Patent ID: 7721398

Claim:
A cutting machine comprising: a workpiece changer for shifting workpiece palettes to be processed between at least one transfer site outside the cutting machine and a horizontally immobile workpiece table of the cutting machine, said workpiece changer possessing a receiving element for receiving the workpiece palettes, said receiving element being pivotally mounted so as to be pivotal about a vertical axis and also mounted so as to be linearly shiftable in a plane normal to the vertical axis, and a tool spindle arranged on a slide arrangement power driven at least in two horizontal directions, wherein the slide arrangement moves horizontally on two parallel planar side walls along the length of the cutting machine designed in the form of a gantry machine, the side walls laterally delimiting a front machining area and a rear supply area which are divided by a transverse wall or by a door engaged between the side walls, wherein during workpiece machining the transverse wall or the door is closed and during the workpiece changing operation the transverse wall or the door is at least partly open, between the front machining area and the rear supply area, and wherein a radius of pivoting of the receiving element which engages a workpiece palette-extends at least partly into the supply area between the side walls, and wherein the receiving element is configured to be linearly movable into the front machining area to transfer the workpiece palette from the receiving element to the workpiece table and to withdraw from the front machining area to the rear supply area during the machining operation.