Changeover apparatus for changing between at least two workpiece supports for a machining machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12502744-B2
Application number	US-202217958514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2022
Priority date	Apr 1, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A changeover apparatus for changing between workpiece supports for a machining machine. The changeover apparatus has a base frame with a carrier apparatus for the workpiece supports, which are vertically movable by the carrier apparatus, with the result that one of the workpiece supports can be transferred into a working plane in which the workpiece support is moved from the carrier apparatus into the machining machine and guided out therefrom. A lifting apparatus acts between the base frame and the carrier apparatus and by way of which the carrier apparatus can be vertically moved relative to the base frame for one workpiece support to take up a first lifting position or a further lifting position in the working plane. The lifting apparatus contains a slotted guide, which movably actuates the carrier apparatus with the workpiece supports together between the first lifting position and the further lifting position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A changeover apparatus for changing between at least two workpiece supports for a machining machine, the changeover apparatus comprising:
a base frame having a carrier apparatus for the at least two workpiece supports being vertically movable by said carrier apparatus, with a result that one of the workpiece supports is transferred into a working plane in which the one workpiece support is moved from said carrier apparatus into the machining machine and guided out therefrom; a lifting apparatus acting between said base frame and said carrier apparatus and by way of which said carrier apparatus is moved vertically relative to said base frame in order for a respective one of the workpiece supports to take up a first lifting position or at least one further lifting position in the working plane, said lifting apparatus containing at least one slotted guide, which is horizontally movable and movably actuates said carrier apparatus with the at least two workpiece supports together between the first lifting position and the at least one further lifting position in relation to said base frame; at least two carrier rollers disposed on said base frame; at least two running rollers disposed on said carrier apparatus; and said at least one slotted guide is a plate-shaped slotted guide and is movably guided between said at least two carrier rollers disposed on said the base frame and said at least two running rollers disposed on said carrier apparatus; and said at least two carrier rollers and said at least two running rollers each have a running surface with a guide contour formed therein which guides said plate-shaped slotted guide between said at least two carrier rollers and said at least two running rollers.

2 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said lifting apparatus with said at least one slotted guide is provided on either side of said carrier apparatus.

3 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two carrier rollers are mounted rotatably to said base frame further comprising at least two carrier rollers disposed on said base frame.

4 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two carrier rollers and said at least two running rollers are disposed perpendicularly with respect to a movement direction of said at least one slotted guide in a common plane.

5 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a complementary drive element; a drive motor; and a drive element, interacting with said complementary drive element, is disposed on said at least one slotted guide of said lifting apparatus, one of said drive element and said complementary drive element are actuated by said drive motor.

6 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 5 ,
further comprises a common drive shaft; and wherein said at least one slotted guide is one of a plurality of slotted guides, said slotted guides are disposed on either side of said carrier apparatus and are each movably actuated by said complementary drive element, on said complementary drive element said common drive shaft engages, and said common drive shaft is driven by said complementary drive motor.

7 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said at least one slotted guide of said lifting apparatus has an upper end portion and a lower end portion, which run horizontally and have a rising curve profile in between them, which has a slope with self-locking for a lifting movement of said carrier apparatus.

8 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising end stops, wherein a horizontal movement of said at least one slotted guide is delimited on either side by a respective one of said end stops.

9 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said drive element of said at least one slotted guide is decoupled from said complementary drive element if said at least one slotted guide by way of one of said upper or lower end portions bears against one of said end stops.

10 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said at least one slotted guide has at least one further horizontal end portion between said upper and said lower end portions and, in between them, a respective curve profile is provided, and said carrier apparatus receives a number of the workpiece supports corresponding to a number of said upper end portion, said lower end portion and said at least one further horizontal end portion.

11 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said complementary drive element is in a form of a drive pinion, said drive element is disposed on said at least one slotted guide being in a form of a toothed rack, which is driven by said complementary drive element.

12 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a height-adjustable stop disposed between said base frame and said carrier apparatus, on said height-adjustable stop said carrier apparatus rests in the first lifting position, in which said at least one slotted guide is held without loading between said carrier apparatus and said base frame by said at least two carrier rollers and said at least two running rollers.

13 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising guides for guiding said carrier apparatus vertically in height terms movably in relation to said base frame, said guides are disposed between said base frame and said carrier apparatus.

14 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said guides are linear guides or said guides are in a form of at least one round guide and at least two sliding guides.

15 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said carrier apparatus has at least two U-shaped longitudinal profiles with open sides which face one another and legs wherein each of said legs of said U-shaped longitudinal profile form a running surface for the workpiece supports mounted on rollers.

16 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising height-adjustable feet disposed on said base frame, said height-adjustable feet make it possible to set the working plane in the first lifting position or the at least one further lifting position to a travel track height of the machining machine for moving the workpiece support in and guiding it out.

17 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said base frame contains two individually deployable L-shaped lateral carriers or two spaced-apart, U-shaped lateral carriers.

18 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said guide contour is a U-shaped guide contour or groove-shaped guide contour.

19 . The changeover apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two carrier rollers and said at least two running rollers are disposed perpendicularly with respect to a movement direction of said at least one slotted guide in a common plane and have a lateral position deviation perpendicularly with respect to a movement direction of said at least one slotted guide of less than 1 mm.

Assignees

• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Se Co Kg

Inventors

• Schmauder Frank
• Knobel Carsten
• Nieding Philipp
• Kupferschmidt Uwe
• Wowtscherk Patrick
• Witte Robert
• Sjödin Niclas
• Brandt Jürgen

Classifications

• B23K26/38

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23K10/00

  Welding or cutting by means of a plasma · CPC title

• B23K37/0408

  for planar work · CPC title

• B23K37/0235

  the guide member forming part of a portal · CPC title

• B23K26/0876

  in at least two axial directions · CPC title