Patent ID: 9713834
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: B21D

Claim:
1. A punching apparatus comprising: a plurality of punching tools; a plurality of actuators positioned above and aligned respectively with said punching tools to actuate said punching tools along an operating direction so as to interact with a piece to be worked; at least one barrier optical sensor; and a plurality of reference elements, wherein said punching tools and said actuators are arranged side by side along at least one row, said at least one barrier optical sensor is operable to generate a light beam, said at least one barrier optical sensor being located side by side to said row of punching tools and actuators, each of said plurality of reference elements is associated to a respective one of said punching tools and/or actuators in order to intercept the light beam, and said at least one barrier optical sensor is arranged to detect changes in the light beam produced by one of said reference elements that moves along the operating direction so as to measure a position and/or a stroke and/or a speed of one of said punching tools associated with said one of said reference elements.