The present invention refers to a method of mounting inserts and to a device for mounting inserts, particularly used in an automated process for manufacturing pieces of furniture and being capable of preparing a plurality of different inserts to be used in the process.

Description of the prior art

The manufacture of furniture, particularly aeronautical furniture, makes use of a raw material based on fiberglass with epoxy resin and polyaramide. The plates of fiberglass with epoxy resin form external surfaces that comprise, in the gap between the plates, the polyaramide, forming a porous sandwich-type assembly. That assembly can also be made entirely of aluminum depending on the stresses to which the piece will be subjected.

That manufacturing process of furniture pieces that uses the fiberglass or aluminum material is comprised of several steps that must be made with precision such that the produced pieces have final measures within their tolerance specifications, allowing precise engagement fittings at the time of construction and installation of the furniture.

Among the various steps of manufacture of the pieces of furniture there is included the step of installation of inserts. Inserts are components, generally of cylindrical shape, that are inserted in holes made in the manufacturing plates of the pieces of furniture and will have the purpose of receiving pins, screws and other elements of fastening and engagement fitting during the final assembly of the pieces.

In processes of fabrication of conventional pieces of furniture, then inserts are inserted manually in the holes of the plates, requiring a great deal of labor due to the large quantity of inserts that must be installed in the plates whereof the pieces are machined.

However, when the pieces of furniture are manufactured using an automated process that uses an integrated manufacture cell with various steps realized by a robotic arm, the inserts must be prepared and mounted on trays, in order to enable the placement of these inserts in the holes in an automated form, by the robotic arm.

In this regard, it is not known in the art a method or a device able to mount the inserts or prepare the same to be used in automated manufacturing processes.

Objects of the invention

Thus, the objective of the present invention is the provision of a method for mounting inserts that prepares the inserts rendering the same able to undergo an automated process step.

One other objective of this invention consists in the provision of an insert mounting device capable of preparing the inserts in appropriate trays to be used in automated fabrication processes of furniture pieces.

Brief description of the invention

The object of the present invention is a method for mounting inserts, comprising the following steps: (i) Application of an adhesive film on one of the faces of a tray of inserts covering a plurality of through-holes and respective depressions; (ii) Insertion of one insert in each through-hole of the tray, through the face opposite the face of the adhesive film, securing a piece of the insert to this adhesive fil; (iii) Cutting out the adhesive film forming a plurality of single films associated to the inserts.

A further object of this invention is an insert mounting device that comprises a support table supported by a supporting base, a device for mounting the inserts and a tray holder cooperating with a laser cutting device.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be described below with more detail, based on an example of realization depicted in the drawings. The figures show:

Figure 1 - is a flow diagram of the method for mounting inserts that constitutes the object of the present invention;

Figure 2 - is a schematic perspective view of the inserts tray;

Figure 3 - is a first perspective view of the insert mounting device that constitutes the object of the present invention;

Figure 4 - is a second perspective view of the insert mounting device that constitutes the object of the present invention; and

Figure 5 - is a perspective view of the inserts tray guide rail

Photograph 1 - illustrates the arrangement of various trays with inserts to be used in an automated process of fabrication of furniture pieces;

Photograph 2 - illustrates a robotic arm collecting inserts from the trays; and

Photograph 3 - illustrates the inserts positioned in the adequate holes in the machined plate for the manufacture of furniture pieces.

Detailed description of the invention

According to a preferred embodiment and as illustrated by figures 1 to 5 and photographs 1 and 2, the present invention refers to a method for mounting inserts and to an insert mounting device 300.

The insert mounting device 300 (figures 3 and 4) prepares a plurality of inserts 230 and makes the same available on a plurality of insert trays 223 (figure 2) , that are then placed over a guide rail 226 (figure 5) for use in an integrated manufacture cell (not shown) .

That insert mounting device 300 is formed by a supporting structure 310 covered by a protective lid 320. The supporting structure 310 comprises a holding base 311 that holds a supporting table 314, over which are a rotating insert tray holder , which receives the inserts tray 223 to be prepared and allows the rotation of that insert tray by 180 degrees. That rotation may be provided manually by the operator or automatically by the device 300.

_. As may be seen in figure 2, the inserts trays 223 are parallelepiped-shaped blocks of standardized size, provided with at least one sensor 231 of RFID type provided at one of its vertexes and provided with a plurality of through-holes 241. Each through-hole 241 comprises a depression 242 of larger diameter made in one of the faces of the inserts tray 223. That depression 242 is concentric with the through-hole 241 that receives the insert 230 while the role of the depression 242 is to serve as a gauge for the cutting-out of an adhesive film that is applied to the inserts 230. The diameter of the through-holes 241 varies from one insert tray to another depending on the different inserts 230 that are used.

The inserts mounting device 300 further comprises a cutting system formed by a C0 ₂ laser set 313. That cutting system 313 cooperates with the insert tray holder 312 and its function is to cut the adhesive film following the diameter of the depression 242, forming a plurality of single films associated to an insert 230. The covering lid 320 covers the supporting structure 310 protecting the cutting system and other components of the device 300, in addition to protecting the operator, providing access to the insert tray holder 312 for placement and removal of the insert trays 223 and to a panel with numeric controls 314 for setting up the insert preparation parameters 230.

Associated to the insert mounting device 300 there is a guide rail 226 that comprises a free end 233 and an embedded end 234. In a region near the embedded end 234 there is positioned a reader 232 that identifies the incoming of an inserts tray 223 from the sensor 231 provided on that inserts tray 223. The data received by the reader 232 consist of information on the type and quantity of inserts 230 provided in the tray 223 and are sent to a supervisory system of the integrated manufacture cell (not shown) .

The method for mounting inserts mounts the inserts 230 on the inserts mounting device 300, such that these inserts 230 are available to be used by the integrated manufacture cell.

That method comprises the steps of: (i) application of an adhesive film over one of the faces of an inserts tray 223 covering a plurality of through-holes 241 and recesses 242; (ii) Insertion of one insert 230 in each through-hole 241 of the tray 223 from a face of the insert tray opposed to that of the adhesive film, securing one surface of the insert 230 on this adhesive film; and (iii) Cutting-out of the adhesive film forming a plurality of single adhesive films 245 associated to the inserts 230.

Prior to the application of the adhesive film, the inserts tray 223 is positioned on the rotary insert tray holder 312, within the inserts mounting device 300. An adhesive film applicator (not shown) is passed over the face of the inserts tray 223 gluing the adhesive film over that face of the tray 223.

After the application of the adhesive film, the inserts tray is rotated by 180 degrees by means of the rotary tray holder 312, causing the face of the inserts tray 223 with the adhesive film to be upside down and the face of the inserts tray 223 without the adhesive film to be turned up, allowing the insertion of an insert 230 in each through-hole 241. Therefore, one of the surfaces of the insert 230 is glued to the adhesive film provided at the bottom of the through-hole 241 and the other surface, provided opposite that which is glued to the adhesive film, remains free.

After the insertions of the inserts 230 in each through-hole 241 and the gluing of one of the surfaces of the insert 230 to the adhesive film provided at the bottom of the through-hole 241, the inserts tray 223 is caused to effect another turn of 180 degrees, such that the face of the inserts tray 223 with the adhesive film is once again turned upside .

With the inserts tray 223 covered with the adhesive film turned upside, there is initiated the cutting-up of the adhesive film. That cutting is performed by a cutting system 313 that consists of a C0 ₂ laser, without damaging the inserts tray 223 or the insert 230.

In that case, the adhesive film is cut according to the diameter of the depression 242 concentric with the diameter of the through-hole 241, forming a plurality of single films 245 or adhesive circles, each containing an insert 230 glued thereto {figure 2).

The inserts 230 are then ready to be used by the integrated manufacturing cell by means of a robotic arm 202 that will insert them in the plates P, as illustrated in photographs 1 and 2. Thus, differently from the prior art, the method of mounting inserts that constitutes the object of this invention comprises procedures that warrant repetition, trustworthiness and productivity. Furthermore, the inserts mounting device allows the automation of the mounting of inserts, reducing labor costs and allowing access to the tray with inserts prepared by machining centers of automated fabrication processes that use such inserts, as, for example, in an automated process of manufacture of furniture pieces.

Upon having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention comprehends other possible variations, being limited only by the content of the attached claims, including the possible equivalents thereof.