Changeover device for changing between at least two workpiece supports of a processing machine

Abstract

A changeover device for changing over between at least two workpiece supports of a machining machine, having a base frame with a carrier device, by means of which the at least two workpiece supports are movable in height, so that one of the workpiece supports can be transferred into a work plane in which the workpiece supports can be moved from the carrier device into the machining machine and guided therefrom, a lifting device acting between the base frame and the carrier device and by means of which the carrier device is movable in height relative to the base frame in order to assume the work plane in a first lifting position or at least one further lifting position for at least one workpiece support, the lifting device comprising a sliding slot plate which is movable horizontally and which moveably manipulates the carrier device together with the at least two workpiece supports between the first lifting position and the at least one further lifting position relative to the base frame.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a transfer device for the transfer between at least two workpiece supports of a processing machine, in particular a laser cutting machine, which are alternately moved into the processing machine and guided out of the processing machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] From DE 10 2016 117 681 A1 a transfer device is known for the transfer between at least two workpiece supports of a laser cutting machine for processing sheet-like workpieces. This transfer device, also referred to as pallet changer, comprises a base frame having a carrier device for the at least two workpiece supports. The carrier device is movable in height so that one of the workpiece supports can be transferred into a work plane in which the workpiece support can be moved from the carrier device into the processing machine and guided out of the processing machine. Between the base frame and the carrier device a lifting device is provided by means of which the carrier device is movable in height relative to the base frame from a first lifting position into at least one further lifting position so that at least one workpiece support can be arranged in the work plane.

[0003] The lifting device can be realized by means of a hydraulic cylinder, by means of a ball screw drive, a roller chain drive, an electric cylinder or a linear motor. Such lifting devices have proven successful in practice, but are costly due to the number of structural components.

[0004] From EP 0 457 104 A1 a tool transfer table for a flame cutting machine is known, which has at least two pallets which are alternately transported into a work area of the flame cutting machine. Here, during the transport one pallet is lowered onto a plane below the other pallet, wherein the lowered pallet is then displaced below the other pallet which is located in the work plane. At the end of the transport movement the pallet which is displaced in the work plane is guided out of the work area of the flame cutting machine, while the other pallet is lifted and transferred again into the work area of the flame cutting machine. A slide disc is provided for the lifting and lowering movement of the one pallet which is moved below the other pallet, which slide disc is horizontally movable along a base frame, which slide disc has inclined planes arranged in a V shape relative to each other as running surfaces for lifting and lowering the pallets. The V-shaped recesses in the slide disc are oriented open upwards. SUMMARY

[0005] The task on which the invention is based is to propose a transfer device for the transfer of at least two workpiece supports of a processing machine which realizes a simple construction for a process-reliable transfer of the workpiece supports.

[0006] The task is solved by a transfer device comprising a lifting device with at least one sliding seam plate, which is horizontally movable and which simultaneously movably manipulates a carrier device with at least two workpiece supports between at least two lifting positions relative to a base frame. The transfer device makes it possible for the carrier device to be movably manipulated between at least two lifting positions by a lifting movement in the vertical direction, so that in each of the lifting positions the workpiece supports are transferred into a work plane in which they can be introduced into and guided out of a machining machine. Furthermore, such a transfer device has the advantage that it is configured short in the longitudinal extension. By manipulating the carrier device by means of only a vertical lifting and lowering movement by means of the at least one sliding seam plate, the movement movement is simplified and thus the process reliability is improved.

[0007] Advantageously, a respective sliding seam plate is provided on both sides of the carrier device. This makes it possible to provide a simple configuration in the case of a simultaneous manipulation of the movement movement of the sliding seam plates.

[0008] In order to perform the lifting movement of the carrier device, at least two carrier rollers are provided on the base frame and at least two running rollers are provided on the carrier device, wherein at least one plate-like sliding seam plate is movably arranged and guided between the carrier rollers and the running rollers. In this way, the lifting movement between the at least two lifting positions can be realized cost-advantageously without hydraulic devices and with few components. Furthermore, the production of the plate-like sliding seam plates is cost-advantageous.

[0009] The carrier rollers and the running rollers preferably have a guide contour in their respective running faces, by which the plate-like sliding seam plate is guided between the carrier rollers and the running rollers. Advantageously, the guide contour can be configured by a U-shaped or groove-shaped recess. Thereby, the respective lateral annular flanges of the running rollers and the carrier rollers engage around the outside of the plate-like sliding seam plate. This configuration of the running rollers and the carrier rollers is sufficient to guide the plate-like sliding seam plate in an upright arrangement between them, so that no further guide devices are required on the base frame of the transfer device.

[0010] Furthermore, the carrier rollers and the running rollers are preferably arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding seam plate and preferably have a lateral positional deviation of less than 1 mm. Thereby, a statically stable arrangement is provided. Furthermore, lateral displacement forces acting on the sliding seam plate are eliminated. The running rollers corresponding to the carrier rollers preferably correspond essentially vertically above the carrier rollers.

[0011] On at least one slide plate of the lifting device, preferably on each slide plate, a drive element is provided which cooperates with a complementary drive element, wherein one of the two drive elements is operated by a drive motor. By means of these drive elements it is possible to operate the movement of the slide plate along the base frame in a simple manner. For example, a gear or toothed pinion and a rack which cooperate with one another can be provided as drive elements.

[0012] The slide plates which are preferably arranged on both sides of the carrier device have corresponding drive elements and are advantageously driven by a common drive shaft by means of a drive motor. Thereby it is possible to operate a synchronous lifting movement by means of a simultaneous movement of the slide plates in order to carry out a lifting movement.

[0013] Furthermore, a guide is preferably provided between the base frame and the carrier device, by means of which the carrier device is guided during a lifting movement carried out by the lifting device, in which the carrier device is moved vertically in height relative to the base frame. Thereby it is possible to prevent a turning of the workpiece support relative to the base frame. Furthermore, the workpiece support remains aligned in the direction of movement in and out relative to the machining machine.

[0014] The guide preferably consists of at least one round guide which is held on the carrier support and at least two, preferably three sliding guides which are arranged on the carrier support, wherein preferably at least one round guide and / or at least one sliding guide is arranged on both mutually opposite outer sides of the carrier device on which the lifting device also acts. The round guide enables a position fixation of the carrier device relative to the base frame. The sliding guides, in particular the three sliding guides, prevent a turning of the carrier device relative to the base frame.

[0015] In order to operate the lifting movement, the slide plate of the lifting device advantageously comprises an upper end section and a lower end section, each of which is oriented horizontally and between which at least one ascending curve extension is present, wherein for this curve extension a ramp with a self-locking is provided for the lifting movement of the carrier device. Irrespective of the positioning accuracy of the drive, both horizontally oriented end sections enable a reliable vertical position of the carrier device. This in turn enables cost savings. Due to the self-locking ramp of the curve extension of the slide plate, the carrier device remains in its position in the event of an emergency stop during the lifting movement.

[0016] The horizontal movement of the slide plate is advantageously limited on both sides by corresponding stops which are preferably arranged on the base frame. Thereby it is prevented that the slide plate is unintentionally guided out of the superimposed carrier rollers and running rollers and that the carrier device falls out of the base frame.

[0017] Advantageously, in the end position of the sliding web in which the sliding web rests against the end stop, the drive elements are arranged in a decoupled state relative to one another. Here, the sliding web is preferably also guided between the load rollers and the running rollers. The occupation of the decoupled position of the drive wheels enables the automatic stopping of the transfer device in the event of a fault.

[0018] Advantageously, a height-adjustable stop is provided between the base frame and the carrier device, on which the carrier device rests in a lower or first lifting position, in which the sliding web of the lifting device is held by the load rollers and the running rollers between the carrier device and the base frame without a load. This arrangement enables the simple exchange of the sliding web in the event of damage or the adaptation of the lifting position to a new work plane or the adaptation of a curved ramp. In this way, the lifting time or the lifting force can be varied and adapted to different requirements: the flatter the curved route, the smaller the required lifting force, but at the same time the lifting time is prolonged. If the machining machine, in particular a laser machine, should only machine workpieces of small thickness (thin sheet material), a steeper curved route can thus be selected, so that the lifting takes place more quickly. When machining workpieces with large thickness, a flatter curved route is selected. Additional load lifting means for holding the carrier device or the like are not required for this conversion of the sliding web.

[0019] A preferred extension of the sliding web provides at least one further horizontal end section between the horizontal upper and lower end sections. For example, in the case of a lower horizontal end section, a middle horizontal end section and an upper horizontal end section, the carrier device can be set to three lifting positions. In this case, the carrier device can receive three workpiece supports and enables the conversion of any one of the three workpiece supports.

[0020] Similarly, the transfer device according to the application can have a carrier device for two workpiece supports and a sliding web with three horizontal end sections. Here, the horizontal end sections of the sliding web can be coordinated with two transfer planes at different heights. In this way, two different transfer planes can be operated with the same transfer device (for example, the work planes of two different machining machines at different heights, or on the one hand the work plane of a machining machine and on the other hand a loading and unloading plane of a loading and unloading device for loading and unloading the transfer device outside the machining machine, which is different from the work plane of the machining machine).

[0021] According to one embodiment, the carrier device has at least two U-shaped longitudinal profiles which are connected to one another, in particular by transverse struts, and form a closed framework, wherein the open U-shaped longitudinal profiles point towards one another, so that each leg of the U-shaped longitudinal profiles forms a running surface for the workpiece supports carried on the rollers. This in turn provides a cost-advantageous construction.

[0022] Advantageously, height-adjustable feet are provided on the base frame, by means of which the work plane and at least one lifting position of the carrier device can be adjusted to the height of the travel track of the machining machine, in order to move the workpiece supports in and out. It is thereby possible to move the workpiece supports into and out of the machining machine without impact.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the base frame of the conversion device comprises two U-shaped, preferably upwardly open lateral carriers which are arranged spaced apart from one another, wherein preferably one end region is fixedly connected to the base body of the machining machine by means of a screw connection and the opposite end region is fixedly connected to one another by means of a transverse web or panel. Direct attachment to the machining machine is thereby possible. Furthermore, a rigid, approximately closed frame can be formed for the base frame. According to an alternative configuration of the base frame, the base frame consists of two separately erectable L-shaped lateral carriers, wherein preferably again one end region of the base frame is fixedly connected to the base body of the machining machine by means of a screw connection and the opposite end region is fixedly connected to one another by means of a transverse web or panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The application and further advantageous embodiments and extensions will be described and explained in more detail below on the basis of the embodiments shown in the drawings. The features derived from the description and the drawings can be used individually themselves or in any combination with one another. It shows:

[0025] Figure 1 Perspective view of a machining installation with a machining machine and a conversion device,

[0026] Figure 2 Perspective view of a conversion device according to Figure 1 in a first lifting position,

[0027] Figure 3 Perspective view of a conversion device according to Figure 2 in a further lifting position,

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic top view of a conversion device with workpiece supports not shown,

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic side view of a conversion device according to Figure 3 ,

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic detail view of the base frame of the conversion device and of the carrier device,

[0031] Figure 7 According to Figure 2 Perspective detail view of the guide of the carrier device according to

[0032] Figure 8 According to Figure 2 Perspective view of a further guide of the carrier device according to

[0033] Figure 9 Perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the conversion device according to Figure 2

[0034] Figure 10 Perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of the conversion device according to Figure 2

[0035] Perspective view of the base frame and of the carrier device in a first raised position according to Figure 11 Figure 10 Perspective view of the base frame and of the carrier device in a further raised position according to

[0036] Figure 12 Figure 10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] A perspective view of a machining plant 11 for cutting machining of a plate-like material 12 composed of metal is shown in Figure 1 The machining plant 11 comprises a machining machine 14, which in the shown embodiment is a laser cutting machine. The machining machine 14 can alternatively also be a plasma cutting machine or a punching / laser combination machine. The machining machine 14 comprises a housing 15. Inside the housing 15 there is arranged a machining station 16 in which a cutting unit 17 with at least one laser cutting head can be moved in a horizontal movement plane.

[0038] ​​​​A loading and unloading station 19 is arranged outside the housing 15. This loading and unloading station 19 comprises at least one transfer device 21 for at least two workpiece supports 22, 23. In addition and not shown in more detail, the transfer device 21 can be assigned a handling device with which a plate-shaped material 12 in unprocessed form, i.e. in raw material form, is placed onto the workpiece support 22 before the workpiece support 22 is moved into the machining station 16. Thereafter, the plate-shaped material 12 is machined to produce workpieces 24, in particular parts of acceptable quality. Here, also the residual parts or residual grid 25 are produced at the same time. After the workpiece support 21 has been moved out of the machining station 16, the workpieces 24 and / or the residual parts or residual grid 25 can be removed manually or by means of the handling device.

[0039] The workpiece supports 22, 23 are moved in and out through an opening 26 in the housing 15. This opening 26 can be closed by a closure element, not shown in more detail, such as a door or a flap, and is opened during the movement of the workpiece supports 22, 23.

[0040] In Figure 2 a perspective view of the transfer device 21 in a first lifting position 28 is shown. Figure 3 The transfer device 21 is shown in a further lifting position 29. The transfer device 21 comprises a base frame 31 with a carrier device 32 which can be moved back and forth between the first lifting position 28 and at least one further lifting position 29 along a guide 34. A lifting device 36 is provided for this lifting movement of at least two workpiece supports 22, 23 in the carrier device 32, which acts between the base frame 31 and the carrier device 32.

[0041] The base frame 31 is formed by two U-shaped lateral carriers 38 which are fixed at a distance from one another by at least one transverse web 39 Figure 3 and / or an end-side panel 41 Figure 4 . Thereby a closed frame can be formed. Height-adjustable feet 43 are arranged on the bottom side of the lateral carriers 38 to orient the base frame 31 or the workpiece supports 22, 23 in the working plane such that the base frame or the workpiece supports can be moved in and out of the machining station 16 without impact.

[0042] The lifting device 36 comprises at least two carrying rollers 45 which are rotatably mounted at a distance from one another on the lateral carriers 38. Furthermore, the lifting device 36 comprises two running rollers 46 which are arranged laterally of the carrying device 32 outside the receiving area of the workpiece supports 22, 23 for receiving the sheet-like material 12. Between the carrying rollers 45 and the running rollers 46 a sliding seam plate 47 is provided. This sliding seam plate 47 is configured in a plate-like manner and can also be referred to as a curved track plate. The running rollers 46 and the carrying rollers 45 have a U-shaped recess in their respective running faces in order to guide the sliding seam plate 47 in an upright arrangement between the carrying rollers 45 and the running rollers 46.

[0043] Furthermore, a drive element 48 is detachably fixed or configured in one piece on the sliding seam plate 47. This drive element 48 interacts with a complementary drive element 49. Thereby, a horizontal movement of the sliding seam plate 47 can be actuated.

[0044] This arrangement consisting of the carrying rollers 45, the running rollers 46 and the sliding seam plate 47 arranged therebetween is preferably provided on both sides on the outside of the carrying device 32. Thereby, a uniform lifting movement and unhindered in- and out-movement of the workpiece supports 22, 23 relative to the carrying device 32 is provided.

[0045] When the first lifting position 28 of the conversion device 21 is occupied, the sliding seam plate 47 is moved to the left (Fig. 2). Figure 2 In this first lifting position 28, the carrying device 32 is lowered. This first lifting position 28 enables the upper workpiece support 22 to be arranged in that the upper workpiece support 22 can be moved into and out of the working position of the machining machine 14.

[0046] The carrying device 32 consists, for example, of two open U-shaped longitudinal profiles 53 which are oriented pointing towards one another. The longitudinal profiles 53 are preferably spaced apart from one another by means of transverse struts 54 and form, inter alia, a closed frame. The two parallel oriented legs of the U-shaped longitudinal profiles 53 preferably each form a running face 56, 57 for the workpiece supports 22, 23, wherein the workpiece supports 22, 23 each comprise rollers for their movable arrangement. The height of the longitudinal profiles 53 is adapted to the frame height or the total height of the workpiece supports so that the workpiece supports can be received in the carrying device 32 in a parallel stacked manner.

[0047] A perspective view of the conversion device 21 according to the application in a further lifting position 29 is shown in Figure 3 . The sliding seam plate 47 has been moved to the position on the right. Thereby, the carrying device 32 is raised relative to the first lifting position 28 in Figure 2 . Figure 2

[0048] ​For the purpose of actuating the lifting movement, a drive 61, in particular an electric motor, with a transmission which drives a drive shaft 62 is provided. This is shown in a top view in Figure 4 At the respective end of the drive shaft 62, a complementary drive element 49, in particular a toothed pinion, is preferably provided, by means of which a drive element 48, in particular a rack, which is arranged on the sliding plate 47 and is fixedly connected to the sliding plate 47, is driven. By means of the synchronous drive movement of the drive element 49, a simultaneous movement of the two sliding plates 47 can be introduced in order to lift or lower the carrier device 32.

[0049] According to the embodiment in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The lifting device 36 comprises a sliding plate which has an upper horizontal end section 64 and a lower horizontal end section 65 and has a curved extension 66 between the upper horizontal end section and the lower horizontal end section. By means of this, a first lifting position 28 or lower lifting position according to Figure 2 and a further lifting position 29 or upper lifting position according to Figure 3 can be actuated. The curved extension 66 preferably comprises a ramp with a self-locking portion, so that in the event of a failure of the drive 61, the carrier device 32 is positioned in a self-retaining manner in the position to which it was last moved when the drive 61 was stopped. By means of this, a safety function against unintentional lowering is provided. Preferably, a transition region with a gentler ramp is provided between the upper end section 64 and the curved extension 66 and / or between the lower end section 65 and the curved extension 66 for a smooth start when lifting or lowering.

[0050] Figure 5 A schematic side view of the conversion device 21 according to Figure 3 is shown, wherein the opposite side of the conversion device 21 is shown with respect to Figure 3 The running rollers 46 on the carrier device 32 are preferably located above the carrier rollers 45 which are fixed on the base frame 31. By means of this, an optimum load dissipation can be provided when the carrier device 32 is lifted and lowered. For the purpose of occupying the first lifting position 28 and the further lifting position 29, the actuation of the sliding plate 47 with a tolerance can be provided by means of the upper horizontal end section 64 and the lower horizontal end section 65.

[0051] The end position of the slide plate 47 of the lifting device 36 on the left side is shown in which the stop 51 prevents a movement to the left or the slide plate 47 rests against the stop 51. Opposite thereto a further stop 51 is provided. In this position of the slide plate 47, in which the slide plate 47 rests against the right or left stop 51, the drive element 49 does not cooperate with the drive element 48. This relates to a failure scenario, however, in the case of which it is ensured that the carrier device 32 cannot be unintentionally lowered. In order to continue the activation, the slide plate 47 can be displaced again to the right or to the left, so that the drive elements 48, 49 again act on one another to actuate a lifting movement.

[0052] In Figure 6 a partial perspective view of the base frame 31 and the carrier device 32 is shown. It can be seen thereby that the workpiece supports 22, 23 rest on rollers 67 which are placed on the running surface 56 of the longitudinal profiles 53 of the carrier device 32. In addition, a preferably height-adjustable stop 71 is provided on the base frame 31 by means of which the maximum lowerable height of the carrier device 32 relative to the base frame 31 can be set. This stop 71 enables the slide plate 47 in the arrangement according to Figure 2 to be guided only between the running rollers 46 and the carrier rollers 45. The carrier device 32 rests on the stop 71 on the base frame 31. Thereby, the slide plate 47 is not loaded and can be simply guided out between the two carrier rollers 45 and the running rollers 46 and a new slide plate 47 inserted.

[0053] The carrier device 32 is guided on the base frame 31 by preferably four guides 34. The guides 34 are arranged close to the respective corner region of the workpiece supports 22, 23. This can be seen in the top view according to Figure 4 .

[0054] In this embodiment of the conversion device 21 according to Figures 2 to 6 one of the guides 34 is configured as a round guide 73. Such a round guide 73 is shown in perspective in Figure 7 . The round guide 73 is held by a carrier support 76 relative to the lateral carrier 38 of the base frame 31. By means of this round guide 73, the carrier device 32 is fixed relative to the base frame 31 about a vertical axis. In addition, three guides 34 are configured as slide guides 74 shown in Figure 8 . Here, a slide surface 75 rests against a carrier support 76 which is fixed to the lateral carrier 38 of the base frame 31. By means of this arrangement, a correct positioning of the carrier device 32 relative to the base frame 31 is maintained and a rotation thereof relative to one another is prevented.

[0055] In this embodiment of the conversion device 21 according to Figure 2 and Figure 3In the above-described diagram of the conversion device 21, it is possible to provide Figure 1 the lateral paneling 78 shown in Fig. 8, which has been removed in the other figures in order to be able to see the structure and function of the lifting device 36.

[0056] In Fig. 8, a side view of the conversion device 21 with an alternative embodiment of the lifting device 36 is shown, which is relative to the above-described embodiments of the conversion device 21. Figure 9 In Fig. 8, a side view of the conversion device 21 with an alternative embodiment of the lifting device 36 is shown, which is relative to the above-described embodiments of the conversion device 21. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this lifting device 36, differently from the sliding panel 47 explained above, a further horizontal section 68 is provided between the upper end section 64 and the lower end section 65. Thereby, it is possible to transport the carrier device 32 to the first lifting position 28, to an intermediate lifting position due to the horizontal section 68, and to the upper lifting position 29 through the upper end section 64. The carrier device 32 preferably has two longitudinally arranged profiles 53 arranged one above the other in order to receive three workpiece supports 22, 23, 69. It is to be understood that the number of workpiece supports can be increased accordingly when the sliding panel 47 is configured to have a further horizontal section between the end sections 64, 65. In all other respects, the embodiments and advantageous configurations relating to the above-described embodiments according to Figures 1 to 8 apply.

[0057] Figure 10 A perspective view of the conversion device 21 relative to an alternative embodiment of Figure 2 and Figure 3 is shown in Fig. 8. In this embodiment, the base frame 31 is configured differently from the embodiments according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the current embodiment, the base frame 31 consists of two preferably L-shaped lateral carriers 38 arranged symmetrically relative to each other. The lateral carriers 38 are preferably configured to be self-supporting.

[0058] On the respective inner side of the vertical section of the L-shaped lateral carriers 38, a guide 34 is provided along which the carrier device 32 can be moved back and forth. The carrier device 32, the lifting device 36, and the drive 61 with the drive shaft 62 correspond to the above-described embodiments according to Figures 1 to 9 .

[0059] Similar to Figure 4 , the lateral carriers 38 can be connected to each other at the end sections by means of transverse webs or paneling 41. At the opposite end regions, the L-shaped lateral carriers 38 are connected, in particular screwed, to the base body of the machining machine 14.

[0060] Figure 11 A perspective view of the conversion device 21 with an alternative embodiment of the lifting device 36 according to Figure 10A perspective view of the base frame 31 of the support device 32, wherein workpiece supports 22 and 23 are not shown for clarity. The longitudinal profile 53 of the support device 32 is provided at the first lifting position 28. In this embodiment of the base frame 31, the transverse support columns 54 extending between the longitudinal profiles 53 of the support device 32 can be omitted.

[0061] Figure 12 The text shows the relationship with... Figure 11 A similar conversion device 21, wherein the longitudinal profile 53 of the supporting device 32 has been moved to another lifting position 29 or an upper lifting position 29. As per... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The lifting motion is controlled and executed in the same way as in the conversion device 21.

[0062] According to Figures 10 to 12 In this conversion device 21, the guides 34 are configured as linear or longitudinal guides, preferably two, and more preferably identical, guides 34 are provided on each lateral support 38. The guides 34 are fixed to the lateral support 38 at a certain distance from each other, so that the sliding plate 47 can move horizontally between them. It is also possible to provide stops 51 for limiting the movement of the sliding plate 47 between the corresponding ends of the movement stroke of the sliding plate 47 and the corresponding associated guides 34, at which the drive elements 48, 49 do not engage.

Claims

1. A conversion device for switching between at least two workpiece supports for a machining machine (14), comprising: - a base frame (31) having a support device (32) for at least two workpiece supports, the at least two workpiece supports being movable in height by means of the support device (32) such that one of the workpiece supports can be transferred to a working plane in which the one workpiece support can be moved from the support device (32) into and out of the machining machine (14), and - having a lifting device (36) acting between the base frame (31) and the support device (32), by means of which the support device (32) is movable in height relative to the base frame (31) to occupy the working plane in a first lifting position (28) or at least one additional lifting position (29) for a corresponding one of the workpiece supports, characterized in that, - Lifting devices (36) with plate-shaped sliding plates (47) are respectively provided on both sides of the bearing device (32), wherein the sliding plates are movably guided in the horizontal direction between at least two bearing rollers (45) arranged on the base frame (31) and at least two running rollers (46) arranged on the bearing device (32), and the bearing device (32) together with the at least two workpiece supports are movably manipulated relative to the base frame (31) between the first lifting position (28) and the at least one other lifting position (29). Each sliding plate (47) is provided with a drive element configured as a rack, which works together with a complementary drive element configured as a drive pinion and is movably manipulated by the complementary drive element, wherein a common drive shaft (62) driven by a drive motor acts on the complementary drive element.

2. The conversion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The carrying roller (45) and the running roller (46) have guide profiles in their respective running surfaces, through which a plate-shaped sliding joint plate (47) is guided between the carrying roller (45) and the running roller (46).

3. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The at least two load-bearing rollers are rotatably arranged on the base frame.

4. The conversion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide profile is a U-shaped guide profile.

5. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The bearing roller (45) and the running roller (46) are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sliding plate (47).

6. The conversion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide profile is a groove-shaped guide profile.

7. The conversion device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bearing roller (45) and the running roller (46) have a lateral position deviation of less than 1 mm perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sliding plate (47).

8. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sliding plate (47) of the lifting device (36) has an upper end section and a lower end section, the upper end section and the lower end section being constructed to extend horizontally and having an upward curved extension (66) between them, the curved extension having a ramp with a self-locking part for the lifting movement of the bearing device (32).

9. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The horizontal movement of the sliding joint plate (47) is limited on both sides by corresponding end stops (51).

10. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A height-adjustable stop (71) is provided between the base frame (31) and the bearing device (32). The bearing device (32) is placed on the height-adjustable stop in a first lifting position (28). In the first lifting position, the sliding plate (47) is held between the bearing device (32) and the base frame (31) without loading by the bearing roller (45) and the running roller (46).

11. The conversion device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The sliding joint plate (47) has at least one additional horizontal end section between the horizontal upper end section and the lower end section, and a corresponding curved extension (66) is provided between the upper end section, the lower end section and the at least one additional horizontal end section, and the supporting device (32) receives a number of workpiece supports corresponding to the number of the upper end section, the lower end section and the at least one additional horizontal end section.

12. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A guide (34) is provided between the base frame (31) and the support device (32), through which the support device (32) is vertically movable relative to the base frame (31).

13. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The support device (32) has at least two U-shaped longitudinal profiles (53).

14. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Height-adjustable legs (43) are provided on the base frame (31), which enable the working plane in the first lifting position (28) or at least one other lifting position (29) to be set at the travel track height of the machining machine (14) for moving the workpiece support in and out.

15. The conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The base frame (31) includes two L-shaped lateral support members that can be erected separately or two U-shaped lateral support members arranged spaced apart from each other.

16. The conversion device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The end stop is disposed on the base frame (31).

17. The conversion device according to claim 9, characterized in that, If the sliding plate abuts against the end stop (51) with its end section, the drive element of the sliding plate (47) is decoupled from the complementary drive element.

18. The conversion device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The guide (34) is constructed as a linear guide.

19. The conversion device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The guide (34) is configured as at least one circular guide (73) and at least two sliding guides (74).

20. The conversion device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The guide (34) is constructed as at least one circular guide (73) and three sliding guides (74).

21. The conversion device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The longitudinal profiles are interconnected by transverse supports (54) to form a closed frame, wherein the open sides of the longitudinal profiles (53) are oriented facing each other, and each leg of the longitudinal profiles (53) forms a running surface for supporting the workpiece on the roller (67).

22. The conversion device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The U-shaped lateral support member is oriented upwards.

23. The conversion device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The end regions of the L-shaped lateral support or the U-shaped lateral support are fixedly connected to the base of the processing machine (14) by a spiral connection.

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