METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND REMOVING WORKPIECE PARTS FROM A SHEET MATERIAL

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a machine for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped material, in particular sheet metal, see claims 1 and 6.

[0002] WO 2015 / 17693 A1 discloses a method and a machine for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped material, in particular sheet metal. This machine comprises a workpiece support for receiving the plate-shaped workpiece. A processing head is movable above the plate-shaped workpiece, through which a cutting beam is directed onto the plate-shaped material to cut the workpiece part from the plate-shaped workpiece. After the workpiece part has been cut free as a removal part from the plate-shaped workpiece, this removal part is lifted vertically upwards from a storage plane formed by the workpiece support by means of a lifting device. This lifting device engages underneath the removal part with lifting pins.Opposite, the lifted or removed part is picked up with a gripping device and transferred to an unloading station, a magazine or another processing device.

[0003] JPH 0699296 A discloses a method and a separating device for removing workpiece parts from a sheet material. The separating device has lifting pins onto which a sheet material with a cut-out workpiece part can be lowered by a gripping device. The lifting pins lift the workpiece part, and as the gripping device is further lowered, it separates it from the surrounding scrap skeleton.

[0004] WO 2017 / 202767 A1 further discloses a method and a machine for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped material, in particular sheet metal. This machine comprises two mutually associated workpiece support surfaces for forming a workpiece support. Between the workpiece support surfaces, a cutting gap is formed for a cutting beam, which is directed above the plate-shaped workpiece via a processing head onto the plate-shaped material for processing. Support carriages are provided in this cutting gap and can be moved along the cutting gap. This allows the position and / or size of the opening to be adjusted, since the support carriages can be moved independently of one another within the free space between the mutually associated workpiece support surfaces. This allows the size of an opening for the entry of the cutting beam to be adjustable.The support carriage can also be used to set up an ejection opening for cut-out workpiece parts as removal parts in order to eject these removal parts downwards relative to the workpiece support using an ejection device.

[0005] From JP 2015-116 604 A (disclosing the preamble of claims 1 and 6) a method for producing workpiece parts with a laser cutting beam is further known.

[0006] In this manufacturing process, a large number of workpieces with simple geometries are arranged directly next to one another and efficiently cut. A laser beam is first moved along a first spatial axis to simultaneously produce one end face of several workpieces using a single movement. Subsequently, an opposite end face is produced using a similar movement. Following this, the longitudinal sides of the workpieces and adjacent waste pieces are cut.

[0007] EP 2441547 A1 discloses a method for separating the good parts resulting from the laser cutting of a sheet metal panel from a residual skeleton of the sheet metal panel. The sheet metal panel rests on a workpiece support formed by a plurality of support elements, and the laser-cut good parts are still connected to the residual skeleton via microjoints. In this method, after the good parts have been laser-cut, the sheet metal panel is cut into smaller sheet metal parts by at least one separating cut extending at least partially within the residual skeleton. The separating cut is designed such that the sheet metal parts separated from one another by the separating cut remain supported on at least one support element at their separating-side grid edge.

[0008] From JPH 10146671 A a method for laser cutting workpiece parts from a workpiece sheet is known, in which the cutting of edge parts is carried out in sections to avoid thermal deformations.

[0009] JPH 10315078 A discloses a method in which an edge region of a plate-shaped workpiece is first completely separated and removed by punching. Subsequently, complex contour lines are laser-cut on the outer edge of a workpiece part to be produced or between two adjacent workpiece parts, before the workpiece parts are cut free along simple contour lines. For unloading, a cut-free workpiece part is pulled sideways onto a conveyor belt by a gripping device.

[0010] JPH 04258393 A describes a process in which, starting from the outer edge of a plate-shaped workpiece, parts of the residual skeleton and workpiece parts are alternately cut free and transported away with a removal device to enable sorted storage. To prepare for this process, small parts located within the workpiece parts or on the outer edge of the workpiece parts are first cut and removed.

[0011] The removal of cut-out workpiece parts as a removal part from the plate-shaped material can be difficult, especially in the case of greater thicknesses of the plate-shaped material and / or in the case of workpiece parts with a complex contour or with an asymmetrical contour, since such workpiece parts tilt or jam after cutting and become caught with the residual skeleton.

[0012] The invention is based on the object of proposing a method and a machine for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped workpiece, in particular sheet metal, in which the removal of cut-out workpiece parts with a complex contour from the plate-shaped material is improved and the process reliability is increased.

[0013] This object is achieved by a method for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped material according to claim 1, in which, before the workpiece part is cut free, a sacrificial part adjacent to the workpiece part is cut as a removal part. This sacrificial part is formed between the workpiece part and the remaining residual skeleton and partially has a common cutting gap with the workpiece part and the residual skeleton. The sacrificial part is cut free from the plate-shaped material before the workpiece part is cut free from the plate-shaped material. This method has the advantage that the sacrificial part creates sufficient free space, initially in an area of ​​the complex contour of the workpiece part, in order to remove it from the residual skeleton without tilting or jamming.This can, for example, make it easier to transfer the removed part downwards relative to the workpiece support by gravity or to push it out downwards with the assistance of an ejection element of an ejection device, as well as to lift the removed part upwards relative to the skeleton using a lifting device. These sacrificial parts can also be used to free up areas adjacent to the removed part that are required so that the ejection element of the ejection device or lifting pins of the lifting device can engage the workpiece part. By creating additional free space between the removed part and the plate-shaped workpiece or the skeleton, particularly in the area of ​​complex contours of the removed part, canting of the removed parts relative to the skeleton can be reduced or eliminated, thereby simplifying removal and thus increasing process reliability.

[0014] The term "sacrificial part" refers to a piece of the sheet material that is additionally cut to remove the workpiece part. The sacrificial part represents waste that does not arise from cutting several consecutive workpieces.

[0015] Preferably, the cut-free sacrificial part is removed from the plate-shaped material before the adjacent workpiece part is cut free. As a result, the workpiece part remains connected to the plate-shaped material at least by a web connection or a so-called microjoint until the outer contour of the sacrificial part is completely cut and the sacrificial part is subsequently removed from the plate-shaped material. Alternatively, the cut-free sacrificial part and the cut-free workpiece part can be removed from the plate-shaped material together. The sacrificial parts can be pressed out of the plate-shaped material and removed by being ejected downwards - i.e., by dropping them - or by being pushed downwards by at least one ejection pin or upwards by at least one lifting device.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the method according to the invention, the at least one sacrificial part is cut adjacent to a complex contour of the workpiece part. The sacrificial part can at least partially surround the complex contour of the workpiece part. These sacrificial parts have an outer contour that is as simple and straight as possible, which can be easily removed from the plate-shaped material and cut into the material quickly and with little heat input. These sacrificial parts create a free space between the complex contours and the plate-shaped material in order to prevent tilting or jamming relative to the plate-shaped material.

[0017] The at least one sacrificial part is cut adjacent to the complex contour of the workpiece part, which is designed as an undercut, as a hook-shaped contour or corner area, as an acute or obtuse angle.

[0018] According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the at least one sacrificial part is cut such that, after the removal of the sacrificial part, a free space is formed in the plate-shaped material for lifting or ejecting the removed part using a lifting device or an ejection pin. The free space must be large enough to allow the lifting device or ejection pin to engage the removed part without coming into contact with the residual skeleton. In particular, in the case of very narrow or fine contours that are smaller in one spatial direction than a diameter of lifting pins or ejection elements, such a sacrificial part creates a free space in the residual skeleton to enable the ejection or lifting of the removed part.

[0019] Furthermore, the sacrificial part adjacent to the workpiece part or at least partially surrounding this workpiece part is preferably formed as a rectilinear cross-section or a convex hull of the complex contour. This allows this complex contour to be surrounded by a simple outer contour that forms part of the contour of the sacrificial part, with another part of the contour of the sacrificial part corresponding to the complex contour of the workpiece part.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the method, a cutting line between the sacrificial part and the plate-shaped material is cut with a larger cutting gap than the common cutting line between the sacrificial part and the workpiece part. This can facilitate removal of the sacrificial part. A wider cutting gap can be achieved, for example, by using oxygen instead of nitrogen as the cutting gas, by a larger focus diameter of the laser beam, by defocusing the laser beam, or by an oscillating movement of the laser beam transverse to the cutting line.

[0021] Alternatively, if the cutting line between the sacrificial part and the sheet material does not share an edge with the workpiece part, an oblique cut can be made, with the cutting beam being aligned to the workpiece surface in such a way as to facilitate the upward or downward removal of the sacrificial part from the residual skeleton. As a result, for example, when viewed in a sectional view, the sacrificial part can have a side edge with a cutting edge oriented perpendicular to the plane of the sheet material, which faces the workpiece part, and an oblique cutting edge facing the residual skeleton. If the surface section resting on the workpiece support is larger than the surface section facing the machining head, the sacrificial part can fall out downwards more easily.If the surface section resting on the workpiece support is smaller than the surface section facing the machining head, lifting the sacrificial part upwards is made easier.

[0022] The object underlying the invention is further achieved by a processing machine according to claim 6.

[0023] The invention and further advantageous embodiments and developments thereof are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the examples shown in the drawings.

[0024] They show: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a processing machine for cutting and removing workpiece parts from a plate-shaped material, Figure 2 shows a schematic view of support carriages arranged in a gap between two workpiece support surfaces with a workpiece part resting thereon, Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a method step during the pressing out of a cut-out workpiece part as a removal part from the plate-shaped material, Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a lifting device for a processing machine according to Figure 1 for removing cut-free workpiece parts from the plate-shaped material, Figure 5 a schematic side view of a method step for lifting the cut-free workpiece part upwards relative to a workpiece support with the lifting device according to Figure 4, Figure 6 a schematic view of a workpiece part with a complex contour and sacrificial parts, Figure 7 a schematic sectional view along the line VI-VI in Figure 6 , Figure 8 a schematic sectional view of an alternative embodiment to Figure 7 , Figure 9 shows a schematic view of the workpiece part with a further complex contour and an embodiment of the sacrificial part, and Figure 10 shows a schematic view of the workpiece part with a further complex contour and a further embodiment of the sacrificial part.

[0025] In Figure 11 shows, by way of example, a processing machine 1 for cutting and separating a plate-shaped material 2 (shown in dashed lines) using a cutting beam 3. This is preferably a processing machine for laser cutting, by which a laser beam is directed onto the plate-shaped material 2 to be processed. Alternatively, the cutting beam 3 can also be, for example, a plasma beam or a water jet. Alternatively, the processing machine 1 can also be designed for mechanically separating the plate-shaped material 2, for example, as a punching machine or punch-laser combination machine.

[0026] During machining, the plate-shaped material 2 rests on two workpiece support surfaces 4, 5, which form a common workpiece support for the plate-shaped material 2 in a workpiece support plane E (XY plane of an XYZ coordinate system). The workpiece support surfaces 4, 5 can be formed by table surfaces or by pin-shaped support elements (pins), support belts, brushes, rollers, balls, air cushions, or the like.

[0027] By means of a movement and holding device 7, which has a drive and clamping devices 8 in the form of clamping claws for holding the plate-shaped material 2, the plate-shaped material 2 can be moved in a controlled manner on the workpiece support surfaces 4, 5 in a first direction X (hereinafter: X-direction) and positioned at a predetermined workpiece position.

[0028] A gap 6 is formed between the two workpiece support surfaces 4, 5. The gap 6 extends in a second direction (hereinafter: Y-direction) across the entire width of the two workpiece support surfaces 4, 5. A cutting head 9, which aligns and focuses the cutting beam 3 onto the sheet-like material 2, can be moved in a controlled manner in the Y-direction by means of a driven carriage 11 serving as a movement device, which is guided on a fixed gantry 10. In the example shown, the cutting head 9 can also be moved in the X-direction and can be moved in a controlled manner in the X-direction with the aid of an additional movement device 12 attached to the carriage 11, for example in the form of a linear drive.

[0029] With the aid of the movement devices 11, 12, the cutting head 9 can be positioned both in the X direction and in the Y direction to a desired cutting head position XS, YS within the gap 6. In addition, in the example shown, the cutting head 9 can be moved along a further movement direction Z (hereinafter: Z direction) by means of a third movement device 13, which is based on the second movement device 11, in order to adjust the distance between a processing nozzle 9a of the laser cutting head 9 and the surface of the plate-shaped material 2 or to position the cutting head 9 at a desired cutting head position ZS in the Z direction relative to the workpiece support plane.

[0030] In the Figure 1In the gap 6 shown, two support slides 14a, 14b are arranged for additional support of the plate-shaped material 2 and for additional support of workpiece parts 20 cut during separating processing, which Figure 2 are shown in a plan view. The two support carriages 14a, 14b each extend over the entire width b of the gap 6 and are controlled in the Y direction in the gap 6 and can be moved independently of one another. The controlled movement of the support carriages 14a, 14b between the side edges 4a, 5a of the fixed workpiece support surfaces 4, 5 can be achieved, for example, with the aid of spindle drives, and the spindle and the drive motor can be attached to one of the two fixed workpiece supports 4, 5.

[0031] The support carriages 14a, 14b can each be moved in the gap 6 to a desired position Y UA , Y UB along the second direction Y in order to support the plate-shaped material 2 and the workpiece part 20 to be cut free from the plate-shaped material 2 or cut during processing by means of a support surface 15a, 15b attached to the respective support carriage 14a, 14b ( Figure 2 ). The support surfaces 15a, 15b of a respective support carriage 14a, 14b are in the case shown flush with the workpiece support surfaces 4, 5 in the Z direction, i.e. the support surfaces 15a, 15b of the support carriage 14a, 14b are located in the support plane E for the plate-shaped material 2. In the case shown in Figure 1In the example shown, a covering element 14a, 14b is attached to the opposite side edges of the support surfaces 15a, 15b of the support carriages 14a, 14b, which extend in the X direction, to cover the gap 6 between the two workpiece support surfaces 4, 5. These are designed, for example, in the shape of a roller shutter and can be moved within the gap 6, following the support carriages 14a, 14b.

[0032] To control the cutting operation, the processing machine 1 has a control device 16, which serves to coordinate the movement of the plate-shaped material 2 of the cutting head 9 and the support carriages 14a, 14b in order to set a desired workpiece position XW, a desired cutting head position XSY and offset SZ, as well as a desired position YUA and YUB of the support carriages 14a, 14b, in order to enable the cutting of a predetermined cutting contour 21 and to adequately support the plate-shaped material 2. In the example shown, the control device 16 also serves to control an ejection device 17, which is attached laterally to the cutting head 9 and is designed in the form of an ejection cylinder, the piston rod of which serves as an ejection element 18 for ejecting cut-out workpiece parts 20 downwards.

[0033] Alternatively, the plate-shaped workpiece 20 can also be machined in a processing machine 11 with a single workpiece support, on which the plate-shaped workpiece 2 rests during processing, while the cutting head 9 moves in the X and Y directions across the entire workpiece support (flying optics machine). In such a processing machine, the workpiece support is typically designed as a grid support, with the plate-shaped workpiece 2 resting on the tips of the support webs. Gaps are formed between the support webs through which workpiece parts 20 can fall downward.

[0034] In Figure 2A schematic view of the support carriages 14a, 14b and a cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 is shown. To cut the workpiece part 20 free, the cutting head 9 is moved by movement devices 11, 12, 13, whereby the support carriages 14a, 14b are moved corresponding to the position of the cutting beam 3 while maintaining a gap width A, so that the cutting beam 3 can penetrate downwards through the gap A. The width of the gap A can be changed depending on the cutting contour 21 and / or the size of the workpiece part 20. In any case, the width of the gap A is kept small so that the workpiece part 20 is not automatically ejected downwards during machining.

[0035] In Figure 31 is a schematic side view of the cutting head 9 during the pressing out of the cut-out workpiece part 20 after complete cutting out of the plate-shaped workpiece 2. To press out the cut-out workpiece part 20, the pressing device 17 is positioned above the cut-out workpiece part 20. Subsequently, the pressing element 18 is extended and the two support carriages 14a, 14b are lowered downward from the workpiece support plane E, as shown. As soon as the support carriages 14a, 14b have reached their lower end position, the pressing element 18 can be moved back from the lower position to a starting position.

[0036] For ejection, the free-cut workpiece part 20 can be moved below the workpiece support plane E into the gap 6, for example by moving the second support carriage 14b in the Y direction until an ejection position is reached in which the free-cut workpiece part 20 is ejected downwards.

[0037] Alternatively, to eject the cut-free workpiece part 20, the width of the gap A between the two support carriages 14a, 14b can be increased so that the support surfaces 15a, 15b of the support carriages 14b, 14b no longer support the cut-free workpiece part. Depending on the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20, the support carriages 14a, 14b are moved apart in such a way that premature tilting is prevented until the cut-free workpiece part 20 is free of any support from the support surfaces 15a, 15b of the support carriages 14a, 14b. This allows the cut-free workpiece part 20 to fall downward as a removal part and be ejected below the workpiece support plane E.

[0038] In Figure 4As an alternative to the ejection device 17, a lifting device 26 is shown for removing the cut-free workpiece part 20 from the plate-shaped material 2 or a residual skeleton 22 formed from the plate-shaped material 2 after the workpiece parts 20 have been cut out. This lifting device 26 comprises at least one gripping device 27 arranged above the plate-shaped material 2 and at least one lifting module 28 below the plate-shaped material 2. The at least one gripping device 27 and the at least one lifting module 28 are received so as to be movable along linear axes 29, 30 at least in the Y direction and in the Y direction. To remove a cut-free plate-shaped workpiece 20, the plate-shaped material 2 is moved in the Y direction along the workpiece support plane E by means of the clamping device 8. The gripping device 27 and the lifting module 28 are movable in the Z direction.

[0039] In Figure 5A schematic view of a lifting pin with the lifting device 26 is shown, in which the cut-free workpiece part 20 is raised relative to the plate-shaped material 2 by lifting pins 31 of the lifting module 28 relative to the workpiece support plane E. At the same time, the plate-shaped material 2 can be held on the lifting pins 31 by the gripping device 27 during the lifting movement. After the workpiece part 20 has been lifted out, the workpiece part 20 can be removed with the gripping device 27. Preferably, suction elements 32 of the gripping device 27 are activated, so that the cut-free workpiece part 20 is subsequently transferred to an unloading position by a movement of the upper linear axes 29.

[0040] Depending on the size and the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20, the corresponding lifting pins 31 for lifting the workpiece part 20 relative to the plate-shaped material 2 in the lifting module 28 are controlled by piston-cylinder units (not shown in detail).

[0041] In Figure 61 shows a plan view of a plate-shaped material 2 with an exemplary cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 in the surrounding residual skeleton 22. The thin, solid line forms the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20. This cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 has, for example, a plurality of complex contours 33. The complex contour 33 can, for example, be designed as an undercut 34. This undercut 34 can, for example, be designed in the form of a U-shaped geometry. Furthermore, a hook-shaped region 35 can form the complex contour 33. An undercut 34 can also be formed by the hook-shaped region 35. In addition, the cutting contour 21 can comprise a complex contour 33 in the form of an acute angle 36. The cutting contour 21 can also, for example, have an obtuse angle 37.The number and / or configuration of the undercuts 34, the hook-shaped regions 35, the acute angles 36, and / or the obtuse angles 37 can be provided individually and / or in any combination. Through a single or any combination of these regions 34, 35, 36, 37, the piece part 20 has a cutting contour 21 with one or more complex contours 33. Such complex contours 33 of the cutting contour 21 on the workpiece part 20 tend to tilt and make removal difficult.

[0042] To increase process reliability, such areas 34, 35, 36, 37 are assigned to sacrificial parts 41 and cut. These sacrificial parts 41 are formed between the workpiece part 20 and the residual skeleton 22. The sacrificial parts have a cutting line 42, shown as a dashed line, which extends between the sacrificial part 41 and the plate-shaped material 2 or the residual skeleton 22. Furthermore, the sacrificial part 41 is formed by a cutting line 43, which is shown, for example, as a solid line and extends at least partially along the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 between the two ends of the cutting line 42.

[0043] The cutting line 42 partially surrounding the sacrificial part 41 can be formed as a straight line, as shown, for example, in the case of the undercut 34 or in the case of the acute angle 36. This cutting line 42 of the sacrificial part 41 can also form a convex shell, which, for example, surrounds a hook-shaped region 35 or an obtuse angle 37.

[0044] By introducing the sacrificial part 41 or the sacrificial parts 41, complex contours 33 are softened for removal, that is to say that the workpiece part 20, which has a cutting contour 21 with the at least one complex contour 33, comprises a simple outer contour for removal from the plate-shaped material 2 after the removal of the sacrificial part 41.

[0045] When producing the workpiece part 20 with the cutting contour 21, for example, the area 34 - i.e. the undercut - can be introduced and then the cutting line 42 can be introduced, so that the sacrificial part 31 located in the undercut 34 is separated from the other plate-shaped material 2. Subsequently, for example, the obtuse angle 37 can be cut, whereby the cutting line 42 for the sacrificial part 41 is subsequently introduced, which is assigned to the obtuse angle 37. This sequence can also be repeated for the other sacrificial parts 41. Alternatively, only the cutting lines 42 of the sacrificial parts 41 can be introduced first, in order to then subsequently introduce the cutting line 43 for the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20. The sequence and order can be arbitrary. Preferably, short successive travel paths of the cutting head 9 are controlled in order to successively form the cutting lines 42, 41.In any case, it is imperative that the sacrificial part(s) 41 are already cut free before the workpiece part 20 is completely cut free from the plate-shaped material 2.

[0046] At the Figure 6 In the embodiment of the workpiece part 20 shown, the workpiece part 20 can be removed from the plate-shaped material according to one of the three previously described embodiments by attaching the sacrificial parts 41.

[0047] Figure 7 shows a schematic sectional view along the line VI-VI in Figure 6. The cutting line 43 for the cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 is preferably controlled with cutting parameters in order to achieve a high edge quality in the cutting gap. Such cutting parameters can be, for example, the use of nitrogen as the cutting gas, a smaller focus diameter, a linear movement of the cutting beam, or the like. In an area between the sacrificial part 41 and the plate-shaped material 2, the cutting line 42 can be controlled with different cutting parameters than the cutting line 43, since the edge quality is not relevant. For example, the cutting line 42 can be designed as a wide cut in which a pendulum movement of the laser beam is used transversely to the cutting gap. This makes it easier for the sacrificial part 41 to fall out, be pushed out, or be lifted from the plate-shaped material 2 or the residual skeleton 22 due to the increased gap width.

[0048] In Figure 8An alternative embodiment for forming the cutting line 42 between the sacrificial part 41 and the plate-shaped material 2 or the residual skeleton 22 is shown. In this embodiment, the cutting line 42 can be formed as an oblique cut, which facilitates the downward fall of the sacrificial part 41 due to the cutting geometry. This oblique cut can have any width in the cutting gap.

[0049] In Figure 91 shows a schematic view of the plate-shaped material 2 with an alternative cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20. With this cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20, for example, the width of the workpiece part 20 is smaller than a diameter of an ejection element 18 or lifting pins 31. To enable secure ejection or lifting of the workpiece part 20, a sacrificial part 41 is formed in order to have sufficient free space in the plate-shaped material 2 or residual skeleton 22 for the ejection element(s) 18 or the lifting pin(s) 21 after removal of the sacrificial part 41.

[0050] In Figure 10 A further alternative embodiment of a cutting contour 21 of the workpiece part 20 is shown. In this embodiment, the workpiece part 20 is pressed out by an ejection element 18 according to the Figure 1The workpiece part 20 is pressed downward through the gap 6 by the described ejection device 17. Alternatively, the workpiece part 20 can also be pressed upward. The ejection element 18 is shown schematically. The diameter of the ejection element 18 is larger than the planar extent of the workpiece part 20, against which the ejection element 18 engages. A portion of the plate-shaped material 2 opposes an ejection device of the ejection element. This clearance can be achieved by the sacrificial part 41, which is formed by a cutting line 42 on the one hand and a portion of the cutting line 43 of the cutting contour 21 on the other.

[0051] To produce and free cut the workpiece part 20 and the sacrificial part 41, the following cutting path is controlled by the cutting head 9, for example: The schematically illustrated support carriages 14a, 14b are moved during the cutting process such that the cutting beam 3 can enter the gap 6. To produce the workpiece part 2, for example, a recess is made at point 45. The cutting beam 3 is then moved towards the cutting contour 21 up to point 51 (arrow 52) and the cutting line 43 (arrow 53) is formed until, for example, position 49 is reached. The cutting line 42 is then introduced up to position 50. The cutting beam 3 can then be positioned again for the recess 45 and then moved in the direction of arrow 48 along the cutting line 43 until position 49 is reached.Preferably, the machining head 9 is moved from position 50 to position 49 and from there the cutting beam 3 is moved further clockwise along the cutting line 43 until the cutting line 43 has reached point 51.

[0052] It is essential for the cutting process, which can be carried out in a variety of ways, that the sacrificial part 42 is already cut free before the workpiece part 20 is completely cut free.

Claims

1. A method for cutting and removing at least one workpiece part (20) with a complex contour or with an asymmetrical contour from a plate-shaped material (2), in particular a metal sheet, - in which the at least one workpiece part (20) is cut with a cutting jet (3) directed at the plate-shaped material (2) and the workpiece part (20) is separated from the plate-shaped material (2), - in which the at least one workpiece part (20) is removed as a removal part from the plate-shaped material (2), which remains as a residual lattice (22), wherein - the cut-free workpiece part (20) is raised from a workpiece support plane (E) of the plate-shaped material (2) by a lifting device (26), or - the cut-free workpiece part (20) is discharged downwards out of a workpiece support plane (E) by an ejector device (17), or the cut-free workpiece part (20) is discharged downwards out of the workpiece support plane (E) by means of gravity, characterized in that, - before the workpiece part (20) is cut free for removal from the residual lattice (22), at least one sacrificial part (41) adjacent to the workpiece part (20) is cut, which is formed between the workpiece part (20) and the residual lattice (22) and partly has a common cutting line (43) with the workpiece part (20), and a cutting line (42) which extends between the sacrificial part (41) and the residual lattice (22), and - at least one sacrificial part (41) is cut out of the plate-shaped material (2) before the workpiece part (20) is cut out of the plate-shaped material (2) or the residual lattice (22), - wherein the at least one sacrificial part (41) is cut adjacent to a complex contour (33) of the workpiece part (20), which is formed by an undercut (34), a hook-shaped area (35), an acute angle (36) or an obtuse angle (37), and / or wherein the at least one sacrificial part (41) is cut such that after removal of the sacrificial part (41), a sufficiently large free space is formed in the plate-shaped material (2) which allows engagement of at least one lifting pin (31) or ejector element (18) on the workpiece part (20) without any contact between the lifting pin (31) or ejector element (18) and the residual lattice (22).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cut-free sacrificial part (41) is removed from the plate-shaped material (2) and the workpiece part (20) is subsequently cut free or that the cut-free sacrificial part (41) and the cut-free workpiece part (20) are simultaneously removed from the plate-shaped workpiece (2) part.

3. The method according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the sacrificial part (41) assigned to the complex contour (33) of the workpiece part (20) comprises a cutting line (42) pointing towards the plate-shaped workpiece (2), which is designed as a straight line or a convex envelope.

4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cutting line (42) between the sacrificial part (41) and the plate-shaped material (2), which is not a common cutting line (43) with the workpiece part (20), is cut with an enlarged cutting gap.

5. The method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a cutting line (42) between the sacrificial part (41) and the plate-shaped material (2), which is not a common cutting line (43) with the workpiece part (20), is cut with a bevel cut.

6. A processing machine for cutting and removing at least one workpiece part (20) with a complex contour or with an asymmetrical contour from a plate-shaped material (2), in particular a metal sheet, - with two workpiece supporting surfaces (4, 5) between which a gap (6) is formed, - with at least one support carriage (14a, 14b) that can be moved in the gap (6) and that covers the gap at least partially with at least one covering element (24), - with at least one cutting head (9), through which a cutting jet (3) is directed onto the plate-shaped material (2) to cut the workpiece part (20), - with a lifting device (26) which comprises a gripper device (27) and, opposite the latter, at least one lifting module (28) with lifting pins (31), by means of which the cut-free workpiece part (20) can be raised vertically upwards out of a workpiece support plane (E), or with an ejector device (17) which has at least one ejector element (18) in order to push the cut-free workpiece part (20) up or down with respect to a workpiece support plane (E) or with a controllable size of the gap (6) by the supporting carriages (14), so that the cut-free workpiece part (20) falls downwards out of the workpiece support plane (E) through the gap (6) under the force of gravity, characterized in that, - the processing machine (1) has a control device (16) designed to control the following steps: - cutting the at least one workpiece part (20) with a cutting jet (3) directed at the plate-shaped material (2) and separating the workpiece part (20) the plate-shaped material (2), - removing the at least one workpiece part (20) as a removal part from the plate-shaped material (2), which remains as a residual lattice (22), - raising the cut-free workpiece part (20) out of the workpiece support plane (E) of the plate-shaped material (2) by the lifting device (26) or downward removal of the cut-free workpiece part (20) out of the workpiece support plane (E) by the ejector device (17), or removal of the cut-free workpiece part (20) by means of gravity from the workpiece support plane (E), - cutting at least one sacrificial part (41) adjacent to the workpiece part (20), which is formed between the workpiece part (20) and the residual lattice (22) and partially has a common cutting line (43) with the workpiece part (20) and a cutting line (42) that extends between the sacrificial part (41) and the residual lattice (22), before the workpiece part (20) is cut free for removal from the residual lattice (22), wherein the at least one sacrificial part (41) is cut adjacent to a complex contour (33) of the workpiece part (20), which is formed by an undercut (34), a hook-shaped area (35), an acute angle (36) or an obtuse angle (37), and / or wherein the at least one sacrificial part (41) is cut such that, after removal of the sacrificial part (41), a sufficiently large free space is formed in the plate-shaped material (2) which enables at least one lifting pin (31) or ejector element (18) to engage on the workpiece part (20) without the lifting pin (31) or ejector element (18) coming into contact with the residual lattice (22), and - cutting at least one sacrificial part (41) out of the plate-shaped material (2) before the workpiece part (20) is cut out of the plate-shaped material (2) or the residual lattice (22).