Forming machine, in particular forging hammer, and method for controlling a forming machine

A method for controlling an operating cycle of a forging hammer, comprising:

• driving a hydraulic differential cylinder that is coupled to a striking tool by supplying hydraulic fluid by way of a servomotorical hydro pump, said servomotorical hydro pump being fluidically coupled to the hydraulic differential cylinder via a multi-way valve assembly that is disposed fluidically upstream of said hydraulic differential cylinder;
• directing hydraulic fluid that flows off from the hydraulic differential cylinder by way of the multi-way valve assembly to a servomotorical hydro generator that is disposed fluidically downstream of the multi-way valve assembly;
• and
• operating, by controlling the multi-way valve assembly, the servomotorical hydro generator unidirectionally with the same direction of rotation in successive operating cycles.

A method for controlling an operating cycle of a forging hammer, comprising:

• driving a hydraulic differential cylinder that is coupled to a striking tool by supplying hydraulic fluid by way of a servomotorical hydro pump, said servomotorical hydro pump being fluidically coupled to the hydraulic differential cylinder via a multi-way valve assembly that is disposed fluidically upstream of said hydraulic differential cylinder;
• directing hydraulic fluid that flows off from the hydraulic differential cylinder by way of the multi-way valve assembly to a servomotorical hydro generator that is disposed fluidically downstream of the multi-way valve assembly;
• operating, by controlling the multi-way valve assembly, the servomotorical hydro pump unidirectionally with the same direction of rotation in successive operating cycles;
• wherein, so as to coincide with reaching a first reversal point (U1) that is assigned to a forming region of the forging hammer, or when a striking tool of the forging hammer reaches a predefined speed, the method further comprises:
• actuating the multi-way valve assembly in such a manner that elastic energy that is stored, generated and/or created in the hydraulic system of the forging hammer by decompressing the hydraulic fluid is converted to electric energy by way of the servomotorical hydro generator.

A method for controlling a forging hammer that comprises a striking tool, a hydraulic differential cylinder coupled to the striking tool and configured for driving the striking tool, a servomotorical hydro pump, with the hydraulic differential cylinder being disposed by way of a multi-way valve assembly fluidically downstream of the servomotorical hydro pump, a servomotorical hydro generator which by way of the multi-way valve assembly is disposed fluidically downstream of the hydraulic differential cylinder;

• and a control unit which is configured for at least controlling the servomotorical hydro pump, the servomotorical hydro generator, and the multi-way valve assembly, the method comprising:
• driving the hydraulic differential cylinder coupled to the striking tool by the supply of hydraulic fluid by way of the servomotorical hydro pump, said servomotorical hydro pump being fluidically coupled to the hydraulic differential cylinder by way of the multi-way valve assembly that is fluidically disposed upstream of said hydraulic differential cylinder;
• directing hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic differential cylinder by way of the multi-way valve assembly to the servomotorical hydro generator that is fluidically disposed downstream of the multi-way valve assembly;
• controlling the multi-way valve assembly to operate the servomotorical hydro generator as an unidirectional servomotorical hydro generator via a plurality of cycles;
• and
• operating the servomotorical hydro pump across the plurality of operating cycles at least at a minimum rotational speed that is unequal to zero.