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US 10,406,580 B2Granted
Automated bender and systems and methods for providing data to operate an automated bender
AssigneeGreenlee Tools, Inc.
InventorsSean Daugherty, Jeffrey Plummer, Ryan Mantell, Gerald Tully, Sumeet Pujari
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated bender and its method of operation according to some embodiments of the disclosure is provided. The automated bender includes a carousel which has all of the necessary components for bending a variety of conduit sizes provided thereon. The carousel can be rotated to a desired bending position to bend a particular type of conduit. A straight workpiece is fed into the automated bender and a bent workpiece, which may have multiple bends therein, is output from the automated bender. This bending process is performed without manual intervention. Software for achieving same is provided.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method of operating an automated bender, comprising:
- a) receiving a workpiece on a seat of an automated bender;
- b) causing movement of the seat to align the workpiece with a clamping apparatus of the automated bender;
- c) causing movement of the clamping apparatus to engage and securely hold the workpiece;
- d) causing coordinated movement of the seat and the clamping apparatus to align the workpiece with a channel of a bending shoe of the automated bender, wherein the bending shoe has multiple channels;
- e) causing movement of the clamping apparatus toward the bending shoe, thereby engaging the workpiece with the bending shoe at a position wherein a bend is to be effected in the workpiece;
- f) causing movement of a follower bar toward the bending shoe at the position wherein the bend is to be effected in the workpiece to engage a channel of the follower bar with the workpiece, wherein the follower bar has multiple channels;
- g) thereafter causing movement of the bending shoe to form a first bend in the workpiece, wherein the follower bar moves with the workpiece during movement of the bending shoe to form the first bend;
- h) causing movement of the follower bar away from the bending shoe to disengage the follower bar from the workpiece after the first bend is formed;
- i) thereafter causing movement of the clamping assembly to move the workpiece relative to the bending shoe and the follower bar;
- j) causing movement of the follower bar toward the bending shoe to engage the same channel of the follower bar with the workpiece;
- k) thereafter causing movement of the bending shoe to form a second bend in the workpiece;
- and
- l) causing movement of the follower bar away from the bending shoe to disengage the follower bar from the workpiece after the second bend is formed;
- wherein each movement is automatically performed under control of at least one processor of a control device of the automated bender, and
- wherein in c)-l), the workpiece is continuously supported by the clamping assembly during the movements.
12 more elements
A computer-implemented method of operating an automated bender, comprising:
- receiving a workpiece on a seat of an automated bender;
- b) causing rotational movement of a carousel plate of the automated bender around an axis, the carousel plate having a plurality of bending shoes extending outwardly from a first side surface of the carousel plate, each bending shoe having a plurality of channels therein configured to receive a workpiece, each bending shoe being rotationally attached to the carousel plate along a rotational axis around which the bending shoe rotates, the rotational axes of the bending shoes being spaced apart from each other on the carousel plate and spaced apart from the rotational axis of the carousel plate, the rotational axes of the bending shoes and the carousel plate being parallel to each other, each bending shoe being rotatable around its rotational axis independently of the other bending shoes, wherein the rotation movements causes a desired bending shoe to be placed in a position above a motor of the automated bender;
- c) causing movement of the carousel plate to engage the desired bending shoe with the motor;
- d) causing movement of the seat to align the workpiece with a clamping apparatus of the automated bender;
- e) causing movement of the clamping apparatus to engage and securely hold the workpiece;
- f) causing coordinated movement of the seat and the clamping apparatus to align the workpiece with the desired bending shoe of the automated bender;
- g) causing movement of the clamping apparatus toward the automated bender, thereby moving the workpiece relative to the seat and engaging the workpiece with the desired bending shoe at a position wherein a bend is to be effected in the workpiece;
- and
- h) causing movement of the bending shoe to form a bend in the workpiece,
- wherein each movement is automatically performed under control of at least one processor of a control device of the automated bender,
- wherein in f)-h), the workpiece is continuously supported by the clamping assembly during the movements.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.