JP7776403B2 - cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to cutting machine technology.

Cutting machine technology for cutting sheet material covered with a covering sheet is well known, as described, for example, in Patent Document 1.

Patent Document 1 discloses cutting machine technology in which a stack of sheet materials, covered with a cover sheet, is sucked onto a cutting table and then cut using a cutting head. The cutting machine described in Patent Document 1 has X-axis carriages that are movable in the X-axis direction provided on the outer sides of the suction surface of the cutting table in the width direction. A Y-beam is provided between the pair of X-axis carriages to support the cutting head so that it can move in the Y direction.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the cutting machine described in Patent Document 1. Note that in Figure 8, the reference numerals of the cutting machine in Patent Document 1 have been changed as appropriate to correspond to the reference numerals of the embodiments of the present invention. In the above-mentioned cutting machine, the end distance H from the widthwise end of the suction surface (cutting area 110) of the cutting table to the line T along which the base 210 of the X-axis traveling body moves is relatively wide (see Figure 8(a)). The above-mentioned line T is a line formed by the movement trajectory of the base 210, with a width as shown in the figure.

Here, as shown in Figure 8(b), when a cover sheet is laid on thin sheet material 2, the excess cover sheet 3 tends to spread in the width direction. In the cutter described in Patent Document 1, the end distance H is sufficiently wide, so the excess cover sheet remains within the above range even when cutting thin sheet material 2.

However, in recent years, there has been a demand for smaller cutting machines. For example, if the suction surface area of the cutting table 100 remains the same but the distance between the bases 210 is narrowed, the edge distance H will become narrower. In such a case, if a covering sheet 3 with a relatively long width corresponding to a stack of thick sheet materials 2 is used on a stack of thin sheet materials 2, the widthwise edge of the covering sheet 3 will interfere with the line T, and there is a risk of it being caught by the base 210. Furthermore, preparing multiple variations of covering sheets 3 with different width dimensions depending on the thickness of the stack of sheet materials 2 places a heavy burden on the user, and if a covering sheet 3 of a size that is not available commercially is to be prepared, costs will also increase. For these reasons, a cutting machine that can prevent covering sheets from getting caught in the base of the beam moving body is desired.

JP 2009-72887 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the above situation, and the problem it aims to solve is to provide a cutter that can prevent the covering sheet from getting caught in the base of the beam moving body.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is as described above, and the means for solving this problem will now be explained.

That is, the cutting machine of the present invention is a cutting machine that cuts sheet material that is covered with a cover sheet and sucked into the cutting area of a cutting table using a cutting head supported by a beam moving body that can move in a predetermined moving direction, and is equipped with: a first guide portion that is provided on the table surface of the cutting table along the line along which the base of the beam moving body moves and between the cutting area, and that protrudes in a direction intersecting the table surface and can support the cover sheet from below; and a second guide portion that is provided on the base on at least one side of the moving direction, and whose height of a tip portion away from the base in the moving direction is equal to or less than the height of the first guide portion, and which is configured so that its tip portion is located between the first guide portion located on the anti-cutting area side and the cover sheet supported by the first guide portion in the width direction of the cutting table that is perpendicular to the moving direction along the table surface.
By configuring it in this way, the covering sheet supported by the first guide portion can be turned up by the second guide portion, thereby preventing the covering sheet from getting caught in the base portion of the beam moving body.

The cutter may further include a suction section provided on the cutting area side of the first guide section in the width direction to suck the cover sheet supported by the first guide section.
With this configuration, the covering sheet is raised along the first guide portion, thereby ensuring a space for guiding the second guide portion.

In addition, in the cutting machine, the protruding tip of the first guide portion may be formed in a line shape along the movement direction.
By configuring in this manner, it is possible to effectively prevent the covering sheet from getting caught in the base portion of the beam moving body.

The effect of the present invention is to prevent the covering sheet from getting caught in the base of the beam moving body.

1 is a side view schematically showing a cutting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1A is a side view schematically showing the base of a beam mover, and FIG. 1B is a plan view schematically showing the base of a beam mover. FIG. 4 is a rear cross-sectional view schematically showing an end portion in the width direction of the cutting machine. 1A is a plan view schematically showing a first guide portion, and FIG. 1B is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing the first guide portion. 10A is a side view schematically showing the second guide portion, and FIG. 10B is a rear view schematically showing the second guide portion. 1A is a rear cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tip of the second guide part is inserted between the first guide part and the cover sheet, and FIG. 1B is a rear cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover sheet supported by the first guide part is turned up by the second guide part. 1A is a cross-sectional rear view of a laminate of relatively thick sheet materials with a covering sheet laid thereon, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional rear view of a laminate of relatively thin sheet materials with a covering sheet laid thereon.

In the following description, the directions indicated by arrows U, D, F, B, L, and R in the figures are defined as the upward, downward, forward, backward, leftward, and rightward directions, respectively. Furthermore, since the cutting machine 1 according to this embodiment transports the sheet material 2 from the front to the rear, the forward and backward directions are referred to as the transport direction, with the front side defined as the upstream side in the transport direction and the rear side defined as the downstream side in the transport direction. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience in the descriptions, some components may be omitted from the drawings, or the shapes and sizes of components may be changed as appropriate.

First, we will explain the overall configuration of the cutting machine 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The cutting machine 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 cuts sheet material 2 into a desired shape. The sheet material 2 can be made of a flexible, breathable material, such as woven or knit fabric, or a resin sheet. The sheet material 2 is cut in a stacked state. The sheet material 2 shown in the following figures is a schematic representation of the stacked state. For convenience, the stacked sheet material 2 may also be referred to simply as "sheet material 2." The cutting machine 1 primarily comprises a cutting table 100, a beam moving body 200, a control unit 300, a first guide unit 400, and a second guide unit 500.

The cutting table 100 has the function of transporting the placed sheet material 2 from the upstream side to the downstream side. As shown in Figure 2, the cutting table 100 has a cutting area 110 where the sheet material 2 is placed and cut, and outer areas 120 located on both the left and right sides of the cutting area 110.

The cutting area 110 is formed by a belt conveyor 111 with a transport function. The surface of the belt conveyor 111 is provided with blocks formed from breathable brushes. Therefore, the upper surface of the cutting area 110 is formed by the tips of the brush bristles. Below the belt conveyor 111, a suction device 112 is provided to suck up the sheet material 2 on the belt conveyor 111.

The left and right outer areas 120 shown in Figure 2 are formed with grooves 121 for moving the beam mover 200 (described later). The grooves 121 are formed so as to open on the upper surface of the outer area 120. The grooves 121 are closed by sheet-like cover belts 122. Both ends of the cover belt 122 in the conveying direction are fixed to the upstream and downstream ends of the grooves 121. In addition, a sheet (not shown) can be installed in the outer area 120 to cover the gap between the outer area 120 and the belt conveyor 111.

As shown in FIG. 1, a spreading machine (not shown) for spreading the sheet material 2 is provided on the cutting table 100 upstream of the belt conveyor 111.

Also, a covering sheet laying device 130 is provided upstream of the belt conveyor 111 for covering the sheet material 2 with a covering sheet 3. The covering sheet 3 is an air-impermeable sheet made of, for example, a synthetic resin film. The covering sheet laying device 130 includes a sheet roller 131 with its axis oriented left and right, and support parts 132 that rotatably support both left and right ends of the sheet roller 131. The covering sheet laying device 130 is configured so that the covering sheet 3 wound around the sheet roller 131 can be laid on the sheet material 2 transported to the cutting area 110.

A pickup table is provided downstream of the belt conveyor 111, to which the cut sheet material 2 is transported. At the pickup table, workers collect the parts cut out from the cut sheet material 2.

The beam mover 200 shown in Figures 1 to 4 supports a cutting head 230 that cuts the sheet material 2 so that it can move in the conveyance direction and the left-right direction. The cutting head 230 is equipped with a cutting blade for cutting the sheet material 2. As shown in Figure 2, the beam mover 200 includes a pair of bases 210 provided in the left and right outer areas 120, and a beam 220 that extends left and right to connect the pair of bases 210. The lower ends of the pair of bases 210 are positioned inside the cutting table 100 via grooves 121.

The beam moving body 200 can be moved in the conveying direction along the groove 121 by a conveying direction movement mechanism 211 provided at the bottom of the base 210 (see Figure 4). The conveying direction movement mechanism 211 in this embodiment employs a drive source 211a, such as a motor, that protrudes downward from the base 210 and has its axis oriented vertically. By engaging the pinion gear 211b provided on the drive source 211a with a rack 113 provided inside the outer area 120, the base 210 can be self-propelled relative to the outer area 120. When the conveying direction movement mechanism 211 is configured as described above, the end distance H from the widthwise end of the cutting area 110 to the line T along which the base 210 of the beam moving body 200 moves can be relatively short compared to, for example, when an endless belt is used as the movement mechanism, thereby enabling a more compact device. The line T is a line formed by the movement trajectory of the bottom of the base 210, with a width as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The line T is formed to extend in the conveying direction, roughly the same as the cover belt 122.

The cutting head 230 can also be moved left and right along the beam 220 by a left and right movement mechanism (not shown). The beam moving body 200 can move the cutting head 230 in the conveying direction and left and right by using the above-mentioned movement mechanisms. The left and right movement mechanism can be a mechanism using a rack and pinion, an endless belt, or the like.

The control unit 300 shown in Figure 1 controls the operation of the cutting machine 1. The control unit 300 includes a processing unit such as a CPU, and a storage unit such as a RAM or ROM. The storage unit of the control unit 300 stores various information and programs used to control the cutting machine 1.

The control unit 300 is connected to each part of the cutting table 100 and the beam moving body 200. The control unit 300 can control the operation of each part of the cutting machine 1 based on a pre-created cutting program, etc. Specifically, the control unit 300 can control the operation of the belt conveyor 111 and the beam moving body 200 to load and unload the sheet material 2 and perform cutting, etc.

The first guide portion 400 shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5 supports the covering sheet 3 from below. The first guide portion 400 is provided in each of the left and right outer areas 120. Note that in Figure 2, the portion representing the first guide portion 400 is shaded in order to make it easier to distinguish between the components. The first guide portion 400 is formed in a shape that is elongated in the conveying direction. The first guide portion 400 is formed by bending a plate-shaped member so that it is roughly L-shaped in cross section (viewed in the conveying direction).

The pair of first guide portions 400 are formed with bilaterally symmetrical shapes. The following description of the first guide portion 400 will focus primarily on the left-hand first guide portion 400, using Figures 4 and 5, etc. The first guide portion 400 includes a support portion 410 and a fixing portion 420.

The support portion 410 shown in Figure 5 is a portion that protrudes upward. The support portion 410 is positioned with its thickness oriented in the left-right direction.

The fixed portion 420 is a portion that protrudes horizontally toward the cutting area 110. The fixed portion 420 is arranged with its thickness oriented in the vertical direction. The fixed portion 420 is fixed to the upper surface of the outer area 120. The fixed portion 420 has holes or notches (not shown) formed therein for fastening using fasteners such as bolts. As shown in Figure 5, a groove 421 extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper surface of the fixed portion 420. Multiple grooves 421 are formed at intervals in the conveying direction.

The first guide section 400 is provided on the upper surface of the outer area 120. The first guide section 400 is provided along the line T, between the line T along which the base section 210 of the beam moving body 200 moves and the cutting area 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the first guide section 400 is arranged parallel to the line T so as to be located closer to the cutting area 110 than the line T. In the first guide section 400 arranged as described above, the protruding tip of the support section 410 is formed in a line along the conveying direction.

The second guide unit 500 rolls up the covering sheet 3 supported by the first guide unit 400. It is provided on each of the pair of base units 210 of the beam moving body 200. Specifically, the second guide unit 500 is provided on the surface of the base unit 210 facing the cutting area 110.

The second guide portion 500 is formed in a generally plate-like shape with its thickness oriented in the left-right direction. The second guide portion 500 is formed so that its upper end is higher than the upper end (tip) of the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 (see Figure 7(b)). The second guide portion 500 is formed in a sloping shape such that the height of the tip portion 510, which is the portion on the tip side in the conveying direction, gradually decreases from the base portion 210 toward the tip. In this embodiment, the tip portion 510 is formed in a generally triangular shape when viewed from the side. The height of the tip portion 510 is formed so that it is equal to or lower than the height of the upper end (tip) of the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 (see Figure 7(a)).

As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, second guide portions 500 are provided on both sides of the base portion 210 in the conveying direction. The second guide portions 500 on both sides in the conveying direction are positioned so that their tip portions 510 protrude in the conveying direction relative to the base portion 210. As shown in Figures 4 and 6(b), the second guide portions 500 are positioned so that their left-right positions are close to the surface of the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 on the anti-cutting area 110 side.

The following describes the operation of the cutting machine 1 described above.

As shown in FIG. 1, stacked sheet materials 2 are transported into the cutting area 110 by a cloth spreading machine (not shown). A covering sheet 3 is laid on the stacked sheet materials 2 from a covering sheet laying device 130. The control unit 300 operates the belt conveyor 111 to transport the stacked sheet materials 2 and covering sheet 3. The control unit 300 also stops the belt conveyor 111 when the entire sheet materials 2 and covering sheet 3 have been transported to a predetermined position in the cutting area 110.

In this state, the control unit 300 can operate the suction device 112 to suck the stacked sheet materials 2 together with the cover sheet 3. This allows the stacked sheet materials 2 to be suction-fixed above the cutting area 110. The sheet materials 2 in the suctioned state are compressed downward, making them lower in height than when not suctioned. The suction-fixed sheet materials 2 can be transported by the belt conveyor 111 while still in this suction-fixed state.

Next, the control unit 300 operates the cutting head 230 of the beam mover 200 to cut the suction-fixed sheet material 2 together with the cover sheet 3 into a predetermined shape. The cutting by the cutting head 230 is performed so that each part is cut out in order, generally from the downstream side to the upstream side.

Unlike the cutting machine of Patent Document 1 (see Figure 8), which has a relatively wide end distance H, the cutting machine 1 of this embodiment has a relatively narrow end distance H, which allows for a more compact device and prevents the covering sheet 3 from getting caught in the base 210 of the beam moving body 200 of the covering sheet 3.

The following describes how the cutter 1 prevents the cover sheet 3 from getting caught, with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7(a) shows the state in which the stacked sheet material 2 is fixed by suction on the cutting area 110. In this case, the cover sheet 3 located in the outer area 120 is supported from below by the first guide section 400.

Here, the air sucked by the suction device 112 flows through the groove 421 of the first guide section 400. As a result, the covering sheet 3 is sucked along the surface of the first guide section 400 facing the cutting area 110 (the inner surface of the support section 410 and the upper surface of the fixing section 420). In this state, the covering sheet 3 is supported so that it stands up from the upper end of the support section 410. By supporting the covering sheet 3 in this manner, the covering sheet 3 can be made to hang gently (in a mountain shape) from the first guide section 400 on the anti-cutting area 110 side. This ensures a gap A (space) between the covering sheet 3 and the support section 410 on the anti-cutting area 110 side.

As shown in Figure 7(a), in this embodiment, as the beam mover 200 moves in the transport direction, the tip 510 of the second guide portion 500 is inserted into the gap A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(b), as the beam mover 200 moves further, the covering sheet 3 supported by the first guide portion 400 can be turned up along the slope of the second guide portion 500. This prevents the covering sheet from getting caught in the base portion 210 of the beam mover 200.

In this embodiment, by forming a groove 421 in the first guide portion 400, the covering sheet 3 can be brought into close contact with the first guide portion 400, effectively forming a gap A. This makes it easier to turn over the covering sheet 3 using the second guide portion 500.

In addition, in this embodiment, the tip of the linear support portion 410 can support the covering sheet 3 from below in a mountain-like shape, making it easier to gently hang the covering sheet 3 from the tip of the support portion 410 on the anti-cutting area 110 side. This makes it easier to turn up the covering sheet 3 supported by the first guide portion 400 using the second guide portion 500, effectively preventing the covering sheet 3 from getting caught in the base portion 210 of the beam moving body 200.

Note that the groove portion 421 in this embodiment is one form of the suction portion according to the present invention.

The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the invention described in the claims.

For example, the shapes of the first guide portion 400 and the second guide portion 500 shown in this embodiment are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these. The shapes of the first guide portion 400 and the second guide portion 500 can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the invention described in the claims.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 is formed in a line shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support portion 410 may be formed by multiple rod-shaped bodies that protrude upward and are arranged along the conveying direction.

In addition, while this embodiment shows an example in which the first guide portion 400 is formed in a generally L-shape with the fixing portion 420, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 may be formed integrally with the upper surface of the outer area 120, or the support portion 410 may be engaged with a groove or the like formed on the upper surface of the outer area 120. As described above, any structure can be used to cause the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400 to protrude from the table surface of the cutting table 100.

In addition, while this embodiment illustrates an example in which the second guide portion 500 is formed in a flat plate shape, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the distance between the base portion 210 and the first guide portion 400 is relatively large, the second guide portion 500 may be bent appropriately to bring the tip portion 510 closer to the first guide portion 400.

In addition, while this embodiment illustrates an example in which the tip portion 510 of the second guide portion 500 is formed into a generally triangular plate shape in side view, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second guide portion 500 may be formed as a rod-shaped body extending diagonally downward, or a rod-shaped body formed into a generally triangular shape in side view. Furthermore, the second guide portion 500 may be formed into a generally conical shape. In this manner, the second guide portion 500 can adopt various shapes in which the height of the tip portion 510 decreases toward the tip. Furthermore, the second guide portion 500 is not limited to the above-described inclined shape. For example, the second guide portion 500 can also be configured by providing a rod-shaped body or plate-shaped body without an inclined portion on the base portion 210 so that it is positioned lower than the support portion 410 of the first guide portion 400.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which a second guide portion 500 is provided on both sides of the base portion 210 in the conveying direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a second guide portion 500 may be provided on only one side of the base portion 210 in the conveying direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which a groove 421 is provided in the first guide unit 400 as a suction unit, but the suction unit is not limited to the above. For example, a hole or notch that penetrates vertically through the fixed unit 420 of the first guide unit 400 may also be formed as a suction unit. In this case, the hole or notch may be connected to the space in which the suction device 112 is provided via a hole that penetrates vertically through the outer area 120 of the cutting table 100, and suction may be performed via the holes.

Also, for example, holes formed in the fixing portion 420 for fixing the fixing portion 420 may serve as the suction portion. Furthermore, if another member (for example, a member for fixing a sheet covering the gap between the outer area 120 and the belt conveyor 111 to the outer area 120) is installed above the fixing portion 420, the gap between the above member and the upper surface of the fixing portion 420 may serve as the suction portion. Furthermore, the first guide portion 400 may not be provided with a suction portion.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Cutter 100 Cutting table 200 Beam moving body 300 Control unit 400 First guide unit 500 Second guide unit

Claims (3)

A cutting machine in which a sheet material covered with a cover sheet is sucked into a cutting area of a cutting table and cuts the sheet material by a cutting head supported on a beam moving body that is movable in a predetermined moving direction,
a first guide portion provided on a table surface of the cutting table along a line along which a base portion of the beam moving body moves and between the line and the cutting area, the first guide portion protruding in a direction intersecting with the table surface and capable of supporting the covering sheet from below;
a second guide portion provided on the base portion on at least one side in the movement direction, the height of a tip portion away from the base portion in the movement direction being equal to or less than the height of the first guide portion, and the tip portion being configured to be positioned between the first guide portion positioned on the anti-cutting area side and the covering sheet supported by the first guide portion in the width direction of the cutting table perpendicular to the movement direction along the table surface;
A cutting machine comprising: a suction section for sucking the cover sheet supported by the first guide section is provided on the cutting area side of the first guide section in the width direction;
The cutting machine according to claim 1. The protruding tip of the first guide portion is formed in a line shape along the movement direction.
The cutting machine according to claim 1.