EP4786129A1

EP4786129A1 - Machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces

Info

Publication number: EP4786129A1
Application number: EP24952804.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juan Antonio QUESADA
Original assignee: Rubi Tools Group SA
Current assignee: Rubi Tools Group SA
Priority date: 2024-08-27
Filing date: 2024-08-27
Publication date: 2026-08-05
Also published as: CN122121995A; WO2026047263A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces, comprising: a base (3) with a support surface (31) for supporting the ceramic pieces; a scoring and separation head (4) that can move on longitudinal guide means (5); arms (1) that define an extendable support surface for the ceramic piece (P) to be scored; and supports (2) for the arms (1), arranged on the sides of the base (3). The arms (1), which can be separated from the base (3), comprise at least one complementary housing (11) and attachment (12) for coupling and uncoupling successive arms (1) to/from one another and possibly to/from the supports (2). Said supports (2) comprise a housing (22) or an attachment for coupling and decoupling to/from the complementary attachment (12) or housing (11) defined at one end of the arms (1).

Description

Technical field.

The present invention relates to a machine for scoring and separating ceramic pieces used in construction for covering various surfaces, said machine being provided with an extendable support surface for placing the ceramic piece to be scored and separated along the pre-scored break line.

Prior art.

At present, machines for scoring and separating ceramic pieces are widely available on the market, said machines having a base provided at the top with a support surface for supporting the ceramic piece to be scored and separated by means of a head that can move on longitudinal guide means.
The ceramic pieces generally have a surface substantially larger than the support surface defined on the base, meaning that a significant portion of the ceramic piece protrudes laterally from said support surface, leaving it cantilevered, which prevents the ceramic piece from remaining stable on the support surface during the scoring and separation operation thereof.
To date, various solutions have been proposed to resolve this issue.
A first known solution involves incorporating arms into the sides of the base to facilitate the correct positioning of the ceramic piece on the base of the machine, however, these arms have the drawback of being mounted on supports fixed at specific points on the sides of the base of the machine and having a limited length to allow them to fold against the sides of the base, so that they do not get in the way when the machine is in a transport position.
These arms do not ensure good stability of the ceramic piece during scoring and separation thereof, particularly in the case of larger ceramic pieces, as most scoring and separation operations of ceramic pieces are carried out in off-centre positions, meaning that a large part of the surface of the ceramic piece remains cantilevered, outside the support area defined by the arms.
Another known solution involves mounting each arm on a support mounted so that it can move longitudinally along guides defined on the sides of the base of the machine; this allows the arm and the corresponding support to move along the base and be placed in the most suitable position to provide stable support for the ceramic piece in the scoring and cutting position. This solution allows the arms to move along the base but, as in the previous case, the arms have a limited length, which means they cannot always provide stable support for the ceramic pieces to be scored and separated.
In both solutions, the arm can rotate a specific angle, generally between +90° and -90° relative to a fixed vertical axis, with respect to the corresponding side support on the machine.
The technical problem addressed is to develop a ceramic cutting machine that ensures stable support for the ceramic pieces to be cut, regardless of their size, and particularly when a significant portion of the surface of the ceramic piece protrudes laterally from the support surface defined at the top of the base.

Description of the invention.

The machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces, object of the invention, is of the type described in the preamble of claim 1 and comprises: a base provided at the top with a support surface for supporting the ceramic piece to be scored and separated; a scoring and separation head for ceramic pieces, which can be manually operated and can move on longitudinal guide means fixed to said base; support arms for supporting the ceramic pieces, and supports for the side arms, arranged on the sides of the base.
One objective of the invention is to equip the machine with detachable arms and provide the arms and supports with means for coupling and uncoupling, so that said arms can be mounted on the side supports of the base and form an extendable support surface for the ceramic pieces, and so that said arms can be detached from the side supports of the base and coupled to one another in varying numbers to form, on their own, a support surface for the ceramic pieces, independent of the machine and capable of being arranged away from the base of the machine, to the extent necessary to ensure the stability of the ceramic pieces during the scoring and separation operations thereof.
Another objective of the invention is that said means for coupling and uncoupling the arms and supports define, in the coupling position, axes of relative rotation of the arms in relation to one another and, where applicable, in relation to the corresponding support.
Achieving these objectives makes it possible to couple an arm, or a row of arms suitably coupled to one another, to any of the supports to form, on one or both sides of the base of the machine, a surface of variable size and shape for the stable support of the piece to be scored and separated in each case, and which also allows the arms to be detached from the supports, in order to couple a varying number of arms to one another and form a support surface separate from the machine.
To this end, and according to the invention, the arms, which can be separated from the base of the machine, comprise, at two opposite ends, at least one complementary housing and attachment, which form the two halves of a clip for coupling and uncoupling successive arms to/from one another and possibly to the supports of the base; said arms defining an extendable support surface for the ceramic piece to be scored and separated; and the supports comprise a housing or an attachment suitable for the possible coupling and uncoupling to/from the complementary attachment or housing defined at one end of the arms.
These features allow the arms to be arranged individually or forming an alignment of variable length on one or both sides of the machine, defining a suitable surface for the stable support of the ceramic piece to be cut in each case, and to couple said arms to any of the supports of the machine or uncouple them to form a support surface separate from the machine.
As indicated, the respective complementary housings and attachments of the supports and arms define, in the coupling position, vertical axes of relative rotation of the arms in relation to one another and, where applicable, in relation to the support thereof.
The arms and supports comprise a complementary cylindrical protrusion and cylindrical recess around their respective housings and attachments, said protrusion and recess coupling to one another when the attachment or housing of an arm couples to the corresponding housing or attachment of an adjacent arm or a support.
It is worth noting that the supports may be fixed at specific points on the sides of the base, or be mounted so that they can move longitudinally on longitudinal guides defined on the sides of said base.
The arms have lower support legs and a top surface which, in the use position, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface defined at the top by the base of the machine, forming together with the latter the extendable surface for supporting the ceramic piece to be scored and separated.
Advantageously, the attachment or housing defined in the supports is oriented towards the top, while the housing or attachment of the arm that can be coupled to said support is oriented towards the bottom. This feature allows the arms to be uncoupled vertically from the supports without having to move or lift the machine.
The features of the invention will be more readily understood in view of the exemplary embodiments shown in the attached figures.

Brief description of the contents of the drawings.

As a complement to the description provided herein, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the invention more readily understandable, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings which, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent the following:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces according to the invention, with the support arms mounted on supports arranged on the sides of the base of the machine.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of one of the support arms.
Figure 3 shows an elevation view of one of the support arms shown in the previous figures, cut vertically along a longitudinal centre plane.
Figures 4 and 5 show respective front and rear perspective views of an exemplary embodiment of one of the supports shown in the previous figures.
Figure 6 shows a profile view of the support shown in figures 4 and 5, cut transversely along a vertical plane.
Figure 7 shows a detailed view of the coupling between the end of one of the arms and one of the supports, both cut by a vertical plane.
Figure 8 shows a detailed view of the coupling between two consecutive support arms, both cut by a vertical plane.
Figures 9a, 9b and 9c show respective schematic plan views of one of the sides of the base of the machine and the support arms in different use positions and coupled to the supports of the base, forming surfaces of varying sizes to support the ceramic piece (P) to be scored and separated.
Figures 10a and 10b show respective schematic plan views of one of the sides of the base of the machine, with the support arms in different use positions, where some of the arms are uncoupled from the supports of the base, coupled to one another and spaced laterally from said base, forming surfaces of varying sizes to support the ceramic pieces (P) to be scored and separated.

Detailed description of embodiments of the invention.

The exemplary embodiment shown in figure 1 depicts a machine (100) for scoring and separating ceramic pieces which, according to the invention, comprises arms (1) provided with means for coupling and uncoupling to/from one another and possibly to supports (2) mounted on the sides of the base (3) of the machine, said arms (1) forming an extendable support surface for the ceramic pieces to be scored and separated in said machine (100).
In the examples shown, the supports (2) are mounted so that they can move along longitudinal guides (32) defined on the sides of the base; however, as mentioned above, said supports (2) could be fixed and arranged at specific points on the sides of the base (3).
In the example shown, the machine (100) comprises the base (3) which is provided at the top with a support surface (31) for supporting the ceramic piece (P) to be scored and separated, and comprises a scoring and separation head (4) for ceramic pieces (P), which can be manually operated by means of the handle (41) and can move on longitudinal guide means (5), represented in this case by two parallel guides fixed to the base (3).
As can be seen in figures 2 and 3, the arms (1) comprise, at two opposite ends (1a, 1b), a complementary housing (11) and attachment (12), which form the two halves of a clip for coupling and uncoupling successive arms (1) to/from one another.
Said arms (1) have support legs (17) for resting on the floor or another stable support surface for the machine (100), and a top surface (18) which, when the machine is in a use position, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface (31) defined at the top by the base (3) of the machine.
As can be seen in the cross-section shown in figure 3, the housing (11) of the arms (1) has a frustoconical shape, open at the top and a tapering cross-section towards the bottom; and the attachment (12) comprises flexible pins (13) oriented towards the bottom, arranged in a circular pattern and provided externally with a thickened portion (14) of substantially triangular cross-section, which allows the coupling and retention of the attachment (12) of an arm (1) in the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1), with the possibility of relative rotation, and its subsequent uncoupling.
The arms (1) have a complementary cylindrical protrusion (15) around the housing (11) and a complementary cylindrical recess (16) around the attachment (12), said protrusion and recess coupling to one another when the attachment (12) of one arm (1) couples to the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1).
As shown in figures 4 to 6, the supports (2) comprise, at their rear, a longitudinal protrusion (21) for mounting so that they can move along the longitudinal guides (32) defined on the sides of the base (3) of the machine (100) and, at their front, a housing (22) with a frustoconical shape, said housing similar to the housing (11) of the arms (1), for the coupling and uncoupling of the attachment (12) of any of the arms (1).
Said supports (2) comprise a cylindrical protrusion (23) around the housing (22), said protrusion similar to the cylindrical protrusion (15) defined around the attachment (12) of the arms (1), which can be coupled so that they can rotate in the cylindrical recess (16) of any of the arms (1).
As shown in figure 7, when one of the arms (1) is in the coupling position with a support (2), the attachment (12) of the arm (1) is arranged inside the housing (22) of the support (2) and is retained in said position by the action of the thickened portions (14) of the pins (13) of said attachment (12) against the frustoconical surface of the housing (22) of the support (2).
In said coupling position, the attachment (12) and the housing (22) define a vertical axis of relative rotation of the arm (1) with respect to the support (2), and the cylindrical protrusion (23) of the support is arranged inside the cylindrical recess (16), reinforcing the alignment of the coupling along the aforementioned vertical axis of relative rotation.
In the embodiment shown, the attachment (12) of the arm (1) is oriented towards the bottom and the housing (22) of the support (2) is oriented towards the top, which allows successive coupling and uncoupling to be carried out simply by moving the arm (1) vertically downwards and upwards, respectively. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the attachment and the housing could be arranged in inverted positions, that is to say, the attachment on the support and the housing on the arm, as this does not alter the essence or the operation of the invention.
As shown in figure 8, the housing (11) and attachment (12) defined at the opposite ends (1a, 1b) of the arms allow successive arms (1) to be coupled and uncoupled to form an extendable surface of various shapes and sizes for supporting the ceramic pieces to be scored and separated.
In this case, the attachment (12) of one of the arms (1) is housed in the housing (11) of an adjacent arm (1) and is retained in said position by the action of the thickened portions (14) of the pins (13) of the attachment (12) against the frustoconical surface of the housing (11).
In said coupling position of adjacent or consecutive arms (1), the attachment (12) and housing (11) define a vertical axis of relative rotation of both arms (1), and the cylindrical protrusion (15) of one of the arms (1) is arranged inside the cylindrical recess (16) of the other arm, reinforcing the alignment of the coupling along the aforementioned vertical axis of relative rotation.
Given the characteristics described, the support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces may take various shapes and sizes, by coupling an arm or a row of arms coupled to one another to any of the supports, or by uncoupling the arm or the row of arms from the supports of the machine and moving them laterally away from the machine so as to form a larger surface for supporting the ceramic pieces.
By way of illustration, figure 9a shows two arms (1) each coupled to respective supports (2); figure 9b shows two arms (1) coupled to one another and mounted on one of the supports (2), and figure 9c shows three arms (1) coupled to one another and mounted on one of the supports (2), with the arms (1), together with the top surface (31) of the base (1), forming different support surfaces for supporting ceramic pieces (P) to be scored and separated.
As can be seen in figures 10a and 10b, the arms (1) can be used detached from the supports to form a larger surface for supporting ceramic pieces (P).
Specifically, figure 10a shows an arm (1) coupled to one of the supports (2), and two other arms (1) detached from the machine, coupled to one another and at a distance from the side of the base (3) of the machine.
Figure 10b shows four arms (2) detached from the machine, coupled to one another and at a distance from the side of the base of the machine, forming, together with the surface (31) of the base (3), a larger area for supporting ceramic pieces (P).
Lastly, it is worth noting that the possibility of relative rotation, in relation to respective vertical axes, of the arms (1) to one another and of the arms in relation to the supports (2) makes it possible to define support surfaces for supporting ceramic pieces of various shapes and sizes, using a varying number of arms, forming different angles between them and arranging said arms (1) either attached to the supports (2) or separated from them.
Having sufficiently described the nature of the invention, in addition to a preferred exemplary embodiment, it is hereby stated for the relevant purposes that the materials, shape, size and layout of the described elements may be modified, provided that it does not imply altering the essential features of the invention claimed below.

Claims

A machine with an extendable support surface for scoring and separating ceramic pieces, comprising: a base (3) provided at the top with a support surface (31) for supporting the ceramic piece (P) to be scored and separated, a scoring and separation head (4) for said ceramic piece, which can be manually operated and can move on longitudinal guide means (5); support arms (1) for supporting the ceramic pieces (P) and supports (2) for the arms, arranged on the sides of the base (3); characterised in that:
- the arms (1), which can be separated from the base, comprise, at two opposite ends (1a, 1b), at least one complementary housing (11) and attachment (12), which form the two halves of a clip for coupling and uncoupling successive arms (1), said arms (1) defining an extendable support surface for the ceramic piece to be scored and separated, and,

- the supports (2) comprise a housing (22) or an attachment for coupling and decoupling to/from the complementary attachment (12) or housing (11) defined at one end of the arms (1).
The machine, according to claim 1, in which the housings (11, 22) and attachments (12) of the supports (2) and arms (1) define, in the coupling position, vertical axes of relative rotation of the arms (1) in relation to one another and of the arms (1) in relation to the supports (2).
The machine, according to any of the preceding claims, in which the housings (11, 22) have a frustoconical shape with a tapering cross-section and the attachments (12) comprise flexible pins (13), arranged in a circular pattern and provided externally with a thickened portion (14) for coupling and retaining the attachments (12) in the housings (11, 22).
The machine, according to any of the preceding claims, in which the arms (1) and supports (2) comprise a complementary cylindrical protrusion (15, 23) and cylindrical recess (16) around the respective housings (11, 22) and attachments (12), said protrusion and recess coupling to one another when a housing (11) or attachment (12) of an arm couples to the corresponding attachment (12) or housing (11, 22) of an adjacent arm (1) or a support (2).
The machine, according to any of the preceding claims, in which the arms (1) have support legs (17) and a top surface (18) which, when the machine is in a use position, is arranged coplanarly with the support surface (31) for supporting the ceramic piece, defined at the top by the base (3) of the machine.
The machine, according to any of the preceding claims, in which the attachment or housing (22) defined in the support (2) is oriented towards the top and the complementary housing (11) or attachment (12) of the arm (1), intended to couple to said support (2), is oriented towards the bottom.