US2164806A - Die press with roller feed - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1939; w. c. EICKMAN DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 10, 1957' e Sheets-Sheet 1 BY 51.71:? C. E/c/(MA/v M Mm ATTORNEY 5 July 4, 1939. w. c. EICKMAN DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 10, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July'4, 1939. w E N 2,164,806

am PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 10, 1937 e Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEYS July 4, 1939. w. c. EICKMAN DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 1o, 19:57 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I I1 I LLLI W44 rev? Cf/c/(MM Warm ATTORNEY 5 y 4, 1939. w. c. EICKMAN DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 10, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

'WHLTEI? C. E/CKMA/v M flmm g ifl m ATTORNEY 5 July 4, 1939. w, 1 N 2,164,806

DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Filed April 10, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 fie. 11

HI I INVENTOR. BY W44 75/? CBC/(MAN MW QM ATTORNEYS Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES DIE PRESS WITH ROLLER FEED Walter C. Eickman, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Harris- Seybold-Potter Company, Cleveland,

Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application April 10, 1937, Serial No. 136,133

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in die press with roller feed. It has to do primarily with presses of large size for cutting out automobile fioor mats and other irregularly shaped fiat 5 articles. The material fed to the machine may be in the form either of a web or of sheets, but it is especially well adapted for handling web material.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of means of eliminating the danger incident to the hand feeding of a press of this character and the withdrawal of the material by hand. Another object is the provision of a machine of this kind in which the feed rollers may be readily and quickly adjusted to accommodate materials of different thicknesses, and one in which the sheet or web is under positive control on the out-feed side as well as on the in-feed side of the'die.

Another object is the provision of means for quicky and easily changing within rather broad limits the extent of each feed movement.

Still another object is the provision of a safety device to prevent the die head from dropping of its own weight.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the pur- 30 poses of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of the in-feed end of a press embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a plan view with certain parts removed and others broken away in order to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevational view of mechanism for operating the feed rollers.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on a still larger scale, the section being taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view taken sub-. stantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the delivery rollers and their operating mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 9 is a vertical end view of the feed rollers and the means for transmitting driving force from one to the other.

Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line I 0-") of Fig. 9.

' Fig. 11 is a fragmental elevational view on a. larger scale illustrating certain portions of the clutch mechanism, and

Fig. 12 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line I2-I2 of Fig. 11.

In the drawings the frame of the machine is shown at I0. It has a table II, see Fig. 3, which supports the work, either a web or a sheet, and over which the work is moved after each cut to present a new area to the die. The die I2 is mounted on the lower fiat surface of a head or die carrier I3. This die carrier is adjustably mounted on four posts I4 which extend through smooth holes in guides I5. Their upper ends are threaded. Nuts I6 on these threaded ends bear against the guides I5 and have annular grooves into which fit Z-clamps Il carried by the head, by means of which the head is hung from the nuts. Each nut includes an integral spiral gear I8 that meshes with a spiral gear IS on a shaft 20, of which there are two, mounted on the die carrier. About midway of the length of each shaft there is a spiral gear 2|, and these two gears mesh with spiral gears 22 on a shaft 23 which is adapted to be rotated by a hand wheel 24. It will be obvious that by the rotation of this wheel motion is transmitted to all of the four nuts I6 in equal amount to raise or lower the die carrier I3 as may be desired. The posts I4 on each side of the machine are secured at their lower ends to a vertical slide 25 which travels between guides 26 on the frame. To this end the lower extremities of the posts I4 may be threaded toreceive nuts 21 that are screwed up against the lower surfaces of slide 25, holding it against collars 8 onthe posts. The posts I4 may be held from rotation by means of set screws 28.

The slides 25, and hence the posts I4, are moved up and down by pairs of toggle links 29. The links of each toggle are connected together at their adjacent ends around a hinge pin 30, the upper link being connected to the frame by means of a pin 3| and the lower link being connected to the slide 25 by means of a pin 32. The toggle links 29 are recessed along their adjacent edges to clear a connecting rod cap 33 by means of which the pin is journaled in a connecting rod 34. The inner ends of these two connecting rods are mounted on crank pins 35 eccentrically located with respect to intermeshing gears 36 and 31 keyed to a pair of crank shafts 38 and 39. It will therefore be apparent that for every revolution of the crank shafts 38 and 39 the connecting rods 34 move outwardly from the position of Fig. 1 and return again to that position. This causes the' slides 25 to move downwardly to depress the die carrier I3 so as to make the cut and then upwardly again to the inoperative position illustrated in that figure. Heavy castings 8 with flat smooth inner walls are fastened to the sides of the frame and project upwardly therefrom. These castings serve as guides for the die carrier in its movements up and down.

Gear 31 meshes with a pinion 48 which rotates with a large bevel gear 4|. The latter meshes with a bevel pinion 42 keyed to a shaft 48. A clutch element 44 is slidably keyed to shaft 43, and when thrown to the left in Fig. l engages another clutch element 45 which rotates loosely upon shaft 43 along with fly-wheel 48 and belt pulley 41. Power is transmitted to pulley 41 by a belt 48 from a pulley 49 on the shaft of a motor 50 supported upon a bracket 5| carried by the frame of the machine.

52 is a brake surrounding shaft43 and adapted to stop its rotation. Clutch element 44 is arranged to be shifted by a lever 53 keyed to a shaft 54 journaled in the frame or a bracket thereon. The lower end of this lever is pivoted to a connecting rod 55 attached to a piston 56 in a fluid cylinder 51. By introducing fluid under pressure to opposite sides of the piston the lever 53 may be moved to shift the clutch in either direction. 58 is a lever pivotally supported near the middle thereof upon the frame of the machine and connected at its lower end by a link 59 with the lower extremity of a long lever 6| which is also keyed to shaft 54. Accordingly the two levers 53 and SI move together. The upper end of lever 6| carries a pin 82 which is arranged to set the brake when in the position shown in Fig. 1 and to release the brake when in the opposite position. The upper end of lever 58 is bifurcated and straddles a stop pin 60 between collars on the pin. Further reference to this pin will be made hereinafter. It will be seen therefore that when the clutch is disengaged the brake is set, and when the clutch is engaged the brake is released. Suitable means of course provided for controlling the flow and exhaust of pressure fluid to and from the cylinder 51 on opposite sides of the piston 56, and this means is preferably operated electrically. However, the electric circuits are not disclosed herein as they form no part of the present invention.

On crank shaft 38 there is mounted a cam 83 over which runs a follower 64 mounted at the inner end of a lever 85 which is pivoted at 66 on the frame Ill. The follower is held against its cam by means of a spring 81 bearing at one end against an angle bracket 68 pivotally mounted on the frame and provided with an opening through which projects a rod 69 surrounded by the spring. The upper end of the spring bears against a washer and nut 18 and H. The opposite end of the rod is bifurcated and pivotally connected with lever at 12.

In the rear side of lever 65 there is formed a groove 13 in which is slidably mounted a nut 14 that has a cylindrical extension 15 protruding rearwardly from the groove. The nut threadably receives a screw 16 that is rotatably mounted at its ends in the lever and is provided with a squared extremity 11 adapted to receive a. handle by means of which the screw may be turned. 18 is a rack with an enlarged lower end provided with a bushing 19 surrounding extension 15 and threaded to receive a nut 88. A pivotal connection is thereby formed between the lever 85 and the rack 18 which may be adjusted lengthwise of the lever by the simple operation of turning the screw 16. The adjustment provided is sufllcient to vary the length of feed as much as 100%.

Rack 18 meshes with a pinion 8!, see Fig. 3, mounted on a shaft 82 carrying a bevel pinion 83 which meshes with a bevel pinioin 84 that is locked to a spur gear 85. The latter gearmeshes with a pinion 86 loosely mounted on the shaft 81 of the lower feed roller 88. Integral with the pinion 88 there is a plate 89 to which is bolted a ring 90 forming the outer element of a roller ratchet device or one-way clutch. The inner element of this device is a block or plate 9!, Fig. 6, which is fixed to the shaft 81 by a safety washer 92 and a screw 93. Plate 9| is provided with a plurality of peripheral notches 94' in which are mounted rollers 95 that are pressed lightly toward operative position by coil springs 96. When the ring 90 revolves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6 the rollers 95 are crowded into gripping position, whereby rotation in the same directionv is transmitted to the plate 9i and to the shaft 81. When the ring revolves in the opposite direction however it turns freely without transmitting any motion to the plate 9|. Upward movement of the rack 18 acts through the connections described, including the roller ratchet mechanism, to impart to the roller 88 rotation in the clockwise direction, as viewed from the left of Figs. 1 and 4. Movement of the rack downwardly operates the gears 83, 84, 85 and 86, but the ring 90 of the ratchet mechanism is then turning in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, and no motion is transmitted to the plate 9i and the shaft 81. In order to positively insure no motion of shaft 81 in the reverse direction I employ a constantly acting brake band 91, which bears upon a collar fixed to the shaft. This band is anchored at one end, as indicated at 98 in Fig. 2, to a bracket 99. The opposite end of the band merges into a rod which projects downwardly through a hole in the bracket 99. Below the bracket this rod is surrounded by a coil spring I80 which is placed under the desired tension by means of a nut IBI. The spring tension is of course light enough so that the brake band does not interfere materially with the rotation of the roller in the feeding direction.

Above roller 88 there is a cooperating feed roller I82 mounted on a shaft I83. At the opposite end of the machine, that is just beyond table i i, there are two cooperating delivery rollers I04 and I85 carried upon shafts I06 and I81 respectively. The

rollers 88 and I84 are operatively connected togather so as to rotate in unison at all times. To this end they may be provided with sprocket wheels I08 and I09 respectively over which runs an endless chain I Ill. The casting 9 on that side of the machine has grooves formed in its rear side to accommodate the two runs of the chain.

It is desirable in order to insure accurate feed, to have the upper feed roller driven vertically. It is also desirable to have it adjustable vertically in order to accommodate work of different thicknesses, but the adjustment should not disturb the drive. It is also desirable to provide means for lifting the upper roller I02 away from the work temporarily, and this too should not disturb the driving connections. I will now describe mechanism that I have devised to accomplish these results.

At the left end of the feed rollers there is a rectangular casing III integral with or attached to the frame of the machine. Shaft 81 projects into this casing and carries a bevel gear I I2 on its extremity. Shaft I03 also projects into the casing and has a similar gear II3 on its extremity. The journals for shaft 81 are fixed. Shaft I03 however is journaled in a box H4 which has a limited vertical movement. To this box I there is attached an angle plate II5 that has a horizontal portion with a smooth hole to receive a vertical shaft II6, the axis of which is arranged in the plane of the axes of the two rollers. This vertical shaft is Journaled in bearings formed in extensions of the casing I I I. A bevel gear I I1 is pinned to the shaft I I6 in position to mesh with bevel gear H2. The hub of gear II1 acts as a thrust collar to prevent motion of the shaft downwardly. Upward motion may be prevented by collar II8 pinned to the lower extremity of the shaft. Another bevel gear I I9 is slidably keyed to shaft I I6 and meshes with bevel gear II3. Gear H9 is backed by the horizontal portion of angle plate II5.

At the right hand end of feed roller I02 there is another vertically slidable journal box I20. The journal boxes III and I20 have threaded therein vertical rods I2I which are movable in guideways formed in the frame, and are surrounded by coil springs I22 bearing at their lower ends against nuts I23 and at their upper ends against adjusting sleeves I24 which are threadably mounted in bores provided in the frame above the guides. The smooth inner surfaces of these sleeves form slide bearings for the rods which extend upwardly for a distance and are perforated to receive pins I25 which extend through slots in bifurcated crank arms I26 that are'pinned to a shaft I21, the latter being rotatably mounted in journals I29 and I29 on the frame. The shaft I21 extends beyond the bearing I29 where an operating handle I30 is secured to it.

When it is desired to lift the roller I02 away from the work the operator merely pulls down on the lever I30, thereby swinging up the arms I 26 and pulling upwardly on the rods I 2I which are secured in the journal boxes of the roller. When this occurs the gear I I 3 pushes upwardly the gear I I9 which as before stated is freely slidable upon its shaft. When the roller is permitted to descend again, partly under the influence of gravity and partly under the influence of the springs I22, the angle plate II5 maintains the gear H9 in mesh with the gear II3. This angle plate also takes the thrust upon gear II9 when the rollers are running. The pressure which the roller I02 exerts upon the material being fed maybe adjusted by threading the sleeves I24 upwardly or downwardly, and thus substantially the same pressure may be used if desired on materials of different thicknesses.

Referring now to the delivery end of the machine, shown particularly in Figs. 7 and 8, the shaft I 06 of delivery roller I04 is mounted in fixed bearings I3I and I32. It projects some distance beyond bearing I3I, where it forms a support for a gear casing I33, that is to say this casing is oscillatable to a slight extent upon shaft I06. Within the casing there is a gear I34 fixed to shaft I06 and a gear I35 fixed to shaft I01. These gears do not intermesh. A pair of intermeshing idler gears I36 and I 31 are mounted interiorly of the casing on stub shafts I38 and I39. Gear I36 normally meshes with gear I34 and gear I31 normally meshes with gear I35, so that rotation is transmitted to gear I35 in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of gear I34. Bearing I3I has an extension I40 in which is threaded a stud I4I that projects forwardly through an opening I42 in a depending part I43 of casing I33. Opening I42 is larger than stud I so as to permit a slight oscillation of the casing. When the desired position is reached to accomplish proper meshing contact between the idlers and the roller gears the stud MI is tightened down to hold that adjustment. The casing I33 with the idler gears I36 and I31 may be removed bodily however by merely taking out stud Ill and loosening a set screw in collar I44 mounted on shaft I06 in front of the casing.

The shaft I01 of upper roller I05 is carried in journal boxes I45 and I46 which are slidable in vertical guides I41 and I43. A short post I49 is threaded into each of these boxes, and has a slot near its upper end to receive a pin I50 that is mounted in a rack I5I which extends upwardly within the guides I41 or I49 as the case may be, and is engaged by a pinion I52 on a shaft I53 mounted in journals at the tops of the guides. A hand wheel I54 is pinned to shaft I53 at the side of the machine for convenient operation. Springs I55 surround posts I49 between racks I5I and the journal boxes of the upper roller. The compression of these springs, and consequently the pressure exerted by the roller upon the work, may be varied by turning the hand wheel I54, and when the desired adjustment is effected it may be maintained by moving a slide I 56 into engagement with a tooth of one of the rocks I5I. It will be understood that generally it will be advisable to loosen stud I 4| when adjustments are to be made, because the meshing of gears I31 and I 35 will change somewhat with the vertical movement of shaft I01. When it is' desired to lift the roller I05 upwardly out of the way, gear casing I33 is removed, as previously explained, slide I56 is withdrawn, and the hand wheel I54 rotated to raise racks I5I. The roller may be held in the inoperative position by moving a threaded stop I51 inwardly to engage anotch I53 in one of the racks.

The pin 60, previously referred to, is a safety stop pin, employed for the purpose of preventing the die carrier from falling by its own weight. When the clutch is withdrawn and the machine is idle pin occupies the position illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, that is with its extremity in a socket I59 in slide 25. Thepin is mounted in and guided by a. bore I60 in the guide block 26. The die head is then at the top of its stroke. When the controls are operated to start a working stroke of the die carrier the clutch lever 53 is of course moved to the clutch engaging posi-' tion, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 11. The long lever 6I necessarily moves with lever 53, since both levers are keyed to the same shaft. This movement swings lever 59 counterclockwise and retracts pin 60 out of socket I59, permitting the die carrier to descend. When the head again makes its return movement and reaches thetop of its stroke the clutch is again thrown to the position of Figs. 1 and 11 in order to stop the machine, and the pin 60 is projected into socket I59 at the same time.

In order to guard against any failure of the die carrier to stop at the top of its stroke, that that is in order to guard against its running past that position, I may employ a mechanical knockis supported normally in the position illustrated in Fig. 11 by means of a coil spring I66 carried in a pocket formed in a small bracket I69 attached to the extension I6I.

With the clutch operating mechanism in the off position illustrated, the block I61 will just pass the roller I66. When, however, the clutch mechanism is thrown to the opposite position the extension I6I moves bodily to the right, and the roller I66 comes into vertical alignment with the block I61. When the slide 25 descends nothing happens because the lower bevel surface of the block cams the roller I66 downward and to the left against the action of spring I68 sufficiently to permit the peak of the block to pass the roller. On the upward stroke of the slide however the upper bevel surface of the block strikes the roller, lifting it until the lug I65 engages stop I62, when further swinging movement of the bell crank is impossible. Hence the bell crank together with its mounting is cammed bodily toward the left,

, with the result that the lever H is swung clockwise and the clutch is disengaged. This movement, of course, turns lever 58 clockwise, and stop pin 60 is moved toward the right into the socket I59, thereby latching the die carrier up in its top position.

The operation of the machine will be obvious, it is believed, from the foregoing description of its construction. When the feed rollers and delivery rollers have been adjusted to accommodate the thickness of the material to be acted upon, and to grip it with the desired pressure, suitable control means, preferably electrical, may be actuated to throw clutch element 44 into engagement with clutch element 45 and to release brake 52. The crank shafts 38 and 39 are then rotated to feed forward the material a distance determined by the adjustment of the rack 16 with respect to lever 65, and during the same revolution of the crank shafts to depress the slides 25 and pull the die carrier down causing the die to engage the work and make the cut. The feed portion of the cycle occupies considerably more than a half revolution and consequently overlaps the work stroke, that is to say the cam 63 is so designed and so positioned angularly on the shaft 38 that the feed begins on the upstroke after the die has risen far enough to clear the work with certainty and continues as the die rises, as it reaches the top of its stroke, and as it descends until on the downstroke it is only a short. distance above the work. The controls may be" arranged to continue these operations without interruption, the feed rollers drawing the webmaterial into the machine between cuts and the delivery rollers feeding it out at the same time and at the same speed, or the controls may be arranged so that one revolution only of the crank shafts will be made at a time, the operation of a manual control being necessary to start each consecutive operation. The provision of out-feed or delivery rollers and their -direct connection with the in-feed rollers is a valuable feature of the invention, as the material is then always under perfect control. The workmen stripping the waste from the cut blanks at the delivery end of the machine are protected, because it is never necessary to reach beneath the die to withdraw material that fails to respond to the push of the in-feed rollers, as would be the case if there were in-feed rollers only.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to be positioned, a die carrier arranged above the table, a shaft, means actuated by said shaft for depressing said die carrier to make the cut, a pair of feed rollersat one end of the table, a pair of delivery rollers at theother end of the table, operative connections between said pairs of rollers, a cam on said shaft, mechanism for driving one of said rollers intermittently, said mechanism comprising a lever which is adapted to be rocked on its pivot by said cam, a rack having a pivotal connection with said lever, a pinion meshing with said rack, ratchet mechanism driven by said pinion for communicating driving force to said rollers in one direction only, and means for adjusting said pivotal connection lengthwise of said lever.

2. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to, be positioned, a die carrier arranged above the table, a shaft, means actuated by said shaft for depressing said die carrier to make the out, a pair of feed rollers at one end of the table, a pair of deliveryrollers at the other end of the table, operative connections between said pairs of rollers, a cam on said shaft,

mechanism for driving one of said rollers intermittently, said mechanism comprising a lever which is adapted to be rocked on its pivot by said cam, a rack having a pivotal connection with said lever, a pinion meshing with said rack, ratchet mechanism driven by said pinion for communieating driving force to said rollers in one direction only, a screw extending lengthwise of said lever, and a nut on said screw, said pivotal connection being mounted upon said nut, whereby rotation of the screw moves the pivotal connection lengthwise of the lever.

3. In a machine of the class described, a pair of feed rollers, and means for intergearing said rollers while permitting adjustment of the rollers toward and away from each other, comprising a transverse. shaft at one end of the rollers arranged in the plane of their axes, two bevel gears fixed respectively to said shaft and to one of said rollers, a bevel gear fixed to the other roller, a bevel gear slidably keyed to the shaft, means for holding said last named gears in mesh in all positions of adjustment of the last named roller, a rock shaft arranged parallel to said rollers, manual means for turning said rock shaft and connections between said rock shaft and the ends of said last named roller for mov-- ing the latter toward and away from the other roller.

4. In a machine of the class described, a lower fixed delivery roller and an upper vertically movable delivery roller, gears on adjacent ends of said rollers, a casing normally enclosing said gears, idler gears supported internally upon said casing adapted to mesh with said roller gears, said casing being oscillatable around the axis of said lower roller, and means for locking the casing in adjusted position.

5. In a machine of the class described, a lower fixed roller and an upper vertically movable roller, gears on adjacent ends of said rollers, a casing for said gears removably and oscillatably mounted on the shaft of said lower roller, idler gears supported internally upon said casing adapted to mesh with said roller gears for transmitting driving force from one to the other, and

the idler gears with the roller gears and whereby the casing with the idler gears may be removed to permit the upper roller to be raised to inoperative position.

6. In a machine of the class described, a lower fixed roller and an upper vertically movable roller, gears on adjacent ends of said rollers, a casing for said gears removably and oscillatably mounted on the shaft of said lower roller, idler o gears supported internally upon said casing adapted to mesh with said roller gears for transmitting driving force from one to the other, removable locking means for holding the casing in different angular positions, whereby adjustments may be made for insuring proper mesh of the idler gears with the roller gears and whereby the casing with the idler gears may be removed to permit the upper roller to be raised to inoperative position, and means under control of a single operating element for raising and lowering both ends of said upper roller equally.

7. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a lower fixed roller and an upper vertically movable roller, gears on adjacent ends of said rollers, a casing for said gears removably and oscillatably mounted on the shaft of said lower roller, idler gears supported internally upon said casing adapted to mesh with said roller gears for transmitting driving force from one roller gear to the other, a'stud threaded into the frame and projecting through an opening in the casing of larger size than the'stud, whereby adjustments may be made for insuring proper mesh of the idler gears with the roller gears and whereby the casing with the idler gears may be removed to permit the upper roller to be raised to inoperative position.

8. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a lower fixed roller and an upper vertically movable roller, gears on adjacent ends of said rollers, a casing for said gears removably and oscillatably mounted on the shaft of said lower roller, idler gears supported internally upon said casing adapted to mesh with said roller gears for transmitting driving force from one to the other, a stud threaded into the frame and projecting through an opening in the casing of larger size than said stud, whereby adjustments may be made for insuring proper mesh of the idler gears with the roller gears and whereby the casing with the idler gears may be removed to permit the upper roler. to be raised to inoperative position, and means under control of a single operating element for raising and lowering both ends of said upper roller equally and for exerting downward spring pressure upon said upper roller.

9. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to be positioned, a die carrier arranged above the table, power driven mechanism for depressing the die carrier to make the cut and for returning it to its raised position, control means for said mechanism comprising a clutch and a brake, and means for disengaging said clutch and applying said brake in closely consecutive operations, whereby the die carrier is positively stopped at the top of its stroke.

10. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to be positioned, a die carrier arranged above the table, power driven mechanism for depressing the die carrier to make the cut and for returning it to its raised position, control means for said mechanism comprising a clutch, a brake, a cylinder and a piston, and operating connections between said piston and said clutch and brake, whereby said piston and connections may be caused to function when the die carrier reaches the top of its travel on the return stroke for disengaging said clutch and applying said brake.

11. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to be positioned, a die carrier arranged above the table, power driven mechanism for depressing the die carrier to make the cut and for returning it to its raised position, control means for said mechanism comprising a clutch, and means for preventing said mechanism from overrunning the top position of the die carrier when the clutch is disengaged, comprising a stop moving into operative position when the clutch is thrown to disengaging position.

12. In a die press, a table over which sheet or web material is to be positioned, a die carrier, arranged above the table, power driven mechanism for depressing the die carrier to make the cut and for returning it to its raised position, control means for said mechanism comprising a clutch, a mechanical knock-out for the clutch effective at the top of the up stroke of the die carrier, 9. stop for preventing the descent of the die carrier when the clutch is disengaged, and means associated with said knock-out for moving said stop into operative position.

WALTER C. EICKMAN.

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