APPARATUS WITH EXTRACTION DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention concerns an apparatus for machining workpieces (W), comprising: a machining device (30) for machining the workpieces (W), an extraction device (40) for extracting chips produced during machining.

Claims

1. An apparatus for machining workpieces, preferably plate-shaped workpieces, wherein the workpieces consist in particular at least partly of wood, engineered wood, plastic, aluminium, sheet metal or a combination thereof, comprising: a machining device, with a tool for machining the workpieces an extraction device for extracting chips produced during machining; a suction area for suctioning the workpieces during machining; and a vacuum interface area, in particular a connection portion, for a vacuum device, which vacuum interface area is connected to the extraction device and the suction area to supply the extraction area and suction area with vacuum.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a conveying device with a conveying path for conveying the workpieces, in particular horizontally, by means of at least one transport device, wherein the machining device is arranged in the area of the conveying path, and wherein the suction area sucks the workpieces in the direction of the at least one transport device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, having the vacuum device, preferably with the vacuum device as an external suction system, in particular a central suction system, or a vacuum device integrated in the apparatus, preferably a vacuum pump.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the extraction device has an extraction chamber which at least partially surrounds the tool and is arranged below the conveying path, whereby the chips produced are extracted downwards as seen from the conveying path.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conveying device has at least two transport devices running parallel to one another, which are each received by means of a drive roller and a deflection roller, and driven by at least one motor, the tool being provided between the at least two transport devices, preferably centrally, and the suction area preferably being formed around the tool.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction area has a plurality of suction holes and is preferably arranged between the at least one transport device and the tool.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device and the suction area are connected, flow-wise parallel to each other, to a vacuum device, in particular via a common vacuum interface area, in particular a connecting portion.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a hold-down device for holding down and, if necessary, additional pressing of the workpieces against the transport device(s), wherein the hold-down device preferably comprises several rollers arranged consecutively in the conveying direction, or is made of belts, rails or the like.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transport device(s) is/are designed as a chain or toothed belt, preferably toothed belt, which, in the area of the contact surface with the workpieces, consists of natural rubber, silicone rubber or a corresponding material with a high friction coefficient.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the machining device is built as a cutting device with a saw blade.

11. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a base frame for receiving the conveying device, the machining device, the extraction device and the suction area and/or suction areas , which base frame is formed below the conveying device in the form of a box housing which has a feed-in bulkhead wall, a feed-out bulkhead wall and a rear bulkhead wall, wherein the feed-in bulkhead wall together with a cover plate of a/the extraction chamber and outer walls of the box housing form a feed-in suction chamber, wherein the feed-out bulkhead wall together with the cover plate of the extraction chamber, the rear bulkhead wall and the outer walls of the box housing form a feed-out suction chamber, and wherein the extraction chamber is open downwards into box housing, by which three openly communicating extraction chambers are formed, which can be supplied with a vacuum by way of the common vacuum interface area, in particular connection portion, which is provided on an outer wall of box housing.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the vacuum interface area, in particular the connection portion, is circular and preferably provided in the lower area of an outer wall of box housing.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein feed-in bulkhead and feed-out bulkhead are housed in box housing such that they are each pivotable about an axis in such a way that the orientation of the two bulkheads relative to each other is variable, whereby the suction air ratio between the three extraction chambers can be varied.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein suction area or suction areas is/are formed by cover plates of box housing which have the plurality of suction holes, and/or suction area or suction areas is/are formed as a closed suction box(es), preferably as suction pipe(s).

15. A methodfor machining workpieces, preferably plate-shaped workpieces, in particular workpieces consisting at least partly of wood, engineered wood, plastic, aluminium, sheet metal or a combination thereof, comprising: suction of the workpiece during machining, it being preferred that the workpiece is transported during machining; machining of the workpiece; and extraction of chips produced during machining, wherein extraction of the chips and suction of the workpiece is carried out by a vacuum provided by a common vacuum interface area, in particular a connection portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional front view of an embodiment of the apparatus for machining workpieces according to the present invention,

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus for machining workpieces according to the present invention with two transport devices, the two suction areas being formed by means of cover plates,

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus for machining workpieces according to the present invention with four transport devices, the suction areas being formed by means of cover plates,

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus for machining workpieces according to the present invention with four transport devices, the suction areas being formed by means of closed suction boxes, and

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the apparatus for machining workpieces according to the present invention with two transport devices, a workpiece to be machined being shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the attached figures. Further variants and modifications of individual features mentioned in this context can be combined with each other to form new embodiments.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional front view of an apparatus for machining plate-shaped workpieces W according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Within the apparatus shown, the plate-shaped workpieces W can be conveyed in a horizontal direction using a conveying device 10, so that the workpieces W are guided past a machining device 30 (in FIG. 1, for example, from left to right). The machining device 30 is arranged in particular in the area of a conveying path FS of the conveying device 10 and carries out machining on the conveyed workpieces W with a tool 31. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus has an extraction device 40 with which the chips produced by the machining device 30 during machining of the workpieces W are sucked out and removed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device also has a vacuum device 80 which serves to supply extraction device 40 and suction area 50 (see FIG. 2-5) with sufficient vacuum.

[0042] Here the vacuum device 80 can be formed externally, i.e. separately from the apparatus for machining, or integrated in the apparatus. The external variant is particularly suitable if a central extraction system is installed on the installation site of the device, for example in a preparation area of a wood processing plant. In this case, special maintenance of the apparatus, i.e. the maintenance and cleaning of dust filters, the emptying of collecting containers for the chips, etc. can be left out.

[0043] However, to simplify the illustration, FIG. 1 shows an example of a variant in which the vacuum device is integrated in the apparatus or designed as a separate vacuum device but part of the apparatus in close proximity. This offers a particular advantage if the apparatus for machining is not installed in a fixed location but is a mobile device. This eliminates the need to connect or disconnect from the central extraction system. The vacuum device is preferably provided in the form of a vacuum pump.

[0044] The extraction device 40 also has an extraction chamber 52, which, as shown in FIG. 2, partly surrounds tool 31 and which is arranged below the conveying path FS. The extraction chamber 52 is open towards the top and fluidically connected with the vacuum device on the underside of the conveying path FS, which allows a suction effect on the chips generated during machining, and so that they can be extracted downwards as seen from the conveying path and fed to a collection container or similar.

[0045] In the embodiment in FIG. 2, the device also has two transport devices 11 arranged symmetrically to tool 31 and parallel to each other. As further shown, these are each received by means of a drive roller 12 and a deflection roller 13 and driven by a common motor 14. However, they could also be provided with separate drives. Furthermore, suction area 50 is preferably formed around tool 31 in order to maximize the suction power and thus the suction force with which the workpiece W is pressed onto the transport devices 11 during the machining of the workpiece W.

[0046] As can also be seen in FIG. 2, suction area 50 is preferably arranged between the two transport devices 11 and the tool 31 and has a plurality of suction holes 56 through which the vacuum acts on the workpiece W passing by. The distance between the respective suction holes 56 can be varied over the longitudinal direction of the suction area 50, which is parallel to the conveying direction X (in FIG. 2 from left to right) of the conveying device 10. For example, in the vicinity of tool 31, the distance between the suction holes 56 is preferably reduced (increasing the density of the suction holes), and in feed-in area 58 and feed-out area 59 of the conveying device 10, the distance is increased (not shown) away from tool 31.

[0047] As can also be seen in FIG. 1, extraction device 40 and suction area 50 are arranged flow-wise parallel to each other, i.e. the vacuum from vacuum device 80 is guided or conducted parallel to extraction device 40 and suction area 50. For this purpose, both can be connected to the vacuum device 80 via a common connection portion 53.

[0048] As previously described, conveying device 10 has a feed-in area 58 and a feed-out area 59. According to the two areas, the suction area can also be divided into a feed-in suction area and a feed-out suction area.

[0049] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the device also has a hold-down device 90, with which the workpieces W can be held down if necessary and thus additionally pressed onto the transport devices 11 if necessary. If the additional pressure force is only required during the machining of the workpieces W, it may be sufficient to place the hold-down device 90 only above the area of the conveying device 10 where machining takes place.

[0050] The hold-down device 90 can be made, in particular as shown, in the form of an upside down mounted roller conveyor whose distance to the conveying device 10 and thus to the transported workpieces 10 is adjustable. Instead of the featured rollers 91, which are arranged consecutively in conveying direction X, belts, rails or the like can also be provided.

[0051] The transport devices 11 can be formed as chain or belt, preferably toothed belt, which is not shown in detail in the figures. If a toothed belt is used as transport devices 11, it should have a high coefficient of friction, especially in the area of the contact surface with the workpieces W. It is therefore advantageous if the contact surface of the toothed belt is made of natural rubber, silicone rubber or a corresponding material with a high coefficient of friction.

[0052] As is also clear from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the machining device 30 is designed as a cutting device 30, which has a saw blade 31. The saw blade 31 is mounted upright (vertically) and rotates about an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the conveying direction X and parallel to a conveying plane spanned by the conveying device 10 (or the transport devices 11). Furthermore, the saw blade 31 projects slightly upwards over the transport devices 11 to ensure the workpieces W can also be parted. Due to the arrangement as described, the machining direction, i.e. the cutting direction of saw blade 31, is parallel to the conveying direction X of conveying device 10.

[0053] The following describes in more detail the exemplary base frame 70 of the apparatus for machining shown in FIG. 1. The base frame 70 serves to accommodate the conveying device 10, the machining device 30, the extraction device 40 and the suction area or areas 50. Preferably, base frame 70 is formed below the conveying device 10, in the form of a box housing 75. As FIG. 1 shows, the box housing 75 has three bulkhead walls.

[0054] Below the feed-in area 58, a feed-in bulkhead wall 71 is arranged, which together with a cover plate 74 of the extraction chamber 52 and outer walls 76 of the box housing 75 forms a feed-in extraction chamber 54. Furthermore, a feed-out bulkhead wall 73 is arranged below feed-out area 59 near tool 31 and extraction chamber 52. A rear bulkhead wall 72 is located at the other end of feed-out area 59, i.e. at the end of feed-out area 59 remote from tool 31. The feed-out bulkhead wall 73 and rear bulkhead wall 72 together with the outer walls 76 of box housing 75 and cover plate 74 of extraction chamber 52 form a feed-out extraction chamber 55. As shown in FIG. 1, the three bulkhead walls are arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to conveying direction X. Furthermore, extraction chamber 52, feed-in extraction chamber 54 and feed-out extraction chamber 55 are open at the bottom, which means that three extraction chambers 52, 54, 55 communicate openly with each other. As also shown, the three extraction chambers 52, 54, 55 are connected to the vacuum device 80 using a common connection portion 53, which is provided on an outer wall 76 of box housing 75.

[0055] If vacuum device 80 is to be integrated directly into box housing 75, a similar design is conceivable. In this case, vacuum device 80 can be accommodated in a fourth chamber, which is arranged perpendicular to the three extraction chambers and can communicate with the three extraction chambers via a central passage.

[0056] In both cases it is advantageous if connection portion 53 or the passage is provided in the lower area of box housing 75, e.g. in an outer wall 76 of box housing 75. It is preferably that connection portion 53 is centred with respect to an outer wall 76 of box housing 75 parallel to conveying direction X.

[0057] As shown in the top view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 for machining workpieces according to an embodiment, suction area 50 or suction areas 58/59 are formed by cover plates 51 of box housing 75, which have a plurality of suction holes 56. Two symmetrical cover plates 51 are provided in the embodiment shown, each covering the complete suction area 50 to the right and left of the tool.

[0058] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment in which conveying device 10 has four transport devices 11, which are arranged parallel to each other and symmetrical to tool 31. According to the four transport devices 11, suction area 50 is formed by four cover plates 51, of which two cover plates 51 are arranged between tool 31 and the inner transport devices 11, and the other two cover plates 51 are arranged between inner and outer transport devices 11. By means of this arrangement of the cover plates 51, cover area 51 can be maximized, whereby the machined workpieces W are sucked in over a large area and thus pressed against transport devices 11 over a large area.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, conveying device 10 is also constructed using four transport devices 11, which are arranged parallel to each other and symmetrical to tool 31. In contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, however, suction area 50 is not formed by means of four cover plates 51, but is formed by four self-contained suction boxes 57, which are preferably designed cost-effectively in the form of suction pipes with a rectangular cross-section. As with the design with cover plates 51, suction boxes 57 have a plurality of suction holes 56. The advantage of making suction area 50 using suction boxes 57 is that the suction boxes 57 themselves are airtight except for the suction holes 56 and the connection for vacuum device 80. This makes a complex, almost airtight seal of box housing 75 obsolete.

[0060] FIG. 5 serves to illustrate the feed forces already described above (F.sub.VL, F.sub.VR) which act on workpiece W due to the frictional connection in play between the transport devices and the workpiece. In FIG. 5, a workpiece W is shown, which is located in feed-in area 58, i.e. shortly before machining. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the plate-shaped workpiece W covers suction holes 56 of the feed-in suction area over a large area, whereby the vacuum can act on workpiece W and thus pressed it against transport devices 11 in addition to its own weight. By sucking in or pressing the workpiece against transport devices 11, a frictional connection can be generated, whereby in conjunction with the transport speed of the transport devices 11, one or more feed forces (F.sub.Vn, F.sub.Vn), in the embodiment shown two feed forces (F.sub.VL, F.sub.VR), act on the workpiece, which can be used as feed force during machining.

[0061] In summary, the apparatus according to the invention for machining workpieces W and their further developments creates a cost-effective device with which preferably plate-shaped workpieces W are pressed against transport device or devices 11 of a conveying device 10 included in the apparatus, by suction of the workpieces W, using a suction area 50 integrated in the apparatus, whereby it is made possible to transport the workpieces W safely and precisely in position with conveying device 10 during machining.

[0062] As a result, a complex holding and feeding device for positioning and holding the workpieces W during machining, in particular for providing the necessary feed force for machining, can be dispensed with. This greatly simplifies the design of the apparatus of the invention. In addition, the use of a common vacuum device 80 for suction area 50 and extraction device 40, which serves to extract chips produced during machining, can reduce the complexity of the apparatus and reduce the energy requirement by sparing the need for a further vacuum device 80. Furthermore, with the proposed apparatus, the known susceptibility to dirt of conventional conveying devices with suction function can be reduced and, in the case of a central extraction system, the associated high maintenance costs can be reduced or avoided by eliminating any dust filters or collection containers for the chips produced.