Title: Forming tool movement unit, particularly for manifold closing machines
Abstract: A forming tool movement unit, particularly for manifold closing machines, comprising a rotating head supporting forming tools slidable in mutually opposite radial directions with coordinated movements, a supporting frame on which a supporting element is slidable in axial direction with a stroke controlled electronically, the body of a first double-acting actuator being coupled to the supporting element for rotation and movement in an axial direction, the actuator being connected to a motor, and the body of the first actuator supporting coaxially and at the front the head into which its stem extends movable with a stroke controlled electronically and with the head connected to the forming tools.
Patent Number: 6,923,032 Issued on 08/02/2005 to Maggiolo
| Inventors:
|
Maggiolo; Vinicio (Montagnana, IT)
|
| Assignee:
|
C.M.S. Costruzione Macchine Speciali S.r.l. (Alonte, IT)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
627698 |
| Filed:
|
July 28, 2003 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Aug 07, 2002[IT] | PD2002A0219 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
72/121; 72/102; 72/120 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B21D 003/02 |
| Field of Search: |
72/102,120,121,408,453.1
29/890.08
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Patent Abstracts of Japan vol. 1998, No. 09, Jul. 31, 1998 -JP 10 109128 A (Segawa
Kihachiro), Apr. 28, 1998 *abstract*.
|
Primary Examiner: Tolan; Ed
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Modiano; Guido, Josif; Albert, O'Byrne; Daniel
Claims
1. A forming tool movement unit for manifold closing machines comprising: a rotating
head with forming tools supported thereon that are slidable in mutually opposite
radial directions with coordinated movements; a supporting frame; a supporting
element which is slidable in an axial direction on said supporting frame with a
stroke that is controlled electronically; a first double-acting actuator having
a stem and a body that is coupled to said supporting element so as to be rotatable
and, respectively, movable in an axial direction; motor means kinematically connected
to said actuator for turning thereof, said body of the first actuator supporting
coaxially and at a front part thereof said rotating head into which the stem of
the first actuator extends and is movable with a stroke that is controlled electronically
and with the rotating head kinematically connected to said forming tools in order
to impose coordinated motion thereof.
2. The movement unit of claim 1, wherein said first actuator comprises said body
that forms internally a cylindrical chamber with a piston therein that is slidable
in a sealing manner, said piston being keyed on said stem, and said stem extending
through said body, with a front portion thereof that lies in front of said piston
and a rear portion thereof that lies behind the piston.
3. The movement unit of claim 2, wherein said body is rigidly provided with a
front sleeve and a rear sleeve for support, said front and rear sleeves being rotatably
coupled to said supporting element, said stem passing in a sealed manner through
said sleeves, respectively, with said front portion and with said rear portion.
4. The movement unit of claim 3, wherein said rear portion of the stem forms
internally first and second ducts for passage of fluid under pressure, said first
and second ducts starting from a free end of the stem and leading into said cylindrical
chamber, respectively in front of said piston and behind said piston.
5. The movement unit of claim 4, wherein said first and second ducts comprise
axial portions that start from said rear free end of the stem, and radial portions
that lead into respective additional radial portions formed on said piston.
6. The movement unit of claim 4, comprising a rotary coupling, said rear free
end of the stem being connected with said rotary coupling, which is connected to
a distribution unit for pressurized fluid for said first actuator.
7. The movement unit of claim 1, wherein said body of the first actuator is provided
with cooling fins.
8. The movement unit of claim 4, wherein said first actuator is of the pneumatic type.
9. The movement unit of claim 4, comprising sliding blocks provided at said supporting
element, axial straight guides and a second actuator, said supporting element being
slidable with said sliding blocks on corresponding one of said axial straight guides,
arranged on said supporting frame, and being connected with said second actuator
that is controlled electronically.
10. The movement unit of claim 9, comprising a motorized worm screw arranged
in an axial direction and rotatably coupled to said frame, said second actuator
being constituted by an internally threaded sleeve, fixed in a lower region to
said supporting element, and which engages with a screw-and-nut coupling thereof
said motorized worm screw.
11. The movement unit of claim 9, wherein said second actuator is constituted
by a second actuator arranged in an axial direction that has a body fixed to said
frame below said supporting element, a head of the stem being fixed to a lower
bracket of, and rigidly coupled to, said supporting element.
12. The movement unit of claim 9, wherein said motor means are constituted by
an electric motor and by a transmission that is connected to said body of said
first actuator.
13. The movement unit of claim 12, wherein said electric motor has a shaft, a
first pulley that is keyed on said shaft, said motor means further comprising a
driving belt and a second pulley that is keyed to a rear part of the rear supporting
sleeve of the first actuator, in order to tension said driving belt.
14. The movement unit of claim 13, wherein said electric motor is arranged on
corresponding supporting brackets of, and which protrude below, said supporting
element, under said second actuator.
15. The movement unit of claim 14, wherein said supporting element is constituted
by a box-like body in which said body of the first actuator is arranged, said front
and rear supporting sleeves of said first actuator being rotatably coupled respectively
on front and rear walls of said body, said head and said second pulley being fixed,
respectively, to said front and rear sleeves, which are arranged externally with
respect to said supporting element.
16. The movement unit of claim 1, comprising a transverse pin fixed to the head
of said stem of the first actuator, sliders arranged at the ends of said transverse
pin, and spaced plates slidable transversely in mutually opposite directions within
said head, said head being provided, at a front part thereof, with said forming
tools, which are fixed to corresponding ones of said facing spaced plates, said
spaced plates comprising respective slotted holes which are arranged diagonally
opposite and to each other, corresponding ones of said sliders engaging said slotted holes.
17. The movement unit of claim 16, comprising force reducing means arranged on
said rotating head for reducing force required for radial movement of said forming
tools, said force reducing means consisting of four plate-shaped bodies, which
have at least one slot with a stroke limiter, and pins rigidly coupled to said
plates and slidable within said at least one slot, said plate-shaped bodies being
arranged slidingly in pairs at inner sides of said rotating head and symmetrically
to said slider and being coupled in pairs to said plates by way of said pins.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a forming tool movement unit, particularly for
manifold closing machines.
As is known, some kinds of finned unit are provided with manifolds that are butt-welded
to the ends of the pipes for the passage of the heat transfer fluid.
The manifolds are obtained from tubular segments, whose ends are closed by plastic
deformation, forming flat bottoms, and on the cylindrical wall of which holes are
then formed, the ends of the pipes being then welded onto said holes.
So-called manifold closing machines are used to close the ends of the tubular segments.
The pipes are arranged on a clamp, with the end to be closed directed toward
a rotating head that supports, in a cantilevered fashion, two forming tools that
can slide in mutually opposite radial directions with coordinated motions.
Once the working cycle has been started, the forming tools are actuated so as
to move mutually closer, while the head rotates at high speeds, causing the plastic
deformation of the free end of the tube until a flat closure bottom is obtained.
The main limitation of known equipment is that it is possible to produce only
flat bottoms, to the detriment of resistance to high pressures of the manifolds
and of the manufacturing flexibility of said equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to provide a forming tool movement unit,
particularly for manifold closing machines, that allows to have control over multiple
axes of the movement of the tools.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a movement unit
that allows to obtain manifold closure bottoms that have different contours and
are no longer only flat.
Another object is to provide a forming tool movement unit that allows to
obtain manifolds capable of withstanding high operating pressures.
Another object is to provide a forming tool movement unit that is particularly
sturdy and reliable.
Another object is to provide a forming tool movement unit that has a low
cost and can be manufactured with known kinds of equipment and technology.
This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter
are achieved by a forming tool movement unit, particularly for manifold closing
machines, of the type that comprises a rotating head that supports forming tools
so that they can slide in mutually opposite radial directions with coordinated
movements, characterized in that it comprises a supporting frame on which a supporting
element can slide in an axial direction with a stroke that is controlled electronically,
the body of a first double-acting actuator being coupled to the supporting element
so that it can rotate and move in an axial direction, said actuator being kinematically
connected to motor means in order to turn it, the body of the first actuator supporting
coaxially and at the front said head into which its stem extends, to move, with
a stroke that is controlled electronically and with the head kinematically connected
to said forming tools in order to impose their coordinated motion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become
better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not
exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view, taken along a longitudinal plane, of a forming tool
movement unit according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged-scale view of a portion of the movement unit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the movement unit of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively two sectional perspective views,
taken along two perpendicular planes, and a perspective view of a portion of the
movement unit according to the invention;
FIG. 7 is a view of a movement unit according to the invention, with one of
its components in a different embodiment;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are views of bottoms of manifolds shaped by forming tools mounted
on a movement unit according to the invention;
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are views of three separate steps of an alternative
variation of the movement unit according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the figures, a forming tool movement unit particularly for
manifold closing machines, according to the invention, is generally designated
by the reference numeral
10.
The movement unit
10 is of the type that comprises a rotating head
11,
which supports forming tools
12 so that they can slide in mutually opposite
radial directions with coordinated motions.
The movement unit
10 comprises a supporting frame, generally designated
by the reference numeral
13, on which a supporting element
14 can
slide in an axial direction with an electronically controlled stroke; the body
15 of a first double-acting actuator
16 is coupled to the supporting
element so that it can rotate and move in an axial direction and is kinematically
connected to motor means, described in greater detail hereinafter, for rotating it.
The body
15 of the first actuator
16 coaxially supports at the
front the rotating head
11, within which a portion of its stem
17
lies, that has an electronically controlled stroke and a head
17a that
is kinematically connected to the forming tools
12 in order to determine
their coordinated motion, as described better hereinafter.
The first actuator
16 comprises a body
15, which is suitable to
form internally a cylindrical chamber
18 in which a piston
19 keyed
to the stem
17 can slide hermetically; the stem passes through the body
15 with its front portion
20 and rear portion
21 relative
to the piston
19.
The body
15 has a front supporting sleeve
22 a rear supporting
sleeve
23 fixed thereto and rotatably coupled to the supporting element
14; the stem
17 passes hermetically through said sleeves with its
front portion
20 and rear portion
21 respectively.
The rear portion
21 of the stem
17 forms internally first and second
ducts
24 and
25 for the passage of pressurized fluid, which start
from its free end
21a and lead into the cylindrical chamber
18,
respectively in front and behind the piston
19.
The first and second ducts
24 and
25 comprise axial portions, designated
by the reference numerals
24a and
25a respectively,
which start from the is free end
21a of the rear portion
21
of the stem
17, and radial portions, designated by the reference numerals
24b and
25b respectively, which end respectively in
front of the piston
19 and behind it, inside the cylindrical chamber
18,
by way of additional portions
24c and
25c that are
formed inside the piston
19.
A rotary coupling, generally designated by the reference numeral
26, is
arranged on the rear free end
21a of the stem
17 and is connected
to a distribution unit, not shown for the sake of simplicity but in any case of
the per se known type, for the pressurized fluid that flows within the chamber
18 of the first actuator
16.
In this case, the first actuator
16 is of the pneumatic type.
Advantageously, the body
15 of the first actuator
16
is provided externally with cooling fins
27.
The supporting element
14 can slide, by means of its own sliding blocks
28, on corresponding axial straight guides
29, which are arranged
on the supporting frame
13, and is associated with a corresponding second
actuator, generally designated by the reference numeral
30, which is controlled electronically.
In the case shown in FIG. 1, the actuator
30 is constituted by an internally
threaded sleeve
31 that is fixed to the supporting element
14 and
engages with a screw-and-nut coupling on a motorized worm screw
32 that
is arranged in an axial direction and is coupled rotatably to the frame
13.
Advantageously, in this case, the internally threaded sleeve
31
and the worm screw
32 are of the ballscrew type.
As shown in FIG. 7, the actuator can assume a second embodiment, generally designated
by the reference numeral
130, which is constituted by a second actuator
131 arranged in an axial direction, with a body
131a that
is fixed to the frame
13, below the supporting element
14, and a
head of the stem
131b that is fixed to a lower bracket
132,
which is rigidly coupled to the supporting element
14.
The motor means for turning the first actuator
16 are constituted by an
electric motor
33 and a drive, described in greater detail hereinafter,
that is connected to the body
15 of the first actuator
16.
A first pulley
34 is keyed to the shaft of the electric motor
33
and cooperates with a second pulley
35, which is keyed on the rear supporting
sleeve
23 of the first actuator
16 in order to tension a corresponding
driving belt
36.
The electric motor
33 is arranged on corresponding supporting brackets,
generally designated by the reference numeral
37, which lie below the supporting
element
14, under the actuator
30/
130.
The supporting element
14 is constituted by a box-like body, designated
by the same reference numeral, inside which the body
15 of the first actuator
16 is arranged, and on the front and rear walls of which, respectively designated
by the reference numerals
14a and
14b, the front sleeve
22 and the rear sleeve
23 are respectively rotatably coupled; the
head
11 and the second pulley
35 are fixed respectively to said sleeves
externally to said box-like body.
The rotating head
11 is provided, at the front, with the forming tools
12, which are fixed to corresponding plates
38 that face each other,
are spaced and can slide transversely in mutually opposite directions within the
head
11 that forms internally their respective sliding seats.
The plates
38 comprise respective slotted holes
39, which are arranged
diagonally mutually opposite and in which corresponding sliders
40 engage;
said slides are arranged at the ends of a transverse pin
41, which is fixed
to the head
17a of the stem
17.
As regards operation, a manifold
42 with open ends is arranged on the
clamp
of a manifold closing machine up to a mechanical abutment, with the open end proximate
to the rotating head
11.
Once the mechanical abutment is no longer present and the head
11 is
turned by the electric motor
33, the head
11 is moved forward to
a work start position by way of the movement unit
30/
130.
In this position, the gradual approach of the tools
12 for the closure
of the manifold
42 is actuated as a consequence of the movement of the stem
17 of the first actuator
16.
If one wishes to provide a bottom
42a that is cambered outward,
as shown in FIG. 8, instead of a flat bottom
42b, as shown in FIG.
9, an axial movement of the head
11 by the actuator
30/
130
is actuated simultaneously with the approach of the tools
12.
Since the first actuator
16 is of the pneumatic type, the radial movement
of the tools
12 can be made to depend on the set clamping force of the tools
12 and on the resistance to deformation opposed by the manifold
42.
In practice, a radial movement of the tools
12 occurs only if the manifold
42 to be closed has reached the sufficient temperature due to friction with
the tools
12.
The axial movement of the head
11 is instead a function of the radial
position assumed by the tools
12 and is preset electronically in order to
allow to obtain the chosen bottom shape.
In practice, both the actuator
30/
130 and the first actuator
16
must be controlled electronically and managed by appropriately provided software.
Once the bottom
42a/b has been formed completely, the tools
12
become inactive again, the clamp is opened and the mechanical abutment returns
into position in order to allow to unload the manifold
42 manually.
One variation of the movement unit described above is shown in FIGS. 10 to
12.
These figures show means for reducing the force required for the radial movement
of the forming tools
12 on the rotating head
11, particularly for
reducing the force to be applied to the first actuator
16 when the tools
12 are opened and closed.
These figures show only half of the head
11 and a single tool
12
for the sake of simplicity; the other tool is symmetrically opposite to the illustrated one.
The means consist of rotating counterweights, which are constituted by four rectangular
plate-like bodies
250 that are provided with two slots
251 with corresponding
stroke limiters
252.
The slots
252 are arranged in opposite portions of the plate-like bodies
250 and at right angles to the rotation axis of the head
11.
The plate-like bodies
250 are arranged so that they can slide in pairs
on the inner sides of the rotating head
11 and symmetrically with respect
to the slider
40.
The pairs of plate-like bodies
250 that are symmetrical with respect to
the slider
40 are rigidly coupled to the plates
38 by way of pins
253 that are monolithic with the plates.
The pins
253 can slide within the corresponding slots
251; in this
manner, there can be a relative translational motion at right angles to the rotation
axis of the head
11 between the plates
38 and the plate-like bodies
250.
With reference to FIG. 10, the two plate-like bodies
250 are shown in
the position in which they are not engaged with the movable plate
38 that
supports the forming tool
12.
In this position, the plate
38 is in fact arranged symmetrically to the
axis of motion of the actuator
16, and the additional centrifugal force
produced by the rotation of the plate-like bodies
250 is balanced, thus
avoiding the generation of axial thrusts on the plate
38.
FIG. 11 illustrates the closure position of the two tools
12.
In this position, the force to be applied to the actuator
16 in order
to
reopen the tools
12 is reduced by the engagement to the plate
38
of the plate-like body
250a, which assists the upward motion of the
slider
40 along the slotted holes
39 by way of the centrifugal force
produced by the rotation of the head
11.
The opposite plate-like body
250b is disengaged from the plate
38.
Engagement occurs by way of the two pins
253, which can slide in
the two slots
251 formed in said plate-like body.
The plate-like body
250 engages after a stroke determined by the position
of the stroke limiters
252.
FIG. 12 illustrates the open position of the tools
12. In this case,
it is the plate-like body
250b that is engaged with the plate
38,
thus reducing the force that the actuator
16 needs to apply during the closure
of the tools
12.
In practice it has been found that the present invention has achieved the intended
aim and objects.
A forming tool movement unit, particularly for manifold closing machines, has
in
fact been provided which allows to provide bottoms for manifolds
42 that
have a chosen shape, flat or cambered.
The camber, moreover, can be external or internal, using in this case differently
contoured forming tools.
The movement unit further has a simple structure that can be manufactured with
known types of equipment and technologies.
The present invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations,
all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
The technical details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
The materials, so long as they are compatible with the contingent use, as well
as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2002A000219 from which this
application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
*
