Plate reduction press apparatus and methods

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• die holders opposite each other above and below a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally,
• dies mounted on the said die holders and comprised of convex forming surfaces protruding towards the said transfer line when viewed from the side of the transfer line,
• upstream eccentric shafts arranged on the side of each die holder on the opposite side from the transfer line and extending in the lateral direction of the transfer line,
• downstream eccentric shafts arranged on the side of each die holder on the opposite side from the transfer line in alignment with the said upstream eccentric shafts, on the downstream side of the transfer line, and comprised of eccentric portions with a different phase angle from the phase angle of the eccentric portions of the upstream eccentric shafts,
• upstream rods whose tips are connected to portions of the die holders, near the end of the die holders in the upstream direction of the transfer line through hearings and whose big ends are connected to the eccentric portions of the upstream eccentric shafts through bearings,
• downstream rods whose tips are connected to portions of the (lie holders, near the end of the die holders in the downstream direction of the transfer line through bearings and whose big ends are connected to the eccentric portions of the downstream eccentric shafts through bearings, and
• mechanisms for moving the dies backwards and forwards that reciprocate the said die holders relative to the transfer line.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• dies arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred horizontally, and moving towards and away from the transfer line in synchronism with each other,
• a plurality of upstream table rollers arranged on the upstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material to be shaped, which is to be inserted between the dies, can be supported substantially horizontally,
• a plurality of downstream up and down table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the dies on the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream up and down table rollers can be raised and lowered and can support the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies, and
• a plurality of downstream table rollers arranged on the downstream side of the downstream up and down table rollers on the transfer line in such a manner that the lower surface of the material after being shaped and fed out of the dies can be supported substantially horizontally at a height substantially the same as the height of the said upstream up and down table rollers.

A plate thickness reduction pressing method comprising

• a first plate thickness reduction sub-method;
• in which
• a material to be shaped is transferred from the upstream side of the transfer line to the downstream side of the transfer line,
• upstream dies with forming surfaces facing the said material to be shaped are moved towards the material to be shaped while the upstream dies are being moved in the downstream direction of the transfer line and the upstream dies are moved away from the material being shaped while the upstream dies are being moved in the upstream direction of the transfer line, each in synchronism with the other die,
• the said material to be shaped is reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness sequentially, and
• a second plate thickness reduction sub-method;
• in which
• downstream dies with forming surfaces facing the said material being shaped are moved towards the material being shaped with a reverse phase angle to the phase angle of the said upstream dies while the downstream dies are being moved in the downstream direction of the transfer line from above and below a portion of the material, whose thickness has been reduced through the first plate thickness reduction sub-method and the downstream dies are moved away from the material being shaped while the downstream dies are being moved in the upstream direction of the transfer line, in synchronism with each other;
• and
• the said material after being shaped by the first plate reduction sub-method is further reduced and shaped in the direction of the plate thickness sequentially.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• upstream sliders arranged vertically opposite each other on opposite sides of a transfer line in which a material to be shaped is transferred,
• mechanisms for moving the upstream sliders that move the said upstream sliders towards the transfer line and move the upstream sliders away from the transfer line,
• upstream dies mounted on the upstream sliders in such a manner that the upstream dies can move along the transfer line, and are comprised of forming surfaces facing the transfer line,
• mechanisms for moving the upstream dies that move the said upstream dies backwards and forwards along the transfer line,
• downstream sliders located on the downstream side of the said upstream sliders on the transfer line, opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line,
• mechanisms for moving the downstream sliders that move the said downstream sliders towards the transfer line and move the downstream sliders away from the transfer line,
• downstream dies mounted on the downstream sliders in such a manner that the downstream dies can move along the transfer line, and are comprised of forming surfaces facing the transfer line, and
• mechanisms for moving the downstream dies that move the said downstream dies backwards and forwards along the transfer line.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• a pair of dies arranged opposite each other on opposite sides of the transfer line of a material to be shaped and moved towards and away from each other in synchronism with each other,
• upstream side guides arranged in the close vicinity of the said dies on the upstream dies in the direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the upstream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material to be shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a first pair of side units that can be moved towards and away from the transfer line,
• upstream vertical rollers supported by the corresponding upstream side guides in such a manner that the upstream vertical rollers can contact the lateral edges of the material to be shaped, when the material passes between the said upstream side guides,
• downstream side guides arranged in the close vicinity of the said dies on the downstream side in the direction of the transfer line in such a manner that the downstream side guides are opposite each other in the lateral direction of the material being shaped on opposite sides of the transfer line, and comprised of a second pair of side guide units that can be moved towards and away from the transfer line, and
• downstream vertical rollers supported by the corresponding downstream side guides in such a manner that the downstream vertical rollers can contact the lateral edges of the material being shaped, when the material passes between the said downstream side guides.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• upper and lower drive shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed, and driven to rotate,
• upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the said drive shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner,
• a horizontal guide device that supports the connection portions of the said press frames in a manner such that they can slide in the horizontal direction, and
• upper and lower dies mounted at the ends of the upper and lower press frames, facing the material to be pressed, in which
• the upper and lower drive shafts are comprised of a pair of eccentric shafts that are located at both lateral ends with a phase angle difference between each other, and
• the upper and lower dies are opened and closed with a rolling movement by rotating the drive shafts, and the material to be pressed is transferred while the material is pressed with a rolling action.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• upper and lower crank shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed and driven to rotate,
• upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the said crank shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected in a freely rotatable manner,
• horizontal guide devices that support the connecting portions of the said press frames in a horizontally movable manner, and upper and lower dies mounted at the ends of the upper and lower press frames, facing the material to be pressed;
• in which
• the crank shafts rotate to open and close the upper and lower dies, and press the material to be pressed, while the material is being transferred.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• upper and lower eccentric drive shafts arranged opposite each other above and below a material to be pressed and driven to rotate,
• upper and lower synchronous eccentric shafts that rotate around the said eccentric drive shafts,
• upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the said synchronous eccentric shafts in a freely slidable manner, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner, and
• upper and lower dies mounted at ends of the upper and lower press frames, facing the material to be pressed, in which
• the upper and lower dies are opened and closed by rotating the upper and lower eccentric drive shafts, and when the material to be pressed is being pressed by the dies, the synchronous eccentric shafts synchronize the speed of the press frames in the direction of transfer line with the speed of the material to be pressed in the direction of the transfer line.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• crank shafts arranged above and below a material to be pressed,
• sliders which engage with the said crank shafts in a freely slidable manner and made to move in a circular path,
• dies mounted on the sliders facing the said material to be pressed, and
• a driving device for driving and rotating the said crank shafts, in which
• the said crank shafts are comprised of eccentric shafts engaged with the said sliders, and support shafts arranged at both ends of the eccentric shafts with shaft center lines eccentric to the shaft center lines of the eccentric shafts, and
• at least one of the support shafts is provided with a counterweight offset with an eccentric center line substantially at an angle of 180°, to the direction of the eccentricity of the said eccentric shafts.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• crank shafts arranged above and below a material to be pressed,
• upper and lower press frames one end of each of which engages with one of the crank shafts in a freely slidable manner and made to move in a circular path, and the other ends of which are connected together in a freely rotatable manner,
• horizontal guide devices that hold the connecting portions of the press frames in a manner such that they can move in the horizontal direction,
• dies mounted at ends of the said press frames facing the material to be pressed, and
• a driving device for driving and rotating the said crank shafts, in which
• the said crank shafts are comprised of eccentric shafts engaged with the said ends of the press frames, and support shafts arranged on both sides of the eccentric shafts with shaft center lines eccentric to the shaft center lines of the eccentric shafts, and
• at least one of the support shafts is provided with a counterweight offset with an eccentric center line substantially at an angle of 180°, to the direction of eccentricity of the said eccentric shafts.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• dies arranged above and below a slab,
• sliders provided for each of the dies so that the dies can be moved up, down, and backwards and forwards with a swinging motion and
• a driving device for driving the sliders, in which
• each of the said sliders is comprised of a main unit with a circular hole with its center lines in the lateral direction of the slab, and a crank with a first axis engaged with the circular hole and a second shaft with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft and a center line offset from the center line of the first shaft, and
• the second shaft is rotated and driven by the said driving device.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• a die arranged above or below a slab,
• a slider for moving the die up, down, and backwards and forwards,
• a driving device for driving the slider, and
• a slab supporting member arranged opposite the said die above or below the slab, in which
• the said slider is comprised of a main unit with a circular hole with a center line in the lateral direction of the slab, a first shaft engaged with the circular hole, and a crank comprised of a second shaft with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first shaft and a center line offset from the center line of the first shaft, and the second shaft is rotated and driven by the said driving device.

A plate reduction pressing method using

• a pair of dies arranged opposite each other above and below a slab, and
• a device that moves each of the dies towards the slab with a swinging motion, in which
• when the slab is pressed by the dies, the speed of feeding the slab is synchronized with the speed of the dies, and
• during the period when the slab is not being pressed and is not in contact with the dies, the slab is fed at a constant speed corresponding to a predetermined cycle speed.

A plate reduction pressing method in which

• each of the N press machines pressing a material to be pressed with a press length L in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed is defined by a number K,
• the press machines are arranged such that K=1 on the upstream side of the pressing line, and K increases sequentially to K=N in the downstream direction when N press machines are arranged in tandem,
• the material to be pressed is pressed sequentially from K=N to K=1, then
• after the material to be pressed is fed by a length NL, that is, by the total of the pressing lengths of each press machine,
• sequential pressing from K=N to K=1 is repeated to press the material.

A plate reduction pressing method in which

• each of the N press machines pressing a material to be pressed with a press length L in the direction of the flow of the material to be pressed is defined by a number K,
• the press machines are arranged such that K=1 on the upstream side of the pressing line, and K increases sequentially to K=N in the downstream direction when N press machines are arranged in a tandem configuration,
• each press machine reduces the material by Δt,
• press machine K reduces the material by Δt from the thickness after it has been pressed by press machine K=1, and
• the material is pressed by repeatedly feeding the material by the press length L after pressing the material in sequence from press machine K=1 to press machines K=N.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• dies arranged above and below a material to be pressed,
• crank devices for pressing each of the dies, and
• transfer devices for transferring the material to be pressed, in which
• the transfer devices move the dies and the material to be pressed at the same speed when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed by the dies, and
• when the material to be pressed is not being pressed,
• the transfer devices adjust the speed of feeding the material to be pressed and move the material by a predetermined distance L in a cycle of pressing operations, and
• the said distance L is not greater than the length L0 which is the reduction length of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• dies arranged on both sides in the lateral direction of a material to be pressed,
• crank devices that press each of the dies in the lateral direction, and
• transfer devices that transfer the material to be pressed, in which
• the transfer devices move the material to be pressed at the same speed as the speed of the dies when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed in the lateral direction with the dies, and
• when the material to be pressed is not being pressed,
• the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted, and
• the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L in one cycle of pressing operations, and
• the said distance L is not greater than the length L0 which is the reduction length of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• dies arranged above and below a material to be pressed,
• crank devices that press each of the dies, and
• pinch rolls that transfer the material to be pressed, in which
• when the crank devices are pressing the material to be pressed through the dies, the pinch rolls rotate in such a manner that the peripheral speed of the pinch rolls is made equal to the combination of the horizontal speed of the dies and the elongation speed of the material to be pressed, added or subtracted, and transfer the material to be pressed, and
• when the press machine is not pressing, the speed of feeding the material to be pressed is adjusted in such a manner that during one cycle, the material to be pressed is moved by a predetermined distance L and the distance L is not greater than the reduction length L0 of the dies in the direction of flow of the material to be pressed, and
• the pressing force of the pinch rolls during the pressing period is made smaller than the pressing force during the non-pressing period.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• inlet transfer devices that are arranged upstream of the press machine, and transfer a material to be pressed, and can be raised and lowered, and
• outlet transfer devices that are arranged downstream of the press machine, and transfer the material being pressed, and can be raised and lowered, in which
• the said inlet transfer devices are adjusted to transfer height according to information about the thickness of the material to be pressed, that has been input, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material to be pressed agrees with the center line of the press machine, and
• the said outlet transfer devices are adjusted to a transfer height according to information about the thickness of the material being pressed, in such a manner that the center line of the thickness of the material agrees with the center line of the press machine.

A plate reduction press apparatus comprising

• inlet transfer devices that are arranged upstream of a press machine for pressing a material to be pressed between upper and lower dies, and transfer the material to be pressed, and can be raised and lowered, and
• outlet transfer devices that are arranged downstream of the said press machine, and transfer the material being pressed, and can be raised and lowered, in which
• when the material to be pressed is passed through the press machine without being pressed,
• the upper and lower dies are open, and
• the transfer heights of the said inlet transfer devices and the said outlet transfer devices are determined to be identical to each other and higher than the upper surface of the lower die in the open position.