Automated floor panel workcell
First Claim
1. A method of making parts from rigid, self-supporting sheet material, comprising:
- creating a virtual nest of parts on a space equal to a standard sheet of said rigid sheet material;
loading a working sheet of said rigid sheet material having said standard size, on edge, into a CNC machine;
in said CNC machine, cutting at least one reference cut into said working sheet for future indexing;
moving said working sheet, on edge, to a second CNC machine and indexing said working sheet, on edge, to a known position on said second CNC machine using said reference cut;
positioning a tool of a second CNC machine precisely at a predetermined position on said working sheet using said reference cut as a reference, and performing additional operations on said working sheet in said second CNC machine; and
cutting the periphery of each nested part on said working sheet to separate said parts from said working sheet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A workcell for making parts in a vertical orientation from rigid sheet material capable of self-support on edge includes a plurality of CNC machines for performing machining operations on said sheet material in a vertical orientation. The CNC machines receive machine control data from a cell controller which, in turn, receives nest order packages from a factory system. The parts data from which the factory system constructs the nest order packages comes from the original engineering parts definition in a central data storage system which is the ultimate parts design authority of the assembly for which the parts are to be made. The rigid sheet material is transferred in a vertical orientation to and between the CNC machines in at least one automated handling cart. The cart has a transfer mechanism for transferring sheets of the rigid sheet material on edge between the cart and the CNC machines. A motive mechanism is provided for driving the cart between the CNC machines under control of the cell controller, and for stopping the cart with its transfer mechanism in registry with the CNC machines.
36 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of making parts from rigid, self-supporting sheet material, comprising:
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creating a virtual nest of parts on a space equal to a standard sheet of said rigid sheet material; loading a working sheet of said rigid sheet material having said standard size, on edge, into a CNC machine; in said CNC machine, cutting at least one reference cut into said working sheet for future indexing; moving said working sheet, on edge, to a second CNC machine and indexing said working sheet, on edge, to a known position on said second CNC machine using said reference cut; positioning a tool of a second CNC machine precisely at a predetermined position on said working sheet using said reference cut as a reference, and performing additional operations on said working sheet in said second CNC machine; and cutting the periphery of each nested part on said working sheet to separate said parts from said working sheet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A workcell for making parts in a vertical orientation from rigid sheet material capable of self-support on edge, comprising:
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a plurality of CNC machines for performing machining operations on said sheet material in a vertical orientation; a cell controller for receiving nest order packages from a Factory System, and downloading machine control data to said CNC machines for controlling the movements of tools in said CNC machines; at least one automated handling device for receiving and holding sheets of said sheet material in a vertical orientation; a transfer mechanism in said automated handling device for transferring sheets of said sheet material between said automated handling device and said CNC machines in a vertical orientation; a motive mechanism for driving said automated handling device between said CNC machines under control of said cell controller, and for stopping said automated handling device with its transfer mechanism in registry with said CNC machines. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of installing flanged inserts in a panel of nested parts in an automated workcell, comprising:
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creating machine control data files from a digital definition of said parts from original engineering parts definition files, and a nesting program which positions virtual parts in a virtual space equal in size to a standard sheet of material from which said parts will be made; downloading said machine control data into a cell controller which controls machines and equipment in said workcell; loading said panel into a CNC drilling machine and drilling a pattern of holes into said nested parts using said machine control data to control said drill; loading said panel in a known orientation into an automatic insert installation machine; applying adhesive to an underside area of a flange on said insert; inspecting said insert with a visual system to ascertain whether the correct amount of adhesive was applied correctly; rejecting said insert if an incorrect amount of adhesive was applied, or if said adhesive was applied in a wrong position; positioning an inserter on said inserting machine, using the same part definition information that controlled said drill, to orient an insert with a correctly applied amount of adhesive correctly applied to said underside of said flange with a selected one of said holes in said panel; and pushing said insert with a correctly applied amount of adhesive correctly applied to said underside of said flange into said one hole.
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Specification