METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A SHAFT BASE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a shaft base.

[0002] Manhole systems for wastewater and rainwater are now manufactured from concrete, reinforced concrete, or plastic. Typically, all bends and junctions of the connected pipes in wastewater networks are integrated into the manhole components themselves, ensuring these critical points remain permanently accessible and can be easily cleaned in case of blockages or similar issues. As a result, a number of standardized manholes, components, or sub-manholes exist, such as those with straight runs or inlets at predefined angles, usually in a 15° grid.

[0003] However, it turns out that in every sewage network a large number of custom-made special shafts are necessary, the channels of which must be manufactured specifically according to the specifications of the civil engineering planner, with regard to, for example, the angles of the inlets, the number of inlets, the nominal diameters, the gradients in the shaft base and other details.

[0004] Such custom-made shafts, shaft components, or shaft bases are typically manufactured in concrete by lining or clinkering channels within empty concrete rings or shaft bases. In the case of plastic shafts, either deep-drawn shells are welded into a ring, or appropriate channel shapes are formed from polymeric semi-finished products, such as pipes, sheets, and molded parts, through a fabrication process and welded into a ring.

[0005] Such individually manufactured shafts or shaft components / substructures require precise pre-planning for manual or semi-automated assembly. The subsequent complex, mostly manual manufacturing process requires a significant amount of labor.

[0006] As a result, such individually manufactured shaft bases are expensive in terms of manufacturing costs.

[0007] Similarly, manhole bases made of polymer material, produced through assembly processes, often exhibit large tolerances and rough surfaces due to the numerous welding and milling operations, which can impede the unimpeded flow of fluid. For example, when constructing angled channels, these must be created using segmented, welded pipe bends when manufactured from straight pipes. These segments deviate from the ideal curve, potentially leading to flow obstructions. A continuous, ideal bend in a channel cannot be achieved with commercially available straight semi-finished products and sheets, or only with disproportionately high effort.

[0008] Due to the small number of such shafts or shaft components or bases, an investment in corresponding injection molding or deep drawing tools is not economical.

[0009] Finally, it should be noted that due to discrepancies in the position of the measured pipes, unknown ground obstacles, or intersecting pipes, the execution plans may need to be adjusted or modified during the construction phase after the planning phase has been completed. In such cases, prefabricated, custom-made manhole bases must either be discarded, rebuilt, or laboriously modified manually.

[0010] This is where the invention comes in, the object of which is to provide a method for manufacturing a shaft base which is individually manufactured and thus overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art shown above.

[0011] The solution to the present problem is achieved according to the present invention using a method according to claim 1.

[0012] A shaft base manufactured in this way overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

[0013] By providing that the shaft base is designed in one or more parts and that its functional contour is formed at least section by material removal and / or material build-up from a single body, it is ensured that the functional contour is executed exactly according to the specified design; in addition, the shaft base is designed to be fluid-tight.

[0014] The plan is for the clot to be formed by removing and / or building up material from the body using a machine.

[0015] For this purpose, it may be provided that a machine forms the lower part of the shaft by removing material from the body.

[0016] Such a machine could be, for example, a 5-axis CNC-controlled portal milling machine or a large, slow-running lathe.

[0017] To control the machine, it is provided that the machine has a control system that uses a data set, wherein the data set is in particular an electronic data set.

[0018] The material build-up on the body can also be done with the help of a machine. One such machine is, for example, a 3D printer.

[0019] The above applies to the control of such a machine for material build-up.

[0020] Advantageously, the data set for controlling the machine can be generated from planning data and / or surveying data and / or sewer network data. In this way, a manhole base can be manufactured precisely according to the specified plans, allowing for the straightforward connection of the pipelines to the manhole component or the manhole itself.

[0021] It may be planned that the shape of the shaft base is initially generated as a digital data model. This digital data model of the shaft base can be updated and modified as needed at all stages of the planning process.

[0022] The required individual shaft base is manufactured using the method according to claim 1 only immediately before the shaft is installed.

[0023] According to the invention, the body is a section of a solid bar. Such a solid bar can be produced, for example, by extrusion, casting, pressing, winding, or sintering. Such a solid bar is formed in one piece, and a shaft base made from the solid bar is also formed in one piece.

[0024] This solid bar has the outer dimensions of the shaft component to be formed, or outer dimensions that are slightly larger than those of the shaft component to be formed. The shape of the shaft component can be achieved by machining material from the body, with the material removal machine being controlled by the data set represented by the digital data model of the shaft component.

[0025] The material generated during machining can be reused to create new components. Machining the functional contour of the shaft component eliminates welds, segmental arches, invert discontinuities, and rough surfaces, enabling the production of a single-piece part with optimized hydraulics.

[0026] Similarly, the functional contour of the shaft component can be created by building up material onto a body. This body can also be a section of a solid bar. The machine for material build-up can also be controlled, with the data set for controlling the machine accessing the digital data model of the shaft component to be formed.

[0027] This may involve manufacturing the shaft component using an additive manufacturing process, for example, a 3D printing process.

[0028] For this purpose, a data processing machine-readable three-dimensional model can be advantageously used for manufacturing.

[0029] The manufacturing process may include an additive powder bed process, in particular selective laser melting (SLM), selective laser sintering (SLS), selective heat sintering (SHS), selective electron beam melting (EBM / EBAM), or binder jetting. The manufacturing process may also include an additive free-space process, in particular metal deposition (MPA), wax deposition modeling (WDM), contour crafting, metal powder deposition (MPA), plastic powder deposition, cold gas spraying, electron beam welding (EBW), or fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF).The manufacturing process may include an additive manufacturing process using liquid materials, in particular stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), multi-jet modeling (MJM), polyjet modeling, or liquid composite molding (LCM). Furthermore, the manufacturing process may include other additive layer-by-layer processes, in particular laminated object modeling (LOM), 3D screen printing, or light-controlled electrophoretic deposition.

[0030] When depositing material during a 3D printing process, care must be taken to avoid defects or voids that could cause problems with regard to the fluid tightness of the shaft component.

[0031] Depending on the complexity of the shaft base to be formed and the prevailing technical constraints, the shaft base may be formed solely by material removal from a single body, solely by material build-up on a single body, or by both material removal and build-up from a single body. The invention further includes measuring the shaft base to ensure its quality and to compare its data with the data forming the digital data model of the shaft base. For this purpose, the 5-axis portal milling machine may be equipped with a probe that measures the functional contour and dimensions of the shaft base. Alternatively, this can also be done non-contact using appropriate measuring devices.

[0032] The scope also includes the possibility that the machine for material removal and / or build-up can be permanently installed in a manufacturing facility for shaft components or shafts, or that the machine can be installed at the construction site where the shaft is to be installed and manufacture the shaft base on site. In the latter case, any necessary modifications to the functional contour of the shaft base can be easily made immediately before its manufacture.

[0033] Finally, it may be possible to have the machine for material removal and / or material build-up set up directly at the installation site of the shaft base and to manufacture the shaft base directly at the installation site of the shaft base.

[0034] Such a machine for material removal and / or material build-up can advantageously be designed to be mobile or relocatable and, in particular, designed in such a way that it can be at least partially disassembled and loaded into a truck.

[0035] According to the invention, the shaft base is made of or contains a polymer material, wherein the polymer material is preferably a thermoplastic, and particularly preferably a polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene or polybutylene, or a copolymer of the aforementioned, or a cross-linked polyolefin, in particular a cross-linked polyethylene, or a polyvinyl chloride, or a polyurethane.

[0036] Such polymer materials are durable, inert, stable, lightweight, easy to handle, simple to install, and cost-effective. In particular, it is very easy to form the shaft base from the polymer material.

[0037] Within the scope of the present invention, it may be provided that the polymer material contains additives that improve its thermal conductivity, such as chalk, talc, or boron nitride, in order to dissipate the heat released during material removal, for example, during milling. However, the proportion of such additives should be limited to the necessary minimum, as they cause wear on the milling tools, which should be largely avoided.

[0038] It was recognized that a shaft comprising a shaft base as described above is particularly advantageous, since such a shaft can be manufactured and installed exactly according to the plan.

[0039] Such a shaft can be composed of the shaft base and further components, such as one or more shaft middle sections, a shaft top, a component that closes the shaft off towards the earth's surface, or similar components. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, these components can be fluid-tightly connected to one another.

[0040] The present invention is particularly applicable in the field of sewer and wastewater technology.

[0041] The present invention allows shaft bases to be manufactured precisely according to specified requirements without significant effort.

[0042] In addition to the application described above, there are further fields of application in rainwater management, house connections, wastewater treatment plants, swimming pool technology, industry, agriculture, and other areas. Further important features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the figures, and the accompanying figure descriptions.

[0043] Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the figures and are explained in more detail in the following description.

[0044] This shows: Fig. 1: a schematic sequence of the manufacture of a shaft component in the form of a shaft base from a solid bar, forming a body in a first embodiment; Fig. 2: a schematic perspective view of a body in a non-inventional embodiment Fig. 3: Design for manufacturing a shaft base; a schematic side sectional view of a body in the non-inventive design according to Fig. 2 Fig. 4: a schematic perspective view of a machine machining a body in the non-inventive embodiment according to Fig. 2 .

[0045] In the Fig. 1 The schematic process of manufacturing a shaft base 1 from a solid bar 10 forming a body 9 is shown in a first embodiment.

[0046] The solid rod 10, which contains or consists of polymer material, has an approximately circular cross-section, the approximately circular cross-section of the solid rod 10 being as large as or slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft base 1 to be manufactured. The solid rod 10 is free of voids and homogeneous.

[0047] In the first step A, a section of the solid bar 10 is cut off, thus forming the body 9. The body 9, formed from the solid bar 10, has the shape of a cylinder and is manufactured in one piece.

[0048] The separation of the section from the solid bar 10 to the body 9 can be carried out, for example, by a cutting process or a milling process.

[0049] The body 9 has a surface 8, which represents a top surface of the cylindrically shaped body 9.

[0050] In the second step B, the shaft base 1 is formed from the body 9 according to the present invention. The shaft base 1 is formed from the body 9 by material removal and / or material build-up. For this purpose, a machine 12 (not shown here) can, for example, begin the material removal and / or material build-up at surface 8.

[0051] For this purpose, the functional contour 2 is formed on the lower part of the shaft 1, which includes a channel 3 that serves to guide fluid.

[0052] Feed devices 5 are formed on the cylindrical surface of the shaft base 1, which are shaped such that feed pipes can be connected to them, for example, inserted into them. The feed devices 5 are further equipped with a Fig. 1 provided with a groove (not shown) to accommodate a sealing element in the groove, which allows a fluid-tight connection of the supply pipe to be connected to the shaft base 1.

[0053] A drainage device 6, designed in the form of a socket connection, is also formed on the shaft base 1. A drain pipe can be connected to the drainage device 6, which, as described above, is fluid-tightly connected to the shaft base 1 by a sealing element that is received in a groove on the drainage device 6.

[0054] The channel 3 in the lower part of the shaft 1 is bordered by footpaths 4, which allow personnel who are in the shaft, for example for cleaning or inspection purposes, to step there.

[0055] A connecting section 7 is further formed on the shaft base 1, which serves to enable the shaft base 1 to be connected in a fluid-tight manner to a shaft middle section or a shaft top section not shown here.

[0056] The connecting section 7 is designed as an upwardly projecting edge in the installed position, which may also have a groove with a sealing element received in the groove.

[0057] In the production of the shaft base 1 in step B from the body 9, it can be provided, for example, that the channel 3, the inlet devices 5 and the outlet device 6 are formed by material removal, using a 5-axis CNC portal milling machine to form the functional contour 2.

[0058] It may also be provided that the connecting section 7 of the shaft base 1 is formed by applying material to the body 9, for example using a 3D printing machine.

[0059] The resulting shaft base 1 is formed in one piece.

[0060] In the Fig. 2 A schematic perspective view shows a body 9 in a non-inventive embodiment for the manufacture of a shaft base 1.

[0061] The reference symbols in Fig. 2 correspond to those from Fig. 1 .

[0062] Body 9 is designed as a one-sided hollow cylinder, i.e., a hollow cylinder with a top surface. Body 9 is free of voids and homogeneous.

[0063] In the Fig. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of a body 9 in the design according to Fig. 2 shown.

[0064] The reference symbols in Fig. 2 correspond to those from the preceding figures.

[0065] The body 9 is composed of a section of a solid bar 10' and a ring 11. To achieve a fluid-tight assembly of the section of the solid bar 10' and the ring 11 to form the body 9, the inner surface 15 of the ring and the outer surface 16 of the solid bar are in contact as much as possible along the entire circumference. This can be achieved by making the inner surface 15 of the ring 11 and the outer surface 16 of the section of the solid bar 10' slightly conical, so that, with the conicity oriented in the same direction, the section of the solid bar 10' can be pressed into the ring 11, thereby bringing the inner surface 15 of the ring and the outer surface 16 of the solid bar into contact over a large area.

[0066] The fluid tightness of the body 9 is further enhanced by the provision of a sealing element 14 in a groove on the solid rod outer surface 16 of the section of the solid rod 10'. The sealing element 14 is pressed against the inner surface 15 of the ring of the body 9, thus ensuring fluid tightness between the section of the solid rod 10' and the ring 11.

[0067] Furthermore, a projection 17 is provided on the ring 11, which can engage with a corresponding counter-contour on the section of the solid bar 10' such that the position of the ring 11 and the section of the solid bar 10' relative to each other is defined. A weld 18 along the edge of the entire contact section can also be helpful in creating a fluid seal between the ring 11 and the section of the solid bar 10'.

[0068] Body 9 is formed in two parts.

[0069] The resulting body 9 requires less material removal or build-up for further processing into the shaft base 1, so that the shaft base 1 to be formed can be formed faster and more cost-effectively.

[0070] In the Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a machine 12 during the machining of a body 9 in the execution according to Fig. 2 depicted.

[0071] The reference symbols in Fig. 4 correspond to those from the preceding figures.

[0072] The machine 12, which is designed as a machine for material removal and / or material application, processes the body 9 to form the shaft base 1, which is designed in two parts.

[0073] The control of machine 12 is carried out by a data set 13, through which the individual work steps of machine 12 are executed.

[0074] The above statements regarding the description of the figures for the lower part of the shaft naturally also apply to a shaft. Reference symbol list

[0075] 1 Shaft base 2 Functional contour 3 Channel 4 Footplate 5 Inlet device 6 Outlet device 7 Connection section 8 Surface 9 Body 10 Solid bar 10' Solid bar 11 Ring 12 Machine 13 Data set 14 Sealing element 15 Ring inner surface 16 Solid bar outer surface 17 Projection 18 Welded connection 19 Shaft 20 Fluid guide, intake and storage system First step Second step

Claims

1. A method for producing a manhole lower part (1) from a solid bar (10), thus forming a body (9), wherein the solid bar (10) contains polymer material or consists of polymer material and has an approximately circular cross-section, wherein the approximately circular cross-section of the solid bar (10) is just as large as or slightly larger than the diameter of the manhole lower part (1) that is to be produced, said method having the following steps: • in a first step A, a portion of the solid bar (10) is separated off and the body (9) is thus formed, the body (9) has the shape of a cylinder, it is formed in one part, • in a second step B, the manhole lower part is formed from the body (9), wherein the manhole lower part (1) is shaped from the body (9) by material removal and / or material build-up, wherein to this end a functional contour (2) is formed on the manhole lower part (1) and comprises a channel (3), which serves to conduct fluid.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that feed devices (5) are formed on the cylinder lateral surface of the manhole lower part (1) and are formed in such a way that feed pipes are connectable to them, for example are insertable into them.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterised in that the feed devices (5) are furthermore provided with a groove in order to receive a seal element in the groove, which seal element allows a fluid-tight connection of the feed pipe that is to be attached to the manhole lower part (1).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that a discharge device (6), which is in the form of a socket connection, is moulded on the manhole lower part (1).