Mold testing and inspection equipment

Abstract

A testing and inspection device (10) for dies for electrical applications, in particular for cutting magnetic metal sheets suitable for stacking or superimposing one on top of the other to form stack packs for use in electrical machines, comprising interaction means with special functional elements (20) or machine elements of a cutting die (21) for activating and deactivating one or more cutting elements of the cutting die (21), said device being connected to said cutting die (21) for testing said cutting die outside the cutting press.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a testing and inspection device for a mold.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a testing and inspection device for dies for electrical applications, in particular for magnetic metal sheet cutting dies suitable to be packed or stacked together to form stack packs for electrical equipment applications such as electric machines, e.g. motors, generators, transformers, meters, ignition coils, etc. [Background technology]

[0003] As is known, the magnetic metal plates required to form the stack packs are made from metal sheets which are cut by special dies, which for this purpose are equipped with what are called "special functional elements" in the industry, i.e. in the industry of die mechanical parts, pneumatic or hydraulic pistons or manually actuated elements which activate and deactivate one or more cutting elements of the die.

[0004] An example of a "special function member" is a progressive die type in which metal plates are stacked one on top of the other, with a protruding claw provided on each of the metal plates stacked on top of each other. The progressive die type has a recess on the opposite side (the side opposite to the side on which the claws are provided), and the claws of the metal plate are constrained by the recesses of the adjacent metal plate, and another metal plate is interposed between the two adjacent and mutually constrained metal plates, and this other metal plate has through holes suitable for the claws of the metal plate to cross and connect with the recesses of the adjacent metal plate. In this type, the special function member starts and stops with each stroke of the press.

[0005] Furthermore, a progressive type die can be provided with a plurality of "special function members." For example, the above-mentioned dies can be stacked on top of each other, and by starting and stopping the special function members, the cutting die can be started and stopped, so that a cut product (e.g., a metal plate) can be obtained in a multi-stage structure or shape. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, a problem with "special function members" is that the special function members are started and stopped during the manufacturing cycle of the metal plates and stack packs.

[0007] Typically, the die is tested while still on the cut-off press, so that the "special features" are tested along with the die, and therefore any failure, damage, etc. of the die or the "special features" occurs directly on the cut-off press, and such an event requires the cut-off press to be stopped.

[0008] This results in increased maintenance costs as damage or breakdowns occur directly at the press, as well as increased production costs caused by machine downtime.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems.

[0010] In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a mold testing and inspection device, more specifically, a testing and inspection device for so-called "special function parts" of molds that cut magnetic metal plates suitable for being packed or stacked on each other to form a stacked pack.

[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a testing and inspection apparatus which allows testing of special functional parts of dies on a work bench rather than on a press (as was previously done on a press).

[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a test apparatus suitable for testing critical parts which are part of the "special functional parts" of a mold on a work bench.

[0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide a testing device suitable for carrying out stress tests, i.e. fatigue and / or wear tests, on the "special functional parts" of a die, in order to predict the condition of the special functional parts during the production run phase of the press in which the die is installed.

[0014] A further object of the invention is, inter alia, to easily and cost-effectively provide the user with a mould testing and inspection device which is adapted to ensure high strength and reliability over time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] These and other objects are achieved according to the invention by the constructive features set forth in claim 1.

[0016] According to the invention there is provided a testing and inspection device for dies, in particular for cutting magnetic metal sheets which are stacked or overlapped on one another and suitable for forming stack packs for use in electrical machines, the testing and inspection device for dies for electrical applications comprising interactive means having special functional parts or mechanical elements of the cutting die for starting and stopping one or more cutting elements of the cutting die, connected to said cutting die for testing the cutting die outside the cutting press.

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

[0018] The structural and operational features of the mold testing and inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred, but non-limiting, embodiments, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 shows diagrammatically the components of a mould testing and inspection device according to the invention; [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a cutting die connected to a die testing and inspection device according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] The movement of the "special functional member" is shown diagrammatically. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] With reference to the drawings, the mold testing and inspection device according to the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and is composed of an apparatus 12 having a box-shaped main body 13. Inside the box-shaped main body, operating members of the device are provided, and the operating members include one or more solenoid valves 14, one or more timing means 15 connected to the one or more solenoid valves 14, and a power source 16 for supplying power to the at least one solenoid valve 14 and the at least one timing means 15.

[0021] The at least one solenoid valve 14 is connected via a compressed air pipe 17 to at least one actuator 18 and via a cable 19 to at least one timer 15 .

[0022] At least one actuator 18 preferably comprises a double acting piston, typically pneumatic, and is directly connected to a "special function member" 20 of the cutting die 21.

[0023] One solenoid valve 14 controls the opening and closing of a compressed air circuit to start and stop the operation of at least one actuator 18 .

[0024] The function of the at least one timer 15 is to start and stop the operation of the at least one actuator 18 by opening and closing the at least one solenoid valve 14 .

[0025] In particular, at least one timer 15 sends on / off electrical pulses to the solenoid valve 14, which in turn controls the activation / deactivation of the actuator 18. The timer current pulses can be controlled in time by adjusting the number of pulses per minute depending on the specific test conditions of the "special functional component".

[0026] The solenoid valve 14 opens and closes the compressed air circuit according to the number of pulses and the sequence selected by the timer 15, and the actuator 18 is started and stopped in synchronization with the number of pulses selected by the corresponding timer, so that the actuator starts and stops the special function member 20 of the cutting die 21 according to the number of pulses.

[0027] The number of timers 15 corresponds to the number of solenoid valves 14, the number of solenoid valves 14 corresponds to the number of actuators 18, and the number of actuators 18 corresponds to the number of special functional members to be tested.

[0028] The unique effects achieved by the mold testing and inspection apparatus according to the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

[0029] The mold testing and inspection device according to the present invention is advantageous in that the special functional parts of the mold can be tested on the workbench, i.e., removed from the cutting mold, and the test time can be significantly reduced. In particular, the device according to the present invention can test mechanical parts that are part of the special functional parts of the mold on the workbench, which reduces the possibility of the special functional parts being destroyed during processing and reduces the number of tests (and thus the cost).

[0030] Another particular advantage of the device according to the invention is that it allows prediction of the critical components which are part of the special functional parts: in fact, the device according to the invention allows mechanical tests to be carried out on the special functional parts of the moulds, which are moving parts subject to wear and fatigue, and the test device according to the invention allows prediction of the limit conditions to which the moulds will be exposed during the production process.

[0031] Another particular advantage is that the testing and inspection device according to the invention can perform stress tests or fatigue or wear tests on special functional parts of the moulds to predict their production behaviour, in fact simulating speed and cutting conditions while selecting the desired number of pulses per minute by means of at least one timer.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment, which is a non-limiting embodiment, numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the above description. Therefore, the present invention encompasses any modifications or variations that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A mold testing and inspection device (10) for cutting magnetic metal plates suitable for forming stacked packs for use in electrical machinery, which are molds for electrical applications, and which are packed vertically or stacked on top of each other. The aforementioned test and inspection device is a movable component connected to at least one actuator (18) that enables / deactivates one or more cutting members of the cutting die (21), and is connected to the cutting die on a workbench for testing and inspecting the cutting die outside of the cutting press, in a die test and inspection device for a cutting die, in which a special functional member (20) or mechanical element of the cutting die is connected to the cutting die, which enables / deactivates one or more cutting members of the cutting die. The device (12) comprises a box-shaped body (13) inside which one or more solenoid valves (14) are provided to enable / disable the operation of the double-acting pistons of one or more actuators (18) that are directly connected to the special functional members (20) or mechanical elements of the cutting die (21), One or more timers (15) connected to the one or more solenoid valves (14) for operating / stopping at least one of the solenoid valves, The system comprises a power supply (16) that supplies power to at least one solenoid valve (14) and at least one timer (15), The mold testing and inspection apparatus is such that the at least one solenoid valve (14) is connected to the at least one actuator (18) and to the at least one timer (15) by a cable (19).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the double-acting piston is pneumatic, and the at least one solenoid valve (14) is connected to the at least one actuator (18) by a compressed air pipe (17).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the solenoid valve (14) opens and closes the compressed air pipe (17) according to the number and order of pulses selected by the timer (15), and operates / stops the actuator (18) with the number of pulses selected by the timer itself.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one timer (15) activates / stops the at least one solenoid valve (14) by an on / off type electrical pulse to the solenoid valve (14), which is time-adjustable by adjusting the number of pulses per minute.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of timers (15) corresponds to the number of solenoid valves (14) corresponding to the number of actuators (18) corresponding to the number of special functional members (20) of the cutting die under test.

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