Metal deforming – By use of non-deforming work-gripping clamp and relatively... – Clamp structure constitutes sole initial metal-deforming...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-19
2002-08-06
Crane, Daniel C. (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
By use of non-deforming work-gripping clamp and relatively...
Clamp structure constitutes sole initial metal-deforming...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06427511
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a bending machine for flat material, comprising a machine frame, a lower beam arranged on the machine frame and having a lower clamping tool and an upper beam arranged on the machine frame and having an upper clamping tool, with which the flat material can be fixed in a clamping plane, a lower bending tool moving device which is associated with the lower beam and with which a lower bending tool carrier with a lower bending tool for bending the flat material about an upper bending edge relative to the clamping plane can be moved between a rest position and a plurality of bending positions, an upper bending tool moving device which is associated with the upper beam and with which an upper bending tool carrier with an upper bending tool for bending the flat material about a lower bending edge relative to the clamping plane can be moved between a rest position and a plurality of bending positions.
A machine of this type is known from the state of the art, for example, DE 42 06 417. With this machine, there is the problem, on the one hand, of the pivoting of a bending beam bearing the bending tool being constructionally complicated and, on the other hand, of the type of possible bending operations being limited on account of the space.
The object underlying the invention is therefore to improve a bending machine of the generic type such that the type of possible bending operations is subject as little as possible to restrictions.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, in a bending machine of the type described at the outset, in that the bending tool not used for an operation on the flat material can be brought into a rest position, in which a bending space free from machine elements of the bending machine exists between the clamping plane and the bending tool located in the rest position and its bending tool carrier, this space extending over an angular area of at least 110° around the respectively operative bending edge.
The advantage of the inventive solution is to be seen in the fact that with it a bending space is available which did not exist in the known machines, namely neither in the direction of the clamping plane away from the clamping tools nor about the respectively operative bending edge.
It is possible, in particular, with the inventive solution to operate with flat material projecting far beyond the clamping tools within the bending space comprising the clamping plane and the angular area in a direction pointing away from the clamping tools and the machine frame, wherein the extension of the flat material in this direction is limited merely by the surroundings of the bending machine, i.e., for example, other machines or the machine hall.
However, the inventive solution also creates, on the other hand, the possibility, as a result of the bending space free from machine elements of the bending machine, of being able to use additional devices, such as, for example, handling devices which then have the possibility of interacting with the flat material, for example, of grasping the flat material in the bending space unhindered by the machine elements of the bending machine in order to be able to carry out additional functions, for example, any handling without any risk of collision with the operating bending tool existing.
The inventive bending machine has, in particular, for each of the bending tools no machine element in an angular area of at least 100° which interferes with any bending operation and so with each of the two bending tools bending operations can be carried out which far exceed a right angle and thus complex bent parts with several bendings in different directions can be produced in one operating run.
The bending space is preferably dimensioned such that it extends around the operative bending edge over an angular area of at least 120°. It is even more advantageous when the bending space extends around the bending edge over an angular area of at least 130°.
Such a bending space may be realized particularly favorably when the bending tool carrier is located close to a front surface of the respective beam in the rest position, i.e., is removed as far as possible from the front plane and is arranged in the direction of the respective beam.
One embodiment of an inventive bending machine having optimum bending possibilities provides for the bending tool moving device of the bending tool in rest position to be located outside the bending space defined by the angular area.
With respect to the arrangement of the bending tool moving device, no further details have so far been given. In principle, it would be conceivable to design the inventive bending machine such that the bending tool moving device is arranged in the area of side columns of the machine frame. However, in order to obtain a machine which is of as narrow a construction as possible and, in particular, a machine with an extension in longitudinal direction which is variable, it is preferably provided for the bending tool moving device for the respective bending tool to be arranged between lateral end surfaces of the beams. Such an arrangement of the bending tool moving device has, in addition, the advantage that this allows a more uniform supporting of the bending tool and so, as a result,—particularly in the case of long bending machines—problems are also avoided with respect to the bowing of the bending tool under load.
Furthermore, one advantageous embodiment of an inventive bending machine provides for the bending tool moving device for the respective bending tool, in all the bending positions of the bending tool, to be located exclusively on the side of the clamping plane, on which the starting bending position of the bending tool is located. The result of such an arrangement of the bending tool moving device is that the bending machine can be of a very compact construction and, in particular, a front space in front of the clamping tools, into which the metal sheet to be bent projects, is affected to as small a degree as possible by the bending tool moving device in order to obtain as great a degree of freedom as possible with respect to the possible bending operations and/or handling operations.
It is even more advantageous, in particular, when the bending tool moving device extends, in all the bending positions, between the machine frame and a front limiting plane extending through the bending tool and at right angles to the clamping plane. Such a design of the bending tool moving device has the great advantage that no element whatsoever of the bending tool moving device and also of the machine frame is present in front of the front limiting plane and so the flat material can, in this area, project in an unhindered manner, be taken over by other machines or handled in any other manner. In addition, such a construction of an inventive bending machine also allows the possibility of arranging several machines to follow one another in the form of a production line, i.e., the possibility exists that the flat material which projects beyond the front limiting plane on a side located opposite the machine frame can be taken over by another machine in a simple manner.
With this solution it is, in particular, remarkable that the bending tool itself is the element which projects the most beyond the machine frame on a side of the clamping tools located opposite the machine frame and all the remaining machine parts of the bending machine, in particular, the machine frame itself and the bending tool moving device are located on the side of the front limiting plane facing the machine frame.
The inventive bending machine is even more advantageous when the bending tool moving device extends, in all the possible bending positions, between the machine frame and a front plane extending through the bending edge and at right angles to the clamping plane. As the front plane is located even closer to the machine frame than the front limiting plane, an even greater free space is created in this case on the side of the front plane located opposite the machine frame and this
Kutschker Wolfgang
Pesold Erwin
Crane Daniel C.
McAllister Douglas M.
Reinhardt Maschinenbau GmbH
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