Method for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal rolled to a cylinder as well as a guide apparatus for performing the method
AssigneeCantec, Inc.
InventorSiegfried Frei
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A guide rail serves for bringing together the edges of blanks of sheet metal rolled to form cylinders. The guide rail contains curved guide slots for the sheet metal edges. The guide slot bases are planar and converge toward the exit end of the guide rail. The sheet metal edges guided in the curved guide slots tend--after a first weld point has been made--to translate toward one another due to their innate elasticity.
Claims23
A method for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal formed to a cylinder during transport of the formed blank from a forming machine to a joining station having a guide apparatus for conducting the blank into the joining station, comprising the step of:
- arcuately curving edges of said blank longitudinally of said blank and toward a longitudinal axis of said cylinder before said edges enter into mutual contact and before said edges subsequently arrive in said joining station.
A method for uniting the edge regions of a blank of sheet material, comprising the steps of:
- transporting a blank formed to a substantially cylindrical shape having an axis of rotational symmetry to a guide apparatus;
- conducting said formed blank into said guide apparatus with confronting edge regions thereof;
- conducting said formed blank through said guide apparatus to arcuately curve said edge regions longitudinally inward toward said axis of rotational symmetry such that said edge regions enter into mutually abutting contact;
- further conducting said formed blank with said edge regions thereof in mutually abutting contact to a joining station arranged immediately subsequent to said guide apparatus;
- and
- joining said mutually abutting edge regions together in said joining station to form a permanently closed substantially cylindrical thin wall tube.
A guide rail for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal rolled to form a cylinder having a longitudinal axis, especially a very thin blank of sheet metal or the like, during transport of the blank from a forming machine to a joining station, comprising:
- a substantially bar-shaped support member arranged immediately before said joining station and containing two laterally arranged guide slots for said edges of said blank;
- said bar-shaped support member having an entry end and an exit end;
- said two guide slots approaching one another from said entry end towards said exit end;
- said two guide slots having an arcuate extent curved toward said longitudinal axis of said cylinder and guiding edge regions of said blank of sheet metal;
- said two guide slots having a radius of curvature;
- and
- said radius of curvature decreasing from said entry end to said exit end of said bar-shaped support member.
A guide rail for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal rolled to form a cylinder having a longitudinal axis, especially a very thin blank of sheet metal or the like, during transport of the blank from a forming machine to a joining station, comprising:
- a substantially bar-shaped support member arranged immediately before said joining station and containing two laterally arranged guide slots for said edges of said blank;
- said bar-shaped support member having an entry end and an exit end;
- said two guide slots approaching one another from said entry end towards said exit end;
- and
- said two guide slots having an arcuate extent curved longitudinally and toward said longitudinal axis of said cylinder and guiding edge regions of said blank of sheet metal.
A guide rail for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal rolled to form a cylinder having a longitudinal axis, especially a very thin blank of sheet metal or the like, during transport of the blank from a forming machine to a joining station, comprising:
- a substantially bar-shaped support member arranged immediately before said joining station and containing two laterally arranged guide slots for said edges of said blank;
- said bar-shaped support member having an entry end and an exit end;
- said two guide slots approaching one another from said entry end towards said exit end;
- said two guide slots having an arcuate extent curved toward said longitudinal axis of said cylinder and guiding edge regions of said blank of sheet metal;
- said bar-shaped support member comprising a plurality of rollers arranged in two rows extending substantially mutually parallelly;
- said rollers defining a clamping line;
- and
- said clamping line forming a slot-shaped guide means for said edges of said blanks.
A guide rail for bringing together the edges of a blank of sheet metal rolled to form a cylinder having a longitudinal axis, especially a very thin blank of sheet metal or the like, during transport of the blank from a forming machine to a joining station, comprising:
- a substantially bar-shaped support member arranged immediately before said joining station and containing two laterally arranged guide slots for said edges of said blank;
- said bar-shaped support member having an entry end and an exit end;
- said two guide slots approaching one another from said entry end towards said exit end;
- said two guide slots having an arcuate extent curved toward said longitudinal axis of said cylinder and guiding edge regions of said blank of sheet metal;
- said two guide slots having a radius of curvature;
- said radius of curvature decreasing from said entry end to said exit end of said bar-shaped support member;
- and
- said radius of curvature of said two guide slots being formed by bending said guide rail.
A guide apparatus for uniting the edge regions of a blank of sheet material formed into a substantially cylindrical shape having an axis of rotational symmetry, comprising:
- a substantially bar-shaped body provided with two laterally opposite guide slots extending longitudinally therethrough in mutually spaced relationship for guiding said edge regions of the blank through said guide apparatus;
- a joining station arranged immediately subsequent to said bar-shaped body;
- said bar-shaped body having an entry end remote from said joining station and an exit end approximate to said joining station;
- said mutually spaced relationship of said guide slots diminishing from said entry end to said exit end;
- and
- said two guide slots extending in a path curving longitudinally of said bar-shaped body and inwardly toward said axis of rotational symmetry of said substantially cylindrical shape of the formed blank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.