Apparatus and method for bending tubular products
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorsFabrizio Tale, Fiorenzo Draghetti
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus (10) for bending tubular products (100) wherein each tubular product (100) is provided with a flexible portion (111) configured to allow a bending of the tubular product (100). The tubular products (100) are disposed, at least temporarily, on positioning means (19), while bending means (18) each allow the bending of a respective tubular product (100) in correspondence with the flexible portion (111).
Claims14
Apparatus for bending tubular products wherein each of said tubular products is preferably provided with a flexible portion configured to allow a bending of the corresponding tubular product, said apparatus comprises:
- at least a support member configured to support, at least temporarily, one or more of said tubular products;
- positioning means associated with said support member to keep each of said tubular products at least temporarily in a determinate position with respect to said support member;
- and
- bending means also associated with said support member and cooperating with said positioning means to carry out at least one bending of said tubular products, preferably in correspondence with said flexible portion, characterized in that said support member has a substantially cylindrical shape, rotates around an axis of rotation and is provided with a peripheral surface on which said bending means are mounted.
Apparatus as in laim 8, characterized in that it also comprises drive members configured to cause a rotation of said bending levers, and in that said drive members comprise at least one of either a cam mechanism or a rack mechanism for moving said bending levers.
Method to bend tubular products wherein each of said tubular products is preferably provided with a flexible portion configured to allow a bending of the corresponding tubular product, said method provides that at least the following steps are carried out, preferably continuously:
- a supply step, in which positioning means associated with a support member receive and at least temporarily hold one or more tubular elements in a determinate position with respect to said support member,
- a bending step, in which bending means each carry out at least one bending of a respective one of said tubular elements, preferably in correspondence with said flexible portion,
- a delivery step, in which said already bent tubular elements are released from said positioning means in order to be delivered outside said support member. wherein said method is characterized in that said support member has a substantially cylindrical shape and is rotatable around an axis of rotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.