ROTARY FLOW FORMING APPARATUS

Abstract

A rotary flow forming apparatus for producing light alloy rims contains a main spindle with a clamping apparatus for a rim blank. An outer pressure roller is provided and is deliverable radially from the outside in and is movable parallel to the spindle axis, for producing an outer contour of the light alloy rim. The apparatus does not require massive internal dies and thereby significantly reduces the production costs and significantly improves the efficiency of rim production, which is achieved by the fact that the rotary flow forming apparatus has an inner pressure roller for generating an inner contour of the light alloy rim, which is arranged in the region of the inner side of the rim blank opposite the outer pressure roller and is mounted so as to be movable parallel to the spindle axis, rotatable, and deliverable radially from the inside outward to the rim blank.

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing light alloy rims for use on a motor vehicle, comprising: a rotary flow forming apparatus containing: a main spindle with a spindle axis and a clamping apparatus for receiving a cup-shaped rim blank; at least one outer pressure roller being deliverable radially from an outside in and is movable parallel to the spindle axis, for producing an outer contour of a light alloy rim from the cup-shaped rim bank; and at least two inner pressure rollers for generating a hollow-cylindrically-shaped inner contour of the light alloy rim from the cup-shaped rim bank, disposed in a region of an inner side of the cup-shaped rim blank opposite said at least two outer pressure rollers, and are mounted so as to be movable parallel to the spindle axis, rotatable, and deliverable radially from inside outward to the cup-shaped rim blank.

2. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inner pressure rollers each respectively have rotational axes that are inclined against the spindle axis.

3. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotational axes of said inner pressure rollers are variably mounted inside an angle of attack over a length of a travel path parallel to the spindle axis.

4. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shared feed unit, said inner pressure rollers are disposed on said shared feed unit, said inner pressure rollers are mounted so that they may move radially transversely to the spindle axis independently of one another, and in that said shared feed unit is configured so that it may move axially longitudinally in a direction of the spindle axis together with said outer pressure rollers.

5. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shared bracket part, said outer pressure roller and said inner pressure roller define a roller pair operating in opposite directions and are disposed on said shared bracket part which is configured to be movable parallel to the spindle axis.

6. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one outer pressure roller is one of a plurality of outer pressure rollers.

7. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one outer pressure roller is one of a plurality of outer pressure rollers; said inner pressure rollers corresponding to a number of said outer pressure rollers and are respectively disposed opposite one another.

8. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein two pairs of said outer pressure rollers and said inner pressure rollers are disposed offset from each other in a range of 180 about the spindle axis.

9. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a third pair of said outer pressure roller and said inner pressure roller is disposed between said first two pairs, offset about the spindle axis in a range of 90.

10. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein three pairs of said outer pressure rollers and said inner pressure rollers are disposed offset about the spindle axis in a range of 120 relative to each other.

11. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an outer end face of the light alloy rim is clamped to said clamping apparatus.

12. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an inner clamping apparatus by means of which the rim blank, from its later inner end face toward said main spindle, is pressed thereto through openings in the cup-shaped rim blank.

13. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said main spindle and/or said inner and outer pressure rollers, inside and/or outside, is/are equipped with heat shoes of an induction heater in a contactless arrangement about a cylindrically-shaped surface of the cup-shaped rim blank or the light alloy rim.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, illustration of a clamping apparatus of a rotary flow forming apparatus with a shared feed unit for the inner pressure rollers and with a clamped rim blank or clamped light alloy rim; and

[0025] FIG. 2 is an illustration of the clamping apparatus of the rotary flow forming apparatus with a shared bracket part for an outer and an inner pressure roller and with a clamped rim blank or clamped light alloy rim.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a rotary flow forming apparatus which has a main spindle 1 with a clamping apparatus 15, on which a cup-shaped rim blank 2 is held clamped which is formed there into a light alloy rim 11; for this purpose, the main spindle 1 of the rotary flow forming apparatus is rotated about the spindle axis 3 and outer pressure rollers 4, 5 are pressed from the outside and the inner pressure rollers 6, 7 are pressed from the inside against the rim blank 2 and are moved in the longitudinal direction of the spindle axis 3 so that the light alloy rim 11 is generated having desired outer and substantially hollow cylindrically-shaped inner contours of the wheel disc.

[0027] Rotational axes 12, 13 of the outer pressure rollers 4, 5 are generally oriented parallel to the spindle axis 3; in contrast, axes of rotation 12, 13 of the inner pressure rollers 5, 6 are set at an angle to the spindle axis 3, and this angle may be made variable, so that, for example, even in the region of the wheel disc, an inner partial deformation may take place, while the inner pressure rollers 6, 7 in the end portion of the light alloy rim 11 opposite the wheel disc may take a position that is parallel to the spindle axis 3 or is pivoted further.

[0028] The inner pressure rollers 4, 5 of a first version of the manufacturing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, are arranged on a shared feed unit 19, where they are mounted independently of each other and are capable of moving radially transversely to the spindle axis 3, the feed unit 19 being designed to be capable of moving axially longitudinally in the direction of the spindle axis 3.

[0029] In a second version of the manufacturing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of an outer pressure roller 4, 5 and an inner pressure roller 6, 7 operating in the opposite direction are arranged on a shared bracket part 14 which is designed to be movable parallel to the spindle axis 3.

[0030] The manufacturing apparatus additionally has the inner clamping apparatus 15 by means of which the rim blank 2 is pressed toward the main spindle 1 by its later inner end face 10 through openings in the rim blank 2.

[0031] In addition, the main spindle 1 and/or the pressure rollers 4, 5, 6, 7, inside and/or outside, is or are equipped with heat shoes 16, 17, 18 of an induction heater in a contactless arrangement with respect to the cylindrically shaped surface of the rim blank 2 or the light alloy rim 11.