Amada Company, Limited

Amada America, Inc.

Stefano Vergano

Franco Sartorio

Mario Scavino

Alberto A Catti

Bruno Ballesio

Katsuhide Ito

Paolo Ariagno

An automatic bending system includes an automatic bending press ( ) including a pair of bending tools ( ) cooperating with each other, and an automatic manipulator ( ) including a head ( ) movable in a work space and provided with a toolholder member ( ) intended to receive at least two take-up members ( ) independent from each other. The head ( ) is rotatable about a first axis ( ) and the toolholder member ( ) is provided with tool attachment seats ( ) arranged on opposite sides of said first axis ( ) and rotatable about a second common axis ( ) orthogonal to the first axis ( ).

Automatic bending system and manipulator for the system

A device for driving inserts into pieces of sheet metal includes a punch having a longitudinal axis of symmetry, a thrust surface and a through hole extending along its longitudinal axis which constitutes a supply duct for the inserts. The through hole extends through the thrust surface. A thrust rod applies a driving force to the inserts to move them into position in front of the thrust surface of the punch. The thrust surface drives the head of the insert into a piece of sheet metal through a hole while plastically deforming the periphery of the hole which interfaces with the head.

Device for driving inserts into pieces of sheet metal

A transmission coupling for manipulator head includes a support body (50) connected to the manipulator head (4), an intermediate transmission member (76) slidable on the support body (50) along a first line (C), and an attachment member (28) slidable on the intermediate member (76) along a second line (B) perpendicular to the first line. The attachment member can pivot relative to the support body (50) about at least two mutually-perpendicular axes substantially parallel to the plane defined by the first and second lines. The present invention also relates to a rapid attachment device for an interchangeable tool for a manipulator head (104) including a base body (106) connected to the manipulator head and a generating device for providing a force for retaining the tool (102). The base body and the tool have respective cooperating abutment surfaces which are kept in contact as a result of the force exerted by the generating device and are adapted to establish the position of the tool relative to the head along a first line of constraint. Constraining members (118, 120) are provided for constraining the two degrees of freedom of the tool in a plane substantially perpendicular to the first line of constraint.

Transmission coupling for a manipulator head

Device for manipulating sheet metal pieces

A precision bending press for relatively short pieces of sheet metal includes a pair of tool-holder beams one of which is movable towards the other in order to follow a working path in the general common plane of the beams. The movable beam is subdivided, at least virtually, into a number n of segments and is controlled by a plurality of actuators of a number at least equal to n+1. The actuators are connected to a reaction structure stressed by the overall forming force created by the actuators. The actuators are controlled by means of a processing unit which receives signals indicative of the relative punch--die position generated by position transducers supported by an auxiliary structure which is not affected substantially by the deformations of the reaction structure caused by the bending force. The reaction structure comprises a single pair of lateral uprights connected to one another by a connecting beam and by the fixed tool-holder beam. Each actuator exerts the forming force between the connecting beam and the movable beam.

Precision bending press for relatively short pieces of sheet metal

The press is of the type including a pair of tool holders mounted in a frame and carrying cooperating tools (die and punch). At least one of the tool holders is motor driven and is movable towards the other tool holder. According to the invention, the press includes a first driver arranged to make one of the tool holders travel a fairly long distance towards the other tool and a second driver, distinct from the first, for making this same tool holder or the other tool holder perform, a subsequent, fairly short working stroke to bend the sheet metal and to effect any coining of the bend. Preferably both of the tool holders are movable, the second driver being arranged to make the respective tool holder complete a fairly short bending stroke, and the press includes a third driver, distinct from the first and second, arranged to make the same tool holder and the other tool holder complete a vertical stroke for coining the bend.

Sheet workpiece bending machine

An apparatus for transferring a machine part, with a frame body, a pair of machine part gripper members each supported on the frame body for sliding in predetermined direction, a resilient member for energizing the pair of machine part gripper members to move toward each other. Also disclosed is a gripper member movement mechanism for disengaging the pair of gripper members against the resilient force of the resilient members and a gripper member lock mechanism for locking the movement of the gripper members when the gripper members are at a predetermined distance from each other.

Apparatus for transfer of a machine part

The press is of the type including a pair of tool-holders mounted in a frame and carrying cooperating tools (die and punch). At least one of the tool-holders is motor-driven and is movable towards the other tool-holder. According to the invention, the press includes first drive means arranged to make one of the tool-holders travel a fairly long distance towards the other tool and second drive means, distinct from the first, for making this same tool-holder or the other tool-holder perform a subsequent, fairly-short working stroke to bend the sheet metal and to effect any coining of the bend. Preferably both of the tool-holders are movable, the second drive means being arranged to make the respective tool-holder complete a fairly short bending stroke, and the press includes third drive means, distinct from the first and second, arranged to make the same tool-holder and the other tool-holder complete a virtual stroke for coining the bend.

A manipulator is provided for a plate bending machine containing an arm which extends in the vertical direction and a pair of bracket members in which one bracket member can freely approach and withdraw from the other, wherein the bracket members are provided with engaging members which can engage with and be released from an engaging section formed on the jaws for grasping a plate material. A jaw exchanging device which contains in turn a plurality of jaw release structures which can mount and remove the jaws of the manipulator and can retain the jaw before mounting and after removal thereof, and a transfer structure which can transfer the plurality of jaw release structures together between the manipulator and a jaw storage magazine, and selectively transfer any one of the jaw release structures to a jaw changing position on the manipulator in a position on the side of the manipulator are also provided.

Automatic change of fingers of the single arm bending robot

A press including a frame which carries a pair of tool-holding beams lying in a common general plane. One of the beams carry a punch and the other a bending die. At least one of the beams is movable towards the opposing beam to perform a working stroke, and in the opposite direction. According to the invention, the movable beam is divided, at least effectively, into a number n of sections, n being equal to or greater than 2. The devices for moving the beam are constituted by n=1 servomotor units each of which is provided with a support coupled to the movable beam and is adapted to exert a force, through this support, for thrusting the movable beam towards the opposite beam during the working stroke. Two servomotor units are end units whose supports are coupled to respective ends of the movable beam. The other remaining servomotor is an intermediate unit whose support is situated in the transition zone between one section and another. If P is the total force thrusting the movable beam towards the opposing beam, each end unit is adapted to exert a thrust force of P/2(n-1) on the movable beam through its support. A position transducer is associated with each support and the servomotor units are subject to a common control processor having inputs connected to the transducers and outputs connected to the servomotor units. The processor is adapted to control each unit so that all the units impart identical movements and speeds of movement of their supports and to the movable beam.

Growing community of inventors

Turin, Italy

Stefano Vergano