the panel strip or strips coming from the longitudinal cut, just after their separation from the rest of the panel or pack of panels.

The orientation of a cutting unit is the direction in which the cut is made.

The first longitudinal cutting line corresponds to a cutting group oriented in the direction of advancement of the panels on the work surface. This unit is mobile and can be positioned in a transverse direction inside the worktop depending on the trimming operations to be carried out or the width of the panel strips to be made. The measure of the strip made is given by the distance between a lateral guide for the panels and the cutting unit. The lateral guide is the reference means on which the panel or panels rest in their longitudinal advancement on the work surface. All the longitudinal cuts of the panels are made by moving them towards the longitudinal cutting unit which remains stationary in a programmed position.

The second transversal cutting line corresponds to a cutting unit oriented and movable in the direction transversal to the work plane.

All the transversal cuts of the strips resulting from the longitudinal cuts or a possible pre-cut, are made with the stationary pieces and the transversal cutting unit moving with respect to the work surface.

In particular, the advancement movement of the panels and strips towards the transversal cutting line is carried out by means of the machine's own pusher, without having to have and use a controlled axis as occurs in the aforementioned angular systems and, advantageously, without the € ™ operator has to intervene manually. The operatorâ € ™ s work is limited to the simple removal of the sectioned pieces and trims.

To increase the productivity of the machine, two or more parallel cutting groups can also be provided for the longitudinal cut, with an optional engraver to obtain a better finish of the pieces.

The pincers of the pusher are liftable, independent and with separate movement axes always in order to increase the productivity and flexibility of the panel saw.

The height of the panel or stack of overlapping panels can reach 430 mm.

The loading of the starting panels on the work surface can be carried out manually from the front of the work surface or laterally / rear by means of a feeder of the lifting table or suction cups.

Another objective of the invention is to propose a cutting method according to which each panel or pack of panels is cut in the longitudinal direction to form strips of panels from time to time which, subsequently, will be cut into a transverse direction without having to manipulate them by the operator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be illustrated in more detail in the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, indicative and not limiting, which in addition to Figs. 1 and 2 commented above in relation to the state of the art, show in:

Fig. 3 a schematic isometric view of the cutting machine;

Fig. 4 a plan view of the cutting machine;

Fig. 5 a side view thereof.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The cutting machine according to the invention has a general configuration substantially similar to that of a horizontal cutting machine with a cutting line of the known art. However, it is equipped with a longitudinal cutting line L and a transversal cutting line T.

Structurally, the cutting machine comprises a base (51) carrying a horizontal work surface (52) intended to receive and support the panels to be sectioned, loaded manually or mechanically. Said worktop (52) will have in the transversal direction a cutting gap at least equal to or greater than the maximum width of the panels to be sectioned and in the longitudinal direction a length at least compatible with that of the panels intended to be loaded and sectioned therein.

The work surface (52) is placed on one side of the transversal cutting line T, while on the opposite side of this cutting line one or more additional planes are arranged (53).

An electronically controlled lateral alignment unit (54), a longitudinal lateral guide (54a) for the panels opposite the alignment unit, a pusher (55) for the advancement of the panels to be treated are associated with the work surface (52) , a first longitudinal cutting group (56) and a second transversal cutting group (57).

In particular, the alignment unit (54) extends parallel to the longitudinal side of the worktop (52) and can be positioned in width relative to the plane itself and to the lateral guide (54a) against which it will push the panels. The pusher (55) is oriented transversely to the work surface, electronically controlled and movable parallel to itself above this plane in the direction of the transversal cutting line T. Furthermore, the pusher (55) is equipped with a series of movable grippers ( 58) positioned at a variable distance according to need.

When their loading into the machine is manual, the starting panels are arranged on the part of the work surface (53), which is usually equipped with sliding means (eg: air veil). The panels are loaded by placing them on the lateral guide (54a) and on the pliers (58) present on the pusher (55).

When their loading into the machine is mechanical, that is automatic, the panels or the pack of panels are loaded by means of a lifting table placed on the side or rear of the work surface (52).

More specifically, the first cutting group (56) coincides with the longitudinal cutting line L of the machine and is oriented parallel to the direction of movement of the pusher (55) above the work surface. The second cutting group (57) coincides in turn with the transversal cutting line T of the machine and is placed parallel to a contiguous end of the work surface (52) and oriented orthogonally to the direction of movement of the pusher.

The first cutting group (56) is preferably placed below the work surface between one end of the work surface (52) and the transversal cutting line T. It therefore works from bottom to top and It is carried by a relative carriage (59) driven on slides in a transversal direction to the work surface (52), so that it can be selectively positioned at a predetermined distance from the lateral guide (54a) for the panels in order to define each time the width of the strips or trims to be made.

Furthermore, the longitudinal cutting unit (56) is preferably surmounted by a suction hood (60) connected to the same longitudinal cutting unit (56) so that it can follow its movements. The hood is also equipped with wheels which, leaning on the material being processed, perform the function of a presser.

The second cutting group (57) is also preferably placed below the work surface and operates on the panels from bottom to top.

The transversal cutting unit (57) is carried by a carriage (59) guided and mobile on guides (62) which extend between the longitudinal sides of the base (51) of the machine and is therefore oriented in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the pusher (55).

The machine is also equipped with at least one presser (63) designed to keep the panels pressed on the support surface during the transversal cut.

The cutting operation of the panels in the longitudinal direction is performed with the material in motion and with the longitudinal cutting unit (56) stationary, while the cutting of the panels in the transverse direction is performed with the material stationary and with the cutting unit transverse (57) in motion.

The machine described above can be connected and managed by means of a programmable electronic system.

In practice, the sectioning of the panels placed each time on the work surface (52) can then be programmed and carried out as follows, referring for simplicity to a single panel even if, as previously said, the sectioning can be carried out similarly on several stacked panels.

After a possible preliminary trim cut of a longitudinal side of the starting panel, this panel is made to advance on the work surface by means of the pusher (55) starting from a rear position so as to perform a first longitudinal cut using the cutting unit. (56) coinciding with the longitudinal line L, group that will have been positioned at the programmed distance from the lateral guide (54a).

The remaining portion of the starting panel is then brought back and brought to the backward â € œzeroâ € position, that is, upstream of the longitudinal cutting unit (56). Only the strip obtained is then held by the pusher pliers.

At this point the strip of panel thus obtained is made to advance gradually, in steps, by the pusher (55) towards the transversal cutting line T where, aligned and held in the guide, it is cut transversely in sequence to produce the pieces or panel segments from the programmed measurement.

Then, the pusher (55) goes back. In the meantime, the remaining portion of the panel is again aligned against the lateral guide (54a) by means of the lateral alignment unit (54) for a subsequent advancement of the panel and the cutting of another strip by the longitudinal cutting unit (56 ). The remaining part of the starting panel is retracted again, while this other strip of panel is also held by the pusher and made to advance towards the transversal cutting unit (57) for its transversal cut according to the program. And so on, cyclically, until the cutting of the starting panel is completed. The same can be said when it comes to cutting several overlapping panels.

In other words, each strip of panel immediately after being obtained from a longitudinal cut of the starting panel is cut transversely without having to remove it from the machine and without having to rotate or manipulate it. In this way, the intervention of an operator is avoided, which requires a time that cannot be calculated and which can vary during the process, making it difficult to estimate and productivity of the work.

When a pre-cut operation is foreseen, this is performed as the first operation, without the need to rotate the panel or the pack of panels. The pre-cut portion is then set aside manually. Once the pre-cut has been made, the longitudinal cutting sequence of the panel and transversal cutting of the various strips remains identical to that previously described.

The pre-cut is then loaded into the machine and processed in the way already described.

The operator no longer has to manually intervene or move anything during the logical or differentiated longitudinal cuts for the realization of panel strips and during the differentiated transversal cuts for the realization of the desired pieces or segments. In fact, the strips are already in position for their cutting in the transverse direction, and the operator only has the task of setting aside the finished pieces and repositioning the pre-cut in the machine, where required, but without having to resort to operations rotation and counter-rotation of the material to be sectioned as occurs in sectioning machines with a cutting line or in the aforementioned angular systems.

Moreover, the machine can also be combined with automatic or semi-automatic unloading systems.

Claims (9)

â € œSECTIONING MACHINE FOR WOODEN OR SIMILAR PANELS AND METHOD OF SECTIONINGâ € R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1. Panel cutting machine for materials in the form of panels, having at least one work surface (52) intended to receive the panels to be sectioned individually or stacked, a feed pusher (55) guided and movable above the work surface to cause a progressive advancement of the panels with respect to at least one cutting line, of the lateral alignment means of the panels above the work surface parallel to the direction of advancement, and a possible plane downstream of the cutting line to receive the parts deriving from sectioning, characterized by comprise in association with the work plane (52) two cutting lines oriented orthogonally with respect to each other, with a first cutting line (L) intended for cutting in a longitudinal direction of the starting panels for the formation of strips, and with a second cutting line (T) intended for a subsequent cutting in the transverse direction of the panel strip or strips coming from the tag longitudinal lio, just after their separation from the rest of the panel or pack of panels. 2. Cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one cutting unit (56) oriented in the direction of advancement of the panels on the work surface corresponds to the longitudinal cutting line (L), said cutting unit (56) being movable and it can be positioned in a transverse direction with respect to the work surface and to the lateral alignment means. 3. Panel sawing machine according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinal cutting line (L) corresponds to two or more parallel cutting units oriented in the direction of advancement of the panel on the work surface and which can be selectively positioned in a transverse direction with respect to the work plane and to the lateral alignment means. 4. Sectioning machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the transversal cutting line (T) corresponds to a cutting unit (57) placed parallel to an end contiguous to it of the work surface (52) and oriented and movable orthogonally to the direction of advancement of the panels on the work surface. 5. Sectioning machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the at least one longitudinal cutting unit (56) is placed and can be positioned between the transversal cutting unit (57) and said contiguous end of the work surface. 6. Method of cutting materials in the form of panels arranged on the work surface (52) of a cutting machine, comprising the steps of: to. associating with said work plane at least a first cutting group (56) operating in a first direction and a second cutting group (57) operating in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; b. positioning at least one initial panel on the work surface (52) against a lateral alignment guide, in an initial position upstream of the first cutting unit (56); c. causing an advancement of the initial panel towards the first cutting unit (56) for the formation of at least one longitudinal panel strip; d. returning the remaining portion of the initial panel to the starting position upstream of the first longitudinal cutting unit (56); And. holding, guiding and progressively advancing the strip obtained towards the second cutting unit (57) for its sectioning cut in a transverse direction; f. reposition the remaining part of the home panel against the side alignment guide; g. causing the remaining part of the initial panel to advance towards the first cutting unit (56) for the formation of at least a second longitudinal panel strip; h. returning the remaining portion of the initial panel to the starting position upstream of the first longitudinal cutting unit (56); the. holding, guiding and progressively advancing the at least one strip of panel towards the second cutting unit (57) for its sectioning cut in a transverse direction; j. repeat steps f., g., h., e., i. up to the complete sectioning of the initial panel. Method according to claim 6, wherein each cut of the panel by means of the first cutting unit (56) for forming longitudinal strips is carried out with the panel with respect to said cutting unit which remains stationary, and in which each cut transversal of the panel strips by means of the second cutting unit (57) is carried out with a stationary strip and said second cutting unit in motion. 8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, in which the longitudinal cut of the first panel strip can be preceded by a trim cut with the first cutting unit (56), the transverse cut of the panel strips can be preceded by a head trim cut. Method according to one of claims 6 to 8, in which the longitudinal cut of the panel into longitudinal strips can be preceded by a pre-cut of part of the panel itself.