Metallurgical apparatus – Means for cutting solid metal with heat – e.g. – blowpipes – With wheeled carriage torch mount
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-03
2002-04-16
Kastler, Scott (Department: 1742)
Metallurgical apparatus
Means for cutting solid metal with heat, e.g., blowpipes
With wheeled carriage torch mount
C266S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06372179
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a metal plate cutting machine, particularly but not exclusively useful for cutting metal plates by means of laser, plasma, water, and/or oxygen cutting.
Conventional metal plate cutting machines are currently advantageously used which employ tools whose structure, differently from conventional machines, is not “solid” but rather constituted by matter in particular states which are adapted for cutting solid objects; for example, in the case of the laser the tool is constituted by a coherent beam of monochromatic photons.
However, regardless of the technology used, these machines are employed to cut metal plates, even large ones (for example on the order of several meters in length and up to 5-6 meters wide), and usually comprise, on a supporting platform, at least two rails for the longitudinal sliding of a portal-like structure for supporting and moving at least one cutting head associated with a control unit.
The cutting head, on command of the control unit and of associated movement means, is guided so as to travel along the entire length of the portal-like structure.
In particular, the portallike structure is in turn capable of sliding, under the actuation of dedicated movement means, along two guides which are arranged on two mutually opposite sides of the platform.
In this way, the cutting head is capable of positioning itself in any point within the platform, by means of the combined sliding along the transverse axis (formed by the portal and usually designated as Y axis) and along the longitudinal axis (formed by the two guides arranged at the sides of the platform and usually termed X axis).
In all of these machines designed to cut metal plates, the cutting head is actually mounted at a vertical axis (hereinafter termed Z axis), along which it can slide up and down with respect to the platform.
In this way, the movement of the cutting head can occur along three mutually perpendicular axes (designated respectively X-Y-Z, as above-described), and this allows to reach any point in the space above the platform.
The cutting head, appropriately actuated by the control unit for example by numeric control, must in fact be capable of following a preset path on the metal plate, so as to perform the cut according to the instructions set by the operator.
The path followed by the cutting head is determined by the spatial coordinates X-Y-Z of the positions reached by the cutting head respectively along the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis.
As regards vertical movement, Z axis, during the cutting operations the head must absolutely remain always at the same distance from the metal plate; due to the thermal deformation or stress to which it is subjected, or due to a lack of perfect flatness, the head can instead be affected by slight displacements and/or local cambering/bending.
During the cutting operations, therefore, the head slides with respect to the Z axis so as to always remain at the same distance from the metal plate.
One of the most significant problems in the production of current large machines is the alignment (parallelism and co-planarity) of the tracks along the X axis on which the portal-like structure or machine body slides, since the straightness of the cut and the durability of the sliding guides over time depends on this.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to provide a machine for cutting and machining metal plates which effectively solves the above-described drawbacks in conventional machines, in particular in relation to the alignment (parallelism and co-planarity) of the tracks along the X axis on which the portal-like structure or machine body slides, in order to ensure the straightness of the cut and the durability of the sliding guides over time.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a machine whose alignment, as regards the cutting head, is independent of the co-planarity and parallelism of the tracks, thus maintaining a high degree of precision during work.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine which is structurally simple and at the same time sturdy.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine for cutting metal plates which is easy to use for the operator.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a machine for cutting metal plates by plasma, laser, water and/or oxygen cutting which can be produced with conventional equipment and structures.
These and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a machine for cutting metal plates by laser, plasma, water and/or oxygen cutting, comprising, on a supporting platform, at least two rails for the longitudinal translatory sliding of a portal-like structure for slidingly supporting at least one cutting head which is associated with a control unit, characterized in that said portal-like structure is mounted on a supporting assembly whose position can be adjusted along at least two axes.
Advantageously, the supporting assembly comprises four supports with a spherical articulation, at least one of which is associated, so as to form a vertically adjustable support for the structure, with extendible means available for operator adjustment, movement means being provided for the operating of the structure and of the corresponding at least one cutting head.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3564971 (1971-02-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 3866892 (1975-02-01), Hooper
patent: 4121808 (1978-10-01), Cardea
patent: 4139180 (1979-02-01), Itani et al.
patent: 5560843 (1996-10-01), Koike et al.
patent: 5854460 (1998-12-01), Graf et al.
patent: 6245284 (2001-06-01), Cooper, Sr.
Josif Albert
Kastler Scott
Modiano Guido
O'Byrne Daniel
Promotec S.r.l.
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