| United States Patent | 5,854,460 |
| Graf, et. al. | Dec. 29, 1998 |
Abstract
A gantry assembly and appurtenances therefor for a linear motor driven laser cutting machine. The gantry box is made of honey comb construction characterized by high strength, light weigh, high stiffness to weight ratio and vibration absorption. The gantry box is supported at each of its ends on a linear motor driven carriage by a torsion plate. The torsion plates are exteriorly flanked by protective panels which support a light weight cover for the upper part of the gantry assembly. The beam end of the gantry box is additionally attached to its gantry carriage by a snubber pin-snubber bushing assembly and by a gantry pin-carriage pin-link assembly. These last two assemblies, together with the torsion plates and gantry carriages, limit or restrain certain movements of the gantry box. The laser cutting machine is controlled by a high performance multi-axis motion controller. Each gantry carriage is provided with a wiper-seal assembly and bellows mounting assembly at each of its ends to prevent accumulation of foreign material between each gantry mounted linear motor and its respective magnet track.
| Inventors: | Graf; Raymond J. (Cincinnati, OH); Smyth, Jr.; Dale C. (Lawrenceburg, IN); Wintring; Jeffrey D. (Florence, KY); Hertlein; Robert C. (Cincinnati, OH); Coons; Randall P. (Crescent Springs, KY); Mills; Jeff J. (Cincinnati, OH); Halley; Michael A. (Westminster, CO); Farmer; Jeffrey E. (Cincinnati, OH). |
| Assignee: | Cincinnati Incorporated (Cincinnati, OH). |
| Appl. No.: | 643,725 |
| Filed: | May 7, 1996 |
| Intl. Cl. : | B23K 26/00 |
| Current U.S. Cl.: | 219/121.67; 219/121.78; 428/116 |
| Field of Search: | 219/121.67, 121.82, 121.84, 121.78, 121.8, 121.6; 428/116, 117 |
| 4,524,582 | Jun., 1985 | Lucas et al. | |
| 5,049,723 | Sept., 1991 | Macdonald | 219/121.78 |
| 5,231,264 | Jul., 1993 | Fujita | 219/121.78 |
| 5,304,773 | Apr., 1994 | Kilian et al. | 219/121.78 |
| 5,480,729 | Jan., 1996 | Hattori et al. | 428/593 |
| 5,481,083 | Jan., 1996 | Smyth, Jr. | 219/121.82 |
| 5,662,568 | Sept., 1997 | Lindem | 483/30 |
| 2688971 | Sept., 1993 | FR |
Industrial Laser Review, Sep.,1993 Issue--"Boeing Laser Scribing System".
Industrial Laser Review, Dec.,1993 Issue--"Letter to the Editor from Dr. Lutz Langhans of Baasel Lasertech".
"Gantry 5000 High Speed/High Performance Motion Systems", Anorad Corporation, Aug. 1991.
"5900 Series Precision Gantries for Laser Cutting/Scribing", Anorad Corporation, No Date.
"Gantry 5000 High Speed/High Performance Motion Systems", Brochure--Anorad Corporation, No Date.
"Cincinnati CL-707 Laser System", Brochure--Cincinnati, Inc., 1996.
German document describing a liner motor laser system, No Date.