The Gates Rubber Company

Jack L Harris

Edward H Davis

Paul L Douglass

Gerald F Klaes

Gerard F Klaes

Crimping apparatus includes a pair of coaxial rings, at least one of which is axially moveable toward and away from the other ring. Each ring is provided with a single pair of force reactive adjoining steep and shallow concave frustoconical surfaces which face each other. A plurality of circumjacent, radially arranged crimping members are positioned intermediate the rings. Each crimping member has two pairs of steep and shallow force reactive convex frustoconical surfaces that slidably engage with the concave force reactive surfaces of the rings to radially move the crimping members to and from the ring axis between an open position and a crimping position. The radial movement of the crimping members is in response to axial movement of at least one of the rings. The crimping apparatus also includes means for maintaining the crimping members in alignment while they are moved between the open and crimping positions. The crimping apparatus further includes apparatus for reducing the speed of an axially moveable depth stop so that the axial position of a member to be crimped can be maintained relative to that of the crimping members during the crimping stroke of the apparatus. Also disclosed is a loading apparatus for slidably loading a plurality of circumjacent, radially arranged crimping members into the crimping member holders provided in the head of a crimping apparatus.

Crimping apparatus

Crimping apparatus includes a pair of coaxial rings, at least one of which is axially moveable toward and away from the other ring. Each ring is provided with a single pair of force reactive adjoining steep and shallow concave frustoconical surfaces which face each other. A plurality of circumjacent, radially arranged crimping members are positioned intermediate the rings. Each crimping member has two pairs of steep and shallow force reactive convex frustoconical surfaces that slidably engage with the concave force reactive surfaces of the rings to radially move the crimping members to and from the ring axis between an open position and a crimping position. The radial movement of the crimping members is in response to axial movement of at least one of the rings. The crimping apparatus further includes apparatus for reducing the speed of an axially moveable depth stop so that the axial position of a member to be crimped can be maintained relative to that of the crimping members during the crimping stroke of the apparatus. Also disclosed is a housing and ram pusher that have cutouts for accomodating bent tube fittings.

An adjustable and moveable depth stop for locating an item to be crimped in a crimping apparatus of the type with first and second crimping rings that are arranged coaxial with and axially spaced apart from each other along a ring axis, the rings having facing frustoconical surfaces that engage oppositely facing frustoconical surfaces of a plurality of crimping members interpositioned between the rings and substantially circumjacently arranged around the ring axis. One of the rings is moveable toward the other a predetermined distance and the crimping members and depth stop move in the direction of the ring axis and in relation to the moveable ring an amount that is one-half that of the moveable ring.

Growing community of inventors

Lakewood, CO, United States of America

Jack L Harris