Introduction
The automatic cutting machine stands as an amazing achievement in making things. The cutting-edge machine has revolutionized industrial processes. Employing advanced automation it effortlessly slices via different materials with unmatched accuracy significantly reducing production time and human labor. The automatic cutting machine shows new technology and skilled work together and making a big step towards doing things better & faster in manufacturing industries.
In this chapter the various components of automatic cutting machine are illustrated in detail. The machine in general consists of four categories of components:
A-Main units; B-Auxiliary units; C-Electrical cabinets and control consoles; D-Various sub-supplies.
Identification Of Machine Main Parts
1-Exit guide on rolls carriage for TAGB 140 – steel rolls 2-E.C.S. automatic cutting machine 525- Fe – oil-spray – hp pump – Baumuller (TAGB 140) 3-Vice for TAL 150 TAGB 140 Dmax 127 4-Motor drive for TAGB 180/160/140 – vect. motor BQAr160S – 1500 rpm – 60 kW Oemer 5-Automatic cutting machineCarriage TAGB 140 – ECS (no EFS) – Baumuller 6-Base TAGB – TAGE – carbon – strip belt 115 – no mobile supports 7-The automatic cutting machine TAGB 140 bar support – TAGE 100 fixed (on base) FG 920 8-Hunting reduction gearbox – smooth shaft i = 3,81 – TAGB/TAGE – with keyer 9-Entry bar support for TAGB 140 on carriage – cylindrical roll 10-Sensor for machine D127:168 standard with rotation (not shown in figure)
The auxiliary units (not shown in figure)
1-Oil-pressure power unit 2-Grease lubrication TAGB 140 3-Vices valves block 4-Blade lubrication with single-pump sprinkler 5-Blade washing unit
Main Technical Specifications Cutting Machine
1- Compressed air adjusting unit
2- Cable conveyor chain
3- Base
4- Rails: Two rails are placed on the external part of the basement to support the carriage.
5- Decelerators: They intervene only in case of control system improper functioning or failure.
6- “Carriage forward position emergency” limit switch: It finds out the limit over which the carriage comes out from its maximum stroke. The control system generates an emergency signal.
7- Machine positioning reference blocks: They are utilized during machine installation to simplify basement alignment and levelling.
8-Carriage position zero setting” limit switch: It finds out the position where the carriage must be always led every time machine is switched on to allow the control systems to know the zero position for carriage alternate motion. The control system gives this position the value zero to which all the following carriage positions must refer to during its motion.
9- Plant component support structure
10- Anchor bolts
11- Base levelling screws
12-“Carriage back position emergency” limit switch: It finds out the limit over which the carriage comes out from its maximum stroke. The control system generates an emergency signal.
13- Belt
14- Belt fastening clamp
15- Driving pulley
Mounting/Demounting Of The Selflocking Element Cutting Machine
In case the self-locking element is disassembled for any reason, it’s required to strictly follow the indications described below for the correct tightening of automatic cutting machine.
Mounting of the self-locking element of Cutting Machine
1- Clean and lubricate all the contact surfaces, threads, screws heads, shaft and hub included. Do not use addition agents for high pressures (MoS2).
2- Start to screw the screws and place the hub. Tighten the screws through more phases with cross sequenceuntil reaching catalogue torque Ts. Check again the tightening torque of all the screws.
3- The extraction threads of the front conical ring, used for the demounting, must be placed next to spaces not drilled and cut on the rear cone, and if necessary used to unlock the keyer before the assembly (see Fig. 4).
Demounting of the self-locking element of Cutting Machine
1- Disassembly 1 (Fig. 2 and 4): remove the screws and screw them into the extraction threaded holes of the front conical ring, in order to unlock it.
2- Disassembly 2 (Fig. 3 and 4): screw the screws into the threaded holes of the central flange and unlock the rear conical ring.
Unit Description Of Automatic cutting Machine
16-Oil-pressure valves block vice utility 17-Electric junction box- Power 18-Oil spray lubrication system (oil-spray) 19-Grease lubrication system 20-Electric junction box – Utilities 21-Pneumatic solenoid valve for vices cleaning 22-Electric cable sheaths for utilities on carriage 23-Electric power cable sheaths for motors on carriage 24-Oil-pressure pipes for vices utilities
Adjustments Of Automatic Cutting machine
The following adjustments are carried out during automatic cutting machine testing and these adjustments don’t change compared to the changing of production type.
Limit switches for emergency and carriage position zero setting
1-carriage forward position emergency limit switch 2-steel plate for sensor 1 activation 3-device for fastening of the carriage to the belt 4-carriage 5-limit switch for carriage position zero setting (home position) 6-limit switch for carriage back emergency
In position A limit switch 1 is shown when it intercepts (pilot light on sensor 1 lighted) the presence of the plate fixed on inner carriage. The distance between external carriage and decelerator must be: a = 40
In position B limit switch 6 is shown when it intercepts (pilot light on sensor 6 lighted) the presence of the plate fixed on inner carriage. The distance between external carriage and decelerator must be: b = 40
The position of limit switch 5 is consequently defined because sensors 5 and 6 are positioned on the same support.
Adjustment Of Accelerator Timing Belt Tensioning Cutting Machine
The accelerator belt is supplied already tensioned in function of the strength inertia that will stress it. After a first period of functioning, the belt tensioning check might be necessary.
For this operation it’s possible to utilize two procedures of automatic cutting machine.
1-by using a dynamometric wrench (indirect measure); 2-by using an appropriate instrument (tensiometer) (direct measure).
1-Dynamometric Wrench
- Open and remove the protection guards of the belt;
- Unscrew the two lock nuts (ref. 1) placed on the side of the tie rod.
The first time this operation is carried out, loosen completely the belt, disengaging the tie rod (ref. 2) from the two threads of the tensioning screws (ref. 3).
Screw down completely the tie rod on one screw a time, ensuring that this operation can be carried out without excessive strain: if this is not possible clean the thread and ensure that there are no seized sections of the thread.
This checking is required to avoid that, during the tensioning phase, the dynamometric wrench detects a value different from the real one due to anomalous frictions into the mechanical coupling.
Fit the two screws into the tie rod and tension the belt to the value of 30-32 Nm utilizing the dynamometric wrench, avoiding sudden motions which could make the wrench be tripped until the required torque is actually reached.
- Ensure that, once this operation is over, the two plates that tighten the belt (ref. 4) are perfectly horizontal and aligned.
1-Tighten the lock nuts (ref. 1). 2-Close the protection guards again
2-Tensiometer
The tensiometer is an instrument that, through a sensor, measures the resonance frequency of the belt and, on the basis of this parameter and utilizing inner computations, determines the tensioning of the belt.
- Open and remove the protection guards of the belt;
- Switch the instrument on;
- Enter the three values required for the measurement:
#Unitary weight of the belt: it’s the weight (in grams) of one meter of belt with a width of 1 mm (for example for the belt HPL 14M-115 the value is 12,6). If this value is unknown, take a section of the belt of whatever length, weigh it (in grams) and divide the result for the length of the section (in meters) and for the width (in mm);
#Width of the belt (mm);
#Useful measure length (mm): once the carriage is moved to the most suitable position to carry out this operation, it’s necessary to measure the distance between the coupling of the belt integral with the carriage and the axis of the nearest pulley (from the side where this measure must be taken) (see picture below).
- Strike whatever point of the belt only once (it must be anyway included into the measured length) by using a wrench, a rubber hammer and son on, and place the sensor of the tensiometer immediately after about half centimetre from the belt (pay attention to not lean it!). N.B.: The measurement can be carried out in any section of the belt in object.
- Wait for the readout of the instrument
- If the readout is lower than value 6500-7000 N, proceed as follows
- Unscrew the two lock nuts (ref. 1) placed on the side of the tie rod
- Acting on the tie rod (ref. 2) by using an appropriate wrench, tension the belt gradually
- Ensure that, once this operation is over, the two plates that tighten the belt (ref. 4) are perfectly horizontal and aligned
- Tighten the lock nuts (ref. 3)
- Check again by using the tensiometer.
- If the value of the instrument is correct, close the protection guards again, otherwise repeat the tensioning operations
Unit Descriptions Of Automatic Cutting Machine
1-Guard 2-Carriage sliding track 3-Sliding block 4-Support arms of viceps unit and tube guides 5-Cut-off unit plane sliding guides 6-Sliding block 7-Cable holder chain 8-Cut-off machine shifting screw with spiral spring 9-Cams sliding guides 10-Cams 11-Cut-off unit support plane 12-Blade translation motor 13-Motor lateral locking screw 14-Motor support 15-Laminar joint
Carriage carrier structure is realized in welded high-tensile steel structure. In the back part there is the support for cable conveyor chain and the support with the relative motor for blade translation motion.
To avoid excessive stress on fixing flange during carriage motion reversal, the motor is laterally unlocked by two screws.
In carriage middle part there is the seat for the housing of screw with recirculating balls which is supported at its lower end by a straight roller bearing and at its top end by a combined thrust bearing.
Two spiral springs (one for the lower section and one for the top section) protect screw and lead nut from the chips generated during the cut.
An elastic reed joint connects motor shaft to the screw. On the carriage there are two rails on where the whole cut head unit (see specific chapter) slides bringing the blade.
On carriage left side (see Adjustments paragraph), inserted in appropriate guides, there are three cams which, paired to the multiple limit switch, integral with the cut head unit, are utilized by the control system to define three fundamental blade positions:
- upper limit by which the control system generates machine stop;
- zero setting position compared to which all blade movements are calculated;
- lower limit in correspondence of which the control system generates machine stop
Two mechanic ledges, one by the top limit position cam, one by the lower limit position cam, prevent in every case blade amplitudes longer than the ones in project. In the front part there are reference tongues for vices unit assembling. Four linear bearings for carriage shifting complete the carriage.
Adjustment
Cams Adjustment
1-Upper limit cam 2-Zero setting cam 3-Lower limit cam 4-Cam locking screw 5-Lower mechanical ledge 6-Upper mechanical ledge
Fig. VII-20183-R2 Fig. A
Blade top limit cam is positioned in a way that when limit switch signals the contact, the distance between top mechanical ledge and support on which the lead nut is fastened is:
Fig. VII-20183-R2 Fig. B
Zero setting cam is positioned about 5 mm on the right of top limit cam.
Zero setting cam is longer than the limit cam because, in addition to the definement of blade position reference, it allows the system to recognize blade position, in case the limit switch would intercept one of the two limit cams.
Fig. VII-20183-R2 Fig. C
Blade lower limit cam is positioned in a way that when limit switch signals the contact, the distance between lower mechanical ledge and support on which the lead nut is fastened is: B = 5 mm
Maintenance:
The automatic cutting machine is equipped with a grease automatic lubrication system (see the specific chapter) that practically reduces ordinary maintenance interventions to simple inspections
Chip removal – weekly
The carriage and in particular the rails front part and the zone is which the screw with ball recirculation is housed have the tendency to fill with chips derived by cut process. It’s opportune to remove weekly the accumulated chips.
Check of connections that bring grease to linear bearings and to support bearings of screw ball –
every 500 hours Vibrations can loosen linear bearing unions preventing an adequate lubrication of the same bearings
Check of cams proper clamping – every 1000 hours
It’s possible that vibrations generated by cut process can loosen the cam locking screws of multiple limit switch.
A particular attention must be given to zero setting cam because it represents the reference point of blade position each time the machine is switched on.
Check of proper clamping of cable conveyor chain support – every 1000 hours
The continuous motion reverses of the carriage, together with anomalous vibrations occurring during cutting process can unloose in the long run the clamping screws of the cable conveyor chain support.
Check of motor proper lateral locking – every 1500 hours
The vibrations generated by cut process can unloose the motor lateral locking screws. To avoid excessive stress on the fixing flange the screws should always be tightened and in contact with the motor case.
Check of rail wear state – every 2000 hours
Inspect the rail sides next to the sliding lines of the linear bearing balls.
Blade Replacement Of automatic Cutting Machine
Key point of blade assembly
1-Guard 2-Pins 3-Blade tightening nuts 4-Counterflange 5-Blade 6-Flange 7-Blade holder mandrel 8-Blade washing nozzle 9-Nozzle for blade lubrication 10-Hand-wheel
Before replacing the blade it’s required to carry out the following operations automatic cutting machine on the control console
1-push the automatic stop push button 2- push the power unit stop push button the blade stops and goes to extra-stroke position. 3-wait for the blade to be still and push the “emergency” push button
For the replacement follow the operations below:
A-unscrew the wheels (ref. 10) and open the guard (ref. 1); B-unscrew the nuts (ref. 3); C-extract the counterflange (ref. 4); D-remove the worn blade (ref. 5); E-clean carefully: blade support mandrel (ref. 7) and in particular the thread and the centring diameter of the counterflange (ref. 4); F-check that all blade locking and centring elements are in good conditions, in particular the drive pins (ref. 2); G-fit the blade on the flange (ref. 6), centring it on the blade holder mandrel (ref. 7); H-insert the counterflange (ref. 4) taking care that it properly leans on the blade; I-screw the nuts (ref. 3) and tighten them accurately;
J-adjust the blade washing nozzles (ref. 8) and the oil-spray lubrication nozzles (ref. 9); K-close the guard (ref. 1) and clamp it using the relative hand-wheels (ref. 10); L-disconnect the local controls M-reset on main control console and restart the power unit and the saw: the blade goes to “Blade up position; N-when assembly is over, it can be required to check blade actual stroke, especially if the new blade has a different diameter compared to the previous blade. It’s recommended anyway a checking.
Blade Washing Pump automatic Cutting Machine
The unit sends water to nozzles (ref. 4) located inside automatic cutting machine (cut-off machine) guard (ref. 5).
This efficient system both cools the incandescent chips and removes them by means of the water jet itself, thus keeping the The automatic cutting machine cutting area clean.
The pump unit comprises a motorpump (ref. 1 and 2) fixed to the ground through chemical small blocks (ref. 3).
BLADE WASHING PUMP SPECIFICATIONS
| motor power | 5.5 kW / 380 V / 60 Hz |
| pump delivery | 50 l/min |
| maximum pressure | 18 bar |
1-Motor 2-Pump 3-Chemical screw anchors 4-Blade washing nozzles 5-Cut-off machine guard
Adjustments:
Oil-spray lubrication nozzle
Key Points 1-
Key Points 1-Casing 2-Tightening nuts 3-Slot 4-Blade 5-Nozzle
This adjustment must be carried out each time a new blade is assembled and fastened on the mandrel.
- Ensure that the blade is properly fastened;
- Make the nozzle slide into the slot so that the distances among the three lubrication holes are equally far from the blade;
- Before tightening the lock nuts always check that the nozzle is not placed as shown in the case;
- Fasten the nozzle by using the two lock nuts.
Maintenance
#Scheduled checks and inspections
The automatic cutting machine (cut-off machine) is equipped with a grease automatic lubrication system (see the specific chapter) that practically reduces ordinary maintenance interventions to simple inspections.
#Check of oil level in reduction gear case – every 100 hours
Before carrying out the checking ensure that the automatic cutting machine (cut-off machine has been at a standstill for 10 minutes at least; generally, this should be an appropriate interval to guarantee that oil in the reduction case deposits for gravity.
#Check of connections that bring grease to linear bearings – every 500 hours
Vibrations can loosen linear bearing unions preventing an adequate lubrication of the same bearings.
#Check of blade backlash If through the appropriate visual level indicator the free oil surface can’t be seen, the oil must be topped up.
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