Plate material separation device for laser processing machine, plate material separation method, and pallet shelf device

Abstract

To provide a plate material separation device capable of further ensuring separation of a plate material welded to a workpiece support plate.SOLUTION: A plate material separation device (93) comprises: a lift unit (3) drooped so as to lift a plurality of cord members (4) in synchronization; a separation unit (5) suspended by the cord members (4); a pallet (7) having a workpiece support (721G) on which a rectangular plate material (Ws) is placed and disposed below the separation unit (5); a first clamp unit (55) that is provided in the separation unit (5) and that holds a first edge (Ws1) of the plate material (Ws) placed on the workpiece support (721G); a second clamp unit (56) that holds a second edge (Ws2) opposite to the first edge (Ws1) of the plate material (Ws); and a push-up unit (58) that presses a pusher (584) to the pallet (7) to receive reactive force from the pallet (7) and push up the second clamp unit (56).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to For laser processing machines The present invention relates to a plate material separating device, a plate material separating method, and a pallet rack device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a work support table having multiple work support plates arranged in parallel to support plate workpieces, and a work lifting device that lifts the plate workpiece, which has been placed on the work support table and has been thermally cut, from the work support table. The work lifting device described in Patent Document 1 has lifting sections that are disposed between adjacent work support plates and lift synchronously. As a result, even if the plate work is welded to the work support plate, the welded portion is pulled apart when the plate work is lifted by the lifting section, and the plate work can be removed.

[0003] The work support table is also called a pallet, and the work lifting device is also called a plate work separating device because it separates the plate work from the pallet. In general, pallets are carried in and out of the laser processing machine by a pallet rack device, and the plate material separating device is provided on the pallet rack device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5967216 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With the recent increase in the power output of laser beams, the risk of welding between a plate workpiece (hereinafter, plate material) and a work support plate has increased, and the welding strength when welding occurs has become higher. If the weld strength becomes high, there is a concern that it will become difficult to separate the welded portions using a lifting operation that relies solely on the lifting of the lifting part as described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, the plate material welded to the work support plate can be more reliably separated from the pallet equipped with the work support plate. For laser processing machines What is needed is a plank separating apparatus, a plank separating method, and a pallet rack system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. 1) a lifting unit that suspends a plurality of string-like members so that they can be raised and lowered synchronously; A separation unit suspended by the plurality of string-like members; A pallet having a work support portion on which a rectangular plate material is placed and disposed below the separation unit; The separating unit is provided with a first clamp unit that holds a first edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion, a second clamp unit that holds a second edge portion of the plate material opposite to the first edge portion, and a push-up unit that pushes up the second clamp unit by receiving a reaction force from the pallet by pressing a pusher against the pallet. For laser processing machines This is a plate material separating device. this For laser processing machines According to one aspect of the plate material separation device, when a rectangular plate material is separated from a work support portion, one edge is lifted to separate it, thereby enabling more reliable separation even if there is a welded portion where the plate material and the work support portion are welded together. 2 ) A laser processing system in which a laser processing machine and a pallet rack device are combined, the pallet rack device is provided with the laser processing machine and the pallet rack device, A lifting unit that suspends a plurality of string-like members so as to lift and lower synchronously; A separation unit suspended by the plurality of string-like members; It has a work support section on which a rectangular plate material is placed. , carried in and out of the laser processing machine, and in the pallet rack device A pallet disposed below the separation unit; The separating unit is provided with a first clamp unit that holds a first edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion, a second clamp unit that holds a second edge portion of the plate material opposite to the first edge portion, and a push-up unit that pushes up the second clamp unit by receiving a reaction force from the pallet by pressing a pusher against the pallet. For laser processing machines This is a plate material separating device. this For laser processing machines According to one aspect of the plate material separation device, when a rectangular plate material is separated from a work support portion, one edge is lifted to separate it, thereby enabling more reliable separation even if there is a welded portion where the plate material and the work support portion are welded together. 3 ) In a laser processing system that combines a laser processing machine and a pallet rack device, The pallet rack device is provided with a lifting unit and a separation unit, The separation unit The above The apparatus includes a first clamp unit that is suspended from a lifting unit and lifted and lowered to hold a first edge of a rectangular plate material, a second clamp unit that holds a second edge of the plate material on the opposite side to the first edge, and a first push-up unit and a second push-up unit that are disposed as rigid as the first clamp unit and the second clamp unit, respectively, and extend a pusher downward. shall , With work support Then, the workpiece is transported into and out of the laser processing machine. With the rectangular plate material placed on the work support portion of the pallet and the pallet positioned below the separation unit, The first edge portion and the second edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion are held by the first clamp unit and the second clamp unit, respectively; The pusher of the second push-up unit is extended downward and pressed against the pallet, thereby lifting the second clamp unit and the second edge portion of the plate material by a reaction force from the pallet. After lifting the second edge portion, the pusher of the first push-up unit is extended downward and pressed against the pallet, thereby lifting the first clamp unit and the first edge portion of the plate material by a reaction force from the pallet, The plate material separating method includes lifting the first edge portion and then raising the separation unit to separate and raise the plate material from the work support portion. In one aspect of this plate material separation method, when separating a rectangular plate material from a work support portion, the separation is carried out by including a process of lifting one edge of the plate material and a subsequent process of lifting the opposite edge, thereby enabling more reliable separation even if there is a welded portion where the plate material and the work support portion are welded together. 4 ) a plurality of storage sections arranged in a vertical direction, each capable of storing a pallet; 1) disposed below the plurality of storage units or 2) Described in For laser processing machines A plate material separating device; Each of the plurality of storage units For laser processing machines and an elevator shelf for moving the pallet between the lower portion of the separation unit in the plate material separating device. According to one aspect of this pallet shelf device, when a rectangular plate material is separated from a work support portion, one edge is lifted to separate it, so that separation can be more reliable even if there is a welded portion where the plate material and the work support portion are welded, and since the pallet can be replaced in a short time, separation of the plate material can be carried out with high efficiency. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the plate material welded to the work support plate can be separated more reliably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a laser processing system ST including a laser processing machine 91 and a pallet rack unit 92 which is an example of a pallet rack unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the pallet shelf assembly 92. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of the pallet 7 of the pallet unloading device 92. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S4-S4 in FIG. [Diagram 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration and operation of a plate material separating device 93 provided on a pallet shelf device 92 as an example of a plate material separating device 93 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 5(a) shows the basic frame body 51 in a raised state, and Figure 5(b) shows the basic frame body 51 in a lowered state. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the lifting unit 3 provided in the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a top view showing the separation unit 5 provided in the plate material separating apparatus 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view at the S8-S8 position in FIG. 7, and shows a side view of the reference side clamp unit 55 provided in the separation unit 5. FIG. 8(a) shows a state in which the pressing part 552 is raised, and FIG. 8(b) shows a state in which the pressing part 552 is lowered. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view at the S9-S9 position in FIG. 7, showing a side view of the reference side push-up unit 57 provided in the separation unit 5. FIG. 9(a) shows a state in which the pusher 574 is raised, and FIG. 9(b) shows a state in which the pusher 574 is lowered. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S10-S10 in FIG. 7, showing the deflection detection sensor unit 63 provided in the separation unit 5 in a side view. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the pallet rack device 92. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a third diagram for explaining the operation of holding the skeleton Ws of the reference side clamp unit 55, where Figure 14(a) shows the first holding operation, Figure 14(b) shows the second holding operation, and Figure 14(c) shows the third holding operation. [Figure 15]15A and 15B are fourth views for explaining the operation of the plate material separating apparatus 93, in which FIG. 15A is a partially enlarged view of the separating unit 5, and FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a fifth diagram illustrating the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a sixth diagram illustrating the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a seventh diagram illustrating the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is an eighth diagram illustrating the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a ninth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. As shown in FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a top view showing a separation unit 5V with a vibration device V attached thereto. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a side view for explaining the operation of the vibration device V. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a pallet rack device 92V having a separation unit 5V. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a flow diagram of the plate material separating operation performed by the pallet rack devices 92, 92V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Example) The plate material separating device and the pallet shelf device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described using the plate material separating device 93 of the embodiment and the pallet shelf device 92 equipped with the plate material separating device 93. First, an installation example of the pallet shelf device 92 will be described using the laser processing system ST in which the pallet shelf device 92 and the laser processing machine 91 are combined.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a laser processing system ST including a laser processing machine 91 and a pallet rack device 92 which is an example of a pallet rack device according to an embodiment of the present invention. For ease of explanation, the up, down, left and right directions are defined as directions indicated by arrows in Fig. 1. The front is the front of the page and the rear is the back of the page.

[0011] The laser processing system ST includes a laser processing machine 91 installed on an installation surface FL and a pallet shelf device 92 located to the right of the laser processing machine 91. The laser processing machine 91 has a housing 14, a laser oscillator 11, an optical fiber 111, a laser processing head 12, and a processing control unit 13. The laser oscillator 11 and the laser processing head 12 are housed in the housing 14. The installation position of the processing control unit 13 is not limited. The laser oscillator 11 is, for example, a fiber laser, and generates a laser beam. The laser beam generated by the laser oscillator 11 passes through an optical fiber 111, is supplied to the laser processing head 12, and is emitted downward as a laser beam Ls.

[0012] The pallet 7 is carried in from the outside below the laser processing head 12. The laser processing head 12 and the pallet 7 move two-dimensionally relative to each other in the horizontal direction. As a result, the laser beam Ls is two-dimensionally irradiated onto the sheet metal workpiece W placed on the upper surface of the pallet 7, and laser processing such as cutting the workpiece W along a desired path is performed. The processing control unit 13 controls the laser oscillator 11, the laser processing head 12, and the relative two-dimensional movement of the laser processing head 12 and the pallet 7 by a driving device (not shown). The processing control unit 13 also performs control in cooperation with a shelf control unit 23 (see FIG. 2) that controls the operation of the pallet shelf device 92. The pallet 7 is carried in and out of the laser processing machine 91 by a pallet shelf device 92 (see arrow DR1).

[0013] The pallet rack device 92 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a right side view showing the pallet rack device 92.

[0014] The pallet shelf device 92 is a shelf having a frame body 21 assembled to form a rectangle when viewed from above. The frame body 21 includes a front left frame 21a1, a front right frame 21a2, a rear left frame 21b1, and a rear right frame 21b2 (not shown) which are vertically extending supports arranged at the four corners of the rectangle, and these supports are connected by a plurality of frames extending horizontally to form a sturdy shelf.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the pallet rack device 92 is functionally divided into three areas from the upper side: a pallet storage area AR1, a workpiece separation area AR2, and a cart storage area AR3. In a pallet storage area AR1 which is the uppermost area, n (n is an integer of 2 or more) pallet storage sections P1 to Pn for storing and holding pallets 7 are vertically arranged side by side. The intermediate workpiece separation area AR2 can also store the pallet 7. A plate material separation device 93 is provided in the workpiece separation area AR2. A carriage 8 having wheels and capable of moving in and out in the front-rear direction is stored in the carriage storage area AR3 at the bottom. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the pallet shelf device 92 includes an elevator shelf 22, an elevator shelf lifting drive unit 221, and a shelf control unit . As shown in FIG. 11, the shelf control unit 23 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 231, a storage unit 232, and an input device 233.

[0016] 1 and 2, the elevator shelf 22 is supported by the front left frame 21a1 and the front right frame 21a2 and protrudes forward. The elevator shelf 22 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction by an elevator shelf raising and lowering drive unit 221 installed on the upper part of the frame body 21 (see arrow DR2). The elevator shelf 22 is equipped with a pallet in / out drive unit 222 (see FIG. 2). The elevator shelf 22 is held at a height position corresponding to each of the pallet storage sections P1 to Pn, and transfers the pallets 7 between the elevator shelf 22 and each of the pallet storage sections P1 to Pn by the operation of the pallet in / out drive section 222 (see arrow DR3). FIG. 2 shows the transfer of a pallet 7 (shown in solid lines) between the pallet storage section P3 and the elevator shelf 22 (shown in solid lines) (see arrow DR3).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the elevator shelf 22 is also held at a height position corresponding to the workpiece separation area AR2, and the pallet 7 is handed over to and from the plate material separation device 93 by the operation of the pallet in / out drive unit 222 (see arrow DR4). As a result, the pallet shelf device 92 stores the pallet 7 handed over from the plate material separation device 93 in an empty storage section among the pallet storage sections P1 to Pn. In addition, the pallet shelf device 92 transports the pallet 7 handed over from any of the pallet storage sections P1 to Pn to the workpiece separation area AR2.

[0018] The operations of the elevator shelf lifting drive unit 221 and the pallet moving in and out drive unit 222 are controlled by the shelf control unit 23.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a top view of the pallet 7 of the pallet discharge device 92. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view at the S4-S4 position in Fig. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pallet 7 has a frame portion 71 which is a rectangular frame body, and a plurality of skids 72 which are inserted into and supported by the frame portion 71. The skid 72 is a rectangular plate-like member and has a work support portion 721G having a spire portion 721 formed continuously at one edge thereof.

[0020] The multiple skids 72 are attached in parallel to each other in the left-right direction with their workpiece supporting portions 721G facing upward and extending in the front-rear direction in an upright position. A sheet metal workpiece W is placed on the workpiece support portion 721G. More specifically, the workpiece W supported by the workpiece support portion 721G is in substantial point contact with the tip portions of the plurality of spire portions 721.

[0021] An origin position PS is set at the front left of the workpiece support portion 721G. The origin position PS is the intersection of the X-axis (left-right direction) and the Y-axis (front-back direction) on the horizontal two-axis control, and the operation of the X-axis and Y-axis of the laser processing head 12 is controlled based on the origin position PS. Furthermore, regardless of the size of the workpiece W, the front left corner is aligned with the origin position PS and the two perpendicular sides are in the left-right and up-down directions and are placed on the workpiece support portion 721G.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 1, in the laser processing machine 91, the workpiece W placed on the pallet 7 is subjected to laser cutting processing by the laser beam Ls. As a result, the workpiece W becomes a product Wp whose outline has been cut off, and a skeleton Ws which is the remaining plate material other than the product Wp, as shown in FIG. That is, the skeleton Ws is a plate-shaped remnant from which the product Wp has been cut out and which includes the edge of the workpiece W. The edge including the front origin position PS of the skeleton Ws is defined as a first edge Ws1, and the opposite edge is defined as a second edge Ws2.

[0023] Next, a detailed description will be given of the plate material separating device 93 arranged in the workpiece separating area AR2 (see FIG. 1) of the pallet rack device 92. First, an overview will be given with reference to FIG. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration and operation of a plate material separating device 93 provided on a pallet shelf device 92 as an example of a plate material separating device 93 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 5(a) shows the basic frame body 51 in a raised state, and Figure 5(b) shows the basic frame body 51 in a lowered state.

[0024] The plate material separating device 93 includes a lifting unit 3 and a separating unit 5 suspended from the lifting unit 3. The lifting unit 3 has a frame 31 and a lifting chain support portion 32 . The frame body 31 is formed in a rectangular shape by a pair of frames arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction and a pair of frames arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart in the left-right direction. A pair of lift chain support parts 32 are provided on each of a pair of frames arranged opposite each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction, the pair being spaced apart in the left-right direction.

[0025] A string-like member 4 hangs down from each of the four lifting chain support parts 32. In this example, the string-like member 4 is a chain, and will be described below as a lifting chain 4. The lifting chain support parts 32 raise and lower the lifting chain 4. Of the four lifting chains 4, the front two are a front left lifting chain 41L and a front right lifting chain 41R, which rise and fall synchronously. The rear two are a rear left lifting chain 42L and a rear right lifting chain 42R, which also rise and fall synchronously.

[0026] The separation unit 5 has a basic frame 51 and a lifting chain connecting portion 52 . The basic frame 51 is formed into a rectangular framework by a pair of metal frames arranged opposite each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction and a pair of metal frames arranged opposite each other and spaced apart in the left-right direction. A pair of lift chain connecting portions 52 are provided on each of a pair of frames disposed opposite each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction, the pair being spaced apart in the left-right direction. The four lifting chain connecting parts 52 are located at positions corresponding to the four lifting chain supporting parts 32 of the lifting unit 3, and the ends of the lifting chains 4 hanging down from the respective lifting chain supporting parts 32 are connected thereto. As a result, the separation unit 5 is suspended in a horizontal position by the lifting unit 3 in a horizontal position via the four lifting chains 4 extending in the vertical direction.

[0027] Next, the lifting unit 3 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the lifting unit 3 provided in the plate material separating device 93, as viewed obliquely from above and to the front right. As shown in Figure 6, the lifting unit 3 has the frame body 31 and lifting chain support part 32 described above, as well as a gear box 33, a shaft 331, a driving sprocket 332, a driven sprocket 333, a lifting motor 34, a synchronizing chain 35, an upper limit switch 61, and a lower limit switch 62.

[0028] The frame 31 includes a front frame 313 and a rear frame 314 and is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from above. The front frame 313 is a frame that extends left and right on the front side of the frame body 31 , and the rear frame 314 is a frame that extends left and right on the rear side of the frame body 31 in parallel with the front frame 313 .

[0029] A gear box 33 and a lift motor 34 are attached to a portion of the front frame 313 that is toward the left side from the center. The operation of the lift motor 34 is controlled by the shelf control unit 23 (see FIG. 11). The gear box 33 is provided with an encoder 341. The encoder 341 measures the number of rotations of the lift motor 34, and outputs the measured number of rotations information J34 to the shelf control unit 23 (see FIG. 11).

[0030] The gear box 33 transmits the rotation of the lift motor 34 to a shaft 331 extending in the front-rear direction. A driving sprocket 332 is fixed to each end of the shaft 331. Of the pair of driving sprockets 332, the one fixed to the front end of the shaft 331 is driving sprocket 332f, and the one fixed to the rear end is driving sprocket 332b. As a result, when the lift motor 34 rotates, the pair of drive sprockets 332 rotate synchronously in a rotation direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the lift motor 34 .

[0031] A pair of driven sprockets 333 are attached to the right portions of the front frame 313 and the rear frame 314 so as to be rotatable about axes extending in the front-rear direction. An endless loop-shaped synchronous chain 35 is stretched along the front frame 313 between the front driving sprocket 332 and the driven sprocket 333 .

[0032] 6, one end (right end) of the front left lifting chain 41L is connected by a connector 43 to approximately the center in the left-right direction of the portion that runs above the front synchronizing chain 35. The front left lifting chain 41L extends leftward from the connector 43 along the synchronizing chain 35, passes through the left lifting chain support part 32, and hangs down at a front left position of the lifting unit 3. A fixture 411L is attached to the lower end of the hanging front left lifting chain 41L.

[0033] 6, one end (left end) of the front right lifting chain 41R is connected by a connector 44 to approximately the center in the left-right direction of the portion that runs below the front synchronizing chain 35. The front right lifting chain 41R extends rightward from the connector 44 along the synchronizing chain 35, passes through the right lifting chain support part 32, and hangs down at a front right position of the lifting unit 3. A fixture 411R is attached to the lower end of the hanging front right lifting chain 41R.

[0034] A synchronous chain 35 is also stretched between the rear driving sprocket 332 and the driven sprocket 333 . 6, one end (right end) of the rear left lifting chain 42L is connected by a connector 43 to approximately the center in the left-right direction of the portion that runs above the rear synchronizing chain 35. The rear left lifting chain 42L extends leftward from the connector 43 along the synchronizing chain 35, passes through the left lifting chain support part 32, and hangs down at a rear left position of the lifting unit 3. A fixture 421L is attached to the lower end of the hanging rear left lifting chain 42L.

[0035] 6, one end (left end) of the rear right lifting chain 42R is connected by a connector 44 to approximately the center in the left-right direction of the portion that runs below the rear synchronizing chain 35. The rear right lifting chain 42R extends rightward from the connector 44 along the synchronizing chain 35, passes through the right lifting chain support part 32, and hangs down at a rear right position of the lifting unit 3. A fixture 421R is attached to the lower end of the hanging rear right lifting chain 42R.

[0036] In this structure, when the lift motor 34 rotates, the rotation rotates the shaft 331 and the drive sprocket 332 connected to the shaft 331 via the gear box 33 (see arrow DR5). As the drive sprocket 332 rotates, the pair of front and rear synchronous chains 35 rotate in a circular motion (see arrow DR6).

[0037] A total of four lifting chains 4 have their one ends connected and fixed to the pair of synchronizing chains 35 by connectors 43, 44, respectively, so that depending on the rotation direction of the synchronizing chains 35, the fixing devices 411L, 411R, 421L, 421R connected to the other ends of each of the hanging lifting chains 4 rise and fall synchronously. The lifting range is indicated by a distance L1 in FIG. 6, which shows the state in which the lifting chain 4 is raised to the maximum.

[0038] An upper limit switch 61 and a lower limit switch 62 are attached to the rear frame 314 of the framework 31 as switches that are switched when the connector 43 of the rear left lifting chain 42L moves to a predetermined position. 6 and 11, switch information J61 and switch information J62 indicating the switch ON / OFF states of the upper limit switch 61 and the lower limit switch 62 are output to the shelf control unit 23. The shelf control unit 23 controls the operation of the lifting motor 34 based on the switch information J61 and switch information J62 input from the upper limit switch 61 and the lower limit switch 62, and the rotation speed information J34 input from the encoder 341.

[0039] Specifically, the shelf control unit 23 raises and lowers the lifting chain 4 while the connector 43 is in the OFF state between the upper limit switch 61 and the lower limit switch 62 based on the machining program stored in the memory unit 232 . For example, the shelf control unit 23 monitors the switch information J61, J62 while the lifting chain 4 is being raised or lowered. When the fixture 421L rises and reaches a preset uppermost position, the upper limit switch 61 detects the connector 43 and turns ON, which detects the rise and stops the rise. That is, the rise of the fixtures 411L, 411R, 421L, and 421R stops synchronously.

[0040] In addition, when the fixture 421L descends and reaches a preset lowest position, the lower limit switch 62 detects the connector and turns ON, and the shelf control unit 23 detects this and stops the descent. That is, the descent of the fixtures 411L, 411R, 421L, and 421R stops synchronously.

[0041] Furthermore, the shelf control unit 23 constantly grasps the heightwise positions of the fixtures 411L, 411R, 421L, and 421R based on rotation number information from the encoder 341. In this example, the hanging portion of the lift chain 4 is pulled up and raised when the lift motor 34 rotates in the forward direction, and is unwound and lowered when the lift motor 34 rotates in the reverse direction.

[0042] Next, the separation unit 5 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a top view showing the separation unit 5 provided in the plate material separating apparatus 93. As shown in Figure 7, the separation unit 5 has the already described basic frame body 51 and lifting chain connection portion 52, as well as a reference side hanger frame 53, a counter-reference side hanger frame 54, a reference side clamp unit 55, a counter-reference side clamp unit 56, a reference side push-up unit 57, and a counter-reference side push-up unit 58. The reference side clamp unit 55 and the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 are also referred to as a first clamp unit 55 and a second clamp unit 56, respectively. The reference side push-up unit 57 and the anti-reference side push-up unit 58 are also referred to as a first push-up unit 57 and a second push-up unit 58, respectively.

[0043] The basic frame 51 is rectangular in shape that is long from side to side when viewed from above and includes a front frame 513, a rear frame 514, a left frame 511 and a right frame 512, with the left frame 511 and the right frame 512 being framed so as to protrude forward and backward. The front frame 513 and the rear frame 514 extend in the left-right direction and are disposed parallel to each other and spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The left frame 511 extends in the front-rear direction, and left ends of the front frame 513 and the rear frame 514 are connected to each other. The right frame 512 extends in the front-rear direction parallel to the left frame 511, and right ends of the front frame 513 and the rear frame 514 are connected to each other.

[0044] A linear guide 533 is attached to the lower surface of each of the left frame 511 and the right frame 512, which extend forward beyond the front frame 513. The reference side hanger frame 53 is supported by these two linear guides 533 in a position parallel to the front frame 513 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (see arrow DR7). A reference side hanger cylinder 531 is attached to each of the left frame 511 and the right frame 512 at a portion that extends forward beyond the front frame 513. The reference side hanger cylinder 531 has a rod 532 that extends forward and backward, and the tip of this rod 532 is connected to the reference side hanger frame 53.

[0045] The operation of the reference side hanger cylinder 531 is controlled by the shelf control unit 23 (see FIG. 11). The reference side hanger frame 53 moves by the operation of the reference side hanger cylinder 531 so that the rear face position is positioned at two positions: position PS5, which is the fifth position that is the rear end of the movement range in the front-rear direction, and position PS6, which is the sixth position that is the front end.

[0046] A linear guide 543 is attached to the underside of each of the left frame 511 and the right frame 512, portions of which extend rearward beyond the rear frame 514. The anti-reference side hanger frame 54 is supported by these two linear guides 543 in a position parallel to the rear frame 514 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (see arrow DR8). A counter-reference side hanger cylinder 541 is attached to each of the left frame 511 and the right frame 512. The anti-reference side hanger cylinder 541 has a rod 542 which extends rearward, and the tip of this rod 542 is connected to the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 .

[0047] The operation of the anti-reference side hanger cylinder 541 is controlled by the shelf control unit 23 (see FIG. 11). The anti-reference side hanger frame 54 moves by the operation of the anti-reference side hanger cylinder 541 so that the rear face position is positioned at four positions from position PS1, which is the rearmost first position in the movement range in the front-rear direction, to position PS4, which is the frontmost fourth position. The position of the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 among positions PS1 to PS4 is detected by an anti-reference side hanger sensor 64 (see FIG. 11). The anti-reference side hanger sensor 64 outputs information on the detected position of the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 as detection information J64 to the shelf control unit 23. Based on the detection information J64 and the like, the shelf control unit 23 appropriately selects and sets the position of the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 in the plate material separation operation described below.

[0048] 6 and 7, a total of four lifting chain connecting parts 52 are provided on the basic frame 51. The lifting chain connecting parts 52 are portions where the fixing devices 411L, 411R, 421L, and 421R of the lifting chains 4 in the lifting unit 3 are connected. The positions of the lifting chain connecting parts 52 correspond to the positions of the lifting chain support parts 32 so that the lifting chains 4 naturally extend in the vertical direction after being connected.

[0049] A plurality of reference side clamp units 55 (six in FIG. 7) are attached to the reference side hanger frame 53 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. A plurality of anti-reference side clamp units 56 (six in FIG. 7) are attached to the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. A plurality of reference side push-up units 57 (three in FIG. 7) are attached to the reference side hanger frame 53 at intervals in the left-right direction. A plurality of anti-reference side push-up units 58 (four in FIG. 7) are attached to the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 at intervals in the left-right direction.

[0050] First, the reference side clamp unit 55 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view at the S8-S8 position in Fig. 7, and shows the reference side clamp unit 55 provided in the separation unit 5 as a side view. Fig. 8(a) shows a state in which the pressing part 552 is raised, and Fig. 8(b) shows a state in which the pressing part 552 is lowered.

[0051] The reference side clamp unit 55 includes a main body portion 551 , a pressing portion 552 , a reference side clamp unit cylinder 553 , and a claw portion 554 . The main body 551 of the reference side clamp unit 55 is made of a metal material and is attached to the reference side hanger frame 53 with a fastener (not shown) such as a bolt, sandwiching an insulating plate 555 between them. This allows the reference side clamp unit 55 to be electrically insulated from the basic frame 51 including the reference side hanger frame 53.

[0052] The main body 551 is a generally box-shaped housing, and has a claw portion 554 at the bottom, the tip of which is bent toward the reference side hanger frame 53. The upper surface of the claw portion 554 forms a horizontal lower contact surface 554a. The reference side clamp unit cylinder 553 is housed inside the main body 551. Under the control of the shelf control unit 23, the reference side clamp unit cylinder 553 moves a rod 553a downwardly in and out by the flow of air supplied from the outside. A flat plate-shaped pressing portion 552 is attached to the lower end of the rod 553a. The lower surface of the pressing portion 552 forms an upper contact surface 552a that is parallel to a lower contact surface 554a.

[0053] 8(a), the reference side clamp unit 55 is usually in a retracted state in which the rod 553a is raised and retracted into the main body 551. The shelf control unit 23 operates the reference side clamp unit cylinder 553 as necessary, and as shown in FIG. 8(b), the pressing part 552 is lowered downward (see arrow DR9), and the workpiece W or skeleton Ws is sandwiched and held between the lower contact surface 554a and the upper contact surface 552a.

[0054] The main body 551 is electrically connected to at least one of the lower contact surface 554a and the upper contact surface 552a. As shown in Fig. 8(b), the main body 551 is electrically connected to the work support portion 721G, which is an assembly of the skid 72, via a continuity sensor 65. The continuity sensor 65 detects whether or not there is continuity between the work support portion 721G and the main body 551, and outputs detection information J65 including the detection result to the shelf control portion 23 (see Fig. 11).

[0055] Since the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 has the same structure as the reference side clamp unit 55, the reference side clamp unit 56 is indicated in parentheses in FIG. 8(a).

[0056] Next, the reference side push-up unit 57 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S9-S9 in Fig. 7, showing the reference side push-up unit 57 provided in the separation unit 5 as a side view. Fig. 9(a) shows a state in which the pusher 574 is raised, and Fig. 9(b) shows a state in which the pusher 574 is lowered.

[0057] The reference side push-up unit 57 includes a bracket 571 , a plate 572 , and a reference side push-up unit cylinder 573 . The bracket 571 is attached to the reference side hanger frame 53 by a fastener (not shown) such as a bolt. The lower part of the bracket 571 is connected to a plate 572, and the plate 572 supports the reference side push-up unit cylinder 573 in an upright position with a rod 573a extending downward. A flat plate-shaped pusher 574 is attached to the lower end of the rod 573a.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the reference side push-up unit 57 is usually in a retracted state in which the rod 573a is raised and retracted into the reference side push-up unit cylinder 573. The shelf control unit 23 operates the reference side push-up unit cylinder 573 as necessary to lower the pusher 574 downward as shown in Fig. 9(b) (see arrow DR10). The reference side push-up unit 57 is attached to the reference side hanger frame 53 at a position where the lowered pusher 574 comes into contact with the skid 72 of the pallet 7 (see FIG. 16).

[0059] Since the anti-reference side push-up unit 58 has the same structure as the reference side push-up unit 57, the reference side push-up unit 58 is indicated in parentheses in Fig. 9(a). The anti-reference side push-up unit 58 is attached to the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 at a position where the lowered pusher 584 abuts against the skid 72 of the pallet 7 (see Fig. 16).

[0060] 7, the separation unit 5 has a deflection detection sensor unit 63. The deflection detection sensor unit 63 is attached to the right frame 512 of the basic frame 51, for example. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S10-S10 in FIG. 7, showing the deflection detection sensor unit 63 provided in the separation unit 5 in a side view.

[0061] The deflection detection sensor unit 63 is configured to include a bracket 631 , a deflection detection sensor cylinder 632 , and a deflection detection sensor 633 . One end of the bracket 631 is fixed to the right frame 512 by a fastener (not shown) such as a bolt, and the other end thereof straddles the anti-reference side hanger cylinder 541 and holds a deflection detection sensor cylinder 632. The deflection detection sensor cylinder 632 is oriented so that a rod-shaped deflection detection sensor 633, which is also a rod, moves in and out downward.

[0062] The shelf control unit 23 operates the deflection detection sensor cylinder 632 as necessary to selectively maintain the measurement position of the deflection detection sensor 633 at three different positions in the height direction. Specifically, the three measurement positions are position PS7 which is the uppermost standby position, position PS9 which is the lowermost skeleton integration height detection position, and position PS8 which is a skeleton deflection detection position intermediate between positions PS7 and PS9.

[0063] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the above-mentioned plate material separating device 93 performs a plate material separating operation in which the workpiece W, which has been cut and separated into a product Wp and a remaining skeleton Ws by a laser processing machine 91 while placed on a pallet 7, is separated from the skeleton Ws alone and transferred to a cart 8. More specifically, in the laser processing step, the pallet 7 on which the workpiece W is placed is conveyed into the laser processing machine 91, and the workpiece W is cut into a product Wp and a skeleton Ws by laser cutting.

[0064] After the laser processing step is performed, the pallet 7 carrying the product Wp and skeleton Ws is transferred from the laser processing machine 91 to the workpiece separation area AR2 of the pallet shelf device 92. The plate material separation device 93 performs a plate material separation operation, and separates the skeleton Ws on the pallet 7 from the product Wp by clamping and lifting its periphery. At that time, a plate material separation method including a step of lifting a second edge portion Ws2 of one of the periphery is performed to more reliably separate the welded portion. After the skeleton Ws is separated, the pallet 7 carrying only the product Wp is withdrawn in order to carry out the product Wp, and the clamped skeleton Ws is loaded onto a dolly 8 waiting below.

[0065] The plate material separating operation will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a first diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 13 is a second diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 14 is a third diagram for explaining the operation of holding the skeleton Ws of the reference side clamp unit 55, in which FIG. 14(a) shows the first holding operation, FIG. 14(b) shows the second holding operation, and FIG. 14(c) shows the third holding operation. FIG. 15 is a fourth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93, in which FIG. 15(a) is a partially enlarged view of the separation unit 5, and FIG. 15(b) is an overall view of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 16 is a fifth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 17 is a sixth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 18 is a seventh diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. FIG. 19 is an eighth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. Fig. 20 is a ninth diagram for explaining the operation of the plate material separating device 93. Fig. 21 is a top view showing a separation unit 5V to which a vibration device V is attached. Fig. 22 is a side view for explaining the operation of the vibration device V. Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a pallet shelf device 92V having a separation unit 5V. Fig. 24 is a flow diagram of the plate material separating operation performed by the pallet shelf devices 92, 92V.

[0066] FIG. 12 shows the pallet 7 that has been transferred to the pallet shelf device 92 after laser processing, and the plate material separating device 93 disposed above it. In this example, the workpiece W is a rectangular metal plate of the maximum size among the sizes that can be placed on the pallet 7. When this maximum size workpiece W is placed on the workpiece support portion 721G with its front left corner aligned with the origin position PS (see FIG. 3), the rear edge of the workpiece W does not interfere with the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 when the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 is in position PS1, but does interfere with the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 when it is in position PS2, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 12. In addition, the front edge of the workpiece W does not interfere with the reference side clamp unit 55 when the reference side hanger frame 53 is in position PS6, but does interfere with the reference side clamp unit 55 when it is in position PS5.

[0067] After processing is completed by the laser processing machine 91, and before the pallet 7 is transferred to the lower portion of the separation unit 5 of the pallet shelf device 92, the shelf control unit 23 rotates the lifting motor 34 (see Figure 6) in the forward direction to raise the separation unit 5 using the lifting chain 4 (see arrow DR51 in Figure 12). In addition, the shelf control unit 23 operates the reference side hanger cylinder 531 to move the reference side hanger frame 53 to the forwardmost position PS5 (see arrow DR52), and operates the anti-reference side hanger cylinder 541 to move the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 to the rearmost position PS1 (see arrow DR53). The shelf control unit 23 sets the state of the separation unit 5 to the basic state shown in FIG. 12 (FIG. 24: Step 1).

[0068] (First step: Descending of separation unit 5) As shown in FIG. 13, the shelf control unit 23 reverses the rotation of the lifting motor 34 (see FIG. 6) to reel out the lifting chain 4 downward, and lowers the separation unit 5 to a predetermined height position (see arrow DR54) (FIG. 24: Step 2). The predetermined height position is a position where the lower contact surface 554a and the lower contact surface 564a of the reference side clamp unit 55 and the counter-reference side clamp unit 56 are respectively located a predetermined distance L2 below the lower surface Wsb of the skeleton Ws. This predetermined distance L2 is shown in FIG. 14(a) and is, for example, 9 mm.

[0069] (Second step: skeleton Ws holding step) (Fig. 24: Step 3) After the separation unit 5 has been lowered to a predetermined height position, the shelf control unit 23 operates the reference side hanger cylinder 531 to move the reference side hanger frame 53 from the forwardmost position PS6 to the rearmost position PS5 (see arrow DR55), as shown in Figures 7 and 14(a). As a result, the lower contact surface 554a enters the lower side of the lower surface Wsb of the skeleton Ws.

[0070] Next, the shelf control unit 23 rotates the lifting motor 34 (see FIG. 6) in the forward direction to raise the separation unit 5 upward by a predetermined distance L2. As a result, the reference side clamp unit 55 and the counter-reference side clamp unit 56 rise upward by the predetermined distance L2 (see arrow DR56 in FIG. 14(b)), and the lower abutment surfaces 554a, 564a abut against the lower surface Wsb of the skeleton Ws. FIG. 14(b) shows a state in which the lower abutment surface 554a abuts against the lower surface Wsb.

[0071] Next, the shelf control unit 23 operates the multiple reference side clamp unit cylinders 553 to press the pressing portion 552 downward (see arrow DR57). At the same time, the shelf control unit 23 operates the multiple anti-reference side clamp unit cylinders 563 to press the pressing portion 562 downward. As a result, the skeleton Ws has a first edge portion Ws1 (see FIG. 3) at the front edge sandwiched and held between the upper abutment surfaces 552a of the pressing portions 552 and the lower abutment surfaces 554a of the claw portions 554 of the multiple reference-side clamp units 55. Also, a second edge portion Ws2 (see FIG. 3) at the rear edge is sandwiched and held between the upper abutment surfaces 562a of the pressing portions 562 and the lower abutment surfaces 564a of the claw portions 564 of the multiple counter-reference-side clamp units 56. That is, the skeleton Ws is held by the separation unit 5.

[0072] (Third step: Lifting the skeleton Ws on the opposite side to the reference side...first edge lifting step) (Fig. 24: Step 4) Once the skeleton Ws has been held by the separation unit 5, the shelf control unit 23 operates the counter-reference side push-up unit cylinder 583 to push the pusher 584 downward (see arrow DR58), as shown in FIG. 15(a). The downward stroke of the pusher 584 is sufficiently long that even when the pusher 584 abuts against the skid 72, it continues to push down the skid 72 downward. In response to this downward force, the skid 72 does not move downward since it is firmly fixed to the pallet 7 which is firmly held by the pallet shelf assembly 92. Therefore, the pusher 584 receives a reaction force from the skid 72, and the reaction force pushes the anti-reference side push-up unit 58, the anti-reference side hanger frame 54, and the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 upward because they are integrated as the same rigid body.

[0073] As the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 is pushed up, the rear edge of the skeleton Ws clamped by the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 is lifted (see arrow DR59). Here, if there is a welded portion M where the skeleton Ws and the skid 72 are welded together, the welded portion M will be peeled off and separated as the skeleton Ws is forcibly lifted upward from the trailing edge side, leaving a welded portion mark Mp on each of the skeleton Ws and the skid 72. When the rear edge of the skeleton Ws starts to lift, the welded part M resists the lifting. However, as the rear edge lifts, the skeleton Ws deforms downward and convexly, but the part being torn off gradually moves forward, and the separation of the welded part M progresses from the rear side to the front side. This is indicated by the arrow DR60 in Figure 15(b).

[0074] 15(b), which shows the state in which the pusher 584 is pushed out to the maximum, the anti-reference side clamp unit 56 is at the most raised position. In this state, the basic frame 51 is in a position in which the rear side is highly inclined. Accordingly, the components attached to the basic frame 51, such as the reference side clamp unit 55 and the anti-reference side clamp unit 56, are also inclined in the same manner, but for convenience in FIG. 15(b), only the drawing of the basic frame 51 is shown inclined.

[0075] (4th step: Lifting the reference side of the skeleton Ws...2nd edge lifting step) (Figure 24: Step 5) As shown in FIG. 16, after the operation of the counter-reference side push-up unit cylinder 583 is completed, the shelf control unit 23 also operates the reference side push-up unit cylinder 573 to push down the pusher 574. As a result, the skeleton Ws on the reference side is also lifted from the leading edge side in the same manner as on the anti-reference side, and the peeling and separation of the welded portion M proceeds from the leading edge side to the rear side.

[0076] 16, the pusher 574 of the reference side push-up unit 57 and the pusher 584 of the counter-reference side push-up unit 58 are in contact with the skid 72 while fully extended downward. As a result, the basic frame 51 is lifted upward together with the skeleton Ws it holds, and is placed on the workpiece support portion 721G. Meanwhile, the lifting chain 4 is in a slack state. In many cases, the welded portion M is separated by the peeling action caused by pushing down the pusher 574, and the skeleton Ws is lifted upward away from the product Wp and the skid 72, with the product Wp remaining on the work support portion 721G.

[0077] Next, the shelf control unit 23 rotates the lift motor 34 (see FIG. 6) in the forward direction to execute a lifting step for lifting the separation unit 5 by a small distance as shown in FIG. 17 (FIG. 24: Step 6). Specifically, the pusher 584 is located at a position spaced upward by a distance L3 from the skid 72. The distance L3 is, for example, about 3 mm.

[0078] (5th step: Continuity detection) Here, as shown in Fig. 11, the shelf control unit 23 refers to the detection information J65 input from the continuity sensor 65 (Fig. 24: Step 7). The shelf control unit 23 determines whether or not there is continuity (Fig. 24: Step 8), and if it determines that there is no continuity (No), executes (Fig. 24: Step 11).

[0079] When it is determined that there is continuity (Yes), the shelf control unit 23 determines whether or not the number of times that it has determined that there is continuity has reached a preset Nth time (FIG. 24: Step 9). This number of times N is set for convenience, and when the plate material separating device 93 does not include a vibration device V described later, N=1, so that the determination in (FIG. 24: Step 9) is (Yes). In this case, the shelf control unit 23 issues an alarm and stops the operation of the pallet shelf device 92 (FIG. 24: Step 10). The shelf control unit 23 may cooperate with the processing control unit 13 to stop the operation of the entire laser processing system ST.

[0080] (Sixth step: deflection detection and correction) If the shelf control unit 23 judges the result to be (No) in (Figure 24: Step 8), as shown in Figure 10, it operates the deflection detection sensor cylinder 632 of the deflection detection sensor unit 63 to lower the deflection detection sensor 633 from the uppermost position PS7, which is the standby position, to position PS8, which is the skeleton deflection detection position.

[0081] As shown in Figure 18, when the welded portion M (see Figure 15(a)) of the skeleton Ws is pulled away, the welded portion M may not separate easily and may be pulled by the skid 72, causing the central portion in the fore-and-aft direction to bend lower. In such a case, the deflection detection sensor 633 detects whether or not the deflection of the skeleton Ws at the position PS8 exceeds the allowable upper limit (FIG. 24: Step 12). The detection result of the deflection is output to the shelf control unit 23 as detection information J63 (see FIG. 11). The shelf control unit 23 checks the detection information J63 (FIG. 24: Step 11), and determines whether or not bending of the skeleton Ws has been detected based on the detection information J63 (FIG. 24: Step 12).

[0082] If the shelf control unit 23 judges (Yes) in (Figure 24: Step 12), it moves the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 backward, as shown by arrow DR11 in Figure 18, stretches and corrects the skeleton Ws, and reduces the deflection to within the allowable range (see arrow DR11a) (Figure 24: Step 13).

[0083] (7th step: placing skeleton Ws on dolly 8) Once the shelf control unit 23 has reduced the deflection of the skeleton Ws by (Figure 24: Step 13) or has judged No by (Figure 24: Step 12), it moves the pallet 7 to the elevator shelf 22 and, as shown in Figure 19, lowers the deflection detection sensor 633 to position PS9, which is the skeleton accumulation height detection position (see arrow DR12). The deflection detection sensor 633 detects the height of the place where the held skeleton Ws is placed at the position PS9. If no skeleton Ws is placed on the cart 8, the height position of the placement surface of the cart 8 is detected, and if there is a skeleton laminate WsG already placed on the cart 8, as shown in Figure 19, the height position of its top surface is detected.

[0084] The shelf control unit 23 lowers the separation unit 5 to a height position based on the detection information J63 from the deflection detection sensor 633 at position PS9 (see arrow DR13), and raises the pressing portions 552, 562 of the reference side clamp unit 55 and the anti-reference side clamp unit 56. Then, as shown in Fig. 20, the reference side hanger frame 53 and the anti-reference side hanger frame 54 are moved forward and backward, respectively, to release the skeleton Ws from its hold (see arrow DR14). As a result, the skeleton Ws is placed on the skeleton stack WsG (Fig. 24: Step 14). Thereafter, the shelf control unit 23 raises the separation unit 5 to return it to the basic state (see arrow DR15).

[0085] The above-mentioned plate material separating device 93 lifts up and separates the skeleton Ws from the product Wp and skeleton Ws that have been placed on the pallet 7 and cut. At that time, even if the skeleton Ws and the workpiece support portion 721G are welded at the welded portion M, the plate material separating device 93 lifts up one edge of the skeleton Ws, so that the welded portion M can be easily separated and the skeleton Ws can be more reliably separated from the workpiece support portion 721G. Here, since the plate material to be separated is not limited to the skeleton Ws, the plate material separating device 93 separates the plate material by the above-mentioned plate material separating method that can more reliably separate the plate material welded to the workpiece supporting portion 721G.

[0086] That is, one embodiment of the plate material separating device 93 comprises a lifting unit 3 having a plurality of string-like members 4 suspended so as to rise and fall synchronously, a separation unit 5 suspended by the plurality of string-like members 4, a pallet 7 arranged below the separation unit 5 and having a work support portion 721G on which a rectangular plate material Ws is placed, a first clamp unit 55 provided on the separation unit 5 and holding a first edge portion Ws1 of the plate material Ws placed on the work support portion 721G, a second clamp unit 56 holding a second edge portion Ws2 opposite the first edge portion Ws1 of the plate material Ws, and a push-up unit 58 that presses a pusher 584 against the pallet 7, thereby receiving a reaction force from the pallet 7 and pushing up the second clamp unit 56. Thereby, the plate material separating device 93 lifts up the plate material Ws welded to the workpiece support portion 721G from the second edge portion Ws2 side, so that the plate material Ws can be separated from the workpiece support portion 721G more reliably.

[0087] Furthermore, the above-mentioned aspect of the plate material separating device 93 may be another aspect including a conductivity sensor 65 that detects the presence or absence of conductivity between either the first clamp unit 55 or the second clamp unit 56 and the work support portion 721G. This allows the plate material separating device 93 to determine whether the plate material Ws is stuck to the work support portion 721G by welding or the like or remains in contact with the work support portion 721G when the plate material Ws is raised and therefore cannot be separated.

[0088] The plate material separation method of the embodiment uses a separation unit 5 that is suspended from a lifting unit 3 and lifts and lowers, and includes a first clamp unit 55 that holds a first edge portion Ws1 of a rectangular plate material Ws, a second clamp unit 56 that holds a second edge portion Ws2 opposite to the first edge portion Ws1 of the plate material Ws, and a first push-up unit 57 and a second push-up unit 58 that are arranged on the same rigid body as the first clamp unit 55 and the second clamp unit 56, respectively, and extend pushers 574, 584 downward. In a state where a pallet 7 having a work support portion 721G on which a rectangular plate material Ws has been placed is positioned below the separation unit 5, the first edge portion Ws1 and the second edge portion Ws2 of the plate material Ws placed on the work support portion 721G are clamped by the first clamp unit 55 and the second clamp unit 56, respectively. the second edge lifting step of lifting the second clamp unit 56 and the second edge Ws2 of the plate material Ws by a reaction force from the pallet 7 received by extending the pusher 584 of the second push-up unit 58 downward and pressing it against the pallet 7; the first edge lifting step of lifting the first clamp unit 55 and the first edge Ws1 of the plate material Ws by a reaction force from the pallet 7 received by extending the pusher 574 of the first push-up unit 57 downward and pressing it against the pallet 7 after the second edge lifting step has been performed; and the raising step of raising the separation unit 5 to separate the plate material Ws from the work support portion 721G and raise it after the first edge lifting step has been performed. Thereby, in the plate material separation method, the plate material Ws welded to the workpiece support portion 721G is lifted up from the second edge portion Ws2 side, so that it can be more reliably separated from the workpiece support portion 721G.

[0089] In addition, one embodiment of the pallet shelf device 92 of the embodiment includes a plurality of storage sections P1 to Pn arranged side by side in the vertical direction, each capable of storing a pallet 7, a plate material separation device 93 of the above embodiment arranged below the plurality of storage sections P1 to Pn, and an elevator shelf 22 that moves the pallet 7 between each of the plurality of storage sections P1 to Pn and a lower portion of the separation unit 5 in the plate material separation device 93. This allows the multiple pallet plate materials Ws to be efficiently separated from the pallet support portion 721G.

[0090] The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0091] The plate separating apparatus 93 may be a plate separating apparatus 93V including a separating unit 5V having a vibration device V instead of the separating unit 5. The vibration device V will be described with reference to Figs. 21 to 23. Fig. 21 is a top view showing a separation unit 5V in which the vibration device V is attached to the separation unit 5. Fig. 22 is a side view for explaining the operation of the vibration device V. Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a pallet rack device 92V having a separation unit 5V.

[0092] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, a separation unit 5V is a separation unit 5 equipped with a vibration device V. The vibration device V is fixed across and spans between the left frame 511 and the right frame 512 of the basic frame 51. The vibration device V has a pressing bar V1, a vibration unit V2, and a support part V3. A pair of support parts V3 are provided, and are fixed to the left frame 511 and the right frame 512, respectively. The support part V3 has a bar lifting cylinder V32 and a rod V32a that moves in and out below the bar lifting cylinder V32. The lower ends of the pair of rods V32a are fixed to both ends of the presser bar V1. The operation of the bar lifting cylinder V32 is controlled by the shelf control part 23 (see FIG. 23).

[0093] The vibration units V2 are vibration members that vibrate when electricity is applied under the control of the shelf control section 23, and in this example, three of them are attached spaced apart from each other along the pressing bar V1. As shown in FIG. 22, the presser bar V1 is raised and lowered in height between a position PS10 and a position PS11 below it by the operation of a bar lifting cylinder V32. Position PS10 is a retracted position, and position PS11 is a position where the presser bar V1 comes into contact with the skeleton Ws placed on the work support portion 721G of the pallet 7 or the skeleton Ws held by the separation unit 5V. That is, the presser bar V1 can come into contact with a plate material such as the skeleton Ws. The shelf control section 23 positions the pressing bar V1 at the position PS11 and vibrates the vibration unit V2. As a result, if the skeleton Ws overlaps with the product Wp and cannot be lifted, the application of vibration changes the relative position and releases the overlap, increasing the possibility that the skeleton Ws can be separated from the product Wp and lifted.

[0094] When the pallet shelf device 92V has a separation unit 5V, it is advisable to set N in (Step 9) of FIG. 24 to 2 or more and execute vibration application (Step 15).

[0095] The lifting chain 4 that suspends the separation unit 5 is not limited to a chain as long as it is a string-like member. Therefore, the lifting chain support part 32 that changes the direction of the string-like member and hangs down the tip is not limited to one that uses a sprocket. The string-like member may be a belt-like, string-like, or wire-like member other than a chain. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 11 Laser Oscillator 111 Optical Fiber 12 Laser processing head 13 Processing control section 14. Chassis 21 Frame body 21a1 front left frame, 21a2 front right frame 21b1 Rear left frame, 21b2 Rear right frame 22 Elevator Shelf 221 Elevator shelf lifting drive unit, 222 Pallet entry / exit drive unit 23 Shelf control section 231 CPU (Central Processing Unit), 232 memory unit, 233 input device 3 Lifting unit 31 Frame 313 Front frame, 314 Rear frame 32 Lifting chain support 33 Gearbox 331 shaft, 332, 332f, 332b drive sprocket 333 Driven sprocket 34 Lift motor, 341 Encoder 35 Synchronous Chain 4. Cord-like member (lifting chain) 41L Front left lifting chain, 41R Front right lifting chain 411L,411R,421L,421R Fixtures 42L Rear left lifting chain, 42R Rear right lifting chain 43,44 Connector 5,5V Separate Unit 51 Basic frame 511 Left frame, 512 Right frame, 513 Previous frame 514 Rear frame 52 Lifting chain connection 53 Reference side hanger frame 531 Reference side hanger cylinder, 532 Rod 533 Linear Guide 54 Hanger frame on opposite side to reference side 541 Anti-reference side hanger cylinder, 542 Rod 543 Linear Guide 55 Reference side clamp unit 551 main body portion, 552 pressing portion, 552a upper abutment surface 553 Reference side clamp unit cylinder, 553a Rod 554 claw portion, 554a lower abutment surface, 555 insulating plate 56 Non-reference side clamp unit 561 main body portion, 562 pressing portion, 562a upper abutment surface 563 Clamp unit cylinder on the opposite side to the reference side, 563a Rod 564 claw portion, 564a lower abutment surface, 565 insulating plate 57 Reference side lifting unit 571 bracket, 572 plate, 574 pusher 573 Reference side push-up unit cylinder, 573a Rod 58 Counter reference side lifting unit 581 bracket, 582 plate, 584 pusher 583 Counter reference side lifting unit cylinder, 583a Rod 61 upper limit switch, 62 lower limit switch 63 Deflection detection sensor unit 631 bracket, 632 deflection detection sensor cylinder 633 Deflection detection sensor 64 Anti-reference side hanger sensor, 65 Continuity sensor 7 Palette 71 Frame 72 Skid 721 spire, 721G work support 8 Carts 91 Laser processing machine 92, 92V Pallet Rack Unit 93 Plate separation device AR1 Pallet storage area, AR2 Work separation area AR3 trolley storage area DR1~DR11a, DR12~DR15, DR51~DR60 Arrows FL installation surface J34 RPM information J61, J62 switch information, J63, J64, J65 detection information L1 distance, L2 predetermined distance, L3 distance, Ls laser beam M welded part, Mp welded part trace, PS origin position, PS1~PS11 position P1~Pn-1,Pn Pallet storage area ST Laser Processing System V vibration device V1 Holding bar, V2 Vibration unit, V3 Support part V32 bar lift cylinder, V32a rod Double work Wp product, Ws skeleton (board), Wsb bottom surface WsG Skeleton laminate, Ws1 First edge, Ws2 Second edge

Claims

1. A lifting unit that suspends a plurality of string-like members so as to lift and lower synchronously; A separation unit suspended by the plurality of string-like members; A pallet having a work support portion on which a rectangular plate material is placed and disposed below the separation unit; A plate material separating device for a laser processing machine, comprising: a first clamp unit provided in the separation unit and configured to hold a first edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion; a second clamp unit configured to hold a second edge portion opposite the first edge portion of the plate material; and a push-up unit configured to push up the second clamp unit by receiving a reaction force from the pallet by pressing a pusher against the pallet.

2. A laser processing system in which a laser processing machine and a pallet rack device are combined, the laser processing system being provided in the pallet rack device, A lifting unit that suspends a plurality of string-like members so as to lift and lower synchronously; A separation unit suspended by the plurality of string-like members; a pallet having a work support portion on which a rectangular plate material is placed, the pallet being carried in and out of the laser processing machine and disposed below the separation unit in the pallet shelf device; A plate material separating device for a laser processing machine, comprising: a first clamp unit provided in the separation unit and configured to hold a first edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion; a second clamp unit configured to hold a second edge portion opposite the first edge portion of the plate material; and a push-up unit configured to push up the second clamp unit by receiving a reaction force from the pallet by pressing a pusher against the pallet.

3. 3. The plate material separating device for a laser processing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a continuity sensor for detecting the presence or absence of electrical continuity between either the first clamp unit or the second clamp unit and the workpiece support portion.

4. A laser processing system combining a laser processing machine and a pallet rack device, The pallet rack device is provided with a lifting unit and a separation unit, The separation unit the lifting unit includes a first clamp unit that is suspended from the lifting unit and lifted and lowered to hold a first edge of a rectangular plate material, a second clamp unit that holds a second edge of the plate material opposite to the first edge, and a first push-up unit and a second push-up unit that are disposed as rigid as the first clamp unit and the second clamp unit, respectively, and extend a pusher downward; A pallet has a work support portion, and the rectangular plate material is placed on the work support portion of the pallet to be carried in and out of the laser processing machine, and the pallet is positioned below the separation unit, The first edge portion and the second edge portion of the plate material placed on the work support portion are held by the first clamp unit and the second clamp unit, respectively; The pusher of the second push-up unit is extended downward and pressed against the pallet, thereby receiving a reaction force from the pallet, thereby lifting the second clamp unit and the second edge portion of the plate material; After lifting the second edge portion, the pusher of the first push-up unit is extended downward and pressed against the pallet, thereby lifting the first clamp unit and the first edge portion of the plate material by a reaction force from the pallet, A plate material separating method comprising: lifting the first edge portion, and then raising the separation unit to separate and raise the plate material from the work support portion.

5. A plurality of storage sections arranged in a vertical direction, each capable of storing the pallet; The plate material separating device for a laser processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is disposed below the plurality of storage sections; a pallet shelf device comprising: an elevator shelf that moves the pallet between each of the plurality of storage sections and a lower portion of the separation unit in the plate material separation device for the laser processing machine.

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