EP3771503A1 - Bending device - Google Patents

Abstract

[The invention relates to a tube bending device (D) which comprises at least one bending roller (200) mounted to be movable in rotation with respect to a frame (B) and at least one eraser (500). This device is remarkable in that it comprises a plate (300) fitted out: - reception surfaces to accommodate, support and position said eraser (500) which is attached to it, - a fixing means said frame (B), - guide surfaces in a pivot connection for said roller (200).

Description

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of tube bending and in particular to adaptations making it possible to optimize the bending operation.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

A tube bending machine conventionally comprises a bending roller as well as a crease eraser.

By means of movable jaws, the tube placed in the bending machine is wound around the bending roller.

• les tubes de faible épaisseur par rapport au diamètre du tube et/ou,
• des cintrages à petit rayon de courbure par rapport au diamètre du tube.

The function of the pleat eraser, also called the pleat eraser insert, is to avoid, by being in contact with the tube, the creation of folds on the lower surface of the hanger, in particular for difficult bends, that is to say for :

• thin tubes compared to the diameter of the tube and / or,
• bends with a small radius of curvature relative to the diameter of the tube.

This eraser is a fixed wear part which comes as close as possible to the bending roller which turns during the bending of the tube. The positioning of the pleat eraser relative to the bending roller must be very precise in order to operate effectively and above all not to cause the breakage of said pleat eraser which is very fragile.

Indeed, the latter is conventionally made of special materials allowing both the guiding and the sliding of the tube during deformation.

The eraser is mounted on an eraser support, usually attached to the bending head. This eraser holder has settings to adjust the position of the eraser relative to the bending roller.

A drawback of the bending operation lies in the adjustment of the position of the eraser relative to the roller. Indeed, this adjustment requires know-how and therefore one or more particularly qualified operators. In addition, the time required for this adjustment, which depends on said know-how, can be very long.

In addition, a bad adjustment can have for consequences the premature wear and / or the breakage of the eraser, fragile and expensive part.

For these reasons, changing the bending tool can therefore constitute a particularly long step that adversely affects the productivity of the bending operation.

When it associates on the same axis of the same bending head, several stacked bending rollers with which therefore cooperate several erasers, the tool is called multi-heights. It will be understood that in this configuration, for the same reasons as those mentioned above, the bending tools of the prior art are complex and not very rigid.

Thus, current bending devices are expensive and fragile.

For example, the document US7360385 describes a tube bending device of the type comprising at least one bending roller mounted movably in rotation with respect to a frame and at least one eraser. The design of this device increases the number of parts, presents problems of size and positioning accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Noting this, the applicant has carried out research in order to resolve the drawbacks of the bending devices of the prior art.

This research has resulted in the design and production of an innovative bending tool which offers a new relationship between the bending roller and the fold eraser associated with it, a configuration making it possible to resolve said drawbacks.

• de surfaces d'accueil pour accueillir, supporter et positionner ledit efface-plis qui vient s'y fixer,
• d'un moyen de fixation audit bâti,
• de surfaces de guidage selon une liaison pivot audit galet en étant préformée d'au moins un alésage permettant le guidage de la surface cylindrique d'une projection cylindrique coaxiale se projetant vers l'extérieur d'une des joues supérieure ou inférieure comprises par le galet.

According to the invention, the tube bending device comprises at least one bending roller mounted to be movable in rotation with respect to a frame and at least one eraser. This device is remarkable in that it comprises a fitted plate:

• reception surfaces to accommodate, support and position said eraser which attaches to it,
• a means of fixing to said frame,
• of guide surfaces in a pivot connection to said roller being preformed with at least one bore allowing the guidance of the cylindrical surface of a coaxial cylindrical projection projecting outwardly from one of the upper or lower cheeks included by the roller .

This characteristic is particularly advantageous in that it makes the pleat eraser and the bending roller integral, but free to rotate, which is particularly innovative. The roller and the eraser form a compact block.

Such a design eliminates the operation of adjusting the eraser with respect to the bending roller since these elements are positioned with respect to each other thanks to the plate. The adjustment is carried out once and the tool change does not disturb said adjustments since the roller and eraser assembly is changed. Indeed, by providing guide surfaces for implementing a pivot connection relative to the roller, the plate allows the positioning of the fold eraser that it accommodates relative to the axis of rotation of said roller.

Thus, by systematically associating each roller with an eraser pre-positioned relative to the axis of the roller, the tool change is much faster and the experience or know-how of the qualified operator who was previously here necessary, is no longer essential.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the device comprises an independent eraser interface which is inserted between the plate and the eraser. The presence of an interposed part can serve as a mechanical interface between the plate and the eraser, which allows finer adjustments. This interface therefore has the function of the eraser support known from the prior art but is in accordance with the invention, integral with the plate (and not the frame) which therefore positions it relative to the axis of rotation of the pebble.

According to another particular characteristic of the invention, said roller comprises an upper cheek and a lower cheek from one of which at least one coaxial cylindrical projection projects outwards, said plate being preformed with at least one bore allowing guiding the cylindrical surface of said projection.

It is understood that the plate of the invention can take different shapes. Among these, according to another particular characteristic of the invention, said roller comprises an upper cheek and a lower cheek from each of which project outwardly a coaxial cylindrical projection, said plate being composed of two half-plates. each preformed with a bore allowing the guiding of the cylindrical surface of said projection.

The roller is therefore retained between two half-plates which leave it free to rotate and which receive the ply eraser directly or via a ply eraser interface.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic, when several rollers are stacked, the two half-plates are shared by the stack of rollers and eraser. The cylindrical guide projections then equip only the lower cheek of the roller located at the bottom of the stack and the upper cheek of the roller located at the top of the stack. The device is then particularly compact and precise. It does not require the presence of an additional central shaft, the length of which would depend on the number of rollers to be stacked.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the eraser is in a pivot connection on the plate along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller allowing rotation of the eraser by a limited number of degrees. allowing the eraser to adapt to the stresses to which the tube is subjected.

When the device comprises an independent pleat eraser interface, the latter is in a pivot connection along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller allowing a rotation of the interface and therefore of the pleat eraser according to a limited number of degrees. .

The connection between the plate and the eraser interface or between the plate and the eraser can accommodate positioning adjustment means. It will nevertheless be understood that this adjustment is not equivalent to that known from the prior art since when the device of the invention is moved, the positioning adjustment does not have to be redone.

• de même rayon et avec des parties de serrage différents,
• de rayons différents,
• des outils de direction de cintrage différents (horaire et antihoraire).

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the cylindrical projections do not project beyond the outer surfaces of the half-plates. This compactness of the assemblies formed by the assembly of the bending roller and eraser elements makes it possible to facilitate the superposition of the tools. Thus, the device of the invention adopting such a configuration facilitates the superposition of tools:

• of the same radius and with different clamping parts,
• of different radii,
• different bending direction tools (clockwise and counterclockwise).

By accommodating the device or devices according to the invention, the design of the tooling is facilitated. It is the same for its installation.

According to another particular characteristic of the invention, said cylindrical surface of the cylindrical projection is preformed with a groove coming opposite a corresponding groove preformed in the cylindrical surface of the guide bore, a plurality of balls interposed between the grooves in order to guide in rotation.

The creation of a ball bearing for the purpose of guiding the rotation makes it possible to take better account of the constraints of the bending and guarantees good guidance and therefore good positioning of the eraser during the entire bending.

The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been explained above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the following description and with reference to the accompanying drawings, giving by way of nonlimiting examples of embodiments of a bending device according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• [ Fig. 1 ] is a schematic drawing of an exterior perspective top view of a bending head accommodating an embodiment of a bending device according to the invention;
• [ Fig. 2 ] is a schematic drawing of the bending head of the figure 1 starting the bending;
• [ Fig. 3 ] is a schematic drawing of an exterior perspective top view of a bending head stacking several rollers operating in the same bending direction;
• [ Fig. 4 ] is a schematic drawing of an exterior perspective top view of a bending head for bending in the opposite direction to that implemented by the bending head of the figure 1 ;
• [ Fig. 5 ] is a schematic drawing of an exterior perspective top view of a bending head stacking two rollers operating in the opposite direction of bending;
• [ Fig. 6 ] is a schematic drawing of a more detailed exterior perspective top view of the single bending device installed in the bending head of the figure 1 ;
• [ Fig. 7 ] is a schematic drawing of an exterior perspective top view of the bending device of the figure 6 in an angular position corresponding to the start of the bending;
• [ Fig. 8 ] is a schematic drawing of an exploded exterior perspective top view of the bending device of the figure 6 ;
• [ Fig. 9 ] is a schematic drawing of an external perspective top view of another embodiment of a bending device according to the invention,
• [ Fig. 10 ] is a schematic drawing of an external perspective top view of another embodiment of a bending device according to the invention,
• [ Fig. 11 ] is a schematic drawing of an exploded exterior perspective top view of the bending device of the figure 10 .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated by figures 1 and 2 , the bending head comprises a frame B relative to which a bending arm 100 provided with movable jaws 110 according to the arrow F1 around a shaft 120 pivots. On this shaft 120 is mounted a bending device referenced D comprising a roller bending 200 associated by means of a plate or yoke 300 to an eraser (which does not appear in these figures).

The plate 300 is fixed in rotation to the frame B by the key 400.

The rolling surface of the roller 200 is equipped with a jaw 210 opposite which the movable jaw 110 of the bending arm 100 faces each other. The end of the tube to be bent (not illustrated) fits between these jaws 110 and 210 before bending, which jaws are tightened (arrow F2) and the rotation according to the arrow F1 around the roller 200 starts as illustrated by the figure 2 .

As illustrated by figures 6 , 7 and 8 , the tube bending device referenced D as a whole comprises at least one bending roller 200 mounted movably in rotation and a fold eraser 500 associated with a fold eraser interface 600. According to the invention, it further comprises a fixed plate 300 composed of two identical half-plates 310 and 320 arranged one above the other so as to form a guide bearing for the roller 200 as well as a reception surface for receiving, supporting and positioning the fold eraser interface 600 which itself accommodates the fold eraser 500. As explained above, the roller 200 is guided in rotation around the fixed shaft 120. Thus, the guide bearing of the plate 300 has the function to allow precise positioning of the receiving surfaces of the eraser interface 600 relative to the axis of rotation of roller 200 without hindering the rotation of said roller 200.

According to an embodiment not shown, said plate is made in a single part equivalent to a single half-plate, guiding the roller at the level of only one of its cheeks.

The start of the rotation according to the arrow F1 of the roller 200 is illustrated by the drawing of the figure 7 where the jaw 210 associated with said roller 200 moves away from the eraser 500 gradually replaced by the groove 220 occupying the rest of the rolling surface of said roller 200.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the eraser interface 600 and therefore the eraser 500 are pivotally mounted (arrow F3) relative to the plate 300 along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller 200 and according to a limited number of degrees in order to leave an angular beating allowing an adaptation of the eraser 500 to the stresses to which it is subjected during the bending.

In more detail, as illustrated by figure 8 , the two half-plates 310 and 320 are identical and arranged one above the other, sandwiching the roller 200 and the eraser-fold interface 600.

• d'un grand trou central 311 et 321,
• d'un petit trou latéral 312, 321,
• d'une encoche 313, 323.

For this, each half-plate 310 and 320 consists of a flat sheet cut to be provided:

• a large central hole 311 and 321,
• a small side hole 312, 321,
• a notch 313, 323.

The large central hole 311 and 321 is used for receiving, guiding and retaining the roller 200.

The small side hole 312 and 322 is used to receive, guide and retain the eraser interface 600.

The notch 313 and 323 is intended to cooperate with the key 400 fixed to the frame (cf. figure 1 ).

As illustrated, the fold eraser interface 600 is inserted between the facing inner faces of the half-plates 310 and 320 and receives the fold eraser 500. Cylindrical projections 610 from the erase interface Folds cooperate with the holes 312 and 322. The positioning of this eraser 500 relative to the roller 200 can therefore be very precise and positioned only once without the movement of the device disturbing it. A connecting spacer 330 is inserted between the two half-plates 310 and 320 to ensure the connection between the two while allowing the rotation of the eraser interface 600 and of the roller 200. This spacer 330 is preformed to take up the profile of the notches 313 and 323 and also cooperates in the connection with the key 400.

Said roller 200 comprises an upper cheek 230 and a lower cheek 240 from each of which project outwardly a coaxial cylindrical projection (only 231 appears due to the point of view).

These cylindrical projections will cooperate with the cylindrical surfaces of the holes 311 and 321 formed in the half-plates 310 and 320 for the purpose of guiding and retaining the roller 200.

As shown in the drawing of the figure 6 , once the device D is mounted, the cylindrical projections (only 231 appears) do not project beyond the outer surfaces of the half-plates 310 and 320. This feature facilitates the stacking of the devices in order to create multi-bending tools. - simple, inexpensive and rigid heights. An example of such a tool is illustrated by the figure 3 where above device D is stacked coaxially a device D 'of smaller roller diameter. Another example of such a tool is illustrated by the figure 5 where above a first device D is coaxially stacked another device D turned over to operate in the opposite direction of rotation with respect to the first.

It will thus be understood that such a configuration favors the use of the same device in the opposite direction of bending: it suffices in fact to turn the device D upside down as illustrated by figure 4 . Since the eraser always remains associated with the roller, it is no longer necessary to review its position adjustment.

According to a not illustrated embodiment, said cylindrical surface of the cylindrical projection (only 231 appears) is preformed with a groove coming opposite a corresponding groove preformed in the cylindrical surface of the guide bore ( 311 and 321), a plurality of balls (not shown) being inserted between the grooves in order to guide in rotation.

The figure 9 illustrates another embodiment of the bending device D "where the eraser interface 600" is retained by two fixing points on the plate 300 "and therefore does not provide degrees of freedom for the positioning of the eraser. 500 "folds.

The figures 10 and 11 illustrate one embodiment of a stacked configuration. The design of the device of the invention makes this configuration particularly compact. In this device D3, two rollers 710 and 720 are stacked. Only the upper cheek of the upper roller 720 and the lower cheek of the lower roller are preformed with a cylindrical projection for guidance purposes (for design reasons, only the projection 721 of the roller 720 appears). The upper cheeks of the lower roller 710 and the lower cheeks of the upper roller 720 merge. Consequently, only two half-plates 810 and 820 are necessary despite the doubling of the rollers.

As illustrated, a plurality of elements are pooled in this stacked configuration.

Thus, two erasers 910 and 920 (one intended for each roller) are necessary but a single erasers interface 930 ensures their fixing and their positioning relative to the roller with which it cooperates. This eraser interface 910 is linked to the upper half-plate 810 and to the lower half-plate 820. Likewise, a single connecting spacer 830 is implemented.

It will be understood that the bending devices which have just been described and represented above have been for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements can be made to the above examples, without however departing from the scope of the invention. It will thus be understood that despite the fact that the illustrated embodiments illustrate the presence of a fold eraser interface, the plate can very well directly accommodate the fold eraser without an intermediate part in accordance with the invention.

Claims (8)

[Tube bending device (D) comprising at least one bending roller (200) mounted movably in rotation with respect to a frame (B) and at least one eraser (500), CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises a plate (300) fitted out: - reception surfaces to accommodate, support and position said eraser (500) which is attached to it, - a means of fixing to said frame (B), - of guide surfaces according to a pivot connection for said roller (200), being preformed with at least one bore (311) allowing the guidance of the cylindrical surface of a coaxial cylindrical projection (231) projecting outwardly one of the upper (230) or lower (240) cheeks included by the roller (200). Device (D) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises an independent eraser interface (600) which is inserted between the plate (300) and the eraser (500). Device (D) according to claim 1 or claim 2, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said roller (200) comprises an upper cheek (230) and a lower cheek (240) from each of which project outwardly a projection coaxial cylindrical (231), said plate (300) being composed of two half-plates (310, 320) each preformed with a bore (321 and 321) allowing the guiding of the cylindrical surface of said projection (231). Device (D) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the fold eraser (500) is in a pivot connection on the plate (300) along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller (200) allowing rotation of the eraser (500) according to a limited number of degrees. Device (D) according to claim 1 or claim 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the cylindrical projections (231) do not project beyond the outer surfaces of the half-plates (310 and 320). Device (D) according to claim 1 or claim 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said cylindrical surface of the cylindrical projection is preformed with a groove facing a corresponding groove preformed in the cylindrical surface of the 'guide bore, a plurality of balls being inserted between the grooves in order to guide in rotation. Device (D) according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the eraser interface (600) is in a pivot connection on the plate (300) along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller (200) allowing a rotation of the eraser interface (600) by a limited number of degrees. Device (D3) according to claim 1 or claim 2, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT when several rollers are stacked, the two half-plates (810, 820) are shared by the stack of rollers (710, 720) and eraser (910, 920), the cylindrical guiding projections then equipping only the lower cheek of the roller located at the bottom of the stack and the upper cheek of the roller located at the top of the stack.

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