DE20215642U1 - Cutting tool for cutting softer polymers e.g. polyurethane elastomers, has a blade fed with release agent or quality control materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The tool can be hand operated or programme controlled and has a cutting head (10) with blade holder (30) and blade which may be fixed or powered by a drive unit (20). During cutting a release agent (60) is fed to the cut area to prevent the edges re-adhering to each other.

Description

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS" PATENT ATTORNEYS

EUROPEAN TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS

HAMBURG BERLIN MUNICH

DIPL.-ING. JOACHIM RICHTER" DIPL.-ING. HANNES GERBAULET DIPL.-ING. FRANZ WERDERMANN ⁰ DIPL.-GEOL. MATTHIAS RICHTER

New Wall 10

20354 HAMBURG

© (040) 34 00 45 / 34 00 56

Fax (040) 35 2415

Email: Richter@pat-Richter.de

BERLIN

HAMBURG

MUNICH

Your Reference Your File

Our Sign Our File

H 02233 III 5789

HAMBURG

December 3, 2002

Applicant:

Heidel GmbH & Co. KG Tool and machine manufacturing Linder Straße 34 D-41751 Viersen (DE)

Title:

Cutting tool

The invention relates to a cutting tool according to the preamble of claims 1 to 3.

When cutting materials such as PU elastomers, PVC, TPO, TPU, TPE, TPE-E as structural skin, slush skin, spray skin, cast skin with such cutting tools, it has been shown that the edges of the cut made in the material with the cutting blade stick together, which cannot be prevented with the known means and devices.

The object of the present invention is therefore to design a cutting tool of the known type in such a way that the edges of the cut can no longer stick together and, moreover, quality control of the cut made in the material is possible.

This object is achieved by a cutting tool of the type specified with the features specified in claims 1 to 3.

The invention therefore consists in the fact that, according to claim 1, in a cutting tool according to the type described at the outset, the cut produced in the material during the cutting process by the cutting knife is supplied with a release agent which prevents the edges of the cut from sticking together after the cut has been made and is introduced into the cut.

According to claim 2, the invention consists in that an inorganic or organic fluorescent substance is introduced into the cut produced in the material during the cutting process by the cutting knife for quality control.

The invention according to claim 3 provides that a metallic substance or a substance that can be detected by means of a sensor system is introduced into the cut created in the material during the cutting process by the cutting knife for quality control.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

For example, it is planned to add fluorescent substances and/or metallic substances or a substance that can be detected by means of a sensor together with the release agent.

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According to one embodiment of the invention, the cutting tool has a supply line for the release agent arranged on the cutting head or in the cutting head, the supply line being connected at one end to a preferably micro-dosing system, while the other end of the supply line opens into the area of the cutting blade. The release agent can also be supplied directly via the cutting head into the cutting area.

With a cutting tool designed in accordance with the invention, the release agent is supplied in a metered form during the cutting process via the cutting blade or through the cutting blade into the cutting area, so that the release agent reaches the cutting area, wets the edges of the cut there and thereby prevents the edges of the material from sticking together.

The addition of fluorescent substances and/or metallic substances, particularly in conjunction with the release agent, enables quality control of the cut made in the material, whereby the main aim is to determine the remaining wall thickness, i.e. the thickness of the wall that remains in the material at the bottom of the cut. In particular, when metallic substances are used, quality control can be carried out reliably by measuring the thickness of the remaining wall thickness. The metallic substance introduced into the cut together with the release agent or a substance that can be detected by means of a sensor can be detected, for example, by ultrasonic measurements, measurements with X-rays, proximity sensors. This metallic substance is a substance with properties that, for example, when using ultrasonic methods, differ significantly from the behavior of plastic, i.e. the material in which the cut is made. The remaining wall thickness can also be measured using sensors. Other electrical

tric methods, electrical field measurement methods can be used.

The drive device for the cutting blade comprises, in a manner known per se, a drive motor for the blade holder with the cutting blade that can be moved back and forth in the longitudinal axis of the cutting head or consists of

- a drive motor with a drive shaft running along the cutting head’s longitudinal axis,

- a cam disk which is operatively connected to the drive shaft of the drive motor and is driven in rotation about the drive shaft longitudinal axis with control surfaces formed on the side facing away from the drive motor and located in different planes,

- a roller operatively connected to one of the control surfaces of the cam disc,

- a lifting rod or push rod which is actuated by a spring and which is operatively connected to the roller and the cam disc via a coupling piece and which carries the blade holder for the cutting knife at its free end,

consists.

Because the lifting movement of the cutting blade is controlled by a cam disk, no additional and complex technical equipment is required to cause the up and down movement of the cutting blade. The use of a cam disk also has the advantage that the cam disk in the cutting head can be exchanged for cam disks with differently designed control surfaces and with differently switched recesses and elevations, so that depending on the desired cutting depth, only

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The stroke of the cutting blade can be changed by replacing the cam disc.

Another advantageous embodiment is one in which the cutting tool has two cutting heads positioned at a predetermined angle to one another, so that V-shaped cuts can be made in the material to be processed using the two cutting blades. By changing the angle of the two cutting heads to one another, the shape of the respective V-cut can be changed and can thus be adapted to the respective requirements. One of the two cutting heads is then provided with the device for supplying the release agent or the substances for quality control.

The measurement of fluorescence can be carried out using absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy or excitation spectroscopy.

The drawing shows embodiments of the invention and shows

Fig.1

Fig. 2 and Fig.3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7

in a view the cutting head of a cutting tool with devices for supplying a separating agent to the cutting blade,

various diagrammatic views of the cutting head,
a vertical longitudinal section through the cutting head,
a schematic view of the cutting head with a hole for supplying the release agent,

an enlarged schematic view of the cutting blade with the release agent outlet opening,

in one view the cutting head with the cutting blade of a cutting tool,

Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14

Fig. 8 a vertical section through the cutting head according to

Fig. 7, but omitting the cutting blade,
Fig. 9 is a vertical section along line AA of Fig. 8,

various diagrammatic views of the cutting head,
a vertical longitudinal section through the cutting head in a diagrammatic view,

in one view a cutting tool with two cutting heads at an angle to each other,
a view of a cutting tool with two cutting heads positioned at an angle to each other, whereby the angular position can be changed,

Fig. 15 to

Fig. 17 each schematically shows a vertical section through a

a V-shaped fillet weld applied to a plastic material with a residual wall thickness in the cutting area, the fillet welds having different V-shaped designs, and

Fig. 18 and

Fig. 19 each schematically shows a vertical section through a

a fillet weld made of plastic material with a residual wall thickness.

The cutting tool 100 according to the invention for materials, in particular for PU elastomers, PVC, TPO or TPE, can be controlled manually or is program-controlled and comprises a cutting head 10 with a drive 20, a blade holder 30 and a cutting knife 35 which is arranged in the blade holder 30 in an exchangeable manner (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8).

The cutting tool has a supply line 50 for a separating agent 60 arranged on the cutting head 10 or in the cutting head,

to which a fluorescent substance 6OA or a metallic substance 6OB can also be added if a quality control of the cut in the material is to be carried out. The feed line 50 is connected at one end at 50a to a dosing system 70, which is preferably designed as a micro-dosing system. The release agent is fed to the cutting blade 35 in dosed form via this dosing system. The end 50b of the feed line facing the cutting blade opens into the area of the cutting blade 35. The height X of the outlet opening makes it possible to wet both the base of the cut and the side walls of the cut with the materials described above. The feed line for the release agent 60 can also be led through the cutting head; it is also possible to feed the release agent to the cutting blade 35 via an external feed line, e.g. in the form of a tubular feed.

The supply line 50 for the separating agent 60 is designed as a capillary tube 51, which opens into the blade holder 30 and merges into a bore 55, which is formed in the blade holder 30 and in the cutting blade 35. The outlet opening 56 of the bore 55 is located in the cutting and separating area of the cutting blade 35. As Figures 5 and 6 show, the outlet opening 56 of the bore 55 in the cutting blade 35 is located in a rounded recess 41 in the corner area 42 of the cutting blade 35, so that a direct supply of the separating agent to the cutting point is ensured.

The separating agent 60 used is designed in such a way that it prevents the cut from automatically re-sticking in the cutting material.

According to a further embodiment, inorganic or organic fluorescent substances in liquid or solid form are added to the separating agent 60. Examples of inorganic substances that can be used are fluorspar, some uranium compounds and the salts of rare earth metals, e.g. erbium,

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Didymium, lanthanum, can be used. Benzene derivatives, for example, can be used as organic fluorescent substances. Fluorochromes, fluogens, phosphors and optical brighteners can also be used as fluorescent dyes.

Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 each show a cut (fillet weld) 80 made in the material 70 with a wall thickness B, B', the walls and bottom of which are wetted with the release agent 60 to which the fluorescent substance 6OA and/or the metallic substance 6OB is added. The remaining wall thickness A, A' of the material wall 70a that remains after the cut has been made during cutting is then measured. The representation of the cuts shown schematically in Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 corresponds to the opened cut directly after the cutting tool has passed through. Due to the elasticity of the material, the cut then returns to the usual cut shape, which would bring with it the risk of re-welding, which is effectively prevented by the use of the release agent.

The drive device 20 for the cutting knife 35 comprises a drive motor 21, a blade holder 30 and a cutting knife 35 which is arranged in the blade holder 30 in an exchangeable manner (Figs. 7 to 12). In the cutting tool 100 shown in Figs. 7 to 12, the cutting tool has at least one cutting head 10, whereby, as Figs. 13 and 14 show, the cutting tool 100, 100' can also have two cutting heads 10, 10'.

The lifting movement or the back and forth movement for making the cut in the material 70 for the cutting blade 35 is carried out by means of a driven cam disk 25. The drive device 20 for the blade holder 30 with the cutting blade 35 comprises a drive motor 21 with a drive shaft 22 running in the cutting head longitudinal axis L. The cam disk 25 is connected to the drive shaft 22 of the drive motor 21.

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cam disk 25 is in operative connection. By means of the drive motor 21, the cam disk 25 is driven to rotate about the drive shaft longitudinal axis L2 via the drive shaft 22 (Fig. 8). The cam disk 25 is thus perpendicular to the drive shaft 22 of the drive motor 21 and assumes a horizontal position in the cutting head when the cutting head 10 assumes a vertical operating position. On the side 25a facing away from the drive motor 21, control surfaces 40, 41 lying in different planes are formed, with the embodiment shown in Fig. 8 having two control surfaces 40, 41 in the form of depressions 40a and elevations 41a, these depressions 40a and the elevations 41a having different heights to one another. These depressions 40a and elevations 41a merge into one another via guide surfaces, so that a uniform lifting movement is ensured for the cutting blade 35. The arrangement of the cam disk 25 in the cutting head 10 is such that the cam disk can be easily exchanged for cam disks with differently designed control surfaces. To support the orbital movement of the cam disk 25, it is mounted in a corresponding manner and connected to the free end of the drive shaft 22 of the drive motor 21 by means of a coupling piece 28.

The cam disk 25 is operatively connected with its control surfaces 40, 41 via a roller 26 to a lifting rod or push rod 45, which carries the blade holder 30 with the cutting knife 35 at its free end 45a. The lifting rod or push rod 45 is pressed by a spring 27 against the roller 26 and thus against the control surfaces 40, 41 of the cam disk 25, so that the lifting movement of the cutting knife 35 is carried out via the control surfaces 40, 41 of the cam disk 25. The number of strokes of the lifting rod or push rod 45 can be changed by changing the speed of the drive motor 21.

Fig. 13 shows a cutting tool 100, 100' that has two cutting heads 10, 10', both cutting heads being of the same design and the cutting head 10 being designed as described above. The two cutting heads 10, 10' are arranged at an angular position α to one another to produce V-cuts 150, 150' in the material 70 to be cut, so that the two cutting heads 10, 10' are at an angle to one another with their longitudinal axes L, L1. In the embodiment according to Fig. 13, the two cutting heads 10, 10' of the cutting tool are arranged at a predetermined angle to one another, the angular position of the two cutting heads not being changeable, so that V-cuts can be made in the material to be cut with this cutting tool, each V-cut always having the same shape. The two cutting heads 10, 10' can, however, also be designed so that their angular position α relative to one another can be changed, as shown in FIG. 14. For this purpose, the two cutting heads 10, 10' are connected to one another, for example in their lower region via a swivel joint 80. In the upper region, both cutting heads 10, 10' can also be connected to one another in such a way that, for example, the distances between the cutting heads 10, 10' in their upper regions can be changed by means of an adjusting screw. With this embodiment, it is possible to produce V-cuts 150, 150' with a different profile, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The V-cut 150 in the material 70 according to FIG. 15 has a small angular position α' of the side walls delimiting the V-cut, whereas according to FIG. 16 the V-cut 150' has a larger opening width, i.e. i.e. the angular position a2 of the two side walls delimiting the V-cut 150' is chosen to be larger in this embodiment. Due to the angular adjustability of the two cutting heads 100, 100', V-cuts 150" as shown in Fig. 17 can also be obtained, in which one side wall of the V-cut 150" has a vertical position. It is also possible for the individual side walls 150a of the V-cut 150' to have different angular positions to its longitudinal axis L3, so

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that V-profiles 150a, 150'a, 150"a of various shapes can be obtained.

A cutting tool with a release agent feed is used for all materials to be cut where the edges of the cut may stick together after the cut has been made.

Furthermore, any known cutting tool with a cutting blade can be equipped with a release agent supply, regardless of whether it is a hand-pulled cutting blade or a small, handy cutting tool. Even the smallest hand-held devices can be equipped with a reservoir for the release agent.

The cutting tool can be used to carry out a quality control of the cuts made by the cutting tool in a material, in particular a material made of plastic, by introducing a release agent into the cut via the cutting blade of the cutting tool or in another way, to which a fluorescent substance and/or a metallic substance, e.g. in powder form, is added. The depth of the fillet weld is then measured, e.g. by ultraviolet radiation or cutting depth measurements that are carried out down to the bottom of the cut or fillet weld, and the result obtained is compared with the wall thickness of the material, from which the remaining wall thickness can then be calculated (indirect measurement). The method also makes it possible to determine the remaining wall thickness directly.

The production of a cut in a material, in particular of PU elastomers, using the cutting tool with at least one cutting head with a blade holder and a cutting knife, which is moved by means of a drive device in a pulsating cutting area.

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»«φ ···· ·
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movement or is arranged stationary in the cutting tool or is set by hand or by means of a robot-controlled device in a pulling feed movement which produces the cut or by means of a cutting knife which is set in a pulsating cutting movement, is carried out in such a way that the cut produced in the material during the cutting process is fed with a release agent by the cutting knife to prevent the edges of the cut from sticking together during the cutting process and/or an inorganic or organic fluorescent substance or a metallic substance is fed for quality control.

Claims (20)

1. Cutting tool for materials, in particular made of PU elastomers, which can be operated or controlled by hand or is program-controlled, comprising at least one cutting head ( 10 ) with a blade holder ( 30 ) and a cutting knife ( 35 ) which is stationary or driven by a drive ( 20 ), characterized in that a release agent ( 60 ) which prevents the edges of the cut from sticking together after the cut has been made is fed to the cut ( 80 ) produced in the material by the cutting knife ( 35 ) during the cutting process and is introduced into the cut. 2. Cutting tool for materials, in particular made of PU elastomers, which can be operated or controlled by hand or is program-controlled, comprising at least one cutting head ( 10 ) with a blade holder ( 30 ) and a cutting knife ( 35 ) which is stationary or driven by a drive ( 20 ), characterized in that an inorganic or organic fluorescent substance ( 60 A) is introduced into the cut ( 80 ) produced in the material by the cutting knife ( 35 ) during the cutting process for quality control. 3. Cutting tool for materials, in particular made of PU elastomers, which can be operated or controlled by hand or is program-controlled, comprising at least one cutting head ( 10 ) with a blade holder ( 30 ) and a cutting knife ( 35 ) which is fixed or driven by a drive ( 20 ), characterized in that a metallic substance ( 60 B) is introduced into the cut ( 80 ) produced in the material by the cutting knife ( 35 ) during the cutting process for quality control. 4. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a separating agent ( 60 ) and a fluorescent substance ( 60 A) and/or a metallic substance ( 60 B) are introduced via the cutting head ( 10 ) into the cut ( 80 ) produced in the material. 5. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a fluorescent substance ( 60 A) and/or a metallic substance ( 60 B) is added to the separating agent (60). 6. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cutting tool ( 100 ) has a supply line ( 50 ) for a release agent ( 60 ) and/or a fluorescent substance ( 60 A) and/or a metallic substance ( 60 B) arranged on the cutting head ( 10 ) or in the cutting head ( 10 ), which is connected at one end ( 50 a) to a preferably microdosing system ( 70 ) and whose other end ( 50 b) opens into the area of the cutting blades ( 35 ). 7. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the supply line ( 50 ) for the separating agent ( 60 ) is designed as a capillary tube ( 51 ) which opens into the blade holder ( 30 ) and merges into a bore ( 55 ) which is formed in the blade holder ( 30 ) and in the cutting knife ( 35 ) and whose outlet opening ( 56 ) lies in the cutting and separating region of the cutting knife ( 35 ). 8. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the outlet opening ( 56 ) of the bore ( 55 ) in the cutting blade ( 35 ) lies in a rounded recess ( 41 ) in one ( 42 ) of the corner regions of the cutting blade ( 35 ). 9. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the separating means ( 60 ) is designed such that it prevents the cut in the cutting material from automatically re-sticking. 10. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the release agent ( 60 ) consists of a dispersion of waxes or oils and silicones in a solvent mixture. 11. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that inorganic or organic fluorescent substances in liquid or solid form are added to the release agent ( 60 ). 12. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a substance with metallic properties, e.g. metal powder, is added to the separating agent ( 60 ) as a metallic substance ( 60 B), which differs significantly from the behavior of the plastic when exposed to ultrasound or other measuring methods. 13. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the cutting tool ( 100 ; 100 ') has at least one cutting head ( 10 ; 10 '), wherein the drive device ( 20 ) comprises, in a manner known per se, a drive motor ( 21 ) for the blade holder ( 30 ) with the cutting knife ( 35 ) which can be moved back and forth in the longitudinal axis (L) of the cutting head, or - a drive motor ( 21 ) with a drive shaft ( 22 ) running in the longitudinal axis (L) of the cutting head, - a cam disk ( 25 ) which is operatively connected to the drive shaft ( 22 ) of the drive motor ( 21 ) and is driven so as to rotate about the drive shaft longitudinal axis (L2) and has control surfaces ( 40 , 41 ) formed on the side (25a) facing away from the drive motor ( 21 ) and located in different planes, - a roller ( 26 ) operatively connected to one of the control surfaces ( 40 , 41 ) of the cam disc ( 25 ), - a lifting rod or push rod ( 45 ) which is acted upon by means of a spring ( 27 ), which is operatively connected to the roller ( 26 ) and the cam disk ( 25 ) via a coupling piece (46) and which carries the blade holder ( 30 ) for the cutting knife ( 35 ) at its free end ( 45a ). 14. Cutting tool according to claim 13, characterized in that by means of the spring ( 27 ) the lifting rod or push rod ( 45 ) is brought to a stop on the control surfaces ( 40 , 41 ) of the cam disk ( 25 ). 15. Cutting tool according to one of claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the cam disc ( 25 ) has two or more control surfaces ( 40 , 41 ) with different heights of the depressions ( 40a ) and elevations ( 41a ). 16. Cutting tool according to one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the number of strokes of the lifting rod or push rod ( 45 ) can be changed by changing the speed of the drive motor ( 21 ). 17. Cutting tool according to one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the cam disk ( 25 ) in the cutting head ( 10 ) can be exchanged for cam disks with differently designed control surfaces ( 40 , 41 ) and with differently designed recesses ( 40a ) and elevations ( 41a ). 18. Cutting tool according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that for producing V-cuts ( 50 , 50 ') in the material to be cut ( 70 ), the cutting tool has two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') with the features of claims 1 to 6, wherein the two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') are in an angular position to one another, so that the two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') are at an angle to one another with their longitudinal axes (L, L1), wherein at least one of the two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') is provided with a cutting depth detection device ( 80 ). 19. Cutting tool according to claim 18, characterized in that the two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') are fixed to one another in a predetermined angular position and their angular positions cannot be changed. 20. Cutting tool according to one of claims 18 and 19, characterized in that the two cutting heads ( 10 , 10 ') of the cutting tool ( 100 ') are designed to be variable in their angular positions for forming V-cuts ( 150 , 150 ', 150 ") in the material to be cut ( 70 ) with different V-profiles (150a, 150'a, 150"a).