Gutter guard forming machine

Abstract

The gutter guard forming machine accepts relatively narrow, elongate sheets of imperforate materials and foraminous screen materials from a series of supply rollers and passes those sheets of material through a series of forming rollers and dies to crimp the sheets mechanically together along their common elongate edges to form the desired cross-sectional shape for the finished gutter guard. The raw sheet materials are fed into the machine in two overlying and two underlying streams, which are joined together and shaped by the forming rollers and dies. The process is continuous, with an automated cutoff saw cutting the completed gutter guard to practical lengths after formation. The mechanism is primarily electrically-powered, with a pneumatic-hydraulic cylinder being used for one of the operations. Various components are adjustable to allow the configuration of the completed gutter guard to be adjusted as desired.

1 . A gutter guard forming machine, comprising:
 a conveyor frame having an infeed end, a delivery end opposite the infeed end, and an intermediate portion between the infeed end and the delivery end;   an upper conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame;   a lower conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame below the upper conveyor line, the upper and lower conveyor lines merging at the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame;   a delivery conveyor line extending from the merger of the upper conveyor line and the lower conveyor line, the delivery conveyor line extending through the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame; and   a linearly traveling circular cutoff saw disposed along the delivery end of the conveyor frame, the cutoff saw selectively traveling along a path parallel to the delivery conveyor line.   
   
   
       2 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of mechanically-powered forming rollers and crimping rollers disposed along the upper conveyor line, the lower conveyor line, and the delivery conveyor line, the forming rollers and the crimping rollers having mutually parallel axes. 
   
   
       3 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one pair of the forming rollers and the crimping rollers are laterally adjustable along their axes. 
   
   
       4 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an upper conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the upper conveyor line;   a lower conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the lower conveyor line;   a delivery conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the delivery conveyor line;   a cutoff saw travel drive motor communicating mechanically with the cutoff saw; and   a delivery end pinch roller drive motor disposed at the delivery end of the conveyor frame.   
   
   
       5 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 1 , further including at least one stationary die disposed along the delivery conveyor line. 
   
   
       6 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of cutoff saw tracks disposed along the delivery end of the conveyor frame parallel to the delivery conveyor line, the cutoff saw being slidably disposed upon the cutoff saw tracks and selectively traveling along the tracks. 
   
   
       7 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 1 , further including a pneumatic-hydraulic strut disposed beneath the cutoff saw and attached thereto, the strut selectively lifting the saw between cutting operations. 
   
   
       8 . A gutter guard forming machine, comprising:
 a conveyor frame having an infeed end, a delivery end opposite the infeed end, and an intermediate portion between the infeed end and the delivery end;   an upper conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame;   a lower conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame below the upper conveyor line, the upper and lower conveyor lines merging at the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame;   a delivery conveyor line extending from the merger of the upper conveyor line and the lower conveyor line, the delivery conveyor line extending through the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame; and   a plurality of mechanically-powered forming rollers and crimping rollers disposed along the upper conveyor line, the lower conveyor line, and the delivery conveyor line, the forming rollers and the crimping rollers having mutually parallel axes.   
   
   
       9 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 an upper conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the upper conveyor line;   a lower conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the lower conveyor line;   a delivery conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the delivery conveyor line;   a cutoff saw travel drive motor disposed at the delivery end of the conveyor frame adjacent the delivery conveyor line; and   a delivery end pinch roller drive motor disposed at the delivery end of the conveyor frame.   
   
   
       10 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one pair of the forming rollers and the crimping rollers are laterally adjustable along their axes. 
   
   
       11 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 8 , further including at least one stationary die disposed along the delivery conveyor line. 
   
   
       12 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a plurality of cutoff saw tracks disposed along the delivery end of the conveyor frame and parallel to the delivery conveyor line; and   a linearly traveling circular cutoff saw slidably disposed upon the cutoff saw tracks, the cutoff selectively traveling along the tracks parallel to the delivery conveyor line.   
   
   
       13 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 12 , further including a pneumatic-hydraulic strut disposed beneath the cutoff saw and attached thereto, the strut selectively lifting the saw between cutting operations. 
   
   
       14 . A gutter guard forming machine, comprising:
 a conveyor frame having an infeed end, a delivery end opposite the infeed end, and an intermediate portion between the infeed end and the delivery end;   a delivery conveyor line extending through the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame to the delivery end of the conveyor frame;   a plurality of cutoff saw tracks disposed along the delivery end of the conveyor frame parallel to the delivery conveyor line; and   a linearly traveling circular cutoff saw slidably disposed upon the cutoff saw tracks, the cutoff saw selectively traveling along the tracks parallel to the delivery conveyor line.   
   
   
       15 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 14 , further comprising:
 an upper conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame, and merging with the delivery conveyor line;   a lower conveyor line extending from the infeed end to the intermediate portion of the conveyor frame below the upper conveyor line, the upper and lower conveyor lines merging at the delivery conveyor line; and   a plurality of mechanically-powered forming rollers and crimping rollers disposed along the upper conveyor line, the lower conveyor line, and the delivery conveyor line, the forming rollers and the crimping rollers having mutually parallel axes.   
   
   
       16 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 an upper conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the upper conveyor line;   a lower conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the lower conveyor line;   a delivery conveyor line drive motor communicating mechanically with the delivery conveyor line;   a cutoff saw travel drive motor communicating mechanically with the cutoff saw; and   a delivery end pinch roller drive motor disposed at the delivery end of the conveyor frame.   
   
   
       17 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one pair of the forming rollers and the crimping rollers are laterally adjustable along their axes. 
   
   
       18 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 14 , further including at least one stationary die disposed along the delivery conveyor line. 
   
   
       19 . The gutter guard forming machine according to  claim 14 , further including a pneumatic-hydraulic strut disposed beneath the cutoff saw and attached thereto, the strut selectively lifting the saw between cutting operations.