US2409147A - Apparatus for forming and assembling articles - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8, 1946. ac, EuH us EI'AL I 2,409,147-

- APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND ASSEMBLING ARTICLES Filed July 20, 1943 5 sheets-sheet 1 3 M/ VN 701% 5 G. MEL/HA us 6. W MERRILL ATTORMFY h-8,1946 MNEUHAUS Em 2 409,141

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND ASSEMBLING ARTICLES Filed July 20, 1943 I SSheet s-Sheet 2 IN VZW TORS iC/Vt'l/HAUS 4. W VmR/u JA' AZTOR/Vfy Oct. 8, 1946. a. c. NEUHAUS ETAL APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND ASSEMBLING ARTICLES Filed July 20, 1945 '5 Sheets-Sheet :5

MIVHVTORS 6i/VH/HAu-s CW VmR/u f. J6 Z. 4 -74 fist. 3, 35546.

E. C. NEUHAUS ET AL Filed July 20, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 D s L y NQ Q mm mMfl 7 HR M SQ m0 R g n RM hm V 7A Patented Oct. 8, 1946 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR FORIWING AND ASSEIVIBLING ARTICLES Application July 20, 1943, Serial No. 495,472

Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for forming and assembling articles, and more particularly to an apparatus for forming a spring clip from a strip of material and assembling it on a jack such as used in making an electrical contact.

In the manufacture of some types of lacks, such as used in making electrical contacts, it may be desirable to assemble a resilient clip on the jack to aid in retaining a plug when inserted therein. In accordance with one practice, the clips are formed and then later manually assembled on the jacks with the aid of specially designed tools. This is a slow and diflicult opera- An object of the present invention is to provide an efiective and efficient apparatus for forming and assembling articles.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, an apparatus may be provided having a punch and die mechanism for punching and forming a clip from strip material, severing the partially formed clip from the strip, transferring it to another level and then assembling it on a jack blank.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional view taken substantially along th midline of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, sectional view of the apparatus, shown in Fig. 1, showing, however, the punch mechanism in raised position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional ziew of the assembling punch in elevated posi- Fig. 4 is a vew similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of the punch as it assembles the clip on the jack blank;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the forming jaws as they engage the clip;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the completed jack;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view along the line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view, partly in section, of the die assembly;

Fig. 10 shows a strip of material as a clip is formed therefrom;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view along the line ll-ll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view along the line |2-I2 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view. along the line l3|3 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13 showing the ejector arm in lowered and advanced position;

Fig. 15 is a vertical sectional view along the line I5l5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view line l6l6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 17 is a bottom view of the punch mechanism as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 18 is a horizontal sectional view along line l8-l8 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 19 is a vertical sectional view along the line l9-I9 of Fig. 18; and

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing the forming jaws.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, an apparatus is illustrated for forming a clip from a strip of material and then assembling the clip on a jack in which punching, forming and assembling operations are simultaneously performed on different portions of the strip. In this apparatus, a die bolster block 25 is mounted on a table 26 and supports a number of die members 21, 28 and 29, to be described hereinafter, which are rigidly fixed to the bolster block 25. A number of cutting and forming punches, also to be described hereinafter, are mounted on a punch block 32 which is fixed to the lower end of a ram 35 by which the punch assembly may be reciprocated with respect to the several die members, the assembly being positioned above the die assembly. 7 y

In the operation of this apparatus, a strip 35 of a suitable material may be supplied from a along the the reel (not shown) and is fed to the punch and die.

assembly by a hitch feed designated generally at 36, the feed being operated during the reciprocation of the punch assembly by a cam 31 mounted on the lower right side of the block 32, as shown in Fig. 1. The cam 31 engages a roller 38 associated with the hitch feed and advances the strip a predetermined amount during each reciprocation of the punch assembly.

As the strip is fed forward by the hitch feed, it is moved into position over an I-shaped aperture in formed in the die member. 21, the strip being guided across the die member by two spaced retaining plates 41 which.are boltedto the upper surfaces of the die members 21, 28 and 29. After the strip is moved into position over the aperture 46, the strip then becomes stationary and a punch 43, suitably shaped to punch an I-shaped blank from the strip in cooperation with the I-shaped aperture 45] in the die memher 21, is then moved downwardly by the ram. A stripper plate 44 is associated with the I-shaped punch 43, and provided with an aperture 45 through which the punch may extend. A number of springs 46 are also provided to move the stripper plate relatively to the punch 43 when the punch is raised after punching a blank from the strip. The blank so punched drops through a recess 4-! formed in the bolster block 25, which communicates with the I-shaped aperture 40 in the die member 21.

As the punch assembly rises, the hitch feed, which has been moved to the right by the cam 31, advances the strip 35 a predetermined distance and in the next reciprocation of the punch assembly, a similar I-shaped blank is punched from the strip, forming thus a clip blank 58, as shown in Fig. 10. In the succeeding reciprocation of the punch assembly, the strip having been again advanced a predetermined distance, a corner d9 of two adjacent clip blanks is bent slightly upwards. This bent corner facilitates the insertion of a plug in the completed jack. The bending is performed by a wedge-shaped raised member mounted in the die member 28. The member 58 bears against the lower side of the strip and cooperates with a suitably recessed punch 53 l, which extends through an aperture 52 in the stripper plate 44 and is engageable with the upper side of the strip. The punch 5| is mounted in a supporting block 53 which is fixed to the punch block 32. Immediately adjacent this punch and fixed also to the lower side of the block 53 is a strip aligning finger 54 which, when the punch assembly is moved downward, extends into a suitably formed recess 55 in the die block 28 and engages a lower blanked portion 56 of the strip 35, thus aligning the clip blank with the bending punch and die assembly and also with the other parts of the assembly.

Upon the. next reciprocation of the punch assembly, forming fingers 51, which are mounted in the block 53 and extend through an aperture 58 in the stripper plate 44, move downwardly and engage the edges of the blank 48 and inv cooperation with a fixed die member 5% positioned in an aperture Bil in the die member 28, bend the edges downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, to form the blank into a U-shape. These fingers are normally urged apart by a spring pressed plunger 61 slidably mounted in the block 32; however, as the lower ends of the forming fingers, which are beveled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, engage the sides of the aperture 60, they are moved inward and complete the bending of the clip blank.

A pair of ejector members 62 is positioned adjacent the fixed member 59 and when the fingers 5! move downwardly, these ejector members are thereby moved downward against the pressure of a helically coiled spring 63 mounted in the block 25. As the punch assembly and fingers 5'! move upward, the ejector pins engage the downwardly bent edges of the clip blank 48 and raise it above the fixed member 59.

In order to insure, however, that the strip at this point will be raised sufiiciently to permit it to be advanced to the next operating position, a pair of parallel, spaced, flat springs 64 is mounted in the upper surface of the die member 27'. The springs extend'along the inner edges of the retaining plates 4| and across the die member 28. As the strip is advanced, its edges rest on the springs 65 and, consequently, when the punch assembly is in elevated position, the strip is raised to the position shown in Fig. '2. When the punch assembly moves downward, however, the flat springs B l are also pressed downward and are received in longitudinally extending recesses 85 formed in the die members 2! and 28. Then, as the punch assembly again rises, the springs 64 raise the strip and the partially formed clips over the edge of the die member 28.

As will be seen in Fig. 2, the left upper corner of the die member 28 is provided with a recess 85 which communicates with a similar recess 61 formed in the right upper corner of the die member 29, thus providing a space for the formed clips to move in. The portions of the retaining plates 3! which extend over the die member 2.) are provided with a tapering undercut $8 to guide the strip downward into the recess 61 and to aid in bringing a partially formed clip into position for the assembling operation.

Prior to assembling the clip on the article, the clip is severed from the strip 35 by a cutting member 69 which is positioned between a pair of clip retaining jaws 16 which is integrally formed at the lower ends of a pair of fingers l l The fingers H and the cutting member 59 are positioned in aperture '12 formed in a cross block 13, the fingers being slidably mounted therein while the cutting member 69 is fixed to the block by a suitably formed nut '54 which threadedly engages the block 13, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, l5 and 16. The block 73 is itself positioned between a pair of spaced housing blocks 75 which is fixed to the underside of the punch bolster block 32, the block 13 being held in place between these blocks by inwardly extending shoulders '56, integrally formed with the lower ends of the blocks F5. As may be seen in Figs. 15 and 16, the block 13 is vertically movable with respect to the housing blocks 15, being urged downward, however, by a pair of coiled springs H, which is positioned in sleeves l8 slidably mounted in the bolster block 32, and which bears against the upper side of the cross block 13. When the punch assembly is moved downward and into engagement with the fixed die assembly, the cross block 73 is moved upward relatively to the housing blocks 75 against the pressure of the springs H, as shown in Fig. 16,

being lifted by a shelf 36 which is integrally formed with the left end of the stripper plate 44 and which engages the lower side of the block 13. The left end of this shelf is suitably recessed to permit the fingers I! to extend therethrough.

In order to retain the fingers 'l'l in the block 13, the upper ends of the fingers are provided with integrally formed portions 9| which extend at right angles to the upper ends of each finger, as

I shown inFigs. 15 and 16. These horizontal portions of the fingers are vertically movable in a slot 8?. which is formed in the upper portion of the cross block #3. The aperture 12 in the block !3 in which the lower ends of the fingers are positioned is made large enough to permit the fingers to move slightly apart when the punch is raised and to rest on opposite upper edges 83 of the aperture 72. The fingers are then pivotable on thes edges so that the jaws 10 may be moved apart as they first engage a clip blank and then the fingers 'H to urge them apart. A helically coiled spring 88, which is positioned in an aperture 89 formed in the punch block 32 and retained therein by a threaded member 99, bears against the upper surface of the plate 85 and provides the resilient pressure.

As the punch assembly moves downwards, the jaws l0 engage the'partially formed clip blank which is attached to the strip 35, the jaws moving apart to permit the blank to be positioned therebetween, as shown in Fig. 3, and the cutting member 69, in cooperation with an aperture 9| formed in the die member 29, severs the clip from the strip 35. Continued downward movement of the jaws 19 positions the severed clip on a jack 93 which is positioned in a chamber 94 fo'rmedin the die block 29, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The jacks are supplied from a magazine 95 positioned in the left portion of the die block 29 and communicating with a rectangularly slotted aperture 95 formed in the left upper portion of the block 29, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 11 through 14. The jacks may be manually fed into the die block. In a jack of the type shown, the portion thereof about which the spring clip is to be assembled is provided with a recess 91, as shown in Fig. 7, to receive the inwardly bent portions of the clip. Since the left end of the jack is also recessed to facilitate soldering in a subsequent operation, proper positioning of the jack may be effected by providing a ledge 98 extending along the left interior portion of the magazine 95 and ledge 99 positioned along the corresponding portion of the slot 96 and extending into the chamber 94 in the die member 29. As the jacks are fed through th magazine and into the die member 29, the recessed left ends of the jacks bear against these ledges, as may be seen in Figs. 11 and 12, and the clearances of the interior of the slot 96 and magazin 95 are such that the correct axial position of the jacks for the assembling operation is thereby obtained.

The forward jack, after it is fed from the magazine 95 into the slot 96 of the die member 29, is engaged by a stop member I91, shown in detail in Fig. 20, which is held in elevated position by a plunger I02 against the lower end of which bears a spring I93 positioned in the die bolster block 25.

As the clip is positioned on the jack, shouldered portions 35 formed in the lower ends of the fingers i! engage the upper edges of the apertur 9| formed in the die member 29, as shown in Fig. 4,

and are prevented from moving further downwardly. However, the punch assembly itself continues to move downward and the cutting member 59 positions the clip on the jack, as shown in Fig. 4, the cutting member being moved downward relatively to the now stationary jaws 19. At the same time, as the cutting member 59 deposits the clip on the jack, a retaining finger Hi1, rigidly mounted on the underside of the cross block 13 and extending downwardly therefrom, as shown in Fig. 15, engages the left end of the jack and holds the jack in position for the next operation in which the downwardly extending sides of the clip blank are formed about the jack.

After the clip has been positioned on the jack, a pair of cam operated jaws H9, which are slidably mounted in the die member 29, are moved together by a air of cam arms H l which are fixed to the lower side of the punch assembly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which engage camming surfaces Il2 integrally formed with the jaws H0.

These jaws are shown in detail in Fig. 20 together with the sto member 10!. As these laws move together, as shown in sequential illustration in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the lower edges of the partially formed clip are thereby bent about the jack. A

1 completely assembled article is shown in Figs. 6,

7 and 8.

Ejection of the finished article from the die member 29 is accomplished by a universally mounted ejector arm H5 positioned in a recess I IS in the die'member 29 and having a knife edged projection H1 integrally formed with the jack engaging end thereof and extending into the chamber 94. A rod H8, fixed to the lower end of the punch block i5, pivots the jack engaging end of the ejector arm downwards as the punch assembly is moved downward and out of engagement with the front edge of the jack 93 on which a clip is being assembled, while a helically coiled spring 5 19, having one end attached to the outer end of the ejector arm 5 i5 and its other end attached to the die bolster block 25, pivots the ejector arm sidewards and to the left, as shown in Figs. 1, 1 3 and 14, bringing the rear edg of its knife edge projection H1 into contact with the rear edge of one end of the jack which is at the same time held motionless by the retaining finger I91. Then, as the punch assembly is raised'and the retaining finger i0! moved out of engagement with the jack, thus releasing the jack, th ejector arm H5 is pivoted upward by'a plunger IZOactuated by a helically coiled spring 12! which bears against the underside of the plunger. The recess in the die block 29 in which the knife edge pro-' jection I i is positioned is so formed that, as the arm i5 is moved upward, the projecting end portion lihwhich is then in engagement with the left side of the completed jack, is cammed to the 94 of the die member 29. The path of the knife edge member H1 is thus substantially rectangular.

While, in describing the operation of this apparatus, th several steps performed have been described successively and with regard to the forming and assembling of a single clip, it will be understood that the several steps are simultaneously performed on different portions of the strip upon each reciprocation of the apparatus. Also, while but one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an assembling apparatus, a fixed cutting die, a movable cutting member cooperating with said cutting die for severing a blank from a strip of material, a pair of transfer jaws yieldably carried by said cutting member and projecting in advance of said cutting member and normally movable therewith for receiving said severed blank and transferring said severed blank to a predetermined position, resilient means for maintaining said transfer jaws in said normal advanced relation to said cutting member, means for actuating said cutting member to sever said blank from said strip and carry said blank to said predetermined position, and means for arresting the movement of the transfer jaws adjacent said predetermined position to cause a relative'movement between said jaws and said cutting member to eject said blank.

2. In an assembling apparatus, a fixed cutting die, a movable cutting member cooperating with said cutting die for severing a blank from a strip of material, a pair of transfer jaws yieldably carried by and projecting in advance of said cutting member and normally movable therewith for receiving said severed blank and transferring said severed blank to an ejecting position, resilient means for urging said jaws toward each other to retain said severed blank therebetween, resilient means for maintaining said jaws in said normal advanced relation to said cutting member, means for stopping said transfer jaws at said ejection position, and means for actuating said cutting member to sequentially sever said blank from said strip and eject said blank from said transfer members.

3. In an assembling apparatus, a fixed die, a relatively movable cutting member cooperating with said fixed die for severing a blank from a strip of material, an actuator for moving said cutting member to sever and move said blank to a predetermined position, a pair of jaws yieldably disposed on opposite sides of and extending in advance of said cutting member and normally movable therewith for engaging said severed blank and transferring said blank to said predetermined position in cooperation with said cutting member, laterally extending arms on said jaws for limiting the advance movement of said jaws relative to said cutting member, resilient means for urging said jaws in advance of said cutting member, a force transmitting memberinterposed between said resilient means and said jaws and engaging the arms of said jaws for imparting a force to each of said arms tending to rock said arms and yieldably urge said jaws toward each other, means for arresting the movement of said jaws prior to the completion of the advance movement of said cutting member to cause said cutting member to eject said blank from said jaws.

4. An article assembling apparatus comprising an assembling station, means for transferring parts to said station and assembling them, a fixedstop member at the assembling station for engaging an assembled article adjacent one end thereof, a movable stop member having a stopping surface in the path of said article to engage the articl adjacent its other end, said movable stop member having an inclined ejecting surface, means for moving the stopping surface of said movable stop member out of the path of said article upon assembly of the article, and means for thereafter engaging said inclined ejecting surface with the article to pivot the article about said fixed stop member and eject it.

5. An article'assembling apparatus comprising means for guiding an article in a predetermined path, a movable stop member having a stopping surface in the path of said article to engage the article, said movable stop member having an inclined ejecting surface, means for limiting the movement of said movable stop member in one direction to stop said article in alignment with a part to be. assembled thereon, means for assembling said part with said article, means for moving the stopping surface of said movable stop member out of the path of said article after the part has been assembled thereon, and means for thereafter engaging said inclined ejecting surface with the article to eject said article.

' ELMER C. NEUHAUS.

CHARLES W. VERRILL.

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