870,974. Making wheel rims; feeding mechanism for stamping presses. KELSEY-HAYES CO. Oct. 23, 1958 [Dec. 27, 1957], No. 33958/58. Classes 83 (2) and 83 (4). A workpiece transfer apparatus for moving workpieces, e.g. wheel rims blanks, upwardly and intermittently feeding them to a workpiece fashioning machine, e.g. a stamping press, comprises a guide adapted to be located adjacent the machine, means for intermittently advancing workpieces along said guide towards the upper end thereof, means for supporting said workpieces in each intermittent advanced position thereof, and transfer means operated in response to operation of the machine for transferring workpieces from the upper end of said guide to the machine. A wheel rim expanding or shaping press 10 comprises a fixed lower die 11 and an upper die 12 carried by a vertically reciprocable ram 13. The wheel rim blank is supported between the dies on a pair of bars 14 carried on pneumatically operated piston rods 15. During downward movement of the ram, abutments 18 engage the bars so that the wheel rim blank is lowered on to the lower die and then shaped by the dies. On upward movement of the ram and upper die the bars return the shaped wheel rim blank to its initial position. The transfer apparatus for feeding wheel rim blanks to the press comprises a frame structure 21 supporting a guide 22 consisting of a pair of parallel tracks 23 provided with adjustable stops 27<SP>1</SP>. The wheel rim blanks are advanced along the guide in succession step by step by means of a pair of endless chains 29 and sprocket mechanism driven by a shaft 33. The chains support retractable dogs 42, 43 and 44 which engage the wheel rim blanks and advance them along the guide. A vertical actuating bar 70 attached to the ram is fixed to vertically extending laterally spaced chains 78 which operate a dual sprocket 82 secured to the shaft 33 to impart an oscillating motion to the feeding mechanism. A reciprocating carrier 90 mounted on rods 94 secured to the frame 21 is actuated by a fluid pressure cylinder 101 also mounted on the frame. A pusher 107 is pivotally mounted on the carrier 90 and carries a pivoted dog 1121 at its front end for engaging a wheel rim blank and feeding it to the press dies. The wheel rim blanks are delivered to the transfer apparatus by a downwardly inclined shoot 120 extending beside the lower end of the guide 22 and one side wall of the shoot is cut away at 121 to enable the lowermost blank in the shoot to topple on to the guide. A bridge-like plate 122 acts as a stop to assist the toppling action. A gate 131 controlled by a fluid pressure cylinder 133 prevents downward movement of the series of rim blanks in the shoot. A limit switch 160 carried by the shoot in a position to be engaged by a rim blank engaging the gate initiates the feeding cycle. A spring-loaded pivoted brake 200 urges the advancing rim blanks against the side angle member of the guide 22. In operation, closing of the limit switch 160 by a rim blank energizes a solenoid to operate a valve to cause the ram to be lowered and the dies to expand a rim blank already located therebetween. The actuating bar 70 moves downwardly with the ram and the chains 78 attached to the bar rotate the dual sprocket 82 and hence the dual sprocket 32 to move the rim blank advancing chain device 28 and advance the rim blanks carried by the guide one step forward. After a predetermined period governed by a timer the ram is raised and the chain device returns to its initial position the dogs pivoting to clear the lower edges of the rim blanks. The dogs are turned upright at the end of the return movement by engagement with abutment stops 63. As the ram nears its uppermost position an actuator engages limit switches to energize the pressure fluid cylinder 134 to raise the gate 131 and allow the next rim blank to be fed on to the guide after which the gate is closed again. At the same time a relay is energized to advance the carrier 90 to move a rim blank at the top of the guide into register with the dies of the machine. The carrier dog 112<SP>1</SP> cams over the rim blank on retraction of the carrier which operates a limit switch, when fully retracted, to enable a new feeding cycle to begin.