Automated Saw System with Floating Jaw for Short Lumber Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated lumber cutting equipment struggles with precision cutting and handling of short lumber pieces, as they often drop into scrap bins, making it difficult to make further cuts and distinguish usable pieces from waste, especially for custom structural designs and prefabricated roof trusses requiring multiple mitered cuts.
Innovation Solution
An automated saw system with a carrier and saw that allows for orthogonal adjustment and a floating jaw assembly to grip and convey short lumber pieces, enabling precise cutting and multiple mitered cuts on short members, while a transverse and longitudinal conveyor system positions lumber for cutting and handles short pieces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If current automated lumber cutting equipment is used to cut short lumber pieces, then cutting automation is achieved, but short pieces drop into scrap bins making further cuts impossible and sorting difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A carrier acts as an intermediary between the saw and the scrap bin, catching short lumber pieces after cutting and transporting them to a discharge location. This mediator prevents short pieces from dropping into the scrap bin while maintaining automated cutting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier moves short lumber pieces in a different spatial dimension (along a conveyor path) rather than letting them drop vertically into the scrap bin. This dimensional change allows retrieval and repositioning of short pieces for additional cuts.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple mitered cuts are made on short lumber members, then precision and structural integrity are improved, but the process time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier continuously transports short lumber pieces back to the saw position after each cut, enabling multiple cuts to be performed in succession without interrupting the cutting cycle. This continuous action allows multiple mitered cuts on short pieces without significant time penalty.
3Productivity
If short lumber pieces are conveyed and handled automatically, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is designed to handle both short lumber pieces and normal-length pieces through the same mechanism. This multi-functional design improves productivity without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the same carrier structure serves multiple purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated saw system, including a saw head movable in a cutting stroke and rotatable in angle to perform miter cuts and a lumber feed conveyor to feed lumber to be cut to the saw head. The short lumber member conveyor has a floating gripping assembly that is shiftable along a substantially linear path that is substantially parallel to the lumber long axis whereby a short lumber member cut from the lumber is supported by the short lumber member conveyor during at least part of a cutting process and, after the cutting process is complete, is conveyed from the vicinity of the saw head to an out-feed area for removal.