Pipe flange forming machine
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CK METALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-30
Smart Images
Figure 2026123389000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a processing machine for forming a flange portion by bending the end portion of a pipe material outward.
Background Art
[0002] When connecting pipes using steel pipes, SUS pipes, etc., the end portions of these pipe materials are bent outward to form flange portions, and the flange portions are used to connect the pipe materials together. In recent years, the pipe materials used for piping have a wall thickness of 5 mm or more, and some even exceed 10 mm. In addition, there are those with an outer diameter exceeding 300 mm or exceeding 500 mm. They are becoming larger in size and the types are also increasing. Thus, when the wall thickness of the pipe material increases or the diameter becomes larger, the processing machine for forming the flange portion at the end of the pipe material has to be made larger.
[0003] The applicant has previously proposed a processing machine excellent in the bending workability of the flange portion (Patent Document 1). In this technology, while pressing the side surface of the roller against the end portion of the pipe material, by bending it outward from 0 to 90°, it is excellent in suppressing the occurrence of buckling deformation in the flange portion. However, since the rotating bracket that revolves and supports the roller is located on the outer peripheral side of the pipe material, when the pipe diameter becomes larger, the molding machine becomes larger accordingly, and further compactification is required.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] The present invention aims to provide a processing machine that can suppress the molding pressure during the molding of the flange portion, and has a compact structure while offering excellent flange formability. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The pipe flange forming machine according to the present invention is a processing machine that forms a flange by bending the end of a pipe outward, and comprises a substantially conical roller that slides against the end of the pipe while pressing and rotates and revolves, a roller support part that supports the roller so as to be able to rotate, means for controlling the inclination angle of the roller via the roller support part, and a rotating bracket that revolves the roller via the roller support part, wherein the circumscribed circle diameter of the rotating bracket is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe. Here, the circumscribed diameter of the rotating bracket refers to the diameter of rotation in the direction of rotation of the rotating bracket. In this case, the flange portion of the pipe is bent outward, so the orbital diameter of the roller is larger than the diameter of the pipe. However, a key feature is that the means for controlling the inclination angle of the roller via the roller support portion that supports the roller's orbit is located inside or in front of the pipe.
[0007] Here, an example of a means for controlling the inclination angle of the roller is an example in which a rotating support member rotates and supports the roller support in the front-rear direction, and an arm rotates the roller support around the rotation axis of the rotating support member, and the arm is controlled to move forward and backward by an arm control shaft. Furthermore, it is preferable that the rotating bracket is controlled to rotate and move forward and backward by a rotating bracket control shaft, the rotating bracket has a guide hole, and a slide pin provided on the rear end side of the arm slides in the front-rear direction along the guide hole, and the slide pin is connected to and supported by the arm control shaft and controlled to move forward and backward. To further compact the bending mechanism of the flange, it is preferable that the pivot axis of the pivot support member be located inside the bending starting point of the flange, and that the arm be approximately L-shaped. [Effects of the Invention]
[0008] In this invention, the roller tilt control mechanism is made more compact, and the circumscribed circle of the rotating bracket is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe, resulting in a more compact overall processing machine. Furthermore, even when the pipe material has a thick wall, the processing load during bending can be reduced, preventing buckling of the flange. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] The roller support mechanism is shown. (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view. [Figure 2] A partial cross-sectional view of the roller support mechanism is shown. [Figure 3] The diagram shows the support structure of the roller, with (a) showing the initial state of the roller and (b) showing the state where the roller is tilted at approximately 90°. [Figure 4] This shows the initial stage of bending the brim. (a) shows the beginning of bending, and (b) shows the state after bending to approximately 30°. [Figure 5] (a) to (c) show the procedure for bending the brim to approximately 30 to 90 degrees. [Figure 6] Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show enlarged views of the roller section. [Figure 7] Figures 5(a), (b), and (c) show enlarged views of the roller section corresponding to these figures. [Figure 8] An example of a burner used to heat the end of a pipe is shown. [Figure 9] (a) shows a perspective view of the burner, and (b) and (c) show cross-sectional views. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the positional relationship between the pivot axis of the rotating support member that rotates the roller and the bending point of the flange. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0010] The following describes an example of the structure of a pipe flange forming machine according to the present invention, based on the figures. The present invention is not limited thereto.
[0011] Fig. 1 shows the positional relationship between the end of the pipe member 1 and the rotary brackets 21 and 22 that support the rollers 11. Fig. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the inside of the rotary bracket, and Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the inside. Since the pipe member 1 forms a flange by bending the end portion, it is fixed to the holder 2 so as to protrude a predetermined length from the end face. The rotary brackets 21 and 22 each consisting of a pair of plate portions are connected to a rotary bracket control shaft 31 via a connecting portion 23 on the rear end side as shown in Fig. 2, and are controlled for forward and backward movement and rotation by the molding machine main body portion 30. The forward and backward mechanism and the rotation control mechanism are the same as those in Patent Document 1, and the description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, an adjuster 25 provided on the support plate 24 is connected to the rotary brackets 21 and 22, and the size of the revolution radius of the roller 11 can be adjusted by the combination of the guide holes 21a, 21b, 21c provided in the left and right rotary brackets and the guide pins 25a, 25b, 25c. A support and inclination mechanism for the roller 11 is provided between the left and right rotary brackets 21 and 22, and the outer diameter of the circumscribed circle around the center axis of the pipe member, which consists of the width W and height H dimensions of the rotary bracket, is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe member.
[0012] The support structure of the roller 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The roller 11 has a substantially conical shape with a reduced diameter toward the tip end side, and is rotatably attached to the roller support portion 12. The lower side of the roller support portion 12 is connected to a rotation support member 15, and is rotatable about a rotation axis 15a via support brackets 16 and 17 respectively fixedly connected to the left and right rotary brackets 21 and 22. The upper side of the roller support portion 12 is pivotally attached to upper end connection holes 13b and 14b provided at the upper end sides of a pair of left and right arms 13 and 14 having a substantially L-shaped (angle-shaped) side view by a support shaft 19. The lower end sides of the pair of left and right arms 13 and 14 having this substantially L-shaped are pivotally attached to a slide pin 18 via lower end connection holes 13a and 14a. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the slide pin 18 is slidable in the front-rear direction along guide holes 21a and 22a, which are elongated holes in the front-rear direction provided in the left and right rotating brackets 21 and 22, and as shown in Figure 2, its forward and backward movement is controlled by an arm control shaft 32 provided inside the rotating bracket control shaft 31. Furthermore, the rotating bracket control shaft 31 is rotatable via a lubrication section 31a, which connects it to the arm control shaft 32 located inside the rotating bracket control shaft 31. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, when the arm control shaft 32 moves forward, the slide pin 18 moves forward along the left and right guide holes 21a and 22a. Since the support shaft 19 at the upper end of the arm is connected to the upper side of the roller support section 12, when the pair of arms 13 and 14 move forward, this support section 12 rotates forward with the pivot axis 15a of the rotation support section 15 as the pivot point. This increases the inclination angle of the roller 11. Therefore, the tilt angle of the rotating and revolving roller 11 can be controlled by controlling the forward and backward movement of the arm control shaft 32.
[0013] The features of the roller 11 support mechanism in the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 shows a roller support section 12 that supports the roller 11 shown in Figure 3 so that it can rotate freely. This shows the positional relationship between the pivot axis 15a, which is the pivot center of the pivot support member 15 that pivotally supports the roller support portion 12 in the front-rear direction, and the bending starting point R indicated by the flange portion 1c. When arms 13 and 14 are moved forward or backward toward the flange, the center point T0 of the support shaft 19, which is pivotally attached to the upper side of arms 13 and 14, will trace a circular orbit with a rotation radius R0, indicated by the dotted line, relative to the rotation center O0. In this invention, the load applied to the support portion of the roller 11, which is supported by the roller support portion 12, is reduced. As a means to achieve this, the bending starting point R of the flange portion 1c is formed in a circular shape along the inner circumferential surface of the pipe material, but the position of the pivot axis 15a of the pivot support member 15 is preferably inside the bending starting point R, and as explained in Figure 10(a), it is preferably located near directly below the bending starting point R. In Figure 10(a), the distance dimension d between the cross-sectional circle of the bending starting point R formed on the inner surface of the pipe material and the pivot axis 15a is smaller than the flange length of the flange portion 1c. In other words, the pivot center O0 of the pivot axis 15a is located between the cross-sectional circle of the bending initiation point R and the tip of the flange portion 1b at the initial bending angle θ1.
[0014] In contrast, as shown in Figure 10(b), if the pivot axis 15a is positioned further back in the pipe than the cross-sectional circle of the bending starting point R, at a position of dimension d1, the pivot radius R1 of the support axis center T1, which serves as the pivot center O1, becomes larger than the R0 mentioned above. Although the load required for bending is reduced, the structure for pivoting the arm becomes larger. Furthermore, during the bending process of the flange, the conical side of the roller 11 rotates in a way that presses the flange toward the base, which can lead to buckling in the bent portion. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10(c), when the position of the pivot axis 15a is located outside the flange of the pipe material beyond the cross-sectional circle of the bending starting point R, and the dimension d2 is greater than the length of the flange portion 1c, the rotation radius R2 of the support axis center T2 from the pivot center O2 becomes smaller than R0. This makes the swivel structure of arms 13 and 14 more compact, but the processing load during flange forming becomes too large, raising concerns about the durability of the support part of roller 11. In addition, the conical side surface of roller 11 presses the flange inward during rotation, which also makes the bent part prone to buckling. For these reasons, the present invention aims to reduce the processing load on the roller support structure, make it more compact, ensure durability, and prevent buckling at the bent portion by positioning the pivot axis 15a with respect to the bending initiation point R shown in Figure 10(a) near the inside of the cross-sectional circle of the bending initiation point R.
[0015] Next, we will explain the process of bending and shaping the flange portion of the pipe. Figure 4 shows the initial bending stage, and a magnified view is shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 4, for example, the inclination angle of the side of the roller 11 is set to approximately 30° for bending angles of the flange portion 1a from 0° to about 30°, and the rotating brackets 21 and 22 are rotated, causing the roller 11 to advance while sliding toward the end portion 1a of the pipe material due to revolution and rotation. As a result, the flange portion 1b is formed to follow the side of the roller 11 and have an initial bending angle θ1, as shown in Figures 4b and 6b. Next, as shown in Figure 7(a), the roller 11 is moved back slightly, then the arm control shaft 32 is moved forward, the slide pin 18 is slid forward, and the inclination angle of the roller 11 is slightly increased via the roller support portion 12. Then, as shown in Figure 7(b), the side of the roller 11 comes into contact with the tip E of the flange 1b. Subsequently, as the roller 11 is advanced while rotating and revolving, as shown in Figure 7(c), a flange portion 1c with a bending angle θ2 is formed along the side surface of the roller 11. In this way, by repeating the steps in Figure 7(a) to (c), it is possible to form the flange portion so that it is raised outwards with a small pressing force. Figure 5(b) shows the state when bent to 1d=45° and 1e=90°. In this invention, the reason for making the shape of arms 13 and 14 L-shaped when viewed from the side is as follows. As shown in Figure 5(a), when the bending angle is gentle, such as at the flange portion 1c, the direction of pressure applied by the roller 11 to the flange portion 1c is outward and diagonally upward from the pipe material, so an arm shape like an I shape is also acceptable. However, as shown in Figures 5(b) and (c), when the bending angle increases, as in the flange portions 1d and 1e, the direction of pressure applied by the side of the roller 11 becomes horizontal, as indicated by arrow f in Figure 5(c). Therefore, by making the arm shape roughly L-shaped, with the lower end of the arm pivotally attached to the slide pin 18 extending upward (outward), and the upper end of the arm folding back toward the flange, the pressing force applied to the inner surface of the flange can be reduced. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(a), in this embodiment, the rotational diameter of the rotating brackets 21 and 22 can be adjusted by connecting the arm control shaft 32 and the slide pin 18 with a connecting member 33 having an elongated hole 33a in the vertical direction. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5(b) and (c), the stroke of the arm control shaft 32 can also be adjusted using the sub-connecting member 34.
[0016] For example, if the pipe material is galvanized steel pipe, there is a risk that the plating layer may peel off during bending of the flange. In that case, as shown in Figure 8, it is advisable to preheat the flange portion with a heating burner 40 before bending. The heating burner 40 is ring-shaped and has a flame nozzle 41a on the inside of the front surface 41 and flame nozzles 42a and 42b on the side surface 42. In this case, measures are taken to ensure that the flame from the heating burner 40 hits the flange uniformly, such as directing the upper flame nozzle 42a of the burner 40 forward and slightly downward the lower flame nozzle 42b. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0017] 1 Tube material 2 holders 11 Rollers 12 Roller support section 13 Arms 14 Arms 15. Rotating support member 16 Support brackets 17 Support bracket 18 slide pins 19 Support shaft 21 Rotating Bracket 22 Rotating Bracket 22a Guide hole 31 Rotating bracket control shaft 32 Arm control shaft
Claims
1. A processing machine that bends the end of a pipe outwards to form a flange, A roughly conical roller that presses against the end of a pipe while sliding against it, and rotates and revolves around it, A roller support section that supports the aforementioned roller so as to be able to rotate, Means for controlling the tilt angle of the roller via the roller support portion, It has a rotating bracket that causes the roller to revolve via the roller support portion, A pipe flange forming machine characterized in that the circumscribed circle diameter of the rotating bracket is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe.
2. The means for controlling the inclination angle of the roller includes a rotating support member that rotates and supports the roller support in the front-rear direction, The roller support portion has an arm that rotates around the pivot axis of the rotation support member, The pipe flange forming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the arm is controlled to move forward and backward by an arm control shaft.
3. The rotating bracket is controlled to rotate and move forward and backward by a rotating bracket control shaft, the rotating bracket has a guide hole, and a slide pin provided on the rear end side of the arm slides along the guide hole in the front-rear direction. The pipe flange forming machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the slide pin is connected to and supported by the arm control shaft and is controlled to move forward and backward.
4. The pipe flange forming machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the pivot axis of the pivot support member is located inside the bending starting point of the flange.
5. The flange forming machine for pipe materials according to claim 2, characterized in that the arm is substantially L-shaped.