Machine tool for cutting plate and sandwich panels

• US 7,055,250 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trumpf Schweiz Ag (TRUMPF SE + Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Trumpf Grusch AG
• Inventors: Schmid, Markus, Allemann, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Dexter, Clark F.
• Application Number:
  US10/327,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 301/21, 301/22, 303/12, 303/20, 303/21, 30370-377, 30381-391, 305/17, 305/19, 305/20, 835/74, 837/43, 837/45, 837/88, 837/94, 837/96, 83810-812, 144/34.1, 144/34.2, 144/73
• US Class Current: 30/377
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 57/023 hand-held or hand-operated
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 17/0083 Attachments for guiding or supporting chain saws during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 17/02 Chain saws equipped with guide bar B27B17/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 17/08 Drives or gearings; Devices for swivelling or tilting the chain saw
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/707 By endless band or chain knife

Abstract

A machine for cutting plate-shaped workpieces, incorporates a tool guide (7), an operating handle (13), and a cutting tool (6) which revolves along the tool guide (7). By moving the operating handle (13), the tool guide (7) with its cutting tool (6) can be shifted from an idle position into an active position. In its idle position the cutting tool (6) is disengaged from, and, in its active position it is engaged in, the workpiece to be processed. Provided between the operating handle (13) and the tool guide (7) is a variable ratio transmission mechanism (14, 18) with a transmission ratio which varies with the movement of the operating handle (13) as a function of the position of the tool guide (7) and its cutting tool (6) relative to the workpiece.

Claims

1. Machine for cutting plate-shaped workpieces comprising:

(a) a housing (4);

(b) an elongated tool guide (7) pivotally mounted on the housing (4) about a pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of elongation of the tool guide;

(c) a motor-driven cutting tool (6) extending about the tool guide (7) along said direction of elongation, said cutting tool defining a cutting plane;

(d) a grippable operating handle (13) pivotably supported in the housing (4) and operatively connected to the tool guide (7) to shift the tool guide (7) with the cutting tool (6) along said cutting plane from an idle position to an active position, whereby in its idle position, the cutting tool (6) is disengaged from a workpiece to be cut upon which the machine is placed for cutting the workpiece, and in its active position, the cutting tool is engaged in the workpiece (2) to be cut and;

(e) a variable ratio transmission mechanism (14, 18) operably connected to said operating handle (13) and the tool guide (7), said variable ratio transmission mechanism having a transmission ratio that varies with the movement of the operating handle (13) as a function of the position of the tool guide (7) and cutting tool (6) as they move between the idle and active positions for cutting said workpiece (2).

2. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the variation of the transmission ratio is selected so that the amount of pressure that must be applied by the operator to move the operating handle (13) from the idle position of the tool guide (7) with its cutting tool (6) into the workpiece being processed and throughout the cutting process is substantially uniform.

3. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein the variable ratio transmission mechanism (14, 18) between the operating handle (13) and the tool guide (7) is a transmission lever.

4. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the operating handle (13) is mounted on a first pivot arm (14) on one side of the housing (4) and can be pivoted together with said pivot arm (14) around the pivotal axis (15) of said pivot arm (14).

5. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 4 wherein the tool guide (7) is disposed on said one side of said housing.

6. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is included at least one scale (37) on a fixed element on said housing and associated with and indicator on said one pivot arm (14) to indicate the respectively current maximum cutting depth of the cutting tool (6) in the workpiece as a function of at least one respectively current position of the operating handle (13) during its movement.

7. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is included at least one scale (34) on a base plate, said base plate supporting said housing on a workpiece, and said scale indicating the position of the tool guide (7) with its cutting tool (6) relative to the workpiece at the current maximum cutting depth of the cutting tool (6).

8. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is included a locking device (43) on said housing (4) engageable with said tool guide (17) for automatically locking the tool guide (7) with its cutting tool (6) in a pivoted position assumed during its movement.

9. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein the locking device (43) for the tool guide (7) with its cutting tool (6) includes a clamping mechanism with a clamping element, a biasing member urging said clamping element into a clamping position, and a release element to overcome said biasing means.

10. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the operating handle (13) is mounted on said one pivot arm (14), wherein the tool guide (7) is connected to said one pivot arm (14) by a transmission lever (18) providing said transmission mechanism, and wherein there is included a locking device on said housing engageable with said one pivot arm (14) so that the tool guide (7) may be automatically locked in any of its respectively current positions during its movement.

11. The cutting machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is included a support handle (22) fixedly mounted on said housing and wherein the operating handle (13) and said support handle (22) are positioned along a line that extends parallel to the feed direction (44) of the tool, whereby, with the tool guide (7) and its cutting tool (6) in their active position, the machine (1) and the workpiece to be processed can be moved relative to each other in the feed direction (44).