Device for machining spacer profiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for processing spacer profiles (2) for the production of spacer frames for, for example, insulating glass units, wherein the device (1) has a profile magazine (3) with at least two profile compartments (4) for storing spacer profiles (2), preferably of different types, wherein the profile magazine (3) is assigned at least one loading position (5) and one unloading position (6), wherein the profile compartments (4) are movable into the loading position (5) for loading with spacer profiles (2) and into the unloading position (6) for unloading spacer profiles (2) located in the profile compartments (4), and wherein the device (1) comprises at least one working buffer (7) which is assigned to the at least one unloading position (6) and into which at least one spacer profile (2) can be removed from a profile compartment (4) located in the unloading position (6).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for processing spacer profiles, such as those used as starting material for the manufacture of spacer frames, for example for insulating glass panes.

[0002] Document WO 2023 / 161213 A1 discloses a device and a method for the automated assembly of a polymer spacer for insulating glass units. Controlled by at least one control unit, at least one spacer section is removed from a storage unit by a removal unit. The at least one spacer section is fed to a sawing unit, where two longitudinal side sections of a first length and two transverse side sections of a second length are produced. In a pre-connection unit, the longitudinal side sections and the transverse side sections are each provided with a corner connector on one side. In an end-connection unit, the longitudinal side sections and the transverse side sections are arranged by a positioning unit such that they can be joined by an end-connection unit via the corner connectors to form a frame-like spacer.

[0003] Document US 11 970 335 B2 discloses a hanging file storage system for a bending machine for spacer frames of insulating glass panes, comprising multiple hanging files, each having a storage location for a stack of unbent spacer profiles, a storage station with multiple receiving locations for each of the hanging files, a removal station with at least one receiving location for one of the hanging files, and a transport device for transporting hanging files between the receiving locations of the storage station and the receiving location of the removal station.

[0004] When manufacturing spacer frames for insulating glass panes, different spacer frames and, accordingly, different spacer profiles are required depending on the insulating glass pane.

[0005] The spacer frames are assembled from profile legs that have previously been cut from spacer profiles to the required length.

[0006] Spacer profiles are typically sold by the meter. In practice, for example, spacer profiles of varying cross-sections with a length of six meters are used as the starting material for manufacturing spacer frames.

[0007] To manufacture spacer frames, the required profile legs are first cut to the desired length from the starting material, namely the spacer profiles, and then subjected to further processing steps until they are finally joined together to form a spacer frame.

[0008] For the efficient processing of spacer profiles and the efficient production of spacer frames, profile magazines have proven their worth in practice, in which different types of spacer profiles are kept as meter stock.

[0009] In profile magazines known from practical experience, the spacer profiles are fed directly from the respective profile compartments of the profile magazines for processing. This means that the respective profile magazine is blocked during the processing of spacer profiles, which prevents, or at least significantly hinders, the refilling of empty profile compartments with new spacer profiles during the processing of spacer profiles.

[0010] The spacer profiles with different specifications are sorted into different profile compartments of the profile magazines and subsequently fed from these compartments for further processing. Depending on the procedure, when switching to a different spacer profile type with a different specification, the processed spacer profile is returned to its profile compartment. The profile magazine is then moved to the compartment containing the new spacer profile type. A spacer profile of the required type is then fed from this new compartment for processing.

[0011] Especially when operated by a robot, most devices used in practice have the following problems: The profile magazine is loaded from the side from which the device is operated by a person and from which the finished products are also ejected. This leads to space conflicts when a robot is integrated. Furthermore, the profile magazine cannot be moved to a different profile compartment while spacer profiles are being processed, for example, to restock individual compartments with spacer profiles.

[0012] The so-called active spacer profile, i.e., the spacer profile that was last processed, is located on top of the profile stack in previous profile magazines, must be stored in a separate area, or must be laboriously threaded under the profile stack to ensure that the active spacer profile can be processed again when processing of that type of spacer profile is resumed. This leads either to increased space requirements or increased effort when reloading partially full profile compartments.

[0013] These circumstances make it difficult to process spacer profiles economically and to manufacture spacer frames economically.

[0014] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a device for machining spacer profiles that avoids the disadvantages of devices known from practice and promotes the economical machining of spacer profiles.

[0015] To solve the problem, a device with the features of independent claim 1, which is directed to such a device, is first proposed.

[0016] To solve the problem, a device for processing spacer profiles for the production of spacer frames, for example for insulating glass units, is proposed in particular, wherein the device has a profile magazine with at least two profile compartments for a plurality of spacer profiles, preferably of different types, wherein the profile magazine is assigned at least one loading position and at least one unloading position, wherein the profile compartments are movable to the loading position for loading with spacer profiles and to the unloading position for unloading spacer profiles located in the profile compartments, and wherein the device includes at least one working buffer, which is assigned to the at least one unloading position and is configured to receive at least one spacer profile from a profile compartment located in the unloading position.

[0017] This makes it possible to transfer at least one spacer profile from a profile compartment in the unloading position to the work buffer. The spacer profile transferred from the profile compartment to the work buffer is then available in the work buffer for further processing or transfer to a downstream processing station of the device, without affecting the movement of the profile magazine.

[0018] The at least one loading position and the at least one unloading position can be arranged relative to each other in such a way that spacer profiles can be removed from a profile compartment in the unloading position simultaneously with the loading of a profile compartment in the loading position. This enables particularly economical use of the device and the avoidance of downtime.

[0019] After removing at least one spacer profile from a selected profile compartment into the work buffer, the profile magazine can be moved freely as desired, for example to equip individual profile compartments of the profile magazine with spacer profiles, without affecting the processing of a spacer profile from the work buffer.

[0020] A spacer profile that has been moved to the working buffer is then completely, i.e., with its entire length, present in the working buffer, without even partially extending into the profile compartment from which it was transferred to the working buffer.

[0021] The work buffer is preferably designed to receive at least two or more spacer profiles from a profile compartment in the unloading position. The time required to process the number of spacer profiles present in the work buffer is then particularly sufficient to replenish the profile compartments of the profile magazine with spacer profiles. In this way, downtime of the device can be avoided, which improves the device's efficiency.

[0022] The working buffer is preferably arranged in a region of the device outside the profile magazine. In this way, the profile magazine is movable independently of the working buffer, allowing the profile compartments to be selectively moved into at least one loading position and at least one unloading position.

[0023] For the automated unloading of spacer profiles into the work buffer, the device can include an unloading device, for example, a handling unit such as a robot. The unloading device can be configured to unload spacer profiles from a profile compartment in the unloading position into the work buffer. The unloading device facilitates the automated operation of the device.

[0024] According to the invention, the profile magazine of the device is designed as a rotary magazine. This allows for the particularly space-saving provision of a comparatively large number of profile compartments. In this way, a large number of different types of spacer profiles can be stored in different profile compartments within the profile magazine.

[0025] According to the invention, the profile magazine, which is designed as a rotary magazine, is rotatable about a rotational axis in order to selectively move the profile compartments into at least one loading position and into at least one unloading position.

[0026] The use of a rotary magazine ensures that the spacer profile closest to the center or rotation axis of the magazine is the first spacer profile to be processed. This first spacer profile is also called the active spacer profile. Before changing profiles, the last spacer profile being processed can be returned to the stack and placed on top. Due to its processing, the active spacer profile has a unique length, which can result from the cutting sequence. This unique length can be stored in a control unit of the device so that the length of the active spacer profile can be taken into account during subsequent processing when the profile type is repeatedly accessed.Since the active spacer profile in this preferred embodiment of the device is always located towards the center in the profile magazine and an opening of the respective profile compartment remains accessible, the profile compartments of the rotary magazine can be equipped with spacer profiles at any time without having to cover or manipulate the active spacer profile.

[0027] To accommodate spacer profiles with different cross-sectional dimensions in the profile compartments, it can be advantageous for each compartment to have at least one adaptation element. This adaptation element can, for example, compensate for size differences between different types of spacer profiles, thus allowing for the reliable arrangement of different types of spacer profiles within the profile compartments.

[0028] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device, an adaptation element is provided on both sides of a receiving space for spacer profiles in the respective profile compartment. The adaptation element can be, for example, a lip, preferably a rubber lip, a strip, particularly a spring-loaded one, and / or a brush, for example a strip brush.

[0029] Such adaptation elements make it possible to reliably store spacer profiles with a width between, for example, 10 mm and 20 mm in the profile compartments of the profile magazine.

[0030] The device can have at least one processing station located downstream of the work buffer in the material flow direction. A spacer profile stored in the work buffer can then be fed directly to the processing station from the buffer. The processing station can, for example, be a cutting station. This cutting station can be configured to cut profile legs to a desired length from a spacer profile located in the work buffer for the production of spacer frames. The cutting station can also be configured to perform miter cuts, which can be advantageous for manufacturing spacer frames from the cut-off profile legs.

[0031] The device can include a bending station as a processing station, in which spacer profiles and / or cut-to-length profile legs can be bent.

[0032] The device can include a joining station as a processing station, which is set up to join profile legs separated from the spacer profiles together in order to produce a spacer frame.

[0033] The device may also include a filling station with a filling device designed to fill cut-to-length spacer profiles with a desiccant, for example, with desiccant granules.

[0034] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment, but is not limited to this embodiment. Further exemplary embodiments result from combining the features of one or more claims with one another and / or from combining one or more features of the exemplary embodiment. The following are shown: Fig. 1 shows a top view of a device for machining spacer profiles for the manufacture of spacer frames, wherein the device has a profile magazine designed as a rotary magazine with eight profile compartments radially aligned to an axis of rotation of the profile magazine for receiving spacer profiles, to which an unloading position in which the profile compartments can be unloaded and a loading position in which the profile compartments can be loaded with spacer profiles are assigned, Fig. 2 shows a top view of the device made of Figure 1 during the unloading of spacer profiles from a profile compartment in the unloading position into a working buffer of the device, which is assigned to the unloading position, as well as Fig. 3 a top view of the device from the Figures 1 and 2, wherein the spacer profiles unloaded from one profile compartment are held in the work buffer for processing and the profile magazine can be moved freely, i.e. rotated, to move empty profile compartments to be loaded into the loading position and to equip them with spacer profiles.

[0035] The figures show a device, designated as a whole by 1, for processing spacer profiles 2, as used for the manufacture of spacer frames for, for example, insulating glass panes.

[0036] The device 1 comprises a profile magazine 3 with a total of eight profile compartments 4 for storing spacer profiles 2, preferably of different types.

[0037] The spacer profiles 2 contained in the profile compartments 4 of the profile magazine 3 may differ from each other, for example, in their cross-sectional shape, dimensions and / or their color.

[0038] Profile magazine 3 has a loading position 5 and an unloading position 6. To load the profile compartments 4 with spacer profiles 2, the profile compartments 4 of profile magazine 3 can be moved to loading position 5. To unload spacer profiles 2 located in the profile compartments 4, the profile compartments 4 can be moved to unloading position 6.

[0039] The profile magazine 2 shown in the figures allows the simultaneous loading and unloading of profile compartments 4. This is also made possible by the arrangement of the loading position 5 and the unloading position 6 relative to each other. In other embodiments of the device 1 not shown in the figures, the loading position 5 and the unloading position 6 may be arranged differently, so that simultaneous loading and unloading of the profile magazine 3 may no longer be possible.

[0040] The device 1 includes a working buffer 7, which is assigned to the unloading position 6. Several spacer profiles 2 to be processed can be removed from a profile compartment 4 located in the unloading position 6 and placed into this working buffer 7. The working buffer shown in the figures is thus designed to receive several spacer profiles 2 removed from a profile compartment 4 located in the unloading position 6. It is possible to remove a single spacer profile 2, several spacer profiles 2, or even all spacer profiles 2 from a profile compartment 4 into the working buffer 7.

[0041] The working buffer 7 assigned to the unloading position 6 is therefore not itself a component of the profile magazine 3, but is formed and arranged in an area of ​​the device 1 downstream of the profile magazine 3 and thus located outside of the profile magazine 3. The profile magazine 3 is movable independently of the working buffer 7 in order to move the profile compartments 4 selectively between the loading position 5 and the unloading position.

[0042] The device 1 has a dispensing device 14, which is configured for dispensing spacer profiles 2 from a profile compartment 4 located in the unloading position 6 into the working buffer 7. The dispensing device 14 enables the automated dispensing of spacer profiles 2 into the working buffer 7.

[0043] Figure 1 shows profile compartment 4 located at the 8 o'clock position with spacer profiles 2 still inside. According to Figure 2All spacer profiles 2 were moved from profile compartment 4 to working buffer 7.

[0044] The two arrows that appear in profile magazine 3 Figure 3 The diagrams illustrate that the profile magazine 3, which is designed as a rotary magazine, can be freely rotated after the spacer profiles 2 have been unloaded into the work buffer 7 in order to load empty profile compartments 4 with new spacer profiles 2. During this time, the spacer profiles 2 located in the work buffer 7 can be machined.

[0045] Loading empty profile compartments 4 of the profile magazine 3 is possible independently of the processing of the spacer profiles 2 located in the work buffer 7. This facilitates efficient processing of the spacer profiles 2, which previously had to be interrupted in the profile magazines used in practice to load the profile compartments of these magazines.

[0046] As previously mentioned, the profile magazine 3 is designed as a rotary magazine and can be rotated around a rotation axis 8 in order to move the profile compartments 4 of the profile magazine 3 optionally into the loading position 5 and into the unloading position 6.

[0047] The profile compartments 4 can each have at least one adaptation element 9 to compensate for, for example, dimensional differences between different types of spacer profiles 2. With the aid of the adaptation elements 9, it is thus possible to safely store different types of spacer profiles 2 in the profile compartments 4. Preferably, each of the profile compartments 4 has such an adaptation element 9 on both sides of its receiving space 10 for the spacer profiles 2 in the profile compartment 4. For example, lips, in particular rubber lips, strips, in particular spring-loaded strips, and / or brushes, for example strip brushes, can be used as adaptation elements 9.

[0048] The Figures 1-3 show that the device 1 has at least one processing station 11 which is located downstream of the work buffer 7 in the material flow direction through the device 1.

[0049] In the embodiment of the device 1 shown in the figures, it has a cutting station 11 as a processing station, which is configured to cut profile legs from the spacer profiles to the desired length. The profile legs can then subsequently be assembled to form a spacer frame, for example for an insulating glass unit.

[0050] Part of the device 1 can also be a bending station in which spacer profiles 2 and / or profile legs can be bent.

[0051] Part of the device 1 can also be a joining station in which profile legs cut to length from spacer profiles 2 can be joined together to form spacer frames.

[0052] The device 1 can also include a filling station as processing station 11, with which spacer profiles 2 and / or profile legs separated from them can be filled with desiccant, for example.

[0053] The device 1 can also include a processing station 11, such as an inkjet printer, with which lettering and / or decorations can be applied to the spacer profiles 2 and / or to profile legs separated from them. The double arrow in Figure 2The figure assigned to the quantity of spacer profiles 2 located in work buffer 7 illustrates that the spacer profiles 2 can also be stored from the work buffer back into their profile compartment 4 of the profile magazine if necessary. This can be the case, for example, if not all spacer profiles 2 that were moved to work buffer 7 have been processed before the next order is to be processed.

[0054] The so-called active spacer profile, which is currently being processed or was last processed, is designated 12. The figures show that the active spacer profiles 12 in the profile compartments 4 are always the spacer profiles that are closest to the axis of rotation 8 of the profile magazine 3 and are therefore located inside the profile compartments 4. Since, in the illustrated embodiment of the device 1, the active spacer profile 12 is always located towards the center of the respective profile compartment 4 of the profile magazine 3, thus leaving an opening 13 of the respective profile compartment 4 accessible, the profile compartments 4 can be restocked with spacer profiles 2 at any time without having to cover or manipulate the active spacer profile 12.

[0055] The figures show the removal of all spacer profiles 2 located in a profile compartment 4 into the working buffer 7 of the device 1. However, it is also possible to remove only a subset of the spacer profiles 2 contained in a profile compartment 4, or even just individual spacer profiles 2, from the profile compartments 4 into the working buffer 7.

[0056] The inventive concept of the device 1 provides that the profile magazine 3 remains freely movable, and in the illustrated embodiment freely rotatable, by means of the storage of required spacer profiles 2 in the working buffer 7 of the device 1, in order to be able to equip profile compartments 4 with spacer profiles 2 without having to interrupt the actual processing of spacer profiles 2. Reference symbol list

[0057] 1 Device 2 Spacer profile 3 Profile magazine 4 Profile compartment 5 Loading position 6 Unloading position 7 Working buffer 8 Rotation axis of 3 9 Adaptation element 10 Receiving space 11 Machining station 12 Active spacer profile 13 Opening of 4 14 Removal device

Claims

1. Device (1) for processing spacer profiles (2) for the production of spacer frames for insulating glass panes, for example, wherein the device (1) has a profile magazine (3) having at least two profile compartments (4) for storing spacer profiles (2), preferably of different types, wherein the profile magazine (3) is assigned at least one loading position (5) and one unloading position (6), wherein the profile compartments (4) are movable into the loading position (5) for loading spacer profiles (2) and into the unloading position (6) for unloading spacer profiles (2) located in the profile compartments (4), wherein the profile magazine (3) is designed as a rotational magazine and is rotatable about an axis of rotation (8) in order to move the profile compartments (4) selectively into the at least one loading position (5) and into the at least one unloading position (6), and wherein the device (1) comprises at least one working buffer (7), which is assigned to the at least one unloading position (6), characterized in that the working buffer (7) is set up to receive at least one spacer profile (2) from a profile compartment (4) located in the unloading position (6).

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the working buffer (7) is set up to receive at least two or more spacer profiles (2) from a profile compartment (4) located in the unloading position (6) and / or wherein the working buffer (7) is arranged in a region of the device (1) outside the profile magazine (3).

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the profile magazine (3) is movable independently of the working buffer (7) in order to move the profile compartments (4) selectively into the at least one loading position (5) and into the at least one unloading position (6).

4. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (1) comprises a retrieval device (14) which is set up for retrieving spacer profiles (2) from a profile compartment (4) located in the unloading position (6) into the working buffer (7).

5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the profile compartments (4) each have at least one adaptation element (9), preferably an adaptation element (9) on both sides of a receiving space (10) for spacer profiles (2) in the profile compartment (4).

6. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the at least one adaptation element (9) is a lip, in particular a rubber lip, a strip, in particular a spring-loaded strip, and / or a brush, for example a strip brush.

7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (1) comprises at least one processing station (11), preferably downstream of the working buffer (7) in the direction of material flow through the device (1).

8. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the device (1) comprises as at least one processing station (11) a cutting station, a bending station, a joining station and / or a filling station with a filling device and / or an application device.

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