AU2019100090A4 - Sheet Metal Roll Forming Machine with Sealant Injection - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A sheet metal roll forming machine comprising a frame supporting a feeding platform for feeding workpieces to an open seam roll former, wherein the feeding platform has an opening exposing a pressure switch for detecting pressure exerted by the workpieces on the feeding platform; and a timer, wherein the time is adapted to activating a roller and a sealant injector such that the sealant injector injects sealant at an open seam formed after a workpiece is fed to the open seam roll former by the roller; and halting the sheet metal roll forming machine at a predetermined period of time after the pressure switch detects no pressure thereon. a ~ 2 r~~ z +a Fig. 1 1 -9 is4 Fig. 2

Description

Sheet Metal Roll Forming Machine with Sealant Injection

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a roll forming for sheet metal, and more particularly a sheet metal roll forming machine with sealant injection or a method of retrofitting a sealant injector to a sheet metal roll forming machine.

Description of Prior Art

Typical HVAC ducts were formed with sheet metal rolled into a duct formed with roll forming machine. Previously, the connections of the HVAC ducts were sealed with welding. However, this welding process must be performed before the installation of the ducts. Such products lack the flexibility to adopt different type of HVAC.

Other HVAC were joined with seams. Seams provide the flexibility to allow the sheet metal to connect on site. However, seam connection itself is never completely sealed and in particular for HVAC applications. Usually, sealant is required to apply to the groove of the seams in order to achieve air seal.

However, once the seam is foiled into form, it is extremely difficult to apply the sealant to the groove.

US Patent Application No. 2005/0015955 discloses a roller folding head. Roller folding heads are used, for instance, when fixing the frame of a sliding roof in an opening in the roof of a vehicle. In order to do this quickly and automatically, the roller folding head is provided with at least two pairs of rollers, each pair of rollers consisting of a pressing roller and a counter roller which interact in order to bend a flange along a folding line at a specific angle. The folding process is carried out in several stages, one flange being crimped around another flange in a series of partial steps at an angle of 180°. One pair of rollers is provided for each step, at least two thereof being arranged on a roller folding head. This prior art roller folding head is adapted to fold seam for air duct, but it does not provide any sealing during the folding process.

US Patent No. 3,276,408 discloses a seamer mechanism comprising a body, a pair of engageable beveled wheels mounted at the base of the body, a driving shaft, a geared connected between the driving shaft and one of the wheels, guide shoulders located at the base and extending toward the region of engagement of said wheels. The shoulders are adapted to guide the margin of a side of a sheet metal conduit through the engagement region. A pressure element located adjacent the wheels with a sheet metal engaging surface is located substantially to the plane of said base. A locking element in the form of an arm pivotally

2019100090 29 Jan 2019 mounted for oscillation in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of said base. A shoulder carried by said locking element is engageable with a marginal portion of another side of the conduit during a seaming operation, the said geared connection comprising a worm connected to the said driving shaft. An opening formed in the body is adapted to receive the worm and rotatably supporting the worm. The worm gear is located within the body in engagement with said worm. A first beval gear drivably connects to the worm gear, and a second beval gear mounts for rotation about an axis that is perpendicular to the axis of the first beval gear. The one wheel is connected drivably to said second beval gear. This prior art is able to form a seam for an air duck but it fails to provide a solution for sealing the air duct.

US Patent No 8,505,185 discloses a circular sheet metal duct having a sealant applied across the longitudinal seam. The sealant will improve the efficiency and will reduce or eliminate air leakage from the longitudinal seam. The sealant is applied during the manufacturing processes so that an installer does not have to seal the duct work. The method of installing a sealed circular duct comprising the steps of a) providing a circular sheet metal duct having a self locking longitudinal seam with a reusable liquid applied gasketing sealant positioned within the longitudinal seam while the seam is being formed; b) engaging the longitudinal seam and thereby simultaneously locking the seam to form the circular sheet metal duct and sealing the longitudinal seam without an installer applying a sealant; and c) connecting the ductwork with other ductwork. The prior art fails to provide a seamer or a sheet metal roll forming machine with sealant injection.

Therefore, there is a need for a seamer or sheet metal roll forming machine that is able to inject sealant on the seam for sealing an air duct.

Summary of the Present Invention

The present invention seeks to overcome some of the aforementioned problems by providing a sheet metal roll forming machine comprising a frame supporting a feeding platform for feeding workpieces to an open seam roll former, wherein the feeding platform has an opening exposing a pressure switch for detecting pressure exerted by the workpieces on the feeding platform; and a timer, wherein the time is adapted to activate a roller and a sealant injector such that the sealant injector injects sealant at an open seam formed after a workpiece is fed to the open seam roll former by the roller and halting the sheet metal roll forming machine at a predetermined period of time after the pressure switch detects no pressure thereon

Preferably the sheet metal roll forming machine further comprises a control panel for housing a manual switch, an automatic switch, a stop switch and the timer.

2019100090 29 Jan 2019

Preferably the automatic switch is adapted activate an automatic mode where the sheet metal roll forming machine will be halted according to the states of the pressure switch and the timer.

Preferably the pressure switch is retrofitted to the sheet metal roll forming machine by cutting an opening on the feeding platform and installing the pressure switch under the opening.

Preferably the timer and the automatic switch are retrofitted to the sheet metal roll forming machine by connecting the pressure switch to the timer and the automatic switch, and installing the timer and the automatic switch on the control panel.

Preferably, the sheet metal roll forming machine comprises a close seam roll former, wherein the open seam roll former, sealant injector, and the close seam former are disposed on the sheet metal roll forming machine such that the roller is able to feed a workpiece through the open seam roll former first, the sealant injector second, and the close seam roll former last.

Brief Description of the Drawing

Fig 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a sheet metal roll forming machine according to a preferred embodiment wherein a workpiece is loaded on the feeding platform;

Fig 2 is a schematic side sectional view of a sheet metal roll forming machine of Fig. 1, wherein the workpiece is moved on top of the pressure switch;

Fig 3 is a schematic side sectional view of a sheet metal roll forming machine of Fig 1, wherein the workpiece is moved to the dispatch platform;

Fig 4 is a schematic diagram of the control panel of the sheet metal roll forming machine of Fig. 1.

Fig 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of the switching circuit of the sheet metal roll forming machine of Fig, 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to Fig, 1 to Fig. 3 there is provided a sheet metal roll forming machine 10 of an embodiment of the present invention. The sheet metal roll forming machine 10 has a frame 18 for supporting a feeding platform 12, a roll former 17 and a dispatch platform 19. The roll former 17 comprises an open seam roll former 17a, a sealant injector 21, and a close seam r

2019100090 29 Jan 2019

The feeding platform 12 typically has a conveying belt underneath for feeding workpiece 11 into the roll former 17. In one embodiment, the conveying belt is driven by one or more rollers. The feeding platform 12 also has an opening 28 exposing a pressure switch 13 underneath. When a workpiece 11 is placed on the feeding platform 12, the weight of the workpiece will exert pressure to the pressure switch 13. When there is nothing placed on the feeding platform 12, there will be no pressure exerted on the pressure switch 3.

The roll former 17 is driven by a system motor 14 which is located inside the frame 18 of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. The system motor 14 is connected to the roll former 17 through a driving belt 15. Attached to the frame 18 of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 is a control panel16.

Referring to Figure 2, the control panel has a manual switch 22 for switching the metal sheet roll forming machine 10 to a manual operation mode. In this setting, the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 will continue running until the operator switches off the sheet metal roll forming machine manually. The open seam roll former 17a of the roll former 17 will roll form an open seam on a work piece. The open seam of the work piece will then be moved under the sealant injector 21 where the sealant injector will inject sealant on at the open seam. The work piece will then be moved to the close seam roll former 17b for closing the seam of the work piece.

On the control panel 16, there is also provided an automatic switch 23 which can switch the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 to automatic mode. In this setting, the halting state of the metal sheet roll forming machine 10 is determined by the state of the pressure switch 13 and the state of a time delay switch or timer 25.

The timer 25 on the control panel 16 provides an interface for the operator to adjust the delay stopping time of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. The control panel 16 also has a stop switch 26 for halting the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. The stop switch 26 can immediately terminate all the action of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. In another embodiment, the control panel 16 further equipped with a display screen to display the current status of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10.

In one embodiment, the time 25 is adapted to activating one or more rollers of the roll former machine 10 and a sealant injector 21 such that the sealant injector injects sealant at an open seam formed after a workpiece is fed to the open seam roll former 17a by the roller and halting the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 at a predetermined period of time after the pressure switch detects no pressure thereon. The open seam roll former 17a, sealant injector 21, and

2019100090 29 Jan 2019 the close seam former 17b are disposed on the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 such that the roller is able to feed a workpiece through the open seam roll former first, the sealant injector second, and the close seam roll former last as shown in Figs 1 to 3. In one embodiment, the close seam roll former merely fold the open seam to form a pocket for holding the sealant while the workpiece has not form a loop yet. The worker may fold the workpiece into a conduit or HVAC duct by inserting the edge into the pocket with the sealant to form a close loop at a work site..

In another embodiment, the pressure switch 13 can be replaced by other detecting means, such as an infrared detector switch or a camera.

Reference is now made to Figure 3 which illustrates the circuit diagram of the switching circuit 30. The electrical system of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 is a three phrases system. The system motor 31 is connected to the control switch 32 which comprises the pressure switch 13. The manual switch 33 and the automatic switch 34 are connected to the control switch 32. The time 35 is also connected to the control switch 32. In one embodiment, the timer 35 would start the countdown sequence after the pressure on the pressure switch 13 is released. There is a main switch 36 for powering the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. In one embodiment, the main switch 36 is connected to the automatic switch 34. However, in another embodiment, the main switch 36 is connected to the control switch 32. The stop switch 37 is connected to the control switch 36 for immediately cutting off all power of the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 and halting all actions.

In one embodiment, the automatic switch system is retrofitted to a traditional sheet metal roll forming machine. An opening is cut on the feeding platform and a pressure switch is placed underneath the opening. A control panel 20 described above with reference to Figure 2 is attached to the frame of the sheet metal roll forming machine. The control panel, system motor and the pressure switch are connected according to the aforementioned switching circuit 30 with reference to Figure 3.

In operation, the operator switches the sheet metal roll forming machine. 10 to automatic mode by pressing the automatic switch 23. The conveying belt of the feeding platform 12 moves the workpiece 11 into the roll former 17 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig 2. After processing the workpiece 11, the workpiece is pushed to the dispatch platform 19 as shown in Fig. 3. When a workpiece 11 passes through the feeding platform 12 as shown in Fig. 2, it exerts pressure on the pressure switch 13 and keeps the sheet metal roll forming machine 10 running. After all the workpieces 11 are removed from the feeding platform, there is no longer any pressure exerting on the pressure switch 13. At this moment, the timer 16 starts the countdown, and

2019100090 29 Jan 2019 the sheet metal roll forming machine. 10 will keep on running during the countdown period. Once the countdown is finished, power will be cut off from the sheet metal roll forming machine 10. Hence there is no need for the operator to manually stop the sheet metal roll forming machine 10.

In one embodiment, the pressure switch is retrofitted to the sheet metal roll forming machine by cutting an opening on the feeding platform and installing the pressure switch under the opening. The timer and the automatic switch are retrofitted to the sheet metal roll forming machine by connecting the pressure switch to the timer and the automatic switch, and installing the timer and the automatic switch on the control panel.

Claims (5)

1. A sheet metal roll forming machine comprising a frame supporting a feeding platform for feeding workpieces to an open seam roll former, wherein the feeding platform has an opening exposing a pressure switch for detecting pressure exerted by the workpieces on the feeding platform; and a timer, wherein the time is adapted to activating a roller and a sealant injector such that the sealant injector injects sealant at an open seam formed after a workpiece is fed to the open seam roll former by the roller; and halting the sheet metal roll forming machine at a predetermined period of time after the pressure switch detects no pressure thereon.

2. A sheet metal roll forming machine according to claim 1, further comprises a control panel for housing a manual switch, an automatic switch, a stop switch and the timer.

3. A sheet metal roll forming machine according to claim 2, wherein the automatic switch is adapted activate an automatic mode where the sheet metal roll forming machine will be halted according to the states of the pressure switch and the timer.

4. A sheet metal roll forming machine according to claim 3, wherein the pressure switch, is retrofitted to the sheet metal roll forming machine by cutting an opening on the feeding platform and installing the pressure switch under the opening.

5. A sheet metal roll forming machine according to claim 4, further comprising a close seam roll former, wherein the open seam roll former, sealant injector, and the close seam former are disposed on the sheet metal roll forming machine such that the roller is able to feed a workpiece through the open seam roll former first, the sealant injector second, and the close seam roll former last.