Patents by Inventor Karl Thudium

Karl Thudium has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7287950
    Abstract: In a transfer arrangement and method for transferring a workpiece between first and second spaced locations along a guide rail with a carriage movably supported on the guide rail, a transfer arm is pivotally supported on the carriage and carries at its free end a workpiece holder which is accelerated by the carriage with the arm essentially stretched out in the movement direction out of, and decelerated into, the end positions, and, in an intermediate position, the carriage movement is slowed down or even reversed while the workpiece holder is moved along by a pivot movement of the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Schmeink, Andreas Lauke, Gerd Jäger, Hans Hofele, Claudia Maria Thudium, legal representative, Andreas Dangelmayr, Karl Thudium, deceased
  • Patent number: 7159438
    Abstract: A transfer press provided with a transfer device, having transfer units provided with cross members (37) for which the length is shorter than the width of a tool. The transfer units (29 to 32) are arranged completely between the processing stations or stages, are mounted on the crown or head piece, and are not provided with elements extending beside the tools or between supports of adjacent processing or press stations. Thus, the full width spanned by the press supports can be used for the tools. In addition, tools can be used which are provided with guides, effective between the upper tool and the lower tool, particularly in the side region. The work pieces are handled solely by means of the openings, freed by the tools and pointing counter to the transporting device, wherein no element of the transfer device extends past the side limits of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Andreas Lauke, Karl Thudium, Gerd Jäger, Hans Hofele
  • Patent number: 7028526
    Abstract: To accommodate a press tooling carrier without interference, a control arm straight guide having at least one drive, e.g., having motor angular gears (worm gears), cardan shaft or the like is provided. A control arm straight guide permits a very shallow position of the joints in the completely assembled state. A hydraulic cylinder may be used to support startup of the motor, i.e., to move the control arm straight guide out of its bottom dead center position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Markus Buck, Peter Sommerer
  • Publication number: 20050238473
    Abstract: In a transfer arrangement and method for transferring a workpiece between first and second spaced locations along a guide rail with a carriage movably supported on the guide rail, a transfer arm is pivotally supported on the carriage and carries at its free end a workpiece holder which is accelerated by the carriage with the arm essentially stretched out in the movement direction out of, and decelerated into, the end positions, and, in an intermediate position, the carriage movement is slowed down or even reversed while the workpiece holder is moved along by a pivot movement of the arm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Inventors: Martin Schmeink, Andreas Lauke, Gerd Jager, Hans Hofele, Karl Thudium, Claudia Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Publication number: 20040261488
    Abstract: A transfer press provided with a transfer device, having transfer units provided with cross members (37) for which the length is shorter than the width of a tool. The transfer units (29 to 32) are arranged completely between the processing stations or stages, are mounted on the crown or head piece, and are not provided with elements extending beside the tools or between supports of adjacent processing or press stations. Thus, the full width spanned by the press supports can be used for the tools. In addition, tools can be used which are provided with guides, effective between the upper tool and the lower tool, particularly in the side region. The work pieces are handled solely by means of the openings, freed by the tools and pointing counter to the transporting device, wherein no element of the transfer device extends past the side limits of the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Applicant: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Andreas Lauke, Karl Thudium, Gerd Jager, Hans Hofele
  • Publication number: 20040187549
    Abstract: To accommodate a press tooling carrier without interference, a control arm straight guide having at least one drive, e.g., having motor angular gears (worm gears), cardan shaft or the like is provided. A control arm straight guide permits a very shallow position of the joints in the completely assembled state. A hydraulic cylinder may be used to support startup of the motor, i.e., to move the control arm straight guide out of its bottom dead center position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Markus Buck, Peter Sommerer
  • Patent number: 6742375
    Abstract: A system for the transport of workpieces in a forming press, particularly a multistation press, has at least one cross traverse for holding the workpieces, which on at least one of its ends is connected with a lifting and lowering device and can be oriented in a space by the lifting and lowering device. At least one overload protection device is arranged between the cross traverse and the at least one lifting and lowering device for cutting the connection between the cross traverse and the at least one lifting and lowering device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG.
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Patent number: 6655522
    Abstract: An apparatus loads and unloads workpieces. The apparatus includes at least one essentially horizontally movable element, at least one essentially vertically movable element and at least one element for receiving workpieces. The horizontally movable element has at least one drive unit and has at least two belts communicating with the one or more drive units and the one or more elements for receiving the workpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Lauke
  • Publication number: 20030066331
    Abstract: A system for the transport of workpieces in a forming press, particularly a multistation press, has at least one cross traverse for holding the workpieces, which on at least one of its ends is connected with a lifting and lowering device and can be oriented in a space by the lifting and lowering device. At least one overload protection device is arranged between the cross traverse and the at least one lifting and lowering device for cutting the connection between the cross traverse and the at least one lifting and lowering device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Patent number: 6382400
    Abstract: A transport and position system, particularly for the workpiece transfer, has a lever mechanism between its driving motors and its output to carry out a step-up. The lever mechanism takes over the guiding as well as the driving of the carrier device which therefore forms the output of the lever mechanism. As a result of the step-up, high accelerations and decelerations can be achieved at the carrier device. Thereby, the mass inertia of linear guides for the bearing of levers and mass inertias of drives moved along play a substantially reduced role. While a high positioning precision can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Schuler Pessen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Andreas Dangelmayr, Jürgen Eltze, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 6374995
    Abstract: A positioning system (31, 32, 33, 34 35, 36), particularly for transporting and positioning workpieces, has a drive and force generating transmission device (47) by means of which a carrier device (41) can be moved and positioned. At least one force generating device (70) is connected to the drive and force transmission device (47), which force generating device (70) feeds into the drive and transmission system of the drive and force transmission device (47), an additional force used for compensating the weight of the drive and force transmission device and its moved parts and possibly of a workpiece, to the extent that this force manifests itself at the drives of the drive and force transmission device (47).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Andreas Dangelmayr, Jürgen Eltze, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 6374994
    Abstract: A transfer system, particularly for the transfer of workpieces in multi-station presses (1), consists of several transfer modules (14 to 19), which each have a workpiece holding device (28) which is carried by at least one lever mechanism (23). Each lever mechanism transmits the adjusting movement of two mutually independent drives (39, 44) to the workpiece holding device (28). One of the drives (39, 44) is disposed in a stationary manner, and the other is moved by the drive disposed in a stationary manner. This basic principle opens up many design possibilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Andreas Dangelmayr, Jürgen Eltze, Karl Thudium
  • Publication number: 20020023820
    Abstract: An apparatus loads and unloads workpieces. The apparatus includes at least one essentially horizontally movable element, at least one essentially vertically movable element and at least one element for receiving workpieces. The horizontally movable element has at least one drive unit and has at least two belts communicating with the one or more drive units and the one or more elements for receiving the workpieces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Lauke
  • Patent number: 6314786
    Abstract: A transfer system, particularly for a press facility, has a guiding device on which workpiece holding devices are longitudinally displaceably disposed which belong to two different groups. The longitudinal displacement takes place by way of a driving device which is carried at least partially by the guiding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Karl Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Patent number: 6234302
    Abstract: A transfer system has at least one transfer device which is driven by several mutually independent drives in the direction of at least a closing/opening axis. In the event of a failure of a drive, an immediate stoppage of parts of the transfer device is prevented by coupling the drives with one another by a coupling device. This coupling device has an operating range of a low torque transmission which is normally taken up and is left only if one of the drives no longer supplies a sufficient driving power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Greiner, Walter Rieger, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 6223582
    Abstract: A transfer system, particularly for the transfer of workpieces in multi-station presses, includes several transfer modules, each of which has a workpiece holding device carried by at least one lever mechanism. Each lever mechanism transmits the adjusting movement of two mutually independent drives to the workpiece holding device. One of the drives is disposed in a stationary manner and the other drive is moved by the stationarily disposed drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Andreas Dangelmayr, Jürgen Eltze, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 6126582
    Abstract: A multistation press has a transfer device with cross traverses. The transfer device is set up for an automatic tooling change by providing that the cross traverses or the tooling held thereon are to be deposited on passive tooling receiving devices on sliding tables. This deposition takes place without the aid of transfer units in that a control device activates a height adjusting device independently of the other driving devices for the workpiece transfer such that the cross traverses are lowered to the passive tooling receiving devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Andreas Dangelmayr, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 6073551
    Abstract: A press has a transfer direction along which workpieces are transferred through machining stations by gripper rails. Two carriages are provided per gripper rail which can be moved transversely to the transfer direction toward and away from one another. Two parallel control arms are rotatably disposed on one carriage which, on the other end, are rotatably disposed on a support part. On the other carriage, a link is rotatably disposed which, on the other end, is applied at half length to a parallel control arm. The support part can be lifted vertically by the movement of the carriages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Andreas Dangelmayr, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 5802967
    Abstract: An arrangement is used for transferring workpieces through a succession of machining stations of a press, a simulator or similar machining system or tool setting system. This arrangement has two spaced transport rails which are arranged parallel to one another and which can be moved by motors horizontally in a longitudinal direction thereof, vertically up and down and horizontally toward one another. Each individual transport rail is pivotally connected for a horizontal movement in each case by way of a coupling rod. Traverses are operatively connected by way of at least one of the coupling rods with one respective transport rail. The traverses can be moved by an additional transverse drive which is synchronously driven by the driving motors arranged in a closing box of the press for the horizontal movement of the transport rails toward one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Walter Rieger, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Patent number: 5779025
    Abstract: An apparatus for three-dimensionally driving gripper rails in a multiple-pedestal press has raisable and lowerable guides for moving the gripper rails in a clamping and releasing direction in cross slide supports. The cross slide supports are movable in the clamping and releasing direction. The motion of the gripper rails in the clamping and releasing direction is brought about by a servomotor, which is secured at the level of the cross slide supports and which cooperates, with shaft portions extending from both sides thereof and embodied as spindles, with clasp nuts on the cross slide supports. In addition to the advantage of the direct drive for the clamping and releasing motion of the gripper rails, the region required by the tools in the working stages is utilized for accommodating the servomotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Andreas Dangelmayr, Karl Thudium