Currently it is known to deposit the rigid spacer frame or the flexible spacer profile on a glass sheet to then mate the assembly with a second glass sheet in order to constitute the so-called insulating glazing. The operation can be also repeated in order to obtain insulating glazing constituted by three glass sheets and two rigid spacer frames or flexible spacer profiles, as well as n glass sheets and n−1 rigid spacer frames or flexible spacer profiles.
In order to better understand the configuration of the glass sheet, not so much in its possible isolated use, as especially in its use in combination with other components, in particular the rigid spacer frame or the flexible spacer profile to constitute so-called insulating glazing, hereinafter some concepts are summarized which relate to the semi-finished products. These are the glass sheet 2 and the rigid spacer frame 3 or the flexible spacer profile 3 and the final product, i.e., the insulating glazing 1, assuming that the subsequent use of the insulating glazing, i.e., as a component of the door or window, is known. To the purpose of more clear description reference will be made to the final product, breaking it down into its components.
The insulating glazing 1 is constituted by the composition of two or more glass sheets 2 separated by one or more rigid spacer frames 3, which are generally hollow and microperforated on the face directed inward. The spacer frames contain in their hollow part hygroscopic material and the chamber (or chambers) delimited by the glass sheets and by the rigid spacer frame (frames), that is (are) able to contain air or gas, or mixtures of gases that give the double glazing unit particular properties, for example, thermal insulation and/or soundproofing properties. Recently, the use of a spacer profile 3 has become widespread which has an essentially rectangular cross-section, is made of flexible and elastic expanded synthetic material (by way of non-limiting example, silicone and/or EPDM) which incorporates in its mass the hygroscopic material. It is this type of profile on which the following description will focus. This profile has four advantages: the low coefficient of heat transmission by conduction; the bond with the glass, which becomes instantaneous because it is entrusted to the acrylic adhesive and not to the traditional thermoplastic sealant, which is subject to flow until the second sealant, described hereinafter, catalyzes; the state of supply in reels that contain lengths of a few hundred meters and therefore with greater feed endurance, differently from the profile for the rigid frame supplied in bars with a maximum length of 6 meters; and finally its applicability in automation.
The connection between the glass sheets and the rigid spacer frame or frames is obtained by means of two levels of sealing: the first one having the function of providing tightness and the initial bond between these components and affecting the lateral surfaces of the frame and the portions of the adjacent glass sheets; the second one having the function of providing the final cohesion among the components and the mechanical strength of the joint between therm and affecting the compartment constituted by the external surface of the frame and by the faces of the glass sheets up to the edge thereof (see
The glass sheets 2 used in the composition of the insulating glazing 1 can have different shapes depending on its use. For example, the outer glass sheet (outer being understood with respect to the building) can be standard or coated with so-called selective nanodeposits or with solar control (in order to limit the thermal intake during summer months), or laminated/armored (for intrusion/vandalism prevention functions), or laminated/toughened (for security functions), or combined (for example nanocoated and laminated in order to obtain a combination of properties). The inner glass sheet (inner being understood with respect to the building) can be standard or coated with so-called low-emissivity nanodeposits (in order to limit the dispersion of heat during winter months), or laminated/toughened (for security functions), or combined (for example nanocoated and laminated in order to obtain a combination of properties).
From the simple summary given, it will be evident that a production line for obtaining the insulating glazing product 1 needs many processes in sequence and comprises in particular the application of the rigid spacer frame or flexible spacer profile 3, considered as the main element in the present patent application.
The processes for the production of the insulating glazing 1, each requiring a corresponding and particular machine to be arranged in series with respect to the other complementary ones, are, by way of non-limiting example and at the same time not all necessary, the following:
EDGING on the peripheral face of the glass sheet in order to remove any nanocoatings so as to allow and maintain over time the bond of the sealants and, in the case of the subject of the present disclosure, of the acrylic adhesive and of the sealant;
CHAMFERING (in jargon arrissing) of the sharp edges of the glass sheet, both to eliminate edge defects introduced with the cutting operation (dangerous trigger sites for any fractures, particularly for the case of toughened glass, which therefore is always arrissed), and to reduce the risks of injury in the subsequent handling of the glass sheets and of the insulating glazing 1;
WASHING of the individual glass sheets, with alternation of inner glass and outer glass sheet (the orientation being the one defined previously) or of inner glass sheet/intermediate glass sheets/outer glass sheet, or vice versa;
APPLICATION OF THE SPACER FRAME: a previously manufactured frame, filled with hygroscopic material and coated on the lateral faces with a thermoplastic sealant that has sealing functions, in machines which are external with respect to the production line of the insulating glazing 1, is applied on one of the two glass sheets that constitute the standard insulating glazing 1 in a dedicated station of the production line of the insulating glazing 1. As an alternative, and this forms subject of the present invention, a continuous strip of flexible spacer profile 3 is unwound from a reel and applied to one of the two glass sheets until it forms a closed frame, directly built so as to adhere to the glass sheet, after removal of the protective film 5′ that covers the adhesive 5 (generally of the acrylic type), and on the same production line of the insulating glazing 1;
MATING AND PRESSING of the glass sheet(s)/frame(s) assembly;
FILLING WITH GAS of the chamber or chambers thus obtained, an operation which can be performed also during the mating cited before;
SECOND SEALING, i.e., sealing of the perimetric edge of the insulating glazing 1 in order to provide a mechanical/chemical and therefore structural bond between the spacer frame 3 and the glass sheets 2.
The processes listed above can be performed by the respective machine in a semiautomatic or automatic manner.
In particular, in the recent background art the deposition of the flexible spacer profile 3 made of expanded synthetic material occurs according to two modes: semiautomatic (i.e., with the intervention of the operator), typically on a tilting table which modifies its own arrangement from vertical, when it receives the glass sheet from the line, to horizontal arrangement, when the operator deposits the profile, with the aid of a guiding and scoring tool; or automatic (i.e., without the intervention of the operator), typically and preferably in a section that has a vertical arrangement like the production line of the insulating glazing 1, without however excluding solutions with a horizontal arrangement.
Searching of the prior art in the field describing machines and methods for applying the spacer profile on glass sheets has led to identification of the following related documents: EP 1 347 142 B1, both for method and device, with German priority DE 2002 102 12 359 A1 dated 20 Mar. 2002 and US equivalent US2003/0178127, patent owner Lisec Peter that is specific for the spacer profile made of expanded synthetic material; U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,890 dated 10 Jun. 1998 regarding a device, patent owner Lafond that is specific for the spacer profile made of expanded synthetic material; U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,105 with Austrian priority dated 1 Sep. 1986, related to a device, patent owner Lisec, regarding the application of a spacer profile on a glass sheet, but made of filled thermoplastic material; EP 1 650 396 B1, related to a device, with Italian priority TV2004A000117 dated 20 Oct. 2004, patent owner FOR.EL. BASE di Davanzo Nadia & C. s.n.c., TV2009A000207 dated 22 Oct. 2009, related to a device and a method, patent owner For.El S. p. A..
These inventions described in such documents with the corresponding machines teach respectively:
EP 1 347 142: how to control the tensile and shearing stresses in the flexible spacer profile proximate to the region of application on the glass;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,890: the method of conduction of the flexible spacer profile to the glass sheet;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,105: how to control the tensile stresses in the flexible spacer profile before feeding to the application head; EP 1 650 396 B1: the innovative way of conveying the spacer profile to the glass sheet, which allows the further invention that is the subject of the present application.
TV2009A000207: how to make possible the alternable use of a plurality of flexible spacer profiles, a solution which is quite surpassed, in terms of innovation, by the invention to which the present application relates.
Technical problems that are inherent in the background art described above are the following (all instead solved conveniently by the present invention):
complexity of the operation for replacing the reel (both in the case of depletion and in the more frequent case of replacement of the type of the spacer profile 3);
lack of production flexibility due to the complexity of the operation for replacing the reel;
excessive length of the waste of spacer profile in the operation for replacing the reel;
excessive expenditure of time in the operation for replacing the reel;
impossibility to proceed with the replacement of the reel or of one of the reels of the magazine with guiding up to the application head while the head is operational, with the consequent need to interrupt the process for applying the spacer profile and therefore the process of the entire production line of the insulating glazing 1 every time it is necessary to change the spacer profile 3;
the need to resort to a double application head, certainly in the case of triple insulating glazing 1 which has two spacer profiles of different type, in any case in order to reduce, albeit without eliminating, the time for replacement of the spacer profile;
and, in the above mentioned situation, limitation to only two types of spacer profile;
the need and difficulty of control of the tensile, compression and shearing stresses in the flexible spacer profile 3, especially when the reel is fixed to the ground, both when it is in stand-by and when it is working, and therefore the distance between the reel and the glass sheet 2 is not only considerable but also variable, due to the translation of the application head.
The main aim of the subject of the present application is therefore to solve the highlighted technical problems, eliminating all the drawbacks according to the cited background art and therefore devising a machine and a method that make it possible to deposit the flexible spacer profile 3 on the glass sheet 2 in an inexpensive, functional and reliable manner and especially comprising complete automation for changing the spacer profile, for example for alternating thicknesses or colors or thicknesses and colors or types or for depletion, particularly in the case in which it is required, within the scope of said insulating glazing 1, because it is constituted by three or more glass sheets and of two or more spacer profiles of different types.
This aim we find to be achievable by means of technical measures, set forth hereinafter, which differ from those of the background art, including the one that already resorts to the feeding of the application head with a plurality of flexible spacer profiles that come from reels which are contained in unwinding cabinets arranged on the ground (with humidity-controlled environment) and corresponding changing, obtained however only in a “semi-automatic” manner, i.e., still with human intervention, or the one TV2009A000207 that already performs automatic reel replacement, but with a completely different configuration.
Such technical measures are:
use of synchronous actuation with high torque (already present in TV2009A000207 of the same applicant and in any case not intended herein as an inventive aspect but as a complement) for the handling of the reels and corresponding entrained accessories (conditioning container) and entrained devices (unwinding spools, gripping and entrainment vices, et cetera);
placement of the unwinders of the reels that contain the spacer profile 3 and corresponding means for control and feedback and removal of the film on carriages that move on sliders;
distribution of the flexible spacer profiles along a path that winds around the rotation axis φ and is not extended along the rotation axis φ as done by the background art as discussed in the inventions of other inventors (therefore not in the case of the inventions of For.El.);
pick-up of the reel and corresponding unwinding means, means for removing film and means for interfacing with the application head, from its standby position, by the working head (applicator) and other means and coupling thereto in order to constitute a unit which is integral (application head plus reel and means described above) with respect to the vertical axis (described hereinafter).
The present invention relates to an automatic machine and an automatic method for the alternable application of a plurality of flexible spacer profiles, preferably made of expanded synthetic material, on a glass sheet to compose the insulating glazing, as set forth in claims 1 and 11.
The invention uses the innovative pairing of two or more shuttles, each one containing a reel of flexible spacer profile and an application head. The path of the flexible spacer profile runs around the rotation axis of the application head, thus rendering compatible feeding which can be alternated from one reel to the other, maintaining the functionality of the application head, which requires a rotational freedom of 360°.
This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by an automatic machine for applying a flexible spacer profile, preferably made of expanded synthetic material, on at least a first glass sheet designed to subsequently mate with at least one second glass sheet so as to compose the insulating glazing, the machine comprising: conveyors with a substantially vertical arrangement which include conveyance devices provided with support and traction means which act on the lower edge of a glass sheet and with synchronous transmission means which are provided so as to act on a face of the glass sheet along a horizontal axis by way of a synchronous motor thereof; a carriage with a synchronous translational motion along a vertical axis, that is actuated in motion by way of a synchronous motor thereof and is provided with an application head with a synchronous rotary motion along a rotational axis defined by a shaft actuated by means of a further synchronous motor of said carriage; and wherein said head accommodates means for synchronous traction actuated by way of synchronous motors and means for guiding the spacer profile that arrives from a reel the unwinding of which is actuated in an adjusted manner, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of reels, a reel which contains a flexible spacer profile, being one of said plurality of reels, and in that each reel of said plurality of reels is provided with a corresponding unwinding unit, with a corresponding optional auxiliary unit and a corresponding transfer unit, containing and guiding the flexible spacer profile, said units constituting a respective feeder assembly for a respective said reel which contains the flexible spacer profile, and which is arranged on a magazine which is constituted, for example, by a footing provided with movable sliders on which a said feeder assembly can be coupled and can be uncoupled and guided to said application head, said application head, by way of said carriage, engaging a respective one of said feeder assemblies by way of engagement means such as bushes which mate with pins being actuatable for said sliders; in that a guiding or spacing of the flexible spacer profile to and from the synchronous traction means of the application head for changing a reel is performed by way of said transfer unit that can be for example of a type with jaws which constitute grippers, moved by a pneumatic or electric actuator, said application head being provided with its own said synchronous traction means, and the flexible spacer profile being fed to the glass sheet along a path that winds around the rotation axis of the application head.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of an automatic machine, illustrated by way of non-limiting example by means of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
We now provide a detailed description of a way of carrying out the invention with reference to the enclosed figures.
Generally,
The internal/external orientation is visually identified with icons that represent the sun (outer side) and the radiator (inner side). These
However, such flexible spacer made of expanded synthetic material, supplied in reels, needs to be replaced at each variation of the type of profile required by the production program or upon depletion of the reel contents. In particular, in the execution of triple insulating glazing the solution of the flexible spacer, indeed because it is supplied in reels, up to the solution according to the present invention, would be inconvenient with respect to the rigid frame solution, because it would not allow the execution of the two chambers with different gap dimensions.
The numbering logic of the figures is as follows: series 200 for the vertical runway with vertical carriage (y axis); series 300 for the application head (φ axis), series 400 for the reel actuation unwinding units, including the unit, series 700, for the movement thereof, the movement being related also to the two subsequent units, series 500 for the film takeup unit, series 600 for the transfer unit (the interface mechanisms) between the series 400-500 and the series 300. The units 400, 500 and 600 constitute respective feed assemblies, each of which is either stored in the reel magazine or coupled to the carriage 201 for the application of the spacer profile 3 to the glass sheet 2. In summary, an inventive part is constituted by the units 600 and 700, the known part is constituted by the units 200, 300, 400, 500, in addition to the unit 100, which is not shown in
In order to describe an exemplary, but not limiting, way of carrying out the invention, reference will be made to
Features of
Reference numerals below ten (1 digit) refer to the material being processed, while, as already explained and used previously, numerals with 3 digits refer to the components of the machine and numerals ending with two zeros refer to each unit of the machine The numerals with 4 digits are used to designate the machines upstream and downstream of the machine (designated by the numeral 1000, as the main one) to the present invention refers.
In particular, the flexible spacer profile made of expanded synthetic material is designated by the reference numeral 3, without precluding the operation of the machine also with spacer profiles made of a different material, so long as it is compatible with the mechanisms that will be described hereinafter. The reference numeral 2 designates the glass sheet [of the two or more, particularly the one or the ones (in the case of insulating glazing composed of more than two glass sheets) affected by the application of the flexible spacer profile 3]; the reference numeral 1 designates the insulating glazing. These numberings have already been used in the previous chapters by referencing the evidence of such use.
Two-digit numbers are also used as follows: the numeral 11 designates the electrical/electronic panel, the numeral 12 designates the control and interface post and the numeral 13 designates the protective structures, be they of the type of mechanical covers or optical barriers or laser barriers or electrosensitive mats et cetera, because particular attention is dedicated, in addition to the structural, functional, economic and ergonomic aspects, which are peculiar to the contents of the present invention, also to the aspects related to the prevention of accidents (more broadly, HSW: Health & Safety & Wellness in the work environment).
A preferred but not exclusive way of carrying out the invention will be described hereinafter.
A premise that concerns orientations, only for the purposes of the present description, should be kept in mind: when the term “vertical” is used, “slightly inclined with respect to the vertical” is actually intended. In fact, the conveyance of the glass sheet occurs on conveyors, the resting plane of which is “slightly” inclined with respect to the vertical by approximately 6 degrees. Likewise, the lower supporting/transport rollers and belts have an axis inclined by approximately 6 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and therefore when the term “horizontal” is used, “slightly inclined (by approximately 6°) with respect to the horizontal” is intended.
The known part of the machine (discussed in detail for example in EP 1 650 396 B1 of the same inventor as the present application) is described initially, but only in its essential aspects. The new and inventive part is thereafter described.
A glass sheet 2 that arrives from a previous processing machine 4000 (see
The spacer profile 3, guided through the series of free rollers 303a-303d and additional likewise free rollers shown in
At this point the synchronized motion of the glass sheet 2, actuated by synchronous transmission means 101 with a synchronous motor 102 (
The management of the position of the glass sheet 2, particularly of its initial placement, is fundamental for the correct functioning of the process performed by the head 300, both in the rectangular version and in particular in the shaped version, for coordinating the horizontal movement of the glass sheet 2 and the vertical movement of the vertical carriage 201 that carries the head 300. In the case of a glass sheet 2 having a rectangular shape, one or more sensors (known and therefore not shown) detect the position of the edge of the glass and, by means of the logic of the PLC, give information that is useful for following the rectangular perimeter of the glass sheets 2, respectively for the actuations of the traction rollers, of the traction belts, of the sucker 101 for horizontal movement x, or for the actuation of the vertical movement of the vertical carriage 201 and for the actuation of the belt driving device 304a and 304b (
Once the execution of the first lower side 2a of the glass sheet 2 has ended, the head 300 performs a rotation as a whole (through 90° in the case of the rectangular sheet according to the present first description), due to the action of the synchronous motor 302, the reduction unit, the toothed belt transmission, which act on the hollow body 301 of the head 300. As a consequence, the flexible spacer profile 3 has an orientation which is parallel to the second side 2b of the glass sheet 2 which has a vertical arrangement. This step of rotation entails both a restitution of the flexible spacer profile 3 and a demand of the films 5′ which respectively: the reel actuation assembly or unwinding unit 400 will take up, since the motor 402 is reversible, by means of the signal of the dandy roll 404 and the corresponding inverse feedback provided by the potentiometer 405, while the film takeup unit 500 will return the films 5′, the corresponding motors 502a and 502b with torque control being able to reduce the torque until they become free, or rather still slightly actuated in order to maintain a minimum preloading on the films 5′.
For the deposition of the flexible spacer profile 3 on the vertical side 2b of the glass sheet 2, the sequences described for the side 2a are repeated, except that instead of the glass sheet 2 being translated horizontally along the axis x, the head 300 translates vertically along the axis y by means of the actuation that acts on the synchronous motor 202 that actuates the slider 201.
It goes without saying that the continuation of the sequences for completing the deposition of the spacer profile 3 on the glass sheet 2 along the remaining part of the perimeter (sides 2c, 2d) is merely the alternation of the steps described for the sides 2a and 2b.
Likewise, all the operations and corresponding devices for the prismatic die-cutting of the spacer profile 3 at the positions that will become corners of the spacer frame and for the final die-cutting for parting, performed by the blade 307 at what will become the last corner, are assumed to be known (as detailed in EP 1 650 396 B1).
Obviously, all the movements connected to the steps of the cycle are mutually interlocked, by the aid of a logic system which is parallel but always active, in order to avoid, during the process, conditions of mutual interference between actuation elements and material being processed and in order to control the safety functions of the machine, even in case of interruption of the electric and/or pneumatic supplies.
At this point a description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of an inventive part of the present invention is hereinafter provided.
In a configuration of the application head, as known only from EP 1 650 396 B1, is combined a spacer profile 3 that winds the end part of the application head 300 by means of the series of rollers 303a-303d while it does not cross the hollow shaft 301 that supports the head 300, to a feed that no longer comes from a single reel but from a plurality of reels, which are arranged in their inactive position on a deck which is fixed to the floor. The reels are coupled alternately to the vertical carriage 201 in their active position, i.e., for feeding the application head 300 in the step of deposition on the glass sheet 2.
In the devices according to EP 1 347 142 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,105, related to machines for applying spacer profiles, a combination such as the one described in the previous paragraph is not applicable because in the devices disclosed the flexible spacer 3 is guided to the glass sheet 2 through the hollow shaft 301 of the head 300 that identifies the axis φ that is visible in
The operation for the replacement of a flexible spacer profile 3 with another flexible profile, designated by 3′ to make a distinction, is hereinafter disclosed as occurs in succession, with reference to the situation in which this occurs once the laying of the previous flexible spacer profile 3 on a glass sheet 2 has been concluded in order to form the insulating glazing 1 together with one or more other sheets 2. It should be noted preliminarily that in order to better illustrate the functional steps, when reference is made to the movements obtained by the action of pneumatic actuators (hereinafter termed merely cylinders), the following nomenclature shall be used: positive stroke is the one obtained by introduction of compressed air in the chamber without the stem of the pneumatic cylinder; negative stroke is the one obtained by introduction of compressed air in the chamber with the stem of the pneumatic cylinder.
The operation is as follows:
the head 300 is in the conditions for receiving the subsequent spacer profile 3′, because the vertical carriage 201 is arranged in the lower zero position, and in the condition of alignment between the plane of the lower conveyor of the two conveyors 304a, 304b that act proximate to the lower side 2a of the glass sheet 2 and the upper plane of the fixed jaw 602, as shown in
the rollers 303a-303d do not contain in their envelope the spacer profile 3;
the flexible spacer profile 3 is extended, as mentioned previously, up to the crossing of the traction elements 304a, 304b and up to the reference of the blade 307, and the corresponding sensor 308 for example of the fiber-optic type, which has performed the final cutting of the spacer profile 3 applied to the glass sheet 2 in order to constitute the previous insulating glazing 1, as a position of readiness to perform the application cycle on the glass sheet 2 in order to constitute the subsequent insulating glazing 1, a situation which occurs in the series production of insulating glazing units 1 all composed with the same type of spacer frame 3, albeit with any shapes and dimensions of the glass sheets 2;
one cancels this preset, which would be the one for starting the cycle for the production of a subsequent insulating glazing 1, if it had the same type of spacer profile 3 as the previous insulating glazing 1, in order to reproduce it exactly but with a new flexible spacer profile 3′, and this is done as follows;
reverse actuation of all the motor drives involved in the movement of the flexible spacer profile and precisely: the motor 402 (
in these conditions, the flexible spacer profile 3 is rewound on the reel 401 and the film 5′ taken from the winders 501a, 501b is redistributed, albeit coarsely, on the sides 3p, 3s of the same spacer profile 3 starting from the initial condition in which the sensor 308 (generally of the fiber-optic type) arranged on the application head, at the known blade 307 for the final cutting of the spacer profile, has kept control of the position of the trailing part of the flexible spacer profile 3 in its alignment and, upon emission of its signal of confirmation the motors 305a, 305b, which are synchronous and therefore measure the movements, which actuate the traction elements 304a, 304b, activate the takeup of the spacer profile again by retaining it between the transmission belts (which are visible and numbered in
during all the previous steps, the movable jaw 601 was in the open position with respect to the fixed jaw 602 due to the action of the cylinder 604, which had performed its negative stroke, the slider 606 was in the advanced position with respect to the application head 300 due to the action of the pneumatic cylinder 607 that had performed its negative stroke, and the plate 605 in a spaced position with respect to the application head 300 by rotation of the arm 608 actuated by the pneumatic cylinder 609 that had performed its positive stroke and therefore the application head 300 was free to rotate for the functions of laying the spacer profile 3 against the glass sheet 2;
at this point the plate 605 is moved adjacent to the application head 300 (as shown in
then the feeder assembly constituted by the units 400, 500 and 600 and the spacer profile 3, for its part wound around the reel 401, and for its unwound part up to the retention jaws 601 and 602 present therein, are disengaged from the application head 300 and can be guided to the standby position of the magazine series 700, after rotation of the lever 608 actuated by the cylinder 609 in order to avoid interference with the carriage 201;
this is obtained by activating the following additional mechanisms: lowering of the vertical carriage 201 so that after the resting of the plate 702a′ for supporting the feeder assembly 400, 500, 600 against the standby plate 702a arranged in the position for receiving the plate 702a′ the additional downward stroke of the carriage 201 entails the disengagement of the engagement means that can be provided in a non exclusive embodiment, as supporting bushes 203a, b, c that belong to the carriage 201 from corresponding pins 709a which are jointly connected to the plate 702a′ (
once a feeder assembly is in its stand-by position, the other feeder assembly, due to the action of all the similar corresponding mechanisms numbered from 702b to 712b can migrate from the standby position to the active position, i.e., the position for engagement with the application head 300, in order to actuate the manufacturing process of the insulating glazing 1 not with the spacer profile 3 now (for example with dimensions of 5 mm×12 mm and colored black) but with the spacer profile 3′ (for example with dimensions 5 mm×20 mm and colored gray);
for the engagement of the new feeder system with the application head 300 all the mechanisms of the slider 201, the mechanisms of the components of the assemblies 400, 500, 600, as well as the mechanisms of the components of the application head 300 perform the reverse steps with respect to the ones described originally. In particular, the sensor 308 (generally of the fiber-optic type) stops the actuation motors of the translation units 304a, 304b so that the head of the new spacer profile 3′ stops in a precise position for starting the application on the lower side 2a of the glass sheet 2;
at this point the application head 300 rotates clockwise through 360° (reference with the shoulders on the glass sheet), so as to accumulate along the path defined by the free wheels 303a, 303d the quantity of spacer profile 3 adapted to allow the rotation of the application head in following subsequently the perimeter of the glass sheet 2.
The present preferred embodiment of the invention is susceptible of numerous constructive variations (with respect to what can be inferred from the drawings, the details of which are obvious and eloquent), all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, for example, the person skilled in the art may find equivalent solutions for the mechanical means for the displacement motions of the apparatuses, the support and traction of the glass sheets 2 along the axis x, the vertical motion of the head 300 coupled to the carriage 201 along the axis y, the rotation of the application head 300 along the axis φ et cetera, the mechanical means for the continuous or discontinuous movements of the spacer profile 3. Also the actuation means may be electrical, electrical-electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic and/or combined, et cetera, the control means, may be electronic or fluidic and/or combined, et cetera.
A process and constructive variation, partially already described, which may be known from the background art, is the one constituted by the logic combination of the actuation systems respectively for horizontal translation of the glass sheet (unit 100), for vertical translation of the head coupled to the carriage 201 (unit 200), for rotation of the head (unit 300) and for translation of the belts of the belt transmission devices 304a, 304b, so as to allow the application of the spacer profile 3 on glass sheets 2′ that have shapes other the rectangular one (see
In order to obtain these, as completion of what has been described previously, the electric actuation systems of the motors or pair of motors 102, 202, 302, 305a, 305b will be concatenated by means of an electric axis (numeric control).
The constructive details can furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent ones. The materials and dimensions may be any according to requirements, in particular those arising from the dimensions (base and height) of the glass sheets 2 and therefore of the insulating glazing 1. The machine can have a direction of work that is opposite to the one described and illustrated in the figures, or L-shaped or U-shaped, with no need for additional explanations.
The industrial application of, and the need for machines as claimed is immediately clear from the above disclosure. Machines for the automatic application of the flexible spacer profile 3 made of expanded synthetic material on glass sheets 2 currently are not widespread, but are nevertheless substantially present and required. Use of the flexible spacer profile 3 made of expanded synthetic material, because of its technical and technological characteristics (particularly the low coefficient of heat conductivity) and its applicability also in manual or semi-automatic version is also highly required. Moreover, the use of insulating glazing 1 is expanding continuously, since in recent years it has been increased by all those configurations that require the use of special and therefore heavy glass, such as the ones described in the introduction (and in particular the very thick ones, such as toughened glass and in particular combinations of more than two glass sheets), which are thus coupled advantageously from the very first mating by means of the spacer frame, if it is of the type to which the present application relates, unlike the conventional type, which requires the catalysis of the second sealant before the glass-frame joint can be stressed with mechanical loads. An essential concept, introduced only in the present invention, is to render flexible, in the sense of alternable, the use of a plurality of types, thicknesses and colors of the flexible spacer profile 3 made of expanded synthetic material by means of a simple and reliable automation that allows quick transition from one profile to another. This was already taken for granted in the case of the spacer profile 3 made of rigid material (albeit very complex in the case of complete automation) but was not yet possible in the case of a spacer profile 3 made of expanded synthetic material except manually and at the expense of a waste of material and of an excessive use of time and in particular at the expense of productivity, since it was necessary to stop the process of production of the insulating glazing during the considerable time required to replace the reel 401. Such requirement is in fact current in the production of insulating glazing in which product merges are highly various even for a single user, to the point of reaching variability even within the same unit of insulating glazing 1 when it is constituted by more than two glass sheets 2 and therefore by more than one flexible spacer frame 3 if it is required. Although not systematical but in any case frequent, it is that the unit of insulating glazing has spacer frames with different characteristics, for example in order to improve soundproofing performance or in order to achieve adaptation to the type of door or window frame desired or for the choice of colors, et cetera.
Insertion of the machine, according to the present invention in the production line of insulating glazing is illustrated in
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV2011A000102 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
TV2011A000102 | Jul 2011 | IT | national |