GB2406557A

GB2406557A - Dispenser apparatus for metallic cutting rule

Info

Publication number: GB2406557A
Application number: GB0323249A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Michael Starkie; Gregory Fontaine
Original assignee: M P AUTOMATION Ltd
Current assignee: M P AUTOMATION Ltd
Priority date: 2003-10-04
Filing date: 2003-10-04
Publication date: 2005-04-06
Also published as: GB0323249D0

Abstract

For safe and efficient supply of steel rule to a die production machine, a housing 10 for holding a stack of steel rule cassettes arranged one above the other is mounted onto a post 20 or other frame element and is slidably adjustable in height thereon by hydraulic means 44-48. The post 20 is mounted upon a base 30 to which wheels 32 are fitted in such a manner as to allow movement only along a fixed line of travel.

Description

DISPENSER APPARATUS FOR METALLIC CUTTING RULE

This invention concerns dispenser apparatus for metallic cutting rule.

Dies for cutting carton blanks are produced from various types of metallic cutting rule. Generally this is a continuous length of steel rule which has a cutting blade along one edge and which is sufficiently flexible to be stored in the form of a roll or coil. It is cut to length, notched and folded to a required die configuration.

Nowadays these operations can be carried out in an automated process using apparatus such as that available from SDS USA Inc. and described in their US patent specifications 5,787,750; 5,870919; 6,128,940 and 6,405, 574.

A safe and efficient manner of supplying steel rule to such a die production machine is required.

Steel rule as used in die production is available in several different grades, namely different alloy specifications, different heights and thicknesses and with different blade angles. The most common height used is 23.8mm, but several others are possible, ranging from 12mm to 100mm. Dies for different purposes may need to be produced from different grades of steel rule. It is therefore desirable to be able to supply these, as required, to a die production machine, with minimum loss of operating time and minimum requirement for intervention by operatives. Also operatives need to be kept safe from possible contact with the very sharp blade.

A known steel rule dispenser comprises a housing in which rolls (coils) of rule are stored in respective cassettes mounted one above the other. The free end of a roll is drawn out and into a die production machine. The housing is mounted on an upright post and can be raised and lowered or moved from side to side relative to the post by an electronically powered mechanism so that a cassette is at the correct position for feeding rule into the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide steel rule, or more generally metallic cutting rule, dispenser apparatus which is improved as regards the efficiency of supply of stock to an automatic die production machine. A further object is to provide for storage and dispensing of steel rule, or more generally metallic cutting rule, in a manner which is improved as regards the safety of operatives who load the dispenser or facilitate its operation.

Pursuant hereto the invention provides dispenser apparatus for metallic cutting rule comprising a housing mounted onto a frame, a plurality of cutting rule cassette support means arranged above each other inside the housing, and hydraulic means operable to adjust the height of the housing relative to the frame.

Use of hydraulic means to lift or lower the housing is less prone to breakdown and is safer than use of an electronically operated mechanism.

The housing will typically be in the form of a large open sided box, having a front, a rear, and respective sides. As a safety measure, to minimise access to bladed steel rule coils inside the housing, closure panels are preferably provided at its respective sides and front, and optionally also at its rear, at either side of the its mounting to the frame.

Steel rule coils are always presented blade uppermost and they may be supplied coiled clockwise or anti-clockwise. Therefore, to enable any coil held within the dispenser to be fed from the right hand side or the left hand side of the front of the dispenser the closure panel at the front conveniently closes off only a central section of the front so that an open margin remains adjacent each side through which cutting rule can be dispensed.

To enable cassettes to be loaded into or unloaded from the housing, the closure panel at one or both sides may be a hinged door, which is lockable when closed.

To allow for the feeding of the coil from the left or right hand side of the housing front, but directly into the die production machine without bending of the steel rule, it is necessary for the housing to be laterally displaceable (i.e. side to side) as well as vertically displaceable. Moving the housing laterally relative to the frame, particularly when this is just an upright post, as in the prior art, can easily lead to imbalance and instability of the dispenser, with safety implications, as well as possible misalignment of the steel rule as it is fed to the machine. Therefore, in preferred embodiments of the present invention the frame, usually in the form of an upright post, is mounted upon a base to which wheels are fitted. To allow lateral movement only and avoid problems of rule misalignment, the wheels are preferably fitted so as to allow movement of the base only substantially perpendicular to the sides of the housing. In other words, swivellable wheels are not desirable.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred practical embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, in which the position of the front closure panel is indicated by broken lines; Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, in which the position of the side closure panel is in this case indicated in broken lines; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section along line m-III in Fig. 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

As shown, a preferred practical embodiment of the dispenser apparatus of the invention comprises a housing 10 mounted onto a frame, which is in the form of an upright channel section post 20 secured to a base 30 to which wheels 32 are fitted.

The housing 10 is an open-sided box shaped frame of sheet metal in which eight shelves 12 are mounted at a spacing typically of about 35mm. The housing 10 has a top 11, a bottom 13, a front 14, a rear 15, and respective sides 16, 17, all of which are open. The shelves 12 have an upturned rim 18 at the respective ends and in a central section of the front and rear, as shown in Fig. 1.

In use, cassettes of steel cutting rule (not shown) are loaded onto the shelves 12 from one side 16 of the housing 10 and these upturned rims 18 serve a guide function.

A metal or plastics panel 24 is bolted to the front 14 of the housing, as shown in Fig. 1. It closes off only a central section of the front, thus leaving open side edge margins 22 through which the cutting rule can be dispensed. Similar metal or plastics panels 26, 27 are provided to close off the respective housing sides 16, 17, as shown in Fig. 2. However the panel 26 at the side seen in Fig. 2 is mounted on hinges 28 and has a lock 29 to secure it, instead of being bolted on, as is the other side panel 27. Therefore the side panel 26 serves as a door, to enable access for the purpose of loading and unloading cassettes of steel rule into/out of the housing 10.

The housing 10 is mounted at its rear 15 onto the post 20, but further narrow closure panels (not shown) are bolted onto the rear 15 at each side of the post 20.

The post 20 has respective, vertically arranged guide rails 21 mounted externally of each channel section limb. l

The base 30 is formed as a rectangular frame from box section frame elements, with an extra cross piece 34 at a narrow spacing from its rear frame element 33. The post is mounted at the rear of the frame 30, supported by the rear element 33 and the cross piece 34. The housing 10 is mounted to the front of the post 20, directly above the base 30, which provides appropriate stability.

The housing 10 is mounted to the post 20 by means of a carriage 40, which embraces the post and by means of which the housing is vertically adjustable on the post 20.

The carriage 40 has four pairs of internal bearings 42, namely an upper and lower pair at each side, engaging the opposing sides of the respective guide rails 21, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus the bearings 42 can be smoothly guided up and down the sides of the post 20. A hydraulically actuated piston and cylinder 44 for this purpose is mounted inside the channel provided by the post 20, below the level of the housing 10, the piston 46 of same being connected to the carriage 40, as shown in Fig. 2.

A hydraulic actuator 48 for the cylinder 44 is mounted between lower rear extension plates 23 of the post 20 and an operating handle 31 is provided, projecting to the rear.

There are four wheels 32 mounted at respective corners of the base 10 and these have fixed axles - in other words their axle direction cannot rotate - so that only side to side motion of the base 30, and the housing 10 which is mounted thereon, is permitted.

The manner of use of this dispenser apparatus will already be apparent from the foregoing. Firstly it is positioned next to a die making machine which is to be supplied with steel or other metallic cutting rule, the front 14 of the housing being placed adjacent an inlet for the cutting rule and flush with the machine casing.

Cassettes of cutting rule are loaded into the housing 10 via the side 16 when the panel/door 26 is open, and it is then closed and locked.

The height of the housing 10 is adjusted by the hydraulic mechanism 44-46 sliding the carriage 40 up or down the post 20, lowering being accomplished simply by means of a release valve in the cylinder 46. The height is thus adjusted so that the cassette from which cutting rule is to be fed is level with the inlet of the die making machine.

The cutting rule may need to be dispensed from the open margin 22 at either the right or the left side of the housing front 14 depending on the coiling direction of the cutting rule. To move the housing 10 sideways between these two positions the whole apparatus is moved by propelling the base 30 sideways on its wheels 32.

The foregoing is only illustrative, not limitative of the scope of the invention. Many variations are possible in other embodiments, for example as regards the number and spacing of the shelves 12, the materials used and the exact details of the structure configuration of the housing, the post and the base.

Claims

1. Dispenser apparatus for metallic cutting rule comprising a housing mounted onto a frame, a plurality of cutting rule cassette support means arranged above each other inside the housing, and hydraulic means operable to adjust the height of the housing relative to the frame.

2. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing has a front, a rear and respective sides, is mounted to the frame at its rear, has closure panels at its respective sides and has a further closure panel at its front which closes off only a central section of the front so that an open margin remains adjacent each side through which cutting rule can be dispensed.

3. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the closure panel at at least one of the sides consists of or includes a hinged door panel for access to the housing.

4. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the frame comprises an upright post mounted upon a base to which wheels are fitted.

5. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the wheels are fitted to the base in such a manner as to allow movement of the base to and fro along a substantially fixed line of travel.

6. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in claim 2 and 4 wherein the wheels are fitted to the base in such a manner as to allow movement of the base only in a direction substantially perpendicular or to the sides of the housing.

7. Dispenser apparatus as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the upright post has at least one external guide rail and the housing is mounted to the upright post by means of a carriage having bearings which are vertically displaceable along the guide rail or rails.

8. Dispenser apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 7 wherein the upright post is in the form of a channel section or a box section and the hydraulic means is at least partially enclosed thereby.

9. Dispenser apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the hydraulic means is housed, at least partially, with a hollow portion of the frame.

10. Dispenser apparatus for metallic cutting rule substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.