WO2010040818A1

WO2010040818A1 - Apparatus for working metal bars

Info

Publication number: WO2010040818A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/063143
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giorgio Del Fabro
Original assignee: M.E.P. Macchine Elettroniche Piegatrici Spa
Priority date: 2008-10-10
Filing date: 2009-10-09
Publication date: 2010-04-15
Also published as: IT1392265B1; ITUD20080211A1

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for working metal bars comprises a store (16, 116) for storing and feeding the material to be worked, a work unit (34) for working the bars and at least a drawing unit (24) to pick up the material to be worked from the store (16, 116) and to draw it toward the work unit (34) in a determinate direction of feed (X). The store (16, 116) comprises first feed means (17, 117) able to be activated to feed the metal material from a roll (12) and second feed means (19, 119) able to be selectively activated as an alternative to the first feed means (17, 117), in order to feed the pre-sheared metal bars (14) from bundles. The apparatus (10) also comprises a straightening unit (26, 126) of the mobile type, which is selectively positionable between the drawing unit (24) and the work unit (34) in the work line in the direction of feed (X) according to a condition of activation of the first (17, 117) or second (19, 119) feed means.

Description

"APPARATUS FOR WORKING METAL BARS"

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns an apparatus for working both pre-sheared metal bars and also metal bars fed from a roll or coil, and sheared on each occasion depending on the shape and size of the shaped product to be made, typically shaped elements for reinforcement, for example stirrups.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bending machines for metal bars are known, suitable to produce shaped elements for reinforcement, for example stirrups, which comprise a bending unit, a shears and a drawing unit, disposed upstream of the shears, to pick up from a store the bars to be bent, and to feed them to the bending machine.

Drawing units can be of the type with rollers, grippers, or rollers-grippers combined. Typically, the bars fed can be pre-sheared metal bars, or segments of bars, stored in bundles divided according to size, or it may be material arriving from a roll or coil.

Depending on the use of one or the other type of feed, the technological problems change, particularly with regard to the loading and feeding of the bar. Thus, creating a working line for bars from a roll normally excludes, as far as the state of the art is concerned, the same line from being used to bend pre- sheared bars, and vice versa.

In fact, in the case of bars fed from a roll, it is necessary, due to the intrinsic curved form that the material to be worked assumes when it is unwound from the roll, to use a straightening unit, able to linearize the bars as much as possible, by means of suitable rollers, as the bars are gradually unwound from the roll, before they are subjected to shearing and bending.

On the contrary, this is not necessary in the case of pre-sheared bars. Normally, in this case, in order to guide the bars in the best possible way along the line, a suitable longitudinal guide channel is provided, with one or more pickup and drawing units which remove the pre-sheared bar from the bundle in which it is originally found.

Therefore, if bent bars are to be produced starting both from pre-sheared bars and also from a roll, in the state of the art it is necessary to create two distinct working lines, with the considerable costs of production, bulky installation, management and maintenance deriving therefrom.

Purpose of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art and to create an apparatus and perfect a method for working both pre- sheared bars and bars from a roll or coil.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to obviate the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purpose, an apparatus for working metal bars comprises a store for storing and feeding the material to be worked, a work unit for working the bars and at least a drawing unit, able to pick up the material to be worked from the store in order to draw it toward the work unit in a determinate direction of feed.

According to one feature of the present invention, the store comprises first feed means able to be activated so as to feed metal bars from a roll, and second feed means, selectively able to be activated instead of the first feed means in order to feed pre-sheared metal bars from bundles.

The apparatus also comprises a straightening unit of the mobile type, which is able to straighten metal bars fed from rolls. The straightening unit is selectively positionable between the drawing unit and the work unit in the work line in a direction of feed of the metal bars, depending on the condition of activation of the first or second feed means.

According to the invention, the straightening unit selectively has a first operating position in which it is operationally aligned with the direction of feed of the metal bars, in order to straighten the material to be worked unwound from rolls and arriving from the first feed means, and to direct them toward the work unit; and a second inactive position, in which is is not operationally aligned with the direction of feed of the metal bars. According to the present invention, the first operating position and the second inactive position of the straightening unit are functionally correlated respectively with the activation of the first and second feed means so that, when the first feed means are activated to feed the metal bars arriving from a roll, the straightening unit is in its first operating position, and when the second feed means are activated to feed metal bars from bundles, the straightening unit is in its second inactive position.

When the feed of pre-sheared bars is selected, the movement of the straightening unit from the first operating position to the second inactive position leaves free the space for the passage toward the work unit of pre-sheared bars from bundles.

In this way, with the present invention it is possible to selectively include or exclude the straightening unit in/from the working line, allowing to operate respectively both with material to be worked from a roll and also with pre- sheared bars.

According to one embodiment, between the drawing unit and the work unit the present invention comprises a support structure of the selectively mobile type, on which the straightening unit and guide means which cooperate with the support structure are mounted. Actuator means are provided for the selective movement of the support structure along the guide means, to pass from the first operating position to the second inactive position of the straightening unit.

According to a variant of this embodiment, a guide channel is mounted on the support structure, able to guide pre-sheared bars from bundles.

In the first operating position the guide channel is not operationally aligned with the direction of feed, that is, it is misaligned, for example positioned along a distinct axis parallel to the direction of feed, whereas in the second inactive position the guide channel is operationally aligned with the direction of feed so as to guide pre-sheared bars arriving from the second feed means toward the work unit. In both cases, by operationally aligned we mean that the straightening unit or the guide channel are positioned so as to receive correctly from the drawing unit the material to be worked, whether unwound from a roll or arriving from bundles, and to direct it toward the work unit, allowing operational continuity of the working line.

According to the present invention, the direction of feed defines a determinate working plane, and the straightening unit is able to be moved in a determinate direction, transverse to the direction of feed, which lies on the same working plane on which the direction of feed lies.

Alternatively the straightening unit is able to be moved in a determinate direction, transverse to the direction of feed, which does not lie on the same working plane on which the direction of feed lies.

According to one embodiment, the drawing unit comprises a drawing gripper. It may be provided, moreover, that the drawing unit comprises drawing rollers, downstream of the drawing gripper, able to be located on opposite sides with respect to the material to be worked, in order to grip the material to be worked and draw it toward the work unit. The rollers are able to be moved between a position where they grip the material to be worked, in the first operating position, and a position separated from the material to be worked, in the second inactive position.

The apparatus according to the present invention can be equipped with a command and control unit of the electronic type, able to command at least the movement of selective translation of the straightening unit according to the type of feed, material from a roll or pre-sheared bars from bundles, advantageously according to a predefined or predefinable work program.

According to one embodiment, the first feed means and the second feed means are located at the head of the working line, advantageously translatable transversely with respect to the direction of feed, according to the type of feed. According to another embodiment, the first feed means are located at the side of the working line, parallel to the direction of feed, and the second feed means are located at the head of the working line.

According to another feature of the present invention, a method for working metal bars by means of a work apparatus comprises a drawing step, by means of at least one drawing unit, to pick up from a store for storing and feeding the material to be worked and to direct it, in a direction of feed, toward a work unit in which a working step is performed.

The method also comprises a step of feeding the material to be worked from the store, in which first feed means to feed material from a roll are activated, alternated with second feed means to feed pre-sheared metal bars from bundles.

The method according to the present invention also provides to selectively position a straightening unit between the drawing unit and the work unit between a first operating position in which it is operationally aligned with the direction of feed of the material to be worked and a second inactive position, in which it is not operationally aligned with the direction of feed of the material to be worked, depending on the condition of activation of the first and second feed means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some preferential forms of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a plane view from above of a first form of embodiment of an apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention; - fig. 2 is a lateral view of an apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention in a first operating position;

- fig. 3 is a lateral view of an apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention in a second inactive position;

- fig. 4 is a lateral view of a variant of an apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention in a first operating position;

- fig. 5 is a lateral view of a variant of an apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention in a second inactive position;

- fig. 6 is a lateral view of a second form of embodiment of the apparatus for working metal bars according to the present invention; - fig. 7 is a plane view of the apparatus in fig. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERENTIAL FORMS OF

EMBODIMENT

With reference to figs. 1-5, a work apparatus 10 according to the present invention is used for working both wound metal material arriving from a roll or coil 12, and also pre-sheared bars 14 from bundles, which can reach lengths of up to 12 meters and more.

The apparatus 10 comprises a store 16 to store the material to be worked. The store 16 comprises a first trolley 17, in which the bars in rolls 12 are located, and a second trolley 19 for the pre-sheared bars 14 in bundles, which feed alternately a first drawing unit 24, downstream of the store 16.

In this case, the first trolley 17 and the second trolley 19 are provided with respective wheels 18 and 20, in order to move them with respect to the first drawing unit 24, as indicated by the arrow G in fig. 1.

The first trolley 17 can have a first position in which it feeds the material from a roll 12 to the first drawing unit 24.

According to a variant, shown schematically in fig. 6, upstream of the drawing unit 24 a multiple feeder 53 is provided, of the type able to maintain, in a pre- loaded condition, at least the leading ends of the material 12 from one or more of the various rolls, divided according to diameter, to feed the material depending on the diameters to be worked.

The second trolley 19 can have a second position in which it feeds pre-sheared bars 14 from bundles to the first drawing unit 24. When the first trolley 17 is in its first position, the second trolley 19 is not in its second position, but is inactive.

When the second trolley 19 is in its second position, the first trolley 17 is not in its first position, but is inactive.

The first drawing unit 24 is provided to transport the material to be worked, from a roll 12 or pre-sheared bars 14, in a direction of feed X, from the store 16 toward the subsequent work unit, indicated generically by the reference number 34, which in this case carries out a shearing and bending operation.

The first drawing unit 24 comprises a drawing gripper 22, immediately downstream of the store 16, to pick up a leading portion of a pre-sheared bar, or material in a roll 12, and to draw it up to the drawing rollers 25, in the direction of feed X, in this way providing to feed it toward the subsequent working steps.

According to a variant, at least in the operating form in which pre-sheared bars 14 are fed, a pick-up member 51 is provided to pick up and extract the pre- sheared bars 14 from the respective bundles. In an advantageous form of embodiment the pick-up member 51 is of the magnetic type.

The drawing rollers 25 are disposed above and below the material to be worked and can be opened and closed, that is, brought near to and distanced from the direction of feed X, so as to be able to selectively grip the bars or material from a roll to be worked. Preferably, the drawing rollers 25 are put in the work line when the pre-sheared bars 12 are being worked, whereas they are excluded from the work line, for example moved laterally to the inactive position, in the case of working material from a roll 12, since the straightening unit 26 can already perform the drawing function.

Fig. 1 shows two end positions of the drawing gripper 22, respectively in a continuous and non-continuous line. It should be noted that the bars, advancing in the direction of feed X, define a determinate work plane on which the bars lie during the various steps of shearing and bending. Downstream of the first drawing unit 24 the following are provided, in traditional manner and positioned in the order in which they are introduced here:

- a first shears 30, for shearing the scrap 42;

- a second drawing unit 32 with rollers 33;

- a second shears 26, for shearing to size the bars or roll material; - the work unit 34, in particular provided with a bending pin 38 for bending the bars;

- a third drawing unit 40 with rollers 41, in this case a so-called drawing vise, to carry out the so-called tail end bends.

It is clear that, instead of a bending operation, the work unit 34 could carry out a shaping, stirrupping or binding operation.

The second drawing unit 32 is of the auxiliary type and is located immediately upstream of the second shears 26, in turn located upstream of the bending pin 38. The second drawing unit 32 remains substantially always gripping the bar being worked, mainly so as to allow, when the article has been finished, to discharge the work scrap or remnants from the apparatus, and to assist the drawing vise 40 downstream of the bending pin, in order to feed the terminal segment of the bars when the tail end bends are being made.

It is clear that the work apparatus 10 could also have a single shears, in particular the second shears 36, since the first shears 30 are not essential for the purposes of the present invention.

Upstream of the first shears 30, if there is one, or in any case upstream of the second drawing unit 32 and of the work unit 34, a support structure 23 is provided, of the type selectively mobile transversely to the direction of feed X. In this case, the support structure 23 moves co-planar to the horizontal work plane of the bars, that is, it can translate laterally with respect to the direction of feed X, as indicated by the arrow F in fig. 1.

A straightening unit 26 is mounted on the support structure 23, provided with rollers 27 in series that operate on the material arriving from the roll 12, in order to linearize it as it is gradually unwound from the roll 12, when it is to be worked.

A guide channel 28 is also mounted on the support structure 23, and is able to guide the pre-sheared bars 14 when they are to be worked, instead of the bars from the roll 12. The translation of the support structure 23, and hence of the straightening unit

26 and the guide channel 28 mounted upon it, occurs along guides 31, located in the direction indicated by the arrow F, perpendicular to the direction of feed X. The support structure 23 is moved by linear actuators 29, which operate in the direction of the arrow F. Depending on whether the first trolley 17 is in the first position or the second trolley 19 is in the second position, the straightening unit is positioned respectively in its first operating position or in its second inactive position.

In this way, depending on the type of feed, material from a roll 12 or pre- sheared bars 14 from bundles, the invention alternately and selectively makes available the straightening unit 26 or the guide channel 28.

In other words, the support structure 23 is selectively mobile between a first operating position, in which the straightening unit 26 is operationally in line, in the direction of feed X, with the respective units downstream and upstream, to work material from a roll 12, whereas the guide channel 28 is not in the work line; and a second inactive position, in which the guide channel 28 is operationally in line, in the direction of feed X, with the respective units upstream and downstream, to work the pre-sheared bars 14, whereas the straightening unit 26 is not in the work line, as can clearly be seen in fig. 1 (first operating position shown with a continuous line, second inactive position shown with dashes).

When the work apparatus 10 is configured to work material from a roll 12, the drawing rollers 25 are open, or not gripping, and the drawing function is performed essentially by the straightening unit 26. In this way, there is no risk of formation of loops or excessive traction on the material due to the possible lack of synchrony and consequent difference in drawing speed of the drawing rollers 25 and the straightening unit 26.

On the contrary, when the work apparatus 10 is configured to work pre- sheared bars 14 from bundles, the drawing rollers 25 are closed, or gripping, performing the drawing function.

It is clear that the operation of the straightening unit 26 excludes that of the guide channel 28 and vice versa, in this way, according to the invention, allowing to work both material from a roll 12 and also pre-sheared bars 14 from bundles with the same work apparatus 10.

Alternatively, the support structure 23 could be mobile vertically, that is, from the bottom upward or vice versa, instead of laterally to the direction of feed X, thus allowing in any case to obtain the two conditions, operational and inactive, as described above. Fig. 2 shows the case where material from a roll 12 is fed from the store 16 and the straightening unit 26 (continuous line) is operative while the guide channel 28 (line of dashes) is not operative (first operating position).

In fig. 3 instead, pre-sheared bars 14 from bundles are fed from the store 16 and the guide channel 28 (continuous line) is operative while the straightening unit 26 (line of dashes) is not operative (second inactive position).

The solutions in figs. 2 and 3 relate to the use of a straightening unit 26 able to straighten material from a roll with a diameter of the final bars up to 20 mm.

Instead, figs. 4 and 5, which again show the cases respectively of bars fed from a roll 12 and pre-sheared bars 14 from a bundle, show the variant of a straightening unit, indicated for convenience by the reference number 126, sized so as to be able to straighten material from a roll with a diameter of the final bars up to 16 mm.

It is clear from this that in the work apparatus 10 according to the present invention any straightening unit can be used, without varying the essence of the present invention, given that according to the invention the straightening unit must be made translatable between two conditions, operating and inactive, as shown above.

Advantageously, the work apparatus 10 is provided with a command and control unit 50, by means of which to command the movement of the support structure 23, in particular by selectively driving the linear actuators 29.

According to one embodiment, the command and control unit 50 can be managed by an operator 52 who, depending on the feed, bars from a roll 12 or pre-sheared bars 14, commands the straightening unit 26 and the guide channel 28 to move in the correct way.

The operator 52 can also be responsible for managing the store 16, for the manual movement of the trolleys 17 and 19, facilitated by the wheels 18 and 20, so as to vary the feed from one type of bar to the other. Alternatively, or in combination, the trolleys 17 and 19 can be moved automatically and commanded by the command and control unit 50 which, according to a predetermined work program, pre-loaded in the memory, selectable and/or modifiable by the operator 52, commands the straightening unit 26 and/or the guide channel 28, coherently with the type of feed, bars from a roll 12 or pre-sheared bars 14.

The field of the invention also comprises the solution in which there is a device for feeding bars, fixed or mobile with respect to the bars to be fed, to move selectively depending on the type or size of bars to be picked up.

In the solutions described above it may also be provided that the command and control unit 50 performs the command of the various drawing units 24, 32 and

40, in particular the selective opening of the drawing rollers 25, and of the shears

30, 36 and of the work unit 34, in coordination with the functioning of the feed from the store 16 and of the straightening unit 26.

As shown in the variant in figs. 6 and 7, the store, indicated in its entirety by the reference number 116, comprises the first trolley 117, for material in rolls 12, and the second trolley 119 for the pre-sheared bars 14 in bundles, separate and distinct from each other.

In this case, the first trolley 117 is fixed and is disposed substantially parallel and at the side with respect to the remaining part of the apparatus 10, whereas the second trolley 119 is able to slide selectively on rails 118 by means of an actuator

54, to move it transversely with respect to the first drawing unit 24, as indicated by the arrow G in fig. 7.

In particular, the movement of the second trolley 119 in the direction of the arrow G allows to present selectively one or the other of the bundles of pre- sheared bars 14 in correspondence with the first drawing unit 24.

In this way, it is possible to selectively feed to the drawing unit 24 pre-sheared bars 14 with different diameter and/or lengths, depending on the work operations to be performed.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the work apparatus 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of work apparatus, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Apparatus for working metal bars, comprising a store (16, 116) for storing and feeding the material to be worked, a work unit (34) for working the bars and at least a drawing unit (24) able to pick up the material to be worked from the store (16, 1 16) in order to draw it toward the work unit (34) in a determinate direction of feed (X), characterized in that the store (16, 116) comprises first feed means (17, 1 17) able to be activated to feed the metal material from a roll (12) and second feed means (19, 119) able to be selectively activated as an alternative to the first feed means (17, 1 17), in order to feed the pre-sheared metal bars (14) from bundles, and in that it also comprises a straightening unit (26, 126) of the mobile type, which is selectively positionable between the drawing unit (24) and the work unit (34) in the work line in the direction of feed (X) according to a condition of activation of the first (17, 117) or second (19, 119) feed means.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, characterized in that the straightening unit (26, 126) selectively has a first operating position in which it is operationally aligned with the direction of feed (X) so as to straighten the metal material from a roll (12) arriving from the first feed means (17, 117) and to direct it toward the work unit (34); and a second inactive position, in which it is not operationally aligned with the direction of feed (X), the first operating position and the second inactive position of the straightening unit (26, 126) being functionally correlated respectively with the first and the second condition of the first (17, 1 17) and of the second (19, 1 19) feed means, so that, when the first feed means (17, 117) are in the first condition, the straightening unit (26, 126) is in its first operating position, and when the second feed means (19, 119) are in the second condition, the straightening unit (26, 126) is in its second inactive position.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a support structure (23), on which the straightening unit (26, 126) is mounted, and guide means (31) in cooperation with the support structure (23), actuator means (29) being provided for the selective displacement of the support structure (23) along the guide means (31), to pass from the first operating position to the second inactive position of the straightening unit (26, 126).

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, characterized in that on the support structure (23) a guide channel (28) is also mounted, able to guide the pre-sheared bars (14) from bundles, wherein, in the first operating position of the straightening unit (26, 126), the guide channel (28) is not operationally aligned with the direction of feed (X), whereas in the second inactive position of the straightening unit (26, 126) the guide channel (28) is operationally aligned with the direction of feed (X) so as to guide pre-sheared bars (14) from bundles arriving from the second feed means (19, 1 19) toward the work unit (34).

5. Apparatus as in any claim hereinbefore, wherein the direction of feed (X) defines a determinate work plane for the bars, characterized in that the straightening unit (26, 126) is able to be moved in a determinate direction (F), transverse to the direction of feed (X), which lies on the same work plane on which the direction of feed (X) lies.

6. Apparatus as in any claim from 1 to 4, wherein the direction of feed (X) defines a determinate work plane for the bars, characterized in that the straightening unit (26, 126)) is able to be moved in a determinate direction, transverse to the direction of feed (X), which does not lie on the same work plane on which the direction of feed (X) lies.

7. Apparatus as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that the drawing unit (24) comprises a drawing gripper (22) able to move a part of the material to be worked arriving from the first feed means (17, 117) or from the second feed means (19, 119) of the store (16, 116) toward the work unit (34).

8. Apparatus as in claims 2 and 7, characterized in that the drawing unit (24) also comprises drawing rollers (25) able to be located on opposite sides with respect to the material to be worked, so as to grip it and draw it toward the work unit (34), said drawing rollers (25) having a gripping position of the material to be worked, in the first operating position of the straightening unit (26, 126), and a position separate from the material to be worked in the second inactive position of the straightening unit (26, 126).

9. Apparatus as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that the first feed means (117) are located at the side of the work line, parallel to the direction of feed (X) and the second feed means (19, 119) are located at the head of the work line.

10. Method for working metal bars by means of a work apparatus (10), comprising a drawing step, by means of at least a drawing unit (24), to pick up the material to be worked from a storage and feed store (16, 116) and to direct it in a direction of feed (X) toward a work unit (34) in which a work step is performed, characterized in that it comprises a step of feeding the material to be worked from the store (16, 116) in which it provides to activate alternatively first feed means (17, 117) for feeding metal material from a roll (12) or second feed means (19, 119) for feeding pre-sheared metal bars (14) from bundles, and in that it provides to selectively position a straightening unit (26, 126) between the drawing unit (24) and the work unit (34) in the work line in the direction of feed (X) according to a condition of activation of the first (17, 117) or of the second (19, 1 19) feed means.