Abstract: A mechanical apparatus maintains and/or cleans support strips of a workpiece support that forms a support plane for supporting workpieces. The mechanical apparatus includes a transport device for moving the workpiece support along a transport axis X and a service device that has a tool for processing the support strips. The service device is movable by means of a mechanical movement unit along a movement axis Y that is arranged at an angle relative to the transport axis X and/or along a movement axis Z that is arranged at an angle relative to the transport axis X and that is different from the movement axis Y, with the movement of the workpiece support along the transport axis X and the movement of the service device along the movement axis Y and/or along the movement axis Z being controllable in a coordinated manner by means of a control unit.

Abstract: A mechanical arrangement for processing sheet metal includes a sheet metal processing device, a transport device configured to position a sheet metal workpiece relative to the sheet metal processing device, the transport device including at least one workpiece carrier that is movable along a transport path that extends along a first transport line and a second transport line, and at least two X-guides and at least two Y-guides, the X-guides arranged parallel with the first transport line and the Y-guides arranged parallel with the second transport line. The at least two X-guides and the at least two Y-guides are configured to be coupled to each other by a transfer device to form a transport course, the workpiece carrier circulates along the X-guides and the Y-guides, and the transfer device is configured to move the workpiece carrier from one of the X-guides to one of the Y-guides.

Abstract: A mechanical arrangement is provided for processing plate-like workpieces, especially metal sheets. The mechanical arrangement includes a processing device and a handling apparatus. A support structure of the handling apparatus has a base support structure and a secondary support structure which is supported on the base support structure so as to be movable relative thereto and which is provided with a holding device for processed products.

Abstract: A mechanical system is provided for processing workpieces, especially metal sheets. The system has a storage side with a workpiece store, a processing side with a plurality of mechanical processing units, and a mechanical feeding device which is provided between the storage side and the processing side. The feeding device comprises a plurality of feeding units, with different feeding units of the feeding devices being associated with different processing units. The feeding units are configured to pick up work pieces at the storage side and deliver them at the processing side to the respectively associated processing unit(s). In addition or as an alternative, the feeding units may pick up workpieces at the processing side from the respectively associated processing unit(s) and deliver the workpieces at the storage side.

Abstract: A support arrangement for a machine portal includes a lightweight support structure and a row of base segments supporting at least one guide rail of a linear drive on the support structure. Both the base segments and the guide rail exhibit different thermal expansion behavior from the support structure. The base segments are fixed at a distance from their edges by fixing screws to respective fastening members extending into the support structure. The base segments define at least one step on which they support the guide rail with a positive fit. The guide rail is fixed to the support structure by at least one expansion screw. The support arrangement maintains precise alignment of the guide rail while accommodating differing thermal expansions between the rail, base segments and support structure.

Abstract: Method and device for cutting out sheet metal blanks preferably from a coil of a thin sheet metal strip , with stepped uncoiling and straightening of the metal strip in the longitudinal direction of the device on a processing platform.

Abstract: A workpiece loading apparatus has a large number of selectively targetable suction grips (4) provided in a divided suction grip array (17, 18) which suction is subdivided into individually addressable, mutually intersecting columns (1) and rows (2). All suction grips (4) are associated with dedicated control pistons (5) all of which can be moved into an idle position or an operating position upon the release of a lock latch (16). Each control piston (5) is assigned to the point of intersection (3) of a particular column (1) and row (2) and is selectably held in its idle position or locked in an operating position. The idle positions can be sequentially unlocked row by row (2) and the operating positions of the control pistons (5) can be addressed by columns (1) and then locked by rows (2). Once all rows (2) have been set, the suction grips (4) can be activated into the pick-up mode or deactivated by the control pistons (5).