Adjustable Roller Straightening Unit for Wire Alignment and Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawing and straightening units for elongated metal products face issues with non-alignment, leading to wear on rollers and ineffective drawing, and require complex alignment adjustments when changing wire diameters.
Innovation Solution
A drawing and straightening unit with adjustable rollers that can move transversely to align grooves with metal products, ensuring precise alignment and reducing wear, featuring a motorized first roller with circular grooves and idle, adjustable second rollers that can rotate independently and move to align with the feed unit's apertures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the feed unit supplies metal products substantially aligned with the feed axis, then the alignment is improved, but wear on the upper edges of the grooves or free surfaces of the motorized roller increases due to non-perfect alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the grooves dynamic by allowing them to move radially with respect to the roller axis. The grooves can adjust their position to accommodate variations in metal product alignment, transforming from a static to a dynamic configuration. This dynamic adjustment eliminates wear caused by misalignment while maintaining precise engagement with the metal products during drawing operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the diameter of the wire or wires being worked is changed, then adaptability is improved, but the complexity of alignment operations increases requiring lateral translation of the entire feed unit
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves are designed to move radially with respect to the roller axis, creating a dynamic adjustment mechanism. This allows the grooves to automatically adapt to different wire diameters and alignment positions without requiring complex lateral translation of the entire feed unit. The dynamic groove positioning simplifies the alignment process while maintaining versatility across different product specifications.
3Ease of operation
If the grooves are deformed or widened at the inlet zone, then ease of engagement is improved, but positioning precision of metal products deteriorates leading to ineffective drawing
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of deforming or widening the grooves statically at the inlet zone, the invention implements a dynamic radial movement of the grooves. The grooves move radially with respect to the roller axis to facilitate engagement while maintaining their precise geometry. This dynamic approach allows easy engagement without compromising positioning precision, as the groove movement is controlled and reversible.
Data Source
AI summary
Drawing and straightening unit (10) having at least one first roller (12) and at least one second roller (16, 17, 18) opposite said first roller (12) with respect to an axis of feed (X) of said at least one metal product (P). The present invention also concerns an apparatus (100), comprising a feed unit (119) and a drawing and straightening unit (10), and a corresponding method to draw and straighten metal products (P) with said drawing and straightening unit (10).