Programmable roll former and angle cutter
AssigneeMetalforming, Inc.
InventorsDale Kroskey, Curtis Lafore, Geoffrey Louis Stone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A programmable machine for roll forming metal decoiled from a roll of metal and cutting the panels at a desired angle is provided. The roll former can form male and female edges on the metal which are necessary for a metal roof. The machine has a notcher to notch the metal where it is to be cut in order to avoid difficulty in cutting through a male or female edge. An exit cutter is provided after the metal has been roll formed. The angle at which the exit cutter can cut is also calculated in the programmable computer. A measuring device for measuring the roof and transferring the data to the programmable machine for cutting the panels completes a system for automatically and accurately cutting the panels for the roof.
Claims20
A programmable forming machine adapted to receive an elongated sheet of a formable material with two edges and operative to form the elongated sheet in accordance with a selected profile comprising a length and a cutting angle wherein the programmable forming machine further comprises:
- a. a roll former having an entrance, a metal cutter, an exit and two sides with a removable cassette on each of the two sides for forming the selected profile on the elongated sheet of the formable material, wherein the removable cassette includes a plurality of rolling dies and each of the plurality of rolling dies corresponds to one of a plurality of profiles;
- b. a means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former;
- c. an exit cutter proximate to the exit of the roll former to receive a profiled sheet and enabled to cut the elongated sheet at the length of the selected profile and with the cutting angle of the selected profile;
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- d. a programmable controller for directing the means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former and directing the exit cutter to cut the elongated sheet of the formable material at the length and the cutting angle of the selected profile, wherein the programmable controller is configured to import an electronic representation of a building and determine the selected profile based at least in part on the electronic representation.
A programmable forming machine adapted to receive an elongated sheet of a formable material with at least two edges and operative to form a selected profile comprising a selected length, and an angled end or a straight end thereon, comprising:
- a. a roll former having an entrance, a metal cutter, an exit and at least two sides with one or more rollers on each of the at least two sides for forming the selected profile on the elongated sheet of the formable material;
- b. a means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former;
- c. an exit cutter proximate to the exit of the roll former and configured to receive the elongated sheet and selectively enabled to cut the elongated sheet at the selected length and cut the angled end or the straight end;
- d. a programmable controller for directing the means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former and directing the exit cutter to cut the elongated sheet at the selected length and with the angled end or the straight end, wherein the programmable controller is configured to import an electronic representation of a building and determine the selected profile for an appropriate panel based on the electronic representation;
- e. a notching apparatus selectively enabled to punch a notch or a hole in at least one edge of the elongated sheet of the formable material as directed by the programmable controller and prior to the elongated sheet of the formable material entering the roll former, with the notching apparatus further selectively enabled to punch the notch or the hole in the elongated sheet of the formable material in the at least one edge at a location selected for cutting the elongated sheet by the metal cutter or the exit cutter as directed by the programmable controller;
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- f. a decoiler reel for holding a roll of the elongated sheet of the formable material for entrance into the roll former.
A programmable forming machine adapted to receive an elongated sheet of formable material with two edges and operative to form a selected profile comprising a length and an angled end or a straight end, comprising:
- a. a roll former having an entrance, a metal cutter, an exit and two sides with rollers on each of the two sides for forming the selected profile on the elongated sheet of the formable material;
- b. a means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former;
- c. an exit cutter proximate to the exit of the roll former and configured to receive the elongated sheet and enabled to cut the elongated sheet to the length and with the angled end or the straight end of the selected profile;
- d. a programmable controller for directing the means for moving the elongated sheet of the formable material through the roll former and directing the exit cutter to cut the elongated sheet of formable material, wherein the programmable controller is configured to direct the means for moving and the exit cutter according to a measurement of a roofing system imported from a measurement device;
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- e. a display electrically connected to the programmable controller that renders a user interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.