Blanking assembly and method for operating it

Abstract

The invention relates to a stamping arrangement (16) comprising a stamping tool (17) for stamping out a blank (10), which includes a punch (1) adjustable along a longitudinal axis and a die (2), wherein the die (2) has a through-opening (7) for the passage of the blank (10), and a driven conveyor belt (8) which is arranged in the direction of fall below the through-opening (7) of the die (2). A shoulder (14) projects into the through-opening (7) to deflect a falling blank (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a punching assembly comprising a punching tool having a punch adjustable along a longitudinal axis and a die for punching out a blank. The die includes a through-opening for the passage of the blank. The punching assembly further comprises a drivable conveyor belt arranged below the through-opening of the die in the direction of fall.

[0002] Punching tools are used to produce flat parts, including valuable or security products such as ID cards, as well as cutouts made of planar layers. This process is usually automated, thus increasing the production time and precision of the punching tool. With technically simple punching tools, the punched parts fall freely through the through-hole of the punching die onto a conveyor belt passing below. This frequently leads to jamming of punched cards in the punching tool. This always results in a downtime of the production machine and the production of rejects, as the plastic ID cards are easily scratched.

[0003] The punched valuable or security product, i.e., the die-cut, is preferably available in ID 1, ID 2, ID 3, or any other format, for example, in booklet form, similar to a passport-like item. The valuable or security product is generally a laminate consisting of several document layers that are precisely bonded together under heat and increased pressure. These products should meet standardized requirements, for example, ISO 10373, ISO / IEC 7810, and ISO 14443.

[0004] DE 10 2014 000 133 A1 describes a method in which a substrate and a filler material are guided on different planes. A recess is punched out of the substrate in a first plane, and an element matching the recess is punched out in another plane. The element is then inserted into the recess.

[0005] BPRI 0505689-6 A describes an arrangement in which a recess and a matching element are punched out of two different wood layers, with the punched piece being inserted into the recess.

[0006] DE 20 09 138 A1 discloses a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0007] It is the object of the present invention to provide a punching arrangement and a method for operating such a punching arrangement which eliminates or at least mitigates the disadvantages described above.

[0008] This object is achieved by a punching arrangement having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of claim 9.

[0009] Advantageous embodiments with expedient further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0010] The punching assembly according to the invention is characterized by a shoulder with rounded edges extending into the through-hole to deflect a falling punched piece. This has the advantage of preventing waste production, jamming of punched cards, and downtime of the entire punching assembly.

[0011] It is advantageous if the shoulder is laterally adjustable, as different punches can then be deflected using the shoulder.

[0012] The shoulder extends radially into the through-hole. It maintains a distance from the centerline of the through-hole such that the shoulder does not protrude beyond the centerline of the through-hole.

[0013] Preferably, the shoulder extends into the through-hole to a maximum of 25 percent, so that a complementary portion of the through-hole, for example, at least 75 percent, remains free of the shoulder. This also ensures that the die-cut product does not get caught on the shoulder itself and thus no longer reaches the conveyor belt.

[0014] To ensure that the punched-out blank lands on the desired side, the shoulder is arranged on a side wall of the through-opening that is opposite to the transport direction of the conveyor belt. For the same purpose, the shoulder is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The shoulder has rounded edges to prevent damage to the blank. The shoulder can be designed as a plate to ensure the tilting direction of the blank. It can also be designed as a rod, creating a less complex arrangement that also requires less material. The shoulder can also be made of elastic materials, such as rubber, to prevent blemishes on the blanks.

[0015] The through opening of the punching arrangement is designed to widen in the direction of fall so that jamming is avoided.

[0016] The through-hole preferably widens continuously in the direction of the conveyor belt. This ensures that the die-cut product does not become wedged within the through-hole or through-hole, even when descending or falling.

[0017] In order to avoid scratches on the die cut by the side wall of the through-opening when it sinks or falls, the through-opening widens continuously in the direction of the conveyor belt.

[0018] To temporarily fix the substrate during the punching process, the die is provided with a longitudinally adjustable hold-down device on its side facing the punch.

[0019] The punch of the punching assembly features a movable ejector. This ensures that the die cut is released from the substrate. The release of the die cut, and thus the entire punching process, is accelerated and ensures that the die cut lands on the desired side facing the conveyor belt. The ejector is adjustable independently of the punch, either along or parallel to the longitudinal axis. It is preferably coupled to a compressed air line and pneumatically actuated. The ejector can be actuated via a mechanical coupling. Any other type of coupling that allows for ejector actuation is also possible.

[0020] The method according to the invention for operating a punching arrangement comprises in particular the following steps: a. Driving the conveyor belt in a transport device, b. Inserting or placing a substrate onto the die, c. Adjusting the punch along the longitudinal axis and punching the die out of the substrate, d. Deflecting the falling movement of the punched die by the shoulder before the die comes to rest on the conveyor belt and is transported away in the transport direction.

[0021] The die is preferably assigned a hold-down device on the side facing the punch, with which the substrate is held in place before the punch is adjusted. For this purpose, the hold-down device is also adjustable between two positions. The end of the die-cutting facing away from the shoulder contacts the conveyor belt first, before the die-cutting comes to rest on the conveyor belt. This ensures that the die-cutting lands on the conveyor belt with the desired side. Jamming of the die-cutting is avoided. The end of the die-cutting facing the shoulder is held back by the shoulder and therefore contacts the conveyor belt last. During the falling movement, the shoulder rotates the die-cutting about an axis oriented perpendicular to the direction of fall and perpendicular to the direction of transport. The punch preferably has a movable ejector that pushes the die-cutting through the through-opening of the die to release the punch.This ensures the safe release of the die cut from the punching tool. The ejector is pneumatically actuated, primarily via a compressed air supply, to adjust its position relative to the punch parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the punch. Actuated with compressed air, the punching process remains highly environmentally friendly and low in pollution.

[0022] Further features, properties, and advantages of the present invention are described in more detail below using embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. All features described so far and below are advantageous both individually and in any combination. The embodiments described below are merely examples and do not limit the subject matter of the invention. They show: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the punching arrangement in cross section in a starting position, and Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the punching arrangement in cross section after punching out the die-cut.

[0023] In the Figures 1 and 2the punching arrangement 16 is shown in cross-section with a punching tool 17 and a conveyor belt 8. The punching tool 17 comprises a punch 1, which can be adjusted along a longitudinal axis, and a die 2 for punching out a punched piece 10, the die having a through-opening 7 for the passage of the punched piece 10. The drivable conveyor belt 8 is located below the through-opening 7 of the die 2 in the direction of fall. In the present case, this is designed as a driven, circulating conveyor belt; with an upper run and a lower run. To deflect a falling punched piece 10, a shoulder 14 projects into the through-opening 7, in particular horizontally and parallel to a feed direction or a transport direction of the conveyor belt 8. The shoulder 14 maintains a distance from a center line of the through-opening 7 such that the shoulder 14 does not protrude beyond the center line of the through-opening 7.In the present case, the shoulder 14 protrudes into the through-opening 7 to a maximum of 25 percent, so that laterally a complementary portion, for example at least 75 percent, of the through-opening 7 remains free of the shoulder 14. The shoulder 14 is arranged on the side wall of the through-opening 7 which is opposite a transport direction of the conveyor belt 8 in order to prevent jamming of the punched product in the punching arrangement 16. For the same purpose, the shoulder 14 is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in the present case and the through-opening 7 is designed to widen in the direction of fall. In the present case, the through-opening 7 widens continuously in the direction of the conveyor belt 8. The through-opening 7 of the die 2 also widens continuously in the direction of the conveyor belt 8. In addition, the shoulder 14 in the present embodiment is rounded at its edges in order to protect the punched product 10 from scratches.As the die 10 falls, it is rotated by the shoulder 14 about an axis oriented perpendicular to the direction of fall and perpendicular to the transport direction. The distance between the die 2 and the conveyor belt 8 is less than the diameter of the punch 1, thus preventing a rotation of the die 10 of 90 degrees or more.

[0024] The die 2 is provided with an adjustable hold-down device 3 on its side facing the punch 1 to secure the substrate 6 during punching. The punch 1 has a movable ejector 4. Figure 1 this is in its starting position and Figure 2 in its extended position after the punched piece 10 has been ejected. The ejector 4 is adjustable independently of the punch along or parallel to the longitudinal axis. It is also connected to a compressed air line 5 and can be pneumatically actuated.

[0025] The method for operating such a punching arrangement 16 comprises the following steps: a. Driving the conveyor belt 8 in a transport direction, b. Placing a substrate 6 onto the die 2, c. Adjusting the punch 1 along the longitudinal axis and punching out the punched piece 10 from the substrate 6, d. Deflecting the falling movement of the punched piece 10 by the shoulder 14 before the punched piece 10 comes to rest on the conveyor belt 8 and is transported away in the transport direction.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the die 2 is assigned a hold-down device 3 on its side facing the punch 1, so that the substrate 6 is fixed by the hold-down device 3 before the punch 1 is adjusted. Furthermore, the present method is designed such that an end of the punch 10 facing away from the shoulder 14 first contacts the conveyor belt 8 before the punch 10 comes to rest flat on the conveyor belt 8. The shoulder 14 rotates the punch 10 during the falling movement about an axis oriented perpendicular to the direction of fall and perpendicular to the direction of transport.

[0027] The punch 1 has a movable ejector 4, which pushes the punched piece 10 through the through-opening 7 to release the punched piece 10 from the punch 1. The ejector 4 is pneumatically actuated via a compressed air supply line 5 to adjust it relative to the punch 1 parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the punch.

[0028] As a result, the present invention is characterized by a simple design that significantly reduces the scrap rate. The integration of the shoulder 14 into the die 2, or more precisely into the through hole 7, involves little or no significant cost. Machine downtime is avoided, and punched parts are reliably forwarded. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0029] 1Punch 2Die 3Holder 4Ejector 5Compressed air line 6Substrate 7Through opening (drop chute) 8Conveyor belt 10Die cut 13Gap 14Shoulder 16Punching arrangement 17Punching tool

Claims

1. A punching arrangement (16), comprising a punching tool (17) which, for punching a stamped part (10), comprises a punch (1) movable along a longitudinal axis and a die (2), wherein the die (2) comprises a through opening (7) for the passage of the stamped workpiece (10), and a drivable conveyor belt (8) which is arranged below the through-opening (7) of the die (2) in the direction of fall, characterized in that a shoulder (14) rounded at its edges projects into the through-opening (7) to deflect a falling stamped workpiece (10).

2. The punching arrangement (16) according to claim 1, characterized in that the shoulder (14) is arranged on a side wall of the through-opening (7) which is opposite to a transport direction of the conveyor belt (8).

3. The punching arrangement (16) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shoulder (14) is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

4. The punching arrangement (16) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the through-opening (7) is designed to widen in the direction of fall.

5. The punching arrangement (16) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the die (2) is associated with a blank holder (3) on its side facing the punch (1).

6. The punching arrangement (16) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the punch (1) has a movable ejector (4).

7. The punching arrangement (16) according to claim 6, characterized in that the ejector (4) is movable independently of the punch (1) along or parallel to the longitudinal axis.

8. The punching arrangement (16) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the ejector (4) is coupled to a compressed air line (5) and can be pneumatically actuated.

9. A method of operating a punching arrangement (16) according to any of claims 1 to 8, comprising the following steps: a. driving the conveyor belt (8) in a conveying direction, b. inserting or placing a substrate (6) on the die (2), c. moving the punch (1) along the longitudinal axis and punching the stamped part (10) into the substrate (6), d. deflect the downward movement of the punched stamped part (10) by means of the shoulder (14) before the stamped part (10) comes to rest on the conveyor belt (8) and is discharged in the direction of transport.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that a blank holder (3) is associated with the die (2) on its side facing the punch (1), and in that the substrate (6) is fixed by the blank holder (3) before the punch (1) is moved.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that one end of the stamped part (10) opposite the shoulder (14) first comes into contact with the conveyor belt (8) before the stamped part (10) comes to rest flat on the conveyor belt (8).

12. The method according to any of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the shoulder (14) rotates the stamped part (10) during the downward movement about an axis oriented perpendicular to the direction of fall and perpendicular to the direction of transport.

13. The method according to any of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the punch (1) has a movable ejector (4), and in that the ejector (4) pushes the stamped part (10) through the through-opening (7) of the die (2) to release the stamped part (10) from the punch (1).

14. The method according to any of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the ejector (4) is pneumatically actuated by a compressed air line (5) to move it parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the punch (1) relative to the punch (1).

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