Pre-cut processing method

Abstract

To provide a precut processing method reducing worker load at a product discharge side of a processing machine, further, suppressing equipment cost, and improving yield rate of material for a precut line processing long materials such as thinned wood and structural material.SOLUTION: A precut processing method includes assigning precut objective products 24 to material 20 to input them in a processing machine 12. The method includes discharging products 24 processed with the processing machine 12 to a discharge side. When recycling surplus material 28 generated in a precut process, the products 24 are assigned to the material 20 so as to position parts corresponding to the surplus 28 at a position of an input side of the processing machine 12 of the material 20. The method includes storing the surplus material 28 by taking out it from the input side of the processing machine 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a precutting method for efficiently precutting feather pattern materials and structural materials without waste. [Background technology]

[0002] Hafting timber is wood used for crossbeams, studs, lintels, etc., while structural timber is wood used for structures such as foundations, pillars, beams, etc. All of these construction materials are pre-cut into lengths of 3m to 4m.

[0003] In a pre-cutting line that processes construction materials, raw materials are taken out from a material storage area and fed into a processing machine, where they are cut into pre-cut pieces and then discharged as finished products. One or more products are cut from one piece of material. Any parts that cannot be cut are discarded as leftover material. Most of the leftover material is discarded, but discarding material that can be used to pre-cut other products is a waste of resources.

[0004] Therefore, among the remaining materials discharged from the processing machine along with the finished product, experienced workers would determine which lengths were long enough to be reused and store them, then return them all together to the input side. However, because the materials are long and the pre-cut line is several tens of meters long, manually returning the long and heavy scraps to the input side of the processing machine places a heavy burden on the workers. Mechanizing this process would increase equipment costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-69088 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to reduce the burden on workers on the product discharge side of the processing machine in a pre-cut line that processes long materials such as feather-shaped materials and structural materials, and further to reduce equipment costs and improve material yield. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The following configurations are means for solving the above problems.

[0008] <Configuration 1> feather or structural material The material is processed by a processing machine. 1. An apparatus for precutting, For each piece of material, products are allocated in this order so that the product with the earliest discharge order is pre-cut and discharged first by the processing machine. With processing machines Pre-cut The processed product is discharged to the discharge side. Take out a part of the material that is exposed on the input side of the processing machine and that has already been allocated to a product and is scheduled to be pre-cut, Input side of processing machine Store in A pre-cutting method characterized by the above.

[0009] <Configuration 2> The precut processing method according to configuration 1, characterized in that when the leftover material is reused, the leftover material is removed from the input side of the processing machine and stored on the input side of the processing machine.

[0010] <Configuration 3> The precutting method according to configuration 1 is characterized in that all materials are allocated so that the product with the earlier discharge order for one material is precut first in the processing machine, and when the discharge order of the product allocated to the material to be fed into the processing machine next and to be precut first is earlier than the discharge order of the product allocated to the part of the material that was fed into the processing machine first and to be precut first, the part of the material that was fed into the processing machine first and to be allocated to the product with the later discharge order is left, removed from the input side of the processing machine before being precut and stored, and the stored part is fed back into the processing machine in the discharge order and precut.

[0011] <Configuration 4> The precut processing method according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of types of materials with different width or height dimensions are sorted and placed in the material storage area.

[0012] <Configuration 5> 3. The precut processing method according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the materials are piled up in the material storage area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] <Effects of Configuration 1> If there is a portion of the material that corresponds to the remaining material on the input side of the processing machine, when the pre-cut product is discharged on the output side, the remaining material can be grasped and removed on the input side of the processing machine. <Effects of Configuration 2> Pre-cut leftover materials can be removed from the input side of the processing machine and stored, allowing for effective reuse. By providing a storage area on the input side of the processing machine, leftover materials can be transported within the reach of the robotic arm used for material input. <Effects of Configuration 3> If materials are allocated with priority given to yield, it is difficult to allocate the order in which they will be packed. If the parts allocated to products with a later discharge order are temporarily stored, they can then be pre-cut and discharged in the order in which they are discharged. <Effects of Configuration 4> If a robotic arm is used, it can distinguish between different types of materials and pick them up, even if they are stored in a material storage area. This eliminates the need for multiple large-scale feeding conveyors. <Effects of Configuration 5> If a robotic arm is used, even if materials are piled up in a storage area, they can be picked up one by one, eliminating the need to line up the materials one by one on a conveyor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] Plan view of a pre-cut line with a remnant stock [Figure 2] Pre-cut control system block diagram [Figure 3]An example of product allocation to materials [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram of the operation procedure of the first embodiment [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram of the operation procedure of the second embodiment [Figure 6] A diagram of a material storage area with multiple types of materials. [Figure 7] A diagram of a pile of materials in a storage area DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0015] In the pre-cutting line shown in Figure 1, a material 20 carried into a material storage area 18 is picked up by a robot arm 22 and put into an input conveyor 14. The material 20 is sent from the input conveyor 14 in the direction of arrow A and enters the processing machine 12. A product 24 pre-cut inside the processing machine 12 is discharged onto the output conveyor 16, then transported to a product storage area 26, and then packaged.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, in a computer 48 for controlling the pre-cut line, for example, a pre-cut control device 50 operates to control the processing machine 12 and the robot arm 22 in accordance with pre-cut data 52 .

[0017] The storage device 54 of the computer 48 stores allocation data 56, robot control data 58, and discharge order data 60 extracted from the pre-cut data 52. The allocation data 56 is data for allocating products to the blanks 20 with a high yield. The robot control data 58 is control data used to control the robot arm 22 and transport the blanks 20 and remnants 28 in a timely manner. The discharge order data 60 is data for managing the order in which products are discharged from the processing machine 12. The discharge order data 60 is used only in the second embodiment.

[0018] 1, as described above, the input material 20 is pre-cut and the processed product 24 is discharged to the discharge side. When reclaimed material 28 generated in the pre-cutting process is to be reused, the robot arm 22 removes the reclaimed material 28 from the input side of the processing machine 12 and stores it in the reclaimed material stock 30.

[0019] At a predetermined timing, the pre-cut control device 50 allocates products to the remnant material 28 transported to the remnant material stock 30 in accordance with the pre-cut data 52. The allocated remnant material 28 is removed from the remnant material stock 30 by the robot arm 22 and fed into the processing machine 12. The remnant material 28 may be allocated in advance before being fed. This will be described in Example 2.

[0020] As described above, in this embodiment, the remaining material 28 of the precut raw material 20 is not discharged to the discharge side of the processing machine 12 but is removed from the input side and stored in the remaining material stock 30 on the input side of the processing machine 12. Furthermore, the remaining material 28 can be re-input into the processing machine 12 under the control of the precut control device 50. This allows the remaining material 28 to be used freely and effectively.

[0021] To make the above process possible, the following allocation is required. In Figure 3 (a), the raw material 20a has an allocated portion 32 and an unallocated portion 34. The unallocated portion 34 corresponds to the remaining material 28. The raw material 20 is fed into the processing machine 12 in the direction of arrow A. The product 24 is allocated so that the portion corresponding to the remaining material 28 is located on the input side of the raw material 20 to the processing machine 12.

[0022] In this way, if there is a portion of the raw material 20 corresponding to the remaining material 28 on the input side of the processing machine 12, when the precut product 24 is discharged on the output side, the remaining material 28 exposed on the input side of the processing machine 12 can be grasped and removed by the robot arm 22.

[0023] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the pre-cut control device 50. First, in step S11, the robot arm 22 takes out the material 20 from the material storage area 18 and puts it into the processing machine 12. In step S12, the processing machine 12 performs a pre-cut process on the material 20. In step S13, the processing machine 12 ejects the processed product 24.

[0024] In step S14, the precut control device 50 determines whether any reusable leftover material remains. If the result of this determination is yes, the process proceeds to step S15, and if no, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S15, the leftover material 28 is stored in the leftover material stock 30. In step S16, the precut control device 50 determines whether or not to precut the leftover material in the leftover material stock. That is, here, it determines whether or not to precut the leftover material already stored in the leftover material stock next. If the result of this determination is yes, the process proceeds to step S11, and if no, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the leftover material 28 in the leftover material stock is fed into the processing machine 12. The above-mentioned process is repeated.

[0025] If the robot arm 22 is used not only to feed the raw materials 20 from the raw material storage area 18 into the processing machine 12, but also to transport the remnant materials 28 to the remnant material stock 30 and to feed the remnant materials 28 from the remnant material stock 30 into the processing machine 12, the line structure can be simplified compared to the case where a conveyor is installed. The remnant material stock 30 only needs to be on the input side of the processing machine 12, and it may be integrated with the raw material storage area 18.

[0026] 1 is shown at a greatly reduced length, and an apparatus for precutting feather pattern material or structural material is actually 10 meters or longer, making it difficult to remove remnants from the product discharge side within the reach of the illustrated robot arm 22. Therefore, as in this embodiment, remnants 28 are removed from the input side of the processing machine 12 and stored in a remnant stock 30 on the input side of the processing machine 12, thereby making it possible to utilize the robot arm 22.

[0027] It is possible to decide which products can be allocated to the remnant material before or after the pre-cutting process, or if it is judged that the dimensions are sufficiently long, it is advisable to take it out to the remnant material stock even if the product to be allocated has not been decided.On the other hand, if there are no plans to use the remnant material for the time being, it is fine to send it directly to the discharge side. [Example]

[0028] In the second embodiment, the pre-cutting line shown in FIG. 1 is used, and pre-cutting control is performed in the procedure shown in FIG. 5 using the materials 20b and 20c shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c).

[0029] First, a method for allocating products to blanks 20b and 20c using the well-known first-fit method will be described with reference to Figures 3(b) and 3(c). First, the product 36, which is discharged first, is allocated to blank 20b. Since blank 20b does not have enough length to allocate the product 38, which is discharged second, the product 38 is allocated to blank 20c.

[0030] The next product 40, which is number 3 in the discharge order, can be assigned to the material 20b. Then, the next product 42, which is number 4 in the discharge order, and the next product 44, which is number 5 in the discharge order, are assigned to the material 20c.

[0031] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, no matter which product is allocated to one piece of material, the allocation is made in accordance with this order for all materials so that the product discharged first is pre-cut by the processing machine 12 first.

[0032] If precutting were to continue in this state, the materials would be precut and discharged in the following order: product 36, discharge order 1, product 40, discharge order 3, product 38, discharge order 2, and product 42, discharge order 4. For example, Patent Document 1 introduces a technique for rearranging the columnar construction materials in the order they are packed before they are delivered to the construction site. However, this increases the cost of the equipment.

[0033] Therefore, the discharge order of the product (product 40 with discharge order number 3) assigned to a part of the material 20b that is first fed into the processing machine 12 and pre-cut is compared in advance with the discharge order of the product (product 38 with discharge order number 2) that is assigned to the material 20c that is next fed into the processing machine and is to be pre-cut first.

[0034] Because the product 38 with the second discharge order comes before the product 40 with the third discharge order, the portion of the material 20b that was first fed into the processing machine and to which the product with the later discharge order (product 40 with the third discharge order) is allocated is treated in the same way as the leftover material in Example 1. In other words, the portion to which the product 40 with the third discharge order is allocated is left, removed from the input side of the processing machine 12 before pre-cutting, and stored in the leftover material stock 30.

[0035] Thereafter, the material 20c is pre-cut and the product 38 with the second discharge order is discharged, and then the part allocated with the product 42 with the fourth discharge order is taken out from the input side of the processing machine 12 before pre-cutting and stored in the remnant material stock 30.

[0036] Next, the portion allocated to product 40 with discharge order No. 3 is removed from the remnant stock 30 and re-introduced into the processing machine 12 for pre-cutting. Finally, the portion allocated to product 42 with discharge order No. 4 is removed from the remnant stock 30 and re-introduced into the processing machine 12 for pre-cutting. In this way, the products are pre-cut and discharged in the order of product 36 with discharge order No. 1, product 38 with discharge order No. 2, product 40 with discharge order No. 3, and product 42 with discharge order No. 4, so that they can be packaged as is.

[0037] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the pre-cut control device 50 in Example 2. In steps S21 to S23 of this flowchart, the product 36 that is first in the discharge order of the raw material 20b is pre-cut and discharged, and in step S24, the portion allocated to the product that is third in the discharge order is determined to be a remaining material.

[0038] In step S25, this remnant material is stored in the remnant material stock 30. In the next step S26, it is determined whether or not to pre-cut the remnant material already stored in the remnant material stock. In this case, the process returns to step S21 and proceeds to the pre-cutting process of a new material 20c. Then, in step S22, product 38, which is discharged second, is pre-cut, and this product is discharged in step S23. Next, in step S24, the portion allocated to product 42, which is discharged fourth, and product 44, which is discharged fifth, is determined to be remnant material. In step S25, this remnant material is stored in the remnant material stock.

[0039] Then, in step S26, it is determined that product 40 with discharge order No. 3, which was previously stored in the remnant material stock, should be pre-cut, and in step S27, remnant material 28 is removed from remnant material stock 30 and re-introduced into processing machine 12. This returns to step S22, and product 40 with discharge order No. 3 is pre-cut and discharged. Thereafter, in steps S26 and S27, the remnant material assigned to product 42 with discharge order No. 4 and product 44 with discharge order No. 5 is removed, and pre-cut in step S22.

[0040] That is, as described above, the pre-cut control device 50 can specify the order in which the products are discharged, and feed the materials in the material storage area 18 or the leftover materials in the leftover material stock into the processing machine so that they are pre-cut in the above-mentioned order of discharge.

[0041] Therefore, if materials are allocated with priority given to yield, it is difficult to allocate the order of packaging, but if the parts allocated to products with a later discharge order are temporarily stored in the remaining material stock as leftover material, they can then be pre-cut according to the discharge order and discharged in an orderly manner. This allows for efficient pre-cutting without waste.

[0042] The incoming material 20 varies in length to some extent. There may be some scratches on the material, which may result in the usable length being shorter than expected. Therefore, the dimensions of the material 20 may be measured just before it is fed into the processing machine 12, and the material may be pre-cut to a length that is within the usable length range.

[0043] In such a case, the first material input is assigned to product 36, which is number 1 in the discharge order, and pre-cut. If it is determined that product 38, which is number 2 in the discharge order, cannot be assigned to the remaining material, it is temporarily stored as the remaining material. Another method is to assign product 38, which is number 2 in the discharge order, to the next material 20 input, and then, once a product that effectively utilizes the remaining material has been found, assign it to that product and pre-cut it.

[0044] That is, products may be assigned to all materials in advance and discharge sequence data 60 indicating the discharge sequence for each material as shown in FIG. 3 may be generated, or products may be assigned to each material immediately before it is fed into the processing machine 12, and products may be assigned to remaining materials at any timing. [Example]

[0045] For example, in window openings, materials with different cross-sectional dimensions are used for each location, such as studs and window sills. In order to pre-cut and discharge these products in an order that is convenient for packaging, the material fed into the processing machine must be switched each time.

[0046] In the pre-cut line shown in Figure 6, the width of the material storage area 18 is long. In this embodiment, two types of materials 20a and 20b with different cross-sectional dimensions are placed in the material storage area 18. For feathered and structural materials, the length of the material is almost uniform regardless of the cross-sectional dimension, but different width and height dimensions are used depending on the application. The materials 20a and 20b are sorted and placed on the left and right sides of the material storage area.

[0047] Conventionally, in order to automatically sort multiple types of materials placed in the material storage area 18 and feed them into the processing machine, separate feeding conveyors were provided for each material with a different cross-sectional size. In contrast, if a robot arm is used, the sorted materials can be freely sorted and fed into the processing machine, which saves on the equipment that would otherwise be required to provide conveyors. [Example]

[0048] In the above-described third embodiment, this problem was solved by sorting and arranging multiple types of materials in the material storage area 18. In this fourth embodiment, it is further possible to arrange the materials 20 in piles, as shown in Fig. 7. For example, when the materials 20 are brought in, they can be left piled up in an unpacked state.

[0049] That is, it becomes possible to carry the raw materials 20 into the raw material storage area 18 in the same packaging as when they were purchased. In the third embodiment, the width of the raw material storage area 18 was increased to store two types of raw materials, but since there is a limit to how far the raw material storage area 18 can be extended in the width direction, the vertical width is increased. This makes it possible to store raw materials with different cross-sectional dimensions in the area indicated by the dashed line in Figure 7.

[0050] Under the control of the pre-cut control device 50 (FIG. 3), the robot arm 22 can identify where each material is placed, remove the piled materials 20 in order from the top, and feed them into the processing machine 12. This further reduces the burden of transporting and sorting the materials 20 to the material storage area 18. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 12 Processing machine 14 Input conveyor 16 Discharge conveyor 18 Material Storage 20 Materials 22 Robot Arm 24 products 26 Product storage area 28 Leftover material 30 Remnant Stock 32 Allocated Part 34 Unassigned portion 36 Product No. 1 in discharge order 38 Product No. 2 in discharge order 40 Product No. 3 in discharge order 42 Product No. 4 in the discharge order 44 Product No. 5 in the discharge order 46 Product No. 6 in the discharge order 48 Computer 50 Pre-cut control device 52 Pre-cut data 54 Storage device 56 Allocation Data 58 Robot Control Data 60 Emission Order Data

Claims

1. An apparatus for precutting feather or structural material by a processing machine, For each piece of material, products are allocated in this order so that the product with the earliest discharge order is pre-cut and discharged first by the processing machine. The pre-cut products are discharged from the processing machine to the discharge side. The precut processing method is characterized in that a part of the material that has already been allocated to a product and is scheduled for precutting, which is exposed on the input side of the processing machine, is taken out and stored on the input side of the processing machine.

2. A pre-cutting processing method as described in claim 1, characterized in that a portion of the material that has already been assigned a product and is scheduled to be pre-cut, which is exposed on the input side of the processing machine, is removed using a robotic arm.

3. For each piece of material, products are allocated in this order so that the product with the earliest discharge order is pre-cut and discharged first by the processing machine. When the discharge order of the product to be precut first, which is assigned to the material to be fed into the processing machine next, is earlier than the discharge order of the product assigned to the part of the material to be precut first, the part of the material to which the product with the later discharge order of the material to be fed into the processing machine first is assigned is removed from the input side of the processing machine before being precut and stored on the input side of the processing machine; This precutting method is characterized in that a product that is next assigned to the material to be fed into the processing machine and that has an earlier discharge order is precut, and then a part of the material stored on the feeding side is fed into the processing machine again in accordance with the discharge order and precut.

4. A part of the material to be re-input into the processing machine and pre-cut is removed from the processing machine using a robot arm before pre-cutting and stored on the input side of the processing machine; In the material storage area where materials are fed into the processing machine, multiple types of materials with different width or height dimensions are sorted and placed.

4. The precut processing method according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm is used to select any one of the materials and feed it into the processing machine.

5. A part of the material to be re-input into the processing machine and pre-cut is removed from the processing machine using a robot arm before pre-cutting and stored on the input side of the processing machine; In the material storage area where materials are fed into the processing machine, multiple types of materials with different widths or heights are piled up, 4. The precut processing method according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm is used to select any one of the materials and feed it into the processing machine.

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