Rotary Workpiece Table Partition Wall for Safer Machine Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine tools pose safety risks during workpiece loading and unloading due to the need for a significant distance between the work spindle and the workpiece table to avoid operator injury, which increases the overall machine size and reduces accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool design featuring a workpiece table that can rotate or swivel with a partition wall extending across its width and length, allowing the workpiece holder to be positioned between the work spindle and the operator, with a partition wall that includes openings and closure means to ensure safe access and compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the work spindle is spaced far away from the workpiece table, then operator safety is improved during loading and unloading, but the overall machine size increases and accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece table is designed to rotate between a working position (where the workpiece is processed by the spindle) and a separating position (where the partition wall separates the operator from the spindle). This dynamic repositioning allows the distance between spindle and operator to be reduced while maintaining safety during loading/unloading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
A partition wall is introduced as an intermediary protective structure on the workpiece table. This partition wall physically separates the operator from the work spindle during loading and unloading operations, enabling safer operation at reduced distances without requiring excessive spacing for safety margins.
2Reliability
If the workpiece table rotates into a separating position with the partition wall, then operator protection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece table serves multiple functions: it supports the workpiece holder, enables rotation between working and separating positions, and incorporates the partition wall as an integrated safety feature. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective structures, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall is merged with the workpiece table structure rather than being a separate component. This integration combines the support function and the protective function into a single structural element, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining operator protection capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine tool with a machine frame with at least one work spindle, at least one workpiece table, which is mounted in the machine frame so as to rotate or swivel about an axis of rotation, which has a supporting structure including a closed, planar partition wall extending across the entire width of the workpiece table transverse to the axis of rotation and across the entire length of the workpiece table parallel to the axis of rotation and which includes at least one workpiece holder. The workpiece table can be transferred into a separating position in which the partition wall is arranged with its largest surface extending transversely to the associated spindle axis and spatially separates a first area of the workpiece table facing the work spindle, in which a workpiece holder faces the work spindle, from a second area of the workpiece table facing away from the work spindle.