Handling and supporting structure for cutting machines

Abstract: A handling and supporting structure (10) for cutting machines, applicable in particular in machines that perform water jet cutting operations on leathers, hides and synthetic materials, comprising a plurality of comb-like elements (12), obtained starting from reduced thickness sheet, said elements being parallel with one another and/or differently oriented, and formed by approached and aligned needles (20), whose sides decrease in width from the portion near the base (12') from which they develop vertically up to the top of the structure; and comprising also a supporting frame for said comb-like elements (12), made up by two or more laminations (14) of any form and size, vertically and transversally arranged relatively to said elements (12).

Description: The present invention relates to a handling and supporting structure for cutting machines of the type shown in US-A-5,049,723, figures 1 and 5. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure as defined above, especially suitable to equip machines that perform leather cutting by means of water jet systems. As is known, the realisation of artefacts in footwear- and leather goods sectors generally involves, among the other preliminary operations, the cutting of the leather that forms the raw material The artefact, for instance a shoe, is made up by several parts specifically shaped, that are obtained from the leather by means of individual cutting operations. Such interventions may be carried out by means of hollow punching on apparatuses just called punchers, or on machines that operate by means of water jets. The known water jet cutting machines are provided with a wide working bench whereon there lies the leather, or hide or possibly synthetic material from which the different shaped parts are obtained; the water jet, coming out at a very high pressure from a small hole of a nozzle borne by a mobile frame towering above the working bench relatively to which it is automatically moved, incises and goes through the leather, obtaining the shaped part. Under the working bench there is formed a water collecting and conveying basin. The working bench or resting top for the leather must be obviously permeable, while showing at the same time sufficient strength characteristics to bear the leather without flexures; the known art conventionally uses for this purpose wire nets or the like, whose suitably sized meshes give rise all the same to a severe drawback. In fact, water, expelled at high pressure from the hole finds a barrier to its flowing in the underlying basin in correspondence of the individual meshes of the net defined by wire or metal straps, and, unavoidably, reverberates and nebulizes; as a consequence, the leather tends to absorb a part of water, especially along the cut edges. To reduce this phenomenon, there is located on the working benches of said machines, above the wire net, a layer of absorbing material, formed, for instance, by a rubber plate on which the leather is placed. These plates are cut into many shaped parts, as happens for the overlying leather, and therefore they must be replaced frequently, causing higher production costs. However, the presence of an absorbent layer of this kind is not a final solution for the problem, as leather wets - even though to a limited extent - and the possible traces that remain on the same after the drying affect the quality of the artefacts adversely. Object of this invention is to obviate the aforementioned drawbacks. More particularly, object of this invention is to provide a handling and supporting structure for water jet cutting machines, suitable to substantially reduce the effects of water reverberation on leathers, hides or synthetic materials. A further object of this invention is to provide a handling and supporting structure that does not require the presence of an absorbent layer on which the leather rests. A further object of the invention is to provide users with a handling and supporting structure that can ensure a high degree of resistance al reliability in the time, and also such as to be easily and economically realisable. These and still other objects are achieved by the handling and supporting structure for cutting machines of the invention, which is defined by claim 1. The construction and functional characteristics of the handling and supporting structure for cutting machines of the invention will be better understood thanks to the following description wherein reference is made to the attached drawings which are a preferred non limiting embodiment of the same, and wherein: Figure 1 shows schematically a partial perspective view of the handling and supporting machine of the invention; Figure 2 shows schematically an exploded view of the components of the same structure; Figure 3 shows schematically a front view of one of the comb-like elements forming the handling and supporting structure; Figure 3a shows schematically a magnified detail of the upper end of the needles forming the comb-like elements; Figure 3b shows schematically a magnified detail of the lower end of the needles forming the comb-like elements; Figure 4 shows schematically a top view of the comb-like element; Figure 4a shows schematically the magnified detail of the upper end of the element of the preceding figure; Figure 5 shows schematically a side view of one of the supporting laminations of the comb-like elements; Figure 5a shows schematically the magnified detail of the supporting lamination of the preceding figure. With reference to the above figures, the handling and supporting structure for cutting machines of the present invention, indicated as a whole by 10 in Figure 1 and in the following referred to for the sake of simplicity also as "pallet", is basically made up by a plurality of approached comb-like elements 12, supporting laminations 14 for said elements 12, and means 16, 18, having by way of example the form of circular section bars, which connect respectively elements 12 and laminations 14. Each of said comb-like element 12, preferably obtained from stainless steel, is made up by a plurality of identical and aligned needles 20, which develop upwards starting from a longitudinally extended strip 12' forming the base of said element 12 for a height comprised, by way of example, between 20 and 40 mm. In correspondence of the opposite heads, the comb-like element 12 is defined by a portion 12" which develops orthogonally from base 12' up to the level of needles 20; the height of base 12' and the width of portion 12" are substantially equivalent, and comprised, by way of example between 8 and 15 mm. The comb-like element is obtained from a metal strip having a thickness comprised between 0.5 and 1.2 mm. The individual needles 20, as shown in Figure 3 and more in detail in Figures 3a and 3b, have a specific configuration, with a side tapering that becomes more marked in correspondence of the upper end forming the point; in particular, said needles 20 reach their maximum width near the point of connection with base 12" of the comb-like element from which they develop, and reduce progressively in width as they approach the upper end; the latter, indicated by 22 in Figure 3a, defines a further more marked tapering, which form a substantially pointed portion whose opposite oblique sides 24, 26 end with horizontal surface 28 having a markedly limited extension, comprised, by way of example, between 0.2 and 0.4 mm, parallel to base 12". Vice-versa, near the point of connection with said base 12", needles 20 progressively increase in width, forming a cone-shaped portion 30, schematised in detail in Figure 3b. Therefore, needles 20 are alternating with empty sectors, indicated by 32, having a form complementary to the form of said needles; said sectors define, in correspondence of the cone-shaped portion 30 of needles 20, a progressive reduction in width, forming in this way a funnel-shaped profile opening 34. The lower end of each of said openings 34, whose width is comprised, by way of example, between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, extends in a portion 36 having, by way of example, a circular development and preferably a diameter equal to or smaller than 2 mm. The circular portions 36 are aligned with one another along the upper front of base 12" of the comb-like element 12, and alternate with the cone-shaped portions 30 formed at the lower end of needles 20. The top of each head 12" of said comb-like element 12 has a configuration like that of the individual needles 20, defining a marked tapering 38, stressed in particular in Figure 4a, that terminates in a horizontal surface 40 having a width preferably comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm. Near the apexes formed by base 12" and its opposite vertical extensions 12" forming the heads, each of the comb-like element 12 has a through-hole 42 suitable to house, as will be explained with more details later on, bar 16, which is the connection and stabilisation means for said elements. On the latter, starting from the lower front of base 12", there is formed a plurality of spaced cavities 44, with a stress raising mouth 44', defined, by way of example, by 45° to 90° inclined walls; the width of cavities 44, which develop approximately for half-height of base 12' behind said mouth and parallelly to heads 12", substantially corresponds to the thickness of the supporting laminations 14, which form the housing and supporting frame of the comb-like elements 20. Said laminations 14, advantageously obtained from stainless steel and having a thickness like that of the comb-like elements 12, have a substantially rectangular configuration, and a height preferably comprised between 50 and 100 mm, and form the supporting frame of said elements 12 which remain therefore suitably raised relatively to the bottom of the basin for water collection and recirculation (not shown). The upper edge of laminations 14 has advantageously an indentation formed by pointed ends 48, having preferably a regular triangular shape, represented in detail in Figure 5a, alternating with slits 50 orthogonally oriented relatively to the lower edge 14' of said laminations; said slits develop from a line corresponding to the base of said pointed ends, extending in lamination 14 for a limited length, comprised, by way of example, between 3 and 6 mm. The width of slits 50 is substantially equal to the corresponding height of cavities 44, as measured on the part at the back of their stress raising mouth 44', and to the thickness of the comb-like elements 12. Each of the opposite heads 52 of lamination 14 has, on the upper end part indicated by 54 and shown in detail in Figure 5a, a rounded off profile which is connected to a rectilinear portion 56 of a limited extent, parallel to the lower edge 14' of said lamination; from the end part of said rectilinear portion 56, heads 52 develop angularly downwards to connect with one of slits 50. In a slightly back position relatively to heads 52, there are obtained on laminates 14 couples of superposed through-holes 58, suitable to house bars 18 that connect said laminations with one another, keeping them in a vertical position with the upper indented edge facing upwards. Bars 18 and the aforesaid further bars 16, which connects the comb-like elements with one another are preferably obtained from stainless steel and have a diameter complementary to the diameter of holes 58, 42 wherein they are pressure-inserted. Figure 2 shows that the assembly of the various pallet-forming components, i.e. the comb-like elements 12, laminations 14 and bars 16, 18 is obtained in a very simple, quick and precise way Laminations 14 are vertically oriented, with the upper indented edge facing upwards and are united with one another by bars 18 inserted in holes 58; the many comb-like elements 12 are orthogonally placed relatively to said laminations, with needles 20 oriented upwards and base 12' inserted in slits 50 formed between the pointed ends 48 of said laminations. In particular, there abut in slit 50 the parts of base 12' of elements 12 provided with cavities 44 with stress-raising mouth 44'; as said openings 50 have a width substantially corresponding to the thickness of base 12' of elements 12 and to the width of cavities 44, said elements 12 fits in exactly and stabilise in openings 50 of laminations 14, following a slight pressure exercised from up downwards (as indicated by arrow A in Figure 2). The so obtained pallet schematised in Figure 1 is therefore made up by a plurality of needles 20 approached to one another, which form the adequate supporting top for the leather to be cut. During the cutting operation, carried out with the water jet system, the high pressure liquid coming out of the nozzle incises and goes through the leather, realising the half-finished product with the desired profile; the water jet that meets the points of needles 20 tapered at the upper end 38 does not reverberate but flows downwards along the sides, also tapered, of said needles and is conveyed, through the funnel profile opening 34, into the underlying circular portions 36 from which it flows into the collection basin. The narrowing defined by the funnel-openings 34 prevents water from going again upwards in a significant amount. The same jet-breaking and anti-reverberation effect is obtained in correspondence of the pointed ends 48 of laminations 14. Therefore, leather is cut without being impregnated or simply covered with a significant amount of water along the cut edge or on the upper or lower surfaces; needles 20 define the optimum support for the leather with their upper flat limited extension end 28. As is clear from the above description, the advantages achieved by the invention are obvious. The handling and supporting structure or pallet of the present invention allows to perform the water jet cutting without damaging the leather and does not require the use of an absorbing layer, which would need a frequent replacement, to be placed under said leather. However, the invention as described hereabove and claimed later on, has been proposed only by way of example, being understood that the same is susceptible of many modifications and variants, all of them falling anyhow within the inventive concept, which is defined by claim 1. For instance, the comb-like elements may be oriented to one another in the horizontal and/or vertical or oblique direction, be more or less spaced relatively to one another, and have different sizes and configurations of the needles and the cavities for coupling the supporting lamination, with respect to what has been described and illustrated by way of example; correspondingly said cavities may be more or less spaced relatively to one another, while the indentation formed along the upper edge of the laminations may have a different profile. Besides, the pallet of the present invention may be replaced by modules made up by a reduced number of comb-like elements, coupleable through any means with one another and/or the supporting laminations. Besides, the pallet may be utilised also on laser-cutting machines, with comb-like elements and needles possibly from other materials and in the presence of a cutting performed with abrasive-containing water.

Claims: A handling and supporting structure (10) for cutting machines, applicable in particular in machines that perform water jet cutting operations on leathers, hides and synthetic materials, comprising a plurality of comb-like elements (12), obtained starting from reduced thickness sheet; said elements having sides which decrease in width from the portion near the base (12') from which they develop vertically up to the top, characterized by those elements being parallel with one another and/or differently oriented, and formed by approached and aligned needles (20). The structure according to claim 1, comprising a supporting frame for said comb-like elements (12) made up by two or more laminations (14), of any form and size, vertically and transversally arranged relatively to said elements (12). The structure according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the comb-like elements (12) are obtained from stainless steel and needles (20) formed on the same develop upwards for a height comprised, by way of example, between 20 and 40 mm, the portion (22) corresponding to the upper end of said needles being tendentially pointed, as it defines opposite oblique sides (24), (26), which connect with a horizontal surface (28), parallel to base (12'), having an extension comprised between 0.2 and 0.4 mm. The structure according to the preceding claims, wherein said base (12') of elements (12) is formed by a longitudinally extended strip having a height comprised between 20 and 40 mm, which in correspondence of the opposite heads extends orthogonally upwards (12") up to the level of needles (20), with a tapering (38) at the upper end. The structure according to the preceding claims, wherein needles (20) have, near the point of connection with base (12') of each of elements (12), a progressive increase in width, forming a cone-shaped portion (30), alternating with empty sectors (32) of a complementary funnel profile form which, in the lower end part, defines an opening having a small width communicating with an underlying portion (36) having a markedly greater width. The structure according to the preceding claims, wherein said portions (36) have a circular development with a diameter equal to or smaller than 2 mm, and are aligned along the upper front of base (12') of the comb-like elements (12). The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein each of the comb-like elements (12) is provided with one or more through-holes (42) obtained along base (12i) and/or in correspondence of the vertical extension of the same, which defines heads (12"), metal bars (16) of any section and material for the connection of said elements (12) being placed in said holes. The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein, along the lower front of the comb-like elements (12) there are formed two or more spaced cavities (44) with a stress raising mouth (44'), having a width substantially corresponding to the thickness of laminations (14), said cavities developing in base (12') for a length at least equal to a third of the total height of said base, parallelly to heads (12"). The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said laminations (14) are obtained from stainless steel having a thickness equivalent to that of the comb-like elements (12), have a substantially rectangular configuration, a height comprised between 50 and 100 mm, and the upper edge provided with an indentation formed by pointed ends (48), alternating with slits (50) orthogonally oriented relatively to the lower edge (14') of said laminations, the width of said slits (50) being substantially equivalent to the thickness of the comb-like elements (12). The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said slits (50) develop in laminations (14) from a line corresponding to the base of the pointed ends (48) for a length comprised between 3 and 6 mm. The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein heads (52) of laminations (14) have, in the upper end part (54), a rounded off profile that connects with a rectilinear portion (58) of a limited extension, and define afterwards a profile with a development angularly oriented downwards, connecting with one of slits (50). The structure according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said laminations (14) are provided with one or more through-holes (58) for as many bars (18) of any section and material which connect said laminations.

Inventors: MIRABELLO ERNESTO, MIRABELLO, ERNESTO
Applicants: ATOM SPA, ATOM S.P.A.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B26D7
IPC codes: B23K26, B26D7, B26F3