Patent Application
20070095120
This invention relates to roll forming machines and, more particularly, to roll forming machines of the type which can accept sheet metal supply coils of differing widths.
Roll forming machines for producing indeterminate length (i.e., seamless) metal panels, such as rain gutters, roof panels, siding panels, etc., are generally well known. In such a machine, the panels are formed from a supply coil of sheet metal of uniform width having a pair of parallel side edges. As the sheet metal is driven through the machine along a predetermined path of travel through a series of roll forming stations, its lateral profile is gradually transformed from a flat sheet into a panel having a desired lateral profile.
At the entry end of the roll forming machine, the leading edge of the supply coil of sheet metal passes through an entry guide which accurately positions the material laterally of its line of travel so that it is properly aligned for the following series of roll forming stations. Typically, the entry guide includes a pair of laterally spaced stop members which flank the material as it enters the machine. It is not uncommon that the same roll forming machine is used to form more than one size of product, in which case the roll forming machine must accommodate differing widths of sheet metal. When this is the case, the roll forming stations have to be changed and/or moved to accommodate the different sizes. Of course, at the entry guide the stop members have to be moved as well. In the past, the stop members have been collars or blocks slidable on a shaft between limit stops. When the stop members have to be moved, set screws on the collars or blocks are loosened, the collars or blocks are moved to the appropriate limit stops, and the set screws are tightened. Invariably, over time the set screws become stripped, are lost, etc., which causes a big problem. It would therefore be desirable to have an entry guide for a roll forming machine which can accommodate differing widths of sheet metal and which does not suffer from the aforementioned disadvantages.
According to this invention, the entry guide has fixed stop members for the different widths of sheet metal material. The fixed stop members are offset in the vertical direction. In the case where the roll forming machine can accommodate two different widths of sheet metal material, the upper stops can be for wider width sheet metal material than the lower stops. Thus, if the wider width sheet metal material is being formed, it is fed into the roll forming machine at the level of the upper stops and if the narrower width sheet metal material is being formed it is fed into the roll forming machine at the level of the lower stops.
The foregoing will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which like elements in different figures are identified by the same reference numeral and wherein:
Referring to the drawings,
The inventive entry guide includes the parallel shafts 20 and 22, which are secured to the frame of the machine 10 by being bolted to the vertical plates 24 and 26, which in turn are welded to the horizontal plates 28 and 30 which are bolted to the frame of the machine 10. The shaft 22 has slidably mounted thereon a pair of split collars 32 and 34. The collars 32,34 are secured to the vertical plates 36 and 38, respectively, by the bolts 40, as shown in
The stop assembly 14 will be described with reference to
A first substantially horizontal plate 48 is secured to an upper surface of the block 42 and a second substantially horizontal plate 50 is secured to a lower surface of the block 42, both by welding or other suitable means. If desired, the plate 50 may have angled portions 52,54 at its leading and trailing ends, respectively. Thus, if the wider sheet metal material is used, it is loaded into the machine 10 by guiding it onto the plate 48 with its edge against the vertical plate 38, and if the narrower width sheet metal material is used, it is loaded into the machine 10 by guiding it onto the plate 50 with its edge against the vertical surface 46 of the block 42. Accordingly, the vertical surface 46 of the block 42 and the vertical plate 38 function as entry guide stops for respective widths of sheet metal material.
The guide member 18 is secured to the stop assembly 14 by being welded to the block 56, which is secured to the vertical plate 38 by the bolts 58.
To properly set the stop assemblies 12,14, The collars 32,34 are loosened by loosening the bolts 60. The stop assembly 14 is then moved along the shafts 20,22 until it is properly aligned with the roll forming stations on that side of the machine 10. The bolt 60 on the collar 34 is then tightened to secure the stop assembly 14. The stop assembly 12 is then moved along the shafts 20,22 until it is distanced from the stop assembly 14 with the vertical plates 36,38 separated by the width of the wider sheet metal material. This automatically sets the entry guide for the narrower sheet metal material as well. The bolt 60 on the collar 32 is then tightened to secure the stop assembly 12.
Accordingly, there has been disclosed a multiple level entry guide for a roll forming machine. While an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that various adaptations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, while there has been disclosed an entry guide for accepting two different widths of sheet metal material, the present invention can be adapted to three or more widths. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
