US3693386A

US3693386A - Safety parts feeder for presses

Info

Publication number: US3693386A
Application number: US83719A
Authority: US
Inventors: David A Hedberg
Original assignee: MELRAY Mfg CO
Current assignee: MELRAY Mfg CO
Priority date: 1970-10-26
Filing date: 1970-10-26
Publication date: 1972-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-26

Abstract

For safely feeding parts to a conventional press having a bed and a manually controlled power operated ram and a die set including a die carried by the bed and a punch carried by the ram, a safety parts feeder is provided. It includes a movable table adjacent the die set, a pneumatically operated rotary motor carried by the bed for rotatably driving and positioning the table, a pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor for raising and lowering the table, and a plurality of jigs carried by the table for receiving parts placed therein and feeding them to the die set to be formed thereby as the table is rotated and positioned by the rotary motor and raised and lowered by the reciprocatory motor. Control means, operated in timed relation with the operation of the ram of the press, controls the rotary motor and the reciprocatory motor to lower the table in one rotary position for forming a part fed by one of the jigs into the die set and for receiving another part in another of the jigs, and to raise, rotate to another position and lower the table and jigs for feeding another part into the die set and for receiving another part to be fed.

Description

E/ite St Hedberg tes [54] SAFETY PARTS FEEDER FOR PRESSES [72] Inventor: David A. Hedberg, Elk Grove Village, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Melray Manufacturing Company,

Schiller Park, Ill.

22 Filed: Oct. 26, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 83,719

Primary Examiner-Richard .I. Herbst Assistant Examiner-R. M. Rogers Attorney-Wallenstein, Spangenberg, I-Iattis & Strampel [5 7] ABSTRACT For safely feeding parts to a conventional press having a bed and a manually controlled power operated ram and a die set including a die carried by the bed and a punch carried by the ram, a safety parts feeder is provided. It includes a movable table adjacent the die set, a pneumatically operated rotary motor carried by the bed for rotatably driving and positioning the table, a pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor for raising and lowering the table, and a plurality of jigs carried by the table for receiving parts placed ,therein and feeding them to the die set to be formed thereby as the table is rotated and positioned by the rotary motor and raised and lowered by the reciprocatory motor. Control means, operated in timed relation with the operation of the ram of the press, controls the rotary motor and the reciprocatory motor to lower the table in one rotary position for forming a part fed by one of the jigs into the die set and for receiving another part in another of the jigs, and to raise, rotate to another position and lower the table and jigs for feeding another part into the die set and for receiving another -part to be fed.

10 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures SAFETY FARTS FEEDER FOR FRESSES Conventional presses, particularly those used in job shops or the like and for metal stamping operations, have a bed and a manually controlled power operated ram and replaceable die sets including a die carried by the bed and a punch carried by a ram for performing a work function on a part inserted in the die set. Normally, the part to be formed is manually inserted in the die set and then the press is manually manipulated to perform the work function on the part. Such presses are extremely dangerous in their operations since they require manual insertion of the part in the die set and manual manipulation of the press, and serious injuries to the operators of such presses are common occurrences. Complicated control systems have been provided for such presses, such as requiring the use of both hands to operate the press, but still injuries to the operators thereof continue to occur and production schedules are slowed down.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a safety parts feeder for such presses whereby the aforementioned difficulties and shortcomings prevalent in conventional presses are avoided, wherein parts to be formed by the die set are first manually placed in the safety parts feeder at a safe point spaced from the dangerous die set and ram and then fed by the safety parts feeder into the die set operated by the ram, and wherein the safety parts feeder and the press ram are safely operated in timed relation with respect to each other, with the result that possible injury to the operator of the press is substantially eliminated. Also, the safety parts feeder is such that while one part carried thereby is being formed by the die set another part may be simultaneously manually placed in the feeder so as to provide maximum production schedules. Further, the safety parts feeder of this invention is simple and rugged in construction, foolproof in operation and readily installed and serviced, and may be utilized in conjunction with many different die sets and parts by providing the table with appropriate jigs.

Briefly, in accordance with this invention, the safety parts feeder is carried by the bed of a conventional press adjacent the die set also carried by the bed of the press. The safety parts feeder includes a movable table adjacent the die set, a pneumatically operated rotary motor for rotatably driving and positioning the table, a pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor for raising and lowering the table, and a plurality of jigs carried by the table for receiving parts manually placed therein and feeding them to the die set to be formed thereby as the table is rotated and positioned by the rotary motor and raised and lowered by the reciprocatory motor.

Control means, operated in timed relation with the operation of the ram of the press, controls the rotary motor and the reciprocatory motor to lower the table in one rotary position for-forming a part fed by one of the jigs into the die set and for receiving another part in another of the jigs, and to raise, rotate to another position and lower the table and jigs for feeding another part of the die set and for receiving another part to be fed. The control means is operated through a cycle after work has been performed on a part by the die set and the ram of the press cannot be operated until a new part has been fed to the die set. These interlocking functions ,of the control means along with the safety parts feeder provide for foolproof and safe operation of the press.

Other objects of this invention reside in the details of the safety parts feeder and in the cooperative relationships between the component parts thereof.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the die portion of a die set and partially illustrating in broken lines the safety parts feeder;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing the die set and the parts feeder mounted on the bed plate of a press;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal view of the die set and safety parts feeder taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG; 4 is a vertical sectional view through the safety parts feeder taken substantially along the lines 4-4 of FIGS. 3 and 5;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view-of the safety parts feeder taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the parts feeder taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 view of a portion of the parts feeder taken substantially along the line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the parts feeder taken substantially'along the line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the parts feeder taken substantially along the line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of the control means for the safety parts feeder; and

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the cams utilized in the sequence programmer for the safety parts feeder.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, the safety parts feeder is generally designated at 10 and the die set with which it is associated is generally designated at 1 1. The die set 11 for performing a work function on a part fed thereto may be of any conventional type and for purposes of illustration here it is shown to include a die plate 12 carried by the bed '13 of a conventional press. The die plate 12 may be provided with slots 9 for receiving screws for securing the same to the bed 13 of the press. A die holder 14 is suitably secured to the die plate 12 by means of screws or the like (not shown) and is provided with a pair of stops 16 extending upwardly therefrom. A die 17 is secured in the die holder 14 by a retainer 18 which in turn is secured in place on the die holder 14 by screws 19. The die retainer 18 clamps the dies 17 into the die holder 14. The upper end of the die 17 has a V configuration.

A punch plate 21 is slidably mounted for vertical movement on a pair of guide posts 22 carried by the die plate 12 and the punch plate 21 is provided with an extension 23 for securing the same to the ram of the conventional press. A punch holder 24 is suitably secured to the punch plate 21 for holding a punch 25 arranged above the die 17. The punch 25 is clamped in the punch holder 24 by a punch retainer 26 secured to the punch holder 24 by screws 27. The lower end of the punch 25 has an angular configuration conforming to the configuration of the die 17 for performing a work function on a part 30 interposed between the punch and the die. As here illustrated, the part 30 may be a flat metal plate which is bent at right angles by the punch and die as illustrated at 30 in FIG. 2.

The press, to the bed 13 of which are secured the die set 11 and the safety parts feeder 10, may be a conventional mechanical press having a ram mechanically driven by a crank from a continuously operating motor, rotation of the crank through substantially 360' from the up stroke portion being controlled by a clutch. The clutch is also of conventional construction, being pneur'natically controlled by a push button or treadle or the like-and being provided with a clutch control cut out to prevent engagement of the clutch.

The safety parts feeder generally designated at 10 in FIGS. 1 to 3 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 4 to 9. It includes a base plate 32 located on the press bed 13 and adjacent the die plate 12 of the die set by means of locating pins 33. The base plate 32 is provided with a central hole 34. An annular inner cylinder ring 35 is secured to the base plate 32 by screws 36 and the ring 35 is provided with a central cylindrical opening 37 coaxial with the hole 34 in the base plate 32. An annular outer cylinder ring 38 is also secured to the base plate 32 by screws 39. The outer cylinder ring 38 abuts the inner cylinder ring 35 and it is provided with a downwardly facing annular bearing race 40.

The parts feeder l additionally includes a circular cylinder cap 43 which is secured by screws 45 to an annular outer cylinder 44. The cylinder cap 43 is also secured to an inner cylinder 46 by means of screws 47. An annular outer cylinder retainer 48 is secured to the outer cylinder 44 by means of screws 49 and a plurality of ball bearings 50 held by a bearing retainer 51 are arranged between the outer cylinder retainer 48 and the downwardly facing bearing race 40 so as to provide free rotation of the outer cylinder 44 with respect to the outer cylinder ring 38 but yet prevent upward movement of the outer cylinder 44 with respect to the outer cylinder ring 38.

The moveable cylinder cap 43 and outer cylinder 44 and inner cylinder 46 and the stationary outer cylinder ring 38 provide and enclose an annular cylinder chamber 52, the chamber being sealed by 0

rings

53 and 54. A stationary piston 57 is secured in the cylinder chamber 52 to the stationary outer cylinder ring 38 by means of a screw 58 and dowel pins 59. The piston is arcuate throughout its length and is provided with grooves 60 which operate to trap oil for lubrication purposes. The stationary piston 57 is provided at each end with a projection 61 which is tapered as indicated at 62, the projections 61 being illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 5, 7 and 9. The ends of the piston 57 are also provided with travel stops or bumpers 63 suitably secured in the ends of the piston, such bumpers being shown in more detail in FIGS. and 9.

A rotary stop block 66 is also arranged in the annular cylinder chamber 52 and is secured to the cylinder cap 43 by screws 67 and dowel pins 68. The ends of the rotary stop block 66 are provided with recesses 69 for receiving the extensions 61 of the piston 57 when the rotary stop block 66 is moved to either extreme position. The rotary stop block is also provided on each end with bumpers 78 which are adapted to engage the bumpers 63 on the stationary piston 57 when the rotary stop block 66 is rotated to its extreme position.

The inner cylinder 46 has a cylindrical or straight cavity 73 in which is located a reciprocatable piston 74 having an extension 75 slidable in the opening 37 in the inner cylinder ring 35 and in the hole 34 in the base plate 32. It also has an upper extension 76 which is slidable in a central opening 77 in the cylinder cap 43. The cylindrical chamber 73 and the piston 74 and its

extensions

75 and 76 are sealed by 0

rings

78, 79, 80 and 81. Thus, the cylindrical chamber 73 and the piston 74 reciprocatable therein provide a pneumatically operated reciprocatary motor just as the annular chamber 52 and the stationary piston 57 and rotary stop block 66 provide a pneumatically operated rotary motor.

A table 82 is secured by a screw 83 to the upper extension 76 of the reciprocatory piston 74 so that the table 82 is raised and lowered as the piston 74 is moved upwardly and downwardly. The table 82 also carries a plurality of pins 84 which are slidably received in-holes 85 in the cylinder cap 43 and outer cylinder 44. The lower ends of the holes 85 are vented to atmosphere so as to allow free upward and downward movement of the pins in the holes. Thus, as the rotary stop block 66, cylinder cap 43, outer cylinder 44 and inner cylinder 46 are rotated, the table 82 is also rotated through the slidable connections formed by the pins 84. The table 82 also carries a plurality of bumpers 86 which are adapted to engage the cylinder cap 43 to limit the downward movement of the table 82. The upward movement of the table 82 is limited by the piston 74 engaging the cylinder cap 43 which in turn is prevented from moving upwardly by the ball bearings 50.

The rotary stop block 66 and the annular cylinder to which it is secured are rotated in a clockwise direction by supplying air under pressure between the stationary piston 57 and one side of the rotary stop block and exhausting air from the other side of the rotary stop block. Conversely, the rotary stop block 66 and the annular cylinder to which it is secured are rotated in a counterclockwise direction by supplying air between the stationary piston 57 and said other end of the rotary stop block and exhausting air from said one end of the rotary stop block. Air is supplied to the rotary stop block 66 to rotate the same in the clockwise direction through a passage 90 in the base plate 32 which has a threaded connection 91 with a fitting 92. The passage 90 in the base plate, as shown more clearly in FIG. 7, communicates through passages 93 in the outer cylinder ring 38 and 94 in the stationary piston 57 which in turn communicates with the space between the stationary piston 57 and the rotary stop block 66. To rotate the rotary stop block 66 and the cylinder cap 43 in the counterclockwise direction air under pressure is supplied to a passage 95 in the base plate 32 through a fitting 97, the passage 95 communicating through a vertical passage 98 in the outer cylinder ring 38 and stationary piston 57 with the space between the stationary piston 57 and the rotary stop block 66. Thus, by alternately supplying air under pressure to the passages 98 and 95 the rotary stop block 66 and the cylinder cap 43 are rotated in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction, respectively.

When air under pressure is so supplied for rotation purposes to one side of a rotary stop block 66, the air on the other side of the rotary stop block is exhausted through the

passages

90 and 95 depending upon the direction of rotation. Assuming that the rotary stop block 66 is being rotated in a counterclockwise direction by applying air under pressure through the passage 95, the air is then being exhausted through the passage 90. When the rotary stop block 66 nears the end of its counterclockwise rotation, the recess 69 in the rotary stop block receives the projection 61 on the stationary piston 57 as shown more clearly in FIG. 7 and 9. This'operates to trap air in the recess 69 to retard the rotation of the rotary stop block. The recess 62 in the rotary stop block is connected through a passage 100, a needle valve 101 and a passage 102 to the space between the rotary stop block 66 and the stationary piston 57, these passages and needle valve being illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Thus, the air trapped in the recess 62 may be gradually bled therefrom at a ratedepending upon the setting of the needle valve 101 and in this way the rate of retard of the movement of the rotary stop block 66 may be adjusted to provide minimum banging between the

bumpers

63 and 70 of the stationary piston 57 and the rotary stop block 66. To obtain greater trapping of air for this purpose the taper 62 on the projection 61 may be reduced or eliminated or even a positive seal may be provided. When air is supplied through the passage 90 and exhausted through the passage 95, the clockwise rotation of the rotary stop block 66 at the end of its movement is retarded in the same fashion and, hence, a further description is notconsidered necessary.

The reciprocatory piston 74 is moved downwardly by supplying air under pressure to the cylindrical or straight cylinder 73 above the piston. This is accomplished by supplying air under pressure to a passage 105 in the baseplate 32 which isprovided with threads 106for receiving a fitting 107. The passage 105 communicates through a vertical passage 108 inthe base plate 32 and a vertical passage 109 in the inner cylinder ring 35 to an annular space 110 below the inner cylinder 46 as shown more clearly in FIG. 8. This annular space 1 10, as shown more clearly in FIG. 4 communicates through

passages

111 and 112 in the inner cylinder 46 with the cylinder space 73 above the piston 74. When air under pressure is so supplied, the piston 74 is moved downwardly.

To move the piston 74 upwardly air is supplied to a passage 115 in the base plate 32 which is provided with threads 116 for receiving a fitting 117. As shown more clearly in FIG. 4, the passage 115 communicates through a passage 118 in the base plate 32 and a passage 119 in the inner cylinder ring 35 with the cylinder space below the piston 74. By so applying air under pressure through the fitting 117, the piston 74 is raised. When the piston 74 is being raised by applying air under pressure through the fitting 117, air above the piston 74 is being exhausted through the fitting 117, air above the piston 74 is being exhausted through the fitting 107 and vice versa when air under pressure is being supplied through the fitting 107 to lower the piston 74, air is being exhausted through the fitting 117.

An annular shield 121 is preferably secured to the underside of the table 82 and extends down over the cylinder cap 43 and the outer cylinder ring 44 to prevent parts or dust or other extraneous matter from getting in between the table 82 and the cylinder cap 43. It also operates as a safety device for preventing the operator from getting his fingers pinched therebetween.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of diametrically

opposed jig plates

125 and 126 are secured to the table 82 in any suitable manner, such as, by screws or the like. When the rotary-stop block 66 is in the counterclockwise position as illustrated in FIG. 5, the jig plate 126 is arranged in the die set 11 and the other jig plate 125 is exposed. When the rotary stop block 66 is moved to its clockwise position, the jig plate 125 is arranged within the die set 11 and the jig plate 126 is exposed. The jig plates 125 and l26 are each provided with a central opening 127 to encompass the die 17 when the table 82 is rotated and lowered. Each

jig plate

125, 126 carries a jig 128 which for example, may be provided with an opening 129 for receiving a partupon which work is to be performed by the die set 11. Other partreceiving or locating devices, such as, pins or the like, may be carried by the jigs 128. The

jig plates

125, 126 are each provided with a hole 130 for receiving a locating pin 131 carried by the die holder 14 when the table 82 is rotated and lowered. The locating pin 131 may be alternatively received in holes 15 and may be secured in place by a retainer 132 which in turn is fastened to the die holder 14 or by set screws in the die holder 14.

A part to have work performed thereon by the die set 11 is inserted in the jig 1280f the exposed die plate 125. When the ram of the press is in its upper position so as to withdraw the punch 25 from the die 17, the table 82 is raised to release the jig plate 126 from the locating pin 131, the table 82 is rotated in a clockwise direction through angular degrees and then the table 82 is lowered so that the jig plate 125 is centered by the locating pin 131. The ram of the press is then operated to cause the die set 11 to perform the work function on the part. While the work function is being performed, a new part is inserted in the jig 128 of the then exposed jig plate 126. When the work function is completed and the ram raised, the table 82 is then raised and rotated in a counterclockwise direction and lowered to present a new part to have work performed thereon by the die set 11. This operation provides for feeding parts to the parts feeder at a point away from the die set 11 and to feed such parts to the die set 11. Since applying the parts to the feeder 10 takes place at a point spaced from the die set 11, injury to the operator of the press is eliminated, and since the operator applies a part to the parts feeder while another part is being formed by the die set 11, maximum production schedules may be kept.

The safety parts feeder 10 is controlled in timed relation with the press and the press is controlled in timed relation with the safety parts feeder to provide safe and foolproof operation. FIG. 10 diagrammatically illustrates a program control system for so operating the press and the safety parts feeder. Air under pressure is supplied to the fitting 117 for raising the table 82 through a pipe 117A from a three-way valve 1178. Air

under pressure is supplied to the fitting 107 for lowering the table 82 through a pipe 107A from a three-way valve 1073. Air under pressure is supplied to the fitting 92 for rotating the table in a clockwise direction through a pipe 92A from a three-way valve 928. Air under pressure is supplied to the fitting 97 for rotating the table 82 in a counterclockwise direction through a pipe 97A from a three-way valve 97B. Air is also exhausted from the

fittings

117, 107, 92 and 97 through the

pipes

117A, 107A, 92A and 97A, respectively. Needle valves 117C, 107C, 92C and 97C are located in the

pipes

117A, 107A, 92A and 97A for controlling the rate of supply and/or exhaust of air through these pipes.

The three-way valves 117B, 107B, 928 and 97B are operated by

cams

117D, 107D, 92D, 97D, respectively, contained within a sequence programmer 140. The cams are driven through successive 180 angular degree rotational steps by a cam shaft 141 which in turn is driven through a gear reducer by an air operated drive motor 142. Air under pressure is supplied to the air operated drive motor 142 from a four-way valve 143 through a pressure regulator 144 and an off-on manually operated selector valve 145. Air is exhausted from the air operated drive motor 142 through a manually adjustable needle valve 146. Since air under substantially constant pressure is supplied tothe air operated motor 142 and is exhausted through the needle valve 146, the speed of rotation of the air operated motor 142 may be adjusted by adjusting the needle valve 146.

The four-way valve 143 is operated to supply air under pressure to the air operated motor 142 by an air pilot 148 which receives air under pressure through a shuttle valve 149 from a three-way valve 150 or a three-way valve 151. The three-way valve 150 is operated from a cam on the crank shaft of the press and the valve 150 operates to supply air under pressure to the air pilot 148 to move the four-way valve 143 to supply air to the air operated drive motor 142 when the crank shaft of the press reaches a pointof approximately l angular degrees after the bottom of the ram stroke. The three-way valve 151 is a manual push button which may be utilized in setting up the operation of the safety parts feeder of this invention and when it is operated it also operates to supply air to the air pilot 148 to move the four-way valve 143 to a position to supply air to the air operated motor 142. This valve 151 is not utilized in the normal operation of the press. The four-way valve 143 is operated to the opposite position to interrupt the supply of air under pressure to the air operated drive motor 142 by an air pilot 152 which is in turn controlled through a pulse valve 153 from a threeway valve 154. The three-way valve 154 is actuated by the table 82. In this respect, the three-way valve 154 is operated to supply air to the pulse valve 153 and the air pilot 152 to move the four-way valve 143 when the feeder table 82 is in a fully rotated and down position. From the foregoing, it is seen that the four-way valve 143 is operated to the on position by the air pilot 148 and remains in that position until it is moved to the off position by the air pilot 152. The four-way valve 143 remains in the off position until moved to the on position by the air pilot 148.

The three-way valve 154 also supplies air under pressure through an ofi-on manually controlled selector valve 156 to an air pilot 157 which in turn operates a three-way valve 158. The selector valve 156 is not utilized during the operation of the press but is utilized solely for setting up purposes. When air is supplied to the air pilot 157 by the three-way valve 154, the threeway valve 158 is operated to supply air under pressure to the press clutch control cut out to deactivate the cut out so that the clutch of the press may be operated. When the three-way valve 154 is operated to interrupt the supply of air under pressure to the air pilot 157, the three-way valve 158 is operated to interrupt the supply of air to the clutch control cut out so that it is then impossible to engage the clutch of the press.

In connection with the operation of the control of the safety parts feeder and the press it is assumed that the table 82 is in the counterclockwise and lowered position as illustrated in the drawings, that the ram of the press and punch 25 carried thereby are in their up stroke position and that the

cams

117D, 107D, 92D and 970 are in the position illustrated in FIG. 11. Air is being supplied to the fitting 107 to maintain the table 82 in its lowered position, the table 82 being held in its counterclockwise position by the locating pin 131. Air is being exhausted from the

fittings

117, 92 and 97. Since the table is in its lowered position air has been supplied to the air pilot 152 to shift the four-way valve 143 to interrupt the supplyof air to the air operated drive motor 142 and air is being supplied to the air pilot 157 to operate the three-way valve 158 to deactivate the clutch control cut out and, therefore, allow the operation of the press. The press control is then operated to engage the press clutch and lower the ram and the punch carried thereby to perform the work function on the part 30 as illustrated in FIG. 2. After the work function has been performed, at about 10 rotation of the press crank after the bottom of the ram stroke the three-way valve is operated by the cam on the press valve to supply air to the air pilot 148 to shift the four-way valve 143 to the position for supplying air to the air operated drive motor 142. This causes rotation of the

cams

117D, 107D, 92D and 97D in the clockwise rotation as illustrated in FIG. 11. Immediately the cam 107D shuts off the three-way valve 107B to interrupt the supply of air under pressure to the fitting 107 and to exhaust air therefrom.

When the cams have rotated to substantially 10, the cam 117D supplies air under pressure to the fitting 117 to move the table upwardly. When the cams have rotated to about 15, the table 82 is being raised and the three-way valve 154 is closed to interrupt the supply of air to the air pilot 157 to shift the three-way valve 158 to activate the clutch control cut out so that the clutch cannot again be .re-engaged. When the cams have rotated to substantially 40, the raising of the table 82 has been completed and when the cams have rotated to substantially 45, air is supplied to the fitting 92 to rotate the table 82 in a clockwise direction. Thus, at this time air is being supplied to the fitting 117 to maintain the table in its elevated position and is being supplied to the fitting 92 to rotate the table in the clockwise direction.

When the cams have rotated to substantially 150, the clockwise rotation of the table is completed and when the cams are rotated to substantially the'air supply to the fitting 1 17 is shut off and the air supply to the fitting 107 is turned on to lower the table 82 in its clockwise position. When the cams are rotated to 170, the lowering of the table 82 is completed and the supply of air to the fitting 92 is shut off. Also when the table is lowered, the three-way valve 154 operated by the lowering of the table supplies air to the air pilot 152 to shift the four-way valve to the position to interrupt the supply of air to the air operated motor 142. This operation of the valve 154 also operates to supply air to the air pilot 157 to shift the valve 158 to supply air to the clutch control out to condition the clutch control for operation. As a result, when the cams have been rotated to substantially 180, the supply of air to the fitting 117 is off to the fitting 107 is on and to the

fittings

92 and 97 is off.

In the rotation of the table to the clockwise position as described above a new part is fed by the table into the die set 11 to be formed thereby. Inthis rotation of the table the part previously formed by the die set has been ejected from the jig by an air blast or the like so that this jig is available for receiving another part to be formed. When said other part is inserted in the jig, the operator then manipulates the press control clutch to operate the press and form the part fed to the die set. This further operation is the same as the one discussed above and a further description is not considered necessary, the further operation being readily apparent in view of the cam diagram of FIG. 11. While specific angular degrees have been described and illustrated in FIG. 11 by way of example for performing the desired sequence of operation, the angular degrees may be changed to perform the desired sequence of operation for different applications involved requiring different timing.

While the safety parts feeder is illustrated as being assembled from individual machined pieces, many of the pieces may be formed into one piece as by die casting, injection or compression molding, or the like. For example, the inner cylinder ring 35 and the outer cylinder ring 38 could be formed in one piece, and the outer cylinder 44, the inner cylinder 46 and the cylinder cap 43 could be formed in one piece. Such would be desirable where large commercial production of the safety parts feeder should be required.

While for purposes of illustration one specific form of this invention has been disclosed, other forms of this invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure and, therefore, this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A safety parts feeder, for feeding parts to a press having a bed and a manually controlled power operated ram and a die set including a die carried by the bed and a punch carried by the ram comprising, a table adjacent the die set, a pneumatically operated rotary motor carried by the bed for rotatably driving and positioning the table, a pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor concentric with the rotary motor for raising and lowering the table, a plurality of jigs carried by the table and extending radially outwardly from the table-for receiving parts placed thereon and feeding them between the die and punch of the die set to be formed thereby as the table is rotated and positioned by the rotary motor and raised and lowered by the reciprocatory motor, and

control means operated in timed relation with the operation of the ram of the press for controlling the rotary motor and the reciprocatory motor to lower the table in one rotary position for forming a part fed by one of the jigs into the die set and for receiving another part in another of the jigs, and to raise, rotate to another rotary position and lower the table and the jigs for feeding another part into the die set to be formed thereby and for receiving a further part to be fed.

2. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 1 wherein said control means also includes means for allowing forming operation of the power operated ram of the press only when the table has been rotatably positioned and lowered to feed a part into the die set.

3. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 1 wherein said pneumatically operated rotary motor comprises a rotatably mounted annular cylinder having a stop block therein rotatable therewith, a piston in the annular cylinder, and means for feeding air under pressure into the annular cylinder between the stop block and the piston for rotating the annular cylinder through a predetermined angle of rotation, and slidable connections between the annular cylinder and the table for rotating the table as the annular cylinder is rotated.

4. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 3 wherein said pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor comprises a straight cylinder within the confines of the annular cylinder and concentric with the central axis of the annular cylinder, a piston reciprocatably mounted in the straight cylinder, and means for feeding air into the straight cylinder for raising and lowering the reciprocatable piston therein, and a fixed connection between the reciprocatable piston and the table for raising and lowering the table as the reciprocatable piston is raised and lowered.

5. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 1 wherein said pneumatically operated rotary motor comprises a rotatably mounted annular cylinder having a stop block secured therein, a stationary piston in the annular cylinder, and means for feeding air under pressure into the annular cylinder between the stop block and one side of the piston and exhausting air from the other side of the piston for rotating the annular cylinder in one direction through angular degrees, and for feeding air under pressure into the annular cylinder between the-stop block and said otherside of the piston and exhausting air from said one side of the piston for rotating the annular cylinder in the opposite direction through 180 angular degrees, and slidable connections between the annular cylinder and the table for oscillating the table through lfiO angular degrees as the annular cylinder is oscillated.

6. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 5 including bumpers on the stationary piston and the stop block which engage to limit and fix the 180 angular degrees of rotation of the annular cylinder.

7. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 5 wherein said stop block has recesses on opposite sides and said piston has projections on opposite sides which are received in said recesses when the annular cylinder nears the limits of its 180 angular degrees of rotation for trapping air in said recesses to decelerate the rotation of the annular cylinder thereat, and restricted passages between said recesses and said means for exhausting air from the annular cylinder to regulate the rate of deceleration.

8. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 7 includ-- ing bumpers on the piston and the stop block which engage to limit and fix the 180 angular degrees of rotation of the annular cylinder.

9. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim wherein said plurality of jigs comprises a pair of diametrically opposed jigs carried by the table which alternately feed parts to the die set as the table is oscillated.

10. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 5 wherein said pneumatically operated reciprocatory

Claims

1. A safety parts feeder, for feeding parts to a press having a bed and a manually controlled power operated ram and a die set including a die carried by the bed and a punch carried by the ram comprising, a table adjacent the die set, a pneumatically operated rotary motor carried by the bed for rotatably driving and positioning the table, a pnEumatically operated reciprocatory motor concentric with the rotary motor for raising and lowering the table, a plurality of jigs carried by the table and extending radially outwardly from the table for receiving parts placed thereon and feeding them between the die and punch of the die set to be formed thereby as the table is rotated and positioned by the rotary motor and raised and lowered by the reciprocatory motor, and control means operated in timed relation with the operation of the ram of the press for controlling the rotary motor and the reciprocatory motor to lower the table in one rotary position for forming a part fed by one of the jigs into the die set and for receiving another part in another of the jigs, and to raise, rotate to another rotary position and lower the table and the jigs for feeding another part into the die set to be formed thereby and for receiving a further part to be fed.

5. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 1 wherein said pneumatically operated rotary motor comprises a rotatably mounted annular cylinder having a stop block secured therein, a stationary piston in the annular cylinder, and means for feeding air under pressure into the annular cylinder between the stop block and one side of the piston and exhausting air from the other side of the piston for rotating the annular cylinder in one direction through 180 angular degrees, and for feeding air under pressure into the annular cylinder between the stop block and said other side of the piston and exhausting air from said one side of the piston for rotating the annular cylinder in the opposite direction through 180 angular degrees, and slidable connections between the annular cylinder and the table for oscillating the table through 180 angular degrees as the annular cylinder is oscillated.

8. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 7 including bumpers on the piston and the stop block which engage to limit and fix the 180 angular degrees of rotation of the annular cylinder.

9. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 5 wherein said plurality of jigs comprises a pair of diametrically opposed jigs carried by the table which alternately feed parts to the die set as the table is oscillated.

10. A safety parts feeder as defined in claim 5 wherein said pneumatically operated reciprocatory motor comprises a straight cylinder within the confines of the annular cylinder and concentric with the central axis of the annular cylinder, a piston reciprocatably mounted in the straight cylinder, and means for feeding air into the straight cylinder for raising and lowering the reciprocatable piston therein, and a fixed connection between the reciprocatable piston and the table for raising and lowering the table as the reciprocatable piston is raised and lowered.