Abstract
A guide device is provided for guiding a workpiece into or out of a processing machine. The processing machine can have a conveying means for conveying the workpiece in a feed direction (D). Further, the processing machine can have a support surface with air outlets that are adapted to create an air cushion between the support surface and the workpiece using exiting air. The support surface can be arranged at a machine infeed or a machine outfeed of the processing machine and have an extension portion, which can be arranged adjacent to a conveying means end portion of the conveying means along the feed direction (D).
Claims
1. Guide device for guiding a workpiece into or out of a processing machine, the processing machine having a conveying means for conveying the workpiece in a feed direction (D), wherein the guide device has: a support surface with air outlets, wherein the air outlets are adapted to create an air cushion between the support surface and the workpiece using exiting air, wherein the support surface can be arranged at a machine infeed or a machine outfeed of the processing machine, and has an extension portion which can be arranged adjacent to a conveying means end portion of the conveying means along the feed direction (D).
2. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion can be arranged on both sides adjacent to the conveying means end portion along the feed direction (D).
3. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein a recess is provided at a support surface end portion of the support surface, the recess being adapted to accommodate the conveying means end portion in order to form the extension portion.
4. Guide device according to claim 3, wherein a length of the recess from the support surface end portion to a recess base of the recess is at least 10 cm.
5. Guide device according to claim 3, wherein the recess is substantially U-shaped, V-shaped or horseshoe-shaped.
6. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is formed in one piece.
7. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the support surface can be arranged on the conveying means in such a way that the support surface directly adjoins the conveying means.
8. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the air outlets have a constant cross-section along a direction perpendicular to the support surface.
9. Guide device according to claim 8, wherein the cross-section of the air outlets is circular and has a diameter of 0.1-2.0 mm.
10. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the air outlets are distributed over the entire area of the support surface.
11. Guide device according to claim 1, wherein the guide device is an air cushion table attachable to the processing machine.
12. Processing machine for processing a workpiece, which preferably consists at least partly of wood, wood materials, metal materials or plastic, the processing machine having: a conveying means for conveying the workpiece in a feed direction (D), and a guide device for guiding the workpiece into or out of the processing machine according to claim 1.
13. Processing machine according to claim 12, wherein the conveying means comprises a traction means, in particular an endless circulating element such as a chain or a belt.
14. Processing machine according to claim 12, wherein the processing machine further comprises an air supply network, the air supply network being adapted to supply the guide device with air.
15. Processing machine according to claim 12, wherein the processing machine further comprises a fan, in particular an electric fan, the fan being adapted to supply the guide device with air.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0056] Further preferred features and advantages of the invention are given in the following description of the figures.
[0057] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a preferred processing machine with a preferred guide device.
[0058] FIG. 2A shows a schematic side view of a preferred guide device.
[0059] FIG. 2B shows a schematic plan view of the guide device from FIG. 2A.
[0060] FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the upper side of the guide device from FIG. 2.
[0061] FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of the underside of the guide device from FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0062] Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in detail below, with reference to the attached figures, in order to describe the invention by means of illustrative examples. Further modifications of certain individual features described in this context can be combined with other features of the described embodiments so as to form further embodiments of the invention.
[0063] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a preferred processing machine 2 with a preferred guide device 1.
[0064] The processing machine 2 has a machine infeed 6, in which a workpiece is guided into the processing machine 2. The processing machine 2 also has a conveying means 3, which, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, is an endless circulating element in the form of a chain. In the embodiment shown, the chain moves along a feed direction D. A workpiece placed on the chain is therefore also moved along the feed direction D to be processed in the processing machine. The chain or the conveying means 3 has a conveying means end portion 8 at the machine infeed 6, which corresponds to the start of the conveying means 3 in the feed direction D. In the machine infeed 6, a workpiece to be processed is fed to the conveying means end portion 8 of the conveying means 3 in order to be conveyed on the conveying means 3 or the chain through the processing machine.
[0065] The preferred guide device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a substantially rectangular shape. In this example, the guide device 1 is arranged on or attached to the processing machine 2, more precisely on/to its machine infeed 6. The support surface 4 of the guide device 1 has a flat shape.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 1, the support surface 4 has a recess 10 at a support surface end portion 9 thereof, which extends from the support surface end portion 9 towards the rear side of the support surface 4. It can be also seen from FIG. 1 that the recess 10 is adapted or configured so as to accommodate the conveying means end portion 8 of the conveying means 3. Consequently, the extension portion 7 of the support surface 4 is arranged on both sides adjacent to the conveying means end portion 8 of the conveying means 3 when viewed along the feed direction D.
[0067] The guide device 1 in FIG. 1 has air outlets 5 on its support surface 4 to create an air cushion. In this embodiment, the guide device 1 is an air cushion table. Starting from a rear side of the support surface 4, which is a side that is furthest away from the processing machine 2 when viewed along the feed direction D, a workpiece is placed on the support surface 4. The air exiting through the air outlets 5 creates an air cushion between the support surface 4 and the workpiece, so that the workpiece is placed in a floating state above the support surface 4, in which state the workpiece can be moved with little effort, for example by an operator. To process the workpiece, the workpiece must be fed into the machine infeed 6 of the processing machine 2. For this purpose the workpiece is moved, starting from the rear side of the support surface 4, over the support surface 4 substantially in the feed direction D until it is taken over by the conveying means 3, or more precisely by its conveying means end portion 8, to be conveyed through the processing machine 2. The workpiece is transferred from the guide device 1 to the processing machine 2 at the extension portion 7 of the support surface 4. By providing the extension portion 7 on the support surface 4, it is possible to keep the workpiece in a floating state above the support surface 4 until it is fully transferred to the conveying means 3. As a result, it is not necessary to provide additional elements, such as infeed rollers and the like, to support the workpiece when it is transferred to the processing machine, as is the case with conventional air cushion table arrangements at the machine infeed of a processing machine, for example.
[0068] FIG. 2A shows a schematic side view of a preferred guide device 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the guide device 1 has a substantially flat support surface 4. The guide device 1 can be supplied with air via air connections on its underside. The air can be supplied by the air supply network of the processing machine 2. In this embodiment, the guide device 1 has a length of approximately 0.8-2.0 m, preferably 0.8 to 1.2 m, along its longitudinal axis.
[0069] FIG. 2B shows a schematic plan view of the guide device 1 from FIG. 2A. The air outlets 5 are distributed over the entire area of the support surface 4. In this embodiment, however, the density of the air outlets 5 per unit area is greater on one side of the support surface 4 than on the other side of the support surface 4. This can have advantages when guiding workpieces, depending on the type of workpiece and/or type of processing machine.
[0070] On the right-hand side of the guide device 1 in FIG. 2B, the support surface 4 has an extension portion 7, which in this embodiment is formed by the provision of the recess 10. As can be seen in FIG. 2B, the recess 10 extends from the support surface end portion 9 to the recess base 11 of the recess 10. The recess 10 is adapted to accommodate the conveying means end portion 8, for example of the conveying means 3 in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the support surface 4 accordingly has an extension portion 7, which can be arranged on both sides adjacent to the conveying means end portion 8. This allows particularly safe and stable transfer of the workpieces to the conveying means end portion 8 of the conveying means 3. Depending on the conditions and requirements of the processing machine 2 and/or of the workpieces, the extension portion 7 can be shorter on one side of the conveying means end portion 8 than on the other side of the conveying means end portion 8, as shown in FIG. 2B. The extension portion 7 can also be narrower on one side of the conveying means end portion 8 than on the other side of the conveying means end portion 8.
[0071] FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the upper side of the guide device 1 from FIG. 2. This view shows the structure of the guide device 1. In this embodiment, the guide device 1 is an air cushion table. The air cushion table has a base body 13 and a cover panel 14, which corresponds to the support surface 4 with air outlets 5. The base body 13 has small ducts (not shown) on its surface to distribute the air over the entire surface of the air cushion table. The cover panel 14, which is provided with holes distributed over the entire surface of the air cushion table as air outlets 5, is arranged above the base body 13 so that the holes lie directly above an air duct of the base body 13.
[0072] FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of the underside of the guide device 1 from FIG. 3. The guide device 1 can have a plurality of air connections on its underside, for example for connection to the air supply network of the processing machine 2.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
[0073] 1 Guide device [0074] 2 Processing machine [0075] 3 Conveying means [0076] 4 Support surface [0077] 5 Air outlet/air outlets [0078] 6 Machine infeed [0079] 7 Extension portion [0080] 8 Conveying means end portion [0081] 9 Support surface end portion [0082] 10 Recess [0083] 11 Recess base [0084] 12 Base body [0085] 13 Cover panel
