EP3636363A2 - Tool module for a progressive tool system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tool module for a progressive tool system, comprising a belt guide area for guiding a belt to be processed; an upper and a lower stamp holding area (104) for holding a plurality of forming modules (108) with a plurality of stamp holding claws (106), each of which has an interface; upper and lower punch guide areas (110) for guiding the plurality of forming modules (108); and a plurality of forming modules (108), each of which is held at its interface by a stamp-holding claw (106) and are guided by the stamp-guiding region (110). The respective interfaces of all punch-holding claws (106) are identical to one another; and the forming modules (108) each comprise a coupling rod and a tool active part, each of the coupling rods on the one hand having a counter element for engaging with the interface of one of the punch holding claws (106) and on the other hand also having an interface, each of the tool active parts also having a counter element for engaging with the interface of one of the coupling rods.

Description

The present invention relates to a tool module for a progressive tool system, comprising a band guide area for guiding a band to be processed, an upper and a lower punch holding area for holding forming modules with a plurality of punch holding claws, each of which has an interface, an upper and a lower punch guide area for guiding the plurality of forming modules, and a plurality of forming modules, which are each held at their interface by a punch holding claw and are guided by the punch guide area.

It is known to use forming modules, also referred to as “punches”, in progressive composite tool systems, which, for example, hold or bend a strip to be processed. The tool modules, in which these forming modules are integrated, are highly specialized in previously known systems, so that a respective construction of such a tool module or a set-up thereof requires a high degree of effort, since the individual forming modules are individually fitted and integrated into the tool module which must then be installed in the follow-on composite tool system.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to further develop a generic tool module for a follow-on composite tool system in such a way that an increased degree of modularization is achieved and synergetic effects can be created both in the design of the forming modules and in their integration into the tool module enable assembly of the components used and simple replacement of them, thereby both in the manufacture and savings can be achieved when setting up such tool modules.

In order to achieve the stated object, the respective interfaces of all the punch holding claws are identical to one another in the tool module according to the invention, and the shaping modules each comprise a coupling rod and an active tool part, each of the coupling rods on the one hand being a counter element for engaging with the interface of one of the punch Holding claws and on the other hand also has an interface, each of the active tool parts also having a counter element for engagement with the interface of one of the coupling rods.

By creating a uniform interface for connecting several and in particular different forming modules to the punch holding claws in this way, the above-mentioned task of increased modularization can be achieved and not only all of the holding claws can be assembled (ie as so-called "normal parts") be designed, but also, for example, the coupling rods of different forming modules can be identical.

For example, it can be considered that the respective interfaces of a plurality of coupling rods, in particular of all coupling rods, are also identical. In this way, the coupling rods are standard parts that are interchangeable between the individual forming modules and can therefore be manufactured or purchased in large numbers to save manufacturing costs.

In this case, it can be considered, for example, that the interfaces of the stamp-holding claws and the interface of at least one of the coupling rods are also identical to one another.

As a particularly preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the interfaces of the punch holding claws and / or the interface of at least one of the coupling rods each have a cross section in the form of a segment of a circle, in particular a semicircle, and the counter elements of the coupling rods and / or the counter elements of the Tool active parts have the shape of a circular cylinder segment. By thus connecting at least one coupling rod to a corresponding stamp holding claw and / or from at least one of the active tool parts to a corresponding coupling rod in the form of a hinge joint, it is possible to offset laterally between the corresponding stamp holding claw and the associated active tool part to achieve, which can be particularly advantageous in configurations in which several active tool parts are relatively close to each other, whereby their respective connection can be spatially equalized via the assigned punch-holding claws.

In order to position the stamp-holding claws accordingly, the upper and lower stamp-holding areas can each comprise a holding plate for fixing the stamp-holding claws in terms of position and position, and a pressure plate for fixing the stamp-holding claws in terms of their height.

Here, the upper and the lower punch holding area can be made identical, which also applies to the upper and lower punch guide area.

Although any forming modules can be used in such progressive composite tool systems and thus in the tool modules according to the invention, these can be selected in particular from a group which comprises a forming module for piloting, a forming module for bending and a forming module for holding down, the forming module for Pilot a rigid coupling rod and a pilot pin as a tool active part, the forming module for bending comprises a rigid coupling rod and, for example, a swinging tool active part, and the forming module for holding down comprises an elastic coupling rod. Here, the oscillating active tool part is achieved by the connection with double hinge joints already described above, while the elastic coupling rod of the forming module can be carried out for holding down, for example, by a coil spring that runs along the extension of the coupling rod.

In particular, in cases where there is a lateral offset between the active tool part and the punch-holding claw, at least one of the punch-holding claws can be assigned an underlay element in order to adjust its height position. A height compensation for the lateral offset of the punch-holding claw and active tool part can thus be created with minimal design effort while maintaining the assembled coupling rods.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a progressive tool system, comprising a machine platform which has a plurality of pairs of attachment positions for a respective tool module on a machine plate, and a plurality of tool modules, in particular comprising one or more tool modules according to the invention described above Way, which are each attached to one of the pairs of attachment positions, wherein the attachment positions on the machine plate are set up identically and the tool modules are identical in at least one outer dimension.

While the provision of identical interfaces on all punch-holding claws of a tool module has already achieved modularization at a very low level of a follow-on composite tool system, the identical arrangement of the attachment positions also makes it possible a machine platform including the mechanical drives assigned to them as well as the identical external dimensions of the tool modules, a modularization on a higher construction level of a follow-on composite tool system was created, whereby the advantages of both aspects of the present invention can be easily combined by combining the two modularization options. By using the second aspect of the invention alone or in combination with the first aspect of the connection, the assembly of the tool modules enables a simple exchange between the tool modules and the use of standard parts as components, which results in that already described above This results in savings in terms of the costs of the components and also the time required to set up or set up the system.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least three pairs of mounting positions can be provided, which are equally spaced along an axis which runs through the center points of all pairs. Here, the distance between the pairs of mounting positions can be between 200 and 300 mm, in particular about 250 mm.

In principle, it is conceivable in this context, among other things, to arrange the attachment positions on two parallel straight lines or an arc, so that the respective pairs of attachment positions are each composed by an attachment position arranged on each of the parallel straight lines or on an upper and lower semicircle of the circular arc are.

In order to achieve modularization of the tool modules even in configurations in which the distances between the pairs of mounting positions are not the same, as in the example mentioned, they are arranged on a circular arc, each of the tool modules can be on its own The top and bottom of each include a plunger, which is set up to engage with one of the mounting positions for mounting the tool module, and which adjusts the overall height of the tool module to the distance between the corresponding pair of mounting positions. It is thus achieved through a suitable choice of a plunger that all sub-components of the corresponding tool modules can be formed in the same way, the height and length compensation between the different pairs of attachment positions being achieved solely by the design of the respective plunger.

In such or other conceivable configurations of the attachment positions, the stamp guide regions and / or the stamp holding regions of at least two of the tool modules, preferably of all tool modules, can be constructed identically and thus represent normal parts.

Finally, the attachment positions and the tool modules can be set up in such a way that the tool modules can each be attached or detached as a single assembly, as a result of which the tool modules can be easily mounted at their intended attachment position and the tool modules can be prepared externally for their installation.

Figuren 1a bis 1c

eine erfindungsgemäße Folgeverbund-Werkzeuganlage in abgerüstetem und gerüstetem Zustand sowie die während des Rüstens eingesetzten Werkzeugmodule in einer Einzelansicht; und

Figur 2

einige Beispiele von Umformmodulen, welche in den erfindungsgemäßen Werkzeugmodulen aus den Figuren 1a bis 1c einsetzbar sind.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments when considered together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail:

Figures 1a to 1c

a progressive composite tool system according to the invention in the disarmed and equipped state and during the tool modules used in a single view; and

Figure 2

some examples of forming modules, which in the tool modules according to the invention from the Figures 1a to 1c can be used.

The Figures 1a and 1b first show in front view a progressive composite tool system according to the invention, which is generally designated by reference number 10.

The system 10 in turn comprises a machine platform which comprises three pairs 14, 16 and 18 of attachment positions 14a and 14b, 16a and 16b and 18a and 18b on a machine plate 12 in a circular configuration. Here, the progressive tool system 10 in Figure 1a shown in a disarmed state, in which no tool modules are provided at the individual mounting positions 14a to 18b, and in FIG Figure 1b in an equipped state in which the three pairs of mounting positions 14, 16 and 18 are each assigned a tool module 100a, 100b and 100c, which are each mounted with their plungers 102a to 102c at the upper and lower attachment points.

This shows that, according to the invention, the distances between the individual pairs of attachment points 14, 16 and 18 are in each case the same, so that the tool modules 100a to 100c can be of the same width, in particular 250 mm, in addition by comparing them by providing a thicker plunger 102b the plungers 102a and 102c compensate for the difference in vertical distance between the middle pair 16 of attachment points and the outer pairs 14 and 18 of attachment points, respectively, so that the inner height h of each of the tool modules 100a to 100c as well as that Width b of the tool modules is identical. This is modularization of the tool modules 100a to 100c, which was not yet provided in previously known generic progressive tool systems and apparently enables a simplified exchange for easier setup of the system 10.

In Figure 1c are now in an enlarged view the tool modules 100a to 100c from the Figure 1b shown again. As already mentioned, these comprise respective upper and lower plungers 102a to 102c, the upper and lower plungers each having an identical structure in the embodiment shown here. The plungers 102a to 102c are also constructed in such a way that they have a counter-recess which is complementary to the design of the receiving points 14a to 18b, so that the individual tool modules 100a to 100c can be set up by sliding them from the front into the intended position of the corresponding tool module can take place. The fact that the tool modules 100a to 100c can be individually placed and removed in this way enables simplified setting up and dismantling of relatively small operating units, namely the individual tool modules 100a to 100c.

Since the tool modules 100a to 100c are basically constructed in the same way apart from the different design of their plungers 102a to 102c, only the right tool module 100a is described below by way of example. The upper and lower plungers 102a are adjoined by upper and lower stamp holding regions 104a and 104b, which comprise a holding plate and a pressure plate, by means of which a plurality of stamp holding claws 106 are fixed and positioned. These holding claws 106 are described below in connection with the Figure 2 be described again in more detail.

Forming modules 108 are in turn carried on the holding claws 106 and are further guided by a stamp guide area 110. By assembling the tool modules with regard to their inner height h and their width b, both the stamp holding regions 104 and the stamp guide regions 110 of all tool modules 100a, 100b and 100c can be of the same design.

Finally, the processing plane runs on the central axis in the horizontal direction, in which the individual forming modules 108 process, for example punch and bend, a strip to be processed, which is fed from a strip guide (not shown) according to the progressive bond principle.

In the Figure 2 some of the forming modules are now shown as examples, which can be provided in the respective tool modules 100a to 100c and in the Figures 1a to 1c can correspond to the tool modules 108. First is left in Figure 2 a forming module 112 for holding down is shown, by means of which the material to be processed can be clamped. Furthermore, in the middle Figure 2 a linearly oriented bending module 114 is shown, while on the right a staggered bending module 116 is shown.

The three forming modules 112, 114 and 116 are each constructed in such a way that they comprise a coupling rod 112a, 114a and 116a, which can be attached to an interface of a corresponding punch-holding claw 106 of one of the tool modules 100a to 100c. These interfaces and the corresponding counter-elements of the coupling rods 112a, 114a and 116a each form a hinge joint, so that, in particular in the case of the right bending module 116, the coupling rod 116a can be inclined.

Similarly, interfaces are again provided on the coupling rods 112a, 114a and 116a, via which the respective active tool parts 112b, 114b and 116b of the forming modules 112, 114 and 116 are then coupled to the coupling rods 112a, 114a and 116a, whereby also here, the formation of this coupling as a hinge joint allows the tool active part 116b to be aligned vertically, despite the inclined position of the coupling rod 116a.

Claims (15)

Tool module for a follow-on composite tool system, comprising: - A tape guide area for guiding a tape to be processed; - an upper and a lower punch holding area (104) for holding a plurality of forming modules (108) with a plurality of punch holding claws (106), each of which has an interface; - an upper and a lower punch guide area (110) for guiding the plurality of forming modules (108); and - a plurality of forming modules (108), each of which is held at its interface by a stamp-holding claw (106) and are guided by the stamp-guiding region (110); characterized in that
the respective interfaces of all punch-holding claws (106) are identical to one another; and
the forming modules (108) each comprise a coupling rod (112a, 114a, 116a) and a tool active part (112b, 114b, 116b), each of the coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a) on the one hand a counter element for engaging with the interface of one of the stamping Holding claws (106) and on the other hand also has an interface,
wherein each of the active tool parts (112b, 114b, 116b) also has a counter element for engagement with the interface of one of the coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a). Tool module according to claim 1,
characterized in that the respective interfaces of a plurality of coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a), in particular of all coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a), are also identical. Tool module according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that the interfaces of the stamp-holding claws (106) and the interface of at least one of the coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a) are also identical. Tool module according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the interfaces of the punch holding claws (106) and / or the interfaces of at least one of the coupling rods (112a, 114a, 116a) each have a cross section in the form of a segment of a circle, in particular a semicircle, and the counter elements of the coupling rods ( 112a, 114a, 116a) and / or the counter elements of the active tool parts (112b, 114b, 116b) have the shape of a circular cylinder segment. Tool module according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the upper and the lower stamp holding area (104) each comprise a holding plate for fixing the stamp holding claws (106) in terms of position and position, and a pressure plate for fixing the stamp holding claws (106) in terms of their height. Tool module according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the upper and lower punch guide areas (110) are identical. Tool module according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the forming modules (108) are selected from a group which comprises a forming module for piloting, a forming module for bending (114, 116) and a forming module for holding down (112),
wherein the forming module for piloting comprises a rigid coupling rod and a pilot pin as an active tool part,
the forming module for bending (114, 116) comprises a rigid coupling rod (114a, 116a) and, for example, an oscillating active tool part (116b), and
the forming module for holding down (112) comprises an elastic coupling rod (112a). Tool module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the punch holding claws (106) is assigned a support element in order to adjust its height position. Progressive composite tool system, comprising: - a machine platform, which has a plurality of pairs (14, 16, 18) of mounting positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b) for a respective tool module (100a, 100b, 100c) on a machine plate (12); and - A plurality of tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c), in particular comprising one or more tool modules according to one of the preceding claims, each of one of the pairs (14, 16, 18) of mounting positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a , 18b) are attached; wherein the mounting positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b) on the machine plate (12) are set up identically and the tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c) are identical in at least one outer dimension (b). Progressive composite tool system according to claim 9,
characterized in that at least three pairs (14, 16, 18) of mounting positions are provided which are equally spaced along an axis which runs through the center points of all pairs (14, 16, 18). Progressive composite tool system according to claim 10,
characterized in that the distance between the pairs (14, 16, 18) of mounting positions is in each case between 200 and 300 mm, in particular approximately 250 mm. Progressive composite tool system according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the mounting positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b) are arranged on two parallel straight lines or a circular arc. Progressive composite tool system according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that each of the tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c) comprises a plunger (102a, 102b, 102c) on its top and bottom, which is set up with a of the attachment positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b) for attaching the tool module (100a, 100b, 100c), and which the overall height of the tool module (100a, 100b, 100c) on the distance of the corresponding pair (14, 16, 18) from mounting positions. Progressive composite tool system according to one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the punch guide areas (110) and / or the punch holding areas (104) of at least two of the tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c), preferably of all tool modules (100a, 100b , 100c), have the same structure. Progressive composite tool system according to one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the attachment positions (14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b) and the tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c) are set up in such a way that the tool modules (100a, 100b, 100c) can each be attached as a single assembly or are degradable.

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