Patent ID: 6272981
Filing Date: 2001-08-14
Classification: B23B,B23Q,B30B,Y10S

Abstract:
A chip compressing apparatus, comprising:a housing which has an inner space having opposite open ends;a movable member which is movable, along one of the opposite open ends of the housing, to a closing position where the movable member closes said one open end of the housing and to an opening position where the movable member opens said one open end, in a reference direction, the movable member having a constant thickness in the reference direction, and having a through-hole which extends substantially parallel to an axial direction of the housing and which has a cross section greater than a cross section of the inner space of the housing, wherein when the movable member is positioned at the opening position, the through-hole of the movable member is aligned with the inner space of the housing;a movable member moving device which moves, in the reference direction, the movable member to the closing position and to the opening position;a compressing ram which is inserted in the inner space of the housing through the other open end thereof, such that the compressing ram is movable in the axial direction of the housing;a ram moving device which moves the compressing ram in said axial direction so that the ram cooperates with the housing and the movable-member being positioned at the closing position to compress a metallic chip which is stored in the inner space of the housing; anda supporting device which supports the housing and the movable member such that at least when the compressing ram compresses the metallic chip, the housing and the movable member are not separated from each other, and at least when the movable member is moved from the closing position thereof to the opening position thereof, the housing and the movable member are separable from each other.