GB2086280A

GB2086280A - Sheet-forming machine

Info

Publication number: GB2086280A
Application number: GB8128979A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: WUKOVICH oHG PETER
Current assignee: WUKOVICH oHG PETER
Priority date: 1980-11-04
Filing date: 1981-09-24
Publication date: 1982-05-12
Also published as: GB2086280B; AT377206B; FR2493194A1; DE3041569A1; IT1139198B; IT8124327A0; ATA604480A; FR2493194B3

Abstract

A sheet-forming machine has a motor-driven main shaft 10 which is provided with a cam section, and is fixed at both ends in the side supports 21, 22 of a frame. A punching device, which consists of several punching tools 26 positioned so as to be vertically movable, is operated by the main shaft, and a sheet bending device 18 is arranged generally parallel to the punching device 14, the forming rolls 48, 49 of the bending device being rotatably mounted in the side supports 21, 22 above the main shaft 10 and being driven by the main shaft via a gear unit 16 and a disconnectable coupling. A groove- rolling device 20 is mounted on an extension and is also driven by the main shaft 10 via a disconnectable coupling. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sheet-forming machine This invention relates to a sheet-forming machine of the kind having a motor-driven main shaft which is provided with a cam and which is fixed at both ends in the side supports of a frame, the shaft driving a punching device which consists of several punching tools positioned so as to be vertically movable.

In sheet-forming, holes are usually punched by punching tools in sheet metal blanks and continuous sheet metal strips. Furthermore, the sheet metal blanks often have to be bent and folded or grooved to produce curves. Several machines are required for these operations, namely the above-mentioned punching device, and also a bending device consisting of forming rollers, which may be grooved, and a seam rolling device with two cooperating forming wheels to form seams or grooves in the sheet metal blanks.

Such devices are known.

The purchase of several machines, each to be used for only one operation, incurs high expenditure. The transport and installation of several machines, especially on building sites, is often beset with disadvantages.

The object of this invention, therefore, is to produce a sheet-forming machine of such a kind that the processes described above, namely punching and bending, can be carried out by a single machine. The new arrangement of punching and bending devices, according to the invention, should permit each operation to be carried out economically on a single machine.

According to the invention there is provided a sheet-forming machine having a motor-driven main shaft which is provided with a cam, and which is fixed at both ends in the side supports of a frame, a punching device operated by the shaft and comprising several punching tools positioned so as to be vertically movable, and a bending device arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the punching device, the forming rollers of the bending device being carried between the side supports above the main shaft and being driven by the main shaft via a gear unit and a disconnectable coupling.

The machine is distinguished by its simple construction. The punching device may be arranged in the frame below the main shaft and the bending device above the main shaft. This produces easy accessibility and a space-saving construction. The bending device may consist of two driven forming rollers, which may be grooved, and a feed roller for controlling the radius of curvature of the sheet metal blank. The lower forming roller is preferably vertically adjustable for controlling the clearance between the rollers to allow for various sheet thicknesses. The freely rotating feed roller can be adjusted in relation to the upper forming roller, in order to control the radius of curvature.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the bending device and punching device are both driven by the main shaft, which is driven by a driving motor via a gear unit, preferably a worm gear. On the opposite end of the main shaft there is a further gear unit with a disconnectable coupling for engaging and disengaging the driven forming rollers of the bending device. The bending device is accordingly only connected when necessary.

In order to be able to adjust the freely rotatable feed roller, its bearings are arranged so as to be movable in sliding guides fixed to the housing, and are each adjustable by means of a threaded spindle, these spindles being driven by a common shaft. Thereby this shaft is advantageously driven by a notched wheel gear unit. This has the advantage that the radius of curvature of the sheet metal blank to be bent can be dealt with in regular stages. Control of the radius of curvature is thereby facilitated.

Furthermore, the adjusting shaft has a coupling between the threaded spindles. By this means, sheet metal blanks can be bent conically. With the coupling engaged, the radius of curvature which the first end of the sheet metal blank should have is first adjusted on the notched wheel gear unit.

Both ends of the feed roller are therefore adjusted to this diameter. Subsequently the coupling is disconnected and, by means of the notched wheel gear unit, only the first end of the feed roller is put in a position which corresponds to a different radius of curvature for the other end of the sheet.

In this way the feed roller can be tilted and the sheet metal blank is bent into a conical shape.

Moreover, the first end of the upper forming roller, which is provided with a drive gear, is placed in a bearing block which is positioned so as to be rotatable about a pivot axis in the side support, whereby the other end of the roller can swing out from the corresponding side support of the frame. It is therefore possible to remove the curved piece of sheet metal by swinging out the grooved roller.

As an extension to the multi-purpose machine consisting of a punching device and a bending device, according to the invention a seam rolling device may be arranged on an extension of the main shaft, the cooperating wheels of this device being driven by the main shaft via a disconnectable coupling. The seam rolling device is therefore connected by actuating the coupling only when required.

According to the invention, the devices and motors in the sheet-forming machine are arranged in such a way that, on the one side of the machine, the driving motor is provided with the gear unit for driving the main shaft. The punching device is provided so as to be generally parallel to the main shaft and below the main shaft, between the side supports. On the side opposite the driving motor, the main shaft, via a coupling, drives the gear unit for the forming rollers of the bending device which are arranged so as to be parallel to the main shaft above the main shaft, and also drives via another coupling the cooperating forming wheels of the seam rolling device. The seam rolling device is therefore arranged on an extension of the main shaft on the other end of the machine.Whilst the main shaft is driven continuously, the bending device and seam rolling device are only connected when required. In this space-saving arrangement of the individual components, the required operations can be carried out quickly and economically and the necessary operating reliability is obtained.

A preferred field of application for the multipurpose machine is in insulating in the manufacture of piping. Thereby the ends of the sheet metal blank which are subsequently to be connected with each other are punched, are rounded to the section of the pipe and the transverse sides are crimped. During assembly the pipe sections are riveted and connected with each other by their seams. The multi-purpose machine is particularly suitable for installation on building sites, so that the finished pipe sections can be produced on the spot from supplied sheet metal blanks.

The multi-purpose machine is constructed on a frame, and can be easily separated from this, whereby transport to any place where it is to be used can be undertaken without difficulty.

An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a sheet-forming machine, in partial section, Figure 2 is a section through the sheet-forming machine along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, but on a larger scale, Figure 3 is a partial side view in the direction of arrow 3 in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a section through the gear unit of the bending device along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and Figure 5 is an axial section through the-s-eam rolling device, also on a larger scale.

In Figure 1, the arrangement of the individual components can be seen. A main shaft 10 is driven by a driving motor 12 via a worm gear 11.

The main shaft 10 in its turn drives a punching device 14 and, via a gear unit 16, a bending device 18 and, moreover, a seam rolling device 20 in a lateral extension. The bending device 18 and punching device 14 are arranged generally parallel to the main shaft 10, the punching device being disposed below the main shaft and the bending device above the main shaft.

The frame of the machine is formed by two side support plates 21 and 22, which are connected to one another at their lower ends by beams 23 and 24. The side supports 21 and 22 are detachably connected to a supporting frame 25.

Punching tools 26 are mounted on a continuous punch beam 28 the ends of which are located between guide bars so that the beam is capable of vertical movement. Guide bars 29, 30 for one end of the beam 28 are attached to the side support 22 (Figure 2). Guide bars for guiding the other end of the punch beam 28 are attached to the side support 21, of which only guide bar 31 can be seen in Figure 1. Guides 32 for the punching tools 26 are provided in the beam 23.

Matrices 34 are provided in the beam 24. The sheet metal blanks to be punched are inserted in the direction of arrow 36 (Figure 2) and punched, stops (not shown) being provided for the sheet metal blanks.

The punch beam 28 is driven by a yoke 37, 38 which surrounds the main shaft 10 in the area of an eccentric or cam section between the two side supports 21 and 22, the yoke being firmly connected with the punch beam. Also, in the area of the yoke, a bearing box 40 is attached to the punch beam 28, and partly surrounds the eccentric section from below. As the main shaft 10 rotates, the yoke, and consequently the punching device, is moved vertically upwards and downwards by means of the cam section.

In order to bring the punch beam into an upper starting position during the punching of sheet metal blanks, a limit switch 45 is provided which can be actuated by a trip cam 46 attached to the main shaft, whereby the limit switch 45 disconnects the motor 12 when the upper limit position is reached. When the motor 12 is connected again, the limit switch 45 is temporarily bridged, so that the main shaft is rotated and then after one revolution it is stopped again by the trip cam actuating the limit switch again. On the other hand, if the bending device 18 or seam rolling device 20 is to be operated, then the limit switch 45 is put out of action by a switching mechanism which is not shown, so that the main shaft 10 is driven permanently.

The bending device 18 consists of a lower forming roller 48 and an upper forming roller 49, and also a feed roller 50 which cannot be seen in Figure 1. The forming rollers 48 and 49 may be grooved. As is shown in Figure 2, the sheet to be curved is inserted in the direction of arrow 51 between the upper and lower forming rollers and it leaves the bending device in the direction of arrow 52 between the upper roller 49 and the feed roller 50, vertical adjustment of which allows the radius of curvature of the sheet to be controlled. In order that the curved sheet lying around the upper roller 49 can be removed from the roller 49, this roller is arranged so that it can swing out from the side support 22. For this purpose, the left axle journal 54 of the roller 49 is mounted in a block 56 with the drive gear 55, this block being rotatable around a vertical pivot 58. On the other hand, in the opposite side support 22 the bearing aperture 60 opens out into a slot 61, and the extended axle journal 62 of the roller 49 is provided with a handle 64.

As can be seen from Figure 3, a swivelling lever 65 is provided on the side support, this lever having a slotted end 66 which receives the axle journal 62. When the lever 65 is in the position shown in Figure 3, then the forming roller can be passed through the slot 61 and the curved sheet can be removed from the roller in the axial direction. Subsequently, the roller is again fed in through the slot 61 and the lever 65 is rotated through 1800,so that the axle journal 62 is secured by the rounded section 67 of the lever 65.

The lower forming roller 48 is arranged so as to be adjustable in the side supports 21 and 22 at both ends. The ends of the roller 48 are each mounted in a bearing block 70 which swivels around a pivot axis 69. By operating a setscrew 68 which acts on the bearing block of the roller 48 so that this swivels around the pivot axis 69, the clearance between the rollers can be adjusted to suit various thicknesses.

The means provided for vertical adjustment of the feed roller 50 can also be seen from Figure 2.

Two parallel guide rails 72 and 73 are attached to the side support 22 at a certain distance from each other, between which the bearing block 74 for the feed roller 50 is arranged in a movable manner. It is moved by means of a threaded spindle 76, which is rotated by a worm wheel 78 which is held on both sides between stops 79 and 80. A worm gear 82 mates with the worm wheel 78, the worm gear being mounted on an adjusting shaft 84 which is driven by a notched wheel gear unit 88 in known manner.

When the notched wheel gear unit 88 is rotated, the adjusting shaft 84 is also rotated with a certain reduction in gear ratio, and it drives the worm wheel 78, which is bolted to the threaded spindle 76, via the worm gear 82. Thereby, the threaded spindle 76 rotates and thus displaces the bearing block 74 for the feed roller along the guide rails 72. 73 upwards or downwards. The adjustment of the feed roller 50 determines the radius of curvature of the sheet metal blank to be curved. By means of a scale 90 (Figure 3) of the notched wheel gear unit, consistent operation can be ensured.

Furthermore, the adjusting shaft 84 drives a further adjusting device of similar construction to that just described, which is attached to the side support 21 and is not shown in detail. By this means, the feed roller 50 is adjusted so as to remain parallel to the forming rollers. However, the feed shaft 84 is disengageable by a coupling 92, so that after the left end of the feed roller 50 has been adjusted, the coupling 92 may be disconnected and the right end of the feed roller can be adjusted to another radius of curvature.

In Figure 4, the gear unit for driving the bending device 18 is shown. A gearwheel 55 connected to the upper forming roller 49 is driven by a gearwheel 95, and a gearwheel 96 connected to the lower forming roller 48 is driven by a gearwheel 97 by the same number of revolutions, whilst the feed roller rotates freely and is therefore not driven. The common gearwheel 97 is driven by a gearwheel 98 attached to the main shaft 10, via a coupling gearwheel 99, which is mounted within the gear unit housing 101 on a cam 100 and which can be swung in and out of gear with the gearwheel 98 on the main shaft 10 by means of a coupling lever 102.

Details of the seam rolling device 20 can be seen from Figure 5. A grooved wheel 105 is mounted on a shaft 106, which is located in the housing 108 of the seam rolling device 20. The main shaft 10 is extended and can be connected with the shaft 106 by means of a claw coupling 110, the movable half 111 of which can be moved into and out of contact with the coupling half 113 attached to the main shaft 10 by means of a control lever 11 2. Gearwheels 1 16. 1 18 drive the upper shaft 114 for the upper forming wheel 11 5.

The upper forming wheel shaft 114 can be moved in an axial direction, and moreover, its distance from the lower grooved wheel shaft 106 is adjustable. For this purpose the upper forming wheel shaft 114 is located in a housing 120 which can be moved in an axial direction by an adjusting pin 122 and can be fixed. By this means the width of groove, for example, can be adjusted. The movement of the upper forming wheel 11 5 relative to the lower grooved wheel 105 is carried out by a threaded spindle 125, which is rotated relatively to the cylindrical part 128 of the seam rolling device by means of a crank 126. The end of the threaded spindle 125 presses down on an adjusting piston 130, which is led into the housing section 128 and which effects the vertical adjustment of the forming wheel shaft 114. The mobile and adjustable housing 120 of the shaft 114 is withdrawn into its upper position by means of a spring 131.

Claims

1. A sheet-forming machine having a motordriven main shaft which is provided with a cam, and which is fixed at both ends in the side supports of a frame, a punching device operated by the shaft and comprising several punching tools positioned so as to be vertically movable, and a bending device arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the punching device, the forming rollers of the bending device being carried between the side supports above the main' shaft and being driven by the main shaft via a gear unit and a disconnectable coupling.

2. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 1 , wherein a driving motor with a gear unit for driving the main shaft is arranged on the end of the main shaft lying opposite to the gear unit for driving the bending device.

3. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the forming rollers of the bending device are driven by gearwheels which can mesh with a gearwheel attached to the main shaft.

4. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 3, wherein a coupling gearwheel is provided which meshes with the gearwheel of the main shaft.

5. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a feed roller is arranged in the sheet-delivery direction behind the forming rollers so as to be capable of rotating freely, the feed roller being adjustable in relation to the upper forming roller in order to control the radius of curvature of the sheet to be bent.

6. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 5, wherein the bearings of the feed roller are arranged in a movable manner in sliding guides fixed to a housing, and are each adjusted by means of a threaded spindle which spindles are driven by a common control shaft.

7. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 6, wherein the control shaft is driven by a gear unit.

8. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the control shaft has a coupling between the threaded spindles.

9. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the end of the upper forming roller provided with a drive gear is placed in a bearing block, which is positioned in a side support so as to be rotatable around a pivoting axis, whereby the other end of the forming roller can swing out from the side support.

10. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a seam rolling device is arranged in the extension of the main shaft, the cooperating wheels of this device being driven by the main shaft via a disconnectable coupling.

11. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 10, wherein the seam rolling device is attached to a housing of the gear unit in order to drive the bending device.

12. A sheet-forming machine according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the lower shaft of the seam rolling device bearing a grooved wheel is directly driven by the main shaft via the coupling, and the upper shaft bearing a mating wheel is driven by the lower shaft via gearwheels.

13. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the upper shaft is positioned so as to be axially movable and its distance from the lower shaft is adjustable.

14. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the coupling is a claw coupling.

1 5. A sheet-forming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the side supports are securely connected by beams and are detachably connected to a frame.

16. A sheet-forming machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.