A support arm assembly for pipe bending machines with automatic pipe positioning

Abstract: A support arm assembly for a pipe bending machine, including one or more linear ledges arranged along the arm; a mandrel including a piece for intercepting said ledges through a click (100) switching between a raised rest position and a lowered working position by the displacement of an eyelet, in which it can slide, having raising edges (105) against which the click itself is loaded, under the actuation of an air cylinder, under the control of means that also control the opening/closing of the pipe carrier gripper (16) of the mandrel; angular ledge dowels with a sense cut (200) being provided on the periphery of the mandrel, cooperating with a spring-loaded locator.

Description: The present invention relates to a support arm assembly for pipe bending machines. As is known, the support arms for pipe bending machines are those assemblies, to be associated to a pipe bending machine, whereto the basic functions are given to be performed of supporting and positioning a pipe in the progress of a bending operation. The positioning function is performed by a mandrel that slides positionally on the arm itself. In the pipe bending machines presently in use, the operator has to go away from the command area to go to the mandrel of the support arm to open and close it. Positioning abutment ledges are to be inserted and disinserted manually with a shaft with ledges adjustable through handles sited in the command area. A manual, not an automatic operation is so dealt with. Sophisticated numeric control machines are presently on the market able to automatically perform the aforementioned function, but with expensive electronic and mechanical systems, for instance by means of hydraulic, electromechanical control box and with electronic servos. The object of the present invention is to provide a pipe bending machine that allows the positioning function to be performed automatically, but that is of a cheap constitution at the same time. Therefore, the present invention relates to a support arm assembly for a pipe bending machine, with a pipe positioning mandrel slideable on it, endowed with a pipe carrier gripper, including one or more linear abutment ledges arranged along the arm; the mandrel including a piece for intercepting said ledges through a catch switched between a raised rest position and a lowered working position by the displacement of an eyelet, wherein it can slide, having raised edges whereagainst the catch itself is loaded, under the actuation of a piston; a single hydraulic or pneumatic drive contemporaneosuly actuating the closing/opening of the pipe carrier gripper and the switching of the catch. Moreover, the present invention relates to such a support arm assembly for a pipe bending machine, wherein further the mandrel comprises reversible angular abutment dowels with a sense cut, provided on the periphery of the mandrel itself, cooperating with a spring-loaded contrast, said contrast being able to be inserted/disinserted for right or left curves through a spindle with a cut extremity actuated by a lever mechanism controlled by abutment contrasts arranged on a linear guide. The present invention will be best understood based upon the following detailed disclosure of a preferred embodiment thereof, given only as a matter of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section view of the core shaft-carrier mandrel of the assembly, in a closed state; FIGURE 2 is a view that illustrates a click piece used for the linear positioning of the mandrel in cooperation with abutment ledges provided on the assembly arm; FIGURE 3 is a view that illustrates the angular abutment dowels of the mandrel, and FIGURE 4 is a top assembly view of the core arm of the present invention with the mandrel mounted. The assembly that constitutes the subject-matter of the present invention, therefore, includes a support arm, to be mounted with an extremity aside a pipe bending machine and a core shaft-carrier mandrel, slidingly mounted on the arm. As can be observed in FIGURE 1, the core shaft-carrier mandrel M comprises a support sleeve jacket 1 that supports the working elements of the mandrel. Basically the working portion is an air cylinder comprising a cylinder 2 that develops on two sections, the one with a lesser diametre, housed and supported in said jacket 1, and the other one with a greater diametre, that enlarges itself in correspondence with an end section of the support itself, otherwise it also being enlarged as a flange. In such a cylinder the relevant piston 3 is mounted, inside which the core shaft slides of the subject assembly. The greater diameter portion of the cylinder defines a chamber 4 wherein the head 3' slides and operates of the piston 3, whilst the stem of the piston is supported by the lesser diameter section of the cylinder itself. The air for the actuation of the piston is let in through a manifold (not shown) to a small hole 5 in direct air communication with the chamber between the rear portion of the piston head and the ledge section thereof against the cylinder body. Rearly the head presents a forward staggered geometry that opens a chamber (chamber 6) in its state of abutment against the cylinder, in the position of full backward displacement. The cylinder, on its side, presents a backward staggered geometry too, which opens a corresponding chamber 7. The abutment between the cylinder and the head of the piston, therefore, takes place in correspondence with two end steps. In chamber 7 a gasket is arranged for the stem of the piston. In the lesser radius section of the cylinder, otherwise, a full-circumference recess 8 is made, to be filled with grease, so as to make up a lubrified air space for a good sliding of the stem. In the front step of head 3' a gasket 9 is arranged for the sliding of the head of the piston in the greater diametre section of the cylinder. Between the support jacket 1 and the cylinder 2 two seal toroidal rings, or O-rings, 17, 17' are arranged, intended to avoid the air outflow from the mandrel. The head of the piston frontly presents a flared geometry affording a recess for supporting a helicoidal compression spring 10 by a side, abutting by its other extremity in a support ring 11, it also slideable, like the piston head, in cylinder 2. A ring 12 mounted in cylinder 2 near the end section prevents such spring abutment ring from popping out of the body of the mandrel made up of the support and the air cylinder themselves. The greater diameter section of the cylinder 2 presents two continuous ridges 13, 14, extending on all the respective transverse section of the cylinder itself (circular development). The abutment 13 is a front abutment and the abutment 14 is a rear abutment. Beyond the ridge 13 the cylinder projects with a conspicuous overhang. On this overhang a knurled ring nut 15 is fitted in with a first cylinder tract with which firstly, indeed, it fits in and thereafter continues as an overhang, and a second narrowing taper tract 15'. In that knurled ring nut a pipe carrier gripper 16 with four (4) interchangeable clamps, for instance in teflon or in brass, is mounted. The above piston 3 continues, beyond head 3', inside said spring 10, up to a substantial projection from the jacket of the cylinder which supports it, within said ring nut 15, passing thereafter within said ring 11. At its free extremity it supports said clamps 16, actuating the opening/closing thereof on the core shaft. The disclosed construction represents a single-acting cylinder. With the action of air the slider is displaced made up of the continuation of the stem and the gripper is closed. At the end of the pressure of the air (pressure release) the compression spring returns the piston to a rest position (gripper opened). The whole is controlled through a keyboard with a GRIPPER CLOSE button wherewhich an electrovalve is operated that performs the pressure feed/release function for the air cylinder. The other circular ridge 14, on the contrary, delimitates, together with the end section of the support jacket 1 which it faces, a space wherein a turnable ring nut 18 is arranged, intended to the angular positioning of the mandrel, slightly frictioned through a toroidal ring. On the ring nut 18 a 360° graduation system is impressed; with reference to FIGURE 3, cylinder 2 in the two continuous ridges 13 and 14 presents a continuous slot whereupon positionable dowels 200 making up adjustable angular abutments cooperating with a spring-loaded locator 201 integral with the mandrel itself. The dowels have their head cut directionally - and they are reversible - for the sense of the curve to be impressed to the pipe. For right and left rotation curves one respectively positions the dowels with the portion cut in such a way as to be able to carry out the rotation. The locator 201 is arranged horizontally, by a side of the mandrel itself, whereto it is integrally mounted, as just mentioned, through a support 201', and it is loaded by a helicoidal compression spring 201", housed within the support 201', to a lowered position, in which the locator engages itself with the heads of the dowels 200, stopping the rotation of the mandrel when it encounters the not cut portion. The support 201' inferiorly continues to the bottom, vertically, then perpendicularly to locator 201, supporting a small cylinder 202 with a cut overhanging end 202' which in its cut portion receives the handle 201"' of the locator 201, but which pushes the same away with the not cut portion. In this way it acts as a command for the switching of the locator 201 itself between the lowered/raised positions. The small cylinder is manoeuvred with the following construction. It is inferiorly threaded through a bush 203 in which it is connected through a pin 203'. Such a bush finds itself at the extremity of a lever 203", rotating horizontally, which with its other extremity can engage itself with linear abutting platelets having an overhanging head 204 and a fixing body 206 in a guide 205. To actuate the mechanism it suffices to displace the mandrel on the guide 205, by displacing its carriage; the lever 203" encounters the head 204 and so it is rotated, rotatingly dragging the small cylinder 202 too, and so the cut milling displaces the handle 201"', so raising the locator overcoming the spring that loads the latter. The mandrel is so free to rotate. The clamps 16 are endowed with through-dowels 20, 20', that can be adjusted by screwing to be able to operate on irregular section pieces. Said mandrel is mounted on a support and guide arm, not shown, that is associated by a side of the pipe bending machine with which it has to cooperate. Along the arm, platelets 19 are arranged that fix linear ledges defining as many working positions. The interception of these guide positions is affected through a catch interception piece 100 mounted on the mandrel disclosed above, so made up, as can be observed in FIGURE 2. The interception piece 100 includes a support 1' departing from the support jacket 1 of the mandrel whereof above. In the mandrel itself a second air cylinder 1" is housed, actuated by the same air source of the cylinder of the mandrel. It includes a stem 101 loaded to a backward rest position, by a compression spring 102 housed in the cylinder, that takes rest at its two ends respectively on a flanged head of the cylinder and on an end narrowing circular closing section of the cylinder. The stem of the piston of that cylinder projects very much out of the cylinder itself, extending on and along the support 1'. Its free extremity inserts itself in an eyelet 103 including a support tract that by a side presents a recess for the insertion of a dowel for fixing the extremity of the stem, so as to render the same integral thereto, and a proper eyelet tract, with a rectilinear through hollow developed longitudinally, limited on its sides by edges that present a raising 105 centred with respect to the longitudinal development of the through hollow itself. In this hollow the catch 106 is guided. It upperly presents a pin 107 that traverses it transversely to take rest, on two extremities projecting in diametrically opposite positions, on the raising edges of the eyelet. The catch is mounted in a horizontally fixed position in a hollow 108 of the support 1' wherein it is loaded toward the bottom through a helicoidal compression spring. It is apparent that, with this construction, the catch is bound to follow the profile of the raising edges, then to raise/lower itself with the displacement of the eyelet piece 103 under the actuation of the relevant air cylinder above. The catch is actuated by an air cylinder actuated by the same control of the opening/closing of the pipe carrier gripper, that is, as mentioned above, the source of air for the two cylinders is the same. FIGURE 4 shows the whole of the described core arm assembly with indicated the control keyboard 300. The present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that variations can be made without departing from the relevant scope of protection, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A support arm assembly for a pipe bending machine, with a mandrel (M) for positioning a pipe slideable on it, endowed with a pipe carrier gripper (16), characterized in that it includes one or more linear abutment ledges (19) arranged along the arm; the mandrel (M) including a piece (100) for intercepting said ledges through a catch (106) switched between a raised rest position and a lowered working position by the displacement of an eyelet, wherein it can slide, having a raising edge (105) against which the catch itself is loaded, under the actuation of a piston; a single hydraulic or pneumatic drive contemporaneously actuating the closing/opening of the pipe carrier gripper (16) and the switching of the catch (106). The support arm assembly for a pipe bending machine according to claim 1, further characterized in that the mandrel (M) includes reversible angular abutment dowels (200) with a sense cut, cooperating with a spring loaded locator (201), said locator being able to be inserted/disinserted for right and left curves through a spindle with a cut extremity (202) actuated by a lever mechanism (203") controlled by abutment platelets (204) arranged on a linear guide (205).

Inventors: CAPORUSSO ALESSANDRO, CAPORUSSO MARIO, CAPORUSSO, ALESSANDRO, CAPORUSSO, MARIO
Applicants: CML COSTR MECC LIRI SRL, C.M.L. COSTRUZIONI MECCANICHE LIRI S.R.L.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B21D7
IPC codes: B21D7, B21D43