Angled-Guide Workpiece Support for Compact Laser Tube Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support devices for tubular workpieces in laser processing machines are complex to adjust and require significant space, making it difficult to handle workpieces of varying diameters and non-round cross-sections efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A support device with angled guides and carriages that allow precise adjustment and alignment of guide elements relative to the workpiece, using a drive system with threaded spindles and detection devices for automatic control, and incorporating guide disks for non-round cross-sections, enabling flexible and accurate support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If clamping screws are used to adjust guide elements position, then the support device can be adjusted to different workpiece sizes, but the adjustment process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The support device is divided into modular components: a base support with angled guides, movable carriages that slide along the guides, and adjustable guide elements on each carriage. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each carriage along its guide path, simplifying the overall adjustment process while maintaining adaptability to different workpiece dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The guide elements are designed to be dynamically adjustable during operation. Each carriage can be independently positioned along its angled guide by sliding, allowing real-time adaptation to different workpiece sizes without complex reconfiguration. The dynamic nature of the adjustment mechanism eliminates the need for complex clamping screw systems
2Adaptability or versatility
If scissor-like guide levers with central handwheel are used, then the distance between guide elements can be adjusted, but the installation space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a scissor-like mechanism that expands in a radial pattern requiring significant horizontal space, the invention employs carriages that slide linearly along angled guides arranged in a compact configuration. This dimensional change from radial expansion to linear sliding motion along angled paths reduces the installation footprint while maintaining the ability to adjust the distance between guide elements
Solution Approach 2:
The carriages and guide elements are designed to nest compactly when in the retracted position. The angled guides are arranged to allow the carriages to slide close to the base support, creating a nested configuration that minimizes the overall installation space while still providing full adjustability range
3Adaptability or versatility
If scissor-like guide levers with rotary handwheel are used, then the distance between guide elements is adjustable, but the adjustment process lacks linear relationship with diameter change
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the rotary handwheel mechanism with a linear sliding system. Each carriage slides linearly along its angled guide in direct proportion to the required adjustment in workpiece diameter. This linear sliding motion provides a direct, intuitive relationship between the adjustment distance and the workpiece diameter change, eliminating the non-linear relationship inherent in rotary mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is designed so that the position parameter of each carriage changes linearly with the workpiece diameter parameter. By using linear sliding along angled guides rather than rotary motion, the system maintains a direct proportional relationship between the adjustment input and the resulting guide element separation, making the adjustment process more intuitive and easier to operate
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a supporting device for supporting a workpiece (12) to be machined in a laser machining machine (11), having a base carrier (31), which has a guide body (24) for fastening in the laser machining machine (11), having a guide device (35), provided on the base carrier (31), for guiding the workpiece (12), said guide device (35) comprising at least two guide elements (46) for the workpiece (12) to rest on, which are settable in terms of their spacing from one another, wherein the guide device (35) has two slides (36, 37) that are movable with respect to the base carrier (31) and at least one guide element (46) is provided on each slide (36, 37), and the slides (36, 37) are movable along two guides (38, 39) that are arranged at an angle and are provided on the base carrier (31).