Patent Publication Number: US-6662612-B1

Title: Method and apparatus for fillet formation under the head of a headed pin type fastener

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for fillet formation under the head of a metal pin type fastener. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Metal fasteners of a pin type such as bolts, pins, rivets and the like are routinely formed with an elongated shank and an enlarged head at one end. In order to reduce any stress concentration at the juncture of the shank and head, a fillet radius is formed at that connection. With fasteners that are used to secure workpieces with a high clamp force the tensile load between the head and the shank can be significant. Thus it is desirable that the fillet radius at that juncture be well formed and of sufficient strength. It is common for a pin blank to be first formed by a cold or hot heading operation whereby the head is formed at one end of the shank. In the heading process a fillet radius is routinely formed at the juncture between the shank and the enlarged head. In addition it is not uncommon to perform a subsequent grinding step in which the fillet is also ground. Such fillets, however, when formed by heading and/or grinding may have certain inconsistencies in geometry, hardness and grain structure. It is also common to heat treat the pin blank to substantially remove variations in hardness and grain structure. It has also been common to attempt to remove geometric inconsistencies and increase fillet hardness by a subsequent rolling operation. In this regard, the hardness of the fillet is increased by cold working in rolling. 
     However, even here, with conventional rolling apparatus, there can be inconsistencies in the rolling process caused by variations in force or pressure, rolling speed and time or number of revolutions, shank diameters, head geometry, etc. In this regard variations in shank diameters, head geometry, etc. where the wrong blanks are fed for rolling may not be recognized. At the same time, such apparatus for rolling is not particularly versatile and can require substantial time for set up, modification for different diameters, different head styles, i.e. flush type or protruding type, blanks of different materials, etc. In addition the metallic pins are conventionally made of alloys of titanium, steel, aluminum and the like which can require different parameters for fillet rolling. 
     In this regard, it should be noted that with current, conventional rolling apparatus it is common to have the rollers oriented in a vertical plane with the input opening for receiving the pin blank to be rolled extending along a horizontal axis. Here the pin blank to be rolled may be fed down a slide and inserted horizontally into the input opening. It is also common to have the rollers oriented in a horizontal plane. Here the pin blank may be fed down a slide to a feed arm which will grip the pin blank and then move to a position to insert the pin blank vertically into the input opening. It is also common for the roller subassemblies to be moved radially in translation to enlarge the opening to facilitate insertion of the pin blank by the feed arm and then to close the opening for rolling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As will be seen one of the unique features of the present invention locates the rollers in a horizontal plane with the input opening extending along a vertical axis. Here, however, the pin blank to be rolled is dropped vertically down a slide into the input opening with the natural assistance of gravity and without the need for a feed arm. 
     In addition, the structure for handling the pin blank for insertion for rolling and ejection after rolling is highly efficient whereby the overall cycle time for processing the pin blanks for rolling is reduced. In this regard the amount of rolling time can be increased while still resulting in a reduction in the overall cycle time. The increased rolling time can assist in providing more consistently rolled fillets. 
     Thus the present invention provides a unique method and apparatus for addressing the above problems while at the same time providing a relatively simple, quick means for the accurate set up and adjustment of the fillet rolling apparatus for operation. In addition the unique method and apparatus monitors various parameters of the process to provide a consistent, uniformly formed fillet radius on a preselected form of pin blank. At the same time, blanks rolled with the wrong parameters will be detected and rejected. This also results in the form of the pin blank being indirectly monitored to reject blanks of the incorrect form which will not attain the noted parameters in fillet rolling. 
     Another feature of the present invention is that various ones of the combination of elements of the rolling apparatus are of known structures but which have been readily modified or adapted to provide the unique combination of the present invention. 
     Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a unique rolling method and apparatus for fillet formation at the juncture of the shank and head of pins, bolts and the like. 
     It is another object to provide such a unique rolling method and apparatus which facilitates adjustment to accommodate for differences in sizes, shapes, the fillet radius, materials, etc. of the pins, bolts and the like. 
     It is still another object to provide a unique rolling method and apparatus whereby the overall processing time per pin blank is minimized. 
     It is also an object of the present invention to provide a unique rolling method and apparatus in which the rollers are oriented horizontally with the input opening for receiving the pin to be rolled extending along a vertical axis whereby the pin to be rolled is inserted vertically by gravity. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a unique method and apparatus for fillet rolling which monitors the significant factors involved in rolling such as applied load or force on the pin, bolt and the like during rolling, the size of the pin shank, type of pin head, the proper or improper application of steps in rolling and the like. 
     Thus the present invention provides a unique rolling apparatus and method for forming and working of the fillet radius at the juncture of the shank and enlarged head of pins, bolts, rivets and the like. The rolling apparatus and method facilitates set up and adjustment while monitoring various factors relating to the consistency and quality of the rolled fillets. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one form of a headed pin type fastener for a swage type fastener and as finally formed with the fillet radius rolled; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view of a portion of the pin of FIG. 1 taken generally in the direction of the Arrows  2 — 2  and depicting the head of a pin blank and a segment of the pin shank prior to fillet rolling; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a fragmentary, enlarged view similar to FIG. 2 depicting the head of the pin after fillet rolling and as in the completed form of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fillet rolling apparatus of the present invention including a hopper supply bowl assembly, a feeder slide assembly, a roller assembly, a rotary push rod assembly, a discharge slide, and a control and logic board including a central processing unit and a speed and timing assembly with a cam subassembly; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the fillet rolling apparatus of FIG. 3 taken generally in the direction of the Arrow  4  in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 4 a  is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a portion of the rotary push rod assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4 taken generally in the area of the Circle  4   a  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the feeder slide assembly of the apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4 for feeding pin blanks to be rolled to the roller assembly; 
     FIG. 6 is a top elevational view of the feeder slide assembly of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a top elevational view of the roller assembly of the fillet rolling apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4 including three roller subassemblies shown assembled onto a chuck with the head of the pin blank shown in phantom lines in the position for rolling; 
     FIG. 7 a  is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the condition of the roller subassemblies for receiving a pin blank to be rolled with the head of the pin shown as received shown in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 7 b  is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the condition of the roller subassemblies for discharging the pin blank after rolling with the head of the pin shown being discharged shown in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 7 c  is a top elevational view of a pin removing arm for discharging the pin blank after rolling; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the roller subassemblies of the roller assembly of FIG. 7 taken in the direction of the Arrows  8  in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 8 a  is an elevational view of the roller subassembly of FIG. 8 taken from the opposite side and depicting the roller angle adjustment section setting the roller at one angle; 
     FIG. 8 b  is an elevational view similar to FIG. 8 a  depicting the roller angle adjustment section setting the roller at a different angle; 
     FIG. 9 is a top elevational view of the chuck of FIG. 7 with the roller subassemblies removed; 
     FIGS. 9 a  and  9   b  are an exploded pictorial view of the actuating scroll member and slide stand of the chuck; 
     FIG. 10 is a top elevational view of one of the rollers of the roller subassemblies of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 11 is an end elevational view of the roller of FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 11 a  is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the roller of FIGS. 10 and 11 taken generally in the Circle  11   a  in FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a discharge slide of the fillet rolling apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4 and shown with a gate in a condition for channeling acceptably rolled pin blanks into a good or accepted parts bin and with the gate shown in phantom lines in a condition for channeling unacceptable rolled pin blanks into the bad or rejected parts bin; 
     FIG. 13 is an exploded view diagram of a cycle speed and timing assembly, including a cam subassembly, for controlling the sequence of operations for a rolling cycle; 
     FIG. 13 a  is an elevational view illustrating by way of example one of the cams of FIG. 13 in relationship with a switch and actuating arm for actuating the switch; 
     FIG. 14 is a Roller Logic Process Flow Chart illustrating numerous ones of the operative parameters being monitored and controlled; and 
     FIG. 15 is block diagram type drawing of elements operational with the control and logic board of FIGS.  3  and  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
     Looking now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a pin  10  for one form of fastener. Here the pin  10  is for a pull type swage fastener. Swage fasteners with pins of such type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,096 issued Sep. 18, 1984 for Optimized Fastener Construction And System and U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,012 issued Jun. 20, 2000 for Self-Retaining Fastener. It should be understood that the present invention can also be utilized for threaded fasteners such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,825 issued Apr. 27, 1982 for Balanced Pin For Shear Flow Joint And Joint Including The Pin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,537 issued Apr. 5, 1988 for Thread Rolling And Fastener, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,363 issued Nov. 21, 2000 for Lightweight Threaded Fastener And Thread Rolling Die. Thus the term “pin”, while described below for a swage type fastener, should be understood to include the various other forms such as threaded bolts, rivets and the like. 
     In the specific form shown the pin  10 , which is of a swage type fastener, includes an elongated shank  12  with an enlarged, protruding type head  14  at one end. As is conventional with swage type fasteners of the pull type, the pin shank  12  terminates at the opposite end from the head  14  in a pull portion  16  having a plurality of annular pull grooves  18  adapted to be gripped by jaws of an installation tool. The installation tool can be of a construction well known in the art and since it does not constitute a part of the present invention it has been omitted for purposes of brevity and simplicity. 
     The pin shank  12  has a smooth shank portion  20  extending axially from the pin head  14  and is adapted to be located in bores in workpieces to be secured together. A plurality of annular lock grooves  22  are formed in a lock portion  24  of the pin shank  12  which extends axially from the smooth shank portion  20  via a smooth, tapered transition portion  21 . The lock grooves  22  are adapted to receive the material of a collar type member as it is swaged during installation. For applications providing sealed joints utilizing a sealant a longitudinal slot  23  is located in the lock grooves  22  to provide a means for evacuating sealant from the pin  10  when the collar is swaged into the lock grooves  22  and to thereby facilitate the flow of collar material in swage. A breakneck groove  25  is located between the lock portion  24  and pull portion  16  and is adapted to fracture at a preselected relative axial force after completion of swaging of the collar into the lock grooves  22 . Also while the pin  10  as shown is for a pull type swage fastener with the shank  12  having a pull portion  16  with pull grooves  18 , the process and apparatus can be used for stump type swage fasteners such as shown in the &#39;096 Patent noted above, where the pins do not have a pull portion. 
     As can be seen the pin head  14  is of the protruding head type and adapted to be located on the outer surface adjacent a bore in one of the workpieces being secured. A fillet radius R smoothly connects the pin head  14  to the smooth pin shank portion  20 . It should be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to pins with a flush type head which have a tapered surface adapted to fit within a tapered countersunk bore portion in the workpiece bore. 
     The fillet radius R as shown in FIG. 1 is as finally formed after the rolling process to be described. FIG. 2, however, is a fragmentary enlarged view showing a portion of the pin as a pin blank  10   a  formed after the initial cold or warm heading but before the fillet rolling step with a fillet radius Ra. FIG. 2 a  is a view similar to FIG. 2 which is also enlarged to better depict the finally formed fillet radius R of the finished pin  10  of FIG.  1 . Thus in the description of the portion of the pin blank  10   a  in FIG. 2, elements similar to like elements of the pin  10  in FIGS. 1 and 2 a  have been given the same numerical designation with the addition of the postscript “a”. In this regard, the pin blank  10   a , prior to rolling, can be subject to heat treat, as noted, with some grinding in selected areas including the fillet area. Also it is common for the pin blank  10   a  to have the pull grooves  18  rolled but with the rest of the pin shank  12  being smooth. 
     Thus the pin blank  10   a  includes a shank  12   a  and protruding head  14   a . The head  14   a  is connected to a smooth shank portion  20   a  by a fillet radius Ra. The fillet radius Ra as initially formed by cold or warm heading and/or grinding will generally be of the same geometry as the fillet radius R finally formed after rolling; however, in numerous instances the finally formed fillet radius R will be slightly smaller or larger and of a slightly different geometry than the radius Ra. For example where a pin  10  is made of a titanium alloy and being generally of a ⅜ inch diameter it will have its fillet radius R of 0.022 inches which is less than the prerolled radius Ra of 0.024 inches. For these sized fasteners, it is typical to roll the fillet radius R to be 0.002 to 0.003 inches less than the pre-rolled radius Ra with a modification P in the final geometry not greater than around 0.0003 inches. The modification which is the radially inner protrusion P of the rolled radius R is exaggerated in FIG. 2 a . Prior fillet rolling processes and equipment also result in similar modifications in the final geometry of the rolled fillet from the pre-rolled fillet. However, as noted, and as will be described, in any event, the fillet rolling process of the present invention substantially eliminates geometric inconsistencies between rolled pin blanks, forms a smooth contour with controlled, limited variation and provides a desired amount of work hardening for the fillet radius R. Such consistency of a uniform fillet radius is provided with pin blanks in one batch and from batch to batch of pin blanks. But, as also previously noted and as will be further described, prior rolling processes and apparatus could provide pins of the same kind with rolled fillets of inconsistent geometry and with the apparatus requiring substantially more time for set up and adjustments, modifications for various pins and, with limited means for monitoring and controlling the processing for uniformity. In addition, the present invention also minimizes the overall time for processing each pin blank. 
     Looking now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the fillet rolling apparatus  26  of the present invention is shown with the mechanical structure  28  mounted on a support platform or bed  30 . As will be seen the mechanical structure  28  can include certain elements that are of a generally conventional construction but are in a unique combination with some modifications. 
     The mechanical structure  28  of the apparatus  26  includes a hopper or feeder bowl assembly  29 , a slide assembly  32 , a roller assembly  38 , a rotary push rod assembly  40  and a discharge slide  42 . The feeder bowl assembly  29  includes a hopper bowl  31  and pin feeder  35  while the slide assembly  32  includes a feeder slide  33  and a controlled collector and feed gate  41 . The apparatus  26  also includes a control and logic board  43  which assists in monitoring and controlling various operative functions to be described. The control and logic board  43  is separated from the mechanical structure  28  and the support platform  30 . In this regard, the mechanical structure  28  of the apparatus  26  is surrounded by sliding or pivotal doors or windows  49  whereby the mechanical structure  28  can be observed and accessed by the operator by opening the doors or windows  49  and for operation can be closed for safety purposes. Since such doors or windows are commonly used in the art, the specific details thereof have been omitted and for purposes of simplicity are only generally indicated with phantom lines in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     As will be seen the control and logic board  43  has a central processing unit  46  (CPU  46 ) which receives a number of signals indicative of various conditions whereby certain operations of the fillet rolling apparatus  26  will be monitored and automatically controlled by the control and logic board  43 . 
     The CPU  46  can be selectively programmed to respond to the signals indicative of the various operative functions being monitored to provide the necessary control signals to assure the desired operation of the mechanical structure  28  of the apparatus  26 . In this regard the CPU  46  can be of a conventional form known in the art, such as Model No. Micrologix 1000 made by Allen-Bradley of Rockwell Automotive. Also the cycle speed of the apparatus  26  and timing and sequence of various elements can be selectably preset by the operator via a cycle speed and timing assembly  44  to be described. 
     In general the hopper bowl  31  is adapted to hold a large number of pin blanks  10   a  after the heading operation and to feed the pin blanks  10   a  from the pin feeder  35  to the feeder slide  33 . The pin feeder  35  has an open outlet gate  37  through which pin blanks  10   a  are periodically fed to the inlet  39  of the feeder slide  33 . See FIGS. 5 and 6. The feeder slide  33  is angulated downwardly from the outlet gate  37  of the pin feeder  35 . Looking to FIGS. 3-6, the feeder slide  33  defines a slot  47  of preselected width such that the head  14   a  of the pin blank  10   a  will rest on the top with the shank  12   a  extending through the slot  47 . In one form of the invention the feeder slide assembly  32  was generally of a known form supplied by MSC Industrial Supply Co. as CATALOG NO. 09862186. Upon receiving the pin blanks  10   a  at the inlet  39  the feeder slide  33  will permit the pin blanks  10   a  to slide downwardly by gravity to the controlled collector and feed gate  41 . The controlled feed gate  41  is located midway down the feeder slide  33 . A selected number of pin blanks  10   a  are collected at the collector and feed gate  41  which is periodically actuated to permit one pin blank  10   a  at a time to slide down the feeder slide  33  to its outlet end  51 . 
     A sensor  53  is located in a slot in a roof plate  52  a preselected distance to the rear of the collector and feed gate  41 . This will sense the presence of a pin blank  10   a  at that location and thereby indicate then that the feeder slide  33  is filled with pin blanks  10   a  of a preselected number down to the entrance of the collector and feed gate  41 . When the number of stored pin blanks  10   a  falls below that number then the sensor  53  produces a signal via a line  53 ′ to the hopper bowl  31  which will cause it to be actuated to move more pin blanks  10   a  through the outlet gate  37  to the collector and feed gate  41 . When the number of pin blanks  10   a  again reaches the desired number, the sensor  53  will provide a signal to the hopper bowl  31  by which it will be deactuated. 
     In addition, the collector and feed gate  41  has an upper, entrance meter finger  45   a  and a lower, exit meter finger  45   b  at its outlet end. The meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  are longitudinally spaced apart a distance to provide a holding area  57  for one pin blank  10   a  in between. The meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  are normally biased to their closed positions blocking the feeder slide  33  and maintaining the pin holding area  57  closed. The meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  and holding area  57  are only generally shown by dotted lines in FIG.  6 . The meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  are actuated in synchronism via an air actuated cylinder  63 . Now when a pin blank  10   a  is to be released down the feeder slide  33  the lower, exit meter finger  45   b  is actuated to be moved out of a blocking position from the pin holding area  57  whereby the captured pin blank  10   a  can now slide down the feeder slide  33  to be dropped into a work, input opening  48  of the roller assembly  38 . Next the lower meter finger  45   b  is actuated to again close the collector and feed gate  41 . The upper, entrance meter finger  45   a  is then actuated to be moved out of blocking position whereby a pin blank  10   a  from the amount stored in the collector and feeder gate  41  can slide down into the pin holding area  57 . Now the upper meter finger  45   a  is moved back to its closed position to close the pin holding area  57  with the one pin blank  10   a  inside. The actuation of the upper and lower meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  by the air actuated cylinder  63  is controlled by a signal from the speed and timing assembly  44 . Since the feeder slide assembly  32 , the collector and feeder gate  41  and the above related apparatus are of forms well known in the art, as previously noted, the details have been omitted for purposes of brevity and simplicity. 
     The hopper or feeder bowl assembly  29  can be of a generally conventional, vibrator actuated hopper bowl construction well known in the art. As such the hopper, feed bowl  31  has a vibrationally actuated helically extending conveyor ramp  34  by which pin blanks  10   a  located in the hopper bowl  31  are moved circularly, helically up the ramp  34  to the open outlet gate  37  of the pin feeder  35 . In one form of the invention the hopper and feeder bowl assembly  29  was of a known form manufactured by FMC Corporation as SNTRN Model No. 18512. 
     Now the pin blank  10   a  will slide down from the open outlet gate  37  to the pin storage area above the collector and feed gate  41 . Unlike prior rolling apparatus and procedures to be noted, here the feeder slide assembly  32  is selectively, movable longitudinally, in translation on the platform  30  such as to move the outlet end  51  of the feeder slide  33  to a desired position for insertion of the pin blank  10   a  into the work, input opening  48  of the roller assembly  38  and to thereafter retract the slide assembly  32  and the outlet end  51  of the feeder slide  33  away from the opening  48  of the roller assembly  38 . The outlet end  51  is not inclined as is the rest of the feeder slide  33  but rather extends generally horizontally and is positioned to facilitate vertical insertion by gravity of the pin blank  10   a , in a manner to be described, into the work, input opening  48  of the roller assembly  38 . 
     The work, input opening  48 , which has a vertical axis X, is initially partially enlarged as shown in FIG. 7 a , and in a manner to be described, to facilitate insertion of the pin blank  10   a . After insertion, the work, input opening  48  is then returned to its operative size for rolling as shown in FIG.  7 . Next the rotary push rod assembly  40  is actuated to move a rotatable push rod  50  downwardly into engagement with the pin head  14   a . The push rod  50 , which is in rotation, engages the pin head  14   a  under a preselected force and will rotate the pin blank  10   a  at a preselected speed within the input opening  48  against fillet rollers (to be described) which are in engagement with the fillet radius Ra under the pin head  14   a . Here the rate of rotation of the push rod  50  and the engagement force is pre-set by the operator for that particular type of pin blank  10   a . The surface of the push rod  50  which engages the pin head  14   a  is formed with a roughened surface, such as serrations to inhibit slippage between the engaged surface of the push rod  50  and the pin head  14   a . Upon completion of the fillet rolling after a preselected time the push rod  50  is retracted upwardly and the roller assembly  38  is actuated to enlarge the input opening  48  in a different manner as shown in FIG. 7 b  whereby the pin blank  10   a , with the fillet radius Ra now rolled to the fillet radius R, can be discharged into the discharge slide  42 . Now the work, input opening  48  is again returned to its operative size as shown in FIG. 7 in preparation for the next rolling cycle. 
     As noted the feeder slide assembly  32  is of a generally known form. Looking now to the feeder slide assembly  32  as shown in FIGS. 3-6, the roof plate  52  is elongated and extends in a spaced relationship over the slot  47  of the feeder slide  33  to inhibit pin blanks  10   a  from inadvertently falling out. The spacing is preselected to permit the insertion of a pin blank  10   a  having the head  14   a  of a predetermined size but can block pin blanks with a larger head. The roof plate  52  terminates in a generally horizontally extending upper arm  54  which is located at the outlet end  51  of the feeder slide  33 . A lower outlet arm  55  extends horizontally in generally spaced parallelism below the upper arm  54  at the outlet end  51  of the slide  33 . As noted this orients the pin blank  10   a  vertically such that as it slides out it will be vertically oriented and thereby dropped vertically by gravity into the input opening  48  of the roller assembly  38 . The width of the slot  47  can be readily adjusted for pin blanks  10   a  with pin shanks  12   a  of varying diameters by manipulation of adjustment screws  56 . Thus pin blanks having a larger diameter shank than the pin blank  10   a  will be blocked from entering the feeder slide  33 . In addition the angle and overall height of the feeder slide  33  can be adjusted via levers  59  for different assemblies. At the same time the lateral position of the feeder slide  33  can be adjusted via levers  58 . In this regard such slide assemblies have been used with fastener pins and also could be adjusted to block pins with a larger head size and larger diameter shank. At the same time such known slide assemblies also have levers to adjust for angle, overall height and lateral position. 
     The feeder slide  33  is mounted on a support plate  60  which is slidably supported in a grooved structure on the top of a support block  60   a  which is fixed to the platform  30 . The feeder slide  33  is selectively movable in translation by a pneumatic air piston assembly  61  acting on the support plate  60  between an advanced position with the outlet end  51  in line with the roller work input opening  48  for feeding a pin blank  10   a  and a position retracted from the roller input opening  48  after the pin blank  10   a  has been released into the opening  48 . The reciprocation between the advanced and retracted positions is caused by alternately applying pressure and exhaust to opposite sides of the piston assembly  61 . A proximity and position sensor  62  is supported relative to the platform  30  and is operatively connected to the feeder slide  33  to detect when it is in the advanced or retracted positions and to provide a signal as to such to the CPU  46  on the control and logic board  43 . In addition the initial desired, aligned position of the feeder slide  33  relative to the outlet gate  37  and input opening  48  can be manually adjusted longitudinally such as by the arm of sensor  62 . In one form of the invention the proximity sensor  62  was of a known structure made by ALLEN-BRADLEY 871C-DM1NN7-P3. Let us now look to the roller assembly  38 . 
     The roller assembly  38  can best be seen in FIGS. 3,  4  and  7 . The roller assembly  38  includes three roller subassemblies  64   a ,  64   b  and  64   c  mounted on a chuck body  66 . The chuck body  66  is part of a universal type of chuck  67  which can be of a type manufactured by Buck Chuck Company and supplied by MSC Industrial Supply Co., under Catalog No. 08546061 and modified as noted below. Since such chucks are well known in the art the details thereof have been omitted for purposes of brevity and simplicity. In this regard it should be noted that such universal chucks are carriers for jaws for gripping workpieces to be machined such as on a lathe. In the present invention, such chuck has been adapted for use in selectively adjusting the position of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  in unison to facilitate the setting of the desired working diameter DR of the roller input opening  48  for pin blanks of different geometry. 
     Each of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  includes a roller section  73   a, b  and  c  secured to a mounting slide stand  68   a, b  and  c  by threaded fasteners  70   a, b  and  c . While the roller section  73   c  is locked into a preselected fixed position on the slide stand  68   c  by the fastener  70   c , the roller sections  73   a  and  73   b  are supported for pivotal movement horizontally on the slide stands  68   a  and  68   b  by fasteners  70   a  and  70   b  for a purpose to be seen. 
     At the same time each of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  has its mounting slide stand  68   a-c  secured to radially movable chuck slides  69   a-c , such as chuck slide  69   a  partially shown in FIGS. 8,  8   a ,  8   b  and  9   a  and chuck slides  69   b  and  c  shown in FIG.  9 . 
     Looking now to FIG. 9, the chuck body  66  of the chuck  67  has three circumferentially spaced, radially extending slots  71   a ,  71   b  and  71   c  adapted to receive and slidably support the slides  69   a ,  69   b  and  69   c , respectively. As noted, the chuck slides  69   a-c  routinely have jaws secured thereto which can be simultaneously moved radially to grip workpieces of different diameters for machining. 
     The slides  69   a-c  are provided with grooves such as grooves  93   a  as shown in FIG. 9 a , which are slidably supported on ridges in the slots  71   a-c , such as ridges  95   a  as shown in slot  71   a . The ridges, such as ridges  95   a , are located midway within the slots  71   a-c . The slides  69   a-c  are provided with a pair of radially spaced threaded bores  114   a-c , see FIGS. 8 and 9. The bores  114   a-c  are located within slots  111   a-c  which are below the upper surfaces of the slides  69   a-c . In this way the slide stands  68   a-c  can be threadably secured to the slides  69   a-c  via bolts, such as bolts  113   a  in threaded bores  114   a . See FIG.  8 . 
     An actuating scroll member  101  is rotatably supported in the chuck body  66  and has a helically extending scroll structure  103  on its upper surface. The scroll structure  103  is adapted to be drivingly engaged with a plurality of helically extending grooves on the lower surface of the slides  69   a-c  such as grooves  105   a  on slide  69   a . The actuating scroll member  101  has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending gear teeth  107  on its lower surface. Three circumferentially, equally spaced radially extending pinion gears  109  are rotatably supported in the chuck body  66  in radially fixed positions in engagement with the gear teeth  107 . The pinion gears  109  can be selectively manually actuated by a conventional tool such as a hex head wrench. 
     Now the specific desired diameter DR of the opening  48  can be selectively set by actuation of any one of the adjustment pinion gears  109  which is actuable to simultaneously radially move the slides  69   a-c  whereby the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  can be moved radially towards and away from the axis X in unison. This simple, single adjustment mechanism facilitates set up of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  of the roller assembly  38  to accommodate fillet rolling, for pin blanks  10   a  of different diameters and geometries. In order to initially position each of the chuck slides  69   a-c  and thus each of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c , radially equally from the axis X of the input opening  48  the slots  71   a, b  and  c  are spaced circumferentially slightly different distances from each other with the grooves  105   a  selected to accommodate the pitch of the drive scroll structure  103 . 
     The roller sections  73   a, b  and  c  include roller platforms, such as roller platform  77   a  best seen in FIGS. 8,  8   a  and  8   b . Fillet rollers  76   a, b  and  c  are rotatably supported in slots  98   a, b  and  c  at the outer end of the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  to define the roller input opening  48 . The roller supports  72   a-c  are pivotably, vertically secured to the platforms such as platform  77   a  via a pivot pin, such as pivot pin  65   a  shown in FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b  for vertical inclination. Thus the angle of inclination AI of the roller supports  72   a-c  and fillet rollers  76   a-c  can be selectively adjusted via adjustment bolts  74   a, b  and  c  which are threadably engaged with threaded bores such as bore  74   a ′ extending through the roller support  72   a . The bolts  74   a, b  and  c  extend through the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  with the lower end of the bolts  74   a, b  and  c  engaging an inclined upper surface, such as surface  77   a ′ on the roller platform  77   a  shown in FIGS. 8,  8   a  and  8   b . Locknuts  75   a, b  and  c  are threadably engageable with the bolts  74   a, b  and  c . Once the desired angle of inclination AI is set, the locknuts  75   a, b  and  c  are tightened into engagement with the outer surface of the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  to lock the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  at the selected inclined angle AI. The angle AI is measured relative to a horizontal plane. The structure is such that the angle of inclination AI can be set over a wide range from around 22° to around 40°. As will be seen the rollers  76   a, b  and  c  are of a unique construction to facilitate adjustment of the engagement angle AI over such wide range of from around 22° to around 40°. This is in contrast with existing fillet rolling apparatus where the angle of inclination is either fixed or is only adjustable over a very narrow range. 
     Thus by simple manipulation of the adjustment pinion gear  109  the radial distance between the rollers  76   a, b  and  c  can be selectively set to secure the effective diameter DR of the work, input opening  48  to accommodate the diameter of the shank  12   a  of the pin blank  10   a  and to define the desired final diameter of the rolled fillet radius R. At the same time, as noted, the angle of the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  and hence of the rollers  76   a, b  and  c  can be selectively set to provide the desired angle of engagement with the fillet radius Ra for rolling to the finished fillet radius R and to accommodate a large variety of pin blanks. 
     The roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  are operatively connected to pivot actuators  78   a  and  78   b  which in turn are fixed to the slide stands  68   a  and  68   b . The pivot actuators  78   a  and  78   b  have pneumatically actuated drive pistons  80   a  and  80   b  having piston rods  81   a  and  81   b  connected to the platforms such as platform  77   a  of roller section  73   a . The drive pistons  80   a  and  80   b  are separately actuated in response to control signals from the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  of the control and logic board  43  with air pressure being applied at air inlet openings  80   a ′ and  80   b ′. The pistons  80   a  and  80   b  are normally actuated by air pressure to maintain the roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  in their closed, original positions and spring actuated upon exhaust of air pressure to pivot the subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  to their open positions as will be described. Thus when a pin blank  10   a  is to be dropped into the input opening  48  the air pressure on drive piston  80   a  is relieved with the piston rod  81   a  being spring actuated to pivot the roller subassembly  64   a  slightly away from the input opening  48  to facilitate reception of the pin blank  10   a  released from the controlled feed gate  41  and being dropped in from the slide outlet end  51 . As this occurs the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  will actuate the air piston assembly  61  whereby the feeder slide  33  will be moved to its advanced position with the outlet end  51  substantially in line with the axis X of the roller input opening  48 . The cycle speed and timing assembly  44  will cause the synchronized actuation of the meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  of the feed gate  41  by the cylinder  63  as previously noted. Now with the pin blank  10   a  located in the input opening  48 , enlarged as noted, the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  will provide a signal to close the exhaust from and actuate air pressure to the drive piston  80   a  with the piston rod  81   a  returning the roller subassembly  64   a  and hence the roller  76   a  to the original position placing the input opening  48  in its desired enclosed condition for fillet rolling. The cycle speed and timing assembly  44  will also actuate the piston assembly  61  whereby the feeder slide  33  will be moved to its retracted position in line with the open outlet gate  37  of the pin feeder  35 . 
     These occurrences will actuate proximity sensors  62  and  82   a  which will then provide a signal to the CPU  46  whereby the rolling cycle can continue. If no such signal is received the CPU  46  will be actuated to shut down the system as will be described. 
     The pivot actuators  78   a  and  78   b  are provided with adjustment knobs  79   a  and  79   b  by which the position of the pistons  80   a  and  80   b  can be varied to vary the stroke of the pistons  80   a  and  80   b  and hence the degree of angular displacement of roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  from the inlet opening  48 . This permits adjustment to accommodate pin blanks of different sizes and shapes. 
     After a preselected time, determined by the cycle speed and timing assembly  44 , which is set for the completion of fillet rolling by a procedure to be described, the drive piston  80   b  will be actuated in response to a signal from the control and logic board  43  to relieve air pressure whereby the piston rod  81   b  which is spring biased will be actuated to pivot the roller subassembly  64   b  away from the input opening  48 . At the same time a pin removing arm  83  is pivotally mounted on the slide stand  68   b  via a fixed pivot structure  87  and will be pivoted by the roller subassembly  64   b  towards the pin blank  10   a  upon completion of rolling. The arm  83  includes a resilient brush  85  which is adapted to engage the pin blank  10   a  whereby it will be ejected from the enlarged input opening  48  and into the discharge slide  42 . See FIG. 7 c.    
     The removing arm  83  is pivotally connected to a support member  89  via a link  91 . The support member  89  is in turn pivotally supported to the slide stand  68   b . See FIG.  7 . Now when the roller subassembly  64   b  is pivoted away from the opening  48  the support member  89  will be pivoted outwardly whereby the removing arm  83  and link  91  will be actuated to pivot the removing arm  83  around the pivot structure  87  towards the opening  48  with the brush  85  engaging the pin blank  10   a  to eject it. See FIG. 7 b . In this regard the removing arm  83  is located above the roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b . However, the brush  85  extends downwardly in a substantially clearance position between the rollers  76   a  and  76   b  so as to be able to be pivoted to engage the pin blank  10   a  to move it into the discharge slide  42 . After a preselected time, the drive piston  80   b  will be actuated by a signal from the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  with air pressure applied to the piston rod  81   b  to pivot the roller subassembly  64   b  and hence the roller  76   b  back to the original closed position at the input opening  48 . This in turn will move the pivotal removing arm  83  with brush  85  back to its original position. Again the movement of the roller subassembly  64   b  to its open position to discharge a pin blank  10   a  after rolling and return back to its closed, original position for rolling another pin blank  10   a  will be sensed by proximity sensor  82   b  which provides signals to the CPU  46  for monitoring the cyclic sequence. Again, if the signals indicative of correct action are not received, the CPU  46  will shut the system down. 
     Thus in order for the control and logic board  43  to monitor the system the roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  are provided with proximity and position sensors  82   a  and  82   b  and with the feeder slide  33  monitored with the proximity and position sensor  62 . These sensors  62 ,  82   a  and  82   b  are actuated to provide the signals to the CPU  46  of the control and logic board  43  indicating when the roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b  and feeder slide  33  are in their advanced positions or in their retracted positions as described. Again, unless the proper cyclic sequence of these events is detected the CPU  46  will be actuated to shut the system down. 
     The rollers  76   a, b  and  c  are of a unique construction and one form of these is shown in FIGS. 10,  11  and  11   a . Since the rollers  76   a, b  and  c  are identical only the details of roller  76   a  are shown and described. The roller  76   a  is of a circular contour and has a generally planar, flat center portion  84   a  which terminates in a generally conical circumferential end section  86   a . The end section  86   a  has a pair of angulated, planar flanks  88   a  and  90   a  which are connected at their radially outer ends by an arcuate tip  92   a . The tip  92   a  has a radius R′ which is generally the same as the final radius R of the finished pin  10  of FIGS. 1 and 2 a . Thus, in the rolling operation the tip  92   a  will engage the fillet at the area of radius Ra at the juncture of the pin shank  12   a  and pin head  14   a  of pin blank  10   a  to roll it into the final, uniform radius R in response to the pressure and rotation applied by the push rod  50 . The upper flank  88   a  is adapted to be located in spaced confrontation with the underside of the pin head  14   a . The angle Aa of the flank  88   a  relative to the longitudinal axis Xa of the roller  76   a  is less than the angle Aa′ of the lower flank  90   a . This provides a desired range of clearances with the underside of the pin head  14   a . This also facilitates use of the rollers  76   a, b  and  c  over the wide range AI of angular adjustments of the roller supports  72   a, b  and  c  to accommodate variations in pin head geometries. In one form of the invention the angle Aa on the upper flank  88   a  was around 27° while the greater angle Aa′ on the lower flank  90   a  was around 47°. 
     The roller  76   a  has a central bore  94   a  by which the roller  76   a  is mounted to freely rotate on a shaft  96   a . The shaft  96   a  is located by a simple close fit in slots  98   a  in the outer end of the roller support  72   a . This facilitates ease of assembly and disassembly of rollers  76   a, b  and  c  for replacement for wear, substitution of different rollers for a different fillet radius R and the like. The shaft  96   a  is held from rotation by a set screw having its shank engaged with a flat side of the shaft  96   a . Thus the roller  76   a  can freely rotate on the shaft  96   a  while the shaft  96   a  is held from rotation. The use of set screws engageable with a flat side of an element to inhibit rotation of the element is old in the art and hence the details thereof have been omitted for simplicity and brevity. 
     Let us now look to the rotary push rod assembly  40  as shown in FIGS. 3,  4  and  4   a . The rotary push rod assembly  40  has its rotary push rod  50  supported for vertical reciprocation towards and away from the work, input opening  48  of the roller assembly  38 . The downward movement is effected by pneumatic pressure while the upward return movement is spring actuated as the pressure is relieved. Thus after a pin blank  10   a  has been inserted into the roller input opening  48  and the roller subassembly  64   a  pivoted back to its, closed position, the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  will transmit an actuating signal to the rotary push rod assembly  40  which will then be actuated to move the rotary push rod  50  downwardly into engagement with the pin head  14   a . At the same time the actuating air pressure on the push rod  50  is preset by the operator relative to the size and form of the pin blank  10   a  to provide the desired magnitude of engagement force. The magnitude of such pressure is observable while the magnitude of the applied force is monitored by the CPU  46  which at the same time is monitoring the speed of the rotary push rod  50 . The pin blank  10   a  then is rotated against the rollers  76   a ,  76   b  and  76   c  with the applied force and rate of rotation monitored. 
     The vertical distance traveled by the push rod  50  for such engagement is preset by the operator for each different size and form of pin blank  10   a . Here the push rod  50  is threadably secured in a threaded bore in a support shaft  97  which is secured for reciprocation vertically. The push rod  50  is threaded over a significant part of its length. See FIGS. 4 and 4 a . Thus the distance that the push rod  50  extends past the end of the support shaft  97  can be selectively varied by threading the push rod  50  more or less into the support shaft  97 . Now a lock nut  99  is threadably engaged with the push rod  50  and into engagement with the end of the support shaft  97  to lock the pre-set, selected position of the push rod  50  with the support shaft  97 . Thus, while the stroke of the support shaft  97  of the push rod assembly  40  can be maintained constant the final vertical position of the push rod  50  relative to the input opening  48  can be selectively varied to accommodate different sized pin blanks  10   a . The push rod  50  is rotated during the engagement for rolling under a preselected force and at a preselected speed to provide a preselected number of revolutions of the pin blank  10   a  for providing the desired fillet radius R. Upon completion of the fillet rolling for a preselected time as set by the speed and timing assembly  44 , the rotary push rod  50  is retracted vertically upwardly to its original disengaged position. At the same time the drive piston  80   b  is actuated by a signal from the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  to pivot the roller subassembly  64   b  with the roller  76   b  being moved to open up the input opening  48 . As this occurs, the pin removing arm  83  is actuated, as noted, to pivot the brush  85  against the pin blank  10   a  to move it out of the input opening  48  and into the discharge slide  42 . When this occurs the roller subassembly  64   b  is pivoted back to move the roller  76   b  to the original position for closing the input opening  48  with the removing arm  83  returned to its original position whereby the cycle can be repeated with a new pin blank  10   a.    
     The rotary push rod assembly  40  is essentially of a known pneumatically actuated drill press construction such as one made by Manhattan Mfg. Co. as Model No. 951205 which is rotated by an electric drive motor. In this regard, the drill press is modified with the push rod  50 , the support shaft  97  and lock nut  99  replacing the typical gripper jaws used for gripping the shank of a drill or other type of rotatable tool. At the same time pneumatic pressure is selectively variable for presetting by the operator to provide the desired magnitude of load applied by the push rod  50  to the pin head  14   a  during rolling. Also as noted the speed of rotation of the electric drive motor can be selectively set by the operator through an electric control such as a rheostat. 
     It should be noted that the operation of the rotary push rod assembly  40  is monitored. Thus looking now to FIGS. 4 and 4 a , the upper vertical position of the push rod  50  is monitored by a position sensor  100 . At the same time the force applied by the push rod  50  onto the pin head  14   a  during rolling is detected by a load sensor  102 . In addition the speed of the revolutions of the push rod  50  and hence of the pin blank  10   a  is detected by a rotational speed sensor  104 . The magnitude of the applied load as sensed by the load sensor  102  is monitored by the CPU  46 . Now if the monitored value of the magnitude of engagement load is within a predetermined range of values as preset for that particular form of pin blank  10   a  then the pin blank  10   a  will be discharged to the slide  42  and funneled to a good part collector or bin. On the other hand, if the desired range of engagement load values is not attained then the CPU  46  will provide a signal to the discharge slide  42  whereby the pin blank  10   a  will be funneled to a rejected part collector or bin. On the other hand, the rotary speed of the push rod  50  is detected by speed sensor  104  and will provide a visual indication to the operator. At the same time the rotational speed detected by sensor  104  will be transmitted to the CPU  46  and unless it is within a preselected range the CPU  46  will be actuated to shut the system down. The emergency shut-off display  144  will also be actuated to alert the operator. 
     At the same time the position sensor  100  is set to detect the location of the push rod  50  in its uppermost position at the beginning of each cycle. Such signal will also be observable by the operator. However, if the push rod  50  is not in its uppermost position when the cycle starts, the CPU  46  will provide a signal to shut down the apparatus  26  and again will actuate the emergency shut-off display  144  to alert the operator. 
     It should be noted that the position sensor  100 , the load sensor  102  and rotational speed sensor  104  are essentially standard components of known structures. For example the load sensor  102  can be a load cell made and sold by Futek Inc. as a Model No. Micro-P which detects and displays the magnitude of force or load applied by the push rod  50 . At the same time the proximity and position detectors  82   a  and  82   b  and position sensor  100  can be conventional devices such as Allen-Bradley sensors 871C-DM1NN7-P3. 
     Let us now look at the discharge slide  42  as seen in FIGS. 3 and 12. The slide  42  has a forked structure with an entrance channel  106  which leads into a good part channel  108  and a rejected part channel  110 . A gate  112  is operatively movable to open one of the channels  108  and  110  while closing the other. As shown in FIG. 12, the gate  112  is in the position with the good part channel  108  open and the rejected part channel  110  closed. In this regard, the gate  112  is normally held in that position. Thus when a pin blank  10   a  has been monitored to be properly fillet rolled it is ejected from the roller input opening  48  into the discharge slide  42  and will move from the entrance channel  106  into the good part channel  108  to be funneled into a good part collector or bin(not shown). However, if the load parameter as monitored by the CPU  46  does not meet its preselected level, the CPU  46  will transmit a reject signal whereby the gate  112  will be moved to close the good part channel  108  and open the rejected part channel  110  whereby the rejected pin blank  10   a  will be funneled to a rejected part collector or bin (not shown) In FIG. 12 the gate  112  is shown in the latter position in phantom lines. 
     The fillet rolling apparatus  26  will continue to repeat the fillet rolling cycle on a preset cyclic basis. As will be seen the preset cycle is selected by the operator via the speed and timing assembly  44 . However, if five consecutive pin blanks  10   a  are rejected, this will be detected by the CPU  46  which will close the system down and provide an alert signal to the operator via the shut-off display  144 . In this regard, in the event pin blanks  10   a  with shanks  12   a  of a larger diameter and/or pin heads  14   a  larger than the apparatus  26  is set for are placed in the hopper bowl  31 , the inlet  39  will not permit entry into the feeder slide  33  and none of the parameter signals will be received by the CPU  46  within the preset cycle time whereby this will be sensed for five fillet rolling cycles after which the apparatus  26  will be shut down as noted. 
     On the other hand a smaller pin blank  10   a  with a shank  12   a  of a smaller diameter or a head  14   a  smaller than the mechanical structure  28  of the apparatus  26  is set for may be accepted by the inlet  39  and will then be moved into the roller input opening  48 . However, since the pin head  14   a  may be located further into the input opening  48 , the magnitude of force applied by the push rod  50  will be reduced accordingly. Thus the engagement of an improper pin blank with the rollers  76   a-c  will be different whereby the engagement force of the push rod  50  will be reduced. These variations in values will be detected and transmitted to the CPU  46  whereby such pin blank  10   a  will be ejected through the rejected channel  110  into the rejected parts bin. Again, upon the detection of five consecutive rejections the CPU  46  will be operative to shut the apparatus  26  down and provide a shut down alert signal to the operator via shut-off display  144 . In a similar manner a pin blank  10   a  with a different sized or shaped pin head  14   a  and/or smaller diameter shank will be detected by operational variations as noted above resulting in discharge of such pin blank  10   a  into the rejected parts bin. 
     Thus the inadvertent inclusion of pin blanks  10   a  in the hopper bowl  31  of the wrong geometry will be detected and such parts will not be accepted or if accepted will be rejected after rolling. 
     Thus, the CPU  46  will receive signals from the load sensor  102  whereby it can be determined that the proper magnitude of applied load by the push rod  50  has not been attained. Also the load sensor  102  will provide a signal if the load applied by the push rod  50  is the proper magnitude whereby the number of pin blanks  10   a  rolled to the proper parameters can be determined. Such signals are transmitted to a parts counter  142  when the preset magnitude is attained whereby the number of good parts rolled will be counted. In this regard, it can be seen that while the magnitude of pressure applied to the drive mechanism actuating the push rod  50  is displayed, the actual force applied by the push rod  50  to the pin blank  10   a  is measured and is the factor used in determining whether or not the pin blank  10   a  is of the correct type and/or properly rolled. In other words even though the applied pressure may be within a selected range, the actual force applied in rolling may not be. 
     The control and logic board  43  contains the elements for setting various ones of the operative parameters with the CPU  46  then monitoring the actual values attained for controlling certain operations of the apparatus as previously discussed. The basic elements of the CPU  46  of control and logic board  43  are shown in a general block diagram form in FIG.  15 . 
     Thus the CPU  46  has an input which receives the signal from the proximity sensor  62  indicating the position of the feeder slide  33  when it is in the advanced position for feeding a pin blank  10   a  or in the retracted position for actuation of the push rod assembly  40  for rolling. Likewise the CPU  46  has inputs for receiving signals from the proximity sensors  82   a  and  82   b , respectively, indicating the attainment of the preset advanced and retracted positions for the roller subassemblies  64   a  and  64   b , respectively, for accepting a new pin blank  10   a . The CPU  46  will receive other signals to monitor actuation of the push rod assembly  40  for rolling and actuation of the pin removing arm  83  for discharging the rolled pin blank  10   a  from the roller assembly  38 . 
     The CPU  46  has an input for receiving the signal from the position detector  100  indicating the correct position of the rotary push rod  50  at the beginning of each cycle. Also the CPU  46  has an input for receiving the signal from the load sensor  102  indicating the magnitude of force applied by the push rod  50  against the pin head  14   a . In addition an input receives the signals from the rotational speed sensor  104  indicating the speed of rotation of the rotary push rod  50 . 
     At the same time the logic board  43  has an On Switch  132  and an Off Switch  134  for manually turning the apparatus  26  on or off. In addition the logic board  43  has a load set and display element  136  by which the operator can select and set the pressure to the push rod  50  to attain the desired level of force to be applied by the rotary push rod  50  to the pin head  14   a  in rolling. Such display element  136  can be of a type well known in the art. The load set and display element  136  is a part of the Futek load cell  102  noted above. As noted the rotational speed sensor  104  provides means by which the operator can set and observe the desired speed of rotation of the push rod  50  and whereby the total number of revolutions to be applied by the push rod  50  to the pin head  14   a  in the rolling operation can be set. As noted the logic board  43  also has a parts counter element  142  which provides an indication of the number of rolled pin blanks  10   a  which have been sent to the good parts bin in response to load sensor  102  indicating that rolling has taken place at the desired magnitude of load. In addition there is an emergency shutoff display  144  to provide a visual indication to the operator that the apparatus  26  has been turned off when one of the conditions indicating an improper parameter value for rolling of pin blanks  10   a , is detected as previously noted. In this regard an audio alarm signal could also be provided to signal shut down. It should be noted that the rotation sensor speed element  104 , counter element  142  and shut-off display  144  are devices well known in the art and thus these elements and other conventional elements are shown only in block diagram form. 
     Since the feeder slide assembly  32 , the pivot actuators  78   a  and  b , and the rotary push rod assembly  40  are all pneumatically operated, it is important that the proper, preselected magnitude of air pressure from a source of pneumatic pressure be present. This magnitude of air pressure is set by the operator by a pneumatic pressure control  146  which also provides a display of the magnitude for the operator. If the magnitude of pneumatic pressure is not at the desired level then the pressure control  146  will provide a visual indication to the operator whereby the apparatus  26  can be adjusted. 
     Also as previously noted, the mechanical structure  28  of the apparatus  26 , generally as shown on support platform  30 , is essentially surrounded by sliding or pivotal doors or windows  49  for being selectively opened or closed by the operator. Each of these doors or windows  49  has a lock sensor  147  which senses the open or closed position of each of the doors or windows  49 . Each of these sensors is connected to the CPU  46  whereby the apparatus  26  will be prevented from starting if any of the doors or windows  49  is detected to be open. As noted such a feature is well known in the art and thus the details have been omitted for simplicity and brevity. In this regard the lock sensors  147  and air pressure control  146  are of conventional known constructions and since the details thereof do not form a part of the present invention, such details have been omitted for purposes of brevity and simplicity. For example the lock sensors  147  can be of a type such as Honeywell enclosure switch  14 CE. 
     Signals received and elements preset as noted are communicated to the central processing unit CPU  46 , whereby certain parameters of the operation of the rolling apparatus  26  are monitored and controlled as noted. Various ones of the elements monitored and controlled are noted in the Roller Logic Process Flow Chart of FIG. 14 which outlines various ones of the operational sequences discussed above. As noted and previously described, the operational connection between various elements of the control and logic board  43  is generally shown in block diagram form in FIG.  15 . 
     As indicated various elements operative with the control and logic board  43  noted for sensing, monitoring and setting the numerous operative parameters are of structures well known to those skilled in the art and hence these have only been generally described for purposes of simplicity and brevity. 
     As noted the apparatus  26  is versatile and can be adapted and adjusted for different types and sizes of pin type fasteners having shanks of different diameters, different sizes and styles of pin heads, different materials. This may require variations in the overall cycle time and in the time for performance of the different steps noted. This is provided by the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  which includes a cam subassembly  150  and drive motor  152 . See FIGS. 13 and 13 a.    
     The cam subassembly  150  has a plurality of cams driven by the electric drive motor  152  with the cams constructed to sequentially actuate and deactuate the various steps in rolling by sequentially providing timing signals to the various components. This is done by the cams of the subassembly  150  being constructed with actuating lobes to provide the signals in a selected sequence with a desired dwell time for each operative step. The overall cycle time will be determined by the rotational speed of the electric drive motor  152  which speed can be set with the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  by the operator for a particular pin structure. For different pin structures, if needed, different cams can be used having the necessary lobed structures for controlling the sequential timing and duration of the various steps for rolling that pin. In addition the overall cycle speed as determined by the rotational drive speed of the electric motor  152  can be selectively set by the operator through a rheostat  153  in the cycle speed and timing assembly  44  or other speed control mechanism. See FIG. 13 a.    
     Looking now to FIG. 13 the cam subassembly  150  is generally schematically shown and includes six cams  154   a-f  which are mounted upon a common shaft  156  for rotation together. The common shaft  156  is coupled to a drive shaft  158  of the drive motor  152 . The motor  152  is energized by a source of electricity  160  via lines  162  and  164 . The rheostat  153  or other control mechanism is in electrical line  162  and is thereby actuable to selectively control the rotational speed of the motor  152  and hence of the cams  154   a-f.    
     The cams  154   a-f  are each operatively connected with an electrical microswitch. An example is shown in FIG. 13 a  where the cam  154   b  is shown operatively connected with a microswitch  166   b  via an actuating pivot arm  168   b . As shown the switch  166   b  will be actuated when the pivot arm  168   b  is engaged by the lobed surface  154   b ′ of the cam  154   b . In the position shown the arm  168   b  is not so engaged and thus the switch  166   b  is not actuated. It should be noted that the lobed surfaces as shown on the cams  154   a-f  are exemplary only. 
     In the sequence of operation, the cam  154   b  is operative to cause the roller subassembly  64   a  to pivot away from the input opening  48 . The cam  154   a  is operative to move the feeder slide assembly  32  with the outlet end  51  of the feeder slide  33  advancing in line with the inlet opening  48  of the roller assembly  38  whereby the pin blank  10   a  can be dropped into the opening  48 . Next the cam  154   c  is operative to actuate the meter fingers  45   a  and  45   b  of the feed gate  41  with the lower, exit meter finger  45   b  moving out of its position blocking the holding area  57  whereby the pin blank  10   a  in that area can be fed down the feeder slide  33  and with the upper, entrance meter finger  45   a  being in its position to block the holding area  57  of the feed gate  41 . Next the cam  154   b  is operative to pivot the roller subassembly  64   a  back to its original position at the inlet opening  48 . As this occurs the roller  76   a  engages the pin blank  10   a  moving it fully into the inlet opening  48 . The cam  154   d  is then operative to actuate the feeder slide assembly  32  with the feeder slide  33  being retracted back to the open outlet gate  37  at the feed bowl  31  and away from the roller input opening  48 . As this occurs the cam  154   c  is operative to actuate the lower meter finger  45   b  back into its position blocking the outlet of the holding area  57  and moving the upper meter finger  45   a  to open the inlet of the holding area  57  to receive another pin blank  10   a  from the ones stored in the feeder slide  33 . The upper meter finger  45   a  is then actuated to close the holding area  57  to lock the newly received pin blank  10   a  in the holding area. As this is happening, the cam  154   e  is operative to actuate the push rod  50  to descend into engagement with the head  14   a  of the pin blank  10   a  to initiate fillet rolling. Upon completion of a preselected time the cam  154   e  is operative to actuate the push rod  50  to ascend to its original position. Now the cam  154   f  is actuated to cause the roller subassembly  64   b  to pivot away from the input opening  48  and to pivot the pin removing arm  83  to engage the rolled pin blank  10   a  with the brush  85  and move it into the discharge slide  42  for funneling to the proper bin. Now the cam  154   f  is actuated to cause the roller subassembly  64   b  to be moved back to its original closed position and return the pin removing arm  83  to its original deactuated position. The apparatus is now in condition to repeat the cycle. It should be noted that a number of the actuations can overlap whereby the time for process can be expedited. 
     Again, as noted, the CPU  46  can be readily programmed to monitor the necessary control signals which are pre-set to accommodate variations in the pin blank  10   a  to be rolled. 
     It should be noted that while the pin blank, such as pin blank  10   a , being rolled is referred to as a “pin blank” it can have, pull grooves, threads, etc. preformed before the rolling step. In other words the method and apparatus of the present invention can be utilized on a headed pin type article whenever it is applicable or desirable in the manufacturing process of such article. In this regard, it should be noted that components of other constructions could be utilized to perform certain of the functions for the apparatus  26 . 
     It should also be noted that other variations could be provided to the fillet rolling apparatus  26 . For example, it may be desirable in some instances to provide more or less than three roller subassemblies such as subassemblies  64   a-c . Also in some instances it might be desirable to have more than one of the roller subassemblies  64   a-c  to be selectively movable for insertion of a pin blank  10   a  into the input opening  48  and/or for discharging the pin blank  10   a  upon completion of rolling. 
     The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.