Patent Application
20070194484
Supporting devices are known to the expert and are used generally in calibrators.
These supporting discs are exchanged when changing the product and replaced by discs having a different radius. This means in turn that correspondingly adapted supporting discs have to be available for each product to be produced. During pipe extrusion, discs are thus kept ready for different pipe diameters. This increases the stock requirement and the set-up time, since the discs are changed as described above.
The invention provides a supporting device for a plastic profile, in particular for a plastic pipe, in a calibration device which has a supporting region, in which it supports the plastic profile, wherein the contour in the supporting region is adapted to the contour of the plastic profile.
The object of the invention is to offer a supporting device which makes it possible to dispense with expensive changing of the discs. Furthermore, the object is set to offer a corresponding process for dependent changing of the supporting region.
This object is achieved in conjunction with the preamble of claim 1 in that the contour in the supporting region, in particular the radius, can be changed. This may be achieved in that the supporting device is formed about a common point of rotation by combining several discs having different radius. Depending on which disc rests on the pipe, a different radius is brought into accord. Each disc may be employed individually via the common point of rotation.
In order to provide as far as possible continuous transition between the discs or the contour region of the discs, the individual discs in the supporting region are connected to one another and the supporting region forms a common surface, as a result of which the contour can be changed continuously. This may be, for example a metal sheet or the like.
By way of development it is proposed to design the supporting device in one piece, wherein each section through a common point of rotation has a different radius in the supporting region and the contour can be changed continuously.
So that the supporting device may be adjusted simply, provision is made to arrange an adjustment about the common point of rotation.
By way of advance, the adjustment has a mark, via which the set radius can be read. For use in a tank, this is facilitated from the outside, thus a seal against vacuum and against the cooling liquid is provided.
So that adjustment may be used in conjunction with the control of an extrusion plant, it is proposed that adjustment is effected electrically.
The supporting device with electrical adjustment is suitable in particular for adapting setting in an integrated measuring device, in particular an online measurement. If deviations from the theoretical diameter are established on the extruded pipe, the supporting device is adjusted accordingly in order to achieve the required theoretical diameter.
By way of solution with regard to the process, provision is made to change the position of a supporting region of a supporting device as a function of a predetermined theoretical diameter of one or more series-arranged supporting devices with continuously changeable supporting region such that the predetermined diameter is produced. It is particularly advantageous if this is effected as a function of a measured result on the extruded pipe.
It is thus possible to make adaptations at different points of the supporting region over the course of the calibration, so that at the end of the extrusion line, the pipe with the required diameter is produced exactly.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawings,
Several of these discs 5 are shown in
All individual parts according to
Reference Number List:
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/775,646, filed on Feb. 22, 2006. The entire teachings of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60775646 | Feb 2006 | US |
