Apparatus and method for feeding and cutting a metal product

Abstract

Apparatus for feeding and cutting a metal product conformed into loops including at least a first, a second and a third conveyor which are aligned, partly overlapping in succession and provided with a respective first, second and third feed plane and a control unit configured at least to control the actuation of said first, second and third feed plane with the purpose of guaranteeing a desired feed speed of said metal product. The corresponding method for feeding and cutting a metal product is also disclosed.

1 . Apparatus for feeding and cutting a metal product conformed into overlapping loops, comprising:
 at least a first, a second and a third conveyor which are aligned and partly overlapping in succession, at different heights, along an axis of feed of said metal product and are provided with respective feed elements which define a respective first, second and third feed plane configured to support and allow the feed of said metal product, wherein said second conveyor is linearly mobile parallel to said axis of feed between a so-called zero position and an end-of-travel position;   a control unit configured at least to control the actuation of said feed elements;   wherein said second conveyor comprises a front end upstream of which there is installed a cutting device and a separation element and in that said control unit is configured at least to control the actuation of said feed elements in a synchronous and correlated manner, together with a linear movement of said second conveyor, in order to separate, by means of said separation element, a portion of metal product already fallen onto said third conveyor from the portion still present on said second conveyor, and to activate said cutting device in order to cut said metal product present on said second feed plane.   
     
     
         2 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein last feed elements of said first, second or third conveyor each consist respectively of two facing cantilevered parts, transversely distanced so that a hollow space is defined between them to direct the fall of said metal product downstream, wherein said separation element is disposed upstream of said cantilevered parts. 
     
     
         3 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein said separation element is a head feed element of said second conveyor. 
     
     
         4 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein said separation element is a striker bar. 
     
     
         5 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein said third conveyor comprises two fixed portions and one mobile portion disposed between said fixed portions, at least said mobile portion being able to be moved in order to evacuate the portion of metal product cut by said cutting device from said third feed plane. 
     
     
         6 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 5 , wherein at least one of said mobile portions is selectively rotatable to evacuate said cut portion of metal product into a suitable space. 
     
     
         7 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 5 , wherein the feed elements of one or more mobile portions of said third conveyor are actuated in an independent manner with respect to the feed elements of one or more fixed portions of said third conveyor. 
     
     
         8 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 5 , wherein the feed elements of one or more mobile portions of said third conveyor are actuated in a coordinated manner with respect to the feed elements of one or more fixed portions of said third conveyor, by means of a common actuator or by means of two or more actuators driven in a coordinated manner. 
     
     
         9 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein said cutting device is a guillotine shear. 
     
     
         10 . Feeding and cutting apparatus as in any  claim 1 , wherein cutting device has a vertical cutting plane, orthogonal to said second feed plane. 
     
     
         11 . Plant for producing metal coils comprising:
 a winding apparatus having a loop-forming head configured to conform, in a continuous or discontinuous manner, a metal product into loops;   a coil-forming apparatus provided with a well in the center of which there is a centering rod configured to allow the automatic stacking of said metal product into loops, in order to define a coil;   a feeding and cutting apparatus, as in  claim 1 , disposed between said winding apparatus and said coil-forming apparatus.   
     
     
         12 . Plant as in  claim 11 , wherein said control unit is configured to command the evacuation of said portion of metal product cut by said cutting device and remaining on said second or third conveyor, by activating the respective feed elements in order to move said portion of metal product in the direction of said winding apparatus, toward respective unloading zones. 
     
     
         13 . Method for feeding and cutting a metal product conformed into overlapping loops comprising:
 a supply step, in which a winding apparatus lays a metal product on a first conveyor provided with a first feed plane having respective first feed elements;   a first feed step, in which said first feed plane makes said metal product advance toward a second conveyor provided with a second feed plane having respective second feed elements, said second conveyor being disposed along an axis of feed aligned overlapping with said first conveyor at a lower height than the latter;   a second feed step, in which said second conveyor is in a zero position and said second feed plane makes said metal product advance toward a third conveyor provided with a third feed plane having respective third feed elements, said third conveyor being disposed along said axis of feed aligned overlapping with said second conveyor at a lower height than the latter;   a third feed step, in which said second conveyor translates from said zero position toward an end-of-travel position with a first acceleration, while said second feed elements of said second feed plane gradually slow down their rotation in a manner that is synchronous and correlated to the movement of said second conveyor;   wherein said method comprises:   a separation step, in which said second conveyor, before it reaches said end-of-travel position, is further accelerated with a second acceleration while said second feed elements rotate correspondingly in a direction opposite to that which allows the feed of said metal product, in order to separate a portion of metal product already fallen onto said third conveyor from the portion still present on said second conveyor, by interposing a separation element on board said second conveyor;   a cutting step, in which a cutting device present on board said second conveyor upstream of a front end thereof is activated in order to cut said metal product in correspondence with said separation element.   
     
     
         14 . Method as in  claim 13 , wherein after said cutting step, there follows an evacuation step in which the feed elements of said second or third feed plane are activated in order to evacuate the portion of metal product cut by said cutting device in the direction of said winding apparatus toward suitable unloading zones. 
     
     
         15 . Method as in  claim 14 , wherein during said evacuation step, a mobile portion of said third conveyor cooperates with a terminal part of said second conveyor in order to receive and evacuate the portion of metal product cut by said cutting device removing it from said third feed plane. 
     
     
         16 . Method as in  claim 15 , wherein during said evacuation step, said mobile portion is made to rotate in order to evacuate said cut portion of metal product into a suitable space. 
     
     
         17 . Method as in  claim 14  wherein after said evacuation step it provides a return step in which said second conveyor is returned to the zero position, and during its translation to said zero position the feed elements of said second feed plane are driven so that said metal product can continue its travel with the desired linear speed. 
     
     
         18 . Method as in  claim 13 , wherein said cutting step occurs “on the fly”, while the cutting device moves together with the metal product. 
     
     
         19 . Method as in  claim 13 , wherein in said first, second and third feed steps, in said separation step and in said cutting step, the absolute linear speed of said metal product remains substantially constant.