GB1149131A - Improvements in or relating to feed tables for punch presses - Google Patents

Abstract

1,149,131. Metal sheet feeds. WARNER & SWASEY CO. 24 Jan., 1967 [31 May, 1966], No. 3481/67. Heading B3W. A punch press has a main table assembly, a carriage slidable on the main table and centrally located means for advancing the table longitudinally towards the punch, a cross-bar is mounted at its opposite ends on the carriage leaving an opening between the carriage and the cross-bar, a cross-slide is traversable along the cross-bar and carries work-holders adapted to grip the edge of a workpiece, and there is a table, for supporting the workpiece at the height of the die, which progressively recedes below the height of the die and passes through the opening between the carriage and the crossbar as the carriage advances towards the punch, so as to avoid interference between the table and the work-holders. The apparatus includes a framework 30, Fig. 3 (not shown), which extends horizontally away from a turret press of which one punching station 33 is shown. Rails 31 are mounted on the framework and guide the carriage 32, which comprises a transverse beam 40, which is connected to the underside of blocks 41 and side members 41<SP>1</SP>. Mounted on the top surfaces of the blocks 41 is a cross-bar 44 which has guide surfaces for a cross-slide 51. Mounted on the cross-slide are hydraulically or pneumatically operated grippers 52 which are adjustable along the slide by screw means. The workpiece supporting table comprises parallel rollers 35, connected by links 36. The chain thus formed is attached to the pressframe near the punching station so that it is stationary relative to the framework 30. Each of the rollers 35 has a follower roller 37 at each end, these follower rollers running either on rails 38 or tracks 39. The rails 38 are carried by the framework 30 and the tracks 39 are carried by and move with the carriage 32. The trailing end of the tracks 39, when the carriage is moving towards the punching station are just forward of the work grippers 52. The rollers 35 are supported at the height of the die when the follower rollers 37 are running on the tracks 39, and as the carriage advances the follower rollers 37 run down the sloping trailing ends 73 of the tracks on to the rails 38 so that the rollers 35 are lowered and pass through the gap between the transverse beam 40 and the cross-bar 44. The carriage is moved towards and away from the press frame by a single motor-driven screw 60.