WO2005075124A1

WO2005075124A1 - Shaping of corners on profiles

Info

Publication number: WO2005075124A1
Application number: PCT/DK2005/000069
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jørgen Skoubo JOHANSAEN
Original assignee: Johansaen Joergen Skoubo
Priority date: 2004-02-03
Filing date: 2005-01-31
Publication date: 2005-08-18
Also published as: DK176099B1; EP1711287A1; DK200401450A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of shaping a corner on single- or multi-flap (201) profiles without necessitating use of machinery of specialized tools; said shaping taking place by means of a rod element (303). During the shaping the rod element is kept in place and controlled by the flap(s) of the profile to the effect that the rod element is pressed outwards towards the back (305) of the corner and determines the geometry of the corner.

Description

Shaping of corners on profiles

The present invention relates to a method for well managed and controlled bending of profiles without use of machinery or specialised tools, wherein the bending takes place by means of and across a transverse rod.

Background

It is known to bend corners in eg U-profiles by excess materials being punched out in the flaps of the U-profile in order to thereby bend the profile at right angles to the longitudinal direction of same, whereby the trimmed profile flaps are bent towards each other. Forming of well-defined corners in that manner usually requires that, in order to accomplish well managed bending and well defined corner configuration, bending tools have to be manufactured that include positive mould and negative mould for use in eg an eccentric press, and wherein at least the positive mould must be dimensioned specifically in accordance with the U-profile to be bent. The method is disclosed in US patent No. 3,305,998 and it will appear that tools are to be manufactured that are adapted from one profile width to the next profile width, and likewise it must be possible to establish external mechanical stop means during the folding process as such which conditions contribute to making the process both more expensive and slower.

Besides, it is known to trim the flaps in eg a U-profile in such a manner that, in the corner, a space is produced in which an essentially circular mandrel can be arranged outermost in the corner transversally to the plane straightened flat by the bent profile. Such configuration of a corner may be desirable, since the mandrel has a bracing effect on the corner. In such corner, the mandrel can moreover be selected to be longer that the width of the profile and act functionally as eg a hinge or the like. Nonetheless, the method as such for bending such corner remains the commonly known one, which process is, in that case, extremely inexpedient since, in the positive mould and optionally also in the negative mould, there necessarily has to be room for the mandrel thereby contributing further to an increase in the tool cost.

Object and description of the invention

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above outlined drawbacks of conventional bending methods for profiles.

By use of the method according to the present invention, a corner is shaped on a profile with one or more flaps by use of a rod element that is, during the shaping process, kept in place and controlled by the at least one flap of the profile, whereby the rod element is pressed towards the back of corner and at least partially shapes the corner and determines the corner geometry.

The term "rod element" as used herein is intended to designate eg a pipe, a mandrel or optionally a sectional steel element, which is laid across the flap or flaps of the profile, where the corner is to be formed. In its simplest form, the rod element can be a massive rod with a circular cross section and being of a greater length than the width of the profile.

According to the invention the thus arranged rod serves as internal bending tool; and the mechanical stop means is created by the profile itself in pace with the flap or flaps pressing against the rod during the corner shaping as such. Hereby the further advantage is accomplished that the profile can be bent without use of bending tools that need to be adapted to the dimensions of the specific profile and without establishment of external mechanical stop means; however, this is nonetheless accomplished in such a manner that the shape of the corner is still mechanically well defined and the bending as such takes place as a mechanically well-managed process. The method according to the invention therefore constitutes a very cost-efficient and economical process compared to known bending methods, this method being in its simplest form executable entirely manually and without use of machinery.

Furthermore the method presents the advantage of being very flexible and readily usable for the shaping of widely differing profiles without requirements to prior planning of the specific sequence and, likewise, it does not require time-consuming switching or setting of tools, machinery, etc.

Yet a further advantage of the method according to the invention is that it is far easier to handle long profiles since they are not, like in conventional bending processes, to be arranged in stationary machinery; rather they can be handled and shaped where they are with ensuing minimal moving around. In case of particularly long profiles, conventional bending in a press may be plainly impossible; a problem which is solved by the present invention.

Moreover, by the present invention it is possible to influence the profile by a larger power arm and hence achieve higher torque during the shaping than is the case if the bending was to be performed in eg a press.

The shaping method is not restricted to a specific type of profile and may advantageously be used for bending eg U-, T- and L-profiles or for profiles with more flaps than two.

Likewise, the invention accomplishes the advantage that due to the internal bending tool, which is the very nature of the rod element, it is possible to form several relatively closely adjoining corners since, in this manner, the tool is not in the way.

According to yet an embodiment of the invention, the smallest flap or flaps of the profile is/are cut such that, following finished shaping, the cut-out has at least partially the same geometry as the cross section of the rod element. Hereby it is accomplished on the one hand that the flap will join the rod element at an early stage in the shaping process, which yields a more well- managed shaping and, on the other, that the finished shaped corner appears approximately without openings and with the smoothest possible surface.

According to yet an embodiment of the invention the rod element that shapes the corner has a circular cross section. According to yet an embodiment of the invention, the rod element may have a triangular cross section or be essentially an L-profile. Likewise, the rod element may have varying cross sections through its length. The corner of the profile will, according to the invention, be deformed by the rod element as such, whereby the advantage is accomplished that it is possible to determine the precise final shape of the profile corner solely by choice of the shape of the rod element.

According to one embodiment of the invention the profile is shaped throughout its entire width. Hereby the advantage is accomplished that the final configuration of the corner can be managed and controlled throughout the entire width of the profile.

According to yet an embodiment of the invention the rod-shaped element remains in the corner following the shaping. Hereby it is accomplished that the rod element contributes to the corner with a bracing effect and imparts a higher degree of rigidity to the profile corner, whereby additional subsequent bracing can be avoided. Moreover the rod element can remain in the corner and have subsequent functional significance. The rod may eg be configured as fittings or means for mechanical functions such as eg door grips or the like. Since the fitting is thus integrated in the profile, the process as such of having to subsequently mount a fitting may be obviated and moreover a profile corner is accomplished that appears smooth and uninterrupted. In a further embodiment of the invention more profiles are arranged within each other and are thus shaped simultaneously by the same rod-shaped element. Hereby the advantage is accomplished that several profiles can be shaped simultaneously in the same procedure - in most cases with ensuing quicker and more expedient processes.

According to yet an embodiment of the invention the profile is shaped of thin plate steel.

According to yet an embodiment of the invention the method is used to shape the corners of a frame for a door or a window.

Brief description of drawing

In the following the invention will be described with reference to the drawing, in which

Figure 1 shows a profile prior to and following bending;

Figure 2 shows a profile where the material being in excess at the corner formation was removed from the flaps of the profile;

Figure 3 shows a rod element engaging with the flap of a profile during shaping of a comer;

Figure 4 shows a corner of a profile formed of a rod element with subsequent functional significance as a fitting;

Figure 5 shows a corner of a profile shaped from a triangular profile or an angular profile; and Figure 6 shows simultaneous shaping of corners on two U-profiles arranged within each other.

Description of embodiments

Figure 1 outlines a profile prior to (101 ) and following (102) bending about the bending axis (103). The profile can be bent at all angles in accordance with the invention and not necessarily only at a right angle of 90°. The bending axis (103) is transversal to the longitudinal axis (105) of the profile, but not necessarily perpendicular there to.

Figure 2 shows a U-profile with two flaps (201 ) and a back (202), wherein the profile is ready for being bent. In the two flaps (201 ) of the profile, on the one hand, the material that was in excess relative to the ready shaped corner is punched out, cut away or otherwise removed and so is, on the other hand, further material corresponding to the cross section of the rod. Prior to the shaping a rod element is arranged in the punched portions (203) transversally of the profile along the bending axis (205). In the example shown the punching is configured in accordance with the radius of the circular mandrel and such that, to obtain ideal shaping, there is a distance (207) between the marked centres on essentially one fourth of the circumference of the mandrel and such that the curvatures (208 and 209) have the same radius as the mandrel as shown in the enlarged view of the cut-out inserted in Figure 2.

Figure 3 shows a profile (301 ) seen from the side during bending as indicated by the directions of the arrows. The corner of the profile is shaped by a mandrel (303) (shown cut through), here having a circular cross section which means that the back (305) of the finished profile corner will have a curvature given by the curvature of the mandrel. Due to the particular shape of the cut-out, the mandrel will be held and guided by the adjoining one of the profile flap or flaps (304) very early on in the shaping, whereby the mandrel will be pressed outwards towards the back (305) of the corner and shape it. In this manner the rod arranged therein serves as internal bending tool and the mechanical stop means is created by the profile itself in pace with the flap or flaps pressing towards the rod during the corner shaping as such. According to a preferred version of the invention the cut-out is of such shape that the edges in the flaps will very early come into contact with the mandrel, meaning that a well managed and controlled shaping of the corner results.

Following ended shaping of the corner, the mandrel or the rod element can be left in the corner and hence contribute with a reinforcing effect to the corner. It is a further option according to the invention to force the profile legs a small distance apart, whereby the rod element is caused to sit loosely and can be removed, following which the corner legs can be pressed towards each other again.

According to the invention the shaping of profile corners can be used on profiles having both one and more flaps, eg U-, L- and T-profiles or for profiles having more flaps than two. It is also possible in accordance with the use to provide a number of relatively closely situated corners successively on the same profile, since here, compared to conventional bending operations using eg an eccentric press, it is easier to obtain access with one's tools that, as it is, consist only of the rod element and the profile itself combined.

Figure 4 shows a corner shaped by a rod element (7) which is configured like a fitting or means that is to remain in the corner for subsequently taking on mechanical functions such as eg an attachment function.

Figure 5 shows a finished corner of a profile wherein the rod element (9) which shaped the corner has a cross section which is different from circular and eg triangular like in the example shown. The rod element could, also in accordance with the invention, have a varying cross section. A further embodiment of the invention could be to use a shaping rod element that does not extend throughout the entire profile width, but could be eg in the shape of a hanger, where the ends of the hanger project into the profile from each side.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the invention, according to which, in this case, one single mandrel (8) shapes two U-shaped profiles (10 and 11 ) that are, following initial punching away of excess material in their flaps, arranged within each other and are hence secured in relation to each other.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A method of shaping a corner on a profile with at least one flap, characterised in that a rod element is used for the shaping, wherein the rod element is, during the shaping, kept in place and controlled by the at least one flap of the profile, whereby the rod element is pressed outwards towards the back of the corner and at least partially shapes the corner and determines the geometry of the corner.

2. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the at least one flap of the profile has a cut-out which has at least in part the same geometry as the cross section of the rod element, following finished shaping.

3. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rod-shaped element has an essentially circular cross section.

4. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rod-shaped element has an essentially triangular cross section.

5. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rod-shaped element is essentially an L-profile.

6. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the profile is shaped throughout its entire width.

7. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rod-shaped element remains in the corner following shaping.

8. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that several profiles are arranged within each other and are hence shaped simultaneously by the same rod-shaped element.

9. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the profile is of thin plate steel.

10. A method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the method is used for shaping the corners of a frame.