Device for contour cutting of metal plates

A device for contour cutting of metal plates comprising a cutting table for supporting horizontally plates to be contour cut, a contour cutting unit movable on a track along the cutting table and having cutting nozzles for contour cutting of the plates;

• a scrap-receiving carriage for receiving the cut scrap, disposed beneath the cutting table and providing a scrap-receiving surface having a surface area in a plane parallel to the supporting surface of the cutting table corresponding approximately and only to the area in the same plane of the fall zone of cut scrap below the contour cutting unit, said scrap-receiving carriage being movable on a track along the path of and directly beneath the contour cutting unit along the cutting table and remaining directly beneath the contour cutting unit substantially in parallel to the path and moving in the same direction thereof;
• a scrap-collecting container;
• drive means for driving said scrap-receiving carriage on the track to and from dumping position at said scrap-collecting container;
• and means for controlling said drive means to adjust the movement of the scrap-receiving carriage along the path of and in the moving direction of the contour cutting unit according to the movement of the contour cutting unit in order to maintain the scrap-receiving surface area of the carriage within the fall zone of the cut scrap during the entire contour cutting operation, so that cut scrap falls into the scrap-receiving carriage.