Cutting and punching apparatus for sheet material

• US 5,044,238 A
• Filed: 09/06/1989
• Issued: 09/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lectra Systemes Marticot
• Original Assignee: Lectra Systemes
• Inventors: Etcheparre, Bernard, Etcheparre, Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Bray, W. Donald
• Application Number:
  US07/403,673
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 83/49, 83/76.1, 83/399, 83/561, 83/639.1, 83/917, 51/250
• US Class Current: 83/76.1
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 9/00 Cutting apparatus combined with punching or perforating apparatus or with dissimilar cutting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/38 Cutting-out; Stamping-out
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/382 wherein the cutting member reciprocates in, or substantially in, a direction parallel to the cutting edge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0572 Plural cutting steps effect progressive cut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/162 With control means responsive to replaceable or selectable information program
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8745 Tool and anvil relatively positionable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/8858 Fluid pressure actuated

Abstract

A cutting and punching apparatus for sheet material, designed to be movably mounted on an automatic cutting machine, having a cutting tool and a punching tool, wherein said apparatus comprises means for vibrating said cutting tool, means for vertically displacing said cutting tool, means for rotating said cutting tool, means for sharpening said cutting tool, means for vertically displacing said punching tool, means for rotating said machine tool, and a supporting base on which are grouped in a compact manner all said means, which means being operable both simultaneously and independently of each other.

Claims

1. Cutting and punching apparatus for sheet material, designed to be movably mounted on an automatic cutting machine, having a cutting tool and a punching tool, wherein said apparatus comprises means for vibrating said cutting tool, means for vertically displacing said cutting tool, means for rotating said cutting tool, means for sharpening said cutting tool, means for vertically displacing said punching tool, means for rotating said machine tool, and a supporting base on which are grouped in a compact manner all said means, which all said respective means being operable both simultaneously and independently of each other.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cutting tool is a vertical blade.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said punching tool is a vertical punch.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for vibrating said cutting tool include a flywheel coupled directly to the shaft of an electric motor affixed inside a movable casing, a freely rotatable crank wrist mounted on the external face of said flywheel, at an excentric position with respect to the rotation axis of said flywheel and possessing an open, radial slot in which comes to slide horizontally a T-shaped tongue element of a slider adjusted so as to slide freely and without rotation on a hollow guide whose axis is concurrent with that of said flywheel, said slider coming into engagement at the upper part of said blade while allowing free rotation of the latter.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said slider has a vertical sleeve possessing a square internal section adjusted on said guide.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said blade is vertically guided by a slider that is itself vertically guided within a rotating guide mounted on said base.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein a guiding section between said slider and said guide is square to prevent any rotation of one with respect to the other.

8. Device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said slider bears, at its lower part located beneath said guide, a pressing heel to flatten the cutting material onto its cutting support.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for vertically displacing said cutting tool comprise a pneumatic jack, two guide columns held at their top ends by a connecting element, a compression spring located between said base and said movable casing enclosing said electric motor.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for rotating said cutting tool comprises servo-motor connected, via a toothed transmission belt and two pulleys, to said rotating guide driving said blade into rotation.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said servo-motor is vertically mounted on a support that is articulated with respect to said base for adjustment of the tension of said belt.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for sharpening said cutting tool comprise:

two abrasive tabs articulated around a common vertical axis joined to said pressing heel and held apart by a spring so as to be at a tangent with respect to the blade without contacting the latter,

inclined planes provided at the lower opening of said guide and serving to squeeze said tabs into contact with said blade when the latter is set to a high position.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for vertically displacing said punching tool comprises:

a pneumatic jack affixed to said connecting element;

a guide means movably suspended in a rotating hub of said base, the lower part of said punching tool sliding through said guide and its upper part being centred on the end of the rod of said jack;

a compression spring located between the upper face of said hub and the lower face of the rod of said jack, and through which passes said punch.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for rotating said punching tool comprise a motor, pulleys, joined respectively to said hub and to said shaft of said motor, on which a circular belt is mounted under tension.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said motor drives both the means for rotating said cutting tool and the means for rotating said cutting tool.