Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-01
2003-07-29
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S512000, C072S086000, C072S105000, C493S405000, C493S443000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598285
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a machine according to the preamble of claim
1
and to a method of flanging/closing and folding/closing.
A folding/closing machine is known inter alia from EP-A-0 104 145 and has proved successful in practice for closing conventional folds for folded connections in pipe-bend segments, in particular in the field of ventilation. In this case the folds are closed over a closing wheel guided in a closing-wheel slide, both being arranged above a support face for the pipe ends. The jointly rotating closing wheel comprises an oblique-angled operating face; in this case the closing-wheel slide is likewise arranged at an oblique angle to the support face.
As a result of the resulting geometrical relationships only simple folded connections can be produced with the known device. More complicated folds, such as are required for the secure clamping of seals, can be manufactured only with difficulty and/or require subsequent treatment. The necessary flanging which precedes the formation of a fold was performed in each case on a separate machine or operating station.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is therefore to produce a folding/closing machine which does not have these drawbacks and which allows the producer of seal connections an optimum arrangement of high-quality seals in numerous variants, without the latter being subject to restrictions in their shape and their dimensions on manufacturing grounds. It should thus be possible for improved pipe connections, which can be used in higher-quality types of ventilation or sealing, to be produced in a rational and safe manner in particular in the field of ventilation.
In addition, it should be possible to carry out the flanging on the same machine and the same operating station. It should also be possible for pre-fabricated standard parts, such as connecting rings and sleeves, to be further processed.
The machine to be provided and the corresponding method of folding/closing should be efficient and allow a risk-free operation even by unskilled personnel.
This object is attained by the features of claim
1
.
The arrangement of the closing wheel and the closing-wheel slide below the support face, which corresponds to the machine bed, allows almost any flangings and folds to be produced in a risk-free manner.
Advantageous further developments of the subject of the invention are described in the following dependent claims.
A closing-wheel slide provided with a pivot axis can be set to the quality of the metal sheet in an optimum manner and prevents impermissible degrees of wear on the material to be machined and on the closing wheel.
A fixed angle of the closing-wheel slide of from 8° to 12° is particularly suitable for the insertion of seals into the folds, whereas one of from 20° to 30° is used mainly for end folds, without seals.
A closing wheel with an operating face engaging on the flanging over a large area requires only minimal forces and results in only slight wear.
Surprisingly, a design of the lateral faces of the closing wheel bent over in the manner of a plate results in an additionally greatly improved, positively locking clamping even of thick and yielding seals.
A particularly precise and secure guidance of a pipe stub or a ring is provided by a continuous bead which is produced by two mutually opposed concave/convex rollers.
Universal drives save a considerable amount of space; they allow the closing-wheel slide to be accommodated without difficulty in the remaining space.
The arrangement of a plurality of support rollers results in an increase in security, and the quality of the folds is likewise improved by the resulting parallel guidance.
Holding-down means capable of rotation allow rings to be machined safely, even if they do not have a continuous bead or if the latter has to be impressed only subsequently.
It is particularly advantageous to design the machine with shaping rollers which allow bending over in a very simple manner, without the workpiece having to be re-clamped or moved to a different operating station.
Because of their relatively small dimensions and the high torques which can be achieved thereby, hydraulic drives are particularly suitable.
In accordance with the method, rings are clamped on the support face of the machine by jointly rotating holding-down means, and after that a flange-like bending-over is produced by the shaping rollers and is turned over and closed after the insertion of a sealing strip.
Relatively large pipe segments, bend segments and connecting rings with stop beads are advantageously guided on this bead or the latter is produced first. In the simplest way it is impressed by means of a concave beading and delivery roller and a convex support roller cooperating therewith an an opposed manner.
A precise guidance of the workpiece is provided by the beading and delivery roller which engages during the machining and which together with the opposed convex shaping roller prevents displacement.
During closure on the pipe collar it is recommended that the seal should be held down manually or preferably by hydraulically actuated fingers or rollers, depending upon the nature of the seal.
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Binggeli Rudolf
Nikolic Slavko
Desai Hemant M
Rada Rinaldi I.
Spiro S.A.
Weingarten Schurgin, Gagnebin & Lebovici LLP
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