Abstract: A glass plate automatic drilling and milling machine, adapted to provide for holes and/or openings having different size, configuration and positioning, comprises a support structure provided with rotating rollers (23, 24) for the sliding of the plates disposed on vertical or slightly inclined direction thereon, as well as comprising a grasping pliers (25) for grasping each plate and transferring it toward a drilling and milling unit (13) with fixed installation, which in turn is provided with two carriages (15, 16) identical and opposite symmetrically to each other. Each carriage is provided with spindles (29, 30, 31, 32) for supporting drills and milling cutters having different size, of which the spindles of each carriage operate alternatively in opposition to each other. At the end of machinings, the plates in case are passed through a glass-cleaning machine (20) for being cleaned and subsequently packed.

Abstract: The process for the automatic machining of edges of glass plates includes the steps of:fixing the glass plate onto a work table;storing a set of space coordinates along two orthogonal axes X and Y of the edge of the plate to be machined, the coordinates being either detected by means of successive sequences of self-learning movements of a probe along the edge of the plate or being set on a keyboard;processing the coordinates in order to determine the path to be followed by the contour of a grinder in order to produce a contour which is constituted by mutually tangent arcs and straight lines;calculating the successive movements along the axes X and Y which the center of the grinder must perform in order to machine the edge of the plate according to the diameter and/or wear of the grinder being used;controlling, according to the calculated values, the movements of a grinder-supporting machining head along the edge of the plate;actuating the head so as to remove in succession, from a tool magazine, the self-lear