Patent ID: 7040853

Claim:
Apparatus for transporting workpieces in a press, press line, or multi-stage press, the apparatus comprising a number of processing stations, each processing station having an independent transporting apparatus for transporting the workpiece and executing a biaxial transporting movement, each independent transporting apparatus comprising: a drive system including stationary drives and gear wheels, the drive system used for driving a crossmember; a workpiece-retaining element connected with the crossmember; first slides with linear guides on which the cross member is mounted; and a movement-transmission element connected with the crossmember, the movement-transmission element further including a rack drive for carrying out longitudinal, lifting and lowering movements of the first slides for the cross member, a drive for pivotably moving the crossmember, the drive being mounted on the first slides, and two parallel racks driven, via the gear wheels, by the stationary drives, for carrying out longitudinal movement, lifting and lowering movements of the first slides for the crossmember, wherein said stationary drives each act on the movement-transmission element, and the stationary drives move the gear wheels coordinately with the movement-transmission element so as to obtain a desired programmable traveling curve of the crossmember.