Abstract: A press mounted cam has an adapter, slide and a driver with range of sizes and working angles provided at low cost by driver and/or adapter constructions having base plates and a series of side by side upright plates of a number corresponding to a given length with an angled top corresponding to a given working angle.

Abstract: A roller cam mechanism and driver assembly which features a positive retraction cam elements comprised of auxiliary rollers and side plate slots which cooperate upon failure of a retraction spring compressed by advance of a tooling slide to cause positive retraction of a tooling slide.

Abstract: A thermoforming apparatus for forming sheets of sheet plastic onto a substrate in which a retractable substrate heater is able to be positioned over a substrate loaded into the press and energized while a plastic sheet is being heated in an oven included in the thermoformer apparatus. The plastic sheets are cut from a strip pulled from a roll of sheet material, the roll supported for side to side movement and driven by a servomotor responsive to error signals generated by a strip edge sensor to compensate for wandering of a strip edge to thereby insure accurate location of plastic sheets cut from the unwound strip.

Abstract: A thermoforming machine utilizes two clamping frames to advance cut sheets through heating and forming stations, with the clamping frames returned via an overhead path above the oven in the heating station. Pneumatic cylinders arranged about the inner perimeter of the frames are operated to grip the sheet and release the sheets, which are pressurized and released via fluid connections established when the frames are lifted from a transfer bar structure at the loading and forming stations. The clamping frames have pivoted end sections which are engaged by extendible gear posts at the forming station to bend the clamped sheet into greater conformity with the tooling shape prior to forming.

Abstract: Adjustable clamping frames for rotary thermoforming machine have movable sets of clamp supporting members which are driven by selectively engageable drive units to carry out a size adjustment at a station in the thermoforming machine.

Abstract: A twin sheet thermoforming method and apparatus of a type using a rotary wheel to carry each of a series of clamping frames for releasably holding sheets to be formed through successive processing stations. The clamping frames can be shuttled on the wheel to be alternatively located for alignment with one of two forming tooling sets at a forming station, and to be shiftable at an unload-load station so that unloading and loading do not occur at the same location.

Abstract: A thermoformer apparatus having a press driving upper and lower platens by respective pairs of servo motors, each pair driving four toggle linkages to stabilize the platen against the forming pressures. Linear bearings are provided on four corner posts for precision guiding of the platen motion.

Abstract: A thermoforming press in which the shut height of upper and lower platens is adjustable by a keyed connection between a press frame top assembly and each of four posts of the frame established by pieces which are movable and which also act as cams to raise or lower the frame top assembly, moving the upper platen therewith to vary the shut height. The movable pieces are moved in unison by a drive motor to insure uniform movement of the frame top assembly. The platens are driven by rotary crank plates, which are in turn driven by rotary output shafts of right angle drives. Pairs of rollers engage the perimeter of each crank plate on one side to resist bending loads on each shaft.

Abstract: A thermoforming machine utilizes two clamping frames to advance cut sheets through heating and forming stations, with the clamping frames returned via an overhead path above the oven in the heating station. Pneumatic cylinders arranged about the inner perimeter of the frames are operated to grip the sheet and release the sheets, which are pressurized and released via fluid connections established when the frames are lifted from a transfer bar structure at the loading and forming stations. The clamping frames have pivoted end sections which are engaged by extendible gear posts at the forming station to bend the clamped sheet into greater conformity with the tooling shape prior to forming.

Abstract: A twin sheet thermoformer apparatus using hydraulic cylinders to draw the upper and lower platens together for uniform seam forming of the part. A flow divider insures uniform travel of each hydraulic cylinder. An adjustment mechanism enables simultaneous adjustment of the position of four locking shafts on one platen coupled to form locking shafts on the other platen preparatory to operation of the hydraulic cylinders. The adjustment mechanism includes nut members each threaded onto a locking shaft with a recirculating chain engaged with a sprocket on each nut member. Driving the chain enables simultaneous adjustment of each shaft to allow the platen positions to be quickly and accurately adjusted. An encoder generates signals corresponding to the lower platen travel caused by operation of the hydraulic cylinders, which are transmitted to the lower platen drive servo motor to drive the lower platen correspondingly.

Abstract: A punch press ram drive is described in which a reversible electrical servo motor is coupled to a crankshaft having an eccentric journal driving a pitman arm connected to the ram. The electrical servo motor is operated by program controls so as to either cause rotation or oscillation of the crankshaft to drive the ram through various programmed stroking modes, in which punch position, velocity, acceleration, varying over the course of a stroke may be programmed.

Abstract: A right angle shear press in which the upper blades are able to be positioned at a partially retracted park position and moved to a partially extended position to match the size of the shear cuts to a reduced stroke. A servocontroller and position sensor is used to control the stroke of a hydraulic actuator with a CNC controller allowing program controlled shear positioning and stroking.

Abstract: An automated workpiece rotation is accomplished by clamping the workpiece, to the lower turret of a turret punch press in the press carriage grippers and rotating the turret 180.degree. to reorient an oversized workpiece in order to enable completion of a punching program on the workpiece. The turret is positively located in each rotated position, and the degree of tilt of the rotated sheet in the press carriage grippers is determined by edge detectors.

Abstract: A punch press having a rear address configuration is described in which a forward facing carriage cross slide is mounted within the throat space of a punch press main frame and an auxiliary turret frame mounts the punch and die rotary turrets separately from the main punch frame, avoiding the need to prevent turret misalignment by main frame deflection during punching. Separate turret modules also allow matching different turret configurations to various punch press configurations. A turret module having different diameter independently driven upper and lower turrets is also disclosed, allowing a greater number of dies than punches to be stored to allow any several dies to be mated with a particular punch for proper punching with various materials.

Abstract: A stripper arrangement for a punch holder which uses an external thread on an end section of the punch holder body to mount either a plastic sleeve press fitted over the external thread or a replaceable steel stripper disc held against the end face of the end section with a steel retainer sleeve threaded onto the external thread. In a first embodiment, a soft tipped set screw secures the steel retainer sleeve. In an alternate embodiment, an O-ring engages the inside of the retainer sleeve to retard unthreading due to vibration, which O-ring also engages the plastic stripper sleeve to augment the friction exerted by the press fit over the external threads.

Abstract: A sheet material hybrid cutting apparatus has a laser beam cutting head mounted side-by-side with a plasma arc cutting head on a shuttle carrier plate movably mounted to enable positioning of either cutting head a single cutting station. The cutting heads are mounted in a punch press with a punching station offset from the cutting station to provide punching of a sheet material workpiece moved across a table by a carriage as well as contouring by either of the laser beam or plasma arc cutting heads.

Abstract: A marking tool holder (10) for a punch press, in which a plurality of marking tools (46) are mounted in an indexing carrier (38) for selective activation by the press ram (14). A non-positive connection effects driving of the preselected marking tool (46) to eliminate the need for precise adjustment of the marking tool position. In a first embodiment, a pair of very stiff springs (138) are interposed between a ram engaged plunger (124) and a striker (70), while in the second embodiment, a striker mass (158) attached to the striker (70) and carried in a body member (60) which is accelerated by the ram (14) to generate kinetic energy converted into a marking pressure when the marking tool (46) impacts the workpiece (W).

Abstract: A punch holder is described having a stripper arrangement composed of an annular array of nested coil springs housed within a series of aligned facing bores in a punch holder tang and punch holder body to generate a high stripping force in a compact space. A threaded removal ring is employed to force a press fitted stripper cap off the end of the punch holder body. A support ring can be employed to support the stripping cap for small sized punches, or a metal reinforcement molded into the stripper cap.

Abstract: A slag chute system for a hot cutting discharge device, including upper and lower removable tubular liner sections aligned below the hot cutting discharge, the internal bores of which are chrome plated and polished to resist adhesion of spatter. A removable annular insert ring surrounds the jet and has a smaller diameter opening than the inside diameter of the upper chute liner section, which in turn is smaller than the internal diameter of the lower chute liner section to produce a stepped diameter chute.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for registering a sheet in punch press or other apparatus having a control system carrying out a programmed position of the sheet during punching operations, in which a movable locator plate is urged into an advanced position along an axis of movement so as to be displaced when the sheet is moved a fixed distance along one axis. A distance transducer generates a continuously varying electrical signal corresponding to the displacement of the locator plate from its advanced position, which signal is transmitted to the control system to modify the part program in accordance with the actual location of the sheet.