Patent Application
20240383029
The invention relates to a longitudinal wire guide for feeding a set of parallel steel wires in a predetermined X direction.
The current state-of-the-art in the manufacture of industrial meshes and reinforcement mats (e.g. fence mesh, screed mesh) in automated welding machines with wires cut to length is an infeed-side feed system, an infeed-side wire guide and an outfeed- side pull system. To date, longitudinal wires are fed into a machine on the infeed side, with fixed guide elements defining the distance between the longitudinal wires of a mat plane. Solutions of this type are disadvantageous because they are difficult or impossible to adjust or adapt.
The object of the invention is to cyclically transport a set of longitudinal wires quickly and precisely in the direction of a welding machine and to enable the distance between the longitudinal wires to be adjusted quickly and precisely enough.
The longitudinal wire guide according to the invention achieves this by having a plurality of fittings consisting of a lower longitudinal wire guide lever (LW guide lever), an upper longitudinal wire guide lever (LW guide lever), a compression spring acting between the two, and a lateral longitudinal wire guide (LW guide), wherein the fittings are arranged so as to be continuously displaceable relative to one another in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, and wherein the plurality of fittings are arranged on a carriage which can be driven in the X direction.
In one embodiment, the plurality of fittings are arranged together on a frame on which they can be raised and lowered together in a Z direction, which is essentially perpendicular to the Y direction and the X direction, by means of a height adjustment.
In addition, the driving of the carriage and the closing of both the lower and the upper LW guide levers can be clocked by a control unit so as to transport a set of parallel steel wires in repeated steps in the X direction.
It is also conceivable that the carriage is driven electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. In particular:
As shown in
A fitting for a longitudinal wire guide 4 is formed from a lateral longitudinal wire guide 10 and at least one lower LW guide lever 7 and one upper LW guide lever 8. The levers form cyclically closable grippers that push the LW in the X direction. The lower LW guide lever 7 can be formed in one piece with the lateral LW guide 10. The lateral LW guide 10 is at least a passage, a slot or similar for an LW, which prevents its deflection in the Y direction.
The set of longitudinal wires is pressed and held in the individual lower and upper LW guide levers 7, 8 by means of one (or more) compression springs 5 (optionally also hydraulic, pneumatic or electric cylinders), the spring force of which acts in the direction of the arrow F and closes the levers, pressed and held. The opening of all longitudinal wire guides 4, i.e. the deactivation of the clamping force takes place jointly via two pressure bars 11, which extend in the Y direction and actuate all lower and upper LW guide levers 7, 8. These pressure bars 11 are preferably actuated by one or more hydraulic cylinders (pneumatic or electric cylinders).
For the exact longitudinal wire height in the Z direction and additional functions, a height adjustment 12 is preferably provided electrically. The longitudinal wire height is determined by the contact point of a longitudinal wire 6 on the respective lower LW guide lever 7, which is connected to the height adjustment 12 via an LW guide holder 9.
The fittings of the longitudinal wire guides 4 can be moved along a common shaft 13 in the Y direction so as to change the distances between the LWs 6 and feed them to the welding machine. Alternatively, instead of a shaft 13, dovetail guides, T-slots or equivalent can be used. This can be done for all or only individual LWs 6, namely during periods of standstill that occur during continuous production and while the set of LWs 6 is advanced in the X direction at regular intervals.
If the diameter of the LWs 6 used and/or the transverse wires changes (typical diameters are between 2 and 8 mm), all longitudinal wire guides 4 are raised or lowered by the required difference in the Z direction. According to the invention, this can also take place during ongoing production, e.g. if the LW diameter of two wire mesh mats to be produced directly one behind the other changes.
The clockable longitudinal wire guide 4 therefore advantageously combines the functions of the general longitudinal wire feed, the longitudinal wire guide with regard to the internal distances and the longitudinal wire positioning with regard to the height level on the infeed side on automated welding machines.
The longitudinal wire diameters are variable, as a welding machine with longitudinal wire guide 4 according to the invention can be automatically adjusted by design. Although the adjusting of the longitudinal wire pitch is not automated, it is also very simple according to the form described here.
The set of longitudinal rods can be picked up continuously in the Y direction. Once it has been picked up, the set of longitudinal rods can be fed with variable spacing in the Y direction, since the longitudinal wire guide 4 is provided with clamping force application system that acts separately and with a continuous clamping force deactivation system that acts across the entire width of the mat. The application of clamping force by means of the upper and lower LW guide levers 7, 8 is gentle on the material and surface.
If necessary, the set of longitudinal rods can also be transported back in the X direction. This is programmed in the control unit, but does not require any modifications to the device. The set of longitudinal rods can also be aligned with the welding electrodes in the X direction; it can even be brought up to the welding point without losing the clamping. This enables a more secure feed.
The set of LWs can also be raised in the Z direction to compensate for the diameter of the transverse wires if the diameter of the transverse wires changes. Compensation in the Z direction can also be achieved in detail for a number of other factors that affect the variability of the machine and the quality of the welded mesh, e.g. if the welding depth at the set of longitudinal rods is to be predetermined and compensated for under program control, if any electrode wear that may occur is to be compensated for, if transverse wires are to be welded underneath the mat plane, or even if the mesh planarity in the longitudinal direction is to be affected. This is not possible with the prior art.
The longitudinal wire guide 4 can feed further longitudinal wires 6 onto the set of longitudinal rods on the end face in the X direction for the purpose of protrusion-free welding. Finally, guiding units can also release the mesh structure from transverse wire holding magnets (not shown).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 50699/2021 | Sep 2021 | AT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2022/058260 | 9/2/2022 | WO |
