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: 5718152
    Abstract: A press is provided with gripping rails for moving workpieces in work stations. The press is provided with a motor and a shaft moved thereby, on which shaft cams are mounted. Swing levers follow the shape of the cams, and connecting tabs direct the movements of swing levers toward driving movements of the gripping rails. At least two rollers are rotatably mounted on swing levers. The rollers run on the shaft cams. At least one of the two rollers is pressable with zero play against one of cams by a pretensioning device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr, Dieter Wolz
  • Patent number: 5690026
    Abstract: An arrangement is used for transferring workpieces through a succession of machining stations of a press, a simulator or similar machining or tool-setting machine. Two parallel transport rails are spaced at a distance from one another and can be moved by motors horizontally in their longitudinal direction, vertically up and down and optionally horizontally toward one another. The motors are arranged on one traverse respectively, the transport rail being hinged to the traverse. Between the transport rails and the motors arranged on the traverse, a compensating guide is provided for the horizontal movement of the transport rails. The compensating guide has at least two struts and a double-armed lug with three hinge points, each of the struts being mounted on the traverse side in a hinged manner at one point respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Walter Rieger, Andreas Dangelmayr
  • Patent number: 5617756
    Abstract: In the case of transfer presses and similar metal-forming machines, transfer devices must be provided for the transport of the sheet metal parts through the metal-forming stages. The lifting and lowering movement should be freely programmable, yet, a drive for the lifting and lowering movement is to be permitted which is free from play. This is achieved by the use of servo motors or similar motors with a hollow-shaft rotor and high-resolution position generators for the direct application on the transfer device, in which case the hollow-shaft rotor of each of the servo motors is provided with a spindle nut which, interacts with a spindle which is fastened on the transfer device in a non-rotatable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Peter Klemm, Hans Hofele
  • Patent number: 5551275
    Abstract: A multiple stand press or similar press facility for the forming of sheet metal parts has a bedplate, several press stands, and a press slide 7 which can be moved up and down by the press drive via drive gear boxes and connection rods. Tools in progressive stations follow a drawing station. In order to be able to reduce the size of the press facility, the press slide extends along at least two stand areas, and the introduction of force takes place via the connecting rods into the press slide in the stand areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Schuler Pressen GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Wolfgang Michael, Kurt Strommer, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 5388952
    Abstract: An arrangement for transferring sheet metal parts in a press installation, in which the sheet metal parts must be rotated with respect to their position in the next working stage. In addition, a collision between the sheet metal part and the tool during the transfer movement is avoided. During the transfer movement, the sheet metal parts are held on one traverse respectively which, on the end side, is disposed in bearing devices to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, and can be rotatably acted upon by a servomotor, a pressure cylinder or similar adjusting devices, such as a cam, and movement transmission devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Hofele, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 5385040
    Abstract: A transfer device in a press line has traverses which are situated transversely with respect to the workpiece passage and can be adjusted in the horizontal and vertical direction, and which support sheet metal parts placed on them. The traverses are fastened on toothed belts are movable in guide strips on deflecting rollers by servomotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Michael, Karl Thudium, Hans Hofele, Walter Rieger, Peter Klemm, Burkhardt Schumann
  • Patent number: 5383348
    Abstract: In a press, an individual press, a multistage press, a multistand press and similar forming facilities, transfer devices are provided for the transport of sheet metal parts in the machining stages. These transfer devices have guide strips which can be lifted and lowered in vertical guides on the press stands via adjusting devices. In each guide strip, toothed belts are arranged which are guided on deflecting rollers. The moving drive in the horizontal direction takes place from a motor-transmission device. As a result, a reduction of the mass of the movable structural members of the transfer device is achieved while the construction of the transfer device is modular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Michael, Karl Thudium, Peter Klemm, Burkhardt Schumann, Hans Hofele, Walter Rieger
  • Patent number: 5363684
    Abstract: In order to reduce the transfer times of sheet metal parts in a press installation, the fastening point of the devices holding the sheet metal parts can be adjusted on a running carriage, which can be driven horizontally in a running rail, in the direction of the travel movement by an adjusting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Andreas Dangelmayr, Walter Rieger
  • Patent number: 5363683
    Abstract: A transfer press or similar forming machine is provided with a transfer device having holding devices for the gripping and transport of sheet metal parts. During the transfer movement of the sheet metal parts from one machining stage to the next, the sheet metal parts are deposited intermediately on an intermediate depositing device. The intermediate depositing device takes over a partial path of the transfer so that the movement of the holding devices is less than half the distance between the machining stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Walter Rieger
  • Patent number: 5301535
    Abstract: An arrangement for changing the lever ratio of a two-armed rocker lever, particularly for the transfer movements in a press. The rocker lever is pivotally connected in a lever arm and the starting movement is capable of being tapped by another lever arm. This arrangement includes a frame, a slide guide for the rocking bearing of the rocker lever, a control device, a rotation transmission device and a nut-spindle connection for the sliding movement of the slide guide relative to the rocker lever. The rocker lever, by means of the slide guide, is disposed in a pivot bearing of a support. The support is slidably guided in the frame. The support includes the nut of the nut-spindle connection for interacting with the spindle. The control device, rotation transmission device and the spindle are arranged in the frame, and a device for fixing the position of the pivot bearing in the rocker lever is connected with the rocker lever in an operatively connected manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1994
    Assignee: L. Schuler Pressen GmbH
    Inventor: Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 5048318
    Abstract: An intermediate depositing station between machining stages of a metal forming machine, having templates for supporting a sheet metal part from below which are adjustable in height, distance and oblique position relative to another sheet metal part. The intermediate depositing station has a mounting plate that is displaceable in a first horizontal direction with respect to a foundation. A first adjusting device is coupled to the mounting plate and is operable to displace the mounting plate horizontally. A carriage plate is coupled to the mounting plate and is displaceable in a second horizontal direction that is transverse to the first horizontal direction. A second adjusting device is coupled to the carriage plate and is operable to displace the carriage plate horizontally. A console is coupled vertically on the carriage plate. A third adjusting device is coupled to the console and is operable to lift and lower the console.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Karl Thudium, Walter Rieger
  • Patent number: 4932235
    Abstract: To facilitate a mounting of end areas of gripper rails having exchangeable parts, in a transfer press during a set up change, elements for coupling and uncoupling the exchangeable gripper rail parts are integrated into a constructional unit. This constructional unit includes separatable housing components in which an adjusting device is arranged in one of the housing components which has a slidable clamp bolt. The clamp bolt can be clamped behind a clamping surface in the other housing component. Guided along with the clamp bolt are centering bolts for aligning of the gripper rail parts with respect to one another and a guide bolt for the moving of a carriage located outside the constructional unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Walter Rieger, Karl Thudium
  • Patent number: 4924692
    Abstract: In a transfer press, the gripper rails consist of gripper rail parts located at the press and exchangeable gripper rail parts. In operation, the gripper rail parts must be rigidly connected with one another. For this purpose, a coupling element utilizing a rotary tightening device is inserted in one gripper rail part and has a tension rod which can be braced with T-shaped head behind a coupling surface of a gripper rail part located at the side of the press. Flange facings are machined into front faces of the gripper rail parts. These flange facings have flat surfaces which extend parallel to the direction of the lifting and lowering movement of gripper rail parts and the direction of the opening and closing positioning movement of a sliding table carrying exchangeable gripper rail part. The gripper rail parts are separated along the flat end surfaces of the flange facings and do not require longitudinal displacement to provide a separation gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: L. Schuler GmbH
    Inventors: Walter Rieger, Karl Thudium