Metal cutting machine with cut piece pickup and transport magnets

Abstract

A metal cutting machine has a plurality of tool carrying cutting heads mounted for movement along a bridge which in turn is mounted on rails or the like for movement transverse to the direction of head movement. Controls are provided for selective movement of the heads and bridge. A bridge-mounted plurality of magnet assemblies are provided which, after one or more cut pieces have been formed from a plate-like workpiece by the heads, are actuated to engage the cut pieces and raise them from the remaining skeletal workpiece. The bridge on which the magnet assemblies are mounted is movable to a position remote from the workpiece so that the magnets can deposit the cut pieces at a receiving point. The assemblies may be mounted on the same bridge as the cutting heads and connected to the latter for selective horizontal positioning by the same controls used for cutting. Alternately, the assemblies may be mounted on a separate bridge disposed on the same rails.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.