US3272957A

US3272957A - Apparatus for feeding and extracting a work-piece from a column of workpieces of varying lengths

Info

Publication number: US3272957A
Application number: US417948A
Authority: US
Inventors: Koesling Heinz; Brauneisen Robert
Original assignee: US Philips Corp
Current assignee: US Philips Corp; North American Philips Co Inc
Priority date: 1963-12-13
Filing date: 1964-12-14
Publication date: 1966-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-09-13
Also published as: NL6414185A; DE1190122B; BE657044A

Description

Sept. 1966 KOESLING ETAL 3,272,957

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND EXTRACTING A WORK-PIECE FROM A COLUMN OF WORK-PIECES OF VARYING LENGTHS Filed D60. 14, 1964 AGENT United States Patent Filed Dec. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 417,948 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 13, 1963,

2 Claims. (cf. 21910.69)

In existing induction-heating ovens, in either a horizontal or vertical plane, a plurality of work-pieces are located in tandem within the turns of the induction coil and to add another work-piece the front work-piece must be removed by displacing the whole series of work-pieces within the coils (oven). If all the work-pieces have the same length, no difliculty is experienced in displacing the series for feeding and withdrawing. Often pieces of metal which have been cut roughly, such as ingots, are heated in such an oven to be subsequently supplied to a forging press. In this case, the series of work-pieces in the oven must be moved a different distance substantially each time one is withdrawn and another work-piece is fed to the series.

The present invention relates to an induction oven having a series of work-pieces in tandem within the working space of the induction coil, which oven is preferably designed for the vertical passage of work-pieces, and the object of the invention is to overcome the problems encountered in feeding and discharging work-pieces of varying lengths.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, one embodiment thereof will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

An inductance coil it placed in vertical position has guide rods 2 arranged in the working space and along which a series of stacked work pieces 3 can be moved. A sliding piece 4 serves for imparting the forward movement of the stack. If the working space of the coil 1 is filled completely, the slide 4 moves upward until the front surface of a work-piece 6 to be removed brings a carrier 7 into engagement with a contact 7', whereupon the forward displacement of the slide 4 ceases.

When slide 4 stops the clamping plates 9 hold the work-piece following the front work-piece 6. These two work pieces are separated from each other in the plane of interface 8 by means of an ejector 10. Subsequently the clamping plates 9 move away from each other and the stack of work-pieces are moved back into the working space of the coil 1 when the slide 4 recedes. To ensure that a predetermined distance is covered upon the rearward displacement of slide 4, and that this distance is fixed, a member 11 is frictionally coupled to the sliding piece 4. The upward movement of the slide 4 carries the said member 11 along with it until it abuts a fixed stop 12. Upon the return movement of the slide 4, the member 11 moves with it until it actuates a contact 13. During this return displacement, the work-pieces are moved back into the working space of the coil.

Since the displacement in the forward direction is controlled by movable abutment 7 and the displacement in the backward direction is controlled by the member 11 and the contact 13, is made adjustable as indicated by the adjacent arrow, the forward and rearward displacement of the stacked work-pieces is substantially independent of variations which may influence the total length of stacked work-pieces. The object of the movability of contact 13 is to permit variation in the displacement of the stacked workpieces in the backward direction to permit the use of the oven for work-pieces of many different lengths.

When the member 11 actuates the contact 13, clamping plates 14 approach each other and grip the lowest work-piece between them, whereupon the slide 4 moves down further, so as to leave a space within which additional work-pieces are supplied.

The foregoing description of the vertically-positioned oven according to the invention likewise applies to a horizontal arrangement, except that the work-pieces are then displaced in horizontally forward and backward directions.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a vertically positioned oven having an exit at one end and :an entrance at the other end and apparatus for feeding and extracting one workpiece at a time from a column of work-pieces of varying length within said oven comprising, a slide member for raising and lowering said column in a vertical direction, means for moving said slide member, column elevation determining means positioned relative to the exit end of said oven for engaging a work-piece externally of said exit end and terminating movement of said slide member, means operatively connecting said elevation determining means and said means for moving said slide member, a follower member frictionally coupled with said slide member, stop means for engaging said follower member in the raising direction of movement of said slide member whereby said slide moving relative to said follower when said follower is engaged with said stop means, clamping means positioned relative to the entrance end of said oven for engaging a work-piece externally of said other end upon lowering movement of said slide member and adjustable means in the path of lowering movement of said follower member, said adjustable means being operatively associated with said clamping means for halting movement of said column during lowering movement of said slide member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said clamping means comprises a pair of opposed plates and means for moving each said plate toward and apart from one another.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1961 France.

OTHER REFERENCES German application, No. 1,152,206, Schefiler, printed Aug. 1, 1963. (K1. 21H 29/03).

Claims

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A VERTICALLY POSITIONED OVEN HAVING AN EXIT AT ONE END AND AN ENTRANCE AT THE OTHER END AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND EXTRACTING ONE WORKPIECE AT A TIME FROM A COLUMN OF WORK-PIECES OF VARYING LENGTH WITHIN SAID OVEN COMPRISING, A SLIDE MEMBER FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID COLUMN IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SLIDE MEMBER, COLUMN ELEVATION DETERMINING MEANS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO THE EXIT END OF SAID OVEN FOR ENGAGING A WORK-PIECE EXTERNALLY OF SAID EXIT END AND TERMINATING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID ELEVATION DETERMINING MEANS AND SAID MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SLIDE MEMBER, A FOLLOWER MEMBER FRICTIONALLY COUPLED WITH SAID SLIDE MEMBER, STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID FOLLOWER MEMBER IN THE RAISING DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER WHEREBY SAID SLIDE MOVING RELATIVE TO SAID FOLLOWER WHEN SAID FOLLOWER IS ENGAGED WITH SAID STOP MEANS, CLAMPING MEANS POSITIONED RELATIVE TO THE ENTRANCE END OF SAID OVEN FOR ENGAGING A WORK-PIECE EXTERNALLY OF SAID OTHER END UPON LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS IN THE PATH OF LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER MEMBER, SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CLAMPING MEANS FOR HALTING MOVEMENT OF SAID COLUMN DURING LOWERING MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER.