Machine for roll forming variable width profiles

Claim 1

In a roll forming machine in which metal strips are progressively formed to a profile, the machine being of the type having at least two parallel side frames at a substantially fixed spacing, a succession of pairs of upper and lower powered roll spindles mounted by and perpendicular to and rotatable in said side frames, power train means to rotate said spindles, and upper and lower roll sets thereon between said frames, each set including an axially constant roll and an axially shiftable roll, the machine being further of the type in which the members mounted on the spindles between said frames have a combined width sufficient to fill the spacing therebetween and are assembled on the spindles by axial sliding as the spindles are inserted, the improvement by which roll spacings may be changed simultaneously on all spindles, said improvement being characterized in that the members so mounted on the spindles to fill the spacing between said side frames include spacer means to permit axial sliding thereon of the shiftable rolls and to bear edgewise against the constant rolls, said spacer means providing for each shiftable roll a lateral shift path whose length at least equals the sum of that occupied by the shiftable roll portions thereon plus the lateral distance over which the such roll is shiftable, the improvement being further characterized in having laterally shiftable frame means parallel and intermediate to said fixed frame assemblies and adjacent to the shiftable rolls, rotation-permitting means, operable between the shiftable frame means and the shiftable rolls, to retain said shiftable rolls in thrust-transferring relation to said shiftable frame means, and means to shift said shiftable frame means, whereby to shift all said shiftable rolls simultaneously by axial sliding on their spacer means without removing and replacing any spacing members from the spindles.