EP4110536A1

EP4110536A1 - Ring rolling machine having device for ring manipulation

Info

Publication number: EP4110536A1
Application number: EP21707936.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dennis Michl; Alexander Neumann; Andreas Brenner
Original assignee: SMS Group GmbH
Current assignee: SMS Group GmbH
Priority date: 2020-02-25
Filing date: 2021-02-23
Publication date: 2023-01-04
Also published as: DE102020202406B3; CN115151355A; KR20220133278A; JP2023515157A; US20230101959A1; WO2021170550A1

Abstract

A machine (1) for rolling rings, comprising: a rolling device (10) with a main roll (11) and at least one idler roll (13a) onto which a ring can be loaded, the rolling device (10) being designed to roll the ring, with the idler roll (13a) impacting an interior face of the ring and the main roll (11) impacting an exterior face of the ring; and a manipulator (20) comprising at least one robot (21) designed to manipulate the ring, comprising loading the ring onto the idler roll (13a) and/or unloading the ring from the idler roll (13a).

Description

Ring rolling mill with device for ring manipulation

Technical area

The invention relates to a device for rolling rings, which has a rolling device with a main roller and at least one mandrel roller and a manipulating device which is set up to manipulate the ring, including, for example, placing the ring on the mandrel roller and / or removing the ring from the mandrel roller.

Background of the invention

Among the devices for rolling rings, so-called “multi-mandrel ring rolling mills” are known which have a main roller rotatably mounted about a main roller axis and a mandrel roller table rotatable about a table axis. Several rolling stations, each with a mandrel roller, are usually arranged on the mandrel roller table. The main roller axis and the table axis run parallel, but offset from one another, whereby the main axis is mounted eccentrically relative to the table axis.

A ring applied to the mandrel roller table in such a way that the mandrel roller passes through the ring is rolled while the mandrel roller table rotates. The rolling process itself takes place through the resulting roll gap between the main roll and the corresponding mandrel roll. As a result of the rotary movement of the mandrel roller table around the skin roller, the roller gap changes from a maximum to a minimum. As a result, the wall thickness of the workpiece, that is to say of an annular preform, is continuously reduced, as a result of which the diameter of the workpiece increases continuously. If several rolling stations are arranged on the mandrel roller table, multi-stage ring rolling can be implemented in the case of different mandrel roller profiles or mandrel roller diameters. For this purpose, the ring is pre-rolled on a first station and then gradually finish-rolled on one or more other stations.

A multi-mandrel ring rolling mill of the type set out above is described, for example, in EP 2 933 037 A1. Further multi-mandrel ring rolling mills are known from DE 1 098481 A and DE 1 602661 A.

The loading of the ring rolling mill with a workpiece, possibly the positioning of the same and the removal of the finished-rolled workpiece are usually done manually, but in some cases already automated or partially automated.

For example, the above-mentioned DE 1 098 481 A discloses a loading station and an unloading station which can carry out the loading and unloading of the workpiece as a function of the rotation of the roller table. However, each rolling station is equipped with identical mandrel rolls, i.e. multi-stage rolling with different mandrel roll configurations is not possible. Another disadvantage of the solution according to DE 1 098 481 A is the complex mechanical construction and the fact that the turntable has to be stopped to remove the end products. This is accompanied by a reduction in productivity.

In order to increase productivity, means for unloading, ie for removing the rolled rings, have been integrated into the rolling station in a further development. Here, the ring can be unloaded at the unloading point by a tilting movement. An unloading device engages the underside of the ring and lifts it off the mandrel roller. However, especially with profiled mandrel rolls the problem that the ring can get stuck causing the process to be interrupted and manual intervention necessary.

The above-mentioned DE 1 602661 A describes a modification of this method in which the roller table is raised horizontally to remove the ring. A pusher then pushes the ring off the table. A disadvantage of this solution, however, is that, as in DE 1 098 481 A, multi-stage rolling is not possible. Presentation of the invention

One object of the invention is to provide an improved device for rolling rings, in particular to simplify the manipulation of the rings and / or to make them more flexible.

The object is achieved with a device for rolling rings with the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments follow from the subclaims, the following presentation of the invention and the description of preferred exemplary embodiments.

The device for rolling rings according to the invention has a rolling device with a main roll and at least one mandrel roll. A ring to be rolled can be placed on the mandrel roll, the rolling device being set up to roll out the ring in that the mandrel roll acts on an inside of the ring and the main roll acts on an outside of the ring. In other words, the mandrel roller can be loaded with a ring, ie an annular preform, in such a way that the mandrel roller passes through the ring. The nip is located between the mandrel roller and the main roller, the main roller acting on the outer side of the ring or outer surface of the ring and the mandrel roller acting on the inner side of the ring or inner surface of the ring. It should be noted that the workpiece to be rolled in all its processing stages, ie both as a preform and in its finish-rolled form and in all intermediate steps, is mostly referred to herein as a “ring” for the sake of linguistic simplicity.

The device according to the invention further comprises a manipulation device with at least one robot which is set up to manipulate the ring, comprising the loading of the ring onto the mandrel roller and / or removal of the ring from the mandrel roller

The term “robot” or “industrial robot” is understood here to mean a programmable machine that is autonomously able to carry out one or more ring manipulations. "Manipulation" here does not mean the shaping by rolling, but rather the transport of the ring into the rolling device, ie the loading of one or more mandrel rolls with a ring, and / or out of the rolling device, ie the removal of the finish-rolled ring, and / or within the rolling device, ie the transfer of the ring from one rolling station to another rolling station. As the manipulation of one or more rings is taken over by the robot, a specially developed, mechanically complex construction for equipping the rolling device with rings and removing the rings can be dispensed with. The rings can be reliably manipulated, with deviations in terms of the shape and position of the rings being able to be handled independently by the robot, which means that downtimes of the device and manual interventions can be significantly reduced. The manipulation device manages without complex technical adjustments for different products, product types, pick-up points, delivery points, magazines and the like. Thus, the productivity of the apparatus as a whole can be increased. The rolling device preferably has a mandrel roller table rotatable about a table axis, the mandrel roller table comprising several (for example four) rolling stations, each with a rotatable mandrel roller. The main roller axis, i.e. the axis of rotation of the main roller, and the table axis preferably run parallel and are offset from one another in this case in such a way that the mandrel roller table with the mandrel rollers rotates eccentrically around the main roller Set the main roller and a corresponding mandrel roller. In this case, the rolling device has a design of the so-called multi-mandrel ring rolling mill, the manipulation device implemented by the robot in this case making it possible to manipulate the rings without stopping the turntable. In addition, the manipulation in the case of several rolling stations by means of the robot is considerably simplified and made more flexible.

The mandrel rolls are preferably mounted at an identical distance from the table axis of the mandrel roll table, so that the roll gap between the respective mandrel roll and the main roll changes periodically between a roll gap maximum and a roll gap minimum depending on the angle of rotation of the mandrel roll table.

The mandrel rolls of different rolling stations preferably have at least partially a different composition. For example, different diameters and / or different roller profiles can be implemented. In this way, multi-stage rolling can be implemented. The manipulation of the rings, in particular the transfer of a ring from one rolling station to another rolling station, is considerably simplified by the manipulation device implemented by means of the robot. For this reason, the robot is preferably set up to transfer a ring from a mandrel roll of one rolling station (within one and the same rolling device) to a mandrel roll of another rolling station. The robot is preferably set up to load a ring at a loading position of the mandrel roller of a rolling station and to remove the ring of the mandrel roller from the rolling station at an unloading position. The loading and unloading positions can be flexibly changed and adapted. The robot is preferably set up to remove the ring beforehand from a magazine for loading onto the mandrel roller and / or to feed the ring to a magazine after it has been removed from the mandrel roller. In the simplest case, the one or more magazines can be shelves. However, the term “magazine” also includes other means of providing the workpieces, ie of rings in the preform stage, and / or for removing or transporting the finished-rolled rings. For example, a magazine can be implemented by a container, a conveyor device, such as a conveyor belt, or in some other way, as long as the workpieces are taken over by the robot from a pick-up point and, after processing, to a delivery point from which the finished ring can be transported away. can be submitted.

The robot preferably comprises a gripping device which is set up to grip at least one ring and to carry out the corresponding manipulation, as well as at least one movable robot arm, preferably pivotable about one or more axes of rotation, on which the gripping device is attached. The gripping device, ie the effector, of the robot accordingly has one or more gripping means in order to ensure that the rings are reliably picked up and released. The gripping means can be designed to be movable (for example, displaceable, pivotable, etc.), tong-like or also rigid, provided that the necessary manipulations can be carried out safely are. If the manipulation includes the loading and unloading of the rolling device with a ring, a corresponding tong or gripping device concept can simultaneously create the possibility of picking up a preform from another transfer point and loading the rolling station that has become free.

Several different, for example product-specific, gripping devices are preferably provided. Such a set of gripping devices can be stored in a magazine. The robot is preferably set up to change the gripping device automatically and independently, for example when changing products and / or tools. In this way, the rolling device can be made more flexible, so that it can be used for different ring types, dimensions, materials and the like without significant changeover times.

The robot is preferably also set up to carry out a tool change in the rolling device. In particular, the robot can be provided for an exchange of one or more of the mandrel rollers, for example with the help of a special gripping device that allows one or more of the mandrel rollers to be replaced automatically or to equip the rolling stations with the required mandrel rollers when a product is changed. The mandrel rolls that are not required can be stored in a mandrel roll store, preferably automated by the robot. In this way, unproductive non-productive times, for example in the event of a technical failure or a product change, can be significantly reduced.

The robot is preferably an industrial robot, as a result of which the installation and programming of the robot for the specific tasks relating to the rolling device can be carried out in a simple manner. For this purpose, the robot is preferably also equipped with one or more sensors, for example cameras. Further advantages and features of the present invention can be seen from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments. The features described there can be implemented alone or in combination with one or more of the features set out above, provided the features do not contradict one another. The following description of the preferred exemplary embodiments is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief description of the figures

Preferred further exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figure. It shows: FIG. 1 a device for rolling rings of the multi-mandrel table design with a manipulating device implemented by a robot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS In the following, preferred exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the figure.

FIG. 1 shows a device 1 for rolling rings. The workpieces themselves, i.e. the rings in the various processing stages, are not shown in the figure for the sake of clarity.

The device 1 is preferably implemented in a multi-mandrel table design, in which a main roller cooperates with several mandrel rollers integrated in a rotatable table. In this case, the device 1 is also referred to as a “table ring rolling mill”, “multi-mandrel ring rolling mill” or “multi-mandrel table ring rolling mill”. The device 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a rolling device 10 and a manipulating device 20. The rolling device 10 comprises a main roller 11, which can be rotated about a main roller axis, and a mandrel roller table 12 which can be rotated about a table axis. In other words, a plurality of rotatably mounted mandrel rollers 13a are located on the mandrel roller table 12 or at least partially integrated therein.

The main roller axis and the table axis are not shown in Figure 1 for the sake of clarity, but they are offset from one another so that the mandrel roller table 12 with the mandrel rollers 13a eccentrically around the

The main roller 11 rotates, whereby, depending on the angle of rotation of the mandrel roller table 12, different dimensions of the roller gap between the main roller 11 and a corresponding mandrel roller 13a are set. The main roller 11 and the mandrel roller table 12 preferably rotate in the same direction. The actuators, for example one or more electric motors, to the

The main roller 11, the mandrel roller table 12 and possibly the mandrel rollers 13a to be set in rotation are located below the mandrel roller table 12, but are covered in FIG. 1 by a housing section. The mandrel rolls 13a are mounted at a certain distance from the table axis of the mandrel roll table 12, so that the above-mentioned roll gap between the respective mandrel roll 13a and the main roll 11 changes periodically between a roll gap maximum and a roll gap minimum depending on the angle of rotation of the mandrel roll table 12. The distance between the respective mandrel roller 13a and the table axis is preferably adjustable, for example in the range of ± 25 mm. The several rolling stations 13 of the mandrel roller table 12 are particularly preferably designed for multi-stage rolling, ie the nature of the mandrel rollers 13a of the various rolling stations 13 differs. In the simplest case, the diameter of the mandrel rolls 13a can differ in this regard, whereby different roll gap minima can be formed depending on the station and the ring can thereby be gradually brought into its desired final shape. In this way, particularly thin-walled rings can be produced in a manner that is gentle on the material and yet efficient. Alternatively or additionally, mandrel rollers 13a with different profiles can be used in order to structure the shape of the ring specifically in this way.

The mandrel roller table 12 can have further devices, such as relief means for reducing the forces acting on the mandrel rollers 13a, sensors for monitoring the rolling process and the like.

If an annular preform is placed on a mandrel roller 13a, it is rolled out with the rotation of the mandrel roller table 12 in the direction of rotation in the decreasing roll gap until the roll gap minimum is reached. With further rotation of the mandrel roller table 12, the roll gap widens again. In the case of single-stage rolling, the ring is finish-rolled after passing through the minimum roll gap and can then be removed from the corresponding mandrel roll 13a. In the case of multi-stage rolling, after such a rolling pass of a mandrel roll 13a, the ring is fed to another rolling station 13, and the above process is repeated until the ring has been finish-rolled after having passed through all of the required rolling stations 13 (at least two rolling stations 13).

It should be noted that the workpiece to be rolled in all its processing stages, ie both as a preform and in its finish-rolled Form as well as in all intermediate steps, for the sake of linguistic simplicity, is usually referred to here as a "ring".

According to the description above, the ring is subjected to several manipulations during the rolling process, including the abandonment, removal and any transfer of the ring from one rolling station 13 to another. “Manipulation” here does not mean the shaping by the rolling, but rather the transport of the ring into the rolling device 10, out of the rolling device 10 and possibly within the rolling device 10.

Such a manipulation of the ring is carried out by the manipulation device 20. For this purpose, this includes at least one robot 21, preferably an industrial robot, or is implemented by such a robot. Two or more robots 21 can also be provided, for example in the case of high cycle times which are difficult or impossible to implement with only one robot 21.

The robot 21 is set up to load a ring at a loading position of the mandrel roller 13a of a rolling station 13 and to remove the ring of the mandrel roller 13a from the rolling station 13 at an unloading position. For this purpose, the ring in the preform stage can be removed from a magazine 30 and fed to such a magazine after the rolling process has ended. In the simplest case, the one or more magazines 30 can be trays. However, the term “magazine” also includes other means of providing the workpieces, ie of rings in the preform stage, and / or for removing or transporting the finished-rolled rings. Thus, a magazine 30 can be implemented, for example, by a container, a conveying device, such as a conveyor belt, or in some other way, as long as the workpieces are taken over by the robot 21 from a pick-up point and after the processing to a delivery point, from which the finished ring can be transported away.

The robot 21 is particularly preferably also set up to transfer a ring from a rolling station 13 within the rolling device 10 to another rolling station 13. In this case, the robot 21 can remove the ring from a mandrel roller 13a of a first rolling station 13 and give it to a mandrel roller 13a of a second rolling station 13. The first and second rolling stations 13 can, but do not necessarily have to be, adjacent rolling stations 13. Depending on the number of rolling stations 13 to be passed through, this procedure can be expanded to include a third, fourth, etc. rolling station 13. In this way, multi-stage rolling can be implemented, with all manipulations of the ring being able to be carried out with only a single manipulating device 20. Of course, however, several manipulating devices 20 with a total of several robots 21 can also be used, if necessary.

The robot 21 has a gripping device 21a which is set up to grasp at least one ring and to carry out the corresponding manipulation. For this purpose, the gripping device 21a has one or more gripping means in order to ensure that the rings are picked up and released safely. The gripping means can be designed to be movable (for example, displaceable, pivotable, etc.), tong-like or also rigid, provided that the necessary manipulations can be carried out safely. If the manipulation includes loading and unloading of the rolling device with a ring, the

Possibility to be created, one preform from another

Pick up the transfer point and load the rolling station 13 that has become free.

In order to be able to use the robot 21 to manipulate different ring products, several gripping devices 21a, which can be designed specifically for the product, are preferably provided. These can be in a The magazine can be stored and automatically exchanged, ie picked up and released, automatically by the robot 21 when a product is changed. With such a set of different gripping devices 21a, both the manipulability of the rings and the applicability of the rolling device 10 are made more flexible.

The robot 21 further comprises at least one robot arm 21b to which the gripping device 21a is attached. The gripping device 21a is preferably pivotable about one or more axes relative to the robot arm 21b. According to a further embodiment, the robot 21 is also set up to carry out a tool change of the rolling device 10. In particular, the robot 21 can be equipped with a special gripping device 21a for replacing the mandrel rollers 13a, which allows one or more of the mandrel rollers 13a to be exchanged automatically or to equip the rolling stations 13 with the mandrel rollers 13a required for a product change. The mandrel rollers 13a that are not required can be stored in a mandrel roller store, preferably automated by the robot 21. In this way, unproductive non-productive times, for example in the event of a technical failure or a product change, can be significantly reduced.

As far as applicable, all of the individual features set out in the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and / or exchanged without departing from the scope of the invention. List of reference symbols

I device for rolling rings 10 rolling device

I I main roller 12 mandrel roller table

13 Rolling station 13a mandrel roller

20 manipulation device

21 Robot 21a gripping device

21b robot arm 30 magazine

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for rolling rings, comprising: a rolling device (10) with a main roll (11) and at least one mandrel roll (13a) onto which a ring can be placed, the rolling device (10) being set up to rolling out the ring by the mandrel roller (13a) acting on an inside of the ring and the main roller (11) acting on an outside of the ring; and a manipulating device (20) with at least one robot (21), which is set up to manipulate the ring, comprising loading the ring onto the mandrel roller (13a) and / or removing the ring from the mandrel roller (13a).

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the

The main roller (11) is rotatable about a main roller axis and the rolling device (10) furthermore is rotatable about a table axis

Has mandrel roller table (12), the mandrel roller table (12) having several

Rolling stations (13) each comprising a mandrel roller (13a), and the main roller axis and the table axis run parallel and are offset from one another in such a way that the mandrel roller table (12) with the mandrel rollers (13a) revolves eccentrically around the main roller (11), whereby depending on the angle of rotation of the mandrel roller table (12) set different dimensions of the roll gap between the main roller (11) and a corresponding mandrel roller (13a).

3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the

Mandrel rolls (13a) of different rolling stations (13) at least partially one have different properties, preferably different diameters and / or different roller profiles, in order to realize multi-stage rolling.

4. Device (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the

Robot (21) is set up to transfer the ring from a mandrel roll (13a) of one rolling station (13) to a mandrel roll (13a) of another rolling station (13).

5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot (21) is set up to give up the ring at a loading position of the mandrel roller (13a) of a rolling station (13) and the ring of the mandrel roller (13a) The rolling station (13) can be found at an unloading position.

6. Device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the robot (21) is set up to remove the ring for the task on the mandrel roller (13a) beforehand from a magazine (30) and / or the ring after the removal of to feed the mandrel roller (13a) to a magazine (30).

7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot (21) has a gripping device (21a) which is set up to grip at least one ring and to carry out the corresponding manipulation, as well as at least one movable, preferably to has one or more axes of rotation pivotable robot arm (21b) on which the gripping device (21a) is attached.

8. The device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that several different, preferably product-specific, gripping devices (21a) are provided, preferably stored in a magazine, the Robot (21) is set up to change the gripping device (21a) automatically and independently.

9. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot (21) is further set up to change the tool

Rolling device (10), preferably to replace one or more of the mandrel rollers (13a).

10. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot (21) is an industrial robot.