MXPA98000433A - Process for cutting and / or welding metal sheet and installation to implement tal proc - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for transporting metal sheets preferably configured in different geometry, preferably sheet metal panels, in equal or different thickness, particularly for construction of auto bodies, to a processing device in which cut the metal sheets by means of beam tools, particularly with a laser beam, and / or butt welded to each other with a right and / or irregular welding seam, with the metal sheet (s) placed and held on a conveyor in the position to be processed, they move through and under the processing device which moves at least transversely to the transport direction of the metal sheet in accordance with the course of the line of arbitrarily running cutting or welding seam, and wherein the metal sheets fixed on the conveyor are further transported on a separating device after s of the processing procedure downstream of the processing device, with the processed metal sheets are taken from the conveyor in the separating device and with the empty conveyors are subsequently transported back to the loading station and where the fixed metal sheets on the conveyors are moved consecutively by the aid of a conveyor unit, after completing the placing and fixing procedure on the conveyor at irregular intervals and / or discontinuously upstream to the front of the processing device for cutting and / or welding and subsequently moving through and below the processing device at a speed dependent on the cutting or welding speed and / or on the course of the cutting line or welded seam, characterized in that the conveyors move through and under the device processing continuously and / or in the shortest distance po sible, that is to say of a menera with optimized space, with the distance remaining constant in the direction of transport

Description

PROCESS FOR CUTTING AND / OR SOFTWARE LAMI NA M ETAL AND I NSTALLATION FOR IMPLEM ENTRE SUCH PROCESS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION i The invention relates to a process according to the feature clause of claim 1, and to an installation for implementing such a process according to the clause, feature of claim 5. 0 A generic process and installation US Pat. No. 4,930,676, by which the metal sheet plates are initially placed on a support conveyor, and subsequently are led to a workbench. With the aid of a lifting device, the metal sheet plates are cut there and subsequently passed under a welding device. After completing the welding process, the cutting device is left down again and the finished metal sheet plate is removed. Only after 0 can you start a new cutting procedure on the feed side. During the descent and ascent and during the entry and exit the welding process is interrupted for a relatively long time.

DE 42 93 1 74 T1 describes an installation and an appropriate process by laser beam process, by means of which the support conveyors with the work pieces are each transported to a processing station on only one side and transported back through the same transport devices during the process. Welding can not naturally take place during transport to and from, thus allowing only discontinuous operation with extensive braking. A device known from EP 0 438 615 A1 for connecting at least two sheet metal plates through at least one weld seam fabricated by a laser beam welding device, whereby the pairs of blades with the metal sheet panels that lie on them are transported side by side on a conveyor unit that works in certain cycles and by means of which pallets are moved to a detent stop in the form of a strip and / or a rule where the base side of the sheet panels of metal rest against each other in order to align the metal sheet panels, one with the other on their front sides and whereby the pallets with the metal sheet panels firmly fastened thereon are moved orthogonally to the direction of Transporting the conveyor unit in cycles against each other until the stop of the retainer on the sides of the base of sheet metal plate to be joined by welding. After lifting the sheet metal panels from the pallets, the pallets are transported back under the conveyor belt for the sheet metal panels through the same conveyor unit to the loading station of the new sheet metal panels. metal An essential aspect of this known device is that the sheet metal plates to be welded together are arranged on different pallets and that the pallets must be brought together to allow the sheet metal plates to be joined by welding, with which sheet metal plates lift the paddles in the area of the weld seam so that the compression and guide rollers can be located below the weld seam. The movement of both pallets is relative to each other ... The task is solved by the characteristic aspects reflected in Claims 1 and 7. The process of claims 2 to 6 contains useful complementary aspects of the process. Subclaims 8 to 19 indicate different styles of execution of the welding installation which is the subject of this invention as well as for Claim 7 of the Patent.

According to the invention, at least one plate of sheet metal and / or a strip of preliminary metal sheet for cutting and at least two or more sheet metal panels and / or preliminary sheet metal bars for welding can be placed exactly on a conveyor, so that cutting lines or welding seams that adopt any optional curve, can be manufactured with one or more process facilities. Then, the metal foil plates can preferably be placed consecutively in several stages together on a conveyor and be firmly clamped using known fastening devices. Depending on the completion of this connection, the conveyors move at irregular distances, and / or discontinuously up to and in front of the process installation. According to the invention, various conveyors can also be blocked consecutively upstream of the processing plant. Under and through the processing facility, the metal sheet plates are then continuously moved and / or optimized as spaces, if possible, that means primarily at the smallest possible distance such that the processing facility, in particular a device Cutting or welding laser beam can cut or weld continuously, if possible without any interruption. The speed of these sheet metal plates under this process installation depends on the cutting and welding speed and / or the optional curve of the cutting line or the weld seam and / or the cutting lines or seams of welding. The process installation is conveniently located on a portal-type bridge that extends over the conveyor belt of the metal sheet plates and can be moved along according to the curve of the cutting line or the weld seam which is optionally extended. If several cutting lines or welding seams, with a complicated curve of, for example, more than two sheet metal plates are going to be cut or welded, at the same time, various process installations can also be independently activated one of the other. After the completion of the cutting or welding process, the metal sheet plates can be transported to a collecting unit, preferably at a higher speed, and lifted there from the conveyors at irregular distances and / or discontinuously. Here it is important that a stop be provided to compensate for delays in the extraction, if any, in order to avoid any effects on the cutting and welding process. It is favorable for transporting the conveyors from the loading station to the unloading station and for transporting the empty conveyors back to the loading station, to implement a rotating system, as described in more detail in the subclaims 10. a 13. For well-conveyed transportation beyond the process installation regardless of the main rotating system, pallets with conveyors attached to them in a removable arrangement and with sheet metal plates are lifted or lowered by means of? elevator jack system and each connected to one of the two front horizontal feed axes that work in the opposite direction with respect to each other. To ensure continuous transport here, too, both front axles run in an opposite direction to each other, that means that while one axis moves a conveyor forward, the other axis moves the vacuum back to the steering point. At the end of the cutting or welding process, the conveyor is lifted and / or lowered again, by means of the jack system and disconnected from the front feed shaft and connected to the rotating system. By placing the sheet metal plates on a pre-positioning table between the storage yard and the conveyor, as described in the claims 15 to 17, the positional tolerance of the metal sheet plates in the X / Y plane it can be translated to the minimum and above all the transport time in the transversal conveyor from the storage yard to the conveyor can be shortened. The metal sheet plates can be fastened on the conveyor either by means of magnetic clamping devices from the bottom and / or pneumatically holding steps from above. In the latter case, the conveyor will arrive with the fastening devices open in the loading station and after placing these metal sheet plates, these fastening devices will be closed. For the magnetic fastening devices the permanently magnetic support bed steps can be neutralized for the insertion of the metal sheet plates by connecting a flow of electrical energy. To allow a frequent change of the metal sheet plates and a rapid adaptation to different shapes of the metal sheet plates and / or cutting lines or welding seam curves, it is possible to arrange flexible fastening devices and / or connected by hinge on the conveyor. By means of these fastening devices which are variable in their position on the conveyor in this simple form, it is possible to provide to a large extent a complete exchange of the conveyor and / or the pallet.

The invention is explained in more detail by giving examples as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 which are appended hereto. Figure 1 is a plan view of the essential parts of the process installation that is the subject matter of this invention. Figure 2 is a vertical section through the rotary system 1. Figure 3 is a modified execution style for Figure 1. Figure 4 is a vertical section through the elevating jacks 1, 2. Figure 5 is a vertical section through an elevator jack 3. Figures 6a to 6f are several provisions 10 (d) a (u) of sheet metal plate in the form in which they can be arranged on a conveyor each. The pallets with plates 10 (a) to 10 (u) of sheet metal (metal bars in preliminary sheets) cut and prepared for welding are deposited by means of a fork-lift band not shown in the direction of the arrow on the plates. relevant stockpile 4 yards. The distribution magnets 5 (a) to 5 (c) are arranged on the metal sheet plate stacks to fix them. From the storing patios 4 arranged in the direction of passage DLR to the left and to the right from the rotating system 1, the metal sheet plates are alternatively selected individually by a transverse conveyor 6 (linear portal system) only shown briefly with the support columns, using the elevating devices 7, including the suction frame and being unloaded on the pre-positioning tables 9, each located in the same transverse plane. Therefore, while the sheet metal plates 10 are selected from the storing patios 4 on the left side, the empty pallets can be exchanged for full pallets on the right side of the storing patios 4. By their deposition on the pre-positioning tables 9, the existing positioning tolerance of the sheet metals in the X / Y plane was reduced to a minimum on the one hand and on the other the handling cycle of the linear portal system 6 is shortened. In the position P1, an empty component part conveyor and / or the conveyor 3 coming from the lower part and usually connected in a detachable arrangement to the pallet 2, located below it is stopped and connected through a coupling means which is not shown here with the magnets to establish an electrical connection. In this position P1 an inlay robot 12 as for Figure 1 for example, picks up the plate 10 (a) of metal sheet from the pre-positioning table 9 which is then positioned exactly on the conveyor 3 by means of a frame floating suction. For this purpose the detent stops 13 can exist both stationary and fixed on the conveyor to allow positioning. The metal sheet plates 10 can be placed and fastened on the conveyor 3 either from below applying known magnetic clamping technology, whereby the permanently magnetic support bed strips are neutralized by a flow of electric current which is left for the insertion of metal sheet plates, and also from below by pneumatically compressed clamping strips. During the application of the magnetic clamping technology from below, the support strips are magnetized after positioning the metal sheet plates 11, thus firmly holding the sheet metal plates. Then, the adhesives for securing the conveyor 3 in the X / Y / Z direction and the coupling means can be pulled in order to bring the conveyor with the sheet metal plate 10 (a) (see Figure 1) by means of the aid of the transport device 21 on the transport rollers 22 to the position P2. In this position, the sheet metal plate 10 (b) from the relevant prepositioning table 9, like the plate 10a from the previous metal sheet, it is left on the conveyor 3 by means of the aid of the embedding robot 12 and thus combined with the sheet metal plate 10a, this welding can be carried out without any change in the position of the two sheet metal plates with respect to each other. Subsequently, the conveyor 3 with the two plates 10a and 10b of sheet metal is brought to the welding unit 15, stopped there and lowered by means of the vertical lifting device 29 of the lifting jack H1 from the transportation level 289 approximately 50 mm on the freewheel rollers 23. The freewheel rollers 23 are manufactured mechanically in an exact manner since their upper edge must ensure the exact height position of the metal sheet plates in the Z direction at the time of welding. In this lower plane, the conveyor 3 is docked by the help of the centering pins 26 and the centering sleeves 27 and a system 25 for attaching to one of the two horizontally movable forward feeding axes 24. The berthing system will have no play and will be extremely accurate since the precision of the positioning of the sheet metal plates with respect to the welding head in the X / Y plane is directly influenced by the same. As an alternative to the support bed as described with respect to the vane 2 connected to the conveyor 3 in the Z direction on the free-wheel rollers 23, it is also feasible to provide a direct support for the vanes 2 on the front axle beam 24 of horizontal feeding. After the pallet 2 has been docked, it is accelerated forward by horizontal feed at the speed required for welding and is passed through the portal type bridge 14. The welding devices 15 are mounted in a movable arrangement in the portal-type bridge at least in the Y and Z directions and preferably also around certain pivot axes. By superimposing and / or programming the speed of the front horizontal feed shaft 24 and by the possible mobility of the welding device 15 it is possible to weld any optional weld seam contour within the maximum dimensions, immediately after leaving the welding zone , the blade 2 with the finished sheet metal plate 11, welded finished is uncoupled from the horizontal feed axle 24 in the area of the lifting jack H2 by lifting and transported to the extraction position P4. There it is stopped and the plate 11 of welded metal sheet is taken from the conveyor 3 by an extraction robot 16 with a suction frame and is passed for further handling to a fuel station 1 7. Following a horizontal sliding of the horizontal sliding device 30 out of the empty pallet 2 with the conveyor 3 will then be lowered with the jack 32 lifting by a stroke height reflected by a downward arrow to the lower return transport device 31 and returned to the station P1 where it is carried by the jack H4 lift to the lifting position. Figures 4 and 5 additionally designate the conveyor basket with the rotary system 1 with the number 18, and the upper transverse beam with the number 19, and the lower transverse beam with the number 20. By means of the concept of plant equipment that is the subject of this invention, maximum flexibility is carried out accompanied by an optimized manufacturing in terms of costs. This allows for welding, de - sheet metal plates of any thickness or material, - any metal sheet geometry, - even stitches (see Figure 6a) - odd stitching (see Figure 6b) - circular or oval seams ( see Figure 6c) - that two or more of two sheet metal plates reach a total plate in one passage (see Figure 6d), - more than one weld seam with a corresponding number of process heads in the process of passage through (see Figures 3 and Figure 6e), - sheet metal packages (see Figure 6f). The plant equipment has been devised as a flexible concept to allow tracking or mixed operations with respect to metal sheet plates and conveyors. The pallets 2 can always remain in the plant equipment regardless of the geometry of the metal sheet. The conveyors 3 of the component parts can be mounted in a releasable arrangement on the pallets 2 to allow their specific exchange of metal sheet according to the demand. In order to allow adequate adaptation to various shapes of the sheet metal plates to be joined by welding, it is possible to mount clamping strips on the conveyor to be stopped. Here it is possible to process straight or angled seams by manual inversion, applying only a clamping technique, without replacing the conveyor. For this purpose, the fastening strips are conveniently divided on both sides, both halves being connected by means of a pivot bearing, one with the other, in such a way that in principle arbitrary angles can be represented. By using an arbitrarily large number of prepositioning tables 9 and embedding stations of the same construction style, it is possible to process an arbitrary number of sheet metal plates with a passage that reaches a bar of global sheet metal plate, in a minimum handling cycle time of 12 seconds, for example. Depending on the situation of the sheet bar, a contact cooling can be implemented through the support strips and a cooling with both air and gas, as well as cooling with water from the process head to cool the plate. of metal during the welding process. Depending on the requirements, it is also possible to implement a seam sequence and / or space detector system. The quality of the welded seams is controlled in a useful way by means of optical tracking sensors known in the upper part of the bars in sheets in an ONLINE mode coming from the process head. The rotating system of the pallets as described can, of course, also be implemented in combination with a cutting portal system for the contour cutting of the metal sheet patters in an optimized form for a subordinate time.

List of References (1) Pallet rotating system (2) Pallet (3) Conveyor of component parts and / or conveyor for plates (10) made of sheet metal (4) Storage area for sheet metal plates that are going to be processed (5a) - (5c) Distribution magnets (6) Transverse conveyor (linear portal system) (7) Lifting device with suction frame (8) Support columns of (6) (9) Pre-positioning table for (10) (10a) - (10u) Metal sheet plates (before welding or cutting) (11) Sheet metal plate (after welding or cutting) (12) Inlay robot with floating suction frame (13) Stopper stops for positioning (10) on (2) (14) Portal type bridge with (15) (15) Cutting unit or welding (process installation (16) Extraction robot for (11) (1 7) Fuel station (18) Transport rack for (1) (19) Upper crossbar (20) Lower crossbar (21) Conveyor ( 22) Transport rollers (23) Freewheel rollers (upper edge = transport at the time of welding) (24) Front feed shafts (25) Mooring systems for connection of (24) and (2) (26) Pin centering in (25) (27) Centering shirt in (2) for (26) (28) N> g: see: pallet transport (29) D-scosrti vertical lifting wo in H- and (H2i (30) Horizontal sliding device in (H3) (31) Lower return transport device (32) Lifting device on (H3) H1-H4 Elevation gauges DLR Direction of passage from (10) / (11) to (1; P1 -P4 Positions of (10) / (11) in (1)

Claims (12)

R E I VJ..NDJ CAC I O NES

1 . A process for the transport of sheet metal plates, preferably configured in a different geometry with equal or different thicknesses, particularly for motor vehicle work, to a process installation where the sheet metal plates are cut with tools to jetting, particularly with laser beam tools, and / or joined by butt welding with even and / or odd welding seams, whereby such sheet metal plates are placed and fastened on a support conveyor in a position to be machined, moved below the processing facility which is at least moved transversely to the conveying direction of such sheet metal plates according to the curve of the optionally extending weld seam or cutting line, and where the sheet metal plates, fixed on the conveyors are transported after the process downstream of the installation of proc that to a collecting device wherein the metal sheet plates machined, are collected from the conveyor and where the empty conveyors are subsequently transported back to the loading station, characterized in that the metal sheet plates fixed on such conveyors are move consecutively with the help of a conveyor unit after completion of the process of positioning and securing the conveyor to irregular distances and / or discontinuously 5 up to and in front of such a process facility for cutting and / or welding and subsequently moving below ta! processing station continuously and / or at a distance that is constant in the transport direction and as small as possible (optimized for the spaces) at a speed that depends on the cutting speed and / or welding and the curve of the cutting line or welding seam.

2. The process of copying with claim 1, characterized in that more than one line of cut or seam 15 welding are cut or soldered continuously during a passage.

3. The process according to any of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that various 20 process facilities move simultaneously or consecutively in the transport direction of such sheet metal plates side by side or one after the other.

4. The process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal sheet plates that are to be placed on a conveyor for cutting or welding process are each deposited on a pre-positioning table and subsequently they are consecutively deposited, if required, by an embedding -obot on such conveyor and fixed there.

5. The installation for the implementation of such a process in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims, with installations for placing and fixing one or more sheet metal plates on a conveyor, conveyor units for transporting the sheet metal plates. fixed on such conveyors to a process installation at least movable transversely to the direction of the passage of the sheet metal plates and located in a bridge of the portal type extending over the conveyor belt of such sheet metal plates , thus allowing transport under and through it to an extraction device for processed sheet metal plates, as well as facilities for the additional transport of the processed sheet metal plates as well as facilities for transporting back the conveyors empty to the loading station of the metal sheet plates on such conveyors, ca characterized by a first conveyor unit that allows the transport of such sheet metal plates, fixed on such conveyors to the process installation and by a second conveyor unit that allows the continuous transport and / or optimized space of the sheet plates of fixed metal on such conveyors under and through such a process installation.

6. The process installation according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second conveyor unit has two horizontal front feeding axes that run in opposite direction with respect to each other that can be alternatively coupled to a conveyor and / or a pallet .

7. The process installation according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second conveyor unit consists of an elevator jack located in the direction of transport upstream of the process facility allowing the disconnection of the first conveyor unit by lifting or by lowering such conveyor and / or pallet the simultaneous coupling by spacing pins and a centering sleeve on such forward feeding shafts, it also consists of a jack jack located upstream of the process installation, allowing the decoupling from the front feeding shafts lowering or lifting on the plane of the first conveyor unit.

8. The process installation according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pre-positioning table is provided for each of the metal sheet plates, which are to be placed on a conveyor.

9. The process installation according to claim 8, characterized in that the pre-positioning tables are located in a row parallel to the conveyor unit and connected through a transverse conveyor with storage yards for sheet metal plates, such patios are located on one side or both sides of such a conveyor unit.

10. The process installation according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that an inlay robot equipped with a floating suction frame is used for the transport of the metal sheet plates from the pre-positioning tables to such conveyors and for laying of exact position of the metal sheet plates against the detent stops on such conveyors.

11. The process installation according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sheet metal plates are fastened on the conveyor by magnetic fasteners from below or pneumatically by fastening strips from above.

12. The process installation according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjustable, flexible and / or hinge-connected fastening devices for the metal sheet plates are placed on such a conveyor to allow quick adaptation to Different forms of metal sheet and / or cutting line or welding seam curves. SUMMARY OF THE NONDION The invention relates to a process for cutting and / or welding preferably metal sheets configured in geometrically different form (10a, 10b), preferably sheet metal panels, of the same or different gauge and straight and / or irregular saitheraus seams, especially for work on the motor ventculc, with jet tools, in which: to the metal sheets that are going to be cut and c by two sheets that are going to be butt welded together, they are adjusted and they are guided on a support (3) in the position to be cut and / or welded together; (b) the sheets secured on the support are taken at irregular distances and / or discontinuously in front of the cutting or welding device (1 5) (machining device), on which c) for the p ^ -o-ces-os of cutting and / or welding the machining device moves at least transversely to the transport direction of the sheets according to the course of the irregular welding cutting or seam line, and in which d) the sheets (10a, 10b) ) secured to the support (3) move continuously and / or with an optimum spacing below the machining device (5) at a speed that depends on the cutting or welding speed and / or the course of the cutting line or the welding seam, and a properly designed process installation to implement such a process.