Method for rectangularizing and edge-sealing panels and computer numerical control machine tool designed to carry out method

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for rectangularizing and edge-sealing a panel, comprising the following steps: loading the panel onto a rotatable member that can be rotated about a vertical axis of rotation; the rotatable member is rotated at a predetermined angular step size until the rotatable member completes a full turn in order to sequentially stop the panels in front of N work stations for processing, N > = 2, the N work stations being arranged in an annular array around the rotatable member, where during the rotation of the rotatable member, during the rotation of the rotatable member, during the rotation of the rotatable member, the number of the work stations is greater than or equal to 2. The panel is always kept vertical; processing the edges of the panels by means of panel edge processing units installed in the N work stations when the panels are stopped at the N work stations; and unloading the processed panel from the rotatable member. The invention further relates to a computer numerical control machine tool for rectangularizing and sealing the edges of the panels.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for the rectangularization and edging of panels, and to a computer numerical control machine designed to carry out the method. BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known, for example, that there are two types of systems for the rectangularization and edging of wooden panels in the assembly of furniture items.

[0003] In the first method, the panels are first processed statically and horizontally by a plurality of tool spindles that move back and forth and load themselves in a tool storage unit, then by an edging head that is fed with an adhesive strip and slides along the edge of the panel to apply the covering strip. For large panels, the tail of the strip protrudes from the edging head, flapping around the panel like a whip, which causes safety problems and disturbances. Generally, this type of equipment is very slow, partly because the spindles and the edging head must alternate to reach the panel.

[0004] The second type involves high-speed in-line edging machines. The panels slide horizontally on a roller conveyor, the processing is dynamic, i.e. the processing units follow the panels as they move along the roller conveyor. This system is very fast, but is very complex and occupies the entire warehouse. Another limitation is that it cannot produce shaped panels, only rectangular panels. In short, this type of system has little flexibility. SUMMARY

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to improve the prior art.

[0006] Another purpose is a method for the rectangularization and edging of panels that allows a higher production speed than the first type of system and / or greater flexibility than the second type of system.

[0007] Another purpose is a method for the rectangularization and edging of panels that can be implemented in a small space smaller than the space occupied by the second type of system.

[0008] Another purpose is a machine capable of carrying out the method.

[0009] These and other purposes are achieved by what is reported in the appended claims; advantageous technical features are defined in the dependent claims.

[0010] A method for the rectangularization and edging of panels is proposed, having the following steps:

[0011] - loading the panel on a member rotatable about a vertical rotation axis;

[0012] - rotating the rotatable member with a predetermined (e.g. constant) angular step until it completes a full turn, so as to make the panel stop in turn in front of N processing stations, N > 2, arranged in turn in an annular series around the rotatable member, wherein the panel remains always vertical during the rotation of the rotatable member, and preferably the same large surface always faces the outside of the rotatable member (i.e. the large surface remains perpendicular to the plane of the vertical rotation axis);

[0013] - machining the edges of the panel when it is stopped at the N stations using the panel edge machining units installed at the N stations; and

[0014] - unloading the machined panel from the rotatable member.

[0015] One advantage of the method is the high production speed, since the N stations are dedicated to perform specific operations, so there is no time waste in e.g. assembling the mandrel or moving the mandrel to compete with the edge banding head.

[0016] Another advantage is the compactness. The N stations are located in a relatively limited space, and the machining units of each of the stations can machine the panel while it is stationary, which allows virtually unlimited shaping programs (e.g. rounding of one or more panel edges) and precisely performed treatments, thus increasing the production flexibility.

[0017] In the annular series, the machine can also comprise additional stations whose machining units machine parts of the panel other than the peripheral edges. Alternatively, one or more of the N stations can comprise additional machining units which machine the panel in parts other than the peripheral edges. That is, in the annular series, the machine can comprise M stations, M > N, of which only N have machining units dedicated to machining the edges of the panel.

[0018] Preferably, for the compactness of the system, at each of the N stations the edges of the panel are machined by the respective machining units present in each station.

[0019] Preferably, the panel is loaded when it is already machined, i.e. it is not raw, but e.g. has a coating on the large surface and / or has already been painted.

[0020] For the ease of storage and machining of the panel, the panel is preferably loaded when it is placed horizontally, then it is tilted to set it vertical, and it is applied vertical to the rotatable member.

[0021] Preferably, the loading / unloading steps are performed by a robot or an elevator or a manipulator to handle panels of different sizes and weights.

[0022] As an advantageous preferred variant, in the method:

[0023] - the panels are mounted on the rotatable members and are picked up by the rotatable members at loading / unloading areas which are not provided with workstations and are arranged along the annular series / array between two workstations after a full rotation of the rotatable members; and / or

[0024] - the panels are milled at a first workstation to create a profile of the peripheral edge of the panel; and / or

[0025] - at a second workstation, preferably following the first workstation in the annular series, a strip is laid along the peripheral edge of the panel on a surface of the panel corresponding to the thickness of the panel; and more preferably, at a third workstation, preferably following the second workstation in the annular series, or more preferably at the same (second) workstation, the strip is trimmed to equalize the width of the strip to the thickness of the panel.

[0026] For greater efficiency, preferably, the panels are milled to machine the respective side / edge of the panel by moving the machining unit mounted in the first workstation only vertically and / or horizontally, or sequentially vertically then horizontally, or in the reverse order.

[0027] For greater efficiency, preferably, the strip is laid to edge the respective side / edge of the panel by moving the edge banding head mounted in the second workstation only vertically and / or horizontally sequentially, or sequentially vertically then horizontally, or in the reverse order.

[0028] More preferably, the strip is laid by moving the edge banding head along a trajectory extending along all the peripheral edges of the panel, or along a trajectory extending along only a subset of the peripheral edges of the panel.

[0029] The remaining peripheral edges are covered by the strip by the same edge banding head as the remaining peripheral edges are covered by the strip when the same edge banding head travels with respect to the peripheral edges along a different trajectory complementary to the first trajectory, or by two edge banding heads travelling with respect to the peripheral edges along trajectories different from and complementary to each other.

[0030] Preferably, the strip is trimmed by moving the machining unit mounted in the third workstation only vertically and / or horizontally sequentially, or sequentially vertically then horizontally, or in the reverse order, to trim the respective side / edge of the panel.

[0031] To further specialize the workstation, and more preferably, in terms of methodology:

[0032] - At the edge banding station, strips are laid along the vertical perimeter of the panel on the surface of the panel corresponding to the panel thickness, and at another different edge banding station, strips are laid along the horizontal perimeter of the panel on the surface of the panel corresponding to the panel thickness. The positions of the two edge banding stations in the circular array can be reversed;

[0033] - The strips laid by the edge banding station are trimmed at the finishing station so that their width is equal to the thickness of the panel. The finishing station is the station that follows the edge banding station in this ring series.

[0034] After unloading, the panel can be immediately installed on the furniture or loaded onto another rotatable component for further processing, such as drilling holes in the panel or inserting a substrate and / or guide into the panel.

[0035] In a more preferred variation, during the rotation of the rotatable member, the panel remains vertical and rotates about a vertical axis such that after a 180° rotation, the larger surface radially facing outward of the rotatable member is oriented in another direction, specifically, towards the radially inward direction of the rotatable member. This variation facilitates the processing of the panel by exposing both larger surfaces of the panel to the N workstations (i.e., facing outward of the rotatable member) during the rotation of the rotatable member.

[0036] In a preferred variation, after the strip has been laid from the edge banding station, excess strip protruding from the apex of the panel is cut off, and more preferably, the excess strip is cut off at the edge banding station where it was laid.

[0037] In one embodiment, the method includes the following steps: preferably loading Q panels (Q≥2) onto a rotatable member by a robot or manipulator, and placing the Q panels on the rotatable member in such a way that they are vertically offset and arranged parallel to the vertical axis of rotation, and preferably substantially coplanar with each other.

[0038] The rotatable components allow for the transfer of more panels, thus increasing processing capacity.

[0039] For this purpose, the rotatable component includes a series of annular panel receiving areas, each panel receiving area being adapted to receive Q panels, the Q panels being vertically offset and arranged parallel to the vertical axis of rotation, and preferably substantially coplanar with each other.

[0040] In an embodiment optimizing the edge-sealing process on multiple panels, the method includes applying strips to the vertical and aligned edges of Q panels loaded on a rotatable member. Even more effectively, the simultaneous application of strips is performed, in particular, by laying the same strip onto the vertical and aligned edges of the Q panels, and then cutting the strip in the blank space separating two adjacent panels of the Q panels.

[0041] In this way, the strip laying steps can be optimized (and shortened), for example, by laying the strip with a single edge banding head that travels along the aligned edges of Q panels in a single pass.

[0042] In one embodiment, the method includes the following steps: after a strip has been applied to the opposing vertical edges of each of the Q panels, rotating the Q panels to vertically position and align the unstripped horizontal edges of the Q panels, thereby obtaining new vertical and aligned edges without the strip; applying the strip to the new vertical and aligned edges, particularly by laying the same strip over the new vertical and aligned edges; and then cutting the strip in the blank space separating the horizontal edges of the two adjacent panels of the Q panels that were covered with the strip.

[0043] In one embodiment, the method includes the step of performing an end-trimming operation on strips that remain applied to the vertical and aligned edges of the Q panels after the cut corresponding to the blank space has been made.

[0044] Specifically, the step of rotating the Q panels is performed by rotating the Q panels by 90 degrees about an axis perpendicular to the larger surface of the panel.

[0045] In one embodiment, the step of rotating the Q panels is performed while keeping the Q panels constrained on the rotatable member.

[0046] In one embodiment, the step of rotating the Q panels is performed by a robot or robotic arm.

[0047] In one embodiment, the step of rotating the Q panels is performed as follows:

[0048] Remove the Q panels from the rotatable component (preferably by a robot or robotic arm);

[0049] Perform the rotation; and then

[0050] The Q panels, which have been rotated in this way, are then reattached to the rotatable component (preferably by a robot or robotic arm).

[0051] In one embodiment, the method includes the following steps: after the Q panels have been loaded onto the rotatable member, moving the Q panels parallel to the axis of rotation to reduce the relative vertical distance between adjacent horizontal edges of two of the Q panels to a minimum value corresponding to the blank space, thereby bringing the Q panels closer to each other.

[0052] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a CNC machine for rectangularizing and edge-sealing panels, the CNC machine comprising:

[0053] - A rotatable component that can rotate incrementally about a vertical axis according to a predetermined angular step under the action of a driver, and includes N support members, N≥2, each support member being configured to receive and support a larger surface of the panel, such that the larger surface remains vertical during the rotation of the rotatable component, and preferably always faces the radially outward side of the rotatable component.

[0054] -N machining workstations, the N machining workstations being arranged in a ring series around the rotatable component, and including panel edge machining units;

[0055] The machine is configured (e.g., through software programming) to be used for:

[0056] - Rotate the rotatable component and bring the panels sequentially to each workstation.

[0057] - Stop the panel at each workstation, and

[0058] - The edges of the panel are processed using the processing unit.

[0059] For the sake of compactness, the machine preferably includes one or more panel edge processing units at each of the N workstations.

[0060] For greater efficiency, the machine preferably includes a picking mechanism (e.g., a robot, elevator, or robotic arm), which is suitable for:

[0061] The panel is loaded by lifting it from the loading area; and

[0062] The panel is applied vertically to one of the N supports of the rotatable member.

[0063] To facilitate loading, the machine preferably includes a loading area configured to store a plurality of horizontally placed and stacked panels, and the picking mechanism is adapted to:

[0064] Pick up the panel from the loading area while it is in a horizontal position, and tilt the panel until it is vertical; and

[0065] The panel is applied vertically to one of the N supports of the rotatable member.

[0066] Preferably, the N workstations include:

[0067] - A rectangular processing workstation comprising one or more milling units movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, the one or more milling units being configured to mill the sides / edges of the panel and thereby create the outline of the peripheral edge of the panel;

[0068] - An edge banding workstation includes an edge banding head movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, the edge banding head being configured to lay strips along the peripheral edge of the panel on a surface of the panel corresponding to the panel thickness;

[0069] - A finishing workstation comprising a finishing unit movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, the finishing unit being configured to finish a corresponding side of the panel and to make the width of the strip equal to the thickness of the panel.

[0070] In one embodiment, in the annular series, the trimming workstation, the edge sealing workstation, and the end trimming workstation may overlap; or only two of them may overlap.

[0071] More preferably, the N workstations further include an edge trimming workstation, which includes a cutting unit that is movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis to cut off excess strip that cantilevered from the apex of the panel after the strip has been laid by the edge sealing workstation, and more preferably, the excess strip is cut off at the edge sealing workstation where it was laid.

[0072] Preferably, the machine includes a panel loading / unloading workstation or panel loading / unloading area, which is preferably arranged along the annular series between two of the N workstations, wherein the panel is (or may be) mounted on the rotatable member and is picked up from the rotatable member after it has rotated a full circle. Specifically, the loading / unloading workstation or loading / unloading area is a passage between the N workstations, providing an entrance to the rotatable member.

[0073] More preferably, the edge banding head is configured to lay the strip by moving along a trajectory extending along all the peripheral edges of the panel, or along a trajectory traveling only along a subset of adjacent edges of the peripheral edges of the panel. The remaining peripheral edges are covered by the strip by the same edge banding head traveling along different trajectories relative to the peripheral edges, or by two edge banding heads traveling along different and complementary trajectories relative to the peripheral edges.

[0074] After unloading, the panel can be immediately installed on the furniture or loaded onto another rotatable component for further processing, such as drilling, insertion of substrates or guides.

[0075] As a preferred configuration, one or each of the N workstations includes two parallel vertical columns, on which a horizontal bar capable of vertical translation under the action of a drive device is mounted. A bracket is mounted on the horizontal bar, capable of linear translation along the horizontal bar under the action of the drive device / driver. A processing unit is mounted on the bracket, and thanks to the coordinated movement of the column and the bracket, the processing unit can therefore move along two axes.

[0076] In the rectangularization workstation, the machining unit is one or more milling cutters whose tools are programmed to travel along the periphery of the panel and remove material from the periphery of the panel to create a desired profile of the periphery, which may be, for example, a rectangle with sharp or rounded edges.

[0077] To shorten cycle time, preferably, in the rectangular processing workstation, there are two identical milling cutters that simultaneously process the two sides of the panel in the manner described above.

[0078] To allow the supports to accommodate various panel forms, one or each support of the rotatable component includes multiple anchoring / fixing mechanisms, such as suction cups, which are mounted to always remain coplanar with each other and movable relative to each other. This allows the anchoring / fixing mechanisms to be positioned in different locations within an imaginary vertical plane and distributed in different patterns, thereby defining coplanar support and anchoring points for the panel and distributed across said plane. The suction cups can also be fixed, with only the suction cup covering the panel being withdrawn.

[0079] In particular, the anchoring / fixing mechanism can only translate along one axis or along two perpendicular axes.

[0080] A preferred structure for one or each support member on a rotatable component, the structure allowing its applicability to various panel forms, the structure comprising:

[0081] - A first guide member, which is integrated with the support member and extends longitudinally along a first direction.

[0082] - A second guide member extends longitudinally along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and is mounted along the first guide member in a manner that allows for independent translation.

[0083] - A drive mechanism for translating the second guide relative to the first guide.

[0084] - Multiple anchoring mechanisms, such as suction cups, are mounted on and distributed along the second guide, and are movable independently of each other along the second guide.

[0085] - A drive / driver for translating at least one subset of the plurality of anchoring mechanisms along the second guide to position the at least one subset at a predetermined point along the second guide.

[0086] Preferably, the first guide is vertical and the second guide is horizontal, or vice versa.

[0087] More preferably, one or each support member on the rotatable member includes:

[0088] - Two first guides, similar to the first guide, are parallel and spaced apart.

[0089] - Two second guides, similar to second guides, are parallel and spaced apart.

[0090] The plurality of anchoring mechanisms are distributed on the second guide.

[0091] The material used to make the panel is not important, but the method and machine are particularly advantageous for wooden or plastic panels, especially for furniture making. Attached Figure Description

[0092] Further advantages will become clear from the following description, which relates to examples of preferred embodiments of the machine, wherein:

[0093] Figure 1 A floor plan of the machine is shown;

[0094] Figure 2 A side view of the machine is shown;

[0095] Figure 3 and 4 The side view and top view of the machining workstation are shown respectively;

[0096] Figure 5 and 6The side view and top view of the second machining workstation are shown respectively;

[0097] Figure 7 and 8 The side view and top view of the third processing workstation are shown respectively.

[0098] Figures 9a-9g This schematically illustrates a variation of machine operation.

[0099] In the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or substantially the same parts. To avoid overcrowding in the figures, identical elements are sometimes not labeled. Detailed Implementation

[0100] The computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool MC includes a central component 10 rotatable about a vertical axis Y, and N machining workstations 30, where N ≥ 2. These N workstations are arranged in a circular series around the component 10 at constant angular intervals. In this example, N = 5. The component 10 consists of a central rotatable roller 12, from which radial arms 14 extend radially outward toward the workstations 30, exhibiting radial symmetry. Each radial arm supports a corresponding vertical support 16 at its end.

[0101] There are N+1 support members 16 (to maximize production efficiency), and they are evenly arranged around the roller 12 in a circular / annular series with a constant angular spacing. The N workstations are instead arranged such that free circular sections 18 are left around the roller 12. Each support member 16 can be rotated and brought in front of each workstation 30 or free section 18 by rotating the component 10 via a known drive / actuator.

[0102] Preferably, a loading / unloading mechanism 100 is present near the free sector 18 to feed the panel to the component 10 through the free sector 18. Preferably, the mechanism 100 includes a robot 110.

[0103] Specifically, when the support 16 is located in front of the robot 110 in the free sector 18, the robot 110 is adapted to vertically mount the panel on the support 16 such that the larger surface of the panel 200 is parallel to the larger surface of the support 16, or to remove the panel from the support 16.

[0104] The panel 200 mounted on the support 16 has a large dimension that is vertically arranged and parallel to the axis Y, and a large surface that is perpendicular to the plane passing through the axis Y.

[0105] Preferably, mechanism 100 further includes a loading roller conveyor 120 and an unloading roller conveyor 122. Robot 110 is capable of picking up horizontally placed panel 200 from loading roller conveyor 120 and placing panel 200 horizontally on unloading roller conveyor 122. Panel 200 is transported to and from machine MC via roller conveyors 120 and 122.

[0106] 16 per support (see) Figure 2 It includes fixed horizontal guides 50, which are parallel to each other and spaced apart in height. Two vertical rods 52 are mounted on the horizontal guides 50, and a bracket 54 is mounted on each rod 52. The bracket 54 is equipped with an anchoring mechanism 56 for the panel 200, such as a suction cup.

[0107] With the known drive mechanism, rods 52 can be translated horizontally independently of each other on the horizontal guide 50 (arrow F1).

[0108] Each bracket 54 can be vertically translated independently of each other on the rod 52 using a known drive mechanism (arrow F2).

[0109] The rods 52 and / or the brackets 54 can move in a coordinated manner to distribute the anchoring mechanisms 56 in the plane and / or relative to the support member 16, such that they can support the larger surface of the panel 200 at the maximum possible number of points, and / or utilize the entire or almost the entire larger surface of the panel 200 to maintain its integration / integration with the member 10.

[0110] Another advantage of the mobility of the anchoring mechanism 56 is that it allows for the leaving of exposed areas on the back of the panel 200, which can then be drilled.

[0111] Starting from free sector 18, visit five workstations 30 in a clockwise direction. Preferably, they are:

[0112] - Rectify the workstation 40, which is configured to create the peripheral outline of the panel 200;

[0113] - Edge sealing workstation 42, which is configured to lay a strip on the vertical edge of panel 200;

[0114] - A trimming workstation 44 is configured such that the width of the strip laid on the vertical edge of the panel 200 is equal to the thickness of the panel 200.

[0115] - Second edge-sealing station 46, configured to lay a strip of tape on the horizontal edge of panel 200; and

[0116] - A second finishing workstation 48 is configured such that the width of the strip laid on the horizontal edge of the panel 200 is equal to the thickness of the panel 200.

[0117] In the circular sequence, the positions of workstations 42 and 44 can also be interchanged with the positions of workstations 46 and 48.

[0118] Preferably, workstations 42 and 46 are also configured to cut off excess strips that cantilever from the apex of panel 200.

[0119] Figures 3-8 Preferred embodiments of workstations 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 are shown.

[0120] Each workstation 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 includes two parallel vertical columns 60, on which two horizontal bars 62 are mounted. These horizontal bars 62 can be vertically translated using a known drive mechanism (arrow F2). A bracket 64 is mounted on each horizontal bar 62, and using a known drive mechanism, the bracket 64 can be linearly translated on the corresponding horizontal bar 62 (arrow F1).

[0121] A machining unit is mounted on the support 64, which is able to move along two axes thanks to the coordinated movement of the horizontal bar 62 and the support 64.

[0122] In rectangular processing workstation 40 ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this process, the machining unit is a milling cutter 70, whose tool is programmed to follow the periphery of the panel 200 (in...). Figure 3 and Figure 4 (shown as dashed lines in the image) and remove material from the perimeter to create the desired outline of the perimeter, which may be, for example, a rectangle with sharp or rounded edges.

[0123] To improve cycle time, preferably, two identical milling cutters 70 are present in the rectangular processing workstation 40, which simultaneously process the two sides / sides of the panel 200 in the manner described above.

[0124] At the border sealing work station 42 ( Figure 5 and 6 In this process, the processing unit is the edge banding head 72, which is equipped with an adhesive applicator, a strip application head, and preferably also a device for cutting off excess strips extending from the edge of the panel 200.

[0125] The edge banding head 72 runs along the vertical edge / side of the panel 200 (drawn with a dashed line), first applying a layer of adhesive, and then immediately applying a strip that will form the edge.

[0126] Once the strip is applied, the edge banding head 72 cuts off any excess strip that extends beyond the length of the edge / side.

[0127] To improve cycle time, preferably, there are two identical edge banding heads 72 in the edge banding workstation 42, which work simultaneously on the corresponding vertical edges / sides of the panel 200 in the manner described above.

[0128] Second border sealing work station 46 ( Figure 7 and 8 In this process, the processing unit is the edge banding head 72. This structure is the same as that of the edge banding workstation 42, except that the edge banding head 72 processes both horizontal sides of the panel 200 in the same manner. Here, to improve cycle time, preferably, there are two identical edge banding heads 72 that simultaneously process the corresponding horizontal sides of the panel 200.

[0129] Trimming workstations 44 and 48 have the same structure as the rectangular processing workstation 40: in them, the processing units are milling cutters 86 and 88, which run again on the vertical and horizontal sides of the panel 200 to cut strip portions whose width exceeds the thickness edge of the panel 200.

[0130] To provide strips to workstations 42 and 46, a known strip distributor 400 is provided, which is located directly opposite the support 16 relative to workstations 42 and 46.

[0131] operate

[0132] During production, robot 110 removes horizontal panel 200 from roller conveyor 120 and vertically loads it onto one of the stationary supports 16 in free sector 18. For convenience, we will refer to this as support 16x.

[0133] On the support 16x, the anchoring mechanism 56 is activated to secure the panel 200 to the member 10.

[0134] The component 10 then rotates to bring the panel 200 to the front of each workstation 30. There, the component 10 remains stationary and waits until the processing unit of the workstation 30 has finished processing the panel 200.

[0135] Once component 10 has completed a full circle, panel 200 has visited all workstations 30 and returned to free sector 18, where, after anchoring mechanism 56 on support 16x is deactivated, robot 110 will remove panel from support 16x and place it horizontally on roller conveyor 122 for subsequent handling.

[0136] The machine MC can work alone as the edge sealing center of the panel, or it can be combined with other downstream machines, such as those that can perform other operations on the panel, such as drilling, base or guide insertion.

[0137] exist Figures 9a-9g The operational variant of the machine MC schematically shown includes loading Q ≥ 2 panels 200 onto each support member 16 of the central member 10 in the same manner as described above, instead of just one.

[0138] Specifically, robot 110 loads and / or unloads Q panels.

[0139] Then, on each support member 16 ( Figure 9a Q panels 200 are mounted, vertically positioned / distributed, and coplanar with each other (the larger surface of each of the Q panels 200 is parallel to the axis Y). Therefore, the Q panels 200 have aligned vertical edges 202 and parallel horizontal edges 204.

[0140] To facilitate subsequent operations and minimize strip consumption, the Q panels 200 are preferably brought closer together so that only a small blank space 250 is left between the horizontal edges 204. Figure 9b ).

[0141] Then, the central member 10 rotates about axis Y to bring the Q panels 200 to the front of the workstation 30, where, preferably using the mechanism already described, a single strip 500 is laid on the right vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200 and on the left vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200. Figure 9c ).

[0142] Then, at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central component 10 has rotated around axis Y, the unique right-side strip 500 and the unique left-side strip 500 are cut in the blank space 250. Figure 9d Therefore, strip section 210 is finally laid on vertical edge 202.

[0143] Then, at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central member 10 has rotated about axis Y, the sections of strip 500 that are laid on the right vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200 and the sections of strip 500 that are laid on the left vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200 undergo end trimming operations.

[0144] Then, at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central member 10 has rotated about axis Y, the sections of strip 500 that are laid on the right vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200 and the sections of strip 500 that are laid on the left vertical edge 202 of all Q panels 200 undergo a trimming operation.

[0145] Then, the Q panels 200 with partial edging are rotated horizontally by 90 degrees so that the horizontal edge 204 is positioned vertically and the vertical edge 202 is positioned horizontally. Figure 9e ).

[0146] The vertically set horizontal edge 204 is represented by 206, and the horizontally set vertical edge 202 is represented by 208.

[0147] For this purpose, preferably at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central member 10 has rotated about axis Y, a dedicated robot or manipulator picks up the Q panels 200 one by one or simultaneously from the central member 10, rotates them, and reapplies them to the central member 10.

[0148] To facilitate subsequent operations and minimize strip consumption, preferably, the Q panels 200 rotated in this way are brought close to each other so that only a small blank space, such as blank space 250, is left between the horizontal edges 208.

[0149] As in the preceding steps, the central member 10 then rotates about axis Y to bring the Q panels 200 to the front of workstation 30, in which, preferably using the mechanism already described, a single strip 600 is laid on the right vertical edge 206 of all the Q panels 200, and a single strip 600 is laid on the left vertical edge 206 of all the Q panels 200. Figure 9f ).

[0150] Therefore, the strip section 220 is finally laid on the vertical edge 206.

[0151] As in the preceding steps, at the same workstation or at the next workstation after the central component 10 has rotated about axis Y, the single right-side strip 600 and the single left-side strip 600 are cut at the blank space 250. Figure 9g ).

[0152] Then, at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central member 10 has rotated about axis Y, the sections of strip 600 that remain laid on the right vertical edge 206 of all Q panels 200 and the sections of strip 600 that remain laid on the new left vertical edge 206 of all Q panels 200 undergo end trimming operations.

[0153] Then, at the same workstation, or at the next workstation after the central member 10 has rotated about axis Y, the sections of strip 600 that are laid on the right vertical edge 206 of all Q panels 200 and the sections of strip 600 that are laid on the left vertical edge 206 of all Q panels 200 undergo a trimming operation.

[0154] Finally, after the Q panels 200 have been edged around their perimeters, they are preferably unloaded from the central member 10 by robot 110.

Claims

1. A method for rectangularizing and edging panels, the method comprising the steps of: - loading a panel onto a rotatable member rotatable about a vertical rotation axis; - rotating the rotatable member in predetermined angular steps until the rotatable member completes a full rotation so as to bring the panel sequentially in front of N workstations for processing, N > 2, arranged in an annular array around the rotatable member, wherein the panel remains always vertical during the rotation of the rotatable member; - machining the edges of the panel by means of panel edge machining units installed in the N workstations as the panel is brought to a standstill at the N workstations; and - unloading the processed panel from the rotatable member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, At each of the N workstations, the edges of the panel are machined by means of a respective machining unit provided in each workstation.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The panel is mounted on the rotatable member and picked up by the rotatable member at a loading / unloading zone after the rotatable member has turned a full rotation, the loading / unloading zone not being provided with a workstation and being arranged along the annular array between two workstations.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, - the panel is milled at a first workstation to create a profile of the peripheral edges of the panel; and - at a second workstation, following the first workstation in the annular array, a strip is laid along the peripheral edges of the panel on a surface of the panel corresponding to the thickness of the panel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, At a third workstation, or at the same second workstation, following the second workstation in the annular array, the strip is trimmed so that the width of the strip is equal to the thickness of the panel.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4 or 5, wherein: - at an edging workstation, a strip is laid along the vertical peripheral edges of the panel on a surface of the panel corresponding to the thickness of the panel; and - at another, different edging workstation, a strip is laid along the horizontal peripheral edges of the panel on a surface of the panel corresponding to the thickness of the panel.

7. The method of claim 3 or 4 or 5, wherein, After the strip has been laid by the edging workstations, the excess strip cantilevered from the vertices of the panel is cut at the edging workstations where the strip was applied.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein, The panel is loaded by picking it up when it is lying horizontally, then tilting it so that it is vertical and applying it vertically onto the rotatable member.

9. The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: Q panels are loaded onto the rotatable member and are placed on the rotatable member in such a way that the Q panels are misaligned in the vertical direction and arranged parallel to the vertical rotation axis and substantially coplanar to each other, with Q > 2.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising the step of: A strip is applied to the vertical and aligned edges of the Q panels loaded on the rotatable member.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising the steps of: applying a strip to the vertically aligned edges of the Q panels loaded on the rotatable member by laying a single strip on the vertically aligned edges of the Q panels and subsequently cutting the strip at the blank space separating two adjacent panels of the Q panels.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, comprising the steps of: rotating the Q panels after having applied a strip to the opposite vertical edges of each panel so as to vertically arrange and align the horizontal edges of the Q panels that are free of strips, thereby obtaining new aligned vertical edges free of strips; and applying a strip to the new aligned vertical edges by laying the same strip on the new aligned vertical edges; and then cutting the strip at the blank space separating two adjacent panels of the Q panels.

13. A computer numerical control machine tool for rectangularizing and edging panels, the computer numerical control machine tool comprising: - a rotatable member incrementally rotatable about a vertical axis according to predetermined angular steps under the action of a drive, and comprising N supports, N≥2, each configured for receiving and supporting a larger surface of a panel, so that the larger surface remains always vertical during the rotation of the rotatable member; - N workstations for machining, arranged in a ring array around the rotatable member, and comprising panel edge machining units; wherein the computer numerical control machine tool is configured for: - rotating the rotatable member and bringing a panel sequentially at each workstation, - stopping the panel at each workstation, and - machining the edges of the panel by means of the panel edge machining units.

14. The computer numerical control machine tool according to claim 13, comprising a pick-up mechanism adapted for: - loading a panel by picking it up from a loading zone; and - applying the panel vertically on one of the N supports of the rotatable member.

15. The computer numerical controlled machine tool of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The N workstations comprise: - a rectangularizing workstation comprising a milling unit movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, configured for milling the sides of the panel and thereby creating the profile of the peripheral edges of the panel; - an edging workstation comprising an edging head movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, configured for laying a strip on the surface of the panel corresponding to the panel thickness along the peripheral edges of the panel; - a trimming workstation comprising a trimming unit movable along a vertical axis and / or a horizontal axis, configured for trimming the respective sides of the panel and equalizing the width of the strip to the thickness of the panel.

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