Patent ID: 7559136

Claim:
A press for attaching nuts to pipes comprising: a frame and an elongated and generally cylindrical lower holder disposed in the frame and having a horizontal axis in parallel therewith, the frame being composed of a lower base and an upper base, with the upper base being supported by guide posts and a rear wall, that are fixed upright on a front part and on a rear part of the lower base, respectively, the lower holder capable of fitting in and temporarily holding a pipe, and having a basal portion supported on the rear part so as to rise and sink, a forward portion of the lower holder extending to a position where it is generally in vertical alignment with the front part of the lower base, lifters and stoppers, such that the lifters move up and down to bear against and support the forward portion of the lower holder so as to keep it lifted a slight distance, the stoppers also moving up and down to bear against and support an intermediate region of the lower holder in order to keep if lifted a slight distance, and further capable of bearing against an end of the pipe and retaining it at a prescribed horizontal position, a nut feed passage and a nut supply hose, with the passage being formed along the axis and in an upper outer surface of the lower holder, the nut supply hose being connected to a basal end of the feed passage extending from the basal portion to the forward portion of said holder, a nut sensor for detecting self-piercing nuts at a nut releasing position adjacent to a frontal end of the feed passage, a nut pusher disposed in the forward portion of the cylindrical lower holder so as to move perpendicularly to the axis thereof towards and away from the nut releasing position, a cam rod inserted in the lower holder and capable of moving axially thereof, the cam rod having a frontal end formed as an oblique cam surface always engaging with the nut pusher so as to drive it to the releasing position, a cam actuating means causing the cam rod to make axial reciprocation, an upper holder capable of moving up and down along the guide posts perpendicularly to the axis of the lower holder, a caulking die carried by the upper holder in a vertical alignment with the nut pusher, with the nut releasing position intervening between the caulking die and the nut pusher, and a die driving means disposed on the upper base in order to drive the upper holder to reciprocate perpendicularly to the axis of the lower holder, such that the driving means exerts a downward force urging downwards the caulking die is prescribed to be stronger than an upward force acting on the nut pusher.