Table structure of plate processing machine

Abstract

To provide a table structure of a plate processing machine in which number of driving sources is small to lift a roller supporting a plate, and a path line of a roller support can be the same as that of a brush support.SOLUTION: A table structure (TK) of a plate processing machine comprises: a rotary bar (33) which is horizontally arranged; a drive source (43) which rotates the rotary bar (33); a first roller unit (15) attached to the rotary bar (33) which can support a plate (W) to be processed; and a second roller unit (16) which supports a brush unit (2) with a brush part (22) supporting the plate (W). The first roller unit (15) and the second roller unit (16) are mounted at a position where one of them ascends and the other descends due to rotation of the rotary bar (33).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a table structure for a plate processing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] A structure for switching between a roller support mechanism and a brush support mechanism in a table of a plate processing machine is known, and is described in Patent Document 1, such that thick plates are supported by rollers and thin plates are supported by brushes.

[0003] The table structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a brush plate with many brushes that support relatively thin plate materials, multiple rollers that support relatively thick plate materials, and multiple air cylinders that are connected to each roller and raise and lower the rollers relative to the tips of the brushes.The table structure described in Patent Document 1 drives the multiple air cylinders synchronously to support the plate material with the upper ends of the multiple rollers in a position that protrudes above the tips of the brushes, and supports the plate material with the brushes in a position that retracts below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4149556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The table structure described in Patent Document 1 has an air cylinder for each of the rollers, which serves as a drive source for raising and lowering the rollers. This requires multiple drive sources, leaving room for improvement to reduce the number of drive sources. Furthermore, the table structure has a pass line, which is the height position of the supported plate material, that differs between roller support and brush support. Therefore, the height of the pass line must be adjusted between the table and the plate material loading / unloading device adjacent to the table depending on the support mode, leaving room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of one or more embodiments is a table structure of a plate material processing machine comprising a horizontally arranged rotating bar, a drive source for rotating the rotating bar, a first roller unit attached to the rotating bar and capable of supporting the plate material to be processed, and a second roller unit supporting a brush unit having a brush portion that supports the plate material, wherein the first roller unit and the second roller unit are attached in positions where one rises and the other falls as the rotating bar rotates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the table structure of the plate processing machine according to one or more embodiments, the number of drive sources for raising and lowering the rollers that support the plate can be reduced, and the pass line can be the same for roller support and brush support. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a plate processing machine 91 equipped with a table structure TK according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a switching table 912 having a table structure TK. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a front view showing part A in FIG. 2A. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a top view of the outlet hole 23 formed in the switching table 912. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the table base 1 provided on the switching table 912. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the support unit 13 and the rotation drive unit 14 provided on the table base 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the second roller unit 16 provided in the support unit 13. FIG. [Figure 5B]FIG. 5B is a plan view showing the first roller unit 15 provided in the support unit 13. As shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S6-S6 in FIG. 4 when the support unit 13 is in the first rotation state. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6 when the support unit 13 is in the second rotation state. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing the height position adjustment mechanism CK15 of the first roller unit 15. FIG. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing the height position adjustment mechanism CK16 of the second roller unit 16. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a plate processing machine 91. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing a part of the flow of the operation for switching the workpiece supporting mode in the workpiece processing machine 91. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B shows the remaining part of the flow of the operation for switching the workpiece supporting mode in the workpiece processing machine 91. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A table structure TK, which is one embodiment of the table structure for a plate processing machine of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 using a plate processing machine 91 equipped with the table structure TK. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a plate processing machine 91 equipped with the table structure TK, which is one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a switching table 912 having the table structure TK. FIG. 2B is a front view showing part A in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C is a top view of an outlet hole 23 formed in the switching table 912. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a table base 1 equipped with the switching table 912. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a support unit 13 and a rotation drive unit 14 equipped on the table base 1. FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a second roller unit 16 equipped in the support unit 13. FIG. 5B is a plan view showing a first roller unit 15 equipped in the support unit 13. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view at the S6-S6 position in FIG. 4 when the support unit 13 is in the first rotation state. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 6 when the support unit 13 is in the second rotation state. Fig. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing the height position adjustment mechanism CK15 of the first roller unit 15. Fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing the height position adjustment mechanism CK16 of the second roller unit 16. Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a plate processing machine 91.

[0010] In the following description, the up / down, front / rear, left / right directions are defined as the directions of arrows. The left / right direction is also referred to as the X-axis direction, the front / rear direction as the Y-axis direction, and the up / down direction as the Z-axis direction.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 , the plate processing machine 91 includes a pair of legs 911, a switching table 912, a fixed brush table 913, a switching table 914, a carriage 915, multiple clampers 918, an arch portion 916, a laser head 917, and a control device 8. The pair of legs 911 are arranged spaced apart in the left-right direction. An arch portion 916, which protrudes upward like a gate and spans the front of the pair of legs 911, is fixed. The carriage 915 spans the pair of legs 911 and is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in a range rearward of the arch portion 916 (see arrow DR1). In this example, there are five clampers 918, which are fixed to the front of the carriage 915 at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The clampers 918 clamp the rear edge of a metal plate W, which is a workpiece indicated by a two-dot chain line, and hold it in a generally horizontal position. The laser head 917 is supported by the arch portion 916 so as to be movable in the left-right direction (see arrow DR2). From the lower part of the laser head 917, a laser beam LS is emitted downward.

[0012] The fixed brush table 913 and switching tables 912, 914 installed adjacent to the front and rear of the fixed brush table 913 support the plate material W held by a clamper 918 from below. The fixed brush table 913 supports the plate material W with a plurality of upright metal brushes or flame-retardant brushes. The switching tables 912, 914 support the plate material W with either a plurality of upright resin brushes or rigid rollers. The switching tables 912, 914 have a support mechanism 3 (see FIG. 6) that selectively switches between a support mode with brushes and a support mode with rollers.

[0013] The laser head 917 is positioned above the fixed brush table 913. The laser head 917 irradiates a laser generated by a laser oscillator 89 (see FIG. 9), which will be described later, as a laser beam LS onto the plate material W supported by the switching tables 912, 914 and the fixed brush table 913.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, which is a central processing unit, a storage unit 82, a plate thickness determination unit 83, and a rod position confirmation unit 84.

[0015] In addition to the above-mentioned components, the plate material processing machine 91 has an XY drive unit 88 and a laser oscillator 89, as shown in Fig. 9. The XY drive unit 88 controls each of the operations of moving a carriage 915 in the Y-axis direction, moving a laser head 917 in the X-axis direction, and gripping the plate material W with a clamper 918. The control device 8 controls the operations of the XY drive unit 88 and the laser oscillator 89 based on instructions from a processing program PG (see Fig. 9) stored in the storage unit 82. As a result, the plate material processing machine 91 can move the plate material W in the Y-axis direction and simultaneously move the laser head 917 in the X-axis direction based on the processing program PG, and perform laser processing by irradiating any position on the plate material W with a laser beam LS.

[0016] The switching tables 912 and 914 are provided with the same support mechanism 3 (see FIG. 6), so only the switching table 912 and its support mechanism 3 will be described as representative.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2A, the switching table 912 includes a table base 1 and a brush unit 2. The table base 1 is formed into a rectangular, flat shape by combining metal frames into a frame shape, and in this example, has a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from above. The brush unit 2 is made up of multiple brush tables 21. The multiple brush tables 21 are arranged, for example, in three rows in the left-right direction and two rows in the front-rear direction (the division position is indicated by the dashed dotted line LN), for a total of six brush tables 21a to 21f. That is, in the switching table 912, the brush unit 2 made up of the six brush tables 21 is supported by multiple support units 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) provided on the table base 1 so that it can move up and down. Furthermore, the upward and downward movement is restricted to the vertical direction by multiple linear bearing portions 17 (see FIGS. 3 and 6), which will be described later.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the brush unit 22 is provided above the brush table 21. The brush unit 22 is an assembly of multiple brushes 22a that are planted upright on the brush table 21. The brush unit 22 has multiple gaps 221 that extend in the front-rear direction and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The gaps 221 are portions where the brushes 22a are not planted. The gaps 221 are provided to prevent interference with the lower jaw (not shown) of the pair of jaws of the clamper 918 that clamps the plate material W from above and below when the carriage 915 moves forward and backward. The switching table 912, which is located forward of the arch portion 916, does not interfere with the clamper 918, but the gaps 221 are formed because the switching table 912 may be installed at the position of the switching table 914.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2B, in the brush unit 22, the height positions of the upper ends of the brushes 22a are aligned to be at the same horizontal position, forming a pass line PL1.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2C, the brush part 22 has a plurality of outlet holes 23 that appear as roughly circular holes in a top view. The outlet holes 23 are portions where the brushes 22a are not implanted. The first roller 152 and cover 153 at the top of the first roller unit 15 shown in Fig. 5B are faced inside the outlet holes 23. In other words, the positions where the outlet holes 23 are formed correspond to the positions where the first roller unit 15 is arranged.

[0021] 3 shows a top view of the table base 1 with the brush unit 2 removed from the switching table 912. To avoid complicating the drawing, this is a schematic diagram, and the table base 1 will be described with reference to other drawings.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the table base 1 is formed as a frame body having a pair of side frames 11, a pair of connecting frames 121, and intermediate frames 123 and 124. The side frames 11 are a pair of frame members extending in the front-rear direction and arranged at both left and right ends. The connecting frames 121 are frame members extending in the left-right direction to connect the pair of side frames 11, and a plurality of them are arranged spaced apart in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 3, only the frontmost and rearmost pairs are indicated by reference numerals. In the center in the left-right direction, intermediate frames 123 and 124 extending in the front-rear direction and connected to the plurality of connecting frames 121 are arranged parallel to each other and closely spaced apart. These make the table base 1 a highly rigid frame body.

[0023] The table base 1 has a plurality of columnar support units 13 (see also FIG. 4) extending in the left-right direction, spaced apart in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 3, the support units 13 are schematically drawn as rectangles that are long in the left-right direction. In this example, the support units 13 are arranged in six rows in the front-rear direction, and are designated as support units 13A to 13F, respectively. In each row, the support units 13 are connected in pairs so as to be in a straight line in the left-right direction, with a rotation drive unit 14 sandwiched between them. The rotation drive units 14 are also designated as rotation drive units 14A to 14F corresponding to the support units 13A to 13F. Specifically, in FIG. 3, in the rearmost support unit 13A, a pair of support units 13A are connected with a rotation drive unit 14A sandwiched between them, and the rotation drive unit 14A is connected to the intermediate frame 124.

[0024] The support unit 13 has a plurality of first roller units 15, a plurality of second roller units 16, and a plurality of linear bearing portions 17. In Fig. 3, the first roller units 15 are indicated by white circles, the second roller units 16 by white triangles, and the linear bearing portions 17 by black circles, and are indicated at their respective locations on the support unit 13.

[0025] There are two types of arrangement patterns for the first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 arranged in the support unit 13. Specifically, the support units 13A, 13C, and 13E are arranged in a common first pattern, and the support units 13B, 13D, and 13F are arranged in a common second pattern. In the first pattern, the rotation drive units 14A, 14C, and 14E are connected to the intermediate frame 124, and in the second pattern, the rotation drive units 14B, 14D, and 14F are connected to the intermediate frame 123.

[0026] Next, the configuration of the support unit 13 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4, taking the left support unit 13A, which is located at the rearmost position in Figure 3, as a representative example. In Figure 4, the support unit 13 is shown, along the broken line, with two first roller units 15 and one second roller unit 16 on the left end side, and a portion connected to the intermediate frame 124 in the left-right center.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the support unit 13 (13A) includes a fixed bracket 31, a base frame 32, a rotary bar 33, a conversion plate , and a shaft . As shown in FIG. 3 , the fixed brackets 31 are fixed to the side frames 11 with bolts or the like. The base frames 32 are linear frames extending laterally, and are arranged in pairs at a distance from each other in the front and rear. The base frames 32 are fixed to the fixed brackets 31. The rotating bar 33 has a shaft 331 protruding from its left end with an axis CL33 as its central axis. The shaft 331 is rotatably supported by the fixed brackets 31. A connecting portion 332 and a conversion plate 34 are attached to the right end of the rotating bar 33, and a shaft 35 protruding to the right from the conversion plate 34 with the axis CL33 as its central axis. The shaft 35 is rotatably supported by a shaft bearing portion 42 of the rotation drive unit 14 (14A). With this configuration, the rotating bar 33 is rotatable around the axis CL33 within a predetermined rotation angle range (see arrow DR3). The rotation angle range is the range up to the point where it comes into contact with the pair of base frames 32 and is restricted, and is set to, for example, 10° or less.

[0028] The conversion plate 34 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long from front to back when viewed from the right, and the shaft 35 is fixed at a position biased forward. The rear end portion has a notch 34a that is cut forward toward the shaft 35.

[0029] The first roller unit 15 is attached to the rear surface 33b of the rotating bar 33 in an upright position with the first roller 152 facing up. The second roller unit 16 is attached to the upper surface 33a in a prone position with the second roller 162 facing forward. The second roller unit 16 is the same as the first roller unit 15 with the cover 153 removed, and details will be explained next.

[0030] As shown in the plan view of FIG. 5A, the second roller unit 16 has a base 161 that is approximately triangular in plan view, and a second roller 162 that is supported at the top of the base 161 so as to be rotatable about an axis CL16. The edges of the base 161 are slightly bent to increase its rigidity. A pair of mounting holes 161a are formed in the lower part of the base 161. The second roller unit 16 is fixed to the upper surface 33a of the rotating bar 33 using fastening members such as bolts and nuts through the holes 161a. When fixed, the axis CL16 extends in the left-right direction.

[0031] As shown in the plan view of FIG. 5B, the first roller unit 15 has a base 151 that is substantially triangular in plan view, and a first roller 152 that is supported at the top of the base 151 so as to be rotatable about an axis CL15. The edges of the base 151 are slightly bent to increase its rigidity. A pair of mounting holes 151a are formed in the lower part of the base 151. The first roller unit 15 is fixed to the rear surface 33b of the rotating bar 33 using fastening members such as bolts and nuts through the holes 151a. When fixed, the axis CL15 extends in the left-right direction.

[0032] A portion of the top of base 151 is bent into a shape not shown, and cover 153 is attached to the bent portion. As shown in Fig. 2C, cover 153 is in the shape of a circular lid with a rectangular opening 153a in the center. The upper end of first roller 152 protrudes from opening 153a and is exposed to the outside (see Fig. 5B).

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, the linear bearing unit 17 is configured to have a bearing bracket 321, a support pillar 171, and a plain bearing 172. The bearing bracket 321 is formed integrally with the base frame 32 (see FIG. 4) of the support mechanism 3. The plain bearing 172 is fixed to the bearing bracket 321 so that its axis is in the vertical direction. The support pillar 171 is attached to the underside of the brush table 21 as a rod-shaped member extending downward, and is inserted into the plain bearing 172 to guide its movement in the vertical direction. The brush table 21 is able to move up and down smoothly because multiple linear bearing units 17 are distributed throughout the brush table 21, as shown by the black circles in FIG. 3.

[0034] 4, the rotation drive unit 14 (14A) has a bracket 41, a shaft receiving portion 42, an air cylinder 43, a connecting plate 44, and connecting arms 451 and 452. The bracket 41 has a flat base 41a that is tightly fixed to the intermediate frame 124, a pair of side walls 41b that rise upward from the left and right edges of the base 41a, and a pair of top walls 41c that are folded inward from the upper ends of the pair of side walls 41b. The shaft receiving portion 42 is attached to the upper surfaces of the pair of top walls 41c and supports the shaft 35 of the support unit 13A so that it can rotate freely around the axis line CL33.

[0035] The air cylinder 43 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 41a of the bracket 41 at a position offset rearward from the axis CL33. The air cylinder 43 moves a rod 432 up and down. A central portion of a connecting plate 44 that is long in the left-right direction is attached to the tip of the rod 432, and a connecting arm 451 extending leftward is attached to the left end of the connecting plate 44, and a connecting arm 452 extending rightward is attached to the right end.

[0036] The connecting arm 451 extending leftward has a shaft 451a at its tip, which is inserted into and engaged with the notch 34a of the conversion plate 34 of the support unit 13A. The connecting arm 452 extending rightward has a shaft 452a at its tip, which is inserted into and engaged with the notch 34a of the conversion plate 34 of the support unit 13A on the right side of the rotation drive unit 14A. The axes of the shafts 451a and 452a are shifted rearward from the axis CL33. Therefore, when the air cylinder 43 operates and the rod 432 extends upward, the shafts 451a and 452a are lifted upward via the connecting plate 44 (see arrow DR31), and the conversion plate 34 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 4 around the axis CL33 (see arrow DR32).

[0037] With this structure, the support unit 13 can take two rotation positions: a first rotation position shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 in which the rod 432 of the air cylinder 43 is retracted, and a second rotation position shown in FIG. 7 in which the air cylinder 43 is operated to extend the rod 432. In this example, in the first rotation position, the upper surface 33a of the rotating bar 33 is horizontal, and in the second rotation position, the upper surface 33a is rotated counterclockwise by a predetermined angle (see arrow DR72) as shown in FIG. 7 and is inclined relative to the horizontal. The predetermined angle can be set freely, but is, for example, about 4°, and at this time, the lift stroke of the first roller unit 15 between the first rotation position and the second rotation position is about 3 mm.

[0038] In the above configuration, as shown in Fig. 6, the second roller unit 16 supports the brush unit 2 with its second roller 162 always in contact with the underside 21p of the brush table 21. Because the brush table 21 is supported by multiple second roller units 16, the mass of the brush table 21 is distributed across the multiple second roller units 16. The rotating bar 33 to which the second roller units 16 are fixed is eccentrically connected to the air cylinder 43 so as not to rotate against the mass of the brush unit 2. Therefore, the height position of the brush table 21 in the first rotation position is stably maintained. The height position of the tip of the brush section 22 in this first rotation position becomes the first pass line PL1.

[0039] Here, the height between the upper surface 123a of the intermediate frame 123 and the first pass line PL1 shown in FIG. 6 is defined as a distance H22a, and the height between the upper surface 123a and the lower surface 21p of the brush table 21 is defined as a distance H21a.

[0040] At the first rotation position, the upper end of the first roller unit 15, i.e., the upper end of the first roller 152, is below the first pass line PL1. Therefore, the plate material W is supported by the brush part 22 at the first rotation position.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 7 , when the air cylinder 43 operates from the first pivot position and the rod 432 extends upward to the second pivot position (see arrow DR71), the connecting plate 44 pushes up the conversion plate 34 at a position eccentric to the rear of the axis CL33, as described above. Therefore, the conversion plate 34 and the pivot bar 33 integral with the conversion plate 34 pivot counterclockwise about the axis CL33 (arrow DR72). This lowers the height of the second roller 162 of the second roller unit 16, which is fixed in a prone position to the upper surface 33a of the pivot bar 33, and lowers the brush table 21 supported by the second roller 162 (see arrow DR73). The second roller 162 descends along an arc-shaped path, but the descent of the brush table 21 is limited to a vertical direction by the linear bearing 17.

[0042] At the second rotation position, the first roller unit 15 is located rearward of the axis CL33, and is therefore raised by the counterclockwise rotation of the rotation bar 33. This raises the upper end position of the first roller 152 to protrude higher than the upper end position of the brush portion 22 of the lowered brush table 21. This enables the first roller unit 15 to support the plate material W at the second rotation position, and the height position of the upper end of the first roller 152 at the second rotation position corresponds to the second pass line PL2.

[0043] 7, the height between the upper surface 123a of the intermediate frame 123 and the second pass line PL2 is defined as distance H22b, and the height between the upper surface 123a and the lower surface 21p of the brush table 21 is defined as distance H21b. In this case, in the table structure TK, distance H21b is smaller than distance H21a, but the upper end position of the first roller 152 is elevated so that distance H22a and distance H22b match. For example, the rotation angle of the rotating bar 33, the distance from the axis CL33 to the contact position of the second roller 162 with the brush table 21, the mounting position of the first roller unit 15 shifted rearward with respect to the axis CL33, and other factors are preset to make distance H22a and distance H22b match.

[0044] In addition, in the support unit 13, the vertical positions of the first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 relative to the rotary bar 33 can be finely adjusted by an adjustment mechanism (described in detail later).

[0045] In this way, with the table structure TK, it is easy to align the first pass line PL1 at the first rotation position where the plate material W is supported by brushes with the second pass line PL2 at the second rotation position where the plate material W is supported by rollers. Furthermore, conversion between the first rotation position and the second rotation position can be achieved by simultaneously moving the first roller units 15 and the second roller units 16 using a single air cylinder. Therefore, the number of drive sources (air cylinders 43) that raise and lower the rollers (first roller units 15 and second roller units 16) can be reduced, and the brush-supported pass line PL1 and the roller-supported pass line PL2 can be made the same.

[0046] Next, mechanisms for adjusting the vertical positions of the first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 relative to the rotating bar 33 will be described with reference to Figures 8A and 8B, respectively. The height adjustment mechanism for the first roller unit 15 is referred to as height position adjustment mechanism CK15, and the height adjustment mechanism for the second roller unit 16 is referred to as height position adjustment mechanism CK16.

[0047] (Height position adjustment mechanism CK15) 8A, the rotating bar 33 is formed by combining, for example, a first bar 335 and a second bar 336. The first roller unit 15 has an adjustment bracket 154, which is attached to the second bar 336.

[0048] The first bar 335 and the second bar 336 have a U-shaped cross section, and are combined so that the first bar 335 is in an open position at the bottom and the second bar 336 is in an open position at the top with the second bar 336 facing inward, and are fastened and fixed with bolts and nuts (not shown). The combination of the first bar 335 and the second bar 336 forms the rotating bar 33 in the shape of a hollow rectangular square pipe.

[0049] A plate-like adjustment bracket 154 extending downward is attached to the bottom of the first roller unit 15. An L-shaped bracket 155 bent into an L shape is fixed to the bottom of the adjustment bracket 154 with a fixing bolt N1. A hole (not shown) is formed at the bent tip of the L-shaped bracket 155, and a first adjustment bolt 156, whose upper end is fixed to the second bar 336 and extends downward, is inserted into this hole. A nut 157 is threadedly attached to the first adjustment bolt 156 to support the L-shaped bracket 155 from below. With this configuration, the L-shaped bracket 155 and the first roller unit 15 fixed thereto can be raised and lowered by moving the nut 157 back and forth relative to the first adjustment bolt 156 (see arrow DR81). Once the desired raised or lowered position is obtained, the adjustment bracket 154 is fastened to the second bar 336 with a fixing bolt 158.

[0050] (Height position adjustment mechanism CK16) As shown in FIG. 8B , one side wall 164a of an adjustment bracket 164, which is U-shaped and open at the rear, is fixed to the lower part of the second roller unit 16 in the prone position. The other side wall 164b of the adjustment bracket 164 is located below the second bar 336 and has a hole (not shown) at its tip. A second adjustment bolt 166, whose upper end is fixed to the second bar 336 and extends downward, is inserted into this hole. A nut 167 is threadedly attached to the second adjustment bolt 166 to support the side wall 164b from below. With this configuration, the adjustment bracket 164 and the second roller unit 16 fixed thereto can be raised and lowered by moving the nut 167 back and forth relative to the second adjustment bolt 166 (see arrow DR82). Once the desired raised or lowered position is obtained, the adjustment bracket 164 is fastened to the first bar 335 by a fixing bolt 168.

[0051] With the above-described configuration, the fixing bolts 158, 168 are slightly loosened to allow the first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 to be raised and lowered, and the vertical positions are adjusted by screwing the nuts 157 and 167 forward or backward, respectively. Once this adjustment has been performed so that the first pass line PL1 at the first rotation position and the second pass line PL2 at the second rotation position coincide with sufficient accuracy, the fixing bolts 158, 168 are fully tightened to secure the units in place, completing the adjustment.

[0052] The block configuration of the table structure TK described above in detail will be explained again with reference to FIG. 9, although some of the explanation will be repeated.

[0053] The control device 8 has a CPU 81 which is a central processing unit, a storage unit 82 in which a processing program PG is stored, a plate thickness determination unit 83, and a rod position confirmation unit 84.

[0054] Assuming that the switching tables 912 and 914 each have n support units 13, n air cylinders 43 are provided, numbered from a first air cylinder 43a to an n-th cylinder 43n, and the operation of each is controlled by the control device 8. In the above-described embodiment, n=6.

[0055] The control device 8 also controls the operations of a plurality of clampers 918, an XY drive unit 88, and a laser oscillator 89.

[0056] The above-mentioned control device 8 controls the operation by determining whether to support the plate material W with a brush at the first rotation position or with rollers at the second rotation position, depending on the thickness of the plate material W to be processed next. An example of this operation will be described with reference to the flow diagrams of FIGS. 10A and 10B. FIG. 10A is a diagram showing a part of the flow of the operation of switching the plate material support mode in the plate material processing machine 91. FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the rest of the flow of the operation of switching the plate material support mode in the plate material processing machine 91. In the following flow diagrams, plate materials W with a thickness of less than 6 mm are considered thin plates, and plate materials with a thickness of 6 mm or more are considered thick plates.

[0057] The CPU 81 of the control device 8 reads the machining program PG for the next machining from the outside via an interface or input device (not shown) and stores it in the storage unit 82 (S1). The control device 8 transports the plate material W to a carry-in position using a carry-in / out device (not shown) and drives the clamper 918 to clamp the plate material W (S2).

[0058] The plate thickness determination unit 83 of the control device 8 determines whether thickness information specifying whether the plate thickness of the plate material W processed previously in continuous processing under the same conditions is thick or thin is stored in the memory unit 82 (S3).

[0059] If it is determined that thickness information is not stored (No), the plate thickness determination unit 83 refers to the processing program PG and determines whether the plate material W to be processed next is a thin plate or a thick plate (S4). If the plate thickness determination unit 83 determines that it is a thin plate in (S4), the CPU 81 sets the rods 432 of all air cylinders 43 to the retracted first position (S5), and sets the variable N to N=0 (S6).

[0060] The rod position confirmation unit 84 of the control device 8 determines whether the rods 432 of all the air cylinders 43 are in the first position based on the feedback signals from the respective air cylinders 43 (S7). If the rod position confirmation unit 84 determines that all the rods 432 are in the first position (Yes), the CPU 81 carries the plate material W into the processing area and performs laser processing on the plate material W in accordance with the processing program PG (S8). When processing is completed, the CPU 81 carries out the plate material W (S9).

[0061] Next, the CPU 81 determines whether or not there is processing of the next plate material W by referring to the processing program PG (S10). If the CPU 81 determines that there is no processing (No), it ends the operation, and if it determines that there is processing (Yes), it returns to (S1) via path A2.

[0062] If the plate thickness determination unit 83 determines in (S3) that thickness information is available (Yes), it determines (S31) whether the plate was a thin plate or a thick plate from the thickness information stored in the memory unit 82. If the plate thickness determination unit 83 determines that the plate is a thin plate, it proceeds to (S7), and if it determines that the plate is a thick plate, it proceeds to (S32) in Fig. 10B via path A1.

[0063] In (S32), the rod position confirmation unit 84 determines whether or not the rods 432 of all the air cylinders 43 are in the extended second position based on the feedback signals from the respective air cylinders 43. If the rod position confirmation unit 84 determines in (S32) that all the rods 432 are in the second position (Yes), it proceeds to (S8) in Fig. 10A via path C. If the rod position confirmation unit 84 determines in (S32) that the rods 432 are not in the second position (No), the CPU 81 determines whether or not N>2 (S33).

[0064] If the CPU 81 determines Yes in (S33), it determines that an abnormality has occurred, outputs an alarm (S36), and terminates the operation via path D. If the CPU 81 determines No, it sets N=N+1 (S34), and performs a retry operation to move all air cylinders 43 to the second position in which the rods 432 are extended (S35), and again performs the determination in (S32).

[0065] If the plate thickness determination unit 83 determines in (S4) that the plate is thick, the process proceeds to (S41) in Fig. 10B via path B. In (S41), the CPU 81 sets the rods 432 of all air cylinders 43 to the extended second position, sets the variable N to N = 0, and proceeds to (S42) and (S32).

[0066] On the other hand, if the rod position confirmation unit 84 determines No in (S7), that is, if there is a rod 432 that is not in the first position, the CPU 81 determines whether or not N>2 (S71).

[0067] If the CPU 81 determines Yes in (S71), it determines that an abnormality has occurred, outputs an alarm (S72), and ends the operation. If the CPU 81 determines No, it sets N=N+1 (S73), extends the rods 432 of all the air cylinders 43, and performs a retry to move them to the second position (S74), and then performs the determination in (S7) again.

[0068] As shown in the flow chart above, the control device 8 of the table structure TK determines the thickness of the next workpiece W to be machined from the machining program PG or from thickness information from the previous machining operation in a continuous machining operation, and supports the workpiece W using a support method appropriate to the thickness. There are two support methods: brush support and roller support. The support mechanism 3 of the table structure TK has a first roller unit 15 and a second roller unit 16 supporting the brush unit 2 attached to a rotary bar 33 in positions where one roller unit rises and the other falls as the rotary bar 33 rotates in one direction. The support mechanism 3 is configured so that when the rotary bar 33 is in the first rotation position, the first roller unit 15 falls and the second roller unit 16 rises, thereby brush-supporting the workpiece W on the first pass line PL1. Furthermore, in the second rotation position, the support mechanism 3 is configured so that the first roller unit 15 is raised and the second roller unit 16 is lowered, and the plate material W is roller-supported by the first roller unit 15 on a second pass line PL2 that is the same height as the first pass line PL1 in the brush support state. In the support mechanism 3, a plurality of first roller units 15 and second roller units 16 are attached to one rotating bar 33, and one rotating bar 33 rotates by the operation of one air cylinder. A plurality of rotating bars 33 are arranged side by side on the table base 1.

[0069] In this way, the table structure TK rotates the multiple first roller units 15 and multiple second roller units 16 with a single drive source (air cylinder 43), thereby reducing the number of drive sources required. Furthermore, the path lines for the roller support and the brush support can be made the same. Furthermore, the table structure TK has height position adjustment mechanisms CK15 and CK16, which allows the path lines for the roller support and the brush support to be precisely the same.

[0070] One aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration and procedure, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0071] The drive source for rotating the rotating bar 33 is not limited to the air cylinder 43, but may be a motor or the like. The first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 may have ball transfers that can rotate 360° instead of the first roller 152 and the second roller 162 that rotate around the axis line CL15 and the axis line CL16, respectively.

[0072] As described in detail above, one aspect of the embodiment comprises a horizontally arranged rotating bar 33, a drive source 43 for rotating the rotating bar 33, a first roller unit 15 attached to the rotating bar 33 and capable of supporting the plate material W to be processed, and a second roller unit 16 supporting a brush unit 2 having a brush portion 22 that supports the plate material W, and the first roller unit 15 and the second roller unit 16 are attached in positions where one rises and the other falls as the rotating bar 33 rotates.

[0073] In this embodiment, by attaching a plurality of first roller units 15 to the rotary bar 33, the number of drive sources 43 that raise and lower the first roller units 15 that support the plate material W can be reduced.

[0074] In addition, one aspect of the above may be such that the rotating bar 33 rotates between a first rotation position and a second rotation position by the operation of the drive source 43, and in the first rotation position, the upper end of the brush portion 22 supported by the second roller unit 16 is higher than the upper end of the first roller unit 15, and in the second rotation position, the upper end of the first roller unit 15 is higher than the upper end of the brush portion 22 supported by the second roller unit 16.

[0075] In this case, by attaching multiple second roller units 16 to the rotating bar 33, the rotating bar 33 can be rotated between a first rotation position that supports the plate material W with a brush and a second rotation position that supports it with a roller using a small number (one) of drive sources 43.

[0076] Furthermore, the height of the upper end of the brush part 22 in the first rotation position and the height of the upper end of the first roller unit 15 in the second rotation position may be the same.

[0077] In this case, the pass lines PL1, PL2 in the brush support and roller support coincide with each other, so that height adjustment of the pass line between the switching table 912 and the plate material carry-in / out device (not shown) adjacent to the switching table 912 is not required. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 table base 11 Side frame 121 Connecting Frame 123,124 Intermediate Frame 123a Top side 13, 13A~13F Support unit 14, 14A to 14F Rotation drive unit 15 First roller unit 151 Base 151a hole 152 First Roller 153 Cover 153a opening 154 Adjustment bracket 155 L-shaped bracket 156 First adjustment bolt 157 Nut 158 Fixing bolt 16 Second roller unit 161 Base 161a hole 162 Second Roller 164 Adjustment bracket 164a,164b Side wall part 166 Second adjustment bolt 167 Nut 168 Fixing bolt 17 Linear bearing 171 Support column 172 Plain bearing 2 brush units 21, 21a~21f Brush Table 21p bottom side 22 Brush section 22a Brush 221 Gap 23 Haunting Hole 3 Support mechanism 31 Fixing bracket 32 base frame 321 Bearing bracket 33 Rotating bar 33a Top side 33b Rear 331 Shaft 332 Connecting part 335 1st Bar 336 2nd Bar 34 Conversion Plate 34a Notch 35 shaft 41 Bracket 41a base 41b Side wall part 41c Ceiling wall section 42 Shaft receiving part 43, 43a to 43n Air cylinder (drive source) 432 Rod 44 Connecting plate 451,452 Connecting arm 451a, 452a shaft 8 Control Device 81 CPU (Central Processing Unit) 82 Memory section 83 Plate thickness determination section 84 Rod position confirmation part 88 XY drive unit 89 Laser Oscillator 91 Plate processing machine 911 Legs 912,914 Switching table 913 Fixed Brush Table 915 Carriage 916 Arch 917 Laser Head 918 Clamper CK15, CK16 height position adjustment mechanism CL33,CL15,CL16 axis line H21a,H22a,H21b,H22b distance LS Laser Beam N1 fixing bolt PG machining program PL1, PL2 pass line TK Table Structure W plate material

Claims

1. a horizontally disposed pivot bar; a drive source that rotates the rotating bar; a first roller unit attached to the rotary bar and capable of supporting a plate material to be processed; and a second roller unit supporting a brush unit having a brush portion that supports the plate material; Equipped with The table structure of the plate processing machine is such that the first roller unit and the second roller unit are mounted at positions where one rises and the other falls as the rotary bar rotates.

2. the rotating bar rotates between a first rotation position and a second rotation position by the operation of the driving source; At the first rotation position, an upper end of the brush portion supported by the second roller unit is higher than an upper end of the first roller unit; At the second rotation position, an upper end of the first roller unit is higher than an upper end of the brush portion supported by the second roller unit. The table structure of a plate processing machine according to claim 1.

3. 3. The table structure of a plate material processing machine according to claim 2, wherein the height of the upper end of said brush portion in said first rotation position is the same as the height of the upper end of said first roller unit in said second rotation position.

Images