# US 2016/0354818 A1 · Methods and apparatus to determine a plunge depth position of material conditioning machines > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0354818 A1 - Document ID: US20160354818A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/729,821 - Filed: 2015-06-03 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-03 - Assignees: The Bradbury Company, Inc. - Applicants: The Bradbury Company, Inc. - Inventors: Clarence B. Cox, III; Roger Downing - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160354818A1 ## CPC - B21B 37/16: Control of thickness, width, diameter or other transverse dimensions (B21B37/58 takes precedence) - B21B 1/22: for rolling {plates, strips,} bands or sheets of indefinite length (B21B1/42 takes precedence) - B21D 1/02: by rollers (B21D1/06 takes precedence) - B21F 1/02: Straightening - B21B: ROLLING OF METAL (auxiliary operations used in connection with metal-working operations covered in B21, see B21C; bending by rolling B21D; manufacture of particular objects, e.g. screws, wheels, rings, barrels, balls, by rolling B21H; pressure welding by means of a rolling mill B23K20/04) - B21D: WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL (working or processing of wire B21F) - B21F: WORKING OR PROCESSING OF METAL WIRE (rolling of metal wire B21B1/16; by drawing, auxiliary operations used in connection with metal-working without essentially removing material B21C) ## Abstract Methods and apparatus to determine a plunge depth position of material conditioning machines are disclosed. An example method for setting a plunge depth of a leveler includes incrementally adjusting, via an actuator, a first work roll relative to a second work roll between a plurality of incremental plunge depth positions; measuring a pressure value in the actuator at the respective incremental plunge depth positions; associating the measured pressure values with the corresponding incremental plunge depth positions; detecting a smallest one of the measured pressure values; and identifying a first one of the incremental plunge depth positions corresponding to the smallest one of the measured pressure values. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for setting a plunge depth of a leveler comprising: incrementally adjusting, via an actuator, a first work roll relative to a second work roll between a plurality of incremental plunge depth positions; measuring a pressure value in the actuator at the respective incremental plunge depth positions; associating the measured pressure values with the corresponding incremental plunge depth positions; detecting a smallest one of the measured pressure values; and identifying a first one of the incremental plunge depth positions corresponding to the smallest one of the measured pressure values. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a strip material at the identified first one of the incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving material characteristics of the strip material prior to incrementally adjusting the first and second work rolls between the incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein receiving material characteristics comprises receiving a width value and a thickness value of the strip material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein incrementally adjusting the first and second work rolls comprises incrementally adjusting a plunge depth between the first and second work rolls by a preset incremental value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein incrementally adjusting the first and second work rolls comprises adjusting the first and second work rolls at an initial plunge depth position and adjusting the initial plunge depth by a preset incremental value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning a strip material in the leveler between the first work roll and the second work roll prior to incrementally adjusting the plunge depth positions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, via a user interface, the incremental plunge depth positions and the measured pressure values corresponding to the respective incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 9 A tangible computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to: incrementally adjust, via an actuator, a first work roll relative to a second work roll between a plurality of incremental plunge depth positions; measure a pressure value in the actuator at the respective incremental plunge depth positions; associate the measured pressure values with the corresponding incremental plunge depth positions; detect a smallest one of the measured pressure values; and identify a first one of the incremental plunge depth positions corresponding to the smallest one of the measured pressure values. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 9 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to set a plunge depth between the first and second work rolls at the identified first one of the incremental plunge depth positions and process a strip material at the identified first one of the incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 10 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to receive material characteristics of the strip material prior to incrementally adjusting the first and second work rolls between the incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 11 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to receive material characteristics comprises receiving a width value and a thickness value of the strip material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 9 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to incrementally adjust the first and second work rolls by incrementally adjusting a plunge depth between the first and second work rolls by a preset incremental value. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 9 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to incrementally adjust the first and second work rolls by adjusting the first and second work rolls at an initial plunge depth position and adjusting the initial plunge depth by a preset incremental value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 9 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to display the incremental plunge depth positions and the measured pressure values corresponding to the respective incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 16 A leveler to condition a strip material, the leveler comprising: a first plurality of entry work rolls; a second plurality of entry work rolls supported by an adjustable flight; an actuator associated with the adjustable flight, the actuator to incrementally adjust a position of the adjustable flight to move the second plurality of entry work rolls relative to the first plurality of entry work rolls between a plurality of incremental plunge depth positions; a pressure sensor coupled to the actuator, the pressure sensor to measure a pressure value in a control fluid of the actuator when the first and second work rolls are positioned at the respective incremental plunge depth positions; and a controller configured to determine a smallest one of the pressure values and identify a first one of the incremental plunge depth positions corresponding to the smallest one of the pressure values. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The leveler of claim 16, wherein the controller adjusts the first and second work rolls to the identified first one of the plunge depth positions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The leveler of claim 16, wherein the adjustable flight comprises a plurality of adjustable flights to define respective zones across a width of the strip material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The leveler of claim 18, wherein the actuator comprises a plurality of actuators associated with respective ones of the adjustable flights, the actuators to adjust positions of the respective ones of the adjustable flights to enable each of the zones to be positioned between the incremental plunge depth positions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The leveler of claim 19, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a plurality of pressure sensors coupled to a respective one of the actuators, each pressure sensor to detect pressure changes in a control fluid of its respective actuator. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The leveler of claim 20, wherein the controller is to adjust the plunge depth position of each of the zones to the first one of the plunge depth positions corresponding to the smallest pressure value.