US1342878A - Punching machinery - Google Patents

Description

G. P. THOMAS.

PUNCHING MACHINERY. APPLICATION FILED AUG-30. 191a.

Patented June 8, 1920.

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G. P. THOMAS- PUNCHING MACHINERY- APPLICATION FILED AUG-30. 1918.

1,342,878 Patented June 8, 1920.

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IT'I ll! Q IVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

' GEORGE P. THOMAS, OF GLENSHA'W, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUNCHING MACHINERY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. THOMAS, residing at Glenshaw, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Punching Machinery, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machinery for perforating structural steel plates for bridges, buildings, boats, boilers, etc., which machinery includes a punch, plate-supporting tables arranged on each side of the punch, and guides for "engaging the opposite ends of a plate for holding it in alinement while it is being advanced and punched.

' In operating such machinery, a blank plate is' first placed upon the feed table, that is to saythe work-supporting table at the 1 guides. I

to the plate they hold it in alinement during feeding side of the punch, and, by working to, careful measurements, is manually moved to the proper position for engagement by the After the guides have been attached the punching operation.

It is well known by those familiar with the 'operation of such punching machinery that much time is required for centering a plate prior to punching. In point of fact it frequently happens that when punching short plates of diiferent'widths almost as much time is required for centering a plate as for punching it. IVhen centering a plate according to the usual practice, the width of each plate must be measured at both ends of the plate (it being understood that a rolled plate may vary considerably in width) the middle point of each end is then marked, and finally the plate is manually moved laterally to the position for proper engagement by the end guides. By way of comment upon the last step, the manual movement of a heavy plate to an exact position is a thing which is not always easy of accomplishment.

With the foregoing considerations in View, it is the object of my invention to provide, for machinery of the character described, means for quickly centering a blank plate upon the feed table prior to the engagement of the plate by the end guides.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, which form part of my specification, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of a Specifieationof Letters Patent.

Application filed August 30, 1918. Serial No. 252,070.

punch and work table; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 a vertical sectional v ew to enlarged scale taken 011 the line III-III, Flgrl; and Fig. 4 a detail sectional View taken on the line IV-IV, Fig. 3.

In the punching machinery which I pro vide the punch may be of any well known or suitable type. As diagrammatically represented herein, it comprises a frame 1 provided with an anvil 2 and with a reciproeating head 3, which members are in turn respectively provided with usually a plurality of dies at and punches 5. The work table also may be of any suitable form or construction, such for example as shown in my Patent No. 835,128. As shown in the drawings, the table comprises supports 6 and 7 arranged on opposite sides of the punch l and each provided with narrow work-supporting rolls 8 on which a blank rests while it is being fed through the punch. WVhile both supports 6 and 7 constitute broadly a single work table, the support 6 may be conveniently designated as a feeding table and the support 7 as a receiving table.

For feeding a blank and properly controlling the longitudinal spacing intervals, the receiving table '7 may be provided with a guide consisting of a spacing carriage 9, which may be of the general character of that shown in my above mentioned Patent No. 835,123, and the feeding table 6 may be provided with a tail-guide 10, preferably of the character shown in my Patent No. 1,311,539.

In the general operation of the punching apparatus as thus far described, a plate to be punched is first placed upon the rolls 8 of the table 6. The plate, after being centered, is attached at its ends to the spacing carriage 9 and the tail-guide 10, and the spacing carriage operated to advance the plate predetermined spacing intervals through the punch between the dies 4; and punches 5. In thus guiding a plate while being punched the carriage or guide 9 rides upon the beams 7' of the ieceiving table, and the tail guide rides upon a centrally disposed beam 20 of the feeding table.

For centering the plate or other blank upon the table 6, prior to its engagement by the spacing carriage 9 and tail-guide or carriage 10, provide means for engaging the opposite sides of the blank and moving it laterally toward and to the center line of advance Such 'means preferably move simultaneously at the same rate of advance from opposite sides of the table. The means which I show hereinfor this purpose are particularly illustrated in Fig. 3, and comprise a pair of clamps 1112 slidably mounted upon arms 13 and 1 1 projecting laterally from the table 6. An oppositely threaded screw 15 extends transversely of the work table and has threaded engagement with both the clamps 11 and 12, so that by rotating the screw, as by means of a hand centering clamps are preferably proaided,

and each pair is preferably movableindependently of the other. By thus effecting indeped'endently the operation of each pair of clamps, a plate, which may have slight variations in its width, may be properly brought to the desired position for punch- In'the operation of my invention, thetwo pairs of centering clamps ll and 12 are, by therotation of the screws 15, first moved outwardly,..and. a plate to be punched is placed upon the work-supporting table 6'betweensuch clamps. The hand wheels 16- are then turned independently to rotate the screws 15, and in consequence thereof the pairs of clamps 11, 12 are moved toward the center line of advance of the plate and into engagement with such plate, 'When, the plate hasbeen thus centered its ends are at.- tached, to the spacing, carriage or guide. 9, and the tail-guide 10, the centering means are moved from engagement of the plate,

' andthe end guides cooperate withthetable I to hold the plate in properalinement during the punching operation. I

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle and operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that, within thescope ofthe appended claim, my invention may be practised with other forms of apparatus than that particularly shown and described herein;

I claim'as myinvention: I

The combination of a. punch for perforating structural plates, a feeding table on one side and a receiving table onthe other side of said; punch for supporting-a-v plate while beingpunched, guides arranged-one on each side of the punch. and PITOVlClBQl w th means for engagingtheopposite ends of aplate,

said guides cooperating, with saidtables to hold. a plate in alinement, while being advanced and punched, and plate-centering means arrangedlon. each side of. said feeding table and simultaneouslymoveable-uniformly toward and from: thejcenter line thereof for engaging the side of aplate resting upon the feeding table and moving such plate into punching alinement prior to the engagement of the plate by said. guides, saidplate-centering means being removed from engagement of the plate while the plate is being advanced and punched under the controlof'said. guides.

In testimony whereof: I havehereunto set my' hand-.1 V p I GEORGE P. V

Witnesses; i V i G. G. CERlIILL,

' PAUL N. CnIro noW.

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