Patent Application
20250205815
The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to rotary laser engraving devices, and more particularly, to rotary laser engraving devices having a multitude of adjustments to rotate and adjustably support various shapes and sizes of objects to be engraved during a laser engraving procedure.
It is often desirable to engrave many different objects with various logos, images, etc. For example, it is often desirable to engrave promotional items with a company's name or logo for presentation to customers. Other items, such as souvenirs, toys, and the like, can also benefit from engraving of information or indicia indicating the items origin or purpose.
Laser engraving is a cost-effective way of engraving these types of items. Often it is necessary to move or rotate the object as it is being engraved by a laser machine to gain the desired coverage on the object. Devices are known to rotate the objects as they are engraved, but many such devices do not have the capacity to easily accommodate objects of varying lengths, often requiring bolting and unbolting of support members when changing between differing objects to be engraved. This is a time consuming and costly process, often reducing the numbers of items that can be easily engraved.
Additionally, many objects to be engraved have irregular shapes or varying diameters along their lengths, requiring differing end supports to properly position the objects on the engraving devices. This too requires costly and time-consuming adjustments to the engraving devices to change from one object to be engraved to another.
Further, there are applications and laser machines with smaller heads which are better suited to utilizing a support device with low-profile vertical height adjustment assemblies. In such cases, use of low-profile vertical adjustment assemblies allows proper positioning of objects in the engraving devices while providing extra clearance against possible interference with the laser head or gantry above.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solution to at least one of the aforementioned problems. For instance, there is an established need for rotary laser engraving device that is easily adjustable to accommodate various lengths of objects to be engraved. There is a further need for a laser engraving device that is easily adjustable to accommodate objects having various shapes and/or varying diameters. There is also need for a laser engraving device utilizing low-profile vertical adjustment assemblies. There is still further a need for a rotary laser engraving devices that can accommodate all of these adjustments easily and with a minimal amount of effort on the part of the user.
A rotary laser engraving device for supporting and rotating an object to be engraved during a laser engraving process is described. The rotary laser engraving device includes a support frame, hereinafter referred to as the “frame,” which includes a central bar arranged in a longitudinal direction, a first transverse bar and a second transverse bar arranged in a spaced-apart relationship and coupled to the central bar.
In one embodiment a first support assembly is mounted to the frame for supporting a first end of the object to be engraved. The first support assembly includes a set of driven rollers engaged with a motor assembly to rotate the object to be engraved and one or more retention features configured to retain the object to be engraved. The device includes a second support assembly slidably mounted to the central bar and including a set of free rollers for supporting a second end of the object to be engraved. The set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers are offset diagonally from the central bar of the frame. The second support assembly further includes a glide plate carried by the frame and configured to slidably move the second support assembly in the longitudinal direction along the central bar to vary a longitudinal separation between the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers. The second support assembly further includes a vertical adjustment assembly and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is coupled in-between the glide plate and the vertical adjustment assembly. The vertical adjustment assembly is coupled to the set of free rollers and is carried by the central bar of the frame. The vertical adjustment assembly is configured to move the set of free rollers in the vertical direction to vary a vertical separation between the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers.
In another embodiment a first support assembly is mounted to the frame for supporting a first end of the object to be engraved. The first support assembly includes a set of driven rollers engaged with a motor assembly to rotate the object to be engraved and one or more retention features configured to retain the object to be engraved. The first support assembly further includes a fixed vertical adjustment assembly coupled to the frame. The fixed vertical adjustment assembly is coupled to the set of driven rollers. The device includes a second support assembly slidably mounted to the central bar and including a set of free rollers for supporting a second end of the object to be engraved. The fixed vertical adjustment assembly is configured to move the driven rollers in the vertical direction to vary a vertical separation between the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers The set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers are offset diagonally from the central bar of the frame. The second support assembly further includes a glide plate carried by the frame and configured to slidably move the second support assembly in the longitudinal direction along the central bar to vary a longitudinal separation between the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers. The second support assembly further includes a vertical adjustment assembly and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is coupled in-between the glide plate and the vertical adjustment assembly. The vertical adjustment assembly is coupled to the set of free rollers and is carried by the central bar of the frame. The vertical adjustment assembly is configured to move the set of free rollers in the vertical direction to vary a vertical separation between the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers.
In another embodiment, the rotary laser engraving device comprises a frame having a centroidal axis and comprising a central bar arranged in a longitudinal direction and off set horizontally from the centroidal axis. The frame is configured to rest on a horizontal surface. The device further comprises a first support assembly carried by the frame for supporting a first end of an associated object to be engraved; a second support assembly carried by the frame for supporting a second end of the associated object to be engraved; a longitudinal adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and being configured to restrict movement of the second support assembly in a longitudinal direction along the central bar; and a vertical adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and being configured to move the second support assembly vertically with respect to the central bar.
In some embodiments, the set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers are offset diagonally from the central bar of the frame. The first support assembly may include a gripping mechanism configured to abut against an inner surface of the associated object to be engraved. The gripping mechanism may comprise at least one spring-loaded clamp configured to bias the associated object to be engraved against at least one of the first and second sets of rollers. The at least one spring-loaded clamp may comprise a clamp arm carrying a clamp wheel configured to abut against and roll on the associated object to be engraved.
In some embodiments, the first support assembly is non-longitudinally movable relative to the central bar, and the second support assembly is longitudinally movable along the central bar.
In some embodiments, the vertical adjustment mechanism is longitudinally movable jointly with the second support assembly along the central bar.
In an alternative embodiment, the rotary laser engraving device comprises a frame; a first support assembly mounted on the frame for supporting a first end of an object to be engraved; a second support assembly mounted on the frame for supporting a second end of the object to be engraved; a longitudinal adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and being configured to restrict movement of the second support assembly in a longitudinal direction along the central bar; at least one vertical adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and configured to move at least one of the first support assembly and second support assembly vertically along the frame; wherein the at least one vertical adjustment mechanism comprises a vertical adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and configured to move the first support assembly vertically with respect to the central bar; and a motor assembly attached to the first support assembly. The set of driven rollers and the set of free rollers are offset diagonally from the central bar of the frame.
In some embodiments, the vertical adjustment mechanism is configured to move the first support assembly vertically along a first support post.
In some embodiments, the device further comprises a second vertical adjustment mechanism carried by the frame and being configured to move the second support assembly vertically with respect to the central bar.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the device will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.
The embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the device as oriented in
The following embodiments are directed toward rotary laser engraving devices having horizontal and vertically adjustable supports to accommodate various sizes and shapes of objects to be engraved.
Referring initially to
As shown in
In order to support the first and second support assemblies 112 and 114, respectively, the frame assembly generally includes a central rail or bar 122, which may be arranged in the longitudinal direction y. As shown in
In a non-limiting example, the aforementioned bars 122, 124, and 126 and posts 128 and 130 may be manufactured by aluminum extrusion. For example, the central bar 122, the first or stationary support post 128 and the second or movable support post 130 may be 20/40 elongated, rectilinear aluminum extruded pieces, while the first and second transverse bars 124 and 126 may be 20/20 elongated, rectilinear aluminum extruded pieces. In some embodiments, some or all of said bars or posts 122, 124, 126, 128 and 130 may be commercially-available pieces that may be easily and conveniently cut to the desired length to achieve a desired shape and size of the rotary laser engraving device 100, in order, for instance, to rapidly and conveniently repair or re-size the device 100. Thus, an advantage of at least some embodiments of the invention is that on-site maintenance and repair of the device is facilitated.
As noted above, the movable support post 130 is mounted for longitudinal movement along the central bar 122 to move the second support assembly 114 longitudinally (i.e. in the longitudinal direction y) relative to the first support assembly 112 in order to accommodate objects to be engraved of various lengths. As can be seen in
With continued reference to
Turning now to the first support assembly 112, as noted above, the first support assembly 112 is mounted for vertical movement along the stationary support post 128 to adjust for various sizes and diameters of objects to be engraved. The first support assembly 112 includes a first bracket 170 which is slidably mounted to the stationary support post 128. As shown in
In order to move the first support assembly 112 on the stationary support post 128, the rotary laser engraving device 100 includes a first vertical adjustment mechanism 190. The first vertical adjustment mechanism 190 of this embodiment includes a first vertical lead screw 192. As shown in
As with the glide plate 140 described hereinabove, the first support assembly 112 may include additional wheels positioned between the inner plate 172 and the outer plate 174 of the first bracket 170 to stabilize the movement of the first bracket 170 along the stationary support post 128.
Turning now to the second support assembly 114, similarly to the first support assembly 112 and as shown in
In order to move the second support assembly 114 along the movable support post 130, the rotary laser engraving device 100 further includes a second vertical adjustment mechanism 240. The second vertical adjustment mechanism 240 of this embodiment includes a second vertical lead screw 242. As shown in
Referring specifically to
As shown in
Referring for the moment to
The second support assembly 114 is illustrated in a first position or height h2 on the movable support post 130 (
Accordingly, shown in
With continued reference to
Referring now to
Turning to
As shown in
As best shown in
With regard to
Thereafter, the second support assembly 114 is moved towards the cup 400 in the direction of arrow A by the longitudinal adjustment mechanism 150, and the set of free rollers 118 of the second support assembly 114 are raised by the second vertical adjustment mechanism in the direction of arrow C to contact the closed second end 404 of the cup 400 such that the set of free rollers 118 support the second end 404 of the cup 400. Furthermore, in cases where the cup or object to be engraved has an irregular or odd shape, the heel plate 119 may optionally be mounted to the inner plate 222 (e.g., via the thumb ring 119a) and may provide a longitudinal stop which contributes to prevent “walking” of the cup or item as the item is rotated; in other cases, such as if the object to be engraved is particularly long (e.g., a baseball bat), the device operator or user may choose not to mount the heel plate 119, to allow the object to be engraved to extend beyond the set of free rollers 118. Additionally, in cases where the cup or object is short in height, it may be sufficiently supported only by the driven rollers 116 and the gripping mechanism (similar to the initial mounting shown in
As best shown in
Referring initially to
As shown in
In order to support the first and second support assemblies 612 and 614, respectively, the frame assembly 610 generally includes a central rail or bar 622, which may be arranged in the longitudinal direction y. The central bar 622 may be affixed to a first transverse bar 624 and a second transverse bar 626. The first and second transverse bars 624 and 626 may extend in a horizontal, transverse direction x that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction y and vertical direction z. The first and second transverse bars 624 and 626 may stabilize the central bar 622, and thus the entire rotary laser engraving device 600, during operation of the motor assembly 620 and the engraving process.
The first support assembly 612 and the second support assembly 614 are offset from the central bar 622. The first transverse bar 624 is secured to the central bar 622 by a first anchor plate 632 and the second transverse bar 626 is secured to the central bar 622 by a second anchor plate 634 (
As can be seen in
The glide plate 640 includes freely rotatable wheels 642 and 644 which are rotatably mounted to the glide plate 640 and which ride within and along respective longitudinally extending tracks 646 and 648 formed in the sides of central bar 622. The glide plate 640 includes a position adjustment knob 650 rotatably coupled to the top of the glide plate and configured to selectively engage a longitudinally extending track 652 formed in the top side of central bar 622. In order to slidably move the glide plate 640, and thus the second support assembly 614 longitudinally along the central bar 622, the user loosens the position adjustment knob 650, and retightens it once the free rollers 618 are in the desired position relative to the rear end or portion of the object being worked on.
The rear wheel stop 636 includes a base 660, a bumper 662, a stop knob 664, and a spring 668. The rear wheel stop 636 is configured to selectively retain the rear end of the object to be engraved. The base 660 is configured for removable coupling to the top of the vertical adjustment assembly 700. In one aspect the bottom of the base 660 includes a tab 670 (see
The vertical adjustment assembly 700 includes wheel mount bracket 702, a lead screw assembly 704, a scissor link assembly 706, an actuator 708, a base frame 710, and a head frame 712. Head frame 712 includes a first (left) head guideway 714, a second (right) head guideway 716 spaced apart from the first head guideway, a pair of opposing head plates 718, a center brace bar 720, and a center cross brace 722 slidingly mounted on the center brace bar. The front ends of the first head guideway 714 and second head guideway 716 are coupled to one of the head plates 718, and the rear ends of the first head guideway and second head guideway are coupled to the other of the head plates 718. The front end of the center brace bar 720 is coupled to an interior mount 730 on the (front) head plate 718 and the rear end of the center brace bar is coupled to an interior mount 730 on the (rear) head plate 718.
Base frame 710 includes a first (left) base guideway 724, a second (right) base guideway 726 spaced apart from the first base guideway, and a front base plate 728, spaced apart from the mounting bracket 638. The front ends of the first base guideway 724 and second base guideway 726 are coupled to the front base plate 728, and the rear ends of the first base guideway and second base guideway are coupled to the mounting bracket 638.
The first (left) head guideway 714 and the second (right) head guideway 716 each include a head top member 732 and a head bottom member 734 spaced apart from the head top member. The head bottom member 734 includes a stop cutout 740 disposed at a predetermined location. As described further below, the free rollers 618 are coupled to the wheel mount bracket 702, which is removably coupled to the first head guideway 714. The first (left) base guideway 724 and the second (right) base guideway 726 each include a base top member 736 and a base bottom member 738 spaced apart from the base top member. The base top member 736 includes a stop cutout 740 disposed at a predetermined location.
Referring to
The lead screw assembly 704 includes a primary lead screw 742, (having a first end 744 and a second end 746), a rear bushing bearing 750, a screw bracket 752, a front bushing bearing 754, and a translational, internally-threaded anti-backlash nut or drive collar 756. The translational, yet non-rotational, drive collar 756, best shown in
As shown in
The actuator 708 includes an adjustment wheel 758, a front bracket 760, a main pulley 762, a transfer pulley 764, and a transfer belt 766. Front bracket 760 is coupled to the front end of the front base plate 728, and the main pulley 762 is disposed in-between. The distal end of the adjustment wheel 758 is coupled to the front end of the main pulley 762 and the rear end of the main pulley is rotatably mounted to the front end of the front base plate 728. The transfer pulley 764 is disposed adjacent to and directly below the main pulley 762 and is coupled to the first end 744 of the primary lead screw 742. The transfer belt 766 surrounds and connects the main pulley 762 with the transfer pulley 764. As such, as the user turns the adjustment wheel 758 to turn the main pulley 762, the main pulley will turn the transfer pulley 764, thus turning the primary lead screw 742. Although a belt and pulley transfer system are shown in the drawings for this aspect, the transfer system may be any suitable transfer system such as, for example, gears.
The scissor link assembly 706 includes a pair of spaced apart link sets 768 (each having a first (bottom) end 770 and a second (top) end 772, a pair of guide bearings 774 rotatably mounted to each link set, a pair of link head mounts 776, a pair of link base mounts 778, and a central brace 780. The central brace 780 is coupled at the center in-between the pair of link sets 768. Each link set 768 includes an exterior bar 782 rotatably mounted at the center to an interior bar 784. The first (bottom) end 770 of each exterior bar 782 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding link base mount 778, which is coupled to the exterior side of the corresponding first base guideway 724 or second base guideway 726. The second (top) end 772 of each exterior bar 782 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding guide bearing 774, which is disposed within the corresponding first (left) head guideway 714 or the second (right) head guideway 716, and when under load, the guide bearing may engage with the head bottom member 734 as it moves along in the horizontal x direction. The second (top) end 772 of each interior bar 784 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding link head mount 776, which is coupled to the exterior side of the corresponding first head guideway 714 or second head guideway 716. The first (bottom) end 770 of each interior bar 784 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding guide bearing 774, which is disposed within the corresponding first (left) base guideway 724 or the second (right) base guideway 726, and when under load, the guide bearing may engage with the base bottom member 738 as it moves along in the horizontal x direction. The screw bracket 752 is rotatably coupled on each side to the corresponding interior side of the first (bottom) end 770 of each interior bar 784. As such, the translation of the screw bracket 752 along the primary lead screw 742 causes movement of each interior bar 784, which causes extension and contraction of the link sets 768 of scissor link assembly 706 in the vertical direction z.
The upper portion 606 of the second support assembly 614 includes free rollers 618 and their associated mountings and supports, wheel mount bracket 702, head frame 712, and the pair of guide bearings 774 within the head frame. The height of the upper portion 606 of the second support assembly 614 is adjusted in the vertical direction z, by operation of the actuator 708 of the vertical adjustment assembly 700. The adjustment wheel 758 is provided to facilitate rotating the primary lead screw 742 to vertically adjust the height of the upper portion 606 of the second support assembly 614, including the free rollers 618, vertically with respect to the frame assembly 610.
The rear wheel stop 636 is normally in use for engraving certain items such as tumblers, long glasses and wine bottles, but may be removed to allow for longer items where their rear portion needs to extend to the right of the free rollers. As shown in
There are some laser machines with smaller laser heads and certain engraving applications which are better suited to utilizing rotary laser engraving devices with low-profile vertical height adjustment assemblies. In such cases, use of low-profile vertical adjustment assemblies allows proper positioning of objects in the engraving devices while maintaining extra clearance above the device. The extra clearance above the device protects against possible interference with the laser head or gantry of the laser machine. The vertical adjustment assembly 700 is disposed such that the top of the head frame 712 is below the center axes of the free rollers 618, thus providing a low-profile, compact design. There are no vertical support posts or any parts of the vertical adjustment assembly 700, (including the wheel mount bracket 702), that extend/protrude vertically above the top of the set of free rollers 618, thus providing an unobstructed pass through by the laser head.
Referring now to
In operation, the use of the second support assembly 614 of the rotary laser engraving device 600 to mount and engrave an object, for example tumbler 410 (
In other applications where the object to be engraved is particularly long (e.g., a baseball bat, not shown), the device operator or user may remove the rear wheel stop 636, to allow the rear portion of the object to extend beyond the set of free rollers 618. In this application with longer objects (not shown), the user may additionally remove the spring-loaded head clamp 688 from the first anchor plate 632 to provide alternative object mounting. Further, in cases where the cup or object is short in height (e.g., a dessert dish), it may be sufficiently supported only by the driven rollers 616 and the gripping mechanism (analogous to that shown in
As seen in
Referring initially to
As shown in
In order to support the first and second support assemblies 812 and 614, respectively, the frame assembly 810 generally includes a central rail or bar 622, which may be arranged in the longitudinal direction y. The central bar 622 may be affixed to the first transverse bar 624 and the second transverse bar 626, and the bars are the same as described in the second embodiment. The first and second transverse bars 624 and 626 may extend in a horizontal, transverse direction x that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction y and vertical direction z. The first and second transverse bars 624 and 626 may stabilize the central bar 622, and thus the entire rotary laser engraving device 800, during operation of the motor assembly 820 and the engraving process.
The first support assembly 812 and the second support assembly 614 are offset from the central bar 622. The first transverse bar 624 is secured to the central bar 622 by a first anchor plate 832 and the second transverse bar 626 is secured to the central bar 622 by the second anchor plate 634 (
As described above for the second embodiment, in the third embodiment, the first support assembly 812 includes one or more retention features configured to retain the object to be engraved. The retention features may also include a gripping mechanism, such as at least one clamp. The gripping mechanism may be a spring-loaded head clamp 888, configured to abut against an inner surface of an object to be engraved, and bias the object against the set of driven rollers 816, while allowing it to rotate.
As can be seen in
The fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900 includes wheel mount bracket 902, a lead screw assembly 904, a scissor link assembly 906, an actuator 908, a base frame 910, and a head frame 912. Head frame 912 includes a first (left) head guideway 914, a second (right) head guideway 916 spaced apart from the first head guideway, a pair of opposing head plates 918, a center brace bar 920, and a center cross brace 922 slidingly mounted on the center brace bar. The front ends of the first head guideway 914 and second head guideway 916 are coupled to one of the head plates 918, and the rear ends of the first head guideway and second head guideway are coupled to the other of the head plates 918. The front end of the center brace bar 920 is coupled to an interior mount 930 on the (front) head plate 918 and the rear end of the center brace bar is coupled to an interior mount 930 on the (rear) head plate 918.
Base frame 910 includes a first (left) base guideway 924, a second (right) base guideway 926 spaced apart from the first base guideway, a front base plate 928, and a rear base plate 929, spaced apart from the front base plate. The front ends of the first base guideway 924 and second base guideway 926 are coupled to the front base plate 928, and the rear ends of the first base guideway and second base guideway are coupled to the rear base plate 929. The first (left) base guideway 924 is further coupled to the first anchor plate 832.
The first (left) head guideway 914 and the second (right) head guideway 916 each include a head top member 932 and a head bottom member 934 spaced apart from the head top member. The head bottom member 934 includes a stop cutout 940 disposed at a predetermined location. As described further below, the driven rollers 816 are coupled to wheel mount bracket 902 which is removably coupled to the second (right) head guideway 916 of head frame 912. The first (left) base guideway 924 and the second (right) base guideway 926 each include a base top member 936 and a base bottom member 938 spaced apart from the base top member. The base top member 936 includes a stop cutout 940 disposed at a predetermined location.
Again, as noted above, low-profile vertical height adjustment assemblies allow proper positioning of objects in the engraving devices while maintaining extra clearance above the device. The extra clearance above the device protects against possible interference with the laser head or gantry of the laser machine. The fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900 is disposed such that the top of the head frame 912 is below the center axes of the driven rollers 816, providing a low-profile, compact design.
Referring to
The lead screw assembly 904 includes a primary lead screw 942, (having a first end 944 and a second end 946), a rear bushing bearing 950, a screw bracket 952, a front bushing bearing 954, and a translational, internally-threaded anti-backlash nut or drive collar 956. The translational, yet non-rotational, drive collar 956, best shown in
As shown in
The actuator 908 includes an adjustment wheel 958, a front bracket 960, a main pulley 962, a transfer pulley 964, and a transfer belt 966. Front bracket 960 is coupled to the front end of the front base plate 928, and the main pulley 962 is disposed in-between. The distal end of the adjustment wheel 958 is coupled to the front end of the main pulley 962 and the rear end of the main pulley is rotatably mounted to the front end of the front base plate 928. The transfer pulley 964 is disposed adjacent to and directly below the main pulley 962 and is coupled to the first end 944 of the primary lead screw 942. The transfer belt 966 surrounds and connects the main pulley 962 with the transfer pulley 964. As such, as the user turns the adjustment wheel 958 to turn the main pulley 962, the main pulley will turn the transfer pulley 964, thus turning the primary lead screw 942. Although a belt and pulley transfer system is shown in the drawings for this aspect, the transfer system may be any suitable transfer system such as, for example, gears.
The scissor link assembly 906 includes a pair of spaced apart link sets 968 (each having a first (bottom) end 970 and a second (top) end 972, a pair of guide bearings 974 rotatably mounted to each link set, a pair of link head mounts 976, a pair of link base mounts 978, and a central brace 980. The central brace 980 is coupled at the center in-between the pair of link sets 968. Each link set 968 includes an exterior bar 982 rotatably mounted at the center to an interior bar 984. The first (bottom) end 970 of each exterior bar 982 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding link base mount 978, which is coupled to the exterior side of the corresponding first base guideway 924 or second base guideway 926. The second (top) end 972 of each exterior bar 982 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding guide bearing 974, which is disposed within the corresponding first (left) head guideway 914 or the second (right) head guideway 916, and when under load, the guide bearing may engage with the head bottom member 934 as it moves along in the horizontal x direction. The second (top) end 972 of each interior bar 984 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding link head mount 976, which is coupled to the exterior side of the corresponding first head guideway 914 or second head guideway 916. The first (bottom) end 970 of each interior bar 984 is rotatably coupled on the exterior side to the corresponding guide bearing 974, which is disposed within the corresponding first (left) base guideway 924 or the second (right) base guideway 926, and when under load, the guide bearing may engage with the base bottom member 938 as it moves along in the horizontal x direction. The screw bracket 952 is rotatably coupled on each side to the corresponding interior side of the first (bottom) end 970 of each interior bar 984. As such, the translation of the screw bracket 952 along the primary lead screw 942 causes movement of each interior bar 984, which causes extension and contraction of the link sets 968 of scissor link assembly 906 in the vertical direction z.
The upper portion 806 of the first support assembly 812 includes driven rollers 816 and their associated mountings and supports, wheel mount bracket 902, head frame 912, and the pair of guide bearings 974 within the head frame. The height of the upper portion 806 of the first support assembly 812 is adjusted in the vertical direction z, by operation of the actuator 908 of the fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900. The adjustment wheel 958 is provided to facilitate rotating the primary lead screw 942 to vertically adjust the height of the upper portion 806 of the first support assembly 812, including the driven rollers 816, vertically with respect to the frame assembly 810.
The maximum height “Hmax” to the top of the driven rollers 816 of the rotary laser engraving device 800 is the distance to the top of the driven rollers when the upper portion 806 of the first support assembly 812 is in its maximum height extension position. The maximum height Hmax is in the range of about 8.75 inches to about 9.0 inches, which provides a lower vertical profile engraving device compared to the higher vertical profile engraving device with first/stationary support post 128 and second/movable support post 130 of the first embodiment.
There are some laser machines with smaller laser heads and certain engraving applications which are better suited to utilizing rotary laser engraving devices with low-profile vertical height adjustment assemblies. In such cases, use of low-profile vertical adjustment assemblies allows proper positioning of objects in the engraving devices while maintaining extra clearance above the device. The extra clearance above the device protects against possible interference with the laser head or gantry of the laser machine. The fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900 is disposed such that the top of the head frame 912 is below the center axes of the driven rollers 816, thus providing a low-profile, compact design. There are no vertical support posts or any parts of the fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900 (including the wheel mount bracket 902), or of the motor assembly 820 that extend/protrude vertically above the top of the set of driven rollers 816, thus providing an unobstructed pass through by the laser head.
Referring now to
In operation, the use of the second support assembly 614 of the rotary laser engraving device 800 to mount and engrave an object, for example tumbler 410 (
The vertical adjustment assembly 700 and the fixed vertical adjustment assembly 900 are independently adjustable and are configured to vary the heights of the upper portion 806 of the first support assembly 812 and the upper portion 606 of second support assembly 614 in order to adjust for various sizes and/or diameters of the objects to be engraved.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/382,053, filed Oct. 19, 2023, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/242,170, filed on Sep. 5, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/348,446, filed on Jun. 15, 2021, which claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/039,019 filed on Jun. 15, 2020, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63039019 | Jun 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18382053 | Oct 2023 | US |
| Child | 19075770 | US | |
| Parent | 17348446 | Jun 2021 | US |
| Child | 18242170 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18242170 | Sep 2023 | US |
| Child | 18382053 | US |
