GB2172829A

GB2172829A - Feeding embossing presses

Info

Publication number: GB2172829A
Application number: GB08606890A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerd Vasel
Original assignee: L Schuler GmbH
Current assignee: L Schuler GmbH
Priority date: 1985-03-23
Filing date: 1986-03-20
Publication date: 1986-10-01
Also published as: GB8606890D0; DE3510698A1; GB2172829B; DE3510698C2

Abstract

When embossing articles 2 are fed to the embossing station (4 Figure 1) of an embossing press (1), the embossing articles 2 are subjected to high acceleration and braking. When embossing articles 2 are separated from a stacking magazine 20 by means of a feed slide 21 and transferred to a feed plate 10, to prevent the feed plate 10 or its receiving region (receiving pockets 14) from damaging the underside of the particular embossing article 2 at the bottom, and prevent the feed plate 10 itself from being damaged on its topside, a shim 22 fastened exchangeably to the stacking magazine 20 is used. The shim 22 covers the range of movement of the separating slide 21 and has an orifice 30 for the passage of the embossing article 2 moved by the separating slide 21. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Feeding Embossing Presses The invention relates to an apparatus for separating embossing articles and feeding them to an embossing press, with a feed plate rotatable in steps about a vertical axis of rotation, a stacking magazine in the region of and above one of several receiving pockets attached peripherally to the feed plate, and a separating slide arranged cooperatively between the stacking magazine and the feed plate, the feed plate and separating slide being actuated in time with the embossing press.

Before and after embossing, embossing articles must be transported in such a way that their surface is protected. Because of the high number of embossing strokes of the embossing press (output), the embossing articles are accelerated and braked sharply in the transfer regions. The driving parts required for transport move at high speeds relative to one another and relative to the embossing articles and undergo wear as a result of contact with the embossing articles.

German Offenlegungsschrift 2,346,810 described an apparatus of the type mentioned above, in which the stacking magazine is attached so that its orifice coincides with the receiving pocket located under it when the feed plate stops. To prevent rubbing marks on the underside of the transported embossing articles, caused by the topside of the table, low-friction cable coverings are provided.

However, the topside of the feed plate rubs against the underside of the particular embossing article to be conveyed first, this being subjected to the total weight of the stacked embossing articles. Another disadvantage is that lighter receiving pockets surrounding the embossing articles elastically cannot be used, since because of the arrangement and design of the receiving pockets the surface of the feed plate is interrupted to an even greater extent in the feed regions of the embossing articles.

An embossing press with an apparatus of the type mentioned in the introduction is also known from German Patent Specification 85,647. A camcontrolled separating slide is assigned to each receiving pocket, which at the same time is designed as an embossing ring, for receiving embossing articles from a stacking magazine. When the feed plate stops, the stacking magazine is arranged so as to partially cover the embossing ring located underneath. Because of the large total mass to be moved, it is not possible to achieve a high output with the apparatus. The feed plate, the embossing ring and the table rub against the embossing articles. The causes of surface damage to the embossing articles and the feed plate, which has already arisen on this apparatus, have hitherto been eliminated only partially.

It is an object of the invention to make it possible to prevent surface damage to the embossing articles during their passage through the press and damage to the topside of the feed plate, and to make it possible to use lighter materials for making the feed plate and the other movable constructional elements.

According to the invention there is introduced between the separating slide and the feed plate a shim fixed to the apparatus frame and having a passage orifice which matches the orifices of the receiving pocket or, if appropriate, matches the embossing articles, and which essentially coincides with the orifice of a receiving pocket located under it when the feed plate stops.

The preferred features of claims 2 and 3 are advantageous embodiments within the scope of the invention.

Advantages of the invention emerge from the low-mass construction and the substantially high output (up to 700 embossing strokes per minute).

The embossing articles can be fed, oriented in position, into the receiving pockets in the feed plate.

There is no need at all for guide means for polygonal embossing articles in the region of the feed plate, since the embossing articles fall from above into the orifices of the receiving pockets.

The invention will be described below with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an apparatus according to the invention in a sectional representation corresponding to the section indicated by the section line I-I in Figure 2, Figure 2 shows a plan view of the apparatus according to the invention, Figure 3 shows an enlarged representation of the separating region of the embossing articles with a separating slide and shim, in a sectional representation, Figure 4 shows a representation similar to that of Figure 3, with the separating slide shifted into the transfer postion and Figure 5 shows a plan view of the illustration in Figure 3.

An embossing press 1 indicated in Figure 2 has an embossing station 4 between two press stands 3 for the embossing station 4 between two press stands 3 for the embossing of embossing articles 2. The embossing station 4 is formed by an embossing die 5 which consists, among other things, of two shaped parts. A feed plate 10 served for feeding embossing articles 2 to the embossing station 4. The feed plate 10 is adjustable in single rotary steps by means of a motor, step-controlled if appropriate, or the embossing-press drive via a gear 6. The feed plate 10 is located above a table plate 13 and is provided with receiving pockets 11 which have orifices 14 corresponding to the shape of the embossing articles 2.The receiving pockets 11 are produced, for example, from a hard plasctic and can be fastened releasably to a middle part of the feed plate 10 or can be exchanged together with this when the embossing press 1 is reset. Located in front of the embossing station 4, as seen in the direction of rotation of the feed plate 10, is a separating device for the embossing articles 2 with a stacking magazine 20. Individual embossing articles 2 are fed, for example oriented, to the stacking magazine 20 via a feed shaft 25. As illustrated particularly in Figures 3 to 5, the stacking magazine 20 is arranged offset radially outwards approximately half the outer dimension of the embossing articles 2 relative to the orifice 14 in the receiving pockets 11 and relative to the axis of rotation 12 of the feed plate 10.A separating slide 21 and a shim 22 are arranged between the underside of the stacking magazine 20, also open at the bottom, and the topside of the feed plate 10. The separating slide 21 is movable towards the axis of rotation 12 of the feed plate 10 and away from this via a cam control 26 and a carriage 27 moved by the cam control 26.

The separating slide 21 has an orifice 29 which corresponds to the shape and size of the embossing articles 2 and which, when the separating slide 21 is retracted from the axis of rotation 12 according to Figure 3, coincides with the orifice or filling shaft 24 in the stacking magazine 20, so that the particluar embossing article 2 at the bottom can fall into the orifice 29. When the separating slide 21 is advanced towards the axis of rotation 12, the orifice 29 is located above the orifice 14 of a receiving pocket 11, so that the embossing article 2 moved by the separating slide 21 can fall into this receiving pocket 11. The movement of the feed plate 10 must be Synchronised with the movement of the embossing stroke of the embossing press 1, and the movement of the separating slide 21 must be synchronised with the movement of the feed plate 10.The shim 22 covers the range of movement of the separating slide 21 and is fastened rigidly, for example, to the underside of the stacking magazine 20 (so as to be fixed to the apparatus frame). A passage orifice 30 of a shape and size corresponding to those of the embossing articles or of the orifice 14 in the receiving pockets 11 is made in the shim 22. The passage orifice 30 and the shim 22 and the orifice 14 in the receiving pockets 11 coincide with one another. When the embossing die 5 is changed, the stacking magazine 20, separating slide 21 and shim 22 must be exchanged together with the feed plate 10 or the receiving pockets 11. After the embossing operation, the shaped embosing articles 2 are fed to the discharge shaft 15.

It will be understood that "embossing articles", in the present description and claims, embraces blanks or workpieces which are to undergo embossing.

It will also be understood that the invention has been described above purely by way of example, and that various modifications of detail can be made within the ambit of the invention.

Claims

1. Apparatus for separating embossing articles and feeding them to an embossing press, comprising a feed plate rotatable in steps about a vertical axis of rotation, a stacking magazine so mounted as to be disposed in the region of and above one or another of a plurality of receiving pockets disposed around the periphery of the feed plate, and a separating slide arranged operatively between the stacking magazine and the feed plate, the feed plate and separating slide being actuated in time with the embossing press, wherein there is interposed, between the separating slide and the feed plate, a shim fixed to the frame of the apparatus and having an orifice whose outline matches the orifices of the receiving pockets and/or the embossing articles, the shim's orifice and the orifice of a receiving pocket located under it being in coincidence when the feed plate stops after one of its rotation steps.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stacking magazine and that receiving pocket which is below the stacking magazine when the feed plate stops after one of its rotative steps are so offset with respect to one another that the shim's orifice overlaps the receiving pocket completely and overlaps the filling shaft of the stacking magazine at least partially.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the shim covers the range of movement of the separating slide between the stacking magazine and the feed plate, and is extended, in the direction of the vertical axis of rotation of the feed plate, beyond the orifice of a receiving pocket located under it.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.