US2058699A - Apparatus for forging and shaping metal articles - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 27, 1936; F; J. LEHMAN 2,058,699

I APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June '14, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet J.

3m entor B5 F FEZJZIPMK J. LEA/MAN (Ittornen F. J. LEHMAN APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1955 3mnentor FmsoEe/m Jaw/4n.

- I Gttorneg Oct. 27, 1936. F. J. LEHMAN 2,058,699

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet s lnventor f I TM C(ttorneg Oct. 27, 193 F. J. LEHMAN 2,058,699

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES FiledJunq 14, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Gttorneg F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936:

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June '14, 1935 7 Sheets-Shes: 5

F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936.

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1935 7 Sheets-Shet e 3nnentdr (Ittorneg F. J. LEHMAN Oct. 27, 1936.

APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPJ ING METAL ARTICLES Filed June 14, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Inna enter pie/ck J {f/lM/IN.

Patented Oct. 27, 1936 iTE APPARATUS FOR FORGING AND SHAPING METAL ARTICLES corporation of Ohio Application June 14, 1935-, Serial No. 26,633

9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for forging and shaping metal articles from elongated bar stock, and the primary object of the same is to provide means whereby certain types of tools and metal articles may be made on a low cost volume production basis entirely automatically and of uniform construction and high quality throughout.

The present invention is concerned with a machine along the lines of that disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 740,263, filed August 17, 1934, and may therefore be considered either as an improved or as an alternative form of mechanism with respect to that disclosed in said application.

As in the machine of the above application, the article to be produced is a tool commonly known in the trade as a wrecking bar, it being understood that With certain modifications in parts, principally with respect to the dies and shaping units forming part of the apparatus, the machine may be adapted to the manufacture of numerous types of metal articles from elongated bar stock, not hereinspecified, within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

The objects of the present invention therefore are broadly those set forth in my copending application above noted. Additional and more specific objects are, to render certain operations more positive than is the case in the machine disclosed in my earlier application; to provide means for loading the bars onto the chucks and for transferring the bars from one set of dies to the other which will ensure against turning or misalignment of the bars; to provide a complete self-contained lower unit which carries all operating cams and coacting parts thereon and which may be removed from a conventional forging press or analogous machine and replaced at will; to provide improved coordination between the forging machine drive and unit comprising the assembly proper; and to provide other objects and advantageous structural features which will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

The present improved apparatus, as in my earlier filed application, is arranged so that it may be installed in the conventional forging machine or press, or other machine having the proper operating characteristics and power available to carry out the various steps of the method.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a forging press having the present improved apparatus operatively associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a view in end elevation of Figure 1 with certain parts broken away to show the structure more clearly;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bar transfer and gripping mechanism and coacting parts for operating the same;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the operating cams and certain coacting parts looking in toward the front of the machine at the lower right hand portion of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a View in sectional side elevation taken substantially on the lines 55, Figure 3 Figure 6 is an enlarged view in end elevation of the cam shaft and cams mounted thereon, as indicated by the line fi6, Figure 3;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the bar gripping fingers and coacting bar transfer mechanism taken substantially on the line l--'l, Figure 3; and Figures 7a and 7b are similar views showing the parts in different positions of operation;

Figure 7c is a section taken on the line lc-lc, Figure '7;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view in sectional side elevation taken substantially on the line 88, Figure 3, and alternate position of the parts being indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 8a. is a section taken substantially on the line Ila-8a, Figure 8;

Figure 9 is a view in sectional side elevation taken substantially on the line 9-4], Figure 3;

Figures 10 and 10a are detail fragmentary views in side elevation and top plan of die block or bending pin actuating mechanism adapted to coact with the die for bending the claw end of a wrecking bar, the parts being shown on a reduced scale.

In the following description, certain of the parts which are duplicated in my copending application above noted will only be generally referred to, reference being had to said application to obtain a more detailed understanding of the construction and operation of such parts.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in Figures 1 and 2 a forging press is shown having a base frame 5 on which are mounted pedestal brackets or uprights 5, 6a and 51). A crank shaft lia is mounted for rotation in hearings on the upper ends of said brackets, said crank shaft being provided with suitable connecting rods t which carry a head plate The shaft 'lia may be driven through the medium of a drive shaft it which has bearing at opposite extremities in pedestal brackets H and 82; a flywheel l3 and a drive pinion M being mounted on said shaft Ml, the drive pinion meshing with a gear l5 secured on shaft 'la. Hold-down rods or bolts l6 and I! are provided and extend through the frame of the machine to hold the frame parts in rigid association. A bed plate I9 is provided and is removably secured to the base frame 5, this plate forming a support for the entire operating assembly to be described. A drive pulley 2B is shown on the outer end of the drive shaft id. The part 'la of the crank shaft connects with part 1 through the medium of a clutch which will be hereinafter more fully referred to.

The operation of machines of this type is well understood by those having a knowledge of the art. It will be understood that the particular construction of the forging press above generally described forms no part of the present invention except to provide in combination therewith a complete operative machine, an important feature of the present invention being the adaptability of the mechanism for use with any conventional forging press or analogous machine having the required capacity to carry out the forging and shaping operations.

The bar blanks are disposed on an inclined chute or like support and are taken from this support by transfer arms which place the bars in the first transversely-aligned notches of a gripping member in the form of spring pads or chucks, which notches may be considered the loading station. From this position the bars are transferred along a row of lower dies which are disposed in vertical alignment with upper dies carried by the head plate 9, these dies imparting the necessary shapes to the ends of the bar blanks. Since the dies of the present machine are substantially the same as those of the machine disclosed in my prior application, they are not shown or described in detail in the present instance.

Certain of the dies and shaping units are visible in Figure 3 and are designated at 2i-2la, 22-22(1, 23-23a, 2 2-240, and 25-2500. Adjacent these dies are the resiliently-mounted chucks or spring pads 26 and 2'! which are provided with a series of transversely aligned notches 26a and 27a in which the bar blanks are disposed during the respective shaping operations.

All of the operating cams are mounted on a main cam shaft 28 and are easily accessible at one side of the machine, note particularly Figures 1, 3 and 4.

The bar stock or blanks B are loaded by a conveyor, a portion of which is shown at C, Figure 2, onto spaced downwardly-inclined chute bars 29, note particularly Figures 4 and 5, there being a pair of these bars in the example shown spaced such distance as to support opposite extremities of a bar blank. Adjacent the lower extremity of the chute bars, the blanks are stopped by a pair of trip arms 30 and 35' each having a hookshaped end 30a, said arms being adjustably secured on a cross shaft 3i and being normally urged to a stop position by means such as springs 32. The arms 35, 36 are periodically tripped by means of a cam 33, which is secured on shaft 28 and is adapted to contact a roller 34 mounted on the one end of a trip arm 35 adjustably secured on cross shaft 3i, note Figures 4 and 6. This feed mechanism is omitted from the plan view in Figure 3, since its inclusion in this figure would obscure parts therebelow. Return springs 34a are each connected to the one end of an arm 34b secured to or forming part of each lever 30 and together with the latter forming in effect a bell crank. Each arm 341) has an adjusting screw 34c therein and adapted to abut a limit stop or abutment bracket 34d to thereby adjust the return or receiving position of the hook ends of arms 30 and 30.

The bar blanks are transferred from the lower ends of the chute bars 29 to the first notch of the chucks 26 and 21 by means of a pair of oscillating loading members or fingers generally indicated at 36 and 36, there being a finger arranged to engage the opposite extremities of each bar adjacent the hook end 30a of the trip arms 30. Each loading finger is preferably of identical construction, note Figure 5, and as shown comprises a pair of blank or bar-gripping fingers 36a and 3% which at their lower ends are pivoted to a common pivot pin 350. A pair of toggle links 36d pivotally connect the fingers to a sliding block 36a which is normally urged to return position by a spring 35 The assembly just described is carried by a frame member or arm 36g having a hub portion which is adjustably secured on a cross shaft 31, the block 35c being mounted to slide in said frame arm. The block 36c is provided with an outwardly projecting roller bracket 35h, note particularly Figure 4, which carries a cam roller 362'. When the block moves upwardly, the fingers are closed, and when the block is retracted, the fingers are opened.

The loading fingers 36, 36' are oscillated from the full line position shown in Figure to the position shown in dotted lines by means of the following assembly: A gear 38 is secured on the one end of shaft 371' and has in continual mesh therewith a segmental gear 39 which is secured on a jack shaft 46 and is urged to retracted position by a spring 4311. The gear 39 carries an eccentrically-disposed cam roller 4| adapted to contact a cam 42 secured on shaft 28. It will be seen that as cam 42 revolves, it oscillates segmental gear 39, to thereby in turn oscillate shaft 3'! and the loading fingers 36, 36' carried thereby.

The blank-gripping fingers 36a, 36b of the loading fingers 35, 36 are opened and closed by means of the following parts: A pair of sliding combined clutch and cam cones 43 and 43 are slidingly mounted on the cross shaft 37, said cones each being formed with cam faces adapted to engage the rollers 362' carried by the brackets 36h of the sliding block 36a of the loading fingers. The cones are moved back and forth on the shaft 31' by means of clutch fingers 44 which engage in an annular groove formed in each of said cones, the clutch fingers being secured on a transversely slidable shaft 45. The shaft 45 has attached thereto by means of a bracket 45 a cam roller 41, note particularly Figure 3. A rotating cam support or drum 48 is secured on the main cam shaft 28 and has connected thereto a series of cams 49 and 49a, which are arranged to contact the roller 4'! and shift the clutch shaft 45 back and forth, thereby moving the cam faces of the cones 43 and 43 into and from engagement with the rollers 361' carried by the bracket 36h.

As the bar blanks are loaded onto the first notch of the spring pads or chucks 26 and 21, they are transferred, six at a time in the present instance, along the notches of said pads by means of transfer finger and slide mechanism, a description of which follows:

A plurality of sets of transfer fingers 50, 50 are each pivotally connected to pairs of spaced elongated plates 5i and 5!, note particularly Figures 7 to '70, by means of a pivot pin 52, there being a pair of these plates in each slide assembly. A crank shaft 53 is mounted in bearings Ed on the bed plate i9 and extends transversely between the transfer finger assembly, and at its opposite ends said shaft is provided with cranks 53aeach having a roller 53b thereon adapted to engage in a slot 55 formed in a side plate 56 which is slidable with respect to plate 5i. This plate 56 is also formed with an elongated slot 5?, and the fingers 5B], 5B are provided with rollers 58 at their lower ends adapted to engage in said slot, each roller 58 being mounted on a pin 58a which is secured to one of the transfer fingers, the plate 5! being arcuately slotted as at 59 to accommodate arcuate movement of the pins 58a.

Each transfer finger and slide assembly just described is movably anchored and steadied by means of a track rail tit, note particularly Figure 7b in conjunction with Figure 5, the plates 5| and 5! being provided at their opposite ends with rollers 69 which are adapted to ride in longitudinal slots 62 formed in the track rail 6!]. The rail (iii and side plate 56 are both anchored for limited vertical movement at opposite ends to brackets 62a and 6272, note Figures 3 and 5, the rail and plate being respectively slotted vertically at 62c and 6201 through which headed pins or bolts 62c and 62 project. It will thus be seen that the plates 5%, 5! may move both vertically and longitudinally while the side plate 55 and rail Gil may only move vertically. When the crank shaft 53 is oscillated in a manner to be described, the rollers 53b on the cranks 53a engaging in the slots 55 of the side plates 56, raise the slide assembly vertically from the position shown in Figure 7 to those shown in Figures 7a and 7b, the plates M, M and fingers carried thereby then being shifted horizontally to the left by means shortly to be described. Since the side plate 56 is slidably mounted with respect to the plates 5! and El when the assembly is raised, relative vertical movement ensues between the plate 56 and the plates 5i and 5!, which causes the rollers 58 in the slot 5'5 to spread, thereby closing the fingers on the bar blanks B, the gravitational weight of the plates 5i, 5! being such as to cause the fingers to close and grip the blanks with sufiicient carrying pressure. In Figure 7, the transfer fingers 5E), Eta. are shown fully open. In Figure 7a the fingers have been closed on the bar which at that time would be in one of the notches of the spring pads or chucks 26 and 2i; and in Figure 7b, the bar has been raised vertically from said notch and is ready to be moved horizontally to the next succeeding notch. The cranks 53a turn only through an arc of 90, bar 58 moving vertically but not longitudinally.

The crank shaft 53 is oscillated through the medium of cams 63c and 631) which are carried by a supporting drum or disk 63 mounted on the main crank shaft 28. Cams 63a. and 63b are adapted to actuate a bell crank lever 64 which is fulcrumed to the bed plate 99 and is provided at one end with a cam roller Ma and at its opposite end is pivotally connected to a connecting rod 65, the opposite end of said rod being connected to a sliding block 66 which at an intermediate point is slotted as at 61, note particularly Figures 8 and 8a, to receive a crank 68 formed at an intermediate point on the crank shaft 53. Figure 8a shows the bearing blocks 69 and it! for the crank shaft 83 on opposite sides of the central crank 68.

The crank shaft 53 is connected to a rear crank shaft 12 by means of a connecting rod 13,

and this crank shaft is provided at opposite extremities with cranks 712a which function in the same manner as the cranks 53a and act on the rear of the transfer finger slide assembly in the same manner that the cranks 53a act on the front portion thereof.

When the slide assembly has been raised vertically by the cranks 53a, 1212. to the position shown in Figure 7b, the plates BI and 5! with the transfer fingers carried thereby are shifted horizontally, t6 the left as shown in Figure 71), by means of cams i3 and 13a which are mounted on the cam drum t8, said cams acting on a bell crank lever 74 pivoted as at Ma to the bed plate l9, the one end of said lever being provided with a cam roller Mb which is engaged by the cams i3 and i311, and the opposite end of said lever engaging a connecting rod or slide member 75 which projects through guide block '56 and extends rearwardly and has pivotally connected thereto levers Ti and Na, the latter being fulcrumed at Nb and Tic to the bed plate I9 and having the outer ends thereof forked and engaging brackets 18 and 5811 which are connected to the plates 5|.

When the transfer finger and slide assembly has reached the position shown in Figure 7b, cam "l3 contacts roller Mb and turns bell crank lever M, thereby retracting the connecting or slide rod E5, the latter acting on the levers T! and 11a and shifting the plates 5! and 5! together with the transfer fingers carried thereby rearwardly to bring the bar blanks B carried by the transfer fingers into registration with the next succeeding transverselyaligned set of notches of the spring pads or chuck members 25 and 21. Cam 53b acting on bell crank 64 then retracts the connecting rod 65 and the crank 68 of the shaft 53, the cranks 53a and Wu. then being returned to the position shown in Figure 7, thereby lowering the transfer slide assembly and the fingers carried thereby and depositing the bar blanks onto the spring pads. When the slide assembly is lowered, relative movement again takes place between the side plate 56 and the adjacent plates 5! and 5H, and the transfer fingers are opened as shown in Figure 7. About this time, cam 73a. engages roller Nb and the rod i5 is shifted to the left as viewed in Figure 3, thereby shifting the plates 5! and iii and the transfer fingers carried thereby back to their original position ready to repeat the cycle.

To hold the bar blanks firmly against movement during bending of the end portions thereof, gripping jaws l9 and 59a, note particularly Figures 5 and 9, are provided and are rotatably mounted or journalled on a jack shaft 88 at the rear of the machine, the shaft being mounted in bearings 8!. A sliding cam 82 is provided and is formed with cam portions 820, and 8213-, note Figure 5, adapted to engage coacting cam portions formed on the jaws l9 and l9a and open and close the latter. This bar-gripping assembly just described is substantially the same as that disclosed in my copending application heretofore noted, the difference in the present instance being in the construction of the cam 82, which acts positively to open as well as close the jaws, and in the means for actuating or reciprocating the cam 82. The said latter means comprises a cam 83 having connected thereto a cam member 83a which defines an arcuate cam track adapted to engage a cam roller 8 mounted on the one end of a connecting or slide rod 85 which projects forwardly in substantially parallel relation to the connecting or slide rod i5, note Figure 8a, and

is connected at its rear end with a bracket a connected to the cam 82. When cam shaft 28 revolves, cam 83 engages cam roller 84 and reciprocates the connecting or slide rod 85, which in turn reciprocates cam 82, thereby causing jaws I9 and 19a to open and close. When the jaws are closed, they grip the intermediate portion of the bar blank and hold it firmly against displacement while it is being acted upon by upper and lower bending units, for an understanding of which reference is had to my prior application above noted, the lower units being shown at 24, 24a and 25, 25a.

The lower bending unit or die 25a. is used for bending the claw end of each wrecking bar into final form, and this die has coacting therewith a movable die block or what may be termed a bending pin 86 which, after the claw has been bent partly therearound, is retracted to clear the claw. While this die block is shown and described in my prior application, the mechanism for actuating the same has been changed in the present instance to ensure a more positive operation. By referring to Figures 10 and 10a in conjunction with Figure 3, it will be seen that the die block 86 is adjustably connected to the one end of a slide rod 86a, the opposite end of said rod being mounted for limited sliding movement in a pedestal bracket 861) which in turn is mounted on bed plate I9. An arm or link 860 is fulcrumed to the bracket 861), its upper end being loosely pivoted to rod 86a and its lower end being pivotally connected to a connecting rod 86d which extends back to a point adjacent cam shaft 28 and is adapted to be reciprocated by a cam 86c mounted on said shaft. Rod 86d may be steadied and supported by a bracket 86 connected to plate I9. Cam 866 is a positively-acting cam and has an adjustable groove or track member 86c secured thereon which could if desired be made integral therewith, the cam 86c and cam member 88c being adapted to act on rollers 86d and 86d" mounted on rod 88d. Bending block or pin 86 is slidingly mounted in an arcuate groove or recess formed in the bending die 25a.

The die block or bending pin is shown in advanced or bending position in Figures 10' and 10a. In this position the claw end of a bar blank is bent over or around the pin when an upper die, not herein shown, moves down into operative position with respect to die 25a. After the claw-bending operation is completed, cam 86c engages cam roller 86d and pushes rod 86d forward, thereby retracting rod 86a and the block or pin 86 mounted on the end thereof, thus permitting removal or transfer of the formed bar from die 2511. When cam member 86c engages roller 86d", the die block or bending pin 86 is moved forward or back into operative position in die 25a.

When the bar blanks are loaded into the machine, it is desirable that they be accurately centered transversely. One means for accomplishing this result is to provide a pair of coacting slide bars 8'! and 88 having secured to the outer ends thereof centering devices, the device on one side consisting of a resiliently mounted end contact plate 89 which is pivotally secured to a carrying bracket 98 which in turn is secured to the rod 81, the plate 89 having pivotally connected thereto a guide pin 9I which extends through a portion of the bracket 98 and is provided with looking and adjusting nuts 9Ia. A spring 92 encircles the pin 9| and normally urges the centering plate 89 inwardly. On the opposite side of the mechanism, the bar 88 has mounted thereon a centering plate 93 which coacts with the plate 89 to contact the opposite end of a bar blank, it not being necessary to give both plates 89 and 93 a resilient mounting.

The bars 81 and 88 are normally urged outwardly or away from bar centering position by means of a spring 94 which is connected at opposite ends to said bars, the bars being slidingly mounted in brackets 95 and 95a. To move the end-contacting or centering plates 89 and 93 towards one another or into bar centering position, levers 96 and 96a are provided and are connected at their upper ends to said bars and at their lower ends are provided with cam rollers 96b and 960. At an intermediate point, the levers 96, 96a are fulcrumed to brackets 9611. The cam 33 has secured on the opposed sides thereof cams 91 and 91a which are adapted to engage the rollers 96b and 960 and thereby actuate the levers 96 and 96a and move the bars 81 and 88 and the parts carried thereby toward one another. It will be seen that as each bar is deposited on the ends of the trip arms 38 and 38, the centering plates 89 and 93 move against opposed ends of the bar blank .and always insure an accurately centered position.

The cam shaft 28 is detachably coupled at 98 to a shaft 99, and by uncoupling the shafts from one another and detaching the bed plate I9, the latter together with the entire assembly carried thereby may be removed and replaced at will.

It is preferred to actuate the head plate 9 and the upper forging and shaping units carried thereby intermittently instead of continuously, and accordingly the shaft 99 is provided with a cam I88 adapted to act on a crank lever I8I which is fulcrumed as at I82 to the adjacent frame structure and is provided with a cam roller I83. A link I84 connects the lever I8I with a clutch member I85 having a cam-shaped portion I85a adapted to engage an outwardly projecting clutch member I86 forming part of a clutch assembly generally indicated at I86a, the clutch member I86 being normally urged to the left or towards engaging position by means of a spring I86b. The clutch assembly IBM is adapted to intermittently set up a driving connection between part Ia of the main crank shaft and part I.

The member I85 is slidably mounted in a bracket I81 .and is pulled downwardly against the pressure of a spring I08 which is housed in said bracket.

It will be seen that as cam I88 revolves, it periodically retracts or pulls downwardly on the member I85 thereby retracting the cam portion I85a thereof clear of the coacting portion of the clutch member I86, permitting the spring I861) to move the clutch into engaging position. When the cam I88 permits the spring I88 to push or drive the cam member I85 upwardly, the member I86 is retracted, thereby releasing the clutch, Since clutch assemblies of the spring-pressed type are common and well known in the various arts and may be purchased in the open market, it is not considered necessary to show the same in detail.

To prevent overrunning of the crank shaft I, la and the upper head 9, a brake mechanism is provided and consists of a brake band I89 which is arranged over a drum I I0, the one end of the band or strap I89 being connected to a crank lever III, note particularly Figure 2. A brake cam I I2 is mounted on shaft 99 and is adapted to 7 actuate .a lever I I3 which is connected to the lever Ill through the medium of alink l M.

The cam H2 is timed to apply the brake upon retraction of the clutch member M6 to thereby prevent overrunning of the shaft 1 and head 9 and the parts carried thereby.

The drive on the shaft 99 is preferably continuous and may be taken from the shaft it through the medium of drive pinion i i and transmitted through suitable reduction gears to a gear H5 having a floating mounting on the shaft at, note particularly Figure 1. Gear I I5 has a drive connection with shaft 99 through the medium of a drive plate l I500 and a safety connection or pin 5b, the plate being keyed to the shaft and the pin connecting the gear with the plate. Should the driving torque on shaft 23 exceed a predetermined load, pin H51) will shear, preventing damage to the mechanism. To disconnect the drive on the forging mechanism whenever desired, a clutch assembly generally indicated at H6 is provided on the outer extremity of the shaft 99 and is adapted to be actuated through the medium of a lever Ill and a hand rod H8.

For a complete understanding of the operation of the machine, reference is had to my copending application heretofore noted, wherein the various operations on a wrecking bar are clearly brought out, and the dies and bending units for performing such operations are more clearly shown than in the present instance.

Since the present machine deals principally with the loading of the bars and the transfer thereof from one position to another with respect to the forging dies and shaping units, a description of such operations only should be necessary in the present instance. The bar blanks B are loaded onto the chute bars 29 and move by gravity down to the ends of the trip levers 30. When the bar blanks reach the ends of the trip levers 36, they are accurately centered transversely through the medium of the centering or end contact plates 89 and 93 which are moved toward one another through the medium of the cams 91, SM. Cam t2 then acts on roller 4! to rotate the segmental gear 39 and swing the loading fingers 36 and 35' to the left to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5, thereby transferring the bar blank from the ends of the trip members 38 the first notch of the spring pads 25 and 2?, cam 33 having tripped the arms 38 just prior to transfer movement of the said loading fingers. As the loading fingers swing to the left or to the dotted line position above noted, the cone cams or members t3 and 53 are shifted to the right as shown in Figure 4, thereby opening the said fingers and releasing the bar blank just as it is being deposited on the first notch of the spring pads 26 and 27. From the first notch of the spring pads or clutch members 25 and M, the bar blanks are transferred along said clutch members or pads through the medium of the transfer slide and finger assembly whose structure and operation has heretofore been described in de tail, the cranks 53a and lfia on the opposite ends of the crank shaft 5% raising the said assembly from the position shown in Figure 7 to the position shown in Figure 7b, at which point the assembly consisting of the side plat-es 5i, 5! and transfer fingers 553' is shifted rearwardly through the medium of the arms Ti and "Ella which are actuated primarily through the medium of the cams l3 and liia. When the bar blanks reach a point in vertical alignment with the next succeeding notches, the cranks 53a and 72a are oscillated back to the position shown in Figure 7, thereby lowering the plates 5!, 5i and the fingers carried thereby, depositing a 'bar blank in said notches. The plates 5|, 5i and transfer fingers are then moved back to their original position by reverse action of the arms 1? and Fla.

The bar blanks upon reaching the last notch of the group on the spring pads 26 and 21, and which is the bending station for the ends of the bars, are gripped by the jaws i9 and 59a, the cam 32 being moved rearwardly to close the jaws on the bar blank.

While the operating parts of the present ma chine have been described and shown more or less in detail, it will be understood that such detailed disclosure is not to be construed as a limitation but that certain modifications and changes in design may be adopted within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effeet in sequential order forging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars, and means for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along said dies; said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, a pair of plates on which said fingers are pivoted, a slide plate mounted adjacent said first-named plates and having an elongated slot therein, said fingers being provided with actuating rollers adapted to engage in said slot, and means for raising and lowering said slide plate to thereby impart relative movement between the same and the first-named plates to open and close said fingers.

2. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame, a unit for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock comprising a bed plate, a series of dies arranged longitudinally in sequence and in transversely spaced and aligned relation on said plate, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while being subjected to the action of the dies, means for loading the bars on the chucks comprising an oscillating arm, fingers on said arm, a toggle connected to said finger, a cam coordinated with said toggle and adapted to close said fingers when said arm is oscillated in its uppermost position and open said. fingers when said arm is lowered, means for transferring the bars along said chucks comprising plates, fingers pivoted thereon, slides contiguous said plates, means for raising and lowering said slides and means coordinated with said slides to open and close said fingers upon movement of said slides.

3. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame and a reciprocating head plate and a drive shaft for reciprocating said plate, a unit for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock comprising a bed plate, a series of dies arranged longitudinally in sequence and in transversely spaced and aligned relation on said plate, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while being subjected to the action of the dies, means for loading the bars on the chucks, comprising oscillating arms, gripping fingers thereon, meansfor transferring the bars along the chucks to successive operating positions with respect to the dies, comprising slides, gripping fingers coordinated therewith, a shaft gearing thereon for actuating the bar loading arms, cones on said shaft for actuating said gripping fingers on the bar loading arms, a cam shaft and cams thereon for actuating the bar transfer slides the bar loading arm gearing and bar loading gripping finger cones in timed order of operation.

4. In combination with a forging machine having a bed frame and a reciprocating head plate and a drive shaft for reciprocating said plate, a unit for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock comprising a bed plate, a series of dies arranged longitudinally in sequence and in transversely spaced and aligned relation on said plate, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while being operated on by the dies, arms for loading the bars on the chuck, plates for transferring the bars along the chucks in successive operating positions relative to said dies, a cam shaft, cams thereon for actuating said plates, a shaft, gearing thereon for actuating the bar loading arms, and a second cam on said cam shaft for operating the bar loading arm gearing in timed relation with the movement of said plates.

5. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential order forging and bending operations on the bars, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while being operated on by the dies, a support on which the bars are placed preparatory to being loaded on the chucks, means for successively transferring the bars from said support to said chucks, comprising a pair of oscillating arms, gripping fingers thereon, mechanism for oscillating said arm mechanism for opening and closing said gripping fingers, mechanism for transferring the bars progressively from one set of dies to the next succeeding set of dies, a rotatable cam shaft common to mechanism for oscillating said arms, opening and closing the gripping fingers and progressively transferring the bars relative to the dies whereby the timed order of operation of each of said mechanisms is maintained.

6. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential order forging and bending operations on the bars, chucks mounted adjacent the dies for holding the bars while being operated on by the dies, a support on which the bars are placed preparatory to being loaded on the chucks, an arm mounted to oscillate intermediate said support and said chucks, mechanism for oscillating said arm bar, gripping fingers thereon, mechanism to close said fingers when said arm is oscillated adjacent said support and to open said fingers when said arm is oscillated adjacent said chucks, said arm oscillating mechanism and said finger opening and closing mechanism being operatively controlled from single driving medium.

'7. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential order forging and bending operations on the bars, an inclined support on which the bars are placed preparatory to being operated on by the machine, means for successively releasing the bars from said support, comprising a pair of arms having hooks in the ends thereof adapted to engage a bar, a cam shaft, cams thereon for oscillating said arms into and out of hook engaging position, a second pair of arms, gripping fingers thereon, a second set of cams on said cam shaft for oscillating said second named arms in timed relation with said first named arms and a third set of arms on said cam shaft for opening and closing said gripping fingers in timed relation with the movement of said first and second named arms.

8. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a pair of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential order forging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars,

and means for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along said dies, said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, a bodily-movable support on which said fingers are pivoted, a slide plate adjacent said support, means for raising and lowering said plate, imparting thereby relative movement between said plate and said support and connections between said plate and each set of said fingers to open said fingers when said plate is lowered and close said fingers when said plate is raised.

9. In a machine for forging and shaping elongated metal articles from lengths of bar stock, a series of dies arranged longitudinally and in transversely spaced and aligned relation to effect in sequential order forging and bending operations on opposite extremities of the bars, and means for transferring simultaneously a plurality of bars along said dies; said means comprising a plurality of sets of transfer fingers, a supporting plate on which said fingers are pivotally mounted, a slide plate mounted adjacent said supporting plate, said slide plate having a slot therein, rollers mounted on said fingers and engaged in said slot, means for raising, lowering and moving said plates and said fingers horizontally to advance the bars respectively to the next adjacent set of dies, the movement of said plates imparting relative movement between said supporting plate and said slide plate whereby said rollers operating in said slot will open and close said fingers simultaneous the vertical movement of said plates.

FREDERICK J. LEHMAN.

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