Patent Application
20070267103
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout the Figures, and
The following description is of exemplary embodiments of the invention only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention. Rather, the following description is intended to provide a convenient illustration for implementing various embodiments of the invention. As will become apparent, changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth herein. It should be appreciated that the description herein may be adapted to be employed with alternatively configured devices having different shapes, components, cutters, handling mechanisms, order or number of operations and the like and still fall within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a woodworking machine performs cutting operations on multiple sides or edges of a workpiece using multiple cutting spindles. The term “spindle” as used herein, refers to any cutting implement and includes rotating cutting heads, stacked cutting heads, chucks for receiving cutting heads, knife cutters, cutoff saws and the like. A tenon spindle is a spindle that forms a flange or a tenon on the workpiece, typically at the end of the workpiece. A profile spindle is typically used to cut or form one of the lengthwise edges of the workpiece. Suitable tenon spindles or profile spindles may include multiple stacked cutters that are moveable for selectively effecting different cuts of varying depth, width, profiles, and the like.
The present invention may be used to form rails, stiles, and similar components used in the production of cabinetry, doors, windows, frames, and the like. That being said, the present invention is described herein in the exemplary context of production of cabinet door rails. Thus, the term “rail” as used herein, generally may be construed to mean any workpiece, including a top rail, bottom rail, hanging stile, shutting stile, lock rail, muntin, casing, jamb, and the like.
Any number or combination of spindles may be used to form the rails. For example, tenon spindles and optionally a profiling spindle may be used to cut two or more sides of a rail. Similarly, a second profiling spindle may be positioned opposite or in series along a first profiling spindle to further form the rail as it is passed through the machine. Similarly, the tenon spindles may be replaced or supplemented with other cutters to rough-size, form or finish-size rails.
Any spindles, actuators, hold downs, fixtures, or other moveable components described herein may be moveable by electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic power or by other means known in the art. The fundamental mechanics and control dynamics of such moveable components are generally known in the art and thus are not discussed in detail herein.
During some operations, in accordance with various embodiments, the rail is held fixed while the spindle is moveable to engage the rail. In various other operations or embodiments, a spindle may be fixed and the rail may be moveable or the spindle or rail may be fixed during one operation and moveable during another. For example, the rail may be initially fixed while the tenon spindle is moved and the rail may then be moved past a fixed profiling spindle. Similarly, a spindle may be used to process a first rail and may be deactivated during processing of a second rail.
One exemplary woodworking machine according to the present invention employs a first spindle to apply a tenon cut to a first end of a rail and a second spindle to cut the second end or one of the longitudinal sides of the rail. For example, a second tenon spindle may apply a tenon cut to a second end of the rail or a profiling spindle may form a longitudinal groove, sometimes referred to as a “rail cut,” along the length of the rail. In various embodiments, both tenon spindles are attached to a common carriage while in other embodiments, the tenon spindles may be supported on separate carriages. Still in other embodiments, a profiling spindle may be moveable with the carriage.
Any combination of spindles or order of operations may be used to process a given rail. For example, a rail may be cut by the first tenon spindle and the profiling spindle, by the first and second tenon spindles, or by the profiling spindle and the second tenon spindle. Thus, it will be understood that various embodiments may include only certain spindles or may activate only certain spindles in different cycles to process rails.
In a preferred double tenoner embodiment, two tenon spindles, a profile spindle and a central conveyor are coupled to a moveable carriage that travels laterally or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of travel of the rail through the machine. The carriage is advanced and retracted by a drive mechanism along the frame or chassis of the machine. The carriage advances at least one of the tenon spindles in a first movement into engagement with the respective end of a rail secured on the infeed and/or outfeed tables. The carriage aligns the central conveyor with the infeed and outfeed tables to move the rail therebetween past the profiling spindle. Similarly, both tenon spindles may simultaneously cut rails secured respectively on the infeed and outfeed tables as the carriage is advanced or retracted.
Alternatively, the first tenon spindle may cut a first rail as the carriage is advanced and the second tenon spindle may cut a second rail as the carriage is retracted. Alternatively, the first tenon spindle may cut a first end of a rail as the carriage is advanced and the second tenon spindle may cut a second end of the rail as the carriage is retracted or advanced again.
In a preferred double tenoner embodiment, rail movement is limited primarily to longitudinal travel through the machine by moving the tenon spindles past the rails to perform rail end cuts and by moving the rail past the profile spindle to perform longitudinal rail cuts. Reducing or eliminating lateral movement of long workpieces minimizes the effective production footprint of the machine and obviates additional handling systems and safety guards conventionally associated with such movement. The actual machine footprint is minimized by configuring the two tenon spindles for central movement between two rail ends to be cut, in contrast to conventional double tenoners in which a rail is cut between two spaced-apart tenon spindles.
In another exemplary double tenoner embodiment, the two tenon spindles are moveable with the carriage while the central conveyor and/or profiling spindle are fixed relative to the infeed and outfeed tables. Still, in another exemplary embodiment, the tenon spindles are attached to a first moveable carriage and the central conveyor and/or profiling spindle are attached to a second moveable carriage.
Coordination of position sensors, encoders, and controlled drive mechanisms enable the machine to dynamically adjust components to process rails of varied length or width without re-tooling or repeated set-up by an operator. In various embodiments, the infeed and outfeed table include moveable drive mechanisms configured to receive, position and secure individual or multiple rails. The drive mechanism may be retracted to receive multiple workpieces between a table fence and the retracted drive mechanism. Similarly, a moveable fence associated with the central conveyor may be dynamically adjusted to process varying widths as measured by a linear encoder associated with the infeed table.
In an exemplary method of operation of a preferred embodiment, the machine receives rough-cut or “surfaced on four sides” (“S4S”) rails on an infeed table from a hopper or from a handling system associated with a chop saw, optimizing saw, or any other woodworking equipment. A moveable carriage carrying a cutting spindle travels perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a rail to apply a first tenon cut to the leading end of the rail. The rail travels longitudinally on a central conveyor through the machine in contact with a fixed profiling spindle to form a grooved or contoured inner rail edge. A second alternative profiling spindle may be used to profile the outer rail edge to eliminate the need for costly pre-moulded rail stock. The moveable carriage again travels perpendicular to the workpiece, cutting the second end of the workpiece.
In an extended method according to the preferred embodiment, the outfeed table receives the rail from the central conveyer and positions the rail by reversing the direction of the rail on the outfeed table to cut a predetermined length from the trailing end of the rail. The infeed table simultaneously positions a second rail to be cut at its leading end while the carriage returns to a retracted position. The carriage, carrying the first and a second cutting spindle advances to simultaneously cut the trailing end of the first rail and the leading end of the second rail.
In an exemplary method according to another embodiment, a first rail is received and secured by an infeed table that gauges the width of the first rail. A tenon spindle is then moved forward into engagement with the rail end. A central conveyor and profiling spindle are aligned with the infeed table and an outfeed table. The rail is displaced longitudinally along the profiling spindle by the central conveyor. The rail length is gauged by one or more sensors associated with the infeed table, central conveyor, or outfeed table. For example, a through sensor and feed drive encoder may be used to measure the distance between the leading and trailing ends of a rail. The rail is received, positioned, and secured by the outfeed table. A second tenon spindle is then moved opposite the direction of the first tenon spindle into engagement with the second end of the rail. A second rail may then be positioned and secured on the infeed table and similarly processed on two or more sides.
Thus, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the woodworking machine of the present invention may be used to individually process single rails, collectively process batches of rails, or to simultaneously process separate rails or batches of rails. For example, the machine may be used to process rails individually or simultaneously by reversing the direction of rotation of the second tenon spindle and/or by changing the timing or sequence of movement of the rail, carriage, or spindles.
The woodworking machine may be networked or otherwise associated with an optimizing saw or chop saw to coordinate input lengths and finished workpiece lengths with various production lengths stored in a production database. The infeed table and outfeed tables may each secure multiple workpieces for simultaneous cutting. The central conveyor may then individually or collectively convey the workpieces between the infeed table and the outfeed table. Multiple workpieces may be simultaneously cut to varied lengths by varied positioning on the infeed or outfeed table. Various embodiments of the machine may process at least up to ten or more rails individually per minute at an average length of eighteen inches per rail.
With reference now to
Carriage 10 is moveable from the retracted or pre-cut position shown in
With reference now to
With reference now to
Linear actuator 22 may be a pneumatic cylinder, screw drive, belt drive or other actuator suitable for advancing and retracting feed drive 24 and providing sufficient pressure for feed drive 24 to displace the rail along fence 26. Linear actuator 22 may be controlled to return to a default retracted position to accommodate rail widths up to the distance between retracted feed drive 24 and fence 26. Alternatively, linear actuator 22 may retract only to accommodate a predetermined rail width. Linear actuator 22 may be further associated with a linear encoder 30 configured to gauge the displacement of linear actuator 22 to measure the width of the rail. Alternatively, linear encoder 30 may be integral to linear actuator 22. Feed drive 24 may include a conveyer belt, drive roller or any other drive mechanism suitable to displace the rail. Feed drive 24 may be configured in any position relative to the rail to suitably advance the rail on infeed table 6.
Fence 26 may be configured as a simple metal stop, or may include roller bearings or various nonstick materials to minimize wear. It is understood that in alternative embodiments, fence 26 may be coupled to linear actuator 22 and feed drive 24 may be fixedly attached to infeed table 6.
After advancement of linear actuator 22, a feed drive controller (not shown) actuates feed drive 24 to advance the rail into position for cutting as determined by a second position sensor 32. Once the rail is positioned, a hold down 34 secures the rail to infeed table 6 with sufficient force to restrain rail movement during engagement with tenon spindle 12. Multiple hold downs 34 may be used to accommodate rails of various widths, multiple rails, or use of sacrificial backers. The number of hold downs 34 actuated in a given cycle may be determined by the rail width, number of rails, or combined rail and backer width. For example, a limit switch or controller may deactivate unneeded hold downs 34 in a given operation. Hold down 34 may be a pneumatic cylinder with a rubber foot, a cantilevered or cammed clamp, a fixture board or any other mechanism suitable to secure the rail.
With reference now to
Once the rail is secured on infeed table 6, carriage 10 moves along chassis 4 perpendicular to the length and direction of travel of the rail, advancing tenon spindle 10 into engagement along the leading end of the rail. Carriage 10 then moves as necessary along chassis 4 until central conveyor 18 is aligned with the rail on infeed table 6 or until carriage fence 38 is aligned with fence 26. Central conveyor 18 conducts the rail along carriage table 36 from infeed table 6 to outfeed table 8 in contact with profiling spindle 16. Central conveyor 18 may be a belt drive, a series of powered rollers, or the like. The feed drive controller measures the rail length by recording the distance traveled by feed drive 24 in moving the rail past sensor 32.
In accordance with one variation of this exemplary embodiment, central conveyer 18 and/or spindle 16 may be fixed to chassis 4 in alignment with feed tables 6 and 8. This alternative embodiment may allow for a length cut to be performed between each movement of carriage 10. For example, a pair of counter-rotating spindles may be located adjacent both feed tables 6 and 8 to enable cutting in both directions of travel of carriage 10 simply by engagement of one spindle of each pair in one direction and another in the other direction.
With reference now to
With reference now to
Thus, it will be appreciated that the relative efficiency of woodworking machine 2 may be increased by performing simultaneous cutting operations on two rails with each pass of carriage 10, but that machine 2 may also operate to perform multiple cuts on a single rail in each cycle. By performing the tenon cuts with the rail positioned outside rather between tenon spindles 12 and 14, rails of varied or “infinite length” may be processed by a compact woodworking machine 2 having a reduced machine footprint. Accordingly, the present invention provides a compact and efficient woodworking machine 2 for performing cutting operations on multiple sides of a workpiece.
Finally, while the present invention has been described above with reference to various exemplary embodiments, many changes, combinations and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the various spindles and handling components may be combined or implemented in alternative ways. These alternatives can be suitably selected depending upon the particular application or in consideration of any number of factors associated with the operation of the device. In addition, the techniques described herein may be extended or modified for use with other types of devices. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
