ITUD20100027A1 - AUTOMATIC BAR LOADER GROUP FOR FOLDING PINS SUITABLE FOR PLANTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RETICULAR STRUCTURES OR CAGES DERIVED FROM ELECTROSALDATED METALLIC NETWORKS. - Google Patents

Description

Description

"AUTOMATIC LOADING GROUP OF BENDING PIN HOLDER BARS SUITABLE FOR PLANTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RETICULAR STRUCTURES OR CAGES DERIVED FROM ELECTRO-WELDED METAL NETS"

Application sector

The present invention relates to an automated apparatus or automatic loading unit for bending pin holder bars, particularly suitable for the replacement of said bars in automatic bending plants for the production of three-dimensional reticular structures or cages derived from electro-welded metal meshes, i.e. service of single folding grippers of said nets.

The invention fully automates the operation of replacing the door bars

they have various dimensions - to obtain different bending shapes - and are located at various distances between them on each bar, with different technical characteristics suitable for bending on steel rods of various diameters. The automatic loading unit is placed in a longitudinal direction with respect to the bending machine of the production plant, or in a transverse direction with respect to the flow of formation of the three-dimensional reticular structures. By means of automatic devices governed by IT management systems, the nioble bar-holder warehouse is placed in position, and with suitable means the bar suitable for the required bending is removed, placing it in the working position in the> bending unit. The reverse operation, that is, the withdrawal of the bending pin holder bar from the bending unit to the warehouse, always takes place automatically.

With the present invention it is possible to quickly replace the folding pin holder bars so as to allow the formation of three-dimensional reticular cages also having different radii of curvature on the same cage.

State of the art

In the current state of the art, in the field of automated systems for the formation of electro-welded metal meshes and in the construction of three-dimensional metal reticular structures, such as reinforcement armatures for concrete castings, bending units equipped with a multi-pin holder bar are used. folder which is subjected to rotation in both directions and along its axis, in order to perform their function. Said bending pins have different geometric characteristics, have different radius of action and different pitches in relation to the dimensions of the rods to be bent and their position. Therefore, if the continuous production of metal cages changes, for example by varying the geometric characteristics of the steel rods used for the construction of said three-dimensional structures, it is necessary to intervene by calibrating the bending pins on the bars that contain them or to replace the bar itself entirely. . This operation is currently performed manually by two or more operators, in an area with a high risk of accidents, taking a long time to replace and at the same time interrupting the continuous production of the plant, negatively affecting equipment costs and consequently on the total production costs.

To obviate this drawback, the present invention comes to the rescue, as it performs the replacement of the folding bar holder entirely automatically, thus avoiding any direct manual intervention by the operators, therefore with no possibility of accidental injury and obviously not interrupting the production for long times, or in any case with reasonable times and much shorter than those obtainable by using never-ending operators.

Purpose of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a machine or automated apparatus for loading bars carrying bending pins from a warehouse, equipped with a plurality of bars with pins having various geometric characteristics, placed longitudinally with respect to the bending unit to be enslaved. , having the following main characteristics:

<-> the structure of the automatic bar loader for bending pins is placed longitudinally and coaxially with respect to the bending axis of the specific group, so as to have a straight continuity of the movement of the bars from the bending group to the warehouse and vice versa ;

<-> said loader structure is in an orthogonal position with respect to the direction of the continuous production flow of the plant for forming the metal cages derived from electro-welded meshes, since the bending bar mounted on the homonymous group is also orthogonal to the same production flow;

<-> said bar storage rack structure is fixed with respect to the cage formation plant or movable 90 "rotatable in order to free the lateral space of the plant itself during the bar non-replacement phase, or also suspended above the surface of the plant and the <whose bars carrying bending pins in the warehouse are moved automatically by> appropriate automatic grippers;

- the magazine of the bending pins holder bars 8 equipped with several stations side by side, each of which will house a specific bending pin holder bar having certain geometric characteristics. Said magazine slides horizontally in the same direction as the production flow of the cages, and is placed in the right position for extracting the bar with suitable automation means known by the technicians of the sector. It is positioned longitudinally and coaxially to the axis of the bending machine so as to facilitate both the extraction <of the desired bar and its insertion on the bending machine;>

<-> the magazine for bending pin bars can be of the single-storey or multi-storey type, and each can have several stations. In the case of several overlapping floors, the entire warehouse can also move vertically in order to arrange the bar on the same axis as the bending machine;

- as an alternative to these types of warehouses with displacements on the horizontal and vertical plane, there is the case of a circular loader with multiple stations, capable of automatically positioning the desired bar coaxially to the axis of the bending machine to be enslaved; <-> the automatic loader is able to completely avoid manual intervention by the operators for the replacement of the bending pin holder bars on the bending unit of the cage formation system;

- said automatic loader with rapid replacement of the bending pin holder bars carries out cages with different bending radii.

Essence of the invention

The objects of the invention are achieved according to the characteristics of the main claim and 10 of any other claim reported in this patent text, by means of the realization of an automatic loading unit for folding pin holder bars, suitable for plants for the continuous production of three-dimensional reticular structures or of cages derived from electro-welded metal meshes, to enslave the relevant group or bending machine of said <plant.>

<It is known that the production of three-dimensional reticular cages composed of steel meshes> electro-welded and 10 from steel rods, uses a wide variety of materials of various geometric shapes and sizes (diameters, pitches, meshes), for which there is the need to repeatedly replace the bending pin holder bars on the bending machine, to perform correct bending of all the elements involved in the bending phase.

The invention consists of an automatic loading machine or gripper in a position flanked and perpendicular to the production direction of the plant for forming metal cages obtained from electro-welded nets. The loading group is coaxial to the axis of the bending machine of the plant, which in turn is transverse to the direction of the continuous production flow. It includes a multi-station magazine with folding pin holder bars, each with specific geometric characteristics of the pins. The warehouse can be of the horizontal type, sliding in this direction, in both directions, and 10 of the vertical type and 10 of the circular type. The different bending pins holder bars are rightly positioned for automatic extraction and insertion in the bending machine of the production plant, and vice versa.

In a first solution of the present invention, the bar-holding magazine is of the horizontal type with several stations side by side, each of which houses a bar with specific bending pins. The magazine slides on special guides and trolley in an orthogonal direction to the bars themselves, and is moved to the right position, with suitable automatic means, in such a way as to allow the desired bar to be picked up from the upper handling unit. Each bar is equipped at one end with a gripping point for the upper handling unit. In this way the upper carriage grabs the end of the bar and pushes it towards the insertion in the bending machine of the system. Thus, with a single gripping point, the bar is pushed through the guide which directs it exactly onto the bending machine. Here the bar is automatically unhooked from the upper magazine carriage and is gripped by the clamping devices of the folder.

The opposite operation includes the automatic disengagement of the bar by the bending machine, the arrival of the upper magazine gripping trolley which grasps the same bar at the end and drags it towards the free station of the warehouse atb-through the guides also provided on the specification. railway station. Once the storage position has been reached, the <upper carriage on the bar is opened, thus leaving the magazine free to move> automatically to the new position for picking up another folding pin holder bar, and repeat the cycle.

In a second possible solution, the bar holder warehouse is of the vertical type, so that the correct positioning of the bending pin holder bar occurs with vertical movement and the automatic extraction and insertion devices will be made for this purpose.

In a third possible solution, the bar holder magazine with bending pins is of the circular type, so that said bars will be arranged in a circular manner and moved in an automatic circular manner, positioning the desired bar in the extraction and insertion position on the bending machine.

In a further variant, the bar holder warehouse can be fixed, i.e. orthogonal to the production flow direction of the reticular cage formation plant, or even mobile, hinged to the floor and rotating at 9Ool, which can be positioned as the fixed one when replacing the bar: this is to have more free space next to the system.

Another variant to the present invention consists in the fact that the magazine of the bending pin holder bars is located above or below the work surface of the production plant <of the reticular cages, downstream with respect to the bending unit, i.e. superimposed on the work for which with suitable raised overhead gripping means, always automatically, the desired bar is picked up and placed on the underlying bending unit, and similarly occurs for reverse operations. Obviously, it is possible to intervene on the various bars contained in the warehouse also> when the production plant is in operation, for example for maintenance needs.

<Another peculiarity of the invention consists in the fact that said group can safely> be at the service of a simple bending machine for reticular cages derived from electro-welded metal meshes or from simple rods or metal bars, without having to be included in a real plant. and precisely of more coniplex production.

Ultimately, this group allows the automated replacement of the bending pin holder bars without the use of manual operators directly on the bending machine of the plant, thus reducing tooling times and avoiding technical accidents or injuries: thus fully responding to the intended purposes.

Illustration of the drawings

Two solutions according to the present invention are represented by way of preferential example, however not limiting, in the seven attached drawing tables, where:

- Fig.1 shows, in perspective view, the way of forming a reticular cage derived from an electrowelded metal mesh;

- Fig. 2 shows, in cross-sectional view, a reticular cage with identical bending radii r l;

- Fig.3 shows, in cross-sectional view, a reticular cage with three different curvature radii, r 1, r 2 and r 3;

Fig.4 shows, in a plan view, the automatic loading unit for bending pin holder bars placed externally to the production line, of the fixed and orthogonal type in order to be able to insert said bars into the bending machine;

- Fig. 5 shows, in plan view, the automatic bar loading unit similar to the previous one, but of the mobile type with floor hinging, rotating by 90 "to reduce the overall dimensions when not in use;

- Fig. 6 shows, in plan view, the other variant therein, the magazine of bars holding bending pins and placed in the upper position on the work surface of the bending machine and downstream, the bars of which are moved by special clamps automatic hanging furniture;

<-> Fig.7 shows, in front view, the bar loading unit, highlighting a folding pin holder bar, gripped at the left end by the upper transfer carriage; - Fig. 8 shows, in cross-sectional view A - A, the automatic loading unit, highlighting the devices for moving the bar magazine towards the bending machine side;

- Fig. 9 shows, in partial cross-sectional view B - B, enlarged, the area of the warehouse with four stations, one of which is free and three with the presence of different bars;

Fig. 10 shows, in plan view, the automatic bar loading unit, of the fixed type and enlarged with respect to Fig. 3, highlighting the various devices for moving the bar magazine and the trolley for longitudinal movement of the bars with respect to to the axis of the bending machine of the production plant of metal reticular cages derived from electro-welded steel meshes.

As can be seen from the first figures, the construction of the three-dimensional reticular cages derived from electro-welded metal meshes (20) can take place as in case (21) with identical radii of curvature (r 1) or in case (22) with three different radii of curvature (r l), (r 2) and (r 3). The latter case would involve, if this operation were carried out manually, the use of a long time, while in an automatic way, with the use of the preseilte cai the indicator of bars holding bending pins (7), everything is carried out with very long times. reduced.

In fact, the automatic loading unit (3) of bending pins holder bars (7) is at the service of a bending machine (2) inserted in a continuous production plant (1) of metal reticular cages (21) (22) derived from nets welded steel (20). It can be of the fixed type, <orthogonal and external to the production plant, as shown in Figure 4, or of the mobile type, hinged to the floor (19), so as to rotate 90 °, from a working position to a resting one to occupy less lateral space to the production plant (1), as shown in Figure 5, or placed above the plant as shown in Fig.6.

The machine or automated group for loading bending pins holder bars (7) is composed of a frame that rises vertically in order to determine the upper bearing beam (4) which supports a sliding guide (5) for the trolley (6) with autonomic gripper. These structures are parallel to the horizontal magazine (9) of the folding pin holder bars> (7). The horizontal magazine (9) has, for example, four stations (13) for positioning the bars (7), which will rest on idle rollers to facilitate their movement by sliding in both directions, of entry and exit from the warehouse itself. Said magazine is automatically moved in an orthogonal direction to the bars in order to correctly position a bar near the exit seat which must coincide with the axis of the bending machine (2).

The magazine (9) is supported by a suitable frame (8) which rests on the two sides on the base frame (3) of the loader, on a special guide and sliding carriage. On the side towards the bending machine (2), on the frame (10) there are provided handling means such as the carriage (12) on guide (18) connected to a mobile hydraulic cylinder (11) for the transversal displacement of the magazine itself. While, on the opposite side, the affected end slides on a special guide (14) 'moved in siricrory with the other side (carriage) through a transmission shaft (16)' which longitudinally crosses the entire warehouse, at the end of which a toothed wheel (17) meshes on a rectilinear and transversal rack fixed to the frame.

Once the bar to be extracted has been positioned, automatically moving the magazine, the automatic gripper of the upper carriage (6) grabs the upward protruding appendage of the end of the bar (7) and moves it, making it slide on the idle rollers of the magazine (9) 'thanks to the drive of the motor (15) connected to the carriage supported by the upper guide (5).

The selected bending pin holder bar (7) is thus inserted on the bending machine of the plant, and the operation of withdrawing the bar takes place in reverse order to be replaced with another present in the external warehouse.

All the handling operations and the selection of the type of bending pin holder bars present in the warehouse (9) take place automatically with the use of computerized automatic management means known to those skilled in the art.

Naturally, the invention is not limited to the examples of embodiment of the automatic loader of bending pin holder bars described above, starting from which other forms and other embodiments can be envisaged, and the details of execution may in any case vary without for this reason. exit from the essence of the invention as set forth and claimed hereinafter.

Claims (1)

R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1 "Automatic loader group of bending pins holder bars suitable for plants for the production of reticular, three-dimensional structures or cages derived from electrowelded metal meshes, characterized by the fact of cooperating1 the coordination at the service of a bending machine for electrowelded metal meshes and10 at the of a bending machine included in a continuous production plant of three-dimensional reticular cages derived from said nets, having the following characteristics: - a framed structure (3) resting on the floor on two shoulders, one of which (10) near the bending machine to be served. Said shoulders are connected at the top by suitable latticework capable of supporting a rectilinear sliding guide (5), horizontal, longitudinal with respect to the bending machine, on which a lower carriage (6) equipped with pincers or pliers or other gripping means slides. of the ends of the bars (7)) facing downwards, moved by a suitable motion transmission system and relative gearmotor (15). On the two shoulders, in a lower position with respect to the sliding guide (5), there are two other guides (14) and (la), horizontal and perpendicular to the guide (5), on which the two ends of the support structure slide on command. of the magazine (9) for the bars (7); - a magazine (9) of bars carrying bending pins (7) of the horizontal type with pluri-stations side by side (13), each equipped with a plurality of idle rollers for longitudinal sliding of the bars. It is automatically moved in the two orthogonal directions, to the guide (5) and to the bending machine, with a hydraulic system equipped with a cylinder (11) which moves on the guide (18) which moves the end carriage (12), which transmits the coordination motion at the other end, <equipped with a toothed wheel (17) which meshes with a fixed rack on the other shoulder of the frame.> through the shaft (16) located under the bar surface of the warehouse itself. The seats (13) that house the bars (7) of the warehouse can therefore be positioned individually horizontally and on the same longitudinal operating axis of the bending machine to be served: this is to> facilitate the movement of the bars in a longitudinal and coaxial way to the bending machine from the warehouse to the machine and vice versa, using the aforementioned upper trolley (6). Finally, the replacement e10 and the loading of the bending pin holder bars (7) on the bending machine (2) takes place completely automatically, positioning the chosen bar from the magazine on the axis of the bending machine, then the upper carriage (6) with the pliers. grabs the end of the bar and pushes it onto the bender. Even the reverse operation takes place entirely automatically, without direct manual intervention by the operators. 2 "Automatic bar loader unit for bending pins for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized in that the structure of the automatic bar loader (3) (7) is of the mobile type and is hinged to the floor (19) for to allow its rotation at 90 "during the rest phase, ie if the bars are not replaced from the magazine to the bending machine (2). 3A Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized in that the structure (8) of the magazine (9) <of the bars (7) can be positioned above and 10 below the work and downstream of the bending machine, the bars of which are replaced and inserted into said bending machine, and vice versa, by means of special automated pliers operating above the work surface.> 4A Automatic loading unit for bending pen holder bars for bending machines, <according to the first claim, characterized by the fact that the multi-station magazine, for bending pin holder bars for bending machines of electro-welded metal mesh, can be made with> handling of the stations vertically with consequent changes in the positioning of the extractor carriage and 10 for the insertion of the same bars from the magazine. SA Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized by the fact that the multi-station magazine, for bending pins holder bars for bending machines of electro-welded metal mesh (20), can be of the revolver rotation type with the same automatic extraction trolley (6) and 10 with executive technical solution. 6A Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized in that the movement of the warehouse, in an orthogonal direction with respect to the axis of the bending machine to be served, takes place with the aid of electric stepping motors and respective mechanical transmission. 7A Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized by the fact that it is suitable for simple bending machines for bending electro-welded metal meshes, and will be positioned exactly longitudinally and coaxially to the axis of said bending machine. 8 "Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized by the fact that it is suitable for serving the bending machine longitudinally and coaxially to the axis of the machine, although the bending machine is inserted in a production plant in of three-dimensional reticular cages obtained by bending electro-welded metal meshes. In this technical solution the bending machine in the continuous production line is positioned orthogonally to the production flow, and consequently the loader (3) will also be positioned orthogonally, although it is external to the flow of production. gA Automatic loading unit for bending pins holder bars for bending machines according to the first claim, characterized in that it allows the rapid replacement of said bars (7), allowing the realization of three-dimensional reticular cages having radii of curvature of the electro-welded meshes (20) different from each other (r l) (r 2) (r 3) - see for example Figure 3 - e10 different folding shapes.