MACHINE FOR MACHINING WOOD COMPONENTS OR THE LIKE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present inv.en.tion relates to a machine for machining wood components or the like .

BACKGROUND ART

In the field of machining wood components, it is known to implement a machine of the type comprising an elongated base extending in a given first direction; at least one locking device mounted on the base for locking at least one component to be machined on a substantially horizontal resting surface; and a bridge crane which is movable along the base itself in the first direction. The bridge crane is substantially C-shaped, and comprises two vertical uprights, which are arranged on opposite sides of the base in a second direction which is substantially transversal to the first direction, extend upwards from the base, are slidingly coupled to the base itself, and are connected to each other by a horizontal crosspiece which normally supports at least one operating assembly adapted to machine components by shaving removal .

The known machines of the above-described type, despite being widely tried and tested, have some drawbacks mainly deriving from that, due to the presence of one bridge crane only and one operating assembly only, these machines have relatively low flexibility and

versatility, are incapable of carrying out relatively complex operating cycles, and imply relatively long production times .

In the field of machining wood components, it is further known to implement a machine of the type comprising an elongated base, extending in a given first direction, and defining a resting surface for at least one sheet of wood or the like,- and a bridge crane, which is substantially C- shaped, is movable along the base in the first direction, and comprises two vertical uprights, which are arranged on opposite sides of the base in a second direction which is substantially transversal to the first direction, and are connected to each other by a horizontal crosspiece. The bridge crane generally supports at least one operating head adapted to sequentially separate a plurality of panels from the sheet and a gripping and conveying assembly adapted to take the panels from the resting surface and unload them from the machine . Due to the presence of one bridge crane only, the step of cutting the sheet should be alternated with the step of taking and unloading the panels from the machine. Therefore, the known machines of the above- described type, despite being widely tried and tested, also have relatively long production times and relatively low flexibility and productivity.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for machining wood components or the like which is free from the above-described drawbacks ¹ and which is simple and cost-effective to be implemented.

According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for machining wood components or the like as set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limitative embodiment thereof, in which: figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the machine of the present invention; figure 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the machine in figure 1; figure 3 diagrammatically shows an operating mode of the machine in figures 1 and 2 ; figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a variant of the machine in figures 1 -3; and figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a variant of the machine in figure 4.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to figures 1 and 2, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a machine for machining wood

components or the like, in this case defined as substantially parallelepiped- shaped panels 2 with a substantially rectangular section.

Machine 1 comprises an elongated' base 3 extending in a horizontal direction 4, is laterally limited in a horizontal direction 5 which is transversal to direction

4 by two substantially vertical faces 6 parallel to the direction 4 itself, and is limited at the top thereof by a substantially horizontal face 7 defining, in this case, a resting surface P for at least one panel 2.

According to a variant (not shown) , the base 3 is made as described and illustrated, for example, in patent application DE-10234618-A1, and comprises two guiding longitudinal members parallel to direction 4 , a plurality of crosspieces which are parallel to direction

5 and movable along the guiding longitudinal members in the direction 4, and a plurality of locking devices which are movable along the crosspieces in the direction

5 itself. An upper guide 8 and a lower guide 9 which are parallel to each other are obtained on each face 6, which guides extend in the direction 4, and are aligned with the corresponding guides 8 and 9 of the other face

6 in the direction 5. Machine 1 further comprises a first bridge crane 10 which is substantially C- shaped and has a concavity facing downwards, comprising in turn two vertical uprights 11, which are arranged on opposite sides of the

base 3 in the direction 5, extend upwards from the base

3 in a vertical direction 12 which is orthogonal to the directions 4 and 5, and are slidingly coupled to the guides 8 to allow the bridge crane 10 to make rectilinear movements in the direction 4 with respect to the base 3 and under the bias of an actuating device

(known and not shown) .

The bridge crane 10 further comprises a horizontal crosspiece 13, which is fixed to the free ends of the uprights 11, extends over the base 3 in the direction 5, and supports at least one auxiliary device 14 at its frontal and/or upper and/or lower faces, which is coupled to the crosspiece 13 in a known manner in order to make rectilinear movements in the directions 5 and 12 with respect to the crosspiece 13 and under the bias of an actuating device of known type (not shown) .

Machine 1 is further provided with a second bridge crane 15, which is substantially C-shaped and has a concavity facing downwards, comprising two vertical ■ uprights 16, which are arranged on opposite sides of the base 3 in the direction 5, extend upwards from the base 3 in the direction 12, and are slidingly coupled to the guides 9 to allow ^■ the bridge crane 15 to make rectilinear movements in the direction 4 with respect to the base 3 and under the bias of an actuating device (known and not shown) .

Bridge crane 15 further comprises a horizontal crosspiece 17, which is fixed to the free end of the

uprights 16, extends over the base 3 in the direction 5, and supports at least one operating head 18 at its frontal and/or upper and/or lower faces which is coupled to the crosspiece 17 in a known manner in order to make rectilinear movements in the direction 5, along the crosspiece 17 and under the bias of an actuating device of known type (not shown) .

Head 18 is provided with at least one operating unit 19, which is coupled to the head 18 in a known manner in order to make rectilinear movements in the direction 12 with respect to the head 18 and under the bias of an actuating device of known type (not shown) , is adapted to machine the panels 2, and is defined, for example, by a milling and/or edge banding and/or drilling and/or water cutting operating unit. Unit 19 may also be oriented about at least two rotation axes, one of which is parallel to the direction 12 , according to the known "5 -axis heads" technology.

The two bridge cranes 10 and 15 are shaped so as to allow the bridge crane 10 to move through the bridge crane 15 in the direction 4, i.e. between the two uprights 16 and below the crosspiece 17. In other words, the distance between the two uprights 16, measured parallelly to direction 5, is longer than the distance between the two uprights 11, also measured parallelly to direction 5, and the distance of the crosspiece 17 from the surface P, measured parallelly to direction 12, is longer than the distance of the crosspiece 13 from the

IB2009/005652

surface P, also measured parallelly to direction 12. According to some variants (not shown) : bridge crane 10 has dimensions such as to prevent * the bridge crane 10 itself from moving* through the bridge crane 15; machine 1 is provided with a third bridge crane, which is completely similar to bridge crane 10, is slidingly coupled to the guides 8, and cooperates with the bridge crane 10 itself for handling large- sized panels 2, for example; and auxiliary devices 14 and operating heads 18 may be mounted either on bridge cranes 10 or bridge crane 15.

With regards to the above, it is worth noting that all the bridge cranes 10 and 15 are movable along the base 3 in the direction 4 under the bias of respective actuating devices which are independent from one another, and thus with respective rules of motion which are independent from one another, so as to confer great flexibility and versatility to machine 1 and allow relatively complex operating cycles to be run in relatively short times .

Figures 1 and 3 illustrate a possible operating mode of machine 1 from a moment in which a panel 2 was locked in a known manner on the ■ base 3 and assuming the use of an auxiliary gripping and conveying device 14, a drilling operating unit 19 (figure 1) , and a milling operating unit 19 (not shown) adapted to separate a plurality of smaller sized panels 20 from panel 2.

By combining the movements of the bridge cranes 10 and 15 in the direction 4 , the auxiliary gripping and conveying device 14 firstly lifts a panel 20 from the base 3 (figure 3a) to allow the drilling operating unit 19 to make a plurality of horizontal holes parallel to directions 4 and/or 5 (figure 3b) and then lowers again the newly drilled panel 20 onto the base 3 and into the panel 2 (figure 3c) .

With regards to the above, it is worth specifying that each auxiliary device 14 mounted on crosspiece 13 and/or crosspiece 17 is defined, for example, by an auxiliary device 14 for gripping and conveying the panels 2 and/or 20, and/or by an auxiliary device 14 for labeling the panels 2 and/or 20, and/or by an auxiliary device 14 for marking the panels 2 and/or 20, and/or by an auxiliary device 14 for detecting the shape and/or size and/or position and/or quality of the panels 2 and/or 20, and/or by an auxiliary device 14 for blowing and/or intaking the shavings and/or machining waste, and/or by an auxiliary device 14 for locking the panels 2 and/or 20 when machined, and/or by an auxiliary device

14 for inserting hardware elements into the panels 2 and/or 20.

The variant shown in figure 4 relates to a machine 21, which differs from machine 1 in that the guides 9 are eliminated therein and the two bridge cranes 10 and

15 are both slidingly coupled to the guides 8.

The auxiliary gripping and conveying device 14

mounted on bridge crane 10 comprises, in this case, a substantially flat supporting plate 22, which extends orthogonally to direction 12, is coupled to the crosspiece 13 in a known manner in order to make rectilinear movements in the direction 12, and supports a plurality of intake gripping members 23, which are mounted on a lower face of the plate 22, and are connected to a pneumatic intake device of known type

(not shown) . Similarly to machine 1, machine 21 may also have a number of operating heads 18 and auxiliary devices 14 other than one, and even the operating heads 18 and auxiliary devices 14 of the machine 21 may be mounted on the different faces of the bridge crane 10 and/or bridge crane 15.

Machine 21 is further provided with an unloading station 24, which is adapted to receive the panels 20 from the auxiliary device 14, and comprises two guiding longitudinal members 25 which are parallel to each other, each of which extends in the direction 4 and is aligned and connected to a corresponding guide 8 to allow the bridge crane 10 to move through the station 24 itself . The station 24 further comprises an unloading bed 26 extending between the longitudinal members 25 to define a resting surface A which is substantially horizontal and parallel to the surface P.

The variant in figure 5 differs from that shown in figure 4 only because the bed 26 is eliminated and

replaced by a roller conveyor 27 therein.

In use, each panel 20 is firstly separated from the panel 2 during an operating cycle of the operating head 18 'of the bridge crane 15, is then taken by the auxiliary gripping and conveying device 14 of the bridge crane 10 at one upper face thereof, and is finally released at the unloading station 24. In particular, each panel 20 is taken from the surface P by the gripping and conveying device 14 of the bridge crane 10 during an operating cycle of the operating head 18 of the bridge crane 15.

Machines 1 and 21 are obviously designed to also machine components defined by previously formed panels 20 which have been already loaded onto the machines 1 and 21 themselves.