800,106. Stamping: blanks transferring. BUDD CO. Dec. 14, 1955 [Dec. 15, 1954], No. 35855/55. Class 83 (4). Apparatus for transferring an article from one machine or position to another comprises a reciprocatory device carrying a plurality of article engaging means spaced apart to engage a plurality of articles in spaced-apart relationship with respect of the basic movement of the reciprocatory device, different article-engaging means engaging an article successively to move it along in steps, supports holding an article in an intermediate position upon its release by one article-engaging means for engagement by a successively acting article-engaging means and a structure movable independently of the movement caused by sand reciprocatory device to change the position of a single article independently of the movement of said reciprocatory device and of other articles between the time of its initial engagement and its final engagement by the article-engaging means. The apparatus is adapted to move a blank W, e.g. a metal stamping, from a press P2 and invert the blank during such movement. The apparatus comprises a tubular frame 10 mounted on adjustable legs 12 and provided with casters 11. The frame carries spaced adjustable rails 15 along which a first carriage 16 moves on rollers 17 and the first carriage is provided with adjustable rails 18 along which a second carriage 19 moves on rollers 20. The carriages are reciprocated by a motor 40 which rotates a crank shaft 23 carrying a crank arm 24 having at its outer end a cam roller 25 (Figs. 5 and 6). A link 27 is pivotally connected to the mid point of the arm 24 and to the carriage 16 by a pin 29 to which is rigidly secured a second adjustable arm 30 which is connected to the second carriage 19. In operation the second carriage reciprocates like the first carriage on tracks carried by the first carriage but moves through a longer total distance relative to the fixed axis of the shaft 23. The carriage 19 carries two sets of adjustable gripper arms, one set of two arms 52 for engaging a workpiece in the press P1 and pulling it out upon adjustable supporting rails 53 and another set of two arms 54 for engaging a workpiece and moving it along the supporting rails to the second press P2. At the mid position of travel of the carriage the workpiece is inverted by a flip-over mechanism (Figs. 8 and 10) comprising grippers 58 carried on spring-loaded beams 60 pivoted at one end 64 to a bracket 65 on the first carriage 16 and at the other end to a connecting rod 67 which at its other end is pivoted to a link 69 attached to a frame extension 63. The rod 67 carries a slide 72 operable in guides 73. The motion of the mechanism is controlled by a roller 76 on the beam 60 engaging a fixed Y-shaped guide 78 on the frame extension. The inverting grippers 58 engage and release a workpiece while it is resting on the rails 53. The grippers 55 of the push-in arms 54 are raised to engage the workpiece by rollers 82 which ride on adjustable ramp rails 83 carried on the side of the rails 53. The length of movement of the gripper arms may be changed independently of the carriage movement by a programming mechanism in which pivots 86 of the arm yokes 85 are carried by arms 96 actuated by fluidactuated pistons in cylinders 98. Projections on the arms 96 engage adjustable stop screws 102 and in the rest position fixed stops 105 (Fig. 16). The grippers are adjustably mounted on the arms by means of a plate 107 (Figs. 21 and 22) provided with an arcuate slot 112 accommodating the bolt securing a clamp ring 107a for adjustably holding the grippers and their piston-cylinder operating device 109. The operation of the movable jaw 121 of the grippers is shown in Fig. 23. Some free movement is provided for the gripper frame 113, which carries the lower jaw 115, by positioning a rubber-sleeved pin 116 in an oversized hole 117 in a part carried by the cylinder 109. Resilient guides and friction elements 132 hold the movable jaw open. The grippers for the inverter mechanism are adjustably mounted on a frame 140 and operable by a cylinder-piston device 143 as shown in Fig. 32. Resilient stops 154 limit the outer position of the jaws. Operation.-While the presses P1, P2 are acting on the workpieces W the apparatus is at a rest or pause position A (Fig. 34) in which position a workpiece is held by the jaws of the inverter mechanism, the pull-out and push-in grippers 55 are open and the carriage is near the end of its stroke towards the press P1. In Fig. 36 the workpiece has been raised on the press, the carriage has reached the end of its stroke and the grippers of pull-out arms 52 have grasped the workpiece. The inverter mechanism has inverted and released the other workpiece which is grasped by the push-out grippers 58 of arms 54. As the carriage continues its movement the grippers move the workpieces along the rails 53 and the inverter mechanism starts to move back empty with open jaws (Fig. 38). When the carriage reaches the end of its stroke towards the press P2 (Fig. 42) the grippers open to deposit one workpiece in the press P2 and the other workpiece to the inverter mechanism the grippers of which have already grasped it. At the mid position of the carriage on the return stroke the pull-out and push-in grippers are open and the inverter is in its vertical or mid position (Fig. 44). When the parts return to the pause position A the presses operate on the workpieces. Should the centre of movement of the carriage not coincide with the mid-point between the press dies the length of movement of the pull-out or push-in arms may be adjusted by the programming mechanism to compensate for this (Figs. 49 and 50). If the die spaces are angularly misaligned (Fig. 53) the arms are individually adjusted. The motor 40 which operates the carriage (Fig. 55) is powered from a three-phase supply controlled by a switch 22. The brake clutch device 160 which controls the action of the carriage is connected to a single phase supply through a rectifier and relay device 165 together with relay switches. A switch PR1 on the press ram must be closed by the ram before the apparatus can be operated by push button PB3. Various other switches and relays prevent operation if conditions are not right. When energized a relay N closes a switch N2 in the clutch operator device 165 and the carriage starts its movement. The pause towards the end of the carriage stroke is provided by a relay H controlled by a cam operated switch A1-1. Valve solenoids are provided to operate the grippers of the carriage and flip-over device and also the travel changing or programming power devices. If a switch PB5 is operated the apparatus will operate through a full cycle and if, at the end of a cycle, a momentarily closed normally open switch PC1 is closed the apparatus will continue to operate automatically until a stop switch PB7 is engaged. A switch PB6 can be held in intermittently to inch the carriage if desired. The grippers may be manually operated at any time by operation of switches S3, S4 and S5 provided switch K4 for automatic operation is now open.