Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D5/00—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves
  • B21D5/06—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves by drawing procedure making use of dies or forming-rollers, e.g. making profiles
  • B21D5/08—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves by drawing procedure making use of dies or forming-rollers, e.g. making profiles making use of forming-rollers
  • B21D5/083—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves by drawing procedure making use of dies or forming-rollers, e.g. making profiles making use of forming-rollers for obtaining profiles with changing cross-sectional configuration
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
  • B21D5/00—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves
  • B21D5/06—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves by drawing procedure making use of dies or forming-rollers, e.g. making profiles
  • B21D5/08—Bending sheet metal along straight lines, e.g. to form simple curves by drawing procedure making use of dies or forming-rollers, e.g. making profiles making use of forming-rollers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method to form in a line profiles that have a variable cross-section along their lengths from a plane strip of metal that is uncoiled from a coil, whereby edge cutters and a number of roll-forming units are used where not only the edge cutters but also the roll-forming units can be individually displaced in a transverse direction relative to the strip.
• the invention also relates to a continuous production line.
• the Prior Art WO 02/43886 Al describes a roll-forming machine that is used in this way to fold up and form the edges of a roofing sheet of the type known as "standing seam".
• the width of the roofing sheet can be varied along the length of the sheet and the vertical edges have the same form along the complete length.
• a production line according to the invention comprises a bending station after the roll-forming line and this bending station comprises rollers that can be controlled to roll parts of the profile more thinly such that the profile becomes curved or twisted as it is formed.
• Figure 1 illustrates a production line schematically in a side view
• Figure 2 illustrates a view from above of the line in Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 in Figure 2, showing enlarged and schematically a punch;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 in Figure 2, showing enlarged and schematically a first bending unit for bending of the profile formed;
• Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 in Figure 2, showing enlarged and schematically a second bending unit for bending of the profile formed;
• Figures 6 and 7 show cross-sections of a strip formed in the equipment that is shown in the preceding figures, where the cross-sections are taken along the lines 6-6 and 7-7 in Figure 8;
• Figure 8 is an extension of the formed strip shown in Figures 6 and 7;
• Figure 9 shows the final roll-forming step of the production line in the forming of a C-profile
• Figure 10 shows apart of an edge-cut and punched strip before profiling
• Figures 11 and 12 show sections taken before and after a tube-forming unit as is specified by the lines 11-11 and 12-12 in Figure 13 and in Figure 2;
• Figure 13 shows enlarged and schematically a tube-forming unit seen from above.
• Figures 1 and 2 show schematically a production line that contains an unwinder 11 for unwinding a metal strip 10 from a coil 9, a straightening device 12 for aligning the plane of the metal strip 10, an initial stamp 13, an edge cutter station 14, 15 on each side of the strip 10, a waste mill 16 for collecting the edges of the strip that have been removed, four roll-forming units 17-20 and 21-24 on each side of the strip 10 for folding the strip into a profile, a bending station 25 that contains two bending units 26, 27 for bending the formed profile, a tube-forming unit 28 for closing the formed profile, a welding unit 29 for welding the seam of the closed profile, and a terminal cutter 30 for the final cutting of the completed profile.
• Figure 3 shows enlarged the initial stamp 13, which has an angle cutter 31 such that it begins the stamping in the centre of the strip and such that the stroke length determines the length of the slit.
• the edge cutter stations 14, 15 can be individually displaced in a sideways direction, that is, transverse to the direction of the strip.
• the roll-forming units 17-24 are all identically constructed and they can all be individually displaced. They have a carrier that supports, as is shown on the roll- forming unit 17, two pairs of rollers 35, 36 in tandem, and they can be displaced in a sideways direction and rotated around a vertical axis.
• Figure 9 shows the final roll-forming step on each side of the strip in order to give the final C-profile 50 with two pairs of forming rollers 37, 38; 39, 40.
• Figures 6 and 7 show two cross-sections of a completed C-profile 50 that has an asymmetric cross- section and a varying cross-section along its length.
• the edges of the profile have been given the reference numbers 51, 52, and its comers have been given 53-56.
• the comers are shown with dashed lines and the cross-sections given in Figures 6 and 7 have been indicated by the lines 6-6 and 7-7 in Figure 8.
• the C-profile can be defined as having a central flange 76 between the comers 54, 55; two upright sides 77, 78 between the comers 53, 54 and 55, 56; and two inwardly bent side-flanges 79, 80 between the comers 53, 56 and the edges 51, 52.
• the strip alignment device 12 aligns the strip that is uncoiled from the coil 9 and feeds the strip forwards through the line. Feeding is stopped when the metal that is to be the end of a profile length reaches the initial stamp 13 and a transverse slit is punched out. If the trailing end of one length of sheet and the leading end of the next length of sheet do not have the same extent, with the leading end being, for example, broader than the trailing end of the previous sheet, as is shown in Figure 10, a slit 60 is first made for the trailing end and a slit 61 is subsequently made for the leading end once the strip has been fed forwards through a certain distance. The length that lies between will become a waste piece when the lengths are finally separated as will be described later.
• Figure 10 shows the strip as it appears after it has been punched and after the edges have been cut.
• the cutting of the edges may be carried out after the punching as is shown, or it may be carried out before the punching.
• the lengths of the slits are adapted such that the comers 53, 56 of the final profile are removed by stamping and only the plane parts between the corners 53, 56 and the ends 51, 52 remain for the final profile.
• the slits are made sufficiently wide such that it will be possible later to cut away the final profile using tools that enter through the slits from underneath.
• the first two roll-forming units 17, 18 and 21 , 22 on each side of the strip are controlled such that their forming rollers follow the outermost comers 53, 56, that is, they follow the lines 53, 56 across the extent ( Figure 8).
• the lines of extent have gradual bends, and this means that the error will be so small that it does not have any practical significance. It is also often possible to have three roll-forming steps at each roll-forming unit 17-24.
• Figures 4 and 5 show the two bending units 26, 27 that are used when it is desired to bend or twist the profile.
• the profile 50 is given the same reference numbers as in Figure 6, although not all numbers are present in Figure 4.
• the unit 26 shown as Figure 4 will be described in more detail. It has counter rollers 82, 83 inside the profile 50 and these counter rollers can be adjusted to make contact with the upper part of the vertical sides of the profile. Rollers 84, 85 make contact with the outer surface of the vertical sides.
• the complete bending unit 26 can be freely displaced vertically along rails 86, 87 in the support and it follows the upper part of the vertical sides through sprung units 88, 89 lightly pressing against the upper inwardly bent flanges of the profile and holding the flanges between themselves and the counter rollers 82, 83.
• the counter rollers are supported on units 90, 91 that can be transversely slid along a rail and the rollers 84, 85 are supported by units 93, 94 that can be slid along a rail 95.
• the counter rollers and the rollers 82-85 can be adapted to the profile in that it is possible to adjust their angles to a limited extent within the relevant unit 90, 91, 93, 94 along partial surfaces of circles as has been suggested in the figure by dashed lines.
• the various power units for carrying out the adjustment and supplying power are not shown in the figure. These may, for example, be hydraulic units.
• the profile will be bent downwards when the rollers are pressed with a large force and with some obliqueness against the vertical sides of the profile in order gradually to thin the vertical sides upwards.
• the rollers are supplemented with support and guide rollers located after the rollers, in order to give the profile an exact form in all three dimensions. These support and guide rollers are not shown in the figures.
• the unit 27 shown in Figure 5 has a similar structure to the unit 26 that has been described above and is shown in Figure 4. The unit shown in Figure 5 will, therefore, not be described in detail.
• rollers of both units are used on the same side, such that the complete vertical side of one side of the profile is thinned and bends the profile in the opposite direction.
• roller of the unit 26 is used on one vertical side of the profile, while the roller of the unit 27 is used on the second vertical side of the profile.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bending Of Plates, Rods, And Pipes (AREA)
• Shearing Machines (AREA)
• Control Of Metal Rolling (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Cited By (8)

Families Citing this family (17)

Citations (4)

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• 2004
  • 2004-02-27 SE SE0400485A patent/SE528078C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2005
  • 2005-02-23 RU RU2006132815/02A patent/RU2362644C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-02-23 CA CA2557277A patent/CA2557277C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-02-23 BR BRPI0507854-7A patent/BRPI0507854B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-02-23 ES ES05711106T patent/ES2421539T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-02-23 DK DK05711106.4T patent/DK1722907T3/da active
  • 2005-02-23 CN CNB2005800060529A patent/CN100421832C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-02-23 JP JP2007500714A patent/JP5080966B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-02-23 WO PCT/SE2005/000246 patent/WO2005082559A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2005-02-23 US US10/590,183 patent/US8601845B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-02-23 PL PL05711106T patent/PL1722907T3/pl unknown
  • 2005-02-23 EP EP05711106.4A patent/EP1722907B8/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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