Apparatus and method for surface cleaning welding imperfections from metal products

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for surface cleaning welding imperfections (12) from a metal product (11), comprising at least one cleaning member (13) configured to cooperate with at least one longitudinal surface (11a) of the metal products (11) on which the welding imperfections (12) are present, and at least one movement member (14) configured both to support the cleaning member (13) and also to selectively move the latter at least in a first direction of movement (DI) substantially parallel to a direction of advance (AD) of the metal products (11), and wherein the cleaning member (13) comprises at least one shaving removal motorized tool (20).

Description

[0001] “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SURFACE CLEANING WELDING IMPERFECTIONS FROM METAL PRODUCTS”

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention concerns an apparatus and the corresponding method for cleaning or removing surface imperfections, or excesses, also known as burrs, resulting from a process of creating a weld between two metal products intended for rolling, such as for example two billets or other.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Rolling plants, designed to operate starting from metal products, for example billets, to be subjected to multiple rolling passes through corresponding roughing and finishing rolling stands so as to obtain a long rolled product, are known. Plants that comprise, upstream of the rolling stands, one or more heating furnaces are known, for example of the type known as “walking beam”, configured to receive and heat the billets supplied even at ambient temperature. Advantageously, at exit from the heating furnace the billet has a temperature even higher than about 1200°C.

[0006] The billets are, as a rule, fed according to desired feeding sequences and timing from a warehouse disposed substantially in-line with, and upstream of, the heating furnace.

[0007] It is also known that, in order to optimize plant productivity and make the rolling continuous, it is possible to provide a welding machine downstream of the heating furnace, for example of the type having a transformer positioned at the upper part, called K- Welding, or a next generation welding machine with a lateral and more accessible transformer, referred to with the acronym HBW (Horizontal Billet Welding), by means of which the head of the billet at exit from the furnace is welded and pressed by plastic deformation directly against the tail of the preceding billet, thus allowing to feed a continuous metal product to the rolling mill which is compliant with the supply sizes of the final rolled product.

[0008] This type of welding inevitably defines, in the joint area, a perimeter imperfection, or excess, commonly known as a welding burr, which protrudes irregularly from the overall transverse dimension of the billet’s perimeter by up to a few tens of millimeters, and which can interfere with the subsequent rolling operations if not suitably removed or at least reduced in size, within predefined tolerance parameters.

[0009] Currently, known solutions resort to using surface cleaning apparatuses equipped with a plurality of discs, or knives, generally idle, disposed fixed with respect to the billet’s direction of advance and operationally positioned substantially parallel and in selective cooperation with the longitudinal surfaces of the billet itself, in order to gradually remove the burr as a result of the impact between disc and burr, indirectly induced by the relative speed between the advancing billet and the cleaning apparatus.

[0010] This burr removal operation, known as “deburring”, advantageously occurs with several passes through a series of disks located in succession, each of which removes a portion of the burr on the corresponding lateral surface of the billet.

[0011] These apparatuses find functional application in working quadrangular products, since known solutions typically provide, for each longitudinal surface and with respect to the billet’s direction of advance, a pair of advanced discs and one disc set back and transversely staggered with respect to the advanced pair, for a total of three discs per surface, that is, twelve discs in total; these discs are brought to a fixed height with respect to the nominal size of the billet, corresponding, statistically, to the presence of the burr when this is detected by a sensor of a known type, or on the basis of a calculation algorithm that takes into account the length of the billets.

[0012] In addition to the need to provide a large number of discs so as to guarantee the burrs are removed from the four lateral surfaces of the billet, one of the main operational limitations of known apparatuses is the substantial impossibility of operating on billets that have cross sections that are not quadrangular, that is, round, octagonal or other cross sections, or using the same apparatus to process subsequent production batches of billets with different sections from each other.

[0013] In fact, since the discs are necessarily fixed with respect to the direction of advance, and operationally positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal surfaces of the billet, they require long and complex tooling steps in the event of a format change, or a large number of rows of discs in succession. These operations lead to long production stoppages, resulting in management costs and substantial plant production loss. In addition, current machines are not designed to work some types of sections, so it is not easy to house the disks.

[0014] Another disadvantage of known solutions is that, by removing the burrs using only the passive action of the discs, due to the effect of the impact of the latter on the burr, it is not possible to guarantee, for each pass, that the quality of the cleaning carried out is replicable, since this is strongly conditioned by the random shape of the burr as well as by its sizes, and also by the quality of the weld and any misalignments in the reciprocal welding between subsequent billets.

[0015] In these cases, since the position of the discs is fixed with respect to the billet’s direction of advance, the removal may not always be effective, leaving bunresidues on the surfaces which can get caught in the guide systems for the subsequent rolling stands, and can also cause dangerous cobbling situations.

[0016] In addition, since they may leave some burr residue, current solutions are not suitable for application on special steels which, due to their composition and rolling characteristics, have to be substantially free of surface defects.

[0017] Therefore, currently special steel billets are not subjected to welding, but rolled one by one, with a reduction in productivity, an increase in head and tail cropping, and possible increased risks of cobbling, considering that each of them has to subsequently enter all the rolling stands.

[0018] Document CN114012347A describes a robot for the post-welding surface treatment of a profile. Document CN116511681 A describes a welding point cleaning device, a cleaning equipment and a cleaning method. Document US2023 / 302569A1 describes a burr removal tool. Document EP4260955A1 describes a device for finishing a plate-shaped piece. Document JPS5930672A describes a combined grinding wheel.

[0019] There is therefore the need to perfect an apparatus and devise a method that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

[0020] To do this, it is necessary to resolve the technical problem of effectively cleaning the burr resulting from the processes of welding two successive billets in a rolling plant, substantially without production limitations, both as a function of the metal products fed and also of the rolled products to be obtained.

[0021] In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and to perfect a method that allow an effective and economical surface cleaning of welding imperfections, or burrs, from metal products, such as billets, in a manner substantially independent of the shape and transverse sizes of the processed metal product, that is, to process successive production batches of metal products with different sizes and sections.

[0022] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that guarantees an effective and uniform surface cleaning of welding burrs, even in cases where slight misalignments of reciprocal welding, that is, excessive burr, may occur.

[0023] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that guarantees that the quality of the cleaning performed is replicable, regardless of the shape of the burr or of its composition in terms of welding oxides.

[0024] Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and perfect a method that allow an effective application even on special steels, which have to be substantially free of surface defects.

[0025] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

[0026] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0028] In accordance with the above purposes and to resolve the technical problem described above in a new and original way, also achieving considerable advantages compared to the state of the prior art, an apparatus according to the present invention is applied to surface clean welding imperfections, or more simply burrs, from metal products, such as billets or other, for example. The apparatus comprises at least one cleaning member, which is configured to cooperate with at least one longitudinal surface of the metal products from which the burrs have to be removed. The metal products are moved in a direction of advance.

[0029] Here and hereafter in the disclosure, for convenience, instead of a generic metal product we will refer by way of example to a billet; however, it is not excluded that the apparatus and the method according to the present invention can be also equally and effectively applied to blooms, slabs or other semi-finished steel products, which are commonly produced starting from ingots or from continuous casting.

[0030] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, at least one movement member is configured to support the cleaning member and to selectively move it at least in a first direction of movement substantially parallel to a direction of advance of the metal products.

[0031] This first characteristic aspect of the solution, according to the present invention, allows an active arrangement of the cleaning member with respect to the burrs to be cleaned, since it is moved specifically by the movement member. Therefore, unlike known passive systems, the invention allows to define desired conditions of the burr cleaning cycle as a function of both the shape and transverse sizes of the processed metal product, and also of subsequent production batches with billets of different sizes and sections, and also of the actual conditions of the burr, such as for example width and specific location on the longitudinal surface.

[0032] The cleaning member comprises at least one motorized tool, configured to operate on the burrs with a shaving removal mode.

[0033] This solution allows to guarantee an effective and uniform surface cleaning of the welding burrs, even in cases where there may be slight misalignments of reciprocal welding, or an excessive burr. In fact, thanks to the shaving removal mode, and not with the simple removal by induced impact as occurs in known systems, it is possible to actively intervene on the removal conditions, varying them selectively and as a function of the specific cutting operating conditions, that is, the speeds, angles and feeds, in order to achieve a cleaning that is performed with a replicable standard of quality, independently of the shape of the burr, or of its composition in terms of welding oxides.

[0034] Furthermore, these characteristics and advantages of the solution according to the present invention, by guaranteeing a complete and replicable removal of the burrs, also find effective application on special steels, which need to be substantially free of surface defects in order to be subjected to effective rolling.

[0035] This achieves at least the technical advantage of being able to effectively clean the burr deriving from the processes of welding two successive billets in a rolling plant, substantially without production limitations, as a function of both the metal products fed and also the rolled products to be obtained.

[0036] The motorized tool comprises an operating surface on which a plurality of removal elements are provided, which are configured to progressively remove the welding imperfections and are disposed in a radially discontinuous manner and transversely staggered from each other.

[0037] This advantageous reciprocal disposition of the removal elements allows to concentrate the portion of burr removed and, therefore, the force required for each removal element, to the advantage both of an effective evacuation and breaking of the shaving formed during operation on the burrs, and also of the definition of a desired ratio of removed material to removal element, in order to optimize the removal production intervention without excessive effort for the removal elements.

[0038] Therefore, the action of the motorized tool is thus optimized, limiting both ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, to the advantage of the productivity and management costs of the entire cleaning apparatus and, consequently, of the steel plant in which it is installed.

[0039] In one advantageous embodiment, the motorized tool substantially consists of a plurality of removal discs disposed side-by-side so as to externally define the operating surface. In this embodiment of the present invention, each removal disc is conformed both to radially define a plurality of removal elements, which can be conformed, for example, in the form of radial teeth, and also to be disposed radially staggered with respect to an adjacent disc, being attached, for example, by means of a key to a common rotation shaft.

[0040] This solution, in addition to guaranteeing all the operational and functional characteristics of the inventive idea according to the present invention, is particularly economical and easy to apply and maintain, in the event of wear and / or accidental breakage of the teeth, as a result of the working.

[0041] In another advantageous embodiment, the motorized tool provides a rotating support, for example cylindrical, which externally defines the operating surface and is configured to accommodate the selective assembly of the removal elements which, in this case, can be ceramic cutting inserts.

[0042] This solution, in addition to guaranteeing all the operational and functional characteristics of the inventive idea according to the present invention, is particularly practical and effective in any maintenance phases, since it allows for a punctual replacement of only the inserts involved in the effective removal of shaving from the burrs. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the movement member is configured to move the motorized tool also in a second direction of movement, which is inclined, or in any case different, both with respect to the direction of advance and also with respect to the first direction of movement. An example may be the direction of extension of the burr on the corresponding longitudinal surface of the billet, that is, a direction substantially transverse to the direction of advance.

[0043] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member comprises drive means, or more simply an electric or hydraulic motor, or other, which is kinematically connected to the motorized tool so as to command its selective rotation according to a desired operating speed, and in a sense of rotation substantially discordant with the second direction of movement.

[0044] This aspect of the present invention allows to evacuate the shavings progressively removed from the burr, throwing them in the sense of the second direction of movement, that is, outward with respect to the longitudinal surface on which it acts. Doing so achieves the advantage that both the shavings, but above all the oxides, removed by the removal action of the motorized tool are not deposited on the longitudinal surface at the end of the working, to the advantage of the quality of the subsequent rolling steps for which the billet is intended. This aspect is particularly advantageous when working special steels, which during rolling have to be free of surface defects that can consist of, precisely, oxides and residues from cleaning of the welding burrs.

[0045] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the movement member comprises at least one anthropomorphic arm, on which the motorized tool is mounted and configured to actuate a combined movement of the latter, both in the first direction of movement and also in the second direction of movement.

[0046] This particular solution of the present invention allows to move the motorized tool substantially following the burr to be removed, keeping the nominal speed of advance of the billet unchanged. This aspect gives the solution according to the present invention the possibility of keeping a high production dynamism for the steel plant in which it is installed, to the advantage of high production, as well as limiting the thermal dissipation of the billets to a minimum, which are thus ready for the rolling train at the desired rolling temperatures, so as to obtain the predetermined quality and quantity of finished rolled product in time.

[0047] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member advantageously comprises at least one protection element, that is, a housing, disposed in cooperation with the motorized tool and conformed so as to define at least one portion for collecting the shavings removed from the burrs by the motorized tool. Preferably, the collection portion is located at exit from the discordant direction of rotation of the motorized tool, so that most of the shavings removed and thrown toward the outside of the longitudinal surface impact against this collection portion and do not disperse in other installation areas of the cleaning apparatus.

[0048] The present invention also concerns a method for surface cleaning burrs from a billet in which, simultaneously with a step of cleaning the burrs from the longitudinal surface of the billet by means of the cleaning member, as previously described, at least one movement step is performed in which, by means of at least one movement member, the cleaning member is selectively moved at least in the first direction of movement substantially parallel to the direction of advance of the billets. The method according to the present invention also provides that the cleaning step is performed by means of at least one motorized tool of the shaving removal type, in order to achieve the advantages described above.

[0049] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the method also provides a step of reciprocally welding two successive billets by plastic deformation, performed at least prior to the cleaning step.

[0050] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

[0052] - fig. 1 schematically shows a layout of a portion of a rolling plant in which a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is installed;

[0053] - fig. 2 schematically shows an enlargement of the cleaning apparatus of fig. 1 ;

[0054] - fig. 3 shows a lateral view of the cleaning apparatus with respect to the line III- III of fig. 2;

[0055] - fig. 4a shows an enlarged detail of fig. 3;

[0056] - fig. 4b shows a variant of fig. 4a; - fig. 5 shows a first embodiment of a motorized tool of the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

[0057] - fig. 6 shows an exploded view of fig. 5;

[0058] - fig. 7 shows a second embodiment of a motorized tool of the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

[0059] - fig. 8 shows an exploded view of fig. 7.

[0060] We must clarify that the phraseology and terminology used in the present description, as well as the figures in the attached drawings also in relation as to how described, have the sole function of better illustrating and explaining the present invention, their purpose being to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

[0061] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings, ft is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications. DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0062] With reference to fig. 1, an apparatus 10 according to the present invention is applied to surface clean welding imperfections, or burrs 12, from a metal product, or billet 11 , in a rolling plant 100, which is shown schematically.

[0063] The plant 100 is of the type designed to operate starting from billets 11 to be subjected to multiple rolling passes, through corresponding roughing and finishing rolling stands 110, of which only one is schematized in the drawing, so as to obtain a specific rolled product. In particular, the plant 100 shown comprises, upstream of the rolling stands 110, a heating furnace 120, for example of the “walking beam” type, configured to receive and heat the billets 11 to a certain starting temperature.

[0064] The billets 11 are then fed along a rolling line L, according to desired feeding sequences and timing, by a pusher 130 disposed in cooperation with the outlet of the heating furnace 120.

[0065] The plant 100 also comprises a welding machine 140, disposed downstream of the heating furnace 120 with respect to the rolling line L, and by means of which the head of a billet 11 at exit from the heating furnace 120 is welded directly to the tail of a preceding billet 11, to give continuity of feed to the rolling stands 110. The welding, only schematized with a closed broken line, occurs by means of reciprocal longitudinal pressure between the two billets 11, assisted by the generation of an electric arc, so as to allow a plastic deformation between the two. In this way, in addition to structurally consolidating two successive billets 11 , the burr 12 is formed, through pressing, which protrudes irregularly from corresponding longitudinal surfaces I la of the billet 11 even by a few tens of millimeters, substantially following the outline of the billet’s 11 cross section.

[0066] The apparatus 10 is positioned along the rolling line L, in an intermediate position between the welding machine 140 and the rolling stands 110, so as to supply the latter with a continuous billet 11 without the burrs 12.

[0067] In particular, the apparatus 10 according to the present invention substantially comprises a cleaning member 13 and a movement member 14 on which the cleaning member 13 is mounted. The apparatus 10 according to the present invention also comprises a command and control unit 15, configured to coordinate and command the functions of the cleaning member 13 and the movement member 14, in order to effectively remove the burrs 12 from the longitudinal surfaces I la of the billet 11.

[0068] Common to the two embodiments described below, the movement member 14 comprises an anthropomorphic robot 16, for example of the type for industrial application with six degrees of freedom, installed on board the rolling line L and configurable to operate within a suitable work area 17, advantageously delimited by corresponding accident prevention guards 18.

[0069] In particular, the anthropomorphic robot 16 is programmed, by means of the command and control unit 15, so as to selectively move the cleaning member 13 in a dynamic combination between a first direction of movement D 1 , substantially parallel to a direction of advance AD of the billet 11 along the rolling line L, and a second direction of movement D2, substantially transverse with respect to the direction of advance AD, that is, in line with the transverse extension of the burr 12, with respect to the billet 11. This dynamic combination in the two directions of movement DI and D2 determines a substantially involute pattern of the cleaning member 13 with respect to the billet 11, substantially following the complete extension of the burr 12 during its advance along the rolling line L within the work area 17.

[0070] This combined movement, since it is able to provide a speed of advance in the first direction DI, coordinated with the nominal speed with which the billets 11 are fed to the rolling stands 110, and a speed of advance in the second direction of movement D2 of the order of even 80-120 mm / s, allows to process the entire burr 12 in approximately a couple of seconds per longitudinal surface I la, that is, in a space limited to 2 or 3 meters, with respect to the direction of advance AD, and without requiring any slowdown in the feed of the billets 11. This aspect, in addition to not affecting the production parameters of the plant 100, allows to reduce the thermal dissipations between the outlet of the heating furnace 120 and the inlet of the rolling stands 110 to a minimum, to the advantage of the quality of the finished rolled product and the rolling operations of the stands 110.

[0071] Although not specifically shown in the attached drawings, the combined movement of the cleaning member 13, determined by the anthropomorphic robot 16, defines a movement that follows a broken spiral involute around the billet 11 , so as to process all the longitudinal surfaces 11 a of the billet 11 , both lateral as well as upper and lower, with respect to the spatial positioning of the billet 11 itself.

[0072] According to a variant not shown, several anthropomorphic robots 16 can be provided, for example two, each one operationally associated with a corresponding cleaning member 13 and programmed to operate on alternate surfaces with respect to the other one, so as to substantially halve the intervention times and spaces for the complete removal of the burrs 12 from all the longitudinal surfaces 1 la of the billet 11. The two anthropomorphic robots 16 can be disposed indifferently opposing each other with respect to the rolling line L, or side-by-side and spaced apart on the same side of the rolling line L.

[0073] The specific programming of the anthropomorphic robot 16 for the movement of the cleaning member 13 is commanded by means of the command and control unit 15, which comprises at least one control panel 25 through which an operator can set specific characteristics of both the product, that is, the billet 11 in transit, and also the process, that is, the type of work to be carried out.

[0074] The command and control unit 15 advantageously also comprises at least one detector member 26, disposed upstream of the movement member 14 with respect to the direction of advance AD and suitable to detect the position of the burr 12, so as to coordinate and optimize the programmed movement of the anthropomorphic robot 16.

[0075] The cleaning member 13 comprises a mechanical support 19, attached to the wrist of the anthropomorphic robot 16 by flanging, and on which there are mounted, in cooperation with each other, a motorized tool 20, an angular transmission 21, an electric motor 22 and a protective housing 23.

[0076] In particular, the electric motor 22 is kinematically mounted on the angular transmission 21, which has an outlet shaft 24, on which the motorized tool 20 is keyed. The housing 23 is disposed to protect both the angular transmission 21 and also a substantial part of the motorized tool 20, leaving the latter uncovered only for a work portion that, operationally, will be taken to remove the shaving of the burr 12 to be removed.

[0077] Advantageously, the drive, or electric motor 22, makes the motorized tool rotate with a speed even greater than one thousand revolutions per minute, and with a sense of rotation V that can be defined substantially discordant with the second direction of movement D2, that is, in contrast to the relative transverse direction of the billet 11, that is, of its burr 12, with respect to the motorized tool 20. In this way, as better indicated in fig. 4a, the combination between the sense of rotation V and the second direction D2 causes the shavings 12a removed from the burr 12 to be thrown outside, or away from, the surface 1 la on which the motorized tool 20 is working. As stated, this operating condition limits to a minimum the possibility that these shavings 12a remain deposited on the longitudinal surfaces 11 a, defining impurities that operationally limit the rolling, in particular in the case of special steels.

[0078] The housing 23 has a collection portion, or hood 27, operationally disposed in the zone where the shavings 12a removed by the motorized tool 20 are thrown, so that the majority of the shavings 12a removed and thrown by the motorized tool 20 impacts against the hood 27 and does not disperse in the work area 17, or cannot accidentally go back to the longitudinal surfaces 1 la of the billet 11.

[0079] The motorized tool 20 comprises an operating surface 28, on which a plurality of removal elements 29 are provided, configured to progressively remove the burrs 12.

[0080] The removal elements 29 are disposed in a radially discontinuous manner and transversely staggered from each other, that is, they are disposed in alternating rows, so that an intermediate evacuation space is defined between two adjacent removal elements 29, useful to reduce the impact friction, concentrating the removed portion and, consequently, the force necessary for a single removal.

[0081] With the rotation and cutting speed parameters indicated here, the Applicant has experimented that the advance for removal elements 29 with each revolution, that is, the proportion of material that each removal element 29 removes with each rotation, is advantageously comprised between about 0.15 and 0.5 mm.

[0082] Figs. 5 and 6 show a first embodiment of the motorized tool 20 in which a plurality of removal discs 30 are provided, which are disposed side-by-side to each other externally defining the operating surface 28. In addition, each removal disc

[0083] 30 is conformed to radially define a plurality of removal elements 29 which, in this case, are in the form of cutting teeth 31 created in a single piece with the removal disc 30 itself, at a certain radial pitch from each other.

[0084] Each removal disc 30 centrally defines a coupling hole 32, by means of which it is coaxially mounted, directly or indirectly by means of bushings not shown, to the outlet shaft 24. The rotating support 36 is also provided with a hole for coupling to the outlet shaft 24, see fig. 7 and fig. 8.

[0085] Furthermore, each removal disc 30 defines a seating 33 for a tab 34, open toward the coupling hole 32. In particular, each removal disc 30 provides a seating 33 angularly staggered with respect to an adjacent removal disc 30, so that in a condition of assembly and alignment with respect to the tab 34, the cutting teeth

[0086] 31 are radially staggered according to the desired operating dispositions provided by the inventive idea according to the present invention.

[0087] In the solution shown, the removal discs 30 are kept adjacent to each other so as to define the motorized tool 20, for example by means of a series of through bolts 35, acting between the first and the last removal disc 30 of the pack.

[0088] In the alternative embodiment shown in figs. 7 and 8, the motorized tool 20 comprises a rotating support 36 provided outside the operating surface 28, and it is configured to accommodate the selective assembly of the removal elements 29 which, in this case, are in the form of cutting inserts 37. In particular, the cutting inserts 37 are distributed on the rotating support 36 in radially alternating rows of two and three cutting inserts 37, in order to define the desired operating dispositions provided by the inventive idea according to the present invention. In the solution shown, the rotating support 36 also defines discharge grooves 38 between one row of cutting inserts 37 and the other, in order to facilitate the operations of evacuating the shavings 12a removed from the burrs 12. The rotating support 36 is substantially disc- shaped or suchlike, in particular with a greater thickness than that of the single removal disc 30, so as to allow the assembly of the cutting inserts 37.

[0089] The operation of the apparatus 10 described heretofore, which corresponds to the method according to the present invention, comprises at least one cleaning step in which the burrs 12 are cleaned from the corresponding longitudinal surfaces I la of the billet, through the combined action of the cleaning member 13 and of the corresponding movement member 14, which moves the motorized tool 20 at least in the first direction of movement DI, substantially following the burr 12 to be removed, during its normal advance along the rolling line L.

[0090] It is clear that modifications and / or additions of parts may be made to the apparatus 10 and to the method as described heretofore, without thereby departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.

[0091] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art will be able to achieve other equivalent forms of apparatus and method for surface cleaning welding imperfections from metal products, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

[0092] In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate their reading and they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus (10) for surface cleaning welding imperfections (12) from metal products (11), comprising: at least one cleaning member (13) configured to cooperate with at least one longitudinal surface (I la) of said metal products (11) which are moved in a direction of advance (AD); and at least one movement member (14) configured to support and selectively move said cleaning member (13) at least in a first direction of movement (DI) substantially parallel to said direction of advance (AD) of said metal products (11), wherein said cleaning member (13) comprises at least one motorized tool (20), characterized in that said motorized tool (20) comprises an operating surface (28) on which a plurality of removal elements (29) are provided, which are configured to progressively remove said welding imperfections (12) and are disposed in a radially discontinuous manner and transversely staggered from each other, said removal elements (29) being in the form of cutting teeth or inserts (31, 37) provided on said operating surface (28), which is defined by a plurality of removal disks (30) disposed side-by-side or by a rotating support (36).

2. Apparatus (10) as in claim 1, characterized in that said motorized tool (20) is of the shaving removal type.

3. Apparatus (10) as in one or the other of the previous claims, characterized in that said movement member (14) is configured to move said motorized tool (20) also in a second direction of movement (D2) which is inclined, or in any case different, with respect to said direction of advance (AD).

4. Apparatus (10) as in claim 3, characterized in that said cleaning member (13) comprises drive means (22) kinematically connected to said motorized tool (20) and configured to command the selective rotation of said motorized tool (20) in a sense of rotation (V) substantially discordant with said second direction of movement (D2).

5. Apparatus (10) as in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said movement member (14) comprises at least one anthropomorphic robot (16) on which said motorized tool (20) is mounted and configured to actuate a combined movement of said motorized tool (20) both in said first direction of movement (DI) and also in said second direction of movement (D2).

6. Apparatus (10) as in claims 4 and 5, characterized in that said cleaning member (13) comprises a mechanical support (19) attached to the wrist of the anthropomorphic robot (16) on which said motorized tool (20), an angular transmission (21), said drive means (22) and a protective housing (23) are mounted in cooperation with each other.

7. Apparatus (10) as in claim 1, characterized in that each of said removal disks (30) is conformed both to radially define a plurality of said cutting teeth (31) and also to be disposed radially staggered with respect to an adjacent removal disk (30).

8. Apparatus (10) as in claim 1, characterized in that said rotating support (36) is configured to accommodate the selective assembly of said cutting inserts (37).

9. Apparatus (10) as in one or the other of the previous claims, characterized in that said cleaning member (13) comprises at least one protection element (23) disposed in cooperation with said motorized tool (20) and conformed in such a way as to define at least one portion (27) for the collection of shavings (12a) of said welding imperfections (12), which are removed by said motorized tool (20).

10. Apparatus (10) as in one or the other of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises a command and control unit (15), configured to coordinate and command the functions of the cleaning member (13) and the movement member (14).

11. Apparatus (10) as in claim 10, characterized in that said command and control unit (15) comprises a detector member (26), disposed upstream of the movement member (14) with respect to said direction of advance (AD), and suitable to detect the position of said welding imperfections (12).

12. Method for surface cleaning welding imperfections (12) from metal products(11), comprising at least one cleaning step in which said welding imperfections(12) are cleaned from at least one longitudinal surface (1 la) of said metal products (11) which are moved in a direction of advance (AD), by means of a cleaning member (13) configured to cooperate with said longitudinal surface (1 la) of said metal products (11), said method comprising at least one movement step, at least partly simultaneous with said cleaning step, in which said cleaning member (13) is moved at least in a first direction of movement (DI) substantially parallel to a direction of advance (AD) of said metal products (11), by means of at least one movement member (14) configured both to support and also to selectively movesaid cleaning member (13), wherein said cleaning step is carried out by means of at least one motorized tool (20) comprised in said cleaning member (13), wherein said motorized tool (20) comprises: an operating surface (28) on which a plurality of removal elements (29) are provided, which are configured to progressively remove said welding imperfections (12) and are disposed in a radially discontinuous manner and transversely staggered from each other, said removal elements (29) being in the form of cutting teeth or inserts (31, 37) provided on said operating surface (28), which is defined by a plurality of removal disks (30) disposed side-by-side or by a rotating support (36).

13. Method as in claim 12, characterized in that the cleaning occurs with shaving removal mode.

14. Method as in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that it provides a step of welding two successive metal products (11) by plastic deformation, prior to at least said cleaning step.

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