Importance

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Abstract

In a numerically controlled, gantry-type routing machine, a workpiece pressure-foot assembly is disposed crosswise over an elongate workpiece supporting bed for providing an effective hold-down force for stacked workpiece sheets. The hold-down force is applied to the workpiece stack at locations adjacent a router tool that is held and turned by a motor driven spindle assembly movably mounted on a gantry for orthogonally related lengthwise and crosswise movements with respect to the bed and workpiece. The pressure-foot assembly includes a pair of spaced parallel rails, pivotally supported about axes parallel to the rails, and a plurality of pressure-bearing rollers mounted on axes directly underlying each of the rails for supporting the rails, and accommodating travel of the assembly over the upper surface of the workpiece. The pair of rails and supporting rollers are arranged crosswise of the bed, paralleling the gantry, and underlying the spindle assembly. The opposed end portions of the pivoted rails are supportively connected to the adjacent sides of the gantry for movement with the gantry lengthwise of the bed. A gimbaled truck, including an associated chip pickup suction assembly, rides on the rails for travel crosswise of the bed, and is coupled to the spindle assembly by a fluid controlled actuator for exerting a downward pressure on the rails whenever the tool of the spindle assembly is moved into cutting engagement with the underlying workpiece. The rails and the pressure rollers are segmented along the rail length for independent vertical movement that enables downward pressure of the spindle assembly to be effectively transmitted via the truck, rails and pressure rollers to the workpiece stack in a localized area surrounding the tool for simultaneously routing of sheets in a numerically controlled two-dimensional pattern composed of successive or concurrent orthogonal movements of the spindle assembly.

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