EP1753559A1

EP1753559A1 - Folding machine

Info

Publication number: EP1753559A1
Application number: EP05740710A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Klemens Rieger
Original assignee: Hans Schroeder Maschinenbau GmbH
Current assignee: Hans Schroeder Maschinenbau GmbH
Priority date: 2004-05-07
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2007-02-21
Also published as: CN1972765A; DE102004022643A1; EA200601848A1; WO2005113171A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a folding machine comprising a machine frame, a lower flange, an upper flange (4), and a pivotable folding flange. According to the invention, a clamping device (7) used to fix at least one upper flange tool (8) to the upper flange is associated with the upper flange, said clamping device comprising a clamping rail (12) provided with a clamping region (14). The inventive folding machine also comprises at least one clamping drive (23) that is supported on the upper flange (4) and acts on the clamping rail (12) at a distance from the clamping region (14) thereof. Said clamping rail is embodied in the form of a rocker, in that it is supported on the upper flange, between the clamping region and the region of the force applied by the at least one clamping drive, by means of traction bearings (20).

Description

Folding Machine

The present invention relates to a swivel bending machine for bending or folding workpieces, comprising a machine frame, a lower beam arranged thereon, an upper beam parallel to the lower beam and which can be raised and lowered with respect to this, and one which extends parallel to the extent of the upper beam and the lower beam Axis pivotable bending cheek, wherein the upper cheek is assigned to the fixation of at least one upper cheek tool on a console of the upper cheek clamping device, which comprises a clamping rail with a clamping area.

Pivot bending machines of the type specified above are state of the art due to obvious prior use. The clamping device used to fix the at least one upper cheek tool to the console of the upper cheek comprises a number of clamping screws by means of which the clamping rail, which is supported on a fixed support of the console and is supported away from the clamping area, is braced against the console. Other forms of execution of clamping devices, which serve to fix tools on the upper beam, the lower beam or the bending beam of a swivel bending machine, are known from EP 671227 AI.

It is also known not to fix the respective tool on the upper cheek, the lower cheek or the bending cheek by means of a clamping device, but rather to fasten it directly by means of a plurality of screws in each case (DE 19613962 AI).

A disadvantage of folding machines according to the state of the art specified above is, in particular, the considerable outlay which is associated with the tool change. Namely, the upper beam tool has to be changed several times for many common bending tasks, so that the changeover times are a significant cost factor, particularly in the case of one-off production and small series.

In order to remedy this, various proposals have already been made to fix the tools to a bracket of the upper cheek, the lower cheek or the bending cheek via quick-release fasteners. According to DE 9303755 Ul, for example, the console of the upper beam for fastening the tool should be provided with grooves in which the upper beam tool engages and is held by a spring-loaded pin.

Such folding machines with quick-change devices for the tools do indeed allow the changeover times to be shortened. However, they cannot be used to produce workpieces with the highest dimensional accuracy requirements, since the tools are often accommodated with a certain amount of play in the quick-change devices, the play often increasing with the service life of the machines in question by knocking out the corresponding receptacles ,

In the light of the prior art shown above, the present invention has for its object to provide a folding machine of the type mentioned, in which, despite its suitability for the production of workpieces while maintaining the highest requirements for dimensional accuracy, the change of the upper beam tool with a comparatively low Effort is possible.

This object is achieved according to the present invention in that at least one clamping drive is provided which is supported on the upper cheek and acts on the clamping rail at a distance from its clamping area, whereby the clamping rail is rocker-shaped in that it is supported on the upper beam between the clamping area and the area of force application of the at least one clamping drive via tension bearings. In other words, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by combining several features, namely, on the one hand, the provision of a clamping drive, which is supported on the upper beam and acts on the clamping rail at a distance from the clamping area, and, furthermore, the mounting of the clamping rail on the upper cheek, in particular on the console of the upper cheek, via tension bearings, which are arranged between the clamping area on the one hand and the area of force application of the clamping drive on the other, resulting in a rocker-like suspension of the clamping rail on the upper cheek. Due to the design of the clamping device according to the invention, the clamping drive is housed relatively far away from the tools, ie in an area where it does not impair the functionality of the folding machines. In addition, in the context of the present invention, the clamping drive can be designed to be comparatively compact because, using the lever action of the clamping rail suspended from the rocker on the upper cheek, a comparatively high clamping force can also be provided with a compact clamping drive. This also contributes to the fact that the folding machine according to the invention does not suffer any loss of functionality with respect to those according to the prior art. At the same time, the present invention can achieve a firm, play-free fixation of the tool on the upper cheek. And the tool change is quick and possible with minimal effort by simply actuating the clamping drive.

According to a first preferred development of the invention, it is provided that the tension bearings are designed by mutually engaging edges of the clamping rail on the one hand and the console of the upper cheek on the other. In this case the clamping rail can be assembled and disassembled with particularly little effort by simply hanging it in or out of the corresponding edge of the top beam. According to another preferred development of the invention, the tension bearings are designed as adjusting screws; this allows the tension bearings to be readjusted with regard to possible wear and / or manufacturing tolerances of the upper beam.

As far as the designs of the clamping drive are concerned, the present invention allows considerable scope for this. To this extent, reference is made to the various exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing and explained in greater detail below. For the selection of the specific design of the clamping drive, which is particularly favorable for the individual application, a whole series of parameters of the respective folding machine are important, such as, for example, the size, the type of drive for the movement of the upper beam and the bending beam, special functionalities, etc.

A particularly preferred development of the folding machine according to the invention is characterized in that the clamping drive comprises at least one eccentric shaft rotatably mounted on the upper beam with at least one eccentric member which acts directly or indirectly on the clamping rail. It is particularly advantageous if several such eccentric shafts are provided, which are connected to one another and synchronized via a coupling device. The eccentric shafts can be arranged along a common axis of rotation running parallel to the swivel axis of the bending cheek, in which case the coupling device can in particular comprise a coupling and actuating bracket which can be plugged on and removed from the eccentric shafts from the side. According to another preferred development, the ex- center shafts arranged parallel to each other, with their axes of rotation perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bending beam. For coupling the individual eccentric shafts, for example, a coupling rod can be used, which is connected to each of the eccentric shafts by a link and synchronizes their rotary movements.

As far as the structural design of the eccentric shafts is concerned, it is provided according to yet another preferred development of the invention that each eccentric shaft has two eccentric members arranged at the ends and two bearing areas arranged adjacent to the two eccentric members. In particular, the eccentric members can be designed as peg-shaped eccentric approaches, the circumferential contour of which extends within the circumferential contour of the bearing areas. This proves to be particularly favorable in view of the fact that the eccentric shafts can be assembled in simple closed bearing blocks with only minimal effort; because in the case of such a design, the eccentric shafts can be inserted axially into the respective pair of bearing blocks. It is particularly advantageous if the eccentric members each act on the clamping rail via a thrust piece rotatably mounted on them, the thrust pieces in particular comprising adjusting screws and, by means of these, adjustable sliding pieces which bear against the clamping rail. By means of such adjusting screws, manufacturing tolerances can be compensated, so that even in the case of a manufacturing of the upper beam that is subject to tolerances, safe, firm, play-free clamping of the upper tool or the upper tools is possible over the entire length of the clamping rail. The sliders have emergency running properties, for example due to their manufacture from brass, which enable the sliders to move without damage on the clamping rail. The sliders can be replaced with minimal effort if worn. The eccentric shafts explained above can be actuated by any drive elements (for example electromechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic drive elements), both directly and indirectly. As part of such an indirect actuation, for example, an intermediate shaft driven by a drive element is to be considered, which acts via corresponding gearwheel pairs, which can include a suitable step-up or step-down, on a plurality of eccentric shafts, which can be rotated about the axis parallel to the axis of the intermediate shaft , In particular in the case of smaller folding machines, it is also possible to turn the eccentric shafts by hand, in particular via the coupling and actuating bracket explained above.

Yet another preferred development of the swivel bending machine according to the invention is characterized in that the clamping rail comprises a plurality of segments which can be clamped independently of one another. Such segmentation of the clamping rail is particularly advantageous in connection with an only partial tool change, so that the partial tools remaining on the upper cheek can remain firmly clamped, while other partial tools can be removed, exchanged or added.

According to yet another preferred further development of the present invention, it is provided that clamping devices, as described and explained above in connection with the fixing of the upper beam tool on the upper beam, are additionally provided on the lower beam and / or the bending beam in order to there the lower beam tool or to fix the bending beam tool. Although in practice a change of the lower beam tool or the bending beam tool is required much less frequently than a change of the upper beam tool, it is still possible to use swivel bending machines where the lower beam is also used and / or the bending beam is equipped with such a clamping device, do not save inconsiderable set-up times. Aspects that are described above in connection with the inventive design of the clamping device assigned to the upper cheek apply in the same way to such clamping devices as can be assigned to the lower cheek and / or the bending cheek in the sense of this development.

The present invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of various preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing. 1 shows the relevant area of a folding machine according to the present invention in a perspective view from the operating side, FIG. 2 shows the folding machine according to FIG. 1 in a perspective view from the rear, FIG. 3 shows detail III according to FIG. 2 4 is a cross section of a section of the upper beam (including the clamping rail and tool) of the folding machine according to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 5 is a cross section of a section of the upper beam (including clamping rail and tool) of a second embodiment of a folding machine according to the invention, 6 shows in cross section a section of the upper beam (including the clamping rail and tool) of a third embodiment of a folding machine according to the invention, FIG. 7 shows in cross section a section of the upper beam (including the clamping rail and tool) of a fourth embodiment of a folding machine according to the invention, FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a Section of the Upper cheek (including clamping rail and tool) of a fifth version form of a folding machine according to the invention,

9 is a rear view of a section of the upper cheek (including the clamping rail and tool) of the folding machine according to FIG. 8,

Fig. 10 in cross section a section of the upper cheek (including the clamping rail and tool) of a sixth embodiment of a folding machine according to the invention and

11 shows a top view of a section of the upper cheek (including the clamping rail and tool) of the folding machine according to FIG. 10.

The folding machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, which serves for bending or folding workpieces, corresponds in terms of its basic structure to known folding machines according to the prior art. To this extent, it comprises a machine frame 1, a lower beam 2 arranged thereon, a upper beam 4 which is parallel to the lower beam and can be raised and lowered with respect to the latter along two lateral vertical guides 3, and a bending beam 6 which can be pivoted about an axis 5 parallel to the extension of the upper beam and the lower beam On the upper cheek 4, an upper cheek tool 8 can be fixed by means of a clamping device 7, which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 in the form of two partial tools 9 in a goat-foot design. For this purpose, a clamping section 10 of each tool part 9 is clamped between a bracket 11 of the upper beam 4 and a clamping rail 12, specifically in a receptacle 15 formed by a clamping area 13 of the bracket 11 and a clamping area 14 of the clamping bar 12 a clamping rail 16, a lower jaw tool 17 can be fixed; and a bending beam tool 19 can be fixed to the bending beam 6 by means of a clamping rail 18. To this extent, the folding machine according to FIGS. 1 to 4 corresponds to the oblong known prior art, so that further explanations are not required.

The clamping rail 12 is suspended from the bracket 11 by means of a tension bearing 20, which is formed by two mutually engaging edges 21 and 22 of the bracket 11 and the clamping rail 12. A clamping drive 23 is supported on the upper cheek 4 and acts on the clamping rail 12 at a distance from its clamping area 14. In this respect, the clamping rail 12 is designed as a rocker due to the arrangement of the tension bearing 20 between the receptacle 15 for the clamping section 10 of the upper cheek tool 8 and the clamping drive 23.

The clamping drive 23 comprises four eccentric shafts 24, which are each mounted in two bearing plates 25, which are welded to the rear wall 26 and the bracket 11 of the upper beam 4. The four eccentric shafts 24 can be rotated along a common axis 27 which is parallel to the pivot axis 5 of the bending beam 6. Each eccentric shaft 24 has two eccentric members 28 in the form of two pin-shaped eccentric projections 29 arranged at the ends. Their circumferential contour lies within the circumferential contour of the eccentric shafts between the eccentric approaches, so that the eccentric shafts can be inserted axially into the corresponding bearing bores of the bearing areas 25 without any problems. A cuboid pressure piece 30 is rotatably mounted on each eccentric shoulder 29 and secured there by means of a locking ring 31.

In each of the pressure pieces 30, two adjusting screws 32 designed as grub screws are screwed into corresponding threaded bores. These adjusting screws can be used to adjust sliding pieces 60 made of brass, which are displaceably guided in the associated bores of the pressing pieces 30 and press onto the clamping rail 12. len. The adjusting screws 32 are adjustable from above through the respectively assigned bore 33 and allow the clamping device to be adjusted while compensating for possible manufacturing tolerances of the individual components of the upper beam 4.

The four eccentric shafts 24 are connected to one another and synchronized via a coupling device 34 in the form of a coupling and actuation bracket 35. The coupling and actuating bracket 35 can be attached laterally to the eccentric shafts 24 and can be removed therefrom by appropriate tubes 36 being attached to pins 37, which are firmly connected to the eccentric shafts 24. In order to fix the tool 8 on the upper cheek, the coupling and actuating bracket 35 is pivoted up from its horizontal position C into its vertical position D (bearing E). The position of the coupling and actuating bracket 35 in its two end positions is defined by stops 61.

While the clamp drive 23 in the swivel bending machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 is of purely mechanical design, the clamp drive can also be seen to comprise at least one electromechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic drive element, as is exemplarily illustrated in some of FIGS. 5 to 11 of the drawing ,

5, the clamping drive 23 comprises a hose 38 which is inserted in a recess 39 in the bracket 11 and can be acted upon by a (gaseous or liquid) pressure medium. To this extent, the clamping device is also assigned a pump or a compressor for the pressure medium. A particular advantage of such a design of the clamping device can be seen in the fact that the clamping force can be introduced uniformly over the entire extent of the clamping rail 12. The seesaw-like suspension the clamping rail 12 on the bracket 11 of the upper cheek via the tension bearing 20 is illustrated in FIG. 5 by the double arrow A.

FIG. 5 further illustrates the possibility of providing a supplementary locking device 40 with a spring-loaded ball 41 on the sub-tools 9 of the upper cheek tool 8, which can engage in assigned recesses in the bracket 11. This facilitates the correct placement of the part tools.

The embodiment according to FIG. 6 differs from that according to FIG. 5 essentially by a different design of the tension bearing 20. This is formed by a series of adjusting screws 42 which can be screwed into corresponding threaded holes 43 in the bracket 11 and on the heads 44 of which the Clamping rail 12 is suspended via corresponding stepped bores 45, the stepped bores 45 and the adjusting screws 42 being matched to one another in terms of their dimensions such that a rocking movement (double arrow A) of the clamping rail 12 is possible.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, the clamping drive 23 comprises a series of piston elements 46, which are displaceably guided along the axis 48 in corresponding cylinders 47 machined into the bracket 11. The piston elements 46 can be acted upon by a (gaseous or liquid) pressure medium which is present in the working space 49 with a corresponding pressure.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9, the clamping drive 23 comprises a plurality of eccentric rollers 50 which are each rotatably mounted in the bracket 11 about an axis 51 which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the machine. The individual eccentric rollers 50 are via a coupling device 34 in the form of a pull rod 52 and one each with an eccentric roller 50 connected lever 53 synchronized with each other and coupled.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 and 11, the clamping drive 23 comprises a plurality of spindles 54 which can be screwed along the axes 55 into threaded bores 56 which are provided in the bracket 11. The spindles are rotatably mounted in corresponding bearing bushes 57, which are accommodated in the bracket 11. A gear wheel 58 is fixedly connected to each spindle 54. A rack 59 meshes with the gears 58, so that by moving the rack 59 in the longitudinal direction of the machine (double arrow B) the spindles 54 are clamped downwards against the clamping rail 12 or are lifted upwards from the latter.

If, as has already been mentioned above, the clamping rail 12 is divided into several segments, the clamping drive can also be divided accordingly within the scope of the present invention, so that each segment of the clamping rail is assigned an independently operable clamping drive.

Claims

Expectations

1. folding machine for bending or bending workpieces, comprising a machine frame (1), a lower beam arranged thereon (2), a parallel to the lower beam and with respect to this upper and lower beam (4) and one parallel to the extension of the upper beam and the lower cheek axis (5) pivotable bending cheek (6), the upper cheek is associated with a fixation of at least one upper cheek tool (8) on the upper cheek clamping device (7), which comprises a clamping rail (12) with a clamping area (14) , characterized in that at least one clamping drive (23) is provided which is supported on the upper cheek (4) and acts on the clamping rail (12) distant from the clamping region (14) thereof, the clamping rail being rocker-shaped by moving between the Clamping area and the area of force application of the at least one clamping drive is supported on the upper beam via tension bearings (20).

2. folding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the tension bearings (20) are designed as adjusting screws (42).

3. folding machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the clamping drive (23) comprises at least one on the upper cheek (4) rotatably mounted eccentric shaft (24) with at least one eccentric member (28), the at least one eccentric member directly or indirectly acts on the clamping rail (12).

4. folding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of eccentric shafts (24) with a common axis of rotation (27) are provided.

5. folding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the eccentric shafts (24) via a coupling device (34) are interconnected and synchronized.

6. folding machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling device (34) comprises a laterally on the eccentric shafts (24) attachable and removable from this coupling and actuating bracket (35).

7. Swivel bending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the axis of rotation (27) of the at least one eccentric shaft (24) runs parallel to the swivel axis (5) of the bending cheek (6).

8. folding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that each eccentric shaft (24) has two eccentric members (28) arranged at the ends and two bearing areas arranged adjacent to the two eccentric members.

9. folding machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the eccentric members (28) are designed as peg-shaped eccentric approaches (29), the circumferential contour within the. Circumferential contour of the storage areas runs.

10. folding machine according to claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that the eccentric members (28) each act via a rotatably mounted on them pressure piece (30) on the clamping rail (12).

11. folding machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the pressure pieces (30) comprise adjusting screws (32) which act on the clamping rail (12) adjacent sliding pieces (60).

12. folding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping drive (23) comprises a hose (38) which is inserted in a recess (39) of the bracket (11) and can be acted upon with a pressure medium.

13. folding machine according to claim 1, characterized ,. that the clamping drive (23) comprises a series of piston elements (46) which can be pressurized and which are displaceably guided in corresponding cylinders (47).

14. folding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping drive (23) comprises a plurality of eccentric rollers (50) which are rotatably mounted in the upper cheek (4) in each case about an axis (51) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the machine.

15. folding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping drive (23) a plurality of spindles (54) which can be screwed into threaded bores (56) provided in the upper cheek (4).

16. folding machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping drive (23) comprises at least one electromechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic drive element.

17. folding machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping rail (12) comprises a plurality of independently clampable segments.

18. A folding machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower beam (2) is assigned a lower beam clamping device which serves to fix at least one lower beam tool (10) on the lower beam and which comprises a lower beam clamping rail (16) with a clamping area, wherein a lower beam clamping drive is provided, which is supported on the lower beam and acts on the lower beam clamping rail away from the clamping area thereof, the lower beam clamping rail being designed in a rocker-shaped manner by moving between the clamping area and the area of force application of the at least one lower beam Clamp drive is supported on the lower beam via a tension bearing.

19. folding machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bending beam (6) is assigned to the fixing of at least one bending beam tool (19) serving on the bending beam bending beam clamping device, which comprises a bending beam clamping rail (18) with a clamping area, a bending beam clamping drive being provided on the Supports the bending beam and acts on the bending beam clamping rail at a distance from its clamping area, the bending beam clamping rail being designed in a rocker-shaped manner by being supported on the bending beam between the clamping area and the area of force application of the at least one bending beam clamping drive via tension bearings.