WO2007091141A2

WO2007091141A2 - Shaping device

Info

Publication number: WO2007091141A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/000270
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gabriele Santi
Original assignee: Gabriele Santi
Priority date: 2006-02-07
Filing date: 2007-02-05
Publication date: 2007-08-16
Also published as: ITMO20060042A1; WO2007091141A3

Abstract

The shaping device (5) suitable for shaping the edges of products (M) and obtaining shaped edges, comprises abrasive means (11, 12) supported so as to come into contact with said edges of said products (M), said abrasive means (11, 12) being fitted so as to swing with respect to said edges of said products (M).

Description

"SHAPING DEVICE"

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention refers to a shaping device.

In the covering manufacturing industry, such as for instance the ceramic industry, products are often required to undergo special operations to make them appealing to customers.

In the specific case of the ceramic industry and, more in detail, the production of ceramic strips, bevelling of one of the longitudinal edges is required so as to create a rounded profile that connects one visible surface of the strip with a concurrent side. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

To make this bevel, the strips to be machined have to be positioned longitudinally on a conveyor that moves in a transport direction, so that a laying surface rests on the conveyor surface of the conveyor and the opposite visible surface is turned upwards and, consequently, the edge to be bevelled is accessible from one side of this. Alongside the conveyor, a series of grinding wheels are placed of the cup type which are supported by a supporting frame with respective rotation axes in a tilted position with respect to the conveyor surface of the conveyor, so as to grind the edge of the strips according to a grinding plane tilted by a predefined angle with respect to the visible surfaces of the strips; this angle, according to a first operating option, is 45°, while, according to another operating option, two cup grinding wheels are used that are fastened one after the other, according to the direction of feed of the conveyor, on the supporting frame, with their respective rotation axes tilted by 30° and 60° respectively with respect to the visible surfaces of the strips. In both cases, after the grinding to eliminate the edge, the strips undergo a further finishing phase by means of one or more further grinding wheels arranged in succession downstream of the previous tilted grinding wheels and which have their respective rotation axes perpendicular to the visible surfaces of the strips. These finishing grinding wheels have their peripheral surfaces of contact with the shaped and ground strips with concavities that reproduce the curved profile to be given to the strips.

Each finishing grinding wheel has its own abrasive surface that goes from coarse grain to a finer grain, according to the direction of forward movement of the conveyor.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION This state of the art has a number of drawbacks. A first drawback is that the longitudinal borders created when the first cup grinding wheel, or the two cup grinding wheels arranged in succession, eliminate the original edge of the strips, creating a 45° tilted plane, or two planes tilted by 30° and 60° respectively, between the visible surfaces of the strips and the sides concurrent with these, create, due to the repeated contact with only specific points of the shaped abrasive surfaces of the finishing grinding wheels, some areas of these which wear very quickly and which, because of this, require the periodical replacement of the finishing grinding wheels, even though most of the abrasive surface of such wheels remains unused. Another drawback is that periodically replacing these grinding wheels takes a fairly long time, and this represents a down time for the strip production plants.

Another drawback is that the overall costs of the strips undergoing these operations increase considerably, both due to the grinding wheel costs to pay off and to the time taken by the operators to replace the grinding wheels. Finally, when successive strips are machined that have different dimensions to the previous ones, the positions of the grinding wheels and of the finishing wheels have to be adjusted with respect to the edges to be bevelled. One object of the invention is to upgrade the state of the art.

Another object of the invention is to make a shaping device that allows using the abrasive surfaces of the finishing wheels in a substantially uniform way. A further purpose of the invention is to extend the period of use of the finishing wheels by cutting the dead times required for their replacement and production costs. According to one aspect of the invention, a shaping device is provided for shaping edges of products and obtaining shaped edges, comprising abrasive means supported so as to come into contact with said edges of said products, characterized in that said abrasive means are fitted so as to swing with respect to said edges of said products. According to another aspect of the invention, a shaping machine is provided for comprising a conveying table of products with edges to be shaped and having a direction of transport, at least one shaping device of said edges, frame means for supporting said shaping means, characterized in that said shaping means are supported on said frame by swinging means so as to swing during the transport of said products along said direction of transport.

According to a further object of the invention, a shaping method is provided for shaping the edges of products comprising the phases of: transporting said products in a direction of transport so they turn said edges in a shaping direction different from said direction of transport; shaping said edges with shaping means during said transport, characterized in that said shaping comprises to swing of said shaping means in a direction of swinging so they complete rounded shaping trajectories. Consequently, the shaping device, the shaping machine and the shaping method allow using, in a substantially complete way, the abrasive surfaces of the finishing grinding wheels and reduce the need to replace these, cutting the overall costs of the products machined using the shaping device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages will appear even more evident from the detailed description of a form of embodiment of a shaping device, illustrated indicatively by way of non limiting example, in the attached drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shaping machine designed to shape the edges of products such as strips, according to rounded profiles;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of a shaping device mounted on the shaping machine of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the shaping device of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a very schematic view of a shaping device according to a possible alternative form of embodiment;

Figure 5 shows a side and very schematic view of the articulation system whereby the shaping device of Figure 2 is able to shape product edges.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to Figure 1, it should be noted that a shaping machine 1 comprises a belt conveyor 2 closed in a ring on the rotating motorisation and transmission drums, indicated by 3.

The shaping machine 1 also comprises a frame 4 that protrudes from a side of the conveyor 2 and which supports in longitudinal succession with respect to the conveyor 2 a shaping device 5 and a series of finishing grinding wheels indicated by the numbers 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 respectively, each of which has an abrasive grain that becomes increasingly finer from wheel 6 to wheel 10, meaning in the direction of movement "A" of the conveyor 2.

As can be better seen in the Figures 2 and 3, the shaping unit 5 comprises a pair of grinding wheels 11 and 12, in this specific case of the cup type, which are supported rotating on their respective rotation axes "Rl" and "R2" which are tilted with respect to each other and to the conveyor plane of the conveyor 2.

The rotating motion of each grinding wheel is produced by an own motor unit, indicated by 13 and 14 respectively.

Both the motor units 13 and 14 are supported on the frame 4 by means of a further frame 15 which is supported on the frame 4 so as to be able to swing crossways with respect to the direction of movement "A" of the conveyor 2.

The further frame 15 is supported on the frame 4 by means of a pair of parallel supports 16 on which the further frame 15 can slide to move either closer to or away from the conveyor 2; the parts whereby such movements are made are not described in detail because they are known to technicians in the sector.

The further frame 15 comprises two swing shafts 17 and 18, parallel with each other and with the direction of movement "A" of the conveyor 2, with respective ends joined by square flanges 19 and 20.

The motor units 13 and 14 are fastened together by means of a common coupling plate 21 that forms a foot 22; to the latter a first end of a connecting rod 23 is articulated which is driven with reciprocating motion with an eccentric body 24 to which is fitted a contrasting second end of the connecting rod 23 and which is driven in rotary movement with a respective further motor unit 25 through a transmission gear unit 26. With reference to Figure 5, it will be seen that a trajectory "T" of swinging of the two grinding wheels 11 and 12 is such that the centre of rotation "C" of the swinging trajectory "T" lies inside the portion of a product "M" turned towards the grinding wheels 11 and 12 which, in Figure 5, even though not illustrated, can be imagined as fastened to the coupling plate 21, as previously indicated.

This way, the grinding wheels 11 and 12, by swinging, give the front portion of the product "M" a rounded shape, as can be seen in Figure 5.

With reference to Figure 4, it will be observed that in a further possible form of embodiment of the shaping device 5, this comprises another two grinding wheels 11 and 12 arranged as in the previously-described version, but that, in this case, are supported on frame 4 in a way known to technicians in the sector, and because of this it has not been illustrated, so that they cannot swing.

Consequently, according to this form of embodiment of the shaping device 5, it is the conveyor 2 which is mounted on a device 100 designed to make it swing around a longitudinal axis. The swinging movement of the conveyor 2 is by means of swinging 101 which, in Figure 4, by way of example, can schematically include an eccentric body 102 driven in rotary fashion and a connecting rod 103 connected to a cradle frame 104 that supports the conveyor 2.

Operation of the shaping device is shown by way of example in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and is the following: a plurality of ceramic products "M", in this specific case strips, is placed on the conveyor 2 with the edge to be shaped parallel with the direction of movement "A".

By adjusting the parallel supports 16, the shaping device 5 is moved to a suitable distance from the side of the conveyor 2 so the cup grinding wheels 11 and 12 can come into contact with the edge to be shaped. The shaping device 5 is then started and begins to swing in a transversal direction with respect to the direction of movement "A" of the conveyor 2 which is also started. Both the cup grinding wheels 11 and 12 shape the edge to be shaped as the product "M" moves forward on the conveyor and the swinging eliminates this edge and creates a border which in cross section is substantially rounded, while in plan section it is shaped like a sinusoid.

This sinusoid shaping is then rectified by the subsequent series of finishing grinding wheels 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 that come into contact with the border to be finished. Due to the sinusoid shape, the abrasion surfaces of the finishing grinding wheels 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 come into contact with the border no longer only with just fixed points of their abrasive surface, but with all the abrasive surface, wearing this in a more uniform manner and, for this reason, keeping the surfaces of finishing grinding wheels 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in good working condition for periods of time considerably longer than those of the known state of the art.

Claims

1) Shaping device suitable for shaping the edges of products (M) obtaining shaped edges, comprising abrasive means (H₅ 12) supported so as to come into contact with said edges of said products (M)₅ characterized in that said abrasive means (H₅ 12) are mounted so as to swing with respect to said edges of said products (M).

2) Device according to claim 1, wherein said abrasive means (11, 12) are mounted so as to swing along a trajectory (T) cross ways with respect to said edges.

3) Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said abrasive means (11, 12) are mounted so as to swing along a rounded trajectory (T).

4) Device according to claim 3, wherein said rounded trajectory (T) is circular.

5) Device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said circular trajectory (T) features a centre of rotation "C" comprised within an area of a crossways section of said products (M). 6) Device according to claim 5, wherein said area of said crossways section comprises a middle area located close to said edges.

7) Device according to claim 1, wherein said abrasive means (11, 12) are mounted on frame means (4; 15) placed by said edges of said products (M).

8) Device according to claim 7, wherein said frame means (4; 15) comprise a first oscillation shaft (17) and a second oscillation shaft (18) parallel with each other and with said edges of said products (M).

9) Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said abrasive means comprise a pair of grinding wheels (11, 12) which can be driven in rotary fashion with respective motor units (13, 14) and available in such a position to have the rotation axes (Rl, R2) tilted one with respect to the other and substantially converging in said centre of rotation (C).

10) Device according to claim 9, wherein said grinding wheels (11, 12) can be reciprocally fastened in said position with fastening means (21).

11) Device according to claim 10, wherein said fastening means comprise at least one coupling plate (21) placed in between said motor units (13, 14) and to which the latter are fastened. 12) Device according to any of the preceding claims wherein said abrasive means (11, 12) are driven in swinging with operating means (23, 24).

13) Device according to claim 12 or 13 wherein said operating means comprise at least one eccentric body (24) which can be driven in rotary fashion with its one motor unit (25); connecting rod means (23) having a first end fitted to said coupling plate (21) and a contrasting second end fitted to said eccentric body (24).

14) Shaping device suitable for shaping the edges of products (M) obtaining shaped edges, comprising abrasive means (11, 12) supported so as to come into contact with said edges of said products (M), characterized in that said products (M) are supported by support means (4; 15) fitted with means of swinging (100, 101, 102, 103, 104) arranged to make them oscillate with respect to said abrasive means (11, 12).

15) Device according to claim 14 wherein said support means comprise a conveyor (2).

16) Shaping machine comprising : a conveying table of products (M) with edges to be shaped and having a direction of transport (A), at least one shaping device (5) of said edges, frame means (4; 15) for supporting said shaping means (5), characterized in that said shaping means (5) are supported on said frame means (4; 15) by swinging means (17, 18; 21, 23, 24, 25, 26) so as to swing during the transport of said products (M) along said direction of transport (A).

17) Shaping method, suitable for shaping the edges of products (M) comprising the phases of: transporting said products (M) in a direction of transport (A) so they turn said edges in a shaping direction different from said direction of transport (A); shaping said edges with shaping means (5; 11, 12) during said transport, characterized in that said shaping comprises swinging of said shaping means (5; 11, 12) and/or said products (M) along a trajectory (T) of swinging so they complete rounded shaping trajectories (T).