Apparatus and method for bending long metal products

Abstract

The apparatus (10) for bending a long metal product (100) comprises a feed device (13) configured to move the product (100) along a feed axis (X) and a first bending unit (15) having one or more pins (20, 22) different from each other and configured to bend the one or more products (100) at a time corresponding to a predetermined bending zone (BZ).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates to an apparatus and associated method for bending long metal products, preferably, but not exclusively, to obtain brackets having a shape suitable for a desired architectural application. The long metal products may be bars, rods, or metal wires, available as pre-cut segments or as continuous shapes wound on reels and cut to the desired length before or at the end of processing. In particular, the invention applies to an apparatus for manufacturing brackets requiring bends of different radii. [Background technology]

[0002] Machines for bending metal products, also called stirrup making machines, are known which are configured to sequentially bend bars, rods, metal wires or other elongated metal products, for example to obtain brackets for the manufacture of reinforcing cages. These brackets can be two-dimensional, i.e. the sides of the bracket lie in the same plane, or three-dimensional, i.e. at least one face of the bracket lies in a plane different from the plane in which the other faces extend.

[0003] Generally, these devices include one or more drawing units, one or more cutting units, and a bending unit configured to perform a bend on a first curved surface to define a two-dimensional shape of the bracket, or to perform a bend on several curved surfaces angled relative to the first curved surface to define a three-dimensional shape of the bracket.

[0004] The bending unit typically comprises a rotatable mandrel with a central contrast pin and radial bending elements.

[0005] The curved elements are rotatable relative to the contrast pin so that a segment of metalwork disposed therebetween is bent around the contrast pin.

[0006] Also, manufacturing demands may require the production of brackets with different shapes or from bars with different sizes, e.g. diameters, in the same patch job, which necessitates the use of different bending units, so there is a need for manual replacement and resetting of contrast and bending pins in these cases.

[0007] Disadvantages of such known systems include extended production downtime, the use of specialized personnel, and the use of auxiliary equipment for transporting and removing the replacement curved units, resulting in increased time and cost for constructing the bracket.

[0008] Furthermore, at the end of the actual replacement operation, the device must be calibrated to be able to perform a new bracket with the required tolerances, with the result that these operations increase the manufacturing time and costs, as well as the waste of metal material for the calibration test of the device itself.

[0009] Another drawback of such known devices is that a specific magazine must be provided in the production site in which the various bending units necessary to cover the production needs are stored, which, in addition to requiring a certain space, must guarantee certain environmental storage conditions and require a special management plan, thus increasing the costs and time required for the manufacture of the brackets.

[0010] Solutions in which the bending unit can be automatically exchanged are known, for example as described in IT UD20 070 240 A1, JP 2002-143960, WO 2009 / 135845 and US 2016 / 175909.

[0011] Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus and related method for bending elongated metal products that overcomes at least one of the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0012] Therefore, there is a need to solve the technical problem of realizing a series of bending operations of elongated metal products using different bending units in an automated manner, while minimizing the time and cost of replacing such bending units.

[0013] In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and associated method for bending long metal products that allows brackets having different bend radii to be obtained with high precision and quality, possibly starting from metal products of different diameters, with substantially the same manufacturing sequence.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for bending long metal products which does not require specific space and management planning for storage magazines required for different bending units in a manufacturing operation.

[0015] A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for bending long metal products that is easy to construct and operate, and that enables brackets having a wide variety of shapes, either flat or three-dimensional, to be produced in a shortened production time.

[0016] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for bending long metal products that is fully automated.

[0017] Applicant has invented, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to obtain these and other objects and advantages. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe further features of the invention or variants of the main inventive idea. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] In accordance with the above mentioned objectives and in order to solve the above mentioned technical problems in a new and original way while achieving significant advantages with respect to the prior art, an apparatus for bending elongated metal products according to the present invention comprises a feed device configured to move said elongated metal products along a feed axis and a first bending unit configured to perform one or more bends on said one or more metal products in predetermined bending zones.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises both a storage area located away from the bending zone and configured to store at least one different second bending unit in an inactive state in place of the first bending unit, and an exchange device arranged to cooperate alternately with the first bending unit and the second bending unit and configured to selectively move the first bending unit or the second bending unit between the bending zone and the storage area along an exchange direction.

[0021] Advantageously, the movement of the bending unit between the bending zone and the storage zone occurs orthogonally to the exchange direction, which is preferably transverse, in particular orthogonal, to the feed axis of the metal product.

[0022] In this manner, by using the replacement device, the first bending unit and the second bending unit can be alternately positioned and either located in the bending zone to operate the desired bend in the elongated metal product or located in the storage area to be kept in an inactive state.

[0023] This replacement operation occurs due to components included in the device according to the invention, i.e. it occurs automatically, thereby requiring substantially no manual intervention by an expert and no external equipment or other operational complexities.

[0024] The solution according to the invention therefore allows a series of bends in a long metal product to be realised by using different bending units in sequence, possibly alternating, thereby realising bends of different radii and minimising the time and costs of replacing such bending units.

[0025] By using the device according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain, with substantially the same manufacturing procedure, brackets made of metal products of different dimensions, or different shapes, or having bends of different radii and angles, with high precision and high quality.

[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, the storage area comprises at least one first storage pedestal within which the intended bending unit is housed.

[0027] Also according to the invention, the storage area may have at least one second storage pedestal, or a number of second storage pedestals, each of which may house further corresponding bending units, depending on the specific bending conditions envisaged for the project.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, the exchange device has at least one rotatable mandrel which, in a given operating state, alternately supports the first bending unit or the at least one second bending unit, each of the bending units having both its own central contrast pin and its own bending pin radially spaced from and rotating relative to a corresponding contrast pin.

[0029] According to another aspect of the invention, the exchange device comprises a lifting actuator associated with a support surface of the device and arranged in cooperation with the mandrel to determine selective movement of the contrast pin and simultaneously the curved pin substantially perpendicular to the support surface.

[0030] According to another aspect of the invention, the exchange device comprises at least one moving member operatively connected to the mandrel and capable of being moved in the exchange direction to position the mandrel between the bending zone and the storage area.

[0031] According to another aspect of the invention, in the storage area there are movement means connected to or including the at least one storage pedestal, the movement means being configured to selectively move the at least one storage pedestal between a first cooperating position arranged corresponding to the mandrels and aligned in the exchange direction, and a second storage position arranged away from the mandrels. The movement means may be of either the rotary or linear type.

[0032] The present invention also relates to a method for bending long metal products, the method comprising a feeding step in which a feed device moves one or more of said products forward or backward at a time along a feed axis, and a bending step in which a first bending unit performs one or more bends on one or more of said metal products corresponding to predetermined bending zones. According to one aspect of the invention, the above-mentioned method comprises at least one replacement step, in which an exchange device is adapted to alternately cooperate with the first bending unit, or the second bending unit instead of the first bending unit, in the bending zone and in the storage area arranged away from the bending zone, and to initially receive at least the second bending unit in an inactive state.

[0033] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of an apparatus for bending elongated metal products according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram showing one possible sequence of operations for a method for bending an elongated metal product according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] Since the scope of protection is defined by the claims, it must be made clear that the expressions and terms used in this specification, as well as the figures of the accompanying drawings similarly described, have the sole function of better illustrating and explaining the invention, their function being to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself.

[0036] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numbers have been used wherever possible in the drawings to identify identical common elements. It will be understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be advantageously combined with or incorporated into other embodiments without further specification.

[0037] 1, an apparatus 10 according to the present invention is configured to bend one or more elongated metal products, in this case one or more metal bars 100, at a time to create construction brackets or other reinforcing shapes having a defined geometry. These bars 100 have lengths between about 1.5 m and about 24 m, such as no less than about 0.5 m, and have diameters between about 10 mm and about 40 mm.

[0038] The device 10 comprises a fixed structure 11 having a support surface 12 arranged so as to be substantially horizontal with respect to a mounting surface of the device 10. However, it is not excluded that the support surface 12 is inclined with respect to this mounting surface, for example to facilitate the removal by gravity of the manufactured bracket.

[0039] The support surface 12 may be formed of or comprised of a metal sheet or plate having a predetermined thickness and a substantially rectangular shape, while the support surface 12 has a curvature zone BZ, indicated diagrammatically in dashed lines in the attached figures, in which the bending of the bar 100 is actually performed.

[0040] It will be appreciated that the dimensions and shape of the support surface 12 correspond to the maximum length of the bar 100 to be treated.

[0041] The apparatus 10 includes a loading zone LZ located upstream of the support surface 12, where the bars 100, either in the form of precut segments or in continuous form wound on a reel, are cut to the desired length.

[0042] The apparatus 10 is arranged between the loading zone LZ and the support surface 12 and also includes a feed device 13, which is of substantially known type and is shown only diagrammatically in FIG. 1 , and which is configured to feed the bar 100 along a feed axis X at least from the loading zone LZ towards the curvature zone BZ.

[0043] 1-11, which are exemplarily shown, the feeder 13 is fixed and comprises a series of traction rollers. According to a further non-illustrated embodiment, the feeder 13 may have a gripper suspended above the support surface 12 and movable along its own movement axis. In the latter case, the feeder 13 may also be configured to manipulate the bars 100 during the bending operation and to move them in a direction opposite to the loading zone LZ, possibly even beyond the curvature zone BZ.

[0044] The device 10 further comprises, downstream of the support surface 12, a discharge zone of known type and not shown in the accompanying drawings, in which there may be present a shaped bar 100, i.e. a flat surface receiving a bracket or a trolley-type container.

[0045] In addition to the feeding device 13, the apparatus 10 comprises a first bending unit 15 configured to bend the bar 100 in a first bending configuration, i.e. according to a first bending radius, and a storage area or magazine 16 in which at least a second bending unit 17, which will be described in more detail below and which is operatively arranged to bend the bar 100 in a second bending configuration, i.e. according to a second bending radius, is arranged in the magazine 16. In other words, when the first bending unit 15 is in an operative state to perform a bend on the bar 100, the second operative unit 17 is arranged in the magazine 16 in an unused or inactive state.

[0046] The apparatus 10 further comprises an exchange device 19 which in this case cooperates with the support surface 12. This exchange device 19 is arranged to move the two bending units 15, 17 alternately between a bending zone BZ, in which one of the working bending units 15, 17 can perform a bending operation on the bar 100, and a magazine 16, in which the other unused bending unit 15, 17 is parked and waiting to be collected.

[0047] The magazine 16 is external to the bulk of the support surface 12 .

[0048] The magazine 16 is, for example, arranged in a fixed position relative to the support surface 12 and arranged transversely to the curvature zone BZ.

[0049] In particular, each of the bending units 15, 17 is configured to have a central contrast pin 20, 21 and a bending pin 22, 23, respectively, which are radially spaced apart from and rotated relative to the corresponding contrast pin 20, 21 to define a desired bend for the bar 100.

[0050] The contrast pins 20, 21 have a substantially cylindrical shape. This does not exclude that for different operating solutions the contrast pins 20, 21 can be provided in duplicate or with other shapes and sizes.

[0051] Each bending pin 22,23 is selectively rotatable clockwise or counterclockwise about a corresponding contrast pin 20,21 to cooperate with the respective contrast pin 20,21 to effect a desired bending of the bar 100 in one direction or the other.

[0052] In this case, the contrast pins 20, 21 and the curved pins 22, 23 define two different types of curved units 15, 17 shaped, for example, to bend bars 100 of different diameters or to create brackets of different configurations or different curve radii that necessarily require the use of different pins.

[0053] For the sake of simplicity, an apparatus 10 and method applicable to the replacement of two different types of bending units 15, 17 have been disclosed, but this does not exclude that one or more further different bending units may be provided and applicable operational variations may be realized that may be provided and applicable to the bending of a particular bar 100 or that may realize further bracket configurations.

[0054] The exchange device 19 comprises at least one rotatable mandrel 25 which is common to both bending units 15, 17, i.e. is shaped to cooperate alternately with both contrast pins 20, 21 and both bending pins 22, 23 to achieve a bending action when they are in the bending zone BZ.

[0055] Furthermore, the changing device 19 comprises both a moving member, in this case a moving carriage 26, on which the mandrel 25 is rotatably mounted, and an associated guide rail 27 on which the moving carriage 26 is slidably mounted, and the moving carriage 26 is selectively moved between an operating position in which the mandrel 25 is located within the curvature zone BZ, and an changing position in which the mandrel 25 is located in cooperation with the magazine 16.

[0056] The movement of the moving carriage 26 between the operating position and the exchange position occurs along an exchange direction T. As shown in FIG. 1-11, the exchange direction T is transverse to the feed axis X. However, a solution in which the exchange direction T is parallel to the feed axis X is not excluded. This essentially depends on the position of the magazine 16.

[0057] The carriage 26 is movable between an operating position and an exchange position in a movement plane parallel to the support surface 12 .

[0058] The realization of such selective movement of the moving carriage 26 relative to the guide rail 27 occurs by means of a linear positioner, which may be or comprise, in substantially known manner, an electric or hydraulic motor actuated by a position transducer, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, not shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0059] The exchange device 19 further comprises a lifting actuator 33 arranged in cooperation with the mandrel 25 for determining selective movement substantially perpendicular to the support surface 12 of the contrast pins 20, 21 and the curved pins 22, 23, which are only partially shown in Figures 6 and 7.

[0060] The magazine 16 comprises a storage structure 29 arranged adjacent to the support surface 12 and away from the curvature zone BZ, the storage structure 29 being configured to store at least two storage pedestals 30, 31 shaped to accommodate corresponding curvature units 15, 17 when not in use within the storage structure 29.

[0061] Each storage platform 30, 31 is aligned substantially flush with the plane of movement of the carriage 26.

[0062] The storage structure 29 further has an opening 32 facing the bending zone BZ and through which each bending unit 15,17 can be moved towards or away from the corresponding storage base 30,31.

[0063] Furthermore, each storage platform 30, 31 can be selectively positioned to correspond to the opening 32 by associated moving means 35. In this case, the moving means 35 is of a rotary type, for example with a carousel.

[0064] The apparatus 10 further comprises two holding devices 36 arranged oppositely with respect to the bending zone BZ in alignment with the feed axis X and configured to temporarily hold the bar 100 during the performance of the bending in order to avoid undesired bending and deformation. The selective activation of one or the other holding device 100 depends on the end of the bar 100 at which the bending is to be performed, in a manner known per se and not disclosed here.

[0065] According to the operation of the apparatus 10 corresponding to the method according to the present invention described above, the operation includes a feeding step in which the feed device 13 moves one or more bars 100 back and forth at a time along the feed axis X, and a curving step in which the first curving unit 15, through the cooperative operation of the central pin 20 and the curving pin 21, performs one or more bends corresponding to a curving zone BZ having a first curvature radius.

[0066] The method further includes at least one replacement step in which the replacement device 19 moves the first bending unit 15 to cooperate with a corresponding storage base 30 and picks up the second bending unit 17 from the corresponding storage base 31 to bring it into operation within the bending zone BZ.

[0067] According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 to 11, this step is operationally performed as follows.

[0068] When there is a need to replace the first bending unit 15 with a second bending unit 17, for example to perform a further bend at the bar 100 with a second bending radius, the above-mentioned bending step comprises a first sub-step (see FIG. 2), in which the movement of the mandrel 25 outside the bending zone BZ in the direction of the magazine 16 is provided by the movement of the carriage 26 on rails 27 along the lateral direction T.

[0069] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, in a second sub-step, the mandrel 25 rotates, in this case the bending pin 22, by 180 degrees and the actuator 33 lifts both the contrast pin 20 and the bending pin 22 a predetermined amount relative to the support surface 12 to prepare the bending unit 15 for insertion into the magazine 16.

[0070] Indeed, as shown in FIG. 4, the carriage 26 continues its movement towards the magazine 16 and places the curvature unit 15 through the opening 32 and into the storage structure 29 .

[0071] In this way, the bending units 15 are brought into a pre-positioned state in the corresponding storage seats 30 .

[0072] In a third sub-step, shown in FIG. 5, the actuator 33 lowers the bending unit 15 until it is in stable cooperation with the corresponding storage base 30 .

[0073] At this time, as shown in Figure 6, in a fourth sub-step, the carriage 26 moves the mandrel 25 out of the magazine 16 and allows the moving means 35 to rotate the storage bases 30, 31 into the storage structure 29 so as to carry the storage base 31 and the corresponding bending unit 17 at the opening 32 (see Figure 7).

[0074] In this state, the bending unit 15 is at rest or stored in the storage structure 29 .

[0075] Once this state of positioning of the two bending units 15, 17 has been achieved, in a fifth sub-step, the carriage 26 moves the mandrel 25 back into the magazine 16 and positions it below the bending unit 17 so that it can be picked up (see Figure 8).

[0076] FIG. 9 shows diagrammatically how, through the action of the actuator 33, the second bending unit 17 is released from its corresponding storage base 31 and arranged to be picked up from the magazine 16.

[0077] Indeed, as shown in FIG. 10, the moving carriage 26 is moved in the direction of the bending zone BZ, so that the bending unit 17 is completely withdrawn from the storage structure 29 through the opening 32 .

[0078] At this point, for the bending unit 17, in the reverse procedure to that shown in Figure 3, the actuator 33 lowers the contrast pin 21 and the bending pin 23 in cooperation with the support surface 12, while the mandrel 25 simultaneously performs a rotation of the bending pin 23, in this case a rotation of 180 degrees.

[0079] Finally, in a sixth sub-step, as shown in FIG. 11, the bending unit 17 is positioned in the bending zone BZ by the carriage 26 and starts bending the bar 100 based on the characteristics of the bar 100 and the desired bending characteristics or sequence.

[0080] It will be apparent that certain modifications and / or additions can be made to the apparatus 10 and method hereinbefore described without departing from the field and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0081] For example, according to a variant in which one or more other bending units are provided, the rotation of the storage base in the storage structure 29 by the moving means 35 always serves for the positioning of the selected bending unit in correspondence with the opening 32 .

[0082] According to another variant, the storage pedestals 30, 31 are arranged in line with one another and the movement mechanism 35 is shaped to provide selective linear movement.

[0083] It is also clear that although the invention has been described with reference to some particular examples, a person skilled in the art can certainly realise many other equivalent forms of devices and methods for bending elongated metal products having the characteristics set out in the claims, all of which therefore fall within the field of protection defined by the claims.

[0084] In the following claims, references in parentheses have the sole purpose of improving readability and shall not be considered as limiting elements with regard to the field of protection defined by the same claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for bending a long metal product (100), comprising: a feed device (13) configured to move the product (100) along a feed axis (X); a first bending unit (15) configured to perform one or more bends on one or more of said metal products (100) at a time when they correspond to the determined bending zones (BZ); a storage area (16) arranged away from the bending zone (BZ) and configured to store at least one different second bending unit (17) in an inactive state in place of the first bending unit (15); Equipped with Each of the bending units (15, 17) has its own central contrast pin (20, 21) and a bending pin (22, 23) that is arranged radially spaced from the corresponding contrast pin (20, 21) and rotates relative to the corresponding contrast pin (20, 21); The device (10) further comprises an exchange device (19) including at least one rotatable mandrel (25) which, in a predetermined state, alternately supports the first bending unit (15) and the at least one second bending unit (17), The device (10) is characterized in that the exchange device (19) is configured to move the first bending unit (15) or the second bending unit (17) horizontally along an exchange direction (T) between the bending zone (BZ) and the storage area (16) arranged in a fixed position laterally of the bending zone (BZ).

2. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage area (16) comprises at least one storage base (30, 31) capable of storing the second bending unit (17) or the first bending unit (15) alternately therein.

3. Instead of both the first bending unit (15) and the second bending unit (17), at least one other bending unit is provided; 3. The device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the storage area (16) comprises at least one other storage base in which the first bending unit (15), the second bending unit (17) and the at least one other bending unit can be alternately stored.

4. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the exchange device (19) comprises a lifting actuator (33) associated with the support surface (12) and arranged in cooperation with the mandrel (25) to determine selective movement of the contrast pins (20, 21) and the curved pins (22, 23) substantially perpendicular to the support surface (12).

5. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the exchanging device (19) comprises at least one moving member (26) operatively connected to the mandrel (25) and capable of being moved in the exchanging direction (T) to position the mandrel (25) between the bending zone (BZ) and the storage area (16).

6. the storage area (16) comprises a transport means (35) connected to or including the at least one storage base (30, 31); The moving means (35) moves the at least one storage base (30, 31) to the man 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured to be selectively moved between a first cooperating position arranged corresponding to a mandrel (25) and aligned with the exchange direction (T) and a second storage position arranged away from the mandrel (25).

7. 7. Device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that said moving means (35) are of the rotary type.

8. 7. Device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that said moving means (35) are of the linear type.

9. A method for bending an elongated metal product (100), comprising: a feeding step in which a feeder (13) moves one or more of said products (100) forward or backward at a time along a feed axis (X); a bending step in which a first bending unit (15) performs one or more bends on one or more of the metal products (100) corresponding to predetermined bending zones (BZ); at least one replacement step, in which at least one different second bending unit (17), stored in an inactive state in a storage area (16) located away from the bending zones (BZ), replaces the at least one first bending unit (15) to perform one or more further bends on the one or more metal products (100) corresponding to the bending zones (BZ); Equipped with a changing device (19) including at least one rotatable mandrel (25) alternately supporting the first bending unit (15) and the at least one second bending unit (17) in a predetermined state in the exchanging step, wherein the first bending unit (15) or the second bending unit (17) is alternately cooperated with the bending zone (BZ) and the storage area (16) arranged at a fixed position laterally of the bending zone (BZ) by moving the first bending unit (15) or the second bending unit (17) along an exchanging direction (T).

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