CA2332952A1 - Method and device for transferring fixing elements to punching heads - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transferring fixing elements to punching heads (20) in a press (10), for pressing into plate-shaped workpieces (18), for example in the production of shaped sheet parts. Said fixing elements are transferred especially in transfer tools, being guided to the press (10) by a conveying device or a sorting and conveying device (26) via a guiding element (30) such as a guide channel, guide tube or guide rail. The transfer system is characterised in that the fixing elements are transported by the conveying device or the sorting and conveying device (26) into the lower part of a tool (16) or the upper part of a tool (12) of the press and optionally, once they have been transferred to the other tool part, i.e. the upper part of the tool (12) or the lower part of the tool (16), are transported into a distributor station (38) which feeds the elements to the individual punching heads (20).
The invention also relates to devices for transferring fixing elements to punching heads (20).

Description

L

A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR THE TRANSFER OF
FASTENER ELEMENTS TO PUNCHING HEADS
The present invention relates to a method for the transfer of fastener elements to punching heads in a press for the pressing of fastener elements into plate-like workpieces, for example, in the manufacture of shaped sheet metal parts, in particular in transfer tools, in which the 1o fastener elements are led to the press from a conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus via a guide, for example in the form of a guide passage, a guide hose or a guide rail, in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 and to methods and apparatus in accordance with claims 8, 9, 10 and 26.
The term punching head is to be understood here as a generic term for all working heads which serve for the insertion of fastener elements or other elements into or onto sheet metal parts and does not necessarily mean that the sheet metal is pierced. A required piercing of the sheet metal part 2o could, for example, have been effected earlier so that the punching head is to be understood as a setting head. Working heads are also known where a joint made by a forming technique is effected between an element and a sheet metal part or between two sheet metal parts without piercing the sheet metal part(s).
A method of the first said kind is frequently encountered in the sheet-metal working industry.

The direct supply of elements, in particular into the upper parts of transfer tools, causes serious problems as the feed hoses can often collide with feed arms or robot arms. This problem area is discussed in more detail in the specific description with reference to Figures 27, 28.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method of the kind initially mentioned and corresponding apparatus or devices which simplify the supply of fastener elements to a press without any substantial technical cost or complexity, which largely avoid collision problems and 1o which work reliably so that breakdowns are largely avoided.
In order to satisfy this object method-wise, provision is made in a method in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 for the fastener elements to be conveyed into a distributor station after transfer to the receiving unit, i.e.
to the other respective tool, and with the distribution station supplying the fastener elements to the individual punching heads.
Since a plurality of punching or setting heads located in the press are supplied with fastener elements via a guide coming from a conveyor apparatus, or a sorting and conveyor apparatus, and via a distributor station receiving fastener elements from this guide, with the distributor station being arranged in the vicinity of the press, the number of guides coming from the conveyor apparatus or the sorting and conveyor apparatus can be reduced to a minimum (one guide for each fastener element type provided). These can be installed in such a way in accordance with the invention that they do not collide with feeder arms or robot arms.

In known press arrangements, the punching or setting heads can be arranged on the upper tool of the press, on the lower tool of the press or on an intermediate platen of the press. Any intermediate platen present can also be seen as an upper tool of the press if it cooperates with a lower tool to insert fastener elements into a sheet metal part lying therebetween.
In the same way, an intermediate platen can be seen as a lower tool if it cooperates with an upper tool of the press to insert fastener elements into a sheet metal part lying therebetween. It is particularly favorable to arrange the distributor station on or adjacent to the upper tool of the press, or on or adjacent to the lower tool of the press, depending on where most of the punching heads it has to feed are located. As a rule, it is favorable to arranged the distributor station on the upper tool of the press and the guide for the supply of the fastener elements from the conveyor or sorting apparatus to the distributor station then takes place in the lower region of the press, that is to a transfer station at the lower tool of the press.
As a result of the position of the guide for the supply of the fastener elements from the conveyor or sorting apparatus predetermined in this way, the guide can, for example, be kept out of the movement region of a transfer beam responsible for the transfer of the workpieces into or within the transfer press. Nor, as a rule, does this position hinder the movement of feeder arms or robot arms. It would, however, also be feasible to direct the corresponding guide for the supply of fastener elements from the conveyor apparatus or the sorting and conveyor apparatus so that it is always located above any moving parts. This design would be advantageous in accordance with the invention if the distributor station were positioned on the lower tool of the press or on the intermediate platen and the transfer station provided in accordance with the invention on the lower tool of the press or on the intermediate platen. Furthermore, such a guide could be of benefit if the fastener elements are to be guided directly to a distribution station located on the upper tool of the press, i.e.
without any transfer station arranged therebetween.
When, in contrast, the distributor station is located on the lower tool of the press, the guide supplying the fastener elements to the press can also be arranged in the floor area and coupled directly to the distributor 1o station there, i.e. also without any transfer stations arranged therebetween.
The most preferred arrangement, however, is an arrangement in which the distributor station is arranged on or in the region of the upper tool of the press and the guide for the elements to be supplied to the press is arranged within the lower region of the press. With such an arrangement, it is particularly favorable if - in accordance with the invention - the elements coming from the conveyor apparatus or the sorting and conveyor apparatus are supplied to a transfer device in the lower tool of the press 2o which, in the closed state of the press, cooperates with a receiving or transfer device on the upper tool of the press and takes care of the transfer of elements to the receiving device and to the distributor station connected thereto in this closed state.
The use of a distributor station on the upper tool of a press is known per se, for example, from US A-5,360,137 or EP-A-0691177. However, in these publications, no transfer is effected between the lower and upper tools of the press.

Reference should be made here to DE-A-4343154 or the supplementary application DE-A-4422708. These documents substantially disclose a method and an apparatus in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 or 5 with claims 8, 9 and 10. Fastener elements are here led from the receiving station directly into a punching head and not into a distributor station.
In these documents, the transfer from the transfer device to the receiving device is effected in the horizontal direction, in contrast to the preferred to embodiments of the present invention where the transfer is effected in the vertical direction.
The vertical transfer is to be preferred over the transfer in a horizontal direction for a variety of reasons.
During transfer in a horizontal direction, the fastener elements move transversely to the closing and opening direction of the press. The transfer device and the receiving device, which are necessarily coupled to the parts of the press moving toward or away from one another, however, separate as a rule in a vertical direction in the opening direction of the press, i.e.
perpendicular to the direction of movement of the elements. The present invention recognized for the first time that these two different movements, i.e. the movement of the nut elements in a horizontal direction on the one hand and the movement of the transfer unit and the transfer device away from one another in a vertical direction on the other, can lead to operational problems in borderline cases where a fastener element is neither reliably transferred from the transfer unit at the transfer position nor reliably held by the receiving unit and can therefore fall out of the track, which can lead to substantial disturbances of the operation of the press and to serious damage to the tools or even the press. It is actually very difficult, if not impossible, to exclude such borderline cases with these two different directions, particularly when it is considered that all fastener elements have tolerances so that in the case of elements below or above the nominal size, these do not necessarily assume the respective expected positions in the supply device and can even pass through especially provided retaining or gate mechanisms. A similar difficulty can occur when the length of the element column in a flexible guide hose 1o cannot be precisely predicted due to movements or expansions of the hose.
Even though such borderline cases occur relatively rarely, one single breakdown is a catastrophe as the press and the tools associated therewith are very expensive, particularly when the press in question is a large press which has to work continuously to amortize the corresponding investments. In addition, the customer, i.e. the company accepting the sheet metal parts processed in the press, is, as a rule interested in receiving precisely predetermined manufactured quantities in good time ("just-in-time" method) so that unexpected breakdowns in press operation also mean substantial difficulties in this connection and make it necessary as a precaution to keep buffers stores and stock products which, however, are in turn not justifiable from an economic viewpoint.
It has been recognized that this risk is substantially lower with the vertical transfer of the fastener elements in accordance with the present invention as the receiving device and the transfer device separate in the same direction as the elements move. On the one hand, this arrangement can be realized so that more time is available for the transfer of the elements, which is of advantage in particular when a plurality of elements are to be transferred at the same time. The agreement of the two directions also prevents the fastener elements from being subjected to forces which can lead to a titling of the elements so that the possibility of losing an element due to tilting is also no longer given.
Furthermore, the possibility exists to retain or lock the fastener elements on two sides in the transfer device and likewise to grip or hold the to elements in the receiving unit by two opposite sides, and these two opposite sides can, for example, be arranged offset by 90° with respect to the sides where the elements are gripped, held or retained by the transfer unit. This cannot be realized with a transfer in a horizontal direction, since if the position of a fastener element is not secure for one reasons or another, the "struggle" thus created between the respective gripping or retaining devices will have an uncertain outcome and so the loss of the element from the guide passage must be feared. The risk of such a loss is substantially lower when, in accordance with the invention, the fastener elements are transferred in the same direction as the receiving unit and 2o the transfer unit move apart as the press opens. This idea could even go so far as to provide a telescopic tube between the transfer unit and the receiving unit, whereby any loss of the elements during transfer would be avoidable. Such a telescopic arrangement would, however, not be possible with a horizontal transfer as the telescopic tube would be destroyed by the opening movement of the press.

Particularly preferred embodiments of the method in accordance with the invention and the apparatus in accordance with the invention can be seen from the dependent claims.
The invention is described below in more detail by way of examples with reference to the drawings, in which are shown:
Fig. 1 a partially schematic representation of a press with a tool-changing carriage;
to Fig. 2 a partially schematic representation of the, top view of a distributor station which is used in the press in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 a control panel used for the electrical control of the supply system shown in Fig. 1 for fastener elements from the sorting and conveyor apparatus up to the punching heads and for the synchronization of the operations relative to the working movement of the press;
2o Fig. 4 the press of Fig. 1 in the closed state;
Fig. 5 a schematic representation of a part of the press of Fig. 1 in an embodiment with a horizontal transfer of the fastener elements in the opened state of the press;
Fig. 6 the arrangement of Fig. 5 in the closed state of the press;

Fig. 7 a drawing of a part of a press in accordance with Fig. 1 with a vertical transfer of the fastener elements in the opened state of the press;
Fig. 8 a cross-section through the arrangement of Fig. 7 according to the sectional plane VIII-VIII of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 a plan view in the direction of the arrow IV of Fig. 7;
Fig. 10 a plan view in the direction of the arrow X of Fig. 8;
Fig. 11 a representation corresponding to Fig. 7, but in the partially closed state of the press;
Fig. 12 a cross-section corresponding to the section plane XII-XII of Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 a cross-section corresponding to the section plane XIII-XIII of Fig. 11;
Fig. 14 a plan view of a distributor station having four output passages as concrete embodiment of the distributor station in accordance with Figs. 1 or 2;
Fig. 15 a representation similar to Fig. 14, but with schematically drawn fastener elements to better represent the functioning of the apparatus;

Fig. 16 a cross-section at the section plane XVI-XVI of Fig. 14;
Fig. 17 a cross-section at the section plane XVII-XVII of Fig. 14;
5 Fig. 18 a side view of an alternative embodiment in accordance with the invention of a distributor station having initially vertically directed output passages;
Fig. 19 a cross-section corresponding to the section plane XIX-XIX of 1 o Fig. 19;
Fig. 20 a perspective and schematic representation of an alternative distributor station in accordance with the invention having a rotatable drum;
Fig. 21 a cross-section drawing corresponding to the section plane XXI-XXI of Fig. 20;
Fig. 22 a schematic representation of a transfer system in accordance 2o with the invention having a sorting and conveyor apparatus separate from a tool-changing carriage;
Fig. 23 a top view of a two-track transfer and receiving device;
Fig. 24 a schematic sectional drawing corresponding to the section plane XXIV-XXIV in Figure 23;

Fig. 25 a schematic plan view of a two-track punching head which receives fastener elements from the receiving device of Figures 23 and 24;
Fig. 26 a schematic sectional drawing through the two-track punching head of Figure 25 corresponding to the section plane XXVI-XXVI of Figure 25;
Fig. 27 a schematic end view of a large press known per se; and Fig. 28 a schematic sectional drawing through the large press of Figure 27 corresponding to the section plane XXVIII-XXVIII.
Fig. 1 shows at 10 an upper tool 12 fastened to the plunger 14 of the press and with 16 a lower tool attached to the tool-changing carriage 24 of the press. A shaped sheet metal part 18 is located on the lower tool 16 and fastener elements can be inserted into it using a plurality of punching or setting heads 20. Only one of the punching and setting heads 20 is shown in Fig. l, although four are present in this embodiment, as can be 2o seen from Fig. 2. This means that each time the press is closed, i.e. the upper tool 12 travels to the lower tool 16, four fastener elements of the same kind can be pierced or pressed into the shaped sheet metal part 18.
Dies, which are arranged beneath the shaped sheet metal part in the lower tool 16, and which cooperate in a known manner with the setting heads 20 in order to allow the insertion or punching of the fastener elements when the press is closed, are not shown in this representation.

The press can, for example, be a so-called transfer press. When the press is opened again as part of the automatic working cycle, a transfer beam 22 ensures that the shaped sheet metal part 18 is moved forward to the next workstation in the transfer press or discharged. The insertion, transfer and/or removal of the sheet metal formed part can be effected by means of a robot or a feeder instead of a transfer beam. The transfer beam 22 is shown in two positions, once with solid lines and once with broken lines to indicate the movable arrangement of the transfer beam. The tool-changing carriage 24 carries a sorting and conveyor apparatus in this 1o embodiment which is generally characterized by the reference numeral 26.
This above conveyor system for joining elements also includes a control panel which is shown schematically at 28 in Fig. 3. Conveyor and sorting apparatuses are known per se and ensure that fastener elements are fed into a guide 30 in the correct position from a store. The concrete embodiment of the sorting and conveyor apparatus is not important here.
This can be selected as desired. The preferred embodiment is the modular sorting and conveyor apparatus of Profil Verbindungstechnik GmbH 8v Co.
KG, which is described in German patent application 197 09 714.6, the 2o content of which is hereby incorporated into the disclosure content of the present application. When the elements are supplied to the conveyor apparatus in the correct position, for example in the form of a chain of aligned fastener elements, a conveyor apparatus alone can be used instead of a sorting and conveyor apparatus.
It can be seen from Fig. 1 that the guide 30 - realized in this case as a guide hose - leads to a transfer device 32 in the lower region of the press beneath the moving device 22 and that this transfer device 32 is fastened to the lower tool 16 of the press. A receiving device 34 is located directly above the transfer device 32 and aligned therewith. It communicates with a distributor station via a conveyor hose 36. Both the receiving device 34 and the distributor station 38 are fastened to the upper tool 12 of the press 10.
Four guide hoses 40 go from the distributor station to the respective punching or setting heads 20.
1o To minimize setting periods, the tool-changing carriage 24 is fully loaded with tools and a sorting and conveyor apparatus 26 before it comes under the press 14. The elements are conveyed from the sorting and conveyor apparatus to the element transfer device 32 at the lower tool part 16 via the guide 30, shown here in the form of a guide hose, but also realizable as a guide passage or a guide rail, and is transferred from there to the receiving station 34 as the press closes and forwarded to the distributor station via the guide 36. The distributor station 38 then supplies the individual punching or setting heads with fastener elements via the guides 40.
The invention also comprises arrangements where no distributor station is provided, but rather the transfer and receiving device or the take-over device supply the fastener elements to an individual working head 20 or setting or punching head.
The closed state of the press, in which the transfer device 32 and the receiving device 34 of the press are moved up to or into one another and in which the punching and setting heads 20 have come into contact with the shaped sheet metal part, is shown in Fig. 4. It has actually been discovered in accordance with the invention that it is much less problematic to supply the fastener elements to the lower tool 16 and to transfer them to the upper tool during the stroke movement of the press 10.
As already described, the individual components of the transfer system for the fastener elements are connected to one another by conveyor hoses or other guides.
When the press 10 is put into operation, it is first closed and takes up a stationary position at the bottom dead center. All guide passages 30, 36, 40 and the passages inside the transfer device 32, inside the receiving device 34 and the distributor station 38 and inside the punching and setting head 20 are filled with fastener elements, both in the lower tool 16 and the upper tool 12. Once this has been done, the conveying pressure is removed from the sorting and conveyor apparatus, which can be effected via a control signal from the control panel, which communicates with the control of the press 10 via corresponding lines and thus is always aware of 2o the operating status of the press. Thereafter, the press can be operated in automatic mode. Each time the press is located in the region of the bottom dead center, the feed is switched on and elements transferred to the upper tool as required.
It is also possible for supply passages not to be completely filled with elements, but for a joining element to be shot through the supply passage to the distributor station or directly to the punching head, or for a plurality of elements, to be transferred by means of single shots following shortly one after the other every time the two halves of the transfer unit are joined in the region of the bottom dead center of the press.
The nature of this transfer is now described in more detail by way of a first 5 embodiment in accordance with the invention with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
The embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6 relates to a horizontal transfer of the fastener elements. The receiving device 34 is fastened to the upper tool 12 l0 and connected here in this version directly to the distributor station 38.
It is also feasible for the transfer station to be connected to the distributor station via a supply passage.
A feed unit 42 having a feed finger or member 44 is located in the 15 receiving unit 34. The feed member 44 is biased forward in the direction of the distributor station 38 by means of a power source 46, which is realized here, for example, as a compression spring, but could also be replaced by a pneumatic or even hydraulic biasing device. A driver 48, for example in the form of a pin projecting laterally out of the feed unit, is located on the feed unit 42. During the downward movement of the press, i.e. when the press is closed, this driver 48 comes into contact with a control edge 50 on the lower tool 16 of the press. The driver is moved horizontally away from the distributor station 38 due to the inclined position of the control edge 50 and in this way loads the feed device so that the compression spring 45 assumes a compressed position in accordance with Fig. 6. It can be seen that no a clear distance is provided between the feed member 44 and the distributor station 38.

It is shown that the feed member 44 is made as a finger which is positioned pivotally around the pivot axis 52 and which is retained in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 by a biasing spring 54. This arrangement of the feed member allows the free end of the finger to press flexibly into the row of fastener elements 56 when the press is closed. The row of fastener elements 56 is, as can be seen from the representation of Fig. 5, hindered from exiting the supply passage 60 of the transfer device 32 by a spring-loaded catch 58 when the press is open. This catch is raised in the closed state of the press in accordance with Fig. 6, which can also be l0 effected by the traveling together of the press, and the driver 48 is aligned horizontally with a horizontal guide 62 so that the biased spring 46 now moves the feed member 44 to the left together with a number of fastener elements (four in Figs. 5 and 6) and transports the corresponding number of fastener elements into the distributor station 38 in the closed state of the press. Then the press opens again. The driver 48, which has now reached the position of Fig. 5 with respect to the distributor station 38, is now located in alignment with a vertical guide passage 64. Then the press opens again. On passing the upper end of the control edge 50, the driver 48 raises up a pivotable lever 66 which then falls back into the state of 2o Fig. 5 so that the starting position in accordance with Fig. 5 again obtains and the next operating cycle of the press can be carried out with a new workpiece 18. In other words, the lever 66 prevents the driver from moving in an unwanted manner downwardly along the guide 64, instead of moving along the inclined control edge, when the press is closed. In other words, with the embodiments of Figs. 5 and 6, a feed unit 42 is located in the upper tool which is loaded by a control edge 50 during the downward movement of the press. The feed unit relaxes in the region of the bottom dead center of the press and pushes a row of fastener elements 56 located in a storage passage 60 of the transfer device 32 in the lower tool into the distributor station 38. The storage passage 60 contains in each case at least so many elements as are consumed in the distributor unit per stroke of the press. The storage passage 60 is closed by the spring-loaded catch 58 which opens automatically at the bottom dead center of the press.
The half of the transfer unit arranged in the upper tool is resiliently mounted relative to the upper tool so that the upper and lower halves of the transfer device are in contact during the movement time required for to the resilient compression and extension path. The transfer time is therefore proportional to the compression and extension path.
A vertical transfer of the fastener elements is also possible in accordance with the invention. A corresponding embodiment, the best embodiment known to the inventors, is described in more detail below with reference to Figs. 7 to 13.
Fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-section through the transfer device 32 and through the receiving device 34 in a plane corresponding to the plane of 2o the drawing in Fig. 1.
Fig. 8 shows a cross-section according to the plane VIII-VIII in Fig. 7.
Figs. 7 and 8 show the transfer device 32 and the receiving device 34 in the opened state of the press.
The row of fastener elements 56 coming from the sorting and conveyor apparatus 26 via the hose 30 extends through the transfer device 32 to its upper end. Here, two spring-loaded catch levers 70, 72 are provided which are pivoted at the respective pivot axes 74 or 76 and which are pressed in a direction toward one another by respective leaf springs 78, 80. The hook-shaped ends of the spring-loaded catch levers 70, 72 prevent the fastener elements 56 from leaving the upper end of the open guide passage 82 of the transfer device 32. The guide passage 82 thus represents, so to say, the extension of the hose 30 which is fastened in a spring-biased cylinder 84, with the cylinder 84 being displaceably arranged inside a corresponding bore 86 in the mounting housing 88 of l0 the transfer device 32. The corresponding springs 90, which bias the cylinder 84 upwardly, can be seen from the drawing of Fig. 8 and, schematically, from the drawing of Fig. 9.
Respective transverse pins 92, 94 provided at the upper ends of the spring-loaded catch levers 70, 72 can be pressed apart by corresponding control edges 96, 98 of the receiving device 34 when the press is closed in order to free the path for the further conveying of the fastener elements 56.
2o It can be seen from the upper part of the representation of Fig. 7 that the receiving device has a guide passage 100 which is aligned with the conveyor hose 36 of Fig. 1. Both the guide passage 100 and the convey hose 36 are filled with fastener elements 56 in this representation.
It is, however, also possible for individual elements to be shot through the supply passage in the period when the two halves of the transfer device are connected.

Fig. 8 shows, as already mentioned, a section through the drawing of Fig.
7 corresponding to the section plane VIII-VIII. It can be seen from this that the receiving device 34 has two spring-loaded gripping means 102, 104 which are respectively pivotally hinged around pivot axis 106,108 and are biased by a respective compression spring 110, 112 so that they are biased toward one another at the lower end. This prevents the fastener elements 56 falling out of the guide passage 100 of the receiving device 34.
At the same time, they have the function of ensuring that elements which almost leave the retaining region of the retaining fingers 70/72 directly to before the separation of the two halves of the transfer device are gripped and transported away with the upper half of the transfer device. It can be reliably ensured in this way, in accordance with the invention, that no fastener elements are lost during transfer, which would be dangerous as it could lead to a breakdown in the press works, i.e. the fastener elements are either reliably held back by the catch levers 70/72 or they are gripped reliably by the gripping means 102, 104, pulled out of the catch levers and retained by the gripping mains for the next press cycle until the next transfer and are only transferred into the guide 36 then under the conveying pressure. The screws 114 serve for the fastening of the receiving 2o device 34 to the upper tool 12.
The fastener elements 56 are only shown in the partially cut-away state.
In this example, they are the RND nuts of Profil. They could, however, by any type of fastener elements.
Fig. 10 shows the gripping means 102, 104 of Fig. 8 from below in the direction of the arrow X.

Figs. 11 and 12 show the same cross-sections as Figs. 7 and 9, but in the partially closed state of the press. Here, the spring-loaded catch levers 70 and 72 are pressed apart from one another by the respective control edges 96, 98 so that the fastener elements can now be pressed out of the guide 5 passage 82 of the transfer device 32 into the guide passage 100 of the receiving device 34 under the conveyor pressure.
The functional sequence in operation of the apparatus in accordance with Figs. 7 to 12 is as follows:
Setting up is performed in the closed state of the tool (see Figs. 11, 12, and 13). In this process, the receiving device 34 and the transfer device 32 move into one another. Fastener elements 56 are conveyed until all the passages in the upper and lower parts of the press are filled with fastener elements. The spring-loaded gripping elements 102, 104 in the receiving device 34 are controlled here by the conveying pressure of the element column. The spring-loaded catch levers 70, 72 in the transfer device 32 are opened by the control edges 96, 98 of the receiving device. As soon as the loading cycle is completed, the conveying pressure is removed, for 2o example by switching off the sorting and conveyor apparatus 26. The upper and lower tools 12 and 16 are moved apart from one another. The topmost element 56 in the transfer device 32 is pulled out of the catch levers 70, 72 by the gripping means 102, 104 of the receiving device 34. A
loss of fastener elements from the guide passage 82 is prevented by the spring-loaded catch levers . Equally, the bottommost element cannot fall out of the receiving device 34 as this is prevented by the spring-loaded gripping elements 102, 104.

Every time the tool closes, the required number of fastener elements 56 is resupplied. The element transfer is cushioned (by the spring 90) in the lower tool 16 so that the transfer can take place over a corresponding travel path of the upper tool of the press and a sufficiently long period is available for the element transfer. This means that no restriction in the operating speed of the press is required for the element transfer. The press can rather continue to run at its maximum available speed.
A first embodiment of a distributor station in accordance with the invention is now discussed with reference to Figs. 14 to 17. As before, the conveyor hose coming from the receiving device is characterized by the reference numeral 36; only the end of the conveyor hose 36 associated with the distributor station 38 is shown here. The hose 36 is connected to the distributor station 38 via a quick-action coupling 120, known per se.
In the connected state, the passage of the guide hose 36 is aligned with an inlet passage 122 of the distributor station which - as can be seen in Fig.
15 - is filled full of fastener elements. The distributor station 38 of Figs.

to 17 has four outlet passages 124, 126, 128, 130 which open into respective conveyor hoses 40 in accordance with Fig. 2; only the inlet ends of the hoses 40 are shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 17.
The further design of the distributor station 38 can be seen from the following description of the figures.
The hose coupling 120 is fastened to the inlet side of the distributor station 38. In the embodiment shown here, this is done at the right-hand side of the distributor station 38. This, however, is made in symmetrical form so that the quick-action coupling 120 could also be connected to the left-hand side of the distributor station, as shown schematically by the reference numerals 121 on the left-hand side of Fig. 15. The fastener elements 56 coming from the hose 36 are pushed via the quick-action coupling 120 (or 121 respectively) into the inlet passage 122 of the distributor stations 38; this is usually done under the conveying pressure originating from the sorting and conveyor apparatus 26 in the closed state of the press.
Slides 132 (Fig. 17) arranged transversely to the inlet passage 22 to distribute the elements into the individual outlet passages 124 to 130 as required, with respective slides 132 being provided for each outlet passage 124 to 130. The actuating force for the slides 132 arises via the respective pneumatic actuating cylinders 134, 136, 138 and 140. Hydraulic cylinders or other drive devices such as servomotors could be used instead of pneumatic cylinders. The selection of the actuating device is effected via a corresponding control which is appropriately synchronized with the press control or controlled by this.
Three conditions have to be met before a cross slide 132 is actuated. First, 2o the inlet passage 122 must be completely filled with elements. Second, the respective outlet passages 124-130 must at least have room for one further element. Third, no or only a slight pressure should be exerted on the fastener element row in the inlet passage.
When the cross slide 132 is actuated, one or more fastener elements 56 are pushed into the respective outlet passage (126 in Fig. 17) via a spring-actuated blocking latch 142. The blocking latch 142 is hinged pivotally at 144. The spring bias is characterized by the reference numeral 146. The blocking latches 142 have two functions: they ensure, on the one hand, that the elements remain in the outlet passages and they prevent, on the other hand, a lateral breaking out of the fastener elements on insertion into the inlet passage.
Each outlet passage 124-130 has its own feed unit 148 which is responsible for the further transportation of the fastener elements 56.
Each feed unit comprises a pneumatic cylinder 150 which pushes the fastener elements 56 in the direction of the outlet, i.e. in the direction of the respective conveyor hose 40, via a spring-loaded rocker lever 152. The reference number 154 indicates the pivot axis of the rocker lever 52 and is attached to a carriage 158 movable in the axial direction 156 of the pneumatic cylinder 150. The spring bias is generated by the compression spring 160. The reference numeral 162 shows the actuating rod of the pneumatic cylinder 150 which is connected to the carriage 158, which can be moved to and fro.
When the piston rod 162 is extended, the carriage 158 and the spring-loaded rocker lever 152 is downwardly displaced in Fig. 17, whereby the fastener elements 56 are conveyed into the hose 40 in front of the rocker lever 152. The displacement is effected step-wise in accordance with the control of the pneumatic cylinder 150, which could here also be replaced by a hydraulic cylinder or an electric drive. The rocker lever 152 cannot pivot further in a clockwise direction around the pivot axis 154 in the representation in accordance with Fig. 17 as this is prevented by the carriage 158. Once the carriage 158 has reached the lower end of the distributor station (Fig. 17), the pneumatic cylinder 150 is put in reverse and the carriage 154 returns to the starting position adjacent the inlet passage. In this return movement, the rocker lever 152 can turn counterclockwise under the compression of the compression spring 160 and thus slide past the column of the fastener element 56.
It should be noted at this point that the apparently vertical arrangement in accordance with Figs. 14, 15, and 17 is only given by the drawn representation. In actual fact, this embodiment is usually operated horizontally (although any other arrangement should not be excluded), i.e.
the outlet passages 124-130 are horizontal and not vertical as might erroneously be assumed from the drawing.
The distributor station 38 has a modular design, i.e. it comprises a starting module 164 and an end module 166 (Fig. 15) with a desired number of intermediate modules 168 of which two are provided in Fig. 15.
As a result, any number of distributor stations 38 can be set up or expanded in line with the desired number of punching or setting heads, i.e. in line with the desired number of outlet passages 124-130.
If the conveying pressure is taken away during the supply of fastener elements 56, the element column tries to relax. For this reason, a pressure piece 170 is provided which prevents the row of fastener elements from moving back out of the distributor station 38.
Another embodiment in accordance with the invention of the distributor station is shown in Figs. 18 and 19. The manner of operation of this embodiment is analog to the distributor station 38 in accordance with Figs. 14 - 17, which is why corresponding reference numerals have been used for corresponding parts, a practice which is used for all embodiments of the present invention, so that parts which occur a number of time need only be described once. It is to be understood that the previous description also applies to other embodiments having the same components with corresponding reference numerals. Above all, the 5 following differences over the embodiment of Figs. 14-17 can be found:
First, in the embodiment in accordance with Figs. 18 and 19, the supply of the fastener elements is effected from the horizontal inlet passage 122 vertically into the respective outlet passages 124 to 130. These outlet 1o passages are not only arranged vertically, but also curved so that they extend horizontally at the outlet end, which can be seen for the outlet passage 128 from Fig. 19.
The fastener elements 56 are not pushed pneumatically into the individual 15 outlet passages 124-130, but fall into the respective outlet passages as a result of gravity, supported by spring-loaded pressure pieces 180, provided that a pneumatically actuated blocking slide 120 frees the corresponding outlet passage, for example 128.
2o The compression spring for the pressure piece 180 is indicated by the reference numeral 128. When the inlet passage 122 is being filled, the pressure piece 180 (one pressure piece per outlet passage) is pushed slightly upwardly under the filling and/or conveying pressure and in this way compresses the corresponding spring 182. When the blocking slide 25 182 is opened, the respective spring 182 relaxes and pushes the pressure piece 180 slightly downwardly, whereby the corresponding fastener element is given an impulse which assists the conveyance into the respective outlet passage. This arrangement has the further advantage that the pressure piece 180 has not moved downward somewhat and so prevents adjacent fastener elements, which are actually in the inlet passage 122, but not aligned with the outlet passage 128, from falling out into the passage. The displacement of the fastener elements inside the inlet passage 122 can only be effected when a corresponding pressure is exerted from the outside, for example via the hose 136.
Feed devices 148 are located at the lower end of the outlet passages 124-130 and basically have the same design and function as was discussed in 1o connection with the embodiment in accordance with Figs. 14-17 with reference to the parts 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160 and 162. As the function is identical here, it will not be discussed again. The distributor station 38 also has a modular design in the embodiment in accordance with Figs. 18 and 19, i.e. it has a starting module 164 and an end module 166 and two intermediate modules 168.
A third version in accordance with the invention of a distributor station is shown in Figs. 20 and 21. Here, the distribution of the elements 56 is carried out with the aid of a rotatable drum 186 which is turned or 2o selected stepwise by a servomotor 188. As can be seen from Fig. 21, the rotatable drum 186 in this embodiment has four inlet passages 122 which each have the required number of fastener elements 56. There need not necessarily be four inlet passages; rather, any number of inlet passages can be provided in line with the construction conditions. Here, again, the outlet passages 124-130, of which only the outlet passage 130 is shown in Fig. 21, are first arranged vertically and then change via a curved region to the horizontal where they are aligned with the inlet ends of the respective conveyor hoses 40.

Provided that the rotatable drum 186 has brought an inlet passage 122 into alignment with the outlet passages 124-130, the elements can fall into the outlet passages under their own weight. as soon as the blocking slide 182 is opened after selection by the pneumatic actuating cylinder 183. The actuating cylinder 183 need not operate pneumatically; it can also operate hydraulically or be replaced by another drive, for example an electric drive.
l0 The further transportation of the fastener elements into the respective conveyor hoses 40 is effected by respective feed units 148, which are identical to the corresponding units in Fig. 19, i.e. are designed similar to the feed units of Fig. 17, so that these units are no longer described here.
The housing 188 of the distributor station 38 can be attached to the upper tool 12 of the press by lugs. The square housing 188 can also be attached to the lower tool 16 via the same lugs, or to an intermediate platen of the press.
2o A supply passage 192, which can communicate with the hose 36 (not shown) via a quick-action coupling, is located at the face 190 of the housing. The individual inlet passages 122 are filled one after the other with the desired number of fastener elements in the corresponding position of rotation of the rotatable drum via said supply passage 192.
Finally, Fig. 22 shows an arrangement which is very similar to the arrangement in accordance with Fig. 1. The only difference is that here the sorting and conveyor apparatus 26 is not located on the tool-changing carriage, but as a stand-alone unit outside the protective guard 194 of the press.
It should be pointed out here that the individual components of the embodiments described up to now are seen as inventive and useful on their own. For example, the transfer device 32 and the receiving device 34 can communicate directly with an individual setting head such as 20 via a guide such as 36 in only one single setting head is present. This means that the distributor station is not necessarily required. In other words, the distributor station does not have to be used in combination with the transfer device 32 and the receiving device 34.
If, as is easily possible, the distributor station 38 is fitted on the lower tool 16, the conveyor hose 30 can be guided directly into the distributor station 38 from the sorting and convey or apparatus 26 or fastened thereto via the quick-action lock 120. The transfer device 32 and the receiving device 34 are then superfluous. This also applies if the distributor station is fastened to the upper tool 12 and the conveyor hose 30 is guided to the upper tool 12, which is also feasible.
While only nut elements have been shown in the prior description of the drawings, the invention can equally be used with bolt elements or even other elements which may be used with a punching or setting head. In the embodiments shown, there is always a so-called pushing feed from the sorting and conveyor apparatus to the punching and setting heads via the conveyor hoses.

However, a so-called shooting feed could equally be provided which is often used with bolt elements. The shooting feed is used in this case to bridge the long transfer distance from the sorting and conveyor apparatus up to the transfer device or to the distributor station. In this case, for example, either a shooting feed or a pushing feed is used from the supply passage of the distributor station to transport the bolt elements to the individual punching and setting heads.
Another example of an arrangement for the vertical transfer of fastener io elements is now described with reference to Figs. 23-26.
Figures 23 and 24 show the cooperation in a plan view and in a schematic cross-section of a transfer device 300 with a receiving device 302 designed for the vertical transfer of elements in accordance with the invention.
These two devices are made with two tracks in this example, i.e. they comprise two supply passages 304 arranged next to one another for, in this example, nut elements 306. The reference numeral 308, which can be seen twice in Figure 23, indicates two separate guide hoses which come from dual track sorting and conveyor apparatus which cannot be seen in 2o Figure 23, but which is known per se and which can be made, for example, in accordance with the above-mentioned German patent application 19709714.6 of Profil Verbindungstechnik GmbH 8s Co. KG.
The supply hoses 308 are fastened in the fastening unit by means of pins 310. Only one of the supply hoses 309 is visible in Figure 24 due to the sectional drawing. The reference numeral 312 of Figure 24 shows a supply hose which guides the nut elements 306 from the receiving device 302 to the punching and setting head 314 of Figures 25 and 26. As can be seen from these figures, two supply hoses 312 are also provided as the punching and setting head 314 is also made with two tracks, which will be described in more detail below.
The transfer device 300 in this example is again fastened to the lower tool 5 of the press or to the tool-changing carriage 316, while the receiving device 302 is fastened to an intermediate platen 318 of the press. The intermediate platen 318 is displaceably guided on guide columns such as 320 which extend between the upper plate 317 of the press and the lower tool.
The apparatus is shown in the closed position in Fig. 24, i.e. the press is also closed. As the press opens, the transfer device 300 and the receiving device 302 separate at the center at the separation line 315 below the cross slide 328 to be described below and above the cross slide 344 also to be described below, and the guide column 320 moves out of the transfer device 300. The separation of the receiving device 302 from the transfer device 300 and the removal of the guide column 320 from the transfer device 300 is continued until a sufficient spacing has been created through which the sheet metal part or corresponding gripping means 2o moving it can pass between the transfer device 300 and the receiving device 302 without hindrance.
The transfer device 300 has a control slide 322 with an inclined control edge 324 for each track. As the press closes, the control slide 322 engages in the cross slide 328 of the receiving device 302 biased by a compression spring 326 and cooperates there with a corresponding inclined surface 330 so that as the press closes, the intermediate platen stroke is sufficient to remove the cross slide from the path of the nut via the two cooperating inclined surfaces 324 and 330 of the control slide 322 and of the cross slide 328. When the press is open, this cross slide 328 actually prevents the nut elements 306 from falling down and out of this path. This can be prevented by the cross slide 328 either blocking the guide section 334 itself with its nose or by clamping a nut element tightly on the opposite wall of the guide section and thus blocking the guide section.
The receiving device 302 has a corresponding control slide 336 for each track and these, in turn, have an inclined control surface 338 which to cooperates with the cross slide 344 of the transfer unit 300 also biased by a compression spring 342. The cross slide 344 ensures, in correspondence with the function of cross slide 332, that when the press is open, the supply passage of the transfer device is blocked so that nut elements 306 cannot be pressed out of the passage in an unwanted manner by the conveying pressure of the conveyor apparatus.
As indicated, two control slides 336 and 322 having corresponding cross slides 332 and 344 respectively, which are arranged directly above one another so that no free elements between them can be lost, are present for 2o each passage. That is, the transfer and receiving device have a modular design and by using the modular construction, a plurality of tracks 304 can also be arranged next to one another. It is important that when the press is in the open state, the cross slides 328 and 344 block the vertical fastener element passage sections 334 and 346 respectively of both the transfer device 300 and the receiving device 302, but that when the press is closed, the cross slides 341 and 351 move out of the respective sections 334 and 346 of the guide passage, as soon as it has been ensured that the lower passage section 346 is aligned with the upper passage section 334 and opens directly into this, so that fastener elements cannot be lost in the transfer from the transfer device to the receiving device. The transfer device and the receiving device remain in contact with one another for a sufficiently long time via the cushioned intermediate platen for the nut elements to be transferred reliably. That is, this contact is not present for only a moment when the press is at bottom dead center, but for longer.
The advantage is also present here of the spring-biased cross slides 328 and 344 reliably blocking the respective passage sections 334 and 346 l0 and preventing nut elements 306 from being lost during the vertical transfer. As the guide passage sections point in the same direction as the press tools move toward and away from one another, a state is automatically avoided in accordance with the invention in which nut elements 306 are tilted during transfer, which represents one main reason for an element being lost during the transfer.
The cushioned intermediate platen here also ensures that sufficient time remains for the transfer of the required number of elements 306, even though the press is only closed at bottom dead center for a moment, i.e.
the transfer time can be selected for a sufficiently long time by exploiting the cushioned intermediate platen.
Although the conveying pressure in the conveyor hoses 308, 312 could also be used to insert the fastener elements into the dual track punching and setting head 313, an auxiliary feed is preferably provided there which can readily be seen in Figure 26. The apparatus here is made similar to the apparatus 42 of Figures 5 and 6, but is built here onto the punching and setting head 314 and has the reference numeral 346. More specifically, it is a power source, shown here as a spring 348, which attempts to push forward a feed member 350. The feed member 350 engages in this example in the bore of a nut element 306 and exerts a force directed towards the plunger 352 of the punching and setting head 314 onto the row 354 of the nut elements in front of the plunger 352. The feed member 350 hinged at 356 is prevented from pivoting clockwise from the position shown in Figure 26 by the arm 358. If the forward feed movement is ended and if the power source 348 relaxes again, which can be effected by hydraulic or pneumatic means, or pneumatically via an to operating cam 360, which slides on an inclined control edge (not shown) during the press stroke movement. The feed member 350 is then moved to the left in Figure 25 when the feed source is loaded and can rotate counterclockwise so that it can slide over the surface of the row of nut elements. This counterclockwise movement of the feed member 350 is permitted by the spring 362 which is compressed during this movement by the projecting arm 358 of the feed member. By attaching this supply device directly to the setting head, the advantage is achieved of the nut elements being reliably positioned beneath the plunger 352 during every stroke of the press. After another loading of the power source, the feed 2o member 350 pivots back into the position pushing the nut forward due to the force of the spring 362.
The operation of the punching and setting head 314 is not the prime object of the present invention and is well known per se. What is of interest here is that two plungers 352 and 354' are arranged closely next to one another and that the bias of the sheet metal hold-down device 364 associated with the punching head is supplied by a biasing device 366 for the two plungers. This arrangement allows two nut elements 306 to be inserted into the sheet metal part 368 closely next to one another. The sheet metal part is supported beneath the plungers 352 and 354 by a corresponding die 370 in the lower tool 372 off the press. The punching head 314 is fastened to the intermediate platen 318 here. It can also be seen in Figure 26 that the end 374 of the conveyor hose 312 opposite the receiving device 302 is connected to the supply passage 378 of the feed unit 346, i.e. of the punching and setting head 314, via a quick-action coupling 376.
l0 In this device, a nut element in each supply passage 378 is pushed forward during every press stroke and the power source, i.e. the spring 346, is reloaded with every press stroke.
Finally, Figures 27 and 28 show the arrangement known per se of a large press. Such presses are used, for example, to manufacture a whole side panel 410 of a motor car body of sheet metal of up to 4 m in length from sheet metal parts 408. The large press comprises a plurality of columns 400 arranged in pairs which connect the press lower part 402 to the press upper part 404. A drive 406, shown here as a crank drive, serves to move the upper tool 412 of the press up and down. The lower tool 414 is mounted on a tool-changing carriage 416 and the tool-changing carriage also carries lateral guide devices 418 for transfer beams 422 which are fitted with gripping means 423 and serve to move the incoming sheet metal parts 408 from one station of the large press to the next, as shown in Figure 28 by the arrow 424. In the representation of Figure 28, the sheet metal part is moved through the press in the direction of the arrow 426, this being done between six work stations 428, 430, 432, 434, 436 and 438, with an intermediate station 4440 being arranged in the center of the press. A transfer takes place here from the transfer device 422, 423 of the stations 428 - 432 to the transfer device 422, 423 of the stations 434 - 438. The sheet metal part then exits the press at the station 442 and the outline of the side panel 410 of a car can be seen here lying on the 5 pallet 444 and being capable of removal from the region of the press for further use. The side panels 410 on the pallets 444 are only connected to the sheet metal circumference at a few points or are already completely separated therefrom.
1o A second set of tool-changing carriages 416 can be seen on the left-hand side of the press; these can be pushed into the press as a whole by a movement in the direction of the arrow 446 transverse to the longitudinal direction of the press (in accordance with arrow 424). The tool-changing carriages which are present in the stations 428, 430, 432, 434, 436 and is 438, must naturally be removed from the press beforehand, as is shown by the arrows 448. The sorting and conveyor apparatuses 450 are preferably also mounted on the tool-changing carriage 416 in a large press. This arrangement is only shown for the last work station as fastener elements are normally only attached in the last work stations as 20 the sheet metal part assumes its final shape there and the elements can be positioned accurately since the flowing of the sheet metal has been concluded.
It can be seen from the description how the to-and-fro movement of the 25 transfer beams 422 having gripping means 423 in accordance with the arrow of 424 make the supply of fastener elements more difficult, because the movement of the transfer carriages with the corresponding gripping means and sheet metal parts would collide with the supply lines for the fastener elements were it not for the invention. For this reason, the attachment of the sorting and conveyor apparatus and of the transfer device to the lower tool of the press or to the tool-changing carriage in accordance with the present invention is a very advantageous solution for a large press. A supply of fastener elements from outside the press is anyway hardly possible as the need exists to replace the tool-changing carriages with the corresponding tools from time to time, either because servicing or repairs are necessary or because a new set of tools are to be used, for example for a different sheet metal part. The tool-changing carriages 416, which wait to the left of the press in Figure 28, comprise not only the lower tools 414, but also the upper tools which are automatically taken up and raised by the upper plate of the press on traveling into the press region. This also represents a hindrance to guiding hoses and the like to the upper tools of the press from the outside. It should also be mentioned that such large presses essentially run fully automatically, persons are not allowed in the region of the large press and the operation of the large press is usually secured against intrusion by light barriers.
2o Even when the transfer device is best arranged at the lower tool of the press in a large press, there are certainly other press arrangements where attachment to the upper tool is meaningful.
The reference symbol 454 indicates the floor of the press hall and the reference symbol 456 characterizes the foundation bearing the press.
While Fig. 27 shows the state after the changing of the first set of tools 412, 414 on the tool-changing carriage 416 in the direction of the arrow 448, Fig. 28 shows the state before such exchange. A new set can be inserted in the direction of the arrow 458 of Fig. 28 while the press is still working. The "old" set is moved out in the direction of the arrow 406. The drive 406 can be realized as a common drive for all work stations.

Claims (41)

Claims

1. A method for the transfer of fastener elements (56) to punching heads (20) in a press for the pressing of fastener elements into plate-like workpieces, for example in the manufacture of shaped sheet metal parts (18), in particular in transfer tools, in which the fastener elements are led to the press from a conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) via a guide (30), for example in the form of a guide passage, a guide hose or a guide rail, with the fastener elements (56) being conveyed from the conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) into a transfer device (32) at the lower tool (16) or upper tool (12) of the press (10) and transferred into a receiving device (34) on the other respective tool (12 or 16), characterized in that after the transfer into the receiving device (34), i.e. to the other respective tool, the fastener elements are conveyed into a distributor station (38) which feeds the fastener elements (56) to the individual punching heads (20).

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the transfer to the other respective tool (12, 16) takes place when the press (10) is closed, i.e. is at the bottom dead center.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that when the press (10) is put into operation, it stops at bottom dead center and all passages (30, 60, 82, 100, 36, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 140) located in the lower tool (16) and upper tool (12) are filled with fastener elements (56).

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that after the filling of the said channels (30, 60, 82, 100, 36, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 140), the press (10) is operated in automatic mode and the required refilling of fastener elements (56) is carried out as required when the press (10) is in the region of the bottom dead center.

5. A method in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastener element transfer is carried out from the lower tool (16) to the upper tool (12).

6. A method in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastener element transfer takes place in the vertical direction.

7. A method in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastener element transfer takes place in the horizontal direction.

8. A method for the transfer of fastener elements (56, 306) to punching heads (20, 314) in a press for the pressing of fastener elements into plate-like workpieces, for example in the manufacture of shaped sheet metal parts (18, 368), in particular in transfer tools, in which the fastener elements (56, 306) are led to the press from a conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) via a guide (30, 308), for example in the form of a guide passage, a guide hose or a guide rail, with the fastener elements (56, 306) being conveyed from the conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) into a transfer device (32, 300) at the lower tool (16, 316) or upper tool (12, 318) of the press (10) and transferred into a receiving device (34, 302) on the other respective tool (12, 318 or 16, 316), characterized in that the fastener element transfer from the transfer device (32, 300) to the receiving device (34, 302) takes place in the vertical direction, i.e. in or opposite to the closing direction of the press.

9. An apparatus for the transfer of fastener elements (56, 306) to punching heads (20, 314) in a press for pressing into plate-like workpieces (18, 368), for example in the manufacture of shaped sheet metal parts (18, 368), in particular in transfer tools, in which the fastener elements (56, 306) are led to the press (10) from a conveyor apparatus or sorting and convey or apparatus (26) via a guide (30, 308), for example in the form of a guide passage, a guide hose or a guide rail, with the fastener elements (56, 306) being conveyed from the conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) into a transfer device (32, 300) at the lower tool (16, 316) or upper tool (12, 318) of the press (10) and transferred into a receiving device (34, 302) on the other respective tool (12, 318 or 16, 316), characterized in that the fastener element transfer from the transfer device (32, 300) to the receiving device (34, 302) takes place in the vertical direction, i.e. in or opposite to the closing direction of the press (10), preferably in the at least substantially closed state of the press, and in that a guide device (36, 312) leads from the receiving unit (34, 302) to a distributor station (38) or to a punching head (314).

10. An apparatus for the transfer of fastener elements (56) to punching heads (20) in a press (10) for pressing into plate-like workpieces (18), for example in the manufacture of shaped sheet metal parts (18), in particular in transfer tools, in which the fastener elements (56) are led to the press (10) from a conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) via a guide (30), for example in the form of a guide passage, a guide hose or a guide rail, with the fastener elements (56) being conveyed from the conveyor apparatus or sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) into a transfer device (32) at the lower tool (16) or upper tool (12) of the press (10) and transferred into a receiving device (34) on the other respective tool (12,or 16), characterized in that the fastener element transfer from the transfer device (32) to the receiving device (34) takes place in the horizontal direction, i.e. transversely to the closing direction of the press, and in that a guide device (36) leads from the receiving device (34) to a distributor station (38) arranged on a lower tool (16) or on an upper tool (12) or on an intermediate platen of the press (10) and in that the distributor station feeds the fastener elements to the individual punching heads (20).

11. An apparatus in accordance with one of claims 9 to 10, characterized in that the receiving device (34) is a power-loaded, preferably spring-loaded, feed unit (42) which is opened when the press is closed so that a predetermined number of fastener elements available in a guide (60) of the transfer device (32) come in front of a feed member (44) of the feed unit (42) and in that a power source (46) is provided which, in the closed state of the press, allows the feed element (44) to move forward and thereby insert the predetermined number of elements into the distributor station (38).

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the receiving device (34) is connected directly to the distributor station.

13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11 or claim 12, characterized in that the power source is a compression spring (46).

14. An apparatus in accordance with one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the stressing of the feed unit (42) is effected by a leading edge (50) which cooperates with a driver (48) coupled to the feed member (44) when the press (10) is closed and thereby stresses the power source (46) and in that, in the closed state of the press (10), the feed member engages behind the predetermined number of elements in the transfer device (34) and the driver (48) moves into alignment with a horizontal guide (62) and thus allows a forward-directed feed movement of the feed member (42) under the action of the power source (46), whereby the given number of elements can be pressed into the distributor station (38).

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 and, optionally, with claim or claim 11, characterized in that a spring-loaded catch (70, 72) blocks the feed passage (82) of the transfer device (32) for the fastener elements (56) at its front end and in that a device (96, 98) is provided which opens this spring-loaded catch (70, 72) in the closed state of the press (10) to release the predetermined number of elements.

16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9 and claim 15, characterized in that the receiving device (34) and the transfer device (32) are moved into one another in the closed state of the press.

17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15 or claim 16, characterized in that the receiving device (34) has spring-loaded gripping means (102, 104) which are selected by the conveying pressure of the fastener elements (56) in the transfer device (32).

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the transfer device (32) has spring-loaded catch levers (70, 72) as the catch which are opened by means of a control edge (96, 98) when the receiving device (34) and the transfer device (32) move into one another.

19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 17, characterized in that the receiver device (34) is designed in such a way that the gripping means (102, 104) pull the uppermost fastener element (56) in the transfer device (32) out of the spring-loaded catch levers (70, 72) when the press is opened (10).

20. An apparatus in accordance with claim 18 or claim 19, characterized in that the transfer device (32) has a spring-loaded cylinder which carries the spring-loaded catch lever (70, 72) and which is pressed downward when the press (10) is closed and which is moved along with the receiving device (34) over a predetermined path when the press is opened to make available a sufficiently long time for the fastener element transfer without slowing down the operating speed of the press.

21. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that a cross slide (344) is provided in the transfer device (300) which blocks the feed passage (308, 346) for the fastener elements (306) in the opened state of the press, in that a control slide (332) is provided in the receiving device (302) which blocks the guide channel (334, 312) when the press is open, in that the receiving device has a control slide (336) which removes the cross slide (238) of the transfer device (300) from the guide passage (346) when the press is closed, and in that the transfer device (300) has a control slide (322) which removes the cross slide (328) of the receiving device (302) from the guide passage (334) when the press is closed, with the cross slide (328) of the receiving device (302) and (344) of the transfer device (300) being biased in the direction of the positions blocking the guide passages (334 or 346) preferably by a spring (326 or 342).

22. An apparatus in accordance with claim 21, characterized in that it is made with multiple tracks, with each track being fed from one respective guide device (308) which comes from a respective sorting and conveyor apparatus, preferably modular in design, and in that respective control slides and cross slides (322, 334 and 336, 334 respectively) are provided for each track of the transfer and receiving devices.

23. An apparatus in accordance with one of the preceding claims 9 to 22, characterized in that a respective feed unit (346) for the fastener elements (306) is provided at the punching head (314).

24. An apparatus in accordance with claim 23, characterized in that the punching head (314) is also made with multiple tracks with a separate plunger (352, 354) for each feed track.

25. An apparatus in accordance with one of the preceding claims 21 to 24, characterized in that the respective receiving and transfer device (300, 302), such as the punching head (314), are made in modular form and in that a common sheet-metal hold down device (364) can also be provided in the event of a punching head (314) of a modular design.

26. A distributor station (38), in particular, but not exclusively, for use with an apparatus in accordance with one of the preceding claims 8 to 21, characterized in that the distributor station has a feed passage (122) to receive a predetermined number of fastener elements (56), in that a plurality of output passages (124, 126, 128, 130) are arranged transverse to the feed passage (122) and lead to a respective punching or setting head (20) and in that a corresponding slide (132) arranged transversely to the feed passage (122) is provided for each output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) and in each case pushes one fastener element (56) into the associated output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) in accordance with the operating cycle of the press.

27. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, characterized in that a blocking latch (142) is provided for each output passage (124, 126, 128, 130), with one element in each case being capable of being pushed into the respective output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) via the spring-actuated latch (142) when the corresponding cross slide (132) is actuated.

28. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26 or claim 27, characterized in that the distributor station (38) is made in modular form and is made up of a start module (164) and an end module (166) and a desired number of intermediate modules (168), with each module (168) includes the corresponding slide (132).

29. An apparatus in accordance with one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that a feed unit (148) is associated with each output channel and is responsible for the further transportation of the fastener elements (56) to the respective punching or setting head (20).

30. An apparatus in accordance with claim 29, characterized in that the feed unit (148) for each output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) has a pneumatically actuated, spring-loaded rocker lever (152).

31. An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, characterized in that the output passages (124, 126, 128, 130) of the distributor station (38) have at least one substantial component in the vertical direction and the fastener elements (56), optionally supported by spring-loaded pressure members (180), fall into the respective output passages (124, 126, 128, 130) as a result of gravity, optionally after freeing of the output passages, through an actuable blocking slide (182).

32. An apparatus in accordance with one of claims 26 to 31, characterized in that a proximity switch (184) is provided to monitor the filled state of the respective output passages (124, 126, 128, 130).

33. An apparatus in accordance with claim 31, characterized in that each output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) is adjacent to a guide passage (40) leading to the respective punching or setting head and in that a feed apparatus (148) is provided having a pneumatically actuated, spring-loaded rocker lever (152) for each guide passage (40) to move the fastener elements (56) located in the guide passage (40)on further in the direction of the punching or setting head (20).

34. An apparatus in accordance with one of the preceding claims 9 to 21, characterized in that the distributor station has a rotatable drum (186), which is controllable by a servomotor (188), and has a plurality of receiving passages (122) which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the rotatable drum and into which a predetermined number of fastener elements (56) can be fed, with a respective receiving passage (122) being aligned with the output passages (124, 126, 128, 130) at least in some operating positions of the rotatable drum (186) and in that a blocking slide (182) is provided for each output passage and retains a fastener element (56) in the respective receiving passage of the rotatable drum (186) in the closed state, but allows the corresponding fastener element (56) to fall into the associated output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) in the opened state.

35. An apparatus in accordance with claim 34, characterized in that a proximity switch (184) is associated with each output passage as a control on the filled state.

36. An apparatus in accordance with claim 34 or claim 35, characterized in that each output passage (124, 126, 128, 130) is adjacent to a guide passage (40) leading to the respective punching or setting head and in that a feed apparatus (148) is provided having a pneumatically actuated, spring-loaded rocker lever (152) for each guide passage (40) to move on the fastener elements (56) located in the guide passage (40) on further in the direction of the punching or setting head (20).

37. An apparatus in accordance with one of the preceding claims 9 to 36, characterized in that a tool-changing carriage (24) is provided which carries a tool (16) to be inserted into the press and a conveyor apparatus or a sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) for the corresponding elements.

38. An apparatus in accordance with claim 37, characterized in that the conveyor apparatus or the sorting and conveyor apparatus (26) is not located on the tool-changing carriage (24), but as a stand-alone unit outside the protective guard (194) of the press.

39. A receiving device (34, 302) in accordance with one of claims 9 to 38, in particular, but not exclusively, for use with a distributor station (38), for example for direct use with a punching or setting head (314).

40. A transfer device (32, 300) in accordance with one of claims 9 to 38, in particular, but not exclusively, for use with a distributor station (38), for example when the receiving device (302) is provided for direct use with a punching or setting head (314).

41. An apparatus, in particular in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sorting and conveyor apparatus, which aligns the fastener elements and conveys them to a transfer device, is mounted on a tool-changing carriage.