ADJUSTABLE MOULD

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for bending material according to the preamble of the first claim.

Prior art

[0002] Such a device is known from EP-1513628. The device described herein comprises a mould and a holder for supporting the mould, the mould comprising a first and a second mould half. The first and second mould halves each extend in a longitudinal direction of the holder and together enclose a mould cavity extending in the longitudinal direction. The first mould half comprises a set of parallel first elements each comprising a first extension and an outer wall. The second mould half comprises a set of parallel second elements each comprising a second extension and an outer wall. The first and second elements extend in a transverse direction and are arranged alternatingly in the longitudinal direction of the mould. The first elements are arranged at a first distance from each other to receive said second extension of the second elements between them. The second elements are arranged at a second distance from each other to receive said first extension of the first elements between them. Said outer walls of the first elements of the first mould half together form the first outer wall of the first mould half, and said outer walls of the second elements of the second mould half together form the second outer wall of the second mould half. The first and the second mould halve in said transverse direction are arranged moveably on the holder such that they can be shifted relative to each other to adjust the width of the mould cavity. The device further comprises adjusting means for adjusting the width of the mould cavity.

[0003] The adjusting means known from EP-A-1513628 are adjusting blocks which are manually placed on the holder. When bending material with the aid of the mould, a force is exerted on each of the mould halves that pushes the mould halves away from each other. The adjusting blocks serve as a stop for the first and second elements to prevent the mould halves from moving away from each other. Placing these adjusting blocks is a manual operation and time consuming. Furthermore, the desired width of the mould cavity is also limited to the number of adjusting blocks available.

Description of the Invention

[0004] It is a first object of this invention to provide a device for bending material, wherein adjusting the width of the mould is less time consuming.

[0005] This first goal is achieved by means of the device which exhibits the technical features of the first claim.

[0006] In the device according to the invention, the adjusting means comprise a plurality of adjusting slats, wherein the adjusting slats are positioned movable in the longitudinal direction or in the height direction on the holder at the level of the outer walls of at least one of the mould halves. The adjusting slats are carried out such that by moving a number of the adjusting slats, which are adjacent to each other, each time, one of the adjusting slats forms a stop for the corresponding outer walls of the corresponding mould half.

[0007] In the device according to the invention, the adjusting means further comprise gripping means for gripping and moving a number of the adjusting slats. Consequently, by moving a different number of the adjusting slats by means of the gripping means, the stop position can be changed.

[0008] The device according to the invention has the advantage that one adjusting slat each time serves as a stop for the first elements and the second elements, respectively. By means of the gripping means, which can move a number of the adjusting slats, the stop of the first mould half and/or the stop of the second mould half can be adjusted in order to adjust the width of the mould cavity in a less time-consuming manner.

[0009] In an embodiment of the device, the gripping means are provided for moving the adjusting slats in a height direction, In this embodiment, the stop position is changed by moving a number of adjacent adjusting slats in a height direction. Since the width of the mould cavity is proportional to the distance between the first outer wall and the second outer wall, it is thus possible to adjust the width of the mould cavity.

[0010] In the embodiment of the device wherein the adjusting slats are displaceable in a height direction, the gripping means are, for example, hydraulically driven lifting means, provided for lifting a variable number of adjusting slats.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment of the device, the adjusting slats have recesses provided for receiving the corresponding outer wall and the gripping means are provided for moving the adjustment slats in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the stop position is changed by moving a number of adjacent adjusting slats in longitudinal direction. By shifting a number of the adjusting slats in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to align the recesses of said number of the adjusting slats with the corresponding outer wall of the corresponding mould half. After that, the corresponding mould half can move in said transverse direction until the corresponding outer wall touches an adjusting slat that has not been moving in the longitudinal direction, and which then forms the stop for the corresponding mould half. In this way, it is possible to increase the distance between the first outer wall and the second outer wall. Conversely, it is also possible to decrease the distance between the first outer wall and the second outer wall. To that end, the corresponding mould half is moved in the transverse direction, after which a number of the adjusting slats are moved in the longitudinal direction to form a new stop. Since the width of the mould cavity is proportional to the distance between the first outer wall and the second outer wall, it is thus possible to change the width of the mould cavity.

[0012] In the advantageous embodiment of the device wherein the adjusting slats are movable in the longitudinal direction, the gripping means are, for example, pneumatic or electrically driven gripping means which are provided for gripping a variable number of the adjusting slats and moving them in longitudinal direction. This advantageous embodiment has as advantage over the above-described embodiment that, mechanically speaking, it is simpler and less burdensome to move or lift adjusting slats.

[0013] In an embodiment of the device, the holder is provided with a first and a second wall in the longitudinal direction, which respectively serve as stop for the first and the second outer wall of the corresponding mould half, if none of the adjusting slats serve as stop for the corresponding outer wall. The distance between the first and second wall of the holder thus determines the maximum width of the mould cavity. In addition, these outer walls can be provided for absorbing the compressive forces exerted by the mould elements on the adjusting slats during use.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the device, the adjusting slats are divided into two sets wherein the first set serves as stop for the first outer wall and the second set serves as stop for the second outer wall. In this further embodiment, it is possible to move each of both mould halves separately.

[0015] In the further embodiment of the device, which comprises two sets of adjusting slats, the adjusting slats in said first and second set touch and an adjusting slat of the first set touches said first wall and an adjusting slat of the second set touches said second wall. The device is carried out such that the adjusting slats of a corresponding set between the adjusting slat which serves as stop for the corresponding outer wall and the adjusting slat which touches the corresponding wall form a whole, i.e., that the intermediate slats between the slat which forms the stop and the wall of the holder, move along together with the rest. This has the advantage that the pressure exerted by the mould halves on the stop, when the mould is used to bend material, is transferred to the holder by means of the whole of slats.

[0016] In an alternative embodiment of the device, the first mould half is not moveable relative to said holder and the first outer wall always touches said first wall. In this alternative embodiment, the first mould half can thus be fixedly mounted on the holder and only the second mould half is moveable in said transverse direction. Thus, only adjusting slats are provided to determine the stop of the second mould half. This has as advantage over the further embodiment described above that only one gripping means is needed instead of two.

[0017] In this alternative embodiment, the device is carried out such that that the adjusting slats touch, and that an adjusting slat touches said second wall, whereby the adjusting slats between the adjusting slat which serves as stop for the second outer wall, and the adjusting slat which touches the second wall, form a whole. The pressure exerted by the second mould half on the stop when the mould is used to bend material, is therefore transferred to the holder by means of the set of slats.

[0018] In an embodiment of the device, the holder is a block provided with at least one recess in the longitudinal direction, wherein the adjusting slats are received. The at least one recess ensures it is possible to move the adjusting slats in such a way that they do not form a stop for a corresponding mould half. It is thus possible to move the mould halves up to the walls of the holder to have the widest possible mould cavity opening.

[0019] In a further embodiment of the device, the device further comprises displacement means for moving the first mould half relative to the second mould half, the displacement means, in particular, being integrated into the holder and engaging a cavity provided in at least one of the mould halves. This further embodiment allows the mould halves to be moved relative to one another without time-consuming manual actions.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment of the device, the first and the second mould half, respectively comprise a first and a second axis, which are oriented in the longitudinal direction and which are configured to attach said first and second mould elements to. In this advantageous embodiment, the mould is thus adjustable in length by mounting more or less mould elements to said first and second axis.

[0021] It is a second object of this invention to provide a system for bending material of considerable lengths.

[0022] This second object is achieved by means of a system which comprises at least two devices according to any one of the preceding embodiments and which comprises first connecting means to each time interconnect the mould halves of the at least two devices, and comprises second connecting means, to interconnect, each time, the adjusting slats of the at least two devices.

[0023] Material that is longer than the axes of two mould halves of an individual device cannot be bent by that device. Because the system comprises multiple devices which can be interconnected by means of said first and second connecting means, the system allows to bend material that is longer than an individual device.

[0024] In an embodiment of the system, the system further comprises third connecting means to connect the first axis of the first device with the first axis of the second device, and to connect the second axis of the first device with the second axis of the second device. In this embodiment, the corresponding axes of at least two devices are interconnected by means of said third connecting means. In this way, it is certain that the corresponding mould halves of the devices are aligned and the material is thus bent in a correct way.

Brief description of the drawings

[0025] The invention will hereafter be explained in further detail by way of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1-3 illustrate schematically the operation of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Figures 4-6 illustrate schematically the operation of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the adjusting slats and adjusting means of the device of Figure 7.

Figure 9 shows a detail of Figure 8.

Figure 10 illustrates another perspective view of the adjusting slats and adjusting means of the device of Figure 7.

Figure 11 shows a detail of Figure 10.

Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a part of the device in Figure 7.

Embodiments of the Invention

[0026] Although the present invention will hereinafter be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings, the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings shown here are merely schematic representations and are not limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

[0027] In addition, terms such as 'first', 'second', 'third', and the like are used in the description and in the claims in order to make a distinction between similar elements and not necessarily in order to indicate a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

[0028] Moreover, terms such as 'top', 'bottom', 'above', 'under' and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

[0029] It is to be noticed that the term 'comprising', or its derivatives, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; the term does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of an expression such as 'a device comprising means A and B' should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only corresponding components of the device are A and B.

[0030] Figures 1-3 illustrate schematically the operation of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention, wherein the adjusting slats are moved in height direction to adjust the width of the mould opening. Figures 1 and 2 show a portion of the holder 3 and the adjusting slats 20 arranged thereon, located in a recess 28 and against an inner wall 30 of the holder, in two different situations. Figure 3 shows a cross section of the situation of Figure 2. In the situation of Figure 1, none of the adjusting slats 20 have been moved, and the corresponding mould half can move over the upper surface 27 of the holder and over the adjusting slats, up till against the inner wall 30 of the holder 3. The inner wall 30 of the holder 3 forms in this situation the stop for the outer wall of the mould half. In the situation of Figures 2 and 3, a number of the adjusting slats 20 have been moved in height direction and the stop position for the outer wall of the mould half has been moved inward.

[0031] Figures 4-6 illustrate schematically the operation of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention, wherein the adjusting slats are provided with recesses 25 and are moved in longitudinal direction to adjust the width of the mould opening. Figures 4 and 5 show a portion of the holder 3 and the adjusting slats 20 arranged thereon, located in a recess 28 and against an inner wall 30 of the holder, in two different situations. Figure 6 shows a cross section of the situation of Figure 5. In the situation of Figure 4, none of the adjusting slats 20 have been moved, which, in this embodiment means that the inner adjusting slat forms the stop for the outer wall of the mould half, i.e., the narrowest mould opening. In the situation of Figures 5 and 6, a number of the adjusting slats 20 have been moved in longitudinal direction and the stop position for the outer wall of the mould half has been moved outward.

[0032] Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of a device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the operating principle according to Figure 4-6 is applied. The device 1 comprises a mould 2 and a holder 3 for supporting the mould 2, more particularly, a number of interconnected mould and holder parts as described elsewhere herein, so that materials, e.g. steel sheets, of considerable lengths, can be bent with this device. The mould 2 is described in patent publication EP-A-1513628. Therefore, not every part of the mould 2 will be described in detail, but only the parts of importance to the present invention.

[0033] The mould 2 comprises a first mould half 4 and a second mould half 5. The first 4 and second mould halves 5 each extend in a longitudinal direction 6 and together enclose a mould cavity extending in the longitudinal direction. The first mould half 4 comprises a set of parallel first elements 8 which each comprise a first extension 9 and an outer wall 17 (see Figure 12). The second mould half 5 comprises a set of parallel second elements each comprising a second extension and an outer wall. The first and second elements extend in a transverse direction and are arranged alternatingly in the longitudinal direction of the mould 2. The first elements are arranged at a first distance from each other to receive said second extension of the second elements between them. The second elements arranged at a second distance from each other to receive said first extension of the first elements between them. Preferably, the first and second elements have the same length, so that the first distance and the second distance are the same. In this way, the first and the second elements are identical, and can be produced in the same manner.

[0034] Said outer walls 17 of the first elements 8 of the first mould half 4 together form the first outer wall 17 of the first mould half 4, and said outer walls of the second elements of the second mould half 5 together form the second outer wall of the second mould half 5. The first 4 and the second mould half 5 are moveable relative to each other in said transverse direction to adjust the width of the mould cavity. Moving the mould halves can be done by manual operations, but preferably by displacement means 19, which are integrated into the holder 3.

[0035] An embodiment of the displacement means is shown in Figure 12. They comprise an electrically driven screw system, with which a sliding element 23 can be moved in the transverse direction of the holder, On this sliding element there is arranged a cam 24, which engages a slot 26 in the mould element 8 below. It is clear that the displacement means may also be carried out in other ways known to the skilled person within the context of this invention.

[0036] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the device 1 further comprises a first plurality of adjusting slats 20 and a second plurality of adjusting slats 21, which each extend in the longitudinal direction and are supported by the holder 3, in recesses 28 (as shown in Figure 6). The first adjusting slats 20 form a variable stop for the first outer wall 17 and the second adjusting slats 21 form a variable stop for the second outer wall. The adjusting slats 20, 21 are provided with recesses 25 and are movable in the longitudinal direction by means of the gripping means 6, for adjusting the stop position of the corresponding mould half. These gripping means 6 comprise on both sides a cam 7 moveable in transverse direction, which is moved laterally into a recess under the slats for selecting the slats 20, 2.1 to be moved. This cam can be moved back and forth with the aid of an electrically driven system, shown in Figure 6. The gripping means 6 further comprise pneumatically driven pulling elements 10, 11, which are provided for moving the cam 7 and the slats 20, 21 which the cam engages together in the longitudinal direction (as shown in Figure 5). The gripping means 6 are not loaded during the folding or bending operations performed with the device 1, and can thus be executed lightly. It is clear that the gripping means may also be carried out in other ways known to the skilled person within the context of this invention. For example, for embodiments according to the operating principle of Figures 1-3, rather, hydraulic gripping means are suitable, considering the movement of slats in a height direction against gravity.

[0037] The holder 3 has two inner walls, one 30 of which is shown in Figures 1-6. The walls 30 engage the recesses 28 in which the slats 20, 21 are accommodated and serve, on the one hand, for absorbing lateral compressive forces during bending or folding operations, and, on the other hand, as a stop for the corresponding mould half 4, 5, when all adjusting slats 20, 21 have been moved 'out of the way'. In the embodiment shown in Figures 7-12, adjusting slats are provided on both sides of the device 1, but it is also possible to provide the adjusting slats only on one side of the device. Providing the adjustable stop on both sides has the advantage that the centre of the mould opening can always be kept in the same position, such that the pressing element, which, in use, is pressed downward from above in the centre of the mould opening to perform a bending operation, can have a fixed position. More specifically, it is then not necessary to move this pressing element and the device 1 laterally relative to each other if the width of the mould opening has been adjusted.

[0038] The device of Figure 7 is a system in which several holder and mould parts are interconnected to extend the obtained mould opening. The adjusting slats 20, 21 are interconnected by means of connecting elements 29, shown in detail in Figure 11. These connecting elements 29 are planar elements which fit into corresponding recesses in the ends of the slats, such that the slats and the connecting elements are moveable along each other. It is clear that these connecting elements may also be embodied in other ways known to the skilled person within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device (1) for bending material, the device (1) comprising a mould (2) and a holder (3) for supporting the mould (2), the mould (2) comprising a first and a second mould half (4, 5), which in each case extend in a longitudinal direction of the device and which together enclose a mould cavity extending in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the first mould half (4) comprises a set of parallel first elements (8), each comprising a first extension (9) and an outer wall (17), and the second mould half (5) comprises a set of parallel second elements, which each comprise a second extension and an outer wall, wherein the first and second elements extend in a transverse direction of the device and are arranged alternatingly in longitudinal direction, and wherein the first elements (8) are arranged at a first distance from each other to receive said second extension of the second elements between them and the second elements are arranged at a second distance from each other to receive said first extension (9) of the first elements (8) between them,
wherein said outer walls of the first elements (8) of the first mould half (4) together form the first outer wall (17) of the first mould half (4) and said outer walls of the second elements of the second mould half (5) together form the second outer wall of the second mould half (5),
wherein the first and the second mould halves (4, 5) are arranged moveably in said transverse direction on the holder, such that they can be shifted relative to each other, to adjust the width of the mould cavity,
wherein the device (1) further comprises adjusting means for adjusting the width of the mould cavity,
characterised in that the adjusting means comprise a plurality of adjusting slats (20, 21), wherein the adjusting slats (20, 21) are arranged movably in the longitudinal direction or in the height direction on the holder (3) at the level of the outer wall (17) of at least one of the mould halves (4, 5), wherein the adjusting slats (20, 21) are carried out such that by means of displacement of a number of the adjusting slats (20, 21), each time one of the adjusting slats (20, 21) forms a stop for the corresponding outer wall (17) of the corresponding mould half (4, 5),
and in that the adjusting means comprise gripping means (6) for gripping and moving a number of the adjusting slats (20, 21 and as such adjust the position of the stop.

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the gripping means are provided to move the adjusting slats (20, 21) in a height direction.

3. The device (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the gripping means are hydraulically driven lifting means, provided to lift a variable amount of adjusting slats.

4. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the adjusting slats (20, 21) have recesses (25) provided for receiving the corresponding outer walls (17) of the mould elements (8), and wherein the gripping means are provided for moving the adjusting slats (20, 21) in the longitudinal direction.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterised in that the gripping means are pneumatically or electrically driven gripping means, which are provided for gripping a variable amount of the adjusting slats and moving them in the longitudinal direction.

6. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the holder (3) is provided with a first and a second inner wall (30) in the longitudinal direction, which respectively serve as stop for the first and the second outer wall (17), of the corresponding mould half (4, 5) if none of the adjusting slats (20, 21) serves as stop for the corresponding outer wall (17).

7. The device (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that the adjusting slats (20, 21) are divided into two sets, wherein the first set (20) serves as a possible stop for the first outer wall (17) and the second set (21) serves as possible stop for the second outer wall.

8. The device (1) according to claim 7, characterised in that the adjusting slats (20, 21) in said first and second set touch each other, and an adjusting slat of the first set (20) touches said first inner wall (30) and an adjusting slat of the second set (21) touches said second inner wall.

9. The device (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the device (1) is carried out such that the adjusting slats (20, 21) of a corresponding set between the adjusting slat which serves as stop for the corresponding outer wall (17) and the adjusting slat which touches the corresponding inner wall (30) form a whole.

10. The device (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that said first mould half (4) is not moveable relative to said holder (3) and wherein the first outer wall (17) always touches said first inner wall (30).

11. The device (1) according to claim 10, characterised in that the device (1) is carried out such that the adjusting slats (21) touch each other and an adjusting slat touches said second inner wall whereby the adjusting slats (21) between the adjusting slat which serves as stop for the second outer wall and the adjusting slat which touches the second wall form a whole.

12. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the holder (3) is a block which is provided with at least a recess (28) in the longitudinal direction provided to receive the adjusting slats (20, 21).

13. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the device (1) comprises displacement means (19) for moving the first mould half (4) relative to the second mould half (5), wherein the displacement means (19) are preferably integrated into the holder (3) and engage slots (26) provided in the mould elements of at least one of the mould halves (4, 5).

14. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that first and the second mould half (4, 5) respectively comprise a first and a second axis, which are oriented in the longitudinal direction and which are configured to attach said first and second mould elements to.

15. A system comprising at least two interconnected devices (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjusting slats (20, 21) of the at least two devices (1) are interconnected by means of connecting elements (29).

Ansprüche

1. Eine Vorrichtung (1) zum Biegen von Material, wobei die Vorrichtung (1) ein Formstück (2) und einen Halter (3) zum Tragen des Formstücks (2) umfasst, wobei das Formstück (2) eine erste und eine zweite Formstückhälfte (4, 5) umfasst, welche sich in jedem Fall in eine Längsrichtung der Vorrichtung ausdehnen und welche zusammen einen Formhohlraum umschließen, der sich in die Längsrichtung ausdehnt,
wobei die erste Formstückhälfte (4) einen Satz paralleler erster Elemente (8) umfasst, die jeweils eine erste Verlängerung (9) und eine Außenwand (17) umfassen, und wobei die zweite Formstückhälfte (5) einen Satz paralleler zweiter Elemente umfasst, die jeweils eine zweite Verlängerung und eine Außenwand umfassen, wobei sich die ersten und die zweiten Elemente in einer Querrichtung der Vorrichtung ausdehnen und abwechselnd in der Längsrichtung angeordnet sind, und wobei die ersten Elemente (8) in einem ersten Abstand voneinander angeordnet sind, um die erwähnte zweite Verlängerung der zweiten Elemente zwischen ihnen aufzunehmen, und die zweiten Elemente in einem zweiten Abstand voneinander angeordnet sind, um die erwähnte erste Verlängerung (9) der ersten Elemente (8) zwischen ihnen aufzunehmen,
wobei die erwähnten Außenwände der ersten Elemente (8) der ersten Formstückhälfte (4) zusammen die erste Außenwand (17) der ersten Formstückhälfte (4) bilden und die erwähnten Außenwände der zweiten Elemente der zweiten Formstückhälfte (5) zusammen die zweite Außenwand der zweiten Formstückhälfte (5) bilden,
wobei die erste und die zweite Formstückhälfte (4, 5) beweglich in der erwähnten Querrichtung auf dem Halter angeordnet sind, sodass sie in Bezug zueinander verschoben werden können, um die Breite des Formhohlraums anzupassen,
wobei die Vorrichtung (1) ferner Einstellmittel zum Einstellen der Breite des Formhohlraums umfasst,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einstellmittel eine Vielzahl von Einstelllatten (20, 21) umfassen, wobei die Einstelllatten (20, 21) in die Längsrichtung oder in die Höhenrichtung beweglich auf dem Halter (3) in Höhe der Außenwand (17) von zumindest einer der Formstückhälften (4, 5) angeordnet sind, wobei die Einstelllatten (20, 21) so ausgeführt sind, dass mittels Verschiebung einer Anzahl von Einstelllatten (20, 21) jeweils eine der Einstelllatten (20, 21) einen Anschlag für die entsprechende Außenwand (17) der entsprechenden Formstückhälfte (4, 5) bildet,
und dadurch, dass die Einstellmittel Greifmittel (6) zum Greifen und Bewegen einer Anzahl der Einstelllatten (20, 21) umfassen und so die Position des Anschlags anpassen.

2. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Greifmittel bereitgestellt sind, um die Einstelllatten (20, 21) in eine Höhenrichtung zu bewegen.

3. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Greifmittel hydraulisch angetriebene Hebemittel sind, bereitgestellt, um eine variable Menge von Einstelllatten anzuheben.

4. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einstelllatten (20 21) Vertiefungen (25) haben, bereitgestellt, um die entsprechenden Außenwände (17) der Formstückelemente (8) aufzunehmen, und wobei die Greifmittel bereitgestellt sind, um die Einstelllatten (20, 21) in die Längsrichtung zu bewegen.

5. Die Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Greifmittel pneumatisch oder elektrisch angetriebene Greifmittel sind, welche bereitgestellt sind, um eine variable Menge der Einstelllatten zu greifen und sie in die Längsrichtung zu bewegen.

6. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach irgendeinem der vorigen Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Halter (3) mit einer ersten und einer zweiten Innenwand (30) in der Längsrichtung ausgestattet ist, welche respektive als Anschlag für die erste und die zweite Außenwand (17) der entsprechenden Formstückhälfte (4, 5) dienen, wenn keine der Einstelllatten (20, 21) als Anschlag für die entsprechende Außenwand (17) dient.

7. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einstelllatten (20, 21) in zwei Sätze verteilt sind, wobei der erste Satz (20) als ein möglicher Anschlag für die erste Außenwand (17) dient und der zweite Satz (21) als möglicher Anschlag für die zweite Außenwand dient.

8. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einstelllatten (20, 21) im erwähnten ersten und zweiten Satz einander berühren, und dass eine Einstelllatte des ersten Satzes (20) die erwähnte erste Innenwand (30) berührt und dass eine Einstelllatte des zweiten Satzes (21) die erwähnte zweite Innenwand berührt.

9. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Vorrichtung (1) so ausgeführt ist, dass die Einstelllatten (20, 21) eines entsprechenden Satzes zwischen der Einstelllatte, die als Anschlag für die entsprechende Außenwand (17) dient, und der Einstelllatte, die die entsprechende Innenwand (30) berührt, ein Ganzes bilden.

10. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die erwähnte erste Formstückhälfte (4) in Bezug zum erwähnten Halter (3) nicht beweglich ist, und wobei die erste Außenwand (17) die erwähnte erste Innenwand (30) immer berührt.

11. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach Anspruch 10, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Vorrichtung (1) so ausgeführt ist, dass die Einstelllatten (21) einander berühren und eine Einstelllatte die erwähnte zweite Innenwand berührt, wodurch die Einstelllatten (21) zwischen der Einstelllatte, die als Anschlag für die zweite Außenwand dient, und der Einstelllatte, die die zweite Wand berührt, ein Ganzes bilden.

12. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach irgendeinem der vorigen Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Halter (3) ein Block ist, der mit zumindest einer Vertiefung (28) in der Längsrichtung versehen ist, der bereitgestellt ist, um die Einstelllatten (20, 21) aufzunehmen.

13. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach irgendeinem der vorigen Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Vorrichtung (1) Verdrängungsmittel (19) zum Bewegen der ersten Formstückhälfte (4) in Bezug zur zweiten Formstückhälfte (5) umfasst, wobei die Verdrängungsmittel (19) bevorzugt in den Halter (3) integriert sind und in Schlitze (26) eingreifen, die in den Formstückelementen von zumindest einer der Formstückhälften (4, 5) bereitgestellt sind.

14. Die Vorrichtung (1) nach irgendeinem der vorigen Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die erste und die zweite Formstückhälfte (4, 5) respektive eine erste und eine zweite Achse umfassen, welche in die Längsrichtung ausgerichtet sind und welche konfiguriert sind, um daran die erwähnten ersten und zweiten Formstückelemente zu befestigen.

15. Ein System, welches zumindest zwei miteinander verbundene Vorrichtungen (1) nach irgendeinem der vorigen Ansprüche umfasst, wobei die Einstelllatten (20, 21) der zumindest zwei Vorrichtungen (1) mittels Verbindungselementen (29) miteinander verbunden sind.

Revendications

1. Un dispositif (1) pour plier un matériau, le dispositif (1) comprenant un moule (2) et un support (3) pour supporter le moule (2), le moule (2) comprenant une première et une seconde moitié de moule (4, 5), qui, dans chaque cas, s'étendent dans une direction longitudinale du dispositif et qui enferment ensemble une cavité de moule s'étendant dans la direction longitudinale,
dans lequel la première moitié de moule (4) comprend un ensemble de premiers éléments parallèles (8), chacun comprenant une première extension (9) et une paroi extérieure (17), et la seconde moitié de moule (5) comprend un ensemble de seconds éléments parallèles, qui comprennent chacun une seconde extension et une paroi extérieure, dans lequel les premiers et seconds éléments s'étendent dans une direction transversale du dispositif et sont agencés alternativement dans une direction longitudinale, et dans lequel les premiers éléments (8) sont agencés à une première distance les uns des autres pour recevoir ladite seconde extension des seconds éléments entre eux et les seconds éléments sont agencés à une seconde distance les uns des autres pour recevoir ladite première extension (9) des premiers éléments (8) entre eux,
dans lequel lesdites parois extérieures des premiers éléments (8) de la première moitié de moule (4) forment ensemble la première paroi extérieure (17) de la première moitié de moule (4) et lesdites parois extérieures des seconds éléments de la seconde moitié de moule (5) forment ensemble la seconde paroi extérieure de la seconde moitié de moule (5),
dans lequel les première et seconde moitiés de moule (4, 5) sont agencées de manière mobile dans ladite direction transversale sur le support, de sorte qu'elles peuvent être déplacées l'une par rapport à l'autre, pour ajuster la largeur de la cavité de moule,
dans lequel le dispositif (1) comprend en outre des moyens d'ajustement pour ajuster la largeur de la cavité de moule,
caractérisé en ce que les moyens d'ajustement comprennent une pluralité de lames d'ajustement (20, 21), dans lequel les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) sont agencées de manière mobile dans la direction longitudinale ou dans la direction de hauteur sur le support (3) au niveau de la paroi extérieure (17) d'au moins une des moitiés de moule (4, 5), dans lequel les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) sont réalisées de sorte que, au moyen d'un déplacement d'un nombre des lames d'ajustement (20, 21), chaque fois une des lames d'ajustement (20, 21) forme un arrêt pour la paroi extérieure correspondante (17) de la moitié de moule correspondante (4, 5),
et en ce que les moyens d'ajustement comprennent des moyens de préhension (6) pour saisir et déplacer un nombre des lames d'ajustement (20, 21) et ainsi ajuster la position de l'arrêt.

2. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que les moyens de préhension sont fournis pour déplacer les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) dans une direction de hauteur.

3. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que les moyens de préhension sont des moyens de levage entraînés hydrauliquement, fournis pour lever une quantité variable de lames d'ajustement.

4. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) présentent des renfoncements (25) fournis pour recevoir les parois extérieures correspondantes (17) des éléments de moule (8), et dans lequel les moyens de préhension sont fournis pour déplacer les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) dans la direction longitudinale.

5. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 4, caractérisé en ce que les moyens de préhension sont des moyens de préhension entraînés pneumatiquement ou électriquement, qui sont fournis pour saisir une quantité variable des lames d'ajustement et les déplacer dans la direction longitudinale.

6. Le dispositif (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que le support (3) est pourvu d'une première et d'une seconde paroi intérieure (30) dans la direction longitudinale, qui servent respectivement d'arrêt pour la première et la seconde paroi extérieure (17), de la moitié de moule correspondante (4, 5) si aucune des lames d'ajustement (20, 21) ne sert d'arrêt pour la paroi extérieure correspondante (17).

7. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 6, caractérisé en ce que les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) sont divisées en deux ensembles, dans lequel le premier ensemble (20) sert d'arrêt possible pour la première paroi extérieure (17) et le second ensemble (21) sert d'arrêt possible pour la seconde paroi extérieure.

8. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 7, caractérisé en ce que les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) dans lesdits premier et second ensembles se touchent les unes les autres, et une lame d'ajustement du premier ensemble (20) touche ladite première paroi intérieure (30) et une lame d'ajustement du second ensemble (21) touche ladite seconde paroi intérieure.

9. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 8, caractérisé en ce que le dispositif (1) est réalisé de sorte que les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) d'un ensemble correspondant entre la lame d'ajustement qui sert d'arrêt pour la paroi extérieure correspondante (17) et la lame d'ajustement qui touche la paroi intérieure correspondante (30) forment un tout.

10. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 6, caractérisé en ce que ladite première moitié de moule (4) n'est pas déplaçable par rapport audit support (3) et dans lequel la première paroi extérieure (17) touche toujours ladite première paroi intérieure (30).

11. Le dispositif (1) selon la revendication 10, caractérisé en ce que le dispositif (1) est réalisé de sorte que les lames d'ajustement (21) se touchent les unes les autres et une lame d'ajustement touche ladite seconde paroi intérieure selon lequel les lames d'ajustement (21) entre la lame d'ajustement qui sert d'arrêt pour la seconde paroi extérieure et la lame d'ajustement qui touche la seconde paroi forment un tout.

12. Le dispositif (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que le support (3) est un bloc qui est pourvu d'au moins un renfoncement (28) dans la direction longitudinale fournie pour recevoir les lames d'ajustement (20, 21).

13. Le dispositif (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que le dispositif (1) comprend des moyens de déplacement (19) pour déplacer la première moitié de moule (4) par rapport à la seconde moitié de moule (5), dans lequel les moyens de déplacement (19) sont de préférence intégrés dans le support (3) et entrent en prise avec des fentes (26) fournies dans les éléments de moule d'au moins une des moitiés de moule (4, 5).

14. Le dispositif (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que la première et la seconde moitié de moule (4, 5) comprennent respectivement un premier et un second axe, qui sont orientés dans la direction longitudinale et qui sont configurés pour y attacher lesdits premiers et seconds éléments de moule.

15. Un système comprenant au moins deux dispositifs (1) interconnectés selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel les lames d'ajustement (20, 21) des au moins deux dispositifs (1) sont interconnectées au moyen d'éléments de connexion (29).

Drawing