IE930783A1

IE930783A1 - Improvements in and relating to the formation of apertures¹in moving articles

Info

Publication number: IE930783A1
Application number: IE078393A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Derek Frederick John Woolcott
Original assignee: Deceuninck Ltd
Priority date: 1992-10-17
Filing date: 1993-10-18
Publication date: 1994-04-20
Also published as: GB2273077A; GB2273077B; GB9221909D0

Abstract

The apparatus for routing apertures in an extruded profile, as it is extruded, comprises upper and lower supports (6, 8) which move longitudinally with the profile (4) for a certain distance and can be moved into and out of clamping engagement with it. A routing assembly (2) initially moves longitudinally with the supports (6, 8), at the same speed as the profile, and the clamped profile is raised by the moving supports into engagement with the routers (12) of the assembly (2) so that they form apertures in the profile. The routing assembly (2) is then advanced relatively to the moving supports to form elongate slots in the profile, whereafter the supports (6, 8) lower the profile out of engagement with the routers. The supports then disengage from the profile and, with the routing assembly, return to their initial position, ready to form the next series of slots in the profile.

Description

The invention relates to a method of, and for, forming apertures in a moving article, and apparatus in particular in an extruded article.

Many products of constant cross-section, particularly for use in the building trade, are formed by extrusion. For example, frame members for doors and windows, skirting, cladding, barge boards, soffits and the like are often extruded from PVC-u or other suitable plastics material. However, such products may sometimes require to be formed with apertures which pass wholly or partly through the article transversely to the direction of extrusion. For example, some PVC-u extruded products for external use require to be formed along their length with a series of ventilation or drainage slots.

Hitherto, it has been the practice to form such apertures in the extruded articles by punching holes through the articles or by passing drills or routers up and down through the articles while the articles are in the process of being extruded. This is more efficient than forming the apertures in the articles off-line, that is to say after the extrusion process has been completed. However, punching can cause material to spall off at the rear of the article, and if the article is cellular punching can cause crushing and distortion around the apertures, often causing break-through between adjacent apertures. Drilling and routing can be difficult since -2router bits must be rapidly moved up and down in order to form the apertures within a short amount of time dictated by the speed of the article as it is extruded.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of forming one or more apertures in a moving article, comprising providing aperture-forming means adjacent the moving article, and moving at least a part of the article transverse to its direction of motion so as to bring the article into contact with the apertureforming means and hence form the apertures.

The article may be an extruded article, in which case the article may be moved, while it is being extruded, in a direction transverse to its direction of extrusion.

The method may include moving the article towards the aperture-forming means so as to cause the aperture-forming means to pass into the article.

Preferably, the method includes moving the aperture-forming means along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article while moving the article towards the aperture-forming means so as to cause the aperture-forming means to pass into the article.

If necessary, the method may include, after causing the aperture-forming means to pass into the article, moving the aperture-forming means with respect to the article so as to determine the shape of the aperture.

For example, if it is required to form longitudinal slots in the article, the aperture-forming means may remain stationary, or move along in the same =»00783 -3direction as, but at a different speed to, the article, after the aperture-forming means has been caused to pass into the article by moving the article towards the aperture-forming means.

Preferably, the method includes moving the aperture-forming means along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article while moving the article away from the aperture-forming means so as to separate the article from the aperture-forming means. .

If further apertures are required to be formed, the method may include, after moving the article away from the aperture-forming means so as to separate the article from the aperture-forming means, moving the apertureforming means to a different part of the article and then moving the article back towards the aperture-forming means so as to form further apertures.

It will be appreciated that this process can be repeated a number of times in order to form the required number of apertures.

Preferably, the part of the article adjacent the aperture-forming means moves to one side of its natural or rest position when the article is moved towards the aperture-forming means, and moves to the other side of its natural or rest position when the article is moved away from the aperture-forming means, so as to avoid damage to the article due to the part of the article adjacent the aperture-forming means being moved too far away from its natural or rest position. - 93 0 7 8 3 -4Ideally, the article moves by substantially equal amounts away from its natural or rest position to said one side and to said other side.

Advantageously, the method also includes supporting the article on the opposite side of the article to the aperture-forming means, while the aperture-forming means is forming the aperture, by means of a first support moving along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article.

Preferably, the method includes, after the apertures have been formed, moving the first support away from the article, moving the first support to a different part of the article, and then moving the first support back towards the article in order to support said different part of the article so as to enable the aperture-forming means to form further apertures in the article.

The method preferably also includes, while the aperture-forming means is forming the aperture, supporting the article between the first support and a second support located on the opposite side of the article to the first support, and moving the second support along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the first support.

Preferably, the method also includes detecting variations in the speed of the article, and varying the speed of the or each support accordingly in order to ensure that the or each support is moving at substantially the same speed as the article while the or -5^930763 each support is supporting the article.

The speed of the aperture-forming means may also be varied accordingly in order to ensure that the apertures are of the required shape or shapes.

Ideally, throughout the above method, the aperture-forming means does not move transverse to the direction of motion of the article.

The method may be carried out using a plurality of aperture-forming means in order to form a plurality of apertures simultaneously in the article.

Preferably, the or each aperture-forming means is a router.

The invention also provides apparatus for carrying out the above method so as to form apertures in a moving article, the apparatus comprising aperture-forming means adapted to form apertures in the article, and means for moving the article in a direction transverse to its direction of motion as described above.

The apparatus may further comprise first drive means for moving the aperture-forming means as described above.

Preferably, the apparatus also comprises one or more supports for supporting the article as described above, and second drive means for moving the or each support as described above.

Advantageously, the apparatus also comprises rollers, or other guiding means, for guiding the article when the article is not supported by the or each support. - 83 0 78 3 -6Preferably, the guiding means are adapted to move transverse to the direction of motion of the article.

The first drive means may comprise a motor for driving the aperture-forming means, the motor being fixed in position, at least as far as motion in the direction of motion of the article is concerned, with respect to the or each support.

Preferably, the apparatus also comprises control means for detecting variations in the speed of the article, and varying the speed of the or each support as described above.

The control means may also vary the speed of the aperture-forming means accordingly in order to ensure that the apertures are of the required shape or shapes.

The invention also provides a method of forming a series of longitudinal slots in a moving article comprising, lowering a router into the moving article, moving the router with respect to the article so as to form a longitudinal slot, withdrawing the router from the article, moving the router to a different part of the article, and repeating the above process until the required number of slots have been formed.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for forming apertures in an extruded profile, the apparatus being shown in a first position; »30783 -7Figures 2 to 6 show the apparatus of Figure 1 in second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively; and Figure 7 is a plan view of a portion of the sheet, showing the apertures formed therein.

The apparatus 1 comprises a routing assembly 2 for routing apertures in a sheet-like portion 3 of an extruded profile 4 which lies below the routing assembly 2. The apparatus also comprises an upper support 6 and a lower support 8, located respectively above and below the profile 4, for supporting and clamping the profile 4 while the routing assembly 2 is forming the apertures. The upper and lower supports 6 and 8 may be provided with specially shaped and profiled pads of suitable material, such as elastomeric or resilient material, to enhance clamping and prevent damage to the profile 4.

The profile 4 is formed from PVC-u (unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) , or from PVC-uc (cellular unplasticised polyvinyl chloride) coextruded or coated with PVC-u, and is formed by extrusion through a die (not shown) which lies to the right of Figures 1 to 6. After leaving the die, the profile 4 passes through a caterpillar haul-off (not shown), which also lies to the right of Figures 1 to 6. The profile 4 moves in the direction of the arrow 10 as it is extruded, and the apparatus forms apertures in the profile 4 while the profile 4 is being extruded.

The routing assembly 2 comprises an array of -8-830783 sixteen routers 12 located at the bottom of the routing assembly 2, a gearbox 14 for rotatably driving each of the routers 12, and an input shaft (not shown) for driving the gearbox 14. The routers 12 are evenly arranged in a parallelogram beneath the gearbox 14. Only four of the routers 12 are shown in the figures.

The routing assembly 2 and the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 repeatedly perform a series of operations in order to form groups of slots 16 at regular intervals along the profile 4. The slots may, for example, be used for ventilation, drainage or enabling assembly with other items. Each group of slots 16 comprises sixteen slots 16, and one such group of slots 16 is shown in Figure 7. It will be seen from Figure 7 that the arrangement of slots 16 in each group corresponds to the arrangement of the routers· 12. If desired, the spacing between adjacent groups of slots 16 can be made equal to the spacing between the slots 16 in each group, so that continuous rows of evenly spaced slots 16 are formed along the length of the profile 4.

The apparatus begins its sequence of operations in the position shown in Figure 1, in which the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 and the routers 12 are spaced from the profile 4. The profile 4 is guided by rollers (not shown) which are positioned both above and below the profile 4, and are located to the left and right of the regions of the profile 4 shown in Figures 1 to 6. Each roller is automatically raised and lowered by an -9appropriate amount during the operation of the apparatus in order to ensure that the part of the profile 4 which lies in the vicinity of the routing assembly 2 is guided at the correct height.

The upper and lower supports 6 and 8 together with the routing assembly 2 are first accelerated towards the left of Figure 1 until they are moving at the same speed as the profile 4. At this stage, the routing assembly 2 is positioned towards the right side 18 of the upper support 6.

As shown in Figure 2, the lower support 8 then moves upwards so as to lift the profile 4 slightly until the profile 4 is clamped between the upper and lower supports 6 and 8.

The upper and lower supports 6 and 8 then move upwards together, while continuing to clamp the profile 4, and the profile is thus lifted onto the routers 12 so that the routers 12 pass through the profile 4 and form sixteen circular apertures in the profile 4. In view of the fact that the routing assembly 2 is travelling at the same speed as the profile 4, the routers 12 pass vertically through the profile 4 so that the side walls of the circular apertures are perpendicular to the plane of the profile 4. The position of the apparatus at this stage is shown in Figure 3.

After the routers 12 have passed through the profile 4, the routing assembly 2 is accelerated in the direction of the arrow 10 and moves from the right side =030783 -1018 to the left side 20 of the upper support 6 so that each router 12 forms a slot 16 in the profile 4. The upper and lower supports 6 and 8 continue to move at the same speed as the profile 4.

When the routing assembly 2 has reached the left side 20 of the upper support 6, as shown in Figure 4, the routing assembly 2 slows down to the same speed as the profile 4, and the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 move downwards so as to lower the profile 4 away from the routers 12, as shown in Figure 5. The fact that the routing assembly 2 is travelling at the same speed as the profile 4 when profile 4 is lowered ensures that the forward ends 22 of the slots 16 are formed with side walls which extend perpendicularly with the general plane of the profile 4.

The upper support 6 then stops at a fixed distance below the routing assembly 2 while the lower support 8 continues to move downwards so as to lower the profile 4 still further until the position of Figure 6 is reached in which both supports are spaced from the profile 4. In this position, as in the position of Figure 1, the profile 4 is guided entirely by the rollers.

The routing assembly 2 and the supports 6 and 8 then move quickly back to the starting position shown in Figure 1, ready to repeat the above process in order to form another group of slots 16 in the profile 4 at a location upstream of the first group of slots 16. Separate electronic and pneumatic systems (not shown) are provided »3 0 78 3 -11to ensure that the routing assembly 2, and the upper and lower supports 6 and 8, return exactly to their precise starting positions, shown in Figure 1, before repeating the cycle of operations described above. A plurality of separate detectors (not shown) are provided to ensure that all parts of the aparatus reture to their precise starting positions, and there are also electronic systems (not shown) which prevent the aparatus from operating if it is out of sequence.

Although the routing assembly 2 is described above as moving from the right side 18 to the left side 20 of the upper support 6, alternative embodiments of the aparatus are possible in which the routers 12, after passing through the profile 4 while travelling at the same speed as the profile 4 as described above, then form the slots 16 by either remaining stationary while the profile 4 continues to move, or by travelling in the opposite direction, with respect to the supports 6 and 8, to that shown by arrow 10. This has the advantage of reducing the time cycle of the sequence of operations.

The upper support 6, and optionally also the lower support 8, are formed with suitable apertures (not shown) which allow the routers 12 to pass therethrough in order to form the slots 16 in the profile 4.

It is important to note that during the above sequence of operations of the apparatus the routing assembly 2 always remains at the same height. This is important because the routing assembly is quite heavy and •30783 -12is therefore difficult to accelerate rapidly up and down. The apparatus takes advantage of the fact that the profile 4 is relatively light and therefore easier to move quickly up and down.

Furthermore, the routers 12 of the routing assembly 2 are rotatably driven by an electric motor (not shown) which is fixed in position with respect to the upper support 6, at least as far as horizontal movement is concerned. The electric motor and the upper support 6 could, for example, be mounted on a common carriage. This is advantageous because the motor, which may have a substantial mass, does not have to be accelerated, when the routing assembly 2 is moved from the right side 18 to the left side 20 of the upper support 6. Once the motor and its associated equipment (not shown) have been accelerated to the speed of the profile 4, the motor and its associated equipment simply continue to travel at this speed until the router assembly 2 and upper and lower supports 6 and 8 reach the position shown in Figure 6.

In order to allow for the movement of the routing assembly 2 between the right and left sides 18 and 20 of the upper support 6, the motor is connected to the routing assembly 2 by means of a flexible drive (not shown), such as an elastic drive belt.

It will be appreciated that the upper and lower supports 6 and 8, and the movable rollers mentioned above, do not vary the height of the entire profile 4 but only raise and lower the portion of the profile 4 which lies in #30783 -13the vicinity of the routing assembly 2. The movable rollers which guide the profile 4 are arranged so as to ensure that in the positions shown in Figures 1 and 6 the portion of the profile 4 in the vicinity of the routing assembly 2 lies below its natural extrusion height. In addition, in the positions shown in Figures 3 and 4 the profile 4 lies above its natural extrusion height. This ensures that the raising and lowering of the profile 4 by the rollers and by the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 does not damage the profile 4 by causing the portion of the profile 4 in the vicinity of the routing assembly 2 to deviate too far away from its natural extrusion height.

The apparatus may also comprise a detector for detecting variations in the speed of the profile 4 as it is extruded, due to controlled process variations, and a control system for varying the speeds of the routing assembly 2 and the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 accordingly. This would ensure that the upper and lower supports 6 and 8 were always travelling at the same speed as the profile 4 while they were clamping the profile 4, and that the slots 16 formed by the routers 12 were always of the correct length.

The method and apparatus of the invention are suitable for use with a wide range of materials which can be extruded, such as plastics and aluminium, and also with any moving article.

In alternative embodiments of the invention, the routing assembly 2 may be adapted to perform a different »3078 3 -14series of movements in order to form differently shaped apertures in the profile 4. Furthermore, the routing assembly 2 may comprise any number of routers 12.

It is also pointed out that the invention is not 5 limited to apertures which pass wholly through the article in question, and includes apertures such as blind bores and surface grooves.

Claims

1. A method of forming one or more apertures in a moving article, comprising providing aperture-forming means adjacent the moving article, and moving at least a part of the article transverse to its direction of motion so as to bring the article into contact with the aperture-forming means and hence form the apertures.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the article is an extruded article and is moved, while it is being extruded, in a direction transverse to its direction of extrusion.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, including moving the article towards the apertureforming means so as to cause the aperture-forming means to pass into the article.

4. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 3, including moving the aperture-forming means along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article while moving the article towards the aperture-forming means so as to cause the aperture-forming means to pass into the article.

5. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 4, including, after causing the aperture-forming means to pass into the article, moving the aperture-forming means with respect to the article so as to determine the shape of the aperture.

6. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the aperture-forming means remains stationary, or moves fl 30783 -16along in the same direction as, but at a different speed to, the article, after the aperture-forming means has been caused to pass into the article by moving the article towards the aperture-forming means.

7. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 6, including the further step of moving the apertureforming means along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article while moving the article away from the aperture-forming means so as to separate the article from the aperture-forming means.

8. A method according to Claim 7, including the further step, after moving the article away from the aperture-forming means so as to separate the article from the aperture-forming means, of moving the apertureforming means to a different part of the article and then moving the article back towards the apertureforming means so as to form further apertures.

9. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the part of the article adjacent the apertureforming means is moved to one side of its natural or rest position when the article is moved towards the aperture-forming means, and is moved to the other side of its natural or rest position when the article is moved away from the aperture-forming means, so as to avoid damage to the article due to the part of the article adjacent the aperture-forming means being moved too far away from its natural or rest position.

10. A method according to Claim 9, wherein the -»30783 -17article is moved by substantially equal amounts away from its natural or rest position to said one side and to said other side.

11. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 10, including supporting the article on the opposite side of the article to the aperture-forming means, while the aperture-forming means is forming the aperture, by means of a first support moving along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the article.

12. A method according to Claim 11, including after the apertures have been formed, moving the first support away from the article, moving the first support to a different part of the article, and then moving the first support back towards the article in order to support said different part of the article so as to enable the aperture-forming means to form further apertures in the article.

13. A method according to Claim 11 or Claim 12, including, while the aperture-forming means is forming the aperture, supporting the article between the first support and a second support located on the opposite side of the article to the first support, and moving the second support along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the first support.

14. A method according to any of Claims 11 to 13, including detecting variations in the speed of the article, and varying the speed of the or each support accordingly in order to ensure that the or each support »30783 -18is moving at substantially the same speed as the article while the or each support is supporting the article.

15. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the speed of the aperture-forming means is 5 varied in order to ensure that the apertures are of the required shape or shapes.

16. A method according to Claim 15, wherein the aperture-forming means does not move transverse to the direction of motion of the article. 10

17. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 16, wherein a plurality of aperture-forming means are used to form a plurality of apertures simultaneously in the article.

18. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 17, 15 wherein the or each aperture-forming means is a router.

19. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to Claim 1, the apparatus comprising apertureforming means adapted to form apertures in the article, and means for moving the article in a direction 20. Transverse to its direction of motion.

20. Apparatus according to Claim 19, further comprising first drive means for moving the apertureforming means along with, and at substantially the same speed as, the moving article. 25

21. Apparatus according to Claim 19 or Claim 20, comprising one or more supports for supporting the article, and second drive means for moving the or each support along with, and at substantially the same speed *9 30jtJ -19as, the moving article.

22. Apparatus according to Claim 21, including rollers, or other guiding means, for guiding the article when the article is not supported by the or each 5 support.

23. Apparatus according to Claim 22, wherein the guiding means are adapted to move transverse to the direction of motion of the article.

24. Apparatus according to Claim 20 and Claim 21, wherein said first drive means comprise a motor for driving the aperture-forming means, the motor being fixed in position, at least as far as motion in the direction of motion of the article is concerned, with respect to the or each support.

25. Apparatus according to any of Claims 21 to 24, including control means for detecting variations in the speed of the article, and varying the speed of the or each support in response thereto.

26. Apparatus according to Claim 25, wherein said control means also vary the speed of the apertureforming means in order to ensure that the apertures are of thqi'TiSi&ired shape or shapes.

27. - A method of forming apertures in a moving article, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

28. Apparatus for forming apertures in a moving article, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.