US3715907A

US3715907A - Apparatus for supporting sheet materials in bending presses

Info

Publication number: US3715907A
Application number: US00083966A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Hamada
Original assignee: Amada Co Ltd
Current assignee: Amada Co Ltd
Priority date: 1969-10-29
Filing date: 1970-10-26
Publication date: 1973-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 1990-02-13

Abstract

FOR USE WITH PRESS-BRAKES OR SHEET METAL BENDING PRESSES, AN APPARATUS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MECHANISM BENT, WHICH MEMBER IS ROTATABLY AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY A FIRST LINK MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON A TABLE OF THE PRESS-BRAKE, AND FURTHER PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY A SECOND LINK MEMBER WHICH IS ALSO ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY THE FIRST LINK MEMBER, THE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND LINK MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE FIRST LINK MEMBER BEING REGULATED BY A GEARED ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE SECOND LINK MEMBER AND THE PRESS-BRAKE TABLE IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE SUPPORTING MEMBER IS AT ALL TIMES IN CONTIGUOUS CONTACT WITH THE SHEET MATERIALS BEING BENT. THE DESCRIBED MECHANISM IS USUALLY PROVIDED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SUPPORTING MEMBER IS SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICAL ARRANGEMENT.

Description

Feb. 13, 1973 TERUMA HAMADA 3,715,907

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING SHEET MATERIALS IN BENDING PRESSES Filed Oct. 26. 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-1 Feb. 13, 1973 TERUMA HAMADA 3,715,907

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING SHEET MATERIALS IN SENDING PRESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26. 1970 FIG-3 FlG o United States Patent U.S. Cl. 72-419 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For use with press-brakes or sheet-metal bending presses, an apparatus comprising at least one mechanism including a member for supporting sheet materials to be bent, which member is rotatably and slidably supported by a first link member pivotally mounted on a table of the press-brake, and further pivotally supported by a second link member which is also rotatably supported by the first link member, the rotational movement of the second link member relative to the first link member being regulated by a geared engagement between the second link member and the press-brake table in such a way that the supporting member is at all times in contiguous contact with the sheet materials being bent. The described mechanism is usually provided on both sides of the supporting member in a substantially symmetrical arrangement.

This invention relates generally to an apparatus for supporting sheet-metal type materials to be bent by a pressbrake or bending press, and more particularly to improved means for supporting sheet materials being bent, with the supporting surface of said means always in fiat contact with the material during the bending operation.

Conventional sheet supporting devices for press-brakes have generally proven unsatisfactory for handling materials of heavy weight because they are unable to keep a surface-to-surface contact between the supporting surface or member and the materials during the bending operation.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an improved sheet-material supporting apparatus which is capable of handling heavy-weight materials, e.g. metals, by keeping a surface-to-surface support substantially throughout the bending operation.

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows a conventional sheet-metal supporting device for press-brakes or bending presses;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for supporting sheet materials in pressbrakes, according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional device having a sheet supporting member 3 pivotally mounted on a table 7' of a press-brake or sheet-metal bending press. A hydraulic cylinder 1 functions to pivot supporting member 3 toward a position shown at A, to support a sheet material to be bent by upper and lower bending dies 31. A vertically reciprocable bending tool is schematically shown in operative connection with the upper die.

Since space is too limited to have the pivot of the supporting member 3' at a location adjacent the shoulder of lower bending die 31', it is not possible to keep a sur- Patented Feb. 13, 1973 face-to-surface contact between the materials and supporting member 3 during the bending operation.

The above difficulty has been overcome by the apparatus according to the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, a hydraulic cylinder 1 functions vertically to reciprocate a pivotable supporting member 3. For the sake of clarity, cylinder 1 has been omitted from FIG. 3. A bracket 5 is fixed to a table 7 of a press-brake or bending press by any conventional means. A lower bending die is shown at 31 above table 7. A link member 13 is pivotally connected with one of its ends to bracket 5, e.g. by a shaft 9 passing through the latter. Link member 13 is provided with a slot or opening 19 at a location spaced from its pivoted end, close to its free end.

Slot 19 is adapted to slidably and rotatably support therethrough a sleeve roller 17, rotatably mounted on the free or distal end of a shaft 18 projecting from a block member 25, the latter being secured (e.g. welded) to supporting member 3. The position of shaft 18 relative to block member 25 is adjustable along slot 19 by means of a set-screw 27. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that a slidable and pivotable linking means is constituted between supporting member 3 and the first-named link member 13 by the just described

elements

17, 18, 19, 25 and 27 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

A fixed pinion geared sector 11 is fixed to shaft 9. A second link member 21 is provided at one end with a geared sector 22 which meshes with sector 11. These sectors together constitute a geared engagement between table 7 (or its bracket 5) and second link member 21. The latter is further pivotally connected to first link member 13 by a shaft 15 at a location spaced from sector 22. The other end of second link member 21 is pivotally connected to one end of supporting member 3, e.g. by way of a shaft 23.

In the initial position, before the bending operation, supporting member 3 has its upper supporting surface 29 (with conventional support protuberances, omitted in FIG. 4) at the same level as that of the shoulder of lower die 31. The axes of

shafts

9, 15, 23 and of roller 17 (the point of engagement of the afore-mentioned linking means) are all on a horizontal line parallel to supporting surface 29.

It should be understod that the preferred apparatus is usually symmetrically designed, and substantially the same mechanism as described above is provided on the opposite side of the supporting member, as can readily be visualized in FIG. 4 (press-brake table 7 and member 3 being broken away as they extend toward the top of the drawing).

The function of the present invention shall now be described. As the bending operation proceeds, supporting member 3 is raised by cylinder 1 to a position, for example, shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. First link member 13 is rotated about shaft 9 together with second link member 21, but at the same time, the latter is rotated relative to first member 13 by the engagement between its geared sector 22 and fixed sector 11 of shaft 9.

Shafts 15, 23 will thus take new positions as shown at 15a, and 23a, respectively, off the center line of link member 13, as shown in FIG. 3. Roller 17 changes its position relative to first member 13, sliding along slot 19, as shown at 17a.

Thus it will be understood that by raising supporting member 3, upper surface 29 thereof is tilted relative to first link member 13, as shown at 29a, and the amount of tilting is dependent on the distance between the pivotal end (at shaft 23) of member 3 and roller 17. By properly pre-setting the position of the latter, by means of set-screw 27, the aforementioned line connecting shaft 23 and roller 17, and accordingly upper surface 29, 29a of member 3, will always be parallel to the sheet materials being bent.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that by the present invention, although pivotal axis 9 is spaced away from the shoulder of die 31, supporting member 3 makes a combined pivoting and tilting motion, to keep its upper surface 29 always in surface-to-surface contact with the sheet materials during the bending operation.

It is the intention of applicant to cover all changes and modifications of the described exemplary embodiment of the invention, herein chosen for the purpose of illustrating the same, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for supporting sheet materials in bending presses, comprising, in combination, at least one mechanism including a first link member pivotally supported at its one end by a table of a bending press; a second link member pivotally supported by said first link member; geared engagement means operatively interconnecting said table and said second link member; a first shaft mounted on one end of said second link member; a material supporting member pivotally secured with its one end to said first shaft; means for slidably and pivotally linking said supporting member to said first link member at a point spaced from its said one end; and means, constituted by portions of said first and said second link members and of said supporting member, for varying the distance between the respective pivot points of said one end of the second link member and said one end of the supporting member about said first shaft, on the one hand, and of said supporting member about said point of the first link member, on the other hand, by a combined pivoting and tilting movement of said supporting member when said geared engagement means is actuated, whereby the upper surface of said supporting member is maintained at all times in contiguous contact with the sheet materials being bent.

2. The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said linking means includes a substantially axial slot in the free end of said first link member and a roller associated with said supporting member, said roller being slidably and rotatably received by said slot.

3. An apparatus for supporting sheet materials in bending presses, comprising, in combination, at least one mechanism including a first link member pivotally sup ported at its one end by a table of a bending press; a second link member pivotally supported by said first link member; geared engagement means operatively interconnecting said table and said second link member; a. first shaft mounted on one end of said second link member; a material supporting member pivotally secured with its one end to said first shaft; and means for slidably and pivotally linking said supporting member to said first link member at a point spaced from its said one end, whereby the upper surface of said supporting member is maintained at all times in contiguous contact with the sheet materials being bent, wherein said linking means includes a substantially axial slot in the free end of said first link member and a roller associated with said supporting member, said roller being slidably and rotatably received by said slot, and wherein said linking means further includes a block member secured to said supporting member in the region of said slot, and a second shaft projecting from said bloc-k member, said roller being rotatably mounted on the free end of said second shaft.

4. The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising means for adjusting the relative position of said second shaft and said block member along at least part of the axis of said slot.

5. An apparatus for supporting sheet materials in bending presses, comprising, in combination, at least one mechanism including a first link member pivotally supported at its one end by a table of a bending press; a second link member pivotally supported by said first link member; geared engagement means operatively interconnecting said table and said second link member; a

first shaft mounted on one end of said second link mem ber; a material supporting member pivotally secured with its one end to said first shaft; means for slidably and pivotally linking said supporting member to said first link member at a point spaced from its said one end, whereby the upper surface of said supporting member is maintained at all times in contiguous contact with the sheet materials being bent, and another shaft between said table and said first link member, and wherein said geared engagement means includes a first geared sector fixed to the other end of said second link member and a meshing second geared sector fixed to said other shaft.

6. The supporting apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising at least one bracket fixed to said table, each for supporting a respective mechanism with said first link member and said second sector by the intermediary of said other shaft, which latter is fixed to said bracket.

7. The supporting apparatus as defined inclaim 5, wherein the axesof said first and said other shafts, as well as a pivot point between said link members and a point of engagement in said linking means are all on a common line substantially parallel to said upper surface of the supporting member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,695,015 11/1954 Cooper 2695'5 X 2,951,379 9/1960 Longfield 72386 X CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner R. M. ROGERS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.