SAWING MACHINE, LIKE BAND SAW OR THE LIKE, FOR STONES, MARBLES, WOOD OR MATERIALS OF OTHER KIND WITH CUTTING PLANE ADJUSTABLE ON DIFFERENT POSITIONS THEREOF

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a sawing machine, such as a band saw or the like, for cutting stone, marble, wood, glass and other kinds of material, having its cutting plane adjustable into different positions thereof, adapted to cut such materials along rectilinear horizontal, vertical, inclined and variously contoured directions.

Known in the art are sawing machines , such as band saws or the like, for cutting stone, marble, wood, glass and other kinds of material, which substantially comprise a metal frame in a roughly triangular shape, or - for the matter - even other shapes, in which there is mounted a running or sliding cutting blade formed of fragments or particles of diamond, capable of being rotatably driven in a vertical direction by at least a hydraulic motor of a traditional type, wherein the same frame is in turn supported on a horizontal resting table or surface secured by means of a vertical pin to the end portion of an articulated arm comprised of a forearm portion and a main arm portion joined with each other to form an articulated assembly by means of pins, wherein the free end of such

articulated arm is hinged on to either a wall-mounting or post-mounting plate or an upright pillar secured to the ground, and with adjustment heights that may be fixed or variable depending on the size of the respective products to be processed and the kind of processing required, wherein said products are supported by appropriate stationary supports. In this manner, the band saw is capable of being displaced horizontally into different adjustment positions relative to each and any product to be processed, so as to shape the outline thereof with both horizontal and vertical rectilinear contours to the desired shape and size, by acting on the articulated arm so as to each time adjust the cutting blade into the respectively required working position.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a sawing machine for processing materials of the above-noted kind, wherein the cutting plane is adjustable into various positions so as to be able to perform cuts not only according to horizontal and vertical rectilinear contours, but also according to differently inclined, as well as variously and variably conformed contours.

According to the present invention, these aims are reached in a sawing machine incorporating the characteristics as recited and defined below with particular reference to the appended claims.

The invention will anyway be more readily understood from the description that is given below by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a side view of a sawing machine according to the present invention, as displaced into a first operating position thereof;

- Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the lower portion of the machine shown in Figure 1, illustrating a particular construction detail of the same machine;

- Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the upper portion of the machine shown in Figure 1, illustrating further particular construction details of the same machine;

- Figure 4 is an enlarged front view of a portion of the machine shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 5 is a front view of the machine shown in Figure 1 ;

- Figure 6 is a plan view of the inventive machine, illustrating further construction details thereof;

- Figure 7 is an enlarged front view of the machine shown in Figure 1 , illustrating further construction details thereof;

- Figure 8 is a plan view of the construction details illustrated in Figure 7;

- Figure 9 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1 ;

- Figure 10 is a side view of the machine shown in Figure 1, as displaced into a second operating position thereof;

- Figure 11 is an enlarged side view of the machine shown in Figure 10;

- Figure 12 is an enlarged side view of a further construction detail of the machine shown in Figure 10.

Illustrated schematically in the above-listed Figures is a sawing machine, such as a band saw 5 or the like, according to the present invention, for cutting stone, marble, wood, glass and other kinds of material with a cutting plane adjustable into different positions thereof, adapted to cut such materials along rectilinear horizontal, vertical,

inclined and variously contoured directions.

As can in particular be seen in Figures 1 to 5, sawing machine 5 is substantially comprised of a vertically extending metal frame 6 having a roughly triangular shape or - for the matter - any other appropriate shape, in the front portion of which there is mounted a running cutting blade 7 formed of diamond fragments and adapted to be rotatably driven in a vertical direction by at least a hydraulic motor 8 that is also appropriately supported in the front portion of the machine, wherein said frame is supported on a horizontal resting surface that is secured by- means of a vertical pin 9 to an end of an elongated articulated arm 10, which is comprised of a forearm portion 11 , in which there is secured the vertical pin 9, and a main arm portion 12 joined in an articulated manner with said forearm portion 11 by means of pins 13 and 14 at an end thereof and, at the opposite end thereof, with an upright pillar 16 by means of a pin 15, said pillar joining to a floor-mount enlarged bottom plate 17 for attachment to the ground.

The above-mentioned arm 12 can of course be also supported in a different manner, e.g. with the aid of a wall-mount plate or a plate for mounting on to a post or pillar, or the like, with adjustment heights that may be either fixed or variable depending to the size of the products to be processed and the kind of processing required, without this meaning any departure from the scope of the present invention.

Quite obviously, the sawing machine 5 may possibly be also sustained on the articulated arm 10 by means of articulated-joint mechanisms of a variety of different kinds, as these are widely known as such in the art (not shown), which allow for also a relative movement between the articulated arm and the sawing machine 5, thereby enhancing the ease of handling of the machine and facilitating the displacement thereof into its various operating positions, without this implying any departure from the scope of the present invention.

With this arrangement, the sawing machine 5 is capable of being rotated into various adjustment positions in a horizontal plane, about the vertical pin 9, so as to perform cuts in the products in different positions thereof along rectilinear, both horizontal and vertical directions. To this purpose, the products to be processed are placed to rest upon both a support system, which shall be described in greater detail further on, and a horizontal support table 18 provided in the sawing machine, or they can be alternatively placed to rest on specially provided moving supports (not shown) arranged on the front side of the machine in such position as to ensure that the cutting blade 7 is able to come into contact with the same products in the desired cutting positions. The inventive sawing machine 5 further includes an adjustment device to adjust the inclination thereof along a vertical plane, wherein said device is adapted to set within given limits the inclination of the machine in different positions, so as to determine variously inclined and contoured rectilinear cuts in the products being processed.

This adjustment device uses a pair of mutually cooperating bars that are applied in the lower portion of the frame 6 of the machine, as this can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, and include a horizontal stationary bar 19, which is secured to the vertical pin 9 of the articulated arm 10, and a moving bar 20 that is secured under the frame 6, wherein these bars are joined with each other in an articulated manner at an end thereof by means of a related pin 21, so that the moving bar 20 is capable of rotating upwards relative to the stationary bar 19, thereby displacing into various adjustment positions along with the frame 6, under resulting displacement of the sawing machine 5 and the cutting blade 7 into various inclined positions relative to the horizontal plane. Furthermore, at the other end thereof, the stationary bar 19 is linked by means of a corresponding pin 22 to a vertical elongated rod 23, which is provided with a free upper end 24 and an elongated slot 25, in which there is adapted to slide a protruding pin 26 secured to the lower portion of the frame 6 of the machine. Finally, the stationary bar 19 is also linked with

the frame 6 via an actuator 27 of a kind that is generally known as such in the art, e.g. comprised of a manually operated hydraulic jack, whose body 28 is secured to the same stationary bar, and whose sliding stem 29 is secured with the free end thereof to a protruding pin 30 provided on the frame 6.

In the front portion of the sawing machine 5 according to the present invention there is provided a further system of adjustment rods of the machine, as formed of a pair of upper rods 31 , which are arranged parallel to and spaced from each other, and a pair of lower rods 32, which are in turn arranged parallel to and spaced from each other, wherein the upper rods 31 are hinged with the upper ends 33 thereof on to a vertical elongated slide 34, which is adapted to slide vertically into various adjustment positions along appropriate runners (not shown) attached to the front portion of the frame 6 of the machine, and are provided with a respective free lower end 35 and elongated slot 36 in which there is adapted to slide at least a corresponding pin 37 secured to an end of the lower rod 32, whose other end 38 is hinged on to the elongated slide 34 in a position situated below the one of the upper rod 31.

Thanks to the provision of the bars 19 and 20, the vertical elongated rod 23 and the above-mentioned system of adjustment rods, the sawing machine 5 is therefore able to be displaced along with the cutting blade 7 - by means of the hydraulic jack 27 - into various adjustment positions, from the horizontal position illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 on to different forward inclined positions relative to said horizontal position, as illustrated in Figures 10, 11 and 12, in accordance with the inclination of the cuts to be performed on each product being processed, thereby enabling the products to be cut in horizontal and vertical rectilinear directions and with different and variable inclinations, through an upward stroke relative to the horizontal plane on the front side of the machine 5, as defined by the protruding pin 26 sliding in the elongated slot 25 and the pin 37 sliding in the elongated slot 36. In addition, as this can best be

seen in Figure 3a, the adjustment rods can be displaced also heightwise to different adjustment positions along the elongated slide 34, with the machine itself oriented in the horizontal position, and - of course - they can also be displaced in the same manner while the machine is rotated in an inclined position (Figure 3b), in order to be able to adjust heightwise the arrangement of the component parts that shall be described below., according to the size of the products to be cut.

The sawing machine being discussed is furthermore arranged so as to guide the cutting blade 7 and keep it in the correct position regardless of the actual height, i.e. at any height whatsoever of the products to be processed. To this purpose, the machine is provided with wire-guide rollers or wheels (not indicated), between which the cutting blade is able to slide. These wheels are attached to a height-adjustable support assembly 40 (see Figures 1 and 3) that is operated vertically to move into various adjustment positions by means of an index crank in the form of a handwheel 41 sustained on a side plate 42 secured to the frame 6 and provided with a pinion gear (not shown) acting on a vertical rack 43, adapted to slide vertically along a runner (not indicated) provided through the plate 42, and whose lower end is attached to the support assembly 40.

The sawing machine according to the present invention is also arranged so as to be able to cut the products in a vertical and inclined plane along variously contoured directions, to any kind of shape and outline whatsoever, e.g. curved, corrugated, wavy, semi-circular and similar outlines. To this purpose, the inventive machine is provided with a system for supporting and attaching templates that are shaped with the desired outline as required for the particular product to be processed. This system, which cooperates with the sawing machine in the manner that will be described below, is substantially comprised of two rectilinear, elongated rigid supports 44 and 45 having a large resting surface (see Figures 5 and 9) adapted to support any and each product to be processed, and a metal template 46 shaped to the same outline as the one

of the product to be obtained, said template being in turn sustained by the supports 44 and 45 in the manner as this shall be described in greater detail further on, wherein the first one 44 of such supports is appropriately secured to the upper portion of the upright pillar 16 and the second one 45 of said supports is appropriately secured to the upper portion of a further upright pillar 47 joined to an enlarged bottom plate 48 secured to the ground at a given distance from the previously mentioned pillar, so as to enable both the product to be cut and the template 46 to be supported thereupon.

The elongated supports 44 and 45 are suitably shaped so as to be able to support a respective plate 49 and 50 adapted to slide along the related support into various adjustment positions and be locked from time to time in the respectively desired adjustment position by means of bolts or similar means 51 and 52. Each one of these plates 49 and 50 is adequately large so as to enable the product to be processed to rest thereupon and be supported along a peripheral border thereof, whereas the other peripheral border of the same product is placed and rests on the support plate 18 of the machine, wherein these plates are adapted to also support the end portions of the template 46 in the manner as will described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Each template 46 that is used on the machine is preferably comprised of a L-shaped metal part 53 (see Figures 5-9), which is provided with a thin and short upper vertical wing 54 orthogonally joined to a short lower horizontal wing 55, wherein the vertical wing 54 is conformed - over the entire longitudinal extension thereof - to the same outline of the product to be obtained after cutting, and is provided - again over the entire longitudinal extension thereof - with a plurality of identical through- apertures 56 forming the teeth of a rack adapted to bring about the forward shift of the cutting blade 7 - as this shall be described in greater detail further on - so as to cause the product to be cut to the same contour or outline as the template 46. The horizontal wing 55 is in turn

perforated along the entire extension thereof so as to feature a plurality of appropriately spaced through-bores 57, in each one of which there can be introduced an elongated tie-rod 58 for insertion in a corresponding through-bore 59 provided in the respective plate 49 and 50, wherein the ends of such tie-rod are then secured to the template 46 and the corresponding plate, respectively.

In this manner, according to or depending on the length of the product to be cut, the tie-rods for attachment to the plates 49 and 50 are introduced in the through-bores 57 provided at the positions delimiting the portion of template that is adapted to enable the cutting blade 7 to be shifted, i.e. moved all along this length. In order to cause the cutting blade 7 to be shifted, i.e. progressively move along the template 46 over the entire length of the product to be cut, the inventive sawing machine is provided with a drive unit installed under the afore-described system of adjustment rods and formed of the hydraulic motor 8, as duly connected to the hydraulic circuit of the machine, and a mechanical reduction gear 61 for reducing the forward displacement rate of the cutting blade 7, wherein such reduction gear is associated to the hydraulic motor 8 and is linked with a pinion gear 62 meshing the through-apertures 56 in the vertical wing 54, so that by its meshing with said through- apertures 56 such pinion gear 62 - as driven by the above-mentioned assembly formed by the motor 8 and the reduction gear 61 - causes the sawing machine 5 to rotate about the vertical pin 9 thereof in the same direction of rotation as the pinion itself and, as a result, the cutting blade 7 to automatically move forwards in the same direction all along the extension of the template 46, thereby cutting the product all over the length thereof to the same contour and outline as said template, with the machine oriented both in a horizontal and an inclined position.

Advantageously, the motor/ reduction gear assembly is arranged so as to be able to adjust the forward displacement rate of the cutting blade 7 in a manner that is inversely proportional to the power input to the hydraulic

motor 8. In order to be able to exactly track the contour of a template 46, the sawing machine 5 is provided with at least a pair of guide rollers or wheels 63 and 64 located opposite to each other at both sides of the template 46 and supported by vertical pins 65 slidably inserted in corresponding through-bores (not indicated) in a flat plate 66 installed under the motor/ reduction gear assembly, wherein such guide wheels can be adjusted heightwise into different positions relative to the template 46, by raising and lowering them relative to said flat plate 66, and are kept constantly in contact with the two sides of the vertical wing 54 of the template 46, so as to enable the contour of the same template to be tracked positively and reliably all over the length of the product to be cut.