Pile cutting device comprising a first pile positioning unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11904487-B2
Application number	US-202117909786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2021
Priority date	Nov 12, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

In some examples, a pile cutting device includes a first pile positioning unit, a cutting unit for cutting at least one sheet pile, and a bearing device including a first pile bearing surface. The first pile positioning unit includes an upper rotary plunger that can be pivoted about a pivot axis and moved with respect to a vertical direction, and also includes a first horizontal drive for moving a sheet pile in and/or counter to a horizontal direction. The first pile positioning unit further includes two upper pressing elements that differ from the upper rotary plunger, and that are movable with respect to the vertical direction. A first one of the upper pressing elements is movable in and/or counter to the horizontal direction by the first horizontal drive. A second one of the upper pressing elements is movable in and/or counter to the horizontal direction by a second horizontal drive.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pile cutting device comprising:
a first pile positioning unit,
at least one first cutting unit for cutting at least one sheet pile, and
at least one bearing device including a first pile bearing surface,
the first pile positioning unit comprising an upper rotary plunger pivotable about a vertical pivot axis and movable in a vertical direction,
the first pile positioning unit further comprising a first horizontal drive and a second horizontal drive actuatable for moving the at least one sheet pile in and/or counter to a first horizontal direction, the first pile positioning unit further comprising at least two upper pressing elements including a first upper pressing element and a second upper pressing element that are moveable separately with respect to the upper rotary plunger in the vertical direction for contacting an upper side of the sheet pile, wherein, at least while contacting the upper side of the sheet pile, the first upper pressing element is movable in and/or counter to the first horizontal direction by the first horizontal drive, and the second upper pressing element is movable separately from the first upper pressing element in and/or counter to the first horizontal direction by the second horizontal drive.

2. The pile cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the first pile positioning unit comprises a lower rotary plunger, which can be pivoted about the pivot axis.

3. The pile cutting device according to claim 2 , characterized in that an upper contact surface of the lower rotary plunger is arranged no higher than at a height of the first pile bearing surface.

4. The pile cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the first pile positioning unit further comprises at least two lower pressing elements, which are movable in and/or counter to the first horizontal direction by one of the first horizontal drive or the second horizontal drive.

5. The pile cutting device according to claim 4 , wherein the at least two lower pressing elements comprise a first lower pressing element and a second lower pressing element, wherein the first upper pressing element and the first lower pressing element are assigned to one another and together form a pile gripper, and that the first upper pressing element and the first lower pressing element, which together form the pile gripper, are movable together in and/or counter to the first horizontal direction.

6. The pile cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one first upper pressing plate, which is arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

7. The pile cutting device according to 6 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one first upper pressing plate is arranged upstream from the upper rotary plunger, based on the first horizontal direction, and at least a portion of the at least one first upper pressing plate is arranged downstream from the upper rotary plunger, based on the first horizontal direction.

8. The pile cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the first cutting unit comprises at least one first knife bar, at which a first knife is arranged, and the first horizontal direction corresponds to a direction from the upper rotary plunger to the first knife.

9. The pile cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper rotary plunger and at least one of the first upper pressing element or the second upper pressing element are situated at a smallest distance with respect to one another, which is no more than 100 mm and/or no more than 50 mm and/or no more than 30 mm and/or no more than 20 mm and/or no more than 10 mm and/or no more than 5 mm and/or no more than 2 mm.

10. The pile cutting device according to claim 4 , wherein the lower rotary plunger and at least one lower pressing element of the at least two lower pressing elements are situated at a smallest distance with respect to one another, which is no more than 100 mm and/or no more than 50 mm and/or no more than 30 mm and/or no more than 20 mm and/or no more than 10 mm and/or no more than 5 mm and/or no more than 2 mm.

11. A method for cutting a sheet pile by means of a pile cutting device, the sheet pile initially resting on a first pile bearing surface of a first bearing device, the method comprising:
in a first forward-feed operation, moving the sheet pile in or counter to a first horizontal direction in relation to a first cutting unit, by movement of at least two upper pressing elements acting vertically from above on the sheet pile,
in a first lowering operation, lowering a rotary plunger that is pivotable about a vertical pivot axis such that a lower contact surface of the rotary plunger makes contact with the sheet pile,
in a first release operation, moving the at least two upper pressing elements upwardly and off the sheet pile,
in a first pivoting operation, pivoting the rotary plunger about the vertical pivot axis, to cause the sheet pile to pivot about the vertical pivot axis,
in a second lowering operation, moving the at least two upper pressing elements downwardly and into contact with the sheet pile following the pivoting,
in a second release operation, moving the rotary plunger upwardly and off the sheet pile while the at least two upper pressing elements contact the sheet pile,
in a second forward-feed operation, moving the sheet pile in or counter to the first horizontal direction by moving the at least two upper pressing elements, and
following the second forward-feed operation, in a first cutting operation, cutting a partial pile off the sheet pile by means of the first cutting unit.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the rotary plunger and/or a first upper pressing plate are lowered from above onto the sheet pile after the second forward-feed operation and prior to the first cutting operation in a smooth-pressing operation, and are brought into contact with the sheet pile.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, in at least one operation of the method, the sheet pile is moved in or counter to the first horizontal direction by means of the at least two upper pressing elements in contact with an upper side of the sheet pile, and an orientation of the sheet pile is changed in that the at least two upper pressing elements are moved different distances in or counter to the first horizontal direction while the at least two upper pressing elements move the sheet pile.

Assignees

• Koenig & Bauer Ag

Inventors

• Neumann Jann
• Palme Martin
• Sauer Jens

Classifications

• B26D1/08 Primary

  of the guillotine type · CPC title

• B26D7/025

  acting upon planar surfaces (B26D7/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B26D7/0675

  specially adapted for piles of sheets · CPC title

• B26D11/00

  Combinations of several similar cutting apparatus · CPC title

• B26D7/015 Primary

  for sheet material or piles of sheets (B26D7/018 and B26D7/02 take precedence) · CPC title