Cutting – With product handling means – Including means to form or hold pile of product pieces
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-12-04
Ashley, Boyer (Department: 3724)
Cutting
With product handling means
Including means to form or hold pile of product pieces
C083S091000, C083S102000, C083S149000, C083S167000, C083S452000, C083S685000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324951
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of 198 47 552.7, filed Oct. 15, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a system for punching and bundling metal sheets having a die for punching the metal sheets, a die plate cooperating with the die, a receiving shaft for receiving and stacking the punched metal sheets, a separating device for separating the metal sheets stacked in the receiving shaft. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for punching and bundling metal sheets in which metal sheets are punched by means of a die and a die plate cooperating with the die, onto a metal sheet stack.
A known type of punching and bundling system is described in DE 31 47 034 A1. A certain number of metal sheets situated in the receiving shaft are displaced to the side as metal sheets bundles by way of a cross slide, while the metal sheets situated above this metal sheet bundle are held in the receiving shaft. The metal sheets which were pushed to the side can then in each case be transported and processed as metal sheet bundles. The entire operation takes place during the punching of the metal sheets.
It is a disadvantage of this system and of the associated process that all components must have very precise tolerances and their manufacturing is therefore very expensive. The process itself is very complicated, and extremely cumbersome resetting operations are required for producing metal sheet bundles of different heights. In addition, metal sheet bundles of continuously precise heights cannot be produced with this system.
DE 28 39 928 A1 describes a system for conveying, stacking and bundling, corresponding to the correct punching pattern, of metal sheets of electric machines. A welding device is mounted below the die plate for continuously successively welding together the metal sheets and discharging them from the press as a strip. With this system, metal sheet bundles of a predetermined length can also be produced. The precision required for this purpose cannot, however, be achieved with the construction of the disclosed welding device.
A similar system is described in EP 0 343 661 A1. There, the metal sheet bundles are welded directly in the die plate in that a welding spot is set at each stroke of the die. The welding device cannot operate continuously, however, whereby the welds only have a very limited durability. Another disadvantage of this known welding device is that a portion of the laser lens system of the welding device is mounted inside the tool and must remain on it, or must be newly mounted and aligned during each tool change at high expenditures.
DE 26 05 983 C3 and DE 26 30 867 C2 describe additional systems for stacking and bundling punched parts, in which case, by way of a mandrel, a slide, a cylinder/piston unit as well as a pawl, intermediate stacks are formed of the punched plates. These systems have a disadvantage in that, during the resetting to other metal sheets, the mandrels must be exchanged in a cumbersome manner.
With respect to additional prior art concerning systems for punching and bundling metal sheets, reference is also made to DE 20 65 645 A1; DE 23 39 322 A1; DE 26 19 127 A1; and DE 27 06 274 A1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a system and process for punching and bundling metal sheets, whereby individual metal sheet bundles of the punched metal sheets can be separated such that the metal sheet bundles have a very exact height. The production of metal sheet bundles of different heights and of different numbers of individual sheets is thus made possible in a very simple manner.
According to the invention, this object has been achieved by providing that the separating device has at least two wedge elements which are provided for penetrating, in the case of a predetermined height of the metal sheet stack of punched metal sheets, into this metal sheet stack at least approximately perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the receiving shaft.
With respect to the process according to the present invention, the object has been achieved by providing that metal sheet bundles of a predetermined height are separated from the metal sheet stack, after which the individual metal sheets of the metal sheet bundles are connected with one another by being guided past a connection device.
The separating device according to the invention having the at least two wedge elements allows the separation of a metal sheet bundle of a desired height consisting of the individual metal sheets situated in the receiving shaft to be achieved in a very simple and exact manner. That is, the wedge elements engage according to the invention in a standing bundle and not, as provided in the case of the known separating devices, in the metal sheets falling from the die plate into the receiving shaft.
As the result of the use of wedge elements, a precise height of the separated metal sheet bundle of plus/minus one punched sheet is obtained. This precision can be increased by a more or less extensive penetration of the wedge elements into the metal sheet bundle. According to how far the wedge elements penetrate in the radial direction into the bundle, the metal sheets are compressed to a greater or smaller extent and the height of the metal sheet stack can therefore be influenced, although the number of individual sheets can actually no longer be changed after the engagement of the wedge elements.
In a particularly advantageous further development of the present invention, device for connecting the separated individual metal sheet bundles is provided in the area of the receiving shaft or under the receiving shaft. As a result, the metal sheet bundles separated by the separating device can be connected with one another, whereby metal sheet bundles or metal sheet stacks are advantageously created which have a precisely defined height.
The process according to the invention allows the separation and the subsequent connection of the metal sheet bundles to take place without interruption of the punching.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3466833 (1969-09-01), Penrod et al.
patent: 3546990 (1970-12-01), Schneider
patent: 4108031 (1978-08-01), Dangelmaier et al.
patent: 4110895 (1978-09-01), Mitsui
patent: 4232575 (1980-11-01), Schneider et al.
patent: 4716800 (1988-01-01), Bareis et al.
patent: 4982635 (1991-01-01), Thatcher
patent: 5183247 (1993-02-01), Blumer
patent: 5249492 (1993-10-01), Brown et al.
patent: 5768963 (1998-06-01), Bruehwiler
Ashley Boyer
Crowell & Moring LLP
Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
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