US 6,981,939 B2
Forming machine for producing articles of sheet material from flat blanks
Giorgio Petratto, Venaria Reale (Italy)
Assigned to Petratto S.r.L., (Italy)
Filed on Nov. 28, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/724,573.
Claims priority of application No. TO2002A1038 (IT), filed on Nov. 29, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2004/0162204 A1, Aug. 19, 2004
Int. Cl. B31F 1/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 493—405 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A forming machine (1) for producing articles (2) of sheet material from flat blanks (2a); the machine (1) comprising:
a powered conveying means for feeding an orderly succession of flat blanks (2a) along a forming path (K), and
pressure means (15) for holding said blanks (2a) on said conveying means;
and being characterized in that said conveying means comprise a roller conveyor (4) comprising:
a number of intermediate rollers (6) aligned transversely to their respective axes of rotation in a plane parallel to said forming path (K),
two lateral shoulders (5) and
a synchronous drive means (7);
said intermediate rollers (6) each being connected perpendicularly between said shoulders (5) and each being connected to said synchronous drive means (7) for rotating each of said rollers (6) about its axis (6a);
said axes (6a) of said rollers (6) being equally spaced with a first spacing (P);
said pressure means (15) being fitted to supporting means (18) comprising a supporting frame (19), and a locating and retaining means associated with said shoulders (5) to locate and lock the supporting frame (19) along the forming path (K) in a number of fixed relative reference positions with respect to the shoulders (5).