IES65614B2 - A process and apparatus for manufacturing a prefabricated air handling unit - Google Patents

Abstract

Steel bars for forming a building frame (16) are prepared at a cutting station (12), arranged in a preset order on a trolley (14) and delivered to a welding station (15) where they are welded together to form a building frame (16). Metal sheets are cut to form cladding panels at guillotines (21, 22). Sheets forming inner cladding panels are shaped at an edge cutting station (40) and a bending station (41) having a bending machine capable of readily easily bending panels in a wide range of sizes. At a cladding station (39), cladding panels are mounted on each building frame (16) to form a housing for air handling equipment within the frame (16) at a fitting station (80). An exterior of the housing is painted in a spray booth (85) and finally exterior trim is mounted on the housing at a finishing station (86).

Description

A process and apparatus for manufacturing a prefabricated air handling unit This invention relates to air handling equipment, and in particular to a process and apparatus for manufacturing a prefabricated air handling unit comprising a housing within which air handling equipment is mounted.

According to the invention, there is provided a process for producing a prefabricated air handling unit, comprising the steps:delivering selected metal bars from storage racks to a cutting station, cutting the bars to desired lengths, arranging a set of bars on a trolley in a preset order and delivering the trolley to a welding station; delivering a stack of metal sheets to a cutting station, arranging the sheets in an inclined orientation on a sheet feeder at an inlet of a guillotine at the cutting station, lifting and feeding each sheet in turn through the guillotine, cutting each sheet to desired dimensions, and stacking cut sheets on trolleys; delivering a first set of cut sheets forming inner cladding panels to a cladding station; delivering a second set of cut sheets to an edge forming station, cutting a desired profile at corners of each sheet, delivering the sheets to a bending station, bending outer edges of each sheet inwardly to form an outer cladding panel having a flat face with sides extending outwardly at each edge of the face substantially perpendicular to the face and an 965614 - 2 inwardly turned lip at a free end of each side substantially parallel to the face, delivering the outer cladding panels to the cladding station; at the welding station, forming a building frame from 5 the set of bars comprising a base with upstanding spaced-apart side frame members around the base and a roof frame on top of the side frame members, then delivering the frame to the cladding station; at the cladding station, mounting the cladding panels on the frame to form a housing for air handling equipment, first mounting the outer cladding panels between frame members, sides of each outer cladding panel being fixed on the frame members by means of self drilling and tapping screws, then mounting insulation material within the outer cladding panels, then mounting inner cladding panels on the outer cladding panels securing the inner cladding panels to the inturned lip at an inner end of each side of the outer cladding panels, sealing along outer edges of the outer cladding panels; delivering the frame to a fitting station, mounting air handling equipment within the frame; delivering the frame to a spray booth and spraying an exterior of the housing with paint within the spray booth; delivering the painted housing to a finishing station and mounting exterior trim on the housing at the finishing station.

In one embodiment, at the bending station each sheet is inserted between a V-shaped channel and complementary bending blades mounted above the channel, each bending blade having a pointed lower end for cooperation with the channel for bending the sheet, the bending blades being movable vertically downwardly to press the sheet into the channel to form a right angle bend in the sheet, the bending blades comprising a number of spaced-apart bending blades mounted above the V-shaped channel to accommodate sheets of varying lengths.

In another embodiment, at the cutting station the sheets 10 are arranged in an inclined stack on a platform of the sheet feeder, the platform being pivotally mounted on a support frame for movement between a horizontal loading position and an inclined guillotine feeding position.

In a further embodiment, at the welding station a welding 15 torch is mounted on an overhead boom which is horizontally pivotable on a support, a supply coil of welding wire and power cable associated with the torch being suspended on rollers for running along the boom between an inner and outer end of the boom, the power cable being led from an inner end of the boom to a welding machine.

In a preferred embodiment, the process includes the step of extracting welding gases generated by the welding torch through an extraction hose mounted on the boom.

In another aspect, the invention provides apparatus for 25 manufacturing an air handling unit according to the process.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:4 Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a process and apparatus for manufacturing a prefabricated air handling unit according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet feeding device used in the process; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the sheet feeding device in one position of use; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the sheet feeding device, shown in use; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet edge cutter used in the process; Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views showing sheet edge cutting carried out according to the process; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a sheet bending apparatus used in the process; Fig. 9 is a detail front elevational view of the sheet bending apparatus; Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view showing portion 20 of a bent sheet formed on the bending apparatus; Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view showing an edge profile of a bent sheet; Fig. 12 is an elevational view showing a welding station used in the process; Fig. 13 is a plan view of the welding station; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a building frame formed according to the process; Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the building frame shown partially cladded; Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a finished building housing air handling equipment; Fig. 17 is a detail perspective view showing mounting of cladding on the building frame; Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a damper blade formed according to the process; Fig. 19 is an end elevational view of the damper blade; and Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a damper blade assembly formed according to the process.

Referring to the drawings, a process and apparatus for producing a prefabricated air handling unit according to the invention will be described. An air handling unit is shown in Fig. 16 essentially comprising a metal housing 1 within which air handling equipment such as fans, filters and the like, are housed. The metal housing 1 has a base frame 2 on which cladding panels 3 are mounted, with one or more doors 4 for access to an interior of the housing 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, metal bars 10 are stored on storage racks 11. The metal bars 10 comprise a variety of tubular, channel-section and flat metal material used in forming the frame 2 for the housing 1. The metal bars 10 - 6 are delivered to a cutting station 12 at which they are cut to desired lengths associated with a particular housing 1. The bars required for a housing 1 are mounted on a trolley 14 for delivery to a welding station 15. It will be noted that the bars are mounted on the trolley 14 in reverse order so that at the welding station 15, they can be lifted off the trolley 14 by a welder in the correct order for use in building up a housing frame 16.

Sheet metal is delivered from a storage area 20 to 10 guillotines 21, 22 for cutting to size to form cladding panels for the frame 16. The sheet metal comprises galvanised sheets 23 which are cut on the guillotine 21 and galvaneal sheets 24 which are cut on the guillotine 22. At each guillotine 21, 22, stacks of sheets 23, 24 15 are mounted on sheet feeders 25, 26.

A sheet feeder 26 is shown in more detail in Figs. 2 to 4. The sheet feeder 26 comprises a ground engaging support frame 27 with an upstanding support 28 on which a sheet platform 29 is rotatably mounted. A tubular bar 30 on an underside of the platform 29 is rotatably mounted in associated brackets 31 mounted on the support 28. The platform 29 can pivot on the support 28 for movement of the platform 29 between a horizontal loading position as shown in Fig. 3 and an inclined feeding position as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. To support the platform 29 in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3, a tubular support prop 32 is engageable with an underside of the platform 29 and with an upstanding support post 33 at a front end of the frame 27. When the sheets 24 are loaded on the platform 29, the prop 32 is removed and a front end of the platform 29 dropped onto a rest frame 35 at a front end of the frame 27 to support the platform 29 in an inclined position. Lugs 36 retain the sheets 24 on the platform 29. In the inclined position as shown in Fig. 4, an operator can readily easily feed a top sheet 24 from the stack of sheets 24 into the guillotine 22 for cutting to the required size. Cut sheets are mounted on trolleys 38. Galvanised sheets from the guillotine 21 are delivered directly to a cladding station 39. Sheets of galvaneal material are delivered first to an edge cutting station 40 and then to a bending station 41 prior to delivery to the cladding station 39.

At the edge cutting station 40, a desired edge profile 42 10 is cut at each corner of a sheet 24. A corner of each sheet 24 is offered up to a first cutter 43 which cuts each corner off at 45° as shown in Fig. 6. Each corner is , then offered up to a second cutter 44 which makes a right angle cut as shown in Fig. 7. In an alternative arrangement, a single cutter may be provided to cut the desired profile at the sheet corners.

At the bending station 41, each of the sheets with profiled edges have their edges bent inwardly to form outer cladding panels 46. Each outer cladding panel 46 has a flat face 47 with outwardly extending side edges 48 generally perpendicular to the face 47 with a return lip 49 at an outer end of each side 48, the return lip 49 being generally parallel to the face 47. The return lip 49 is first formed on the bending apparatus 50 and then the side 48 is bent relative to the face 47.

The bending machine 50 comprises a ground engaging base 51 on which is mounted an elongate V-shaped channel 52. A number of spaced-apart bending blades 53 are mounted directly above the slot 52. Each blade 53 has a pointed lower end 54 for cooperation with the slot 52 for bending the sheets 24. It will be noted that spaces 55 between adjacent blades 53 are sufficiently wide to accommodate the lip 49 of the panels 46. Further, an advantage of the spaced-apart blades is that panels of different size can be readily, easily and quickly bent to shape without the need for changing blades on the bending machine 50.

Panels 46 are mounted on trolleys 38 for delivery to the 5 cladding station 39.

Referring to Figs. 12 and 13, the welding station 15 is shown in more detail. At each welding station 15, a welding torch 60 is suspended from an overhead boom 61 which is pivotally mounted on a support 62 for swinging back and forth as shown in Fig. 13. A supply coil 63 associated with the torch 60 is suspended on a roller 64 for running along the boom 61 between an inner and outer end of the boom 61. A power supply cable 65 extends from the torch 60, being supported on rollers 66 on the boom 61 and led back to a welding machine. Also supported on the rollers 66 is a flexible extraction hose 68 for extracting welding gases. It will be appreciated that this arrangement for supporting the welding torch 60 at the welding station 15 gives great flexibility for welding over a wide area while keeping the cabling and exhaust duct neatly out of the welder's way.

At the welding station 15, welders build up a frame 16 comprising a channel section base 70 interconnected by cross members 71 to form a generally rectangular base.

Upstanding at each side of the base are a number of spaced-apart side frame members 72 on top of which is mounted a roof frame 73 which may form a pitched roof as shown or a flat roof. When the frame 16 is completed at the welding station 15, it is delivered to a cladding station 39.

At the cladding station 39, the outer cladding panels 46 are positioned between the frame members 72 and secured in place to form the housing 1. Referring to Fig. 17, each outer panel 46 is secured to the frame members 72 by self drilling and tapping screws 75. Thereafter, insulation 76 is mounted within the outer panel 46 and then an inner panel 77 cut from the galvanised sheets 23 is secured to the outer panel 46 by self drilling and tapping screws 78 which secure the panel 77 to the lip 49 of the outer panel 46. Outer edges of the outer panel 46 and frame memharg are sealed with a non-hardening tack-free silicone rubber compound. The housing 1 is then delivered to a fitting station 80 at which air handling equipment is mounted within the frame. In some cases, large equipment such as fans 81 may be mounted within the housing 1 before the final cladding panels are mounted on the frame 16 sealing the fan 81 within the housing 1. Filters 82 and the like may also where appropriate be mounted within the housing 1.

The housing 1 is then delivered to a spray booth 85 in which an exterior of the housing 1 is spray painted.

Downstream of the spray booth 85, the housing 1 is delivered to a finishing station 86 at which exterior trim such as door handles, pressure gauges and the like are mounted on the housing 1 to complete the air handling unit.

Referring to Figs. 18 to 20, an air damper assembly 90 may in some cases be provided to control air flow through the housing 1. The damper assembly 90 comprises an outer frame 91 within which are mounted a set of damper blades 92 mounted on support rods 93 which are pivotally mounted on the frame 91. Each damper blade 92 is formed as shown in Figs. 18 and 19 from a pair of sheets bent as shown in Figs. 18 and 19 with the rod 93 passing through the opening 95 formed between the sheets and being welded to the sheets.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a process and apparatus for manufacturing high quality air handling units to a wide range of sizes and design requirements in an efficient manner. Housings of any desirable size can be readily easily produced to accommodate a particular set of air handling equipment. The housing frame construction and cladding panels are arranged so that a number of standard size cladding panels can be used to clad most or all of the frame. The arrangement of the bending machine and the feeders for the guillotines ensure smooth and efficient handling and formation of cladding panels. Further, the welding station layout gives freedom of operation for the welder while at the same time protecting the welding equipment and making it easy and comfortable to use over a wide area. The provision of an extraction hose for welding gases ensures a safe environment for the welder.

Claims (5)

1. CTATMS

1. A process for producing a prefabricated air handling unit, comprising the steps:delivering selected metal bars from storage 5 racks to a cutting station, cutting the bars to desired lengths, arranging a set of bars on a trolley in a preset order and delivering the trolley to a welding station; delivering a stack of metal sheets to a cutting 10 station, arranging the sheets in an inclined orientation on a sheet feeder at an inlet of a guillotine at the cutting station, lifting and feeding each sheet in turn through the guillotine, cutting each sheet to desired 15 dimensions, and stacking cut sheets on trolleys; delivering a first set of cut sheets forming inner cladding panels to a cladding station; delivering a second set of cut sheets to an edge forming station, cutting a desired profile at 20 corners of each sheet, delivering the sheets to a bending station, bending outer edges of each sheet inwardly to form an outer cladding panel having a flat face with sides extending outwardly at each edge of the face substantially 25 perpendicular to the face and an inwardly turned lip at a free end of each side substantially parallel to the face, delivering the outer cladding panels to the cladding station; at the welding station, forming a building frame 30 from the set of bars comprising a base with upstanding spaced-apart side frame members around the base and a roof frame on top of the side frame members, then delivering the frame to the cladding station; 5 at the cladding station, mounting the cladding panels on the frame to form a housing for air handling equipment, first mounting the outer cladding panels between frame members, sides of each outer cladding panel being fixed on the 10 frame members by means of self drilling and tapping screws, then mounting insulation material within the outer cladding panels, then mounting inner cladding panels on the outer cladding panels securing the inner cladding 15 panels to the inturned lip at an inner end of each side of the outer cladding panels, sealing along outer edges of the outer cladding panels; delivering the frame to a fitting station, mounting air handling equipment within the 20 frame; delivering the frame to a spray booth and spraying an exterior of the housing with paint within the spray booth; delivering the painted housing to a finishing 25 station and mounting exterior trim on the housing at the finishing station.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein at the bending station each sheet is inserted between a Vshaped channel and complementary bending blades mounted above the channel, each bending blade having a pointed lower end for cooperation with the channel for bending the sheet, the bending blades being movable vertically downwardly to press the sheet into the channel to form a right angle bend in the sheet, the bending blades comprising a number of spaced5 apart bending blades mounted above the V-shaped channel to accommodate sheets of varying lengths.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein at the cutting station the sheets are arranged in an inclined stack on a platform of the sheet feeder, the 10 platform being pivotally mounted on a support frame for movement between a horizontal loading position and an inclined guillotine feeding position, and preferably wherein at the welding station a welding torch is mounted on an overhead boom which is 15 horizontally pivotable on a support, a supply coil of welding wire and power cable associated with the torch being suspended on rollers for running along the boom between an inner and outer end of the boom, the power cable being led from an inner end of the 20 boom to a welding machine, and preferably including the step of extracting welding gases generated by the welding torch through an extraction hose mounted on the boom.

4. A process for manufacturing a prefabricated air 25 handling unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A prefabricated air handling unit whenever produced according to the process as claimed in any preceding