Apparatus for dieless forming plate materials

• US 6,216,508 B1
• Filed: 07/12/1999
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amino Inc., Shigeo Matsubara
• Original Assignee: Amino Inc., Shigeo Matsubara
• Inventors: Aoyama, Susumu, Lu, Yan, Amino, Hiroyuki, Matsubara, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Crane, Daniel C.
• Application Number:
  US09/341,596
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 722/97, 723/01, 723/06, 723/11, 723/792, 723/02, 72/43, 72/75, 721/25, 721/26
• US Class Current: 72/43
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 22/00 Shaping without cutting, by stamping, spinning, or deep-drawing otherwise than using rigid devices or tools or yieldable or resilient pads B21D26/00
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 22/26 for making peculiarly, e.g. irregularly, shaped articles
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/18 vessels, e.g. tubs, vats, tanks, sinks, or the like

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for the dieless forming of a sheet. The apparatus comprises a pressing mechanism and a sheet holding mechanism which are moved with respect to each other in X, Y and Z-axis directions and has a fixed ceiling plate form having a plane shape matching the bottom profile of a product to be formed; a framelike support plate surrounding the ceiling plate form is raised and lowered by at least one pair of raising/lowering actuators, and restraining actuators apply a controllable restraining force to the sheet byway of a framelike restraining plate clamping the periphery of the sheet in the sheet thickness direction between itself and the support plate. A mechanism for causing the support plate to undergo balanced movement and a material flow control mechanism may be preferably further provided.

Claims

1. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus for progressively forming a sheet into a three-dimensional shape, comprising:

i. a tool set having a base plate (5), a fixed pressing assembly (6), a sheet holding mechanism (7) and a sheet restraining mechanism (7d),

the fixed pressing assembly (6) being provided on the base plate (5) and having a stand (6a) erected on the base plate (5) and a ceiling plate form (6b), attached to the top of the stand (6a), having a plane shape matching the bottom profile of a product to be formed,

the holding mechanism (7) having a plurality of support pillars (7a) disposed on the base plate (5), a support plate (7b) having a window hole (70) surrounding the ceiling plate form (6b) and movable in a Z-axis direction on the support pillars (7a), and at least one pair of raising/lowering actuators (7c) fixed to the base plate (5) and having output ends connected to the support plate (7b),

the sheet restraining mechanism (7d) having a framelike restraining plate (74) for clamping the periphery of a sheet in the thickness direction of the sheet between itself and the support plate (7b) and a restraining actuator (75) for applying a controlled restraining force to the sheet periphery by way of this restraining plate (74);

ii. a pressing mechanism (8), disposed above the holding mechanism (7), having at a distal end thereof a pressing tool part (80) for making contact with the upper face of the sheet and forming a product shape in cooperation with the ceiling plate form (6b); and

iii. a plurality of numerically controlled drive devices for moving the tool set and the pressing mechanism (8) with respect to each other in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, which drive devices move the pressing tool part (80) around the ceiling plate form (6b) on a path of movement matching the product shape and move the pressing mechanism (8) and the support plate (7b) in the thickness direction of the sheet with respect to the ceiling plate form (6b).

5. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the raising/lowering actuators (7c) are cylinder type actuators operated by fluid pressure and having rods connected to the support plate (7b).

6. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the raising/lowering actuators (7c) are rodless cylinders having tubes each with an end connected to the support plate (7b).

7. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding mechanism (7) further comprises a material flow control mechanism (10) having a plurality of shifting actuators (10a) disposed at the periphery of the support plate (7b) and jigs (10b), (10b′

) for forcibly pushing the sheet toward a forming area during forming under the action of the shifting actuators (10a).

8. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding mechanism (7) further comprises a material flow control mechanism (10) having a plurality of shifting actuators (10a) disposed at the periphery of the support plate (7b) and jigs (10b′

) for forcibly pulling the sheet outward during forming under the action of the shifting actuators (10a).

9. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stand (6a) has in its top a female screw hole and the ceiling plate form (6b) is interchangeably fixed to the stand (6a) by a bolt being screwed into the female screw hole.

10. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling plate form (6b) comprises a plurality of ceiling plate forms positioned with spacing in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction.

11. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling plate form (6b) has a three-dimensional shape including a top face for bottom formation.

12. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the support plate (7b) the holding mechanism (7) comprises an auxiliary support plate (7e) having a window hole (76) surrounding the ceiling plate form (6b) and around this window hole (76) an annular step face (77), the auxiliary support plate (7e) being laid on the support plate (7b).

13. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the support plate (7b) the holding mechanism (7) comprises an auxiliary support plate (7e) having a window hole (76) surrounding the ceiling plate form (6b) and around this window hole (76) an annular step face (77) forming a groove, the auxiliary support plate (7e) being laid on the support plate (7b).

14. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism (8) is bar-shaped and the pressing tool part (80) is a freely rotatable spherical member.

15. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism (8) is bar-shaped and the pressing tool part (80) is a freely rotatable spherical member and the pressing mechanism (8) has a lubricating hole (800) for supplying lubricant to the spherical member.

16. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism (8) is rotatable about its own axis and has a pressing tool part (80) which is eccentric from the shaft center of the pressing mechanism (8).

17. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism (8) has a nozzle (11a) having a nozzle hole pointing toward the pressing tool part (80) or the vicinity thereof and means for supplying lubricant to the nozzle (11a).

18. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism (8) has a vibrating mechanism (8d).

19. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an elastic bag (12) supporting a predetermined portion of the underside of the sheet is interposed between the base plate (5) and the ceiling plate form (6b).

20. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, having over the whole of or a predetermined portion of the ceiling plate form (6b) an auxiliary fixing plate (13) for clamping between itself and the ceiling plate form (6b) a portion of the sheet to become the bottom of a product.

21. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, having on a bed (1) tables (3), (2) of two stages supporting the tool set, the tables (3), (2) being moved in X-axis and Y-axis directions by drive devices (3a), (3a), wherein the pressing mechanism (8) is mounted on a slider (4) disposed on a gate-shaped frame (100) above the bed (1) and is moved in a Z-axis direction by a drive device (4a).

22. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1 having on a bed (1) a table (2) of a single stage, this table (2) being moved in one direction, either an X-axis direction or a Y-axis direction, by a drive device (2a), wherein the pressing mechanism (8) is mounted on a slider (4) mounted on a table (3′

) disposed on a gate-shaped frame (100) above the bed (1) and moved in two directions, a Z-axis direction and either a Y-axis direction or an X-axis direction, by drive devices (3a), (4a).

23. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gantry frame (101) is provided above a bed (1), a table (2′

) movable in an X-axis direction by a drive device (2a) is provided on the gantry frame (101), a table (3′

) movable in a Y-axis direction by a drive device (3a) is disposed on the table (2′

), a slider (4) movable in a Z-axis direction by a drive device (4a) is mounted on the table (3′

), the pressing mechanism (8) is mounted on the slider (4), and the tool set is mounted on the bed (1).

24. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gantry frame (101) is provided above a bed (1), a table (2′

) movable in an X-axis direction by a drive device (2a) is provided on the gantry frame (101), a table (3′

) movable in a Y-axis direction by a drive device (3a) is disposed on the table (2′

), the pressing mechanism (8) is mounted on the table (3′

), a table (4′

) movable in a Z-axis direction by a drive device (4a) is provided on the bed (1), and the tool set is mounted on the table (4′

).

25. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive devices (2a), (3a) and (4a) are linear motors.

2. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus for progressively forming a sheet into a three-dimensional shape, comprising:

i. a tool set having a base plate (5), a fixed pressing assembly (6), a sheet holding mechanism (7), a sheet restraining mechanism (7d) and a balanced movement mechanism (9),

the fixed pressing assembly (6) being provided on the base plate (5) and having a stand (6a) erected on the base plate (5) and a ceiling plate form (6b), attached to the top of the stand (6a), having a plane shape matching the bottom profile of a product to be formed,

the holding mechanism (7) having a plurality of support pillars (7a) disposed on the base plate (5), a support plate (7b) having a window hole (70) surrounding the ceiling plate form (6b) and movable in a Z-axis direction on the support pillars (7a), and at least one pair of raising/lowering actuators (7c) fixed to the base plate (5) and having output ends connected to the support plate (7b),

the sheet restraining mechanism (7d) having a framelike restraining plate (74) for clamping the periphery of a sheet in the thickness direction of the sheet between itself and the support plate (7b) and a restraining actuator (75) for applying a controlled restraining force to the sheet periphery by way of this restraining plate (74),

the balanced movement mechanism (9) having on the support pillars (7a) and the base plate (5) means for making the support plate (7b) maintain horizontality as it moves;

ii. a pressing mechanism (8), disposed above the holding mechanism (7), having at a distal end thereof a pressing tool part (80) for making contact with the upper face of the sheet and forming a product shape in cooperation with the ceiling plate form (6b); and

iii. a plurality of numerically controlled drive devices for moving the tool set and the pressing mechanism (8) with respect to each other in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, which drive devices move the pressing tool part (80) around the ceiling plate form (6b) on a path of movement matching the product shape and move the pressing mechanism (8) and the support plate (7b) in the thickness direction of the sheet with respect to the ceiling plate form (6b).

3. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the balanced movement mechanism (9) comprises racks (9a) provided on the support pillars (7a), pinions (9b) provided on the base plate (5) in the proximities of the support pillars (7a) and meshing with the racks (9a) of the respective support pillars (7a), and rotation-synchronizing shafts (9c) connecting shafts of the pinions (9b) together.

4. A dieless sheet-forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the balanced movement mechanism (9) comprises racks (9a) provided on the support pillars (7a), pinions (9b) provided on the base plate (5) in the proximities of the support pillars (7a) and meshing with the racks (9a) of the respective support pillars (7a), rotation-synchronizing shafts (9c) connecting shafts of the pinions (9b) together, and a rotary drive device 9d attached to the rotation-synchronizing shafts (9c).