Separating device with cutting chain for processing sandwich panels

• US 6,408,730 B1
• Filed: 07/03/2000
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trumpf GmbH and company
• Original Assignee: Trumpf GmbH and company
• Inventors: Accola, Matthias, Tinner, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodman, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/530,229
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 303/81, 303/82, 303/74, 303/75, 303/76, 303/77, 837/88, 838/35, 838/37, 838/39, 838/51, 838/55, 831/68, 831/00, 838/32
• US Class Current: 83/832
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 33/142 Cutter elements
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 1/082 consisting of chain saws
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 1/124 Saw chains; rod-like saw blades; saw cables
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/207 By suction means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/242 With means to clean work or tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/707 By endless band or chain knife
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/917 Having diverse cutting elements

Abstract

A cutting device for tooling sandwich plates has as its cutting tool a cutting chain (5) with cutting elements in the form of chain links (27, 28, 29) and a chain guide as the guide mechanism, wherein the chain links (27, 28, 29), lying one behind the other in their direction of movement (23), can swivel relative to one another on a swivel axis running transverse to their plane of movement and are moved by means of the chain guide in the plane of movement sometimes in a straight line, sometimes in a curve. The chain links (27, 28, 29) also have several cutting teeth (34) lying one behind the other in their direction of movement (23), which project radially on the cutting chain (5) and have cutting edges (335), which run transverse to the plane of movement of the chain links (27, 28, 29), wherein the perpendicular projections of the cutting edges (35) are arranged in the plane of movement at least partially along a line curved radially to the outside. The cutting chain (5) of the cutting device has the type of chain links (27, 28, 29) described above.

Claims

1. A cutting device for cutting a sandwich plate (2) and having a housing (3) with a support plate (12) and a motor-driven cutting tool (5) rotatably supported in a guide mechanism in the housing to move in a cutting direction and cut through the sandwich plate (2), said cutting tool having cutting elements that move together in a common path of movement extending transversely of the plate on said support plate (12), wherein said cutting tool is an endless cutting chain (5) with said cutting elements comprising chain links (27, 28, 29) arranged in three adjacent rows comprising a middle row and two outer rows and wherein said guide mechanism is a chain guide (4), said chain links (27, 28, 29) being pivotably coupled so that adjacent links in the path of movement (23) of said chain can pivot relative to one another on pivot axes extending transversely of the path of movement, each of said links in each of said rows having several cutting teeth (34) which project in a radial direction on the cutting chain (5) and have cutting edges (35) which extend in a direction transversely of the path of movement of the chain links (27, 28, 29), said links having leading and trailing ends in the path of movement of said chain, said cutting edges (35) of the teeth in each link lie along an imaginary line (36, 37) curved radially outwardly of said cutting chain, and the links (28) of said middle row have their leading and trailing ends in the path of movement (23) overlapping the ends of the trailing and leading ends of the links (27, 29) of said outer rows, the adjacent links in the three rows of the chain are pivotably connected to one another by connecting bolts (30) which extend through one end portion of said outer rows and one end portion of the link of said middle row.

2. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said imaginary line (36, 37) along which said cutting edges (35) on the chain links (27, 28, 29) lie in the path of movement has a radius of curvature which varies in length as the endless chain moves in the path between changes in direction, said radius of curvature between the changes in the direction being 0.08 to 2.5 times the smallest radius of curvature of the endless chain as said chain changes direction in said path of movement.

3. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the connecting bolts (30) have a radially enlarged portion (31) received in said links (28) of said middle row.

4. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the links (27, 29) of the outer rows have their ends aligned and wherein the cutting edges (35) of the links (27, 29) of the outer rows lie in a common curved plane.

5. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said links of each of said outer rows have outer side surfaces and inner side surfaces adjacent said middle row, said outer side surfaces (32, 33) of the links (27, 29) of each of said outer rows lying in common rectilinear planes and said inner side surface of each of said outer rows lying in common rectilinear planes.

6. The cutting device in claim 5 wherein said planes of said outer side surfaces (32, 33) of said outer links (27, 29) extend inwardly from said cutting edges of said outer links to provide a reduced width for the chain at a point spaced inwardly from said cutting edges of said outer links.

7. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the chain links (27, 28, 29) each have at least five cutting teeth (34).

8. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the cutting edges (35) of at least some of the links (28) of the middle row extend in the radial direction outwardly of the cutting edges (35) of the links (27, 29) of the outer rows.

9. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the cutting edges of said teeth of each link are spaced apart and the spacing between said cutting edges varies on at least some of said chain links (27, 28, 29).

10. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the cutting chain (5) and chain guide (4) are at least partially surrounded by a drive chain housing (7) with an inside wall and wherein an intermediate chamber (8) is formed between the cutting chain (5) and said inside wall of said drive chain housing (7), and wherein said housing (3) includes means for connecting said chamber (8) to a suction device to draw waste away from the sandwich plate.

11. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said support plate (12) provides a machine guide (11) for the housing (3) for movement of the cutting device along an upper surface of the sandwich plate (2) during cutting of the sandwich plate (2).

12. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said support plate (12) can be supported on the sandwich plate (2) being cut and upon which said housing (3) of the cutting device (1) is movably mounted so that an axis of a plane in which the cutting chain moves relative to a plane of an upper surface of the sandwich plate (2) can be adjusted relative to the plane of the upper surface of the sandwich plate (2).

13. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the housing (3) of the cutting device (1) is mounted on the support plate (12) so that said housing can pivot about an axis (14) extending parallel to a plane of an upper surface of the sandwich plate.

14. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said housing (3) of the cutting device (1) can be releasably locked at various angular positions of the cutting chain (5) and the chain guide (4) relative to said support plate (12) and the sandwich plate (2).

15. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein said support plate (12) has a slot (16) in which the cutting chain (5) and the chain guide (4) are movable in relation to the sandwich plate (2).

16. The cutting device in claim 1 wherein the chain guide (4) is elongated with a linear central portion and arcuate end portions and said cutting chain (5) moves thereabout.