Patent Application
20170225210
Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-020320 filed on Feb. 4, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an extrusion apparatus that includes an extruder that extrudes a light metal (e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, and magnesium alloy), and accessory equipment.
An extrusion apparatus used for an aluminum alloy and the like is designed to preheat a cylindrical billet to a given temperature, introduce the billet into a container, and extrude the billet using an extruder (direct extruder or indirect extruder) to produce an extruded material.
The resulting extruded material is advanced along a run-out table.
Since the extruded material has been heated to a high temperature, a cooling table for cooling the extruded material is provided to the side of the run-out table.
Since the extruded material has been warped or distorted, for example, it is necessary to subject the extruded material to stretch leveling.
Therefore, a stretcher and a storage table are provided to the side of the cooling table.
The extruded material that has been subjected to stretch leveling is cut to have a given length using a cutting table provided to the side of the storage table, and placed on a rack.
As described above, a known extrusion apparatus includes an extruder and handling equipment (accessory equipment), and has a large size.
JP-A-10-277635 discloses an extrusion apparatus in which an extruder, a cooling device, a straightening device, and a sizing device are sequentially disposed in series so that the size of handling equipment is reduced.
However, the straightening device disclosed in JP-A-10-277635 compulsorily feeds the extruded material to a straightening roller using a drive roller, and does not subject the extruded material to stretch leveling.
An object of the invention is to provide an extrusion apparatus that is effective for a reduction in size and space-saving, and achieves high productivity.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an extrusion apparatus comprising:
an extruder;
a run-out table that supports an extruded material that has been extruded from the extruder;
a feed roller that is provided so as to be able to come in rolling contact with the extruded material that is situated on the run-out table;
a pulling roller that is provided at a given interval from the feed roller so as to be able to come in rolling contact with the extruded material that has been fed by the pulling roller on the run-out table and pulls the extruded material; and
a cooling section that cools the extruded material at a position between the feed roller and the pulling roller, and applies a tensile force to the extruded material while the extruded material advances from the feed roller to the pulling roller.
The direction in which the extruded material is extruded from the extruder, and moved thereafter is referred to as “forward direction”, and the verb “advance” may be used in connection therewith.
The run-out table is a table that supports the lower side of the extruded material that has been extruded (discharged) from the extruder. A plurality of support members may be provided to the upper side of the run-out table at given intervals.
The feed roller is a feeder that advances the extruded material.
The pulling roller is a puller that pulls (draws) the extruded material.
The cooling section cools the extruded material that has been heated to a high temperature. The cooling section may utilize water or air for cooling.
When the extruded material has an irregular cross-sectional shape (e.g., profile), it is preferable to use a cooling section that utilizes air since cross-sectional distortion (deformation) occurs to only a small extent.
When the extruded material that has been heated to a high temperature is cooled, the extruded material shrinks in the longitudinal direction in an area between the feed roller and the pulling roller, thereby a tensile force is applied to the extruded material (i.e., the extruded material is stretched).
Since it is preferable that the extrusion speed of the extruded material is high, it is preferable to set the air-cooling rate to 200 to 300° C./min or more.
The extrusion apparatus may further include a cutter that cuts the extruded material that has passed the pulling roller while moving in synchronization with the extrusion speed of the extruded material. The extrusion apparatus may also include a transfer section that advances the extruded material that has been cut.
This makes it possible to further reduce the size of the extrusion apparatus. The extrusion apparatus may be configured so that the extruded material is cooled by the cooling section in an area between the feed roller and the pulling roller.
In this case, since a shrinkage force due to cooling is applied to the extruded material in an area between the feed roller and the pulling roller, a tensile force is applied to the extruded material in an area between the feed roller and the pulling roller, so that the extruded material is stretched.
A configuration example of an extrusion apparatus and a method for producing an extruded material according to the exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described below.
The extrusion apparatus includes an extruder 11, and a run-out table 12 that supports an extruded material 1 that has been extruded from the extruder 11.
The extruder 11 includes a container 11a and a stem 11c, and an extrusion die 11b is placed in front of the container 11a.
In one embodiment of the invention, the extruder 11 is a direct extruder. Note that the extruder 11 may be an indirect extruder.
A cylindrical billet M that has been preheated to a high temperature using a heating furnace 20 is introduced into the container 11a, and the stem 11c is advanced to extrude the extruded material 1.
As schematically illustrated in
The support member 17 may be a bar material (member) that exhibits lubricity, or may be a rotatable support roller.
A feed roller (feeder) 14 and a pulling roller (puller) 15 are provided so as to be able to come in rolling contact with the extruded material 1 that is situated on the run-out table 12. The feed roller 14 is provided at a position close to the extruder 11. The pulling roller 15 is provided at a given distance from the feed roller 14.
Cooling sections 13a and 13b are provided at a position between the feed roller 14 and the pulling roller 15 so as to be situated on either side of the run-out table 12.
In one embodiment of the invention, the cooling sections 13a and 13b are air-cooling sections that strongly apply air to the extruded material 1 that has been extruded from the extruder 11.
Although
The cooling sections 13a and 13b may eject (discharge) air downward from the upper side of the run-out table 12.
The feed roller 14 advances the extruded material 1 that has been extruded from the extruder 11. In the example schematically illustrated in
The pulling roller 15 pulls (draws) the extruded material. In the example schematically illustrated in
The pulling roller 15 is a drive roller. The rotation of the pulling roller 15 is controlled by a drive motor or the like. The pulling roller 15 pulls (draws) the extruded material 1 at a speed equal to or higher than the extrusion speed.
A cutter 16 is provided in front of the pulling roller 15. The cutter 16 travels along a travel rail 16a that is provided parallel to the run-out table 12.
The cutter 16 has a blade 16c for cutting the extruded material 1. In one embodiment of the invention, a slide rail 16b is provided along which the blade 16c moves so as to cross the extruded material 1.
The extrusion speed at which the extruded material 1 is extruded is measured using a measurement section (e.g., encoder), and the cutter 16 cuts the extruded material 1 while traveling along the travel rail 16a in synchronization with the extrusion speed. The extruded material 1 is produced as described below.
As illustrated in
The extruded material 1 passes the feed roller 14, and the cooling sections 13a and 13b are operated in a state in which the end of the extruded material 1 has passed the pulling roller 15 (see
The extruded material 1 shrinks due to cooling. Since the extruded material 1 advances while being held by the feed roller 14 and the pulling roller 15, a tensile force f illustrated in
When rotating the feed roller 14, the rotation speed W2 of the pulling roller 15 may be set to be higher than the rotation speed W1 of the feed roller 14 so that the force in the tensile direction is ensured by the difference in rotation speed.
When the end of the extruded material 1 has passed the cutter 16 (see
An extruded material la illustrated in
The cutter 16 is moved backward from the position illustrated in
Although only some embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-020320 | Feb 2016 | JP | national |
