The present invention refers to a multi-functional tool-carrier rotary head for glass working applications as per the preamble of claim 1 and to a system for cutting glass through high-pressure water using such rotary head. Such a device and system are known from FR 1 422 266.

In the field of glass working and cutting, classical working technologies are known (drilling, flaring and milling) through the help of diamond tools.

The glass cutting technique through pressurised water is also known, together with handling glass on dynamic vacuum belts.

All these known techniques and solutions however have never been employed together, in the field of glass working.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a multi-functional tool-carrier rotary head for glass working applications comprising the combination of features of independent claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed by the dependent claims.

The water cutting implementation in plants that use the classical working technologies (drilling, flaring and milling) through the help of diamond tools, has made it possible to obtain a production synergy that makes this system unique.

The two technologies interact without mutually limiting, and instead are a mutual complement, and each one benefits from the capabilities of the other, widening the production capacity.

This results in en enormous advantage for manufacturing, since it is possible to choose which type of cutting must be used, depending on required working and quality.

Implementing this water cutting technology inside a tool-carrier turret has made this system the only numerically controlled drill with an unlimited number of drilling, flaring and milling tools.

The preferred automatic glass positioning allows a water cutting aligned with other production processes that do not require manual interventions for placing the slabs.

Handling of glass on preferred dynamic vacuum belts allows positioning the slab without contact with the upper surface, and therefore makes the machine safe and quick for every type of glass, including low emissive glass.

Vacuum in any belt sector is activated/deactivated depending on glass position. The automatic managing system takes also into account the geometry of shaped glasses, thereby obtaining, in any situation, the maximum capacity for containing slabs.

In order to optimise the life of the high-pressure pump used for cutting water, commonly limited by the continuous pressure drops, it is preferably provided that the connection of the high-pressure jet onto the glass is performed in an hole obtained with diamond tools, instead of with the water jet with differentiated pressure. This, in addition to extend the pump life, prevents the abrasive material from bouncing onto the glass surface.

The system allows integrating the milling and drilling processes in automatic production lines, since loading, positioning and unloading the glass are completely automatic.

The preferred use of the automatic collecting assembly for scraps, following a cutting, has made this plant completely automatic and capable of being integrated in a production line free from human interventions during the whole production cycle.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the multi-functional tool-carrier head according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the head of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a front view of the head of Figure 1 coupled with means for reducing the water energy;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the head and the means of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is a perspective cut-out view of the means for reducing the water energy to be coupled with the inventive head;
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of the inventive head when working a glass slab on a vacuum transport;
• Figure 7 is a side view of the working unit whose parts are shown in Figure 6; and
• Figure 8 is a perspective view of the working unit of Figure 7.

With reference to the Figures, a preferred embodiment of the multi-function tool-carrier head of the present invention is shown and described. It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) can be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the the enclosed claims.

The multi-functional tool-carrier rotary head 1 of the invention is mainly used for glass 3 working applications and is equipped with a plurality of diamond tools 5, 7, 9, 11 and with at least one water-cutting type spindle 13 composed of at least one high-pressure valve 15, at least one abrasive head 16 and at least one nozzle 18 for the exit of high-pressure water 19 with abrasive.

Commonly, the diamond tools 5, 7, 9, 11 are composed of flaring tools 5, milling tools 7, 11 or drilling tools 9.

The innovation of the present invention therefore consists in inserting the spindle 13 for water cutting integrated in the rotary head 1 with diamond tools 5, 7, 9, 11 of any shape/size.

The tools 5, 7, 9, 11, as well as the spindles 13, can be used in any sequence and placed in any position.

Advantageously, the rotary head 1 can be equipped with means 20 for reducing energy of the high-pressure water 19 with abrasive, wherein such means 20 operate such reduction by impacting water 19 against hard solid material 22 in pieces contained therein.

In particular, but not as a limitation, the means 20 are composed of a container 24, preferably of a cylindrical shape, internally coated with a sheath 26 adapted to protect the container 24 from the action of water with abrasive 19; the container 24 contains therein the hard solid material 22 in pieces and is equipped with an upper cover 28 (preferably of the overhanging type with triangular section, as shown in Figures 4 and 5) equipped with at least one hole 29 for entering water with abrasive 19. Moreover, the container 24 is equipped with at least one lower discharge hole 30 suitable to outflow water with abrasive 19 after it has come in contact with the hard solid material 22 in pieces and after it has dissipated its own energy.

Still in particular, but not as a limitation, the container 24 can be of a metallic type, while the sheath 26, in case of container 24 with a cylindrical shape, can be a hollow ceramic cylinder and the hard solid material 22 in pieces can be composed of a multitude of ceramic balls 22 (even if other equivalent materials are possible).

Summarising, the means 20 dampen/convert the residual energy of the jet of high-pressure water 19, after having impacted upon and cut the glass 3. The residual energy is transformed into heat following the impact against polyhedrical and/or spherical and/or cylindrical objects 22 made of solid material present inside the container 24.

The collecting means 20 placed by an axle controlled by the CNC are placed perfectly axial with the spindle 13.

In the application example shown in the Figures, the balls 22 made of ceramic material allow dampening the energy with the advantage of outflowing water 19 with abrasive between the interstices created thereby.

In order to dissipate the water 19 cutting energy following an impact against the glass 3, it is necessary to have a height space equal to about 800 mm, with the consequent emission of noise, reaching a maximum frequency equal to about 130 - 140 dB.

With the use of the above described technical solution, the necessary space is reduced by half, with a lowering of the sound impact of about 50 dB.

The above described rotary head 1, due to its versatility, is among others able to operate with a dynamic vacuum transport system 30 composed of at least one vacuum transport belt assembly 42, 44 suitable to support and operatively translate at least one glass slab 3, as shown in Figure 6.

Due to the dynamic vacuum system 30, the glass slab 3 is blocked, allowing an accurate positioning without the help of mechanical members in contact with the glass 3 surface.

With this system 30, the abrasive that is deposited onto the glass 3 surface following a cut cannot generate any surface scratch.

The currently marketed plants, lacking this system 30, need to block the slab 3 with technical solutions that are able to transmit forces onto the two (upper and lower) surfaces of the glass slab 3. In this way, highly increasing the chances of scratching on its surface the slab 3 with the following rejection from its production cycle.

Moreover, always due to its versatility, the above described rotary head 1 can be suitable to be used in an automatic assembly 50 for taking and managing glass scraps 52 equipped with means 54 (preferably of the suction cup 56 type), for taking and unloading the scraps 52, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, following a cutting operation of the slab 3 through the abrasive diamond tools 5, 7, 9, 11 or after a cutting with water with abrasive perforned with the spindle 13.

This assembly 50 has an automatic positioning managed by software and perfectly integrated in the plant. Usually, in on-line machines, this operation is performed by men: due to the use of this assembly 50, it can be stated that the plant, in all its workings (meant as drilling, flaring, milling and water cutting) is able to be completely automatic and free from human interventions during its whole production process.

In this specific application example, as shown, the assembly 50 is composed of a positioning performed by two controlled axes (X and Y directions), a pneumatic actuator for movements along the Z axis and a venturi system 54 with its related suction cup 56 for taking and unloading the scraps 52.

Finally, the invention relates to a system for cutting the glass slabs 3 according to claim 9.