US3605535A - Combined punching and cornering apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

AN AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE HAVING A SET OF PUNCHES ALONG ONE SIDE OF A PUNCHING STATION, INCLUDES A PAIR OF INDEPENDENTLY OPERABLE DIE CUTTING HEADS DETACHABLY FIXED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PUNCHING STATION. EACH INDIVIDUAL AND SUCCESSIVE LIFT, OR STACKS, OF LIMP SHEETS ADVANCES ALONG A PATH AND HALTS AT THE PUNCHING STATION WHILE THE BINDING APERTURES ARE PUNCHED AND THE OUTER CORNERS ROUNDED, STRAIGHT CUT, NOTCHED, ETC., SUB-

STANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND WHILE THE SHEETS OF THE LIFT ARE CLAMPED ONTO THE TABLE AND IN REGISTRATION WITH THE BACK GAUGE.

Description

Sept. 20, 1971 LOVE ETAL 3,605,535

COMBINED PUNCHING AND CORNERING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed Bed. 18, 1969 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

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GEORGE 0. LOVE BY EDSON H. STACY ATTORNEYS Sept. 20, 1971 LQVE ETAL 3,605,535

COMBINED PUNGHING AND CORNERING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed Dec. 18, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 Fzg. 3

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GEORGED. LOVE BY EDSON H. STACY Ftgt 40 v rm *BMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,605,535 COMBINED PUNCHING AND CORNERING APPARATUS AND METHOD George D. Love, Saco, and Edson H. Stacy, East Baldwin,

Maine, assignors to Southworth Machine Company,

Portland, Maine Filed Dec. 18, 1969, Ser. No. 886,124 Int. Cl. B26f l /06 US. CI. 83-40 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic punching machine having a set of punches along one side of a punching station, includes a pair of independently operable die cutting heads detachably fixed on the other side of the punching station. Each individual and successive lift, or stack, of limp sheets advances along a path and halts at the punching station while the binding apertures are punched and the outer corners rounded, straight out, notched, etc., substantially simultaneously, and while the sheets of the lift are clamped onto the table and in registration with the back gauge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The apparatus and method of the invention relate to the handling and treatment of sheets, especially relatively limp paper sheets, which are to become the leaves of books, calendars, notebooks, and the like. Sheets of self-supporting material, such as cardboard, are relatively easy to feed from a magazine, individually or in lifts of ten or twenty superposed sheets, because they can be pushed from the rear without buckling. However, the feeding of lifts of limp sheets is more difficult, as disclosed in Us. Pat. 2,641,321 to Cruzan of June 9, 1953, wherein a fork-like pusher pushes on the trailing edges of the lowermost lift in a bottom feed magazine to feed it onto a lift conveyor leading to a punching station.

In US. Pats. 3,215,024 and 3,327,873 to Malamood et al. of Nov. 2, 1965, and June 27, 1967, respectively, such lifts of limp sheets are fed from the magazine by gripping the leading edges and pulling them across the feed path to fall on the conveyor, and the conveyor is tilted to cause the lifts to register by gravity on the back gauge. Thus the punching of binding apertures in lifts of sheets is generally accomplished on a manual machine, or on a separate, automatic-feed machine of the Cruzan or Malamood type, the punched lifts falling into a hopper for transfer to a separate round-cornering machine.

Round-cornering also has conventionally been accomplished on a manually operated, power-driven machine, for example a machine such disclosed in US. Pat. 2,656,888 to Cruzan of Oct. 27, 1953, or US. Pat. 2,887,156 to Whitcomb of May 19, 1959. In the apparatus of these patents, there is no automatic feed to the cutting table, and each lift must be laid thereon and registered in upstanding side and front gauges which would make horizontal feed impossible. The cutting knives for both outer corners are mounted on a single vertically movable beam, in these devices, as are the spring-clamping feet, so that independent control, or adjustment, of one die cutter or the other is difiicult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In this invention, the punching and cornering steps are simultaneous, and performed on a single powerdriven machine at a single station, thereby requiring only one magazine feed, one conveyor, one registration step, and one discharge step. A pair of individually operable cutting heads are mounted on a single bar for ioint lateral movement to conform to the width of the sheets from the back gauge, and each head is mounted for longitudinal movement on the bar to conform to the length of the sheets. The cornering dies in each head include clamping mechanism, and are actuated by a fluid cylinder and plunger, which in turn are actuated by a cam which operates in time with a cam that mechanically actuates the die punches.

Registration of each successive lift at the punching and cornering station includes mechanism for urging the sheets into contact with the back gauge and joggers, for aligning the leading and trailing edges. It will be understood that if the punches then enter the sheets to form the binding apertures, the punches temporarily serve as register pins in register holes while the outer corners are clamped and rounded, straightcut, notched, etc., so that binding apertures and round corners are in perfect registration for insertion in a magazine, book or cover. Signatures may also be run.

A novel threaded thrust screw arrangement permits rapid and accurate adjustment of the heads. The heads will accommodate various types and shapes of die cutting knives, and it is, of course, possible to mount the round-cornering heads on a non-automatic feed machine if desired for simultaneous punching and round cornering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic punching machine showing the punching station end thereof with the round-cornering means of the invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic electrical diagram showing the control circuit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawing, 25 is an automatic punching machine similar to those shown in the above-mentioned Malamood patents and well known in the trade. Such machines, with a tilted bed, or with a horizontal bed, or table, 26, as shown, are commercially available and made by Southworth Machine Co. of Portland, Maine. A pair of laterally-spaced, longitudinally-extending, conveyor chains 27 and 28, each having upstanding lugs 29 and 30 spaced therealong, are arranged to advance each individual and successive lift 33, by engagement with the trailing edge 34 thereof, from the magazine feed, not shown, along the longitudinal path, or paper line, 35, to the punching station 36.

A longitudinally-extending, upstanding, back guide 37 guides the sheets 38 in each lift 33, as they are advanced, and the power drive and control mechanism 39 of the chain and lugs, 27, 28 and 29, 30, causes each lift to halt at station 36 for the punching operation.

The machine 25 includes suitable leading edge, trailing edge, or side edge joggers, 42, operable when the lift is halted at station 36, to exactly register the lift relative to the punching means 43, so that the die punches 44 will reciprocate in a vertical path to die-cut binding apertures, such as at 45, along the longitudinal side edge 46 of the lift just within the border, or margin, thereof. Each lift 33 may include ten, twenty, or more, superposed sheets 38, usually of limp, flimpsy paper, or the like, the trailing edge being designated 34, the leading edge being designated 47, the longitudinal side edges, riding along the back gauge 37, being designated 46, and the opposite, or outer longitudinal side edge, being designated 48, and the upper face of the lift being designated 49. It is the outer corners 52 and 53 of the lifts which are to be rounded by the apparatus and method of this invention. As thus far described, the punching machine is well known.

Round-cornering means The cornering means 54 of the invention includes a pair of round-cornering heads and 56, each including an air cylinder 57, a plunger 58, and a round-cornering decutter, or knife, 61, at the lower end of the plunger. There may be a cutting stick, or plate, 60, to receive the knife edge, or a suitable die may be used. The cutting elements are conventional and well known, and are interchangeable as punches, strippers, or cutting dies in a well known manner.

Preferably the round-cornering means 54 includes clamping mechanism 63, comprising a pair of clamping feet 64 and 65, each mounted to descend in advance of the die punch 44 to clamp the longitudinal outer side edge portion 48 of the lift against the bed 26, while the corners 52 and 53 are cut. However, as noted herein, the simultaneous, or prior, immobilization of the lift, when the punch dies occupy the binding apertures, makes horizontal shift of the already registered lift virtually impossible, and assures that the edges of the sheets remain in alignment during round-cornering.

A front angle guide 66 is provided along the outer side of punching station 36, and between the longitudinallyspaced cornering heads 55 and 56, guide 66 having a pair of oppositely disposed spring leaves of metal 67 and 68, for urging the sheets 38 in the lift 33 toward the back gauge 37.

Each round- cornering head 55 and 56 is independently adjustable longitudinally from the other, the two heads being each mounted on a single flat bar 71 by three bolts 72, 73 and 74, slidable in longitudinal slots 75 and 76 in the bar 71. Each head is connected by first threaded thrust screw means 77 to second threaded thrust screw means 78, the latter being fast to the bed 26.

To adjust the heads longitudinally, bolts 72, 73 and 74 are loosened, lock-nut 81 on threaded thrust rod 82 is loosened and adjusting nut 83 is turned to move the head in the slots on the bar relative to the fixed lug 84 on the bar.

To adjust the heads laterally, the lock-nut 85 on thrust rod 86 is loosened and the T screw 87 is also loosened in lateral slot 88. The adjusting nut 89 is then turned to move the bar to the desired width of paper sheet.

A coarse lateral adjustment is obtained by loosening the four screws 91 and moving the bar 71 to the desired approximate location.

The power drive mechanism 92 of the invention includes a double acting solenoid 93 in each head for controlling the cylinder and plunger, also a first limit switch 94 in the path of the cam 96 of power drive 39 of chain and lugs 27, 28, 29 and 30, for driving the plunger 58 and knife 59 downwardly, following the punch dies 44, also a second limit switch 98 in the path of the lever 59 at the end of its stroke to cause the plunger 58 to retract.

A cam 95 which actuates the punches is fast on the shaft to which cam 96 is fast. Thus the cam 95 actuates the punches and the cam 96 closes switch 94 to actuate both punch and cornering knives in the desired sequence, or simultaneously, thereby energizing solenoid valve 93 to open and admit air to cylinder 57 to drive the knife 61 downwardly. At the end of the stroke, switch 98 energizes solenoid valve 93 to admit air on the other side of the head 98 of plunger 58 to drive it in the direction of retraction.

The punched and round-cornered lift 33 then advances away from punching station 36 to discharge into a hop per, or into Suitable collating machine conveyor, or the like.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an automatic punching machine of the type advancing individual lifts of sheets successively along a longitudinal path, registering each successive lift in the path of punching means at a punching station on said path and actuating said punching means to form binding apertures along one longitudinal side edge of each successive lift halted at said station, the combination of:

cornering means including a pair of die cutters mounted at said punching station, on the opposite side of said path from said punching means, for rounding, straight-cutting or notching the corners of the sheets in each lift halted at said punching station, and

power drive mechanism actuating the die cutters of said cornering means, said mechanism being operably controlled in synchronization with said punching means for cutting the corners on one side of each lift while said binding apertures are being formed along the other side of said lift.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1, wherein:

each said cornering die cutter is mounted in a separate head, fixed to said machine at said station,

and said cornering means includes detachable locking means on each said head for afiixing the same securely at selected spaced distances from said punching means.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1, wherein:

said cornering means includes a longitudinally-extending bar having longitudinal slots therein and laterally movable in lateral slots in said machine,

and each said cornering die cutter is mounted in a separate head, slidably adjustable to fixed positions in one of said bar slots,

whereby sheet width adjustment is obtained by moving said bar laterally in said machine slots, and sheet length adjustment is obtained by moving said heads longitudinally in said bar slots.

4. A combination as specified in claim 1, wherein:

said cornering means includes a pair of heads, and said power drive mechanism includes a fluid cylinder and plunger on each said head for actuating the die cutter thereon and includes a built-in, double-acting solenoid valve, electrically controlled by a first limit switch, said first switch being operably connected to said automatic punching machine for simultaneous cutting and punching, and a limit switch at the end of the cutting stroke for accomplishing retraction of said die cutter.

5. A combination as specified in claim 1, plus:

front angle guides mounted alongside said path between said pair of die cutters, said guides including thin leaf springs arranged to yieldably and resiliently urge each successive lift at said punching station into contact with the back gauge in the punch head of said machine.

6. A combination as specified in claim ;1, wherein:

said cornering means includes a flat bar upon which a pair of cutting heads are mounted, each head supporting one of said die cutters,

first threaded thrust screw means on said bar for longitudinally moving said heads therealong to selected fixed positions, and

second threaded thrust screw means on said machine for laterally moving said bar therealong to a selected fixed position.

7. Automatic die cutting apparatus for simultaneously punching and cornering a lift of superposed sheets, said apparatus comprising:

a table for supporting a lift of said sheets, said table having an upstanding back gauge for registering the back edges of the sheets in said lift,

powered punching means on said apparatus, said means including die punches extending along the said back edge portions of said sheets for punching binding apertures within the borders of the sheets of said lift, and

powered cornering means on said apparatus, said means including a pair of die cutters, spaced apart along the front edges of the sheets in said lift, for round-cutting, straight-cutting, or notching the corners thereof;

each said cornering means including clamping mechanism for clamping said lift to said table prior to cornering,

a pair of independently actuatable, power drive means, on said apparatus, each for actuating one of said cornering means, and the clamping mechanism thereof, and

control means operably connecting said power drive means with said punching means for actuation thereof in predetermined synchronization.

8. The method of cutting the outer corners of lifts of superposed sheets, said method comprising the steps of:

advancing a plurality of lifts of said sheets, individually and successively, along a longitudinally path, and halting each successive lift at a die-cutting station;

registering each said lift while halted at said station and punching binding apertures through the so registered and halted sheets along one longitudinal edge portion thereof,

and while each said lift is registered, halted and engaged by the punches in said apertures, clamping said lift along the opposite longitudinal edge portion and die-cutting the outer corners on the sheets of said lift into round corners, straight cuts, or notches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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