Fastening equipment with low pressure suction

Claim 2

Arrangement for fastening work pieces or work piece receiving elements to a plate pertaining to or secured to a machine tool table or the like, comprising: means defining a first plurality of open channels, and a second plurality of open channels in one of the flat surfaces of the plate, the channels of the first plurality intersecting the channels of the second plurality; there being an array of intersections accordingly; means for defining a plurality of first bores, located in between the channels and having equidistant spacing in each of the two directions as defined by the channels of the two pluralities, the first bores provided for indexing and/or bolting of auxiliary equipment to the plate in particular mutual spatial relation; means defining a duct system in the plate and including a plurality of second bores communicating with the channels of the pluralities at the intersections thereof; means for closing a first plurality of the second bores; sealing means for placement in selected channels to delineate a plurality of areas of the plate and defining a sealingly closed boundary for each area around the second bores of the first plurality, outside of the area, at least some of the second bores within the delineated area being not closed, the sealing means in a channel projecting above the open edge of the channel; means connected for selectively providing low suction pressure to the duct system to be effective above the plate within the delineated area, so that an object placed on the projecting sealing means is urged into sealing engagement therewIth and held by low pressure suction underneath and within the delineation of said area; a plurality of base elements, each supporting a work piece mounting, indexing and positioning element, each base element having bores for registration with particular ones of the first bores, the base elements being bolted to and indexed with particular ones of the first bores, so that the mounting and positioning elements on the base elements assume relative position as determined by the spatial relation between the bores of the first plurality; and at least one of the base elements of the plurality including a slide for the respective mounting element and being slideably disposed in the respective base element for sliding in the plane of the surface of the plate, the one base element having a base traversed by a bore circumscribed by channels for receiving sealing means, the bore registering with a bore of the second plurality in an intersection of two channels of the two pluralities and in one of the areas of the plurality, the slide for the mounting element being sucked against the base positioning the slide, the base elements as bolted directly to the plate located each within a delineated area.

Claim 3

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the base elements bolted directly to the plate through bores of the first plurality and having bores that can be made to register with a bore of the second plurality within a delineated area.

Claim 4

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the mounting elements being pins removably disposed on the respective base elements and slide.

Claim 5

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the slide comprised of a cross slide to permit adjustment of the mounting and positioning element along the two directions, the cross-slide having first and second transverse slide elements, with a pin in the first and an oblong guide slot, supporting, holding and positioning element in the second slide element, the first slide element sliding in rails of the base.

Claim 6

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the plate comprised of a plastic material, provided with indentations, there being metal inserts in the indentations defining the additional bores.

Claim 7

Fastening arrangement as in claim 5, the adjacently placed inserts defining the channels in between them.

Claim 8

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, including an additional mounting element for securing to the plate and having duct means for connection to the lower pressure system to receive therefrom low suction pressure, the additional mounting element having particularly contoured surface, with channels communicating with the low pressure system, to permit suction engagement with a complementary contoured work piece, as held by the mounting elements on the bolted base elements of the plurality.

Claim 9

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, an additional mounting element having a head with a concave-calotte shaped support surface and a convex-calotte shaped carrier for supporting the carrier on the head for tilting in two different directions, the carrier, the head and the support provided for communication with the suction system.

Claim 10

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the plate having additional bores outside of the pattern as defined by the channels of the pluralities.

Claim 11

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, the plate provided with plungers for selective projection above the surface of the plate, so as to facilitate removal of an object from plate.

Claim 12

Fastening arrangement as in claim 1, comprising an auxiliary fastening means including a base having upper and lower surface and a bore for communication with an unplugged bore of the first plurality, through the base between upper and lower surface; and sealing means at the upper and lower surfaces, circumscribing the bore, the upper surface provided as auxiliary support and for suction-fastening above the plane of the plate.

Claim 13

Fastening arrangement as in claim 11, the auxiliary fastening means disposed on an auxiliary plate serving as object to Be fastened on the first mentioned plate, upper and lower surface of the base provided with open channels circumscribing the respective bore openings and receiving sealing means.

Claim 14

Fastening arrangement as in claim 11, the auxiliary fastening means serving itself as object to be fastened on the first mentioned plate.

Claim 15

Fastening arrangement as in claim 11, the base bolted to the first plate, through bores of the first plurality, the upper surface of the base providing support for an object to be fastened thereto by suction.

Claim 16

Arrangement for fastening work pieces or work piece receiving elements to a plate pertaining to or secured to a machine tool table or the like, comprising: means defining a first plurality of open channels, and a second plurality of open channels in one of the flat surfaces of the plate, the channels of the first plurality intersecting the channels of the second plurality, there being an array of intersections accordingly; means for defining a plurality of first bores, located in between the channels and having equidistant spacing in each of the two directions as defined by the channels of the two pluralities, the first bores provided for indexing and/or bolting of auxiliary equipment to the plate in a particular spaced relationship; means defining a duct system in the plate and including a plurality of second bores communicating with the channels of the pluralities at the intersections thereof; means for closing a first plurality of the second bores; sealing means for placement in selected channels to delineate an area of the plate and defining a closed boundary for the area around the second bores of the first plurality, outside of the area; at least some of the second bores within the delineated area being not closed, the sealing means in a channel projecting above the open edge of the channel; means connected for selectively providing low suction pressure to the duct system to be effective above the plate within the delineated areas, so that an object placed on the projecting sealing means is urged into sealing engagement therewith and held by low pressure suction underneath and within the delineation of said area; an additional plate sucked against said surface as object and having indexing an bolting bores corresponding to said first bores, and having an upper and lower surface and a bore for communication with an unplugged bore of the first plurality; a plurality of base element supporting a work piece mounting, indexing and positioning element, each base element having bores for registration with and being bolted to particular ones of the bores of the additional plate, so that the mounting and positioning elements on the base elements assume relative position as determined by the spatial relation between the bores of the first plurality; and an additional mounting element having upper and lower surface and a bore circumscribed by the upper and lower surface channels for receiving sealing means, the bore registering with the bore of the additional plate, the upper surface of the one base element having particularly contoured upper surface for suction of a complementary contoured work piece against the particularly contoured surface for additional support; the work piece being held and mounted by mounting elements respectively for bolted base elements of the plurality, thereby mounting the work piece in indexed position and as additionally supported by the additional mounting element.

Claim 17

Arrangement for fastening work pieces or work piece receiving elements to a plate pertaining to or secured to a machine tool table or the like, comprising: means defining a first plurality of open channels, and a second plurality of open channels in one of the flat surfaces of the plate, the channels of the first plurality intersecting the channels of the second plurality, there being an array of intersections accordingly; means for defining a plurality of first bores, located in between the channels and having equidistant spacing in each of the two directions as defined by the channels of the two pluralities, the first bores provided for indexing and/or bolting of auxiliary equipment to the plate in a particular spaced relationship; means defining a duct system in the plate and including a plurality of second bores communicating with the channels of the pluralities at the intersections thereof; means for closing a first plurality of the second bores; sealing means for placement in selected channels to delineate an area of the plate and defining a closed boundary for the area around the second bores of the first plurality, outside of the area; at least some of the second bores within the delineated area being not closed, the sealing means in a channel projecting above the open edge of the channel; means connected for selectively providing low suction pressure to the duct system to be effective above the plate within the delineated areas, so that an object placed on the projecting sealing means is urged into sealing engagement therewith and held by low pressure suction underneath and within the delineation of said area; an additional plate sucked against said surface as object and having indexing an bolting bores corresponding to said first bores, and having an upper and lower surface and a bore for communication with an unplugged bore of the first plurality; a plurality of base element supporting a work piece mounting, indexing and positioning element, each base element having bores for registration with and being bolted to particular ones of the bores of the additional plate, so that the mounting and positioning elements on the base elements assume relative position as determined by the spatial relation between the bores of the first plurality; and an additional mounting element having upper and lower surface and a bore circumscribed by the upper and lower surface channels for receiving sealing means, the bore registering with the bore of the additional plate, the upper surface of the one base element having particularly contoured upper surface for suction of a complementary contoured work piece against the particularly contoured surface for additional support; the work piece being held and mounted by mounting elements respectively for bolted base elements of the plurality, thereby mounting the work piece in indexed position and as additionally supported by the additional mounting element.

Claim 18

Arrangement for fastening work pieces or work piece receiving elements to a plate pertaining to or secured to a machine tool table or the like, comprising: means defining a first plurality of open channels, and a second plurality of open channels in one of the flat surfaces of the plate, the channels of the first plurality intersecting the channels of the second plurality; there being an array of intersections accordingly; means for defining a plurality of first bores, located in between the chanNels and having equidistant spacing in each of the two directions as defined by the channels of the two pluralities, the first bores provided for indexing and/or bolting of auxiliary equipment to the plate in particular mutual spatial relation; means defining a duct system in the plate and including a plurality of second bores communicating with the channels of the pluralities at the intersections thereof; means for closing a first plurality of the second bores; sealing means for placement in selected channels to delineate at least one area of the plate and defining a closed boundary for the area around the second bores of the first plurality, outside of the area, at least some of the second bores within the delineated area being not closed, the sealing means in a channel projecting above the open edge of the channel; means connected for selectively provided low suction pressure to the duct system to be effective above the plate within the delineated area, so that an object placed on the projecting sealing means is urged into sealing engagement therewith and held by low pressure suction underneath and within the delineation of said area; a plurality of base elements, each supporting a work piece mounting, indexing and positioning element, each base element having bores for registration with particular ones of the first bores, the base elements being bolted to and indexed with particular ones of the first bores, so that the mounting and positioning elements on the base elements assume relative position as determined by the spatial relation between the bores of the first plurality; and an additional mounting element for securing to the plate, the additional mounting element having a head with a concave-calotte surface and a carrier with a convex-calotte surface mounted therewith on the head for tilting the carrier on the head in two different directions, the carrier having a particular surface, the mounting element having duct means for connection to the suction system to receive therefrom low suction pressure, the carrier having channels in its particular surface communicating with the duct means for suction engagement of the surface with complementary surface of a work piece.

Claim 19

Arrangement for fastening work pieces or work piece receiving elements to a plate pertaining to or secured to a machine tool table or the like, comprising: means defining a first plurality of open channels, and a second plurality of open channels in one of the flat surfaces of the plate, the channels of the first plurality intersecting the channels of the second plurality; there being an array of intersections accordingly; means for defining a plurality of first bores, located in between the chanNels and having equidistant spacing in each of the two directions as defined by the channels of the two pluralities, the first bores provided for indexing and/or bolting of auxiliary equipment to the plate in particular mutual spatial relation; means defining a duct system in the plate and including a plurality of second bores communicating with the channels of the pluralities at the intersections thereof; means for closing a first plurality of the second bores; sealing means for placement in selected channels to delineate at least one area of the plate and defining a closed boundary for the area around the second bores of the first plurality, outside of the area, at least some of the second bores within the delineated area being not closed, the sealing means in a channel projecting above the open edge of the channel; means connected for selectively provided low suction pressure to the duct system to be effective above the plate within the delineated area, so that an object placed on the projecting sealing means is urged into sealing engagement therewith and held by low pressure suction underneath and within the delineation of said area; a plurality of base elements, each supporting a work piece mounting, indexing and positioning element, each base element having bores for registration with particular ones of the first bores, the base elements being bolted to and indexed with particular ones of the first bores, so that the mounting and positioning elements on the base elements assume relative position as determined by the spatial relation between the bores of the first plurality; and an additional mounting element for securing to the plate, the additional mounting element having a head with a concave-calotte surface and a carrier with a convex-calotte surface mounted therewith on the head for tilting the carrier on the head in two different directions, the carrier having a particular surface, the mounting element having duct means for connection to the suction system to receive therefrom low suction pressure, the carrier having channels in its particular surface communicating with the duct means for suction engagement of the surface with complementary surface of a work piece.