Patent GB-1027283-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in transfer feed mechanism
Inventor: CLAYTON DOUGLAS
IPC: B21D43/05
Filed: 1962-09-28
Abstract: 1,027,283. Feeding work in presses. TURNERS BROS. (BIRMINGHAM) Ltd. Dec. 23, 1963 [Sept. 28, 1962], No. 36938/62. Headings B3Q and B3W. A mechanism, Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9 (not shown), for transferring work 29 between workstations in a press &c., by a transfer means 32 movable transversely from an initial position to engage the work, then longitudinally to transfer the work between stations, followed by a return transverse movement and then by a return longitudinal movement back to the initial position, comprises a rack-and-pinion gear, rotation of the pinion moving the rack and with it the transfer means 32 in a transverse or longitudinal direction. In one construction (Figs. 1 and 4) longitudinal movements of a pair of bars 33, 34 carrying grippers 32 is effected by rack-and-pinion gears 35, 36, 41, 42, transverse movement of the bars being effected by levers 74, 89 and links 77, 82, 89. If the teeth on the rack-and-pinion gears are inclined, this would result in longitudinal movement oblique to the longitudinal axis. Operation of the transfer mechanism is controlled by cams 47, 48 on the crankshaft 49 of the press. The cam for controlling longitudinal movements is engaged by a roll 54 on a bell-crank lever 56 biased against the cam by springs 61, 72. If, due to incorrect engagement of the work, the lower arm 56 of the bell-crank lever is prevented from moving with the upper arm 53 as this follows the cam, relative movement between the arms operates a micro-switch 54 (Figs. 1 and 5) controlling an audible or visual warning device and/or stopping the press. Alternatively, the cam and follower may provide the contacts in the warning circuit, or a stylus may be mounted on the follower to co-operate at one end with the cam and at the other with a micro-switch, or an inductive coupling may be varied by movement of an armature associated with the cam, or a pneumatically operated warning system may be used. A link 57 on the bell-crank lever 56 is connected to a rack 71 rotating a pinion 73 (Fig. 4) on a shaft 43 which carries the transfer pinions 41, 42 engaging racks 35, 36 on the bars 33, 34. A bell-crank lever 51, with a lost-motion arrangement operating a warning system similar to that on bell-crank lever 56, controls transverse movements of the bars 33, 34. These are mounted at each end in longitudinal slides 35, 36 guided in cross-slides 44, 45 which are moved by the links 82, 89 and levers 81, 87. A link 69 connects the bell-crank lever 51 to the lever 74 on a shaft 75 which has a gear 74, 84 at each end engaging gears 79, 83 on a shaft 80 carrying at each end the levers 81. Lower springs 91 bias the lever 51 towards the cams 47, 48, and the lever systems for the bars 33, 34 are interconnected by the link 77. In a modification (Fig. 6) the four cross-slides 105, 106 carrying the grippers 32 are moved by rack-and-pinion gears 93, 94, 95, 97 driven by a vertical rack- and-pinion gear 99, 100 and interconnected by a shaft 103, 104 with bevel-gears 101, 102. The pinions 95, 97 are on each end of shafts 96, 98, which extend between the cross-slides. Longitudinal slides 107, 108 carrying the crossslides, are moved by levers 122 and links 111. In a further modification (Fig. 9) both the longitudinal slides 113 and the cross-slides 117 are moved by rack-and-pinion gears 114, 115, 118, 119. Instead of two sets of grippers, a single set may operate against a stationary member.