Patent ID: 7895738
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: B23P,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for staking fasteners, comprising: a conveyor for conveying part pallets along a conveying axis with the part pallets respectively supporting part assemblies that each have at least one fastener to be staked to provide processing of the part assembly; a staking station to which the conveyor conveys each part pallet with the associated part assembly supported thereon, and the staking station including a horizontal rigid base, a lower lift and lock assembly, and an upper press; the lower lift and lock assembly including a lower lifter that is movable upwardly and downwardly, the lower lifter including at least one spring that resiliently lifts the pallet upwardly from the conveyor by the upward movement, and the lower lifter also including at least one lower staking punch for staking the fastener of the part assembly; the lower lift and lock assembly also including a lower lock including a pair of lock members that are respectively movable horizontally on the horizontal rigid base in opposite directions from unlocked positions on opposite sides of the lower lifter to locked positions below the upwardly moved lower lifter to cooperatively provide support on the horizontal rigid base to the upwardly moved lower lifter that resiliently supports the pallet by the spring; and the upper press being movable downwardly toward the upwardly moved lower lifter with the pair of lock members of the lower lock in their locked positions, and the upper press having at least one upper staking punch that cooperates with the lower staking punch of the lower lifter to provide staking of the fastener of the part assembly.