Rotary apparatus

Abstract

A rotary cutting and forming apparatus for strip material, having has rotatable upper and lower roll units, the units being connected for synchronous rotation, each of the units having a carrier member with at least one recess extending parallel to its central axis, and at least one die support block, the block being rotatably received within the recess, and having two ends, and a surface to which a die may be affixed, leading and trailing control pins on the block, extending on parallel spaced apart axes, and leading and trailing cam surfaces engaging respective leading and trailing control pins, to control the position of the blocks during at least that part of their rotation when the dies engage the workpiece so that the forming planes of such dies are parallel to the workpiece during such engagement and immediately prior to and subsequent to such engagement.

Description

with certain other parts shown in phantom outline; 22, Lower unit 34 rotates.End plates 38 and 39 are provided at opposite ends of the rotary apparatus 20 for a purpose yet to be explained. central axis rotational axes of the die blocks 142 and 144 move around a circular path indicated in phantoms as 146 paths.

However, the surface portions 148 and 150 of the carrier members 138 and 140 lie on the perimeter perimeters of a circle circles 146 of a somewhat smaller radius than the circle 146 radii.

In this way, when the two carrier members 138 and 140 are in the position illustrated in FIG. 13 12, the surfaces 148 and 150 are out of contact with the workpiece 12.

The workpiece is held in any event between the pinch rolls 122 and 124, and is therefore at all times controlled.

By suitably programming the processor 136 to operate the clutch 130 and brake 132 in the correct time sequence, it is possible to stop the upper and lower carrier members 1348 and 140 in the position shown in FIG. 13 12, for a predetermined dwell time, sufficient to allow an unformed portion 12b 22b of the workpiece 12 to pass between them.

The processor 136 will then again signal the brake 132 to release and the clutch 130 to re-engage, and rotation of the carrier members 138 and 140 will be resumed.

The foregoing is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given here by way of example only. The invention is not to be taken as limited to any of the specific features as described, but comprehends all such variations thereof as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotary cutting and forming apparatus for forming strip material having a major plane and for use in association with material forming material-forming dies comprising, which dies have strip material-engaging forming planes and which apparatus comprises:

a rotatable upper roll unit and a corresponding rotatable lower roll unit, said units being connected for synchronous rotation through rotary cycles, each of said units comprising a corner carrier defining a central axis, said member having at least one recess extending along said member parallel to the central axis, said recess having bearing surface means of generally semi-circular semi-cylindrical shape, and at least one a die support block, rotatably received within said recess, said block defining two ends and a platan platen surface to which at least one of a said forming dies die may be affixed for movement with said block through a position in which a said forming plane of said die is generally parallel to said major plane of such strip material;

leading control pin means extending from a leading portion of a said end of each said die support block along a first axis parallel to said central axis;

trailing control pins means extending from a trailing portion of a said end , of each said die support block along a second axis parallel to and spaced apart from said first axis of said leading control pin means;

said upper and lower roll units being spaced apart whereby said strip material may pass therebetween for formation deformation by said forming dies;

upper and lower leading cam surface means positioned to engage said leading pin means of respective said die support blocks, and having a predetermined leading cam profile profiles;

upper and lower trailing cam surface means positioned to avoid said leading pin means, and to engage only said trailing pin means of respective said die support blocks, and having a predetermined trailing cam profile profiles different from said leading cam profile profiles, whereby to support said die support blocks during at least a first portion of the each said rotary cycle whereby a die said upper and lower leading cam surfaces and said upper and lower trailing cam surfaces have such configurations that dies affixed to said block blocks on said upper and lower unit may units register with each other and cooperate together and are disposed with their strip material-engaging planes mutually parallel and parallel to the strip material during engagement with the strip material for the deformation of the that material and immediately prior to and immediately after such engagement; and,

bearing means for supporting said upper and lower units.

2. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said, which comprises drive means operatively connected to said upper and lower roll units through transmission means and bearings said bearing means and in which said transmission means and said bearing means are adjustable to allow said upper and lower roll units to be spaced apart at different distances and including hydraulic pistons, connected to one of said units and connected to power and control means, whereby said spacing may be adjusted.

3. A rotary apparatus as

claimed in claim 1 wherein said dies define a flat forming plane. 4. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said path definition means comprise 1 and which also comprises:

an upper end plate at each end of said blocks upper roll unit and fixed with respect to the central axis of said upper roll unit; and

a lower end plate at each end of said blocks lower roll unit and fixed with respect to the central axis of said lower roll unit , in which said upper leading cam surface means and said upper trailing cam surface means are provided on said upper end plates, and in which said lower leading cam surface means and said lower trailing cam surface means are provided on said lower end plates ;

guide means associated with each said plate adapted to receive and guide said pins; and,

wherein said first portion of the rotary cycle includes a position of contact with the material and a portion of the cycle prior to and

subsequent to said position of contact. 5. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein each said guide cam surface means comprises a first cam groove portion , defined in a respective said plates, said first groove defining end plate and having a generally concave groove configuration and adapted to receive and guide respective ones of said pins whereby said forming plane is essentially parallel to said material leading and trailing control pin means during said first portion of the each said

rotary cycle. 6. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein each said guide cam surface means includes a second cam groove portion , defined in a respective said plates end plate and connected to said first cam groove portion, said second cam groove portion being adapted to receive and guide respective ones of said pins leading and trailing control pin means during said a second portion of the each said rotary cycle.

7. A rotary apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein each said pin includes a cam follower means adapted to fit within the follow said first and second grooves in said end

plates. 8. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said pins leading control pin means and said trailing control pin means are provided on opposite ends of a each said die support block

define different pin axes. 9. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein each said guide cam surface means comprises a ramp affixed to a respective said plates, said ramp defining end plate and having a generally concave surface adapted to receive and guide respective one of said pins leading and trailing control pin means whereby said forming plane is essentially parallel to said material during said first portion of

the each said rotary cycle. 10. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said corner member has a limiting abutment extending into said recess whereby the rotation of said block within said recess is limited in one direction, and said retaining means includes and which also comprises spring means affixed between each said die support block and said corner its associated carrier member , said spring means and urging said die support block against said limiting abutment

in a predetermined direction. 11. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein each said die support block defines comprises a channel extending along a peripheral portion thereof of the semi-circular circumference of the block and wherein said corner carrier member defines has a post extending radially away from said central axis , said post adapted to fit within of said carrier member and extending into said channel,and wherein said spring means is affixed at one end to said die support block within said channel therein and at the other end to said post on said carrier member.

12. A rotary apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein each said pin includes a cam follower means, said cam

follower means adapted to contact said surface of said ramp. 13. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said pins leading control pin means and said trailing control pin means are provided on opposite ends of a each said die support block define different pin

axes. 14. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said die support block in one of said upper and lower units has at least one outwardly extending locating dowel and where each said die support block in the other of said upper and lower units has a corresponding dowel receiving dowel-receiving bore adapted to receive said dowel, said dowels and bores being located to toward at least one side of said material end of said upper and lower units, whereby said dowels are inserted within said bores during contact by of

said dies with said strip material. 15. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said leading control pin means is located at one said end of its said block, and said trailing control pin means is are located on the other said end opposite ends

of each said block. 16. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of said die support blocks in each of said

unit upper and lower units. 17. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including guidance bar means on each said die support block in at least one of said upper and lower units, said guidance bar means being extendable from each said block to, and being retractable into said block upon the closing together of a an opposed pair of said die support blocks

of said upper and lower units. 18. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said guide block guidance bar means comprise elongated generally rectangular bars, and shaft means extending into said die support blocks from said guide bar means rectangular bars, and spring means controlling movement of said shafts urging said rectangular bars outwardly relative to said die support blocks.

19. A rotary apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including retaining channel means formed in each end of each said block, and retaining flanges on said carrier members, received in said channel

means. 20. A rotary apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carrier member has a surface adjacent said at least one recess, said surface being so formed as to be out of contact with said strip material

at all times. 21. A rotary forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 20 including drive motor means, clutch means driven by said drive motor means, brake means connected to said rotary apparatus, for stopping same, and control means for operating said clutch means and brake means in timed relation, whereby said rotary apparatus may be started and stopped intermittently while said strip material continues to pass therethrough.