System and method for cleaning with a nozzle in a cutting apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for cleaning a cutting device. The cutting apparatus includes a housing defining an operating chamber and a cleaning system. The cleaning system is disposed within the operating chamber and includes one or more nozzles oriented toward one or more surfaces within the operating chamber. The cleaning system is configured to dispense pressurized fluid toward one or more surfaces.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Some cutting devices include an operating chamber and a door. The cutting device performs a cutting operation in the operating chamber, and the door is used to open or close, thereby providing access to the operating chamber or closing access to the operating chamber. In addition, the cutting device can only perform a cutting operation after the door closes the operating chamber.

[0002] During the cutting operation, debris may be ejected from the sample being cut. Some cutting devices also require the use of a cutting coolant during the cutting operation. The cutting debris and / or coolant may be distributed or splashed around the interior chamber of the cutting device, and the cutting debris and / or coolant may adhere to one or more interior surfaces of the cutting device or other components while the cutting operation is in progress.

[0003] Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and / or methods for cleaning debris and / or coolant from cutting equipment and components thereof. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a cleaning system for cutting equipment. The cleaning system is capable of cleaning one or more surfaces of the cutting equipment before, during and / or after a cutting operation. An example cutting equipment includes a housing defining an operating chamber and a cleaning system. The cleaning system is arranged in the operating chamber and includes one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces in the operating chamber. The cleaning system is configured to distribute a pressurized fluid toward one or more surfaces to achieve cleaning thereof.

[0005] By considering the following detailed description of embodiments, drawings and claims, other features, advantages and embodiments of the present application can be set forth or become apparent. In addition, it should be understood that the above overview of the present invention and the following detailed description of embodiments are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the claimed application. However, the detailed description of embodiments and specific examples only indicate some embodiments of the present application. According to the detailed description of embodiments, a variety of different changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present application will become apparent to those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 Example cutting apparatus including one or more nozzles according to aspects of the present disclosure are presented.

[0007] Figure 2A and Figure 2B A perspective view of an example cutting apparatus including one or more nozzles according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0008] Figure 3A top view of an example cutting apparatus including one or more nozzles according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Disclosed example systems and methods for cleaning cutting equipment are provided. In particular, the cutting equipment includes a housing defining an operating chamber and a cleaning system. The cleaning system is arranged in the operating chamber and includes one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces in the operating chamber. The cleaning system is configured to distribute pressurized fluid toward one or more surfaces. In some examples, the cutting equipment includes a control system for controlling the operation of the cleaning system before, during, and / or after the cutting operation.

[0010] The disclosed cleaning system solves the problem of debris, gravel, solvents, etc. accumulating in corners and / or on surfaces of cutting equipment. If such debris is allowed to remain in place for a period of time, it may harden and become increasingly difficult to remove. Due to the chemical composition of the debris, the debris may also cause premature corrosion of one or more components of the cutting system (e.g., saw blades, motors, moving parts, etc.).

[0011] Advantageously, the disclosed cleaning system may reduce the amount of time required for an operator to adequately clean a cutting device and extend the useful life of the cutting device.

[0012] In a disclosed example, a cutting device includes: a shell that defines an operating chamber; and a cleaning system that is arranged in the operating chamber, the cleaning system including one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces in the operating chamber, wherein the cleaning system is configured to distribute pressurized fluid toward the one or more surfaces.

[0013] In some examples, the position or orientation of one or more nozzles is fixed. In some examples, the position or orientation of one or more nozzles is adjustable.

[0014] In some examples, a cutting tool is arranged in the operating chamber to perform a cutting operation on the sample. In an example, a platform is used to support the sample, wherein the cutting tool is configured to cut the sample on the platform. In an example, the platform is configured to allow fluid to flow to the bottom of the housing for removal through a drain.

[0015] In some examples, the control system operates the cleaning system before, during, or after the cutting operation. In some examples, the fluid source provides fluid to the cleaning system. In an example, an inlet valve connects the fluid source to the cleaning system.

[0016] In some examples, one or more valves are arranged at or between one or more nozzles to control fluid flow through the cleaning system.In an example, a door connected to the housing opens and / or closes the operating chamber.

[0017] In some examples, the one or more surfaces include a wall, a floor, or a top plate of the housing, such that one or more of the wall, the floor, or the top plate define one or more boundaries of the operating chamber. In an example, one or more coolant nozzles are used to deliver a coolant fluid to a cutting surface of the sample. In an example, the one or more coolant nozzles are mounted to a cutting tool.

[0018] In some disclosed examples, a cutting device includes: a shell that defines an operating chamber; a cleaning system that is arranged in the operating chamber, the cleaning system including one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces in the operating chamber, wherein the cleaning system is configured to distribute pressurized fluid toward the one or more surfaces; and a control system that is used to operate the cleaning system before, during, or after a cutting operation.

[0019] In some examples, the control system is configured to receive instructions corresponding to cleaning system operations from a user interface, a cutting operation program, or a remote computer.

[0020] As used herein, the word "exemplary" means used as an example, instance, or illustration. The examples described herein are not restrictive, but merely exemplary. It should be understood that the described examples are not necessarily to be interpreted as being preferred or advantageous over other examples. In addition, the term "example" does not require that all examples of the present disclosure include the discussed features, advantages, or modes of operation.

[0021] In order to promote an understanding of the principles of the claimed technology and present its best mode of operation currently understood, reference will now be made to the examples shown in the accompanying drawings and specific language will be used to describe these examples. However, it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed technology, as any changes and further modifications of the illustrated devices and further applications of the principles of the claimed technology illustrated herein are generally within the scope of those skilled in the art to which the claimed technology belongs.

[0022] Turning to the attached figure, Figures 1 to 3 A cutting device 100 is shown, which includes a housing 101 and a door 110, and a cleaning system 120 therein. As shown, the housing 101 is generally in the shape of a hollow square box, with an operating chamber 107 therein. The operating chamber 107 can be used to accommodate a cutting tool 112 as shown, but can also include one or more other devices (as a list of non-limiting examples) for processing, preparing, testing or otherwise changing a sample.

[0023] The cutting tool 112 is configured to perform a cutting operation on a sample (not shown) in the operating chamber 107. The housing 101 includes a top 105 and a bottom 106 opposite to each other, and the bottom 106 of the housing 101 is used to support on the ground or work surface. The housing 101 also includes a front portion 108 and a rear portion opposite to the front portion 108, and the front portion includes one or more user interfaces 134 (e.g., a display, a touch screen, a control knob, a joystick, a switch, etc.).

[0024] In some examples, the door 110 is configured to be movably disposed at the front portion 108 of the housing 101. As the door 110 moves left and right relative to the housing 101, the operation chamber 107 can be opened or closed. Figures 1 to 3 In the example of FIG. 1 , the door 110 is in the open position, and the door 110 can move along the length direction L between the closed position and the open position (eg, as shown in FIG. 1 ). Figure 2B ). When the door 110 is in the closed position, the door 110 closes the operating chamber 107, and the cutting device 100 can perform a cutting operation. For example, the cutting tool 112 includes a blade 114 for cutting or changing a sample. The cutting tool 112 and / or the blade 114 can be controlled to move relative to the sample (e.g., up and down, left and right) (e.g., via one or more control circuits, in response to user input, etc.), and the sample can be arranged on the platform 116. During the cutting operation, one or more coolant nozzles 123 are used to deliver a fluid (e.g., a coolant, a gas, water, a chemical detergent, etc.) to the cutting surface of the sample, and can be configured to operate synchronously with the blade 114. In some examples, the coolant nozzle 123 can be mounted to the cutting tool 112 and can be fixedly connected to one or more flexible or semi-flexible conduits, which can be manipulated to guide the fluid to flow to the cutting surface.

[0025] When the cutting operation is completed, the door 110 moves to its open position. When the door 110 is in the open position, the door 110 opens the operation chamber 107. For ease of description only, the up-down direction refers to the height direction H, the left-right direction refers to the length direction L, and the front-back direction refers to the width direction W. Figure 2B shown.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning system 120 is arranged in the operating chamber 107 of the housing 101. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , the cleaning system 120 includes a fluid source 130 (eg, Figure 3The nozzles 122 may be arranged in corners leading into the interior of the cutting device 100 and / or directed into the corners of the interior of the cutting device, and these nozzles are oriented to spray fluid (e.g., recirculated coolant, etc.) into corners that are difficult for an operator to reach and / or clean.

[0027] By activating the nozzle 122, such as before, during, or after a cutting operation, chips and other debris are prevented from accumulating in such hard-to-clean areas of the cutting device 100. As a result, the operator spends less time keeping the machine and its components clean, advantageously allowing more time to be spent cutting samples. As used herein, chips are defined as splinters, dust, pieces of metal, wood, and / or plastic (as a list of non-limiting examples). Chips may be the result of a machining process (e.g., a cutting operation) that generates chips or waste when machining a sample.

[0028] As in Figure 2A As shown in the example of , the housing 101 also includes a partition 131 connected to the housing 101, which is used to divide the interior of the housing 101 to form an operation chamber 107 and a control chamber located on the left side of the operation chamber 107. The control chamber is used to accommodate a control system 128 (e.g., a control and / or network circuit system, not shown in the drawings), which is used to control the cutting tool 112 and / or the cleaning system 120. For example, the control system 128 can receive instructions and / or commands corresponding to the desired cleaning system operation from a user interface 134, a cutting operation program (e.g., stored in a memory storage device connected to the control system), a remote computer, and / or from a remote control device (e.g., a computer, a networked controller, etc.) to start the cutting tool 112 and / or the cleaning system 120.

[0029] The cleaning system 120 can be operated at multiple different points during the operation of the cutting device 100. For example, one or more nozzles 122 can be activated simultaneously with the cutting tool 112 to prevent debris from being deposited in corners and / or surfaces of the housing 101. One or more nozzles can be operated during a flushing cycle (e.g., before and / or after a cutting operation) to flush debris that has been deposited on the surface or in a corner. One or more nozzles can be operated while the operator is using a flushing gun 136, thereby helping the operator flush the debris into a drain. The fluid from the cleaning operation can flush debris, sand, and / or other particles or debris attached to the surface, thereby causing the debris to drip by gravity into a reservoir or drain below the platform 116, where the debris can be disposed of.

[0030] Figure 2B Another perspective view of the cutting device from a top angle is shown, with the various dimensions L, H, W of the housing 101 labeled.

[0031] Figure 3 1 shows a top view of the cleaning device with the top of the housing 101 removed to reveal the operating chamber 107. Figure 3 As shown, the nozzles 122 may be arranged substantially along the length L of the housing 101. The plurality of nozzles 122 are disposed toward surfaces prone to debris accumulation, such as corners of the operating chamber 107. The fluid inlet valve 132 may receive fluid from the fluid source 130 to implement a cleaning process.

[0032] The nozzles 122 can be arranged at one or more predetermined angles so as to direct the fluid 152 to flow in one or more surface areas of the operating chamber 107. At the predetermined angle, the fluid stream can reach a concentrated but still considerable coverage area within the device 100. As shown, the nozzles 122 are arranged along the bottom 106 of the housing 101. In some examples, the nozzles can be arranged and / or suspended in the operating chamber along the sides, top, corners. In some examples, the nozzles 122 are in a fixed position and / or orientation within the housing 101. In additional or alternative examples, the position and / or orientation of one or more nozzles can be adjusted manually and / or via one or more actuators.

[0033] Figure 3 The example device 100 of FIG. 1 shows four nozzles 122 at specific locations within the operating chamber 107, however, any suitable number of nozzles may be employed in any specific arrangement and any specific orientation, which may be based on the design of the housing, the number of hard-to-clean areas, the overall size of the device, and / or other design factors. By setting the number, spacing, and / or orientation of the nozzles 122, the cleaning operation can be focused on hard-to-reach and / or hard-to-clean areas or areas that require additional cleaning.

[0034] In some examples of the present disclosure, the fluid is compressed air with a certain pressure suitable for cleaning specific surfaces and / or materials. In this way, the fluid from each nozzle 122 also has a certain pressure. In some examples, the pressure of one or more nozzles may be different from the pressure of another nozzle.

[0035] In some examples, the cleaning system 120 is made of one or more suitable materials (such as metal, plastic, glass, etc.), and the nozzle 122 can be made integrally by a machining process. One or more valves can be used in the system 120, such as an inlet valve 132 that connects the cleaning system to the fluid source 130. Although shown as being away from the housing 101, in some examples, the fluid source 130 is combined with the housing 101. Additionally or alternatively, a valve can be used at each nozzle 122 and / or between the nozzles to control a separate output. In addition, the valve can be adjusted manually and / or in response to a control input (e.g., from a control system).

[0036] In some additional or alternative examples, the disclosed cleaning system has a simple structure that can be incorporated into existing cutting equipment (e.g., retrofitted) with only moderate modifications to the existing cutting equipment. In addition, the cleaning system has a significant cleaning effect on the operating chamber surface and will therefore simplify the cleaning and maintenance of the cleaning equipment.

[0037] A number of different specific embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings that form a part of this specification. It should be understood that although terms indicating orientations, such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., are used in this application to describe a number of different exemplary structural parts and elements of the present application, these terms are used here only for convenience of description and are determined based on the example orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be set in different orientations, these terms indicating orientations are only used for illustrative purposes and should not be considered as limiting.

[0038] As used herein, "and / or" refers to any one or more of the multiple items connected by "and / or" in a list. As an example, "x and / or y" refers to any element in a three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, "x and / or y" refers to "one or both of x and y". As another example, "x, y and / or z" refers to any element in a seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. In other words, "x, y and / or z" refers to "one or more of x, y and z". As used herein, the term "exemplary" refers to serving as a non-limiting example, instance or diagram. As used herein, the terms "such as" and "for example" lead to a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances or diagrams.

[0039] Although the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with the examples of the embodiments summarized above, it is possible for a person of ordinary skill in the art to have at least a variety of alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements and / or substantially equivalent solutions, whether known or foreseeable now or in the near future, to become apparent. In addition, the technical effects and / or technical problems described in this specification are exemplary and non-restrictive; therefore, the disclosure in this specification may be used to solve other technical problems and have other technical effects and / or may solve other technical problems. Therefore, the examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure as set forth above are intended to be illustrative and non-restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to include all known or earlier developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements and / or substantially equivalent solutions.

Claims

1. A cutting device comprising: a housing defining an operating chamber; as well as a cleaning system disposed within the operating chamber, the cleaning system comprising one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces within the operating chamber, Wherein the cleaning system is configured to distribute pressurized fluid toward the one or more surfaces.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: The position or orientation of the one or more nozzles is fixed.

3. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: The position or orientation of the one or more nozzles may be adjustable. 4 . The cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutting tool disposed in the operation chamber to perform a cutting operation on the sample.

5. The cutting device according to claim 4, further comprising a platform for supporting the sample, wherein The cutting tool is configured to cut a sample on the platform.

6. The cutting device according to claim 5, wherein: The platform is configured to allow the fluid to flow to the bottom of the housing for removal through the drain.

7. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control system for operating the cleaning system before, during, or after a cutting operation.

8. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fluid source for providing fluid to the cleaning system.

9. The cutting apparatus of claim 8, further comprising an access valve connecting the fluid source with the cleaning system.

10. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more valves disposed at or between the one or more nozzles to control fluid flow through the cleaning system. 11 . The cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a door connected to the housing to open or close the operation chamber.

12. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more surfaces include a wall, a floor, or a ceiling of the housing, such that one or more of the wall, floor, or ceiling define one or more boundaries of the operating chamber.

13. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more coolant nozzles for delivering a coolant fluid to a cut surface of the sample.

14. The cutting device according to claim 13, wherein: The one or more coolant nozzles are mounted to the cutting device.

15. A cutting device comprising: a housing defining an operating chamber; a cleaning system disposed within the operating chamber, the cleaning system comprising one or more nozzles directed toward one or more surfaces within the operating chamber, wherein the cleaning system is configured to distribute a pressurized fluid toward the one or more surfaces; as well as A control system is provided for operating the cleaning system before, during or after a cutting operation.

16. The cutting device according to claim 15, wherein The control system is configured to receive instructions corresponding to the operation of the cleaning system from a user interface, a cutting operation program, or a remote computer.

17. The cutting device according to claim 15, wherein: The position or orientation of the one or more nozzles is fixed. 18 . The cutting device according to claim 15 , further comprising a cutting tool disposed in the operation chamber to perform a cutting operation on the sample.

19. The cutting device according to claim 15, further comprising a platform for supporting the sample, wherein The cutting tool is configured to cut the sample on the platform and allow the fluid to flow to the bottom of the housing for removal through the drain.

20. The cutting apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a control system for operating the cleaning system before, during, or after a cutting operation.

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