Force Control Industries, Inc.

Michael J Sharratt

Reginald D Kelley

Kenneth A Baker

David W Langdon

A pair of horizontally spaced and horizontally extending part support rails or elongated platens are each guided and supported for vertical movement by a pair of guide and support members having linear bearing blocks mounted on vertical guide rails attached to corresponding vertical housings. A bell crank is pivotally supported adjacent each housing and is pivotally connected to the corresponding bearing block by a first link member. Second and third link members pivotally connect each pair of bell cranks for each platen to each other and to a crank arm mounted on a horizontal crankshaft extending laterally below the platens. A combined electric motor and gear reducer have an output shaft coupled to one end portion of the crankshaft, and an electric brake unit is connected to the motor shaft. An overtravel arm is also secured to the output shaft of the gear reducer and actuates an overtravel switch connected to control the electric motor. The output shaft also drives a programmable limit switch and feedback device for precisely controlling the electric motor and brake unit according to the position of the platens.

Lifter apparatus for raising and lowering a part

A two-piece housing having a base section and a closure section, is mounted on a motor or other machine having a projecting shaft, and the housing encloses a series of annular brake discs mounted on a hub member which receives the shaft. The discs interfit between a series of non-rotating annular brake plates supported by the base section of the housing, and the hub member is also effective to circulate cooling oil within the housing and outwardly between the plates and discs. A non-rotating annular thrust plate and a set of circumferentially spaced springs are located adjacent the base section and compress the plates and discs together and against the closure section for braking the shaft. A set of circumferentially spaced solenoids are mounted on the closure housing section and have corresponding armature rods or members which extend axially into the housing to push the thrust plate against the springs when the solenoids are energized to release the plates and discs. In a modification, the thrust plate is split into annular sections which have clearance holes for certain springs and armature members to provide for selectively braking the shaft with different torques. The cooling oil also flows into the solenoids.

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Fairfield, OH, United States of America

Michael J Sharratt