Configuration applied to conveyor rollers and drive assembly for displacement divisions used in cutting cells employed in a waterjet cutting machine for flat glass.

Description

/ 6 CONFIGURATION APPLIED TO CONVEYOR ROLLERS AND DRIVE ASSEMBLY FOR DISPLACEMENT DIVISIONS Used in cutting cells employed in waterjet flat glass cutting machines. Field of invention

[001] This utility model application falls within the field of flat glass cutting machines, especially waterjet cutting machines, encompassing displacement divisions belonging to the cutting cells employed in the transport of glass sheets in these waterjet cutting machines.

[002] More specifically, the inventive act aims to simplify the architecture of the transport and / or positioning together with the drive assembly by proposing the reduction of the number of mechanical components, facilitating assembly and maintenance, as well as increasing the reliability and uniformity of glass transport during the feeding, positioning for cutting and removal of the material after cutting stages. Fundamentals of the invention and state of the art

[003] The use of waterjet flat glass cutting machines with an infeed / outfeed table and conveyors that assist in transporting and positioning the glass in the machine's cutting cell, guiding the glass sheet through the feeding, referencing, cutting and removal stages, is known in the industry.

[004] In this sector, the prior patents numbered BR 21 2018 003148-3 and BR 20 2018 072914-0 can be cited, which claim a configuration applied to a water jet machine for cutting flat glass and a configuration applied to a machine for cutting flat glass, respectively.

[005] Prior art BR 21 2018 003148-3 describes a water jet machine for cutting flat glass with an inlet table and an outlet table, Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 6 / 16 / 6 associated with conveyor belts and a main carriage, composing an architecture for moving the glass along the equipment. Furthermore, this prior information demonstrates that, in solutions then available, there was a strong dependence on means and procedures for transporting / positioning the glass in the system, including mention of operational needs and practical limitations in automation and handling.

[006] The prior art BR 20 2018 072914-0, in turn, is in the same technological domain and describes a configuration applied to a flat glass cutting machine, seeking to increase the precision and operational capabilities of the equipment, through constructive improvements in the assembly and in the overall cutting and transport movement / operation. It also points to evolutions in the arrangement of the equipment, such as the inclusion of additional elements to expand the functionalities of the system.

[007] Although these previous solutions teach table and conveyor architectures and present improvements in operation and configuration, a recurring problem remains in industrial practice: the transport or displacement assembly in the cutting cell, between the input / output tables, often uses multiple components distributed along the length, with many drive, support and transmission parts, increasing the assembly and adjustment time (setup and assembly of the assembly), the complexity of maintenance, the cost of replacement and parts inventory, in addition to the existence of many points of failure (misalignments, clearances, wear on multiple supports / rollers / casters).

[008] Thus, the utility model aims to solve, primarily, the excess of parts and adjustment points in these displacement divisions integrated into the cutting cell, the delay and difficulty of assembling the longitudinal system, the complex maintenance due to the many repeated and / or distributed items, and the greater risk of misalignment and traction variation along the cell, impacting the regularity of the displacement and reference of the glass, to Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 7 / 16 / 6 to provide a constructive configuration based on replacing the traditional arrangement with continuous rollers fully coated in rubber and adopting transmission by pulleys and flat belts interconnecting each roller to a single transverse drive shaft, driven by an electric motor. Description of the Figures

[009] The present inventive act will be described in greater detail below, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings below, in which: Figure 1 illustrates, in perspective view, the new pattern of synchronized displacement divisions of a glass cutting machine. Figure 2 shows a broken isometric view of the component called the conveyor roller and its main characteristics. Figure 3 shows a partial isometric view of the conveyor roller movement assembly. Figure 4 depicts, in a partial side view, the main components belonging to the conveyor roller drive assembly. Detailed Description of the Invention

[010] The present invention relates to a constructive improvement applied to the flat glass sheet transport assembly in abrasive water jet cutting machines, more particularly in the displacement divisions (A) and (B) used precisely in the cutting cell (Figure 1), in which the glass is positioned and guided before and after cutting.

[011] According to the invention, the assembly previously formed by drive shafts fitted with wheels / casters, tracks, motors and supports is replaced by a plurality of conveyor rollers (1) arranged longitudinally in both displacement divisions. Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, p. 8 / 16 / 6

[012] Each conveyor roller (1) (Figure 2) consists of an inner shaft (2) fully coated with a continuous layer of rubber (3) or similar material along its useful length, forming a cylindrical roller with continuous contact. This integral coating increases the friction area and provides more uniform support to the glass during transport, reducing discontinuous contact points typical of solutions with multiple separate wheels.

[013] As shown in Figure 3, toothed or smooth pulleys (4) are provided at one end of the conveyor roller (1), preferably two pulleys at one end of their respective conveyor roller (1). The pulleys are configured to receive and transmit torque by means of synchronous or flat belts (5).

[014] The invention introduces a single shaft to the conveyor rollers of each displacement division, which is arranged in a transverse (perpendicular) orientation by means of bearings. This transverse shaft (6) receives, along its length, a plurality of toothed or smooth pulleys (4') in a quantity corresponding to the driven conveyor rollers.

[015] The transverse shaft (6) is driven by an electric motor (7) installed at one of its ends (one motor for each displacement division), and there may also be a coupling assembly (8) (better visualized in Figure 4), for example, an elastic coupling, so that the power of the electric motor (7) is distributed to all pulleys and, consequently, to all conveyor rollers. Thus, the invention concentrates the drive in a single drive element for each displacement division, reducing the number of motorized assemblies and facilitating assembly and maintenance.

[016] It is worth noting that the model of the present invention demonstrates the use of a motor per displacement division, however, depending on the need or the size of the machine used, more than one motor per division may be adopted in order to generate the power required by the equipment. Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 9 / 16 / 6

[017] Each belt (5) connects a pulley (4') of the transverse shaft (6) to a corresponding conveyor roller pulley (1). As the transverse shaft (6) is perpendicular to the conveyor rollers (1), the belts (5) operate in a configuration known as “quarter turn” (90°) transmission, in which a controlled twist of the belt occurs, either synchronous or flat.

[018] In this configuration, the belt (5) performs a half twist along the gap between pulleys (4) and (4'), so that the belt sits correctly on pulley (4') on the transverse axis (6) and, at the same time, sits correctly on pulley (4) of the conveyor roller (1), despite the difference in orientation between the axes.

[019] These belt patterns are able to change direction because they are relatively wider than they are thick, allowing for gradual changes in orientation along their length, while maintaining sufficient contact area for friction transmission. The twist serves to reorient the plane of the belt (5), allowing the rotation of the transverse shaft (6) to be transmitted to the conveyor rollers (1) in an orthogonal direction, without the need for gearboxes, crossheads or multiple longitudinal motorized shafts.

[020] Preferably, tension adjustment elements may be provided, such as tensioners for each belt or for groups of belts and / or transverse shaft position adjustment (6) in elongated supports capable of compensating for natural elongation and ensuring belt tracking stability.

[021] In an embodiment, the electric motor (7) drives the transverse shaft (6), which transmits rotation to the pulleys (4'). Each pulley, by means of its belt (5), drives the pulleys (4) of the corresponding conveyor rollers (1), causing the rollers to rotate in a synchronized manner and promoting the displacement and positioning of the glass sheet along the respective displacement division. Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 10 / 16 / 6

[022] As the conveyor rollers (1) have integral coating, the movement tends to be more uniform, with a reduction in localized slippage. In addition, the centralization of the drive reduces speed discrepancies between different points of the displacement divisions, contributing to feed / discharge stability.

[023] The described configuration results in relevant technical advantages, including significantly faster assembly, as it eliminates the need to distribute and adjust a large number of axles, wheels / casters, tracks and motors along the length of each travel section; easier maintenance, with direct access to the motor (7), cross shaft (6), pulleys (4 and 4') and belts (5), reducing downtime; drastically reduces the number of parts (fewer wheels / casters, tracks, motors and repetitive supports), with lower manufacturing, inventory and replacement costs; promotes greater reliability, by reducing points of failure and mechanical misalignment; the transport of the sheets is more uniform and stable, due to the continuous contact provided by the coated rollers, improving the regularity of glass feeding and removal.

[024] It is worth noting that the inventive act in question should be understood as representative and not limiting, capable of undergoing convenient modifications and updates, provided that such modifications do not deviate from the essence of the proposal. Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 11 / 16

Claims

CLAIM 1. CONFIGURATION APPLIED TO CONVEYOR ROLLERS AND DRIVE ASSEMBLY FOR DISPLACEMENT DIVISIONS USED IN CUTTING CELLS EMPLOYED IN A WATERJET FLAT GLASS CUTTING MACHINE, CHARACTERIZED by the displacement divisions (A) and (B) used in the machine's cutting cell having longitudinally arranged conveyor rollers (1), each conveyor roller (1) consisting of an inner shaft (2) fully covered by a continuous layer of rubber (3) along its useful length, forming a cylindrical roller with continuous contact, with toothed or smooth pulleys (4) mounted at one end of the conveyor rollers (1) to receive and transmit torque by means of synchronous or flat belts (5) to other pulleys (4') belonging to a transverse shaft (6), which is driven by an electric motor (7) installed at one of its ends (a motor for each displacement division) together with an elastic coupling assembly (8),working each belt (5) in quarter turn (90°) transmission., Petition 870260023323, dated 03 / 13 / 2026, page 12 / 16

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