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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
With reference to
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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