Catcher tank assembly of waterjet cutting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11045969-B2
Application number	US-201113193435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2011
Priority date	Jul 28, 2011
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A catcher tank assembly is provided for a waterjet cutting machine. The catcher tank assembly includes a catcher tank having a plurality of tank sections detachably coupleable together in a side-by-side manner to collectively define a catcher tank having a desired configuration. The catcher tank assembly further includes a workpiece support system detachably coupleable to an interior cavity of the catcher tank. The workpiece support system may include a plurality of workpiece support modules arrangeable in an array to support a workpiece platform of the waterjet cutting machine. The workpiece platform may be formed, for example, by a series of slats supported transversely to parallel rows of the workpiece support modules. Methods and systems which relate to or include the aforementioned catcher tank assembly are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A catcher tank assembly for a waterj et cutting machine, the catcher tank assembly comprising:
a catcher tank including a plurality of tank sections, each tank section comprising opposing sidewalls and a floor extending therebetween that define one of opposing sides of a u-shaped mating interface that extends a full width of the catcher tank between adjacent tank sections, each u-shaped mating interface being provided with a respective sealing device in sealing contact with the adjacent tank sections, a number of the u-shaped mating interfaces of the catcher tank and a number of the sealing devices each being exactly one less than the number of tank sections, and the tank sections being detachably coupled together in a side-by-side manner to collectively define an internal tank cavity to hold a volume of water for absorbing energy of a jet generated by the waterjet cutting machine during a cutting operation, and the floors of the tank sections collectively defining a tank floor, wherein each of the floors includes an inner surface that faces the internal tank cavity and the respective sealing device is positioned within the internal tank cavity such that the respective sealing device contacts the inner surfaces of the floors of both adjacent tank sections;
a workpiece platform that forms an upper work surface of the catcher tank upon which to support a workpiece to be processed during the cutting operation; and
a workpiece support system detachably coupled to the tank floor, the workpiece support system including a plurality of workpiece support modules that are arranged in an array beneath the workpiece platform and that cooperatively support the workpiece platform.

2. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the catcher tank is configured such that a first row of the array of workpiece support modules is detachably coupled to a first one of the tank sections and a second row of the array of workpiece support modules is detachably coupled to a second one of the tank sections, and wherein the first row and the second row of the array of workpiece support modules cooperatively support the workpiece platform.

3. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tank sections of the catcher tank include two tank end units and an intermediate tank unit, the plurality of tank sections being reconfigurable between a first tank configuration, in which the end tank units are detachably coupled together, and a second tank configuration, in which the end tank units are detachably coupled to opposing sides of the intermediate tank unit to provide an internal tank cavity larger than an internal tank cavity of the first tank configuration.

4. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of tank sections of the catcher tank further includes a flange extending across one of the opposing sidewalls along the floor and across the other one of the opposing sidewalls to define the u-shaped mating interface that selectively assembles the tank sections in the side-by-side manner collectively defining the internal tank cavity.

5. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the tank sections of the catcher tank includes an upstanding flange offset from an abutment edge, and wherein the sealing device of each u-shaped mating interface of the catcher tank is a cord compressibly disposed between the upstanding flanges of two adjacent tank sections.

6. The catcher tank assembly of claim 5 wherein the catcher tank further includes at least one spacer disposed between the upstanding flanges of the two adjacent tank sections to control a degree of compression of the cord.

7. The catcher tank assembly of claim 6 wherein the abutment edges, the upstanding flanges, and the at least one spacer combine to define a box-like cavity that captively receives the cord.

8. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the workpiece support system further includes a plurality of adjustment devices for selectively leveling the workpiece support modules to level the workpiece platform supported thereon.

9. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein the workpiece support system further includes a plurality of elongated support columns, and wherein the workpiece support system is detachably coupled to the tank floor by the plurality of elongated support columns to support the workpiece support modules at a height above the tank floor, adjacent sets of the elongated support columns supporting opposing ends of a respective workpiece support module.

10. The catcher tank assembly of claim 9 wherein at least one set of the elongated support columns supports an end of each of two adjacent workpiece support modules.

11. The catcher tank assembly of claim 9 wherein the workpiece support system further includes a plurality of adjustment devices, at least one adjustment device provided for each set of the elongated support columns at each of opposing ends of the workpiece support modules.

12. The catcher tank assembly of claim 9 wherein a load capacity of the elongated support columns supporting a first one of the workpiece support modules is at least twice the load capacity of the elongated support columns supporting a second one of the workpiece support modules.

13. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a waste removal system, the waste removal system configured to span an interface between adjacent tank sections to transport a flushing fluid from a first one of the tank sections to at least a second one of the tank sections.

14. The catcher tank assembly of claim 13 wherein the waste removal system includes a plurality of nozzles configured to generate flushing jets directed into areas of each of the plurality of tank sections.

15. The catcher tank assembly of claim 14 wherein a first set of the nozzles in one region of the catcher tank is selectively operable independent of a second set of the nozzles in another region of the catcher tank.

16. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a water level control system at least partially integrated into one of the tank sections, the water level control system configured to selectively control a height of the volume of water in the catcher tank during the cutting operation.

17. The waterjet cutting system of claim 1 wherein the catcher tank includes a plurality of armor plates detachably coupled to interior sidewalls of the catcher tank.

18. The catcher tank assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the workpiece support modules includes a plurality of elongated, vertically arranged slots that receive a plurality of slats, the slats received in the slots collectively define the workpiece platform.

19. A waterjet cutting system, comprising:
a cutting head movably coupled to a multi-axis machine and operable to process a workpiece via a cutting operation;
a catcher tank configured to hold a volume of water for absorbing the energy of a jet generated by the cutting head of the waterj et cutting system during the cutting operation, the catcher tank including a plurality of tank sections, each tank section comprising opposing sidewalls and a floor extending therebetween that define one of opposing sides of a u-shaped mating interface that extends a full width of the catcher tank between adjacent tank sections, each u-shaped mating interface being provided with a respective sealing device in sealing contact with the adjacent tank sections, a number of the u-shaped mating interfaces of the catcher tank and a number of the sealing devices each b

Assignees

• Knaupp Michael
• Meyer Andreas
• Craigen Steven J
• Mann Robert J
• Hashish Mohamed A
• Ullrich Eckhardt R
• Loofbourow Thomas R
• Flow Int Corp

Inventors

• Knaupp Michael
• Meyer Andreas
• Craigen Steven J
• Mann Robert J
• Hashish Mohamed A
• Ullrich Eckhardt R
• Loofbourow Thomas R

Classifications

• B26D7/01

  Means for holding or positioning work · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• B26F3/004

  by means of a fluid jet (methods for use of abrasive blasting for cutting B24C1/045; guns for abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; perforating by non-mechanical means, e.g. by fluid jet B26F1/26) · CPC title

• Y10T83/364

  By fluid blast and/or suction · CPC title

• B26F3/008 Primary

  Energy dissipating devices therefor, e.g. catchers; Supporting beds therefor (cutting beds in general B26D7/20) · CPC title