US3863487A

US3863487A - Feed device

Info

Publication number: US3863487A
Application number: US360850A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin W Plumb; Harold T Meikis
Original assignee: Safeguard Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Safeguard Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1973-05-16
Filing date: 1973-05-16
Publication date: 1975-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-04

Abstract

A manual feed device for accurately locating parts within the work station of a power press includes an elongated feed rod having a manual drive handle for effecting linear and rotational movement of the feed rod and associated clamping jaws toward and away from the work area of the power press. A jaw actuating mechanism is operatively connected to the drive handle and includes adjustable limit means preventing linear movement of the feed rod beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabilizing and aligning means controlling movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and moveable axially relative to the feed rod to effect opening and closing of the jaws. The jaw actuator is operative, upon movement of the feed rod to its limit position in response to operation of the drive handle, to move axially relative to the feed rod and effect the desired relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 111 3,863,487

Plumb et al. Feb. 4, 1975 FEED DEVICE [57] ABSTRACT [75] Inventors: Edwin W. Plumb, Woodbury; A manual feed device for accurately locating parts Harold T. Meikis, Waterbury, both within the work station of a power press includes an of Conn elongated feed rod having a manual drive handle for effecting linear and rotational movement of the feed rod and associated clamping jaws toward and away from the work area of the power press. A jaw actuat- [22] Filed: May 16, 1973 ing mechanism is operatively connected to the drive handle and includes adjustable limit means preventing [211 App! 360850 linear movement of the feed rod beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabi- [73] Assignee: Safeguard Manufacturing Co.,

Woodbury, Conn.

[52] US. Cl. 72/421, 72/422 lizing and aligning means controlling movement of the [51] Int. Cl B2ld 43/02 jaws between their open and closed positions and a [58] Field of Search 72/420, 421, 422; jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and move- 214/1 BB able axially relative to the feed rod to effect opening and closing of the jaws. The jaw actuator is operative,

[56] References Cited upon movement of the feed rod to its limit position in UNITED STATES PATENTS response to operation of the drive handle, to move ax- 3 746 I84 M973 Wallis 214 BB ially relative to the feed rod and effect the desired rel- 3773I89 H1973 ative movement of the jaws between their open and 3,782,162 1/1974 Bullard 214/1 BB Closed POSIHOHS- Primary ExaminerC. W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-Robert M. Rogers 7 Clams 3 Drawing Flgul'es Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Prutzman, Hayes, Kalb &

Chilton FEED DEVICE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to remotely operated feed devices and is particularly concerned with a new and improved manually operated feed device particularly well suited to secondary or parts feeding operations in confined or restricted work areas.

Secondary or parts feeding operations for power presses generally involve the sequential feeding of parts to the die area of the press. The parts or work pieces must be individually located within the die area of the press with high accuracy despite the limited open stroke of a power press. Unfortunately, the relatively small and confined die area with limited access and visability frequently has necessitated a manual feed operation performed by the operator whereby he feels the proper die position with his hand without close visual attention. This manual technique exposes the operators hands to injury by the power press and necessarily requires elaborate safety precautions. When tongs or other holding devices are substituted to obviate the necessity of the operators hands entering the die area, this detracts from the operators feel of die cavity and requires much closer visual attention to the precise location of the part within the die.

Automatic or semi-automatic feeding operations on the other hand provide a substantial safety advantage and are frequently preferred. However, such automatic and semiautomatic devices generally involve a high initial cost and consume a substantial amount of time for installation thus making their use particularly disadvantageous when only small quantities or short runs are being performed on the power press.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved semi-automatic feed device that possesses the aforementioned safety advantages of automatic devices and obviates the need for visual observation during placement of the parts in the die yet is of a sufficently simple nature to permit inexpensive manufacture and rapid and facile installation well suited to small quantities and shorter runs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved manual feed device of the type described that incorporates a unique actuating mechanism and part holding jaw assembly particularly adapted for rapid loading of the part at an area remote from the die. Additionally, the device can be adjusted for highly accurate orientation, feeding and locating of the part in the die. Also included in this object is the provision for simplified release of the part from the feed device at the appropriate location.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved feed device of the type described particularly well adapted to utilizing specialized auxillary jaws for gripping and feeding a specialized part to the die area of the press while at the same time permitting orientation of the part being fed so as to dispose it in an appropriate position for release into the die.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved feed device of the type described that includes means for assuring retraction of the feed device from the die area of the press during the operating stroke of the press.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved feed device of the type described that exhibits prolonged reliable operation, can be rapidly and easily assembled for short runs and is of durable yet economical construction.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

These and related objects are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing a manually operated feed device of the type described which includes a manual drive member and a set of jaws positioned on opposite ends of an elongated feed rod, the drive member effecting linear and rotational movement of the jaws with the feed rod as it moves toward and away from the die area of a power press. A jaw actuating mechanism is operatively associated with the drive member and includes adjustable limiting means preventing linear movement of the feed rod beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabilizing and aligning means controlling movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and move able axially relative to the feed rod to effect opening and closing of the jaws. The jaw actuator of the device is operative upon movement of the feed rod in response to operation of the manual drive member and simultaneously effect the desired relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions.

A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing which set. forthan illustrative embodiment indicative of the way in which the principles of the invention are employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially broken away, of one embodiment of the feed device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is atop view of the device shown in FIG. 1 partially broken away and partially in section to expose a portion of the jaw actuating mechanism of the feed device; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing in greater detail wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the figures, a manually operated feed device is shown as consisting essentially of an elongated feed arm 10 mounted for multidirectional movement toward and away from the work area of a power press or the like. The feed arm 10 which carries a manual handle 12 on one end and a pair of relatively movable jaws 14 on the opposite end is adapted to receive and clamp a work piece for presentation to the press, subsequently orient the work piece through an angle of as it is fed toward the work area of the press and then accurately positon and release the work piece within the die or work area of the press. Associated with the feed arm 10 is an appropriate sensing mechanism, indicated by the numeral 16, for sensing the closing operation of the power press and positively moving the jaws 14 away from the work area of the press'in the event the jaws have not been fully removed prior to the operation of the power press.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable feed arm of the present invention is supported on and secured to a suitable platform 18 and is mounted for pivotable and slidable movement on a bifurcated yoke-like support bracket 20 which in turn is pivotably supported on a mounting adapted to provide adjustable positioning about at least two perpendicular axes. As shown, the mounting consists of a vertically upstanding post 22 secured to the platform 18 through a flat integral base plate 24. A dual axis connector 26 consisting of interconnected first and second perpendicularly oriented collar portion 28 and 30 respectively is mounted on post 22 by means of collar portion 28 and is adapted for slidable and pivotable movement therealong. As mentioned, the collar portion 30 is disposed at a right angle to collar portion 28 and is provided with a sleeve bearing 36 for receiving a cylindrical mounting axil 38 of the support bracket 20. In the preferred embodiment suitable roller bearings 40 (FIG. 2) are mounted on the ends of collar portion 30 to facilitate the smooth pivotal or tilting movement of the arm 10. A plate 42 secured to the top of collar portion 30 extends toward and overlies the yoke portion 44 of support bracket 20 as is provided with a pair of limit set screws 46 for adjustably controlling and limiting the pivotal or tilting movement of the bracket 20 and arm 10 and assure that the inward stroke of the feed arm 10 will permit the jaws 14 to accurately place a work piece precisely within the nest of the die.

As shown, the yoke portion 44 of bracket 20 slidably supports the feed arm 10 on two spaced apertured knuckles 48, 50 provided with sleeve bearings 52, 54 respectively. A cam follower ball 56 in sleeve bearing 52 extends into and cooperates with a suitable cam groove 58 located on the exterior surface of feed arm 10. The cam groove 58 extends along substantially the full length of feed arm 10 from a point adjacent the end carrying the jaws 14 where it takes the form of a 180 helix and then proceeds axially toward the opposite end in a straight line. Thus, as the arm 10 moves from its fully retracted position toward its feed position, the ball 56 and cam groove 58 cooperate to initially impart rotational movement to the arm through an arc of 180, followed by substantially straight axial movement until the jaws come to rest at the work area. Since the jaws 14 are secured to the feed arm 10 for movement therewith it is apparent that the work piece placed within the jaws when the feed arm is in its fully retracted position will be fully rotated 180 prior to entry into the work area of the power press and then will proceed in a linear fashion into the shallow die area until it comes to rest above the nest in the die. In this way, the part will be properly oriented so that it can merely drop into the nest.

An adjustable stop collar 62 mounted on the arm 10 between the bracket 20 and the handle 12 can be accurately positioned to assure the proper placement of the work piece by restraining movement of the feed arm beyond a predetermined feed position. In similar fashion a stop collar 64 between the bracket 20 and the feed jaws 14 will prohibit movement of the feed arm beyond its fully retracted position. In this manner the full longitudinal movement of the feed arm is precisely controlled to assure proper positioning and orientation of the jaws both for receiving and discharging the work piece. It will also be appreciated that the arm 10 can be adjustably positioned both vertically and rotatably relative to the upstanding post 22 and can also be tilted to a precise feed angle by the limit set screws 46 on the feed arm mounting plate 42.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the feed arm 10 is a hollow tubular member of generally cylindrical configuration and houses a longitudinally extending jaw actuation rod 66 which extends along the full length thereof and is connected through thrust bearings 68, 70 to the manually operated handle 12. As shown, one raceway of each bearing 68, 70 is fixedly secured to the handle 12 and the complementary raceways are secured to the jaw actuating rod 68 through appropriate connector means, such as the set screw 72 extending through a longitudinally extending slot 74 in the tubular feed arm 10 and an end pin 76 slidably movable along the end slot 78 in the tubular arm 10. This arrangement permits the rod 66 to rotate with arm 10 relative to the handle 12 while at the same time facilitating relative axial movement between the rod and the arm.

The jaw assembly 14 is fixedly secured to the forward end of the feed arm 10 for rotational and longitudinal movement therewith and consists essentially of top and bottom cover plates, 82 and 84 respectively, that confinably enclose a pair of relative

movable jaw members

86, 88. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the jaw member 86 is fixedly secured to the cover plates and therethrough to the feed arm 10. The fixed jaw 86 is provided with a pair of spaced transversely extending guide rails 92 fixed to the jaw 86 and slidably received within aligned notches 94 in the spaced movable jaw member 88. The cooperative engagement between the rails 92 and notches 94 maintain the two jaw members in substantially parallel alignment during their opening and closing action. The movable jaw member 88 is further provided with a side recess or aperture 96 adapted to receive a biasing spring 98 which is held in position by a suitable cove'r flange 100 removably secured to the top plate 84 and operative to bias the movable jaw member 88 toward the fixed jaw 88.

- Intermediate the

jaw members

86, 88 is a jaw actuator slide 102 securely connected to the end of the actuating rod 66. The slide 102 is of generally rectangular cross section except at its area of connection to rod 66 and houses a pair of spaced rollers or balls 104 and 106 on opposite sides thereof facing the relatively movable jaw members. The balls 104 facing the fixed jaw member 86 are received within elongated slots 108 in the fixed jaw and facilitate nonbinding sliding movement between the slide 102 and the jaw 86. The second set of actuator balls 106 housed on the opposite side of the slide 102 are movable into and out of accurate recesses 112 in the movable jaw 88, the recesses 112 being of approximately the same diameter or only slightly larger than the diameters of the drive balls 106. Thus, upon movement of the jaw actuator slide 102 longitudinally relative to the

jaw members

86, 88, the drive balls 106 will drive the movable jaw 88 outwardly into the open jaw position against the bias of the closing or return spring 98. In the embodiment illustrated each of the jaws is provided with an appropriate threaded aperture 114 adjacent the outter end thereof for receiving auxillary jaw members (not shown) contoured to the approximate shape and size of the part to be treated both to add flexibility of use to the feed device and to assure secure and accurate gripping of the part to be placed within the die.

As mentioned, the jaw assembly 14 is appropriately affixed to the feed arm 10 so that when the arm is in its fully retracted position the part holder will face upwardly for easy access in loading. The loading operation is easily accomplished by merely moving the feed arm to its fully retracted position until it is stopped by the forward stop collar 64. Since the jaw assembly 14 is in its fully open condition as it is withdrawn toward its retracted position the part is simply placed in the open jaws. Then the handle 12 is retracted further. The stop collar 64 prevents the feed arm 10 from moving with the handle and the handle acts against the thrust bearing 70 to draw the actuating rod 66 rearwardly. The drive balls 106 housed in the actuator slide 1102 thereby are brought into registry with the appropriate recesses 112 in the movable jaw member 88 permitting the jaws to close under the bias of its closing drive spring 98. [n this manner the auxillary jaws (not shown) attached to the jaw assembly will grip the part with a firm clamping action so that it will be securely held during the entire feeding operation.

It is a feature of the feed device of the present invention that the jaw actuating mechanism exhibits a substantially greater resistance to operation than the movement of the feed arm 10 relative to its mounting bracket 20. Accordingly, after the work piece has been properly placed within the gripping jaws and the jaws have been closed so as to firmly clasp the part, forward movement of the handle 12 will advance the feed arm 10 relative to the mounting bracket 20. The cooperative action of the ball cam follower 56 in the cam groove 58 of the feed arm 10 will cause the arm to initially rotate about its longitudinal axis through an arc of 180 thereby inverting the jaw assembly 14 and leaving the part on the underside thereof. Continued forward motion of the feed arm effects substantially linear and nonrotating movement and the part is quickly and positively conveyed into the die area of the power press until it rests above the nest of the die. At this point, the rear stop collar 62 positioned between the handle 12 and the mounting bracket 21) comes to rest against the bracket 20 to prevent further forward movement of the feed arm 10. However, the slots 74, 78 in the feed arm permit the further forward movement of the handle 12 and actuating rod 66 relative to the feed arm 10 so that further inward thrust of the handle will be imparted through the actuating rod to the jaw drive balls 104, 106. Since the jaws are affixed to the arm and cannot move forward, the drive balls 106 are forced out of the recess 112 in the movable jaw member 88 causing the movable jaw to move outwardly against the bias of spring 98 thereby opening the jaws and releasing the part into the die. Once again, since the resistance of the jaw operating mechanism to opening and closing is substantially greater than the resistance of the feed arm to slidable movement relative to the bracket, retraction or withdrawal of the handle will cause the feed arm to be fully withdrawn from the die area of the power press with the jaws still in their open condition.

In the event the operator does not fully retract the feed arm from the die area before the press starts to close, the feed device of the present invention is further provided with simple, independent and automatic retracting mechanism 16 which cooperates with an appropriately positioned roller on the power press, as shown in phantom by the numeral 118 to drive the feed arm 10 out of the work area. The retracting mechanism 16 consists simply of a cam plate 120 mounted on a rolling support 122 that, in turn, is attached to an elongated shaft 124 which extends rearwardly through a suitable fixed support block 126. A drive arm 128 is adjustably mounted on the shaft 124 rearwardly of the fixed support block 126 and extends laterally to a point immediately between the feed arm 10 of the feeding device. A compression spring 1311' is mounted over the shaft 124 between the fixed support block 126 and the rolling support 122 for biasing the rolling support forwardly away from the fixed support so as to urge the cam plate 120 into position under the roller 118 with the drive arm 128 in abutting engagement with the fixed support 126. As the power press closes the cam roller 118 secured thereto engages the sloped cam plate 120 and drives the retraction unit rearwardly against the bias of its return spring 130. A lug 132 secured to the bottom of the rear stop collar 62 is engaged by the laterally extending drive arm 128 to positively drive the feed arm rearwardly and assure removal of the jaw assembly 14 from the work area of the power press as the press moves to its closed position.

As can be appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, the present invention provides a new and improved feed device which advantageously receives the work piece within the open jaw assembly as the jaws are facing upwardly in a loading position. The device then clamps the work piece and rotates it through an arch of so as to position it in an appropriate orientation for transfer to the die while simultaneously feeding the work piece toward the work area of the press. The entire feed operation if guided by preset controls so that the operator has no need to repeatedly locate the part over the nest of the die, yet the device of a sufficiently simple nature as to lend itself to inexpensive manufacture and rapid, facile assembly and disassembly well suited to operations on a small quantity or for short runs.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

We claim:

1. In a feed device particularly well suited to secondary feeding operations in the confined work area of a power press or the like comprising an elongated feed arm having a drive member on one end thereof and a pair of gripping jaws on the opposite end thereof movable between open and closed positions and an adjustable support slidably mounting the feed arm for linear movement relative to the support and simultaneous rotational movement about the axis of the feed arm for rotatably orienting the gripping jaws and moving the jaws toward and away from the power press, the combination comprising a jaw actuating mechanism operatively connected to the drive member for linear and rotational movement with the feed arm, said mechanism including adjustable limiting means preventing linear movement of the feed arm beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabilizing and aligning means controlling movement of the jaws between their open and close positions and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and movable axially relative to the feed arm, said jaw actuator being operative upon movement of the feed arm to one of said limit positions to move axially relative to the feed arm in response to the drive member and simultaneously effect relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions, said feed arm being provided with cam means including a helix of about 180 and said support being provided with a cooperating cam follower engaging said cam means whereby axial movement of the feed arm will impart 180 rotation to the holding means and workpiece during movement toward and away from the confined work area of the press.

2. The feed device of claim 1 wherein the separable jaws are biased toward their closed position and the jaw actuator includes cam means operable against one of the separable jaws to drive said jaw against said closing bias towards its open position.

3. In a feed device particularly well suited to secondary feeding operations in the confined work area of a power press or the like comprising an elongated feed arm having a drive member on one end thereof and a pair of gripping jaws on the opposite end thereof movable between open and closed positions and an adjustable support slidably mounting the feed arm for linear movement relative to the support and simultaneous rotational movement about the axis of the feed arm for rotatably orienting the gripping jaws and moving the jaws toward and away from the power press, the combination comprising a jaw actuating mechanism operatively connected to the drive member for linear and rotational movement with the feed arm, said mechanism including adjustable limiting means preventing linear movement of the feed arm beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabilizing and aligning means including a pair of spaced guides spanning the jaws and controlling movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions, at least one of said jaws including guideways slidably receiving the guides and cooperating therewith to prevent misalignment of the jaws during the opening and closing movement thereof, and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and movable axially relative to the feed arm, said jaw actuator being operative upon movement of the feed arm to one of said limit positions to move axially relative to the feed arm in response to the drive member and simultaneously effect relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions.

4. In a feed device particularly well suited to secondary feeding operations in the confined work area of a power press or the like comprising an elongated feed arm having a drive member on one end thereof and a pair of gripping jaws on the opposite end thereof movable between open and closed positions and an adjustable support slidably mounting the feed arm for linear movement relative to the support and simultaneous rotational movement about the axis of the feed arm for rotatably orienting the gripping jaws and moving the jaws toward and away from the power press, the combination comprising a jaw actuating mechanism operatively connected to the drive member for linear and rotational movement with the feed arm, said mechanism including adjustable limiting means preventing linear movement of the feed arm beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, said drive member including a manually operated handle mounted on the feed arm for driving the arm toward its forward and rearward limit positions and slidably connected thereto to permit movement thereof beyond said limit positions, jaw stablizing and aligning means controlling movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and movable axially relative to the feed arm, said jaw actuator being operative upon movement of the feed arm to one of said limit positions to move axially relative to the feed arm, said jaw actuator being operative upon movement of the feed arm to one of said limit positions to move axially relative to the feed arm in response to the drive member and simultaneously effect relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions, said handle being connected to the jaw actuator for driving the actuator during said movement beyond said limit positions to thereby effect relative movement of the jaws, the jaw actuator being effective to resist actuating movement during travel of the feed arm between its limit positions.

5. The feed device of claim 1 wherein the support is positionally adjustable relative to at least two perpendicularly disposed axes.

6. The feed device of claim 1 including automatic feed arm return means responsive to operation of the power press to drive the feed arm toward its rearward limit position and assure removal of the jaws from the work area of the press.

7. The feed device of claim 1 wherein the feed arm is a cylindrical member and the jaw actuating member includes a drive rod extending axially along said cylindrical member and connecting the jaw actuator to the drive member.

Claims

1. In a feed device particularly well suited to secondary feeding operations in the confined work area of a power press or the like comprising an elongated feed arm having a drive member on one end thereof and a pair of gripping jaws on the opposite end thereof movable between open and closed positions and an adjustable support slidably mounting the feed arm for linear movement relative to the support and simultaneous rotational movement about the axis of the feed arm for rotatably orienting the gripping jaws and moving the jaws toward and away from the power press, the combination comprising a jaw actuating mechanism operatively connected to the drive member for linear and rotational movement with the feed arm, said mechanism including adjustable limiting means preventing linear movement of the feed arm beyond predetermined forward and rearward limit positions, jaw stabilizing and aligning means controlling movement of the jaws between their open and close positions and a jaw actuator interposed between the jaws and movable axially relative to the feed arm, said jaw actuator being operative upon movement of the feed arm to one of said limit positions to move axially relative to the feed arm in response to the drive member and simultaneously effect relative movement of the jaws between their open and closed positions, said feed arm being provided with cam means including a helix of about 180* and said support being provided with a cooperating cam follower engaging said cam means whereby axial movement of the feed arm will impart 180* rotation to the holding means and workpiece during movement toward and away from the confined work area of the press.