Patent ID: 6195875
Filing Date: 2001-03-06
Classification: B21D,H02K,Y10T

Abstract:
A die assembly for manufacturing a pencil core comprising a stack of a plurality of rectangular, elongate, slender laminae from strip stock material, said laminae having substantially equal lengths, each said lamina having a substantially uniform width throughout its length, said stack being substantially circular in cross section and having a widest lamina which is the widest lamina in said stack, and a plurality of laminae of decreasing widths located both above and below said widest lamina, said die assembly comprising:a plurality of punching stations, each punching station having a punch for stamping features in said strip stock material, at least two of such punches being selectively actuable, said features defining said elongate laminae, each said lamina having generally opposite first and second edges, said features further defining interlock elements adapted to engage another lamina, said laminae connected to a carrier portion of the strip stock material;a blanking station comprising a blanking punch, said blanking punch separating a lamina from the carrier portion of the strip stock material; andan elongate choke cavity disposed below said blanking punch and into which said laminae are received, said choke cavity dimensioned to hold said stack only by said widest lamina.