Tile cutter

Abstract

Tile cutter with a. a support surface (1) for a tile to be cut, b. a guide rail (2), c. a carriage (3) guided on the guide rail (2) and d. a cutting element (4) mounted on the carriage (3) for cutting and / or scoring tiles, wherein the cutting element (4) is arranged laterally to the guide rail (2) in the top view of the tile cutter, wherein the guide rail (2) – in the cross-section of the tile cutter – has an upper and a lower guide track (10, 11) and the carriage (3) has upper and lower guide rollers (12, 13), wherein the guide rollers (12, 13) are in rolling engagement with the guide tracks (10, 11) and the guide rollers (12, 13) and the associated guide track (10, 11) interlock such that the guide rollers (12, 13) are positively guided on the associated guide track (10, 11), characterized in that only one guide rail (2) is provided and the lower guide rollers (13) are adjustable in their distance to the upper guide rollers (12) via an adjusting screw (14). are.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a tile cutter with a support surface for a tile to be cut, a guide rail, a carriage guided on the guide rail and a cutting element held on the carriage for cutting or scoring the tile.

[0002] The tiles and slabs available on the market today are increasingly large, sometimes measuring well over a meter. This places correspondingly greater demands on tile cutters. To ensure the straightness of the cutting or scoring line, the guide rail and the carriage guide must be sufficiently stable and precise.

[0003] DE 693 22 848 T2 discloses a tile cutting machine in which a movable tool carrier is mounted on a bridge-shaped, height-fixed guide. The cutting or scoring element is located directly below the guide. However, this has the disadvantage that the cutting line is not visible from above. A similar design is known from EP 1 066 193 B1, in which the guide rail is split in two and the carriage extends between the two parts of the guide rail. Here, too, the cutting guide is concealed by the guide rail.

[0004] DE 16 94 626 U discloses a tile cutter in which a carriage can be moved along a ruler. A cutting element is mounted on the side of the carriage. In this tile cutter, the cutting element is clearly visible from above, allowing the tile or ruler to be aligned conveniently and easily. However, this tile cutter is only suitable for cutting relatively small tiles.

[0005] DE 94 10 969 U1 also describes a device for cutting tiles, the guide rail of which can be pivoted to make angled cuts.

[0006] A tile cutting device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from DE 20 2009 001 310 U1. There, the guide carriage is guided on two parallel guide rails, with their corners or edges facing upwards. The guide rollers of the guide carriage have V-shaped grooves that interact with the corners or edges of the guide rails, providing very stable and precise guidance. This positioning principle eliminates the need for heavily preloaded or tightly fitting guides, resulting in particularly smooth operation.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a tile cutter which enables easy handling and also the cutting of large tiles / slabs.

[0008] According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of claim 1.

[0009] The tile cutter according to the invention essentially consists of a support surface for a tile to be cut, b. a guide rail, c. a carriage guided on the guide rail and d. a cutting element mounted on the carriage for cutting and / or scoring tiles, wherein the cutting element is arranged to the side of the guide rail in the plan view of the tile cutter.

[0010] The tile cutter further provides that the guide rail—in the cross-section of the tile cutter—has an upper and a lower guide track, and the carriage has upper and lower guide rollers. The guide rollers are in rolling engagement with the guide tracks, and the guide rollers and the associated guide track mesh with each other in such a way that the guide rollers are positively guided on the associated guide track. The tile cutter is characterized by only one guide rail, and the distance between the lower guide rollers and the upper guide rollers can be adjusted via an adjusting screw.

[0011] The side-mounted cutting element allows for convenient alignment of the tile being cut. The roller-guided carriage also allows for easy, precise cuts.

[0012] Further embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the guide rollers partially encompass the associated guide track. This can be achieved, for example, by having one of the two elements, the guide roller or guide track, concave and the other convex.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, the guide rail is pivotally mounted at one end about a first pivot axis oriented perpendicular to the support surface, and is slidably mounted on a front profile at its other end. This allows for angled cuts to be made while the tile rests against a stop angle with one edge.

[0015] The cutting element is preferably attached to a cutting lever pivotably mounted on the carriage. The cutting lever can pivot, in particular, about an axis aligned parallel to the support surface and transverse to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail, with the pivoting movement of the cutting lever being limited by a slotted bolt connection between the cutting lever and the carriage.

[0016] Within the scope of the invention, it would also be conceivable for the cutting element to be part of a motor-driven cutting device, with the additional provision of a driven adjustment of the carriage along the guide rail. Furthermore, the guide rail can be reinforced with a U-profile on the side opposite the carriage.

[0017] The guide rail can also be pivotally mounted at one end about a second pivot axis aligned parallel to the support surface and perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail, and whose height is adjustable relative to the support surface, while the other end is guided in a sliding guide. With such an arrangement, it is entirely sufficient if the height of the guide rail above the support surface is only roughly adjusted to the height of the tile to be cut, since the mobility of the cutting lever in the sliding guide at the other end of the guide rail results in automatic height adjustment.

[0018] The pivoting mobility of the guide rail around this second pivot axis has the further advantage that the guide rail can be used to break the tile along the cutting / scoring line. For this purpose, a breaking cone is provided on the support surface in the area of ​​the second pivot axis, which is arranged as an extension of the cutting element guided on the guide rail. A hard metal wheel can also be used instead of the breaking cone.

[0019] The scored tile is pushed onto this breaking cone for breaking, so that it lies exactly below the cutting line. Two breaking jaws are provided on the guide rail in the area of ​​the second pivot axis, arranged so that the breaking cone – when viewed from above by the tile cutter – lies between the two breaking jaws. The long guide rail thus acts as a lever, enabling easy and clean breaking of the scored tile.

[0020] To ensure that the carriage does not interfere with this breaking process, a special embodiment of the invention provides a magnetic holder at the end of the guide rail opposite the second pivot axis. This magnetic holder interacts with a magnetic counterpart provided on the carriage to releasably secure the carriage. The magnetic counterpart is formed, for example, by the steel carriage itself. Instead of the magnetic holder, another holding device, such as a retaining / clamping spring, can also be provided.

[0021] The sliding guide of the guide rail is preferably designed such that it has a plate-shaped guide element that is firmly connected to the guide rail and that is slidably guided or roller-guided between two guide plates held on an end profile of the support plate to execute the pivoting movement of the guide rail about the second pivot axis. The distance between the two guide plates and also the position of the two guide plates can be adjusted along the end profile. This sliding guide is usually formed by screws instead of the two guide plates. However, these screws have the disadvantage that they either wear out relatively quickly or cause corresponding wear on the guide element of the guide rail.

[0022] By using two guide plates, between which the plate-shaped guide element is guided, a flat sliding contact is created when aligned straight. With an angled cut, a linear contact is still present. With the screws used previously, only a point contact occurs.

[0023] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the support surface is formed by a support plate made of wood, which is provided with end profiles on opposite end faces, wherein the end profiles on the underside of the support plate are clamped together by means of an obliquely running threaded rod in order to compensate for any distortion of the support plate.

[0024] Further advantages and embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the description and the drawing.

[0025] In the drawing show Fig. 1 a side view of the tile cutter, Fig. 2 a top view of the tile cutter, Fig. 3 an enlarged side view of the carriage in the area of ​​one end of the guide rail, Fig. 4 a sectional view along the line AA of the Fig. 3, Fig. 5 a three-dimensional representation of one end region of the guide rail, Fig. 6 a three-dimensional representation of the other end of the guide rail in a first position of the guide rail and Fig. 7 a three-dimensional representation of the other end of the guide rail in a second position of the guide rail.

[0026] The one in the Fig. 1 and Fig. The tile cutter shown in Figure 2 essentially consists of a support surface 1 for a tile to be cut, a guide rail 2, a carriage 3 guided on the guide rail and a cutting element 4 held on the carriage for cutting and / or scoring tiles.

[0027] Tiles also include slabs that can be broken by scoring.

[0028] The support surface 1 is preferably formed by a wooden plate in which a recess 5 is machined as a carrying handle. On both ends of the support surface, end profiles 6, 7 are provided, on which the guide rail 2 is held or guided, as will be shown later with reference to the Fig. 5 to 7 are explained in more detail.

[0029] A stop bar 8 for positioning the tiles to be cut is also slidably mounted on the end profile 6. The two end profiles 6, 7 are clamped together below the support surface 1 with a slightly angled threaded rod 9. This allows any warping of the support surface to be compensated.

[0030] Of course, within the scope of the invention, a metal plate, particularly a die-cast aluminum plate, can also be used instead of a wooden plate. A metal plate, especially a suitably reinforced cast plate, has the advantage of not warping even in moisture. However, the disadvantage of being heavier than a wooden plate must be accepted.

[0031] In the following, the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 the carriage 3 with the cutting element 4 and its guidance on the guide rail 2 is explained in more detail.

[0032] The guide rail 2 has an upper guide track 10 and a lower guide track 11, which are rounded and convex, respectively, in cross-section. The carriage 3 is provided with upper guide rollers 12 and lower guide rollers 13, with two upper and two lower guide rollers being advantageously provided. The running surfaces of the guide rollers 12, 13 are complementary to the guide tracks, i.e., concave. To minimize wear on the guide track and guide rollers, they are advantageously made of hardened metal.

[0033] The meshing of the guide rollers and the guide track ensures positive guidance of the guide rollers on the corresponding guide track. This eliminates the need for additional support of the carriage on the guide rail.

[0034] According to the invention, the distance between the lower guide rollers 13 and the upper guide rollers 12 can be adjusted via an adjusting screw 14. This allows the play with which the carriage 3 is guided on the guide rail 2 to be very precisely adjusted. Due to the rolling movement and an optimally adjusted play, the carriage 3 can be moved precisely along the guide rail 2.

[0035] The cutting element 4, which is in particular a hard metal wheel, is attached to a cutting lever 15, which in turn is pivotally mounted on the carriage 3 about an axis 16. The axis 16 is aligned parallel to the support surface 1 and transverse to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail 2. Furthermore, a slotted bolt connection is provided between the cutting lever 15 and the carriage 3 to limit the pivoting movement of the cutting lever 15. The cutting lever 15 is actuated via a corresponding handle 18.

[0036] The guide rail has two ends 2a and 2b (see Fig. 1), the connection of which with the support surface 1 is described below using the Fig. 5 to 7 are explained in more detail.

[0037] In Fig. 5 shows the end 2a of the guide rail 2 in three dimensions. In this area, the guide rail 2 is pivotally mounted about a first pivot axis 19 oriented perpendicular to the support surface 1. Furthermore, the guide rail 2 is pivotable in this area about a second pivot axis 21 oriented parallel to the support surface 1 and transverse to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail.

[0038] The distance between the guide rail 2 and the support surface 1 can also be adjusted via an adjustment wheel 20 arranged in the first pivot axis and thus adapted to the thickness of the tile to be cut.

[0039] Furthermore, a crushing cone 22 is provided on the front profile 7 of the support surface 1, which is arranged as an extension of the cutting element 4 guided on the guide rail 2. Furthermore, two crushing jaws 23, 24 are mounted on the guide rail 2 such that the crushing cone 22—in the top view of the tile cutter—lies between the two crushing jaws.

[0040] To cut a tile, it is first aligned accordingly on the support surface 1, with one side resting against the stop bar 8. The tile is then scored along its entire length using the cutting element 4. The guide rail 2 is then raised about the second pivot axis 22, whereby the two breaking jaws 23, 24 are also raised. The scored tile is then pushed along the stop bar 8 towards the end 2a until it is above the breaking cone 22. The scored line of the tile is then located exactly above the tip of the breaking cone 22. To break the tile, the guide rail is lowered again until the breaking jaws come into contact with the tile on both sides of the scored line. By further pressure from the guide rail 2, the tile is broken exactly along the scoring line. The breaking jaws 23, 24 are expediently positioned slightly inclined for this purpose, as shown in Fig. 1 can be seen, so that they sit approximately flat on the tile.

[0041] The other end 2b of the guide rail 2 is in the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 and comprises a handle 25 and a magnetic holder 26. The magnetic holder 26 interacts with a magnetic counterpart on the carriage 3 to releasably secure the carriage, particularly for the crushing process. The magnetic counterpart can also be formed by the carriage itself.

[0042] Furthermore, a plate-shaped guide element 27 pointing vertically downwards is fixedly arranged on the guide rail 2. A sliding guide for receiving the guide element 27 is provided on the end profile 6. For this purpose, it has two guide plates 28, 29, the distance between which is adjustable. Furthermore, the two guide plates 28, 29 can be moved along the end profile 6 by loosening two knurled screws 30, 31, so that the guide rail 2 is no longer aligned parallel to the stop bar 8, but is arranged at an adjustable angle. To make this possible, at least one of the fastening screws of the guide plates 28 or 29 must be loosened in order to allow the corresponding guide plate to be moved on a bolt 32. The guide element 27 is provided at its lower end with a corresponding recess 33 for the bolt 32.

[0043] To cut a tile, the height of the guide rail 2 is adjusted, if necessary, to the thickness of the tile to be cut using the adjustment wheel 20. The tile is then aligned on the support surface 1, whereby the stop 8 can be used. The cutting element 4 is then pressed onto the tile using the handle 18 of the cutting lever 15, whereby the cutting lever is rotated about its axis 16 until this pivoting movement is limited by the slotted hole-bolt connection 17. At the same time, the cutting element 4 presses onto the tile. To enable the pivoting movement of the pivot lever, the guide rail deflects upward at its end 2a, causing a sliding displacement between the plate-shaped guide element and the fixed guide plates 28, 29. Ideally, the height of the guide rail is adjusted on the adjustment wheel 20 so that the guide rail 2 is aligned parallel when pressure is exerted on the cutting lever 15.However, thanks to the sliding guide at end 2b of the guide rail, even an inaccurately adjusted height can be easily compensated for. For example, if the distance of the guide rail decreases in the direction of the second pivot axis 21, a relative displacement of the guide element 27 with respect to the guide plates 28 and 29 occurs during the cutting / scoring process.

[0044] The roller-guided carriage ensures precise guidance of the cutting element. To prevent bending of the guide rail during the cutting process, especially with long guide rails, it must be designed with appropriate rigidity. Additional stiffening of the guide rail can be achieved, for example, with a U-profile 34, which is designed according to Fig. 4 is applied to the side of the guide rail 2 facing away from the carriage 3.

[0045] With the tile cutter described above, the guide rail can be longer than 1m, especially longer than 1.5m. Even at such lengths, precise cutting of the tiles is possible.

Claims

[1] Tile cutter with a support surface (1) for a tile to be cut, b. a guide rail (2), c. a carriage (3) guided on the guide rail (2) and d. a cutting element (4) held on the carriage (3) for cutting and / or scoring tiles, wherein the cutting element (4) is arranged laterally of the guide rail (2) in the plan view of the tile cutter, wherein the guide rail (2) - in the cross-section of the tile cutter - has an upper and a lower guide track (10, 11) and the carriage (3) has upper and lower guide rollers (12, 13), wherein the guide rollers (12, 13) are in rolling engagement with the guide tracks (10, 11) and the guide rollers (12, 13) and the associated guide track (10, 11) engage with one another in such a way that the guide rollers (12, 13) are positively guided on the associated guide track (10, 11) characterized bythat only one guide rail (2) is provided and the lower guide rollers (13) can be adjusted in their distance from the upper guide rollers (12) via an adjusting screw (14). [2] Tile cutter according to claim 1, characterized by that the guide rollers (12, 13) partially encompass the associated guide track (10, 11). [3] Tile cutter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the guide rail (2) is pivotally mounted at one end (2a) about a first pivot axis (19) aligned perpendicular to the support surface (1) and is displaceably held at its other end (2b) on a front profile (6). [4] Tile cutter according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by that the cutting element (4) is fastened to a cutting lever (15) pivotably mounted on the carriage (3). [5] Tile cutter according to claim 4, characterized bythat the cutting lever (15) is pivotable about an axis (16) aligned parallel to the support surface (1) and transversely to the longitudinal extent of the guide rail (2) and furthermore a slotted bolt connection (17) is provided between the cutting lever (15) and the carriage (3) to limit the pivoting movement of the cutting lever (15). [6] Tile cutter according to one or more of claims 3 to 5, characterized by that the guide rail (2) is pivotally mounted at one end (2a) about a second pivot axis (21) which is aligned parallel to the support surface (1) and transversely to the longitudinal extent of the guide rail (2) and is adjustable in height with respect to the support surface (1), and is guided in a sliding guide at its other end (2b). [7] Tile cutter according to claim 6, characterized bythat the guide rail (2) has a magnet holder (26) at its end (2b) opposite the second pivot axis (21) and the carriage (3) has a magnetic counterpart cooperating therewith for releasably fixing the carriage (3). [8] Tile cutter according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by in that the sliding guide of the guide rail (2) has a plate-shaped guide element (27) which is firmly connected to the guide rail (2) and which is slidably guided or roller-guided between two guide plates (28, 29) held on an end profile (6) of the support plate (1) in order to carry out the pivoting movement of the guide rail (2) about the second pivot axis (21), wherein the distance between the two guide plates (28, 29) and also the position of the two guide plates (28, 29) along the end profile (6) are adjustable. [9] Tile cutter according to one or more of claims 6 to 8, characterized bythat a crushing cone (22) is provided on the support surface (1) in the region of the second pivot axis (21), which is arranged as an extension of the cutting element (4) guided on the guide rail (2). [10] Tile cutter according to claim 9, characterized by that in the region of the second pivot axis (21) two breaking jaws (23, 24) are arranged on the guide rail (2) in such a way that the breaking cone (22) - in the plan view of the tile cutter - lies between the two breaking jaws (23, 24).

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