EP1188525A2

EP1188525A2 - Workbench, or workbench accessory, for supporting tools with their tool holder cone for machine tools

Info

Publication number: EP1188525A2
Application number: EP01118886A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Rossignoli
Original assignee: RCM Rossignoli Srl
Current assignee: RCM Rossignoli Srl
Priority date: 2000-09-15
Filing date: 2001-08-17
Publication date: 2002-03-20
Also published as: ITMI20000520U1; IT250436Y1; EP1188525A3; ITMI20000520V0

Abstract

A workbench, or workbench accessory, for supporting tools with their tool holder cone for machine tools, which comprises two lateral shoulders (6a,6b) raising with respect to the worktop (5) of the bench (1) and at least one cross-member (7) which lies substantially horizontally and is spaced with respect to the worktop (5). The cross-member (7) connects the shoulders (6a,6b) one another and supports a plurality of blocks (8) in which seats (9) are formed; the seats (9) are open upwardly and are each adapted to accommodate a tool (10) for machine tools with a corresponding tool holder cone, leaving the region of the worktop (5) that lies below the cross-member (7) free and therefore usable.

Description

The present invention relates to a workbench, or workbench accessory, for supporting tools with their tool holder cone for machine tools.
It is known that when machine tools are used, it is often necessary, when the machining to be performed changes, to replace the tool mounted on the machine and the corresponding tool holder cone.
Accordingly, the need is felt to keep the tools and their tool holder cones in a correctly orderly fashion, so that they are readily available to the operator during tool replacement.
Appropriate accessories are currently commercially available for this need and are constituted by frames designed to be rested on the worktop of the operator's workbench. These frames support a plurality of blocks, each whereof is internally provided with a seat which is open upwardly and is adapted to accommodate a tool holder cone with the corresponding tool.
Although these accessories solve the problem of keeping the tools in a correctly ordered fashion together with their tool holder cones, they suffer the drawback of constituting an additional bulk which limits the space available on the worktop of the workbench.
The aim of the present invention is to obviate the above mentioned drawback, by providing a workbench or an accessory for workbenches which allows to support in an orderly fashion tools with their tool holder cone for machine tools without significantly limiting the space available on the worktop of a workbench.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a workbench or an accessory for workbenches which makes the tools and their tool holder cones readily available to the operator.
Another object of the invention is to provide a workbench or workbench accessory which can be used not only to support tools with the corresponding tool holder cone but also to store other items required by the operator.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a workbench, or workbench accessory, for supporting tools with their tool holder cones for machine tools, characterized in that it comprises two lateral shoulders raising with respect to the worktop of the workbench and at least one cross-member which lies substantially horizontally, is spaced with respect to said worktop and connects said shoulders one another, said cross-member supporting a plurality of blocks in which seats are formed, said seats being open upwardly and being each adapted to accommodate a tool with the corresponding tool holder cone, leaving the region of the worktop that lies below said at least one cross-member free.
Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the detailed description of a workbench according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the workbench according to the invention, with a part shown in exploded view;
Figure 2 is a partially sectional side elevation view of the workbench.
With reference to the figures, the workbench according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a supporting structure 2 constituted, in a per se known manner, by uprights 3 and cross-members 4 and supports a worktop 5 which is arranged on a substantially horizontal plane.
According to the invention, the workbench comprises two lateral shoulders 6a and 6b raising with respect to the worktop 5 and at least one cross-member 7 which lies substantially horizontally and is spaced with respect to the worktop 5. The cross-member 7 connects one another the lateral shoulders 6a and 6b and supports a plurality of blocks 8 in which seats 9 are formed which are open upwardly and are each adapted to accommodate a tool 10 with the corresponding tool holder cone 11.
The cross-member or cross-members 7 lie substantially parallel to the front side 5a of the worktop 5, which is designed to face the operator, and the blocks 8 are fixed to the cross-member 7 so that their upper face, in which the opening of the seat 9 is provided, is inclined towards the front side 5a of the worktop 5 in order to facilitate handling of the tool 10, with the corresponding tool holder cone 11, by the operator.
Preferably, multiple cross-members 7 are provided one over the other so as to be able to support multiple rows of blocks 8.
Below the cross-members 7 it is possible to provide one or more item supporting shelves 13 which are fixed to the lateral shoulders 6a and 6b in order to support other kinds of items.
Preferably, the distance between the lateral shoulders 6a and 6b is substantially equal to the transverse dimensions of the worktop 5, i.e., to the dimensions of the worktop 5 measured parallel to the front side 5a.
The cross-members 7 are conveniently arranged proximate to the rear side of the worktop 5, which is designed to be directed away from the operator, so that the projection of the cross-members 7 with the corresponding blocks 8 onto the worktop 5 occupies only a portion of the worktop 5 proximate to the rear side of the worktop 5.
The shoulders 6a and 6b can be either fixed to the supporting structure of the workbench, flush with the sides, or constitute an upward extension of the sides of the workbench, or simply rest on the worktop 5.
In this regard it should be noted that the invention can also be constituted simply by an accessory composed of the shoulders 6a and 6b and of the cross-members 7, which support a plurality of blocks 8 adapted to accommodate the tools 10 with the corresponding tool holder cones 11, and optionally with one or more item supporting shelves 13, said accessory being designed to be rested or fixed onto the worktop 5 of a conventional workbench.
The workbench 1 can rest on the ground simply by means of fixed supporting feet or, as shown, it can be provided with castors 20 for resting on the ground, said castors being optionally fitted with a parking brake 21.
The workbench or accessory according to the invention, thanks to the fact that it supports, in an elevated position with respect to the worktop 5, a plurality of blocks 8 inside which seats 9 are provided for accommodating tools 10 with the corresponding tool holder cone 11, leaving the underlying region of the worktop 5 free and usable, does not limit the space available to the operator on the worktop 5 and allows the operator to have the tools 10, with the corresponding tool holder cone 11 to be used, readily available.
In practice it has been found that the workbench or workbench accessory according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, since it allows to support the tools with the corresponding tool holder cones required by the operator in a correctly ordered fashion and so that they are readily available, without penalizing the usable surface of the worktop of the workbench.
In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI2000U000520 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A workbench (1), or workbench accessory, for supporting tools with their tool holder cone for machine tools, characterized in that it comprises two lateral shoulders (6a,6b) raising with respect to the worktop of the workbench and at least one cross-member (7) which lies substantially horizontally, is spaced with respect to said worktop and connects said shoulders one another, said cross-member (7) supporting a plurality of blocks (8) in which seats (9) are formed, said seats (9) being open upwardly and being each adapted to accommodate a tool (10) with a corresponding tool holder cone (11), leaving the region of the worktop that lies below said at least one cross-member (7) free.
The workbench according to claim 1, characterized in that said cross-member (7) lies substantially parallel to the front side of said worktop which is meant to be directed toward the operator, and in that said blocks (8) are fixed to said cross-member (7) so that their upper face, in which the opening of the corresponding seat (9) is formed, is inclined toward the front side of said worktop.
The workbench according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises multiple cross-members (7) one over the other, each of which supports a plurality of said blocks (8).
The workbench according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, below said at least one cross-member (7), at least one item supporting shelf (13) which is connected to said shoulders (6a,6b).
The workbench according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance between said lateral shoulders (6a,6b) is substantially equal to the transverse dimensions of said worktop.
The workbench according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projection of said at least one cross-member (7) with said blocks (8) onto the worktop of the workbench occupies a portion of said worktop which lies proximate to the rear side of the worktop, which is designed to be directed away from the operator.
The workbench according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with fixed feet for resting on the ground.
The workbench according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is provided with castors (20) for resting on the ground, said castors being equipped with a parking brake (21).