GB1564067A

GB1564067A - Machining of elongate articles

Info

Publication number: GB1564067A
Application number: GB17231/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1976-05-04
Filing date: 1977-04-26
Publication date: 1980-04-02
Also published as: FR2350187A1; DE2718743A1; SE7605064L; NO771501L; DK189777A; NL7704894A

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE MACHINING OF ELONGATE ARTICLES (71) I, JAN ERIK EVEBORN, of 531 00 Lidköping, Sweden, a Swedish citizen, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to a plant for machining of long objects such as articles of wood, e.g. a plank. The machining in question can for instance be splitting of a plank. Another type of machining can be planing of a plank or part of a split plank. Another application is the milling of grooves.

Machine tools for the performance of the above-mentioned machining are usually placed in succession, one man being placed at the inlet opening and one at the outlet opening of each machine tool. This means that a large staff of people is necessary, which is a heavy drawback in view of the high staff costs today.

The purpose of the present invention is to create a plant of the type mentioned, where the receipt of long objects for machining, and feeding of objects for machining can be handled by one person or by a transport device and a feeding device, and where the machined objects through the transport device are re-fed to the place of feeding for further feeding or for inspection and packing.

According to the invention in a first aspect thereof, a plant for performing at least one machining operation on a succession of substantially inflexible elongate articles comprises at least one machine tool for performing said at least one machining operation, a handling area, each said at least one machine tool being provided with article inlet means, each said article inlet means extending from said handling area to a said machine tool, at least one transporting device extending into said handling area for returning any machined said articles which are to undergo another said machining operation from article outlet means of each said at least one machine tool to said handling area, said article inlet means and said article outlet means each comprising a conveyor belt, the direction of said conveyor belts being substantially parallel to the relative direction of movement between said articles and said at least one machine tool.

Preferably a plurality of said machine tools are arranged in such a way that, when the plant is in operation, each said article being machined is moved in a direction sustantially parallel to the direction of movement of all other said articles being machined. The transporting device or devices may comprise a conveyor belt.

The machining operation or operations mav be splitting or planing or milling.

Preferably cenveyors are arranged to co-operate with article outlet means of each said at least one machine tool, for conveying those articles which are not required to undergo another said machining operation to stations for packing and/or collecting and/or sorting of said articles.

In a preferred embodiment the plant has at least two machine tools and a minimum length equal to the combined length of two said machine tools, plus the width of two transverse conveyor belts for transporting said articles transversely of said plant and for co-operation with said article inlet means.

The articles are preferably of wood, each machine tool being a wood working machine tool.

According to the invention, in a second aspect thereof, a method of performing at least one machining operation on a succession of elongate articles in a plant according to said first aspect comprises the steps of: feeding said articles to said inlet means; performing a said machining operation on said articles; and repeating said steps on any machined said articles which are to undergo a further said machining operation after returning of the thus machined articles from said article outlet means to said handling area, said handling area having a minimum length equal to the length of the longest of said articles.

The invention also includes within its scope an elongate machined article, especially of wood, which has been machined by at least one machine tool in a plant according to said first aspect or by a method according to said second aspect of the invention.

A plant embodying the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example only, a plant for splitting and planing timber, and in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of the plant; Figure 2 shows a sectional view along 22 of Figure a Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a sectionai view along 3--3 of Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows a sectional view along 4--4 of Figure 1.

The plant consists of a building which has a port 9 for feeding the articles. At 10 there is a handling area, where a person feeds the pieces of timber on to a belt conveyor 1 for transportation to a cleaving saw 11. After the cleaving saw is placed a conveyor 2, which will convey the sawn pieces of timber to end guides 12. Via the conveyors 3 and 4 the timber can be conveyed crosswise to a case 14 which is placed upon a lifting table 13. By means of a cart the timber may be conveyed via rails out through a port 15.

The plant is also provided with a longitudinal conveyor 5, which will convey the workpieces which are to be machined again to a lifting table 16. Here, the person who operates the plant can receive the pre-machined workpieces and feed them into the cleaving saw 11 again.

In the plant is a feed conveyor for planing 6, which automatically leads the timber into a planing machine 17. The machined products are then lead out onto a pneumatically controlled drop table 18 to a transverse conveyor 7, which works together with a longitudinal conveyor 8 for transportation on to a pneumatically controlled drop table 19. From here the timber falls down into a case 20, which is placed on a lifting table 21. This is an inspection station, where the person who operates the plant can inspect the quality of the machining.

A top pair of rails 22 and a transverse pair of rails 24 are used for the transportation to a length-sorting station and a bunching station 23. This station is equipped with a lifting table 25, and the empty case can again be conveyed to the lifting table 21 via a bottom pair of rails 26. Through the opening 27 also the empty cases can be transported out of the building.

The plant operates in the following way.

In the case where splitting only is carried out and when both of the split pieces are of the same dimension, the basic material to be split is fed via roller rails through the port 9.

The basic material will in most cases consist of packed, sawn articles of wood with for instance earlier cut-off wood from the splitting operation. The man splitting the wood, who stands at 10, will place the piece of timber on the belt conveyor 1, which has been designed in such a way that articles will follow adjustable lines to the cleaving saw 11. After sawing the pieces are separated and moved parallelly by the conveyor 2 to the end guides 12, and then the pieces are guided to the conveyors 3 and 4, which will lead the timber transversely to a case 14, which is placed on a lifting table 13. From here the timber is led via rails out through the port 15.

It should be noticed that if it is desired to have the timber packed, a stacking machine can be included instead of the case, into which case the timber only falls without any kind of stacking.

In the case where only splitting is carried out and where one piece of timber is finished for packing and one piece of timber must be transported back to the man splitting the timber for further splitting, the feeding and the sawing takes place in the way described above. After cleaving saw 11 the finished piece is fed via conveyor 3 to the case 14.

The other piece is led via conveyor 4 to conveyor 5, which carries the material lengthwise to the back-stop, where it is carried away to the lifting table 16 by means of pneumatic control. When the machining of the original goods has been finished the man who is in charge of the splitting will receive the pre-split goods from the lifting table 16 for further machining in the cleaving saw 11.

In the case of splitting of the original material into equal parts, followed by planing, which is the most usual method, the same working principle is used as above for the conveyors 3 and 4, which will feed the timber to the conveyor 5. From here the material is conveyed further on to the feed conveyor for planing 6, where the pieces of timber are automatically carried into the planing machine 17 one at a time. After planing the finished products are led out onto the pneumatically controlled drop table 18 to the transverse conveyor 7, which places the timber on the lengthwise conveyor 8 for further transportation to the pneumatically controlled drop table 19.

Then the timber falls down into the case 20, which is placed on the lifting table 21. At this table the man in charge of the splitting and planing can check at short intervals the quality of the machining. This is a very considerable advantage as compared to the existing devices.

When the case 20 has been filled with timber, the lifting table will be placed in alignment with the top pair of rails 22 so that it can be rolled off the lifting table into a length-sorting and bunching station 23 via a crosswise pair of rails. As this station is equipped with a lifting table 25, the empty case can be carried on via the bottom pair of rails 26 to the lifting table 21.

The filled case can be carried out of the building via the opening 27. Thus, it is not necessary to lift the heavy cases manually.

In the case of splitting of the original material into one part which is to be planed and one part which is to be stored maybe for later machining, the working method is the same as for splitting, when one piece of timber goes to packing and the other piece back for further splitting. The difference is, however, that the one piece of timber after the splitting is carried via the conveyors 2 and 3 to the case 14 on the lifting table 13.

The other piece is carried via the conveyors 4 and 5 to the feed conveyor for planing 6.

In case of planing only, the original material is carried via roller rails to the feed conveyor for planing 6. The man in charge of the planing will place the timber on this conveyor for machining in the planing machine 17. Other transportation takes place in the same wav as described above.

The plant described is intended for a planing capacity of about 45 m/min. If a higher capacity is required, this can be obtained by tilting devices, both in connection with the feeding for splitting and for planing. However, in this way the possibility of quality sorting of the original material prior to the machining is lost.

It is possible to synchronize by means of one more planing line, so that the cleaving saw 11 can feed even this other planing machine without giving up a complete flexibility of production.

When sorting in lengths and bunching are not required, an automatic stacking machine can be placed at the lifting table 21, so that the finished packages can finally be led out in a linear way through the right port of the room.

From the process described it is apparent that one person can handle the various alternatives of production without any limitation to the flexibility of the process of production, which can today be demanded from a modern plant.

Another substantial advantage is that the plant can be built up in steps, so that the plant is finally so rational that the man in charge of the splitting and planing will only have a supervising function.

The plant according to the invention has, compared with earlier systems, the advantage of a minimum of persons necessary, viz only one person, high flexibility of production, the possibility of quality sorting of the original material, accurate supervision of the quality of the machining, and full utilization of the capacity of the machines. Periods of waiting in connection with the erection of the machines are eliminated, and investments are low, as the plant has been built up on the basis of known components as a simple but reliable construction. The working environment will become better. The person who handles the splitting and planing is placed far from the machines. There are possibilities of extension to two planing lines and of tilting devices in connection with the feeding operations. Automatic stacking devices can advantageously be included in the system. The requirement for space is 4ow, which will reduce investments and the energy consumption. Maintenance costs are also low.

The plant can be made with a number of machine tools placed next to each other on both opposite sides of the handling place, with openings for feeding facing in to the handling area. This can have a rectangular shape and it will preferably have a length corresponding to at least the length of the objects which are due to be machined.

Instead of a person mechanical means could be used which receives transversely fed objects and which feeds these into the machine tools, and which even receives machined objects for further machining.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A plant for performing at least one machining operation on a succession of substantially inflexible elongate articles, said plant comprising at least one machine tool for performing said at least one machining operation, a handling area, each said at least one machine tool being provided with article inlet means, each said article inlet means extending from said handling area to a said machine tool, at least one transporting device extending into said handling area for returning any machined said articles which are to undergo another said machining operation from article outlet means of each said at least one machine tool to said handling area, said article inlet means and said article outlet means each comprising a conveyor belt, the direction of said conveyor belts being substantially parallel to the relative direction of movement between said articles and said at least one machine tool.

2. A plant according to Claim 1, wherein a

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. which is placed on the lifting table 21. At this table the man in charge of the splitting and planing can check at short intervals the quality of the machining. This is a very considerable advantage as compared to the existing devices. When the case 20 has been filled with timber, the lifting table will be placed in alignment with the top pair of rails 22 so that it can be rolled off the lifting table into a length-sorting and bunching station 23 via a crosswise pair of rails. As this station is equipped with a lifting table 25, the empty case can be carried on via the bottom pair of rails 26 to the lifting table 21. The filled case can be carried out of the building via the opening 27. Thus, it is not necessary to lift the heavy cases manually. In the case of splitting of the original material into one part which is to be planed and one part which is to be stored maybe for later machining, the working method is the same as for splitting, when one piece of timber goes to packing and the other piece back for further splitting. The difference is, however, that the one piece of timber after the splitting is carried via the conveyors 2 and 3 to the case 14 on the lifting table 13. The other piece is carried via the conveyors 4 and 5 to the feed conveyor for planing 6. In case of planing only, the original material is carried via roller rails to the feed conveyor for planing 6. The man in charge of the planing will place the timber on this conveyor for machining in the planing machine 17. Other transportation takes place in the same wav as described above. The plant described is intended for a planing capacity of about 45 m/min. If a higher capacity is required, this can be obtained by tilting devices, both in connection with the feeding for splitting and for planing. However, in this way the possibility of quality sorting of the original material prior to the machining is lost. It is possible to synchronize by means of one more planing line, so that the cleaving saw 11 can feed even this other planing machine without giving up a complete flexibility of production. When sorting in lengths and bunching are not required, an automatic stacking machine can be placed at the lifting table 21, so that the finished packages can finally be led out in a linear way through the right port of the room. From the process described it is apparent that one person can handle the various alternatives of production without any limitation to the flexibility of the process of production, which can today be demanded from a modern plant. Another substantial advantage is that the plant can be built up in steps, so that the plant is finally so rational that the man in charge of the splitting and planing will only have a supervising function. The plant according to the invention has, compared with earlier systems, the advantage of a minimum of persons necessary, viz only one person, high flexibility of production, the possibility of quality sorting of the original material, accurate supervision of the quality of the machining, and full utilization of the capacity of the machines. Periods of waiting in connection with the erection of the machines are eliminated, and investments are low, as the plant has been built up on the basis of known components as a simple but reliable construction. The working environment will become better. The person who handles the splitting and planing is placed far from the machines. There are possibilities of extension to two planing lines and of tilting devices in connection with the feeding operations. Automatic stacking devices can advantageously be included in the system. The requirement for space is 4ow, which will reduce investments and the energy consumption. Maintenance costs are also low. The plant can be made with a number of machine tools placed next to each other on both opposite sides of the handling place, with openings for feeding facing in to the handling area. This can have a rectangular shape and it will preferably have a length corresponding to at least the length of the objects which are due to be machined. Instead of a person mechanical means could be used which receives transversely fed objects and which feeds these into the machine tools, and which even receives machined objects for further machining. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A plant for performing at least one machining operation on a succession of substantially inflexible elongate articles, said plant comprising at least one machine tool for performing said at least one machining operation, a handling area, each said at least one machine tool being provided with article inlet means, each said article inlet means extending from said handling area to a said machine tool, at least one transporting device extending into said handling area for returning any machined said articles which are to undergo another said machining operation from article outlet means of each said at least one machine tool to said handling area, said article inlet means and said article outlet means each comprising a conveyor belt, the direction of said conveyor belts being substantially parallel to the relative direction of movement between said articles and said at least one machine tool.

2. A plant according to Claim 1, wherein a

plurality of said machine tools are arranged in such a way that, when the plant is in operation, each said article being machined is moved in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of movement of all other said articles being machined.

3. A plant according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said at least one transporting device comprises a conveyor belt.

4. A plant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one machining operation is splitting or planing or milling.

5. A plant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein conveyors are arranged to co-operate with article outlet means of each said at least one machine tool, for conveying those articles which are not required to undergo another said machining operation to stations for packing and/or collecting and/or sorting of said articles.

6. A plant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said plant has at least two machine tools and a minimum length equal to the combined length of two said machine tools, plus the width of two transverse conveyor belts for transporting said articles transversely of said plant for cooperation with said article inlet means.

7. A plant according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said articles are of wood and each said at least one machine tool is a wood working machine tool.

8. A plant for performing at least one machining operation on a succession of elongate articles, the plant being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

9. A method of performing at least one machining operation on a succession of elongate articles in a plant according to any one of the preceding claims, said method comprising the steps of: feeding said articles to said inlet means; performing a said machining operation on said articles; and repeating said steps on any machined said articles which are to undergo a further said machining operation, after returning of the thus machined articles from said article outlet means to said handling area, said handling area having a minimum length equal to the length of the longest of said articles.

10. A method of performing at least one machining operation on a succession of elongate articles, the method being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

11. An elongate machined article which has been machined by at least one machine tool in a plant according to any one of Claims 1 to 8 or by a method according to Claim 9 or Claim 10.

12. An elongate machined article according to Claim 11, said article being of wood.