Workpiece discharging devices and related systems and methods

• US 9,126,256 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Company KG (Trumpf GmbH + Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Company KG (Trumpf GmbH + Company KG)
• Inventors: Breitling, Detlef, Bunz, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Lee D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deonauth, Nirvana
• Application Number:
  US13/178,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 269/266, 269/289.R, 269136-139, 269/271, 269/60, 269/55, 269/71, 269/14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/16 by gravity, e.g. chutes
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/28 Associations of cutting devices therewith
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/282 Discharging crop ends or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 43/287 Devices for handling sheet or strip material B21D43/282 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 45/00 Ejecting or stripping-off devices arranged in machines or tools dealt with in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 45/003 in punching machines or punching tools
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 45/04 interrelated with motion of tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/50 Convertible metal working machine

Abstract

A machine tool for processing workpieces includes a processing device from which processed products to be discharged can be produced from a workpiece; and a discharge device including a discharge flap that can be pivoted into a discharge position inclined downwards relative to a horizontal position in order to discharge processed products and which defines a discharge direction in the discharge position, the discharge flap comprising a part support disposed along the upper side of the discharge flap along which the processed products move during discharge in the discharge direction, where the part support has at least two support regions which extend in the discharge direction and which are configured to accommodate different types of processed products.

Claims

1. A system comprising a discharge device for discharging a processed product from a workpiece processing machine tool, the discharge device comprising:

a discharge flap configured to be pivoted to a discharge position inclined downwards relative to a horizontal position in order to discharge the processed product in a discharge direction; and

a part support disposed along an upper surface of the discharge flap along which the processed product moves during discharge in the discharge direction, wherein the part support has first and second support regions which extend in the discharge direction, the first support region having first properties configured to support a first type of processed product such that the first support region is configured to move a processed product of the first type in the discharge direction, and the second support region having second properties configured to support a second type of processed product such that the second support region is configured to move a processed product of the second type in the discharge direction, and wherein the first properties are different from the second properties, and the first type of processed product is different from the second type of processed product.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first support region has a different material composition than the second support region.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first support region has different surface properties than the second support region.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second support regions comprise support elements, at least one support element of the first support region having a different construction type than at least one support element of the second support region.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second support regions comprise support elements, the support elements of the first support region having different discharge characteristics than the support elements of the second support region.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second support regions comprise support elements, the support elements of the first support region being arranged in a first pattern along the first support region and the support elements of the second support region being arranged in a second pattern along the second support region, and the first pattern being different than the second pattern.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second support regions comprises a support brush having support elements in the form of bristles or bristle bundles.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first support region is constructed of a support brush comprising first bristles and the second support region is constructed of a support brush comprising second bristles, the first bristles having the first properties, and the second bristles having the second properties.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first bristles have one or more of a different material type, a different rigidity, a different hardness, and a different orientation than the second bristles, respectively.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second support regions protrudes towards the processed product to a greater extent than the other of the first and second support regions.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a third support region, wherein the second support region is arranged between the first support region and the third support region in a direction transverse to the discharge direction, and the first support region and the third support region project towards the processed product to a greater extent than the second support region.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second support regions are arranged beside each other in a direction that is transverse to the discharge direction, and wherein the first support region is constructed of a support brush comprising first bristle bundles and the second support region is constructed of a support brush comprising second bristle bundles.

12. A system comprising a machine tool for processing workpieces, the machine tool comprising:

a workpiece processing device; and

a discharge device comprising;

a discharge flap configured to be pivoted to a discharge position inclined downwards relative to a horizontal position in order to discharge a processed product from the workpiece processing device in a discharge direction; and

a part support disposed along an upper surface of the discharge flap along which the processed product moves during discharge in the discharge direction, wherein the part support has first and second support regions which extend in the discharge direction, the first support region having first properties configured to support a first type of processed product such that the first support region is configured to move a processed product of the first type in the discharge direction, and the second support region having second properties configured to support a second type of processed product such that the second support region is configured to move a processed product of the second type in the discharge direction, and wherein the first properties are different from the second properties, and the first type of processed product is different from the second type of processed product.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a positioning device by which the processed product can be associated with either of the first or second support region of the part support, depending on the type of the processed product.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the workpiece to be processed can be positioned relative to the processing device by the positioning device in such a manner that the processed product produced from the workpiece is arranged, depending on the type of the processed product, on the first or second support region of the part support when workpiece processing is finished.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the processing device forms a support for the processed product, and the support for the processed product is aligned in the discharge direction with the upper surface of at least one of the support regions.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first and second support regions are arranged beside each other in a direction that is transverse to the discharge direction, and wherein the first support region is constructed of a support brush comprising first bristle bundles and the second support region is constructed of a support brush comprising second bristle bundles, and wherein the first bristle bundles have the first properties and the second bristle bundles have the second properties.