US1884398A - Punching fixture - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 25, 1932. w, 5, UXLEY 1,884,398

I PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR.

' WARREN 5.UxLEY A TTORNEY.

0d. 25, 1932. w. s. UXLEY 1,884,393

PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NV EN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Oct, 25, 1932. w s UXLEY 1 1,884,398

PUNCHING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 14. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

WARREN $.UXLEY g, QM

IL. ATTORNEY.

Patented 25, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WARREN S. UXLEY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 EDWARD G. BUDD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 01' PHILADEL?HLA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION PUNCHIHG FIXTURE Application files. deptcmber is, me. Serial no. seam.

This invent-ion relates to punching fixtures and more particularly to improvements in the design and construction thereoi whereby to render the same more readily adaptable to varying work conditions and -requireu'nents.

In the metal stamping industries, and particularly in the manufacture of all metal veliic-le bodies, it is frequently necessary to provide certain structural parts with a number of predeterminedly located holes for the reception of those rivets, bolts and other such securing elements which are ordinarily employed in the assembly of these parts into a unitary whole. Due to the fact that these holes are not usually locatedalong a straight line or in a common plane resort has been had to the expedient of first marking the exact point or location of each hole preliminarily to forming the same through use of a suitable punching tool. This not only required careful attention and considerable skill in order to properly and accurately locate each punched hole but it also involved considerable man'ual labor in relatively positioning the work to be punched, with respect to the punching tool, particularly when the work was of large and unwieldy dimension.

It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a standardized punching tool which is adapted to be mounted upon a suitable work-supporting fixture in such manner that when the work to bepunched is properly positioned upon said fixture the punching tool will be accurately located with respect to said work and so eliminate the necessity of preliminarily marking the position of each hole as well as eliminate the manual labor involved in moving the work with respect to the punching tool or vice versa.

A further object of the invention is to provide a punching tool of such compact form that the tool as a unit may be positionally adjusted with respect to the work-supporting fixture to suit any varying work requirements and conditions.

A still further object'of the invention is to provide unitary assembly of punch, die and operating means for the punch, said assembly being adapted for mounting upon a suitable work-supporting fixturein such manner as to ilar designs and construction and accordingly interchangeable and each of which is adapted to be independently secured upon said fixture whereby to position said units for o aeration along predeterminedly located punc nng axes.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a punching tool which is adapted to be mounted in positibnally adjusted relation with the work to be punched without necessitating any structural changes in the tool proper; and Without interfering with the eflicient operation thereof.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a punching fixture adapted for use in providing a structural element of irregular design witha series of pierced holes, the said fixture being provided with a gang of predeterminedly located interchangeable punching tools each ofwhich is adapted to be individually and independently adjusted with respect to the work to be punched whereby tonutomatically insure the accurate lo cation of the punched holes.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a work-supporting fixture upon which are adapted to be mounted a plurality of independently adjustable punching tools, the said tools being interchangeable one with, the other and being provided with means for individually mounting the same in operating position upon' said fixture such that the punching axes thereof perpendicularly inter= sect a line of predetermined horizontal and vertical curvature or angularity,

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangementof parts, all as Wlll be dedrawings,

tural form of the improved punching tool' and examples of the use thereof '15 are 1 is a front elevational view of a punch constructed in accordance with the present invention V Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 the work to be punched being shown in place and the punch element in inoperative position;-

F i ure 3 is a' similar sectional view, the punc element being shown depressed and in operative position;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a work-sup porting fixture upon which are operatively positioned a plurality of the punchingtools shown in Figures 14, each of these tools being independently mounted upon the fixture such that the punching axes thereof perpendicularly intersect certain predeterminedly located zones or areas, respectively, of the work to be punched.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the work punching fixtures shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of a different work-supporting fixture with which two punching tools of the character shown in the prpiceeding figures are operatively associated; an

Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the fixture shown in Figure 7. 7

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, it will be observed that the punch unit as constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a main body or block 10 provided in the frontal face thereof with a transversely extending slot or channel 11. As appears most clearly in Figure 1 this channel 11 extends across the full width of the unit, the upper wall 12 of said channel bein extended forwardly beyond the frontal edge of the channel lower wall 13. -t

Projecting upwardly from the block 10 and formed integrally therewith are a pair of laterally spaced, parallel arms 14 and 15 which, together with said block, define a substantially U-shaped opening 16. Formed in the main body or block 10 are a pair of vertically aligned bores 17 and 18, the common axis of which extends .upwardly between and is spaced equidistantly from the upstanding walls 14 and 15 of the unit. As clearly appears in Figures 2 and 3 the upper bore 17 extends between the upper wall 12 of the transverse slot or channel 11 and the base of the U-shaped opening 16, while the lower bore 18 extends downwardly from said chan- -of the o nel 11 through the bottom surface of the block 10. v

Removably secured to the lower wall 13 of the channel 11 is an apertured block or die 19, the aperture of which is in registry with the lower bore 18. If desired, the die may be formed as an integral component of the block 10. Fitted within the upper bore 17, this bore being preferably of larger diameter than the lower bore 18, is a sleeve 20 which xtcnding transversely between he laterally r5" spaced arms 14 and 15 of the punch unit is a pivot pin 24 upon which is rotatahly mounted an operating member 25 for the punch element 21. Lateral displacement of the pivot pin 24 is prevented, preferably by 5 the use of cotter pins 26 inserted through the oppositely projecting ends of said pin 24.

The operating member 25 is of generally triangular form and of a width or thickness substantially equal to that of the U-shapcd openin 16. The member 25 is journalled upon the pin 24 such that the tapered end thereof is in proximity to the upper end of the punch element 21. Said tapered end of the member 25 is also bifurcated to provide a air of spaced knuckles 2727 for pivotal v receiving therebetween one end of a link as, the opposite end of Said link being pivotally received between the knuckles 2323 of the punch element 21. The relative arrangement of member 25, link 28 and punch element 21 is such (see Figure 2) that a toggle joint is secured between said punch element 21 and the operating member 25 therefor.

shown in igure 3 it will be observed that the 8 line intersecting the pivoted ends of the link 28 will have moved into a position where it intersects the pivot pin 24 and that as a re- 1 When the member 25 is rotated from the position shown in Figure 2 to that sult thereof the punch element 21 will have been depressed mto the operative position shown in Figure 3, the reduced end 2201 ti'le punch being projected through the die In order to facilitate the operation of the punch with a minimum of effort the free end a latera ly pro ecting handle 29, the relative position t e punc element 21 is in the operative position shown in Figure 3, the handle extends in a direction substantially normal to the punching axis. In other words, the punch rating member 25 is provided with of tlns handle with respect to the o ratm member 25 being such that when operating member 25 and the handle 29 are stitute in efiect a bell-crank lever rotatably mounted upon the transversely extending pivot pin 24.

When the punch element 21'is in raised or operative position the operating handle is inclined with respect to the vertical as in Figure 2. In order to revent the punch element from dropping ownwardly of its own wei ht a suitable device is employed for releasably retaining the punch operating member 25 in theinclined position shown in Figure 2. While any suitable detent or latch may be employed for this purpose I prefer the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 wherein it will be observed that a spherical seat or depression is provided in one face of the member 25 adjacent the rear edge thereof. Secured to'the outer face of the upstanding arm 14 of the main body or block 10 of the tool, preferably by means ofithe bolts 31, is a transversely extending bar or plate 32. Both the bar 32 and the arm 14 are commonly apertured to provide a continuous passage 33 which parallels the pivot pin 24 and within which is received a ball or detent 34:. This ball is urged into contacting engagement with the punch operating member 25 by means of a coiled compression spring 35. A nut threaded into the outer end of the passage 33 serves as the outer adjustable abutment for the spring 35. The inner end of the passage 33 is restricted, as

at 36, 00 limit the inward movement of the ball detent 34.

As appears most clearly in Figure 3, the axis of movement of the ball. detent-3t is spaced from the pivot pin 24 a distance substantially equal to the distance separating said pin 24 from the spherical seat or depression 30. It will thus be evident that when Figure 2.

From the foregoing description it will apear that l have provided a punch tool'wherein all of the operating parts thereof are assembled into a compact unit which is adapted to be readily mounted upon a suitable support or fixture. And once the unit is mounted in position the operation thereof is at fected simply by pressing upon the operating handle -29. @bviouslyv by mounting the unit in various positions the punching axis may be caused to assume varying angles with respect to the vertical or horizontal planes with the result that it becomes a simple matter to insure that said axis is perpendicularly disposed with respect tothe particular area or zone of the work to be pierced. When it is desired to provide an irre ularly shaped stamping with a plurality 0 holes the axes of which are varymgly inclined with respect to a given plane and to each other, a suitable work supporting fixture is provided for supporting said stamping in position and upon which a plurality of the punch units, hereinbefore described, are adjustably mounted in such manner that the punching axes thereof are in proper relation to the work to be punched. Having once definitely ascertained the proper location of each hole to be punched in the work and having mounted the punch units in roper relation upon the work supporting xture, it will be apparent that the necessity for marking the position of each hole preliminarily to punchin the same through the work is eliminated %or all other work of the same character as that for which the fixture has been set. In other words, having once ascertained the proper and correct setting of the punch units upon the worksupporting fixture for a given iece of work it is merely necessary to position the work upon its supporting fixture and then depress the several operating handles of the punch units to form the required holes. In this man ner the proper location of each hole in the work is absolutely assured and at the same time the labor incident to shifting the work with respect to the punching tool is eliminated.

Figures 5 and 6 are top plan and side elevational views, respectively, of a work supporting fixture 37 upon which have been mounted a plurality of the punch units hereinbefore described, these units being mounted upon the fixture in accordance with a predetermined plan for providing in the stamping 38 a plurality of holes in the flanged edge thereof. This stamping is of a given shape, size and configuration and it will be understood that the punch units are independently adjusted upon the supporting fixture 37 such that the punching axes thereof respectively extend in directions normal to the zones or areas to he pierced. It will also be understood that the punching units are identical and therefore interchangeable one with the other and that they require no special means for securing the same in proper position, the position of each said units being predeterminedly located.

Referring more particularlyto the work supporting and punch fixture 37 of the Figures 5 and 6 it will be seen that said fixture comprises a main base or bed 39 suitably sup- 'gorted above the floor by the pedestals 40.

ecured to the upper face of said bed 39 adjacent the rear edge thereof is an upstanding wall 41 the upper edge of which is longitudinally curved in substantial conformity with the similar curvature of the work to be punched. In the particular illustration shown it will be observed that the free edge of the flange to be punched is not only longitudinally curved (see broken line 43 of Figure 6) but it is also provided with a lateral y curved ortion (see broken line 44 of Figure 5). qt will be understood that the stamping to be punched is suitably supported upon the main base or bed 39 of the fixture 37, clamps bein preferably employed to rigidl secure sai stamping in position.

he unchin units are supported upon the upstan ing wa l 41 of the work supporting fixture preferably by means of the bolts 46 which are projected through said wall 41 into the rear faces of the units (see Figures 2, 3, and 4). As ex lained hereinbefore each unit is adapted to be secured upon said wall in independently adjusted relation with respect thereto. As shown in Figure 2 the punch units are mounted upon the supporting wall of the fixture 37 such that the punching axes thereof are disposed angularly with res ect to each other and in directions exten ing substantially normal to the longitudinally curved line 43 of the flange to 'be pierced. In order to account for lateral curvature of said flange certain of the punch units are supported in spaced relation with respect to the su porting wall 41 by means of suitably forme blocks or spacers 46 which latter serve to properly position or locate the punching axis of each tooldirectly above the zone or area to be punched.

It will be understood of course that the punch units are each mounted upon the work supporting fixture in such manner that the work receiving slots or channels 11 thereof are presented forwardly of the fixture and away from the upstanding wall 41, the units being further so disposed that said slots or channels are ada ted to freely and commonly receive therewitliin the irregularly shaped edge of the stamping to be pierced. Figures 2 and 3 most clearly show the relative position of the work to be pierced and'the punching tool, it being observed that the workis so positioned that the flange thereof to be punched rests flatwise upon the die plate of the punch unit. The curvature of the u er edge 42 of the upstanding wall 41 of the xture is preferably such that when the several punch units are secured in their predeterminedly located positions said upper edge will serve to limit the downward movement of the punch operating 'handles29 and so revent amming of the punchelements within their respective dies.

While Figures 5 and 6 show the general adaptability of the punch units for punching- 00 a series of predeterminedly located holes in a iece of work of given shape and size, it will obvious that the arrangement shown may be varied at will to suit work of a different character and shape without, however, necessitating any structural changes in the punch- ,ed pierced holes,

1,es4,ses

ing units per se. Figures 7 and 8 show a unchin fixture for piercing the bottom flange 0? a wheel housing pane or stamping 50.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 7 and 8 a suitable work supporting fixture or jig is employed having a horizontally disposed ed or plate 51 with which is operatively associated a clamping device 52. A pair of punching units, similar in all respects to those hereinbefore described, are mounted upon the bed or plate 51 of the fixture in such manner that the punching axes thereof are disposed in a plane paralleling the supporting bed, the flange to be pierce-d being disposed in a sub stantially vertical plane. In order to permit free manipulation of the operatin handles of the punching units the edge of the bed or plate 51 is slotted, as at 53.

It will be understood of course that the invention may be changed from time to time without departing from the general spirit or princi les thereof and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly as well as specifically as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is 1. In combination, a work supportin fix ture or jig, a plurality of identical sel -contained unching units including punch and die an thereon, said units being each provided with a work receiving slot across which the punching element is adapted to be projected, and means for independently securing each of said units in position on the work support at various an les to each other and to the su port where y to adapt said slots to commonly receive a piece of work to be pierced at substantially right angles to the direction of movement of the punches.

2. In a punching fixture adapted for use in providing a structural element of irregular design with a series of predeterminedly locatin combination, a main bed or support for the work to be punched, and a gang of interchangeable punchin tools mounted upon said fixture, each of sand tools bein adapted to be individually and indepen ently adjustably secured at various angles with res ct to the support to receive an irregularly s a (1 portion of the work to be punched where y the accurate location of the holes tobepierced. 3. In a unching fixture of the character described, 1n combination, a main bed or support for the work to be punched, a plurality of interchangeable self-contained punching tools including a punch and die and 0 rating means therefor mounted upon said bed or support and means for individually mounting said tools in position such that the punching axes thereof per ndicularly intersect a line of predetermin horizontal and vertical curvature or angularity.

to automatically insure operatmg means therefor mounted 4. In a punching fixture of the character described, in combination, a main bed for supporting the Work to be punched, a plurality of identical. self-contained punching tools each including punch and die, means for securing said tools upon saidbed in horizontally and vertically ofi'set relation whereby to so locate the punching axes thereof: that they respectively intersect a plurality of predeterniinedly located areas or zones of the Work to he pierced.

In testimony whereof he hereunto afiizes his signature.

WARREN S.

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