Patent ID: 7510389

Claim:
A press comprising: a frame including guides extending in a predetermined direction; a pair of tool halves mounted on the frame, one of the halves being movable on the guides in the direction toward and away from the other of the halves; two knee-lever linkages symmetrically spacedly flanking the one tool half with respect to a center plane substantially parallel to the direction, coupled to the one half and to the frame, and operable to shift the one tool half in the direction, each linkage including two levers having inner ends pivoted together and outer ends, the outer end of one of the levers of each linkage being pivoted on the frame and the outer end of the other of the levers of each linkage being pivoted on the one tool half; respective reversible rotary first drives symmetrically flanking the plane and each including a respective servomotor carrying an eccentric output; respective drive links pivoted on the eccentric outputs and the inner ends of the levers of the linkages; and control means connected to the drives for rotating the eccentric outputs oppositely in respective first senses to press the one half in the direction against the other half and thereafter to pull the one half in the direction away from the other half with the two linkages never extending into a central region of the press at the plane.