Tape-controlled metal cutting apparatus

Apparatus for cutting a workpiece with an edge suitably bevelled for welding to a metal member lying at an angle to said first member, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) hot jet cutting means;
• (b) first and second power-driven means for supporting a workpiece horizontally while moving said workpiece and said hot jet cutting means relative to one another as said hot jet means cuts a slot through said workpiece;
• (c) third power-driven means for adjusting said hot jet cutting means bodily toward and away from said workpiece;
• (d) fourth power driven means for pivoting said hot jet means in a plane generally normal to the nearest face of said workpiece and about an axis extending substantially diametrically through the outlet port of said hot jet means;
• (e) preprogrammed numerical control means controlling said first, second and fourth power-driven means for moving said hot jet means said numerical control means including tape means having control instructions thereon and transducer means for reading said instructions and transmitting separate control instructions to the pivoting means for said hot jet means and to the power driven means and said workpiece relative to one another and adjusting the pivotal movement of said hot jet means as cutting proceeds to cut a slot in said workpiece having a predetermined non-linear contour lengthwise of said slot and with the sidewalls of said slot inclined at predetermined varying angles;
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• (f) sensing means supported on power driven support means for said jet means and operable to sense the spacing of said jet means from the workpiece undergoing cutting, and power operated means responsive to said sensing means operable to move said jet means as necessary to maintain the pivot axis thereof substantially uniformly positioned relative to one surface of said workpiece while undergoing cutting.

Apparatus for automatically cutting pipe along a desired bevelled contour comprising:

• (a) a cutting station located intermediate the remote ends of long horizontally disposed conveyor means having aligned sections located one to either side of said cutting station and each of said sections having first and second portions operable selectively to move pipe longitudinally past said cutting station and to rotate pipe about the axis thereof.
• (b) said cutting station being equipped with power-driven pipe cutting jet means bodily adjustable toward and away from the pipe generally radially thereof and having first motor driven means for moving said jet means lengthwise of said conveyor means and second motor driven means for pivoting the axis of said jet means in a plane lying in the axis of said pipe to vary the bevel of the cut;
• (c) third motor driven means for shifting the pipe vertically out of contact with said first portion of said conveyor means and into contact with said second portion of said conveyor means;
• (d) fourth motor driven means for driving said second portion of said conveyor means to rotate the pipe above the axis thereof;
• (e) preprogrammed numerical control means connected to said power-driven pipe cutting jet means and to said first, second and fourth motor means for automatically controlling each in such manner that said jet means cuts pipe along a predetermined desired bevelled contour;
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• (f) monitoring sensor means positioned adjacent said jet means free of contact with the pipe and movable with said jet means radially of the pipe, said sensor means including fifth motor driven means for adjusting said jet means radially of the pipe in either direction under the control of said preprogrammed numerical control means and automatically operable to maintain the pivot axis of said jet means in a predetermined position relative to the surface of the pipe in accordance with control signals from said sensor means.

Tape controlled apparatus for cutting pipe with pre-determined bevel-edged contours comprising:

• (a) first power-driven support means for supporting and rotating both short and long lengths of pipe about the axis thereof and which support means underlies said pipe;
• (b) coordinatograph means supported in an upright position along one lateral side of said pipe support means and including a power driven first carriage movable lengthwise of said pipe support means and a second power driven carriage secured to said first carriage and movable at right angles to the path of movement of said first carriage;
• (c) hot jet means mounted on said second carriage means and positionable to cut a slot in pipe resting on said pipe support means adjacent said jet means, said hot jet means including automatic means for moving the same toward and away from the pipe to maintain said hot jet means in a predetermined position relative to the pipe as cutting proceeds, and
• (d) tape controlled numerical control means connected to said first power driven pipe rotating means and to the power driven means for said first and second power driven carriages and operable to control the same as said jet means cuts the pipe along a desired predetermined bevel-edged contour.

Apparatus for automatically flame cutting a workpiece along a desired variable bevel contour comprising:

• (a) elongated main frame means for supporting a workpiece having a workpiece cutting station provided with flame cutting jet means;
• (b) first power driven means for pivoting said jet means about an axis transversely of the outlet of said jet means and in a plane generally normal to the adjacent face of the workpiece and transversely of the cut to be made to vary the bevel of the cut;
• (c) second power driven means for moving said jet means lengthwise of said main frame means;
• (d) third power driven means for moving said workpiece transversely of the path of movement of said jet means while said jet means is being moved by said second power driven means;
• (e) fourth power driven means for moving said jet means toward and away from said pipe;
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• (f) preprogrammed numerical control means connected to said first, second, third and fourth power driven means operable to govern the movement of each of said power driven means in discrete increments as cutting progresses thereby to cut a workpiece along a preselected variable bevel contour including automatically increasing and decreasing the magnitude of the discrete increments of movement of said second power driven means in unison with changes in the bevel angle of the cut being made by said jet means and as necessary to provide a cut the remote edge of which has a preselected shape despite changes in the bevel angle at different points along the cut.