Portal with a cutting device

Abstract

A portal (100) for deflecting a cutting device (10), comprising a connecting unit (110) and a carrier unit (120), wherein the cutting device (10) is pivotably and / or rotatably connected to the carrier unit (120) via the connecting unit (110) such that the cutting device (10) is movable relative to a cutting plate (130), wherein the cutting device (10) is configured for cutting a fiber material (20) for producing a fiber composite component for a vehicle and has a cutting edge (30) and two fixing means (40), wherein the cutting edge (30) is arranged between the two fixing means (40) for fixing the fiber material (20), wherein during cutting of the fiber material (20) by means of the cutting edge (30), the fiber material (20) is fixed by the two fixing means (40),and wherein the cutting edge (30) is circular or substantially circular and is rotatably arranged on a bearing unit (50) between the two fixing means (40).

Description

The present invention relates to a portal with a cutting device for cutting a fiber material for producing a fiber composite component for a vehicle.Various cutting methods for fiber materials for vehicle construction are known in the prior art. However, at present there is no technology that enables reliable cutting of dry fiber material such as carbon fiber textiles by means of a cutting device without additional auxiliary means. Current cutting systems use either vacuum foils stretched over a vacuum table, paper bases, or both as auxiliary means to press the fiber material onto the cutting table. This is necessary in order to achieve a fixing and a defined height of the fiber material to be cut and thus to achieve a reproducible cut.For fixing the fiber material, therefore, various additional materials are required, which have a disadvantageous effect on the sustainability and the economic efficiency of the cutting process, in particular when cutting individual layers.US 2010 / 0199827 A1 discloses a cutting device for cutting a fiber material with a blade-shaped blade.AT 410 526 B describes a device for cutting flexurally soft, flat workpieces having a workpiece support, a cutter head which can be set against the workpiece support and has at least one knife, and having a hold-down device which is assigned to the cutter head and is provided laterally next to the knife and can be adjusted relative to the latter perpendicularly to the workpiece support.It is the object of the present invention to at least partially avoid the above-described disadvantages in a portal with a cutting device and a portal with the same. In particular, it is the object of the present invention to provide a portal with a cutting device for a fiber material, in particular a dry carbon fiber textile, by means of which the fiber material can be cut without using consumable material and thus economically.The above object is achieved by a portal with a cutting device having the features of claim 1. Features and details which are described in connection with the cutting device naturally also apply in connection with the portal according to the invention and vice versa, so that with regard to the disclosure reference is or can always be made reciprocally to the individual aspects of the invention.According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting device for cutting a fiber material to produce a fiber composite component for a vehicle. The cutting device has a blade and two fixing means. The blade is arranged between the two fixing means for fixing the fiber material, wherein during cutting of the fiber material by means of the blade the fiber material is fixed by the two fixing means.By using the two fixing means which are part of the cutting device, a lasting cutting process can be provided in which no consumables such as vacuum foils are required. Furthermore, by dispensing with the consumable material, an economical cutting process can be achieved, since the costs for the consumable material can be saved. Moreover, a particularly fast cutting operation can be achieved, since no operation is required for clamping a vacuum film or providing a paper layer.The cutting device according to the invention is particularly suitable for the continuous cutting of dry carbon fibre textiles. The geometry of the cutting edge can be straight or tooth-shaped and is preferably designed as a tool cutting edge. The fixing means can be provided as two separate components or as part of a single fixing unit which connects the two fixing means to one another. The fixing means are designed as components for fixing the position of the fiber material on, for example, a work surface or work surface such as a cutting plate, preferably via an adjustable contact pressure. In this case, the two fixing means fix the fiber material by applying pressure, for example, with respect to the cutting plate in such a way that the fiber material is clamped between the cutting plate or the supporting surface thereof and the fixing means. The contact pressure is designed or can be designed in such a way that the fiber material rests immovably on the cutting plate during the cutting by the cutting edge. In addition to carbon fiber textiles, other materials can of course also be cut with the cutting device according to the invention. In addition to carbon fiber materials, materials including ceramic fibers, aramid fibers, glass fibers, steel fibers, natural fibers, or nylon fibers, for example, may also be cut. The fact that the cutting edge is arranged between the two fixing means means that the two fixing means are arranged to the left and right next to or in front of and behind the cutting edge, optionally offset relative to one another. The cutting edge does not have to be arranged at the level of the fixing means, but can also be offset from its center or arranged beyond its circumference. In the context of the present invention, a cutting edge is understood to be, in particular, a cutting edge, wherein the cutting edge can also refer to a cutting blade or a corresponding cutting body with a cutting edge. In the present case, fixing is basically to be understood as a releasable fixing.According to a further development of the present invention, the two fixing means or at least a part of the two fixing means are arranged in such a way that the distance from the two fixing means to the cutting edge is constant or substantially constant during the cutting. Because the two fixing means are always at a constant distance from the cutting edge during cutting and this distance is preferably kept small, the fiber material can be fixed particularly well during the cutting process. The constant distance is, for example, in a range of less than 50 mm, preferably in a range of less than 20 mm and particularly preferably in a range of less than 10 mm. However, the constant distance is not limited thereto and can also be greater than 50 mm with fiber material of correspondingly large dimensions. In order to maintain the constant distance or substantially constant distance between the two fixing means and the blade, the two fixing means or at least a part of the two fixing means are arranged such that they are movable in the same direction or substantially in the same direction as the blade during the cutting operation. The fact that the two fixing means are movable in the same direction means that they always move parallel or substantially parallel to the cutting edge, for example. The movement of the cutting edge here does not relate to the movement of the cutting edge in a limiting manner, but rather preferably to the movement of the cutting blade or cutting body as such.It is further advantageous if the portal according to the invention has a bearing unit with a cutting device, wherein the blade is circular or substantially circular and is arranged rotatably on the bearing unit between the two fixing means. As a result, it is possible in a particularly simple manner to cut the fiber material in a continuous manner. The fact that the cutting edge is circular means that the cutting edge has a circular cutting edge and thus preferably a disk-shaped cutting body. The bearing unit can be, for example, a bearing shaft in the form of a bearing bolt or a bearing pin. The circular cutting edge can be designed, for example, as a round blade.In addition, the two fixing means can be designed in the form of rollers. This allows a particularly simple and functional arrangement of the cutting edge and of the fixing means. Because both the cutting edge and the fixing means are circular or disk-shaped, they can be arranged on a single bearing unit designed as a bearing shaft. The roller-shaped or roller-shaped fixing means can be spaced apart from the cutting edge on the bearing unit by a desired distance, for example, by spacing means. Alternatively, the fixing means and the cutting edge can also have a spacing section, as a result of which the outer edges of the respective components can be held spaced apart from one another by a desired amount. This spacing section is preferably formed in each case in the vicinity of the bearing unit, for example in an inner half of the radius of the roller-shaped fixing means and / or of the circular or disk-shaped cutting edge. However, the present invention is not limited to the fixing means being arranged on the bearing unit. For example, they can also be arranged on a separate further bearing unit. For example, it is conceivable that the roller-shaped fixing means are arranged on the further bearing unit such that they can be pivoted and / or rotated to a bearing axis orthogonal to the central axis of the cutting edge. By a correspondingly central arrangement of the fixing means, these can always be kept at least substantially at a constant distance from the cutting edge even in this refinement during cutting. The surface of the roller-shaped fixing means is substantially smooth, but in a preferred development can also have a structure with projections which fix the fiber material in the corresponding contact points. It is furthermore conceivable for the fixing means to have an adhesive surface, as a result of which the fiber material can be fixed even better. This surface condition is not limited to the roller-shaped configuration of the fixing means.Furthermore, the two fixing means according to the present invention can each have a circulating belt, by means of which the fiber material can be fixed on a rectangular surface or substantially on a rectangular surface. This makes it possible to fix fiber material on a cutting plate via a corresponding surface and thus in a material-saving manner. The belt is guided, for example, around a plurality of rollers which are in engagement with the belt according to a track drive. The surface of the respective circulating belt directed toward the fiber material can be designed like the surface described according to the roller-shaped fixing means.According to a further development of the present invention, the bearing unit can be a drive shaft for driving the cutting edge and / or the two fixing means. This makes it possible to realize a particularly simple structure of the cutting device. The fact that the drive shaft is provided for driving the cutting edge and / or the two fixing means means that the cutting edge and / or the fixing means can be arranged fixedly on the drive shaft and rotate together with the latter during the cutting operation. For the non-driven components, on the other hand, the bearing unit is a bearing axle. A fixed arrangement does not mean here that the cutting edge and / or the fixing means are arranged on the drive shaft in a non-detachable manner. It is advantageous, for example, if the cutting edge and / or the fixing means are arranged fixedly on the drive unit via a latching mechanism. It is preferred in the present case if the cutting edge is arranged fixedly and the two fixing means loosely on the drive shaft. That is, in a cutting operation, the blade rotates with the drive shaft while the two fixing means are rotatable relative to the drive shaft. The cutting edge and the two fixing means are preferably arranged here coaxially or substantially coaxially with respect to one another on the drive shaft.It can be of further advantage if the cutting edge projects beyond the two fixing means in the direction of the fiber material by a length which is shorter than the thickness of the fiber material. As a result, a sufficiently high pressure can be applied to the fiber material during the cutting by means of the fixing means. The cutting edge can project beyond the two fixing means in the direction of the fiber material, for example, by a length which corresponds to more than 70%, preferably more than 80%, particularly preferably more than 90%, of the thickness of the fiber material. If the fiber material has a thickness of 10 mm, for example, the cutting edge can project beyond the two fixing means by 9 mm, for example, in the direction of the fiber material. As a result, the fiber material is compressed from 10 mm to 9 mm during the cutting process by the two fixing means and is thereby fixed on the cutting table. If the two fixing means are designed in the form of rollers and the cutting edge is circular and are arranged coaxially on a common bearing unit, the cutting edge and the two fixing means can preferably soften approximately the same radius, which differs from the thickness of the fiber material, for example, only by a certain percentage, for example, by less than 30%. In the case of a flexible cutting plate, it is also conceivable for the roller-shaped fixing means and the circular cutting edge to have the same radius or substantially the same radius. The roller-shaped fixing means and the circular cutting edge can have the same radius or substantially the same radius even if the roller-shaped fixing means and / or the circular cutting edge are arranged resiliently on the bearing unit or separate bearing units. If the roller-shaped fixing means and the circular blade are mounted separately from one another, i.e. on different bearing units, the radii can differ clearly from one another in a self-locking manner. In this case, it is preferable to keep the radius of the roller-shaped fixing means as small as possible, for example smaller than 50% of the radius of the circular cutting edge.The portal has a connecting unit and a carrier unit, wherein the cutting device is pivotably and / or rotatably connected to the carrier unit via the connecting unit in such a way that the cutting device is movable relative to a cutting plate. Thus, the portal according to the invention provides the same advantages as have been described in detail with reference to the cutting device according to the invention. Furthermore, it is possible by means of the portal to move the cutting device fully automatically, for example by means of a controller, relative to a fiber material lying on a cutting plate and to cut the fiber material accordingly. Thus, for example, automated traversing of preprogrammed cutting paths can be realized by the portal. In a preferred development of the portal, such a controller can be used to set parameters such as the pressure on the fiber material via the fixing means, the cutting speed and / or the cutting direction.According to a further development of the present invention, the connecting unit is displaceable relative to the carrier unit. This allows a movement of the cutting device in the carrier unit relative to the fiber material which is located on the cutting plate in a non-moving manner. This makes it possible to achieve even better automation of the cutting operation. For the relative displaceability of the connecting unit with respect to the bearing unit, the connecting unit can be guided in the carrier unit, for example, horizontally and / or vertically. A horizontal movement can be provided, for example, via a first guide in the carrier unit. A vertical movement can be provided, for example, via a lifting unit, for example, with a spring arrangement.It is of further advantage if the carrier unit is movable relative to the cutting plate. This makes it possible to further improve the automation of the cutting operation. In particular, a portal with a cutting device can be created, which can be positioned simply and flexibly via any cutting plate. According to this further development, the carrier unit can be movable relative to the work plate, for example, via a second guide, which is arranged on two sides next to the cutting plate. The carrier unit can be movable relative to the work plate, for example, via a separate guide or can be installed on or with the work table.Further measures which improve the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention which is schematically illustrated in the figure.FIG. 1 schematically shows a portal 100 according to the invention with a cutting device 10.More specifically, a cutting device 10 for cutting a fiber material 20 for producing a fiber composite component for a vehicle is shown. The cutting device 10 has a circular blade 30 or a disk-shaped cutting body in the form of a round knife and two fixing means 40 in the form of two fixing rollers. The blade 30 is disposed between the two roller-shaped fixing means 40 for fixing the fiber material 20. During the cutting of the fiber material 20 by means of the cutting edge 30 along a cutting line 60, the fiber material 20 can be fixed on a cutting plate 130 by the two roller-shaped fixing means 40.According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the two roller-shaped fixing means 40 are arranged on a bearing unit 50 designed as a drive shaft in such a way that the distance from the two roller-shaped fixing means 40 to the cutting edge 30 is constant during cutting.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bearing unit 50, which is designed as a drive shaft, serves for driving the cutting edge 30, and the two roller-shaped fixing means 40 move along as non-driven or loose fixing rollers around the bearing unit 50 during a cutting operation. The bearing unit 50 stores the blade 30 and the roller-shaped fixing means 40 in a holding unit 70.The holding unit 70 is rotatably and / or pivotably connected to a carrier unit 120 via a connection unit 110 that can be varied in height. In this case, the connecting unit 110 runs in a first guide 140 in the carrier unit 120. The carrier unit 120 is displaceable in a guide 150 according to FIG. 1. The guide 150 has two guide rails which are arranged or can be arranged next to the work plate.Thus, a gantry 100 for deflecting the cutting device 10 is provided, by means of which the cutting device 10 is freely movable in the x-, y- and z-direction in three-dimensional space. For automatizing cutting processes, the portal can have a controller 1000, by means of which the desired cutting process can be controlled and / or regulated.

Claims

Portal (100) for deflecting a cutting device (10), comprising a connecting unit (110) and a carrier unit (120), wherein the cutting device (10) is connected to the carrier unit (120) pivotably and / or rotatably via the connecting unit (110) in such a way that the cutting device (10) is movable relative to a cutting plate (130), wherein the cutting device (10) is configured for cutting a fibre material (20) for producing a fibre composite component for a vehicle and comprises a blade (30) and two fixing means (40), wherein the blade (30) is arranged between the two fixing means (40) for fixing the fibre material (20), wherein during cutting of the fibre material (20) by means of the blade (30) the fibre material (20) is fixed by the two fixing means (40), and wherein the cutting edge (30) is designed to be circular or substantially circular and is arranged rotatably between the two fixing means (40) on a bearing unit (50).Portal (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that the two fixing means (40) or at least a part of the two fixing means (40) are arranged in such a way that the distance from the two fixing means (40) to the cutting edge (30) is constant or substantially constant during the cutting.Portal (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the two fixing means (40) are designed in the form of rollers.Portal (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the two fixing means (40) each have a circulating belt, by means of which the fibre material (20) can be fixed on a rectangular surface or substantially on a rectangular surface.Portal (100) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the bearing unit (50) is a drive shaft for driving the blade (30) and / or the two fixation means (40).Portal (100) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the cutting edge (30) projects beyond the two fixing means (40) in the direction of the fibre material (20) by a length which is shorter than the thickness of the fibre material (20).Portal (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the connecting unit (110) is displaceable relative to the carrier unit (120).Portal (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the carrier unit (120) is movable relative to the cutting plate (130).

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