UPSETTING DIES
United States Patent 3735626
A pair of die holders normally engage the opposite sides of a plate between them and are provided with recesses facing the plate and extending lengthwise of it, with the wall of each recess opposite the plate sloping outwardly away from the plate from front to back. Slidably mounted in each recess for movement lengthwise of it is a die that has a sliding face engaging the sloping wall of the recess and has an opposite face provided with a channel open at its rear end for receiving the heated end portion of wide thin stock. One of the channels has less depth than the other and extends farther forward. Means are provided for pushing the die with the shallower channel rearwardly to upset the stock in it, after which the upset stock is transferred to the channel in the other die which is then pushed rearwardly to further upset the stock to make it still thicker.
Application Number:
05/262646
Publication Date:
05/29/1973
Filing Date:
06/14/1972
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Export Citation:
Assignee:
Schaefer Equipment Company (Pittsburgh, PA)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
72/360, 72/411
International Classes:
B21J9/06; B21J13/02; B21K7/14; B21J9/00; B21K7/00; B21D19/10
Field of Search:
72/318,322,323,356,360,411
Primary Examiner:
Herbst, Richard J.
Claims:
I claim
1. Apparatus for upsetting an end portion of wide thin stock, comprising a plate having front and rear ends, a die holder normally engaging each side of the plate provided with a recess facing the plate and extending lengthwise thereof, the wall of the recess opposite the plate sloping outwardly away from the plate from front to back, a die slidably mounted in each recess for movement lengthwise thereof and having a sliding face engaging the sloping wall of the recess and having an opposite face provided with a channel open at its rear end for receiving said stock, said dies normally being located at the front ends of the recesses in engagement with said plate, one of said channels having less depth than the other and extending farther forward, means for pushing the die with the shallower channel rearwardly in its die holder to upset the stock therein, means for moving the die holders and plate apart to permit transferring the upset stock from the shallower channel to said other channel, and means for pushing the die with the deeper channel rearwardly in its die holder after the die holders and plate have been moved back together again, whereby to further upset the stock to make it thicker.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pushing means push both dies simultaneously.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said moving means include means for retracting one of the die holders, and means for pushing said plate away from the other die holder a distance less than said one die holder is retracted.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which said plate pushing means include plungers carried by said other die holder and engaging the adjoining side of the plate, and means for delivering air under pressure to the plungers to cause them to force the plate toward the retracting die holder.
5. Apparatus according to claim 3, including studs mounted in said other die holder and extending slidably through said plate, and heads on the studs normally spaced from the plate to limit movement of the plate away from said other die holder.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pushing means push both dies simultaneously and said moving means include means for retracting one of the die holders, plungers carried by the other die holder and engaging the adjoining side of said plate, and means for delivering air under pressure to the plungers to constantly press them against the plate, whereby to move it away from said other die whenever said one die is retracted.
1. Apparatus for upsetting an end portion of wide thin stock, comprising a plate having front and rear ends, a die holder normally engaging each side of the plate provided with a recess facing the plate and extending lengthwise thereof, the wall of the recess opposite the plate sloping outwardly away from the plate from front to back, a die slidably mounted in each recess for movement lengthwise thereof and having a sliding face engaging the sloping wall of the recess and having an opposite face provided with a channel open at its rear end for receiving said stock, said dies normally being located at the front ends of the recesses in engagement with said plate, one of said channels having less depth than the other and extending farther forward, means for pushing the die with the shallower channel rearwardly in its die holder to upset the stock therein, means for moving the die holders and plate apart to permit transferring the upset stock from the shallower channel to said other channel, and means for pushing the die with the deeper channel rearwardly in its die holder after the die holders and plate have been moved back together again, whereby to further upset the stock to make it thicker.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pushing means push both dies simultaneously.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said moving means include means for retracting one of the die holders, and means for pushing said plate away from the other die holder a distance less than said one die holder is retracted.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which said plate pushing means include plungers carried by said other die holder and engaging the adjoining side of the plate, and means for delivering air under pressure to the plungers to cause them to force the plate toward the retracting die holder.
5. Apparatus according to claim 3, including studs mounted in said other die holder and extending slidably through said plate, and heads on the studs normally spaced from the plate to limit movement of the plate away from said other die holder.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pushing means push both dies simultaneously and said moving means include means for retracting one of the die holders, plungers carried by the other die holder and engaging the adjoining side of said plate, and means for delivering air under pressure to the plungers to constantly press them against the plate, whereby to move it away from said other die whenever said one die is retracted.
Description:
In my U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,976 heading dies are shown for upsetting the end portions of wide thin stock in order to thicken the stock. Although the upset stock could be used for other purposes, it was intended primarily for making into truck lever connections for railroad car brake rigging. More recently, such connections or rods have required more metal in their end portions than the dies shown in my patent are able to provide.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for upsetting an end portion of wide thin stock to a greater degree than possible with the dies of my earlier patent. Another object is to provide such apparatus in which the stock can be quickly and easily transferred from one position to another to provide the desired thickness without intermediate heating. A further object is to provide such apparatus in which a partially upset workpiece can be further upset at the same time that a second workpiece is receiving its preliminary upset.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a side view;
FIG. 2 is a front end view;
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line III--III of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view of the channeled side of the left-hand die as seen in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a view of the channeled side of the right-hand die seen in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a combined plan view and longitudinal section showing stock about to be upset in the first die;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal longitudinal section showing the stock upset; and
FIG. 8 is a similar view, partly in plan, of the upset stock transferred to the second die and further upset therein while other stock is upset in the first die.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, a pair of die holders 1 and 2 are shown resting on a suitable support 3, with a heavy vertical center plate 4 separating them and extending from front to back of the die holders. Upright backing plates 5 and 6 are secured to the rear ends of the die holders and engage a back stop 7 provided with a central opening 8. They also normally engage the center plate. The left-hand die holder 1 shown in FIG. 2 is secured to the support, but the right-hand holder can be moved laterally away from the plate a predetermined distance by any suitable means, such as by a toggle having one link 9 pivotally connected to the die holder.
The die holders are provided with recesses 11 facing the center plate and extending from end to end of the holders. Each recess has parallel upper and lower walls and a side wall 12 that slopes outwardly away from the center plate from front to back. A die that is shorter than the die holders is slidably mounted in each recess for movement lengthwise of it. The die 13 in die holder 1 has a sliding face engaging the sloping wall 12 therein. The opposite face of the die is provided with a flat-sided channel 14 that has parallel upper and lower walls, a vertical front wall and an open rear end, as shown in FIG. 4. The die 16 in the other die holder likewise has a sliding face engaging the sloping wall, but the flat-sided channel 17 (FIG. 5) in its opposite face is deeper than channel 14. Furthermore, channel 17 is shorter than the other channel and it may be flared out as shown in FIG. 5. The depth of channel 14 preferably is the same as the thickness of the wide, thin metal workpieces or stock 18 that is to be upset. The backing plates 5 and 6 are provided with slots 19 in line with the channels in the dies. These slots are only large enough to permit the stock to extend between the center plate 4 and the backing plates while the latter are in contact with the center plate, as shown in FIG. 8. The depth of channel 17 is considerably greater than the other channel.
Each backing plate is provided with a recess 21 that contains the rear end of a pneumatic piston 22 which extends forward into a bore 23 in the die ahead of it. The rear ends of the pistons can rock in the recesses as the dies move rearwardly in the die holders. A tube 24 extends down through a passage in each backing plate and into the rear end of each plunger for continuously delivering air under pressure to the pistons to constantly urge the dies forward in the die holders against retaining plates 26 attached to the front ends of the holders and overlapping the front ends of the recesses therein. Between these plates and the center plate the dies project forward a short distance. To help hold the dies in place when the die holders are separated, the front end of each die is provided with a pair of vertically spaced longitudinal bores 27 that receives rods 28 extending loosely into them from the retaining plate in front of the die.
At its rear lower corner and its front upper corner the center plate 4 is provided with openings, through which studs 31 extend. These studs are screwed into the die holder 1 and extend from the center plate into sockets 32 in the other die holder. Bushings 33 on the studs extend from their heads to die holder 1. While the dies are closed as shown in FIG. 6, the heads of the studs are spaced from the center plate a distance less than die holder 2 can be retracted or moved away from the other holder. When holder 2 is retracted, the center plate is moved away from the other holder until it strikes the heads of the studs. This movement is accomplished by air pressure that constantly presses a pair of plungers 34 against the center plate. These plungers are slidably mounted in horizontal bores 35 in the same corners of die holder 1 as the studs, the outer ends of these bores being connected through vertical passages 36 with tubes 37, through which the air is delivered. Consequently, when die holder 2 is retracted, the center plate moves with it until stopped by the heads of studs 31 while the die holder continues to move away somewhat further. This provides ample space on each side of the center plate for loading and unloading the dies.
In operation, the dies are opened as just described and the heated front end of a workpiece 18 is placed in channel 14 of the first die 13 as shown in FIG. 6, with the rest of the workpiece extending back through the slot 19 in backing plate 5 and on back to a back stop 40 on which the stock rests on edge. The dies are then closed and both dies are pushed rearwardly simultaneously by a ram 41 that has a bifurcated front end so that it can engage the front ends of both dies and straddle the center plate. As the dies are pushed backward the portion of the stock in die 13 is upset and thickened as shown in FIG. 7, which occurs because as the die moves backward it also moves away from the center plate, due to the sloping wall 12 of the die holder. As soon as this upsetting operation is completed, the ram is retracted and the two dies are returned by the air pressure in their bores 23 to their front positions shown in FIG. 6.
The second die holder 2 then is retracted by toggle link 9, which separates the holder from center plate 4 and permits the latter to be pushed away from the other die holder by plungers 34. This permits the upset stock to easily be removed from the first die, turned over and immediately placed in the channel of the other die. The dies are then closed and ram 41 is moved forward again to push both dies back in their holders. This time the previously upset portion of the stock will be upset further as shown in FIG. 8, because die channel 17 is deeper than channel 14. Both upsetting operations are performed on the stock during a single heat because the transfer from one die to the other can be made so quickly. In continuous operation of this apparatus, at the same time that an upset workpiece is placed in the second die a new workpiece 18a will be placed in the first die as also shown in FIG. 8, so that when the ram pushes the dies back in the die holders both dies will operate on workpieces at the same time. Accordingly, every time the dies are opened a workpiece with a fully upset end can be removed and a new workpiece loaded into the dies. This further increases the productivity of the apparatus.
According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for upsetting an end portion of wide thin stock to a greater degree than possible with the dies of my earlier patent. Another object is to provide such apparatus in which the stock can be quickly and easily transferred from one position to another to provide the desired thickness without intermediate heating. A further object is to provide such apparatus in which a partially upset workpiece can be further upset at the same time that a second workpiece is receiving its preliminary upset.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a side view;
FIG. 2 is a front end view;
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line III--III of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view of the channeled side of the left-hand die as seen in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a view of the channeled side of the right-hand die seen in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a combined plan view and longitudinal section showing stock about to be upset in the first die;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal longitudinal section showing the stock upset; and
FIG. 8 is a similar view, partly in plan, of the upset stock transferred to the second die and further upset therein while other stock is upset in the first die.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, a pair of die holders 1 and 2 are shown resting on a suitable support 3, with a heavy vertical center plate 4 separating them and extending from front to back of the die holders. Upright backing plates 5 and 6 are secured to the rear ends of the die holders and engage a back stop 7 provided with a central opening 8. They also normally engage the center plate. The left-hand die holder 1 shown in FIG. 2 is secured to the support, but the right-hand holder can be moved laterally away from the plate a predetermined distance by any suitable means, such as by a toggle having one link 9 pivotally connected to the die holder.
The die holders are provided with recesses 11 facing the center plate and extending from end to end of the holders. Each recess has parallel upper and lower walls and a side wall 12 that slopes outwardly away from the center plate from front to back. A die that is shorter than the die holders is slidably mounted in each recess for movement lengthwise of it. The die 13 in die holder 1 has a sliding face engaging the sloping wall 12 therein. The opposite face of the die is provided with a flat-sided channel 14 that has parallel upper and lower walls, a vertical front wall and an open rear end, as shown in FIG. 4. The die 16 in the other die holder likewise has a sliding face engaging the sloping wall, but the flat-sided channel 17 (FIG. 5) in its opposite face is deeper than channel 14. Furthermore, channel 17 is shorter than the other channel and it may be flared out as shown in FIG. 5. The depth of channel 14 preferably is the same as the thickness of the wide, thin metal workpieces or stock 18 that is to be upset. The backing plates 5 and 6 are provided with slots 19 in line with the channels in the dies. These slots are only large enough to permit the stock to extend between the center plate 4 and the backing plates while the latter are in contact with the center plate, as shown in FIG. 8. The depth of channel 17 is considerably greater than the other channel.
Each backing plate is provided with a recess 21 that contains the rear end of a pneumatic piston 22 which extends forward into a bore 23 in the die ahead of it. The rear ends of the pistons can rock in the recesses as the dies move rearwardly in the die holders. A tube 24 extends down through a passage in each backing plate and into the rear end of each plunger for continuously delivering air under pressure to the pistons to constantly urge the dies forward in the die holders against retaining plates 26 attached to the front ends of the holders and overlapping the front ends of the recesses therein. Between these plates and the center plate the dies project forward a short distance. To help hold the dies in place when the die holders are separated, the front end of each die is provided with a pair of vertically spaced longitudinal bores 27 that receives rods 28 extending loosely into them from the retaining plate in front of the die.
At its rear lower corner and its front upper corner the center plate 4 is provided with openings, through which studs 31 extend. These studs are screwed into the die holder 1 and extend from the center plate into sockets 32 in the other die holder. Bushings 33 on the studs extend from their heads to die holder 1. While the dies are closed as shown in FIG. 6, the heads of the studs are spaced from the center plate a distance less than die holder 2 can be retracted or moved away from the other holder. When holder 2 is retracted, the center plate is moved away from the other holder until it strikes the heads of the studs. This movement is accomplished by air pressure that constantly presses a pair of plungers 34 against the center plate. These plungers are slidably mounted in horizontal bores 35 in the same corners of die holder 1 as the studs, the outer ends of these bores being connected through vertical passages 36 with tubes 37, through which the air is delivered. Consequently, when die holder 2 is retracted, the center plate moves with it until stopped by the heads of studs 31 while the die holder continues to move away somewhat further. This provides ample space on each side of the center plate for loading and unloading the dies.
In operation, the dies are opened as just described and the heated front end of a workpiece 18 is placed in channel 14 of the first die 13 as shown in FIG. 6, with the rest of the workpiece extending back through the slot 19 in backing plate 5 and on back to a back stop 40 on which the stock rests on edge. The dies are then closed and both dies are pushed rearwardly simultaneously by a ram 41 that has a bifurcated front end so that it can engage the front ends of both dies and straddle the center plate. As the dies are pushed backward the portion of the stock in die 13 is upset and thickened as shown in FIG. 7, which occurs because as the die moves backward it also moves away from the center plate, due to the sloping wall 12 of the die holder. As soon as this upsetting operation is completed, the ram is retracted and the two dies are returned by the air pressure in their bores 23 to their front positions shown in FIG. 6.
The second die holder 2 then is retracted by toggle link 9, which separates the holder from center plate 4 and permits the latter to be pushed away from the other die holder by plungers 34. This permits the upset stock to easily be removed from the first die, turned over and immediately placed in the channel of the other die. The dies are then closed and ram 41 is moved forward again to push both dies back in their holders. This time the previously upset portion of the stock will be upset further as shown in FIG. 8, because die channel 17 is deeper than channel 14. Both upsetting operations are performed on the stock during a single heat because the transfer from one die to the other can be made so quickly. In continuous operation of this apparatus, at the same time that an upset workpiece is placed in the second die a new workpiece 18a will be placed in the first die as also shown in FIG. 8, so that when the ram pushes the dies back in the die holders both dies will operate on workpieces at the same time. Accordingly, every time the dies are opened a workpiece with a fully upset end can be removed and a new workpiece loaded into the dies. This further increases the productivity of the apparatus.
According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.