Variable width roll forming apparatus

Details Variable width roll forming apparatus Variable width roll forming apparatus

2001-07-31

2003-11-18

Crane, Daniel C. (Department: 3725)

Metal deforming

By deflecting successively-presented portions of work during...

By use of deflector arranged to bend work transversely of...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06647754

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to a variable width roll forming apparatus capable of forming a continuous web of sheet material as the web passes through a plurality of matching die rolls, and more particularly to a variable width roll forming apparatus which is capable of varying the spacing between matching die rolls, as well as compensating for variations in the width of the web.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Known roll forming machinery usually has a plurality of sets of roll dies, typically arranged in upper and lower matching pairs, and usually spaced apart along the length of the machine on roller stands. Typically, the roller dies at one stand will produce a continuous formation in the web, and the roller dies of the next stand will produce another formation, or for example increase the angle of the formation which has already been started at the previous stand and so on.
A wide variety of commercial and other products are made on such roll forming machines, such as roof decking siding, as well as a large number of components for consumer equipment. The shapes may simply be webs with edge formations formed along one edge or both, or may be C sections or U sections but in many cases consist of relatively complex formations with longitudinal formations being formed along the length of the web, side by side.
Generally speaking at each stand of rolls there are two lower dies and two upper dies arranged in pairs, on either side of a central web axis to form thereby various bends or shapes in the web. The lower dies engage the underside of the web and the upper dies engage the upper side of the web. The dies have circular shapes, and are mounted on rotatable axles so that the dies can rotate at the same speed as the sheet metal. A gear drive mechanism is coupled to the dies so as to drive them at the speed of the sheet metal.
Each set of such roller dies must be designed to provide a particular formation in the web. In addition, each pair of dies must have a clearance between them determined by the thickness of the web.
Thus, where it is desired to discontinue working on a web of one thickness, and to then run a web of another thickness through the dies, each pair of roller dies must be readjusted to a new clearance, to accommodate the new thickness of the new web. This has typically involved manual manipulation and costly down time in order to make these fine adjustments.
It would therefore be desirable to provide for automatic self-adjustment of the spacing or clearances between the pairs of dies in each stand. However, due to the shaping of the dies there are difficulties in such adjustments. Usually the dies will have two surfaces, one of the surfaces being more or less horizontal, or at least parallel to the plane of the web itself, and the other of the surfaces being at a web-forming angle.
Another set of problems arises if it is desired to use the same roller dies, to form a web having a width which is greater, or narrower than a preceding web.
In the past each of the stands situated on either side of the web would have to be manually moved further apart, or closer together, to take in to account the width of the new web to be processed. However, as will be readily appreciated, it was time consuming to dismantle the arrangement of dies for one web width, and then reassemble the dies with a greater or lesser number of rolls between them to suit the new web width. In addition, this was awkward and time-consuming manual work.
Commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/394,309, filed on Sep. 10, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,932, and entitled “Roll Forming Apparatus and Method”, discloses several embodiments of a roll forming machine that is capable of quickly adjusting the relative orientation between matching pairs of dies of a given roller stand to accommodate webs of differing gauges, as well as disclosing an automated procedure for moving groups of roller stands, on either side of the webbing, either farther apart or closer together, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/394,309, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,932, being herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/394,309 and as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the upper roll die
86
in a matching pair of roll dies,
86
and
82
respectively, is secured for rotation within an eccentric sleeve
90
so that rotation of the eccentric sleeve
90
will cause the upper die
86
to move in vertical relationship to its matching lower die
82
. More particularly, a plurality of lower die drive shafts
80
are supported by suitable bearings directly in a side plate
38
of the roll forming machine. These drive shafts are driven by a suitable gear train and support lower forming dies
82
. Telescoping driven shafts
84
extend from the drive shafts
80
to driven hubs (not shown) rotatably mounted in a matching side plates disposed on the opposing side of the webbing W, and driven shafts
84
extend completely through these driven hubs. The lower forming dies
82
are supported on such driven hubs. In this way the lower forming dies of all of stands in the roll forming machine are driven in unison.
A plurality of upper dies
86
are carried on upper shafts
88
. The eccentric bearing sleeves
90
which carry the upper shafts
88
are both slidably and rotatably mounted in the side plate
38
. The sleeves
90
define shaft openings
92
which are offset from the central axis of the sleeves
90
for reasons as described below. The upper die shafts
88
are themselves driven by a gear train connected to the lower shafts. As explained above, there is provided means for adjusting at least one of the upper and the lower dies,
86
and
82
respectively, relative to the other, so as to adjust the vertical clearance between the dies, to match the thickness or gauge of the web material W as closely as possible. Such adjustments may be made while the web W is actually running through the dies, thus compensating for variations in the thickness of the web along its length, all of which will be described below.
It will be seen that it is the upper dies
86
that are all adjustable relative to the lower dies
82
, which are on fixed axes. However it will be appreciated that the lower dies
82
could be made adjustable while the upper dies
86
remain fixed, should such an architecture be desired.
As explained above each of the upper shaft sleeves
90
have eccentric shaft openings
92
for receiving die shafts
88
and the driven hubs (not shown) in the side plate
38
. Each sleeve
90
is supported in a respective opening in the side plate
38
.
The sleeves
90
are able to rotate in the side plate
38
, in a manner to be described below, and thus cause upward and downward semi arcuate movement of upper die shafts
88
and their dies
86
.
The sleeves
90
are also adjustable axially, i.e. horizontally, inwardly and outwardly, this produces what is in the end an adjustment of the upper dies
86
along diagonal axes relative to the web W to accommodate minor variations in the web thickness as it passes both through the horizontally opposed faces of each die pair, as well as through the angularly opposed faces of the die pair.
The mechanism by which this adjustment is achieved is also depicted in FIG.
1
. Referring again to
FIG. 1
, each sleeve
90
is connected to a semi arcuate eccentric arm
60
. Two bolts
62
pass through arcuate slots
64
in the arm
60
and are bolted into the sleeve
90
. The eccentric arm
60
is formed with a pair of upwardly directed guides
66
which define a U shaped slot. An adjustment pin
68
is received in the U shaped slot of the guides
66
. The pin
68
extends sideways from an adjustment or draw bar
61
which extends along the top of the side plate
38
. The identical structure is provided for the opposite sleeve (not shown) which is mounted in the side plate on the opposing side of the web W. As would be appreciated, an identical draw bar will extend along the top of the non-illustrated matching side plate.
The pins
68
are located at spaced in

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