Abstract:
A work position or station including a suctioning device incorporating a suctioning opening for the aspiration of suctionable material which is produced during the processing of workpieces, and a protective plate which guides the suctionable material into the suctioning opening. The protective plate concurrently screens the working personnel carrying out the processing, in particular the head of the person, against the incident suctionable material. The protective plate which is carried by a special mounting support can be moved upwardly prior to the implementing of work without the formation of suctionable material, upwardly away from the suctioning opening in a simple manner into a non-hindering inoperative position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a work position or station including a suctioning device incorporating a suctioning opening to aspirate suctionable material which is produced during the processing of workpieces, and a protective plate which guides the suctionable material into the suctioning opening. The protective plate concurrently screens the working personnel carrying out the processing, in particular the head of the person, against the incident suctionable material. 
     For example, the suctioning device serves to aspirate of filings, polishing dust or other dust material which is encountered especially during the processing of dental or dental laboratory workpieces in proximity to the suctioning opening. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     A work station of this type has become known from the disclosure of German Petty Pat. No. 77 36 347. In this known work station, the protective plate is integrally constructed with the suctioning device; in effect, is fixedly and immovably connected therewith. Frequently, however, at the same work station not only work done that produces suctionable material, but also work is done that does not produce suctionable material, for example, modeling or shaping work or the like, in which the operation of the suctioning device and thereby also that of the protective plate becomes superfluous. Moreover, the protective plate frequently stands in the way of such work which is done without producing suctionable material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present to provide a work station of the above-mentioned type which overcomes the advantages encountered in the prior art, in which work not producing suctionable material can also be carried out without being hindered by the protective. 
     The advantages which are achieved by means of the present invention can be ascertained in that the protective plate, which is carried by a special mounting support, can be moved upwardly, away from the suction opening and into a non-hindering position, prior to the start of the work that does not produce suctionable material. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Reference may now be had to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a work station having a suctioning device, a protective plate and a mounting support; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the encircled section II from FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 3 showing two different elevated positions of the suctioning device and the mounting support with the protective plate; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, a fragmentary section from FIG. 6, showing the fastening of the protective plate on the mounting support; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a side elevational view of a further modified embodiment; 
     FIG. 11 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 10 in a front elevational view; 
     FIG. 12 illustrates on an enlarged scale, a fragmentary section from FIG. 11 showing the fastening of the protective plate on the mounting support; 
     FIG. 13 illustrates a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 14 illustrates a side elevational view of a further modified embodiment; 
     FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 14; 
     FIG. 16 illustrates a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, from FIG. 16, showing the fastening of the protective plate on the mounting support; and 
     FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII--XVII in FIG. 16. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The work station includes a suctioning device 2 which is provided with a suction opening 1 for the aspiration of suctionable material produced during the processing of workpieces, as well as a protective plate 3 for guiding the suctionable material into the suctioning opening 1. Plate 3 is suitably made of a transparent material, for example, of glass, and in particular a double-layer safety glass. 
     The protective plate 3 is so carried by a special mounting support 4 that it is movable from an operative position A, in which it guides the suctionable material into the suction opening 1, into a inoperative position B, in which it is spaced from the suctioning device 2 and, as a result, also spaced from the suction opening 1. 
     The mounting support 4 includes a vertically extending column or stand, and a carrying arm 5, on the free end of which there is located a holding device 6 for the protective plate 3. The carrying arm 5 is arranged at the upper end of the columnar mounting support 4 and extends essentially horizontally. In the embodiments pursuant to FIGS. 3 and 4, the carrying arm 5 or the mounting support 4 is pivotable about a vertical axis 7 (illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4), which is formed by the axis of the vertical column of mounting support 4. In the embodiments pursuant to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the holding device 6 carrying the protective plate 3 is arranged on a projection 8 extending essentially at a right angle relative to the carrying arm 5. 
     The mounting support 4 can be fastened, for example, on the wall of a work room; however, as illustrated, it can also be located on the table top 9 of a work table or bench 10. 
     The protective plate 3, in its operative position A lies close to the suctioning device 2. Hereby, the protective plate 3, can have its surface facing towards the work station, or have its front edge lie closely against the suctioning device 2. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, the suctioning device 2 and/or the protective plate 3 is provided, in the region of contact between the protective plate and the suctioning device, with an elastic or resilient layer 11 that serves to improve the seal between device 2 and plate 3, and also acts to dampen shocks. The elastic layer 11 on the suctioning device 2 is formed as an insert therein and the elastic layer 11 on the protective plate 3 comprises a pad thereon. 
     The suctioning device 2 is fastened to a preferably adjustably plate-shaped work block 12 on which the processing of the workpieces is done. 
     As is particularly indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the suctioning device 2 is movably arranged, with the aid of linkage elements 37, relative to the protective plate 3 and the work table 10. FIG. 4 shows that the suctioning device 2 is arranged so that its height is adjustable in elevation; and in particular, FIG. 4 shows device 2 in two different elevated positions. In the embodiments pursuant to FIGS. 9 and 13, the protective plate 3 is manually fastenable in adjustable positions thereof via a clamping device 18, or plate 3 can be self- locking. Also the suctioning device 2 may be manually fixed in the adjustable positions thereof, or device 2 may be self-locking. 
     In the embodiments pursuant to FIGS. 1 to 4, the protective plate 3 is supported on the mounting support 4 so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis 13, which is parallel with a side edge of the protective plate. It can be ascertained that the horizontal pivot axis 13 coincides with, or is closely adjacent to, the upper side edge of the protective plate 3 when that plate is in the operative position A. In the inoperative position B, the protective plate 3 supports itself on the mounting support 4 or a portion thereof, for example on the projection 8. Even when resting on the projection 8, the protective plate is pivotably movable about the above-mentioned pivot axis 13. 
     In the embodiment according to FIGS. 5 to 13, the protective plate 3 is supported on the mounting support 4 for pivoting about a pivot axis 14. The pivot axis 14 passes transversely through a corner of the protective plate 3 which when the protective plate is in its operative position A, is an upwardly located corner of the protective plate 3. In order to facilitate adjustments, the holding device 6 supporting the protective plate 3, is provided with a stop-like adjusting element 15, allowing for a slight change in the operative position A of the protective plate 3 by pivoting plate 3 about an adjusting axis 14a extending perpendicular to the plate 3. The possible pivoting range is illustrated in FIG. 7 by &#34;a&#34;. The adjusting element 15 consists of a rotatably supported, axially secured adjusting nut 16, and an axially movable threaded pin 17 engageable with the nut thread. One end of pin 17 abuts against the somewhat vertically extending side edge 3a of the protective plate 3 in its operative position A. In particular, FIGS. 7 to 9 illustrate that, for the formation of the fastening device 18, the holding device 6 includes two clamping jaws 19 which take up the protective plate therebetween. Jaws 19 can be pressed together through an adjusting element 20, which is formed by a clamping plate or screw having its shank form the pivot axis 14. The head of the clamping screw forms a handle. Plates 21 and 22 are located between the protective plate 3 and the clamping jaws 19; and an adjusting element 24, which is formed by a spring plate, is located between a widened portion 23 of the clamping screw and the protective plate 3 or the plates 21, 22. 
     In accordance with FIG. 7, 9, 12, and 13, the holding device 6, and thereby the protective plate 3, is tiltable about a horizontal tilting axis 25 that extends in the plane of the protective plate along the side edge that, when the plate is in the operative position A, is an upper horizontal side edge. The tilting range is designated in FIG. 8 by &#34;b&#34;. The tilting axis 25 has a fastening device 18a associated therewith, which is formed clamp- shaped and includes an adjusting ring as a handgrip 26. According to FIG. 7, the adjusting axis 14a coincides with the pivot axis 14 passing through the protective plate 3. 
     In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 to 13, as is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, there is also provided a pivot linkage 28, having an axis extending perpendicular to the protective plate, between the free end of the pivot arm 27 and the protective plate 3. Plate 3 is associated with a fastening device 18a that is arranged between the free end of the pivot arm 27 and a holding device 6 or the tilting axis 25. The pivot arm 27 consists essentially of two parallel arms 29, 30 forming a parallelogram linkage, and the end of each arm 29, 30 is pivotable about a different horizontal axis 31. The fastening arrangement 18 is associated with at least one of the parallel arms 29, 30 and/or at least one of the horizontal axes 31. A connecting bellow 32 is provided on at least one of the two pivot linkages 18, 25 of the pivot arm 27. 
     In the embodiment pursuant to FIGS. 14 to 17, the protective plate is supported on the mounting support 4 so as to be slidable in parallel to itself. The holding device 6 for the protective plate 3 is hereby formed by two parallel guides 33 located on the carrying arm 5, and which engage two vertical side edges of the protective plate 3. In order to form this embodiment of fastening device 18, each of the two parallel guides 33 possesses at least one pressure element 34, which is formed as a resilient spring tongue and clamps against the protective plate 3. 
     With respect to the handling of the protective plate 3 during pivoting or displacement out of the operative position A into the inoperative position B, it is of advantage that, as illustrated, the protective plate 3, when in its operative position A, be upwardly inclined away from the suctioning opening 1, and thereby extends in a direction above the suction opening 1. 
     In the embodiment pursuant to FIGS. 3 and 4, in particular as illustrated in FIG. 4, the height of protective plate 3 is adjustable by means of the mounting support 4. Hereby, during a change in the elevational position of the suctioning device 2, it is possible to also provide a similar vertical change of the protective plate 3, with the result that, in each elevational position of device 2 there is a close contact by the protective plate 3 against the suctioning device 2, and thereby an optimum guidance of the suctionable material into the suction opening 1. The adjustability of the height of the mounting support 4 is facilitated in a simple manner in that the columnar part 35 of the mounting support 4 is transversely subdivided, and is constructed in the form of a telescope so as to be extendable or retractable. Hereby, the arrangement is distinguished by adjusting the position of the two sections of the columnar part 35, and a positioning ring 36 to hold those sections in a set position, locking the protective plate 3 in a set height. 
     In the embodiments pursuant to FIGS. 1 or 4, armrests 38 are provided on both sides of the suctioning device 2 and the work block 12.