Transport device for press lines and method for controlling such a transport device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123787-B2
Application number	US-201716308058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A transport device for the transport of workpieces in a workpiece transport direction in a press, which has a carrier rail, which is mounted, via a lifting carriage and a rocker rotatably mounted on the lifting carriage, on a vertically running upright of the press. In order to enable a flexible workpiece transport, it is provided that, on the carrier rail, workpiece grippers are mounted on at least two transport carriages, which each have their own drive mechanism in order to move the transport carriages with the workpiece grippers along the carrier rail independently of each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport device for transporting workpieces in a workpiece transport direction through a forming area in a forming machine or a pressing area of a press line, the transport device comprising a gate area arranged on a lateral side of the pressing area or forming area bordered by two vertical uprights having a carrier rail running in the workpiece transport direction, wherein each end of the carrier rail is mounted on one of the vertically running uprights, via a lifting carriage displaceably driven in the vertical direction by a lift drive, and the lifting carriage rotatably mounts a rocker, an end of the rocker being connected to the carrier rail, wherein the length of the carrier rail is shorter than the distance between the vertical uprights in the workpiece transport direction and the rocker is rotatably mounted on the lifting carriage in such a way that the carrier rail can be pivoted out of the pressing area or forming area in that the carrier rail can be pivoted between the two vertical uprights into the gate area or through the gate area.

2. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting carriage has a rotary drive for rotating the rocker and wherein the rotary drive has a rotary output which co-operates with a carriage-side pivot bearing for rotating the rocker.

3. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the angle between the rocker and the vertical upright connected to the rocker is within an angular range of 0° to 10°, when the carrier rail is located in the gate area.

4. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier rail has a transport carriage with an exchangeable workpiece gripper.

5. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein, on the carrier rail, at least two transport carriages each having a workpiece gripper are mounted, wherein each transport carriage has a drive mechanism in order to move this transport carriage in a driven manner along the carrier rail independently of other transport carriages.

6. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the rocker has a single rocker arm connecting the carrier rail to the lifting carriage, wherein the rocker arm is pivotably connected to the carrier rail.

7. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the end of the rocker connected to the carrier rail has a bracket for the detachable connection of the carrier rail, wherein the bracket has a detachable mechanical connection and a detachable electrical connection.

8. The transport device according to claim 7 , wherein the rocker has a pivot drive, which pivots the carrier rail and/or the bracket relative to the rocker in order to set a particular angle between the carrier rail and the rocker.

9. The transport device according to claim 7 , wherein, on the end of the rocker connected to the carrier rail at the bracket, the rocker has a longitudinal drive in order to move the carrier rail in the workpiece transport direction.

10. The transport device according to claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal drive is an electric linear motor having a stator arranged on the rocker or the bracket and a rotor arranged on the carrier rail, or wherein the rotor is arranged on the rocker or the bracket and the stator is arranged on the carrier rail.

11. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lift drive of the lifting carriage is formed as a linear motor.

12. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting carriage or the lift drive of the lifting carriage has a switchable locking mechanism in order to fix the lifting carriage in a vertical position on a vertical upright.

13. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lift drive and a rotary drive of the lifting carriage are connected to a control device and the control device is configured to actuate both the lift drive and the rotary drive for performing a clamping movement of the carrier rail.

14. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lift drive and a rotary drive and a pivot drive are connected to a control device and the control device is configured to actuate the lift drive as well as the rotary drive and the pivot drive for performing a clamping movement of the carrier rail.

15. The transport device according to claim 13 , wherein the carrier rail has a longitudinal drive connected to the control device and the control device actuates the longitudinal drive for moving the carrier rail in the workpiece transport direction or contrary to the workpiece transport direction, in order to transport workpieces.

16. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical uprights are formed as press uprights.

17. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein two of the carrier rails running in the workpiece transport direction are provided, wherein each end of the two carrier rails is mounted on a respective one of the vertically running uprights via a respective one of the lifting carriages.

18. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting carriages are arranged in the lateral gate area, wherein one lifting carriage is mounted on a respective one of the vertical uprights each in such a way that the lifting carriages are arranged on the directly opposite ends of two vertical uprights.

19. A press line comprising a press bed and four press uprights, wherein two of the press uprights are arranged on one side of the press bed each, spaced apart from each other in the workpiece transport direction, and wherein wherein the press line further comprises a transport device according to claim 1 secured to the press uprights.

Assignees

• Schuler Pressen Gmbh

Inventors

• Cisar Rolf

Classifications

• B21D43/057

  Devices for exchanging transfer bars or grippers; Idle stages, e.g. exchangeable · CPC title

• B21D43/055 Primary

  Devices comprising a pair of longitudinally and laterally movable parallel transfer bars · CPC title