Field of the Invention.

[0001] The present invention generally finds application in the field of machine tools and namely relates to a highly versatile machine tool for working stone materials such as stone, marble, granite, conglomerate stone and concrete materials and the like, particularly for multiaxial working of slabs of stone materials.

Background Art

[0002] Machine tools are known, which are adapted to perform various processing operations on semi-finished products made of stone materials, such as slabs or blocks of stone, marble, granite, conglomerate stone and concrete materials and the like.

[0003] Such processing operations performed by such machines include, for example, cutting, drilling, dressing, contouring, chamfering or the like and may require handling, loading/unloading and transfer of the products being processed from one work area to another.

[0004] Such machines generally have a gantry-type support structure, of the type comprising a pair of floor-mounted uprights adapted to support a main beam.

[0005] The latter supports a main carriage, which is adapted to be moved over a horizontal work table on which a product to be processed is laid.

[0006] The main carriage may have one or more tool-carrying heads secured thereto, which comprise at least one tool designed to interact with the product to be processed or to promote displacement thereof within the work area.

[0007] One drawback of these prior art machines is their poor versatility, as they only allow product processing to occur along directions substantially parallel to the directions of movement of the main carriage.

[0008] In an attempt to obviate this drawback, machines have been developed which have a work table that can rotate about a vertical axis for controlled orientation of the product to be processed and processing thereof in many different directions.

[0009] Nevertheless, when large slabs or blocks have to be processed, the work table has a rather low rotation speed, and these prior art machines afford very little savings in total processing times.

[0010] Furthermore, the provision of a rotary work table requires a relatively large work area, thereby increasing the overall dimensions of the machine.

[0011 ] In view of obviating this drawback, machines have been conceived which comprise a stationary work table and a secondary beam connected to the carriage and able to rotate about a vertical axis of rotation. The secondary beam in turn slidably supports a slide, with a processing head attached thereto.

[0012] Thus, controlled rotation of the secondary beam and controlled movement of the second carriage allows the slab to be cut or squared in mutually inclined directions.

[0013] A first drawback of this arrangement is that the provision of a single processing head considerably limits the throughput of the machine.

[0014] Furthermore, the provision of a single head allows only one type of processing to be performed, thereby increasing total product processing times.

[0015] Another important drawback of this arrangement is that the installation of any additional tool-carrying head is particularly difficult, because a second slide has to be mounted in the beam for each tool-carrying head.

[0016] IT1 2471 80B1 discloses a multiaxial machine tool having all the features of the preamble of claim 1 , particularly a primary beam, a carriage sliding along the primary beam, a secondary beam associated with the carriage and rotating about a vertical axis, one or more tool-carrying head slidably mounted to the secondary beam, and a support table for the material being processed.

[0017] One drawback of this prior art machine is that the primary beam is permanently secured to a pair of floor-mounted end uprights and cannot slide in any transverse direction. Furthermore none of the heads has handling tools, and the material being processed has to be handled manually or using external equipment.

[0018] US201 1 /0303209 discloses a multiaxial machine tool in which a primary beam is slidably mounted to guides perpendicular to the beam, and a carriage slides along the primary beam, and has associated therewith a secondary beam supporting a plurality of tool-carrying heads.

[0019] One drawback of this prior art machine is that the secondary beam cannot rotate relative to the carriage. Furthermore, the tools are permanently secured to the secondary beam and no handling device is provided.

Disclosure of the invention

[0020] The object of the present invention is to obviate the above drawbacks, by providing a multiaxial machine that is highly efficient and relatively cost-effective.

[0021 ] A particular object of the present invention is to provide a multiaxial machine for working stone slabs and/or blocks that has improved versatility.

[0022] A further object of the present invention is to provide a multiaxial machine that allows to reduce dead times, thereby increasing the throughput of the machine.

[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a multiaxial machine that has a relatively simple and easily operable construction.

[0024] Yet another object is to provide a multiaxial machine that allows various processing operations to be simultaneously performed on the product.

[0025] These and other objects, as better explained hereafter, are fulfilled by a multiaxial machine for working semi-finished products, such as stone slabs and/or blocks, as defined in claim 1 .

[0026] With these characteristics, the multiaxial machine has a considerably simplified construction, and allows various different working operations to be performed on the products, while affording easy removal of the head having respective working and handling purposes.

[0027] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are obtained in accordance with the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawing

[0028] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reading of the detailed description of a preferred, non- exclusive embodiment of a machine for working stone slabs, which is described as a non-limiting example with the help of the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and side perspective views respectively of a machine for working stone slabs of the invention;

FIGS. 3 to 7 are front views of the machine of FIG. 1 in different slab working sequences;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the machine of Fig. 1 ;

FIGS. 9 to 1 1 are bottom perspective views of a first detail of Fig. 1 in different configurations;

FIG. 1 2 is a top perspective view of the first detail of Fig. 1 1 during a further working sequence.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment

[0029] Referring to the above mentioned figures, there is shown a multiaxial machine for working semi-finished products P made of stone materials such as slabs and/or blocks of stone, marble, granite, conglomerate concrete materials and the like, which is generally designated by numeral 1 .

[0030] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine 1 of the invention comprises a primary beam 2 which extends along a substantially horizontal first axis Xi and has associated therewith first guide means 3 substantially parallel to the axis Xi, which consist, for instance, of a rail or a groove 3' formed on the top face of the beam 2.

[0031 ] Sliding blocks 4 are provided at the longitudinal ends of the main beam 2, which are designed to slide along second guide means 5 consisting of a pair of rails 5' or tracks substantially parallel to a second axis X2 ,which is also substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the first axis Xi.

[0032] A carriage 6 is slidably mounted to the primary beam 2, to slide along the guide or groove 3' that defines the first guide means 3.

[0033] A secondary beam 7 extending along a substantially horizontal third axis X ₃ is mounted below the carriage 6 and has third guide means 9 substantially parallel to the third axis X3.

[0034] Also, the secondary beam 7 is rotatably connected to the carriage 6 by means of a fifth wheel or a connecting plate 8, to rotate about a substantially vertical fourth axis X ₄ .

[0035] Particularly, the third guide means 9 comprise one or more guides 9', which are fixed to one or both of the lateral faces 1 0 of the secondary beam 7.

[0036] In a first embodiment of the invention, a single tool-carrying head 1 1 is slidably mounted to the third guide means 9 associated with the secondary beam 7.

[0037] The assembly composed of the primary beam 2, the first guide means 3, the carriage 6, the secondary beam 7 and the tool-carrying head 1 1 is disposed over a support table 1 2 for the products being processed P, which comprises a fixed or movable surface 1 3 of a floor-mounted bed 13'.

[0038] According to the invention, the secondary beam 7 is designed for removable installation of the tool-carrying head 1 1 and for removal and replacement thereof with one or more equal or different tool-carrying head 1 1 , i.e. having equal or different processing and/or handling tools 1 6.

[0039] For this purpose, the head 1 1 is designed to carry a processing tool 1 6, selected from the group comprising cutting wheels or blades, e.g. as shown in FIG. 1 , water jets, e.g. as shown in FIG. 9, or suction cup or vacuum-operated handling tools 1 6', e.g. as shown in FIG. 2.

[0040] Furthermore, the tool-carrying head 1 1 is cantilevered removably mounted on said third guide means 9, so as to allow the simultaneous mounting and sliding of multiple tool-carrying means 1 1 to one or both of the faces 1 0 of the secondary beam 7.

[0041 ] Due to this cantilever installation and easy coupling/uncoupling to/from the guides 9' of the third guide means 9 associated with the secondary beam 7, the head 1 1 may be easily and quickly removed and replaced with another identical or different head, i.e. having equal or different handling tools, thereby providing added versatility to the machine, which may perform multiple processing operations while minimizing replacement dead times and the resulting down times.

[0042] According to the invention, the second guide means 5 are fixed above the support table 1 2.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, the second guide means 5 consist of a pair of rails or tracks attached along the upper edges of anchoring means 15 consisting, for instance, of a pair of reinforced concrete or metal walls or uprights, which are substantially parallel to the second axis X2, secured to the floor and adapted to delimit a work area 14 with the bed 1 3'.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the machine 1 comprises a plurality of tool-carrying head 1 1 , which are removably and slidably mounted along the third guide means 9 attached to one or both of the faces 1 0 of the secondary beam 7.

[0045] For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , two tool-carrying head 1 1 having the same disk-shaped tool 1 6 may be cantilevered mounted to one face 1 0 of the secondary beam 7, for simultaneous and coordinated processing of a slab P or block.

[0046] Otherwise, as shown in FIG. 2, two tool-carrying head 1 1 having the same suction-cup manipulator tool 1 6' may be cantilevered mounted on the other face 1 0 of the secondary beam 7, for simultaneous and coordinated handling of multiple slabs or strips P after cutting or processing.

[0047] In a further variant, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, two tool-carrying head 1 1 having processing tools 16 may be cantilevered mounted to one of the lateral faces 1 0 of the secondary beam 7, and two suction cup handling tools 1 6' may be mounted to the other lateral face 1 0, for simultaneous processing and handling of slabs P lying on the work table 1 2.

[0048] Furthermore, multiple tool-carrying head 1 1 having equal processing tools 1 6 may be cantilevered mounted to one or both of the lateral faces 10 of the secondary beam 7, to simultaneously form identical copies of patterns on the slab or block P. [0049] FIGS. 9 and 1 0 show a variant of the machine in which two heads 1 1 with disk-shaped processing tools 1 6 are mounted in cantilever fashion to one lateral face 1 0 of the secondary beam 7, whereas a first water-jet processing head and a suction cup handling head 1 6' are mounted to the other face.

[0050] Finally, FIGS. 1 1 and 1 2 show a variant of the machine in which four heads 1 1 with disk-shaped tools 1 6 are mounted in cantilever fashion to one face of the secondary beam 7, and a pair of heads connected to a single suction cup handling tool 1 6' are mounted to the other face.

[0051 ] The machine comprises drive means, not shown, for promoting controlled and independent movement of the various parts.

[0052] Particularly, there are first drive means, e.g. screw and nut or rack and pinion assemblies, which act upon the carriage 6 for promoting controlled translation thereof along the first guide means 3 associated with the main beam 2, second drive means similar to the first means, which act upon the main beam 2 for promoting its movement along the second guide means 5, one or more third drive means, similar to the previous means, which act upon each of the tool-carrying head 1 1 for promoting separate and independent movement thereof along the third guide means 9.

[0053] Furthermore, fourth drive means are provided, which act upon the fifth wheel 8 to promote controlled rotation of the secondary beam 7 about a vertical fourth axis X ₄ .

[0054] Each tool-carrying head 1 1 is mounted to the third guide means 9 through an appropriate support 17, which is basically composed of two portions, i.e. a first portion 18 basically consisting of a slide 1 8' adapted to be removably attached in cantilever fashion to the third guide means 9, and a second portion 1 9 designed to support at least one tool 1 6, 16' for processing and handling respectively.

[0055] Particularly, the first portion 18 may comprise one or more sliding bushings, not shown, which are designed for sliding engagement in the guides of the third guide means 9.

[0056] The second portion 1 9 may comprise a connecting member for movable connection of the head 1 1 , to impart an additional degree of freedom thereto, in addition to the secondary beam 7.

[0057] Namely, the second portion 19 may comprise a fork 1 9', as shown in all the figures excepting FIGS. 1 1 and 12, which is connected to the head 1 1 to move along a substantially vertical fifth axis X5, for height adjustment of the head. Also, the second part may be connected to the head 1 1 by means of a pivot pin 20 which extends through a substantially horizontal sixth axis X ₆ , for tilt adjustment of the head 1 1 and the tool 1 6 relative to the work surface of the product P. Alternatively, one member may be provided to accomplish both tasks.

[0058] The machine 1 may comprise one or more first actuators, not shown, which are associated with the supports 1 7 for promoting translation thereof along the vertical fifth axis X5 and one or more second actuators, also not shown, which act upon the second portion 1 9 for promoting controlled rotation thereof about the horizontal sixth axis X ₆ .

[0059] The machine may comprise numerical control means, which are known per se, for controlling actuation of the first, second, third and fourth drive means and the first and second actuators, and which have an appropriate operator interface, also not shown and known per se.

[0060] Controlled actuation of the drive means and the actuators will allow several processing sequences to be performed on the products P, as exemplarily shown in the figures.

[0061 ] The above disclosure clearly shows that the invention fulfills the intended objects and particularly meets the requirement of providing a multi- axis machine for processing slabs of stone materials, that ensures high versatility in performing several different processing operations, thereby minimizing dead times for tool change or toolhead replacement.

[0062] The machine is susceptible of a number of changes and variants, within the inventive concept disclosed in the appended claims. All the details thereof may be replaced by other technically equivalent parts, and the materials may vary depending on different needs, without departure from the scope of the invention. [0063] While the machine has been described with particular reference to the accompanying figures, the numerals are only used for the sake of a better intelligibility of the invention and shall not be intended to limit the claimed scope in any manner.

Industrial applicability

[0064] The present invention finds application in the mechanical machine- tool production industry and in the stone slab processing industry.