Apparatus for dividing flat products

The present invention relates to an apparatus for dividing flat products, in particular slabs or tiles made of vitrified stoneware, or of materials with great hardness such as, for example, granite or natural stone, i.e. an apparatus for dividing said products by parts of dimensions less than those of the original product.

From the prior art apparatuses are known for dividing slabs or tiles made of vitrified stoneware, or granite or natural stone, in which the products are divided by cutting, made, for example, with circular-blade cutting devices. These apparatuses have the drawback of requiring great power and of having a high cost because, in particular for cutting products that are some centimetres thick, two or more cutting axes are required as the cutting operation is not performable in a single step but in two or more successive steps.

Flat products can also be divided by making one or more incisions into the product and then causing it to break at the incision or incisions. This procedure has until now required the use of two separate apparatuses, one for making the incisions in the products and one for causing the breakage of the products at the incisions, which entails great apparatus costs and great apparatus overall dimensions .

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for dividing flat products, in particular slabs or tiles of vitrified stoneware, granite or natural stone, that has a limited cost and limited overall dimensions. According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for dividing flat products, comprising conveying means for introducing and extracting a flat product from said apparatus, incision means for making incisions on a visible surface of said product, characterised in that said conveying means comprises a first conveying device and a second conveying device that are aligned with one another in

a conveying direction of said product, said second conveying device being arranged at a lower level than said first conveying device, pressing means being further provided that is associated with said second conveying device suitable for exerting pressure on said visible surface of said product in a zone comprised between said incision and a front edge of said product .

Owing to the invention, it is possible to divide flat products simply and cheaply, using a single apparatus having limited overall dimensions.

The invention will be disclosed below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation view of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view from the right of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view from the left of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a top view of the apparatus in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus in Figure 1; Figures 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views of details of the apparatus in Figure 1.

With reference to the Figures, an apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises a base 2 on which a first conveying device 3 is mounted, for example a belt conveyor driven by a first motor 13, for example an electric motor, and intended for receiving the products M to be divided and for conveying the products M inside the apparatus 1 and a second conveying device 4, for example a second belt conveyor, driven by a second motor 14, for example an electric motor, and intended for evacuating the divided products M from the apparatus 1. The first conveying device 3 and the second conveying device 4 are aligned with one another in the conveying direction of the products M and are on different levels, in particular the second conveying device 4 is at a lower level than the first conveying device 3. With the first conveying device 3 a centring device 5 is associated that consists of a pair of parallel rods 6 and 7

on which a plurality of free to rotate rollers 8 is mounted for guiding and centring the products M on the first conveying device 3.

Between the first conveying device 3 and the second conveying device 4 an incision device 9 is arranged, comprising a crosspiece 10 on which is slidable a slide 29 that carries an incision tool 30, for example in the form of a rotating blade, that is suitable for making an incision on a visible surface of the product M to be divided. The sliding of the slide 29 on the crosspiece 10 is controlled by a third motor 15, for example an electric motor. The apparatus 1 according to the invention also comprises a first carriage 12 and a second carriage 11 that are positionable along the apparatus 1, respectively above the first conveying device 3 and the second conveying device 4. The first carriage 12 and the second carriage 11 are positioned by sliding along respective threaded rods 24 and 23, that are drivable by respective manoeuvring handwheels 26 and 25. The first carriage 12 is provided with first pressing means comprising at least a first pressing roller 27, that is free to rotate, the height of which is adjustable, intended for acting on the visible surface of the product M to be divided, to exert pressure thereupon after the incision device 9 has made an incision on said visible surface.

The second carriage 11 is provided with second pressing means, comprising at least a second pressing roller 22, powered, the height of which is adjustable, to exert pressure on the visible surface of the product M to be divided. The second pressing roller 22 is powered by a fourth motor 16, for example an electric motor. The apparatus 1 is further provided with arresting elements 20, that is adjustable, intended for interacting with the front edge of the product M to be divided to arrest the product M in a preset position, depending on the dimensions of the product M and on the dimensions of the parts into

which the product M has to be divided. The arresting elements 20 are movable in a direction that is substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the product M to determine the arrest position of the product M. The arresting elements 20 are further movable in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to said conveying direction, i.e. in a substantially vertical direction, between an operating position in which they interfere with the front edge of the product M, and a non-operating position in which they do not interfere with the product M. A locking element is further provided that is associated with the incision device 9, comprising for example a transverse bar 28 that is vertically movable to maintain the product M locked during the operation of incision of the visible surface thereof.

The apparatus 1 according to the invention further comprises a first guarding element 17 and a second guarding element 18, arranged on opposite sides with respect to the first conveying belt 3 and to the second conveying belt 4 , to insulate the operating zone of the apparatus 1 so as to prevent an operator being able to come accidentally into contact with movable parts of the apparatus 1 during operation thereof and to prevent dust or fragments of the material of the product M being able to be projected outside the apparatus 1 during processing of the product M.

The first guarding element 17 and the second guarding element 18 comprise a respective wall extending vertically, provided with openings, for example two as in the illustrated embodiment, closed with respective openable panels 19, for example panels made of transparent material, to enable an operator to check visually the operation of the apparatus 1 and to have access to the operating zone of the apparatus 1 for maintenance or repair interventions . The operation of the apparatus 1 according to the invention is as follows: a product M to be divided, coming, for example, from a conveying line, reaches the first conveying

device 3, on which it is centred by means of the centring device 5. The first conveying device 3 conveys the product M in the apparatus 1, passing the product underneath the first carriage 11, which exerts on the visible surface of the product M a preset pressure via the first pressing roller 22, to maintain the product M centred on the first conveying device 3. Whilst the product M passes below the second carriage 11, the second pressing roller 22 is rotated by the fourth motor 16 to facilitate advancing of the product M. When the front edge of the product M comes into contact with the arresting elements 20, positioned in the operating position thereof, the first conveying device 3 and the fourth motor 16 are stopped and the locking bar 28 is lowered that locks the product M in position, cooperating with the second pressing roller 22. The incision device 9 is then activated that makes a transverse incision on the visible surface of the product M over the entire width of the product M. When the incision has been terminated, the locking bar 28 is lifted, the arresting elements 20 are moved to the non-operating position and the fourth motor 16 and the first conveying device 3 are started again, which advances the product M so as to take the product portion M comprised between said incision and the front edge above the second conveying device 4, which, as said, is at a lower level than the first conveying device 3. When the front edge of the product M reaches the first carriage 12 and comes into contact with the first pressing roller 27, the latter exerts direct downward pressure thereupon that is sufficient to cause the breakage of the product M at said incision, and, consequently, the separation from the rest of the product M of said portion, comprised between said incision and the front edge of the product M, which drops through the force of gravity onto the second conveying device 4 that conveys outside the apparatus 1, for example onto a further conveying line.

The operations of incision and breakage of the product M are repeated until the product M is divided into a desired number of parts. The parts into which the product M is divided may all be of the same dimensions or may also be of different dimensions, which are obtainable by varying the position of the arresting means 20.

In the practical embodiment, the materials, dimensions and constructional details may be other than those indicated, but be equivalent, thereto, without thereby falling outside the scope of the present invention.