Machine assembly for machining plate-shaped workpieces, in particular sheets

Abstract

A machine assembly for machining plate-shaped workpieces, in particular sheet materials, having a machining device with a working area (3) in which the workpiece is accessible to the machining device (2) for machining. The workpiece pallet (9) has a pallet frame and a support element (14), and the workpiece pallet is configured as an active workpiece pallet in such a way that the support element (14) of the workpiece pallet (9) is guided on the pallet frame of the workpiece pallet (9) so as to be movable in the feed direction (15), and a support drive (17) is provided for the support element (14). By means of a transfer device, the workpiece pallet (9) can be arranged in a position on the carrier side of the machine assembly (1) in the working area (3) of the machining device. On the workpiece pallet (9) transferred to the position on the carrier side of the working area (3) of the machining device, the support element (14) of the workpiece pallet (9) can be driven by the support drive in a feed movement in the feed direction (15) relative to the pallet frame of the workpiece pallet (9) and can thus be fed relative to the working area (3) of the machining device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine assembly for machining plate-shaped workpieces, in particular sheet metal, which

[0002] - has a processing device with a working area in which the workpiece is accessible to the processing device for machining,

[0003] - a workpiece pallet having a pallet frame and a supporting element, which is arranged on the pallet frame and is configured to support the workpiece during workpiece machining and / or to support the product of the workpiece machining,

[0004] - has a carrier bracket for the workpiece pallet, on which the workpiece pallet can be arranged in a bracket-side position in the working area of the processing device, and

[0005] - has a conveying device for the workpiece pallet, by means of which the workpiece pallet can be conveyed relative to the carrier bracket for the workpiece pallet in a conveying movement between a position outside the working area of the processing device and the bracket-side position in the working area of the processing device. Background Art

[0006] Such a machine assembly is disclosed in DE 10 2015 220 185 A1.

[0007] This document relates to a machine tool for machining sheet metal, which has a working area in which a laser cutting device is arranged as a device for sheet metal machining. With the aid of a pallet changer, a workpiece pallet loaded with the sheet metal to be machined is supplied to the working area of the machine tool. After the sheet metal machining, the workpiece pallet loaded with the machined product is removed from the working area of the machine tool by means of the pallet changer. The workpiece pallet has a rectangular pallet frame with rollers and a supporting bar rigidly arranged on the pallet frame for the sheet metal to be machined and the product of the sheet metal machining. The movement of the workpiece pallet is generated by the motor drive of the pallet changer. When the workpiece pallet is conveyed into the working area of the machine tool, the motor drive of the pallet changer pushes the workpiece pallet from a carrying structure arranged in front of the working area onto a carrier bracket for the workpiece pallet arranged inside the working area. Here, the workpiece pallet rolls on the assigned movement track on the carrier bracket by means of the rollers provided on the pallet frame until the workpiece pallet reaches a defined target position inside the working area. The workpiece pallet remains in this target position until the machining of the sheet metal placed on the workpiece pallet by means of the laser cutting device of the machine tool is completed. During the machining, the sheet metal maintains its position on the workpiece pallet arranged in the target position. After the machining is completed, by means of the motor drive of the pallet changer, the workpiece pallet is pulled back from the carrier bracket inside the working area of the machine tool to the carrying structure in front of the working area. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is to expand the functions of the above-mentioned machine components.

[0009] According to the present invention, this object is solved by the machine component according to claim 1.

[0010] In the case of the present invention, an active workpiece pallet is provided as the workpiece pallet. The active workpiece pallet is characterized in that the bearing elements of the workpiece pallet for supporting the workpiece and / or for supporting the products of workpiece processing are guided on the pallet frame of the workpiece pallet so as to be movable in the feed direction, and when the workpiece pallet is arranged in the working area of the processing equipment of the machine component, the bearing elements can be moved relative to the pallet frame by means of a bearing drive and thus also relative to the working area and / or relative to the processing equipment arranged in the working area. In particular, the bearing elements can be provided with bearing strips, which are configured for placing the workpiece to be processed and / or the products of workpiece processing.

[0011] The movement of the bearing elements can be implemented, for example, for generating a processing movement of the workpiece supported on the bearing elements relative to the processing equipment. Additionally or alternatively, there is the possibility that by the movement of the bearing elements, the workpiece placed on the bearing elements can be moved in the processing preparation area, and / or the products of workpiece processing placed on the bearing elements can be moved immediately after the processing in the working area of the machine component. The movement of the bearing elements implemented immediately after workpiece processing can be used, for example, for unloading the processed products supported on the bearing elements from the working area of the machine component. In particular, the active workpiece pallet can enable the material flow to pass through the working area of the machine component.

[0012] If the drive function of the active workpiece pallet is not activated, the active workpiece pallet can be used in the same way as the passive workpiece pallet provided in the prior art.

[0013] In cases where required, the transfer device provided for the active workpiece pallet also allows the active workpiece pallet to be removed from the working area of the machine component. Removing the active workpiece pallet from the working area of the machine component may be necessary in order to make the functional units arranged in the working area of the machine component accessible, which are blocked by the workpiece pallet in the case where the workpiece pallet is transferred to the carriage-side position in the working area. In particular, devices for removing residual material or for sucking harmful substances during the machining process are considered as such functional units. In addition, the active workpiece pallet can also be removed from the working area of the machine component for performing maintenance and / or repair work, such as replacing the bearing strips. The working area of the machine component can have a fence, which is provided with one or more openings if necessary, through which the transfer of the workpiece pallet can take place. On the machine component for laser machining of workpieces according to the invention, a guardrail with a device for beam protection for the working area is provided.

[0014] Particular embodiments of the machine component according to claim 1 result from dependent claims 2 to 15.

[0015] In the case of the inventive structure according to claim 2, the bearing drive has a bearing drive motor separate from the workpiece pallet. Due to being separate from the workpiece pallet, the bearing drive motor does not have to follow the movement of the workpiece pallet. Rather, the bearing drive motor can be arranged stationary while the workpiece pallet moves, for example, by means of the transfer device. A single bearing drive motor can drive the bearing elements in a feed movement on different workpiece pallets. If the workpiece pallet on the bearing carriage is transferred to the carriage-side position in the working area of the machining device, the bearing element transmission mechanism provided between the bearing drive motor and the bearing elements is in an active state, in which the bearing element transmission mechanism establishes a drive connection between the bearing drive motor and the bearing elements, based on which the bearing drive motor can drive the bearing elements in a feed movement. The bearing element transmission mechanism is switched to the active state by coupling the motor-side transmission mechanism element and the bearing element-side transmission mechanism element of the bearing element transmission mechanism to each other.

[0016] In a corresponding manner and with corresponding advantages, on the machine component according to the invention as claimed in claim 3, the drive for the workpiece pallet of the conveying device of the machine component includes a conveying drive motor separate from the workpiece pallet. A conveying transmission mechanism that can be switched between an active state and a non-active state is provided between the conveying drive motor and the workpiece pallet. The conveying transmission mechanism itself has a motor-side transmission mechanism element and also a pallet-side transmission mechanism element. In the active state of the conveying transmission mechanism, the motor-side transmission mechanism element and the pallet-side transmission mechanism element of the conveying transmission mechanism are coupled to each other. Due to the drive connection existing between the conveying drive motor and the workpiece pallet, the conveying drive motor can drive the workpiece pallet in a conveying movement.

[0017] Referring to claim 4, in an expansion scheme of the invention, when the bearing element transmission mechanism is deactivated, the conveying transmission mechanism is activated, and / or when the conveying transmission mechanism is deactivated, the bearing element transmission mechanism is activated. Therefore, during the conveying movement of the workpiece pallet, the bearing element is stationary. If the workpiece pallet on the bearing bracket is in the bracket-side position in the working area of the processing device, the conveying drive for the workpiece pallet is deactivated and the bearing drive is in an active state, in which the bearing drive can drive the bearing element in a feed movement relative to the pallet frame of the workpiece pallet.

[0018] In a preferred configuration of the invention, referring to claim 5, due to the conveying movement of the workpiece pallet to the bracket-side position in the working area of the processing device, the conveying transmission mechanism of the machine component according to the invention reaches a non-operation ready state and the bearing element transmission mechanism of the machine component according to the invention reaches an operation ready state. As the workpiece pallet enters the target position in the working area of the processing device, only one triggering event, such as a switching process, is still required to deactivate the conveying transmission mechanism of the conveying drive for the workpiece pallet and activate the bearing element transmission mechanism to generate a feed movement of the bearing element.

[0019] According to the inventive construction as claimed in claim 6, it is characterized in that it is an optimized construction in terms of the number of components required, and thus is space-saving and low-cost. A single drive motor generates the feed movement of the bearing element of the workpiece pallet and the conveying movement of the workpiece pallet. The motor-side transmission mechanism element common to the bearing element transmission mechanism and the conveying transmission mechanism is optionally used to establish a drive connection between the common drive motor and the bearing element, or to establish a drive connection between the common drive motor and the workpiece pallet.

[0020] In another preferred configuration of the present invention, according to claim 7, a common motor-side drive wheel is provided as a common motor-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism and the transfer transmission mechanism. The pallet-side transmission mechanism element of the transfer transmission mechanism includes a pallet-side drive rod assigned to the common motor-side drive wheel, which is arranged on the workpiece pallet and extends there in the direction in which the transfer movement is to be generated. The carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism correspondingly serves its original purpose to establish a drive connection between the common drive motor of the carrier drive part and the transfer drive part on the one hand and the carrier element on the other hand. In addition, the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism also forms an additional part of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element of the transfer transmission mechanism provided in addition to the pallet-side drive rod, in such a way that the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism forms an extension of the drive rod of the transfer transmission mechanism extending in the direction of the transfer movement. Depending on the movement state of the transfer transmission mechanism, the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism assumes one or the other function. In the case where the workpiece pallet is transferred to the pallet-side position in the working area of the processing device on the carrier bracket, the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism is switched to a movement state, based on which the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism can be driven in a moving manner by the common drive motor of the carrier drive part and the transfer drive part, and based on this movement, the carrier element drivingly connected to the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism performs a feed movement. During the transfer movement of the workpiece pallet, the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism is in a stationary state, in which the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism forms an extension of the pallet-side drive rod that is provided as another part of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element of the transfer transmission mechanism, and thus contributes to the drive connection between the common drive motor of the carrier drive part and the transfer drive part on the one hand and the workpiece pallet on the other hand as such an extension. If necessary, as the workpiece pallet enters the target position in the working area of the processing device, the carrier element-side transmission mechanism element of the carrier element transmission mechanism can immediately be switched from the stationary state to the movement state.

[0021] Claims 8 and 9 relate to embodiments having a transmission mechanism structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] According to claim 8, the pallet side drive wheel that can rotate about the axis of the pallet side drive wheel on the workpiece pallet is provided as an element of the load-carrying element side transmission mechanism of the load-carrying element transmission mechanism. The pallet side drive wheel is particularly suitable for cooperating with a common motor side drive wheel, and the motor side drive wheel constitutes a common motor side transmission mechanism element of the load-carrying element transmission mechanism and the conveying transmission mechanism. If the pallet side drive wheel switches to a stationary state due to an obstruction to the rotational movement about the axis of the pallet side drive wheel, the pallet side drive wheel constitutes an extension of the drive rod arranged on the workpiece pallet of the conveying transmission mechanism. If the pallet side drive wheel can perform a rotational movement about the axis of the pallet side drive wheel and if the pallet side drive wheel is accordingly in a moving state, the pallet side drive wheel establishes a drive connection between the common drive motor of the load-carrying transmission mechanism and the conveying transmission mechanism on the one hand and the load-carrying element on the other hand as a part of the load-carrying element transmission mechanism in an active state.

[0023] Referring to claim 9, the feed movement of the load-carrying element and the conveying movement of the workpiece pallet are generated by means of a suitable rack drive or a drive of a roller pin gear (Triebstockrad).

[0024] According to claims 10 and 11, the load-carrying element of the machine assembly according to the invention is preferably constructed as a load-carrying belt that seamlessly surrounds the pallet frame of the workpiece pallet in the feed direction. The load-carrying belt configured to carry the workpiece to be processed and / or the product of the workpiece processing can be detachably and thus replaceably arranged on the load-carrying belt. For example, a load-carrying belt with load-carrying strips is used on a machine assembly according to the invention for laser processing of plate-shaped workpieces, especially sheets.

[0025] Preferably, a drive roller supported on the workpiece pallet is provided as an element of the load-carrying element side transmission mechanism of the load-carrying belt drive. The load-carrying belt is guided by the drive roller, and the drive roller can be driven about the axis of the drive roller, and the axis of the drive roller itself extends transversely to the feed direction of the load-carrying belt. A deflection roller for the load-carrying belt is arranged at a distance from the drive roller in the feed direction, and the deflection roller has a deflection roller axis parallel to the axis of the drive roller. Preferably, the pallet side drive wheel is used to attach the drive roller of the load-carrying belt to the load-carrying drive motor. The pallet side drive wheel is supported on the workpiece pallet in a rotatable manner about the axis of the pallet side drive wheel and can be arranged coaxially with the drive roller of the load-carrying belt in particular.

[0026] In the case of the inventive configuration according to claim 12, the workpiece support part is upstream and / or downstream of the active workpiece carrier in the material flow direction in the working area of the processing equipment to which it is conveyed. Preferably, the workpiece carrier and the upstream workpiece support part and / or the downstream workpiece support part are aligned with each other on the workpiece side in the material flow direction, such that the workpiece to be machined and / or the machined product can move through the workpiece support part and the workpiece carrier in the material flow direction. The upstream workpiece support part can in particular be used to manually or automatically load the workpiece carrier in the working space of the processing equipment, which has been conveyed to the machine assembly according to the invention, with the workpiece to be machined. The product of the workpiece machining can be unloaded from the working area of the processing equipment in the material flow direction, for example, by means of the downstream workpiece support part. Preferably, if necessary, both the upstream workpiece support part and the downstream workpiece support part are arranged outside the working area of the processing equipment. For example, belt conveyors and roller conveyors that can be driven by a motor are considered as the upstream workpiece support part and the downstream workpiece support part.

[0027] According to claims 13 and 14, in another preferred configuration of the invention, the following technical measure is taken, which allows the active workpiece carrier to be conveyed between a position within the working area of the processing equipment of the machine assembly according to the invention and a position outside the working area, regardless of whether there is an upstream workpiece support part and / or a downstream workpiece support part.

[0028] The inventive configuration according to claim 15 is characterized in that it is particularly flexible in terms of the application mode. Without the need to change the remaining components of the machine tool assembly, the active workpiece carrier or the original passive workpiece carrier can be selectively used as the support part for the workpiece to be machined during workpiece machining and / or as the support part for the machined product of the workpiece machining. Except for the structural features required for generating the feed movement of the support element, the original passive workpiece carrier is in principle structurally identical to the active workpiece carrier. Description of the Drawings

[0029] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the exemplary schematic diagrams.

[0030] It shows:

[0031] Figure 1 A machine assembly for laser machining of sheets, which has a fenced working area and an active workpiece carrier conveyed to the machining area

[0032] Figure 2 A machine assembly according to Figure 1 having an active workpiece carrier outside the fence of the working area

[0033] Figure 3a , 3b According toFigure 1 and 2 the active workpiece pallet,

[0034] Figure 4a 、 4b In accordance with Figure 1 and 2 the active workpiece pallet that conveys between a position outside the working area of the machine component according to Figures 1 to 3b and a target position within the working area,

[0035] Figure 5a 、 5b In accordance with Figure 1 and 2 the active workpiece pallet in the target position within the working area of the machine component according to Figures 1 to 3b and,

[0036] Figure 6a 、 6b a diagram for explaining the basic structure and basic working mode of the load-carrying element drive part and the transfer drive part of the active workpiece pallet according to Figures 1 to 5b . Detailed implementation mode

[0037] Figure 1 and 2 show highly schematic overall views of the machine component 1 for cutting and processing a sheet by means of a laser. The laser cutting device 2, which is set as a processing device of the machine component 1, is shown in Figure 4a 、 5a and is omitted in Figure 1 and 2 for clarity. The laser cutting device 2 has a working area 3, which is surrounded by a fence 4. By means of the beam protection gate 5 on the loading side and the beam protection gate 6 on the unloading side, the fence 4 extends beyond the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2. The beam protection gate 5 on the loading side is provided with a loading opening 7, and the beam protection gate 6 on the unloading side is provided with an unloading opening 8. By means of a conventional beam protection device, the laser beam emitted inside the fence 4 during sheet processing is prevented from exiting the fence 4 through the loading opening 7 and the unloading opening 8 into its environment.

[0038] In Figure 1 , the machine component 1 is in a processing preparation state. Correspondingly, in the working area 3 inside the fence 4, active workpiece pallets 9 are arranged at defined positions. In the material flow direction (arrow 10), in accordance with Figure 1In the operating state of the machine component 1, the workpiece supporting part 11 is located upstream of the workpiece pallet 9 and the workpiece supporting part 12 is located downstream. In the illustrated embodiment, the upstream workpiece supporting part 11 and the downstream workpiece supporting part 12 are roller tables, and motor-driven feed rollers are provided on the roller tables. On their workpiece side, Figure 1 the upstream workpiece supporting part 11, the workpiece pallet 9 and the downstream workpiece supporting part 12 in Figure 1 are aligned with each other in the material flow direction 10.

[0039] In Figure 3a and Figure 3b the workpiece pallet 9 is shown in detail.

[0040] The workpiece pallet 9 includes a rectangular pallet frame 13 and a supporting belt 14 as a supporting element. The supporting belt 14 is guided on the pallet frame 13 in the feed direction (arrow 15) and is seamlessly wound around the pallet frame 13 in the feed direction 15. Supporting strips 16 for supporting the sheet during machining by the laser cutting device 2 and for carrying the machining products generated during sheet machining are arranged on the supporting belt 14 in parallel with each other and spaced apart from each other in the feed direction 15.

[0041] The supporting drive part 17 is used to cause the supporting belt 14 to perform a feeding movement in the feed direction 15. Due to this supporting drive part, the pallet-side roller pin gear 18 in the switched-to motion state can be seen in Figure 3a and Figure 3b Based on the motion state of this roller pin gear, the pallet-side roller pin gear 18 constitutes a supporting element-side transmission mechanism element of the supporting element transmission mechanism 19 as a pallet-side drive wheel.

[0042] The pallet-side roller pin gear 18 is supported on the workpiece pallet 9 in a manner that it can rotate around the pallet-side drive wheel axis 20, more specifically, on the pallet frame 13. The pallet-side roller pin gear 18 is coaxially arranged and torsionally connected with the drive roller covered in Figure 3a and 3b of the supporting belt 14. At the opposite ends of the pallet frame 13 in the feed direction 15, the supporting belt 14 is guided by deflection rollers that are also covered by the supporting belt 14 in the figure.

[0043] By means of a controllably switchable stop device that is also not visible in the figure, the kinematic state of the pallet-side roller pin gear 18 can be selectively switched from the motion state to the stationary state or from the stationary state to the motion state.

[0044] In the moving state, the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is released by the stopping device for the movement on the side of the receiving element (implemented as a rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis 20). By means of the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 transitioning into the moving state, the drive roller, which is torsionally connected to this rolling pin gear and is for the receiving belt 14, is driven in a rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis 20. Due to the rotational movement of the drive roller, the receiving belt 14 performs a feeding movement in the feeding direction 15.

[0045] In the stationary state, the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is blocked by the stopping device against rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis 20. In this case, the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18, which is torsionally mounted on the pallet frame 13, and the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21, which is fastened to the pallet frame 13 as a pallet-side drive rod, together form the pallet-side drive mechanism element 22 of the conveying drive mechanism 23, and this conveying drive mechanism 23 itself is part of the conveying drive unit 24 of the workpiece pallet 9.

[0046] The conveying drive unit 24 is used to convey the workpiece pallet 9 between the position within the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2 shown and the position outside the working area 3 shown. Figure 1 shown, and Figure 2 the position outside the working area 3 shown.

[0047] In Figure 2 , by means of a conventional lifting device perpendicular to the material flow direction 10 and Figure 1 the common workpiece receiving plane formed by the workpiece pallet 9, the upstream workpiece receiving part 11, and the downstream workpiece receiving part 12 in Figure 2 , the upstream workpiece receiving part 11 is lowered to a level at which it can be passed by the workpiece pallet 9 in the material flow direction 10 and in the opposite direction. In the position according to Figure 2 , the workpiece pallet 9 is conveyed on the receiving belt 14, for example, for maintenance purposes, such as for cleaning and / or replacing the receiving strip 16. In addition, in the case of the position shown in Figure 1 , within the enclosure 4 of the machine assembly 1, the area covered by the workpiece pallet 9 in

[0048] In addition to the pallet-side drive mechanism element 22 currently described and formed by the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 and the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21 when switched to the stationary state, the conveying drive mechanism 23 of the conveying drive unit 24 further includes a motor-side rolling pin gear 25 provided as a motor-side drive mechanism element of the conveying drive mechanism 23 ( Figure 2 and 6a). The motor-side roller pin gear 25 of the conveying drive mechanism 23 is driven by the electric conveying drive motor 26 (in the case of the present embodiment) of the conveying drive unit 24. The conveying drive unit is such that only the motor shaft is visible in Figure 6a and the motor-side roller pin gear 25 is mounted on the motor shaft.

[0049] The conveying drive motor 26 having the motor-side roller pin gear 25 is separated from the workpiece pallet 9 and is fixedly arranged on the carrier bracket 27 which is arranged inside the fence 4 for the workpiece pallet 9 and more precisely in Figures 4a to 5b as shown. On the carrier bracket 27, load-bearing and guiding rails 28 for the workpiece pallet 9 extend on both sides, and one of the load-bearing and guiding rails can be seen in Figure 2 . The load-bearing and guiding rails 28 for the workpiece pallet 9 continue at the beam protection gate 5 on the loading side and the beam protection gate 6 on the unloading side. During the conveying movement, the workpiece pallet 9 moves onto the load-bearing and guiding rails 28 by means of rollers rotatably supported on the pallet frame 13.

[0050] In the position according to Figure 2 , the workpiece pallet 9 arranged outside the fence 4 is oriented with respect to the working area 3 of the machine assembly 1 such that the longitudinal end of the pallet-side roller rack 21 of the conveying drive mechanism 23, which is remote from the pallet-side roller pin gear 18 in Figure 3a and 3b , points towards the working area 3.

[0051] Starting from the position according to Figure 2 , the workpiece pallet 9 is manually moved forward in the direction (conveying direction 29) of the conveying movement which coincides with the material flow direction 10 until the motor-side roller pin gear 25 of the conveying drive mechanism 23 arranged on the carrier bracket 27 engages with the roller rack pins on the front longitudinal end of the pallet-side roller rack 21 of the conveying drive mechanism 23 in the conveying direction 29 and thereby establishes the operative state of the conveying drive mechanism 23. Now, the conveying drive motor 26 is actuated with the corresponding rotational direction and the motor-side roller pin gear 25 driven by means of the conveying drive motor 26 in a manner about the motor-side drive wheel axis 30 ( Figure 6a , 6b ) pushes the pallet-side drive mechanism element 22 of the conveying drive mechanism 23 and, by means of this pallet-side drive mechanism element, pushes the workpiece pallet 9 in the direction of the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2 in a movement in the conveying direction 29. Figure 4a and 4b show a snapshot of the workpiece pallet 9 being moved in the direction of the target position inside the fence 4 by means of the conveying drive unit 24.

[0052] Figure 6a Strongly schematically shows according to Figure 4a , 4bCase

[0053] The motor-side rolling pin gear 25 driven by the conveying drive motor 26 in a rotational movement about the drive wheel axis 30 meshes at a location with the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21 of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element 22, which location is spaced apart in the conveying direction 29 from the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element 22 also arranged on the workpiece pallet 9. At this time point, the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is switched to a stationary state by means of a stop device provided therefor and thus forms an extension of the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21 and thus forms the part of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element 22 of the conveying transmission mechanism 23 provided in addition to the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21.

[0054] After the workpiece pallet 9 has entered the target position on the carrier-side in the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2, the motor-side rolling pin gear 25 immediately meshes with the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18, which is still switched to the stationary state and thus continues to form part of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element 22. The conveying transmission mechanism 23 is in a non-operating standby state, and the load-carrying element transmission mechanism 19 is in an operating standby state.

[0055] At the target position, the workpiece pallet 9 on the carrier 27 of the machine assembly 1 is in the carrier-side position in the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2. In this position, the workpiece pallet 9 is positioned in the working area 3 in a conventional manner by means of a positioning device with a defined arrangement and is also fixed by a holding device (not shown).

[0056] Now, the stop device of the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is released and the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is thus switched to the moving state. As a result, the function of the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 as part of the pallet-side transmission mechanism element 22 of the conveying transmission mechanism 24 for the workpiece pallet 9 terminates, and the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 becomes the load-carrying element-side transmission mechanism element of the load-carrying element transmission mechanism 19. This results in Figure 5a and 5b the case shown in detail in Figure 6b and schematically shown in

[0057] Referring to Figure 6b , at the time point when the stop device for the pallet-side rolling pin gear 18 is released, the pitch circle of the tooth crest of the rolling pin tooth portion on the motor-side rolling pin gear 25 is slightly spaced apart from the pin of the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21. Therefore, the pallet-side rolling pin rack 21 is outside the effective range of the motor-side rolling pin gear 25. Therefore, the motor-side rolling pin gear 25, which previously acted as the motor-side transmission mechanism element of the conveying transmission mechanism 23, can now be used as the motor-side transmission mechanism element of the load-carrying element transmission mechanism 19 of the load-carrying drive 17.

[0058] The conveying drive motor 26 reverses in its rotational direction and thus becomes the holding drive motor 31 of the holding drive unit 17. The holding drive motor 31 drives the motor-side roller pin gear 25, which now acts as a motor-side transmission mechanism element of the holding element transmission mechanism 19, about the motor-side drive axis 30 in a rotational direction opposite to the rotational direction of the workpiece pallet 9 during the conveying movement. The motor-side roller pin gear 25 itself drives the pallet-side roller pin gear 18, which now constitutes the pallet-side transmission mechanism element of the holding element transmission mechanism 19, with a rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis 20. By means of the holding drive motor 31 and the holding element transmission mechanism 19 that establishes a drive connection between the holding drive motor 31 and the holding belt 14, the holding belt 14 is moved in a feed movement in the feed direction 15 that coincides with the material flow direction.

[0059] The feed movement 15 is carried out in order to move the sheet 32 (as shown, for example, in Figure 5a ) placed on the holding belt 14 relative to the laser cutting device 2 of the machine assembly 1 in a positioning movement and / or in a machining movement in the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2, and in order to push the product of the sheet machining (specifically, the qualified parts and the remaining grid cut from the sheet 32) in the material flow direction 10 onto the downstream workpiece holding part 12 for unloading from the workpiece pallet 9. The two-axis machining movement parallel to the workpiece pallet 9 and the sheet 32 placed on the workpiece pallet 9 is carried out by the laser cutting device 2 in any case and in a known manner.

[0060] The sheet 32 to be machined is supplied to the workpiece pallet 9 by the upstream workpiece holding part 11, which is arranged on the carrier bracket 27 in a carrier bracket-side position in the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2. For this purpose, the upstream workpiece holding part is lifted on its workpiece side to the level of the workpiece side of the workpiece pallet 9 ( Figure 1 ).

[0061] In order to convey the workpiece pallet 9 back from the position according to Figure 1 to the position according to Figure 2 , first the fixing of the workpiece pallet 9 in the working area 3 of the machine assembly 1 is released. Simultaneously or subsequently, the pallet-side roller pin gear 18 is switched from the moving state to the stationary state. If the conveying drive motor 26 now runs in a rotational direction opposite to the rotational direction in the previous conveying movement, the motor-side roller pin gear 25 first meshes with the tooth part of the stationary pallet-side roller pin gear 18 and then with the pallet-side roller pin gear 21. Thereby, the workpiece pallet 9 is moved to a position protruding from the enclosure 4 of the machine assembly 1 at the loading opening 7, and the workpiece pallet 9 can be manually pulled against the conveying direction 29 from this position to the position according to Figure 2 when the upstream workpiece holding part 11 descends.

[0062] Instead of the active workpiece pallet, a traditional initial passive workpiece pallet 9 can also be used on the machine assembly 1. This workpiece pallet has a bearing strip rigidly arranged on the pallet frame. The passive workpiece pallet loaded with the plate to be processed is moved into the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2 by means of the conveying drive 24. Immediately after the plate processing, the passive workpiece pallet now loaded with the processed product is guided out of the working area 3 of the laser cutting device 2 by means of the conveying drive 24. When using the passive workpiece pallet, the bearing drive 17 and the corresponding functions of the machine assembly 1 cannot be used at the machine assembly 1.

[0063] All basic functions of the machine assembly 1 are controlled by the numerical control device of the numerical control machine both when using the active workpiece pallet 9 and when using the passive workpiece pallet.

Claims

1. A machine assembly for machining plate-shaped workpieces: - having a machining device (2) with a working area (3) in which the workpiece is accessible to the machining device (2) for machining, - having a workpiece pallet (9) with a pallet frame (13) and a supporting element (14), the supporting element being arranged on the pallet frame (13) and configured to carry the workpiece during workpiece machining and / or to carry the product of the workpiece machining, - having a supporting carriage (27) for the workpiece pallet (9), on which the workpiece pallet (9) can be arranged in a carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the machining device (2), and - having a conveying device for the workpiece pallet (9), by means of which the workpiece pallet (9) can be conveyed in a conveying movement between a position outside the working area (3) of the machining device (2) and the carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the machining device (2) relative to the supporting carriage (27) for the workpiece pallet (9), characterized in that the workpiece pallet (9) is configured as an active workpiece pallet in such a way that the supporting element (14) of the workpiece pallet (9) is guided on the pallet frame (13) of the workpiece pallet (9) so as to be movable in a feed direction (15), and in such a way that a supporting drive (17) for the supporting element (14) is provided, the supporting element (14) on the workpiece pallet (9) in the carriage-side position transferred into the working area (3) of the machining device (2) can be driven in the feed direction (15) in a feed movement relative to the pallet frame (13) of the workpiece pallet (9) by means of the supporting drive and thus can be fed relative to the working area (3) of the machining device (2), the supporting drive (17) having a supporting drive motor (31), the supporting drive motor being arranged separately from the workpiece pallet (9), and when the workpiece pallet is transferred into the carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the machining device (2), a supporting element transmission mechanism (19) provided between the supporting drive motor (31) of the supporting drive (17) and the supporting element (14) of the workpiece pallet (9) is in an operative state, in which operative state the supporting element transmission mechanism (19) establishes a drive connection between the supporting drive motor (31) and the supporting element (14), and based on the drive connection, the supporting element (14) can be driven in the feed direction (15) in a feed movement relative to the pallet frame (13) of the workpiece pallet (9) by means of the supporting drive motor (31).

2. The machine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that - The load-carrying element drive mechanism (19) can be switched to the active state and another non-active state, and has a motor-side drive mechanism element (25) that can be driven by the load-carrying drive motor (31) and is arranged separately from the workpiece pallet (9), and a load-carrying element-side drive mechanism element (18) that is arranged on the workpiece pallet (9) and is movably connected to the load-carrying element (14). Wherein, the motor-side drive mechanism element (25) and the load-carrying element-side drive mechanism element (18) can be coupled to each other to establish the active state of the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19), and can be separated from each other to establish the non-active state of the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19), and - The load-carrying element (14) on the workpiece pallet (9) that is transferred to the carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the processing device (2) can be driven by the load-carrying drive motor (31) in a feed motion via the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19) switched to the active state. In such a way that the motor-side drive mechanism element (25) of the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19) driven by the load-carrying drive motor (31) drives the load-carrying element-side drive mechanism element (18) of the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19) coupled to the motor-side drive mechanism element in a load-carrying element-side motion.

3. The machine assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that - The transfer device for the workpiece pallet (9) has a transfer drive part (24) with a transfer drive motor (26), and the transfer drive motor is arranged separately from the workpiece pallet (9). - A transfer drive mechanism (23) that can be switched to the active state and the non-active state is provided between the transfer drive motor (26) and the workpiece pallet (9). The transfer drive mechanism has a motor-side drive mechanism element (25) that can be driven by the transfer drive motor (26), and a pallet-side drive mechanism element (22) that is arranged on the workpiece pallet (9) and is movably connected to the workpiece pallet (9). Wherein, the motor-side drive mechanism element (25) and the pallet-side drive mechanism element (22) of the transfer drive mechanism (23) can be coupled to each other to establish the active state of the transfer drive mechanism (23), and can be separated from each other to establish the non-active state of the transfer drive mechanism (23), and - During the transfer motion of the workpiece pallet (9), the workpiece pallet (9) can be driven in a transfer motion by the transfer drive motor (26) via the transfer drive mechanism (23) switched to the active state. In such a way that the motor-side drive mechanism element (25) of the transfer drive mechanism (23) driven by the transfer drive motor (26) drives the pallet-side drive mechanism element (22) of the transfer drive mechanism (23) coupled to the motor-side drive mechanism element in a pallet-side motion.

4. The machine assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that - When the workpiece pallet (9) is in a conveying motion during the active state of the conveying drive mechanism (23), the receiving element drive mechanism (19) is switched to an inactive state, and / or - When the receiving element drive mechanism (19) is in an active state and the workpiece pallet (9) is conveyed to the carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the processing device (2), the conveying drive mechanism (23) is switched to an inactive state.

5. The machine component according to claim 4, wherein Due to the conveying motion of the workpiece pallet (9) to the carriage-side position in the working area of the processing device, the conveying drive mechanism (23) can be switched to a non-operating standby state and the receiving element drive mechanism (19) can be switched to an operating standby state.

6. The machine assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that - The receiving drive motor (31) and the conveying drive motor (26) are constituted by a common drive motor, - The motor-side drive mechanism elements (25) of the receiving element drive mechanism (19) and the motor-side drive mechanism elements (25) of the conveying drive mechanism (23) are constituted by a common motor-side drive mechanism element, and the common motor-side drive mechanism element can be driven by the common drive motor, - The common motor-side drive mechanism element of the receiving element drive mechanism (19) and the receiving element-side drive mechanism element (18) can be coupled to each other to establish the active state of the receiving element drive mechanism (19), and can be separated from each other to establish the inactive state of the receiving element drive mechanism (19), - The common motor-side drive mechanism element of the conveying drive mechanism (23) and the pallet-side drive mechanism element (22) can be coupled to each other to generate and establish the active state of the conveying drive mechanism (23), and can be separated from each other to establish the inactive state of the conveying drive mechanism (23), - The receiving element (14) on the workpiece pallet (9) conveyed to the carriage-side position in the working area (3) of the processing device (z) can be driven by the common drive motor in a feed motion via the receiving element drive mechanism (19) switched to the active state, in such a way that the common motor-side drive mechanism element driven by the common drive motor drives the receiving element-side drive mechanism element (18) of the receiving element drive mechanism (19) coupled to the common motor-side drive mechanism element in a receiving element-side motion, and - During the conveying motion of the workpiece pallet (9), the workpiece pallet (9) can be driven by the common drive motor in a conveying motion via the conveying drive mechanism (23) switched to the active state, in such a way that the common motor-side drive mechanism element driven by the common drive motor drives the pallet-side drive mechanism element (22) of the conveying drive mechanism (23) coupled to the common motor-side drive mechanism element in a pallet-side motion.

7. The machine component according to claim 6, characterized in that: - A common motor-side drive wheel is provided as a common motor-side transmission mechanism element of the placement element transmission mechanism (19) and the transfer transmission mechanism (23), and the common motor-side drive wheel can be rotated by the common drive motor about a motor-side drive wheel axis (30) extending perpendicular to the transfer movement direction (29) of the workpiece carrier (9); - The carrier-side transmission mechanism element (22) of the transfer transmission mechanism (23) has a carrier-side drive rod (21), the carrier-side drive rod is arranged on the workpiece carrier (9) and extends along the transfer movement direction (29) of the workpiece carrier (9) on the workpiece carrier (9) for a length, wherein the common motor-side drive wheel driven by the common drive motor drives the carrier-side drive rod (21) coupled to the common motor-side drive wheel with a carrier-side movement in the longitudinal direction of the carrier-side drive rod (21) and thereby drives the workpiece carrier (9) with a transfer movement; - The placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) of the placement element transmission mechanism (19) on the workpiece carrier (9) in the carrier-side position transferred to the working area (3) of the processing device (2) is switched to a movement state, in which the placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) is released for a placement element-side movement, and based on the placement element-side movement, the placement element (14) can be driven with a feed movement by the common drive motor of the placement drive (17) and the transfer drive (24); and - During the transfer movement of the workpiece carrier (9), the placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) of the placement element transmission mechanism (19) is switched to a stationary state, in which the placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) is prohibited from resisting the placement element-side movement, and in the case of an extension of the carrier-side drive rod (21) forming the transfer transmission mechanism (23) extending along the transfer movement direction (29), the placement element-side transmission mechanism element forms an additional part of the carrier-side transmission mechanism element (22) of the transfer transmission mechanism (23) provided in addition to the carrier-side drive rod (21), wherein in the stationary state of the placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) of the placement element transmission mechanism (19), the workpiece carrier (9) is drivingly connected to the common drive motor of the placement drive (17) and the transfer drive (24) through the placement element-side transmission mechanism element (18) forming an additional part of the carrier-side transmission mechanism element (22) of the transfer transmission mechanism (23) and can be driven in a transfer movement manner by the common drive motor of the placement drive (17) and the transfer drive (24).

8. The machine component according to claim 7, characterized in that A pallet-side drive wheel is provided as an element of the load-carrying element-side drive mechanism (18). The pallet-side drive wheel is supported on the workpiece pallet (9) in a rotatable manner about a pallet-side drive wheel axis (20). The pallet-side drive wheel axis extends parallel to the motor-side drive wheel axis (30) of the common motor-side drive wheel of the load-carrying element drive mechanism (19) and the conveying drive mechanism (23). Wherein, the pallet-side drive wheel is released during operation for a load-carrying element-side movement in the form of a rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis (20) and is blocked during the stationary state against a rotational movement about the pallet-side drive wheel axis (20).

9. The machine assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that - a pallet-side drive rack is provided as the pallet-side drive rod (21) of the conveying drive mechanism (23), a pallet-side drive gear is provided as the pallet-side drive wheel, and a common motor-side drive gear is provided as the common motor-side drive wheel, wherein the common motor-side drive gear is configured to mesh with the pallet-side drive rack and with the pallet-side drive gear, or - a pallet-side roller pin rack is provided as the pallet-side drive rod (21) of the conveying drive mechanism (23), a pallet-side roller pin gear is provided as the pallet-side drive wheel, and a common motor-side roller pin gear is provided as the common motor-side drive wheel, wherein the common motor-side roller pin gear is configured to mesh with the pallet-side roller pin rack and with the pallet-side roller pin gear.

10. The machine component according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The load-carrying element (14) is configured as a load-carrying belt that seamlessly surrounds the pallet frame (13) in the feed direction (15). The load-carrying belt can be driven by means of drive rollers, and the drive rollers themselves have drive roller axes extending in the transverse direction of the feed direction (15) of the load-carrying belt.

11. The machine component according to claim 10, wherein, The load-carrying belt is provided with load-carrying strips (16) on the workpiece side. The load-carrying strips are configured to support the workpiece during workpiece processing and / or to support the product of the workpiece processing.

12. The machine assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that - the upstream workpiece load-carrying part (11) is located upstream of the workpiece pallet (9) in the bracket-side position in the working area (3) of the processing equipment (2) conveyed in the material flow direction (10), and / or - the downstream workpiece load-carrying part (12) is located downstream of the workpiece pallet (9) in the bracket-side position in the working area (3) of the processing equipment (2) conveyed in the material flow direction (10), - wherein the workpiece pallet (9) on the one hand and the upstream workpiece load-carrying part (11) and / or the downstream workpiece load-carrying part (12) on the other hand are aligned with each other.

13. The machine component according to claim 12, wherein, A lifting device is provided by means of which the workpiece pallet (9) on the one hand and the upstream workpiece load-carrying part (11) and / or the downstream workpiece load-carrying part (12) on the other hand can be fed relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the workpiece load-carrying plane.

14. The machine component according to claim 13, characterized in that, On the one hand, the workpiece support plate (9), and on the other hand, the upstream workpiece receiving part (11) and / or the downstream workpiece receiving part (12) can be fed relative to each other in a manner perpendicular to the workpiece receiving plane to the following positions, and based on these positions, the upstream workpiece receiving part (11) and / or the downstream workpiece receiving part (12) can be at least partially passed by the workpiece support plate (9) by means of a conveying movement generated by the conveying device for the workpiece support plate (9).

15. The machine assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that - In addition to the workpiece support plate (9) configured as an active workpiece support plate, a passive workpiece support plate is provided, which has a support plate frame and receiving elements rigidly arranged on the support plate frame and configured to support the workpiece during workpiece machining. - The carrier bracket (27) is configured to selectively arrange the active workpiece support plate or the passive workpiece support plate in a bracket-side position in the working area (3) of the processing device (2). - By means of the conveying device, the active workpiece support plate or the passive workpiece support plate can be selectively conveyed relative to the carrier bracket (27) between a position outside the working area (3) of the processing device (2) and a bracket-side position in the working area (3) of the processing device (2) with a conveying movement.

16. The machine component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plate-shaped workpiece is a sheet (32).

17. The machine component according to claim 11, characterized in that, The receiving strips extend in a transverse direction of the feed direction (15) of the receiving belt and are spaced apart from each other in the feed direction (15) of the receiving belt.

18. The machine component according to claim 12, wherein, On the one hand, the workpiece support plate (9), and on the other hand, the upstream workpiece receiving part (11) and / or the downstream workpiece receiving part (12) are aligned with each other on the workpiece side in the material flow direction (10) in the use state.

Images