Machining Unit with Movable Coating Magazine

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing processing machines for wood and wood-based materials require significant non-productive time and installation space for edge band coating, with operators needing to enter the safety area to load edge band storage, leading to inefficiencies and exposure to dust.

Innovation Solution

A processing machine with a multi-axis processing head and independent coating unit on a bar-shaped guide arrangement, allowing for parallel operation and easy access to the coating material magazine from the operating side, reducing downtime and space requirements while maintaining safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the coating unit and tool magazine are arranged on the back of the processing machine, then the coating function can be integrated, but the operator must enter the safety area to load edge band material, increasing safety risks and exposure to dust

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating function integrationVSAvoidoperator exposure to dust and safety risks
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The coating unit is moved from the rear horizontal position to the front horizontal position along the guide arrangement, changing the spatial dimension of access. This allows the operator to load edge band material from the front safety area rather than entering the rear safety area, reducing dust exposure while maintaining coating functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The coating unit is extracted as an independent movable component from the fixed rear arrangement and positioned on its own carriage along the guide arrangement. This separation allows independent movement and positioning of the coating unit away from the tool magazine area, enabling front access for material loading.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Productivity

If the coating device is always carried in the vicinity of the processing area, then coating can be performed continuously, but the coating device is exposed to processing dust

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating continuityVSAvoidcoating device exposure to dust
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The coating unit is made dynamically movable along the guide arrangement on its own carriage, allowing it to be positioned in different locations (front, rear, left, right) depending on the processing requirements. This dynamic positioning enables the coating unit to stay near the processing area for continuous coating while being able to move away to avoid dust exposure when not in use.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Area of stationary object

If multiple units are arranged on a single guide arrangement, then installation space is reduced, but the units must share the guide arrangement space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation spaceVSAvoidshared guide arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide arrangement is segmented into multiple independent carriages (first carriage for tool magazine, second carriage for coating unit). Each carriage can move independently along the guide arrangement, allowing multiple units to share the same guide structure without interfering with each other's operations, thus reducing installation space while maintaining operational independence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3115164B1Machining unit
Publication Date: 2018.10.17 HOMAG GMBH
  • EP3115164B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3115164B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a processing machine (1) for processing workpieces (2), which preferably consist at least partially of wood, wood-based materials or the like, comprising at least one processing unit (3) for processing the workpiece, and at least one coating unit (6) for coating the workpiece (2) with coating material (7), which has at least one associated coating material magazine (8) for providing coating material (7) for the coating process; wherein the processing machine (1) has a beam-shaped guide arrangement (10) along which the processing unit (3) and the coating unit (6) are movably arranged on the guide arrangement (10); and wherein the coating unit (6) is movable to an operator side (20) of the processing machine (1) such that the coating material magazine (8) can be loaded with coating material (7) by an operator.