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US 4,539,457 AGranted
Method of manufacturing gratings and apparatus for carrying out the method
AssigneeStaco Stapelmann GmbH
InventorsEgon Pinger, Jan W. Stapelmann
Life of this patent
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AssigneeStaco Stapelmann GmbH
InventorsEgon Pinger, Jan W. Stapelmann
Estimating the term…
In the continuous manufacture of gratings in which transverse bars (8) are welded at intervals to continuous longitudinal bars (15) which are subsequently cut to obtain the required length gratings, the positioning of the transverse bars (8) at the welding station (3) by a transverse bar holder (4) and the advancement of the longitudinal bars after each welding step by an advancing mechanism (5) is controlled by a computer so as to control the spacing between the transverse bars as necessary to produce gratings of the required length and in which, after cutting, the ends of the longitudinal bars will project by predetermined amounts (preferably equal) at opposite ends of the gratings, and the transverse bars are evenly spaced at a pitch which is within a predetermined tolerance of a predetermined basic pitch.
A method of continuously manufacturing gratings comprising longitudinal support bars and transverse bars welded thereto at substantially equal spacings along the longitudinal support bars and wherein said longitudinal bars project at each end beyond the adjacent transverse bar, said method including the steps of providing a plurality of longitudinal support bars spaced laterally apart, positioning and welding transverse bars at least one at a time to said plurality of longitudinal bars at a stationary welding station while maintaining said longitudinal and transverse bars stationary, advancing said longitudinal bars with said welded transverse bars after each welding step for a given longitudinal spacing until the next at least one transverse bar is in the welding station and stopping the movement of said longitudinal bars, providing computer control means, and controlling said positioning and advancing steps by said computer control means so as to control the spacing between successive transverse bars whereby, for a grating of a predetermined length, said transverse bars are substantially evenly spaced at a pitch which is within a predetermined tolerance of a predetermined basic pitch and said longitudinal bars project at each end by a predetermined amount from the adjacent said transverse bar.
Apparatus for continuously manufacturing gratings consisting of longitudinal support bars and transverse bars welded thereto at substantially equal spacings along the length of the support bars, and wherein said longitudinal bars project at each end from the adjacent transverse bar, said apparatus including a welding station, means for supporting a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinal support bars at said welding station, a transverse bar conveyor spaced from said welding station, a transverse bar holder having at least one pair of holding jaws for receiving a transverse bar from said conveyor and being adjustable in position at said welding station, means for advancing the grating from said welding station after a welding step, and computer control means for controlling the position of said holding jaws and said grating advancing means so as to control the spacing between successive welded transverse bars whereby, for a grating of a predetermined length, said transverse bars are substantially evenly spaced by a spacing distance which is within a predetermined tolerance of a predetermined basic pitch and said longitudinal bars project at each end by a predetermined amount from the adjacent said transverse bar.
A method of continuously manufacturing gratings consisting of longitudinal supporting bars and transverse bars extending across the longitudinal supporting bars, with a constant, predetermined projecting length of the support bars from the transverse bar adjacent to an end of the grating and predetermined spacing tolerance of the transverse bars, characterized therein by establishing with a computer, taking into account a predetermined length of grating and basic pitch, a number of transverse bars necessary for the grating, distributing the transverse bars according to the basic pitch along the grating length, if the number of transverse bars is an uneven number and increases the transverse bar spacing within the tolerance, taking into account the basic pitch and the predetermined projecting length including any cutting losses at the ends of the support bars, so that one transverse bar is omitted, or decreases the transverse bar spacing so that a further transverse bar is necessary or, if the number of transverse bars is an even number separates out two end bars and/or distributes the transverse bars according to the basic pitch and at least partially using up the tolerance, that the predetermined projecting length including the cutting losses at the support bar end is obtained and also positioning a transverse bar holder and controlling a grating removal device in accordance with the ascertained actual bar spacing and the current projecting length including any cutting losses.
A method of continuously producing pressure-welded gratings consisting of longitudinal support bars and transverse bars extending across the longitudinal support bars, having a constant, predetermined support bar projecting length from the adjacent transverse bar and predetermined spacing tolerance for the transverse bars, characterized therein by establishing with a computer, taking into account a predetermined length of grating and basic pitch of the transverse bars, a number of transverse bars necessary for the grating, distributing the transverse bars according to the basic pitch along the length of the grating, for increasing the transverse bar spacing, taking into account the basic pitch and the pretermined projecting length including any cutting losses within the tolerance, so that one transverse bar is omitted, or reducing the transverse bar spacing so that one further transverse bar is necessary, and also positioning a transverse bar holder and controlling a grating removal device according to the ascertained actual bar spacing of the transverse bars and the current projecting length of the ends of longitudinal support bars from the adjacent transverse bars and including any cutting losses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.