Method for producing internally or externally profiled rings and arrangement therefor

A method for manufacturing internally and/or externally profiled rings from tubular starting material, the method comprising the steps of:

• combining machine-cutting processes and forming processes with one another sequentially, parallel, or sequentially and parallel, wherein one of the forming processes is a roll forming process;
• generating during the roll forming process of a tubular starting material an axial counterforce relative to a flow direction of the tubular starting material by an axially arranged counterpressure tool so that a material flow in at least one of an axial direction and a radial direction of the tubular starting material is controlled such that flowing material is integrated into a profile to be shaped on a profiled ring being manufactured;
• further comprising for realizing a two-ring or multi-ring machining of an outer contour matching an outer contour of two or several rings the step of:
• simultaneously rolling two or several rings together with a pre-ring on a pipe, wherein first a ring profile remaining on the starting material is rolled by at least one of (radial) axial pipe roll forming and roll grooving and, subsequently, additional ring profiles are rolled so that several rolled ring profiles are generated on the pipe, wherein the last ring profile remote from a pipe end remains without further machining on the pipe and the ring profiles close to the pipe end are finished by machine-cutting and subsequently separated from the pipe, wherein the last ring profile is a pre-ring during a subsequently repeated processing course.

An arrangement for manufacturing internally and/or externally profiled rings from tubular starting material, the arrangement comprising:

• a spindle for clamping thereon a tubular starting material having an axial length greater than an axial length of a profiled ring to be manufactured;
• at least one rolling device with an outer profile rolling tool and an inner profile rolling tool that roll forms the an end section of the tubular starting material in said clamping position to shape at least one ring profile;
• a machine cutting device performing in said clamping position prior to, parallel to, or after the roll forming process machine-cutting on the end section or the at least one ring profile;
• wherein the inner profile rolling tool has an axially movable counterpressure tool generating during roll forming a counterforce relative to a flow direction of a tubular starting material and limiting a material flow and forming a contact surface for the tubular starting material, wherein the counterpressure tool projects past an outer diameter of the inner profile rolling tool so that the material flow of the tubular starting material is controlled in at least one of an axial direction and a radial direction of the pipe such that flowing material is integrated into a profile to be shaped on the ring;
• a cut-off device that separates in said clamping position the at least one ring profile from the tubular starting material as a completely grinding-ready profiled ring.