Front support device and workpiece bending method

Abstract

To provide a front support device by which an operation of changing the direction of a workpiece relative to a bending processing machine and performing the bending by an operator alone.SOLUTION: A front support device (200) includes: a table body including a combination of a rotatable table (231) with a workpiece support surface (231a) and a support table (211) rotatably supporting the rotatable table (231) around an axial line (CL1); and a raising / lowering unit (2B) that raises / lowers the table body. The front support device is disposed in front of a bending processing machine (100). The raising / lowering unit (2B) raises / lowers the table body between a first height position (P1) at which a height position of the workpiece support surface (231a) is equal to a height of an upper-end position of a die (103) attached to an upper part of a lower table (109) of the bending processing machine (100) and a second height position (P2) between the first heigh position (P1) and a height of a lower-end position of a punch (101) mounted on a lower part of an upper table (111) of the bending processing machine (100).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a front support device used in bending a workpiece and a method of bending a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A front support device is known that has a support table for supporting a workpiece, is disposed in front of a bending machine, and assists an operator in bending a workpiece. As such a front support device, Patent Document 1 describes a front table device that is disposed in front of a lower frame of a bending machine and supports a plate-shaped workpiece to assist an operator in bending work. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-072735 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The front table device described in Patent Document 1 requires an operator to lift the workpiece and change its orientation when changing the bending position of the plate-shaped workpiece, which places a heavy burden on the operator in terms of physical strength and man-hours, and requires multiple people to perform the work for workpieces with a relatively large mass.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable for the front support device to further reduce the burden on the worker when handling the workpiece during bending. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] 1) A front support device according to one aspect of the present invention has a work support surface for supporting a plate-shaped work. and rectangular when viewed from above.a table body including a set of a rotary table and a support table that supports the rotary table so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically; and a lifting unit that raises and lowers the table body, and is provided in front of a bending machine that is also provided with a lower table and a die attached to an upper part of the lower table, an upper table disposed above the lower table and a punch attached to a lower part of the upper table, a control unit, and a butting device that is raised and lowered between a butting position and a retracted position below the butting position under the control of the control unit and is disposed behind the die. the lifting unit is controlled by the control unit to lift and lower the table body between a first height position where the height position of the work support surface is the same as the height of an upper end position of the die of the bending machine, and a second height position where the height position is between the first height position and the lower end position of the punch of the bending machine, the first height position being a height position where the work placed on the work support surface can be abutted against the abutting device located at the abutting position, and the second height position being a height position where the work placed on the work support surface can be abutted against the abutting device located at the abutting position, even when the rotary table is rotated with the work placed on the work support surface, The rotary table protrudes rearward beyond the front-rear positions of the die and the punch. This is a height position that does not interfere with the abutment device in the retracted position.

[0007] 2) A method of bending a workpiece according to one aspect of the present invention is a method of bending a workpiece using a bending machine and a front support device that supports a plate-shaped workpiece, the method including: the bending machine including a lower table and a die attached to an upper portion of the lower table; an upper table disposed above the lower table and a punch attached to a lower portion of the upper table; and a butting device disposed behind the die so as to be able to rise and fall between an butting position and a retracted position below the butting position; the bending machine moves the upper table and the lower table relatively close to each other to bend the workpiece that has been butted against the butting device that has been inserted between the die and the punch and raised to the butting position; and the front support device is configured to be a bending machine having a work support surface that supports the workpiece. and rectangular when viewed from above.A table body including a set of a rotary table and a support table that supports the rotary table so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically, and an elevator that raises and lowers the table body are disposed in front of the bending machine, and when bending the workpiece with the bending machine, the table body is set to a first height at which the height position of the workpiece support surface coincides with the height position of the upper end of the die, and the next bending is performed by changing the orientation of the workpiece. 180° When changing the height, the butting device is lowered to a retracted position, and the table body is set to a second height where the height position of the work support surface is higher than the upper end of the die and lower than the lower end of the punch, and then the rotary table is so as to protrude rearward beyond the front-rear direction positions of the die and the punch This is a method of changing the orientation of the work supported by the rotary table by rotating it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the front support device and the workpiece bending method of one aspect of the present invention, the burden on the worker when handling the workpiece is further reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a partial side view showing a support device 200 according to an embodiment and a bending machine 100 to which the support device 200 is attached. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial front view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view showing the support table 211 provided in the support device 200. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a bending system ST including the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100 in a first state. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial side view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100 in a second state. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a partial side view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100 in a third state. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial side view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100 in a fourth state. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a partial side view showing a state in which the rotary table 231 of the support device 200 has been rotated by 90 degrees from the fourth state. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a flow chart showing the first stage of a bending method M1, which is an example of a method for bending a workpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a flow diagram showing the latter stage of the bending method M1. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a support device 200A which is a first modification of the support device 200. As shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a side view showing a support device 200B which is a second modification of the support device 200. As shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 to 4, a support device 200, which is an example of a front support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, will be described. FIG. 1 is a partial side view showing a support device 200 according to this embodiment and a bending machine 100 to which the support device 200 is attached. FIG. 2 is a partial front view showing the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the support table 211 provided in the support device 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a bending system ST including the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. As shown in FIG. In the following description, the up, down, left, right, front, and back directions are defined as the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 1. In Figure 1, the left direction is the direction into the page, and the right direction is the direction towards you. Unless otherwise specified, the up and down directions coincide with the vertical direction.

[0011] First, the bending machine 100 will be described with reference mainly to FIGS. The bending machine 100 has a lower table 109, an upper table 111 arranged above the lower table 109, a pair of left and right side plates 107, and a control unit CT. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the control unit CT has a central processing unit (CPU) CTa and a memory unit CTb, and an input unit CN and an output unit CD are connected to the control unit CT. Operation instructions and machining data are input to the input unit CN. The central processing unit CTa outputs output information from the output unit CD as images or sounds. The memory unit CTb stores machining information such as machining programs and mold information.

[0012] The lower table 109 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped table with its longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and is placed on, for example, the floor FL as an installation surface. The pair of side plates 107 extend in the vertical and front-rear directions, and are connected to the left and right ends of the lower table 109 in parallel and opposed relation to each other. The upper table 111 is supported by a beam (not shown) that connects the pair of side plates 107 at the top. One of the upper table 111 and the lower table 109 is raised and lowered by a lifting / lowering drive unit K1 (see FIG. 1) supported by the beam so as to move away from or approach the other in the vertical direction (see arrow DR1 in FIG. 1). The operation of the lifting / lowering drive unit K1 is controlled by a control unit CT.

[0013] A die holder 115 is attached to the upper end of the lower table 109. A die 103, which is a lower bending die, is detachably attached to the die holder 115. A punch holder 113 is attached to the lower end of the upper table 111. A punch 101, which is an upper bending tool that is paired with a die 103, is detachably attached to the punch holder 113. As a result, the bending machine 100 bends a sheet metal workpiece W inserted between the die 103 and punch 101 by manual operation by an operator or the like, by bringing the upper table 111 and the lower table 109 closer together relative to one another to produce a bending shape that corresponds to the combination of the die 103 and punch 101.

[0014] 1 and 2, a support portion 109a is attached to a front surface 109f of the lower table 109. The support portion 109a is a rail-shaped member extending in the left-right direction. The support portion 109a supports the support device 200 and guides the movement of the support device 200 in the left-right direction.

[0015] 1, a backgauge device 117 having an abutment portion 117a is disposed behind the die 103. The backgauge device 117 moves the abutment portion 117a in the front-rear direction (see arrow DR2 in FIG. 1) by the operation of an abutment drive portion 117b, and locks it at any position. In addition, the backgauge device 117 itself is moved up and down by a gauge lifting section 117c (see Figure 4, not shown in Figure 1) between the abutment position shown in Figure 1 and a retracted position below the abutment position (see arrow DR3).

[0016] The workpiece W inserted between the die 103 and the punch 101 abuts against the front end surface of the abutting portion 117a, and bending is performed in this abutted state. This defines the front and rear positions corresponding to the bending position, and the bending position can be determined with high precision. The forward and backward movement of the abutting portion 117a and the vertical movement of the backgauge device 117 are controlled by the control portion CT.

[0017] Next, a description will be given of the support device 200, which is a front support device. The support device 200 and the bending machine 100 constitute a bending system ST. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support device 200 has, from the bottom up, an attachment section 2A, a lifting section 2B, and a rotating section 2C.

[0018] (Mounting part 2A) The mounting portion 2A includes a support base 250, a slider 251, and a support column 253. The support base 250 is a rectangular parallelepiped member that is long in the left-right direction, and sliders 251 that protrude rearward are attached to positions near the left and right ends of the support base 250. The slider 251 is engaged and supported by a support part 109a attached to a front surface 109f of the lower table 109 of the bending machine 100 so as to be movable left and right (see arrow DR4 in FIG. 2) and lockable at any position. The pair of support columns 253 are inserted and engaged and supported at positions near the left and right ends of the support base 250 so as to be movable up and down (see arrow DR5 in FIG. 2) and lockable at any position.

[0019] The left-right position adjustment of the support base 250 relative to the lower table 109 and the up-down position adjustment of the pair of support columns 253 relative to the support base 250 are performed manually by an operator depending on the type of bending process. In this way, the entire support device 200 can move left and right and can be maintained at any position in front of the bending machine 100. Furthermore, the lifting unit 2B and the rotating unit 2C are supported by a pair of support columns 253 as described below, and therefore can move up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the support columns 253 and can be maintained at any position.

[0020] (Lifting section 2B) The lifting unit 2B includes a base plate 255, an air cylinder 257, and a support table 211. The base plate 255 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The base plate 255 is fixed to the upper part of a pair of support columns 253 of the attachment portion 2A, and moves up and down in a horizontal position as the pair of support columns 253 move up and down. 2, a ring-shaped guide ring 259 is attached to the center of the base plate 255. A through-hole 259a is formed in the guide ring 259 and the base plate 255, penetrating both members and centered on an axis line CL1 that extends in the vertical direction.

[0021] The air cylinder 257 is disposed on one of the pair of support columns 253. Specifically, the air cylinder 257 is disposed so that a portion of the air cylinder 257 enters the interior of one of the support columns 253 and is driven in the vertical direction. That is, the rod 257a of the air cylinder 257 enters and exits from the top thereof, and moves up and down between a lowest position (see FIG. 1) where the amount of protrusion is smallest, and a protruding position (see FIG. 8) where the amount of protrusion is upward. The operation of the air cylinder 257 is controlled by the control unit CT. A driven rod 257 b is installed on the other support 253 so as to be able to move up and down freely, and moves up and down smoothly following the expansion and contraction movement of the rod 257 a of the air cylinder 257 .

[0022] The support table 211 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The support table 211 is fixed to the ends of a rod 257a and a driven rod 257b of an air cylinder 257 so as to be in a horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 2, the support table 211 has a downwardly protruding shaft portion 221 at the center position of the lower surface 211b thereof, the downwardly protruding shaft portion 221 having an axis line CL1 as its central axis. The downward-protruding shaft portion 221 is inserted with almost no play into a through-hole 259a that penetrates the base plate 255 and the guide ring 259. This allows smooth guide of the vertical movement of the support table 211 relative to the base plate 255 in response to the operation of the air cylinder 257.

[0023] A total of eight ball transfers 217 are arranged in two rows front to back and four rows left to right on the upper surface 211a of the support table 211. Hereinafter, the eight ball transfers 217 will be collectively referred to as a ball transfer group 217G (see FIG. 3). The upper ends of all the ball transfers 217 are located on the same horizontal plane SF2.

[0024] A cylindrical upwardly protruding shaft portion 213 that protrudes upward about an axis line CL1 is provided at the center position of an upper surface 211a of the support table 211. The upper surface position of the upwardly protruding shaft portion 213 is above the horizontal plane SF2. 2, four first magnets 219 are attached to both longitudinal edge portions of the support table 211, spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. Of the four first magnets 219, the two on the outside are first outer magnets 219a and the two on the inside are first inner magnets 219b. The magnets 219b are positioned equidistantly on the left and right sides of the axis CL1 in FIG. 2.

[0025] (Rotating part 2C) The rotating section 2C has a rotating table 231 and a bearing section 237. The rotating section 2C may also have a ball transfer unit 233. Here, an example in which the rotating section 2C has a ball transfer unit 233 will be described. The rotating table 231 is a plate-like member that is horizontally positioned and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The bearing portion 237 is disposed at the center of the rotating table 231, with the axis line CL1 as its central axis. The bearing portion 237 has an angular bearing, with its outer ring fixed to the rotating table 231 side and the upward-protruding shaft portion 213 of the support table 211 fixed to its inner ring. Furthermore, the ball transfer group 217G of the support table 211 is in contact with the lower surface 231b of the rotary table 231. As a result, the rotating table 231 is supported by the support table 211 via the bearing portion 237 and the ball transfer group 217G relative to the upward protruding shaft portion 213, and can be rotated around the axis CL1 with a slight manual force (see arrow DR6 in Figure 3).

[0026] Second magnets 239 are fixedly installed on both edges of the rotating table 231 along the longitudinal direction. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second magnet 239 is installed at a position where it contacts or is close to the first outer magnet 219a of the support table 211 and is attracted and fixed to each other. When the rotary table 231 is rotated 180° around the axis line CL1 relative to the support table 211, the second magnet 239 again comes into contact with or comes close to the first outer magnet 219a, and they are attracted and fixed to each other.

[0027] 1 and 2, where the rotating table 231 is aligned in the longitudinal direction with respect to the support table 211, and a second rotating position where the rotating table 231 is rotated 180° about the axis CL1. The magnitude of these magnetic attractive forces is set to a degree that allows the rotating table 231 to be rotated out of position by the force of an operator's hand.

[0028] As a result, the rotating table 231 is maintained in a good position at the first and second rotation positions relative to the support table 211, and can be easily rotated by at least 180° between the first and second rotation positions by an operator to change its orientation. To further facilitate the manual rotation of the rotating table 231, handles 235a to 235d are attached to the four edges of the rotating table 231, respectively, so as to protrude outward and be able to be gripped by an operator. Hereinafter, the support table 211 and the rotary table 231 rotatably supported by the support table 211 will be collectively referred to as a table body T.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of ball transfer units 233 are provided at a distance from each other so as to face each other in parallel in the front-rear direction across the axis CL1. Each ball transfer unit 233 has a long, thin, plate-shaped base 233b and a plurality of (six in this example) ball transfers 233a arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction on the base 233b. Hereinafter, the plurality of (two rows of six in this example, a total of 12) ball transfers 233a will be collectively referred to as a ball transfer group 233G.

[0030] The pair of ball transfer units 233 are raised and lowered in synchronization by a levitation drive unit K231 provided on the rotating table 231. Specifically, the pair of ball transfer units 233 are raised and lowered so as to appear and disappear in synchronization with respect to the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231. More specifically, the ball transfer unit 233 rises and lowers between a recessed position where the upper end position of each ball transfer 233a of the ball transfer group 233G is recessed from the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231, and a raised position where the upper end position protrudes above the upper surface 231a. The operation of the levitation drive unit K231 is controlled by the control unit CT. The upper surface 231a is a workpiece supporting surface that supports the workpiece W when the ball transfer unit 233 is lowered. The upper ends of all the ball transfer units 233a are located on the same horizontal plane SF1. Figure 1 shows the ball transfer units 233 in the raised position, and Figure 2 shows them in the retracted position.

[0031] 1, the vertical distance between position P1, which is the height position of the horizontal plane SF1 when the ball transfer unit 233 is in the levitated position, and position P4 (see also FIG. 5), which is the height position of the lower end of the second magnet 239 of the support table 211, is defined as distance H1. Distance H1 is formed to be sufficiently smaller (thinner) than the vertical distance H2 between the lower end position of the punch 101 and the upper end position of the die 103 when the upper table 111 is in the highest position.

[0032] When the ball transfer unit 233 is in the floating position, the workpiece W is supported by the ball transfer group 233G so as to be freely movable horizontally. This state is called a first supporting state. When the ball transfer unit 233 is in the retracted position, the workpiece W is supported on the workpiece support surface 231a, which is the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231, with its horizontal movement restricted. This state is called the second support state. The ball transfer unit 233 transitions between the first support state and the second support state by raising and lowering the ball transfer unit 233.

[0033] 1, the lifting and lowering operation of the table body T by the lifting unit 2B is performed so that the horizontal plane SF1 when the ball transfer unit 233 is in the floating position rises and falls between a height position P1 where the horizontal plane SF1 coincides with the position of the upper end of the die 103, and a second height position P2 where the horizontal plane SF1 is above the height position P1 but below the lower end of the punch 101. Position P1 is the first height position and is referred to as the lowered position, and position P2 is the second height position and is referred to as the raised position. More specifically, at the raised position, both the horizontal plane SF1 and the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231 are positioned above the height position P1 and below the lower end of the punch 101. The vertical distance H3 between the height position P1 and the height position P2 is set to be greater than the distance H1 plus the maximum thickness of the workpiece W to be bent. As a result, when the rotating table 231 is rotated from the first rotation position to a position rotated 180° around the axis CL1, which is the second rotation position, the workpiece W and the rotating table 231 supporting the workpiece W do not interfere with the punch 101 and the die 103. If the workpiece W interferes with the side plate 107 when the rotary table 231 is rotated 180°, the support device 200 can be easily moved left and right in front of the bending machine 100 to adjust its position so that no interference occurs. Therefore, the task of turning the workpiece W 180° around the axis CL1 can be performed manually by a single worker, and the task is extremely easy. As a result, the support device 200 and the bending system ST reduce the burden on the worker when handling the workpiece W.

[0034] The support device 200 and the bending system ST of the embodiment are not limited to the above-described configurations, and may be modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0035] (Variation 1) FIG. 11 is a side view showing a support device 200A which is a first modification of the support device 200. As shown in FIG. The support device 200A has a support base 250A instead of the support base 250 of the support device 200. The support base 250A has a guide rail portion 252A and a slider 251A. The guide rail portion 252A is a guide rail extending in the front-rear direction, and the slider 251A corresponds to the slider 251 in the support device 200, and is guided and engaged with the support portion 109a of the lower table 109 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

[0036] A support column slider 254A that engages with the guide rail portion 252A and slides in the front-to-rear direction as indicated by arrow DR14 is provided at the lower end of the support column 253. The support column slider 254A can be positioned and locked at a desired position on the guide rail portion 252A by a locking structure (not shown). With this structure, the support device 200A is capable of moving the table body T in front of the bending machine 100 not only in the left-right direction but also in the front-rear direction. This increases the degree of freedom of the support device 200A in selecting a portion to support the workpiece W depending on the size and shape of the workpiece W, making it easier to handle the workpiece W and further reducing the burden on the worker.

[0037] The support device 200A is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the bending machine 100, and is therefore capable of positioning and holding the rotary table 231 even at a position where it has been rotated 90 degrees around the axis CL1. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, four third magnets 240 are fixedly installed in the longitudinal center of the rotating table 231, spaced apart in the longitudinal and width directions to form two pairs. As shown in Figure 9, the third magnet 240 is installed in a position where it contacts or is close to the first inner magnet 219b and is attracted and fixed to each other when the rotating table 231 is rotated 90° around the axis CL1 relative to the support table 211.

[0038] The magnetic attractive force between the second magnet 239 and the first outer magnet 219a, and the magnetic attractive force between the third magnet 240 and the first inner magnet 219b satisfactorily position and maintain the rotating table 231 relative to the support table 211 at a first rotation position shown in Figures 1 and 2 where the longitudinal direction is the same, a second rotation position rotated 180° about the axis CL1, and a third rotation position shown in Figure 9 where the longitudinal direction is perpendicular. The magnitude of these magnetic attractive forces is set to a degree that allows the rotating table 231 to be rotated out of position with the force of an operator's hand.

[0039] As a result, the rotating table 231 is maintained in a good position at the first rotation position, the second rotation position, and the third rotation position relative to the support table 211. Therefore, the rotating table 231 can be easily rotated 180° and 90° between the first rotation position and the second rotation position and the third rotation position by manual operation of an operator, thereby easily changing its orientation. Therefore, even in the first modification, the burden on the operator when handling the workpiece W is further reduced. To further facilitate the manual rotation of the rotating table 231, handles 235a to 235d are attached to the four edges of the rotating table 231, respectively, so as to protrude outward and be able to be gripped by an operator.

[0040] (Variation 2) FIG. 12 is a side view showing a support device 200B which is a second modification of the support device 200. As shown in FIG. The support device 200B is not supported by the bending machine 100, but is used as an independent device placed on the floor near the bending machine 100. Specifically, instead of the support base 250 in the support device 200, a support base 250B and a moving base 256B are provided. The movable base 256B has casters with a locking mechanism at the bottom, so that the support device 200B is movably installed on the floor FL and can be stopped and maintained at any position by operating the locking mechanism. As a result, the support device 200B can determine the position of the table body T at a desired position in the front-rear and left-right directions, and the longitudinal direction of the table body T can be determined freely without being limited to the left-right direction of the bending machine 100. Therefore, the support device 200B can be used to support and bend workpieces W of various sizes. As in variant 1, the support device 200B in variant 2 is also movable in the forward and backward directions relative to the bending machine 100, so that the rotating table 231 can be positioned and maintained at a third rotation position where it is rotated 90° around the axis CL1 from the first rotation position. The rotating table 231 has a third magnet 240 and has the same structure as in Modification 1, and the rotating table 231 satisfactorily positions and maintains a first rotation position, a second rotation position rotated 180° around the axis CL1, and a third rotation position shown in Fig. 9 where the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the first rotation position, relative to the support table 211. The magnitude of these magnetic attractive forces is set to an extent that the rotating table can be rotated out of position by the force of an operator's hand.

[0041] As a result, in variant example 2, the rotating table 231 is maintained in a good position relative to the support table 211 at the first rotating position, the second rotating position, and the third rotating position, and can be easily changed in orientation by manually rotating the table 231 by 180° and 90° between the first rotating position, the second rotating position, and the third rotating position, respectively, by an operator. Therefore, in the second modification, the burden on the worker in handling the workpiece W is further reduced.

[0042] Next, a bending method for a sheet metal workpiece W using a bending system ST including support devices 200, 200A, 200B and a bending machine 100 will be described using a bending method M1 of an embodiment. The description will be made mainly with reference to Figures 5 to 9 and Figures 10A and 10B. For convenience, Figures 5 to 9 show a support device 200 having an attachment portion 2A. FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing a first state of the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. FIG. 6 is a partial side view showing a second state of the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. FIG. 7 is a partial side view showing a third state of the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. FIG. 8 is a partial side view showing a fourth state of the support device 200 and the bending machine 100. FIG. 9 is a partial side view showing a state in which the support table 211 of the support device 200 has been rotated 90° from the fourth state. FIG. 10A is a flow chart showing the first stage of a bending method M1, which is an example of a method for bending a workpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10B is a flow chart showing the latter stage of the bending method M1.

[0043] The first state shown in Figure 5 is a state in which, in the support device 200, the worker places the rotating table 231 in the first rotation position where its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the support table 211, and the control unit CT places the ball transfer unit 233 in the floating position, the table body T in the lowered position, and the backgauge device 117 in the abutting position.

[0044] First, the worker places a flat workpiece W on the ball transfer unit 233 of the support device 200 in the first state and abuts the first side of the workpiece W against the backgauge device 117 (FIG. 10A: (Step S1)). Next, the worker issues a bending instruction to the control unit CT from the input unit CN, and the bending machine 100 performs an L-bend on the edge of the abutted first side (Step S2). FIG. 5 shows the state in which the workpiece W has been placed back on the ball transfer group 233G after the bending process has been performed in (Step S2). As shown by the arrow DR7 in FIG. 6, the worker moves the workpiece W to a position where the entire workpiece W is supported by the ball transfer group 233G.

[0045] The worker determines whether or not it is necessary to rotate the workpiece W for the next bending process (step S3). This determination is made by the worker based on the processing program, but the central processing unit CTa may also make the determination based on the processing program stored in the memory unit CTb. When the central processing unit CTa makes the determination, it outputs the determination result to the outside from the output unit CD as sound or image, and the worker understands the output.

[0046] If the worker determines in (Step S3) that there is no need to rotate the workpiece W (NO), the process proceeds to (Step S11) in FIG. 10B, and the next bending process is performed in (Step S11) to (Step S13). If the worker determines in step S3 that it is necessary to rotate the workpiece W (YES), he or she issues a "workpiece rotation ON" command to the control unit CT from the input unit CN (step S4).

[0047] When the control unit CT receives a command to "turn on workpiece" from the input unit CN, it executes the following operations a) to c) (step S5). The order in which the operations are executed is not limited. a) The gauge lifting section 117c is driven to lower the backgauge device 117 located at the abutment position to the retracted position (see arrow DR8 in FIG. 6). b) The levitation drive section K231 is driven to lower the ball transfer unit 233 from the levitated position to the retracted position (see arrow DR9 in FIG. 7). As a result, the workpiece W that was supported by the ball transfer group 233G is lowered and placed directly on the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231. The upper surface 231a is surface-treated so that a certain degree of friction occurs between the upper surface 231a and the placed workpiece W. Therefore, the workpiece W will not move on the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231 unless a large external force is applied. c) The air cylinder 257 is driven to raise the table body T, which includes the support table 211 in the lowered position and the rotating table 231 that is magnetically attracted to and integrated with the support table 211, to the raised position (see arrow DR10 in Figure 8).

[0048] After the operation (Step S5) is completed, the worker determines whether the workpiece W placed on the rotating table 231 will interfere with either of the pair of side plates 107 of the bending machine 100 when rotating the table body T by 90 degrees (Figure 10B: Step S6).

[0049] If the worker determines that there is interference (YES) in (Step S6), the worker moves the support device 200 on the support part 109a of the lower table 109 so as to move it away from the interfering side panel 107, adjusts and fixes it in a position where there is no interference (Step S7), and returns to (Step S6). If it is determined in step S6 that the operator will not interfere (NO), the table body T is rotated by 90 degrees to the second rotation position (step S8) (see arrow DR11 in FIG. 9).

[0050] When the rotation of the table body T in (step S8) is completed, the operator issues a command to the control unit CT to "turn off work rotation" from the input unit CN (step S9).

[0051] When the control unit CT receives an instruction to "turn off workpiece rotation" from the input unit CN, it executes the following operations d) to f) (step S10). The order in which the operations are executed is not limited. d) The gauge lifting unit 117c is driven to lift the backgauge device 117 from the retracted position to the abutment position (see dashed arrow DR12 in FIG. 6). b) The levitation drive unit K231 is driven to raise the ball transfer unit 233 from the retracted position to the levitated position (see dashed arrow DR13 in FIG. 7). As a result, the workpiece W, which was supported directly on the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231, is now supported by the ball transfer group 233G, and the worker can easily move the workpiece W horizontally by hand.

[0052] Once the control unit CT has executed (step S9), the worker can perform the next bending process on the workpiece W. That is, the worker instructs the control unit CT to execute the next bending process via the input unit CN. Upon receiving this instruction, the control unit CT moves the backgauge device 117 to a position corresponding to the next bending process (step S11). The worker abuts the second side of the workpiece W, which corresponds to the edge to be bent next, against the abutment portion 117a of the backgauge device 117 (step S12). Next, the worker issues a bending execution instruction to the control unit CT from the input unit CN, and the bending machine 100 performs an L-bend on the edge of the second side that has been butted (step S13).

[0053] According to the bending method M1 described above, the workpiece W is supported by the ball transfer group 233G of the rotating table 231 without rotating the rotating table 231. Therefore, the worker can easily move the workpiece W horizontally by hand. Furthermore, when the orientation of the workpiece W is changed within a horizontal plane to change the bending position of the workpiece W, the control unit CT controls the ball transfer group 233G to be immersed in the rotating table 231, and the workpiece W is supported on the upper surface 231a of the rotating table 231 so that it does not move easily due to friction. This allows the worker to manually rotate the rotating table 231 and the workpiece W placed on the rotating table 231 by a desired angle around the axis CL1. Furthermore, if the workpiece W interferes with the side plate 107 due to the rotation of the rotary table 231, the support device 200 can be easily moved left and right in front of the bending machine 100 to adjust its position so that no interference occurs. Therefore, the work of changing the orientation of the workpiece W can be done manually by a single worker, and the work is extremely easy.

[0054] In this way, the support devices 200, 200A, 200B further reduce the burden on the worker when handling the workpiece W during bending.

[0055] Furthermore, the rotating table 231 is positioned and held relative to the support table 211 by a positioning unit LK that uses magnetic attraction at a first rotating position, a second rotating position rotated 180° from the first rotating position, and a third rotating position rotated 90° from the first rotating position. Therefore, the operator can easily and accurately rotate the rotating table 231 by 180° and 90°. As a result, the support devices 200, 200A, 200B further reduce the burden on the worker when handling the workpiece W during bending.

[0056] As described above in detail, the bending system ST, which is configured to include the support devices 200, 200A, 200B and the bending machine 100, is configured such that the support devices 200, 200A, 200B are movable left and right in front of the bending machine 100 and can be locked at any position. Therefore, when the rotary table 231 supporting the workpiece W is rotated together with the workpiece W around the axis CL1 extending in the vertical direction, the workpiece W and the side plate 107 can be prevented from interfering with each other.

[0057] Furthermore, the support devices 200, 200A, and 200B each have a positioning unit LK that maintains the rotary table 231 at a predetermined rotary position relative to the support table 211. The rotating table 231 is maintained at a predetermined rotational position by selectively magnetically attracting the first magnet 219 attached to the support table 211 side and one of the second magnet 239 and third magnet attached to the rotating table 231 side at a predetermined rotational position of the rotating table 231 relative to the support table 211. That is, the positioning portion LK is configured to have at least one of a pair of the first magnet 219 and the second magnet 239 and a pair of the first magnet 219 and the third magnet 240. With such a simple configuration, the rotary table 231, which is supported by the support table 211 so as to be rotatable about the axis CL1, can be positioned and maintained in a desired orientation.

[0058] The support device 200 of the embodiment, the support devices 200A, 200B of the variants 1 and 2, the bending system ST, and the workpiece bending method M1 are not limited to the configurations and procedures described above, and may be modified in other ways as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0059] The above-described embodiment, modified example 1, and modified example 2 may be freely combined within the scope of possibility.

[0060] The ball transfer unit 233 may not necessarily be provided. Furthermore, the number of ball transfers 233a that the ball transfer unit 233 has is not limited. Furthermore, the positioning portion LK that determines the rotation position of the rotation table 231 has been described as having a structure in which the first magnet and either the second magnet 239 or the third magnet 240 are magnetically attracted to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. A solenoid or the like may be used to apply an electric current at the first rotation position and the second rotation position to cause electromagnetic attraction. When the rotating table 231 rotates relative to the support table 211, the number of rotation positions to be restricted in the circumferential direction is not limited to two or three, but may be four or more. In addition, the rotation angle between the two rotation positions is not limited to 180° or 90°, but can be set freely. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100 bending machine 101 Punch 103 Die 107 Side Panel 109 Lower Table 109a Support part 109f front 111 Upper table 113 Punch holder 115 Die holder 117 Backgauge device 117a Butt section 117b Butting drive unit 117c Gauge lifting section 2A mounting part 2B Lifting section 2C Rotating part 200, 200A, 200B Support Device (Front Support Device) 211 Support Table 211a Top side 211b Bottom side 213 Upper protruding shaft part 217 Ball Transfer 217G Ball transfer group 219 First Magnet 219a First outer magnet 219b First inner magnet 221 Lower protruding shaft part 231 Rotating table 231a Top side 231b Bottom side 233 Ball Transfer Unit 233a Ball Transfer 233b Base 233G Ball transfer group 235a~235d Handle 237 Bearing 239 Second Magnet 240 Third Magnet 250 Support base 251,251A slider 252A Guide rail part 253 Post 254A Support Slider 255 base plate 256B Mobile Base 257 Air Cylinder 257a Rod 257b Follower rod 259 Guide Ring 259a Through hole CD output section CL1 axis CN input section CT control unit CTa Central Processing Unit (CPU) CTb storage section FL floor H1,H2,H3 distance K1 lifting drive unit K231 Levitation Drive Unit LK positioning part M1 bending method P1,P4 position SF1,SF2 horizontal plane ST bending system T table body double work

Claims

1. a table body including a pair of a rotary table having a rectangular shape when viewed from above and having a work support surface for supporting a plate-shaped workpiece, and a support table for supporting the rotary table so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically; a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the table body; Equipped with a punch mounted on an upper table and an upper part of the lower table; an upper table disposed above the lower table and an upper part of the upper table; a control unit; and a butting device disposed behind the die and raised and lowered between a butting position and a retreat position below the butting position under the control of the control unit, the lifting unit is controlled by the control unit to lift and lower the table body between a first height position where the height position of the work support surface is the same as the height of an upper end position of the die of the bending machine, and a second height position where the height position is between the first height position and the lower end position of the punch of the bending machine, the first height position is a height position at which the workpiece placed on the workpiece support surface can be abutted against the abutting device located at the abutting position, The second height position is a height position of the front support device at which, even when the rotating table is rotated with the workpiece placed on the workpiece support surface, the rotating table protrudes rearward beyond the front-to-rear positions of the die and the punch without interfering with the impact device in the retracted position.

2. 2. The front support device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning portion for positioning the rotation of said rotary table relative to said support table at at least two rotation positions.

3. the positioning unit has a first magnet attached to the support table and a second magnet attached to the rotating table, 3. The front support device according to claim 2, wherein said positioning is performed by a magnetic attraction force between said first magnet and said second magnet.

4. 4. The front support device according to claim 1, further comprising a support base that supports the lifting section and is connected to a front surface of the bending machine so as to be movable along the front surface.

5. 5. The front support device according to claim 4, wherein the lifting section is supported so as to be movable in a direction away from and toward the front surface.

6. 4. The front support device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving base that supports the lifting section and is movable on an installation surface on which the bending machine is installed.

7. 7. A front support device according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the rotating table has a ball transfer group that protrudes from and retracts into the work support surface, and is capable of transitioning between a first support state in which the ball transfer group protrudes from the work support surface and supports the work with free horizontal movement, and a second support state in which the ball transfer group retracts from the work support surface and supports the work while restricting horizontal movement on the work support surface.

8. A workpiece bending method for bending a workpiece using a bending machine and a front support device that supports a plate-shaped workpiece, comprising: The bending machine is a lower table and a die attached to an upper portion of the lower table; an upper table arranged above the lower table and a punch attached to a lower portion of the upper table; and a butting device arranged behind the die so as to be able to rise and fall between an butting position and a retreat position below the butting position, wherein the upper table and the lower table are moved relatively close to each other to perform bending processing on the workpiece that is butted against the butting device that is inserted between the die and the punch and raised to the butting position, The front support device, a table body including a pair of a rotary table having a rectangular shape when viewed from above and having a work support surface for supporting the work, and a support table for supporting the rotary table so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically; a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the table body; and disposed in front of the bending machine, When bending the workpiece with the bending machine, the table body is set to a first height at which the height position of the work support surface coincides with the height position of the upper end of the die; When the next bending process is performed by changing the orientation of the workpiece by 180°, A method for bending a workpiece, comprising: lowering the abutment device to a retracted position; and setting the table body to a second height where the height position of the workpiece support surface is higher than the upper end of the die and lower than the lower end of the punch; and then rotating the rotary table so that it protrudes rearward beyond the front-to-rear positions of the die and the punch, thereby changing the orientation of the workpiece supported by the rotary table.

9. A workpiece bending method for bending a workpiece using a bending machine and a front support device that supports a plate-shaped workpiece, comprising: The bending machine is a lower table, a die attached to an upper portion of the lower table, a butting device arranged on the rear side of the die so as to be able to rise and fall between an butting position and a retreat position below the butting position, an upper table arranged above the lower table, and a punch attached to a lower portion of the upper table, wherein the upper table and the lower table are moved relatively close to each other with respect to the work inserted between the die and the punch to perform bending; The front support device, a rotary table having a rectangular shape when viewed from above, the rotary table having a work support surface for supporting the work and a ball transfer group that protrudes from and retracts into the work support surface, the rotary table being capable of transitioning between a first support state in which the ball transfer group protrudes from the work support surface and supports the work with free horizontal movement, and a second support state in which the ball transfer group retracts from the work support surface and supports the work with its horizontal movement restricted; a support table that supports the rotary table so that the rotary table can rotate about an axis that extends vertically; a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the table body; and disposed in front of the bending machine, When bending the workpiece with the bending machine, placing the ball transfer group in a first support state and setting the table body to a first height at which the height position of the upper end of the ball transfer group coincides with the height position of the upper end of the die; When the next bending process is performed by changing the orientation of the workpiece by 180°, A method for bending a workpiece, comprising: lowering the butting device to a retracted position; placing the ball transfer group in a second support state to support the workpiece on the rotary table; and setting the table body to a second height where the height position of the workpiece support surface is above the upper end of the die and below the lower end of the punch; and then rotating the rotary table so that it protrudes rearward beyond the front-to-rear positions of the die and the punch, thereby changing the orientation of the workpiece supported by the rotary table.

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