Patent ID: 7461579

Claim:
A punch press, comprising: cartridges each holding at least one tool therein, a cartridge holder, supported by a punch frame, for holding the cartridge located at a press position so that the cartridge cannot move in a vertical direction during punching, a ram having a striker located above the cartridge held by the cartridge holder to drive said at least one tool held by the cartridge at the press position to execute punching, and a cartridge rotating mechanism for rotating the held cartridges around an axis parallel with an elevating and lowering direction of said ram in order to index any of the cartridges, wherein said at least one tool is operated to execute punching by driving action of said striker without being integrally fixed to each other, wherein said cartridge holder has a space, formed in its center and through which said ram elevates and lowers, to hold an outer peripheral portion of each of said cartridges, and wherein said cartridge holder is movable between a fixed height position at which the cartridges are fixed so as to be immovable in the vertical direction and a withdrawn height position at which the cartridges are moved away from the fixed height position relative to a die height.