APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING AND PROCESSING SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for transporting and processing semi-finished products includes at least one processing unit (3), which has two support assemblies (4, 5, 23, 24) arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction (F) of the semi-finished product, a guide unit (6) and at least one processing head (7) arranged on the guide unit (6). A working region (A) of the processing head (7) extends between two support assemblies (4, 5, 23, 24) arranged one behind the other over a total width of the support assembly (4, 5, 23, 24). Each support assembly (4, 5, 23, 24) has two support segments (8, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27, 28). At least one support segment (8, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27, 28) is movable, such that the working region (A) of the processing head (7) is variable in the conveying direction (F).

Claims

1. A device for transporting and processing semi-finished products, comprising: at least one processing unit which comprises two support groups arranged one after the other in a conveyance direction of a semi-finished product, a guide unit and at least one processing head arranged on the guide unit, wherein a working area of the processing head extends between two support groups arranged one after the other over an entire width of the support group, wherein each support group is constructed from two support segments, wherein at least one support segment of a support group is movable, so that the working area of the processing head is variable in the conveyance direction.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support segments comprise multiple support fingers extending next to one another in the conveyance direction, wherein a hollow space is present between each pair of adjacent support fingers.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the support segments of a support group are arranged offset transversely with respect to the conveyance direction, so that the support fingers of the two support segments of a support group partially engage one another.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processing head is movably arranged by a positioning system on the guide unit.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein multiple processing units are arranged one after the other in the conveyance direction.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein a support group of the first processing unit further comprises a support group of the second processing unit.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the support group comprises two movable support segments.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a passive unit is arranged under the guide unit.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support groups are formed as conveyor belt groups, wherein each conveyor belt group is constructed from two conveyor belt segments.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein each conveyor belt segment comprises at least one circumferential conveyor belt.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support groups are formed as brush support groups, wherein each brush support group is constructed from two brush support segments.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support groups are formed as roller block groups, wherein each roller block group is constructed from two roller block segments.

13. A method for transporting and processing semi-finished products by a device according to claim 1, wherein the semi-finished product is processed continuously, by the working area of the processing head being continuously adjusted during transporting of the semi-finished product by moving the support segments in a respective support group.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the working area of the processing head is increased or decreased in the conveyance direction.

Description

[0028] Additional details, features, combinations of features, and effects based on the invention result from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention as well as from the drawings. The drawings show, in:

[0029] FIG. 1 an exemplary embodiment of a diagrammatically represented device according to the invention in a top view,

[0030] FIG. 2 the embodiment from FIG. 1 in a side view,

[0031] FIG. 3 an exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 in a perspective view,

[0032] FIG. 4 an exemplary embodiment of a conveyor belt finger in a perspective view,

[0033] FIG. 5 an exemplary embodiment of a conveyor belt segment with conveyor belt fingers in a perspective view,

[0034] FIG. 6 an exemplary additional embodiment of a diagrammatically represented device according to the invention with two processing units in a side view,

[0035] FIG. 7 an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention according to FIG. 6 in a perspective view,

[0036] FIG. 8 an additional embodiment of a diagrammatically represented device according to the invention with two processing units in a side view,

[0037] FIG. 9 an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention according to FIG. 8 in a perspective view.

[0038] Identical or identically operating parts are provided with the same reference numerals in all the figures.

[0039] In FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, an exemplary diagrammatically outlined embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention for transporting and processing semi-finished products is represented in a top view and a side view. In FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of the diagrammatically represented device from FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown. The device 1 is arranged between two supports 2 which are formed here as conveyor belts each having the same conveyance direction F. The device 1 according to the invention comprises a processing unit 3 which comprises two support groups 4, 5, a guide unit 6 and a processing head 7. The support groups 4, 5 are formed here as conveyor belt groups. The guide unit 6 is movably arranged in the conveyance direction F between the two support groups 4, 5. On the guide unit 6, the processing head 7 of a manufacturing system, not represented here, is attached, wherein said processing head processes the semi-finished product, also not represented here, resting on the supports 2, here conveyor belts, and the support groups 4, 5, here conveyor belt groups.

[0040] Each support group 4, 5 comprises two support segments 8, 9, 10, 11, respectively, which are formed here as conveyor belt segments, wherein each support segment 8, 9, 10, 11 comprises multiple support fingers 12 which are formed as conveyor belt fingers. In FIG. 4, an individual conveyor belt finger 12 is represented, and in FIG. 5 a conveyor belt segment 8 is represented. According to FIGS. 3 and 5, each conveyor belt segment 8, 9, 10, 11 comprises seven conveyor belt fingers 12. The conveyor belt fingers 12 extend in the conveyance direction F of the conveyor belts 2 and are each formed to be of the same length measured in the conveyance direction F. The width of all the conveyor belt fingers 12, measured transversely to the conveyance direction F, is also formed identically. Between two conveyor belt fingers 12, transversely to the conveyance direction F, a hollow space 13 is present, to which at least the width of a conveyor belt finger 12 corresponds.

[0041] Each conveyor belt finger 12 comprises a circumferential conveyor belt 14 which is deflected on two deflection rollers 15, 16. Additional rollers 17 are present between the two deflection rollers 15, 16, in order to support the conveyor belt 14 of the conveyor belt finger 12. A deflection roller 15 of the conveyor belt finger 12 has a continuous bore through which a shaft 18 protrudes, wherein the shaft 18 is connected in a torque proof manner to the deflection roller 15, so that, during a rotation of the shaft 18, the rotation is transmitted to the deflection roller 15, whereby the conveyor belt 14 of the conveyor belt finger 12 is set in motion.

[0042] On its two ends 19, the shaft 18 is connected to a drive 20 in each case. Alternatively, the use of only one drive 20 with correct dimensioning is also possible.

[0043] The conveyor belt finger 12 is moreover surrounded by a cover element 21, so that only the side of the conveyor belt 14 which is used as support for the semi-finished product is uncovered. The rollers 15, 16, 17 and the portion of the conveyor belt 14 lying under the conveyance plane are enclosed by the cover element 21.

[0044] According to FIGS. 1 to 3, the conveyor belt segments 8, 9, 10, 11 of each conveyor belt group 4, 5 are offset with respect to one another transversely to the conveyance direction F around a conveyor belt finger 12, so that the conveyor belt finger 12 of the mutually facing conveyor belt segments 8, 9, 10, 11 can engage in one another. For this purpose, the shafts 18 of the mutually correlated conveyor belt segments 8, 9, 10, 11 are provided on the respective ends which are farthest apart from one another. The outer conveyor belt segments 8, 11 of the two conveyor belt groups 4, 5, which adjoin the conveyor belts 2 of the device 1, are stationarily arranged here. The two internal conveyor belt segments 9, 10 of the two conveyor belt groups 4, 5 which face one another in the conveyance direction F, are formed as movable in or against the conveyance direction F.

[0045] The space extending between the two movable conveyor belt segments 9, 10 represents the working area A of the processing head 7 of the device 1. The working area A of the processing head 7 is variable due to the movement of the movable conveyor belt segments 9, 10, whereby a continuous processing moving along with the semi-finished product is enabled. The movable conveyor belt segments 9, 10 are moved by means of a setting unit, not represented here.

[0046] In FIG. 3, the guide unit 6 is formed as a bridge. The bridge 6 is here arranged so that it can be moved in or against the conveyance direction F on the device 1. The processing head 7 is fastened transversely to the conveyance direction F so that it can be moved on the bridge 6. Under the processing head 7, a passive unit 22, formed here as a collection pan, is formed under the conveyance plane. The collection pan 22 extends over the entire width, measured transversely to the conveyance direction F of the working area A.

[0047] In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a device 1 according to the invention with two processing units 3 arranged one after the other in the conveyance direction F is represented. In comparison to FIG. 3, two processing units 3 are arranged one after the other in the conveyance direction F. This means that an additional processing unit 3 adjoins the outer support segment 11 of the second support group 5, which also comprises two support groups 23, 24 and a guide unit 6 arranged between the two support groups 23, 24. In the second processing unit 3, the two outermost support segments 25, 28 of the two support groups 23, 24 are also stationarily arranged. The two opposite internal support segments 26, 27 are formed so as to be movable. In contrast to the embodiment from FIG. 3, the guide units 6 formed as bridges each have two processing heads 7. A collision of the two processing heads 7 on a guide unit 6 is prevented by control technology.

[0048] In FIGS. 8 and 9, an additional device 1 according to the invention with two processing units 3 arranged one after the other in the conveyance direction F is represented in a side view and in a perspective view. In contrast to the embodiment from FIGS. 6 and 7, the second support group 5 of the first processing unit 3 represents the first support group 23 of the second processing unit 3. Thus, only one support group 5, 23 is present between the two guide units 6 of the two processing units 3. The support segments 10, 11, 25, 26 of the support group 5, 23 are both formed so as to be movable in this embodiment.

[0049] The deflection rollers 15, 16 of each conveyor belt segment 8, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27, 28 of a conveyor belt group 4, 5, 23, 24 are represented with different sizes in the diagrammatic FIGS. 2, 6 and 8. This represented size difference is used primarily to distinguish the conveyor belt segments in the drawings. Alternatively, preferably all the deflection rollers 15, 16 of each conveyor belt segment 8, 9, 10, 11 of a conveyor belt group 4, 5 are formed with equal size.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0050] 1 Device [0051] 2 Support [0052] 3 Processing unit [0053] 4 First support group [0054] 5 Second support group [0055] 6 Guide unit [0056] 7 Processing head [0057] 8 First support segment of the first support group [0058] 9 Second support segment of the first support group [0059] 10 First support segment of the second support group [0060] 11 Second support segment of the second support group [0061] 12 Support finger [0062] 13 Hollow space between two support fingers [0063] 14 Conveyor belt of a conveyor belt finger [0064] 15 First deflection roller of a conveyor belt finger [0065] 16 Second deflection roller of a conveyor belt finger [0066] 17 Roller [0067] 18 Shaft [0068] 19 End of the shaft [0069] 20 Drive [0070] 21 Cover element [0071] 22 Passive unit [0072] 23 First support group of the second processing unit [0073] 24 Second support group of the second processing unit [0074] 25 First support segment of the first support group of the second processing unit [0075] 26 Second support segment of the first support group of the second processing unit [0076] 27 First support segment of the second support group of the second processing unit [0077] 28 Second support segment of the second support group of the second processing unit [0078] F Conveyance direction [0079] A Working area of the processing head