Apparatus and method for producing at least partially closed hollow profiles with a short cycle time

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for producing at least partially closed hollow profiles from a sheet by a U-O-forming with a tool set having a U-punch in a first tool half for producing an at least partially U-shaped sheet and an upper die in a second tool half for forming an at least partially U-shaped sheet into an at least partially closed hollow profile. Parts of the tool set run parallel to one another in the axial direction of the at least partially closed hollow profile to be produced and are arranged above one another in the closing direction of the tool halves, wherein a common matrix receiver is provided between the tool halves of the tool set, which receiver comprises at least two identical, partially U-shaped dies for the tool set and can rotate about its axial axis.

Claims

1. Device for producing at least partially closed hollow profiles from a sheet by a U-O-forming with a tool set, comprising: a U-punch in a first tool half for producing an at least partially U-shaped sheet; an upper die in a second tool half for forming an at least partially U-shaped sheet into an at least partially closed hollow profile; wherein parts of the tool set run parallel to one another in the axial direction of the at least partially closed hollow profile to be produced and are arranged above one another in a closing direction of the first and second tool halves; and wherein a common matrix receiver is provided between the first and second tool halves of the tool set, comprising at least two identical, partially U-shaped dies for the tool set, and the matrix receiver can rotate about its axial axis.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the matrix receiver comprises more than two at least partially U-shaped dies, and wherein the number of dies is a multiple of two.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the matrix receiver can move in the closing direction of the tool halves and its weight is optionally relieved.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein pillow blocks for a rotatable bearing of the matrix receiver and at least one core puller system are provided and the at least one core puller system is arranged on the pillow blocks.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein the U-punch is arranged below the upper die, and hold-down devices are optionally associated with a U-punch.

6. Device according to claim 1, wherein the at least partially U-shaped dies of the matrix receiver comprise sidewalls whose height is at least half of a maximum, rolled-out sidewall length of the hollow profile to be produced.

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein sidewalls of the at least partially U-shaped dies have partial regions with a rounded inlet, which are outwardly displaceable.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for carrying out further work stages on the at least partially U-shaped sheet or on the at least partially closed hollow profile.

9. Method for producing an at least partially closed hollow profile using a device according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: inserting a flat sheet into the first tool half; forming the sheet in the first tool half to form an at least partially U-shaped sheet by closing the tool halves of the tool set; opening the first and second tool halves and rotating the matrix receiver so that an at least partially U-shaped die with an at least partially U-shaped sheet is positioned in the second tool half and a further U-shaped die is positioned in the first tool half; inserting a second sheet into the first tool half; and closing the first and second tool halves and simultaneously forming the partially U-shaped sheet into an at least partially closed hollow profile in the second tool half and forming the inserted sheet into a partially U-shaped sheet in the first tool half.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the matrix receiver comprises four at least partially U-shaped dies and the matrix receiver is rotated by 90 after the opening of the first and second tool halves.

11. Method according to claim 9, wherein the sidewalls of the at least partially U-shaped dies of the matrix receiver comprise outwardly displaceable partial regions with a rounded inlet, which on closure of the first and second tool halves of the tool set are displaced outwardly through the sidewalls of the upper die of the second tool half.

12. Method according to claim 9, wherein further work stages are carried out on the at least partially U-shaped sheet in the matrix receivers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is now described in more detail hereinafter by the description of an exemplary embodiment and with the aid of the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic, perspective view of an embodiment of the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with open tool halves,

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic, perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, with the closed tool halves,

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the second tool half of the embodiment of FIG. 1 before the threading of the U-arms of an at least partially U-shaped sheet, and

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the second tool half during the threading of the arms of the at least partially U-shaped sheet during the closing procedure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows first of all an embodiment of the device for producing at least partially closed hollow profiles from a sheet in the open state. The device 1 comprises a tool set 2, 5 which includes a U-punch 3 that is arranged in the first tool half 4. An upper die 6 is furthermore included, which is arranged for the forming of an at least partially U-shaped sheet into an at least partially closed profile in the second tool half 7. It can also be seen that the parts of the tool set 2, 5 run parallel to one another and in the closing direction 8 the tool halves 4, 7 are arranged above one another. The matrix receiver 9 comprises in the embodiment illustrated here four identical, at least partially U-shaped dies 10, which are arranged radially around the axial axis 11 of the matrix receiver 9. The matrix receiver 9 is rotatably mounted about its axial axis 11. The matrix receiver can be rotated by means of a positioning drive 12, which is shown here simply schematically.

(8) At the same time FIG. 1 also shows a core puller system 13, which is arranged in the region of the second tool half and permits the introduction of a support core into the at least partially U-shaped sheet to be formed, and its removal after the forming process. The support core used by the core puller system is not illustrated in the present case.

(9) The core puller system 13 is arranged on pillow blocks 14, which are likewise only shown schematically here. In addition, means 15 are provided for the weight relief, for example in the form of gas-actuated compression springs, which hold the matrix receiver 9 at a middle height level and allow a displacement of the matrix receiver 9 in the closing direction of the tool set 2, 5.

(10) FIG. 2 now shows the exemplarily embodiment of FIG. 1 likewise in a perspective schematic representation with an inserted sheet 16 as well as an at least partially U-shaped formed sheet 17. The sheet 16 lies on the hold-down devices 18 extending up to the apex baseline of the die 3, and can therefore be placed and positioned in a simple manner in the device. In addition, the movement directions 8 of the second tool half 7 and of the matrix receiver 9 in the closing procedure are also shown in FIG. 2. For the forming, the tool half 7 as well as the matrix receiver 9 move in the direction of the first tool half 4. Furthermore, it can be seen that the sidewalls of the U-shaped die 10 have a height that amounts to at least half the maximum rolled-out sidewall length of the hollow profile to be produced, i.e. the length of the arms of the U-shaped formed sheet. In addition, displaceable partial regions 19 are provided in the sidewalls, which serve for the improved threading of the arms of the at least partially U-shaped sheet during the O-forming in the second tool half 7.

(11) FIG. 3 now shows the device 1 in the closed state, i.e. with the tool set 2, 5 closed. It can be seen that the sheet 1 has now been formed into an at least partially U-shaped sheet. FIG. 3 additionally shows in the U-shaped dies 10 of the matrix receiver 9 which are not involved in the forming, an at least partially U-shaped formed sheet 20 and a finally formed, at least partially closed hollow profile 21, resulting from the U-forming and from the O-forming, respectively, in the first tool half 4 and in the second tool half 7 after rotation of the matrix receiver 9 by 90 in the anticlockwise direction.

(12) After the forming procedure the matrix receiver 9 is moved upwardly in the closing direction jointly with the second tool half 7, but only to the extent that the matrix receiver 9 is freely rotatable. The movement directions 22 of the tool half 7 as well as of the matrix receiver 9 are shown in this connection in FIG. 3. The finally shaped, at least partially closed hollow profile 21 can be removed in a simple manner, for example by using a corresponding robot, from the U-die 10 after the O-forming and a rotation of the matrix receiver 9 by 90 in the anticlockwise direction. Due to the simple design and construction of the device according to the invention it is therefore possible to carry out simultaneously with one closing movement two forming processes, namely a U-forming and an O-forming, and in addition, to ensure a simple removal of the finished products from the device.

(13) It is furthermore conceivable that further processing steps, for example a welding step, can be carried out in an integrated manner in the same device by a larger number of at least partially U-shaped dies 10 in the matrix receiver 9, for example six or eight dies. Preferably, these work stages are performed in the matrix receivers 9 that are not involved in the forming.

(14) FIGS. 4 and 5 show in a schematic plan view the threading process in the second tool half 7 during the O-forming. The second tool half 7 comprises an upper die 6, whose sidewalls 6a and 6b press against the rounded inlets 23 of the displaceable partial regions 19 of the sidewalls of the at least partially U-shaped dies 10 of the matrix receiver 9 during the closing procedure. The displaceable partial regions 19 of the sidewalls are forced outwardly, for example against a spring loading, over the rounded inlets 23, so that the arms of the still U-shaped sheet 17 thread into the upper die 6 of the second tool half 7, FIG. 5. It is also conceivable that the partial regions 19 of the sidewalls are actively retracted during the immersion of the sidewalls 6a, 6b of the upper die 6, or that the displacement of the displaceable partial regions 19 of the sidewalls is assisted.

(15) As a departure from the previously illustrated embodiments, an additional support core 24 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, which serves for the improved configuration of the final shape of the at least partially closed hollow profile. This support core had been introduced through a core puller system, not illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, into the at least partially U-shaped sheet, and is removed before the rotation of the matrix receiver 9.