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(11) | EP 1 847 331 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Pipe manufacturing apparatus comprising two side-by-side production lines |
| (57) An apparatus (1) for manufacturing pipes is described, which comprises two production
lines (2, 3) placed side-by-side. The two production lines (2, 3) are independent from each other and are arranged offset from each other both vertically and horizontally, that is, the operating units belonging to one production line are placed higher and offset (preferably placed downstream) with respect to the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production line. The double reel (4) belonging to each production line (2, 3) rotates around a horizontal axis (9) and the drawing rollers (11) and the guide rollers (12) belonging to each of the drawing units (5) present in the two production lines (2, 3) are carried cantilever by the frame (13) of said drawing unit (5). |
[0001] The present invention refers to an apparatus for manufacturing pipes that comprises two production lines placed side-by-side.
[0002] Well known to the art are production lines able to form a pipe from a roll of sheet metal strip (known as a coil); said production lines - which generally comprise at least the operating units adapted to deform, to shape and to weld the metal strip and to carry out the finishing of the welded pipe - will not be described in detail herein because they are per se known.
[0003] In order to allow a single operator to run simultaneously two production lines alongside each other, thereby increasing the productivity and reducing the labour costs, it is possible to place the two lines for the production of pipes, even of different diameters, alongside each other, but it is necessary (or, at least, very advisable) to enable the operator to have an easy access to both lines to carry out the necessary maintenance operations, the replacement of parts, etc.
[0004] For this purpose, in the apparatus according to the invention suitable arrangements (better described hereunder) have been adopted to limit the distance between the two side-by-side, parallel production lines, allowing the operator to access both production lines easily without having to go round the apparatus and/or without putting his own safety at risk by leaning over a production line while it is running.
[0005] The present invention refers to an apparatus for manufacturing pipes comprising two production lines placed side-by-side, near each other; this object is achieved by means of a manufacturing apparatus having at least the characterising features illustrated in claim 1.
[0006] Further advantageous characteristics of the manufacturing apparatus form the subject matter of the dependent claims.
[0007] The invention will now be described with reference to a purely exemplifying (and therefore non limiting) embodiment thereof, illustrated in the appended figures, wherein:
- Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a front view of an apparatus according to the invention;
- Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a double reel belonging to the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2;
- Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a drawing off unit belonging to the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2;
- Figure 5 shows diagrammatically two details of the drawing off unit of Figure 4.
[0008] In the appended figures corresponding elements will be identified by the same reference numerals.
[0009] Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a front view of a pipe manufacturing apparatus realised according to the invention, denoted as a whole with the reference numeral 1, which comprises two pipe production lines (2, 3) placed side-by-side and independent of each other, offset from each other both vertically (in the embodiment described herein, the operating units of the production line 2 are placed higher than the corresponding operating units of the production line 3) and horizontally, that is (as can be seen better in the top view of Figure 2), the operating units of a production line (line 2 in the embodiment described herein) are offset with respect to the corresponding operating units of the other production line (line 3 in the embodiment described herein).
[0010] In Figures 1 and 2 the operating units of the production line 2 are situated downstream (that is, shifted to the right) of the corresponding operating units of the production line 3.
[0011] Preferably, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the operating units of the production line situated higher up (line 2 in the embodiment described herein) are offset with respect to the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production line (line 3 in the embodiment described herein).
[0012] By way of example, in Figures 1 and 2 the operating units of the production line 2 are situated higher than and downstream (that is, shifted to the right) of the corresponding operating units of the production line 3.
[0013] By offsetting horizontally and vertically the corresponding operating units of the two production lines so as to position one operating unit of one line at least partially in the gap between two adjacent operating units of the other production line, it is possible to reduce the distance between the two production lines, facilitating the work of the operator and improving the productivity thereof.
[0014] Furthermore, the offset arrangement of the corresponding operating units of the two production lines allows the operator to access them more easily.
[0015] Again to reduce the distance between the two production lines, the Applicant has modified the double reel 4 (Figure 3) from which the steel strip 10 that feeds a production line (2 or 3) is unwound and the drawing off units 5 (Figures 4 and 5) situated downstream of the shaping and welding preparation units 6 and of the calibrating unit 7; the operating units 6 and 7 and the other operating units of the production lines 2 and 3 have not been modified and will not, therefore, be described because they are per se known.
[0016] Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a top view of the apparatus 1 of Figure 1, from which it can be better observed that:
- the production lines (2, 3) are parallel and independent from each other;
- the operating units of the production line 2, situated higher up, are situated downstream with respect to the corresponding operating units of the production line 3.
[0017] Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a side view (Figure 3a), a front view (Figure 3b) and a top view (Figure 3c) of a pair of double reels 4, each of which feeds a production line (2, 3).
[0018] The double reels 4 differ from those used for the production lines of the prior art in that the frame 8 which carries the two reels that form a double reel 4 turns around a horizontal axis 9 instead of around a vertical axis, as occurs in the double reels of the
prior art.
[0019] The rotation of a double reel 4 around the horizontal axis 9 allows both the double axis 4 to rotate 180° without interfering with the metal strip 10 unwinding from the other double reel 4, and the two double reels 4 to be placed near to each other, reducing the distance between the production lines (2, 3) fed by the two double reels 4.
[0020] Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a front view (Figure 4a) and a top view, partially in section (Figure 4b) of one of the drawing off units 5 belonging to a production line (2, 3) and situated downstream (Figures 1 and 2) of the shaping and welding preparation units 6 and of the calibrating unit 7. As is known, a drawing off unit 5 comprises a frame 13 which carries drawing rollers 11, guide rollers 12 mounted idly on the frame 13 and motorization means (not described because they are per se known and omitted in Figures 4 and 5) able to drive the drawing rollers 11.
[0021] For the sake of simplicity of the graphic representation, only a pair of drawing rollers and a pair of guide rollers are denoted in Figure 4 with the relative reference numerals 11 and 12.
[0022] A drawing unit 5 realised according to the invention differs from the drawing units of the prior art in that the drawing rollers 11 and the guide rollers 12 are not placed on the inside of the frame 13, but they are carried cantilever by the frame 13, as can be seen better in Figure 5.
[0023] The drawing rollers 11 and the guide rollers 12 are therefore placed on the outside of the frame 13: this allows the operator an easy access to the rollers 11 and 12 to replace them, if and when it is necessary, without having to remove at least part of the frame 13 to access the rollers 11 and/or 12 which, in the drawing off units of the prior art, are situated inside the frame 13.
1. An apparatus (1) for manufacturing pipes, characterised in that it comprises two production lines (2, 3) placed side-by-side and independent from
each other, offset from each other both vertically and horizontally.
2. An apparatus (1) as in claim 1, characterised in that the operating units belonging to one production line (2 or 3) are placed higher than
the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production line (3 or 2).
3. An apparatus (1) as in claim 1, characterised in that the operating units belonging to one production line (2 or 3) are offset with respect
to the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production line (3 or
2).
4. An apparatus (1) as in claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the operating units belonging to the production line placed highest up (2 or 3) are
offset with respect to the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production
line (3 or 2).
5. An apparatus (1) as in claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the operating units belonging to one production line (2 or 3) are placed downstream
of the corresponding operating units belonging to the other production line (3 or
2).
6. An apparatus (1) as in claim 1, wherein each production line (2, 3) comprises a double
reel (4), characterised in that the frame (8) which carries the two reels that form the double reel (4) rotates around
a horizontal axis.
7. An apparatus (1) as in claim 1 wherein each production line (2, 3) comprises drawing
off units (5) comprising a frame (13) which carries at least drawing rollers (11)
and guide rollers (12) mounted idly on the frame (13), characterised in that the drawing rollers (11) and the guide rollers (12) of each drawing assembly (5)
are carried cantilever by said frame (13).