Forming machine, and method for producing complexly bent shaped parts

Abstract

A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, or produces complexly bent parts from wire, includes devices that convey an elongate workpiece to a forming system having a plurality of forming units, wherein each of the forming units has a tool holder having a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit, wherein the forming system includes at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a US national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT / EP2024 / 054896, filed Feb. 27, 2024, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2023 201 807.1, filed Feb. 28, 2023, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates to a forming machine and a method for producing shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, in particular for producing complexly bent parts from wire.BACKGROUND

[0003] Forming machines are computer-numerically controlled machine tools which, with the help of suitable tools, can produce comparatively small and large volumes of shaped parts with a sometimes complex geometry predominantly by forming from elongate semi-finished products such as wire, pipe, strip or the like in an automatic manufacturing process. A complexly bent shaped part is a shaped part which has more than one bend, where bends are relatively close together and / or transition into each other and / or sometimes can also lie in different planes. When such shaped parts are produced predominantly or exclusively by bending operations, they are at times referred to as bent parts.

[0004] There is a demand for complexly bent shaped parts inter alia in the field of electromobility. There, vehicles with fully or partially electric drive are increasingly being offered. Insulated and bent copper or aluminum rails, also known as “busbars”, are used to electrically connect battery modules and / or replace wire harnesses. Since the spaces available for installing busbars are in some cases relatively narrow and geometrically complex, busbars that have bends at one or more locations are required in many cases. Wire materials in the form of insulated and bent copper or aluminum wires with a substantially rectangular or square cross section are also often used for producing coil elements for the construction of stators for electric motors, so-called “hairpins”.

[0005] Computer-numerical control forming machines are used today for the efficient production of large quantities of shaped parts. When producing shaped parts from wire, the wire is conveyed or transported under the control by an NC control program using suitable devices in the direction of a forming system of the forming machine. The forming system has a plurality of forming units, each of which supports a forming tool that can be brought into engagement with the workpiece, or retracted upon engagement, by an actuating movement. Under the control of the NC control program, different forming tools can be gradually brought into engagement with the workpiece to gradually create a plurality of bends and thus, if necessary, complex bending geometries.

[0006] DE 10 2020 212 558 A1 discloses a bending machine for producing complexly bent parts from straight wire rods. The bending machine comprises a computer-numerical control unit, a transport system for transporting successive wire rods along a transport section, and a plurality of workstations arranged along the transport section. The transport system has a multiplicity of workpiece receptacle devices for receiving in each case one individual wire rod. At least two of the workstations are designed as bending stations and are equipped with numerically controlled bending units. The bending units have in each case, on their side facing the workpiece, a bending tool which is either brought into engagement with the wire rod, or removed therefrom, by an actuating drive. The actuating movements are in each case perpendicular to the profile of the transport section in the region of the bending unit. Some of the bending units are fed horizontally, others in the vertical direction.

[0007] DE 10 2019 213 976 A1 discloses a wire processing machine for producing straight or bent shaped parts from insulated flat material. The wire processing machine comprises, inter alia, a feeding device for drawing in the flat material from a material supply and for conveying the flat material parallel to a processing axis, an integrated stripping device with two milling units for stripping portions of the insulated flat material, and a forming system which comprises a star-shaped arrangement with a plurality of forming units with tool heads which can be adjusted substantially radially to the processing axis, on which forming tools can be used to form the flat material by bending. The forming units are assembled on a vertical front wall and are located in a common plane which is oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction of the wire.

[0008] The requirements set for the geometry of the finished bent parts are sometimes extremely high. An example are the hairpins mentioned above, which are required for assembling stators for electric motors. The hairpins are plug-in coil elements in the form of lacquered copper wire brackets of a complex, three-dimensional bent shape, which are to form substantial parts of the windings of the stator. Since the placement density in a stator should be as high as possible, there is relatively little space available for a hairpin. Each hairpin must be integrated into its designated space. For that purpose, precisely dimensioned recesses are provided in the stator, into which a hairpin must fit exactly. To achieve high power densities, the portions of directly adjacent hairpins located outside the recesses should also be able to be as close to each other as possible. For that reason, for example, hairpins have strict specifications for the target geometry of the finished bent part.

[0009] Therefore, a need is seen to find techniques that allow complexly bent parts to be manufactured with systematically small deviations from their target shape.

[0010] It could therefore be helpful to provide a forming machine of the type mentioned in the introduction, by way of which complexly bent shaped parts of various geometries can be produced with high dimensional accuracy.SUMMARY

[0011] Disclosed herein is:

[0012] A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: devices that convey an elongate workpiece to a forming system having a plurality of forming units, wherein each of the forming units has a tool holder having a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit, wherein the forming system includes at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit, wherein the first forming unit has a first tool holder which can be actuated in a first actuating direction that lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece, and the second forming unit has a second tool holder which, in at least one working configuration of the second forming unit, is actuatable in a second actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, wherein the second tool holder has a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool in the form of a bending tool, having at least one tool part rotatable about a bending axis, and the second forming unit has a rotating mechanism with a rotary drive that rotates the rotatable tool part about the bending axis, wherein the bending axis is parallel to the second actuating direction.

[0013] A method for producing shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: conveying the elongate workpiece in the direction of a forming system including a plurality of forming units which each support a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement extending transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is movable selectively to a working position with engagement with the workpiece or to a retracted position; generating at least one first bend in a first portion of the workpiece by a first forming unit, wherein the first forming unit is actuated in a first actuating direction extending perpendicularly to the transport direction; generating at least one second bend in a second portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second forming unit is actuated in a second actuating direction oblique to the transport direction and oblique to an orthogonal plane of the transport direction, and rotating a bending tool with at least one rotatable tool part about a bending axis oriented parallel to the second actuating direction to generate the second bend.

[0014] A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: an infeed device that draws in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and conveys the workpiece along a transport axis to a forming system, wherein the infeed device is a rotatable infeed device for a numerically controlled workpiece rotation about the transport axis; and the forming system, having at least one forming unit having a tool holder with a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit, wherein the tool holder, in at least one working configuration of the forming unit, is actuatable in an actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to an orthogonal plane lying perpendicularly to the local transport direction of the workpiece, and an actuating direction adjusting device that variably adjusts the orientation of the actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range which, in addition to the actuating direction oriented obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, includes at least one actuating direction that lies in the orthogonal plane.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further advantages are derived from the description of exemplary embodiments, which are explained hereunder with reference to the figures.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an oblique perspective view of a forming machine conceived according to the type of a leg spring machine according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 2A shows part of the forming region of the forming machine from FIG. 1 from a different perspective.

[0018] FIG. 2B shows an oblique perspective view of a plug-in coil element.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a schematic lateral view of a wire processing plant with a forming machine according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a bending station with a horizontally actuatable first forming unit.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a bending station with a vertically actuatable first forming unit.

[0022] FIG. 6 shows a bending station with an obliquely set second forming unit.

[0023] FIGS. 7A to 7F show different phases of a multi-stage method for producing a hairpin, in an oblique perspective.

[0024] FIGS. 8A to 8G show different phases of a multi-stage method for producing a hairpin, in top view.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Our forming machines and methods are provided to produce shaped parts from an elongate workpiece. In some instances, the forming machine is suitable and intended to produce complexly bent wire parts. The forming machine has a device for conveying an elongate workpiece to a forming system which has a plurality of forming units. These can be controlled in a coordinated manner via a control device. Each of the forming units has a tool holder which has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. The forming tool, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder, can be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece, without engagement in the workpiece, and an engagement position with the aid of a numerically controlled actuating axis (machine axis for actuation) of the forming unit. However, the actuation to the engagement position does not yet lead to forming. Workpiece contact may already be present in the engagement position, but this is not mandatory. Proceeding from the engagement position, the workpiece can be formed by bending, e.g. in a bending operation, by a working movement of the forming tool. The actuating movement runs transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece. In this application, the “local transport direction” of the workpiece is also abbreviated as “transport direction” and describes the direction in which the workpiece is transported to the region of the respective forming unit. The transport can be carried out, for example, by feeding a workpiece present as a continuous material into the region of the forming unit. It is also possible that the workpiece is present in the form of a rod cut to a certain length, and is transported to the forming unit, e.g. by a displaceable workpiece receptacle device. Then at least one as yet not bent portion of the rod extends in the transport direction.

[0026] The forming system comprises different types of forming units, specifically at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit.

[0027] A first forming unit is characterized in that its tool holder and the forming tool attached thereto are actuatable in a first actuating direction which lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece. The first actuating direction can, for example, be oriented radially to the portion of the workpiece to be formed, or even tangentially to the latter.

[0028] A second forming unit, on the other hand, is characterized in that in at least one working configuration of the second forming unit its tool holder and the forming tool attached thereto are actuated in a second actuating direction which is oblique to the local transport direction and oblique to the orthogonal plane. This second actuating direction thus corresponds to an oblique direction which in this working configuration includes an acute angle, i.e. an angle between 0° and 90°, both conjointly with the orthogonal plane and with the local transport direction.

[0029] This special design offers considerable advantages in comparison to conventional arrangements of forming units of typical forming machines, inter alia in terms of the accuracy with which even complex bends can be produced in the workpiece. We demonstrated that the conventional method of actuating forming tools perpendicularly to the local transport direction is in many cases favorable. However, it may be more advantageous, with certain requirements set for the form or shape of the bent part, to actuate a forming tool obliquely to the local transport direction and to an orthogonal plane at least at one location, and thereby to engage with the workpiece material. This also makes it possible, inter alia, to subsequently create a bend at a location that has already been bent.

[0030] The second tool holder has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool in the form of a bending tool which has at least one tool part that is rotatable about a bending axis. To be able to rotate the rotatable tool part by NC-control around the bending axis, the second forming unit has a rotating mechanism with a rotary drive for rotating the rotatable tool part about the bending axis. The bending axis is aligned parallel to the second actuating direction. The bending axis therefore runs parallel to the actuating direction of the second forming unit.

[0031] This allows a wide variety of different bending geometries to be generated. In this instance, the actuation and the forming operation, or the bending, are two different working movements. The actual forming can follow the linear actuating movement and is implemented with the aid of at least one rotating movement.

[0032] Due to the possibility of tilting the second actuating direction in combination with the simple spatial correlation (parallelism) between the orientation of the linear second actuating direction on the one hand, and the orientation of the bending axis on the other hand, complex bending operations can also be programmed relatively easily and carried out precisely on the workpiece.

[0033] Due to its configuration, the forming machine is ideally suited for the production of three-dimensional bent shaped parts. Of course, only two-dimensionally bent shaped parts can also be produced if required. Due to the proposed construction, additional degrees of freedom of the forming process become available compared to conventional forming machines, in particular those of the type mentioned in the introduction, and certain limitations in the forming process can be avoided.

[0034] In some embodiments, a plurality, or all, of the forming units, i.e. also one or a plurality of first forming units, are conceived to correspond to the second forming unit with a rotating mechanism, to be able to utilize a forming tool in the form of a bending tool with at least one tool part that is rotatable about a bending axis.

[0035] Alternatively, it is provided that at least one of the forming units is designed for receiving a forming tool in the form of a bending tool which has two tool parts which are independently rotatable about a bending axis, and that the rotating mechanism has two independently controllable drives. This allows two mutually independent rotations of tool parts of a mounted bending tool. In some embodiments, a plurality, or all, of the forming units, i.e. one or a plurality of first forming units, are constructed in this way.

[0036] Alternatively, a further contribution to the dimensional accuracy of the achievable bends is achieved in that at least one forming unit also has a machine axis which is designed to move the rotatable tool part in the direction of a bending mold in such a way that the received workpiece portion is able to be clamped by the tool part between the bending mold and the tool part. The workpiece can then be pulled about the bending mold by rotating the tool part. The bending mold can rotate conjointly, so that a rotary draw-bending operation is possible.

[0037] It is also possible that one or a plurality of first forming units is / are able to be actuated linearly, and forming is achieved by continuing the linear movement of the tool holder after achieving contact with the workpiece to generate a bend.

[0038] A forming unit and the associated forming tool can also be designed for other forming operations that change the shape substantially without material subtraction, such as reeling or winding, or possibly also for pressing or embossing. In addition, processing units may be provided for other processing operations, in particular material-subtracting processes such as punching, perforating, thread cutting, milling, chamfering and / or planing.

[0039] The second forming unit can be constructed and housed in the forming system in such a way that the second actuating direction permanently corresponds to a selected oblique direction which cannot be changed or cannot be changed without extensive assembly work. This oblique direction can be, for example, at an angle of 45° to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane.

[0040] In other embodiments, on the other hand, an actuating direction adjusting device is provided for variably adjusting the orientation of the second actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range. This allows different oblique positions of the second forming unit in relation to the local transport direction to be set, which increases flexibility when using the forming machine. Infinite adjustability is provided in some instances.

[0041] In particular, the actuating direction angular range, in addition to one or a plurality of different oblique directions, comprises at least one actuating direction which lies in the orthogonal plane mentioned above. In this case, the second forming device can be actuated in the same way as a first forming unit in corresponding working configurations. In some embodiments, the actuating direction angular range is at least 180°. Thus, in some embodiments it is possible to actuate a second forming unit from two opposite directions, such as a first forming unit, perpendicularly to the local transport direction, and additionally to optionally set an oblique direction as an actuating direction.

[0042] In some embodiments, the actuating direction adjusting device is designed for manual adjustment, so that the desired oblique position of the second forming unit can only be adjusted when setting up or converting the forming machine to correspond to the desired target geometry of the formed part. In other embodiments, the actuating direction adjusting device is a controllable machine axis, so that the oblique direction can be adjusted and changed in response to control signals of the control unit by a dedicated drive, which is also possible if necessary during a sequence of bending operations on one and the same shaped part. In other words, when producing a shaped part, a second forming unit can also be engaged with the workpiece more than once and, if necessary, from different actuating directions to incorporate one or a plurality of bends at different points of the workpiece.

[0043] An infinite adjustment of the second actuating direction is implemented in some embodiments in that the actuating direction adjusting device has an arcuate guide on which is guided a carriage that supports the second forming unit including a drive of the actuating axis for the second actuation.

[0044] Alternatively or additionally, the second forming unit can be assembled on a turntable, in particular in such a manner that the second forming unit is pivotable about a rotation axis which extends perpendicularly to the second actuating direction. This further increases the flexibility in terms of usability.

[0045] It is possible that a single first forming unit is sufficient. In most embodiments, however, a plurality of, thus e.g. two, three, four or more, first forming units are provided. This can increase the flexibility for producing different bending geometries. Different first forming units can be equipped with different forming tools; if necessary, a plurality of first forming units can also be equipped with the same forming tool type.

[0046] The first forming units can form a substantially coplanar arrangement in which a plurality of first actuating directions or a plurality of first forming units, in particular all first actuating directions or all first forming units, are in or near a common orthogonal plane, and the actuating direction of the second forming unit is oriented obliquely to this orthogonal plane and to the direction of transport. The individual forming units do not necessarily have to be arranged exactly in a single common plane. They can be arranged in part in a minimal offset in the transport direction and / or can be moved in the transport direction via small travel distances, but remain close to the common orthogonal plane.

[0047] Many conventional leg spring machines can be retrofitted accordingly with a second forming unit including the associated drives and corresponding software components.

[0048] A further increase in the flexibility of the forming machine in the production of different three-dimensional bending geometries is achieved in some embodiments in that the devices for conveying the workpiece comprise an infeed device for drawing in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and for conveying the workpiece to the forming system, wherein in some instances the infeed device is designed as a rotatable infeed device for the numerically controlled workpiece rotation. The infeed device is thus designed as a rotatable infeed device and has a rotational machine axis for the numerically controlled workpiece rotation. In this instance, the wire material can be rotated using the infeed device to change the orientation of the bending plane. The workpiece can then be rotated about the transport axis, for example, between creating a first bend and creating a second bend.

[0049] It is also possible that first actuating directions or first forming units are located in different orthogonal planes, to be mutually offset in the transport direction, and the second forming unit is downstream of at least one first forming unit in the transport direction. This allows a bend to be subsequently generated at a location that has already been bent. In particular, a second forming unit can be arranged between an upstream and a downstream first forming unit.

[0050] Different forming tools can be used on the different forming units of the forming system depending on the requirements, the workpiece material to be processed and the target geometry of the shaped parts to be produced. The chronological sequence of their use is then specified by the control unit.

[0051] A forming tool can be designed, for example, as a pin-mandrel tool with or without a rotating mandrel, or as a rotary draw-bending tool. In a pin-mandrel tool, the mandrel does not normally rotate during the rotation of the pin about the bending axis during the bending operation. In rotary draw-bending by the rotary draw-bending tool, the central bending mandrel and the rotatable tool part rotate synchronously during a bending operation, whereby the workpiece is clamped radially between the bending mandrel and the rotatable tool part.

[0052] A forming tool can also be designed as a reeling tool or as a winding tool.

[0053] In some instances, at least one pin-mandrel tool and at least one rotary draw-bending tool are used for a multi-stage bending sequence.

[0054] Accordingly, in some embodiments it is provided that at least one of the forming units, in particular a first forming unit, is configured as a rotary draw-bending unit.

[0055] In some embodiments, a completely set-up forming machine has on at least one forming unit a multi-part forming tool which has a bending mold having a encircling groove for receiving a portion of the workpiece to be bent, and a tool part which for engaging on a portion of the workpiece to be bent is rotatable about the bending mold by rotation about a bending axis. The bending mold is designed as a split bending mold and has a lower mold part and an upper mold part that moves relative to the lower mold part. A lower delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the lower mold part and an upper delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the upper mold part. The upper mold part and the lower mold part by a drive are displaceable relative to one another for varying the available height of the encircling groove between a closed configuration with a relatively smaller available space and an open configuration with a comparatively greater available height. To perform a bending operation, the forming tool is first moved to the open configuration and the workpiece is partially inserted into the encircling groove in such a way that a tool-facing side of the workpiece can support itself on the bending mold. The forming tool is then brought into the closed configuration by the drive in such a way that the parts of the workpiece lying within the encircling groove lie without play between the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove. This prevents the workpiece material from bulging in the region of the inner radius and thus deviating from the desired bending geometry when creating the bend.

[0056] Alternatively, one of the mold parts, in particular the lower mold part, has a guide opening for axially guiding a displacement movement of the other mold part, while the other mold part, in particular the upper mold part, has a guide portion dimensioned for introduction into the guide opening and a head portion enlarged in comparison to the guide portion, wherein a radial outer surface of the guide portion delimits the encircling groove inwardly and one of the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove is formed on the head portion. The guide portion can have, at least on that side on which the engagement of the flat material in the encircling groove takes place, a cylindrical outer contour in such a manner that the radially inner base area of the encircling groove is formed by the part of the radial outer surface of the guide portion exposed between the upper and lower delimiting surfaces. Due to the mold parts being mutually guided, the construction is particularly simple and reliable.

[0057] In some embodiments, the drive is controlled at least in some bending operations in such a manner that in the closed configuration, the portion received in the encircling groove is clamped between the upper and the lower delimiting surface by a clamping force acting substantially parallel to the bending axis. In this way, an even better dimensional accuracy of the workpiece in the region of bending can be achieved.

[0058] In particular when creating bends from flat material by bending a narrower side of the flat material, it is considered advantageous when the delimiting surfaces are parallel to each other and perpendicular to a bending axis of the forming tool. In this way, a flat bend in a flat material can also be achieved without bulging when bending takes place on a short side.

[0059] A forming machine with a corresponding number of first forming units can be utilized in the same way as a conventional forming machine of the type mentioned in the introduction. In addition, methods for producing shaped parts are also possible, in which at least one first bend is created in a first portion of the workpiece by a first forming unit, wherein the first forming unit is actuated in a first actuating direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and at least one second bend is created in a second portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second forming unit is actuated in a second actuating direction, which is oblique to the transport direction and oblique to the orthogonal plane of the transport direction.

[0060] For creating the second bend, a bending tool with at least one rotatable tool part is used, which is rotated about a bending axis oriented parallel to the second actuating direction to create the second bend.

[0061] This can be achieved in that the first bend is in a first bend plane containing the transport axis, and the second bend is in a second bend plane oriented perpendicularly to the second actuating direction. The first and the second bend can thus lie in different bending planes in such a manner that the shaped part is a three-dimensionally bent shaped part.

[0062] The at least one second bend can be created chronologically after a first bend. After the creation of a first bend, the workpiece can in particular have a portion extending in the transport direction and a portion following the first bend that extends in a direction oblique to the transport direction, and the second bend is created in this oblique section or in the region of the first bend. Owing to the possibility of the oblique alignment of the second actuating direction, the process can be carried out in such a way that the second actuating direction is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the orientation of a workpiece portion to be formed by the second forming unit. In this way, the advantages of an actuation directed orthogonally to a workpiece portion can also be utilized when the portion to be bent does not extend in the transport direction but obliquely to the latter. This results in new degrees of freedom, inter alia, in terms of the sequence of bending operations in the production of complexly bent shaped parts.

[0063] Some methods are characterized in that two bends with opposite directions of curvature are created immediately in succession by the second forming unit, the bends in some instances transitioning into one another without an intermediate straight portion. In an operation of this type, for example, the so-called S-stroke can be created in the production of hairpins.

[0064] It is also possible that the workpiece is moved by a transport section in the transport direction between the creation of the first bend and the creation of the second bend. In particular, the workpiece can be moved onward in a transport direction after the creation of the first bend, and then at least one second bend is created in a second portion located at a distance from the first portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second portion is oriented in a direction extending transversely to the transport direction due to the first bend, and the second forming unit is actuated in an actuation direction which is oblique to the transport direction and oblique to an orthogonal plane of the transport direction.

[0065] In some embodiments, further degrees of freedom of design result from the fact that between creating a first bend and creating a second bend, for changing the bending plane the workpiece is rotated about the transport axis.

[0066] In some embodiments, the forming machine has a forming system having a plurality of first forming units, the first actuating directions of which are in a common orthogonal plane to the local transport direction or near this common plane. In addition, at least one second forming unit is provided, in which the second actuating direction is aligned obliquely to the orthogonal plane and to the local transport direction. The workpiece transport in the transport direction is carried out here via a machine axis of the forming machine, which is referred to as a feed axis, whereby successive portions of the elongate workpiece material are successively conveyed into the region of the orthogonal plane.

[0067] In other embodiments, the forming machine is designed for producing complexly bent shaped parts from straight workpiece portions of a given length. These can be straightened and separated from the supplied workpiece material in upstream operations before the first forming operation begins with a forming unit of the forming system. Such embodiments have a transport system for transporting successive straight workpiece portions (rods) along a transport section, wherein the transport system has a multiplicity of workpiece receptacle devices for receiving in each case one individual rod-shaped workpiece portion. The forming system of this exemplary embodiment comprises a plurality of workstations which are arranged along the transport section, wherein at least two of the workstations are designed as bending stations, in which at least one forming unit designed as a bending unit is arranged in each case. The workpiece transport in the transport direction is implemented here by a travel movement of the workpiece receptacle device along the transport section.

[0068] FIG. 1 shows an oblique perspective view of a forming machine 100 conceived according to a type of a leg spring machine according to an exemplary embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B show part of the forming region of the forming machine from FIG. 1 from a lateral perspective in a phase of the production of a hairpin.

[0069] The forming machine 100 is specified to produce complex, three-dimensional bent shaped parts in the form of coil elements for electric motors. An initial material (also referred to as workpiece W) is processed, which has a wire-shaped electrical conductor material (e.g. copper) with a substantially flat, rectangular, in particular square, cross-sectional shape and is encased by an electrically non-conductive insulation layer of lacquer or the like. The source material is in the form of a coiled material supply (coil). The workpiece is also referred in short as “wire” or “flat material” below.

[0070] The computer-numerically controlled, multi-axis forming machine 100 has a plurality of machine axes which can be controlled by a control unit 190, a drive system with a plurality of electric drives for driving the machine axes, and a control device for the coordinated control of working movements of the machine axes in a production process according to a computer-readable control program specific to the production process.

[0071] In the embodiment, the forming machine has a perpendicular machine coordinate system MK with a vertical z-axis and horizontal x- and y-axes, characterized by lower-case letters x, y and z. The controlled driven machine axes of which the drives are controlled by the control unit 190 of the forming machine must be distinguished from the coordinate axes x, y and z.

[0072] The forming machine 100 has a machine frame which on its front has a vertically aligned front wall 105. The front-accessible forming system 200 of the forming machine comprises, inter alia, a plurality of first forming units 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, and exactly one second forming unit 230.

[0073] Behind the front wall 105 are devices that are designed to convey the elongate, straightened workpiece material in the direction of the forming system 200. This includes an infeed device 120 for drawing in the elongate workpiece material from a material supply and for advancing or conveying or transporting the workpiece parallel to a transport axis 310 in the region of the forming system 200, and a straightening unit upstream of the infeed device 120 for straightening the workpiece emanating from the workpiece supply before entering the infeed device 120. The structure behind the front wall can correspond to the structure described in DE 10 2019 213 976 A1. Reference is made to the corresponding disclosure.

[0074] The infeed device 120 in the example is designed as a belt infeed device, but can also be designed as a roller infeed device, a jaw infeed device or a caterpillar infeed device. The infeed device is designed to allow successive workpiece portions of the workpiece material coming from the material supply and straightened by the straightening unit to be conveyed at a numerically controlled feed rate profile in the horizontal transport direction 308 more or less coaxially to the transport axis 310, i.e. parallel to the x-axis of the machine coordinate system MK, through a downstream guide device 110 into the region of the forming system 200. The infeed device 120, with the aid of a servo-electric drive, is rotatable in both rotation directions to be delimited by predetermined rotation angles (e.g. + / —180°) about an infeed rotation axis corresponding to the transport axis 310 (see curved double arrow).

[0075] The wire exits in the region of the guide device 110, which is equipped with a guide bushing, perpendicularly to the front wall 105 and coaxially with the transport axis 310, from the guide device into the region of the forming system 200. The guide bushing has a guide opening with a rectangular cross section adapted to the rectangular cross section of the flat material. The local transport direction 308 of the wire in the region of the forming units 220-x, 230 runs coaxially to the transport axis 310.

[0076] The wire is formed into a three-dimensionally bent shaped part using numerically controlled tools of the forming system 200. The finished or largely finished formed shaped part is then separated from the supplied wire by a cutting unit 280 by a scissor cut. The cutting unit 280, equipped with a movable cutting blade, is at 45° to the vertical direction.

[0077] Three first forming units 220-1, 220-2, 220-3 of the forming system 200 are assembled on the front wall 105 in a suitable orientation to the transport axis 310.

[0078] The single second forming unit 230 is assembled on an NC-controlled carriage 235, which is movable on a semicircular arcuate guide 234 across 180° in a horizontal plane and is able to be fixed at different positions of the arcuate guide. The carriage supports a rotary table 233 which by NC-control is rotatable by a motor about a vertical axis of rotation NC and which in turn supports the second forming unit 230. These components belong to an actuating direction adjusting device 270 for variably adjusting the orientation of the second actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range. This is presently slightly more than 180° and includes all oblique directions as well as an orientation parallel to the transport direction 308 and orientations of the second actuating direction parallel to the orthogonal plane OE.

[0079] Each of the forming units has on its side facing the transport axis 310 a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool, wherein the forming tools here are usually one-piece bending tools, or bending tools composed of a plurality of components.

[0080] Each forming unit has a slide which is movable in a translatory manner and serves as a tool holder, by way of which the respective forming tool can be actuated in a linear or rectilinear actuating movement along an actuating direction to selectively engage with the workpiece or retracted from the latter. Furthermore, each forming unit has a rotating mechanism with one or more rotary drives to be able to rotate, in response to control signals of the control device 190, movable components of the forming tool about a rotation axis (bending axis) 225 oriented parallel to the actuating direction.

[0081] All first forming units are located near a common orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport axis 310 (corresponding to a y-z plane). The associated first tool holders 240-1, 240-2, 240-3 are each actuatable in a first actuating direction 222-1, 222-1, which lies in the orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece.

[0082] The second forming unit has a second tool holder 242, which in the illustrated working configuration is actuated in a second actuating direction 222-2, which is at an acute angle W1 obliquely to the local transport direction 308 or 310, respectively, and is at an acute angle W2 obliquely to the orthogonal plane OE (y-z plane).

[0083] The first forming unit 220-1, to be seen on the right in FIG. 1 and on the left in FIG. 2A, is assembled on the front wall 105 to be vertically displaceable by way of a horizontal slide axis, and with the aid of an actuating drive can be actuated and retracted in a first actuating direction 222-1 running perpendicularly to the transport axis parallel to the orthogonal plane OE in the direction of the workpiece. The forming tool 250-1, which is constructed from multiple parts and assembled in a tool receptacle on the front side of the tool holder, is a pin-mandrel tool. It has a central mandrel with a diametric groove that rotates about the horizontal bending axis, and a bending pin that is rotatable about the mandrel independently of the mandrel. The bending tool can be used to create bends of which the bending plane is perpendicular to the axis of rotation 225 of the bending tool, or in the x-z plane of the machine coordinate system. The position of the bending plane relative to the transport axis can be specified by rotating the rotatable infeed 120.

[0084] The diametrically opposed second forming unit 220-2 also has a first actuating direction 222-1 in the y-direction, i.e. in the orthogonal plane OE. The forming tool attached to the front of the tool holder is likewise designed as a pin-mandrel tool, analogous to the opposite side.

[0085] A further forming unit 220-3 is assembled on the front wall 105 to be displaceable horizontally above the transport axis. The slide axis or the actuating direction 222-1 of the workpiece holder runs vertically, i.e. parallel to the z direction. The multi-piece bending tool 250-3, which is attached to the front side of the tool holder, engages on the workpiece from above. It can create flat bends in a horizontal bend plane.

[0086] The bending tool is particularly adapted to bend a flat material wire about the short side, i.e. to create a flat bend in which the wide sides of the flat material in front of and behind the bend are, as far as possible, in a common plane where the flat material is also in the region of the bend.

[0087] The forming tool 250-3 is designed as a rotary draw-bending tool. It comprises a central bending mold 252, which is rotatable about the bending axis and has an encircling flat groove 253 for receiving a portion of the workpiece to be bent. Furthermore, a tool part 254 which is rotatable about the bending axis and the bending mold is present. The rotatable tool part can be moved in the radial direction, in the direction of the bending mold, and in the opposite direction by a dedicated machine axis. The flat material received in the encircling groove can thus be held in the radial direction between this tool part and the bending mold.

[0088] The bending mold 252 is designed as a split bending mold. It has a stationary mold part 255 which is fixed relative to the tool receptacle, and an outer mold part 256 which is movable relative to the stationary mold part and has an enlarged head. One of the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove is formed on the stationary mold part, and the opposite delimiting surface is formed on the movable mold part. The movable shaped part 256 has a cylindrical guide portion, which is formed integrally with the head and is guided to be axially movable in a cylindrical guide opening of the stationary mold part 255, the radially inner base of the encircling groove being formed by the outer side of said guide portion. The available height of the encircling groove can be infinitely changed by moving the movable mold part relative to the stationary mold part, between a configuration with a relatively smaller available height and a configuration with a comparatively larger available height, by a drive. A pneumatic drive has the advantage of clamping in force-controlled manner, thus being independent of variations in the wire dimensions. The clamping can also be implemented via a controlled machine axis, in this instance by controlling travel.

[0089] When performing a bending operation, the forming tool is first moved to the open configuration and the workpiece is partially inserted into the encircling groove in such a way that a narrow side of the flat wire can support itself in the region of the groove base on the bending mold. The forming tool is then moved into a closed configuration so that the parts lying in the encircling groove lie free of play between the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove and are clamped with a clamping force acting parallel to the bending axis. This prevents the workpiece material from bulging in the region of the inner radius and thus deviating from the desired bending geometry when creating the bend. Thus, the split bending tool is used here to create a flat bend with a bend plane that corresponds to an x-y plane.

[0090] The forming tool 250-2 on the horizontally actuatable tool holder 242 of the second forming unit 230 is also constructed from multiple parts and has a central mandrel 251 with a diametrically continuous receptacle channel for the workpiece and a tool part 253 which is rotatable about the mandrel and has a bending pin.

[0091] By providing a second forming unit, which can be actuated not in an orthogonal plane, but at an angle thereto and to the transport direction 308 or transport axis 310, new degrees of freedom in the design of bending geometries are derived. After creating a bend in the workpiece, this makes it possible, inter alia, to incorporate at least one further bend in the region of this bend. The second forming unit 230 can therefore engage on a workpiece portion that does not run parallel to the transport axis and which may also be already bent. This allows completely new sequences of bending steps to be implemented. We demonstrated that the dimensional accuracy of the finished shaped parts can be significantly improved, for example, in the production of hairpins.

[0092] A typical geometry of a three-dimensional shaped part FT bent multiple times, or of a bent part in the form of a hairpin, will be explained by FIG. 2B. The finished shaped part is essentially in the shape of a U-shaped bracket which is made of bent lacquered copper wire and comprises two legs, which should ideally run parallel to each other to allow the insertion of the plug-in coil into the space provided for this purpose. The target geometry shown is characterized by a straight first portion A1, which is linked via a complexly curved portion A3 to a second portion A2, which according to the target geometry should be parallel to the first portion A1. The wide sides of the flat material of the legs are usually at an angle to one another, so they are not coplanar. In the roof-shaped portion A3, which is sometimes referred to as roof portion A3 because of its roof shape, an S-stroke S is formed in the region of the roof ridge. The S-stroke is a sequence of bends which have different curvature directions and transition into one another.

[0093] It will be explained by way of example hereunder by which sequence of bending steps such a shaped part can be produced with the aid of the forming machine from FIG. 1. Depending on the required geometry, a different sequence may occur.

[0094] First, a piece of flat material is advanced parallel to the transport axis 310. Then the first forming unit 220-1 is brought into engagement with the still straight workpiece material by horizontal actuation radially to the transport axis, to subsequently produce a weak tilt of the bent section by way of a small rotation.

[0095] The first forming unit 220-3 lying thereabove is then brought into engagement with the workpiece material radially to the transport axis, by vertical actuation. Working movements of the rotary-draw bending generate a first bend B1, which forms the transition between the first leg A1 and a roof side. In addition, a slight torsion can be introduced by rotating the infeed.

[0096] In the subsequent roof section, three small bends are then created by the horizontally adjustable first forming unit 220-1 at short intervals and with the same direction of curvature, to produce a weak curvature with a relatively large radius of curvature in this portion.

[0097] Then the rotary draw-bending tool 250-3 entering from above is engaged again to create the bend B2, which forms the roof ridge. In the region of this bend, the S-stroke should now be introduced by directly transitioning opposite bends. This is where the advantage of the oblique second forming unit 230 comes into play. The bends for forming the S-stroke S must be incorporated into a workpiece portion which does not run parallel to the transport axis 310, but at an angle thereto. Owing to the fact that the second actuating direction is also oriented obliquely to the transport axis 310 and to the orthogonal plane, the pin-mandrel bending tool 250-2 of the second forming unit can be brought to engage more or less perpendicularly to the wire profile, i.e. from the side. Then, by turning the tool components forward and backward, the two opposite partial curves of the S-stroke can be generated.

[0098] Then, the bending operations already applied on the first side follow in reverse order, to first generate the curves on the other side of the roof with the aid of three small bends using the first forming tool. The rotary draw-bending tool, which is actuatable from above, is then engaged again to form the transition between the other side of the roof and the second leg, etc. Once all bends are created, the cutting tool 280 is engaged to separate the finished shaped part in the form of a hairpin from the supplied wire material.

[0099] By rotating the infeed by suitable angles, the workpiece is rotated or else turned for the engagement of the corresponding forming tool.

[0100] Of course, alternatives to this construction and procedure are possible. For example, as an alternative to the first forming unit entering from above, a first forming unit may be provided from below on the opposite side. This can also be provided in addition to a first forming unit entering from above.

[0101] The construction and the function of a second exemplary embodiment will now be explained by FIGS. 3 to 8G. For this purpose, FIG. 3 shows a schematic lateral view of a wire processing system 400, which may be identical or similar in most parts to the wire processing system of the embodiment from the first and unexamined publication DE 10 2020 212 558 A1. Reference is made to the description therein.

[0102] The wire processing plant is likewise specified to produce complex three-dimensional bent shaped parts in the form of hairpins from an insulated flat wire material. The initial material is present in the form of a material supply reel which is wound on a reel 504. The workpiece enters a rod assembly machine 410 with an integrated stripping device and passes successively a straightening unit, a length measuring device, a milling device as part of a stripping device, a downstream brush device and a downstream infeed device and a downstream cutting device. In terms of the construction and function of the rod assembly machine, reference is made to the above-mentioned publication.

[0103] The rod assembly machine 410 provides as an intermediate product elongate workpieces W in the form of straightened wire rods of predetermined length, which are separated from the supplied wire. The wire rods are transported by a rod transfer device to a downstream forming machine in the form of a bending machine 500. The longitudinal direction (direction of the longitudinal center axis) of the wire rods runs horizontally and parallel to the transport direction of the wire rods.

[0104] The bending machine 500 has its own base 505, on the top of which components of a transport system 510 are attached for transporting successive wire rods along a transport section 512. The transport section runs in a horizontal plane (x-y plane). In FIG. 3, the transport section is shown for the purpose of visualization in the region of the base 505 in a schematic plan view of the transport plane. The transport section 512 is closed in the circumferential direction and has a substantially rectangular profile with straight longitudinal and transverse sides and curved portions in the corner regions.

[0105] The transport system 510 comprises a large number of individual transport units 515, for example, from three to ten or more transport units. Each transport unit has a workpiece receptacle device 525 for receiving a single wire rod W. This runs in the region of the workpiece receptacle device coaxially with its receiving axis, and horizontally and parallel to a direction that corresponds to the local transport direction on the transport section.

[0106] Each movement of a transport unit 515 can be carried out according to an individual movement profile, which can be specified by the control unit based on a computer program. In this instance, the transport units 515 are moved by linear direct drives.

[0107] In the example, the bending machine 500 has a plurality of bending stations 550-1, 550-2 etc. arranged one after the other along the transport section. A forming unit is attached to each of the bending stations, by way of which a bending operation, possibly also a plurality of bending operations, can be performed on the wire rod.

[0108] FIG. 4 shows a perspective lateral view of the first bending station 550-1. The latter has a first forming unit 520-1, which can be positioned parallel to the transport section and in the vertical direction with the aid of suitable drives. The forming unit has on its side facing the transport axis a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. In the example, this is a multi-part forming tool in the form of a pin-mandrel tool, the rotatable components thereof being able to be rotated about a horizontal rotation axis. The actuating movement runs in an orthogonal plane OE parallel to a horizontal actuating direction that is oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction. With the aid of the infeed drive, the forming tool can be brought to engage with the workpiece, and then a rotational working movement can be used to create a bend in the flat material.

[0109] FIG. 5 shows in schematic lateral view a second bending station 550-2 with a forming unit 520-2 which can be positioned horizontally (parallel to the transport axis). The first forming unit 520-2 is actuatable linearly in an orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction, just like the forming unit of the first bending station. The associated actuating direction can extend vertically or at an acute angle to the vertical. The possibility of changing the actuating direction within the orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction is made possible by an arcuate guide at the base of the bending station. The forming tool of this forming unit corresponds to the forming tool 250-3 with a split bending mold, which has been explained in the context of other embodiments by way of FIGS. 2A and 2B. At this bending station, the wire can be bent by rotary draw-bending, whereby the bending point can remain clamped in the split bending mold, thus preventing bulges, so that no bulges arise out of the bending plane even when bending over the short side of the flat material.

[0110] Shown in FIG. 6 is a variant of a second forming unit 530, which is also attached along the transport section, specifically, for example, in a third bending station 550-3, between the second bending station 550-2 and a subsequent fourth bending station.

[0111] The second forming unit 530 is shown in a working position in which the horizontal actuating direction of the tool holder neither runs parallel to the transport direction 508 nor lies in an orthogonal plane (plane perpendicular to the transport direction). Instead, the second forming unit has a second tool holder which in the shown working configuration and other working configurations of the second forming unit is actuatable in a second actuating direction 522, the latter lying obliquely to the local transport direction 508 and obliquely to an orthogonal plane. The angle of attack W2 between the direction of actuation and the transport direction 508 is infinitely adjustable. For this purpose, the base plate 521 which supports the forming unit, is assembled on a turntable 522 which in turn is assembled on a carriage 523 that can be moved parallel to the transport direction. The available actuating direction angular range extends in a horizontal plane across more than 90°, so that the second forming unit 530 can also be used as the first forming unit by adjusting the actuating direction by rotating the turntable in such a way that it is oriented radially to the transport axis of the wire rod.

[0112] In this forming machine, too, a particularly efficient bending process for the production of hairpins with particularly high dimensional accuracy is possible by using at least one second forming unit 530 with the possibility of oblique actuation.

[0113] FIGS. 7A to 7F show, for example, a schematic bending sequence for producing a hairpin using a forming machine similar to FIG. 3, wherein the bending units of the first and second bending station are reversed. Since the sequence of images is self-explanatory, only a brief explanation of particularly remarkable aspects is given. In the straight wire rod W, a first larger bend is first created by the vertically adjustable forming unit (FIG. 7A), before slight bends are created by a horizontally adjustable forming unit, which open up the third dimension (FIG. 7B). Then a vertically adjustable rotary draw-bending unit is engaged again to create the bend on the roof ridge (FIG. 7C). Located at the next bending station (FIG. 7D) is then a second forming unit, that is, a forming unit, whose bending tool can be actuated in an oblique direction, oblique to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane. With the forming tool, which is designed as a pin-mandrel bending tool, the so-called S-stroke in the prefabricated bend is then generated by alternating engagement and alternating rotation in opposite directions. Here, too, the oblique actuation allows optimum tool engagement, resulting in optimum tool geometry. The next bending operations are then carried out successively at two subsequent bending stations, wherein the bend shown in FIG. 7E is generated in a vertical bending plane, while the final bend shown in FIG. 7F is created with the rotary draw-bending tool actuatable from above.

[0114] FIGS. 8A to 8G show a corresponding sequence of bending operations in a schematic plan view. After the first bend with a horizontal bending plane (FIG. 8A), a curved roof side is created by three small bends in a vertical bending plane (FIG. 8B), before the bend which is to form the roof ridge (FIG. 8C) is created in a horizontal bending plane in a subsequent bending operation. The second forming unit is then engaged, which is actuated obliquely to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane. FIG. 8D shows the first bending operation in a bending plane which is oriented vertically and obliquely to the transport direction, FIG. 8E shows the following bending operations which, in a manner slightly offset from the first bend, create a bend with the reversed direction of curvature to form the S-stroke. FIGS. 8F and 8G then show the last bending operations toward the finished hairpin (FIG. 8G).

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0025]Our forming machines and methods are provided to produce shaped parts from an elongate workpiece. In some instances, the forming machine is suitable and intended to produce complexly bent wire parts. The forming machine has a device for conveying an elongate workpiece to a forming system which has a plurality of forming units. These can be controlled in a coordinated manner via a control device. Each of the forming units has a tool holder which has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. The forming tool, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder, can be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece, without engagement in the workpiece, and an engagement position with the aid of a numerically controlled actuating axis (machine axis for actuation) of the forming unit. However, the actuation to the engagement position does not yet lead to forming. Workpiece contact may already be present in the engagement position, but this is not mandatory. Proce...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a US national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT / EP2024 / 054896, filed Feb. 27, 2024, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2023 201 807.1, filed Feb. 28, 2023, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates to a forming machine and a method for producing shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, in particular for producing complexly bent parts from wire.BACKGROUND

[0003] Forming machines are computer-numerically controlled machine tools which, with the help of suitable tools, can produce comparatively small and large volumes of shaped parts with a sometimes complex geometry predominantly by forming from elongate semi-finished products such as wire, pipe, strip or the like in an automatic manufacturing process. A complexly bent shaped part is a shaped part which has more than one bend, where bends are relatively close together and / or transition into each other and / or sometimes can also lie in different planes. When such shaped parts are produced predominantly or exclusively by bending operations, they are at times referred to as bent parts.

[0004] There is a demand for complexly bent shaped parts inter alia in the field of electromobility. There, vehicles with fully or partially electric drive are increasingly being offered. Insulated and bent copper or aluminum rails, also known as “busbars”, are used to electrically connect battery modules and / or replace wire harnesses. Since the spaces available for installing busbars are in some cases relatively narrow and geometrically complex, busbars that have bends at one or more locations are required in many cases. Wire materials in the form of insulated and bent copper or aluminum wires with a substantially rectangular or square cross section are also often used for producing coil elements for the construction of stators for electric motors, so-called “hairpins”.

[0005] Computer-numerical control forming machines are used today for the efficient production of large quantities of shaped parts. When producing shaped parts from wire, the wire is conveyed or transported under the control by an NC control program using suitable devices in the direction of a forming system of the forming machine. The forming system has a plurality of forming units, each of which supports a forming tool that can be brought into engagement with the workpiece, or retracted upon engagement, by an actuating movement. Under the control of the NC control program, different forming tools can be gradually brought into engagement with the workpiece to gradually create a plurality of bends and thus, if necessary, complex bending geometries.

[0006] DE 10 2020 212 558 A1 discloses a bending machine for producing complexly bent parts from straight wire rods. The bending machine comprises a computer-numerical control unit, a transport system for transporting successive wire rods along a transport section, and a plurality of workstations arranged along the transport section. The transport system has a multiplicity of workpiece receptacle devices for receiving in each case one individual wire rod. At least two of the workstations are designed as bending stations and are equipped with numerically controlled bending units. The bending units have in each case, on their side facing the workpiece, a bending tool which is either brought into engagement with the wire rod, or removed therefrom, by an actuating drive. The actuating movements are in each case perpendicular to the profile of the transport section in the region of the bending unit. Some of the bending units are fed horizontally, others in the vertical direction.

[0007] DE 10 2019 213 976 A1 discloses a wire processing machine for producing straight or bent shaped parts from insulated flat material. The wire processing machine comprises, inter alia, a feeding device for drawing in the flat material from a material supply and for conveying the flat material parallel to a processing axis, an integrated stripping device with two milling units for stripping portions of the insulated flat material, and a forming system which comprises a star-shaped arrangement with a plurality of forming units with tool heads which can be adjusted substantially radially to the processing axis, on which forming tools can be used to form the flat material by bending. The forming units are assembled on a vertical front wall and are located in a common plane which is oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction of the wire.

[0008] The requirements set for the geometry of the finished bent parts are sometimes extremely high. An example are the hairpins mentioned above, which are required for assembling stators for electric motors. The hairpins are plug-in coil elements in the form of lacquered copper wire brackets of a complex, three-dimensional bent shape, which are to form substantial parts of the windings of the stator. Since the placement density in a stator should be as high as possible, there is relatively little space available for a hairpin. Each hairpin must be integrated into its designated space. For that purpose, precisely dimensioned recesses are provided in the stator, into which a hairpin must fit exactly. To achieve high power densities, the portions of directly adjacent hairpins located outside the recesses should also be able to be as close to each other as possible. For that reason, for example, hairpins have strict specifications for the target geometry of the finished bent part.

[0009] Therefore, a need is seen to find techniques that allow complexly bent parts to be manufactured with systematically small deviations from their target shape.

[0010] It could therefore be helpful to provide a forming machine of the type mentioned in the introduction, by way of which complexly bent shaped parts of various geometries can be produced with high dimensional accuracy.SUMMARY

[0011] Disclosed herein is:

[0012] A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: devices that convey an elongate workpiece to a forming system having a plurality of forming units, wherein each of the forming units has a tool holder having a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit, wherein the forming system includes at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit, wherein the first forming unit has a first tool holder which can be actuated in a first actuating direction that lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece, and the second forming unit has a second tool holder which, in at least one working configuration of the second forming unit, is actuatable in a second actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, wherein the second tool holder has a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool in the form of a bending tool, having at least one tool part rotatable about a bending axis, and the second forming unit has a rotating mechanism with a rotary drive that rotates the rotatable tool part about the bending axis, wherein the bending axis is parallel to the second actuating direction.

[0013] A method for producing shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: conveying the elongate workpiece in the direction of a forming system including a plurality of forming units which each support a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement extending transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is movable selectively to a working position with engagement with the workpiece or to a retracted position; generating at least one first bend in a first portion of the workpiece by a first forming unit, wherein the first forming unit is actuated in a first actuating direction extending perpendicularly to the transport direction; generating at least one second bend in a second portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second forming unit is actuated in a second actuating direction oblique to the transport direction and oblique to an orthogonal plane of the transport direction, and rotating a bending tool with at least one rotatable tool part about a bending axis oriented parallel to the second actuating direction to generate the second bend.

[0014] A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, including: an infeed device that draws in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and conveys the workpiece along a transport axis to a forming system, wherein the infeed device is a rotatable infeed device for a numerically controlled workpiece rotation about the transport axis; and the forming system, having at least one forming unit having a tool holder with a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit, wherein the tool holder, in at least one working configuration of the forming unit, is actuatable in an actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to an orthogonal plane lying perpendicularly to the local transport direction of the workpiece, and an actuating direction adjusting device that variably adjusts the orientation of the actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range which, in addition to the actuating direction oriented obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, includes at least one actuating direction that lies in the orthogonal plane.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further advantages are derived from the description of exemplary embodiments, which are explained hereunder with reference to the figures.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an oblique perspective view of a forming machine conceived according to the type of a leg spring machine according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 2A shows part of the forming region of the forming machine from FIG. 1 from a different perspective.

[0018] FIG. 2B shows an oblique perspective view of a plug-in coil element.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a schematic lateral view of a wire processing plant with a forming machine according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a bending station with a horizontally actuatable first forming unit.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a bending station with a vertically actuatable first forming unit.

[0022] FIG. 6 shows a bending station with an obliquely set second forming unit.

[0023] FIGS. 7A to 7F show different phases of a multi-stage method for producing a hairpin, in an oblique perspective.

[0024] FIGS. 8A to 8G show different phases of a multi-stage method for producing a hairpin, in top view.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Our forming machines and methods are provided to produce shaped parts from an elongate workpiece. In some instances, the forming machine is suitable and intended to produce complexly bent wire parts. The forming machine has a device for conveying an elongate workpiece to a forming system which has a plurality of forming units. These can be controlled in a coordinated manner via a control device. Each of the forming units has a tool holder which has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. The forming tool, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder, can be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece, without engagement in the workpiece, and an engagement position with the aid of a numerically controlled actuating axis (machine axis for actuation) of the forming unit. However, the actuation to the engagement position does not yet lead to forming. Workpiece contact may already be present in the engagement position, but this is not mandatory. Proceeding from the engagement position, the workpiece can be formed by bending, e.g. in a bending operation, by a working movement of the forming tool. The actuating movement runs transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece. In this application, the “local transport direction” of the workpiece is also abbreviated as “transport direction” and describes the direction in which the workpiece is transported to the region of the respective forming unit. The transport can be carried out, for example, by feeding a workpiece present as a continuous material into the region of the forming unit. It is also possible that the workpiece is present in the form of a rod cut to a certain length, and is transported to the forming unit, e.g. by a displaceable workpiece receptacle device. Then at least one as yet not bent portion of the rod extends in the transport direction.

[0026] The forming system comprises different types of forming units, specifically at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit.

[0027] A first forming unit is characterized in that its tool holder and the forming tool attached thereto are actuatable in a first actuating direction which lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece. The first actuating direction can, for example, be oriented radially to the portion of the workpiece to be formed, or even tangentially to the latter.

[0028] A second forming unit, on the other hand, is characterized in that in at least one working configuration of the second forming unit its tool holder and the forming tool attached thereto are actuated in a second actuating direction which is oblique to the local transport direction and oblique to the orthogonal plane. This second actuating direction thus corresponds to an oblique direction which in this working configuration includes an acute angle, i.e. an angle between 0° and 90°, both conjointly with the orthogonal plane and with the local transport direction.

[0029] This special design offers considerable advantages in comparison to conventional arrangements of forming units of typical forming machines, inter alia in terms of the accuracy with which even complex bends can be produced in the workpiece. We demonstrated that the conventional method of actuating forming tools perpendicularly to the local transport direction is in many cases favorable. However, it may be more advantageous, with certain requirements set for the form or shape of the bent part, to actuate a forming tool obliquely to the local transport direction and to an orthogonal plane at least at one location, and thereby to engage with the workpiece material. This also makes it possible, inter alia, to subsequently create a bend at a location that has already been bent.

[0030] The second tool holder has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool in the form of a bending tool which has at least one tool part that is rotatable about a bending axis. To be able to rotate the rotatable tool part by NC-control around the bending axis, the second forming unit has a rotating mechanism with a rotary drive for rotating the rotatable tool part about the bending axis. The bending axis is aligned parallel to the second actuating direction. The bending axis therefore runs parallel to the actuating direction of the second forming unit.

[0031] This allows a wide variety of different bending geometries to be generated. In this instance, the actuation and the forming operation, or the bending, are two different working movements. The actual forming can follow the linear actuating movement and is implemented with the aid of at least one rotating movement.

[0032] Due to the possibility of tilting the second actuating direction in combination with the simple spatial correlation (parallelism) between the orientation of the linear second actuating direction on the one hand, and the orientation of the bending axis on the other hand, complex bending operations can also be programmed relatively easily and carried out precisely on the workpiece.

[0033] Due to its configuration, the forming machine is ideally suited for the production of three-dimensional bent shaped parts. Of course, only two-dimensionally bent shaped parts can also be produced if required. Due to the proposed construction, additional degrees of freedom of the forming process become available compared to conventional forming machines, in particular those of the type mentioned in the introduction, and certain limitations in the forming process can be avoided.

[0034] In some embodiments, a plurality, or all, of the forming units, i.e. also one or a plurality of first forming units, are conceived to correspond to the second forming unit with a rotating mechanism, to be able to utilize a forming tool in the form of a bending tool with at least one tool part that is rotatable about a bending axis.

[0035] Alternatively, it is provided that at least one of the forming units is designed for receiving a forming tool in the form of a bending tool which has two tool parts which are independently rotatable about a bending axis, and that the rotating mechanism has two independently controllable drives. This allows two mutually independent rotations of tool parts of a mounted bending tool. In some embodiments, a plurality, or all, of the forming units, i.e. one or a plurality of first forming units, are constructed in this way.

[0036] Alternatively, a further contribution to the dimensional accuracy of the achievable bends is achieved in that at least one forming unit also has a machine axis which is designed to move the rotatable tool part in the direction of a bending mold in such a way that the received workpiece portion is able to be clamped by the tool part between the bending mold and the tool part. The workpiece can then be pulled about the bending mold by rotating the tool part. The bending mold can rotate conjointly, so that a rotary draw-bending operation is possible.

[0037] It is also possible that one or a plurality of first forming units is / are able to be actuated linearly, and forming is achieved by continuing the linear movement of the tool holder after achieving contact with the workpiece to generate a bend.

[0038] A forming unit and the associated forming tool can also be designed for other forming operations that change the shape substantially without material subtraction, such as reeling or winding, or possibly also for pressing or embossing. In addition, processing units may be provided for other processing operations, in particular material-subtracting processes such as punching, perforating, thread cutting, milling, chamfering and / or planing.

[0039] The second forming unit can be constructed and housed in the forming system in such a way that the second actuating direction permanently corresponds to a selected oblique direction which cannot be changed or cannot be changed without extensive assembly work. This oblique direction can be, for example, at an angle of 45° to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane.

[0040] In other embodiments, on the other hand, an actuating direction adjusting device is provided for variably adjusting the orientation of the second actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range. This allows different oblique positions of the second forming unit in relation to the local transport direction to be set, which increases flexibility when using the forming machine. Infinite adjustability is provided in some instances.

[0041] In particular, the actuating direction angular range, in addition to one or a plurality of different oblique directions, comprises at least one actuating direction which lies in the orthogonal plane mentioned above. In this case, the second forming device can be actuated in the same way as a first forming unit in corresponding working configurations. In some embodiments, the actuating direction angular range is at least 180°. Thus, in some embodiments it is possible to actuate a second forming unit from two opposite directions, such as a first forming unit, perpendicularly to the local transport direction, and additionally to optionally set an oblique direction as an actuating direction.

[0042] In some embodiments, the actuating direction adjusting device is designed for manual adjustment, so that the desired oblique position of the second forming unit can only be adjusted when setting up or converting the forming machine to correspond to the desired target geometry of the formed part. In other embodiments, the actuating direction adjusting device is a controllable machine axis, so that the oblique direction can be adjusted and changed in response to control signals of the control unit by a dedicated drive, which is also possible if necessary during a sequence of bending operations on one and the same shaped part. In other words, when producing a shaped part, a second forming unit can also be engaged with the workpiece more than once and, if necessary, from different actuating directions to incorporate one or a plurality of bends at different points of the workpiece.

[0043] An infinite adjustment of the second actuating direction is implemented in some embodiments in that the actuating direction adjusting device has an arcuate guide on which is guided a carriage that supports the second forming unit including a drive of the actuating axis for the second actuation.

[0044] Alternatively or additionally, the second forming unit can be assembled on a turntable, in particular in such a manner that the second forming unit is pivotable about a rotation axis which extends perpendicularly to the second actuating direction. This further increases the flexibility in terms of usability.

[0045] It is possible that a single first forming unit is sufficient. In most embodiments, however, a plurality of, thus e.g. two, three, four or more, first forming units are provided. This can increase the flexibility for producing different bending geometries. Different first forming units can be equipped with different forming tools; if necessary, a plurality of first forming units can also be equipped with the same forming tool type.

[0046] The first forming units can form a substantially coplanar arrangement in which a plurality of first actuating directions or a plurality of first forming units, in particular all first actuating directions or all first forming units, are in or near a common orthogonal plane, and the actuating direction of the second forming unit is oriented obliquely to this orthogonal plane and to the direction of transport. The individual forming units do not necessarily have to be arranged exactly in a single common plane. They can be arranged in part in a minimal offset in the transport direction and / or can be moved in the transport direction via small travel distances, but remain close to the common orthogonal plane.

[0047] Many conventional leg spring machines can be retrofitted accordingly with a second forming unit including the associated drives and corresponding software components.

[0048] A further increase in the flexibility of the forming machine in the production of different three-dimensional bending geometries is achieved in some embodiments in that the devices for conveying the workpiece comprise an infeed device for drawing in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and for conveying the workpiece to the forming system, wherein in some instances the infeed device is designed as a rotatable infeed device for the numerically controlled workpiece rotation. The infeed device is thus designed as a rotatable infeed device and has a rotational machine axis for the numerically controlled workpiece rotation. In this instance, the wire material can be rotated using the infeed device to change the orientation of the bending plane. The workpiece can then be rotated about the transport axis, for example, between creating a first bend and creating a second bend.

[0049] It is also possible that first actuating directions or first forming units are located in different orthogonal planes, to be mutually offset in the transport direction, and the second forming unit is downstream of at least one first forming unit in the transport direction. This allows a bend to be subsequently generated at a location that has already been bent. In particular, a second forming unit can be arranged between an upstream and a downstream first forming unit.

[0050] Different forming tools can be used on the different forming units of the forming system depending on the requirements, the workpiece material to be processed and the target geometry of the shaped parts to be produced. The chronological sequence of their use is then specified by the control unit.

[0051] A forming tool can be designed, for example, as a pin-mandrel tool with or without a rotating mandrel, or as a rotary draw-bending tool. In a pin-mandrel tool, the mandrel does not normally rotate during the rotation of the pin about the bending axis during the bending operation. In rotary draw-bending by the rotary draw-bending tool, the central bending mandrel and the rotatable tool part rotate synchronously during a bending operation, whereby the workpiece is clamped radially between the bending mandrel and the rotatable tool part.

[0052] A forming tool can also be designed as a reeling tool or as a winding tool.

[0053] In some instances, at least one pin-mandrel tool and at least one rotary draw-bending tool are used for a multi-stage bending sequence.

[0054] Accordingly, in some embodiments it is provided that at least one of the forming units, in particular a first forming unit, is configured as a rotary draw-bending unit.

[0055] In some embodiments, a completely set-up forming machine has on at least one forming unit a multi-part forming tool which has a bending mold having a encircling groove for receiving a portion of the workpiece to be bent, and a tool part which for engaging on a portion of the workpiece to be bent is rotatable about the bending mold by rotation about a bending axis. The bending mold is designed as a split bending mold and has a lower mold part and an upper mold part that moves relative to the lower mold part. A lower delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the lower mold part and an upper delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the upper mold part. The upper mold part and the lower mold part by a drive are displaceable relative to one another for varying the available height of the encircling groove between a closed configuration with a relatively smaller available space and an open configuration with a comparatively greater available height. To perform a bending operation, the forming tool is first moved to the open configuration and the workpiece is partially inserted into the encircling groove in such a way that a tool-facing side of the workpiece can support itself on the bending mold. The forming tool is then brought into the closed configuration by the drive in such a way that the parts of the workpiece lying within the encircling groove lie without play between the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove. This prevents the workpiece material from bulging in the region of the inner radius and thus deviating from the desired bending geometry when creating the bend.

[0056] Alternatively, one of the mold parts, in particular the lower mold part, has a guide opening for axially guiding a displacement movement of the other mold part, while the other mold part, in particular the upper mold part, has a guide portion dimensioned for introduction into the guide opening and a head portion enlarged in comparison to the guide portion, wherein a radial outer surface of the guide portion delimits the encircling groove inwardly and one of the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove is formed on the head portion. The guide portion can have, at least on that side on which the engagement of the flat material in the encircling groove takes place, a cylindrical outer contour in such a manner that the radially inner base area of the encircling groove is formed by the part of the radial outer surface of the guide portion exposed between the upper and lower delimiting surfaces. Due to the mold parts being mutually guided, the construction is particularly simple and reliable.

[0057] In some embodiments, the drive is controlled at least in some bending operations in such a manner that in the closed configuration, the portion received in the encircling groove is clamped between the upper and the lower delimiting surface by a clamping force acting substantially parallel to the bending axis. In this way, an even better dimensional accuracy of the workpiece in the region of bending can be achieved.

[0058] In particular when creating bends from flat material by bending a narrower side of the flat material, it is considered advantageous when the delimiting surfaces are parallel to each other and perpendicular to a bending axis of the forming tool. In this way, a flat bend in a flat material can also be achieved without bulging when bending takes place on a short side.

[0059] A forming machine with a corresponding number of first forming units can be utilized in the same way as a conventional forming machine of the type mentioned in the introduction. In addition, methods for producing shaped parts are also possible, in which at least one first bend is created in a first portion of the workpiece by a first forming unit, wherein the first forming unit is actuated in a first actuating direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and at least one second bend is created in a second portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second forming unit is actuated in a second actuating direction, which is oblique to the transport direction and oblique to the orthogonal plane of the transport direction.

[0060] For creating the second bend, a bending tool with at least one rotatable tool part is used, which is rotated about a bending axis oriented parallel to the second actuating direction to create the second bend.

[0061] This can be achieved in that the first bend is in a first bend plane containing the transport axis, and the second bend is in a second bend plane oriented perpendicularly to the second actuating direction. The first and the second bend can thus lie in different bending planes in such a manner that the shaped part is a three-dimensionally bent shaped part.

[0062] The at least one second bend can be created chronologically after a first bend. After the creation of a first bend, the workpiece can in particular have a portion extending in the transport direction and a portion following the first bend that extends in a direction oblique to the transport direction, and the second bend is created in this oblique section or in the region of the first bend. Owing to the possibility of the oblique alignment of the second actuating direction, the process can be carried out in such a way that the second actuating direction is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the orientation of a workpiece portion to be formed by the second forming unit. In this way, the advantages of an actuation directed orthogonally to a workpiece portion can also be utilized when the portion to be bent does not extend in the transport direction but obliquely to the latter. This results in new degrees of freedom, inter alia, in terms of the sequence of bending operations in the production of complexly bent shaped parts.

[0063] Some methods are characterized in that two bends with opposite directions of curvature are created immediately in succession by the second forming unit, the bends in some instances transitioning into one another without an intermediate straight portion. In an operation of this type, for example, the so-called S-stroke can be created in the production of hairpins.

[0064] It is also possible that the workpiece is moved by a transport section in the transport direction between the creation of the first bend and the creation of the second bend. In particular, the workpiece can be moved onward in a transport direction after the creation of the first bend, and then at least one second bend is created in a second portion located at a distance from the first portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second portion is oriented in a direction extending transversely to the transport direction due to the first bend, and the second forming unit is actuated in an actuation direction which is oblique to the transport direction and oblique to an orthogonal plane of the transport direction.

[0065] In some embodiments, further degrees of freedom of design result from the fact that between creating a first bend and creating a second bend, for changing the bending plane the workpiece is rotated about the transport axis.

[0066] In some embodiments, the forming machine has a forming system having a plurality of first forming units, the first actuating directions of which are in a common orthogonal plane to the local transport direction or near this common plane. In addition, at least one second forming unit is provided, in which the second actuating direction is aligned obliquely to the orthogonal plane and to the local transport direction. The workpiece transport in the transport direction is carried out here via a machine axis of the forming machine, which is referred to as a feed axis, whereby successive portions of the elongate workpiece material are successively conveyed into the region of the orthogonal plane.

[0067] In other embodiments, the forming machine is designed for producing complexly bent shaped parts from straight workpiece portions of a given length. These can be straightened and separated from the supplied workpiece material in upstream operations before the first forming operation begins with a forming unit of the forming system. Such embodiments have a transport system for transporting successive straight workpiece portions (rods) along a transport section, wherein the transport system has a multiplicity of workpiece receptacle devices for receiving in each case one individual rod-shaped workpiece portion. The forming system of this exemplary embodiment comprises a plurality of workstations which are arranged along the transport section, wherein at least two of the workstations are designed as bending stations, in which at least one forming unit designed as a bending unit is arranged in each case. The workpiece transport in the transport direction is implemented here by a travel movement of the workpiece receptacle device along the transport section.

[0068] FIG. 1 shows an oblique perspective view of a forming machine 100 conceived according to a type of a leg spring machine according to an exemplary embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B show part of the forming region of the forming machine from FIG. 1 from a lateral perspective in a phase of the production of a hairpin.

[0069] The forming machine 100 is specified to produce complex, three-dimensional bent shaped parts in the form of coil elements for electric motors. An initial material (also referred to as workpiece W) is processed, which has a wire-shaped electrical conductor material (e.g. copper) with a substantially flat, rectangular, in particular square, cross-sectional shape and is encased by an electrically non-conductive insulation layer of lacquer or the like. The source material is in the form of a coiled material supply (coil). The workpiece is also referred in short as “wire” or “flat material” below.

[0070] The computer-numerically controlled, multi-axis forming machine 100 has a plurality of machine axes which can be controlled by a control unit 190, a drive system with a plurality of electric drives for driving the machine axes, and a control device for the coordinated control of working movements of the machine axes in a production process according to a computer-readable control program specific to the production process.

[0071] In the embodiment, the forming machine has a perpendicular machine coordinate system MK with a vertical z-axis and horizontal x- and y-axes, characterized by lower-case letters x, y and z. The controlled driven machine axes of which the drives are controlled by the control unit 190 of the forming machine must be distinguished from the coordinate axes x, y and z.

[0072] The forming machine 100 has a machine frame which on its front has a vertically aligned front wall 105. The front-accessible forming system 200 of the forming machine comprises, inter alia, a plurality of first forming units 220-1, 220-2, 220-3, and exactly one second forming unit 230.

[0073] Behind the front wall 105 are devices that are designed to convey the elongate, straightened workpiece material in the direction of the forming system 200. This includes an infeed device 120 for drawing in the elongate workpiece material from a material supply and for advancing or conveying or transporting the workpiece parallel to a transport axis 310 in the region of the forming system 200, and a straightening unit upstream of the infeed device 120 for straightening the workpiece emanating from the workpiece supply before entering the infeed device 120. The structure behind the front wall can correspond to the structure described in DE 10 2019 213 976 A1. Reference is made to the corresponding disclosure.

[0074] The infeed device 120 in the example is designed as a belt infeed device, but can also be designed as a roller infeed device, a jaw infeed device or a caterpillar infeed device. The infeed device is designed to allow successive workpiece portions of the workpiece material coming from the material supply and straightened by the straightening unit to be conveyed at a numerically controlled feed rate profile in the horizontal transport direction 308 more or less coaxially to the transport axis 310, i.e. parallel to the x-axis of the machine coordinate system MK, through a downstream guide device 110 into the region of the forming system 200. The infeed device 120, with the aid of a servo-electric drive, is rotatable in both rotation directions to be delimited by predetermined rotation angles (e.g. + / —180°) about an infeed rotation axis corresponding to the transport axis 310 (see curved double arrow).

[0075] The wire exits in the region of the guide device 110, which is equipped with a guide bushing, perpendicularly to the front wall 105 and coaxially with the transport axis 310, from the guide device into the region of the forming system 200. The guide bushing has a guide opening with a rectangular cross section adapted to the rectangular cross section of the flat material. The local transport direction 308 of the wire in the region of the forming units 220-x, 230 runs coaxially to the transport axis 310.

[0076] The wire is formed into a three-dimensionally bent shaped part using numerically controlled tools of the forming system 200. The finished or largely finished formed shaped part is then separated from the supplied wire by a cutting unit 280 by a scissor cut. The cutting unit 280, equipped with a movable cutting blade, is at 45° to the vertical direction.

[0077] Three first forming units 220-1, 220-2, 220-3 of the forming system 200 are assembled on the front wall 105 in a suitable orientation to the transport axis 310.

[0078] The single second forming unit 230 is assembled on an NC-controlled carriage 235, which is movable on a semicircular arcuate guide 234 across 180° in a horizontal plane and is able to be fixed at different positions of the arcuate guide. The carriage supports a rotary table 233 which by NC-control is rotatable by a motor about a vertical axis of rotation NC and which in turn supports the second forming unit 230. These components belong to an actuating direction adjusting device 270 for variably adjusting the orientation of the second actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range. This is presently slightly more than 180° and includes all oblique directions as well as an orientation parallel to the transport direction 308 and orientations of the second actuating direction parallel to the orthogonal plane OE.

[0079] Each of the forming units has on its side facing the transport axis 310 a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool, wherein the forming tools here are usually one-piece bending tools, or bending tools composed of a plurality of components.

[0080] Each forming unit has a slide which is movable in a translatory manner and serves as a tool holder, by way of which the respective forming tool can be actuated in a linear or rectilinear actuating movement along an actuating direction to selectively engage with the workpiece or retracted from the latter. Furthermore, each forming unit has a rotating mechanism with one or more rotary drives to be able to rotate, in response to control signals of the control device 190, movable components of the forming tool about a rotation axis (bending axis) 225 oriented parallel to the actuating direction.

[0081] All first forming units are located near a common orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport axis 310 (corresponding to a y-z plane). The associated first tool holders 240-1, 240-2, 240-3 are each actuatable in a first actuating direction 222-1, 222-1, which lies in the orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece.

[0082] The second forming unit has a second tool holder 242, which in the illustrated working configuration is actuated in a second actuating direction 222-2, which is at an acute angle W1 obliquely to the local transport direction 308 or 310, respectively, and is at an acute angle W2 obliquely to the orthogonal plane OE (y-z plane).

[0083] The first forming unit 220-1, to be seen on the right in FIG. 1 and on the left in FIG. 2A, is assembled on the front wall 105 to be vertically displaceable by way of a horizontal slide axis, and with the aid of an actuating drive can be actuated and retracted in a first actuating direction 222-1 running perpendicularly to the transport axis parallel to the orthogonal plane OE in the direction of the workpiece. The forming tool 250-1, which is constructed from multiple parts and assembled in a tool receptacle on the front side of the tool holder, is a pin-mandrel tool. It has a central mandrel with a diametric groove that rotates about the horizontal bending axis, and a bending pin that is rotatable about the mandrel independently of the mandrel. The bending tool can be used to create bends of which the bending plane is perpendicular to the axis of rotation 225 of the bending tool, or in the x-z plane of the machine coordinate system. The position of the bending plane relative to the transport axis can be specified by rotating the rotatable infeed 120.

[0084] The diametrically opposed second forming unit 220-2 also has a first actuating direction 222-1 in the y-direction, i.e. in the orthogonal plane OE. The forming tool attached to the front of the tool holder is likewise designed as a pin-mandrel tool, analogous to the opposite side.

[0085] A further forming unit 220-3 is assembled on the front wall 105 to be displaceable horizontally above the transport axis. The slide axis or the actuating direction 222-1 of the workpiece holder runs vertically, i.e. parallel to the z direction. The multi-piece bending tool 250-3, which is attached to the front side of the tool holder, engages on the workpiece from above. It can create flat bends in a horizontal bend plane.

[0086] The bending tool is particularly adapted to bend a flat material wire about the short side, i.e. to create a flat bend in which the wide sides of the flat material in front of and behind the bend are, as far as possible, in a common plane where the flat material is also in the region of the bend.

[0087] The forming tool 250-3 is designed as a rotary draw-bending tool. It comprises a central bending mold 252, which is rotatable about the bending axis and has an encircling flat groove 253 for receiving a portion of the workpiece to be bent. Furthermore, a tool part 254 which is rotatable about the bending axis and the bending mold is present. The rotatable tool part can be moved in the radial direction, in the direction of the bending mold, and in the opposite direction by a dedicated machine axis. The flat material received in the encircling groove can thus be held in the radial direction between this tool part and the bending mold.

[0088] The bending mold 252 is designed as a split bending mold. It has a stationary mold part 255 which is fixed relative to the tool receptacle, and an outer mold part 256 which is movable relative to the stationary mold part and has an enlarged head. One of the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove is formed on the stationary mold part, and the opposite delimiting surface is formed on the movable mold part. The movable shaped part 256 has a cylindrical guide portion, which is formed integrally with the head and is guided to be axially movable in a cylindrical guide opening of the stationary mold part 255, the radially inner base of the encircling groove being formed by the outer side of said guide portion. The available height of the encircling groove can be infinitely changed by moving the movable mold part relative to the stationary mold part, between a configuration with a relatively smaller available height and a configuration with a comparatively larger available height, by a drive. A pneumatic drive has the advantage of clamping in force-controlled manner, thus being independent of variations in the wire dimensions. The clamping can also be implemented via a controlled machine axis, in this instance by controlling travel.

[0089] When performing a bending operation, the forming tool is first moved to the open configuration and the workpiece is partially inserted into the encircling groove in such a way that a narrow side of the flat wire can support itself in the region of the groove base on the bending mold. The forming tool is then moved into a closed configuration so that the parts lying in the encircling groove lie free of play between the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove and are clamped with a clamping force acting parallel to the bending axis. This prevents the workpiece material from bulging in the region of the inner radius and thus deviating from the desired bending geometry when creating the bend. Thus, the split bending tool is used here to create a flat bend with a bend plane that corresponds to an x-y plane.

[0090] The forming tool 250-2 on the horizontally actuatable tool holder 242 of the second forming unit 230 is also constructed from multiple parts and has a central mandrel 251 with a diametrically continuous receptacle channel for the workpiece and a tool part 253 which is rotatable about the mandrel and has a bending pin.

[0091] By providing a second forming unit, which can be actuated not in an orthogonal plane, but at an angle thereto and to the transport direction 308 or transport axis 310, new degrees of freedom in the design of bending geometries are derived. After creating a bend in the workpiece, this makes it possible, inter alia, to incorporate at least one further bend in the region of this bend. The second forming unit 230 can therefore engage on a workpiece portion that does not run parallel to the transport axis and which may also be already bent. This allows completely new sequences of bending steps to be implemented. We demonstrated that the dimensional accuracy of the finished shaped parts can be significantly improved, for example, in the production of hairpins.

[0092] A typical geometry of a three-dimensional shaped part FT bent multiple times, or of a bent part in the form of a hairpin, will be explained by FIG. 2B. The finished shaped part is essentially in the shape of a U-shaped bracket which is made of bent lacquered copper wire and comprises two legs, which should ideally run parallel to each other to allow the insertion of the plug-in coil into the space provided for this purpose. The target geometry shown is characterized by a straight first portion A1, which is linked via a complexly curved portion A3 to a second portion A2, which according to the target geometry should be parallel to the first portion A1. The wide sides of the flat material of the legs are usually at an angle to one another, so they are not coplanar. In the roof-shaped portion A3, which is sometimes referred to as roof portion A3 because of its roof shape, an S-stroke S is formed in the region of the roof ridge. The S-stroke is a sequence of bends which have different curvature directions and transition into one another.

[0093] It will be explained by way of example hereunder by which sequence of bending steps such a shaped part can be produced with the aid of the forming machine from FIG. 1. Depending on the required geometry, a different sequence may occur.

[0094] First, a piece of flat material is advanced parallel to the transport axis 310. Then the first forming unit 220-1 is brought into engagement with the still straight workpiece material by horizontal actuation radially to the transport axis, to subsequently produce a weak tilt of the bent section by way of a small rotation.

[0095] The first forming unit 220-3 lying thereabove is then brought into engagement with the workpiece material radially to the transport axis, by vertical actuation. Working movements of the rotary-draw bending generate a first bend B1, which forms the transition between the first leg A1 and a roof side. In addition, a slight torsion can be introduced by rotating the infeed.

[0096] In the subsequent roof section, three small bends are then created by the horizontally adjustable first forming unit 220-1 at short intervals and with the same direction of curvature, to produce a weak curvature with a relatively large radius of curvature in this portion.

[0097] Then the rotary draw-bending tool 250-3 entering from above is engaged again to create the bend B2, which forms the roof ridge. In the region of this bend, the S-stroke should now be introduced by directly transitioning opposite bends. This is where the advantage of the oblique second forming unit 230 comes into play. The bends for forming the S-stroke S must be incorporated into a workpiece portion which does not run parallel to the transport axis 310, but at an angle thereto. Owing to the fact that the second actuating direction is also oriented obliquely to the transport axis 310 and to the orthogonal plane, the pin-mandrel bending tool 250-2 of the second forming unit can be brought to engage more or less perpendicularly to the wire profile, i.e. from the side. Then, by turning the tool components forward and backward, the two opposite partial curves of the S-stroke can be generated.

[0098] Then, the bending operations already applied on the first side follow in reverse order, to first generate the curves on the other side of the roof with the aid of three small bends using the first forming tool. The rotary draw-bending tool, which is actuatable from above, is then engaged again to form the transition between the other side of the roof and the second leg, etc. Once all bends are created, the cutting tool 280 is engaged to separate the finished shaped part in the form of a hairpin from the supplied wire material.

[0099] By rotating the infeed by suitable angles, the workpiece is rotated or else turned for the engagement of the corresponding forming tool.

[0100] Of course, alternatives to this construction and procedure are possible. For example, as an alternative to the first forming unit entering from above, a first forming unit may be provided from below on the opposite side. This can also be provided in addition to a first forming unit entering from above.

[0101] The construction and the function of a second exemplary embodiment will now be explained by FIGS. 3 to 8G. For this purpose, FIG. 3 shows a schematic lateral view of a wire processing system 400, which may be identical or similar in most parts to the wire processing system of the embodiment from the first and unexamined publication DE 10 2020 212 558 A1. Reference is made to the description therein.

[0102] The wire processing plant is likewise specified to produce complex three-dimensional bent shaped parts in the form of hairpins from an insulated flat wire material. The initial material is present in the form of a material supply reel which is wound on a reel 504. The workpiece enters a rod assembly machine 410 with an integrated stripping device and passes successively a straightening unit, a length measuring device, a milling device as part of a stripping device, a downstream brush device and a downstream infeed device and a downstream cutting device. In terms of the construction and function of the rod assembly machine, reference is made to the above-mentioned publication.

[0103] The rod assembly machine 410 provides as an intermediate product elongate workpieces W in the form of straightened wire rods of predetermined length, which are separated from the supplied wire. The wire rods are transported by a rod transfer device to a downstream forming machine in the form of a bending machine 500. The longitudinal direction (direction of the longitudinal center axis) of the wire rods runs horizontally and parallel to the transport direction of the wire rods.

[0104] The bending machine 500 has its own base 505, on the top of which components of a transport system 510 are attached for transporting successive wire rods along a transport section 512. The transport section runs in a horizontal plane (x-y plane). In FIG. 3, the transport section is shown for the purpose of visualization in the region of the base 505 in a schematic plan view of the transport plane. The transport section 512 is closed in the circumferential direction and has a substantially rectangular profile with straight longitudinal and transverse sides and curved portions in the corner regions.

[0105] The transport system 510 comprises a large number of individual transport units 515, for example, from three to ten or more transport units. Each transport unit has a workpiece receptacle device 525 for receiving a single wire rod W. This runs in the region of the workpiece receptacle device coaxially with its receiving axis, and horizontally and parallel to a direction that corresponds to the local transport direction on the transport section.

[0106] Each movement of a transport unit 515 can be carried out according to an individual movement profile, which can be specified by the control unit based on a computer program. In this instance, the transport units 515 are moved by linear direct drives.

[0107] In the example, the bending machine 500 has a plurality of bending stations 550-1, 550-2 etc. arranged one after the other along the transport section. A forming unit is attached to each of the bending stations, by way of which a bending operation, possibly also a plurality of bending operations, can be performed on the wire rod.

[0108] FIG. 4 shows a perspective lateral view of the first bending station 550-1. The latter has a first forming unit 520-1, which can be positioned parallel to the transport section and in the vertical direction with the aid of suitable drives. The forming unit has on its side facing the transport axis a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. In the example, this is a multi-part forming tool in the form of a pin-mandrel tool, the rotatable components thereof being able to be rotated about a horizontal rotation axis. The actuating movement runs in an orthogonal plane OE parallel to a horizontal actuating direction that is oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction. With the aid of the infeed drive, the forming tool can be brought to engage with the workpiece, and then a rotational working movement can be used to create a bend in the flat material.

[0109] FIG. 5 shows in schematic lateral view a second bending station 550-2 with a forming unit 520-2 which can be positioned horizontally (parallel to the transport axis). The first forming unit 520-2 is actuatable linearly in an orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction, just like the forming unit of the first bending station. The associated actuating direction can extend vertically or at an acute angle to the vertical. The possibility of changing the actuating direction within the orthogonal plane OE oriented perpendicularly to the transport direction is made possible by an arcuate guide at the base of the bending station. The forming tool of this forming unit corresponds to the forming tool 250-3 with a split bending mold, which has been explained in the context of other embodiments by way of FIGS. 2A and 2B. At this bending station, the wire can be bent by rotary draw-bending, whereby the bending point can remain clamped in the split bending mold, thus preventing bulges, so that no bulges arise out of the bending plane even when bending over the short side of the flat material.

[0110] Shown in FIG. 6 is a variant of a second forming unit 530, which is also attached along the transport section, specifically, for example, in a third bending station 550-3, between the second bending station 550-2 and a subsequent fourth bending station.

[0111] The second forming unit 530 is shown in a working position in which the horizontal actuating direction of the tool holder neither runs parallel to the transport direction 508 nor lies in an orthogonal plane (plane perpendicular to the transport direction). Instead, the second forming unit has a second tool holder which in the shown working configuration and other working configurations of the second forming unit is actuatable in a second actuating direction 522, the latter lying obliquely to the local transport direction 508 and obliquely to an orthogonal plane. The angle of attack W2 between the direction of actuation and the transport direction 508 is infinitely adjustable. For this purpose, the base plate 521 which supports the forming unit, is assembled on a turntable 522 which in turn is assembled on a carriage 523 that can be moved parallel to the transport direction. The available actuating direction angular range extends in a horizontal plane across more than 90°, so that the second forming unit 530 can also be used as the first forming unit by adjusting the actuating direction by rotating the turntable in such a way that it is oriented radially to the transport axis of the wire rod.

[0112] In this forming machine, too, a particularly efficient bending process for the production of hairpins with particularly high dimensional accuracy is possible by using at least one second forming unit 530 with the possibility of oblique actuation.

[0113] FIGS. 7A to 7F show, for example, a schematic bending sequence for producing a hairpin using a forming machine similar to FIG. 3, wherein the bending units of the first and second bending station are reversed. Since the sequence of images is self-explanatory, only a brief explanation of particularly remarkable aspects is given. In the straight wire rod W, a first larger bend is first created by the vertically adjustable forming unit (FIG. 7A), before slight bends are created by a horizontally adjustable forming unit, which open up the third dimension (FIG. 7B). Then a vertically adjustable rotary draw-bending unit is engaged again to create the bend on the roof ridge (FIG. 7C). Located at the next bending station (FIG. 7D) is then a second forming unit, that is, a forming unit, whose bending tool can be actuated in an oblique direction, oblique to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane. With the forming tool, which is designed as a pin-mandrel bending tool, the so-called S-stroke in the prefabricated bend is then generated by alternating engagement and alternating rotation in opposite directions. Here, too, the oblique actuation allows optimum tool engagement, resulting in optimum tool geometry. The next bending operations are then carried out successively at two subsequent bending stations, wherein the bend shown in FIG. 7E is generated in a vertical bending plane, while the final bend shown in FIG. 7F is created with the rotary draw-bending tool actuatable from above.

[0114] FIGS. 8A to 8G show a corresponding sequence of bending operations in a schematic plan view. After the first bend with a horizontal bending plane (FIG. 8A), a curved roof side is created by three small bends in a vertical bending plane (FIG. 8B), before the bend which is to form the roof ridge (FIG. 8C) is created in a horizontal bending plane in a subsequent bending operation. The second forming unit is then engaged, which is actuated obliquely to the transport direction and to the orthogonal plane. FIG. 8D shows the first bending operation in a bending plane which is oriented vertically and obliquely to the transport direction, FIG. 8E shows the following bending operations which, in a manner slightly offset from the first bend, create a bend with the reversed direction of curvature to form the S-stroke. FIGS. 8F and 8G then show the last bending operations toward the finished hairpin (FIG. 8G).

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0025]Our forming machines and methods are provided to produce shaped parts from an elongate workpiece. In some instances, the forming machine is suitable and intended to produce complexly bent wire parts. The forming machine has a device for conveying an elongate workpiece to a forming system which has a plurality of forming units. These can be controlled in a coordinated manner via a control device. Each of the forming units has a tool holder which has a tool receptacle for receiving a forming tool. The forming tool, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder, can be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece, without engagement in the workpiece, and an engagement position with the aid of a numerically controlled actuating axis (machine axis for actuation) of the forming unit. However, the actuation to the engagement position does not yet lead to forming. Workpiece contact may already be present in the engagement position, but this is not mandatory. Proce...

Claims

1. A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, comprising:devices that convey an elongate workpiece to a forming system having a plurality of forming units, whereineach of the forming units has a tool holder having a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit,whereinthe forming system comprises at least one first forming unit and at least one second forming unit, whereinthe first forming unit has a first tool holder which can be actuated in a first actuating direction that lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction of the workpiece, andthe second forming unit has a second tool holder which, in at least one working configuration of the second forming unit, is actuatable in a second actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, whereinthe second tool holder has a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool in the form of a bending tool, having at least one tool part rotatable about a bending axis, and the second forming unit has a rotating mechanism with a rotary drive that rotates the rotatable tool part about the bending axis, wherein the bending axis is parallel to the second actuating direction.

2. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality, or all, of the forming units have a rotating mechanism that operates a forming tool in the form of a bending tool with at least one tool part rotatable about a bending axis and / or at least one of the forming units receives a forming tool in the form of a bending tool having two tool parts independently rotatable about a bending axis, and the rotating mechanism has two independently controllable rotary drives that rotate the rotatable tool parts.

3. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one forming unit is configured as a rotary draw-bending unit and has a machine axis that moves the rotatable tool part in the direction of a bending mold in such a way that a received workpiece portion is able to be clamped by the tool part between the bending mold and the tool part.

4. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an actuating direction adjusting device that variably adjusts the orientation of the second actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range, wherein the actuating direction angular range in addition to an oblique direction comprises at least one actuating direction that lies in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the local transport direction, and / or wherein the actuating direction angular range is at least 180°.

5. The forming machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuating direction adjusting device has a controllable machine axis that changes the second actuating direction, and the actuating direction adjusting device comprises an arcuate guide on which is guided a carriage that supports the second forming unit including a drive of the actuating axis and / or wherein the second forming unit is assembled on a turntable, in such a manner that the second forming unit is pivotable about a rotation axis extending perpendicularly to the second actuating direction.

6. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forming machine comprises a plurality of first forming units.

7. The forming machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of first forming units with differently oriented first actuating directions are arranged in or near a common orthogonal plane, and the second actuating direction of the second forming unit is oriented obliquely to this orthogonal plane and to the transport direction.

8. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the devices that convey the workpiece comprise an infeed device that draws in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and conveys the workpiece to the forming system, the infeed device being a rotatable infeed device for a numerically controlled workpiece rotation.

9. The forming machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of first forming units are arranged in different orthogonal planes mutually offset in the transport direction, and the second forming unit is downstream of at least one first forming unit in the transport direction, and a second forming unit is arranged between an upstream and a downstream first forming unit.

10. The forming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one forming unit has a multi-part forming tool having a bending mold having an encircling groove that receives a portion of the workpiece to be bent, and a tool part which for engaging on a portion of the workpiece to be bent is rotatable about the bending mold by rotation about a bending axis.

11. The forming machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein the bending mold is a split bending mold having a lower mold part and an upper mold part that moves relative to the lower mold part, wherein a lower delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the lower mold part and an upper delimiting surface of the encircling groove is formed on the upper mold part, and the upper mold part and the lower mold part by a drive are displaceable relative to one another to vary an available height of the encircling groove between a closed configuration with a relatively smaller available height and an open configuration with a greater available height in comparison to the smaller available height, and the delimiting surfaces are aligned parallel to one another and perpendicularly to a bending axis of the forming tool.

12. The forming machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the drive operates in such a manner that in the closed configuration the portion received in the encircling groove is clamped between the upper and the lower delimiting surface by a clamping force acting parallel to the bending axis, and / or that one of the mold parts has a guide opening for axially guiding a displacement movement of the other mold part, and the other mold part has a guide portion dimensioned for introduction into the guide opening and a head portion which is enlarged in comparison to the guide portion, wherein a radial outer surface of the guide portion delimits the encircling groove inwardly and one of the delimiting surfaces of the encircling groove is formed on the head portion, and the guide portion has, at least on that side on which the engagement of a flat material in the encircling groove takes place, a cylindrical outer contour in such a manner that a radially inner base area of the encircling groove is formed by a part of the radial outer surface of the guide portion exposed between the upper and lower delimiting surfaces.

13. A method for producing shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, comprising:conveying the elongate workpiece in the direction of a forming system comprising a plurality of forming units which each support a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement extending transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is movable selectively to a working position with engagement with the workpiece or to a retracted position;generating at least one first bend is in a first portion of the workpiece by a first forming unit, wherein the first forming unit is actuated in a first actuating direction extending perpendicularly to the transport direction;generating at least one second bend in a second portion by a second forming unit, wherein the second forming unit is actuated in a second actuating direction oblique to the transport direction and oblique to an orthogonal plane of the transport direction, androtating a bending tool with at least one rotatable tool part about a bending axis oriented parallel to the second actuating direction to generate the second bend.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one second bend is generated chronologically after a first bend.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first bend is generated by rotary draw-bending.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein, after generating a first bend, the workpiece has a portion extending in the transport direction and a portion following the first bend, the latter portion extending in a direction oblique to the transport direction, and the second bend is generated in the oblique portion or in the region of the first bend.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second actuating direction is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the orientation of a workpiece portion to be formed by the second forming unit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein two bends with opposite directions of curvature are created in immediate succession by the second forming unit.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein after creating the first bend, the workpiece is moved in a transport direction, and then at least one second bend is created, in a second portion lying at a spacing from the first portion, by a second forming unit, wherein, due to the first bend, the second portion is oriented in a direction extending transversely to the transport direction, and the second forming unit is actuated in an actuating direction that lies obliquely to the transport direction and obliquely to an orthogonal plate of the transport direction.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein between creating a first bend and creating a second bend, to change the bending plane the workpiece is rotated about the transport axis.

21. A forming machine that produces shaped parts from an elongate workpiece, comprising:an infeed device that draws in an elongate workpiece from a material supply and conveys the workpiece along a transport axis to a forming system, wherein the infeed device is a rotatable infeed device for a numerically controlled workpiece rotation about the transport axis; andthe forming system, having at least one forming unit having a tool holder with a tool receptacle that receives a forming tool which, by way of an actuating movement of the tool holder directed transversely to a local transport direction of the workpiece, is able to be reciprocated between a position retracted from the workpiece and an engaging position by a numerically controlled actuation axis of the forming unit,whereinthe tool holder, in at least one working configuration of the forming unit, is actuatable in an actuating direction that lies obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to an orthogonal plane lying perpendicularly to the local transport direction of the workpiece, andan actuating direction adjusting device that variably adjusts the orientation of the actuating direction within an actuating direction angular range which, in addition to the actuating direction oriented obliquely to the local transport direction and obliquely to the orthogonal plane, comprises at least one actuating direction that lies in the orthogonal plane.

22. The forming machine as claimed in claim 21, wherein the actuating direction angular range is at least 180°.

23. The forming machine as claimed in claim 21, wherein the actuating direction adjusting device has a controllable machine axis for changing a second actuating direction, and the actuating direction adjusting device comprises an arcuate guide on which is guided a carriage that supports a second forming unit including a drive of the actuating axis.

24. The forming machine as claimed in claim 21, wherein a second forming unit is assembled on a turntable, in such a manner that the second forming unit is pivotable about a rotation axis that runs perpendicularly to the actuating direction.

Images