This invention describes in general a combined sawing machine with a compact structure for cutting stone and materials of irregular shape and variable dimensions, especially for corner coverings.

More specifically, the invention relates to a combined sawing machine with a compact structure and a high productivity designed to continuously cut stone or materials (such as blocks of marble, porphyry, granite and similar materials) with an irregular shape and variable dimensions, such as corner portions for making corner coverings and/or linear portions.

In this way, the cut stone, whilst preserving its natural shape unaltered, has a regular surface which facilitates the positioning on any linear and/or angular surface.

Moreover, an automatic system for compensation of the thickness allows continuous cutting of the processing waste coming, for example, from the quarries, such as stones and/or sheets.

There are prior art automatic cutting machines for the mechanical cutting of marble, porphyry, granite or similar materials, even with an irregular shape and variable dimensions.

The most recent machines also allow clean and precise cuts to be obtained and also allow machining on equal pieces of various shapes and sizes.

An automatic cutting machine for cutting stone and materials with an irregular shape and variable dimensions having the technical features described in the preamble of accompanying claim 1 is known, for example, from patent document WO2014/061050A1.

The aim of the invention is to provide a combined sawing machine which allows clean and precise cuts to be made for any type and form of material to be processed and which, at the same time, has a compact structure and limited size, with respect to the production output obtained.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a combined sawing machine which is particularly efficient and has a high productivity, compared with the prior art.

A further aim of the invention is to make a combined sawing machine which allows blocks of marble and/or other materials, such as porphyry or granite, to be cut in an efficient and reliable manner.

These aims, according to the invention, are achieved by a combined sawing machine with a compact structure, according to appended claim 1 ; further detailed features are contained in the subsequent claims.

Advantageously, the machine allows the continuous machining of blocks of marble using at least one tool and, preferably, two or more diamond disks, which are mounted facing each other and adjustable vertically, and can be used for cutting corner portions and/or flat portions (for corner coverings and/or surfaces of buildings in general) also of other materials, such as porphyry or granite, by mounting different diamond disks.

An automatic system for compensation of the thickness allows continuous cutting of the processing waste coming, for example, from the quarries and this allows the waste elements to be fully utilised.

Moreover, the machine according to the invention contributes to the recycling of waste, improves environmental development and protection, favours the saving of energy and raw materials, as well as contributing to an optimisation of the installation work and respecting human resources. Moreover, the machine which is the object of the invention, using as raw material blank material and stone normally to be disposed of, allows the stone to be cut in such a way that the surface is perfectly smooth, so as to require a reduced use of adhesive, with a dual advantage, for the health of the installer and for the savings achieved in terms of time and material.

It is equipped with motors provided with diamond disks, controlled by an inverter, so as to adapt the consumption to the power used, without any dissipation and with a consequent energy saving.

The above-mentioned aims and advantages, as well as others which will emerge below, will become more apparent from the following description, relative to a preferred embodiment of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure, object of the invention, provided by way of example, but without limiting the scope of the invention, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a side view of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure according to the invention;

- Figure 3 is a front view of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure according to the invention;

- Figure 4 is a top view of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure according to the invention.

With reference to the above-mentioned drawings, the combined sawing machine 1 , according to the invention, comprises a frame 2 equipped with adjustable bases 3 and a support structure 4.

Inside the support structure 4, shaped in the form of a trapezium, are positioned the central portions of two pairs of longitudinal transport elements 5, 6, which protrude from one side and the other of the structure 4 and are respectively positioned perpendicular to each other and arranged in such a way that each of them forms, preferably, and angle of between 25 ° and 35 ° with the surface supporting the bases 3; in any case, the angle can be varied by suitably rotating the arrangement of the respective elements 5, 6, which remain perpendicular to each other.

Each pair of longitudinal elements 5, 6, which extend at the ends of the support structure 4, s associated with respective conveyor belts 7, 8, which are also perpendicular to each other and are arranged parallel to the respective longitudinal elements 5, 6, thereby forming two respective V- shaped channel at the ends of the support structure 4.

Each conveyor belt 7, 8 is suitably actuated by means of a respective electric or induction motor 9, even though it is also possible to use a single actuation motor and a transmission.

Moreover, the actuation motors 9 are controlled electronically, in such a way that the speeds of the conveyor belts 7, 8 are suitably adjusted and substantially equal during the cutting operations.

The machine 1 according to the invention also includes two pairs of diamond disks, placed inside the support structure 14 at each V-shaped channel, which are used for cutting articles made of stone, marble, granite, porphyry, etc. The disks, which are generally cooled by water, are fixed to the frame 2 of the machine 1 and are associated with the respective transport elements 5, 6.

In particular, a cutting diamond disk is placed above and parallel to each belt 7 associated with each longitudinal transport element 5, whilst a further diamond disk is placed above and parallel to each belt 8 associated with each transport element 6.

Moreover, each pair of disks identifies a V-shaped channel, in a similar manner to the belts 7, 8 of the respective transport elements 5, 6.

According to preferred embodiments, the diamond disks are fixed in an offset manner along each shaped channel of the conveyor belts 7, 8, in such a way that first disks are positioned closer to input terminals 14 of the machine 1 and second disks are positioned closer to the output terminals 15 of the machine 1 .

Moreover, preferably, each pair of cutting diamond disks is driven by a respective motor 16, 17, for example of the electrical or induction type, which is fixed to the top of the machine 1 , at respective mandrels 20, 21 . Each pair of disks comprises a first diamond disk designed to cut one of the sides of a block of stone or other material and a second diamond disk designed to cut the perpendicular side, as the block is gradually fed inside shaped channels identified by the respective conveyor belts 7, 8 of the machine from the input terminals 14 to the output terminals 15.

A first diamond disk of each pair of disks can be moved towards or away from the relative conveyor belt 7, 8 in order to adjust the cutting thickness and the height of the block to be cut.

Similarly, the same adjustments can be made by moving the second disk of each pair of cutting diamond disks towards or away from the conveyor belts 7, 8.

Again advantageously, each diamond disk is keyed and fixed, by means of suitable flanges and by means of a hub, to a rotary shaft driven by means of at least one electrically powered motorised means; moreover, it is possible to use a casing for guiding and protecting each disk, positioned at the hub and comprising two shaped faces, facing and/or alongside each other, inside of which the diamond disk rotates.

In this way, the casing allows the disk to be guided above and limits the twisting due to cutting difficulties, hardness and/or irregularity of the material to be cut.

The casing also allows the lubrication of the disk, due to the composition and the processing of the plastic material from which the faces are made. The protective casing can consist of the two faces mentioned above or several parts joined together by means of suitable fixing elements which are easy to disengage, such as bolts.

The upper guide and protective casing of each diamond disk also allows the use of hubs with a diameter less than that of traditional hubs, thereby guaranteeing a greater cutting height, with the same size of diamond disk. Again advantageously, a protection and guide element can also be provided for each disk at the bases 3 of the machine 1 , forming a suitable seat, inside of which the disk rotates; in this way, a system is obtained which also guides the disk in the lower zone, stiffening it to an even greater extent and thereby allowing more regular and constant cuts to be made.

Again advantageously, the “V” arrangement of each pair of longitudinal transport elements 5, 6 allows a seat to be obtained which is extremely stable for the piece of stone or other material being processed; in fact, in this way, the machine 1 uses the force of gravity to keep the piece stable once it is moved by the belts 7, 8 inside the support structure 4.

The arrangement of the cutting disks with respect to the conveyor belts 7, 8 also facilitates the adjustment of the height and the thickness of the sides of the block to be cut.

The machine 1 according to the invention can be similarly used for the horizontal cutting of flat articles by removing a diamond disk of each pair and adjusting the positioning of the other disk for the dimension of the desired cut, in any case maintaining a high level of stability of positioning of the article being processed on each V-shaped supporting surface.

Advantageously, according to the invention, above each pair of cutting diamond disks it is possible to position a further longitudinal transport element, to which is associated a presser belt, positioned opposite and parallel to one of the longitudinal transport elements 5, 6.

The upper transport element is fixed to the frame 2 of the machine 1 and is equipped with a independent motor, designed to drive the presser belt.

The presser belt, which thereby faces each pair of belts 7, 8 for supporting and transporting the article being processed, enables the piece to be kept even more stable, in order to obtain cuts which are even more clean and precise.

The above-mentioned presser belt can be formed by means of single belts placed alongside each other or can consist of one or more undulated plates, with a substantially sinusoidal form, enclosed by an outer containment belt; in the latter case, the undulated plates are made preferably of harmonic steel and are designed to compensate for the different thicknesses of the various articles of stone or similar material being processed.

According to an alternative embodiment, in order to carry out a compensation of the profile variations, each presser belt can have inside it a plurality of pneumatic cylinders, alongside each other along the direction followed by the article being processed inside the machine 1 and arranged in such a way as to be substantially perpendicular to the same direction; in this way, the pneumatic cylinders push the presser belt towards the article to be kept in position.

Moreover, the presser belt can be fitted with a shaped belt, which has a plurality of wings, perpendicular to the belt itself and positioned at a constant distance from each other; in this way, the elasticity of the wings, in combination or not with the use of pneumatic cylinders, allows the presser belt to adapt to the irregular shapes and to the variable profiles of the various articles being processed inside the machine 1 .

According to further embodiments, the presser belt can include an elastic spongy belt, for example of the closed cell type, coated externally with a wear resistant material; this embodiment is particularly effective if particularly smooth and worn down elements are to be processed, in the absence of corners or protuberances, such as, for example, river pebbles. In this way, the pressure exerted by the presser belt on the article, which is stably positioned inside each shaped channel of the machine 1 , is such that the article being processed is guided in a stable and precise fashion during the entire path it follows inside the machine 1 , thereby allowing the diamond disks to make clean and precise cuts, as well as smooth, on the walls of the article.

Once the cutting phase has been completed, the pressure on the article being processed is gradually decreased and the portions of article obtained are moved away automatically from the cutting diamond disks.

In particular, the use of two pairs of supporting elements 5, 6 and conveyor belts 7, 8 of the material to be cut inside a single support structure 4 determines an extremely high compactness of the machine 1 , considerably limiting the overall dimensions and increasing, at the same time, the productivity, since the user can simultaneously load two production lines considering that the conveyor belts are located close together.

The possibility of fitting cuttings disks which are also guided allows precise and regular cuts to be obtained and avoids machine stoppages and/or sudden operational interruptions.

The technical characteristics of the combined sawing machine with a compact structure, object of the invention, clearly emerge from the description, as do the advantages thereof.

Lastly, it is clear that numerous other variants might be made to the combined sawing machine in question, without forsaking the principles of novelty of the inventive idea, while it is clear that in the practical actuation of the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the illustrated details can be of any type according to requirements, and can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.