Suspension system for tile cutting machines

Abstract

A tile cutting machine is disclosed, comprising a basement (1) equipped with at least one guide bar (3) guiding a toolholder (P) on an engraving line (I-I), and a suspension system for supporting tiles comprising floating plates (2) installed on a top part of said basement (1), wherein said suspension system further comprises at least a standalone floating support device (D, D1), equipped with an elas tically yielding base body and freely placeable around said basement.

Description

[0001] SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR TILE CUTTING MACHINES

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] Field of the invention

[0004] The present invention relates to a suspension system for a cutting machine for tiles or slabs , in particular to a tile cutting machine for large formats .

[0005] Background art

[0006] As known, tile cutting machines are light professional machines devised for manually engraving tiles or slabs made of thin stone material for the subsequent cut . In the following, for simplicity, reference will be made to tiles , but it is understood that this term includes various kind of slabs .

[0007] A typical example of these devices is represented by EP 608 . 476 on behalf of the same Applicant , that is considered included herein as a reference .

[0008] In this type of tile cutting machine, a basement is provided, obtained e . g . by moulded aluminium die-casting, at the ends of which supporting columns are pro jecting which hold guide means onto which a toolholder is slidingly mounted . The actual engraving tool, typically an engraving wheel made of a hard material, is housed in the lower portion of the toolholder, where also a splitting foot is normally arranged .

[0009] On the basement , floating support plates - on the two sides of a longitudinal ribbing arranged at the engraving line - on which the tile to be engraved is placed, and a graduated set square for measuring and aligning the tiles during engraving are further provided .

[0010] The floating plates are designed to correctly distribute the pressure applied on the tile both during engraving and mainly during the splitting phase ( i . e . , during the phase where the engraving line must be opened to separate the two pieces of the tile ) . Indeed, if the support surface of the tile was completely rigid, as a pressure with the splitting foot is applied at the engraving line , this would cause an irregular tile opening due to deflexions appearing in the material due to the irregularity of the rigid support points . On the contrary, a floating support absorbs pressure irregularities on the tile surface without introducing deflexions in the material, and it advantageously allows to cause splitting of the tile along the engraving line only, where the splitting pres sure is counteracted by a proper rigid ribbing .

[0011] When tiles are large in size , they overhang from the machine basement and end up extending cantilevered from the floating plates , thus reducing the floating plate efficacy . According to the prior art , in larger sized machines intended for large tile engraving, support arms are also provided, which extend laterally from the basement towards the out side of the machine . Lateral arms are typically foldable to avoid providing an exces sive hindrance during the machine transport phases . These arms are then hinged to the basement with an articulation axis es sentially perpendicular to the basement working surface , and thus they can rotate from a folded position along the basement side to an extended operating position .

[0012] Some significant examples can be seen in IT 102022000001715 and UE Design No . 008857163 .

[0013] These arms are provided for supporting the tiles to be engraved at a certain distance from the engraving axis , beyond the perimeter of the floating plates : hence, they are configured to provide a partially compliant , elastic support reaction, for complying with the floating movement of the tile on the basement both during the engraving phase and, mainly, during the splitting phase .

[0014] This solution, however, cannot be applied as a ' retrofit ' on existing machines . Moreover, the support arms are hinged on a single vertical axis , hence they are operating inside an arc of a circle zone about the rotation axis , but they are not able cover any position near the machine . Finally, the arms length is limited by the actual sizes of the basement , and hence it cannot addres s situations wherein the tile has a very wide extension .

[0015] Instead, there is a need for having a suspension system overcoming these limits .

[0016] Multiple types of suspension devices exist , for floatingly supporting the weight of an article . For example , CN111590338 discloses a suspension bell suitable for supporting heavy machine tools and avoiding vibrations to propagate . However, the application to the sector considered herein has never been undertaken so far .

[0017] Summary of the invention

[0018] An ob ject of , the present invention is hence to provide a suspension system for manual tile cutting machines , that allows to support the tile regardles s of configuration or size thereof , and that is also applicable to all the existing tile cutting machines .

[0019] Such an ob ject is achieved by a suspension system as described in the appended claims by the essential features thereof . Brief description of the drawings

[0020] More details about features and advantages of the system according to the invention will appear, however, more evident from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof , provided by way of example and illustrated in the appended drawings , wherein : fig . 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary tile cutting machine equipped with the support system according to the invention; figs . 2A and 2B are perspective views of a floating support device according to a first embodiment , in a compressed condition and with and without a support disc, respectively; figs . 3A and 3B are perspective views of a floating support device according to a first embodiment , in an extended condition and with and without a support disc, respectively; fig . 4 is a perspective view of a device as in fig . 2A, with the disc and cap components being removed; fig . 5 is a perspective view as in fig . 4 , with a primary cup component also being removed; fig . 6A is a perspective view of the primary cup component alone with the relative elastic plunger unit ; fig . 6B is a view similar to that of fig . 6A, according to a dif ferent perspective , also comprising the cap component ; figs. 7A and 7B are views according to two different perspectives of the elastic plunger unit; fig. 8 is a view similar to that of fig. 7B with the head terminal removed; fig. 9A and 9B are partially perspective, longitudinal section views of the floating support device in the conditions of fig. 2A and 3A, respectively; fig. 10A is a perspective view of the floating support device of the first embodiment in a condition of maximum height; fig. 10B is a view similar to that of fig. 10A, with the cap component being removed; fig. 11 is a perspective view, in a condition of maximum height, of a floating support device in accordance with a second embodiment ; fig. 12 is a view of the device from fig. 11 according to another perspective, and with a base body being removed; fig. 13 is a view similar to that of fig. 11, with parts being removed; fig. 14 is a partial longitudinal section view of the device from fig. 11; fig. 15 is a partially perspective, longitudinal section view of the floating support device from fig. 11 in an extended and maximum height condition; fig. 16 is a view similar to that of fig. 15 according to a bottom perspective; and fig. 17 is a view similar to that of fig. 1, wherein a suspension kit according to another embodiment of the invention is represented.

[0021] Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

[0022] In fig. 1, an exemplary manual tile cutting machine is represented. It is equipped with a basement 1, e.g., die-cast with an aluminium alloy, from which a pair of front la and rear lb posts project, and on which floating support plates 2 are mounted.

[0023] Traditionally, longitudinally with respect to the basement, a guide bar 3 lays between the two posts la and lb, on which a toolholder P equipped with an engraving tool such as a special steel wheel is slidingly guided . The engraving tool is slidingly guided along an engraving line I-I arranged according to a longitudinal axis of the machine .

[0024] Close to the front post la, the basement accommodates a graduated set square S , rotatably mounted about a pivot orthogonal with respect to the basement plane .

[0025] According to the invention, in proximity to the basement 1 a plurality of floating support devices D are arranged, e . g . four devices D being arranged on the two sides of the engraving line I-I (as shown in fig . 1 ) , or even in a different number and / or even only on one side of the engraving line I-I .

[0026] Each floating support device D consist s of a base body 10 - which is placed on the same working surface ( e . g . , a floor) on which the basement 1 of the tile cutting machine is placed - on which a support disc 11 is mounted that has a top surface intended to support in contact a portion of a tile (not shown) overhanging from the floating support plates 2 of the basement 1 .

[0027] The peculiarity of the floating support device D - which can be placed self-standing where it is preferred around the basement 1 - is that the support disc 11 is floatingly mounted on the base body 10 by means of adjustable elastic means ( i . e . , whose elastic reaction capability can be adjusted by the operator ) and by means of adjustable spacer means , so as to pos sibly change the height of the support disc 11 with respect to the working surface .

[0028] Hereinafter two pos sible embodiment s will be described that satis fy such peculiarity, but it is not excluded that other ones may also be devised .

[0029] In the first embodiment shown in figs . 1-10B, the support disc 11 is attached to adjustable elastic means , mounted in turn on the base body 10 by means of adjustable spacer means .

[0030] In particular, the support disc 11 is attached to a head terminal 12 of an elastic plunger unit , e . g . attached on terminal 12 by means of a retaining screw . The latter has a tightening head 13a that keeps the disc 11 abutting against the elastic plunger head 12 . In particular, the screw 13 has a shank 13b entering a sleeve 12b integral with terminal 12 and is locked by means of a nut 13c abutting with the free end of the sleeve 12b .

[0031] Moreover, the sleeve 12b is axially slidingly inserted, but rotationally constrained, in a base terminal 14 of the elastic plunger .

[0032] An elastic spring 15 is further provided between the base terminal 14 and the head terminal 12 of the elastic plunger unit , that pushes the base terminal 14 and the head terminal 12 spacing them apart , thus determining the extension force that can be exerted by the elastic plunger .

[0033] The base terminal 14 of the elastic plunger is mounted within a primary circular containment cup 16 closed on the top by a cap 17 integral therewith, e . g . by means of a pair of screws 17a .

[0034] The head terminal 12 of the elastic plunger is preferably cylindrical in shape and passes through a cylindrical hole of the capl7 . Moreover, the terminal 12 has a lower circular flange 12a, arranged between the cap 17 and the primary cup 16 , intended to abut against a lower surface of the cap 17 ( see fig . 9B) , thus determining the maximum extension of the head terminal 12 with respect to the cap 17 .

[0035] Thus , the elastic plunger unit can transition from a condition of maximum extension, with the flange 12a abutting below the cap 17 , to a condition of maximum compression, when a load act s on the support disc 11 , and pushes it towards the cap 17 . For example , in figs . 2A and 2B a condition of maximum compression is shown, wherein the disc 11 abut s against the underlying cap 17 ( in fig . 2B the disc 11 is not visible ) . In figs . 3A and 3B, a condition of maximum extension is shown instead, with the disc 11 being well spaced from the cap 17 ( in fig . 3B the disc 11 is not visible ) .

[0036] The elastic movement of the elastic plunger unit ensures the floating operation of the disc 11 with respect to the primary cup 16, and therefore to the base body 10 .

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment , the base terminal 14 is height-adjustable mounted within the primary cup 16 , so as to pos sibly adjust the distance thereof with respect to the cap 17 : by doing so , the distance available for the elastic spring 15 - which is arranged between the base terminal 14 and the head terminal 12 of the elastic plunger - and indirectly the spring hardnes s within the extension field of the elastic plunger are also adjusted . For this purpose , as well represented in figs . 7A-8 , the base terminal 14 is cylindrical in shape and has a threaded peripheral surface that engages with a corresponding threaded seat of a secondary cup 18 integral with - e . g . integrated and obtained in one-piece - the bottom surface 16a of the primary cup 16 .

[0038] The rotation of the base terminal 14 with respect to the secondary cup 18 causes , due to the engagement between the two threads , a relative axial movement between them, that lift s the base terminal 14 from the bottom 16a, bringing it near the cap 17 .

[0039] The rotation of the base terminal 14 can be achieved by rotating the disc 11 . In fact , the disc 11 is integral with the head terminal 12 , which in turn trans fers the rotation by means of the sleeve 12b that is axially free but not rotating with respect to the base terminal 14 .

[0040] In fig . 9B, for example , the base terminal 14 is shown in a lowered position with respect to the secondary cup 18 , while in fig . 9A the base terminal 14 is in a lifted position .

[0041] The primary cup 16 is further mounted on the base body 10 by means of adjustable spacer means , so that all the as sembly consisting of the floating elastic means , i . e . , the elastic plunger unit , with the relative disc 11 , can be lifted or lowered with respect to the working surface on which the device D is placed .

[0042] For example , the primary cup 16 is equipped with an outer threaded surface engaging to a corresponding internal thread provided on a cylindrical containment cup 19 integral with the base body 10 . For promoting the relative rotation between the primary cup 16 and the containment cup 19, so as to adjust their relative axial movement and so the height of the device D, preferably, an actuation ring nut G integral with the primary cup 16 is provided . In particular, the cap 17 mounted integrally with the primary cup 16 is configured as an upside down cup and so it has a circular skirt l7a arranged externally with respect to the containment cup 19, shaped through a ring nut G .

[0043] In figs . 9A and 9B, a condition is illustrated wherein the primary cup 16 is in a lowered position ( i . e . , minimum height of the device D ) , while in figs . 10A and 10B a condition is illustrated with the primary cup 16 being completely lifted ( i . e . , maximum height of the device D ) .

[0044] Finally, for promoting the stability of the device D on a working surface , the lower part of the base body 10 can be equipped with a ring or mat (not shown) made of elastomeric or high friction material .

[0045] In a second embodiment shown in figs . 11-16, a support disc

[0046] 111 is directly locked to adjustable spacer means , mounted in turn on a base body 110 by means of floating and adjustable elastic means .

[0047] In particular, the disc 111 is integral with a threaded shaft

[0048] 112 which is engaged in a threaded hole of a support bushing 113 . Preferably, the disc 111 has a skirt I lla provided with grooves or knurls that promote manual grip . The disc 111 - and the threaded shank 112 integral therewith - rotation determines the lifting and lowering with respect to the bushing 113 , and so the adjustment of the height of the device D .

[0049] The bushing 113 , for example, is a metal bushing engaged in a head terminal 114a of an elastic plunger unit . The latter is attached or integral with a guide bell 114 arranged above the base body 110 in an axially sliding manner . For this purpose , the guide bell 114 has a plurality of guide pins 114b, angularly spaced apart , passing through the corresponding guide holes pierced in a top portion 110a of the base body 110 , which is also es sentially in the shape of a bell .

[0050] The guide pins 114b are further constrained, below the portion 110a, by means of fastening screws 115 being axially inserted, to prevent the complete extraction from the guide holes , and determine a stop end of the extension stroke of the elastic plunger unit .

[0051] Likewise the first embodiment , the elastic plunger unit further has a base terminal 116 which is mounted via a screw / nut screw coupling with respect to a central hollow seat 117 of the top portion of the base body 110 . An elastic element , such as a helical spring 118 , is installed between the base terminal 116 and the head terminal 114a of the elastic plunger unit . Below the base terminal 116 a ring nut portion 119 is provided, which is readily operated by acces sing from the lower part of the bell base body 110 , to cause rotation and so the approaching / spacing away of the two terminals 114a and 116 and determining the available space distance for the spring 118 and therefore its hardnes s .

[0052] Like the first embodiment , the elastic plunger unit consisting of elements 114 , 114a, 116 , 118 , 119 determines the floating operation of the disc 111 , and can be adjusted so as to counter a load lying on disc 111 with a greater or lower elastic force by acting on the spring 118 hardness . On the contrary, the adjustable spacer means , i . e . the threaded shank 112 engaged in the bushing 113 , allow to adjust the height of the disc from the working surface on which the device D is placed .

[0053] In fig . 17 a further simplified embodiment of the invention is illustrated, suitable for those cases where a user always and only employs the same tile cutting machine (thus , using a basement with a constant height ) and does not process a great variety of materials with different thicknes s .

[0054] According to the simplified embodiment illustrated in fig . 17 , in combination with a tile cutting machine it is envisaged to provide a kit comprising a plurality of standalone suspension blocks DI . The suspension blocks DI are intended to be distributed on the two sides of the engraving line I-I (as shown in fig . 11 ) or also in a different number, and / or also only on one side of the engraving line I-I , leaning on the same working surface as the basement 1 .

[0055] The kit contains a number of suspension blocks DI ranging from 2 and 8 , e . g . , identical to each other and having a height "equivalent" to that of the basement 1 . This does not mean that the height of the blocks DI is identical to that of the basement 1 , but it is in the same order of magnitude and is slightly greater than the height of the basement 1 , to account for the fact that the block DI will be partially compres sed by the load of a tile pushing from above .

[0056] As such, each kit of suspension blocks DI is suitable only for a certain type of tile cutting machine, depending on the height of the basement thereof .

[0057] According to this " simplified" embodiment , each suspension block DI consists essentially of two opposite top and lower layers surfaces which serve as bases of a prismatic body with a desired section . A lower layer is intended to lean against the same working surface (e . g . a floor ) on which the basement 1 of the tile cutting machine is placed . The top layer of the block DI is intended to serve as a support for a tile portion (not shown) overhanging from the floating support plates 2 of the basement 1 .

[0058] For example , the block DI can be a rectangular prismatic body, with a base of 50x90 mm in size, and about 70 mm high . However, the height of the block DI varies depending on the kit , as indicated above , for actually being an equivalent height suitable for the tile cutting machine the kit can be as sociated therewith .

[0059] The suspension blocks DI from the same kit can be made from the same material , which is selected to provide a suf ficient suspension ef fect to support the tiles , slightly collapsing under the load applied by the tile .

[0060] The material the single blocks DI are made of is an elastically compliant material , e . g . an elastomer TPE , such as Santo- prene™ with a hardness of 50 shore , coated on at least three side surfaces anti-skid material, such as e . g . a soft-touch effect paint .

[0061] Preferably, the single block DI is composed of two different materials , or having two different coatings , so as to be able to discriminate also between top and lower surfaces . For example, the entire block DI can be obtained by overlapping two portions made of dif ferent materials , glued or welded to each other, or can be obtained from a central portion of conveniently yielding material and from two top and lower layers glued or welded to the central portion and made of dif ferent materials . For example, the layer or portion including the lower surface, being intended to stay in stable contact with the working surface , must provide grip and stability to an operator during the tile cutting operations . For such reason, the material of this portion can be a high friction, pos sibly rough and semi-rigid material .

[0062] By contrast , the layer or portion including the top surface , being intended to stay in contact with the tile to be engraved, should not be abrasive and rather allows an agile slippage of the tile above, so as to allow small adjustment s during the cutting operations . For these reasons , the material of this portion is essentially polished and has a low friction coefficient .

[0063] As briefly said above , it is possible to realize the block DI both by simply fixing together two different materials ( e . g . by glueing, a hot-melt adhesive or other) , and by pos sibly inserting a consolidation frame for improving material fixing and stabilizing the blocks DI in terms of realization .

[0064] In a variant of this embodiment , the blocks DI are provided being realized in one-piece, on which a coating for generating the intended characteristics for the two top and lower surfaces is deposited onto the at least two opposite sides . For example, the lower surface can be coated with an elastomer-based paint , while on the top surface a crystalline coating agent can be deposited, such as a low porosity paint or lacquer .

[0065] The kit consisting of a certain number of suspension blocks DI can be provided within a single packaging, with the indications about the tile cutting machine model for which it is intended . In particular, the indications represent the equivalent height of said block, so that it is readily combinable with the height of the machine basement with which it is intended to cooperate .

[0066] Alternatively, the kit can comprise a certain number of blocks DI with dif ferent height , among which the user select s on a case-by-case basis the most suitable one for the machine and for the terms of use met , or a certain number of prismatic blocks with a rectangular base with all of the sides differently sized (e . g . 50x70x90 mm, as already mentioned) so as to be able to arrange them in the intended orientation depending on the height of the basement they have to be as sociated therewith . The block with a rectangular base with sides of dif ferent lengths can also be advantageously used for addres sing contingent situations of dif ferent loads due to heavy or particularly large tiles : as the material has always the same elastic yielding, in the positions where the tile load is greater, an orientation is pos sibly selected with a greater thickness , so that the greatest collapsing still brings the tile to the intended level .

[0067] As a further alternative , the kit can consist of a packaging in which both a tile cutting machine and the suspension blocks DI intended for that specific machine model are contained .

[0068] As well understood from the description reported above , the system according to the invention, comprising the floating support devices freely arranged in proximity to the basement equipped with floating plates 2 , allows to perfectly achieve the obj ectives explained in the introduction .

[0069] Indeed, the devices D and DI allow to virtually extend the floating support surface for tiles even in the case where their extension is greater than the floating plates 2 . As having a fully standalone operation with respect to the basement of the tile cutting machine , the devices D and DI can be arranged in any desired position, ensuring the maximum flexibility while supporting the tiles . Finally, by being able to adjust the height of support discs 11 , 111 and the hardnes s of the underlying elastic element s , it is possible to use the floating devices D with any existing tile cutting machine and any type of tile .

[0070] Further, the suspension blocks DI sized with a height equivalent to that of the basement 1 and realized with an elastic yielding material represent extremely simple and cost-effective tools , while ef ficient in combination with the machine for which they are intended .

[0071] However, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular configurations described above , which represent non-limiting examples of the range of the invention, but that many variant s are possible , all of which are within the reach of a person skilled in the art , without departing from the scope of the present invention .

[0072] For example , the specific configuration of elastic means and spacer means can also be different from those specifically sug- gested as preferred in the present description .

[0073] Again, although the support disc has always been represented with a flat top surface , it is not excluded that the top support surface might be hemispherical or equipped with one or more freely rotatable beads or covered with a low friction coef ficient mate- rial . In fact , the top surface of the support disc must of fer limited resistance to the tile, so that the tile can freely slide during little adjustment movements resulting from the pres sure exerted by the toolholder .

[0074] Finally, the suspension blocks DI can take a different pris- matic shape , with a circular or polygonal section, without invalidating the teachings provided herein . Further embodiment s can also consist of spheres or half-spheres made of an elastic material .

Claims

CLAIMS1. A tile cutting machine, comprising a basement (1) equipped with at least one guide bar (3) which guides a toolholder (P) along an engraving line (I-I) , and a suspension system for supporting tiles comprising floating plates (2) installed on a top portion of said basement (1) , characterized in that said suspension system further comprises at least one standalone floating support device (D, DI) , equipped with an elastically yielding base body and freely placeable around said basement.

2. The tile cutting machine as in claim 1, wherein on said base body (10, 110) a support disc (11, 111) equipped with a top support surface is mounted, and wherein said support disc (11, 111) is mounted in an axially movable manner on said base body (10, 110) by means of adjustable elastic means and by means of adjustable spacer means.

3. The tile cutting machine as in claim 2, wherein said adjustable spacer means comprise a pair of elements (16, 19; 112, 113) mutually engaged by screw / threaded nut.

4. The tile cutting machine as in claim 2 or 3, wherein said adjustable elastic means are in the form of an elastic plunger unit that comprises at least a head terminal (12, 114) and a base terminal (14, 116) among which an elastic element (15, 118) is interposed, said head terminal (12, 114) being axially attached to said support disc (11, 111) and said base terminal (14, 116) being axially attached to said base body (10, 110) and wherein constraint means (12a, 117) are provided axially integral with said head terminal (12, 114a) suitable to abut against an abutment element (17, 110a) axially integral with respect to said base body (10, 110) .

5. The tile cutting machine as in claim 4, wherein said base terminal (14, 116) is axially integral with respect to said base body (10, 110) by means of an adjustable screw / threaded nut coupling .

6. The tile cutting machine as in any one of claims 2 to 5,wherein said support disc (11) is connected to said adjustable elastic means (12, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b, 13c, 14, 18) mounted in turn on said adjustable spacer means (16, 17, 17a, G, 19) .

7. The tile cutting machine as in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein said support disc (111) is attached to said adjustable spacer means (112, 113) mounted in turn on said adjustable elastic means (114, 116, 118, 119) .

8. The tile cutting machine as in any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein said base body (10, 110) has a high friction lower ring or mat .

9. The tile cutting machine as in any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein said support disc (11, 111) has a reduced friction top surface .

10. A suspension kit of a tile cutting machine, comprising a packaging, and a plurality of standalone floating support devices (D, DI) , equipped with an elastically yielding base body and arranged to be freely placed around a basement of a tile cutting machine.

11. The suspension kit as in claim 10, wherein said floating support devices are suspension blocks (DI) in the form of a single body provided with at least one top surface and one lower surface, made of at least one first portion of yielding homogeneous material, said top and lower surfaces being spaced apart by an equivalent distance corresponding to a height of a basement of a tile cutting machine.

12. The suspension kit as in claim 11, wherein said packaging comprises also an identification element displaying said equivalent distance.

13. The suspension kit as in claim 11, wherein said packaging also comprises a tile cutting machine.

14. The suspension kit as in claims 11, 12 or 13, wherein said single body is made of at least one second portion of homogeneous material different from that of the first portion and overlapped to said first portion.

15. The suspension kit as in claim 14, wherein aconsolidation frame is interposed between said portions made of dif ferent material .16 . The suspension kit as in any one of claims 11 to 15 , wherein at least said first portion is made of elastomer TPE . 17 . The suspension kit as in any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein at least one portion of material at said top surface has a low friction coefficient and at least one portion of material at said lower surface has a high friction coefficient .18 . The suspension kit as in any one of claims 11 to 17 , wherein said single body is prismatic in shape with a cylindrical or rectangular base .

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