Cutting apparatus

Abstract

 Cutting apparatus suitable for making apertures in door and window frames comprises a vice having opposed jaws (12), and opposed rotary cutters (18) on a common axis and movable in the direction of the jaw clamping axis. An additional cutter (16) is mounted below the jaws. A support bed (14) below the jaws (12) is pivotable to a retracted condition after clamping of the workpiece.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to cutting apparatus and in particular to apparatus for cutting apertures in frame members which are assembled to form doors and windows, and frames therefor.

[0002] UPVC door and window frames are assembled from extruded frame members which have a box like cross-sectional shape. It is necessary to cut apertures in the frame members to enable the fitting of lock, bolt and handle mechanisms thereto. Typically apertures are required in up to three sides of the frame members. Cutting of these apertures is normally carried out on a number of cutting machines, each of which is configured for a different cutting operation, and frame members are transferred to each machine in turn. To ensure that in a finished frame member the apertures are correctly aligned, both with respect to one another and on frame member itself, it is essential that a frame member is correctly located in each cutting machine before a cutting operation is commenced, and that the cutting tolerance of each machine is within acceptable limits. Furthermore apertures must be in register with other members of a frame, and with associated components, such as between a door and its frame.

[0003] According to the present invention there is provided a cutting apparatus comprising a vice having opposed jaws adapted to receive an elongate workpiece, and opposed rotary cutting means movable in the direction of the clamping axis of the vice towards and away each other on a common axis.

[0004] The apparatus is able to cut aligned apertures in opposing sides of the workpiece without the need for it to be repositioned in the vice.

[0005] The vice and the rotary cutting means are movable relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to the clamping axis to enable apertures in the form of slots to be cut. Preferably the cutting means are movable whereas the vice is stationary. The cutting means are linked so as to maintain their alignment along the common axis. In a preferred embodiment the cutting means are aligned horizontally and are linked by a saddle which spans the vice. In such an embodiment the cutting means are movable on the saddle in a direction parallel to the clamping axis of the vice, and the saddle is movable along the vice in a direction perpendicular to the clamping axis. Such a configuration enables the overall length of the cutting apparatus to be only slightly longer than that of the workpiece.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment the jaws of the vice have slots through which the rotary cutting means project, in use. The apparatus preferably further includes a support bed movable between a support position below and preferably between the jaws, and a retracted position away from the jaws. The support bed in the support position provides support surface upon which the workpiece can rest before it is gripped by the vice. Once the workpiece has been gripped the support bed is moved to the retracted position so as not to impede or interfere with subsequent cutting operations. In the preferred embodiment the support bed is pivoted to the frame of the apparatus.

[0007] The apparatus may be provided with alignment means to enable the workpiece to be correctly located in the apparatus before being gripped by the vice. The alignment means may comprise stops on one of the vice jaws against which the workpiece can be located. The stops may be retractable into the body of a vice jaw when not in use. The alignment means may also include means to project an alignment marking onto the work piece. In one embodiment the apparatus is provided with a laser which is positioned so as to project a marker beam midway between the ends of the vice. An alignment marking on a workpiece can be aligned with the marker beam to correctly locate the workpiece in the apparatus. The vice may also include biasing means to urge the workpiece against one vice jaw before it is gripped and to prevent irregularly shaped work pieces from falling over. The biasing means may be one or more light leaf springs.

[0008] The apparatus may further include an additional rotary cutting means having a cutting axis perpendicular to the common axis of the aforementioned rotary cutting means. In a preferred embodiment the additional cutting means is provided below the vice and is movable both along the workpiece and towards and away from the workpiece. In such an embodiment the vice as a whole is movable in a direction parallel to the clamping axis so as to align the workpiece with respect to the cutting axis of the additional rotary cutting means. It will be understood that the pivoting of the support bed from the support position to the retracted position allows the additional rotary cutting means access to the entire underside of the workpiece.

[0009] Preferably the cutting means have tapered or stepped cutting heads which enable apertures of varying diameters to be cut in the workpiece depending upon the position of the cutters relative to the workpiece. The use of tapered or stepped cutting heads on the aligned opposing rotary cutting means allows concentric apertures of different diameters to be cut in opposing sides of the workpiece and through several walls of the workpiece. The opposed rotary cutters and the additional cutter can be operated simultaneously if desired.

[0010] Preferably the apparatus further includes a swarf conveyer which is provided below the vice. The conveyor is activated during and after cutting operations to convey swarf and debris to a collection point for subsequent recycling or disposal. The pivoting of the support bed from the support position to the retracted position tips any swarf or debris thereupon onto the conveyor, and allows swarf to drop without obstruction from the cutters to the conveyor.

[0011] Preferably the operation of the apparatus is controlled by Computer Numerical Control (CNC), and a plurality of cutting operations and workpiece configurations can be stored therein.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig 1. shows a schematic perspective view of apparatus according to the present invention;

Figs 2 and 3. shows schematic cross-sectional views of a vice and support bed of the present invention;

Fig 4. shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vice and a vertical cutter of the present invention;

Fig 5. shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vice and opposed horizontal cutters of the present invention; and

Fig 6, shows a schematic side view of a vice jaw of the present invention;

[0013] Referring to the drawings there is shown a cutting apparatus generally designated 10 comprising a vice 12, a pivotable support bed 14, a vertical cutter 16, a pair of horizontal cutters 18 and a swarf conveyor 20. The vice 12 comprises a pair of elongate jaws 22,24 which are movable towards and away from one another to grip a workpiece 26 therebetween. In use the workpiece 26 is clamped along its entire length to ensure maximum dimensional stability of the workpiece 26 in the vice 12 and to minimise noise levels during cutting operations. The cutters 16,18 comprise drive motors 28,30 and cutting heads 32,34. The vertical cutter 16 is positioned below the vice 12 and is movable both longitudinally thereof and vertically towards and away therefrom as indicated by arrows 36 and 38. The apparatus includes a frame to which the component parts are mounted, but which is omitted in the drawings for reasons of clarity.

[0014] The horizontal cutters 18 are carried by a U-shaped saddle 40 which passes under the vice 12 and which is movable longitudinally along the vice 12 as indicated by arrow 42. The cutting heads 34 of the horizontal cutters 18 are aligned along a common axis 44 traversing the vice 12 and project into slots 46 in each vice jaw 22,24. The horizontal cutters 18 are movable individually or together on the saddle 40 towards and away from the jaws 22,24 as indicated by arrows 48 and 50 to enable the cutting heads 34 to reach the work piece 26, in use. The cutters 18 are arranged to track the position of the their respective jaw 22,24. In this way a constant spacing between the cutters 18 and the jaws 22,24 is maintained during movement of the jaws 22,24 and/or the vice 12 as a whole before cutting operations are commenced.

[0015] The support bed 14 is provided below the vice 12 and is pivotable between a support position (Fig 2.) and a retracted position (Fig 3.). The support bed 14 when in the retracted position allows access to the entire underside 62 of the workpiece 26 and prevents accidental collision of the cutters 16,18 therewith. The swarf conveyor 20 is provided below the vice 12 and is operable in use to catch and remove swarf and debris generated during cutting operations. The apparatus further includes control means operable to control the operation and movement of the vice jaws 22,24, the vice 12, the cutters 16,18, the saddle 26, the support bed 14 and the swarf conveyor 20.

[0016] Operation of the apparatus 10 will now be described. The apparatus 10 is initially set to adopt a configuration wherein the support bed 14 is in the support position and the vice jaws 22,24 are open. A workpiece 26 can then be placed on the support bed 14 as shown in Fig 2.. To ensure that the workpiece 26 is correctly aligned one of the jaws 22 is provided with extendible left and right end stops 52, 54 against which the work piece 26 can be abutted. The stops 52,54 can be moved along the jaw 22 to accommodate workpieces of differing lengths. A centrally positioned laser 56 is provided above the vice 12 for cases where it is necessary to align the workpiece 26 centrally within the vice 12. Here a mark on the workpiece 26 can be aligned with a light beam 58 emitted by the laser 56. The other of the vice jaws 24 is provided with light leaf springs 60 which act to urge the work piece 26 against the opposing vice jaw 22 and prevents irregularly shaped workpieces from falling over before they are gripped by the vice 12.

[0017] Once the workpiece 26 has been properly aligned, the jaws 22,24 are brought together to grip the workpiece 26, and the support bed 14 is pivoted away from the vice 12 to the retracted position. In the embodiment shown the vice jaw 24 having the leaf springs 60 is moved towards the other vice jaw 22. The movement of the support bed 14 to the retracted position allows the vertical cutter 16 access to the entire length of the lower face 62 of the workpiece and tips any debris or swarf onto the swarf conveyor 20. Once the workpiece 26 has been gripped the vice 12 as a whole is moved relative to the vertical cutter 16 as indicated by arrow 64 on Fig 4 to centralise the workpiece 26 with respect the cutting head axis 66. Alignment of the workpiece 26 in this manner enables it to be positioned according to whether a right or left handed aperture configuration is required. Once aligned, cutting operations are commenced and the swarf conveyor 20 activated.

[0018] Apertures are cut in the lower face 62 of the workpiece 26 by the vertical cutter 16 which is, as described above, movable both along and towards and away from the workpiece 26. Typically the cutting head 32 of the vertical cutter 16 has a tapered or stepped profile and hence the diameter of an aperture can be varied by moving the cutter 16 towards and away from the workpiece 26 during cutting, and a slot can be formed by moving the cutter longitudinally. The horizontal cutters 18 operate in substantially the same manner as the vertical cutter 16. The cutters 18 are moved towards and away from the workpiece 26 while being conveyed by the saddle 40. Cutting heads 34 with tapered or slotted profiles are again used to enable slots apertures of varying diameters to be cut and preferably the opposing cutting heads are identical. Stepped or tapered cutter head profiles enable keyhole shaped apertures to be cut in the workpiece. The arrangement of the cutters 18 on the saddle 40 enables apertures to be cut in opposing sides 68,70 of the workpiece 26 simultaneously. In cases where the workpiece is overly narrow, simultaneous cutting of apertures in the opposing sides 68,70 may not be possible as the cutting heads 34 would collide with one another. In such a situation the saddle 40 and horizontal cutters 18 can be operated to cut a first aperture in one side before cycling back to cut a second aperture in the other side. The horizontal and vertical cutters 16,18 may operate simultaneously if desired.

[0019] Once the cutting operations have been completed the vice 12 is opened and the finished workpiece removed. Swarf generated during the cutting operation is carried by the conveyor 20 to a suitable collection receptacle for recycling of disposal.

[0020] The control means of the apparatus are programmable to accommodate various workpiece shapes and lengths, and to cut various aperture configurations. The control means can be configured to accommodate both left and right handed frame members.

[0021] In a modification of the invention the axes of movement 42,64 of the saddle 40 and vice 12 may be placed under active CNC control. Such as arrangement may be used to permit a cutter of relatively small diameter to form a somewhat larger aperture. For example the vertical cutting head 32 may be used to form a double width slot by making two passes along the workpiece, the workpiece being shifted laterally between passes by movement of the vice along axis 64. Alternatively, the cutting head 32 may move in a rectangle to cut a large aperture. Clearly non- regular or curved apertures can be formed in this way should they be required.

Claims

1. A cutting apparatus comprising a vice (12) having opposed jaws (22,24) adapted to receive an elongate workpiece, characterised in that the apparatus further comprises opposed rotary cutting means (18) movable towards and away each other on a common axis (44), in the direction of the clamping axis of the vice (12).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said vice (12) and the rotary cutting means (18) are movable relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to said clamping axis.

3. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said cutting means (18) are linked by a saddle (40) which spans the vice (12).

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said rotary cutting means (18) are adapted to project through said jaws.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, and further including a support bed (14) movable between a support position below said jaws (22,24) and a retracted position away from said jaws (22,24).

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said support bed (14) is pivoted to a frame of the apparatus for movement between a substantially horizontal condition and a substantially vertical condition.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim and further including an additional rotary cutting means (16) having a cutting axis (66) perpendicular to said common axis (44).

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said additional cutting means is provided below said vice (12) and is movable both along the vice (12) and towards and away therefrom.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said rotary cutting means (16,18) have cutting faces of varying diameter.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim and further including a swarf conveyor (20) provided below the vice (12).

Drawing