Machine for laser processing of tubes and profiles, having a system for downstream support of the tube or profile, including at least one support element of variable radius

Abstract

A machine for laser processing, in particular laser cutting, of tubes and profiles is disclosed, comprising a processing unit 12 provided with laser processing means, feed means arranged to move each time the tube or profile to be processed towards the processing unit 12 along a feed axis coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the tube or profile, and a support system 16, 18, 38 arranged downstream of said laser processing means 14 for supporting the tube or profile being processed. The support system 16, 18, 38 comprises at least one variable-radius support member 16, 38 rotatably supported for rotation about a transverse axis of rotation and having a receiving cavity with, in cross section, an arc-shaped profile whose radius varies depending on the angular position of said support member 16, 38 about the axis of rotation.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a support system for supporting a tube or profile during processing, used in machines for laser processing of tubes and profiles in general, and in machines for laser cutting of tubes and profiles in particular, and more particularly to a support system of the type comprising at least one rotatable support member having a receiving cavity of variable radius so as to be able to accommodate tubes and profiles having cross sections of different shapes and sizes. [Background technology]

[0002] In machines for laser processing of tubes and profiles, in particular for laser cutting of tubes and profiles, the tube or profile being processed is usually held at its rear or tail end by the holding means of a tube-holding carriage and is supported by a ring-shaped support member and guided close to the processing area, where a processing head performs the required processing operation on the tube or profile by means of a focused laser beam. The holding means of the tube-holding carriage defines the feed axis of the machine, with which the longitudinal axis of the tube or profile is aligned during processing, while the ring-shaped support member serves to support and guide the tube or profile being processed close to the processing head and ensures that the longitudinal axis of the tube or profile is aligned with the feed axis. Typically, the tube holding carriage is movable in the longitudinal axis direction of the tube or profile to control the forward movement of the tube or profile, and is also provided with a rotation control means for controlling the rotational movement of the tube or profile about its longitudinal axis, while the ring-shaped support member is mounted in a fixed or movable position on the machine base, upstream or downstream (with respect to the direction of advancement of the tube or profile) of the processing head. In some cases, multiple ring-shaped support members may be used, which may be mounted in fixed or movable positions on the machine bed and may in some cases perform the function of additional tube holding carriages. A machine with such a support system is known, for example, from Chinese Patent Application No. 111168256.

[0003] In machines for the laser processing of tubes and profiles, in particular for the laser cutting of tubes and profiles, various support system solutions are known for supporting the tubes or profiles upstream of the processing head.

[0004] According to a first known solution, the support system comprises one or more support devices, each having a cylindrical roller supported at the end of a swing arm, the angular position of which is adjusted, for example by means of a numerical control, in order to position the roller at the desired height.

[0005] According to further known solutions (e.g., EP 2508298 A1, DE 102016104107 A1 and DE 102008016733 A1), the support system comprises one or more support elements of variable radius arranged upstream of the processing head, each of which is supported for rotation about a horizontal axis of rotation extending transversely to the tube or profile being processed, i.e. lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube or profile. Each support element has a receiving cavity for receiving the tube or profile, the profile of which in cross section has the shape of a circular arc with a radius that varies depending on the angular position of the support element about said axis of rotation. More specifically, the receiving cavity is shaped such that the radius of the circular arc profile increases continuously with rotation of the support element in a given direction. By controlling the angular position of the support member about the rotation axis, it is thus possible to vary the radius of the arcuate profile of the receiving cavity depending on the shape and size of the cross-section of the tube or profile being processed. Such a support member can, on the one hand, not only adapt to the size of the tube or profile being processed, but also support tubes and profiles with cross-sections of other shapes (not only circular, but also, for example, square, rectangular, C-shaped, I-shaped, L-shaped, etc.), and, on the other hand, restrain the tube or profile in the lateral direction.

[0006] Furthermore, to support the tube or profile downstream of the processing head, roller support devices are typically provided, for example so-called roller tracks, i.e. tables with a number of idle rollers, each of which is supported in a freely rotating manner about a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to the feed axis of the machine. However, such support devices do not ensure sufficient lateral confinement of the tube or profile during processing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 111168256 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 2508298 [Patent Document 3] German Patent Application Publication No. 102016104107 [Patent Document 4] German Patent Application Publication No. 102008016733 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a machine for laser processing of tubes and profiles, having a support system for supporting the tubes or profiles, which does not suffer from the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above.

[0009] This and other objects are fully achieved according to the invention by a machine for the laser processing of tubes and profiles, which has a support system as defined in independent claim 1.

[0010] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, the subject matter of which can be read as forming part of the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In summary, the invention is based on the idea of ​​providing a support system comprising a plurality of variable radius support elements arranged downstream of the laser processing means of the processing unit of the machine, which makes it possible to ensure sufficient lateral confinement of the tube or profile at the discharge side of the machine.

[0012] In particular, the support system according to the invention is advantageous both when used with tubes and profiles having a cross section with a low moment of inertia (and therefore with particularly flexible tubes and profiles) and when used with tubes and profiles having a cross section with a high moment of inertia (and therefore with particularly heavy tubes and profiles). In both cases, ineffective lateral restraint of the tube or profile can result in several drawbacks, such as: - poor processing quality and accuracy, because the actual position of the tube or profile in the processing area of ​​the machine does not coincide with the desired position due to the lateral bending of the tube or profile; problems with the removal of the tubes or profiles, because the tubes or profiles may end up in a position that is unsuitable for automatic removal from the machine due to their lateral bending; -Risk of damage to the machine due to lateral movement of the tube or profile.

[0013] These drawbacks are avoided or at least significantly reduced by using the support system according to the invention.

[0014] Preferably, the plurality of variable radius support members includes at least one first support member arranged below the feed axis of the machine to support the tube or section from below.

[0015] More preferably, the plurality of variable radius support members further comprises at least one second support member arranged above the feed axis to laterally restrain the tube or profile, in which case the at least one second support member and the at least one first support member are advantageously arranged offset from each other along the feed axis.

[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a machine for laser cutting of tubes and profiles, according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of a portion of a machine for laser cutting of tubes and profiles, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the portion of the support system of the machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 immediately downstream of the processing head; [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portion of the support system of the machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 immediately downstream of the processing head; [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a variable radius support member of the support system of FIGS. 3 and 4 positioned below the feed axis of the machine. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a variable radius support member of the support system of FIGS. 3 and 4 positioned above the feed axis of the machine. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a front view of the support system of FIGS. 3 and 4 when used with a circular pipe. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a front view of the support system of FIGS. 3 and 4 when used with a square tube. [Figure 9] 10 is a perspective view of the part of the support system immediately downstream of the processing head of a machine for laser cutting of tubes and profiles according to a further embodiment of the invention; FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a front view of the part of the support system immediately downstream of the processing head of a machine for laser cutting of tubes and profiles according to a further embodiment of the invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In the following description and claims, the term "longitudinal" is used to identify directions that are coincident with or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube or section being machined, while the term "transverse" is used to identify directions that lie in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, terms such as "upper" and "lower" or "horizontal" and "vertical" used in connection with a support system are intended to refer to the state of the support system as it is mounted on the machine.

[0019] 1 to 4, a machine for processing tubes and profiles to which a support system according to the present invention can be applied is shown generally at 10. In the example proposed herein, the machine is a machine for laser cutting of tubes and profiles, but the invention is equally applicable to other types of machines for laser processing of tubes and profiles in which the tube or profile being processed needs to be supported over its entire length or part of its length.

[0020] The machine 10 comprises, in a manner known per se, a processing unit 12 having a processing head 14 capable of carrying out processing operations (which in this example are cutting operations, but which may also include other types of operations, such as welding operations) by means of a laser beam focused on the tube T. The longitudinal axis of the tube T is indicated by x. Although the tube T shown in Figures 1 to 3 is a tube with a circular cross section, the machine 10 can nevertheless also process tubes with a cross section of any other shape, for example square or rectangular, and also profiles of any shape, for example C-profiles, T-profiles, IPE-profiles, HEA-profiles, etc. For convenience, only the term tube will be used in the following description, but it will be understood that what follows applies equally if the machine is used to process profiles.

[0021] The machine 10 further comprises a tube holding carriage (not shown, but in any case of a type known per se) having holding means adapted to hold one end (tail end) of the tube T. Such holding means define the feed axis of the machine, with which the longitudinal axis x of the tube T is aligned during processing. Advantageously, a ring-shaped support member (not shown, but in any case of a type known per se) is also provided upstream of and in the vicinity of the processing head 14, capable of supporting and guiding the tube T during processing while maintaining the longitudinal axis x of the tube T aligned with the feed axis. During processing, the tube T is moved forward by the tube holding carriage along its longitudinal axis x and, if necessary, rotated about this axis.

[0022] The machine 10 further comprises a support system for supporting the tube T downstream of the processing head 14. The support system comprises, first of all, a lower support means arranged below the feed axis and supporting the tube T from below. The lower support means comprises a plurality of variable-radius support members 16 (hereinafter, for convenience, simply referred to as support members), or more generally, at least one variable-radius support member 16. Furthermore, in the embodiment proposed herein, the lower support means comprises a plurality of roller tracks, i.e., roller support devices 18. In this case, the support members 16 and the roller tracks 18 are arranged one after the other along the feed axis, preferably alternately, i.e., with a support member 16 interposed between each pair of consecutive roller tracks 18 and vice versa.

[0023] As shown in detail in Figure 5, each support member 16 has a receiving cavity 20 which, in a manner known per se, has in cross section an arc-shaped profile with a radius that varies depending on the angular position of the support member. More particularly, the receiving cavity 20 is shaped such that the radius of the arc profile increases continuously with rotation of the support member 16 in a given direction, in this case clockwise relative to the viewer of Figure 5.

[0024] Each support member 16 is mounted on a respective shaft 22, which in turn is supported by a respective support structure 24 so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation y lying in a cross-section plane, i.e., in a plane perpendicular to the feed axis of the machine. Preferably, as in the illustrated example, axis of rotation y is oriented horizontally, but it may also be inclined at an angle, in particular an acute angle, to the horizontal.

[0025] Each support member 16 is associated with vertical positioning means for adjusting the vertical position of the shaft 22, and therefore of the support member 16 carried thereon, so that the support member 16 can be moved, for example, from a processing position in which it is in contact with the tube T, to a rest position in which it is not in contact with the tube T and therefore does not exert any supporting effect on the tube. In this regard, according to the embodiment proposed herein, the support structure 24 comprises an upper structural part 26 to which the shaft 22 is attached, a lower structural part 28 relative to which the upper structural part 26 is vertically movable, and actuator means, formed for example by a pneumatic cylinder 30, arranged to move the upper structural part 26 vertically relative to the lower structural part 28.

[0026] Each support member 16 is also associated with rotation control means suitable for controlling the rotation of the shaft 22, and thus of the support member 16, in order to select the radius of the arcuate profile of the receiving cavity 20 of the support member 16 that is best suited to the tube T to be supported. According to the embodiment proposed here, such rotation control means comprise a motor 32, in particular an electric motor, mounted on the upper structural part 26 of the support structure 24, and a transmission mechanism (not visible from the perspective of FIG. 5, but in any case of a type known per se), such as a belt and pulley mechanism, for transmitting the rotational movement, in one direction or the other, generated by the motor 32 to the shaft 22.

[0027] According to an embodiment (not shown in the drawings), each support member 16 may also be associated with tilt adjustment means for adjusting the tilt angle of the rotation axis y of the support member 16 relative to the horizontal.

[0028] As far as the roller tracks 18 are concerned, each of them basically comprises a table 34 on which a number of idle rollers 36 are mounted in a freely rotatable manner about respective horizontal rotation axes oriented perpendicular to the feed axis of the machine, as shown in Figure 4. The table 34 is vertically movable under the control of actuator means (not shown in detail but nevertheless of a type known per se) so that the vertical position of the idle rollers 36 can be adjusted depending on the transverse size of the tube T being processed.

[0029] Preferably, the support system further comprises at least one variable-radius support member 38 (hereinafter, for convenience, simply referred to as support member) arranged above the feed axis of the machine. In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 8, only one support member 38 is provided, which is arranged immediately downstream of and in the vicinity of the machining head 14. More specifically, the support member 38 is arranged above one of the roller tracks 18, in this case at a distance from the first one of the support members 16 along the direction of the feed axis of the machine. However, a plurality of support members 38, for example, the same number as the roller tracks 18, may also be provided, in which case each support member 38 would be arranged above a corresponding roller track 18.

[0030] 6, support member 38 has a structure similar to that of support member 16 described above, and thus again has a receiving cavity 40 which, in a manner known per se, has, in cross section, an arc-shaped profile with a radius that varies depending on the angular position of the support member. More particularly, receiving cavity 40 is shaped such that the radius of the arc profile increases continuously with rotation of support member 38 in a given direction, in this case counterclockwise relative to the viewer of FIG. 6.

[0031] The support member 38 is attached to a shaft 42, which is supported by a support structure 44 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis y1 lying in a cross-section plane, i.e., in a plane perpendicular to the feed axis of the machine. Preferably, as in the illustrated example, the rotation axis y1 is oriented horizontally, but it may also be inclined at an angle, in particular an acute angle, to the horizontal. In this case as well, it is possible to envisage the use of means for adjusting the angle of inclination of the rotation axis y1 of the support member 38 to the horizontal.

[0032] The support structure 44 may be vertically fixed, as in the embodiment proposed herein, or may be vertically movable, provided that suitable vertical positioning means are provided for adjusting the vertical position of the support structure 44 and thus of the support member 38. In particular, in the embodiment proposed herein, the support structure 44 is attached to a cross member 46 of the processing unit 12 on which the processing head 14 is mounted.

[0033] The support structure 44, for example, as in the embodiment proposed herein, comprises a pair of longitudinal sections 48, a pair of brackets 50, each attached to the end of a corresponding longitudinal section 48 and supporting the corresponding end of the shaft 42, and a connecting plate 52 to which the longitudinal sections 48 are attached and which is in turn attached to the cross member 46 of the processing unit 12.

[0034] Furthermore, the support member 38 is associated with rotation control means for controlling the rotation of the shaft 42, and thus of the support member 38, in order to select the radius of the arc profile of the receiving cavity 40 that is best suited to the supported tube T. According to the embodiment proposed herein, such rotation control means comprises a motor 54, in particular an electric motor, which is preferably mounted coaxially with the shaft 42 so as to minimize the vertical size of the assembly formed by the support member 38 and the motor 54.

[0035] In particular, as can be seen from inspection of Figures 7 and 8, which relate respectively to the case where the tube T has a circular cross section and the case where the tube T has a square cross section, the use of one or more variable radius support members downstream of the machining head of the machine provides a simple, economical and space-saving solution to the problem of ensuring sufficient lateral containment of the tube at the discharge side of the machine.

[0036] Finally, Figures 9 and 10, in which the same reference numerals are assigned to parts and elements identical or corresponding to those in the preceding figures, illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention, according to which, in addition to the support member 16 of variable radius arranged below the feed axis of the machine and serving to support the tube T, one or more pairs of support members 38 (only one pair of support members is shown in Figures 9 and 10) are provided, serving to laterally restrain the tube T. In this case, the pair of support members 38 is arranged with their respective rotation axes y1 inclined at an acute angle (denoted α and β, respectively) to the horizontal. In particular, in the example of Figures 9 and 10, the support members 16 and 38 are arranged at an angle of 120° relative to each other, thus completely surrounding the profile of the tube T being processed. Therefore, in this case, the rotation axis y of the support member 16 is oriented horizontally, while the rotation axes y1 of both support members 38 are inclined at an angle of 60° to the horizontal (so that in this case α = β = 60°). Otherwise what has been said above with reference to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 8 still applies.

[0037] The present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof. It should be understood that other embodiments may be contemplated that share the same inventive core as described herein, as defined by the following claims.

[0038] For example, although the embodiments proposed herein contemplate the use of one motor per variable radius support member, it is nevertheless possible to contemplate the use of one or more motors associated with multiple variable radius support members, for example, a first motor associated with all support members 16, i.e., all support members located below the feed axis of the machine, and a second motor associated with all support members 38, i.e., all support members located above the feed axis of the machine.

Claims

1. A machine for laser processing, in particular laser cutting, of tubes and profiles (T), comprising: a processing unit (12) provided with a laser processing means (14); feeding means arranged to move each time the tube or profile (T) to be processed towards said processing unit (12) along a feed axis coinciding with the longitudinal axis (x) of said tube or profile (T); a support system (16, 18, 38) arranged downstream of the laser processing means (14) for supporting the tube or profile (T) during processing, the support system comprises a plurality of variable radius support members (16, 38), each of the plurality of variable radius support members (16, 38) rotatably supported for rotation about a transverse axis of rotation (y, y1), and each having a receiving cavity (20, 40) having, in cross section, an arc-shaped profile with a radius that varies depending on the angular position of the support member (16, 38).

2. 2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of variable radius support members (16, 38) comprises at least one first support member (16) disposed below the feed axis to support the tube or profile (T) from below during processing.

3. 3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the axis of rotation (y) of the at least one first support member (16) is oriented horizontally.

4. 4. A machine according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the support system further comprises first motor means (32) associated with the at least one first support member (16) for driving the at least one first support member (16) to rotate about the corresponding axis of rotation (y).

5. 5. A machine as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the plurality of variable radius support members (16, 38) further comprises at least one second support member (38) arranged above the feed axis to laterally restrain the tube or profile (T).

6. 6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein the rotation axis (y1) of the at least one second support member (38) is oriented horizontally or inclined at an acute angle (α, β) to the horizontal.

7. 7. A machine according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the support system further comprises second motor means (54) associated with the at least one second support member (38) for driving the at least one second support member (38) in rotation about the corresponding axis of rotation (y).

8. 8. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second motor means comprises a respective motor for each second support member (38) mounted coaxially with said axis of rotation (y1) of said second support member (38).

9. 9. A machine according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the at least one second support member (38) and the at least one first support member (16) are arranged offset relative to each other along the feed axis.

10. 10. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the support system further comprises at least one roller track (18) for supporting the tube or profile (T) from below, the at least one first support member (16) and the at least one roller track (18) being arranged alternately along the feed axis.

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