Dek Printing Machines, Ltd.

John Charles Wayman

Richard Wigmore

Richard Anthony Pepper

A workpiece support device comprises an array of rods in columns and rows with free ends of the rods forming, a support surface, in which support surface recesses can be created by selectively retracting individual ones of the rods. Each rod is coupled to a respective piston within a respective cylinder and each cylinder has an upper connection for medium pressure, a lower connection for high pressure and a middle connection for low pressure. A trigger piston is provided in a cylinder below the piston. The rod can be caused to extend from the cylinder by applying low pressure to the connection to press the trigger piston downwardly to close the high pressure connection. Such low pressure passes around the lip of a lip seal on the trigger piston and through a connection pressurises the underside of the piston to raise the piston and release it from pressing the trigger piston downwardly. Subsequently pressurising the connections and causes the differential pressure to force the piston upwardly. However by sequencing the application of pressure to the connections the rod can be locked in the retracted position. Medium pressure applied to the upper connection which presses the piston downwardly to abut the trigger piston and hold it in a depressed condition in which it will remain even after pressure is restored to the high pressure connection.

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Dorset, United Kingdom

John Charles Wayman