Metal deforming – By plural tool-couples – With means to feed work between plural tool stations
Patent
1992-04-06
1993-12-14
Crane, Daniel C.
Metal deforming
By plural tool-couples
With means to feed work between plural tool stations
198621, B21D 4305
Patent
active
052691683
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a transfer feeder adapted to effect a change in the level of a workpiece to be fed.
BACKGROUND ART OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a transfer press includes a transfer feeder to transfer a workpiece to each working station or to transfer a workpiece to and from working stations.
The transfer feeder includes parallel transfer bars extending in the direction in which a workpiece is fed, and a plurality of cross bars extending between the transfer bars. The cross bars have workpiece holding means such as vacuum cups to transfer the workpiece when the transfer bars are moved in a two-dimensional manner.
When a working station is provided in the upstream side of the transfer feeder to perform a drawing operation, then it is necessary to change the level of a workpiece in response to drawing depths of products while it is being fed. It is also necessary to change the level of a workpiece when there is a difference in level between that fed in one station and that fed in the following station.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer feeder which can readily change the level of a workpiece to be fed.
In order to achieve the object, according to a preferred mode of the present invention, there is provided a transfer feeder comprising transfer bars extending in the direction in which a workpiece is fed from an upstream side to a downstream side and including cross bars at respective working stations, lift beams for supporting the transfer bars so that the transfer bars may be moved in the direction in which the workpiece is fed, the lift beams being divided into upstream lift beams and downstream lift beams, and lift mechanisms adapted to vertically move the lift beams by lift levers through connecting rod means, the lift levers being pivotally moved by lift cams mounted in cam boxes, characterized by a first feed height adjustment mechanism disposed between the lift levers and the connecting rod means to simultaneously change the height of the upstream lift beams and the downstream lift beams to respective levels, and a second feed height adjustment mechanism disposed between the lift mechanisms for the upstream lift beams and the lift mechanisms for the downstream lift beams to change the height of the upstream lift beams relative to the downstream lift beams.
A transfer press comprises a plurality of working stations. In such a transfer press, the transfer feeder of the present invention effects a change in the height of the lift beams located in an upstream working station and a downstream working station, respectively, so as to adjust the height of the cross bars to a plurality of different levels.
By this arrangement, when a drawing operation is performed in the upstream working station, the level of a workpiece can be changed in response to drawing depths or it can readily be changed if there is a difference in level between the workipiece fed in the drawing station and that fed in the following working station.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment as the principles of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective, partly broken away, of a feed height adjustment mechanism disposed between a lift lever and a lift mechanism; and
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a feed height adjustment mechanism disposed between a lift mechanism for an upstream lift beam and a lift mechanism for a downstream lift beam.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
One embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is
REFERENCES:
patent: 3875808 (1975-04-01), Okamoto
patent: 4785657 (1988-11-01), Votava
patent: 4804080 (1989-02-01), Baba
patent: 4819786 (1989-04-01), Tanaka
Crane Daniel C.
Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
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