Machine for machining components made of wood or the like

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine for machining components made of wood or the like, according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a machine is known from document WO 2004 054 757 A2.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a machine of the type comprising an elongated base, which extends in a first substantially horizontal direction, and has two elongated guiding members parallel to the first direction; a plurality of cross members, which are mounted between the elongated guiding members parallel to a second direction which is substantially horizontal and transversal to the first direction, and are movable along the base in the first direction; at least one clamping vice mounted to each cross member to receive and hold at least one component; and a bridge crane, which extends over the base in the second direction, is movable along the base in the first direction, and is provided with at least one working head for machining the components.

[0003] The clamping vice comprises a lower jaw defining a supporting surface for the component, and according to the invention an upper jaw mounted at the free end of an outlet shaft of a pneumatic actuating cylinder adapted to move the upper jaw between a locking position and a releasing position of the component.

[0004] Known machines for machining components made of wood or the like of the above-described type have several drawbacks mainly deriving from the pneumatic actuating cylinders allowing the upper jaws to be moved to a sole releasing position at a distance from the supporting surface which is always constant and independent of the thickness of the component to be locked, and threfore they result in relatively long times for setting up the clamping vices, even for components of relatively small thickness.

[0005] Furthermore, the pneumatic actuating cylinders include the presence of a pneumatic feeding circuit and the activation of at least one compressed air source connected to the pneumatic circuit itself.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for machining components made of wood or the like which is free from the above-described drawbacks and which is simple and cost-effective to be implemented.

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for machining components made of wood or the like as claimed in the appended claims.

[0008] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof by way of example, in which:

figure 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention; and

figure 2 is a diagrammatic, side view with parts in section and parts enlarged for clarity, of a detail of the machine in figure 1.

[0009] With reference to figure 1, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a machine for machining components 2 made of wood or the like, comprising an elongated base 3, which extends in a horizontal direction 4, is substantially U-shaped, and has two lateral, elongated guiding members 5 parallel to direction 4.

[0010] Base 3 supports a bridge crane 6 comprising a vertical upright 7, which is coupled to base 3 in a known manner to perform, along the base 3 itself and driven by a known operating device (not shown), rectilinear movements in direction 4, and carries a cross member 8 connected to a free end thereof and extending over the base 3 in a direction 9 which is horizontal and transversal to direction 4.

[0011] The bridge crane 6 supports a working head 10 of the known type, which is coupled to the cross member 8 in a known manner to perform, along the cross member 8 itself, rectilinear movements in direction 9, and in this case comprises an electro-spindle 11, which has a longitudinal axis 12 parallel to a vertical direction 13 which is orthogonal to directions 4 and 9, is adapted to receive and hold a machining tool or aggregate (not shown), and is mounted to head 10 in a known manner to perform, with respect to head 10, rectilinear movements in direction 13.

[0012] Machine 1 further comprises a tool storage 14, which allows the machining tools and/or aggregates (not shown) engaged with the electro-spindle 11 to be replaced, is mounted to the bridge crane 6, and extends through upright 7 along a closed ring-like path.

[0013] Machine 1 is further provided with a plurality of cross members 15, which will be referred to as "work surfaces" below, which extend between the guiding members 5 in direction 9, and are slidingly coupled to the guiding members 5 in order to be moved, either manually or by means of respective known operating devices (not shown), along the guiding members 5 in direction 4.

[0014] The work surfaces 15 support a plurality of clamping vices 16, the arrangement of which on the corresponding work surfaces 15 substantially depends on the dimensions of the components 2 to be machined and on the machining operations to be carried out on the components 2, which are movable between a locking position and a releasing position of at least one component 2.

[0015] Each vice 16 comprises a tubular-shaped lower jaw 17, which is slidingly coupled to the corresponding work surface 15 in order to be moved, either manually or by means of an operating device, along the work surface 15 in direction 9, has a longitudinal axis 18 parallel to direction 13, and is provided with an upper, annular-shaped plate 19, which is mounted so as to be orthogonal to axis 18, and defines a supporting surface P for at least one component 2.

[0016] Jaw 17 houses an electric motor 20 therein, comprising a stator 21, which is mounted in jaw 17 coaxially to axis 18, and is engaged in pivotally and axially fixed manner by a rotor 22, pivotally coupled to jaw 17 by means of a pair of rolling bearings 23 which are also coaxial to axis 18.

[0017] Vice 16 further comprises an upper jaw 24 comprising, in turn, a supporting shaft 25, which extends through jaw 17 coaxially to axis 18, protrudes downwards from jaw 17 in order to slidingly engage a slit 26 obtained through the corresponding work surface 15 parallel to direction 9, is coupled to jaw 17 in an angularly fixed manner and in an axially sliding manner by means of a grooved-profile coupling, and is further coupled to rotor 22 by means of a screw-nut screw coupling.

[0018] Shaft 25 further has an upper end, which protrudes upwards from jaw 17, and carries a plate 27 connected thereto, which extends perpendicular to axis 18, and is moved by the rotation of rotor 22 in the direction 13 between a locking position and a releasing position of component 2.

[0019] Vice 16 further comprises a detecting device 28, in this case a position sensor, which is housed in jaw 17, faces shaft 25, and is adapted to measure the movements of jaw 24 in direction 13.

[0020] According to a variation (not shown), device 28 comprises an encoder of the known type adapted to detect the angular position of rotor 22 about axis 18.

[0021] The operation of upper jaw 24 by means of the electric motor 20 allows plate 27 to be selectively placed in direction 13 according to the thickness of component 2 which should be locked each time within jaw 24, and jaw 24 to be opened at a certain distance from surface P over-approximating the thickness of component 2. In other words, component 2 is locked within vice 16 with relatively short round trips of jaw 24 and with relatively short tooling times for the vice 16 itself.

[0022] Furthermore, the detecting device 28 allows the position of jaw 24, and thus the locking force exerted by vice 16 on component 2, to be selectively controlled in direction 13, thereby avoiding particularly delicate materials from being damaged.

Claims

1. Machine for machining components (2) made of wood or the like, the machine comprising a base (3); at least a working head (10) for machining the components (2); a plurality of clamping vices (16), each of them being able to receive and to hold at least a respective component (2), and comprising, in turn, a lower jaw (17), an upper jaw (24), and an operating device (20) for moving the upper jaw (24) in a given first direction (13) between a locking position and a releasing position of the component (2); and being characterized in that the operating device (20) comprises an electric motor (20) housed inside the lower jaw (17); the upper jaw (24) being coupled in angularly fixed and axially sliding manner to the lower jaw (17) and being further coupled to an outlet shaft (22) of the electric motor (20) by means of a screw-nut screw coupling.

2. Machine according to Claim 1, wherein the clamping vice (16) further comprises a detecting device (28) for detecting the position of the upper jaw (24) in said first direction (13).

3. Machine according to claim 2, wherein the upper jaw (24) comprises a supporting shaft (25) coupled in angularly fixed and axially sliding manner to the lower jaw (17), and a plate (27) locked to an end of the supporting shaft (25); the detecting device (28) comprising a position sensor for measuring the axial movement of the supporting shaft (25) in said first direction (13).

4. Machine according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor (20) comprises a rotor (22) mounted to rotate around a longitudinal axis (18); the detecting device (28) comprising an encoder for detecting the angular position of the rotor (22) around the longitudinal axis (18).

5. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) extends in a second direction (4) substantially transversal to the first direction (13); the machine further comprising a plurality of cross members (15), extending in a third direction (9) substantially orthogonal to said first and second directions (13, 4), mobile along the base (3) in the second direction (4) and supporting, each of them, at least a respective said clamping vice (16).

Ansprüche

1. Maschine zum Bearbeiten von Komponenten (2) aus Holz oder dergleichen, wobei die Maschine eine Basis (3) umfasst; wenigstens einen Bearbeitungskopf (10) zum Bearbeiten der Komponenten (2); eine Vielzahl von Spannstöcken (16), von denen jeder geeignet ist, wenigstens eine entsprechende Komponente (2) aufzunehmen und zu halten und von denen jeder wiederum eine untere Spannbacke (17), eine obere Spannbacke (24) und eine Betätigungseinrichtung (20) zum Bewegen der oberen Spannbacke (24) in einer vorgegebenen ersten Richtung (13) zwischen einer verriegelnden Position und einer freigebenden Position der Komponente (2) umfasst; und die dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass die Betätigungseinrichtung (20) einen elektrischen Motor (20) umfasst, der innerhalb der unteren Spannbacke (17) untergebracht ist; die obere Spannbacke (24) in einer winklig fixierten und axial gleitenden Art an die untere Spannbacke (17) gekoppelt ist und ferner an eine Ausgangswelle (22) des elektrischen Motors (20) mittels einer Mutter-Schrauben-Kupplung gekoppelt ist.

2. Maschine gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Spannstock (16) ferner eine Erfassungseinrichtung (28) zum Erfassen der Position der oberen Spannbacke (24) in der genannten ersten Richtung (13) umfasst.

3. Maschine gemäß Anspruch 2, wobei die obere Spannbacke (24) eine Tragwelle (25) umfasst, die in winklig fixierter und axial gleitender Art an die untere Spannbacke (17) gekoppelt ist, und eine Platte (27), die an einem Ende der Tragwelle (25) fixiert ist; wobei die Erfassungseinrichtung (28) einen Positionssensor zum Messen der axialen Bewegung der Tragwelle (25) in der genannten ersten Richtung (13) umfasst.

4. Maschine gemäß Anspruch 2, wobei der elektrische Motor (20) einen Rotor (22) umfasst, welcher gelagert ist, um sich um eine Längsachse (18) zu drehen; die Erfassungseinrichtung (28) einen Encoder zum Erfassen der Winkelposition des Rotors (22) um die Längsachse (18) umfasst.

5. Maschine gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei sich die Basis (3) in einer zweiten Richtung (4) im Wesentlichen quer zu der ersten Richtung (13) erstreckt; die Maschine ferner eine Vielzahl von Querstreben (15) umfasst, die sich in einer dritten Richtung (9) im Wesentlichen senkrecht zu den genannten ersten und zweiten Richtungen (13, 4) erstrecken, beweglich entlang der Basis (3) in der zweiten Richtung (4) sind und von denen jede wenigstens einen der genannten Spannstöcke (16) trägt.

Revendications

1. Machine destinée à usiner des composants (2) réalisés en bois ou autre analogue, la machine comprenant une base (3) ; au moins une tête de travail (10) permettant d'usiner les composants (2) ; une pluralité d'étaux de serrage (16), chacun d'entre eux étant apte à recevoir et à maintenir au moins un composant respectif (2) et comprenant, à son tour, une mâchoire inférieure (17), une mâchoire supérieure (24) et un dispositif d'actionnement (20) permettant de déplacer la mâchoire supérieure (24) dans une première direction donnée (13) entre une position de verrouillage et une position de libération du composant (2) ; et étant caractérisée en ce que le dispositif d'actionnement (20) comprend un moteur électrique (20) logé à l'intérieur de la mâchoire inférieure (17) ; la mâchoire supérieure (24) étant couplée de manière angulairement fixe et axialement coulissante à la mâchoire inférieure (17) et étant en outre couplée à un arbre de sortie (22) du moteur électrique (20) au moyen d'un accouplement vis-vis écrou.

2. Machine selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle l'étau de serrage (16) comprend en outre un dispositif de détection (28) permettant de détecter la position de la mâchoire supérieure (24) dans ladite première direction (13).

3. Machine selon la revendication 2, dans laquelle la mâchoire supérieure (24) comprend un arbre de support (25) couplé de manière angulairement fixe et axialement coulissante à la mâchoire inférieure (17) et une plaque (27) verrouillée sur une extrémité de l'arbre de support (25) ; le dispositif de détection (28) comprenant un capteur de position pour mesurer le déplacement axial de l'arbre de support (25) dans ladite première direction (13).

4. Machine selon la revendication 2, dans laquelle le moteur électrique (20) comprend un rotor (22) monté de manière à tourner autour d'un axe longitudinal (18) ; le dispositif de détection (28) comprenant un codeur pour détecter la position angulaire du rotor (22) autour de l'axe longitudinal (18).

5. Machine selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans laquelle la base (3) s'étend dans une deuxième direction (4) essentiellement transversale à la première direction (13) ; la machine comprenant en outre une pluralité de traverses (15), s'étendant dans une troisième direction (9) essentiellement orthogonale auxdites première et deuxième directions (13, 4), mobiles le long de la base (3) dans la deuxième direction (4) et, chacune d'entre elles, supportant au moins un étau de serrage respectif desdits étaux de serrage (16).

Drawing