High thrust drive system and devices employing

Abstract

A high thrust drive system usable in a variety of devices, e.g., fluid dispensing, article clamping, article lifting and article jacking, includes a driving rod member, an actuating member movable through a driving stroke and a return stroke, and a gripping plate having a passage therein through which the driving rod extends for gripping the driving rod and moving the rod in a thrust-applying direction during the driving stroke of the actuating member. The actuating member imposes a high thrust on the driving member through the gripping plate during the driving stroke, and the gripping plate imposes a torque on the driving rod in a first rotational direction as the actuating member is moved through the driving stroke. A recoil plate is oriented to grip the driving rod during the return stroke of the actuating member and impose a torque on the driving rod in the same first rotational direction as the gripping plate to preclude movement of the driving rod in a direction opposite the thrust-applying direction, whereby applying a torque on the driving rod in the same rotational direction during the driving and return strokes of the actuating member imparts a smooth, linear motion to the driving rod as the driving rod is moved in the thrust-applying direction.