Ball plugs
The ball plugs are two-piece elements for the purpose of sealing a bore, e.g. in hydraulic components or lubrication systems. The ball plug consists of a cup which is expanded with a ball to seal a bore. The setting tool has a pressing action.
Pressing device for large workpieces
In order to press in ball plugs on large workpieces, a press-in device in portal design was developed. The forces of e.g. 19 kN are applied to the ball sealing plug by a PowerStroke via the tool. The PowerStroke is a pneumatic cylinder with a short stroke of 12 mm and a clamping head to enable a manual greater rapid traverse. The force sensor for process monitoring is located between the workpiece and the piston rod. The displacement sensor directly scans the stroke on the PowerStroke. Whether a press-fit process was carried out with an IO result can be read on the display of the measurement amplifier and at the traffic light. At a preset value, the measurement amplifier switches off the energy supply so that the ball plug is not subjected to excessive force.
Since the workpiece must also fit vertically under the tool, it lies horizontally on a block. The workpiece can be positioned under the tool with two fingers using an aerostatic system. It is operated by a two-hand safety switch Saveball and the aerostatics are switched on by a foot switch.
Press-in device for medium-sized workpieces
If the workpieces are of medium size, a press-in device in column design is used. In this design, the forces of e.g. 19 kN are applied by a PowerStroke via the tool to the ball plug with a short stroke of 12 mm. A small table is available for the workpiece holder. The force sensor for process monitoring is located between the workpiece and the piston rod. The displacement sensor directly scans the stroke on the PowerStroke. Whether a press-fit process was carried out with an IO result can be read on the display of the measurement amplifier and at the traffic light. At a preset value, the measurement amplifier switches off the energy supply so that the ball plug is not subjected to excessive force. The operation is carried out via two-hand safety switch Saveball.
Pressing device for small workpieces
The most compact version of the press-in device is the table design. Here, the powerstroke is controlled by a purely pneumatic control with two-hand operation. The maximum force that the Powerstroke can exert on the ball sealing plug is limited by a pressure reduction. This pneumatic solution is also possible with process monitoring (pressure and travel). However, the measurement amplifier, the pressure sensor and the analogue displacement sensor must then be provided with a power supply. In this case, the indication of the process monitoring is shown on the display of the measurement amplifier. In the table version, the force sensor is located below the movable workpiece holder.
Semi-automatic processing of ball plugs
In the following video you can see an assembly aid with which 100 ball plugs with a diameter of 4.95 mm are inserted into a workpiece with holes with a diameter of 5.00 mm. The ball sealing plugs are stored in a tube and fed into the manually operated device in the correct position. The time actually required can be read off easily despite the time lapse.