US2787465A

US2787465A - Long stroke slide feed with gripper and check adjustable independently of slide action

Info

Publication number: US2787465A
Application number: US480478A
Authority: US
Inventors: Motte Pierre De La
Original assignee: U S TOOL Co Inc
Current assignee: U S TOOL Co Inc; U S TOOL COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1955-01-07
Filing date: 1955-01-07
Publication date: 1957-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1974-04-02

Description

April 2, 1957 p 5 LA MOTTE 2,787,465

LONG STROKE SLIDE FEED WITH .GRIPPER AND CHECK ADJUSTABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF SLIDE ACTION Filed Jan. 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l F"" INVENTOR. PIERRE d la MOTIE g I y 9 ATTORNEY April 2, 1957 DE LA MOTTE 2,787,465

P. LONG STROKE SLIDE FEED WITH GRIPPER AND CHECK ADJUSTABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF SLIDE AC TION Filed Jan. 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig-E STOCK LINE v CLUTCH as I 'INVENTOR. PIERRE de la MOTTE ATTOR'N EY April 2, 1957 P. DE LA MOTTE 2,787,455

LONG STROKE SLIDE FEED WITH GRIPPER AND CHECK ADJUSTABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INDEPENDENTLY OF SLIDE AC TIO N Filed Jan. 7, 1955 J'Illm..

l hlh INVENTOR.

PIERRE dc: lo MOTTE ATTORNEY P. DE LA MOTTE April 2, 1957 2,787,465

LONG STROKE SLIDE FEED WITH GRIPPER AND CHECK ADJUSTABLE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INDEPENDENTLY OF SLIDE ACTION Filed Jan. 7, 1955 l llhl.

w air-IE L57...

INVENTOR. PIERRE dz IQ'MOTTE BY v TTORNEY LONG STROKE SLIDE FEED WITH GRIPPER AND Cl-ECK ADJUSTABLE INDEIPENDENTLY OF SLEE ACTION Pierre de la Motte, Nutley, N. J., assignor to U. S. Tool Company, Inc., Ampere, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 7, 1955, Serial No. 480,478

2 Claims. (Cl. 271--2.5)

The invention herein disclosed relates to slide feeds.

This form of stock feeding mechanism comprises usually a sliding feed block and a stock gripping lever mounted to oscillate on the block and rocked in one direction to both grip the stock and slide the block, and rocked in the opposite direction to release the stock and retract the block.

This combination, while satisfactory for most purposes, links the gripping and releasing operations of the gripper with the sliding reciprocating action of the feed block.

If an On and Off clamping form of check is combined with the feed block, the timing operation of the check is also limited to the sliding action of the block.

There are occasions where with a slide feed action it might be desirable to time the operation of the gripper and the check independently of the reciprocating action of the feed block.

Particularly this is true of so-called long stroke slide feeds such as disclosed in copending patent application Serial No. 253,366, filed October 26, 1951, Patent 2,720,261 dated October 11, 1955, where the feed block has a long stroke to feed a relatively long length of stock and where the parts are necessarily of heavy construction, introducing additional problems of inertia, momentum and the like.

The present invention aims to overcome and avoid difficulties or problems such as mentioned and to provide a practical, efiicient and otherwise desirable slide feed in which the gripper action and the check operation can each be adjusted and properly set regardless or independently of the reciprocating action of the feed block.

Other, related objects are to provide such mechanism in simple, rugged form adapted to present day industrial requirements.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings are coextensive, broken longitudinal sectional views of one of the presently identified slide feeds, these views meeting on line A--A;

Fig. 3 is a view of the left-hand end of the machine appearing in Fig. 1, parts broken away and in section to show details of the stock check;

Fig. 4 is a broken part sectional plan view of the feed block, gripper lever and other parts omitted;

Fig. 5 is a broken cross-sectional view of the sliding feed block or carriage and other parts, on substantially the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the gripper lever.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the renited States Patcnt O "ice ciprocalting slide or feed block 7, instead of being operated through the intermediary of gripper mechanism as heretofore, is directly actuated by a push-pull link 8 pivoted thereto at one end at 9, and pivotally connected at the opposite end at 10 with the upper end of a swinging lever 11 fulcrumed at the bottom at 12 and engaged mid-length at 13 by link 14 extending from crank pin 15.

This construction provides a long length feed stroke the extent of which can be governed by shifting of crankpin 15 radially by screw 16 in the crank-arm 17.

The crank or eccentric element 17 is shown carried by the output shaft 18 of the reducer 19, the latter deriving power from motor 20 through intermediate drive gearing 21, including a clutch 22 and a brake 23. Lubrication for this long stroke operation is provided in the illustration by an injector pump 24, Fig. 2, mounted in the base of the machine, operated by a cam 24a on the reducer shaft 18 and connected by a supply line 25 with the fulcrum center 12, with

branches

26, 27, 28 and 29 leading to

pivot centers

13, 15, 10 and 9, respectively.

Lubrication of the long guide rods 30 on which the feed block slides, is effected in the illustration by a flexible extension 31 running from the upper pivot center 9 to a passage 32 in the underside of the feed block and from whence tubing 33, Fig. 4, is extended to passages 34 in the block leading to the guide rods.

The stock gripper is shown in the form of a lever 35 pivoted on top of the feed block at 36 and carrying at the forward edge, direction of feed considered, a feed blade 37 positioned to cooperate with a bottom plate 38.

The gripper lever is oscillated in the present disclosure in opposite directions, to grip or release the stock, independently of the reciprocating movement of the slide by a power cylinder 39 pivotally mounted on top of the slide block at 40 and containing a piston having a rod 41 pivotally connected to the upper end of the gripper lever at 42. a

Power cylinder 39 is shown as equipped with electrically actuated reverse valve mechanism 43 connected by a flexible cable 44, with appropriate control switches which are actuated by cams on the main drive shaft 18.

Fig. 5 shows how these control cams and switches may be all mounted at the outer end of the drive shaft, conveniently accessible for adjustment orother purposes and normally protected by a removable cover or door 45.

In the particular example shown the outermost cam 46 actuates a grip-on microswitch 47, cam 48 actuates a gripoif switch 49, the next cam 50 operates a check-up or check-closed switch 51, cam 52 operates a check-down or check-open switch 53 and the innermost cam 54 operates a counter switch 55.

Construction of the check thus controlled is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 as embodying a lower clamp plate 56 carried by spring retracted slide rods 57 and arranged to be thrust upward into cooperative relation with the overstanding spring pressed clamp plate 58 by lever 59 pivotally supported at the inner end at 60 and engaged at the outer end by the piston rod 61 of power cylinder 62, the latter pivotally supported at 63.

This power cylinder, like the gripper operating cylinder, is equipped with an appropriate magnet valve unit and is electrically connected in this case with the checkup and check-

down microswitches

51, 53.

Suitable flexible connections are provided for supplying fluid under pressure to the magnet valves controlling the gripper and check

operating cylinders

39 and 62. These may be pneumatic or hydraulic devices and it is contemplated that other forms of power units may be employed for operating the gripper and check independently of the slide movement.

The cams and control switches preferably are individually adjustable to enable stock gripping and releasing operations of the gripper and stock release and holding operations of the check to be independently regulated according to the length of feed and character of the stock being handled.

For such purposes the cams may be adjustably'secured on the main drive shaft as by' set-screws 64. By proper timing of the cams and switches the gripper maybe caused to take hold of and to release the stock at any selected points in the travel of the feed block, and similarly the check may be caused to release or to grip the advanced stock at points required to accomplish desired results, and all this independently of travel of the slide block. Consequently allowances can be made. and compensated for in respect to inertia and momentum occasioned by starting and stopping of the slide block in its long stroke movement in opposite directions.

Any usual or special stops may be provided for arresting movement of the slide block in opposite directions, the drawings showing adjustable front and back stops 65, 66 adjustably mounted on the guide rods 30.

The counter cam and switch mechanism at 54, 55 may be used as in copending patent application Serial No. 253,366, to stop the feed and initiate operation of the press or other machine to which the stock is being fed after completion of a single or a certain number of slide feed operations. Also, as in the patent application referred to, the slide feed maybe under control of the supplied machine so that it cannot operate until the machine supplied has completed its intended cycle of operations.

The independent control of gripper and check operation enables stock to be released and held at any midpoint in movement of the feed block and, if desired, the direction of feed to be reversed, in which latter event a reversibly operable stock gripper may be employed such as disclosed in copending patent application Serial No. 474,642, filed December 13, 1954.

While operation of the gripper and stock check is regulatable independently of reciprocating movement of the feed block, all these parts are actuated or timed from the one main drive shaft, facilitating necessary adjustments and assuring maintenance of proper timing. The machine is adapted for handling wide as well as narrow materials. Suitable adjustable edge guiding rolls may be located at the entry end of the machine, these preferably being adjustable to difierent widths of stock, as indicated at 67, Fig. 2.

The. driving of the feed block from below and location of the gripper and power unit for actuating the same on 4- top of the block provides a compact, well balanced structure, with the power unit and gripper mechanism fully accessible for inspection or any necessary adjustment or attention.

The clutch and

brake

22, 23 on the main drive shaft may be controlled from the counter switch 53 or otherwise, to instantly disconnect and stop rotation of the 7 main shaft at the end of a cycle for which the machine may be set.

What is claimed is:

1. Long stroke slide feed with gripper and check adjustably operable independently of slide action, comprising the combination of reciprocating slide block, an upright swinging lever beneath said slide block pivotally connected at the upper end with the slide block and pivotally supported at the; lower end, a reducer having an output shaft at one side of said swinging lever, a crank pin on said output shaft, a link pivota'lly engaged on said crank pin andpivotally connected with an intermediate portion of said swinging lever, a motor for operating said reducer, intermediate drive gearing from said motor to said reducer including a clutch and brake for stopping and holding the reducer and the slide block operated therefrom, a stock gripper on 'the slide block, a power cylinder mounted on top of the slide block and connected to actuate said stock gripper, a stock check mounted at one end of the reciprocating movement of said slide block, a power cylinder arranged to actuate said stock check, cams on said output shaft and switches for controlling operation of said stock gripper power cylinder, stock check power cylinder, clutch and brake, said switches positioned for actuation by said cams and said switches and cams being relatively adjustable whereby said power cylinders, clutch and brake may be timed for actuation independently of each other and independently of reciprocation of the slide block.

2. The invention according to claim 1, with a counter switch and a cam on the output shaft for actuating the same for effecting control after a predetermined number of cycles elfected by the output shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,946,874 Nicholas Feb. 13, 1934 2,228,245 Barker et al' Jan. 14, 1941 2,263,721 De Lorine Nov. 25, 1941 2,624,575 Koch Ian. 6, 1953 2,665,905 Lyon Jan. 12, 1954