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(11) | EP 4 194 122 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | BLANKING PRESS AND METHOD OF CLEANING A HALF-MOULD |
| (57) A blanking press (1) comprises a frame (3), a lower plate (12) whereupon the lower
half-mold (22) is accommodated and an upper plate (11) whereupon the upper half-mold
(21) is accommodated. The lower plate (12) is movable in rotation about a horizontal
axis (X-X) contained within the working region (L).
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Field of application
[0001] The present invention relates to a blanking press for performing blanking operations on a rough or semi-processed piece.
[0003] For the production of semi-processed pieces, usually made of aluminum, such as by die casting, gravity casting or low-pressure casting, a rough piece is generally obtained that has a number of portions to be removed, such as foundry or molding burrs or those portions consisting of the material that has occupied the gates and wells.
[0004] It is therefore necessary to remove the unwanted parts; the entirety of these operations is referred to here as "blanking".
[0005] Blanking presses, or blanking-burring presses, perform mechanical blanking operations on the semi-processed piece, involving the separation of unwanted portions, thus obtaining a semi-processed or semifinished piece whereupon further mechanical finishing operations may be performed.
[0006] Specifically, blanking operations involve the execution of cutting operations using a blanking mold, composed of two half-molds.
[0007] As known, a lower half-mold is mounted on a fixed plane and an upper half-mold is mounted on a movable plane.
[0008] As a result of blanking operations, debris or residues of blanking parts may remain within the half-molds, and in particular in the lower half-mold, during blanking operations.
[0009] Consequently, the half-molds of the blanking press have to be periodically cleaned, typically after each processing cycle, in order to remove such debris, to prevent the accumulation of any residues from affecting the correct positioning of a further rough piece in the mold and consequently affecting the entire blanking process.
[0011] Typically, a common solution is to clean the lower half-mold by blowing air or pressurized fluids.
[0012] Generally, the blowing takes place directly inside the blanking press. Typically, the presses are equipped with blowing elements that clean as soon as the half-molds separate after blanking.
[0013] Disadvantageously, these solutions do not ensure optimal cleaning of the molds, especially when the blanked rough pieces are large. In particular, in fact, a portion of the residues to be eliminated remains within the cavities of the molds where the blowing does not arrive effectively.
[0014] Moreover, disadvantageously, in some molds of particular shapes the blowing is sufficient only to move the debris, but not to effectively remove it from the mold.
[0015] An alternative solution is to move the lower plate along horizontal translation guides outside the blanking press and to perform cleaning (by means of blowing or alternative methods) outside the blanking press.
[0017] Disadvantageously, moreover, the translation of the lower plate outside and inside the blanking press inevitably lengthens the machine downtime, to the detriment of the total processing time frames.
[0018] A still further solution anticipates, following the translation explained hereabove, overturning the lower plate in such a way that the portion of the lower half-mold suitable for accommodating the piece before cleaning it is facing downward.
[0019] Disadvantageously, this solution entails even more floor space than that occupied by the translation alone, and at the same time further lengthens the machine downtime due to the need to perform, outside the blanking press, both the translation and the overturning of the lower plate.
[0020] A further solution according to the prior art involves tilting the lower plate directly within the blanking press. Disadvantageously, this solution typically involves the use of common rotation systems, for example by means of rack-and-pinion systems, wherein the latter is moved by means of hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders and/or pistons.
[0021] Disadvantageously, such systems generally do not allow the lower plate to be positioned in intermediate positions between "working" and "tilted." In fact, the cylinders/pistons are typically constrained such as to entirely complete the available stroke.
[0022] Furthermore, such known systems typically actuate the rotation of the lower plate about a substantially central axis, i.e., under the least stressful conditions for the entire system.
[0023] Disadvantageously, in fact, these systems are not suitable for supporting overly elevated loads and implementing the rotation of the lower plate about a non-central axis.
Object of the invention
[0024] The need to provide a blanking press and a method of cleaning a mold capable of overcoming the typical disadvantages of the state of the art is therefore strongly felt.
[0025] This need is met by a blanking press according to the independent claim 1 and by a method of cleaning a mold according to the independent claim 11. The claims dependent thereupon describe further embodiments of the invention, comprising further advantageous aspects.
Description of the drawings
[0026] The features and advantages of the blanking press and of the mold cleaning method according to the invention will become apparent from the description below of some preferred embodiments thereof, given as nonlimiting examples, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
- Figure 1 shows a blanking press according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein an upper plate is in a lowered position;
- Figure 2 shows the blanking press according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein an upper plate is in a raised position and a lower plate is in a working configuration;
- Figure 3 shows the blanking press according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein the lower plate is in a semi-overturned configuration;
- Figure 4 shows a blanking press according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein the lower plate is in an overturned configuration;
- Figures 5a, 5b and 5c show plan views of a rotation assembly of the lower plate of the blanking press, according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein the lower plate is respectively in a working (figure 5a), semi-overturned (figure 5b) and overturned (figure 5c) configuration;
- Figure 6 is an enlargement of the box VI of Figure 5a;
- Figure 7 shows a section of a rotation support assembly of the lower plate along a vertical section plane passing through a horizontal axis.
Description of an embodiment
[0027] With reference to the above figures, reference numeral 1 is used to indicate a blanking press as a whole for performing blanking press operations on a rough or semi-processed piece, for example obtained by means of die-casting, gravity casting or low pressure casting.
[0028] According to the present invention, the blanking press 1 comprises a blanking mold 2 comprising an upper half-mold 21 and a lower half-mold 22.
[0029] Furthermore, according to the invention, the blanking press 1 comprises:
- a frame 3 comprising columns 31 which develop mainly in a vertical direction Z-Z, said columns 31 each having a respective central axis C-C, parallel to the vertical direction Z-Z, which constitutes a vertical edge of an imaginary solid, said frame 3 identifying a working region L within a lateral surface of said imaginary solid;
- a lower plate 12 whereupon the upper half-mold 22 is accommodated;
- an upper plate 11 movable parallel to the vertical direction Z-Z, wherein the upper half-mold 21 is accommodated on said upper plate 11.
[0030] In accordance with the invention, the lower plate 12 is movable in rotation about a horizontal axis X-X contained within the working region L in such a way as to bring the lower half-mold 22 from a working configuration, wherein the lower half-mold 22 is suitable for receiving the upper half-mold 21 in abutment in order to perform blanking operations, to an overturned configuration, wherein cleaning is facilitated following the blanking operations.
[0031] Preferably, the blanking press 1 comprises control and drive means 4 suitable for moving in rotation the lower plate 12.
[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, said control and drive means 4 comprise:
- i) an electric motor 40;
- ii) a drive assembly 41, operatively connected at a first end to the electric motor 40 and at a second end to a first engagement portion 121 of the lower plate 12;
- iii) a support assembly 42, tied to the frame 3 and engaged with a second engagement portion 122 of the lower plate 12;
- iv) an electronic control unit operatively connected to said electric motor 40 and configured to control the rotary operation of the lower plate 12 by means of said drive assembly 41 and said support assembly 42.
[0033] Preferably, the drive assembly 41 comprises a reducer 410 that transmits the rotational motion from the electric motor 40 to the bottom plate 12.
[0034] Furthermore, the drive assembly 41 preferably comprises a safety brake 450 suitable for blocking said reducer 410 such as to halt the rotation in the case of overloading the electric motor 40 or in the event of danger.
[0035] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the blanking press 1 comprises a blanking press base 50 tied to the frame 3 and suitable for supporting the loads applied to the lower half-mold 22 during the blanking operations.
[0036] The lower plate 12 has a front face 120 suitable for accommodating the lower half-mold 22 and a rear face 125 suitable for resting on the blanking base 50 when the lower half-mold 22 is in the working configuration.
[0037] Preferably, on said rear face 125 the lower plate 12 comprises balancing elements 60 suitable for compensating for the rotation of said lower plate 12 in such a way as to avoid the overloading of the drive assembly 41.
[0038] Advantageously, these balancing elements make it possible to move the lower plate about a non-central rotation axis, and to allow for the lifting of high loads without running into overload conditions.
[0039] In one embodiment of the invention, the support assembly 42 comprises a perforated rotating pin 420 suitable for supporting the rotation of said lower plate 12.
[0040] Preferably, such a perforated rotating pin 420 is also suitable to enabling the passage of an electric cable and hydraulic channels for transferring the oleodynamic connections onto the rotating table.
[0041] Preferably, the electric cable and the hydraulic channels are housed in a channel 430 formed in said perforated rotating pin 420.
[0042] The electric cable ensures an electrical connection with the lower plate 12, and the hydraulic channels allow fluid under pressure, for example oil, to reach the lower plate 12 in order to provide optional movements to the blanking press 1 and the lower half-mold 22.
[0043] Preferably, the support assembly 42 also comprises a rotating joint 421, fluidly connected with said perforated rotating pin 420, for supplying the pressurized fluid.
[0044] In an advantageous variant, the blanking press 1 further comprises blowing elements suitable for blowing in a cleaning fluid against the lower half-mold 22 when the lower plate is in an overturned configuration, such as to facilitate the cleaning of the mold.
[0045] Alternatively, the blanking press 1 is suitable for being connected to a mold cleaning system equipped with blowing nozzles, such that the blowing is performed outside the blanking press.
[0046] Furthermore, the lower plate 12 preferably comprises side walls 127, 128, 129 which form a containment basin 140 with the lower face 120, so as to keep any blanking work scraps inside said containment basin 140, preventing them from being dispersed in the blanking press 1.
[0047] In one embodiment, the lower half-mold 22 is suitable for assuming a semi-overturned configuration, in which the lower plate 12 is rotated with respect to the horizontal axis X-X and is overturned with the front face 120 toward the outside of the blanking press 1, i.e., beyond the side surface of said imaginary solid having said columns 31 as edges.
[0048] Advantageously, therefore, the rotation about a non-central axis of rotation, and at the same time the use of the drive assembly in the form of a motor reducer, makes it possible to also arrange the plate in a semi-overturned configuration, i.e., to arrange the lower plate in a substantially vertical position, in order to allow further cleaning and/or alternative operations on the plate itself.
[0049] Preferably, when the lower half-mold 22 is in the semi-overturned configuration, the lower plate 12 lies on a plane parallel to the vertical direction Z-Z.
[0050] In the semi-overturned configuration, the lower half-mold 22 is accessed by external piece extraction means, which collect the piece from the lower half-mold 22.
[0051] According to an alternative embodiment, in the overturned configuration the lower plate 12 has undergone a 180° rotation about the horizontal axis X-X, relative to the working configuration.
[0052] An object of the present invention is also a method for cleaning a lower half-mold of a blanking press.
[0053] Said cleaning method comprises the steps of:
- a) providing a blanking press 1 according to any one of the preceding claims;
- b) providing an electronic control unit operatively connected to the blanking press 1 and configured to control the translation of the upper plate 11 and the rotation of the lower plate 12;
- c) by means of the electronic control unit, moving the upper plate 11 downward along the vertical axis Z-Z;
- d) blanking the rough piece by means of said upper half-mold and lower half-mold 21, 22;
- e) by means of the electronic control unit, moving the upper plate 11 upward along the vertical axis Z-Z;
- f) by means of the electronic control unit, controlling the rotation of the lower plate 12 about said horizontal axis X-X in arranging the lower half-mold 22 in an overturned configuration;
- g) by means of blowing elements, cleaning any scraps or residues of the blanking operations from the lower half-mold 22;
- h) by means of the electronic control unit, returning the lower half-mold 22 to the working configuration.
[0054] Preferably, the cleaning method also comprises a step a') of providing for means for extracting the piece.
[0055] Furthermore, during step g), a step g') preferably takes place simultaneously wherein the piece extraction means collect the piece from the upper mold 21 following the blanking operations.
[0056] Alternatively, the method comprises, before step f), a step e') wherein said piece extracting means collect the piece from the lower half-mold 22 following the blanking operations.
[0057] Innovatively, the blanking press described above largely fulfills the object of the present invention, overcoming the typical problems of the known art.
[0058] In fact, the present invention allows the lower plate 12 to be rotated and the lower half-mold to be arranged in an overturned configuration, wherein the ejection of scraps and residues from blanking operations by means of gravity is facilitated without impacting upon the overall dimensions of the machine during operation.
[0059] Advantageously, the rotation of the lower plate takes place within the working region defined by the framing columns, generating an extremely small footprint compared to the known solutions.
[0060] Advantageously, moreover, the lower plate does not need to be transported out of the blanking press before rotating it, allowing for a reduction in machine downtime for cleaning the half-molds.
[0061] Advantageously, the blanking press is specially shaped such as to allow for simultaneous cleaning of the lower half-mold and extraction of the piece from the upper half-mold.
[0062] According to a further advantage, the blanking press is versatile and suitable for being coupled to various mold cleaning and/or piece extraction technologies.
[0063] According to a still further advantage, when the lower plate is in a semi-overturned configuration, the extraction of the piece from the lower half-mold is facilitated by extraction means that are external to the blanking press.
[0064] According to a further advantage, by virtue of the motor-reducer system, it is possible to determine the degrees of rotation of the lower plate and the velocities, with acceleration and deceleration ramps. That is, by means of the particular drive assembly according to the present invention, on the one hand the movement of very high loads is made possible, and at the same time the arrangement is made possible of the lower plate in configurations/intermediate positions between the working configuration and the overturned configuration.
[0065] Advantageously, moreover, the presence of balancing elements on the rear face of the lower plate slows down the rotation of the plate in the passage from the working configuration to the overturned configuration and assists in the rotation of the plate in returning from the overturned configuration to the working configuration. In other words, the presence of such balancing elements allows for the rotation of the plate about a "peripheral" rotation axis, i.e., also very far from the center of gravity of the lower plate itself.
[0066] Advantageously, the side walls on the lower plate allow for the containment of any residues of the blanking operations and prevent them from affecting the internal parts of the blanking press. This advantage affects not only the cleaning of the entire blanking press after each processing cycle, but also the overall durability of the blanking press.
[0067] Furthermore, according to a further advantage, the presence of a safety brake in the drive assembly makes it possible to stop the rotation of the lower plate safely, so as to allow for the immediate interruption of the rotation in the case of danger.
[0068] A person skilled in the art may, in order to meet specific needs, make several changes to the embodiments of this invention or substitutions of elements with other functionally equivalent ones.
[0069] Also, such variants are included within the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.
List of reference numbers
[0070]
1 blanking press
2 blanking mold
21 upper half-mold
22 lower half-mold
11 upper plate
12 lower plate
120 front face
121 first engagement portion
122 second engagement portion
125 rear face
127, 128, 129 side walls
140 containment basin
Z-Z vertical direction
X-X horizontal direction
3 frame
31 columns
C-C central axes
L work region
4 control and drive means
40 electric motor
41 drive assembly
410 reducer
450 safety brake
42 support assembly
420 perforated rotating pin
421 rotating joint
430 channel
5 electronic control unit
50 blanking base
60 balancing elements
1. A blanking press (1) for performing blanking operations on a rough or semi-processed
piece by a blanking mold (2) comprising an upper half-mold (21) and a lower half-mold
(22), wherein the blanking press (1) comprises:
- a frame (3) comprising columns (31) which extend mainly in a vertical direction (Z-Z), said columns (31) each having a respective central axis (C-C), parallel to the vertical direction (Z-Z), which constitutes a vertical corner of an imaginary solid, said frame (3) identifying a working region (L) internal to a side surface of said imaginary solid;
- a lower plate (12) on which the lower half-mold (22) is accommodated;
- an upper plate (11) movable parallel to the vertical direction (Z-Z) and couplable with the lower plate (12) for blanking, wherein the upper half-mold (21) is housed on said upper plate (11);
characterized in that said lower plate (12) is movable in rotation about a horizontal axis (X-X) contained in the working region (L), so as to bring the lower half-mold (22) from a working configuration in which the lower half-mold (22) is suitable for receiving the upper half-mold (21) in abutment for performing the blanking operations, to an overturned configuration in which it is rotated to facilitate the cleaning following the blanking operations.2. Blanking press (1) according to claim 1, comprising control and drive means (4) suitable
for moving the lower plate (12) in rotation, comprising:
i) an electric motor (40);
ii) a drive assembly (41), operatively connected at a first end to the electric motor (40) and at a second end to a first engagement portion (121) of the lower plate (12) ;
iii) a support assembly (42), constrained to a frame (3) and engaged with a second engagement portion (122) of the lower plate (12);
iv) an electronic control unit operatively connected to said electric motor (40) and configured to control the activation in rotation of the lower plate (12) by said drive assembly (41) and said support assembly (42).
3. Blanking press (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the drive assembly (41)
comprises a reducer (410) which transmits the rotation from the electric motor (40)
to the lower plate (12) and the drive assembly (41) comprises a safety brake (450)
suitable for blocking said reducer (410) to stop the rotation in the event of overloading
the electric motor (40) or in the event of danger.
4. Blanking press (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, comprising a blanking base
(50) constrained to the frame (3), suitable for supporting the loads applied to the
lower half-mold (22) during the blanking operations,
wherein the lower plate (12) has a front face (120) suitable for housing the lower half-mold (22) and a rear face (125) suitable for resting onto the blanking base (50) when the lower half-mold (22) is in the working configuration,
and wherein, on said rear face (125), the lower plate (12) comprises balancing elements (60) suitable for compensating for the rotation of said lower plate (12) so as to prevent the overloading of the drive assembly (41).
5. Blanking press (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the support assembly
(42) comprises a perforated rotating pin (420) suitable for supporting the rotation
of said lower plate (12) and for enabling the passage of an electric cable and hydraulic
channels for transferring the oil dynamic connections onto the rotating table.
6. Blanking press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising blowing
elements suitable for insufflating a cleaning fluid against the lower half-mold (22)
when the lower plate is in the overturned configuration, to facilitate the cleaning
of the mold.
7. Blanking press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower
plate (12) comprises side walls (127, 128, 129) which form a containment basin (140)
with the lower face (120), so as to keep any blanking work scraps inside said containment
basin (140), preventing them from being dispersed in the blanking press (1).
8. Blanking press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower
half-mold (22) is suitable for assuming a semi-overturned configuration, in which
the lower plate (12) is rotated with respect to the horizontal axis X-X and is overturned
with the front face (120) towards the outside of the blanking press (1), i.e. beyond
the side surface of said imaginary solid having said columns (31) as edges.
9. Blanking press (1) according to claim 8, wherein when the lower half-mold (22) is
in the semi-overturned configuration, the lower plate (12) lies on a parallel plane
to the vertical direction Z-Z.
10. Blanking press (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the overturned
configuration the lower plate (12) has undergone a rotation through 180° about the
horizontal axis (X-X), with respect to the working configuration.
11. A method for cleaning a lower half-mold of a blanking press, comprising the steps
of:
a) providing a blanking press (1), according to any one of the preceding claims;
b) providing an electronic control unit, operatively connected to the blanking press (1) and configured to control the translation of the upper plate (11) and the rotation of the lower plate (12);
c) moving the upper plate (11) downwards along the vertical axis (Z-Z) by the electronic control unit;
d) blanking the rough piece by said upper half-mold and lower half-mold (21, 22);
e) moving the upper plate (11) upwards along the vertical axis (Z-Z) by the electronic control unit;
f) controlling the rotation of the lower plate (12) about said horizontal axis (X-X) by the electronic control unit, bringing the lower half-mold (22) into the overturned configuration;
g) cleaning any scraps or residues of the blanking operations off the lower half-mold (22) by the blowing elements;
h) bringing the lower half-mold (22) back into the working configuration, by the electronic control unit.
12. Method according to claim 11, comprising a step a') of providing means for extracting
the piece, and wherein during step g), a step g') takes place at the same time, wherein
said piece extraction means collect the piece from the upper mold (21) after the blanking
operations.
13. Method according to claim 11, comprising a step a') of providing means for extracting
the piece and, prior to step f), comprising a step e'), in which said piece extraction
means collect the piece from the lower half-mold (22) following the blanking operations.