Machine device for separating a workpiece part from a residual grid

Abstract

A mechanical device (1) for separating a workpiece part (2) from a residual grid (3) of a workpiece part (2) from a product assembly (5) comprising a holding device (6), a separating unit (14), and a product tray (15). The holding device (6) is designed to fix the product assembly (5) in the direction of gravity before separating the workpiece part (2) and to fix the residual grid (3) in the direction of gravity after separating the workpiece part (2). The workpiece part (2), released from the product assembly (5) fixed to the holding device (6) by means of the separating unit (14), falls onto the product tray (15) under the influence of gravity.By means of a distance adjusting device (16) the vertical distance of the product tray (15) from the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) can be variably adjusted depending on the geometry of the workpiece part (2) released from the product assembly (5).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a mechanical device for separating a workpiece part, present as a machining product of a separating machining of a plate-like workpiece, in particular a sheet metal workpiece, from a residual grid present as a further machining product of the separating workpiece machining, under the influence of gravity from a product composite of the residual grid and the workpiece part. wherein the machine device comprises a holding device, a separating unit and a product tray, wherein the holding device is designed to fix the product assembly in the direction of gravity before separating the workpiece part and to fix the remaining grid in the direction of gravity after separating the workpiece part, wherein the separating unit is designed to release the workpiece part from the product assembly fixed by means of the holding device and wherein the product tray is arranged at a vertical distance below the product assembly fixed by means of the holding device and is designed to deposit the workpiece part released from the product assembly by means of the separating unit under the influence of gravity.

[0002] In sheet metal cutting processes using a cutting device, such as a laser cutting device, the resulting products are sheet metal parts and a residual grid that at least partially surrounds them. To simplify the removal of the processed products from the cutting device, the sheet metal parts are not completely separated from the residual grid during the cutting process. Instead, microjoints or nanojoints are left between the residual grid and the sheet metal parts, allowing the residual grid and the sheet metal parts to be handled as a single unit when unloading the cutting device. Furthermore, it is conceivable that sheet metal parts produced during cutting processes may be held in the residual grid after the cutting process due to thermal stresses or tilting. The separation of the sheet metal parts from the residual grid takes place in a subsequent process step.

[0003] The prior art is disclosed in JP 2000094057 A. The prior art relates to a machine arrangement and a method for stamping sheet metal. At a stamping station of the machine arrangement, sheet metal parts and a residual grid are produced from a sheet of metal. After completion of the stamping process, the sheet metal parts are connected to the residual grid via microjoints. The assembly of the residual grid and the attached sheet metal parts is moved to a separation station. At this station, several pairs of rollers follow one another in the direction of movement of the residual grid and the sheet metal parts, and are alternately offset upwards and downwards perpendicular to the direction of movement of the residual grid and the sheet metal parts. A gap is formed between the rollers of each pair of rollers. Coming from the stamping station, the residual grid with the sheet metal parts passes through the gap at several pairs of rollers that follow one another in the direction of movement.Due to the offset of the roller pairs, the residual grid containing the sheet metal parts is bent multiple times as it passes through the roller pairs. Simultaneously, the residual grid and sheet metal parts are vibrated perpendicular to the direction of movement. As a result, the microjoints remaining between the residual grid and the sheet metal parts during the stamping process break, and the sheet metal parts detached from the residual grid fall onto a product tray located below the roller pairs of the separating station.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical device for separating workpiece parts from a residual grid, in which an orderly placement of the workpiece parts separated from the residual grid on a product tray of the mechanical device is ensured even in changing application cases.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention by the mechanical device according to claim 1.

[0006] In the case of the invention, the drop height of the workpiece parts separated from the residual grid by the separating unit is adjusted according to the application and dependent on the geometry of the workpiece parts. By adjusting the drop height of the workpiece parts to their geometry according to the invention, it is ensured that the workpiece parts are placed on the product tray in an orderly manner under the influence of gravity, and in particular, stacked in an orderly manner. For example, it prevents the downward-falling workpiece parts from twisting uncontrollably or tilting relative to the product tray, or from the workpiece parts lying haphazardly on top of each other on the product tray. An orderly placement and the associated defined positioning of the workpiece parts on the product tray is particularly advantageous in cases where the product tray is unloaded automatically, for example, by a robot.Furthermore, optimally adjusting the drop height prevents damage to the workpiece parts placed under the influence of gravity. Preferably, a minimum drop height for the workpiece parts is set.

[0007] Specific embodiments of the machine arrangement according to the invention as defined in claim 1 are set out in dependent claims 2 to 12.

[0008] The surface area of ​​the workpiece parts can be used, for example, as a criterion for determining the drop height. In the case of the inventive design according to claim 2, the drop height of the workpiece parts released from the residual grid is determined and set as a function of the thickness of the workpiece parts. In trial applications of the inventive mechanical arrangement for separating sheet metal parts from a residual grid, a drop height one millimeter to one centimeter greater than the sheet metal thickness has proven effective for the sheet metal parts.

[0009] Claim 3 relates to possibilities according to the invention for application-specific adjustment of the drop height of the workpiece parts detached from the residual grid of the separating workpiece processing. In the case of the invention, the distance adjusting device can therefore adjust only the vertical position of the holding device and the assembly of the workpiece parts and the residual grid fixed thereto, or only the vertical position of the product tray, or both the vertical position of the holding device and the vertical position of the product tray.

[0010] For this purpose, a corresponding lifting device is provided as a distance adjusting device according to claim 4.

[0011] A conventional chain hoist or cable hoist, for example, can be used as a lifting device. This allows the vertical position of the holding device and the assembly of the remaining grid and workpiece parts fixed to the holding device to be adjusted depending on the workpiece geometry, particularly the workpiece thickness. Additionally or alternatively, a height adjustment mechanism of conventional design, such as a scissor lift mechanism, can be provided for the product storage. The height-adjustable product storage can be designed, for example, as a support table or a conveyor belt. A simple workpiece pallet or the installation surface of the machine device according to the invention itself can serve as a non-height-adjustable product storage option.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacer adjusting device comprises a spacer which is provided in a vertical direction between the holding device and a support structure provided for the holding device of the machine arrangement according to the invention and whose vertical dimension can be varied (claim 5).

[0013] In an advantageous further development of the invention, the spacer between the holding device and its supporting structure is designed as a compressed air bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimensions or as a spring bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimensions (patent claim 6).

[0014] In a further embodiment of the machine according to the invention, the separating unit has a vibration generator by means of which the product assembly of the residual grid and the workpiece parts, fixed to the holding device, is set into vertical vibrations to release the workpiece parts (claim 7). In this case, the product assembly is effectively fixed to the holding device not only in the direction of gravity but also in the opposite direction.

[0015] The vibration generator preferably engages the holding device of the machine device according to the invention (patent claim 8).

[0016] In the case of the invention according to claim 9, a support structure is provided for the holding device which is to be set into vertical vibrations. In order to prevent undesired vibrations of the support structure and, if applicable, of components connected to the support structure, the support structure is vibration-isolated from the holding device as far as possible by means of a spring-damper device.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacer arranged between the support structure and the holding device according to claim 5 forms the spring-damper device according to claim 9. The spacer is variably adjustable in its vertical dimension and is therefore also suitable for adjusting the drop height of the workpiece parts.

[0018] The separating unit can be used to adjust the drop height of the workpiece parts.

[0019] According to the invention, a spacer with a dual function is in particular a compressed air bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimensions and / or a spring bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimensions (patent claim 10).

[0020] The product assembly of the residual grid and the workpiece parts, or the residual grid alone, is effectively fixed, preferably at the edge in the vertical direction, by means of the holding device according to the invention. For this purpose, the holding device according to the invention has at least one appropriately designed holding element (claim 11).

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the holding device is provided with at least two holding elements which are horizontally spaced opposite each other and effectively fix the edge of the product assembly or the edge of the residual grid in the vertical direction. To allow the holding device to be adapted to different formats of the product assembly or the residual grid, the horizontal distance between the holding elements is variably adjustable (claim 12).

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary schematic diagrams. These show: Figure 1 shows a first design of a machine device for separating sheet metal parts from a residual grid of a separating sheet metal processing operation, Figure 2 shows a second design of a machine device for separating sheet metal parts from a residual grid of a separating sheet metal processing operation, and Figure 3 shows a third design of a machine device for separating sheet metal parts from a residual grid of a separating sheet metal processing operation.

[0023] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a machine device 1 for separating workpiece parts in the form of sheet metal parts 2 from a residual grid 3. The sheet metal parts 2 and the residual grid 3 are the products of a sheet metal cutting process performed by a laser cutting machine located away from the machine device 1 and not shown in the figures. During the laser cutting process, microjoints 4 were left between the sheet metal parts 2 and the residual grid 3, as well as between adjacent sheet metal parts 2. Due to the microjoints 4, the sheet metal parts 2 and the residual grid 3 form Figure 1 a product assembly 5, which was removed as a unit from the laser cutting machine and transferred to the machine device 1.

[0024] On the machine device 1, the product assembly 5, consisting of the residual grid 3 and the sheet metal parts 2, is effectively fixed in the direction of gravity by means of a holding device 6. The holding device 6 has a rigid base plate 7 and gripping elements designed as grippers 8. The grippers 8 grip the product assembly 5, specifically the residual grid 3, at its edge.

[0025] In the direction of a double arrow 9 (horizontal adjustment direction), the mutual horizontal distance of the grippers 8 can be variably adjusted to adapt the holding device 6 to different product assembly formats. Furthermore, the grippers 8 can be adjusted relative to the base plate 7 of the holding device 6 in the direction of a double arrow 10 (vertical adjustment direction). By adjusting the grippers 8 in the vertical adjustment direction 10, the holding device 6 is adapted to varying product assembly thicknesses. The grippers 8 are positioned in the vertical adjustment direction 10 such that a gap 11 remains between the top surface of the product assembly 5 held by the grippers 8 and the underside of the base plate 7 of the holding device 6. This gap width is significantly smaller than the thickness of the product assembly 5 and thus smaller than the thickness of the sheet metal from which the product assembly 5 was produced on the laser cutting machine.

[0026] Vibrators 12 of a vibration generator 13 are mounted on the upper side of the base plate 7. In the illustrated example, the vibrators 12 are unbalance exciters. Together with the holding device 6, the vibration generator 13 forms a separation unit 14.

[0027] The vibration generator 13 sets the holding device 6 and the product assembly 5 into vertical vibrations. Due to the vibration of the product assembly 5, the microjoints 4 remaining between the individual parts of the product assembly 5 break, and the sheet metal parts 2 are released from the product assembly 5, which is fixed by the holding device 6. The sheet metal parts 2 released from the product assembly 5 fall under the influence of gravity onto a product tray located below the holding device 6. The product tray is in Figure 1 A pallet truck of conventional design is provided.

[0028] To ensure that the sheet metal parts 2, separated from the product assembly 5, are placed in an orderly manner on the pallet truck 15, a drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2 is set depending on their geometry. In the example shown, the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2 is set depending on their thickness.

[0029] The machine device 1 has a distance adjusting device 16 for adjusting the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2.

[0030] The distance control device 16 comprises two compressed air bellows 17 which are connected to a compressor 19 of the distance control device 16 which is equipped with a pressure control 18.

[0031] The holding device 6 with its base plate 7 is supported in the direction of gravity on a support structure 20 of the machine 1 by means of pneumatic bellows 17. The pneumatic bellows 17 act as spacers between the holding device 6 and the support structure 20. By pressurizing the pneumatic bellows 17, their vertical dimension, and thus the vertical position of the holding device 6 and the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2 fixed to the holding device 6 as part of the product assembly 5, are adjusted to the desired value. As an alternative to the pneumatic bellows 17, conventional spring bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimensions would be conceivable.

[0032] During the vertical vibration of the holding device 6, generated by the vibration generator 13 to detach the sheet metal parts 2 from the product assembly 5, the pneumatic bellows 17 act as vertically elastic spring-damper devices to isolate the support structure 20 from the holding device 6. The pneumatic bellows 17 largely prevent the transmission of the vertical vibrations of the holding device 6 to the support structure 20. This vibration isolation of the support structure 20 is of great importance because the support structure 20, as a component of a higher-level automation unit of the laser cutting machine, is connected to other components of the automation unit.

[0033] After the sheet metal parts 2 are detached from the product assembly 5, the remaining grid 3 remains attached to the holding device 6. The support structure 20, along with the holding device 6 and the remaining grid 3 attached to it, moves to a position away from the pallet truck 15 loaded with the sheet metal parts 2. There, the remaining grid 3 is placed on a designated residual grid pallet by opening the grippers 8.

[0034] Pallet truck 15 is unloaded by means of an unloading robot. Due to the orderly arrangement of the sheet metal parts 2 on pallet truck 15, the unloading robot's camera system for part recognition is readily able to identify the sheet metal parts placed on pallet truck 25. The unloading robot can therefore reliably transfer the sheet metal parts 2 from pallet truck 15.

[0035] A mechanical device 30, as described in Figure 2 The device shown differs from the machine device 1 according to Figure 1 through the technical provisions for the variable adjustment of the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2 and for vibration decoupling of the holding device 6 from the supporting structure 20.

[0036] For variable adjustment of the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2, the machine device 30 has a cable pulley 31 attached to the support structure 20 as a spacing adjustment device. By means of a controlled drive 32 of the cable pulley 31, the separating unit 14 with the vibration generator 13 and the holding device 6 with the product assembly 5 fixed to it is positioned vertically relative to the top of the pallet carriage 15 via the support structure 20 such that the desired value is achieved for the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2. A corresponding chain pulley is also conceivable instead of the cable pulley 31.

[0037] To decouple the holding device 6, which is set into vertical vibrations by means of the vibration generator 13, from the supporting structure 20 of the machine device 30, elastic spring-damper devices with spiral springs 33 are provided in the vertical direction.

[0038] At one in Figure 3In the machine device 40 shown, the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2 is variably adjusted by means of a height-adjustable support table 41. A pallet-like tabletop 42 serves as a product storage area for the sheet metal parts 2 of the product assembly 5. The vertical distance of the tabletop 42 from the product assembly 5, which is fixed by means of the holding device 6, is adjusted by means of a controlled height adjustment device 43, designed as a distance adjustment device, to a value that ensures orderly placement of the sheet metal parts 2, detached from the residual grid 3, onto the tabletop 42.

[0039] For vibration isolation of the supporting structure 20 from the holding device 6, in Figure 3 A vertically elastic spring-damper device with spring bellows 44 is provided.

[0040] To adjust the drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2, the spring bellows 44 are inserted into Figure 3 not used. However, it is conceivable to use the one in Figure 3 to combine the illustrated height-adjustable support table 41 with a distance-adjusting device 16 according to Figure 1 or with a distance adjusting device 31 according to Figure 2 In this case, to adjust the optimal drop height h of the sheet metal parts 2, both the vertical position of the holding device 6 and the vertical position of the table top 42 of the support table 41 can be adjusted accordingly.

Claims

1. A mechanical device for separating a workpiece part (2), which is a machining product of a separating machining operation on a plate-like workpiece, in particular a sheet metal workpiece, from a residual grid (3), which is a further machining product of the separating machining operation, under the influence of gravity, from a product composite (5) of the residual grid (3) and the workpiece part (2), • wherein the mechanical device comprises a holding device (6), a separating unit (14) and a product tray (15, 42), • wherein the holding device (6) is designed to fix the product composite (5) in the direction of gravity before the workpiece part (2) is separated and to fix the residual grid (3) in the direction of gravity after the workpiece part (2) has been separated,• wherein the separating unit (14) is designed to release the workpiece part (2) from the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) and • wherein the product tray (15, 42) is arranged at a vertical distance below the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) and is designed to deposit the workpiece part (2) released from the product assembly (5) by means of the separating unit (14) under the influence of gravity, , characterized by the fact that the machine device has a distance adjusting device (16, 31, 43) which is designed to adjust the vertical distance of the product tray (15, 42) from the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) depending on the geometry of the workpiece part (2) released from the product assembly (5).

2. Machine device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact thatthe distance adjusting device (16, 31, 43) is designed to adjust the vertical distance of the product tray (15, 42) from the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) depending on the thickness of the workpiece part (2) removed from the product assembly (5).

3. Machine device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the distance adjusting device (16, 31, 43) is designed for variable vertical positioning of the holding device (6) relative to the product tray (15, 42) and / or for variable vertical positioning of the product tray (15, 42) relative to the holding device (6).

4. Machine device according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that the distance adjusting device (16, 31, 43) has a lifting device by means of which the holding device (6) relative to the product tray (15, 42) and / or the product tray (15, 42) relative to the holding device (6) can be variably positioned in a vertical direction.

5. Machine device according to claim 3 or claim 4, characterized by • that a support structure (20) is provided for the holding device (6), • that the spacer adjusting device (16) has a spacer which is provided in a vertical direction between the support structure (20) and the holding device (6) and whose vertical dimension defines the vertical distance between the support structure (20) and the holding device (6) and • that For variable vertical positioning of the holding device (6) relative to the product tray (15), the vertical dimension of the spacer between the support structure (20) and the holding device (6) is variably adjustable.

6. Machine device according to claim 5, characterized by the fact thatas a spacer with variably adjustable vertical dimension, at least one compressed air bellows (17) with variably adjustable vertical dimension and / or at least one spring bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimension is provided.

7. Machine device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the separating unit (14) has a vibration generator (13) which is designed to generate vertical vibrations of the product assembly (5) fixed by means of the holding device (6) that cause the workpiece part (2) to detach from the product assembly (5).

8. Machine device according to claim 7, characterized by the fact thatthe vibration generator (13) is designed to generate vertical vibrations of the product assembly (5) that cause the workpiece part (2) to detach from the product assembly (5), in that the vibration generator (13) is designed to generate vertical vibrations of the holding device (6) that cause the workpiece part (2) to detach from the product assembly (5).

9. Machine device according to claim 8, characterized by • that a support structure (20) is provided for the holding device (6) and • that A vertically elastic spring-damper device is provided between the holding device (6) and the supporting structure (20), by means of which the holding device (6) is supported on the supporting structure (20) in a way that allows it to vibrate in the vertical direction.

10. Machine device according to claim 5 or claim 6 and according to claim 9, characterized by • thatthe elastic spring-damper device is formed by the spacer between the support structure (20) and the holding device (6), optionally by the at least one compressed air bellows (17) with variably adjustable vertical dimension and / or by the at least one spring bellows with variably adjustable vertical dimension, and • that For variable vertical positioning of the holding device (6) relative to the product tray (15, 42), the vertical dimension of the spring-damper device, optionally the vertical dimension of the at least one compressed air bellows (17) and / or the vertical dimension of the at least one spring bellows, is variably adjustable.

11. Machine device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the holding device (6) has at least one holding element (8) by means of which the product assembly (5) can be effectively fixed at its edge in the direction of gravity.

12. Machine device according to claim 11, characterized by • that the holding device (6) has holding elements (8) on which, before the workpiece part (2) is released, the product assembly (5) and, after the workpiece part (2) is released, the remaining grid (3) is effectively supported in the direction of gravity and which are opposite each other at a mutual horizontal distance parallel to a main plane of a product assembly (5) fixed to the holding device (6) and • that the mutual horizontal distance of the holding elements (8) is variably adjustable.

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