Nowadays, under known fluid-jet processes, planar work pieces are mostly processed especially cut, by means of a high pressure water-jet. For example, a brochure (without any publication date) of the present Applicant (Bystronic Laser AG, CH-3362 Niederönz) disclosed a universal cutting system capable for cutting with fluidjets comprising water alone and water with abrasive material, as well. This water-jet cutting system has one or more cutting head(s) arranged above a water basin on a moveable cutting carriage controlled by a CNC system, and a high pressure pump feeds the cutting heads with water having a nominal pressure of at most 4000 bar.
In order to reduce the off-times, a further machine-tool was proposed in the patent specification EP-1,522,391, which comprises a folding wall on a water basin and can receive charges (working units, cassettes) prepared by a feeding station.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,174 discloses a high pressure water-jet process for working of planar work pieces arranged on a supporting grid, wherein the work piece has been cut by means of the water-jet. In this solution, pins are provided for orienting the work piece on the supporting grid.
Furthermore, in a cutting system according to the DE-3,910,295, adhesive tapes are used for fixing work pieces during their cutting by means of a water-jet.
A further water-jet system for cutting glass-sheets is known from the EP-1,110,686, wherein the water-jet exiting from a nozzle is directed onto the glass sheet to be cut. The known cutting process of the glass-sheet by the water-jet is often implemented with horizontal arrangement of the glass-sheets and below the glass sheet a water-bed is provided, and its water surface is arranged in a distance under the glass-sheet. In the water-bed, supports are provided, protruding above the water surface, on which supports the glass sheet lies. During cutting of glass-sheets, the glass-sheet is fixed and the water-jet is moved between the work piece and the rest piece along a given cutting contour.
The company LISEC proposed a process, wherein exclusively vertical or steeply obliquely arranged glass-sheets are cut. In this technology, a problem appears which would not appear with lying glass sheets: by the weight of the upper separated glass sheet part lying above the cut gap (work piece or rest piece) could slip downwards into the cut gap and, besides, in the last area of the cut gap produces an undefined glass break. In order to prevent this break, a wedge introducing process was developed by LISEC, in which a distance holder in form of an adhesive wedge is introduced into the cut gap, and thereby the upper glass sheet has been supported in relation to the lower one. So the upper glass sheet cannot sink undefined into the gap.
If LISEC would cut lying (horizontal) glass-sheets instead of standing (vertical) glass sheets, this breaking risk would not appear at all. That is why; the above wedge-introducing process of LISEC could not be used by a man skilled in the art in horizontal cutting processes.
The EP-1,172,189 discloses a similar solution for cutting plate materials, in particular glass, ceramics, marble, aluminum, steel, wood and composite material plates, by means of a high-pressure water jet. The plate is kept in vertical position on two tables placed endwise and separated by an inter-space wide enough to let a cutting tool pass. During the cutting step adhesive material is injected into the just-carried-out cut gap to hold a distance between the two edges of the cut gap, thereby the upper sheet is temporary supported in relation to the lower one. Due to the technological differences this solution would not be used with horizontal cutting processes by a man skilled in the art.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds