ES1314636U - Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator designed primarily to move small flat metal parts, formed by a rod (1) with a cylindrical section (2) in its front part, through which the operator handles the device; and a square section in its rear part (3), with a magnetic area on one of its faces, this face being the one that faces the parts to be manipulated to attract them by means of magnetism. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator

Technical sector

The present invention belongs to the field of metallurgy, and more specifically to the stamping sector, which consists of shaping a piece of metal, originally flat, by means of a pressure load between two molds (dies).

The manufacturing of certain metal parts requires drawing or stamping processes that pose a certain danger to the person handling the parts to be machined, both when inserting them into and removing them from the press tray, due to the risk that carelessness in the operation of the die could cause serious injury if it coincides with the moment of manipulation by the person operating it.

In addition to the risk of hands being trapped by the press die, there is also the possibility of injury from the sharp edges of newly machined parts (small flat sheets) that have not yet been deburred.

It is also necessary to protect the person's hands from unhealthy chemical agents such as cutting fluid, grease, etc., which are used to impregnate the parts during the machining process.

Background of the invention (State of the art)

The natural choice for handling lightweight metal parts in stamping operations, especially to protect hands from potential cuts caused by sharp edges and burrs, or to avoid contact with the chemical agents in which the parts are coated, would be to wear gloves. However, this option considerably slows down the process. Let's not forget that this is a mass production process, where the goal is to produce the maximum number of parts per hour to remain competitive.

With the use of gloves no longer necessary, various devices have emerged for handling small metal parts based on hooks, such as the "object picking tool" (PCT/ES2005/000596); tweezers, such as the "tweezer-shaped gripping tool" (E87107180) or the "folding tweezers" (U201630974); or devices with magnetic elements such as the "mechatronic tweezers" (E17745419) for securing the parts to be handled; Alternatively, a magnetic finger can be used, which is more intended for picking up metal elements in hard-to-reach places than for this type of work.

None of the aforementioned solutions fully meets the needs of those who work with stamping machinery. One of the reasons these devices are not well-suited is the need to press buttons or triggers to activate or deactivate the part-catching mechanism, which, when repeated many times throughout the workday, is tedious and highly susceptible to breakdowns.

Explanation of the invention

The magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator consists of a rod (1) made of wood or plastic, with a circular section in the front part (2) for ergonomic handling, and a square section in its rear part (3), on one of whose faces it has a cavity (4) that houses a magnet (5) designed so that the force of attraction is exerted in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the rod (see figure 4) to catch the pieces (11) facing them.

In this way, it is very convenient for the person handling the pieces to be machined to carry out the operation of moving the pieces (11), since it is limited to bringing the manipulator closer to the piece to be captured with the magnetized face facing it (see figure 6), and then, to release the piece at its destination, it is simply necessary to rotate the manipulator a few degrees around its axis so that the leverage effect of the piece against the surface on which it is to rest causes the manipulator to release from it; likewise, after turning the manipulator, its magnetized face is no longer facing the piece, such that it no longer exerts any attraction on it (see figure 7). With this device, there is no need to press buttons or activate triggers, which is much more comfortable for the person operating it: it is easier to perform a slight twist of the wrist than to press a button or a trigger, and given its simple mechanisms, the possibilities of breakdown are minimal.

In this type of work involving the handling of small, flat metal parts, not all of them are the same size or weight, which is why the device adapts to this circumstance by means of a sliding tab (7) that closes a certain proportion of the magnetic surface depending on the force required to trap the parts. An excessive attraction force would make it more difficult to release the part once it reaches its destination.

Brief description of the drawings

Figures 1a, 1b and 1c show respectively a front, side and zenithal view of the element. They are a European dihedral representation of the invention, with elevation, profile and plan. Figure 1d shows a three-dimensional view of the element, highlighting the rod (1). Its front part (2) has a circular section, for better handling. In its rear part (3) the magnet (5) can be seen, with its fastening pin (6), of which only the head is visible, since it is inserted and passes through both the magnet (5) and the rear part (3) of the rod (1). Without leaving the rear part (3) of the rod (1), the sliding tab (7) can be seen, which serves to regulate the magnetic force by blocking at will part of the visible area of the magnet (5). The fixing screw (9) can also be seen, which serves as a pivot so that the tab tilts in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rod thanks to the slot (8) that it has in its central part. Likewise, the sliding tab (7) has flaps (10) on both sides to prevent it from sliding in a direction perpendicular to the desired one.

Figure 2 represents a view of the empty rod according to section A-A' in which the cavity (4) where the magnet (5) is housed can be seen.

Figure 3 represents an exploded view or perspective drawing of all the elements that make up the invention, with the rod (1), which has a round section in its front part (2) and a square section in its rear part (3), the magnet (5), the magnet holding pin (6), the sliding tab (7) for regulating the magnetic force, plus the tab fixing screw (9).

Figure 4 represents an enlarged, three-dimensional and exploded view of the rear end of the element, the most important one, since it is the one that provides the magnetic solution: in it a cavity (4) can be seen, which is a rectangular prismatic shaped box; the side walls of said cavity have a small through hole. The cavity (4) will house a magnet (5), of identical shape to that of the cavity where it is to be introduced, and has a drill in the transverse direction so that a pin (6), of cylindrical and elongated shape, of length identical to the width of the rod, passes through it together with the rod itself so that it is fixed in the cavity, preventing it from becoming detached from the rod during the work cycle.

Figures 5a and 5b show how the manipulator's attractiveness is regulated by sliding the plastic tab (7) in the longitudinal direction of the rod. It can be seen how the tab has a slot (8) on which the clamping screw (9) is housed, with a length equal to its possible displacement. With the tab (7) in its rearmost position (Figure 5a), there will be no blockage to the magnet (5); if the tab (7) is moved to its forwardmost position, the blockage of the magnet (5) will be maximum and the attractiveness of the device will be minimum (Figure 5b). To prevent the tab from sliding in the wrong direction, it has a flap (10) on each side and at a right angle, which causes it to slightly hug the sides of the rod and prevent its movement in a direction perpendicular to the desired one.

Figures 6 and 7 show the maneuvers for catching and releasing a light-weight, lightweight metal piece (11). For guidance purposes, a blank, unmachined key for a security lock, which is a common element of our daily lives, available in any hardware store and known by everyone, has been shown to express the dimensions of the elements that can be manipulated with this device. Figure 6 shows how to catch the piece (11) by bringing the rear part (3) of the rod (1) close to the piece (11) with the face containing the magnet (5) facing the piece (11). Figure 7 shows how to detach the piece (11) from its destination: turning the rod (1) will cause the piece (11) to be released from the magnet by lever effect against the surface where it will be fixed. In addition, after this turn the magnetized face of the back (3) of the rod will no longer face the piece (11) and there will no longer be any attraction effect. In this way, the device can be removed without attracting pieces already deposited in its destination.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

The main use of the magnetic cylindrical manipulator is the handling of small metal parts, preferably flat, in places or circumstances where it may be dangerous to do so by hand. The clearest example is stamping, where it would involve putting one's hands under dies that could be activated inadvertently, due to carelessness or a technical error. Figure 6 shows how the part (11) to be grasped is approached by bringing the manipulator with its axis parallel to the surface of the part, with the magnetized face facing the part:

Once the part is captured and held in the manipulator by its magnet, it is easily moved to the destination point without having to be touched manually. Upon reaching the destination point, the manipulator-part assembly is placed on the exact spot and position that will mark the end of the journey. With the part in the desired location and position, to detach it from the manipulator, the manipulator is gently turned a few degrees so that, by levering the surface on which the part has been placed, the manipulator releases the part, leaving it in the selected location.

It is important to regulate the force of attraction with the tab (7) that closes part of the magnet area so that it is the necessary one without being scarce (the piece could come loose during transport) or excessive (it would be expensive to detach the manipulator from the piece once at the destination).

The manipulator can also be used to pick up small metal elements (screws, nuts, rivets, etc.) from surfaces that are difficult or inconvenient to access manually.

Completely removed from the industrial field, it can be used to remove cutlery from a restaurant after service. Thanks to the manipulator, cutlery pieces can be moved from the table to the disposal basket without physical contact, something that has become increasingly important given what we've learned about virus transmission after more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions and precautions.

Claims (4)

1. Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator designed primarily to move small, flat metal parts, consisting of a rod (1) with a cylindrical section (2) in its front part, through which the operator handles the device; and a square section in its rear part (3), with a magnetic area on one of its faces, this face being the one that faces the parts to be manipulated to attract them by magnetism. 2. Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear part of the rod, of square section, has a rectangular section cavity (4) in which it houses a magnet (5) of thickness equal to the depth of the cavity such that the upper face of the magnet is exactly flush with the rest of the face of the rod. Said magnet is fixed in the cavity (4) by means of a pin (6) that passes through it and the rod such that it cannot be detached from its position. 3. Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it has a sliding plastic tab (7) on the magnetic face that allows part of the visible area of the magnet to be sealed so that the force of attraction of the device can be regulated depending on the part of the magnet that remains visible. 4. Magnetic cylindrical metal parts manipulator according to claim 3, in which the sliding plastic tab (7) has a slot in the longitudinal direction (8) that allows it to slide in the direction of the rod axis, and without detaching from the assembly thanks to the screw (9) that holds it to the rod.