Bendix Machine Tool Corporation

The Cross Company

Schreiber Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Klaus R Menzel

Donald D Hipwell

An improved mechanism for automatically clamping a die tool to a press bed or press ram. The automatic die clamp is self-locking and self-compensating to provide a failsafe operation in the clamped position and thus the mechanism retains the clamp in the clamped position. A ramp is provided to guide the movement of a wedge which wedge movement controls the movement of a clamping member. A spring bias may be provided as an optional feature to assist in the self-locking. Release of the clamp requires the application of an external force to overcome the locking of the teeth.

Automatic die clamp

A mechanical quill having selective braking capability, achieved by a pneumatic cylinder (110) mounted to one motor (80) for selectively driving a braking member (120) into a braking material (104) coupled to a motor armature (84). This braking member (120) interrupts a clutch-type drive path through the motor as desired, to prevent advance of a quill.

Mechanical quill having selective braking capability

A method and apparatus for automatically changing interchangeable machining tool heads carried by a tool carrier. The tool heads are suspended from an overhead trolleyway by leading and trailing trolleys, with the leading trolley carrying a probe and a vertical finger and the trailing trolley carrying an inclined guide. The vertical finger selectively engages a block carried on an overhead moving chain for moving the tool head toward the tool carrier. The probe extends in the direction of tool head travel and is responsive to proximity of the probe to the inclined guide of another tool head or to a pneumatically-actuated stop for disengaging the vertical finger from the chain. A shuttle bar assembly simultaneously loads and unloads tool heads from the tool carrier by engaging a block on each of the tool heads and moving the tool heads horizontally to loaded and unloaded positions. The tool carrier, carrying a tool head and a portion of removable trackway, moves horizontally from a tool head loading station for performing machining on a workpiece. The tool carrier includes coupling elements for removably clamping the tool head to the carrier and a drive mechanism for operating a plurality of tool work elements carried on the tool head.

Apparatus for automatically changing tool heads

A mechanical quill and spindle drive mechanism is disclosed wherein the quill is advanced by means of a screw formed about its periphery and cooperating with a driven ball nut. The quill is received within a housing bore and accurately guided for longitudinal movement thereby by means of a sliding engagement with bore surfaces on either side of the nut. The spindle is carried by the quill throughout its longitudinal movement and is rotated by means of a splined drive shaft which maintains a rotative connection therewith by means of a splined connection therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Orchard Lake, MI, United States of America

Klaus R Menzel