US3726123A

US3726123A - Forging press with adjustable working gap

Info

Publication number: US3726123A
Application number: US00184378A
Authority: US
Inventors: W Bothe
Original assignee: HASENCLEVER MASCHF GmbH
Current assignee: HASENCLEVER MASCHF GmbH
Priority date: 1970-09-30
Filing date: 1971-09-28
Publication date: 1973-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-10
Also published as: DE2048109C3; CS152973B2; DE2048109A1; DE2048109B2; JPS5037905B1

Abstract

A rotating horizontal shaft of a forging press carries an eccentric disk engaging a vertically reciprocable pressure block bracketed by arms of a yoke-shaped forging hammer. A pin spanning the arms of the forging hammer of the press passes eccentrically through a cam sleeve, lodged in the force-transmitting member, whose angular position determines the relative spacing of the hammer and the block. The sleeve is designed in part as a worm wheel meshing with a worm which is rotatable, via an articulated telescoping shaft, by a servomotor fixedly mounted on the press frame. The pressure block is split to form two bearing halves for the sleeve which are normally held together by elastic tie rods to clamp the sleeve and prevent its rotation. A hydraulic cylinder can be operated to separate the bearing halves, thereby allowing adjustment of the working gap between hammer and anvil by actuating the servomotor.

Description

ihiiiefi i$ Patent 1 1 Bethe [4 1 Apr. 10, 1973 3,521,475 7/1970 Bothe ..72/429 Primary Examiner-Richard J. Herbst Assistant Examiner-Gene P. Crosby AttorneyKarl F. Ross ABSTRACT A rotating horizontal shaft of a forging press carries an eccentric disk engaging a vertically reciprocable pressure block bracketed by arms of a yoke-shaped forging hammer. A pin spanning the arms of the forging hammer of the press passes eccentrically through a cam sleeve, lodged in the force-transmitting member, whose angular position determines the relative spacing of the hammer and the block. The sleeve is designed in part as a worm wheel meshing with a worm which is rotatable, via an articulated telescoping shaft, by a servomotor fixedly mounted on the press frame. The pressure block is split to form two bearing halves for the sleeve which are normally held together by elastic tie rods to clamp the sleeve and prevent its rotation. A hydraulic cylinder can be operated to separate the bearing halves, thereby allowing adjustment of the working gap between hammer and anvil by actuating the servomotor.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures FURGKNG PRESS WETH ADEUSTABLE WORKING GAP [75] Inventor: Werner Bethe, Dusseldorf, Germany [73] Assignee: Masehinenfabrik mnciever GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 184,378

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 30, 1970 Germany ..P 20 48 109.8

[52] US. Cl. ..72/441, 72/446, 72/452, 100/257 [51] Int. Cl. ..B21j 9/20 [58] Field of Search ..72/44l, 446, 452; 100/257 [56] References Gited UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,974 11/1893 Ramacciotti ..72/446 3,033,055 5/1962 Hahnel ..72/446 3,162,232 11/1964 Munschauer.... ..100/257 3,334,581 8/1967 Bergman ..72/441 v i" of? g I PATENTED P 1 01975 3,726,123

sum 1 BF 4 FIG.

Werner Bofhe INVENTOR.

Attorney PATENTEB APR 1 01m SHEET 2 [IF 4 FIG. 2

l/WLNTOR Werner Bofhe Attorney -mum]

0197a

3, 3

SHEET 3 OF 4 Werner Bofhe INVENTOR.

G d Ross Attorney PATENTEU 1 01 75 SHEET u or 4 a A 0 a v m III M A INVENTORZ Werner Bofhe Attorney FIG. 4

FORGING PRESS WITH ADJUSTABLE WORKING GAP FIELD OF THE INVENTION My present invention relates to a power press, more specifically to a high-speed forging press having a reciprocating hammer driven by an eccentric.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,475 there is disclosed a forging press wherein a shaft, connected directly through a clutch to a motor, carries a large flywheel and an eccentric. A force-transmitting pressure block hugs the eccentric and engages the press hammer in order to reciprocate same, usually vertically, as the shaft rotates. Thus, the hammer executes a predetermined stroke toward and away from a co-operating anvil or bed on the press frame.

In such a forging press it is often necessary to adjust the height of the working gap, i.e., the minimum space between the hammer and the anvil. This adjustment is generally carried out with the aid of a servomotor raising or lowering the anvil or press bed. Such a system has the serious disadvantage that, when the press is used in an assembly line or the like, a change in the height of the anvil disrupts the'continuity of the work flow.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, the general object of my invention to provide means in such a press for varying the working gap without changing the position of the anvil.

A more specific object is the installation of such gapadjusting means on the hammer side of the press in a manner insulating the servomotor from the dynamic impacts of the hammer drive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above objects are attained, accordingto the present invention, by a press wherein the two jointly reciprocable members, i.e., the hammer member and the force-transmitting block, are interconnected by an eccentric coupling which includes a transverse element, such as a cam sleeve, rotatably lodged in one of these members, preferably the pressure block. This element is operatively joined to an electric or hydraulic servomotor, mounted on the press frame, through a flexible link such as a telescoping and universally jointed shaft.

According to another feature of the invention, I provide selectively operable blocking means to prevent the cam sleeve from rotating except when an adjustment of the working gap is to be carried out. To this end the member supporting this sleeve is split into two bearing halves normally held together by one or more elastically extensible tie rods. The two bearing halves may be forcibly separated, by a hydraulic or pneumatic jack, to unclamp the sleeve for adjustment purposes.

In accordance with yet another feature of this invention the coupling between the two members includes a worm driven by the motor and meshing with a worm wheel on the cam sleeve. The sleeve surrounds a pin that spans two arms of the yoke-shaped hammer member bracketing the pressure block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present improvement will become apparent from the following description given with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view of a press according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line II II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the press taken in the direction of arrow III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the region of FIG. 2 indicated by arrow IV.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION As shown in the drawing, a forging press embodying my invention has a frame 1 in which is journaled a shaft 2 carrying an eccentric disk 3. The shaft 2 also mounts a flywheel l8 entrained bymeans of keys 19, a drive motor 20 being couplable to this shaft through a clutch 21. Thus, as the shaft 2 rotates about its axis A, the eccentric 3 is moved so that its axis A describes a cylinder of a radius r around the axis A. The base of frame 1 forms an anvil 6.

Snugly surrounding the eccentric 3 via a journal sleeve 22 is enforce-transmitting member or pressure block 4 receiving in turn a horizontal pin 14 whose ends are mounted in two upstanding arms 5', 5" of a yoke-shaped hammer 5 that can slide up and down in guide rails 34 on the frame 1. Thus, as the shaft 2 is driven by the motor 20, the member 4 reciprocates vertically and the hammer 5 moves with it, its displacement relative to the stationary anvil 6 being equal to 2r.

The working gap G of the device, as shown in FIG. 1, is the distance between the lower face of hammer 5 and the top of the anvil 6; this gap can be adjusted by displacing the hammer 5 relatively to the force-transmitting member 4. To this end a cam sleeve 7 surrounds the pin 14 in its central region where this pin pases through the block 4. The sleeve 7 has a thickness varying from a maximum T to a minimum t, as seen best in FIG. 4. Thus the hammer 5 may be moved with reference to block 4 through a distance 2(Tt) equal to the distance between the axis A" of the pin 14 and the axis A' of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 7. The hammer also carries a hydraulic jack 33 which may be operated during each upstroke to displace, through a lever 34, a knockout pin 35 for dislodging adhering workpieces.

The adjustment of the relative positions of the hammer 5 and the pressure block 4 is carried out by rotating the sleeve 7 on the pin 14. To this end the sleeve 7 is formed around its center as a worm wheel 8 engaged by a worm 9 which is driven .by an electric servomotor 11 carried on the press frame I. The worm 9 has a shaft 23 rotatably journaled in a horizontal bore 24 of block 4 by bearings 25. The outer end of the shaft 23 is connected via a ball-type universal joint 12 to a telescoping shaft 10, consisting of two nested, splined and relatively slidable sections, whose other end is linked via another ball-type universal joint 13 to the output shaft 26 of the motor 11 paralleling the worm shaft 23. Energization of motor 11 rotates the worm 9 to turn the sleeve 7 on the shaft 14, thereby changing the relative position of the hammer 5 and the forcetransmitting member 4.

The block 4 is horizontally split at a recess 15 into an upper bearing half 4', rigid with the body of the block, and a complementary lower bearing half 4" integrally but flexibly joined to it in the region diametrically opposite the recess 15 which is spanned by two tie rods 16 clamping the cam sleeve 7, cradled in these bearing halves, tightly in position. The tie rods are stretchable, against their inherent elasticity and/or the force of strong loading springs not shown, by a hydraulic jack 17 inserted in the recess 15. As shown in FIG. 2, jack 17 is connected via a conduit 27 to a source 28 of highpressure fluid, the conduit being normally blocked by a manually operable valve 29. A pressure-responsive actuator 30, connected to conduit 27 downstream of valve 29, controls a circuit breaker 31 in a supply line between servomotor 11 and a current source 32 therefor. A manual switch 36 in series with circuit breaker 31 serves to energize the motor but is ineffectual as long as jack 17 is not pressurized to spread the bearing halves 4', 4" apart so as to facilitate rotation of sleeve 7; thus, actuator 30 serves as a lockout means preventing untimely operation of motor 11. The lower bearing half 4" could also be completely separated from the block 4, with duplication of the tie rods 16 on opposite sides of sleeve 7.

Although my invention has been specifically illustrated with the eccentric coupling between members 4 and designed as a cam sleeve rotatably lodged in block 4, it will be apparent that a kinematic inversion of this arrangement is also possible, as by mounting that sleeve in the top part of hammer 5 between descending arms of block 4 engaged by pin 14. Moreover, the sleeve could be omitted if the pin 14 is made rigid with worm wheel 8 for rotation thereby, the pin being in this case provided with eccentric extremities engaging the arms of the coacting member. These and other modifications, readily apparent to persons skilled in the art, are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of my invention except as otherwise limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A forging press comprising:

a stationary frame forming a fixed anvil;

a force-transmitting member mounted on said frame for reciprocation toward and away from said anvil; drive means for reciprocating said force transmitting member;

a hammer member co-operating with said anvil;

an eccentric coupling interconnecting said members for joint reciprocation, said coupling including a transverse element rotatably lodged in one of said members; and

mechanism including a motor on said frame and a flexible link operatively connecting said motor with said element for rotating same to adjust the relative position of said members.

2. A press as defined in claim 2 wherein said transverse element is a cam sleeve, said coupling further comprising a pin connected to the other of said members and passing eccentrically through said sleeve.

3. A press as defined in claim 2 wherein said sleeve is lodged in said force-transmitting member, said hammer member having arms spanned by said pin.

4. A press as defined in claim 3, further comprising a worm wheel rigid with said sleeve and a worm on said link engaging said wormwheel.

5. A press as defined in claim 4 wherein said flexible link includes an articulated telescoping shaft extending between said motor and said worm.

6. A press as defined in claim 3,. further comprising blocking means on said force-transmitting member for preventing rotation of said sleeve during operation of said drive means.

7. A press as defined in claim 6 wherein said blocking means includes a split bearing for said sleeve on said force-transmitting member and clamping means for holding said bearing together.

8. A press as defined in claim 7 wherein said split bearing has a first half integral with said force-transmitting member and a separable second half embracing said sleeve, said clamping means including elastically extensible tie means engaging said halves.

9. A press as defined in claim 8, further comprising fluid-operable spreader means for separating said halves against the force of said tie means.

10. A press as defined in claim9, further comprising lockout means for preventing operation of said motor in an inoperative state of said spreader means.

Claims

1. A forging press comprising: a stationary frame forming a fixed anvil; a force-transmitting member mounted on said frame for reciprocation toward and away from said anvil; drive means for reciprocating said force transmitting member; a hammer member co-operating with said anvil; an eccentric coupling interconnecting said members for joint reciprocation, said coupling including a transverse element rotatably lodged in one of said members; and mechanism including a motor on said frame and a flexible link operatively connecting said motor with said element for rotating same to adjust the relative position of said members.

4. A press as defined in claim 3, further comprising a worm wheel rigid with said sleeve and a worm on said link engaging said worm wheel.

6. A press as defined in claim 3, further comprising blocking means on said force-transmitting member for preventing rotation of said sleeve during operation of said drive means.

10. A press as defined in claim 9, further comprising lockout means for pReventing operation of said motor in an inoperative state of said spreader means.