BE1028652B1 - A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION AND PACKAGING OF REBAR - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the production of concrete bars suitable for the reinforcement of concrete, by means of cutting the running bars into concrete bars, the method comprising: unrolling and stretching a quantity of rolling iron up to a bar; bar cutting by a cutting module into concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a predetermined production list; packing the cut concrete bars into bundles by an automatic grouping module, in which the bundle belongs to a specific order, sorting and storing the bundled concrete bars in a depot, in which the depot is behind the module grouping and in which a plurality of compartments are provided, in which an automatic sorting module positions a beam in a predetermined compartment of the deposit. The present invention also relates to a device for the production of concrete bars suitable for reinforcing concrete.

Description

t BE2020/5673 A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION AND PACKAGING OF REBAR

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a method for the production and packaging of reinforcing bars.

STATE OF THE ART The reinforcement is used to eliminate one of the weakest points of the concrete. Concrete is indeed very resistant to pressure, but it is rather weak to compensate for tensile forces. The concrete reinforcement comes in different shapes such as bars, lattices or baskets. The number and type of bars to be used is always determined by an engineer. It calculates the forces acting on the concrete and which the steel must therefore compensate. The length of the bars also depends on the construction in which they will be used and is therefore always custom work. In order to obtain the correct length of the bars, long mother bars or rolling iron are cut into partial bars of reduced length. A customer order often includes cut partial bars of different lengths and different diameters. Manual sorting of cut partial bars by order is very intensive. After sorting the partial bars by order, they must additionally be stored in the production hall until transport to the customer. However, the operator often loses a lot of time due to storage in the production hall. In addition, it is not easy to store these partial bars neatly in the production hall. We need a method that relieves the operator of the manual sorting of these cut bars. The present invention also aims to relieve the operator of the task of storing the cut bars in the production hall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method according to claim 1. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for the production of concrete bars suitable for the reinforcement of concrete, by means of the cutting of concrete bar rolling, the method comprising: unrolling and stretching a quantity of rolling iron to a bar; the cutting of the bar by a cutting module into concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a production list

? BE2020/5673 predetermined; packing the cut concrete bars into bundles by an automatic bundling module, in which the bundle belongs to specific order, sorting and storing the bundled concrete bars in a depot, in which the depot is behind the grouping and in which the deposit is provided with a plurality of compartments, in which an automatic sorting module positions a beam in a predetermined compartment of the deposit. Preferred embodiments of said method are described in claims 2 to 6. In a second aspect, the invention relates to a device according to claim

7. In particular, the present invention describes a device for the production of concrete bars suitable for concrete reinforcement, the device comprising a cutting module for cutting rolling iron into concrete bars with a predetermined length according to a list of predetermined production, a grouping module positioned next to the cutting module for grouping the cut concrete bars, a deposit located behind the grouping module with different compartments to store the grouped concrete bars and a sorting module moving at through the depot and positioning the grouped concrete bars in the correct compartment in the depot. Preferred embodiments of said device are described in claims 8 to 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Unless otherwise specified, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, are used with the meaning as generally understood by one skilled in the technical field of the invention. For a better judgment of the description of the invention, the following terms are explained explicitly. "Un", "une", "le", "la" and "les" refer in this document to both the singular and the plural except where the context clearly implies otherwise. "A segment" means, for example, one or more than one segment. “Inox” refers in this document to stainless steel. Stainless steel is an alloy of mainly iron, chromium, nickel and carbon. We speak of stainless steel if it contains a minimum of 11 or 12% chromium and a maximum of 1.2% carbon. Additionally, in many types of stainless steel, the elements molybdenum, titanium, manganese, nitrogen and silicon are also present.

“Operator” in this document refers to the person operating and controlling the device. "Wire" refers in this document to a wire made of non-alloy steel with a carbon content of less than 0.25%.

“Steel wire” refers in this document to a wire made of non-alloy steel with a carbon content between 0.25% and 1%.

The terms "comprising", "comprising", "composing of", "composed of", "intended to", "behaving", "comprising", "containing", "containing" are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms indicating the presence of the following, and not excluding or precluding other components, features, elements, members, phases, known to or described in the prior art.

Citation of numeric ranges using endpoints includes all integers, fractions, and/or real numbers between endpoints, including those endpoints.

The length of the concrete bars for reinforcement depends on the construction in which they will be used and is therefore always custom work. In order to obtain the correct length of the bars, the rolling iron is for example cut into concrete bars of reduced length. The manual sorting of concrete bars cut by order is very intensive. A method is needed that relieves the operator of the manual sorting and storage of cut concrete bars.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the production of concrete bars suitable for the reinforcement of concrete, by means of the cutting of the running bars into concrete bars, the method comprising: unrolling and stretching from a quantity of rolling iron up to a bar; cutting the bar by a cutting module down to concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a predetermined production list; packing the cut concrete bars into bundles by an automatic grouping module, in which the bundle belongs to a specific order, sorting and storing the bundled concrete bars in a depot, in which the depot is behind the module grouping and in which the deposit is provided with a plurality of compartments, in which an automatic sorting module positions a beam in a predetermined compartment of the deposit.

Before cutting the rolling iron, it is necessary to unroll and lengthen the rolling iron. In one embodiment, the rolling iron is automatically unwound from a reel. In this way, the production flow is optimized. In one embodiment, the feed rate depends on the diameter of the rolling iron. In one embodiment, the feed rate is 150 m/min.

The rolling iron is cut in a cutting module. In one embodiment, the cutting module is provided with an orientation system. In one embodiment, the cutting module is provided with a rotor orientation system. For each bearing iron diameter, a different rotor sight must be used. In one embodiment, the rotor orientation system includes six different rotors, to orient six different diameters of rolling iron. In one embodiment, the diameter of the rotor orientation system can vary between 8 and 16 mm. In one embodiment, the diameter can be changed manually. In another embodiment, the diameter is changed automatically.

After orientation, the bar is cut in the cutting module. In one embodiment, the cutting module comprises a flying knife which moves in the longitudinal direction of the bar. In one embodiment, the cutting module includes a measuring wheel moving along the oriented bar. In one embodiment, the measuring wheel is located just behind the rotor. The measuring wheel delivers an impulse to the cutting module after a certain number of revolutions. After a predetermined number of pulses, the knife will descend to cut the bar.

In the method according to the present invention, the cut bars are packed into bundles by a grouping module before being sorted and stored in the depot. These bundles can be packed with packaging material made of all materials known in the state of the art, such as plastic, aluminum, steel and stainless steel (inox). In one embodiment, the cut concrete bars are bundled into bundles by lacing the concrete bars at two or more locations along the length of the concrete bars, wherein at least the ends of the concrete bars are laced. To lace the cut concrete bars, any material known in the state of the art can be used, such as iron wire or steel wire.

> BE2020/5673 In one embodiment, the concrete bars are laced with a mild steel wire. In one embodiment, the bundle module includes two gripping elements surrounding the harness during lacing.

When a certain production batch is started, the correct labels to label the bundles are printed by the device. In one embodiment, the aggregation module predicts the beams of a tag during beam lacing. In this way, there is much less risk of mistakes.

After cutting, the bundles must be sorted. In the present invention, the beams are automatically sorted by the sorting module. In one embodiment, the bundles are transported between the grouping module and the sorting module by means of a roller conveyor. A roller conveyor is a robust solution for automatic transport requiring no maintenance. Powered roller conveyors can be powered in different ways. The propulsion can for example be in the roller, the propulsion can be done by means of a transmission belt or by means of a chain. In one embodiment, the propulsion is by means of a motor on the axis of the roller conveyor. Roller conveyors can be made of all materials known in the state of the art, such as plastic, aluminium, steel and stainless steel. In one embodiment, the sorting module is also provided with a roller conveyor. In one embodiment, the sorting module can be positioned behind the roller conveyor starting from the grouping module in order to collect the grouped concrete bars.

In addition, it is necessary that the bars are stored in a depot until transport by truck to the customer. In the present invention, storage is done automatically by the sorting module.

In the method according to the present invention, the deposit is located behind the grouping module and the deposit is provided with a plurality of compartments. The sorting module moves through the depot and positions the beam in a predetermined compartment of the depot.

In building construction, it is often necessary to use concrete bars of different diameters and different lengths. A customer's order therefore often comprises different bundles in which each time a type of bar with a predetermined length and a predetermined diameter is grouped. In one embodiment, the sorting and storage of the concrete bars is done in the depot based on an order list, in which a predetermined compartment corresponds to a specific order. In this predetermined compartment are therefore all the beams belonging to the same order. This offers the advantage that the order is already grouped and does not have to be assembled before being transported to the customer. The operator simply still needs to take all the bundles from the specific compartment and move them to the truck for delivery of the order to the customer.

In one embodiment, the production list is optimized using a computer-managed system. When optimizing the production list, different orders with the same rolling iron diameter are combined. The operator sends this optimized production list to the machine. Then, the machine will start processing this list, in which the different orders are stored automatically in the different compartments of the deposit. By optimizing the production list, the cost price of the production process is reduced. In a second aspect, the present invention describes a device for the production of concrete bars suitable for concrete reinforcement, the device comprising a cutting module for cutting the bar into concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a list of predetermined production, a grouping module positioned next to the cutting module for grouping the cut concrete bars, a deposit located behind the grouping module with different compartments to store the grouped concrete bars and a sorting module moving in the depot and positioning the grouped concrete bars in the correct compartment in the depot. In one embodiment, the bars are moved between the different modules by robotic systems, requiring no manual intervention by the operator. This reduces the physical work of the operator and increases the speed of the production process. In one embodiment, the device is provided with a roller conveyor transporting the bars grouped together between the grouping module and the sorting module. The beam storage depot can have different shapes. In one embodiment, the deposit is divided into compartments by means of pegs at each side of the storage compartment, in which the pegs are placed on several bars, in which the bars are oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the storage compartments. storage and in which the mutual distance between the bars amounts to 50-100 cm. In one embodiment, the bar has a U-profile. In another embodiment, the bar has a UPN100 profile. The number of juxtaposed bars determines the length of the storage compartment. In one embodiment, the deposit consists of 10 to 20 juxtaposed bars. The length of the bars and the distribution of the pegs on these bars determines the number of storage compartments. In one embodiment, the length of the bars is between 8 and 15 meters. In one embodiment, the mutual distance between the pegs on the bars is between 35 cm and 45 cm. In one embodiment, the depot includes 28 storage compartments delimited by pegs at both sides of each compartment. In one embodiment, the pegs have a height of 30 to 45 cm. In one embodiment, the pegs are welded to the underlying bar and the bottom five centimeters at the peg are formed by the underlying bar. This height ensures that the stacked bundles stay in the storage compartment and cannot roll into a neighboring compartment. In one embodiment, the device is hydraulically actuated. Such propulsion has a low sound level. In another embodiment, the device is electrically operated. In the following, the invention will be described by means of non-limiting examples illustrating the invention, and which are not or cannot be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

FIGURES FIGURE 1: A production list with different orders is optimized to have as little waste as possible. This list is sent to the device. The rolling iron with a diameter of 10 mm is automatically unwound from the reel 1 at a speed of 120 m/min. Rolling iron is automatically cut into a bar in cutting module 2 with a rotor orientation system (not visible). The cutting module includes a flying knife (not shown) which moves in the longitudinal direction of the bar. The cutting module includes a measuring wheel (not shown) moving along the oriented bar. The measuring wheel (not shown) delivers an impulse to the cutting module after a certain number of revolutions. After a predetermined number of pulses, the knife (not shown) will descend to cut the bar. The cut concrete bars are packed in bundles (not shown) in a grouping module 6 by lacing the ends of the concrete bars.

The correct labels (not visible) to label the beams (not visible) are printed in the device when a certain production batch is started.

During the lacing of the bundles (not visible), the grouping module 6 labels the bundles (not visible) with a label (not visible). In this way, there is much less risk of mistakes.

The bundles (not visible) are then transported between grouping module 6 and sorting module 7 by means of a roller conveyor 8. Sorting module 7 is also provided with a roller conveyor 9 and is located behind the roller conveyor starting from the grouping module 6 to collect the grouped concrete bars (not visible). Depot 10 includes 28 storage compartments 11, wherein the storage compartments consist of pegs 12 at each side of the compartments.

The pegs 12 are located on several bars 13, in which the bars are oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the compartments 11. The mutual distance between the bars 13 amounts to 80 cm.

The sorting module 7 moves in the depot 10 and positions the beam (not visible) in a predetermined compartment 11 of the depot 10. Each compartment 11 of the depot corresponds to a certain order.

When an order is ready for transport to the customer, operator takes all bundles (not visible) from the corresponding compartment 11 of depot 10 and takes them to the truck (not visible).

Claims (10)

1. A method for the production of concrete bars suitable for concrete reinforcement, by means of cutting bearing iron into concrete bars, the method comprising: - uncoiling and stretching a quantity of bearing iron up to a bar; - the cutting of the bar by a cutting module into concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a predetermined production list. - the packing of the concrete bars cut into bundles by an automatic grouping module, in which the bundle belongs to a specific order, - the sorting and storage of the concrete bars grouped in a depot, in which the depot is behind the grouping module and in which the deposit is provided with a plurality of storage compartments, in which an automatic sorting module positions a beam in a predetermined compartment of the deposit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cut concrete bars are bundled by lacing the concrete bars at two or more places along the length of the concrete bars, wherein at least the ends of the concrete bars concrete are laced. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the grouping module puts a label on the beams during the lacing of the concrete bars. 4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bundles are transported between the grouping module and the sorting module by means of the roller conveyor. 5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the sorting and storage of the concrete bars is done in the depot based on a list of orders, in which a predetermined compartment corresponds to a specific order. 6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the production list is optimized by means of a computer-controlled system to have as little waste as possible. 7. A device for the production of concrete bars suitable for concrete reinforcement, the device comprising a cutting module for cutting rolling iron into concrete bars of a predetermined length according to a predetermined production list, a cutting module for grouping positioned next to the cutting module for grouping the cut concrete bars, a deposit located behind the grouping module with different compartments to store the grouped concrete bars and a sorting module moving in the deposit and positioning the bars of concrete grouped in the correct compartment in the depot. 8. The device according to claim 7, in which the deposit is divided into compartments by means of pegs on each side of the storage compartment, in which the pegs are placed on several bars, in which the bars are oriented perpendicularly on the longitudinal direction of the storage compartments and in which the mutual distance between the bars amounts to 50-100 cm. 9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the mutual distance between the pins on the bars is between 35 cm and 45 cm. 10. The device according to one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the pins have a height between 30 cm and 45 cm.