METHOD AND DEVICE FOR WELDING BLADES

Description

[0001] According to the preamble of claim 1, the invention relates to a device for welding blades, in particular for wet razors.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention according to claim 10 relates to a method for welding such blades.

[0003] For some time now, commercially available wet razors have featured either a razor head permanently attached to a handle or a replaceable one, with the razor head comprising a cutting unit. In models of wet razors or razor heads specifically designed for a close and gentle shave, the razor heads have several parallel blades arranged within a single cutting unit.

[0004] With regard to corresponding razor heads and such cutting units, various designs and manufacturing processes are already known, which include, for example, the arrangement of blades in receiving slots in the razor head or the welding of blades to a support frame.

[0005] Both embodiments in which a blade is welded to an individual carrier and embodiments in which several blades are welded to a common carrier frame are known.

[0006] The present invention relates to the manufacture of cutting units, wherein several blades are welded to a common support frame.

[0007] Known devices and methods for welding blades often offer only limited scalability with regard to the number of cutting units produced in a given time. Furthermore, work on known production facilities, for example during maintenance or repair, often requires shutting down the entire system, bringing production to a complete standstill during this time.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device for welding blades that enables both improved scalability with regard to the number of cutting units produced in a given time and high availability of the overall system. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for welding blades that enables both improved scalability with regard to the number of cutting units produced in a given time and high availability of the overall system.

[0009] The main features of the invention are specified in the characterizing part of claim 1 and in claim 10. Embodiments are the subject of claims 2 to 9 and 11 to 15.

[0010] The invention relates in particular to the process of feeding and welding blades in the overall manufacturing process of a shaving unit. This intermediate process is used in the production of cutting units for wet razors, in which one or more blades are welded onto a support frame to form a cutting unit. Depending on the design of the cutting unit, corresponding upstream and / or downstream assembly steps may be necessary to complete the cutting unit.

[0011] Such cutting units often consist of several blades for normal shaving and an additional trimmer blade. If the cutting unit is to include one, the trimmer blade is either integrated into the blade welding device described below, or mounted separately in a preceding or subsequent assembly step, depending on the unit's design. The cutting unit is then typically a sub-assembly of the complete shaving unit.

[0012] A device according to the invention for welding blades comprises at least one rotary indexing table. Such a rotary indexing table has a number of machining stations positioned around a rotary plate of the rotary indexing table and designed to interact with tools arranged on the rotary indexing table and / or a workpiece positioned on the rotary indexing table.

[0013] For example, such a rotary indexing table has six or eight machining stations. The machining stations are usually spaced regularly in the circumferential direction, i.e., at angular positions differing by 60° with six machining stations and at angular positions differing by 45° with eight machining stations.

[0014] The rotary table of the rotary indexing table can be rotated about a mostly vertical or horizontal axis of rotation, so that a workpiece arranged in a holder on the rotary table of the rotary indexing table can be moved or switched into the working area of ​​the machining stations one after the other, depending on the respective angular position of the respective holder on the rotary indexing table.

[0015] The number and arrangement of the tool holders on the rotary indexing table generally correspond to the machining stations. However, it is possible that one or more machining stations remain empty, meaning that the rotary indexing table may have, for example, six tool holders on the turntable and six machining stations, but fewer than six, for example only three, are functionally set up.

[0016] In preferred embodiments of the invention, a rotary indexing table designed as a torque rotary indexing table is used. Torque rotary indexing tables offer the advantage over mechanical rotary indexing tables that the indexing error is generally significantly smaller. Furthermore, the angular positions of the individual machining stations can be controlled with higher accuracy by using a torque rotary indexing table.

[0017] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the receptacles on the rotary indexing table are designed as setting wings, which are designed to receive, transport and position the blades on the rotary indexing table.

[0018] The setting wings are movable perpendicular to the surface of the rotary indexing table and are preferably spring-loaded.

[0019] The movement of the indexing wings is achieved by a lifting unit, which, when the surface of the rotary indexing table is horizontal, is designed as a vertical lifting unit. The indexing wings are then movable perpendicular to the surface of the rotary table by means of a lifting unit.

[0020] In particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention, the lifting unit is synchronized with the rotary movement of the rotary indexing table. This allows the distance between the receiving device of the blade assembly and the rotary table to be adjusted to the requirements of the respective machining station. This can be achieved, for example, either mechanically, for instance with a cam drive, or electronically, for instance with a servo drive.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indexing wings are arranged on the rotary indexing table such that the cutting edge of a blade held in the receiving device of an indexing wing is tangential to the rotary table's turntable. This minimizes the influence of any indexing and / or positioning error of the rotary indexing table on the position of the blade's cutting edge.

[0022] The first processing station of the rotary indexing table that is essential for the invention is, in particular, the blade feeding station. The blade feeding station has a blade provisioning device for providing blades.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the blade supply device is designed as a blade storage device for storing blades. For example, such a blade storage device is designed as a blade magazine in which the individual blades are provided as a stack on top of each other.

[0024] In embodiments of the invention, the blade storage device includes a compartment slide with which a single blade can be conveyed from the blade magazine and made available for further processing. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the movement of such a compartment slide is synchronized with the rotary indexing table, so that, for example, a blade is provided in each process cycle. This synchronization can be achieved, for example, mechanically, using a cam drive, or electronically, using a servo drive.

[0025] Using the setting wing located on the rotary table in the position of the blade feed station, a single blade can be picked up by the blade supply device.

[0026] The second processing station of the rotary indexing table, which is essential for the invention, is the welding station. The welding station has a welding device with which the blades can be welded to the support frame. In one embodiment of the invention, the welding device is designed for laser welding of the blades.

[0027] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the device for welding blades has suitable means for feeding an empty support frame into the working area of ​​the welding station, for aligning the support frame in the welding station and for removing a cutting unit welded from the support frame and at least one blade from the working area of ​​the welding station.

[0028] For feeding an empty carrier frame into the working area of ​​the welding station, the device for welding blades has a suitable handling device, for example a pick-and-place handling system, with which a carrier frame can be picked up from a staging position by an interface device and placed in a holding device located in a transfer area.

[0029] In embodiments of the invention, this holding device is designed as a processing nest which, according to the invention, is either fully or only within a limited angular range movable around the rotary table of the rotary indexing table, but in the former case remains in the working area of ​​the first processing station.

[0030] The provision position of the support frame can be realized, for example, by an interface device designed as a storage magazine for support frames, a goods part logistics (WT logistics) or as a shuttle system.

[0031] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the mounting device has at least one axis handling unit with which the support frame can be positioned in the mounting device or together with the mounting device for processing and / or fitting with blades.

[0032] Preferably, a three-axis handling unit with two mutually perpendicular linear axes aligned parallel to the surface of the rotary table of the rotary indexing table and a rotary axis perpendicular to the linear axes is used.

[0033] The linear axes allow for positioning of the support frame within the processing station, for example, in the welding station during welding and for transfer after welding. The rotary axis enables adjustments to the angular position between the blades and the support frame, and allows for the mounting of blades with different orientations, such as a trimmer blade rotated 180°.

[0034] By means of movement along the linear axes, the holding device in embodiments of the invention can be moved from the transfer area of ​​the handling device into the working area of ​​the welding station of the rotary indexing table.

[0035] According to the invention, embodiments with two axis handling units per mounting device can also be provided, which ensure a continuous process during the mounting and welding of the blades.

[0036] In one embodiment of the invention, a first axis handling unit is assigned to the repositioning of the support frame during the welding of the blades in cooperation with the rotary indexing table, while the second axis handling unit is assigned to the transfer of the finished welded cutting units to the WT logistics and the loading of the mounting device with a new support frame, whereby the mounting device or the processing nest can remain rigidly positioned.

[0037] In a further embodiment, the device for welding blades has at least one double holding device for accommodating two support frames side by side, wherein the double holding device is assigned an axis handling unit common to both support frames. The individual support frames can be positioned one after the other at the processing station for carrying out the respective process step using the axis handling unit.

[0038] The axle handling unit assigned to at least one of the mounting device is also designed to transport the cutting device welded from the support frame and one or more blades from the welding station to the transfer area of ​​a handling device.

[0039] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the same handling device is designed both for loading the holding devices with empty carrier frames and for transferring the cutting units from the holding devices to an interface device.

[0040] An advantageous device for welding blades may, in addition to the essential processing stations on the rotary indexing table, have one or more of the following processing stations on the rotary indexing table itself or in its immediate vicinity.

[0041] An optional blade cutting station on the rotary indexing table is used to cut the blades to the required width and is only necessary if blades are provided and transferred at the blade feeding station that do not have the width required for the cutting unit to be manufactured.

[0042] In embodiments of the invention, a blade cutting station comprises a blade cutting unit and a clamping unit. The clamping unit allows the blade to be clamped to the positioning wing of the respective rotary indexing table, and the cutting unit allows the blade to be cut to the required width.

[0043] The cutting unit can be designed, for example, to cut the blades using a driven cutting knife or by laser cutting.

[0044] In preferred embodiments, the movement of the clamping unit and, if applicable, the cutting blade of the cutting unit is / are synchronized with the rotary indexing table. This synchronization can be achieved, for example, mechanically, using a cam drive, or electronically, using a servo drive.

[0045] An optional control station on the rotary indexing table can, for example, be designed to check the blades before and / or after cutting or the positioning of the blades on the support frame.

[0046] An optional control station in the immediate vicinity of the rotary indexing table, i.e. not one of the processing stations assigned to the rotary indexing table in the various angular positions, can, for example, be designed for quality control of the finished welded cutting units.

[0047] A control station can, for example, include at least one optoelectronic sensor, such as a camera, a magneto-optical sensor, or an X-ray device. Another optional processing station is a cleaning station, designed, for example, to clean a finished, welded cutting unit, individual blades, and / or support frames.

[0048] Another optional processing station is a labeling station, where individual blades or carrier frames or the cutting unit can be labelled using suitable means.

[0049] However, other processing stations not mentioned here are also possible.

[0050] A method according to the invention for welding blades is defined in claim 10.

[0051] The sequence of providing and placing the support frame in the holding device and moving the support frame into the working area of ​​a processing station of the rotary indexing table (steps a to c) and picking up the blade and indexing to the processing station in whose working area the support frame is held in the processing nest (steps d to f) can be wholly or partially reversed, i.e. first steps d to f and then steps a to c, or these can run wholly or partially in parallel.

[0052] If cutting units with multiple blades are to be manufactured, process steps d) to i) are repeated until the cutting unit has the intended number of blades.

[0053] Alternatively, the assembly of the support frame and the welding can also be carried out by first positioning a majority or all of the intended blades on the support frame and only then welding them to it.

[0054] In preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention, process steps g) to i) take place in the welding station (6a) of the rotary indexing table (2).

[0055] The following optional process steps can be included, in whole or in part, in any executable combination in a process according to the invention for welding blades: Indexing of the rotary indexing table until the blade held in the setting wing reaches the working area of ​​a blade cutting station. Clamping of the setting wing and / or the blade using a clamping unit. Cutting of the blade to the required width dimension. Indexing of the rotary indexing table until the blade held in the setting wing reaches the working area of ​​a cleaning station. Cleaning of the blade. If necessary, the setting wings can also be cleaned without the blade in the cleaning station to remove any contamination that occurs during welding.Indexing of the rotary indexing table until the blade, held in the setting wing, reaches the working area of ​​an inspection station. Inspection of the blade using appropriate inspection equipment. Inspection of the finished cutting units, i.e., with the blade(s) welded to the support frame. Indexing of the rotary indexing table until the blade, held in the setting wing, reaches the working area of ​​a marking station. Marking of the blade with suitable marking materials. Marking of the finished cutting units.

[0056] It is understood that the aforementioned process steps can only take place after the essential process steps d) and e), in which the blade is first received into the respective setting wing.

[0057] In embodiments of the invention, process step d) is implemented as follows: A blade is provided by means of a blade storage device designed as a blade magazine, by separating a blade from the stack of blades in the blade magazine using a dividing slide and moving it into a transfer position in which the blade is received using a setting wing according to process step e).

[0058] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, a blade is picked up at the blade feed station in a working cycle of the rotary indexing table by means of a setting wing, indexed further to a blade cutting station in one or more cycles, cut there to the required width dimension and subsequently indexed further to a welding station in one or more cycles, wherein steps g) and h) are carried out in the welding station.

[0059] In one embodiment of a method according to the invention for welding blades, the holding device is moved by means of a first axis handling unit and a second axis handling unit, wherein one of the axis handling units, in cooperation with the rotary indexing table, repositions the support frame during the welding of the blades, and the other axis handling unit, in cooperation with the handling device for the support frames, positions the holding device for transferring the finished welded cutting units to the interface device and for loading the holding device with a new support frame, wherein the holding device remains rigidly positioned. The first and the second axis handling units preferably perform their respective tasks alternately.

[0060] In one embodiment of a method according to the invention for welding blades, the setting wings are each moved by a lifting unit, so that the distance of a blade held in the setting wing or of the receiving device of the setting wing from the rotary table is adjusted depending on the requirements of the respective processing station. The lifting preferably takes place when the rotary table is in motion in order to avoid any collisions with one of the processing stations.

[0061] In one embodiment of a method according to the invention for welding blades, the movement of the lifting units and / or the work process at at least one processing station is synchronized with the movement or angular position of the rotary table of the rotary indexing table.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention for welding blades, at least one device according to the invention is used for welding blades.

[0063] The described functional components of the device for welding blades are then used in feasible combinations in embodiments of the method.

[0064] In one embodiment of the invention, the method for welding blades to produce cutting units for wet razors is designed, whereby it is not necessary to include all the steps required to produce the finished cutting unit.

[0065] Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the wording of the claims and from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1: A schematic representation of an embodiment of a device for welding blades according to the invention, Fig. 2: a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of a device for welding blades according to the invention, Fig. 3: a schematic representation of a further alternative embodiment of a device for welding blades according to the invention, and Fig. 4: a schematic side view of a setting wing.

[0066] The in Figure 1 A schematically illustrated embodiment of a device for cutting blades 1 according to the invention has a rotary indexing table 2 with a turntable 3. The turntable 3 is rotatably mounted about a rotational axis 4.

[0067] Mounting brackets 5, designed as positioning wings, are arranged on the turntable 3. Corresponding to the six mounting brackets 5 in this case, six processing stations 6 are also arranged around the turntable 3.

[0068] A first processing station 6 is configured as a welding station 6a. A second processing station 6 is configured as a blade feeding station 6b and has a blade provisioning device 7.

[0069] A third processing station 6 is configured as a blade cutting station 6c and includes a blade cutting device 8. The remaining three processing stations 6 are configured as empty processing stations 6d, which in the illustrated embodiment have no specific function. In modified embodiments of the invention, further functional processing stations 6 can be arranged in place of these empty processing stations 6d.

[0070] The direction of rotation of the rotary table 3 is indicated by an arrow. The arrangement or sequence of the processing stations 6 must correspond to the intended processing steps in the direction of rotation of the rotary table 3.

[0071] Welding station 6a has a welding device 9, which in this case is designed for laser welding the blades and the support frame 100. The support frame 100 can be held in the area of ​​the rotary table 2 by means of a holding device 10, which is designed, for example, as a processing nest.

[0072] Each mounting device 10 is designed in the illustrated embodiment to mount a support frame 100 and each has an axis handling unit 11 with which the mounting device 10 is movable along two linear axes parallel to the surface of the rotary table 3 and a rotary axis for alignment in the working area of ​​the machining station 6.

[0073] With the aid of the axis handling unit 11, the support frame 100 in the welding station 6d can be aligned in predetermined positions, particularly for receiving one or more blades in the support frame 100. Typically, the support frame 100 is moved successively in the radial direction of the rotary table 3 to receive three or four blades in predetermined positions with the corresponding blade spacing.

[0074] Furthermore, the mounting device 10 can be moved into the transfer area of ​​a handling device 12 by means of the respective axis handling unit 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the handling device is designed as a pick-and-place handling system.

[0075] Using the handling device 12, a carrier frame 100 equipped with blades and processed into a cutting unit can be transferred to an interface device 14, in this case designed as the conveyor belt of a parts logistics system, which serves as an interface to any further processing steps. Furthermore, the empty carrier frames 100 can be transferred from the interface device 14 to a holding device 10 using the same handling device 12.

[0076] In the transfer area of ​​the handling device 12, the carrier frames 100 processed for the cutting unit with blades can be checked using a control device 13, for example with regard to the correct loading of the carrier frame 100 and / or the quality of the welds.

[0077] The process of a method according to the invention for welding blades is described using the embodiment of a device according to the invention for welding blades 1. Figure 1 It proceeds as follows.

[0078] First, a support frame 100 is transferred from the interface device 14 to a holding device 10 using the handling device 12. The support frame 100, held in the holding device 10, is transported to the working area of ​​the welding station 6a using the axis handling unit 11 assigned to the holding device 10 and aligned to receive a first blade from the setting wing 5, which is indexed into the corresponding processing station 6.

[0079] The blade held in the setting wing 5 was previously fitted with a blade in several work cycles of the rotary indexing table 2, first in the blade feeding station 6b. The blade was then cut to the required width dimension in the blade cutting station 6c, and the setting wing 5 holding the blade was indexed further into the working area of ​​the welding station 6a.

[0080] The blade positioned in the support frame 100 is then welded to the support frame 100 using the welding device 9. The support frame 100 is then moved by the axis handling unit 11 into the position to receive another blade, which was picked up and processed by a setting wing 5 as described above, until the support frame 100 is fully equipped and processed into the desired cutting unit.

[0081] The cutting unit is then moved from the working area of ​​the processing station 6 of the rotary indexing table 3 to the transfer area of ​​the handling device 12 using the axis handling unit 11 and transferred to the interface device 14 using the handling unit 12.

[0082] The in Figure 2 The schematically represented embodiment of a device for welding blades 1 differs from Figure 1 Firstly, the number of processing stations 6 is determined by the rotary indexing table 2, which in this case has eight processing stations 6. Eight indexing wings 5 ​​(not shown) are arranged on the rotary table 3. The indexing wings are not shown for clarity, but are analogous to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 planned.

[0083] Furthermore, the design variant differs from the Figure 2 from Figure 1furthermore, that this includes a mounting device 10 designed as a double mounting device for mounting two support frames 100 side by side, wherein this includes a single axle handling unit 11.

[0084] Although this embodiment allows for a simpler and more cost-effective design, it must be accepted that downtime occurs during the welding of the blades during the transfer of the cutting units and the support frames 100 by the handling device 12.

[0085] The in Figure 3 The illustrated further embodiment of a device according to the invention for welding blades 1 has a further modification in the area of ​​the holding device 10 and the axis handling unit 11. The setting wings are not shown for clarity, but are analogous to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 planned.

[0086] Here a shuttle system is implemented in which several holding devices 10 are movable along two linear axes in one plane by means of at least one axis handling unit 11, so that they are movable between the transfer position of the handling device 12 and the working area of ​​the welding station 6a on the rotary indexing table 2.

[0087] The support frames 100 or cutting units held in the mounting device 10 can be subjected to additional processing steps in all embodiments according to the invention.

[0088] Fig. 4Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a mounting 5 designed as a positioning wing, which serves to receive, transport, and position the blades on the rotary indexing table. The positioning wing 5 is composed of an inner positioning wing part 5a and an outer positioning wing part 5b. The outer positioning wing part 5b is movable relative to the inner positioning wing part 5a by means of a lifting unit 20 perpendicular to the surface of the rotary indexing table 2 or the turntable 3. The inner positioning wing part 5a is screwed to the turntable 3 and is therefore fixed relative to it.

[0089] The outer wing section 5b is pulled vertically downwards towards the turntable 3, or towards the inner wing section 5a, by means of a spring element 30 designed as a tension spring. A drive roller 40 is arranged at an upper end of the outer wing section 5b, which rests on the lifting unit 20. During a lifting movement of the lifting unit 20, the outer wing section 5b is thus carried upwards from the turntable 3 against the force of the spring element 30. A blade 40, attached in this case by vacuum to a lower end of the outer wing section, is also lifted. Alternatively, other holding methods for the blade, such as adhesion, mechanical gripping, and the like, can be used.

[0090] The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described above, but can be modified in a variety of ways. For example, the number of processing stations and / or the setting wings or fixtures can be varied. Reference symbol list

[0091] 1. Device for welding blades 2. Rotary indexing table 3. Rotary table 4. Rotary axis 5. Holder 6. Machining station 6a. Welding station 6b. Blade feeding station 6c. Blade cutting station 6d. Empty machining station 7. Blade supply device 8. Blade cutting device 9. Welding device 10. Holding device 11. Axis handling unit 12. Handling device 13. Control device 14. Interface device 20. Lifting unit 30. Spring element 40. Drive roller 50. Blade 100. Support frame

Claims

1. An apparatus for the welding of blades (1) comprising a blade-supply device (7) for supplying blades, at least one holder device (10) for holding at least a carrier frame (100), a welding apparatus (9) for the welding of one or more of blades to a carrier frame (100) to form a cutting unit and a rotary indexing table (2) with a plurality of processing stations (6) around a turntable (3), wherein the blade-supply device (7) is a constituent part of a blade-feeding station (6b), and the welding apparatus (9) is a constituent part of a welding station (6a), of the rotary indexing table (2) and wherein the apparatus (1) has suitable means for feeding the carrier frame (100) into the operating region of the welding station (6a), for orienting the carrier frame (100) in the welding station (6a) and for removing a cutting unit produced from the carrier frame (100) and one or more blades, characterized in that the holder device (10) is movable in the operating region of the welding station (6a) and is not movable in circulation or only over a limited angular range with the turntable (3) of the rotary indexing table (2).

2. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the rotary indexing table (2) is designed in the form of a torque rotary table.

3. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the turntable (3) is configured with mounts (5) designed in the form of positioning wings, wherein the positioning wings are arranged on the turntable (3) such that the cutting edge of a blade held in a positioning wing is oriented tangentially in relation to the turntable (3).

4. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the positioning wings are movable perpendicularly in relation to the surface of the turntable (3) with the aid of a lifting unit.

5. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the movement of the positioning wings is synchronizeable with the rotary movement of the turntable (3) with the aid of the lifting unit.

6. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the holder device (10) is assigned at least one axial handling unit (11) for moving and orienting the holder device (10).

7. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that a respective holder device (10) is assigned two axial handling units (11).

8. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the holder device (10) is designed in the form of a double holder device for simultaneously receiving two carrier frames (100) one beside the other, wherein the double holder device is assigned a single axial handling unit (11).

9. The apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it has a shuttle system for feeding carrier frames (100) into the operating region of the welding station (6a) and for removing the cutting units from the operating region of the welding station (6a).

10. A method for the welding of blades and comprising the following method steps: a) a carrier frame (100) is supplied b) the carrier frame (100) is transferred into a holder device (10) with the aid of a handling apparatus (12) c) the holder device (10) is displaced with the carrier frame (100) into the operating region of a processing station (6a) of a rotary indexing table (2) d) a blade is supplied by a blade-supply device (7) at a blade-feeding station (6b) of the rotary indexing table (2) e) the blade is received by a positioning wing on the turntable (3) of the rotary indexing table (2) at the blade-feeding station (6b) f) the rotary indexing table (2) is moved at regular intervals until the blade held in the positioning wing has reached the processing station (6a) in the operating region of which the carrier frame (100) is held in the holder device (10) g) the carrier frame (100) in the holder device (10) is oriented in relation to the blade with the aid of an axial handling unit (11) h) the blade is placed in the envisaged position on the carrier frame (100) with the aid of the positioning wing i) the blade is welded to the carrier frame (100) with the aid of a welding device (9).

11. The method for the welding of blades as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that steps d) to i) are repeated until such time as the cutting unit has the envisaged number of blades.

12. The method for the welding of blades as claimed in either of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the holder device (10) is moved with the aid of a first axial handling unit (11) and a second axial handling unit (11), wherein the first axial handling unit (11), in cooperation with the rotary indexing table (2), repositions the carrier frame (100) when the blades are being welded and the second axial handling unit (11), in cooperation with the handling device (12) for the carrier frames (100), positions the holder device (10) for the purposes of transferring the finish-welded cutting units to the interface apparatus (14) and of equipping the holder device (10) with a new carrier frame (100), wherein the holder device (10) remains rigidly positioned.

13. The method for the welding of blades as claimed in one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the positioning wings are moved by a respective lifting unit so that the distance of a blade held in the positioning wing, or of the receiving device of the positioning wing, from the turntable (3) is adapted in dependence on the requirements of the respective processing station (6).

14. The method for the welding of blades as claimed in one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the movement of the lifting units and / or the procedure at at least one processing station (6) is synchronized with the movement and / or the angular position of the turntable (3) of the rotary indexing table (2).

15. The method for the welding of blades as claimed in one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that use is made of an apparatus for the welding of blades (1) as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9.