Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: OF TliI13 INV~NTION
VISING AND FEEDING APPARATUS FOR CUTTING MACHINES
.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
` Field of the Invention
I`he present invention relates generally to cut$ing machines
such as bandsaw machines, hacksawing machines and circular sawing
machines and more particularly pertains to apparatus for vising and
t feeding workpieces or materials to be cut in cutting machines.
Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, ln cutting machines such as horizontal
bandsaw machines and hacksawing machines, workpieces or materials
to be cut are held by a vise which has jaws to grip the materials
therebetween when they are being cut. Also, automatic cutting machines
for cutting generally long materials are provided with two vises and
are so constructed that one of the vises which is often called front vise
holds the materials being cut at the cutting zone where cutting is
performed by a cutting tool and the other vise which is often called
rear vise holds and feeds the materials into the cutting zone. More
particularly, the rear vise grips and brings the materials into the
front vise which has opened its jaws at the cutting zone and then it is
returned to its original position after the front vise have gripped the
materials .
In conventional cutting machines, the trouble has been that
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the materials to be cut are slid in and into contact with portions of
cutting machines when they are fed inLo lhe cutting zone. Also,
in conventional cutting machines, the rear vise for feeding the materials
is moved in contact with the materials when it is returned to its original
position after having fed the materials into the front vise at the cutting
position. Such being the case, much friction will be produced between
the materials to be cut and portions of the cutting machines when and
after the materials are fed into the cutting zone in the conventional
cutting machines. Furthermore, since materials to be cut are of a
more or less rough surface, there has been a tendency that the materials
to be cut are often brought into collision with portions of the cutting
machines. Thus, the conventional cutting machines have suffered from
a serious disadvantage that the materials to be cut cannot be exactly
accurately fed into the cutting zone. Also, needless to add, both of
the materials to be cut and portions of the cutting machines will be
subjected to hurts and damages when and after the materials are fed
into the cutting zone in the conventional cutting machines.
Another disadvantage with the conventional cutting machines
has been the fact that it is necessary to manually adjust the stroke
length of one of jaws of a vise or vises according to the sizes of
materials to be cut. Accordingly, it has been very troublesome to
adjust the opening or stroke length between the jaws of the vise or
vises each time when it is desired to cut materials of different sizes
in the conventional cutting rnachines.
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SUMMARY OF T~1~3 INVENTION
It i5 a general object of the present invention to provide a
vising and feeding apparatus for cutting machines in which friction and
collision are minimized and prevented between materials to be cut and
portions of the cutting machines when and after the materials are fed
into the cutting zone where cutting is performedA
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide
a vising and feeding apparatus for cutting machines in which materials
D to be cut are prevented frorn sliding in contact with and into collision
~- with portions of the cutting machines to the greatest extent po~sible
when and after they are fed into the cutting zone.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a
vising and feeding apparatus for cutting machines in which vising
means are partially moved to keep off out of contact with materials to
be cut when and after the materials are fed into the cutting zoneA
It is another specific object of the present invention to
provide a vising and feeding apparatus for cutting machines which is
provided with an increased number of rollers on which rnaterials to be
cut are fed into the cutting zone.
These objects are accomplished by improving vising means
and hydraulic motors for actuating vising means in vising and feeding
apparatus for cutting machines.
It is therefore another specific object of the present invention
to provide vising means for a vising and feeding apparatus in cutting
machines which have been improved in construction.
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It is therefore a further ~pecific object of the present
invention to provide hydraulically actuating means which have been
improved in construction to actuate vising means for a vising and
feeding apparatus for cutting machines.
Furthermore, it is a very important object of the present
invention to provide a hydraulically operated vising means for cutting
machines in which the stroke length of one of vising jaws can be
automatically adjusted according to the sizes of material~ to be cut.
In accordance with the invention in one aspect there
10 is provided a feeding apparatus for feeding a workpiece in a
cutting machine, the cutting machine having supporting means
for supporting a workpiece, which feeding apparatus comprises
a vice having a first jaw, a second jaw and a region Eor a
workpiece between the first and second jaws, the jaws being
connected by means of a carriage movable beneath and with respect
to the supporting means.
The in~rention further provides a vice suitable for
use in a cutting machine, which vice has a first jaw,
a second j aw and a region for a workpiece
20 between the first and second jaws, the first jaw being operatively
connected to a first movement means, which first movement means
can cause the first jaw to be moved towards the region for a
workpiece against the action of a spring means, the second jaw
being operatively connected to hydraulic movement means, which
hydraulic movement means comprises a piston and cylinder
arrangement, in such a way that the hydraulic movement means can,
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when supplied with hydrauli.c fluid by a first fluid supply means,
cause the second jaw to move towards the region for a workpiece
and, when supplied with hydraulic fluid by a second fluid supply
means, cause the second jaw to be moved away from the region of
the workpiece.
The invention still further provides a cutting
machine for subdividing material lengths, comprising:
a roller table establishing a transport path along which
the material is airected to a cutting zone;
a cutting head assembly having a cutting blade for cutting
material located at said cutting zone;
a front vise assembly fixed adjacent to the cutting zone,
said front vise assembly having first and second jaws arranged
in opposed mutually spaced relationship on opposite sides of said
transport path, with first jaw operating means for adjusting the
spacing of said first and second jaws between an open position
permitting movement therebetween of said material and a closed
position clamping said material therebetween;
a rear vise assembly mounted on a carriage underlying
said roller table, said carriage being movable in opposite
directions parallel to said transpOrt path, said rear vise
assembly having third and fourth jaws arranged in opposed mutually
spaced relationship on opposite sides of said transport path, with
second ja~ operating means carried on said carriage for ad]usting
the spacing of said third and fourth jaws between an open position
permitting movement of said carriage relative to said material
and a closed position clamping said material therebetween and
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esta~lishing a fixed relationship between said material and
said carriage; and,
carriage operating means for moving said carriage in
opposite direction along said transport path.
Other and further objects and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying
drawings which. by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of
the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
10Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a horizontal bandsaw machi~e
embodying the principles of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the horizontal bandsaw machine
shown in Fig. 1, with upper portions thereof being omitted for clarity.
Fig. 3 is a front sectional view of the horizontal bandsaw
machine shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a front sectional view of the horizontal bandsaw
machine shown in Fig. 1 taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a side view showing a portion of the horizontal
bandsaw machine shown in Fig. 1.
20Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a portion of the horizontal
bandsaw machine shown in Fig. 1 and taken substantially along the line
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Vl-VI of Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a side view showing a portion of the horizontal
bandsaw machine shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view showing a portion of the
horizontal bandsaw machine shown in Fig. 1 and taken substantially
along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a partial plan view showing a portion of the
horizontal bandsaw machine shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 10 is a schematic illustration of the horizontal bandsaw
machine shown in Fig. 1,
.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFEE~RED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the present
invention will be described as embodied in a horizontal bandsaw machine
which is generally designated by the numeral 1 in Figs. 1 and 2. However,
it is initially to be noted that the present invention is applicable to any
suitable type of cutting machines such as hacksawing machines and
circular sawing machines (as has been already described hereinbefore).
The horizontal bandsaw machine 1 comprises a base 3 and
a cutting head assembly 5 in which a flexible endless bandsaw blade 7 is
trained around wheels (not shown). The cutting head assembly 5 is
pivotally connected to the base 3 so that it may be raised by a well-known
means and then lowered to enable the bandsaw blade 7 to cut into a material
M to be cut which has been placed on the base.
As best shown in Figs. 1 and 27 a vise assembly 9 which is
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called front vise and has right-hand and left-hand vise jaws 11 and 13
is mounted on the base 3 so as to hold or grip the material M to be cut
etween its jaws 11 and 13 at the cutting zone where the bandsaw blade
vise
7 is lowered in cutting operations. The right-hand~aw 11 may be
fixed on the front vise assembly 9 but it may be so mounted as to be
slightly moved toward and away from the left-hand vise jaw 13 by a
hydraulic motor assembly 15 of a cylinder type according to the present
invention as will be described in great detail hereinafter. Also, the
left-hand vise jaw 13 is so mounted on the front vise assembly 9 as to be
moved toward and away from the right-hand vise jaw 11 by a hydraulic
motor assembly 17 of a cylinder type which may be of a well-known
construction but may be of a construction according to the present
invention as will be described in great detail hereinafter. Thus, in order
to hold the material M to be cut at the cutting zone in cutting operation,
the material M is firstly placed between the right~hand and left-hand
vise jaws 11 and 13 of the front vise assembly 9 and then the left-hand
vise jaw 13 is urged toward the right-hand vise jaw 11 by the hydraulic
motor assembly 17.
There is provided behind the base 3 an elongate rear base
19 which is so placed as to project rearwardly from the medial portion of the
front base 3 at right angles therewith and is preferably fixed to the back
of the front base 3. Also, a series of transverse rollers 21 are rotatably
mounted on the rear base 19 so that the material M to be cut may he placed
thereon and fed therefrom forwardly into the cutting zone. The rollers
21 i9 supported above the rear base 19 by a pair of parallel elongate
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l~ar membel ~ 23 and 25 which are so mounted as to horizontally span
like a bridge betwe(~n the front and rear cnds of the rear base 19 along
the length thereof in such a manner as to keep the rollers 21 raised
up a distance from the top surface of the rear base 19 as best shown in
Fig. 3.
A rear vise assembly 27 which is often called feeding vise
or indexing vise is movably mounted on the rear base 19 so that it
can be moved thereon toward and away from the front vise assembly 9
to feed the material M to be cut into the cutting zone. The rear vise
assembly 27 comprises a carriage 29 which is of a concave shape as
shown in Figs.3 and 8 and it has rlght-hand and left-h~nd vise jaws 31 and 33
to grip the material M therebetween~ As best seen from Fig. 3, the
carriage 29 is so designed as to hold the right-hand and left-hand jaws 31
and 33 in face with each other at a raised position higher than the level of
the tops of the rollers 21 on the rear base 19. The right-hand vise jaw
1 of the rear vise assembly 27 may be fixed on the carriage 29 but it may
toward and
be so arranged as to be slightly moved/away from the left-hand vise jaw
33 by a hydraulic motor assembly 35 of a cylinder type according to the
present invention as will be described in great detail hereinafter. Also,
the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly 27 is so mounted on
the carriage 29 as to be moved toward and away from the right-hand vise
jaw 31 by a hydraulic motor assembly 37 of a cylinder type which will be
described ~n greater detail hereinafter.
Thus, in order to feed the material M to be cut into the cutting
zone, the material M is firstly placed between the right-hand and left-hand
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vise jaws 31 and 33 of the rear vise assembly 27 on the rollers 21 on
the rear base 19 and the left-hand vise jaw 33 is urged toward the right-hand
vise jaw 31 by the hydraulic motor 37 and then the rear vise assembly 27
is moved frontward toward the front vise assembly 9.
As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rear vise assembly 27
is so disposed as to be horizontally moved on the rear base 19 along a
pair of guide rails 39 and 41 by a hydraulic motor 43 having a piston rod
45 toward and away from the front vise assembly 9 in such a manner that
the carriage 29 of the same will be moved beneath the rollers 21. The
'' guide rails 39 and 41 are horizontally mounted in parallel with each
other in a suitable manner on the rear base 19 beneath the rollers 21
so that the carriage 29 of the rear vise assembly 27 may be moved
therealong. Thus, in order to feed the material M to be cut into the
cutting zone, the rear vise assembly 27 is made to grip the material
M between the right-hand and left-hand vise jaws 31 and 33 and then
is moved along the guide rails 39 and 41 frontward toward the front
vise assembly 9 by the piston rod 45 of the hydraulic motor 43. As
is apparent, when the material M to be cut is to be fed into the cutting
zone, at least the left-hand vise jaw 13 of the front vise assembly 9 has
been previously brought away from the right hand Yise jaw 11 of the
same to enable the front vise assembly 9 to receive the material M.
Also, after the material M has been fed into the cutting zone by the
rear vise assembly 27, the front vise assembly 9 will grip the material
M between the right-hand.and left-hand vise jaws 11 and 13 and then the
rear vise assembly 27 will release the material M and is returned to its
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original position l~y the hydraulic motor 43.
As has been described hereinbefore and as is best shown
in Fig. 3, the right-hand and left-hand vise jaws 31 and 33 of the rear
vise assembly 27 are held by the carriage 29 of the same at the rai~ed
position higher than the leverl of the tops of the rollers 21 on the rear
base 19, although the carraige 29 is movably mounted beneath the rollers
21. Thus, the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly 27 can
be moved toward the right-hand vise jaw 31 of the same over and across
the rollèrs 21 on the rear base 19 to grip the material M to be cut in
cooperation with the right-hand vise jaw 31. ~ this arrangement, the
series of the rollers 21 are so provided as to range above the rear base
19 over to the front vise assembly 9 to cover the whole path where the
material M to be cut is fed into the cutting zone.
From the above description, it will be now understood that
the material M to be cut is supported in its entirety by the rollers 21
on the rear base 19 and is moved on the rollers 21 along the whole path when
fed by the rear vise assembly 27 into the cutting zone. Thus, it will be
understood that the material M can be smoothly fed into the cutting zone
without friction with portions of the horizontal bandsaw machine 1 and
therefore it can be accurately fed by the rear vise assembly 27 without
being hurt by and hurting portions of the bandsaw machine 1.
As best shown in Fig. 2, a switch means 47 such as a limit
switch ` and a dog member 49 for actuati~g the switch means 47 are
provided so as to stop the rear vise assembly 27 at its front travelling
limit. In the preferred embodiment, the switch means 47 is fixed at
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the back porti~n o~ the ~ront vise~ assembly 9, and the dog member 49
is fixed at the front portion of the rear vise assembly 27 so that it may
be brought into contact with the switch means 47 when the rear vise assembly
27 reaches its front travelling limit. Thus, the switch means 47 is so
arranged as to stop the hydraulic motor 43 from urging forwardly the
rear vise assembly 27 when it is contacted by the dog member 49 when
the rear vise assembly 27 has reached its front travelling limit.
As is also shown in Fig. 2, a switch means 51 and a dog
member 53 for actuating the switch means 51 are provided so as to
adjustably limit the rearward travel of the rear vise assembly 27. In
the preferred embodiment, the switch means 51 is fixed at the back of
the rear vise assembly 27, and the dog member 53 is supported by a
movable carrier member 55 so as to be contacted by the switch means
51. Thus, the switch means 51 is so arranged as to stop the hydraulic
motor 43 from urging rearwardly the rear vise assembly 27 when it has
been brought into contact with the dog member 53. Also, the movable
carrier member 55 carrying the dog member 53 is so arranged as to be
horizontally moved frontwards and rearwards by a lead screw 57 which
is horizontally and rotatably mounted on the front and rear bases 9 and
19 and is so disposed as to be rotated by a handwheel 59 through a
suitable means such as a chain 61 and sprockets 63 and 65. Furthermore,
the lead screw 57 may be connected with an indicator 69 by means of a
haft 71 and universal joints 73 and 75 so that it may be possible to see
carrier
the position of the movable/member 55. Thus, the rearward travelling
limit of the rear vise assembly 27 can be adjusted by rotating the lead
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screw 57 to adjust the position of the movable carrier member 55
carrying the dog member 53.
In this connection, it will be understood that the stroke
length of the travel of the rear vise assembly 27 is determined by
adjusting the rearward travelling limit of the same. As is readily
apparent, the rear vise assembly 27 will feed the material M to be
cut into the cutting zone by its stroke length in each feeding operation.
Thus, the length of workpieces to be cut from the material M can be
determined by adjusting the rearward travelling limit of the rear vise
assembly 27. Also, the rear vise assembly 27 can be so set as to
automatically feed the material M into the cutting zone by its stroke
length to enable the bandsaw blade 7 to cut the material M into pieces
of a length equal to its stroke length each time when the bandsaw blade has
completed a cu-tting stroke.
Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, the hydraulic motor
assembly 37 for urging the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly
27 is of a novel construction which is integrally connected to the left-hand
vise jaw 33. As has been briefly described hereinbefore, the hydraulic
motor assembly 17 for the left-hand vise jaw 13 ~f the front vise assembly
9 may be of a well-known construction, but it may be also the same
construction as the hydraulic motor assembly 37 for the left-hand vise
jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly 27.
As best shown in Fig. 4, the hydraulic motor assembly 37
for moving the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly 27
comprises an elongate cylinder 77 which has a chamber 79 and is horizontally
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sli;lably held by th~ carriage 29 in a cylindrical bore 81 horizontally
formed at the projectillg portion tllereof. The cylinder 77 is integrally
fixed to the left-hand vise jaw 33 by a suitable means such as a plurality
of bolts 83 so as to move therewith toward and away from the right-hand
vise jaw 31. The end of the cylinder 77 abutting the left-hand vise jaw
left-hand
33 is closed by a cap member 85 which is also fixed to the/vise jaw 33 by
a suitable means such as a bolt 87, and the other end of the same is
closed by a cap member 89 having a bore 91 and fixed thereto by a
suitable means such as a plurality of bolts 93. Also, a piston 95 is
slidably provided in the chamber 79 of the cylinder 77 to divide the
chamber 79 into two chambers 79a and 79b, and it is fixed with a
cylindrical piston rod 97 which has an elongated chamber 99 and
slidably projects out of the cylinder 77 through the bore 91 of the cap
member 89. The piston rod 97 is fixed at its projecting end to a
supporting member 101 which is fixedly connected with the carriage
29 by a suitable tightening means such as a plurality of the rods 103
as shown in Fig. 6. Thus, the piston rod 97 is integrally fixed to the
carriage 29 by means of the supporting member 101 and the tie rods
103~ while the cylinder 77 is moved through the bore 81 on the carraige
29 to move the left-hand vise jaw 33 when either of the chambers 79a and 79b
is supplied with the hydraulic fluid. In the preferred embodiment, the
cylinder 77 is prevented from rotating in the cylindrical bore 81 of the
carriage 29 by a projection 105 formed thereon and held by one of the
tie rods 103 as seen from Fig. 6 and it is protected by a cover 10~
In order to supply and exhaust the hydraulic fluid into and
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from the cl~anll)er 7~)a o~ the cylinder 77, a pclssagc 109 to which a
passage 111 is conn(?cted from the hydraulic source is ~ormed at the
supporting member 101, and a conduit 113 is provided in the chamber
99 of the piston rod 97 so as to connect the passage 109 and the chamber
79a throughout the piston 95. Also, another passage 115 is provided
at the supporting member 101 to connect the chamber 99 of the piston
rod 97 with a passage 117 leading to the hydraulic source and also a
port 119 is formed to connect the chamber 99 of the piston rod 97 and
the chamber 79b of the cylinder 77 to supply and exhaust the hydraulic
fluid into and from the chamber 79b. Thus, the hydraulic fluid is
supplied into and exhausted from the chamber 79a of the cylinder 77
through the passage 109 and the conduit 113 and vice versa. On the
other hand, the hydraulic fluid is supplied into and exhausted from the
chamber 79~ of the cylinder 77 through the passage 115, the chamber
99 of the piston rod 97 and the port 119 and vice versa. Also, when
the hydraulic fluid is being supplied into either of the chambers 79a and
79b of the cylinder 77, it will be exhausted from the other of the chambers
79a and 79b.
From the above description, it will be now apparent that
the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the rear vise assembly 27 will be moved by
the cylinder 77 of the hydraulic motor assembly 37 toward the right-hand
vise jaw 31 $o hold the material M to be cut in cooperation therewith when the
chamber 79a of the cylinder 77 is supplied with the hydraulic fluid. Also,
the left-hand vise jaw 33 will be moved by the cylinder 77 away from the
right-hand vise jaw 31 to release the material M which it has gripped in
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cooperatlon with the right-hand vise jaw 31, when the chamber 79b
of the cylinder 77 is supplied with the hydraulic fluid.
Referring now to Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, the right-hand
vise jaws 11 and 31 of the front and rear vise assemblies 9 and 27
may be so arranged as to be slightly moved toward and away from the
left-hand vise jaws 13 and 33, respectively, by the hydraulic motor
assemblies 15 and 35, respectively, as has been briefly described
hereinbefore. Descriptions will be made with regard to the hydraulic
motor assembly 35 for slightly moving the right-hand vise jaw 31 of
the rear vise assembly 27, but both of the arrangernents for the
right-hand vise jaws 11 and 31 of the front and rear vise ~ssemblies
9 and 27 are similar with each other.
As seen from Figs. 7 and 8, the right-hand vise jaw 31
of the rear vise assembly 27 is provided at its bottom with a pair of
slide members 121 and 123 and is slidably mounted on the carriage 29
so as to be slightly moved by the hydraulic motor assembly 35 toward
and away from the left-hand vise jaw 33. The hydraulic motor
assembly 35 is constructed of a cylinder 127 having a chamber 129
which opens toward the left-hand vise jaw 33 through a bore 131 and is
closed by a cap member 133 at its end opposite to the bore 131. A piston
135 having a piston rod 137 is slidably enclosed in the cylinder 127 to divide
the chamber 129 into two chambers 129a and 129b in such a manner that
the piston rod will project out of the chamber 129 through the bore 1310
The piston rod 137 is fixed to the right-hand vise jaw 31 by a suitable means
such as a bolt 139, and the piston 135 and the piston rod 137 are biased by
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a spring 141 provicIed in the chamber 129b in the direction away from the
left-hand vise jaw 33. Also, the chamber 129a of the cylinder 127 is
provided with a port 143 from which the hydraulic fluid is supplied and
exhausted to move the piston 135 and the piston rod 137. The hydraulic
motor assembly 35 of the above described construction is connected
to a supporting member 145 which is fixed onto the carriage 29. In
the preferred embodiment, the hydraulic motor assembly 35 is connected
to the supporting member 145 by means of a pin member 147 for the
purpose of easy assembly, and the slide members 121 and 123 are kept
from jumping up by the supporting member 145.
From the above description, it will be understood that the
right-hand vise jaw 31 of the rear vise assembly 27 is moved toward the
left-hand vise jaw 33 of the same by the piston 135 and the piston rod
137 when the chamber 129a of the hydraulic motor assembly 35 is supplied
with the hydraulic fluid. Also, it will be readily apparent that the
right-hand vise jaw 31 is moved in the direction away from the left-hand
vise jaw 33 by the force of the spring 141 when the piston 135 is not
urged by the hydraulic fluid in the chamber 129a of the cylinder 127.
In operation, the right-hand vise jaw 31 of the rear vise
assembly 27 is slightly moved toward the left-hand vise jaw 33 of the
same when the left-hand vise jaw 33 IS moved to grip the material M
to be cut, and it is returned to its original position when the left-hand
vise jaw 33 is moved to release the material M. In other words, the
right-hand and left-hand vise jaws 31 and 33 are moved toward each
other to grip the material M in cooperation with each other, and they
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are rnoved away from each other to release the material M, although
the left-hand vise jaw 33 is moved by a much longer stroke than the
right-hand vise jaw 31 according to the sizes of the material M to
be cut.
The rear vise assembly 27 of the above described arrangement
is operated in connection with the front vise assembly 9 which is arranged
in all the same manner as the front vise assembly 9. When the rear
vise assembly 27 is feeding the material M to be cut into the cutting zone,
both of the right-hand and left-hand vise jaws 11 and 13 of the fron~ vise
assembly 9 are moved away from each other to receive the material M
therebetween. Thus, the material M will be by no means brought into
contact and into collision with the right-hand vise jaw 11 of the front
vise assembly 9 when fed into the cutting zone, since the right-hand
vise jaw 11 has been slightly moved off the path of the material M. Also,
when the rear vise assembly 27 is returning into its original position
after the material M has been held by the front vise assembly 9, both
li and 13 - .
of the right-hand and left-hand vise jaws/are kept moved away from each
other so that they may go back to the original position without contacting
the material M held by the front vise assembly 9.
Referring to Fig. 10, descriptions will be made with regard
to hydraulic circuits for actuating the front and rear vise assemblies 9
and 27. Since the hydraulic circuit for the front vise assembly 9 and
that for the rear vise assembly 27 are all the same with each other7
descriptions will be made mainly with regard to the hydraulic circuit
for the rear vise assembly 27 and elements common to both of the circuits
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will be desiL~nated hy common numerals.
The llydraulic motors 35 and 37 for actuating the right-hand
and left-hand vise jaws 31 and 33 of the rear vise assembly 27 ar~
supplied with the hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic tank T by a pump
149 driven by a motor 151. The pump 149 is connected by a passage
153 having a relief valve 155 and a check valve 157 to a solenoid operated
valve assembly 159 which is of a three position type having four parts
and is operated by solenoids lS9a and 159b. The solenoid operated valve
assembly 159 is connected by the passage 111 having a flow control valve
161 to the chamber 79a of the hydraulic motor 37 for the left-hand vise
jaw 33 and by a passage 163 having a flow control valve 165 and a check
valve 167 to the chamber 79b of the same, and also it is connected bv a
passage 169 to the chamber 129a of the hydraulic motor 35 for the right-
hand vise jaw 31. The solenoid operated valve assembly 159 is so
arranged that it will supply the hydraulic fluid into the chambers 79a
and 129a of the hydraulic motors 37 and 35 and exhaust the same from
the chamber 79b of the hydraulic motor 37 when the solenoid 159a is
energized while it will supply the hydraulic fluid into the chamber 79~
and exhaust the same from the chambers 79a and 129a when the solenoid
159b is energized. There is provided a bypass passage 171 which has
a pilot operated check valve 173 and connects between the solenoid
operated valve assembly 159 and the passage 163. The pilot operated valve
173 is so arranged as to normally block the hydraulic fluid from flowing
from the solenoid operated ~alve assembly 159 to the passage 163 but
allow the hydraulic fluid to flow therethrough when a solenoid operated
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valve assembly 175 is operated in tlle preferred embodiment.
A control means 177 is proviàed between the passage 163 and
the passage 171 so as to control the stroke length by which the left-hand
vise jaw 33 is moved in the direction away from the right-hand vise jaw
31. The control means 177 comprises a cylinder 179 having a chamber
181, a piston 183 slidably enclosed in the cylinder 179 and dividing the
chamber 181 into two chambers 181a and 181b connected with the bypass
passage 171 and the passage 163, respectivelyJ and also a spring 185
biasing the piston 183 in the chamber 181b.
; In the above arrangement, when the solenoid 159a of the
solenoid operated valve assembly 159 is energized, t4e hydraulic fluid
will be delivered into the chambers 129a and 79a of the hydraulic motor
assemblies 35 and 37 of the rear vise assembly 27 and the hydraulic
fluid in the chamber 79b is exhausted to the hydraulic tank T. As
a result, the cyllnder 77 and the piston 135 of the hydraulic motor
assemblies 37 and 35 will move the right-hand and left-hand vise jaws
33 and 31, respectively, toward each other to grip the material M to be
cut therebetween.
When the solenoid 159b of the solenoid operated valve assembly 159
is energized, the chambers 79 and 129a of the hydraulic motor assemblies
37 and 35 will be connected to hydraulic tank T and simultaneously the
hydraulic fluid from the pump 149 will act on the piston 183 in the chamber
181 of the control means 177. As a result, the hydraulic fluid in the
chamber 181b of the control means 177 will be urged by the piston 183
to act on the cylinder 77 of the hydraulic motor assembly 37 so as to
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move the left-hand vise jaw 33 sliglltly in the clirection away from
right-halld jaw 31. Of course, the right-hand vise jaw 31 is moved
away from the l~ft-hand vise jaw 33 by the spring 141 Oe the hydraulic
motor 35J as soon as the solenoid 159b of the solenoid operated valve
assembly 159 is energized to connect the chamber 129a of the hydraulic
motor assembly 35 to the hydraulic tank T. Thus, it will be readily
understood from the above description that the let-hand vise jaw 33
is very slightly moved to ease the material M and grip again the same
with a result that idle time is eliminated.
When it is desired to move the left-hand vise jaw 33 by a
larger distance in the directlon away from the right-hand vise jaw 31
to grip a larger material M, the solenoid operated valve assembly 75 i6
operated to allow the hydraulic fluid to flow through the pilot operated
valve 173 from the pump 149 into the passage 163 and the solenoid 159b
of the solenoid operated valve assembly 159 is energized. As a result~ -
the hydraulic fluid from the pump 149 is delivered into the chamber 79b
of the hydraulic motor assembly 37 to move the left-hand vise jaw 33
in the direction away from the right-hand vise jaw 31 by a larger
distance. Thereafter, the left-hand vise jaw 33 is moved toward the
right-hand vise jaw 31 to grip the larger material M in cooperation with
the right-hand vise jaw 31 and it will be slightly moved to release the
material M after cu-tting operation~
Although a preferred form of the present invention has been
illustrated and described, it should be understood that the device is
capable of modification by one skilled in the art without departing from
, . ,~
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.:
10~4923
the principles ol` the invention. Accor(lirlgly, the scope of the
invention is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto.
J
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