Method for modifying the distance between the rollers of a leveling machine, leveling machine, and apparatus for implementing said method

A leveling machine for leveling a strip of material, comprising:

• a fixed supporting frame including four posts disposed on each side of a longitudinal axis of travel of the material, a fixed base firmly holding said posts in a lower part thereof, and transverse beams firmly holding said posts in an upper part thereof, with an assembly of said posts, said base, and said beams forming a closed frame;
• a lower leveling device resting on said fixed base and an upper leveling device resting on a pressure frame disposed for vertical movement between said four posts, each said leveling device forming a cassette with a plurality of separated rollers, rotatably mounted on a frame around axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of travel of the material;
• a rotating device for rotating said rollers connected to at least some of said rollers by way of an extender, each extender having a first end rotated and a second end fitted with a removable coupling member with one end driving a roller, said extenders being disposed on two levels, including a lower level coupling with said rollers of said lower leveling device and an upper level coupling with said rollers of said upper leveling device;
• a locking device for locking each removable coupling member by clamping at a predetermined height during device changing phases;
• said locking device including moving devices configured to translate said removable coupling members in the direction of travel of the material and in the opposite direction;
• and
• a dismantling device for dismantling each of said upper and lower leveling devices by moving, perpendicular to the axis of travel, between a working position inside said frame and a withdrawn position offset laterally on one side of the frame opposite a drive side thereof.

A method of modifying a distance between the rollers of leveling devices in a leveling machine,

• the leveling machine comprising:
• a fixed supporting frame with four posts disposed laterally of a longitudinal axis of travel of a material to be processed in the leveling machine and firmly held between a fixed base and transverse beams, the assembly forming a closed frame;
• a lower leveling device resting on the fixed base and an upper leveling device resting on a pressure frame which can be moved vertically between the four posts, each leveling device forming a cassette with a plurality of separated rollers, rotatably mounted on a frame around axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of travel of the material;
• means for rotating the rollers connected to at least some of the rollers by an extender, each extender having a first end rotated and a second end fitted with a removable coupling member with one end driving a roller, the extenders being arranged on two levels, respectively a lower level coupling with the rollers of the lower device and an upper level coupling with the rollers of the upper device;
• means for locking each removable coupling member by clamping at a predetermined height during device changing phases;
• and
• means for dismantling each of the two leveling devices by moving, perpendicular to the axis of travel, between a working position inside the frame and a withdrawn position offset laterally on one side of the frame;
• the method which comprises the following steps:
• clamping each removable coupling member providing for the transmission of torque to the leveling rollers to keep them at a predetermined height;
• extracting old leveling devices from the leveling machine, during which each end driving a roller is extracted from its removable coupling member;
• translating each removable coupling member in the direction of travel of the material or in the opposite direction, from a position corresponding to the position of coupling with one of the rollers of an old leveling device to a new position of coupling with one of the rollers of a new leveling device;
• introducing the new leveling devices into the leveling machine during which each end driving a new roller is engaged in a removable coupling member;
• and
• releasing the removable coupling members.