WO2022029809A1

WO2022029809A1 - Machine and method for manufacturing spectacle frames

Info

Publication number: WO2022029809A1
Application number: PCT/IT2021/050233
Authority: WO
Inventors: Denise STRAMARE; Gianmaria MELLO; Luigi SPINAZZE'
Original assignee: Kekaldo S.R.L.S.
Priority date: 2020-08-06
Filing date: 2021-07-28
Publication date: 2022-02-10

Abstract

Described is a machine (10) for making frames for eyeglasses, starting from a raw piece (100), having, inside it, a work area (D) parallel and facing in the opposite direction to the ground. The machine (10) comprises a rotating base (20), equipped with a first flat end, on which a first vice (30) is fixed, and with a second end equipped with a second vice (31 ), a storage device (40) placed parallel and laterally with respect to the rotating base (20) and comprising shelves (41 ) designed for containing the raw pieces (100), a handling arm (60) equipped with a gripper (61) such as to be able to be moved above the work area (D). The invention also relates to a method implemented by means of the machine for making frames for eyeglasses.

Description

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SPECTACLE FRAMES

This invention relates to a machine and a method for making frames for eyeglasses.

Currently, different types of processes are used for making frames for eyeglasses which vary in terms of the technology used and the number of steps performed, depending on the eyewear sector for which they are being produced, and/or the type and material of the frame that needs to be made. In particular, currently, the machinery belonging to the chain for making frames for eyeglasses must, for obvious reasons, necessarily be high-precision equipment specific to the type of processing that must be carried out, in order to guarantee an optimal result; it is for this reason that these machines or their setup should vary according to the specific design needs of each model of eyeglasses.

Generally, on the basis of what has been said above, the manufacture of a pair of eyeglasses involves a multitude of different steps which must be such as to ensure that their execution passes the quality controls of each single production step.

The eyewear sector therefore has a high application variability and consequently the need for technological variability precisely because both the materials used and the models to be made are almost always different from each other. With regard to the above, a first application example could be that relating to the production of metal frames; in this type of frame, a metal wire is shaped to create the final shape through a machine called a winder and what will be the front of the eyeglasses is welded manually, through several steps, to the other metal components, such as the circles that contain the lenses, the arms and the supports on which the nose pads are placed; as it is easy to deduce, therefore, the frame of each pair of eyeglasses is assembled piece by piece. A second application example is that relating to frames made of acetate; this type of frame originates in the form of sheets of acetate of different thicknesses, colours and compositions. Before being prepared with the necessary thickness by special machines, these sheets are cut into strips with which the side arms are made, and into smaller strips with which the fronts are manufactured. Subsequently, the acetate strip is sent to a specialised department, where precision machinery mills the fronts into the various shapes and sizes; the next step after the one just described is a purely manual phase. There is therefore the need for expert technicians, in the various steps, to manually process the product, subjecting the materials to sequential temperature variations. The semi-finished products are now ready for the tumbling process; this process is fundamental to obtain a high quality product. In particular, the processing of the fronts made of acetate for both prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses comprises a multiplicity of separate steps, each performed by dedicated machinery, wherein a mixture of small pieces of wood, polishing oils and abrasive powders is used, with which well-smoothed shapes and shiny surfaces are obtained.

On the basis of what has just been said, it is easy to understand that these processes, as well as being costly in terms of technological and manual resources, are generally expensive at an economic level; one need only consider that for each step of the manufacturing process it is necessary to use a different machine and/or specialised personnel, most likely leaving room for possible and consequent imprecisions during the processing itself, which affect the quality of the finished product. Another problem, linked to the methods currently used, is due to the use of expansion fasteners which generate a deformation of the material used, such as to affect the precision of the product and being unable to always guarantee the desired thickness. Furthermore, the tool systems that are part of the machinery used to date have the tendency, during the production step, to “tear” the material with a consequent excessive production of waste material. Furthermore, the above- mentioned machines will be specific for each model and, for this reason, they should ideally be changed and/or modified every time for making different models or future collections of eyeglasses. Furthermore, a disadvantage is related to the fact that, to date, it is not possible to make the production process for frames for eyeglasses fully automatic, from storage in the warehouse to the finished product, due to all the drawbacks described above. As can be easily deduced, for the reasons mentioned above, the current solutions present for making frames for eyeglasses, since they depend on different types of machinery, which are further variable depending on the model of eyeglasses to be made and on the work of specialised personnel, cannot be fully automated and therefore cannot overcome the limitations described above and encountered.

This also means that the machinery and the methods for making frames for eyeglasses are often oversized in order to guarantee an optimal result for all the models to be made.

This is an inconvenience because, currently, precisely in view of the continuous demand in the eyewear sector, it is essential to ensure that the methods for making frames are fully automated from the storage phase in the warehouse to the creation of the models.

The main aim of the invention is therefore to provide a machine and a method for making a frame for eyeglasses such as to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method for making a frame for eyeglasses which offers the possibility of choosing, depending on the needs, the frame of eyeglasses to be made or a range of different frames, all in a totally automated fashion.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method for making a frame for eyeglasses, which has a maximum tolerance even in the case in which, during a processing phase, such as, by way of example, during the cutting phase, there are errors.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method which offer maximum flexibility of the possible processing operations.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method for making frames for eyeglasses which allow a semi-finished product to be reworked, even after a first step already performed, by controlling the movement of the pieces inside the store. A further aim of the invention is to provide a method which allows frames to be made for eyeglasses without the use of tools, allowing a standard fixing for all models.

Another aim of the invention, consequent to the previous one, is to provide a machine and a method for making frames for eyeglasses which carries out a precise and stable processing, allowing a sequence of two or more different models to be worked without the intervention of the operator, in particular to change the tool, after the initial working has been defined.

An additional aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method which allow even random management of the warehouse for making frames.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method which offer a high precision without deformation of the material, in such a way as to be able to create very thin thicknesses while also optimising the consumption of material.

An aim of the invention is also to provide a machine and a method which allow a maximum flexibility in such a way as to pass a model which has been made between twin machines.

Not least, the aim of the invention is to provide a machine and a method for making frames for eyeglasses which allows the processing steps to be optimised, also reducing the wear of the tool in use.

These and other aims are achieved by a machine for making frames for eyeglasses according to the appended claim 1 and by a method for making a relative product, implemented by this machine, according to claim 7.

Further detailed technical features of the invention are contained in the dependent claims.

The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example according to some of its preferred embodiments, with the aid of the attached figures, wherein:

- Figure 1 A is an external view of the machine for making frames for eyeglasses according to the invention;

- Figure 1 B is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, according to the invention; - Figure 2A is a front view of a storage device forming part of the machine for making frames, according to the invention;

- Figure 2B is a detail of the storage device of Figure 2A, according to the invention;

- Figure 3 is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention;

- Figure 4 is a detail relative to a holding device forming part of the machine for making frames, according to the invention;

- Figure 5A is an internal perspective view of the machine of figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, wherein a first vice is closed and the working on the raw piece is started from which the frame will be made;

- Figure 5B is a detail of the first vice forming part of the machine for making frames visible in Figure 5A, according to the invention;

- Figure 6A is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, in wherein the first vice is unloaded from the raw piece;

- Figure 6B is a detail of the arm for moving the raw piece forming part of the machine for making frames visible in Figure 6A, according to the invention;

- Figure 7 shows an internal perspective view of the machine of figure 1 A, during a further intermediate step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, wherein the rotating base changes configuration between first and second vice;

- Figure 8A is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, wherein, after the rotation of the rotating base, the second vice is used;

- Figure 8B is a detail of the second vice forming part of the machine for making frames visible in Figure 8A, according to the invention; - Figure 9A is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention;

- Figure 9B is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, wherein a first surface of the raw piece is processed;

- Figure 10A is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, wherein the semi-finished product is rotated for processing the second surface of the raw piece, according to the invention;

- Figure 10B is an internal perspective view of the machine of Figure 1 A, during a further step of the method for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention, wherein the second surface of the raw piece is processed;

- Figures 1 1 A and 1 1 B are front views of the two opposite surfaces of the raw piece processed through the machine of Figure 1 A, according to the invention. With reference to the above-mentioned drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally indicates the machine for making frames for eyeglasses, according to the invention. Advantageously, the above-mentioned machine 10 comprises, internally, and in particular in an area defined as work area D, different elements, which work in a coordinated fashion during the process for making frames for eyeglasses and which will now be described in their totality. In particular, as can be seen in Figure 1 B, the reference numeral 20 indicates a rotating base, located inside the above-mentioned machine 10, having two flat ends. In detail, the rotating base has a first flat end, on which a first vice 30 is fixed, comprising two jaws forming a self-centring prismatic pair, so that both can be moved with translational motion, on the above-mentioned rotating base 20, by means of fastening means, such as, by way of example, screws, and a second vice 31 , as can be seen in detail in Figures 8A and 8B, located at the opposite end with respect to the first end and having two fixing apices 31 1 and 312 placed in parallel and aligned with each other. In particular, as it will be described in detail during the description of the method for making, the above- mentioned two apices 31 1 and 312 are located where there will be the area in which the lenses of the frame are fixed, after production.

As can be seen in Figure 7, the rotating base advantageously has two configurations of use: a first configuration, wherein the first vice 30 faces upwards in the direction of the work area and therefore in use, and a second configuration, wherein the second vice 31 is in use, which faces upwards and in the direction of the work area. Advantageously, the above-mentioned rotating base 20, in order to pass from the first to the second configuration and vice versa, rotates around a first axis of rotation X, parallel to the ground, and according to a direction of rotation L, which can advantageously be both clockwise and counterclockwise, always with respect to the first X axis. Furthermore, the rotating base 20 can advantageously move, translating inside the work area of the machine 10, with respect to a second axis Y, which is parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the first axis X. Advantageously, the above-mentioned rotating base 20 can rotate or translate, respectively, according to the axes X, Y, automatically, by means of suitable motors set up during the step for processing the piece for making the frame. Furthermore, as can be seen in detail in Figures 2A and 2B, the above-mentioned machine 10 has, in a position parallel to and laterally to the rotating base 20, a storage device 40 designed to act as a warehouse, in such a way as to contain inside it all the raw pieces 100 which must be subsequently processed by the machine 10. Advantageously, the raw pieces 100 are sheets, of different thicknesses and materials, such as, merely by way of example, acetate, from which will be made the frame for eyeglasses, according to the invention. In detail, Figure 2B shows how the storage device 40 has a multitude of shelves 41 parallel to each other and parallel to the ground, which will contain and store the above-mentioned rough pieces 100 which will be subsequently processed. The storage device 40 can move according to a third axis Z perpendicular to the ground and to the first axis X in such a way that, before starting the step for processing raw piece 100, it is possible to select, in a random mode, the raw piece 100 which must be processed. This selection takes place, advantageously, through a parameter, by way of example, of the numeric or alphanumeric type connected to the shelf 41 in which the piece to be processed is contained; for example, if the parameter is set to 6, the raw piece 100 present inside the sixth shelf 41 of the above-mentioned storage device 40 will be selected; this method advantageously allows the limits of the prior art to be overcome wherein the raw pieces are simply stacked and processed according to a FIFO logic (that is, the first piece inserted is the first to be processed), increasing the automation of the system and the flexibility of choosing when and which piece to process. In order to ensure that the selected piece can be processed, as visible in Figure 2B, said storage device 40 has a selection member 42 with a hooked shape such as to pass inside channels arranged between one shelf 41 and the other, in such a way as to move the raw piece 100 in the direction of the rotating base 20. As shown in detail in Figure 4, placed between the rotating base 20, with which it is in axis, and the storage device 40, there is a holding device 50, substantially shaped like a channel, in particular in negative with respect to said raw piece 100 and which can be set according to its shape, inside which the piece is pushed by the selection member 42 before being brought to the rotating base 20 itself and therefore before being processed. In particular, facing in the direction of the ground and above the rotating base 20 there is a handling arm 60 having a gripper 61 , visible in detail in Figures 6A and 6B, such as to be able to be moved according to the directions given by the above-mentioned second and third axis Y and Z inside the work area to hook and move the raw piece in the correct position during the steps of the method, such as, for example, for moving from the holding device 50 to the first vice 30. The above-mentioned gripper 61 has a maximum tolerance with respect to the size of the raw piece to be processed and, advantageously, even if the cut of the latter is irregular, a self-centring system eliminates the above-mentioned problem. Again facing in the direction of the ground and, by way of example, at the rotating base 20, there is a tool 70 for processing the raw piece, having automatic centring and which can be moved in the same way as said movement arm 60, according to the directions of the second and third axis Y and Z inside the work area. According to preferred embodiments, adjacent to the above-mentioned tool 70 there is a blowing device designed for delivering air in such a way as to keep the work air always clean, without any waste of the raw piece 100 during processing and thus increasing its quality.

Finally, placed parallel to said rotating base 20 and adjacent to the area on which the holding device 50 is arranged, there is a rotation device 80, such that, when the above-mentioned rotating base 20 is in a third configuration, wherein, through a rotation around the first axis X, it is parallel to the above- mentioned third axis Y and facing said rotation device 80, the latter being able to overturn the raw piece 100, on the second vice 31 , from its first surface 101 to its second surface 102, opposite to the first.

In particular, the method for making a frame for eyeglasses consists of different steps which will now be analysed in detail.

Initially, the raw pieces 100 are arranged inside the storage device 40; advantageously, the method according to the invention makes it possible to choose, with regard to the above-mentioned shelves 41 , even in a totally random manner, the first piece to be processed. In particular, the choice can be any and, merely by way of example, it is also possible to choose a set of pieces which must be processed and the relative model to be made on them, creating a totally automatic and variable process. Subsequently, the selection member 42, as visible in Figure 2B, pushes the selected piece 100 into the holding device 50; the piece 100, facing with its first end 101 in the direction of the processing, is at this point picked up (Figure 3) using the handling arm 60 and brought into the first vice 30, that is, when the rotating base 20 is in its first configuration (Figure 5A). Advantageously, as the holding device 50 is of the self-centring type, with respect to said axes X, Y, it allows a processing of raw pieces of different dimensions, thus ensuring a maximum tolerance of the raw piece.

Once the piece is held still by the first self-centring vice 30, the tool 70 carries out a first processing by making the above-mentioned holes 1 10 on the raw piece 100. At this point, the handling arm 60 again picks up the raw piece 100 just processed (Figure 6A) and waits for the rotating base 20 to rotate by 180° (Figure 7), reaching the relative second configuration having the second vice 31 positioned upwards, as described above. The movement arm causes the apices 31 1 and 312 of the second vice to be inserted into the holes 1 10; the vice 31 , again by means of self-centring mechanisms plus relative pins, advantageously allows a standard fixing for all the models which can if necessary be made. Once the raw piece 100 has been positioned on the second vice 31 , the tool 70 is moved in the direction of the piece 100 and carries out a further processing, as can be seen in Figure 9B. Advantageously, following the method described above, it is possible to process a sequence of two or more models of different frames for eyeglasses without the intervention of an operator to change the equipment, if necessary. Subsequently, as visible in Figure 10A, the rotating base 20 adopts its third configuration by rotating 90 degrees around the first axis X, so as to be in a position parallel to the third axis Z and facing the rotation device 80, which overturns the raw piece 100 onto its second end 102 which is still to be processed. At this point, the rotating base 20 rotates again in the opposite direction to the previous step, returning to its starting position (Figure 10B), so that the tool 70 can carry out the final processing on the second end 102 of the piece 100. Advantageously, it is possible to rework the raw piece 100 after any step of the method already carried out and, in particular, the piece 100 can be loaded again into the storage device and, thanks to the self-centring device, automatically repositioned in the shelf 41 in which it was located at the start of the method. Upon completion of the method the frame for eyeglasses according to the invention is obtained.

The features of the invention, and the advantages, are apparent from the description provided; finally, it is apparent that the invention is described by way of example only, without limiting the scope of application, according to its preferred embodiments, but it shall be understood that the invention may be modified and/or adapted by experts in the field without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept, as defined in appended claims.

Claims

1 . Machine (10) for making frames for eyeglass, said frames being made from a raw piece (100) having a first and a second surface (101 , 102), opposite to each other, to be processed, wherein said machine comprises internally a work area (D), parallel and facing in the opposite direction to the ground, which includes a tool (70) having automatic centering and such that it can be moved above said work area (D), said machine (10) being characterized in comprising

- a rotating base (20) having a first flat end, on which a first vice (30) is fixed which comprises two jaws forming a prismatic pair, a second end, opposite to said first end, comprising a second vice (31 ) having two fixing apices (31 1 , 312) placed in parallel and aligned with each other; wherein said rotating base (20) assumes a first configuration according to which said first vice (30) is directed towards said work area (D), a second configuration according to which said second vice (31 ) is directed towards said working area work (D) and a third configuration according to which said rotating base (20) is rotated perpendicular to the ground;

- a storage device (40), placed in a parallel and lateral position with respect to said rotating base (20), comprising shelves (41 ) parallel to each other and parallel to the ground and suitable for containing said raw pieces (100);

- a self-centering holding device (50), placed between said rotating base (20), with which it is in axis, and said storage device (40), which has a substantially channel shape of a size that can be set with respect to a size of said raw piece (100);

- a handling arm (60), facing towards the ground and above said rotating base (20), wherein said arm (60) comprises a gripper (61 ) which can be moved, above said area (D) of work, with respect to a second axis (Y) parallel to the ground and a third axis (Z) perpendicular to the ground.

2. Machine (10) for making frames for eyeglass as in claim 1 , characterized in that said rotating base (20), to pass from said first to said second and third configuration and vice versa, rotates (L) around a first axis (X) parallel to the ground and perpendicular to said second axis (Y).

3. Machine (10) as in claim 2, characterized in that said rotating base (20) moves within the work air (D) along said second axis (Y).

4. Machine (10) for making frames for eyeglass as in claim 1 , characterized in that it comprises a rotation device (80), placed parallel and facing said rotating base (20) and, in said third configuration, suitable for rotating said raw piece from said first surface (101 ) on said second surface (102).

5. Machine (10) for making frames for eyeglass as in claim 1 , characterized in that said storage device (40) moves along a third axis (Z) perpendicular to the ground and to the first axis (X) inside the working area (D).

6. Machine (10) for making frames as in at least one of claims 1 or 5, characterized in that said storage device (40) comprises a selection member (42) with a hook shape such as to pass inside prepared channels between said shelves (41 ), so as to move the raw piece (100) in the direction of the rotating base (20).

7. Method for making frames for eyeglasses through a machine (10) as at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

A. displacement through said shelves (41 ) of at least one of said raw pieces

(100) from said storage device (40) into said holding device (50);

B. removal from said holding device (50) of said piece (100) through said handling arm (60) and deposit of said piece (100) in said first vice (30), when said rotating base (20) is in said first configuration;

C. realization by means of said tool (70) of a first working on a first surface

(101 ) of said raw piece (100) in which two holes (1 10) are created;

D. removal from said first vice (30) of said piece (100) just worked through said arm (60);

E. predisposition and rotation of said rotating base in said second configuration;

F. deposit of the piece (100) on said second vice (31 );

G. realization through said tool (70) of a second working on said first surface (101 ) of said raw piece (100);

H. preparation and rotation of said rotating base in said third configuration; I. overturning of said piece (100) on a relative second surface (102), still to be worked, by means of said rotation device (80);

L. rotation of said rotating base in said second configuration;

M. realization through said tool (70) of a working on said second surface (102). 8. Method as in the previous claim, characterized in that, during the step of depositing said piece (100) on said second vice (31 ), said handling arm (60) causes said apices (311 , 312) of said second vice (31 ) to be inserted into said holes (1 10) of said raw piece (100).

9. Method according to at least one of claims 7-8, characterized in that, after any of said steps, a reworking of said piece (100) is carried out, moving again said piece (100) in said shelf (41 ) of said storage device (40).