EP1035974A1

EP1035974A1 - Device with a mark-holder hopper and a revolver hopper for stamping distinguishing marks on moving parts

Info

Publication number: EP1035974A1
Application number: EP98958718A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Berger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-12-05
Filing date: 1998-12-04
Publication date: 2000-09-20
Also published as: EP1035975A1; WO1999029518A1; WO1999029516A1; US6200044B1; EP1035976A1; WO1999029517A1; US6295923B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for stamping distinguishing marks on parts (1) moving in the feed direction of a transport device, e.g. a roll line, comprising at least one mark-holder (3) for holding a mark, said mark-holder being removably placed on the circumference of a stamping wheel (2). The inventive device comprises at least one hopper (29) for mark-holders (3). Said hopper (29) for mark-holders and said stamping wheel (2) can be placed relatively to one another, in a position where the mark-holders of the stamping wheel (2) can pass through cavities of the mark-holder hopper (29) and the mark-holders of the mark-holder hopper (29) can pass directly through cavities of the stamping wheel (2). A revolver hopper (15) comprising mark-holder pins which can move axially with it, is rotatably mounted and has the same axis as the stamping wheel (2). Said stamping wheel (2) is provided with at least one outward push channel (20) which extends radially towards the circumference of the stamping wheel (2), as well as with a linear driving mechanism (18) which is rotationally fixed on the stamping wheel (2), to allow radial displacement of a mark-holder pin (5) located in an angular position of the outward push channel, between an inner rest position and an outer stamping position.

Description

DEVICE WITH A CHARACTER CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE AND A REVOLVER MAGAZINE FOR IMPRESSING LABELS IN MOVING PARTS

The invention relates to a device for marking itself in the running direction of a conveyor, e.g. a roller table moving parts with at least one character carrier, which carries a character, this character carrier is used interchangeably on the circumference of an embossing wheel.

Devices for marking parts (DD-PS 27 177) are known in which the stamp characters of a stamp character set are arranged in an exchangeable cassette which is detachably inserted into the stamp wheel, so that only a new cassette with the prepared stamp character set is used for changing the stamp character set got to. However, changing individual stamp characters of a character set is not possible here. With such a device, the ever increasing requirements with regard to production speed and automation can no longer be met.

Devices for changing individual character carriers are known (AT 398 916). In this device, the stamp wheel forms a ring guide coaxial to the axis of rotation for the character carriers. The stamp character memory can be rotated in rotation steps relative to the stamp wheel about its axis of rotation, and a selected character carrier can be pushed radially outward through a radial opening in the embossing wheel. A disadvantage of this solution is that the character carriers can only ever reach the discharge opening in the order in which they are arranged in the stamp character memory. Furthermore, it is disadvantageous that in order to change a larger number of character carriers of a character carrier set, the entire exchangeable cassette carrying the character set has to be exchanged.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device for marking parts moving in the direction of travel of a conveyor, in which on the one hand a rapid, automatic change of essentially whole sets of character carriers is possible, although each character carrier is changed individually, and this change process takes place quickly with regard to the production speed and takes place essentially automatically, and on the other hand also enables the particularly rapid marking of parts in which the difference between two immediately successive embossings lies only in a different character of the character set to be embossed, this one characters to be changed should essentially be freely selectable. This object is achieved by a device of the type mentioned at the outset in that at least one character carrier magazine for character carriers is present, the character carrier magazine and the embossing wheel can be brought into a relative position to one another, in which character carrier of the embossing wheel in recordings of the character carrier magazine and character carrier of the character carrier magazine in Recordings of the embossing wheel are directly transferable, and that a magazine turret with radially displaceable drawing carrier pins is rotatably mounted coaxially to the embossing wheel, in the embossing wheel there is at least one ejection channel extending radially up to the circumference of the embossing wheel, and a linear drive mounted on the embossing wheel for radial displacement from an inner rest position into an outer embossing position of a drawing carrier pin located in the angular position of the ejection channel.

Thanks to the invention, parts, in particular profiles, can be marked quickly with different characters, the invention offering particularly high flexibility with regard to the type of marking.

It proves to be advantageous if a thrust piece is connected to the linear drive, which can engage with a nose in a groove of the drawing pin. With this thrust piece, the drawing pen can be moved into its embossing position or withdrawn from its embossing position into its inner rest position.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the drawing pins are held in their rest positions in the magazine turret by springs. As a result, when the magazine turret is rotated, radial movement of the drawing medium pins is prevented, due to the centrifugal force and / or gravity acting during the rotation, so that unimpeded engagement of the thrust piece via its nose in a groove of the drawing medium pin on a drawing medium pin entering the ejection channel is possible .

In a tried and tested, reliable version, the linear drive is a hydraulic drive.

It is also recommended that the ejection channel be within the range of the character carriers used on the circumference of the embossing wheel, so that the character set can be changed by changing a character carrier pin in its embossing position in the ejection channel.

It is also advantageous if the character carriers can be clamped in the receptacles of the embossing wheel by clamping pieces, and the clamping pieces can be clamped by springs in a recess in the character carriers. As a result, the characters are in the recordings of the The embossing wheel is secured against shifting during the embossing process and the positioning of the embossing wheel in the change position.

Expediently, the clamped character carriers can be released by loosening pins engaging on the clamping pieces in bores running essentially axially parallel on the circumference of the embossing wheel, thereby creating the prerequisite for moving the character carriers into the character carrier magazine.

It also proves to be advantageous if drivable pins for pushing out character carriers from the embossing wheel are provided in a receptacle of the character carrier magazine and drivable pins for inserting character carriers from the character carrier magazine into the embossing wheel. With these pens it is possible to replace the character carriers from the embossing wheel with those from the character carrier magazine and vice versa.

It is also advisable if the at least one character carrier magazine is wheel-shaped and rotatable about its axis and character carriers are attached to the circumference of the at least one wheel-shaped character carrier magazine and can be displaced in the radial direction. This makes it possible for the character carrier of the character carrier magazine to be changed to be positioned by rotating the character carrier magazine in the immediate vicinity of the receiving position for the character carrier in the embossing wheel such that the character carrier can then be moved into the receptacle in the embossing wheel.

Finally, it is also advantageous if a distance measuring device for the moving parts is provided for tracking the embossing unit carrying the embossing wheel. With this distance measuring device, the horizontal deviations of the parts to be marked, which move on a conveyor, are determined from a theoretical position, and the embossing wheel can be kept constantly above the parts to be marked by a tracking mechanism.

In the following, the invention will be described using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing

1 shows a section through part of a device according to the invention with a revolver magazine connected to the embossing wheel,

Fig. 2 shows a section through a character holder with inserted therein and an extension channel, and Fig. 3 shows a section through part of a device according to the invention with an embossing wheel mounted in an embossing unit and connected, wheel-shaped character magazine.

In FIG. 1 one can see an embossing wheel 2 which is eccentrically formed in this embodiment, on the circumference of which, in a partial segment, character carrier 3 for identifying parts 1, in particular profiles, such as e.g. Rails are used. As shown in FIG. 2, these character carriers 3 are inserted in a character carrier holder 4. The embossing wheel 2 can be accelerated via a drive 7 and its peripheral speed can be synchronized with the speed of the moving parts 1. The embossing wheel 2 is driven by a spur gear 8 and 9 and the roller bearings 10 and 11 together with the associated add-on elements, as are known to the person skilled in the art. Furthermore, a distance measuring device 6 can also be seen, with the aid of which a constant horizontal tracking of the embossing wheel 2 above the parts 1 to be identified is possible via a drive provided for this purpose.

In the character carrier holder 4, which is shown in detail in FIG. 2, there are a plurality of character carriers 3 arranged in a row one after the other with the same or different distances, which results in an arcuate arrangement of the character carriers 3. This character carrier 3 - it can be different, but also completely or partially identical character carriers - are clamped against radial displacement with respect to the embossing wheel 2 by means of clamping pieces 12 located in rectangular slide guides in the character carrier holder 4, which engage in recesses in the character carrier 1 . The clamping pieces 12 for clamping the character carriers 3 are pressed radially in the direction of the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 2 via springs 13 and pressure pins 26. This axis of symmetry S and the embossing unit 27 are shown in FIG. 3.

The eccentricity of the embossing wheel 2 occurs after a partial rotation of the embossing wheel 2 via the drive 7 arranged parallel to the central axis of the embossing wheel 2, synchronization being carried out with the speed of the parts 1 passing under the embossing wheel, and speed changes also being taken into account if necessary a contact between the embossing roller 2 and the part passing under the embossing wheel immediately before the subsegment on the circumference of the embossing roller 2, in which the character carriers 3 are inserted in the character carrier holder 4.

Against the force exerted by the parts 1 to be marked against the embossing wheel 2 and thus against the entire embossing unit 27, in which the embossing wheel 2 is rotatably mounted, which causes the embossing unit 27 to be lifted above its suspension and guide system, is via a for the parts to be labeled, automatically preset force counter-regulated so that the embossing is exerted with constant and dedicated force. The embossing unit 27 is shown in FIG. 3.

After this marking process, the embossing roller 2 moves away from the part to be marked again due to its eccentricity during the further rotation. The marking process can now be ended, repeated with the same character set, or a part of the character set or the entire character set can be replaced for a subsequent embossing. There is also the possibility that it is, for example, a continuous embossing in which only one character of the character set used changes between two immediately successive marking processes.

As can also be seen from FIG. 1, a revolver magazine 15 is mounted coaxially to the embossing wheel 2 via a roller bearing 14, in which one or more drawing carrier pins 5 are arranged on the circumference so as to be displaceable in radially extending slide guides 16. In order to change a single character carrier of the character carrier set between two immediately and rapidly successive labeling processes, a character carrier pin 5, which is located in an ejection channel 20 of the embossing wheel 2 within the area of the character carrier holder 4, as shown in FIG immediately ends with the other drawing carriers 3, with the aid of a thrust piece 17, which is controlled by a hydraulic linear drive 18 working parallel to the embossing axis Z, brought into its radially inner rest position. The character carrier 5 is thus located outside the ejection channel 20 in the character carrier holder 4, and is thus freely rotatable with the revolver magazine 15 within the eccentric embossing wheel 2.

With the drive 19, the coaxially mounted revolver magazine 15 can then be rotated within the embossing wheel 2 regardless of the position of the embossing wheel 2 in any direction about its bearing axis to such an extent that another drawing pen 5 inserted in the revolver magazine 15 reaches the region of the extension channel 20 .

With the linear drive 18, another, preselected drawing medium pin 5 is now pushed over the thrust piece 17 through the ejection opening 20 into the outer embossing position on the circumference of the embossing wheel 2 with the other drawing mediums 3. In this position, the drawing carrier pin 5 is held by the thrust piece with a constant force which is higher than the force exerted by the parts to be marked during the marking process, the force to be applied being generated by the linear drive 18.

The further drawing carrier pins 5, which are arranged in the revolver magazine 15 and are not located in the region of the ejection channel, are placed in their interior via compression springs 21 which counteract radial displacement due to the centrifugal force and / or gravity Rest positions held. This enables unhindered engagement of the thrust piece 17 via a nose in a groove of the character carrier pin 5 entering the ejection channel 20. The drawing pins 5 are thus displaceable in their sliding guides only in connection with the thrust piece 17, whereby the arrangement of lugs and grooves can of course also be reversed, ie the lugs are formed in the drawing pins 5 and the grooves are formed in the sliding piece 17. The clamping pieces 22 attached to the drawing pins 5 secure them constantly against axial twisting to the embossing axis Z.

This changing process takes less than a second and takes place between two embossings, can be repeated several times, and leads to the fact that several consecutive embossings can be made with a different or the same embossing pattern within a very short time.

The drive 19, which is fastened to the housing 23 rotatably mounted via the roller bearings 10 and 11 and connected to the embossing roller 2, receives the energy supply via the slip ring 24, the drive 18, which is non-rotatably fastened to the embossing roller 2, receives its energy supply via a rotatable fluid connection 25.

Coming more precisely to FIG. 3, one can see a further possibility of changing the character carrier, which consists in moving the embossing wheel 2, which is rotatably mounted in the embossing unit 27, into a radial angular position predefined for a character carrier changing process, so that a character carrier 3 can be removed from the imprint wheel 2 into a free receptacle 28 provided for this purpose, a character carrier magazine 29 which is wheel-shaped in this exemplary embodiment and the character carrier of this character carrier magazine 29 can be moved into free receptacles of the embossing wheel 2.

In this exactly positioned position, as described below, a plurality of drawing carriers 3 located radially on the circumference of the embossing wheel 2 are changed simultaneously and automatically. In this exemplary embodiment, the receptacles for the character carriers 3 are located in the character carrier holder 4, which is attached radially in a partial segment on the circumference of the embossing wheel 2. In this character carrier holder 4, which is shown in detail in FIG. 2, there are a plurality of character carriers 3 arranged in a row one after the other with the same or different distances, which results in an arcuate arrangement of the character carriers 3. This character carrier 3 - it can be different, but also completely or partially the same character carrier - are during the stamping process and during the positioning of the stamping wheel 2 in the change position by means of clamping pieces 12 located in rectangular slide guides in the character holder 4, which in a recess of the Intervene character carrier 3, clamped radially to the axis of symmetry S of the stamping unit 27, in which the stamping wheel 2 is rotatably mounted. Via springs 13 and pressure pins 26 the clamping pieces 12 are pressed radially in the direction of the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 for clamping the character carriers 3.

After positioning the embossing wheel 2 in the character changing position, the clamping pieces 12 in the prismatic sliding guides of the character carrier holder 4 have to be raised radially to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 in the direction of the peripheral edge of the embossing wheel 2 so far that the character carrier 3 to be changed is no longer clamped are, and a free displacement of the character carrier 3 parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 is made possible in the recesses provided in the character carrier holder 4.

For this purpose, beveled release pins 30 are inserted at the ends through holes 31 arranged on the circumference of the embossing wheel 2 and parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27, so far that the clamping pieces 12 are lifted up by the release pins 30 in the direction of the peripheral edge of the embossing wheel 2 become, and a displacement of the character carrier 3 in the character carrier holder 4 parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 is possible. The release pins 30 are arranged on a slide 33 fastened on linear guides 32 in an arc shape, corresponding to the arcuate arrangement of the clamping pieces 12 in the character holder 4. The retraction of the release pins 30 attached to the slide 33 is controlled by compressed air cylinders 34, the number of cylinders 34 used depending on the number of character carriers 3 to be changed. The compressed air cylinders 34 now remain in the last position until the character carriers 3 have been changed.

The character carriers 3, which are now in an unsecured state due to the lifting of the clamping pieces 12, are secured against falling out of the character carrier 4 by means of pins 35 which are chamfered at the ends. For this purpose, the pins 35, which are arranged in an arc on a slide 36 in accordance with the arrangement of the character carriers 3 in the character carrier holder 4, are offset parallel to the linear guide 37 serving as a fastening for the slide 36 such that the pins 35 are retracted into the interior of the character carrier magazines 29 is made possible, pressed parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 with the compressed air cylinder 38 against the character carrier 3.

With compressed air cylinders 39, the number of which in turn depends on the number of character carriers to be changed, chamfered pins 40 are guided at the tip through further bores arranged in an arc on the circumference of the embossing wheel 2 and running parallel to the axis of symmetry S until they bite against the pins 35 , which secure the character carrier 3 against falling out of the character carrier holder 4, press. By further retracting the pins 40, the character carriers 3, which are now due to the clamping by the pins 35 and 40 against Are secured against rotation, guided parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 in the direction of the character carrier magazines 29.

These wheel-shaped sign carrier magazines 29 have a plurality of rectangular receptacles 41 running radially to their center points in the periphery, in which different sign carriers are contained. The character carrier magazines 29 are in positions, in each of which a free receptacle is located directly opposite a character carrier 3, which is located in the embossing wheel 2. In general, these positions of the carrier magazines 29 correspond to the positions in which the magazines 29 have remained after the last replacement process. The character carriers 3 are now, as described above, moved until they abut a radial, annular shoulder 41 in the respective character carrier magazine 29, so that the character carriers can no longer be moved inward. The compressed air cylinders 39 are then moved back into their starting positions, which correspond to their upper end positions, which enables a rotary movement of the wheel-shaped drawing magazines 29.

Via gear wheels 43 driven by toothed belts 42, each character carrier magazine 29 is rotated and positioned to such an extent that a preselected character carrier required for the next marking process is in the direction of the extended position, parallel to the axis of symmetry S of the embossing unit 27 in the direction of the character carrier holder 4. During the rotational movement of the character carrier magazines 29, the character carriers 3 are secured against falling out via outer ring guides 44. The exact positioning of the character carrier by the rotary movement of the character carrier magazine 29 is additionally checked via monitoring switch 45.

After the positioning of the character magazine 29 in the position necessary for the change process, the pins 40 controlled by the compressed air cylinder are displaced so that they first press the character carrier to be moved from the magazine 29 into a receptacle of the embossing wheel 2 against the annular extension 41. Subsequently, the character carriers are clamped together with the pins 40 by moving the pins 35 into the receptacles 41 and thus secured against rotation. By pushing in further, the character carriers are finally inserted into the receptacle provided in the character carrier holder 4 of the embossing wheel 2. The compressed air cylinder 34 is moved back into its starting position, whereby the release pins 30 are moved out of the character carrier 4 parallel to the axis of symmetry S. The result of this is that the clamping pieces 12, which are initially pushed up radially in the direction of the peripheral edge of the embossing wheel 2 by the release pins 30, are pressed over the springs 13 in the direction of the axis of symmetry S and thus lock the newly inserted character carriers. The character carrier change mechanism described last is particularly suitable for changing parts of a character set or the entire character set. Of course, this mechanism can also be used to exchange only individual character carriers of a sentence. However, if this change process takes place during two embossings which follow one another quickly, the individual character carrier change mechanism described above is expediently preferred.

The particular strength of the device described here lies above all in its flexibility with regard to the marking of parts moving on a conveying means, such as profiles with different character sets, since the device either without a change mechanism, or with one of the two described change mechanisms, or alternatively can also be operated together with both.

Finally, another strength of the device lies in the fact that the eccentric embossing wheel, which is rotatably mounted in the embossing unit, can always be positioned above the parts to be identified via the distance measuring device for the parts to be marked, even if the parts are from their theoretical marking position should differ. A more detailed description of this can be found in a parallel application in accordance with the Hungarian application number P 97 02 363.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Device for marking itself in the running direction of a conveying means, e.g. parts (1) moving a roller table with at least one character carrier (3) which bears a character, this character carrier being interchangeably inserted on the circumference of an embossing wheel (2),

characterized in that

there is at least one character magazine (29) for character carriers (3), the character carrier magazine (29) and the embossing wheel (2) can be brought into a relative position to one another, in which character carrier of the embossing wheel (2) in receptacles (28) of the character carrier magazine (29) and the character carrier of the character carrier magazine (29) can be directly transferred into receptacles of the embossing wheel (2), and that, coaxially to the embossing wheel (2), a magazine turret (15) with radially displaceable character carrier pins (5) is rotatably mounted, at least in the embossing wheel (2) There is an ejection channel (20) extending radially to the circumference of the embossing wheel, and a linear drive (18) mounted on the embossing wheel (2) in a rotationally fixed manner for radially shifting from an inner rest position into an outer embossing position of a drawing carrier pin (5 ) is provided.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a thrust piece (17) is connected to the linear drive (18), which can engage with a nose in a groove of the drawing pin (5).

3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the drawing carrier pins (5) are held in their rest positions in the magazine turret (15) by springs (21).

4. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the linear drive (18) is a hydraulic drive.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ejection channel (20) is within the range of the character carrier (3) used on the circumference of the embossing wheel (2).

0

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the character carrier (3) in the receptacles of the embossing wheel (2) by clamping pieces (12) can be clamped.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the clamping pieces (12) by springs (13) in a recess of the character carrier (3) can be clamped.

8. The device according to claim 1 and one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that by the clamping pieces (12) engaging release pins (30) in the circumference of the embossing wheel (2) substantially axially parallel bores (31) the clamped character carrier ( 3) can be released.

9. The device according to claim 1 and one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that drivable pins (40) for pushing out character carriers (3) from the embossing wheel (2) into a receptacle (28) of the character magazine (29) and drivable pins (35) are provided for inserting character carriers from the character carrier magazine (29) into the embossing wheel (2).

10. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one character magazine (29) is wheel-shaped and rotatable about its axis.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that on the circumference of the at least one wheel-shaped character carrier magazine (29) character carriers are attached, which are displaceable in the radial direction.

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a distance measuring device (6) for the moving parts for the tracking of the embossing wheel (2) carrying embossing unit (27) is provided.

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