The present invention relates generally to a cutting device for cutting material.
In prior art it is known to form and cut foam material using a plurality of parallel arranged electric heating wires. Prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,677 discloses a cutting apparatus comprising a support frame swingably arranged around a horizontal axis to adjust slab cut thickness. Another known solution is described in utility model CN201950705 wherein a rotation of a semi-circular heating wire is provided for processing blind and through holes in a foam material.
A drawback of the known art is the limitation in forming the material to various and preferred complex shapes for specific applications.
An object of the present invention is to alleviate some of the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a cutting device which enables the forming of a material to complex shapes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cutting device which enables the forming of the material in a fast and cost-efficient manner.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a cutting device for cutting a material is provided, comprising
a frame structure comprising at least two essentially parallelly arranged frame portions arranged at a distance from each other along a first axis,
a cutting wire extending between the frame portions and connected to the respective frame portions
wherein the material is cut and formed by the cutting wire during a pivoting relative movement between the frame structure and the material around a pivot axis.
According to one embodiment said pivot axis is running through a pivot point arranged at any point along said first axis arranged at a distance from a point associated with the material or frame structure.
Arranging a pivot point and a related imaginary pivot axis along an elongated axis extending through both frame portions but located outside the distance between the frame portions, enable manufacturing of other shapes than when the pivot axis is for example extending through one of the frame portions.
According to one first embodiment said frame structure is arranged to be pivoted around a pivot axis.
According to one embodiment said frame structure is arranged to be moved in all directions in space.
Thus, it may be arranged to be moved in at least a direction essentially perpendicular and/or essentially parallel to the extension direction of the pivot axis. Being able to move the frame structure in a translational movement in relation to the material make it possible to create even more complex 3D shapes.
According to one second embodiment, said material is arranged to be pivoted around a pivot axis.
According to one embodiment, the pivot axis is arranged to extend through one of the frame portions.
According to one embodiment, said frame structure is arranged to be locked in all directions in space.
According to one embodiment, said material is arranged to be moved in all directions in space.
Thus, it may be arranged to be moved at least in a direction essentially perpendicular and/or essentially parallel to the extension direction of the pivot axis. Being able to move the material in a translational movement in relation to the frame structure make it possible to create even more complex 3D shapes.
According to one embodiment, said material is arranged on and attached to a transporting device which is arranged to be pivoted around a pivot axis.
According to one embodiment, said material is arranged to be locked in all directions in space.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire extends between the frame portions with an angle α to a to a direction parallel to the first axis x of the frame structure.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire extends at least two times between the frame portions or comprises at least two cutting wires extending between the frame portions.
According to another embodiment, the cutting wire comprises at least two cutting wires extending between the frame portions.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire or cutting wires extend between the frame portions according to a recurrent pattern, comprising at least a first extension portion between the frame portions which is perpendicular to the pivot axis and at least a second extension portion which extends between the frame portions with an angle α to a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis of the frame structure.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire is one of: an electric heating wire, a rotating wire or a reciprocating wire.
According to one embodiment, at least one driving device is arranged to pivot the frame structure in relation to the material and/or the material in relation to the frame structure.
According to one embodiment, at least one driving device is arranged to move said frame structure and/or said material in a direction essentially perpendicular and/or essentially parallel to the extension direction of the pivot axis and/or in any direction in space.
According to one embodiment, the distance d between the frame portions is in the range of 50 mm to 3000 mm, preferably 2000 mm.
According to one embodiment, the angle α is in the range of 0,1-5°, preferably in the range 0,1-3°.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire extends essentially in a straight line between the frame portions.
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire or cutting wires is/are connected to the frame portions at connection points wherein the connection points are adjustable along the frame portions to control the angle α.
According to one embodiment, the cutting device is arranged to cut and form material in plate form, wherein a plurality of similarly and differently formed plates together form a surface covering system.
The invention may according to one embodiment be described as a cutting device for cutting a material, comprising:
a frame structure comprising at least two essentially parallelly arranged frame portions arranged at a distance from each other along a first axis,
a cutting wire extending between the frame portions and connected to the respective frame portions. The invention is characterized in that it further comprises
means for creating a pivoting relative movement between the frame structure and the material so that the material is cut and formed by the cutting wire.
According to one embodiment, said means for creating a pivoting relative movement is a driving device arranged to pivot the frame structure in relation to the material.
According to another embodiment, means for creating a pivoting relative movement is a driving device arranged to pivot the material in relation to the frame structure.
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following, a detailed description of the invention will be given. In the drawing figures, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements throughout the several figures. It will be appreciated that these figures are for illustration only and are not in any way restricting the scope of the invention.
The first and second frame portions 2a, 2b are arranged at a distance d from each other along along a first axis x. A coordinate system is provided comprising axis x, y, z defined in relation to the cutting device 1 of
According to a first embodiment, the cutting device 1 comprises a frame structure 2 arranged to be pivoted around a pivot axis p and said material 4 is arranged to be locked in all directions relation to the coordinate system. According to one embodiment, the pivot axis p is arranged to extend through one of the frame portions 2a, 2b. According to one embodiment, the frame structure 2 is pivotally suspended via a shaft (not shown) connected to a driving device (not shown) arranged to rotate the shaft.
According to a second embodiment, further shown for example in
The frame structure 2 and/or the material 4 may further be arranged to be moved in any direction in space. This may be achieved by connecting the cutting device or material to a swing arm or robot arm according to one embodiment. This may further be achieved by suspending the cutting device 1 or the material 4 in an axle arranged to move in a first direction along a beam, wherein the beam itself may be movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, functioning as a traverse. The beam may further be movable in a third, vertical direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. The controlling of the linear movement and thereby positioning of the frame structure/cutting device 1, as well as its rotation, may be carried out either by the aid of CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) or by manual control. Thus, the cutting device 1 and/or the material 4 is arranged to carry out a translation movement in space. This translational movement in any direction in space is necessary in order to enable rotation of the frame structure 2 or the material 4 around a pivot axis p arranged at a point along the first axis x which is not located between the first and second frame portions 2a, 2b, thus along the distance d.
The two frame portions 2a, 2b are essentially parallelly arranged at the distance d and may in one embodiment be connected by at least one connecting portion 2c. According to one embodiment, the frame portions 2a, 2b are arranged essentially vertically. According to one embodiment, the frame portions 2a, 2b have an elongated shape and have a length l in the range of 50 mm<length l<4000 mm. According to one embodiment, the frame portions 2a, 2b, and connection portion 2c are made of Aluminum or steel. According to one embodiment, the connecting portion 2c extends in an essentially horizontal direction between the frame portions 2a, 2b, thus forming an essentially U-shaped frame structure 2. According to one embodiment, the connecting portion 2c is arranged at an end portion of the respective frame portions 2a, 2b, wherein the distance between the frame portions 2a, 2b is open in one end and closed in the other end. According to one embodiment, the lowermost end when the frame structure 2 is arranged in the cutting device 1 is open, whereas the connecting portion 2c is arranged to close the uppermost distance between the frame portions 2a, 2b. According to one embodiment, the distance d between the frame portions 2a, 2b is in the range of 50 mm<distance d<3000 mm. According to one embodiment, the distance d is 2000 mm.
The cutting wire 3 is arranged between the frame portions 2a, 2b, and thus extends there between, and is further connected to the respective frame portions 2a, 2b. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 may be arranged as a single wire 3, i.e. extending a plurality of times between the frame portions 2a, 2b in a back and forth manner. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 extends between the frame portions 2a, 2b in recurrent pattern. According to one embodiment, a plurality of cutting wires 3 extending between the frame portions 2a, 2b, respectively, may be used as well. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 extends in a straight line between the frame portions 2a, 2b long an imaginary x-axis. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is an electric heating wire. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is a rotating wire arranged to rotate around its own axis to provide an improved cutting ability, which is useful or even necessary to cut through certain material, e.g. EPS. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is arranged to be translated in in its axial direction for an enhanced cutting ability, thus acting as a saw. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is a resistance heating wire made of steel or metal suitable alloys such as e.g. Kanthal, Nichrome, Cupronickel etc.
The cutting device 1 of
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is arranged in a back-and-forth manner a plurality of times between the frame portions. According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is arranged in a back-and-forth manner a plurality of times between the frame portions in a recurring manner, i.e. wherein the cutting wire extends between the frame portions 2a, 2b with certain angles an arbitrary number of time to create a defined set or series or pattern. This series/pattern is then repeated in a recurring manner an arbitrary number of times. This recurring pattern allows for a highly efficient cutting device 1 which enables the cutting of a plurality of similar cut-outs of the material in one and the same pivoting movement of the cutting device 1. Thereby, faster and cost-efficient solution is provided.
According to one embodiment, shown in
According to one embodiment, the cutting wire 3 is controllable by a control device. This comprises either or both controlling the rotations speed as well as the pattern series of the cutting wire 3 between the frame portions 2a, 2b. According to one embodiment, the location of the connection points of the cutting wire in the frame portions 2a, 2b are controllable by a control device, thereby controlling the pattern of the cutting wire 3.
The cutting device 1 of
Thus in
According to one embodiment, the cutting device 1 is arranged to rotate 360° around the pivot axis p and thus form material 4 into an entire blunt virtual cone or real cone. Thus, according to one embodiment, the material 4 may have a surface area seen in the z-direction which is four times the area of
According to another embodiment, the pivot axis p extends at any position along the connection portion 2c or anywhere along the extension of the connection portion 2c. According to one embodiment, the pivot axis p extends at a center point of the connection portion 2c. Thus, even plate 1 may be formed/cut by such cutting device 1, since the important aspect here is to point the extension of the connection portion 2c towards a thought center point, i.e. a drainage point. To be able to carry out this a translation of the cutting device 1 may need to be carried out parallel to the rotation of the cutting device 1.
Preferred embodiments of a cutting device 1 according to the invention has been described. However, the person skilled in the art realizes that this can be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the inventive idea.
All the described alternative embodiments above or parts of an embodiment can be freely combined without departing from the inventive idea as long as the combination is not contradictory.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1450875-8 | Jul 2014 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2015/064810 | 6/30/2015 | WO | 00 |