Newell Operating Company

The Ingersoll Milling Machine Company

Christopher C Rindels

Todd K Ellerton

Markus E Muller

Norman J Ditter

A passive lock assembly is suitable for use with a door mounted to a door frame. The passive lock assembly includes a housing, a bolt, an actuator, and a stop member. The housing is mounted on the door. The bolt extends from the housing and is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position. The actuator is supported by the housing and is operably connected to the bolt. Additionally, the actuator is moveable to move the bolt between the extended position and the retracted position. The stop member is pivotably connected to the housing and pivotable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the stop member engages an engagement surface of the actuator to obstruct movement of the actuator and prevent movement of the bolt to the retracted position, and in the second position, the stop member does not obstruct movement of the actuator.

Lock assembly

A machining system and method of machining are provided for machining large, heavy workpieces, such as large aircraft components, that are oriented vertically affixed on a vertical, on-edge pallet. The machining system includes an upstanding workpiece support to which the transportable pallet is clamped. The pallet is large enough to support the large workpiece but is still relatively thin and light so that it can be easily transported to the machining station where the more massive workpiece support is located. The pallet lacks the necessary stiffness for accurate machining of the part thereon. The much thicker upstanding support is utilized to provide the pallet and affixed part the necessary stiffness when the pallet is clamped thereto, by a magnetic clamping arrangement. The magnetic clamping provides quick assembly and disassembly of the pallet with the support stand thereby decreasing cycle time and increasing production rates. Also, the magnetic clamping makes the pallet strong and rigid like the support stand during the machining operation. The magnets are arranged on the support stand so as to spread out and evenly balance the magnetic attraction force across the backside of the pallet. Registering members on the stand and pallet locate magnetizable areas on the pallet so that they are aligned with corresponding magnets on the stand. A controller fires the magnets in a predetermined sequence to draw the pallet against the magnets for clamping it thereto. The magnets are preferably of the electropermanent type so that they take a charge and do not need continuous power to keep generating the magnetic attraction force so as to keep the pallet clamped thereto during power interruptions.

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Rockford, IL, United States of America

Christopher C Rindels