Moulding plate equipped for the forming of curved laminate structures

The invention concerns a moulding plate equipped to form curved laminate structures made using fillets, planks, boards and laminates with different properties, and comprises a plane surface featuring a series of parallel or concentric tracks or grooves designed for the sliding and locking in place of means carrying a pin that supports clamping means for the materials being worked upon. The locking means carrying the support pins may be set up in the shape desired and, consequently, the material to be worked upon can be clamped in the pre-set shape.

A method is already known and practised for producing laminate, and shaped structures using the cohesion between different layers of fillets, planks, and flat or rolled surfaces.

A technique is practised for building wooden beams with notable dimensions used to cover large openings by glueing or in some other way locking together several layers of fillets, planks or boards, that may also be shorter than the space to be covered, in such a way that the joints between the different elements are not located along the same perpendicular line, but distributed along the beam itself. Modelled structures, of varying stiffness or elasticity, depending upon the materials used, the dimensions of the structure or both, are already produced using the same principle of cohesion between the different layers of fillets, planks and boards or laminates.

At the present stage of this technique construction is effected using moulds, locating structures or pre-formed support structures. Such means permit the production of only one repeatable model, or of a limited number of them, and is thus not very versatile, being suitable for mass production, but not for limited quantities or single units.

The object of the present invention is to obtain a practically unlimited spectrum of design shapes that can be used for the construction of single units or in mass production, with complete versatility, and both qualitative and quantitative benefits, irrespective of the number of units required.

This is made possible by a moulding plate having a series of parallel or concentric profiles or grooves (1, 101, 201 and 301) upon or within which slide mounting means (figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) fitted with suitable support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307) that are able to take up an unlimited number of positions along the profiles or grooves (1, 101, 201 and 301). The result is that by setting the support pins as necessary it is possible to obtain many different shapes of laminate structure without any limit on the number produced, the apparatus subsequently being reusable in its entirety, and thus allowing the production at limited cost of a single unit, it at the same time being possibile to produce an unlimited number of the said unit using the same apparatus.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter with the aid of drawings illustrating several different examples of how the same might be produced.

Figure 1 shows in reduced scale, and seen from above, a moulding plate equipped as in the present invention, featuring type I profiles (1) parallel with the positioning of the mounting means (2), which are as in figures 2 and 3, and carry the support pins (7) for the vices, as in figure 4, shown by the arrows (3), which serve for the construction, together with the fillets (4), of two bending ribs (5). The arrows (3) indicate the orientation of the individual vices and the direction in which they work. The alignment of the type I profiles (1) is fixed by the cross pieces (6) which can be mounted upon a table, a plane surface or frame either vertically, horizontally or obliquely.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the relevant means of the moulding plate equipped as in figure 1. Figures 2 and 3 are a frontal and lateral half cross section view respectively of the mounting means (2) carrying the support pin (7) that slides along the space between the two type I profiles (1). The means is composed of two moving shoes (8 and 9), two manoevring screws (10) with cylindrical heads (14) and allen key-type hexagon sockets(15), and a support pin (7). One of the shoes features two recesses (11) against which bear the heads (14) of the manouevring screws (10) and two holes (12) which give access to the hexagon sockets (15). The other moving shoe (9) features two threaded holes (13) designed to accept the threaded bodies (13) of the manoeuvring screws.

Acting, through the holes (12), on the hexagon sockets (15) of the manouevring screws (10) one moves the two moving shoes (8 and 9) further apart or closer together, and thus locks in place the means in question, or allows it to slide within the I type profiles (1) (figs. 2 and 3).

Figure 4 is an axial cross section of the mounting means (figs. 2 and 3) lodged between two profiles (1) together with the hollow post (18) of the vice body (17) inserted upon the support pin (7).

We will not dwell at length upon the vice, a known and widely used device within present technology, whether of the manual, pneumatic or hydraulic type. It is only emphasised that the vices to be used with the present invention should feature a hollow post designed to slide onto, rotate upon and slide off the support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307) in a direction parallel to that of the faces of the jaws which must clamp the material being worked upon.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the means of a second version of a moulding plate equipped as in the present invention.

Figure 5 is a frontal view of atrack-type profile (101).

Figures 6 and 7 are a frontal and lateral half cross section respectively of the mounting means with the support pin (107) for the hollow post (18) of the vice. The means is composed of a body (121) featuring two limbs (122) with relevant grip teeth (123) and a support pin (107) with a hexagon socket (115) in its upper end for manipulation of the control screw (110) situated in the threaded base.

Figure 8 is an axial cross section of the mounting means (figs. 5 and 6) mounted on the track-type profile (fig. 5). In this second case the body (121) of the means itself slides along the external surface of the mushroom (120) of the track-type profile (fig. 5) and is locked in place using the hexagon socket (115) to act upon the control screws, bringing the latter and the grip teeth (123) to act in turn upon the surfaces of the stock (124).

Figure 9 is an axial cross section of part of a plate (225) as in the present invention, with parallel grooves (201) within which are lodged the relevant means (226) carrying the support pin (207). In this case the means features a threaded hole (227) designed to receive a threaded rod that runs along the entire length of the groove. Acting on the threaded rod (210) effects the sliding within the groove (201) of the means (226) and the relevant positioning of the support pin (207).

The ends of the grooves (201) must be equipped with means or mechanisms designed to hold and control the movement of the threaded rods (210). By controlling the number and direction of revolutions through which the threaded rods (210) are turned, one controls the position of the means (226) carrying the support pin (207) along the groove (201). Control can be effected manually or by computer. We shall not dwell on this last aspect in that in the present state of technology there are innumerable examples of such means or devices that are already known and widely used.

Figure 10 shows a view from above of part of a moulding plate as in the present invention, with concentric profiles or grooves (301) with the support pins (307) positioned according to the design (328) of the moulding being produced. In this case the mounting means carrying the support pins (307) must be curved in such a way as to be able to slide over or between the concentric tracks or grooves (301).

The moulding plate equipped as in the present invention enables one to execute the following operations:

• 1st - Align the support pins (7, 107 and 307) by locking the mounting means in place (figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) according to the design of the moulding being produced.
• 2nd - Clamp the different layers of fillets, planks, boards and laminates, using the vices with the hollow posts (18) inserted on the support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307), positioned according to the preset mould.
• 3rd - The second operation may be repeated an unlimited number of times. Since the hollow posts (18) are a sliding fit and can be withdrawn, the product can immediately be removed from the plate together with the tightened vices. 4th - Use the plate again for other mouldings. The support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307) can be repositioned acting on the mounting means (figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) .
• 5th - Produce mouldings in sections for curved structures: a line of support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307) is set up for the first section of the moulding to be produced, the positions of the last two support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307) being carried over for successive lines set up, the relevant hollow posts (18) of the vices being inserted upon them, and a solution to problems of continuity thus being obtained. This enables one to produce mouldings for curved structures that also have dimensions exceeding those of the moulding plate, as in the present invention, upon which the work takes place.

It is emphasised that tightening of the vices is effected along a line perpendicular to the point of contact with the curve being worked upon, and that the latter should thus be orientated accordingly, an operation made possible by the fact that the hollow posts (18) of the vice body (17) are able to rotate upon the support pins (7, 107, 207 and 307).