PLANT FOR MAKING ROLLER SHUTTER SHEETS

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a plant (100) for making sheets for roller shutters, wherein each sheet comprises a plurality of slats (1), wherein each slat (1) is obtained starting from an elongated profile (10). Said plant (100) extends along a longitudinal plant axis (Y) and comprises, in sequence, along said plant axis (Y): - a feeding station (200) which is suitable for feeding said plant (100) with bars, each of which consists of a segment of said elongated profile of a predefined length and is suitable for moving one of said bars at a time along said longitudinal plant axis (Y); - a machining group (300) suitable for subjecting one bar at a time to a predefined series of mechanical machinings so as to obtain from said bar, in sequence, a plurality of slats (1) having a predefined length and a predefined geometric configuration of said coupling cavity (20) and of said coupling appendage (30); - an assembly station (400) suitable for coupling one slat with the other by sequentially receiving one slat at a time from said machining group (300) to form a sheet for roller shutters; and - a control unit (500) programmed to operate said feeding station, said machining group and said assembly station according to a predefined sequence of operations.

Description

Field of application

[0001] The subject of the present invention is a plant for making roller shutter sheets.

Prior art

[0002] A roller shutter for windows and glass doors comprises a sheet made up of a plurality of slats which are identical to one another and coupled to one another along respective longitudinal edges. The slats are shaped so as to be able to be mutually coupled to one another. The coupling zones are configured to allow partial rotation between the slats about the longitudinal direction. As a result of this freedom of rotation between the slats, the roller shutter may roll up on itself. In this way, the shutter sheet may be completely or partially raised or lowered by rolling one or more slats into a suitable container arranged above the window or glass door space, depending upon the opening requirements of the space itself.

[0003] Generally, as shown in Figure 1, a traditional slat D consists of an elongated body E, in a metal or plastic material, which in use will face the outside of the compartment with a first face E1 (outer face) and towards the inside of the compartment with a second face E2 (inner face). The elongated body E comprises a coupling appendage A, extending along the whole of an upper longitudinal edge BS, and a hollow seat C extending along the whole of a lower longitudinal edge BI. The hollow seat C is delimited by a first portion C1 arranged on the outer face E1 of the elongated body E and by a second portion C2 of the elongated body, which is arranged on the inner face E2 of the elongated body E and is generally L-shaped. The two portions C1 and C2 are connected by a bottom wall C3.

[0004] The hollow seat C and the coupling appendage A are shaped so as to allow mutual coupling. In particular, the coupling appendage A engages with the L-shaped second portion C2. As shown in Figure 2, in an assembled shutter, the coupling appendage of a first slat is inserted into the hollow seat of a second slat arranged above, while the hollow seat of this first slat receives therein the coupling appendage of a third slat (not shown) arranged below.

[0005] The hollow seat C of each slat is open at both longitudinal ends of the slat itself. In this way, one slat may be coupled to another by longitudinally sliding the coupling appendage of one slat inside the hollow seat of the other slat starting at one of the two ends.

[0006] To prevent the slats from slipping out of one another as a result of longitudinal sliding between appendages and hollow seats, it is known to provide the slats with end caps that, by coupling to the end profile of the slat, retain the coupling appendage inside the relevant hollow seat.

[0007] The adoption of end caps is however expensive insofar as it involves the supply of additional components (the caps) and requires a specific step for the application during the production process of the shutters.

[0008] As an alternative to the application of end caps, it is known to lock the coupling appendage inside the relevant hollow seat by deforming two opposite end portions of the hollow seat itself so as to close the hollow seat at the two longitudinal ends and thus retain therein the coupling appendage, which was previously shaped by removing two end portions having a width corresponding to the deformed portions of the hollow seat.

[0009] In more detail, as shown in Figure 3, in the hollow seat C to be deformed it is a flap of the first portion C1 arranged on the outer face E1 of the elongated body E. Before the coupling between the slats, the flap to be deformed is separated from the rest of the first portion C1 by means of a transverse notch that extends in depth up to the bottom wall C3. The same notch also partially affects the second portion C2, limited to the base of the L, in such a way as to implement a separate flap also in this second portion C2. Once the coupling appendage A has been inserted (suitably shaped), the aforementioned flap of the first portion C1 engages with the flap of the second portion C2, deforming it in turn. In particular, the base of the L is bent against the vertical portion of the L. In this way the hollow seat C1 is completely closed. This operation is carried out at both ends of the slat.

[0010] This technical solution 1, while allowing for the closure of the hollow seat C and therefore the locking of the coupling appendage inside the hollow seat C, has some drawbacks.

[0011] A first drawback is in relation to the fact that, if the two coupled slats are rotated in relation to one another by an angle beyond 90°, it may happen that the coupling appendage A is forcibly inserted between the two deformed portions C1 and C2 and may slide out of the hollow seat C, at least partially, thereby compromising the complete functionality of the shutter.

[0012] A second drawback is related to the fact that the deformation of the flap of the first portion C1 modifies the outer face E1 of the elongated body E. This is at the expense of the aesthetic appearance of the slat itself on the most visible side and therefore the value of the same slat.

[0013] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, the same applicant has developed a slat which may be assembled to form a shutter sheet while ensuring a more stable and secure coupling between the coupling appendage and the hollow seat without at the same time requiring changes to the external face of the slat itself.

[0014] This solution is described in European Patent Application no. EP4183966.

[0015] In greater detail, as illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, said slat comprises an internally hollow elongated body 10, which extends along a longitudinal direction X and comprises a first face 10e and a second face 10i, opposite the first, which in use are designed to be turned respectively toward the outside and inside of the compartment closed by the shutter of which said slat 1 is designed to form a part.

[0016] The elongated body 10 comprises:

• a coupling cavity 20, which is formed along a first longitudinal edge 11 of said elongated body 10
• a coupling appendage 30 which extends from a second longitudinal edge 12 of said elongated body 10, opposite the first edge 11.

[0017] The elongated body 10 consists of a box-shaped body made by bending and profiling a metal sheet. The coupling cavity 20 is obtained integrally within the box-shaped body by bending the metal sheet; the coupling appendage 30 may also be obtained integrally within the box-shaped body, or, alternatively, it may constitute a separate piece applied to the box-shaped body.

[0018] The coupling cavity 20 is designed to be engaged by the coupling appendage 30 of a first slat, identical to said slat 1, while the coupling appendage 30 is designed to engage the coupling cavity 20 of a second slat that is identical to said slat 1.

[0019] In more detail, as shown in particular in Figure 6, the coupling cavity 20 is delimited by a first appendage 21 of the elongated body 10 obtained on the first face 10e and by a second appendage 22 of the elongated body 10 obtained on the second face 10i. These two appendages 21, 22 are connected to one another by means of a connecting portion 23 that defines the bottom of said coupling cavity 20.

[0020] As may be observed in Figure 4, the coupling appendage 30 has a longitudinal extension that is smaller than the longitudinal extension of the elongated body 10 so as to define two recesses 15, 16 at the ends of the second longitudinal edge 12 of the elongated body 10.

[0021] The slat 1 comprises two notches 24', 24'', which are obtained on said second appendage 22 near the two opposite longitudinal ends 10' and 10'' of said elongated body 10 and extend transversely to said first longitudinal edge 11.

[0022] These two notches 24', 24" define, on said second appendage 22, a first tab 25 and a second tab 26 which are placed at the two opposite longitudinal ends 10' and 10'' of said elongated body 10.

[0023] Each tab 25 and 26 is in a transversely opposite position (in relation to the longitudinal direction X) to one of said two recesses 15, 16 and has a longitudinal extension equal to or less than the respective recess.

[0024] In use (as shown in Figures 4 and 6, each tab 25, 26 is designed to be bent against the first appendage 21 so as to close the coupling cavity 20 at the two opposite longitudinal ends 10' and 10" of the elongated body 10 once the coupling appendage 30 of an adjacent slat has been inserted into the coupling cavity 20 with the respective recesses 15 and 16 placed at the tabs 25 and 26.

[0025] The first appendage 21 runs continuously from one end of the elongated body 10 to the other without interruptions.

[0026] It was possible to verify in the field that closing the coupling cavity by bending only two end portions of the second appendage 22 (tabs 25 and 26) provides more stable and secure locking of the coupling appendage 30 of an adjacent slat within the coupling cavity 20.

[0027] Furthermore, such a technical closure solution leaves the first face 10e of the elongated body 10, i.e., the face of the slat 1 having a higher aesthetic value, unchanged. This significantly improves the aesthetic appearance of a shutter manufactured by assembling slats according to the invention.

[0028] The slat for roller shutters according to the solution proposed by the applicant in the patent application EP4183966 may therefore be assembled to form a shutter sheet while ensuring a more stable and secure coupling between the coupling appendage and the hollow seat, without at the same time requiring changes to the external face of the slat itself.

[0029] The same applicant has developed a plant for the production of a shutter sheet formed from slats as described above. This plant is also described in the patent application EP4183966 and allows the production of a shutter sheet starting from a metal strip in the shape of a coil.

[0030] More specifically, such a plant 100 comprises, in sequence according to an advancement direction of the metal strip:

• a feeding unit for a continuous profile;
• a bending and profiling station for said continuous profile corresponding to the elongated body 10 of the slat 1;
• a first cutting unit movable at the advancement speed of the continuous profile, programmed to cut the elongated body 10 into slats 1 of a predefined length;
• an assembly station of said slats 1 for forming a sheet of said shutter.

[0031] The assembly station is arranged downstream of said first cutting unit.

[0032] The plant further comprises a second cutting unit movable at the advancement speed of the continuous profile, which unit operates between said bending and profiling station and said first cutting unit 110 and is programmed to make the following:

- a first pair of transverse notches 24', 24" on the first longitudinal edge 11 of the elongated body 10 at said second appendage 22 and

- a second pair of transverse notches 24''', 24iv on the second longitudinal edge 12 of the elongated body 10 at said coupling appendage 30.

[0033] These two pairs of notches straddle the cutting line T between two slats.

[0034] The plant 100 further comprises a shearing unit movable at the advancement speed of the continuous profile, which shearing unit operates between said second cutting unit and said first cutting unit and is programmed to remove the portion of the continuous profile arranged between the second pair of notches 24''', 24iv so as to produce one of said two recesses 15, 16 on two contiguous slats along the longitudinal course of said elongated body.

[0035] The plant 100 further comprises:

• a first pressing unit, which operates between said first cutting unit and said assembly station and is programmed to bend, against the first appendage 21 of said elongated body 10, the profile portion that is comprised between one notch of said first pair of notches the cutting line T between two slats and which defines a first tab 25, 26 of said slat 1 so as to close the coupling cavity 20 at a first longitudinal end of said slat 1; and
• a second pressing unit, which is integrated into said assembly station and is programmed to bend, against the first appendage 21 of said slat, the profile portion that is comprised between one notch of said first pair of notches 24', 24" and the cutting line T between two slats and that defines a second tab 25, 26 of said slat 1 so as to close the coupling cavity 20 also at a second longitudinal end of said slat 1 after the insertion of the coupling appendage 30 of another slat 1 into the coupling cavity 20.

[0036] The plant described above is suitable for the production of large batches of shutter sheets having the same features in terms of color and shape of the profile of the slats, while it is completely unsuitable for the production of small batches of shutter sheets having different features at least in terms of the color of the slats. In the latter case, in fact, at each batch change it would be necessary to change the metal strip coil, introducing into the production flow unsustainable downtimes for setting up the plant itself.

[0037] In the field of production of roller shutter sheets, there is therefore the need to have a plant for making roller shutter sheets that is suitable for the production of small batches of shutter sheets having different features in terms of the color of the slats, without requiring downtime at each batch change.

Disclosure of the invention

[0038] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to eliminate in whole or in part the drawbacks of the prior art cited above by providing a plant for making roller shutter sheets that is suitable for the production of small batches of shutter sheets having different features in terms of slat color, without requiring downtime at each batch change.

[0039] A further object of this invention is to provide a plant to produce roller shutter sheets that is simple and cost-effective to produce.

[0040] A further object of this invention is to provide a plant for making roller shutters that is simple and easy to manage.

Brief description of the drawings

[0041] The technical features of the invention, according to the aforementioned objectives, may be clearly seen in the content of the claims below, and the advantages thereof will become more readily apparent in the detailed description that follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent one or more purely exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments thereof, wherein:

• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a traditional slat for roller shutters;
• Figures 2 and 3 show two slats of Figure 1 coupled together and shown respectively before and after the deformation of the hollow seat;
• Figure 3a shows an enlarged detail of Figure 3 relating to the coupling area between two slats with deformation of the coupling hollow seat;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of a slat for roller shutters according to a technical solution proposed by the same applicant, seen from the inner face;
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of the external face of the slat of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 shows an orthogonal lateral view of the slat of Figure 4;
• Figures 7 and 8 are two different perspective views of a plant for making roller shutter sheets according to the invention;
• Figures 9 and 10 are, respectively, an orthogonal side view and a top-down orthogonal view of the plant of Figure 7.
• Figures 11a and 11b show the enlargement of two details contained respectively in the circle indicated by XIa in Figure 7 and in the circle indicated by XIb in Figure 8;
• Figures 12 and 13 show the enlargement of two details contained respectively in the circle indicated by XII in Figure 9 and in the circle indicated by XIII in Figure 10;
• Figure 14 is a top-down orthogonal view of a part of the plant shown in Figure 13, relating to a partial cutting station and a shearing station of the plant in Figure 7;
• Figure 15 shows a detail of the processing status of a profiled bar downstream of the partial cutting station of Figure 14;
• Figure 16 shows a top-down orthogonal view of a part of the plant shown in Figure 14, with some parts removed in the shearing station to better illustrate others;
• Figure 17 shows a detail of the processing status of a profiled bar downstream of the shearing station of Figure 16;
• Figures 18 a-b are a perspective view of a profiled bar immediately downstream of the partial cutting station and immediately downstream of the shearing station of the plant in Figure 7, respectively;
• Figure 19 shows a perspective view of a part of the plant illustrated in Figure 7 relating to a complete profile cutting station with some parts removed to better illustrate others and with a circular saw used for cutting profiles, shown in a non-operating position;
• Figure 20a shows the complete profile cutting station, with some parts removed to better illustrate others and with the circular saw illustrated in an operating position;
• Figure 20b shows the processing status of a profiled bar immediately downstream of the complete cutting station of Figure 20a;
• Figure 21 shows the processing state of a profiled bar immediately downstream of the first pressing station;
• Figure 22 is a perspective view of a part of the plant shown in Figure 7, in relation to a second pressing station and a slat assembly station, shown with a slat partially inserted into the last slat of a sheet being formed; and
• Figure 24 is a perspective view of the sheet in Figure 22 being formed shown extracted from the plant.

Detailed description

[0042] The plant for making roller shutter sheets according to the invention has been indicated as a whole by the reference number 100 in the accompanying figures.

[0043] Here and in the remainder of the description and the claims, reference will be made to the plant 100 in the condition of use. Therefore, any references to a lower or upper position or to a horizontal or vertical orientation should be interpreted in this sense.

[0044] The sheet 50 that may be made with the plant 100 comprises a plurality of slats 1 associated with one another in the traditional way.

[0045] Each of said slats is obtained in the plant 1 from an internally hollow elongated profile 10 which extends along a longitudinal direction X and comprises a first face 10e and a second face 10i opposite the first.

[0046] In use, the first face 10e and the second face 10i are designed to define, in each slat, the face facing outward and inward, respectively, of the compartment closed by the shutter sheet of which the slat is intended to be a part.

[0047] More specifically, as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the elongated profile 10 comprises:

- a coupling cavity 20 which is formed along a first longitudinal edge 11 of said elongated profile 10 and is delimited by a first appendage 21 of the elongated profile 10 obtained on the first face 10e and by a second appendage 22 of the elongated profile 10 obtained on the second face 10i. The two appendages 21, 22 are connected to one another by means of a connecting portion 23 that defines the bottom of said coupling cavity, and

- a coupling appendage 30 which extends from a second longitudinal edge 12 of said elongated profile 10 opposite the first edge 11.

[0048] The coupling cavity 20 of a slat 1 obtained by said elongated profile 10 is designed to be engaged by the coupling appendage 30 of a first slat that is identical to said slat 1, while the coupling appendage 30 is designed to engage the coupling cavity 20 of a second slat that is identical to said slat 1.

[0049] According to a general embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figures 7 to 10, the plant 100 runs along a longitudinal plant axis Y.

[0050] According to the invention, the plant 100 comprises in sequence along said plant axis Y:

• a feeding station 200 which is suitable for feeding said plant 100 with bars, each of which consists of a segment of said elongated profile of a predefined length and is suitable for moving one of said bars at a time along said plant axis Y,
• a machining group 300 suitable for subjecting one bar at a time to a predefined series of mechanical machinings so as to obtain from said bar, in sequence, a plurality of slats 1 having a predefined length and a predefined geometric configuration of said coupling cavity 20 and said coupling appendage 30;
• an assembly station 400 suitable for coupling one slat to the other by sequentially receiving one slat at a time from said machining group 300 to form a sheet 50 for roller shutters; and
• a control unit 500 programmed to operate said feeding station, said machining group and said assembly station according to a predefined sequence of operations.

[0051] Operationally, the plant 100 is therefore not fed by metal strip in coil, but rather is fed with bars of said elongated profile 10, of a predefined length, previously produced upstream of the plant 100 itself.

[0052] The elongated body 10 preferably consists of a box-shaped body made by bending and profiling a metal sheet. The coupling cavity 20 is obtained integrally within the box-shaped body by bending the metal sheet; the coupling appendage 30 may also be obtained integrally within the box-shaped body (as shown in the attached figures) or alternatively it may constitute a separate piece applied to the box-shaped body.

[0053] Preferably, the aforesaid bars are obtained by cutting in pieces said continuous profile exiting a bending and profiling line.

[0054] Preferably, the aforementioned bars have a length of 6-7 m.

[0055] By virtue of the invention, the plant 100 for making roller shutter sheets is suitable for the production of small batches of shutter sheets having different features in terms of the color of the slats, without requiring downtime at each batch change. In fact, the most each batch change requires is to change the bars according to the color requested, thereby avoiding the complex operation of changing the metal strip reel.

[0056] In this way, a high operational flexibility is obtained, which is well suited to the production of small batches characterized by high variability in the color of the slats.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the feeding station 200 comprises a bar support bench 210 which:

• extends longitudinally parallel to said plant axis Y, between a first longitudinal end 211, distal to said machining group 300, and a second longitudinal end 212, proximal to said machining group 300; and
• is suitable to support one of said bars at a time along an advancement lane 213 aligned with said plant axis Y.

[0058] The feeding station 200 further comprises at least one gripper 220 that is slidably movable in a guided manner parallel to said advancement lane 213 between:

• a stroke-start position in which said gripper 220 is arranged near said first longitudinal end 211 of said bench 210, and
• a stroke-end position, wherein said gripper 220 is arranged near said second longitudinal end 212 of said bench 210.

[0059] Operationally, said gripper 220 is suitable to engage a tail portion of said bar when said gripper 220 is in said stroke start position in such a way that, by moving from said stroke-start position toward said stroke-end position, said gripper 220 progressively pushes said bar inside said machining group 300 starting from the head of said bar along said plant axis Y.

[0060] In particular, the gripper 220 comprises a carriage or a shoe associated with a motorized rack-and-pinion system 221 which extends along the entire longitudinal extension of the bar support bench 210.

[0061] Advantageously, the feeding station 200 comprises a bar warehouse 230 that extends parallel to said advancement lane 213 to contain a plurality of said bars arranged parallel to said advancement lane 213.

[0062] The bar warehouse 230 is equipped with first pushing means 231 suitable for pushing a single bar at a time transversely to said plant axis Y from said warehouse 230 to the advancement lane 213.

[0063] In particular, the pushing means 231 may consist of a plurality of devices which are distributed parallel to said plant axis Y and may be moved transversely thereto. Advantageously, vertical lifting devices for the bar may also be present.

[0064] Preferably, the bar warehouse 230 is integrated into said bar support bench 210.

[0065] Advantageously, the control unit 500 is programmed to control the movement of said gripper 220 as a function of the sequence of machinings to be performed on different portions of the bar within the machining group 300.

[0066] Preferably, the movement of said gripper 220 is controlled with a sequence of stops and starts with excursions of predefined widths.

[0067] More specifically, the width of the excursions is defined on the basis of the length of the slats 1 with which the sheet is to be made and the distances between the stations of the system.

[0068] Advantageously, the control unit 500 is programmed to:

• calculate the number of slats that may be obtained from a single bar as a function of the length of the bar and of the single slat; and
• activate a predefined procedure for moving away from the advancement lane 213 any residual part of the bar once the number of slats obtainable from the bar itself has been reached.

[0069] In particular, the expulsion procedure may alternatively include:

• the transfer of any residual portion of the bar by means of the gripper 220 to a zone of the bar warehouse 230 dedicated to the storage of said residual portions (these residual portions may be used to make other sheets); or
• cutting the residual portion inside the machining group into pieces to allow them to be ejected from the plant 100.

[0070] According to the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, said machining group 300 comprises in sequence the following operating stations along the plant axis Y:

• a partial cutting station 310 (at the inlet of the unit 300);
• a shearing station 320;
• a complete cutting station 330; and
• a first pressing station 340 (at the outlet of the group 300).

[0071] Preferably, the operating stations 310, 320, 330 and 340 are integrated into the same part of the plant and are contiguous to one another so as to minimize the distances between one station and another. In this way, it is possible to reduce elongated profile waste by reducing it to the distance between station 310 and station 340.

[0072] Advantageously, all the operating stations of the plant 100 are fixed, while the bar moves with a stop-start movement.

[0073] More specifically, as shown in Figure 15, the partial cutting station 310 is configured to make:

• a first pair of transverse notches 24', 24" on the first longitudinal edge 11 of the bar 60 at said second appendage 22; and
• a second pair of transverse notches 24‴, 24'V on the second longitudinal edge 12 of the bar 60 at said coupling appendage 30.

[0074] Said control unit 500 is programmed to stop the bar 60 in said partial cutting station 310 and activate said partial cutting station 310 multiple times in sequence as the bar advances, such that said two pairs of notches are made on the bar straddling the cutting line between each pair of contiguous slats.

[0075] Advantageously, as shown in particular in Figure 14, the partial cutting station 310 comprises two cutting heads 311 and 312, each of which is movable transversely to the plant axis Y and is provided with a pair of circular blades 313 and 314.

[0076] As shown in Figures 16, 17 and 18 a-b, the shearing station 320 is located immediately downstream of said partial cutting station 310 and is configured to remove the portion of continuous profile arranged between the second pair of notches 24''', 24'V so as to create a recess 15, 16 on two contiguous slats along the longitudinal development of said bar.

[0077] Said control unit 500 is programmed to stop the bar 60 in said shearing station 320 and activate said shearing station 320 multiple times in sequence as the bar advances, so that said removal is performed on the bar straddling the cutting line T between each pair of contiguous slats 1a and 1b.

[0078] Advantageously, as shown in particular in Figures 12 and 14, the shearing station 320 comprises a shearing head 321 moved by a vertically placed pneumatic or hydraulic piston 322.

[0079] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the complete cutting station 330 is placed immediately downstream of said shearing station 320 and is configured to cut said bar transversely along the cutting line T between each pair of contiguous slats 1a and 1b.

[0080] Said control unit 500 is programmed to stop the bar 60 in said complete cutting station 330 and activate said complete cutting station 330 multiple times in sequence as the bar advances so as to progressively separate one slat at a time from the head of the bar 60.

[0081] Advantageously, as shown in particular in Figures 19 and 20a, the complete cutting station 330 comprises a circular blade 331 movable transversely to said plant axis Y by a pneumatic or hydraulic piston 332 placed horizontally.

[0082] As shown in Figures 12, 13 and 21, the first pressing station 340 is located immediately downstream of said complete cutting station 330 and is configured to bend, against the first appendage 21 of said bar 60, the portion of profile that is comprised between a notch of said first pair of notches 24', 24'' and the cutting line T between two contiguous slats 1a and 1b.

[0083] Said control unit 500 is programmed to stop the bar 60 in said first pressing station 340 and activate said first pressing station 340 multiple times in sequence as the bar advances so as to define a first tab 25 that closes the coupling cavity 20 at a first head end 1T of each slat 1a before it is separated from said bar 60.

[0084] Advantageously, as shown in particular in Figures 12 and 13, the first pressing station 340 comprises a pressing head 341 moved by a vertically placed pneumatic or hydraulic piston 342.

[0085] According to the preferred embodiment shown in the attached figures, said assembly station 400 defines:

• a slat insertion lane 413 aligned with the plant axis Y; and
• a sheet support bench 410 that extends parallel to said slat insertion lane 413 to support the sheet 50 that is progressively formed with each slat 1b that is added.

[0086] Said assembly station 400 is provided with second pushing means 431 that are suitable for pushing each new slat 1b, once added to the sheet 50, transversely to said plant axis Y, from said slat insertion lane 413 toward said sheet support bench 410, thereby also moving the sheet 50.

[0087] Advantageously, said assembly station 400 may be equipped with a device 440 (for example defined by a pair of wheels, at least one of which is motorized, between which the slat is pulled) suitable to move the slat in a controlled manner along the insertion lane 413.

[0088] Said control unit 500 is programmed to control the movement of said second pushing means 411 in such a way that the last added slat 1b is moved toward said sheet support bench 410 in a position such that it may couple with a further slat that is slid along said insertion lane 413. In other words, the sheet is moved such that the last inserted slat 1c has its cavity 20 aligned with the coupling appendage 30 of the next slat 1b which will be slid along the insertion lane 413.

[0089] Advantageously, said assembly station 400 comprises a second pressing station 420, which is positioned at the entrance to said slat insertion lane 413 and is configured to bend, against the first appendage 21 of the penultimate slat 1c of the sheet 50, the profile portion that is comprised between a notch of said first pair of notches and the cutting line T between two slats.

[0090] Said control unit 500 is programmed to activate said second pressing station 420 so as to define a second tab 26 of the penultimate slat 1b which closes the coupling cavity 20 also at a second tail end 1C of said penultimate slat 1c after said last slat 1b has been completely inserted into the sheet.

[0091] The finished sheet 50 may then be rolled up manually or automatically.

[0092] The invention allows numerous advantages to be obtained, which have already been described in part.

[0093] The plant 100 for making roller shutter sheets is suitable for the production of small batches of shutter sheets having different features in terms of the color of the slats, without requiring downtime at each batch change.

[0094] The plant 100 for making roller shutter sheets is simple and economical to produce.

[0095] The plant 100 for making roller shutter sheets is simple and easy to manage.

[0096] The invention thus conceived therefore achieves its intended objectives.

[0097] Obviously, in practice it may also assume different forms and configurations from the one illustrated above, without thereby departing from the present scope of protection.

[0098] Furthermore, all details may be replaced with technically equivalent elements, and the dimensions, shapes, and materials used may be any according to the needs.

Claims

1. Plant (100) for making sheets for roller shutters, wherein each sheet comprises a plurality of slats (1), wherein each slat (1) is obtained starting from an internally hollow elongated profile (10) which extends along a longitudinal direction (X) and comprises a first face (10e) and a second face (10i) opposite to the first, which in use are designed to define in each slat the face facing respectively outwards and inwards of the compartment closed by the sheet of the shutter of which said slat is designed to be a part of,

wherein said elongated profile (10) in turn comprises:

- a coupling cavity (20) which is obtained along a first longitudinal edge (11) of said elongated profile (10) and is delimited by a first appendage (21) of the elongated profile (10) obtained on the first face (10e) and by a second appendage (22) of the elongated profile (10) obtained on the second face (10i), said two appendages (21, 22) being connected to each other by a connecting portion (23) defining the bottom of said coupling cavity, and

- a coupling appendage (30), extending from a second longitudinal edge (12) of said elongated profile (10), opposite to the first edge (11),

wherein the coupling cavity (20) of a slat (1) obtained from said elongated profile (10) is designed to be engaged by the coupling appendage (30) of a first slat identical to said slat (1), while said coupling appendage (30) is designed to engage the coupling cavity (20) of a second slat identical to said slat (1),

wherein said plant (100) extends along a longitudinal plant axis (Y) and is characterised in that it comprises in sequence along said plant axis (Y):

- a feeding station (200) which is suitable for feeding said plant (100) with bars, each of which consists of a segment of said elongated profile of predefined length and is suitable for moving one of said bars at a time along said longitudinal plant axis (Y),

- a machining group (300) suitable for subjecting one bar at a time to a predefined series of mechanical machining so as to obtain from said bar, in sequence, a plurality of slats (1) having a predefined length and a predefined geometric configuration of said coupling cavity (20) and of said coupling appendage (30);

- an assembly station (400) suitable for coupling one slat with the other by sequentially receiving one slat at a time from said machining group (300) to form a sheet for roller shutters; and

- a control unit (500) programmed to operate said feeding station, said machining group and said assembly station according to a predefined sequence of operations.

2. Plant (100) according to claim 1, wherein said feeding station (200) comprises:

- a bar support bench (210) extending longitudinally parallel to said plant axis (Y) between a first longitudinal end (211) which is distal with respect to said machining group (300) and a second longitudinal end (212) which is proximal with respect to said machining group (300) and is suitable for supporting one of said bars at a time along an advancement lane (213) aligned with said plant axis (Y);

- at least one gripper (220) which is slidably movable in a guided manner parallel to said advancement lane (213) between a stroke-start position, in which said gripper (220) is arranged near said first longitudinal end (211) of said bench (210), and a stroke-end position, in which said gripper (220) is arranged near said second longitudinal end (212) of said bench (210), and is suitable for coupling a tail portion of said bar when said gripper (220) is in said stroke-start position so that moving from said stroke-start position towards said stroke-end position said gripper (220) progressively pushes said bar inside said machining group (300) starting from the head of said bar along said plant axis (Y) .

3. Plant (100) according to claim 2, wherein said feeding station (200) comprises a bar warehouse (230) which extends parallel to said advancement lane (213) to contain a plurality of said bars arranged parallel to said advancement lane (213) and is provided with first pusher means (231) suitable for pushing transversely to said plant axis (Y) a single bar at a time from said warehouse (230), preferably integrated in said bar support bench (210), up to the advancement lane (213).

4. Plant (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to control the movement of said gripper (220) as a function of the sequence of machining operations to be performed on different sections of the bar within the machining group (300), preferably the movement of said gripper (220) being controlled with a sequence of stops and restarts with excursions of predefined widths.

5. Plant (100) according to claim 3 or 4, when dependent on claim 3, wherein said control unit (500) is programmed for:

- calculating the number of slats obtainable from a single bar as a function of the length of the bar and the single slat; and

- activating a predefined procedure for moving any residual part of the bar away from the advancement lane (213) once the number of slats obtainable from the bar itself has been reached.

6. Plant (100) according to claim 5, wherein said procedure for moving away alternatively envisages:

- transferring said possible residual portion of the bar by means of the gripper (220) in an area of the bar warehouse (230) dedicated to the storage of said residual portions; or

- cutting the residual portion into pieces inside the machining group to allow it to be expelled from the plant (100).

7. Plant (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said machining group (300) comprises a partial cutting station (310) at the inlet which is configured to make a first pair of transverse notches (24', 24'') on the first longitudinal edge (11) of the bar (10) at said second appendage (22) and a second pair of transverse notches (24‴, 24'^V) on the second longitudinal edge (12) of the bar (10) at said coupling appendage (30) and wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to stop the bar in said partial cutting station (310) and activate said partial cutting station (310) several times in sequence as the bar advances so that said two pairs of notches are made on the bar straddling the cutting line between each pair of contiguous slats.

8. Plant (100) according to claim 7, wherein said machining group (300) comprises, immediately downstream of said partial cutting station (310), a shearing station (320) which is configured to remove the continuous profile portion arranged between the second pair of notches in order to make a recess (15, 16) on two contiguous slats along the longitudinal extension of said elongated body and wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to stop the bar in said shearing station (320) and activate said shearing station (320) several times in sequence as the bar advances so that said removal is carried out on the bar straddling the cutting line between each pair of contiguous slats.

9. Plant (100) according to claim 8, wherein said machining group (300) comprises, immediately downstream of said shearing station (320), a complete cutting station (330) which is configured to transversely cut said bar along the cutting line between each pair of contiguous slats and wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to stop the bar in said complete cutting station (330) and activate said complete cutting station (330) several times in sequence as the bar advances so as to progressively separate one slat at a time from the head of the bar.

10. Plant (100) according to claim 9, wherein said machining group (300) comprises, immediately downstream of said complete cutting station (330), a first pressing station (340), which is configured to fold against the first appendage (21) of said bar (10) the profile portion which is between a notch of said first pair of notches and the cutting line (T) between two slats, and wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to stop the bar in said first pressing station (340) and activate said first pressing station (340) several times in sequence as the bar advances so as to define a first tab (25, 26) which closes the coupling cavity (20) at a first head end of each slat (1) before it is separated from said bar.

11. Plant (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said assembly station (400) defines:

- a slat insertion lane (413) aligned with the plant axis (Y); and

- a sheet support bench (410) which extends parallel to said slat insertion lane (413) to support the sheet which progressively forms with each slat which is added,

and wherein said assembly station (400) is provided with second pusher means (431) suitable for pushing, transversely to said plant axis (Y), each new slat, once added to the sheet, from said slat insertion lane (413) towards said sheet support bench (410), said control unit (500) being programmed to control the movement of said second pusher means (411) so that the last added slat is moved towards said sheet support bench (410) in a position such that it can be coupled with a further slat which is slid along said insertion lane (413).

12. Plant (100) according to claim 11, wherein said assembly station (400) comprises a second pressing station (420), which is positioned at the inlet of said slat insertion lane (413) and is configured to fold against the first appendage (21) of the penultimate slat 1c of the sheet the profile portion which is comprised between a notch of said first pair of notches and the cutting line (T) between two slats, and wherein said control unit (500) is programmed to activate said second pressing station (420) so as to define a second tab (26) of said penultimate slat (1c) which closes the coupling cavity (20) also at a second tail end (1S) of said penultimate slat (1c) after said last slat (1b) has been completely inserted in the sheet.

Drawing