Metal deforming – With indication of condition or position of work – product,... – Including deformation by roller or roller-like tool
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-02-20
Crane, Daniel C. (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
With indication of condition or position of work, product,...
Including deformation by roller or roller-like tool
C072S171000, C072S173000, C072S150000, C072S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189354
ABSTRACT:
The submitted invention concerns itself with a method and a device to bend metal sections (in particular hollow sections) according to the preamble of patent claim
1
.
Such a method has become known, for example, with the object of the EP 492 211. The essence of this known method is, that two rollers opposite each other form a rolling gap, through which the section to be bent is fed by means of a driving force, whereby the bending then occurs because of the rotary drive of the opposing bending rollers in connection with the effective forward thrust. In addition, there are, with the known arrangement, still more guided rollers opposing each other, which are intended to prevent bulges and nicks of the section to be bent.
The disadvantage of the known method is, that it requires an expensive thrust station which uses a high thrusting force (in the range of several tons), to feed the section to be bent in between the rotationally driven bending rollers in order to achieve a required shape.
The assigned rollers are hereby not movably arranged in the X-direction (longitudinal direction of the section to be bent), but they are stationary on a machine bed. Thereby there is the disadvantage that we are dealing with a closed design machine, which cannot be modified or combined. If it is necessary to use another method of bending or to bend in a different way, it is necessary to design a completely new machine, which is very expensive to do.
Therefore, it is the task of the submitted invention to advance a method and a device for the bending of hollow metal sections, according to the preamble of the patent claim
1
, in such a manner that a universal machine will be created, making it possible to interchange individual bending stations, to completely remove or rearrange them, with the goal of creating universally applicable bending machine.
The solution of this task is accomplished through the technical concept of claim
1
.
An essential feature of this invention is, that the total roller bending station consists of separate roller stations, of which each roller station has at least one roller, which is placed against the section to be bent and that each roller station is assigned a different bending task and that in addition each roller station is modularly exchangeable and is arranged so that each one is adjustable and removable from a common machine body. In addition, a mandrel can be provided on the inside of the section for the purpose of support.
With the given technical concept, the essential advantage is that a completely modular construction of the total bending machine is presented. It shall also be mentioned, that the bending machine at hand is not only suited for bending of closed hollow metal sections, but that these hollow sections can be partially or totally open. With all bending processes it is always important, that in the (possibly also partially open) hollow space, a ball mandrel or a mandrel shank is brought along, which is kept stationary within the range of bending, so that the hollow section to be bent is optimally supported within the range of bending and is protected against bulges, nicks or against any other kind of deformation.
With the given modular construction, the essential advantage that a universally applicable bending machine is obtained, so that with this bending machine a number of different banding tasks can be accomplished, without the necessity,—as is the case at the present state of technology—of having to design and build a completely new machine with different processing capabilities.
The essence of the invention is, the modular construction, whereby a number of roller stations are arranged in an adjustable and engaging manner on a common machine body. It is preferable to arrange the individual roller stations adjustably on so-called X/Y-slides, whereby it is sufficient for individual roller stations to only allow an adjustment in the Y-direction, while an adjustment in the X-direction is not applicable.
In the first preferred design of the invention, a so-called roller-bending is planned (bending left or right), in such a way that on one side of the hollow section to be bent in the X-Y direction, there are positioned next to each other and at mutually adjustable distances, a bending station, a guide- and rolling station and a support station. Each of the named stations has at least one roller, whereby it is left open whether all rollers are rotationally driven or not. In one preferred design, it is planned that the roller of the bending station (bending roller) is not rotationally driven, while the rolling- and guide roller of the guide- and rolling station is rotationally driven and the support roller of the support station is also not rotationally driven.
It is important, that opposite to this construction there is a center roller station arranged, which consists of a single, rotationally driven center roller, which is exchangeable and which can be replaced by other rollers of different diameters and shapes. This exchangeability also applies to the other above-mentioned rollers.
Herewith it is then important that, for example, the center roller of the center roller station, as arranged on an assigned slide, is only adjustable in the Y-direction so that the adjustment in the X-direction is not required. Conversely, the three roller stations mentioned above (bending station, support station and guide- and rolling station) are designed to be adjusted in the X-Y-direction. In this manner, it is now possible for the first time, to effect a left bending and a right bending, because with the so-called left-bending of a section, when viewed from the top, the three mentioned roller stations are positioned above, while the center roller station is positioned below. If, on the other hand, a section is supposed to be bent to the right, there occurs the opposite arrangement whereby the three mentioned stations are positioned below and the center roller station is positioned above.
It is important, that the three mentioned stations which engage on one side of the section to be bent, can also be understood as a module in themselves and that this total module, consisting of the three mentioned stations, can be simply drawn out of the machine bed and reintroduced and secured on the opposite side.
It is also possible, because of the modular construction, to interchange the entry side of the total roller bending station with the exit side of the same roller bending station, in order to achieve right or left bending.
In an analog fashion, this is also applicable for the interchanged placement of the center roller station which is positioned on the lower side on the machine bed, when bending left and on the opposite side (upper), when bending right.
In a further development of the submitted invention, it is planned, that there will also be so-called alternate bending; with this design the advantage of a modular construction of the invented machine is again demonstrated. Here it is planned that the three previously-mentioned roller stations have arranged on the opposite side, in relation to the hollow section to be bent, three similar roller stations. The previously-mentioned modular construction, whereby the three mentioned roller stations are considered as a single module, will now be complemented by a further module which also consists of the three mentioned stations. There are then two similar modules, each consisting of three roller stations, positioned opposite to each other and fastened to the machine bed, and they provide the rolling- or bending gap for the hollow section to be bent.
With this kind of arrangement, it is possible to achieve a so-called alternate-roller-bending, so that the section may either be bent to the left or to the right with different radii.
In a third design of the invention, a so-called core-roller-bending is planned where again on one side of the section two or three roller stations are placed against the section, whereby the presence of two roller stations is preferred, of which the one roller station is the guide- and rolling
Brown Martin Haller & McClain LLP
Crane Daniel C.
Suban AG
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