Patent GB-1084082-A (GB)
IPC: C14B5/00
Abstract: 1,084,082. Cutting-out presses. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO. Ltd. Sept. 25, 1964 [June 27, 1963; July 14, 1964], Nos. 25526/63 and 29390/64. Addition to 1,060,656. Heading B4B. [Also in Divisions B6 and F2] A cutting press comprises a lower platen 22 for supporting a cutting block 24 on which material to be cut and a superposed cutting knife can be placed, a vertically reciprocable beam 28 supporting an upper platen 26 which is movable forwardly and rearwardly of the press between a rearward position in which it leaves work on the platen 22 for easy manipulation of the cutting knife and a forward position in which it is in opposed relationship to the platen 22, and means comprising a microswitch (514), Fig. 5 (not shown), responsive to advance of the platen 26 to its forward position to actuate a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 54, 62 at each end of the press to move the beam downwardly towards the platen 22, whereby to effect a cutting stroke of the press, and thereafter to return the beam to its initial position. The platen 26 is movable forwardly and rearwardly on the beam by means of an operatoractuated hydraulic vane motor which imparts rotary motion to a composite shaft (182, 182, 184), Fig. 5 (not shown), running widthwise of the platen and provided at each end with an arm 230 which carries a follower 232 constrained to ride in an inclined channel 234 provided in an adjacent side wall 30 of the beam. Two wheels 212 are freely mounted on the ends of the composite shaft to ride on tracks 210 formed on the side walls 30. The shaft (184), Fig. 5 (not shown) carries two cams (500, 502) which, through two rods (510, 512), actuate two microswitches (514, 516). As soon as the platen 26 moves from its rearward position, one microswitch (516) is closed and when the platen reaches its forward position, the other microswitch (514) is closed to energize a spring- influenced solenoid valve (V2), Fig. 12 (not shown) to cause actuation of the piston and cylinder assemblies 54, 62. To ensure that the platen 26 remains substantially horizontal during its vertical movement, balancing means are provided which comprise four links 74 depending from the beam and a four-armed bell-crank lever 94 pivoted at each end of a base frame 20, the four arms being disposed in two parallel pairs, one pair being coupled, by means of slidable blocks, to the two depending links at the adjacent end of the beam and the other pair being connected by two inclined links 112. The upper and lower limits of movement of the beam are determined by means comprising two microswitches 136, 142 mounted on the base frame and actuable by two rider blocks 124 resting on a horizontally slidable cam bar 116 linked to the front one of the links 112 so that it moves endwise as the beam moves up and down. The left-hand rider block, which determines the lowermost position of the beam, is adjustable by a member comprising a lever 150, 154 rotatable by manually turning a knob 158 of a rack and pinion mechanism. The right-hand rider block, which determines the uppermost position of the beam, is adjustable by a member comprising a lever 164, which carries a binding screw, to which the block is connected by links. The rider blocks are coupled together by a parallel linkage so that while adjustment of the right-hand rider block will not affect the position of the left-hand rider block (thus enabling the stroke alone to be varied), turning the knob 158 will move both blocks by substantially the same amount (thus adjusting the lowermost position of the beam without substantially altering the stroke). The press is provided with feed means for feeding sheet material from a roll, or, as shown, superposed plies S, S<SP>1</SP> of sheet material drawn from rolls 420, forwardly over the cutting block 24, the feed means comprising at the rear side of the press a bracket 322 which supports material being fed towards the block 24. The feed means also comprises means, including a rod 398 and a plate 324 mounted on the bracket, for gripping the material and feeding it forward, such means being operable by hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 382 in response to the raising of a bar (426), Fig. 9 (not shown) which overlies the material behind the cutting zone, the arrangement being such that when the operator grasps the material and lifts it slightly to draw it forward, the bar (426) is raised and the feed means actuated to grip the material and advance it over the block 24. To initiate a cycle of operation of the press, assuming that the work has been fed forward and a cutting knife positioned on it over the cutting block and that the upper platen is in its rearward position, the operator actuates two of three button switches, (461), Fig. 11 (not shown) and 480 or 482, Fig. 13 (not shown), so positioned as to necessitate his using both hands. In a modification, Figs. 14 to 19 (not shown), a cam-operated spool valve unit is arranged in such a manner that hydraulic fluid flowing from the rotary vane motor passes through perforations in the spool valve unit, the number of perforations through which the fluid can pass, from the motor, being reduced to control deceleration of the upper platen as it moves to its forward or rearward position.