Equipment for coupling profiles converging at an angle in a metal frame for casings

Abstract: On a fixed structure (1, 1X) in front of the corner formed by the converging profiles (P) arranged in the seat, there are provided essentially vertical guides (26) for two assemblies (32; 34), one (32) of which bears the implement for perforating (48) and the other (34) of which bears the implement for injecting (66), the axes of which implements are situated in and move in the plane bisecting the corner defined by the two converging profiles; each of said assemblies (32; 34) is actuated by a corresponding servomotor (40; 64) while the active part of each of the two implements (48; 66) is capable of advancing axially to carry out its own function.

Description: The invention relates to an apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1. Such an apparatus is known for instance from EP-A-0 563 018. The aim of the invention is to simplify the structure, to allow greater flexibility in handling, and so forth. These and other aims and advantages will become clear from the text which follows. According to the invention an apparatus is provided as defined in claim 1. Each of the two actuating means is capable of making the respective assembly reach an adjustable limit of travel which defines the active position of the associated implement. Said actuating means can be step motors or equivalent, which actuate threaded bars, with which screw nuts borne by the relevant assemblies interact. Alternatively, the actuating means can be cylinder/piston means controlled hydraulically or pneumatically. In one possible embodiment, said fixed structure comprises two plates, between which columns extend forming the vertical guides; the same columns can constitute the guides for both said assemblies. The seat for the profiles has support and positioning members, with which external lateral walls of the converging profiles make contact; according to the invention, said support and positioning members can be borne by an assembly which is adjustable in an essentially horizontal direction and parallel to the bisecting plane. Such support and positioning members are adjustable on said assembly in an essentially vertical direction, by column guide means or equivalent. The invention will be better understood by following the description and the attached drawing which shows a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the invention. In the drawing, on different scales for convenience of consultation, Fig. 1 shows a plan view in partial section along I-I in Fig. 2 of equipment made according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a vertical section along II-II in Fig. 1; Figs 3 and 4 show local sections along III-III and IV-IV in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 shows a vertical section essentially along the lines V-V in Figs 1 and 2, and Fig. 6 shows a section along VI-VI in Figs 2 and 5. According to what is illustrated in the attached drawing, 1 indicates in a very concise manner a fixed structure which is situated positioned in front of and in the region of the corner S formed by two profiles P1 and P2 which are placed on the equipment to converge at the angle to which the corner S belongs, to be connected by means of a square SQ inserted inside the two profiles P1 and P2. The seat for the positioning of said profiles P1 and P2 is formed by components 1X and 1Y of the basic structure, of which the portion of structure 1 positioned in front of said seat for the profiles P1 and P2 forms part. 3 indicates calking tools which are used traditionally for anchoring the profiles P1 and P2 to the square SQ enclosed by them; the tools cause a deformation of external walls of the profiles in the region of apertures arranged in the square to receive the portions of said walls which are deformed by the tools 3. Integral with a component 1Y of the fixed structure 1X are horizontal guides 5 which are parallel to the vertical bisecting plane of line A-A in Fig. 1 which is the plane bisecting the corner S formed by the profiles P1 and P2 converging to form the angle of the frame with said two profiles P1 and P2 already indicated. A block 7 can be moved and adjusted on the horizontal guides 5; this block 7 can be positioned by means of the rotation of a threaded shaft 9 with an axis parallel to the guides 5, which can be controlled by means of a coupling with bevel gears 10 from a maneuvering terminal 12 with a quadrangular head or similar. The block 7 forms vertical seats for the sliding of two small columns 14 which are interconnected by a lower bridge 15 and which at the top support two pawls 16 which are capable of being adjusted so as to create supports which are adjustable according to the dimensional characteristics of the profiles to be coupled. The pawls 16 are adjustable vertically by the sliding and locking of the small columns 14 and in the horizontal direction parallel to the bisecting plane of line A-A for the positioning of the block 7. The structure X, which is positioned in front of the seat for the corner S of the profiles P1, P2 to be coupled, comprises a pair of horizontal plates 20, 22 interconnected by columns 26 which constitute vertical sliding guides. Small support columns 28 serve for the connection of the lower plate 20 to the structure 1, 1X. In a practical manner, there are three guide columns 26, two of which are close and aligned parallel to the abovementioned bisecting plane of symmetry of line A-A in Fig. 1; the third column 26 is removed from and on the opposite side to the pair of columns 26 in relation to the bisecting plane of line A-A in Fig. 1. Two assemblies 32 and 34 are movable vertically and independently on the guide and sliding columns 26. The lower assembly 32 is shaped like a rectangular frame (see in particular Fig. 6) equipped with a threaded bush 36, with which a threaded shaft 38 is coupled; said shaft 38 is controlled by an actuator 40 which can be constituted by an electric step motor or another equivalent; by means of the actuator 40, the assembly 32 can be raised and lowered along the columns 26. The assembly 32 has two horizontal guides 42 (see in particular Fig. 6) which have a development parallel to the bisecting plane of line A-A and on which horizontal guides 42 a group 44 slides which bears the motorization 46 of a perforation implement 48, the horizontal axis of which, parallel to the guides 42, lies in the vertical bisecting plane of symmetry with line A-A referred to a number of times. The movement of the group 44 along the guides 42 and parallel to the axis of the perforating implement 48 can be obtained by means of an actuator 50, such as a step motor or another equivalent, with a threaded shaft 52 which engages in a threaded bush 54 integral with the group 44. In this manner, a perforation can be obtained with the implement 48 in the region of the corner S of convergence of the two profiles P1 and P2. The actuator 50 controls the implement 48 in the advance direction and in the return direction, which in turn is actuated in rotation by means of the motorization 46. The perforation with the implement 48 can be actuated at a level which is adjustable by means of the positioning of the assembly 32 and therefore of the group 44 on the guide columns 26; adjustment can be actuated electrically when the actuator 40 is a step motor or equivalent. The assembly 34, shaped similarly to that 32 and bearing (see in particular Fig. 1) a pair of horizontal guides 56 which are similar to those 42 and on which a group 58 similar to that 44 can slide, also slides on the columns 26. The assembly 34 is equipped with a threaded bush 60 which is coupled to a threaded shaft 62 formed vertically which can be controlled in rotation by means of an actuator 64 similar to that 40 and for example also constituted by a step motor or another equivalent. The actuator 64 moves the assembly 34 vertically along the columns 26 independently of the assembly 32. The group 58 forms a sliding seat parallel to the guides 56 for a nozzle 66 of an injection tool for an adhesive with which provision is to be made for sticking the square SQ inside the profiles P1 and P2 for locking the connection. The implement for injecting 66 is situated parallel to the perforating implement 48 in the plane A-A referred to a number of times. This implement 66 for injecting is slidable on its own axis guided by a rod 68 and stressed by a spring 70 towards the corner S to offer a tolerance for adaptation to the hole. The group 58 can be controlled for sliding along the guides 56 by means of an actuator 72 similar to that 50, which controls a threaded shaft 74 which is coupled to a bush 76 borne by the group 58. The assembly 34 - and with it the group 58 - can be adjusted vertically along the columns 26 by means of the actuator 64, with a positioning which is expediently fixed, perhaps electrically or by a system of the type of a mechanical pawl; in this manner, positioning of the implement for injecting 66 is achieved in perfect alignment with the hole which has previously been formed, by means of the implement 48, along the corner S through the material of the profiles P1 and P2 and if appropriate of the square SQ also. In operation, provision is initially made for bringing the assembly 34 of the injector 66 upwards into an inactive position while the assembly 32 can be moved by raising it as far as a desired level in order to be able to proceed with the perforation with the implement 48 in the corner S along the bisecting plane of line A-A, at a desired level in relation to the profiles P1 and P2 which have been placed in the seat defined by the squares 16 and by the supports formed by the structure 1X. After having carried out the perforation, the assembly 44 of the perforating implement 48 is lowered and the assembly 34 is lowered followed by the point of the implement for injecting 66 until it is made to coincide with the geometrical axis along which the perforation has been effected by the implement 48 in the region of the corner S of the frame being formed. Provision is then made - with the advance of the group 58 - for pressing the point of the injecting implement 66 into the hole previously formed by the implement 48, the pressure for coupling the end of the injecting implement 66 being ensured by the spring 70 which yields with the advance of the group 58 by means of the actuator 72. With each operation effected for the perforation and for the injection of the adhesive, the respective groups 44 and 58 are returned by the respective actuators 50 and 72 into a position removed from the corner S to allow the vertical movements of the respective assemblies 32 and 34 by the respective actuators 40 and 64. The operations of perforation and of injection can be repeated at two different points of one and the same corner. The adjustments necessary for adaptation to the morphology and to the dimensional characteristics of the profiles P1 and P2 are thus obtained, by independent operations and therefore with considerable flexibility for adaptation to the requirements of individual manufacturing processes. The equipment can be made in a relatively very simple and economical manner given the standardization of the components which can be used. These and other aims and advantages will be evident to experts in the field. It is understood that the drawing shows only an example given only by way of practical demonstration of the invention, it being possible for this invention to vary in form and arrangement without however leaving the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Any presence of reference numbers in the enclosed claims has the aim of facilitating reading of the claims with reference to the description and to the drawing and does not limit the scope of protection defined by the claims. The actuators can also be different from those which are electric step motors and for example can be constituted by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder/piston or equivalent systems, equipped with appropriate limits of travel which are adjustable for defining the position of the common axis on which the implements 48 and 66 have to arrive for the respective operations.

Claims: Apparatus for forming a joint between two profiles (P1 - P2) disposed at an angle relative to each other, a corner angle being inserted in each of the profiles (P), the joint being formed for producing a metal frame, the apparatus comprising: a seat for supporting the two profiles (P1 - P2) with the corner angle inserted therein; two pressing tools (3) each capable of locally deforming the wall of a respective one of the profiles (P1 - P2) into a correspondingly located rabbet provided in the corner angle so as to interengage the profile and the corner angle; a perforating means (46) for making a hole in the outside corner formed by the abutting profiles by movement of an active element (46A) of the perforating means (46) along an axis of movement essentially lying in a plane (A-A) bisecting the angle between the profiles; an injecting means (66) for injecting an adhesive in the hole formed with the perforating means (46) so as to adhesively secure the corner angle inside each of the profiles, the injecting element of the injecting means (66) being capable of moving along an axis of movement lying essentially in the plane (A-A) bisecting the angle between the profiles; a fixed structure (1) located in front of the corner defined by the profiles and the corner angle as arranged, in use, in the seat; a first assembly (32) on which the perforating means (46) are mounted and a second assembly (34) on which the injecting means (66) are mounted being supported for movement essentially in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the profiles extend by means of guides (26) mounted on the fixed structure (1) so that the axis along which the perforating means and the injecting means are capable of acting can be moved in the plane (A-A) bisecting the angle between the profiles; said apparatus characterized in that: first actuating means (40) are provided for moving said first assembly (32) along the guides on the fixed structure; and second actuating means (54) are provided for moving the second assembly (34) along the guides on the fixed structure. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two actuating means (40; 64) is capable of making the respective assembly reach an adjustable limit of travel which defines the active position of the associated implement. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of said actuating means is a step motor (40; 64) or equivalent which actuates a threaded bar, with which a screw nut borne by the relevant assembly interacts. The apparatus as claimed in at least claim 1, wherein said fixed structure comprises two plates (20, 22), between which columns (26) extend forming the vertical guides, it being possible for the same columns to constitute the guides for both said assemblies (32; 34). The apparatus as claimed in at least claim 1, in which said seat for the profiles has support and positioning members (16), with which external lateral walls of the converging profiles make contact, wherein said support and positioning members (16) are borne by an assembly (7) which is adjustable in an essentially horizontal direction and parallel to the bisecting plane. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said support and positioning members (16) are adjustable on their assembly (7) in an essentially vertical direction, by column guide means (14) or equivalent.

Inventors: PARIGI STEFANO, SANTINI PAOLO, PARIGI, STEFANO, SANTINI, PAOLO
Applicants: ATLA COOP SCARL, ATLA COOP. SOC. COOP. A R.L.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B21D53
IPC codes: B21D53