COLD FORMING MACHINE

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to the following German Patent Application No. 10 2024 111 210.7, filed on Apr. 22, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure refers to a cold forming machine for cold forming of a workpiece, particularly a cylindrical or hollow cylindrical section of a workpiece. During the deformation a profile is produced on the circumference of the workpiece by means of cold forming, for example a spur toothing parallel to an axis of the workpiece or a helical toothing obliquely to the axis of the workpiece or a thread.

BACKGROUND

Cold forming machines and methods for producing such a profile are known, for example from EP 1 286 794 B1 or EP 3 807 023 B1.

Starting from the known cold forming machines, it is the object of the present disclosure to increase the productivity and to thereby guarantee a high quality and low waste parts of deformed workpieces.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This object is solved by means of a cold forming machine for cold forming of a workpiece in order to create a profile on a workpiece outer surface including: two tool pairs each having one first cold forming rack extending in a longitudinal direction and one second cold forming rack extending in the longitudinal direction arranged with distance to the one first cold forming rack in a transverse direction, at least three tool slides that can be moved independently from one another, wherein the one first cold forming rack and the one second cold forming rack of a common tool pair of the two tool pairs are arranged on different tool slides of the at least three tool slides, a controllable drive unit for each tool slide of the at least three tool slides that is configured to move an assigned tool slide of the at least three tool slides in the longitudinal direction, a control unit that is configured to control the controllable drive unit of at least two of the at least three tool slides in a manner so that the one first cold forming rack and the one second cold forming rack of each of the two tool pairs take an individually adjustable reference position relative to one another in the longitudinal direction, wherein the control unit is also configured to move the at least three tool slides by the controllable drive unit of each tool slide of the at least three tool slides in the longitudinal direction after adjustment of the individually adjustable reference position, so that the one first cold forming rack moves opposite to the one second cold forming rack in the longitudinal direction in order to thereby deform the workpiece between the one first cold forming rack and the one second cold forming rack.

The cold forming machine according to the present disclosure is configured to produce a profile on one workpiece outer surface respectively by means of cold forming of at least a cylindrical or hollow cylindrical section of a workpiece or also on different workpieces. The toothing can extend parallel to the workpiece axis or obliquely inclined in circumferential direction around the workpiece axis and thus can form a spur toothing or helical toothing. The workpiece outer surface or the profile created thereon is coaxially arranged relative to the workpiece axis.

For cold forming the cold forming machine comprises two or also more than two tool pairs. For a distinction the tool pairs can be denoted as first tool pair and as second tool pair and, if applicable, additional tool pairs can be numbered consecutively respectively. Each of the tool pairs has two cold forming racks extending in a longitudinal direction. The cold forming racks can be denoted as first cold forming rack and second cold forming rack for distinction purposes. The first cold forming rack and the second cold forming rack of a common tool pair are arranged with distance to one another in a transverse direction.

Here, it has to be noted that the numerals in direct combination with a feature (for example “first”, “second”, . . . ) serve only for distinction of the features and do not pose a restriction in relation to the sequence or the number of present features.

Each cold forming rack has a cold forming profile, wherein the cold forming profiles of the cold forming racks of a common tool pair face one another in transverse direction. In transverse direction the workpiece can be arranged between the cold forming racks of a common tool pair and can thereby be arranged rotatably around the workpiece axis. For deformation, the cold forming racks of a common tool pair are pressed in transverse direction from opposite sides with their cold forming profiles against the workpiece outer surface and are moved in longitudinal direction opposite to one another, whereby the workpiece outer surface of the workpiece rolls between the cold forming profiles and is thereby deformed for creation of the profile.

The cold forming machine according to the present disclosure can concurrently deform two or more than two workpieces using the two tool pairs. For this purpose, it comprises at least three and preferably four independently movable tool slides for the movement of the cold forming racks in longitudinal direction for the two tool pairs. To any additional tool pair, also one or two individually movable tool slides can be assigned. Thus, to each tool pair, one or two of the individually movable tool slides can be assigned. The tool slides are particularly not mechanically movably coupled and can be moved individually in longitudinal direction by means of an assigned controllable drive unit. The controllable drive units for the tool slides are controlled by means of a common control unit and can thus be moved in coordinate manner relative to one another. Exactly one controllable drive unit is assigned to each tool slide so that the cold forming machine, in case of two tool pairs, comprises at least three and preferably four drive units. Each drive unit can have a controllable electric motor, for example.

The control unit can be any electrical and/or electronic unit that is configured for carrying out a control program. For this purpose, the control unit can comprise a microcontroller and/or a random access memory and/or a non-volatile memory, for example.

The control unit of the cold forming machine is configured to adjust the cold forming racks of the tool pairs so that the two cold forming racks of each tool pair take an individually adjustable reference position relative to one another in longitudinal direction. The reference position thus describes the relative position of the cold forming racks of a common tool pair with view in longitudinal direction. For this purpose, the control unit uses the individually movable tool slides and the controllable drive unit assigned to each tool slide. By means of the individually movable tool slides, the reference positions as well as any additional position of the two tool pairs can be individually adjusted independent from one another.

Referencing or adjustment guarantees that the geometry or form of the profile with view in circumferential direction of the workpiece axis corresponds to the requirements. Particularly, due to the adjustment or referencing, pitch errors of the produced profile can be reduced or eliminated so that the profile corresponds to the desired values for the pitch or the defined tolerance range for the pitch. The pitch defines the distance of two adjacent flanks of the profile along the respective pitch circle around the workpiece axis (for example in case of a spur toothing) or in direction parallel to the workpiece axis (for example, thread) or orthogonal to the extension direction of the profile teeth (for example helical toothing).

After the adjustment or referencing, the workpieces can be deformed and thereby the profiles can be produced on the workpiece outer surfaces. For this purpose, the tool slides are moved in coordinate manner in longitudinal direction so that the first cold forming racks of the tool pairs move opposite to the second cold forming racks of the tool pairs and the workpieces respectively roll between one first cold forming rack and one second cold forming rack of each tool pair, as already explained above.

Due to the concurrent deformation of two workpieces, a high productivity is achieved. The deformed workpieces can be identical or can be different from one another. Compared to two cold forming machines having only one tool pair, the footprint of the cold forming machine according to the present disclosure is smaller. The pitch of the profile to be produced on the two workpieces can be individually optimally adjusted for each tool pair in order to comply with the set point requirements. Corrections can be controlled by means of the control unit if a reference position or both reference positions shall be modified. A mechanical release and re-establishment of a connection between a cold forming rack and a tool slide is thereby not necessary. The required setup times in such an adjustment or referencing are thus short.

The adjustment or referencing can be carried out automatically based on at least one parameter, which is automatically determined or preset by an operating person, such as at least one pitch parameter characterizing a set point value of the pitch and/or an actual value of the pitch of a profile.

Due to the arrangement of the cold forming racks on three or preferably four (or also more than four) tool slides, in addition, the vibration transmission between the individual cold forming racks can be reduced so that the vibrations or oscillations occurring during the deformation of one workpiece by means of one tool pair only have less influence on the deformation of the workpiece by means of the respective at least one additional tool pair, whereby vibration-induced drawbacks can be reduced. Also, an influence due to thermal length changes can be reduced and can be compensated more simply due to the individual referencing or adjustment of the tool pairs.

In an embodiment the first cold forming racks of the two tool pairs or, alternatively, the second cold forming racks of the two tool pairs can be arranged on a common tool slide. The respective other cold forming racks are then arranged on an individual tool slide respectively. In doing so, the cold forming racks of each tool pair can be adjusted or referenced in longitudinal direction in order to adjust the respective reference positions.

In a further embodiment each cold forming rack is arranged on a separate individual tool slide. Therefore, an additional degree of freedom for the control of the movement of the tool slide is available. Another advantage of this arrangement is that mutual influences of the tool pairs (for example, due to vibrations, thermal length changes, etc.) are not transmitted along a common tool slide, and thus, a further improvement of the decoupling is achieved.

It is preferred that the control unit is configured to move the tool slides in longitudinal direction during the deformation of the workpieces, so that the first cold forming racks are temporally synchronously moved relative to one another and that the two second cold forming racks are temporally synchronously moved relative to one another. A temporally synchronous movement means that the movement of each tool slide starts concurrently and ends concurrently and as an option that the tool slides have the same movement speed at each point in time.

The cold forming racks of each tool pair can also be moved multiple times in longitudinal direction opposite to one another for deforming the workpieces (multiple strokes) and can thereby change the movement direction between two strokes.

It is advantageous if the control unit is configured to move the tool slides during deformation of the workpieces in longitudinal direction in a manner that all cold forming racks are moved about the same path lengths respectively.

Preferably, the tool slides are moved during the deformation so that the first cold forming racks are temporally synchronously commonly moved without changing their relative position in longitudinal direction and also the second cold forming racks are temporally synchronously moved relative to one another without changing their relative position in longitudinal direction. In other words, during the deformation no relative movement in longitudinal direction of the first cold forming racks relative to one another and no relative movement in longitudinal direction of the second cold forming racks relative to one another occurs.

If multiple tool slides are provided for the first cold forming racks or if multiple tool slides are provided for the second cold forming racks, the tool slides for the respective first cold forming racks or the tool slides for the respective second cold forming racks have a longitudinal distance to one another in longitudinal direction. This longitudinal distance is thus provided between two respective tool slides that are arranged on the same level with view in transverse direction. Due to this longitudinal distance, the tool slides are decoupled from one another and particularly not mechanically drivingly coupled.

The longitudinal distance between two adjacent tool slides can be less than the path length travelled during the deformation in an embodiment. The path length is the distance in longitudinal direction between an initial position of a cold forming rack prior to deformation and an end position of the cold forming rack after deformation.

In an advantageous embodiment the cold forming machine comprises a position sensor arrangement. The position-sensor arrangement has multiple position sensors that are configured to determine the position of each tool slide in longitudinal direction relative to a machine basis of the cold forming machine in direct or indirect manner and to transmit respective position sensor values to the control unit. The position sensors can be absolute measurement sensors or relative measurement sensors. A position sensor value can indicate the position of a tool slide relative to the machine basis directly or indirectly.

As an option, the position sensor arrangement can also be configured to detect the position of one or more tool slides in another spatial direction than the longitudinal direction, for example in transverse direction if the tool slide can be moved or positioned in another spatial direction.

It is additionally advantageous if the control unit is configured to determine the individual reference position for the assigned tool pair based on at least one pitch parameter of the profile to be produced or the produced profile on a workpiece and to set the individual reference position by means of a respective control of at least one drive unit in the context of the adjustment or referencing. The pitch parameter can thereby describe a set point value and/or an actual value and/or a deviation between the set point value and the actual value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure are derived from the dependent claims, the description and the drawing. In the following, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the attached drawing. The drawing shows:

FIG. 1 a schematic block diagram-like illustration of an embodiment of a cold forming machine having two tool pairs and three tool slides,

FIG. 2 a schematic block diagram-like illustration of an embodiment of a cold forming machine having two tool pairs and four tool slides,

FIG. 3 a schematic illustration of the tool slides and the two tool pairs during referencing or adjustment,

FIG. 4 an exemplary schematic illustration of the tool slides and the tool pairs during a deformation of two workpieces,

FIG. 5 a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a cold forming rack for the tool pairs of FIGS. 1 to 4, and

FIG. 6 a perspective illustration of an exemplary workpiece having a profile produced thereon by means of the cold forming machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIGS. 1 and 2 different embodiments of a cold forming machine 10 are illustrated in the type of a block diagram. The cold forming machine 10 is configured to produce a profile 13 on a workpiece 11, particularly a workpiece outer surface 12 of the workpiece 11 by means of cold forming (FIG. 6). The workpiece outer surface 12 is present on a cylindrical or hollow cylindrical section of the workpiece 11. Prior to deformation, the workpiece outer surface 12 extends coaxially to a workpiece axis W.

The produced profile 13 can be a toothing 14 or alternatively a thread. In FIG. 6 a spur toothing is illustrated by way of example as an embodiment of toothing 14. The teeth of this toothing extend parallel to the workpiece axis W. Alternatively, the toothing 14 can also be a helical toothing, wherein the teeth then extend obliquely relative to the workpiece axis W with view in circumferential direction around the workpiece axis W.

By means of the cold forming machine 10, concurrently multiple workpieces 11, for example two workpieces 11, can be deformed. For this purpose, the cold forming machine 10 comprises multiple tool pairs, according to the example a first tool pair 18 and a second tool pair 19. Each tool pair 18, 19 has respectively one first cold forming rack 20 and one second cold forming rack 21, wherein the cold forming racks 20, 21 extend in a longitudinal direction L. Orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L, in a transverse direction Q, the first cold forming rack 20 and the second cold forming rack 21 of a common tool pair 18, 19 are arranged with distance to one another.

In FIG. 5 an embodiment of a cold forming rack is schematically illustrated that can be used as first cold forming rack 20 and a second cold forming rack 21. The cold forming rack 20, 21 has a cold forming rack profile 22 having a multiplicity of cold forming profile teeth 23 arranged with distance to one another in longitudinal direction L. Two directly adjacent cold forming teeth 23 are separated from one another by a cold forming tooth gap 24. In FIG. 6, by way of example, only two of the cold forming profile teeth 23 are illustrated schematically. The cold forming rack profile 22 extends in longitudinal direction L along the entire cold forming rack 20, 21 as schematically illustrated by way of the dashed line and the dash-dotted line.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 the cold forming rack profile 22 comprises a run-in section 25, a central section 26 adjoining the run-in section 25 and a run-out section 27 adjoining the central section 26. The run-in section 25 is optional and can also be omitted and replaced by a respectively longer central section 26.

In the run-in section 25 the tooth height of the cold forming profile teeth 23 increases with view in transverse direction Q toward the central section 26. In the central section 26 the tooth height of the cold forming profile teeth 23 is constant. In the run-out section 27, the tooth height of the cold forming profile teeth 23 is constant and preferably as high as in the central section 26. While the tooth heads of the profile teeth 23 in the central section 26 are arranged along a common plane E extending in longitudinal direction L, the profile tooth heads of the profile teeth 23 are arranged with distance to this plane in the run-out section, whereby the distance from this plane E increases in the run-out section 27, the farther the cold forming profile tooth 23 is distanced from the central section 26 in longitudinal direction L.

In the embodiment the cold forming profile teeth 23 extend orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L in order to create the spur toothing illustrated by way of example in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the cold forming profile teeth 23 can also extend obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction L, for example if helical toothing shall be produced.

As additionally illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, each cold forming rack 20, 21 can be attached to an assigned tool slide 32 by means of a tool carrier 31, for example by means of a screw connection or another releasable connection. The cold forming racks 20, 21 are (according to the example indirectly or alternatively directly) releasably arranged on an assigned tool slide 32 and are arranged immovably relative to the respective tool slide 32.

The cold forming machine 10 has multiple tool slides 32. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the cold forming machine 10 has three tool slides 32 and in the embodiment according to FIG. 2, four tool slides 32. Each tool pair 18, 19, two separate tool slides 32 for the first cold forming rack 20 and the second cold forming rack 21 are assigned.

The tool slides 32 are individually movable in longitudinal direction. A rigid mechanical coupling between the present tool slides 32 does not exist. The movement control of the tool slides 32 can be individually set for each tool slide 32.

A separate individually controllable drive unit 33 is assigned to each tool slide 32. Each drive unit 33 can comprise a controllable electric motor, for example. The control of the drive units 33 for movement of the respectively assigned tool slide 32 in longitudinal direction L is carried out by means of a control unit 34 of the cold forming machine 10. For example, control unit 34 can be any electrical and/or electronic device configured for carrying out a control program and can, for example, comprise a micro-controller, a random access memory and a non-volatile data memory.

The control unit 34 creates a control signal Ai for each present drive unit 33. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, three drive units 33 are present, so that three individual control signals A1, A2, A3 are created. The embodiments of the cold forming machine 10 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 have four drive units 33, so that four individual control signals A1, A2, A3, A4 for each present drive unit 33 are created respectively. In doing so, it is possible to move each tool slide 32 in longitudinal direction L relative to a machine basis 35 by using control unit 34 and drive units 33.

The machine basis 35 is only schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by means of a dashed line. For example, the tool slides 32 can be arranged movably in longitudinal direction L on the machine basis 35 by means of a suitable rail guide or another suitable guide device.

In the embodiments illustrated here, cold forming machine 10 comprises a position sensor arrangement 38. The position sensor arrangement 38 is configured to detect the position of each present tool slide 32 in longitudinal direction L relative to a common reference system, for example the machine basis 35. In doing so, the absolute position of each tool slide can be determined.

The position sensor arrangement 38 can comprise multiple position sensors 39 that create one position sensor value Pi (i=1, 2, 3, 4) respectively. One separate position sensor 39 can be assigned to each individually movable tool slide 32. The position sensor 39 can be configured as absolute measurement position sensor or as relative measurement position sensor. The position sensors 39 can be arranged on an assigned tool slide 32 or on the machine basis 35 or can be part of the drive unit 33. For example, by means of an encoder of the electric motor of the drive unit 33, a movement and/or position determination of the assigned tool slide 32 can be realized.

The arrangement of the position sensors 39 of the position sensor arrangement 38 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is only exemplary and highly simplified. Depending on the number of individually movable tool slides 32 in the embodiments illustrated here, three or four position sensors 39 are present that create one position sensor value Pi respectively and transmit the latter to the control unit 34. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, three position sensor values P1, P2, P3 are provided to control unit 34, whereas in the embodiment according to FIG. 2, four position sensor values P1, P2, P3, P4 are provided for control unit 34.

The control unit 34 is configured to determine the position and movement of the tool slides 32 in longitudinal direction L, depending on the received position sensor values Pi and to control the position and movement by means of control signals Ai.

The control unit 34 is configured to carry out an adjustment or referencing for each present tool pair 18, 19 and to bring the first cold forming rack 20 and the second cold forming rack 21 of each common tool pair 18, 19 in a defined reference position Ri (i=1, 2). The reference position Ri is a relative position between the two cold forming racks 20, 21 of a common tool pair 18, 19 in longitudinal direction L. Relative to this reference position Ri, the cold forming racks 20, 21 move in longitudinal direction L about the same distance respectively and particularly synchronously and thereby opposite to one another.

Parallel to the longitudinal direction L each cold forming rack 20, 21 can be moved by means of the assigned tool slide 32 either in a forward direction F or in a backward direction B opposite to the forward direction F. The forward direction F and the backward direction B are one sense of direction of the longitudinal direction L respectively, so-to-speak. Starting from the adjusted reference position Ri, the second cold forming rack 21 is moved about a distance in forward direction F, for example if the first cold forming rack 20 of the same tool pair 18, 19 is moved about the same distance in backward direction B starting from the reference position Ri. The same applies also for movements with opposite sense of direction (forward direction F or backward direction B) parallel to the longitudinal direction L respectively.

Thus, by means of control unit 34 using the drive units 33, the respective reference position R1 for the first tool pair 18 and the reference position R2 for the second tool pair 19 can be individually adjusted. The referencing or adjustment of cold forming racks 20, 21 of the two tool pairs 18, 19 is only highly schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, for this purpose the tool slides 32 can be moved and positioned respectively on which the first cold forming racks 20 of the respective tool pairs 18, 19 are arranged. Additionally or alternatively, it would also be possible to move the tool slide 32 or the tool slides 32 on which the second cold forming racks 21 are arranged.

The control unit 34 can determine the reference positions R1, R2 based on the respectively detected position sensor values Pi. Due to the referencing of cold forming racks 20, 21 of a respective tool pair 18 or 19 relative to one another, it is guaranteed that the desired pitch of the profile 13 on the workpiece 11 is achieved with the required accuracy. Pitch errors during manufacturing of the profile 13 are reduced or eliminated.

Following the referencing, workpieces 11 can be deformed in order to create the profile 13 respectively (FIG. 4). Thereby the tool slides 32 carry out a movement in longitudinal direction L respectively, that is either in forward direction F or in backward direction B, so that the first cold forming rack 20 and the second cold forming rack 21 of each tool pair 18, 19 move oppositely. During the progress schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 the first cold forming racks 20 are moved in backward direction B and the second cold forming racks 21 are moved in forward direction F. The path length s that the tool slides 32 and thus the cold forming racks 20, 21 travel thereby have equal lengths.

During this movement of the cold forming racks 20, 21 in forward direction F or backward direction B, a workpiece 11 between first cold forming rack 20 and second cold forming rack 21 of each tool pair 18, 19 rolls on the facing cold forming rack profiles 22 of the two cold forming racks 20, 21 and thereby the desired profile 13 is produced by means of cold forming.

During the movement along the respective path length s cold forming racks 20, 21 can carry out one single stroke without changing direction or multiple subsequent strokes thereby changing direction between two subsequent strokes. The path length s thereby finally corresponds to the total path that a tool slide 32—or the cold forming racks 20 or 21 attached thereto—travel between an initial position prior to deformation and an end position after deformation. If a workpiece 11 is entirely deformed, the tool slides 32 or cold forming racks 20, 21 can be moved into the initial position again. New workpieces 11 can be supplied to cold forming machine 10 and can be deformed.

As schematically apparent from FIG. 4, tool slides 32 arranged on the same level in transverse direction Q are arranged with longitudinal distance d relative to one another. Thereby the longitudinal distance d between two directly adjacent tool slides 32 may be different, for example if more than two tool pairs and more than four tool slides 32 are present. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5 the two tool slides 32 carrying the first cold forming rack 20 respectively have a longitudinal distance d from one another and the tool slides 32 carrying the second cold forming racks 21 also have a longitudinal distance d relative to one another. The longitudinal distance d can be relatively small in order to limit the size of the cold forming machine in longitudinal direction L and to achieve a compact configuration. Particularly, it can be shorter than the total path length s that the tool slide 32 traveled during deformation of a workpiece 11 in longitudinal direction L. The illustration in FIG. 5 is thereby only schematic and not drawn to scale. The longitudinal distance d can also be only a fraction of the path length s, for example at most 50% or at most 30% or at most 15% of the path length s.

The adjustment or referencing is not required prior to deformation of each workpiece 11 with respective tool pair 18, 19. In principle, it is sufficient to carry out the referencing one time during setup of the cold forming machine for a type of workpiece to be deformed. This referencing during setup can be stored in the control unit 34 and does not have to be repeated when this type of workpiece shall be manufactured again.

As an option it is possible to check the profiles 13 produced on the workpieces 11, at least based on random selection, in order to determine whether the produced profile has a geometry within the predefined tolerances. If necessary, a correction of the respective reference position R1 or R2 can be carried out for one or both tool pairs 18, 19, in order to guarantee the quality of the profiles 13 created on the workpiece 11, particularly the compliance with the preset tolerances.

In an embodiment a pitch parameter T can be provided to control unit 34, wherein pitch parameter T describes a pitch of a profile 13 to be produced or a pitch of an already produced profile 13. Thus, the pitch parameter T can (directly or indirectly) indicate a set point value for the pitch and/or an actual value for the pitch on an already produced profile 13. For example, pitch parameter T can describe a deviation between a set point value and an actual value. Based on pitch parameter T, control unit 34 can determine the reference positions R1, R2 for the respective tool pair 18, 19 and can adjust the latter during referencing or adjustment.

It is clear that the pitch parameters that describe an actual value of a profile 13 produced on a workpiece 11 are only used for the determination of the reference position R1 or R2 of the concerned tool pair 18 or 19 with which the respective profile 13 has been created. If pitch parameter T refers to set point values, the same pitch parameter T can be used for both tool pairs 18, 19.

The present disclosure refers to a cold forming machine 10 having two tool pairs 18, 19 that comprise a first cold forming rack 20 and a second cold forming rack 21 for cold forming of a workpiece 11 respectively. The cold forming racks 20, 21 are movable parallel to a longitudinal direction L during deformation. Each cold forming rack 20, 21 is attached to an assigned tool slide 32. Each tool slide 32 can be moved and positioned in longitudinal direction L by means of an assigned drive unit 33. The drive unit 33 is controllable by means of a control unit 34. The control slides 32 can be individually positioned and moved in longitudinal direction L. Cold forming machine 10 comprises at least three individually movable tool slides 32. For setup of cold forming machine 10, the tool slides 32 and the cold forming racks 20, 21 of each tool pair 18, 19 attached thereon can be brought into a defined reference position R1, R2 in order to obtain the desired geometry of the profile 13 on the deformed workpiece 11 during the following deformation. The reference position R1, R2 can be corrected optionally during a series production of multiple workpieces 11 of the same type, if this is necessary due to external influences, such as thermal influences, tool variations from a desired tool shape or tool wear.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

• • 10 cold forming machine
  • 11 workpiece
  • 12 workpiece outer surface
  • 13 profile
  • 14 toothing
  • 18 first tool pair
  • 19 second tool pair
  • 20 first cold forming rack
  • 21 second cold forming rack
  • 22 cold forming rack profile
  • 23 cold forming profile tooth
  • 24 cold forming profile tooth gap
  • 25 run-in section
  • 26 central section
  • 27 run-out section
  • 31 tool holder
  • 32 tool slide
  • 33 drive unit
  • 34 control unit
  • 35 machine basis
  • 38 position sensor arrangement
  • 39 position sensor
  • Ai control signal (i=1, 2, 3, 4)
  • B backward direction
  • d longitudinal distance
  • E plane
  • F forward direction
  • L longitudinal direction
  • Pi position sensor value (i=1, 2, 3, 4)
  • Q transverse direction
  • Ri reference position (i=1, 2)
  • S path length
  • T pitch parameter
  • W workpiece axis