Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~g3 ~7
QUICK-CHANGE TRIM PRESS
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved and
novel fixture ~uick-change means whereby a fixture can be
quickly changed yet securely fastened to a work surface
during operations involving the fixture.
.
Background of the Invention
To be cost efficient in operation of a high pro-
duction system, such as stamping, moldin~, machining, and
the like, it is requisite that fixture exchange time be
minimal so as to hold to a minimum, or eliminate, down-
time. This is especially true in a highly automated mold-
ing system where the physical and chemical state of the
materials worked on presents additional down-time
problems.
Operations involving the movement of fixtures of sub-
stantial size and/or weight are typically cumbersome and
time-consuming, especially when the fixtures must be
secured to a work surface after placement or repositioning
thereon~ Exact positioning of the fixture is often crit-
ical in achieving the desired results from the fixture and
can be difficult to achieve with sizable, heavy fixtures.
Further, the removal of such sizable fixtures involves
laborious, time-consuming efforts to unsecure and remove
the fixture from the work surface. The effort required to
move such fixtures results in reduction of the rate of
operations, increased labor expenses, and decreased flexi-
bility in scheduling operations requiring different fix-
tures.
In the field of molding, e.g., injection molding and
thermoforming, various sizes of molds are used to produce
different products. The commercially used molds are typi-
cally quite heavy and cumbersome to move. The mount
plates used to trim the products resulting from the ther-
moforming differ for each product and likewise are often
of substantial size and/or weight. Most commercial oper-
ations routinely involve the production of a variety of
.
~9~3 ~7
molded products to meet customer requests. The amount of
the product varies and the molds are changed according to
the amount required of a particular product. The diver-
sification of products as well as varying customerrequests often requires frequent change of the molds or
dies used in molding and associated operations. Furthe~,
the molds or dies must often be inspected and repaired or
replaced. The removal and insertion of the molds or dies
has typically involved the laborious and time-consuming
manipulation of various service fittings and the realign-
ment of the mold or die to resume operations. In any high
production operation, the down-time accompanying the
change of molds or dies and the associated labor costs
must be minimized to maintain the desired productivity.
Therefore, a system which contains means for the quiclc
change of a fixture such as a mold or a die in which the
fixture can be quickly and securely fastened or released
from a work surface is desirable.
Attempts to effect such quick change need by modifi-
cation of clamping means has been attempted; see for
instance the U.S. patents:
2,940,384 June 16, 1980 Manschuer et al.
4,058,885 November 22, 1977 Bergman
4,354,796 October 19, 1982 Bergman
4,472,127 September lB, 1984 C~riax et al.
4,555,228 November 26, 1985 Nishiike et al.
However, none of the corresponding structure
described therein has been fully satisfactory in meeting
said need, particularly in a press such as a trim press.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
positive and simplified registration means for the fix-
ture, that the latter means be part of the clamp struc-
ture, and that the fixture comprise the mount plates for
punch and die tools of a trim press.
It is a further object of the invention that the
described improved and novel means be inexpensive and
1~93i~
3-
uncomplicated with respect to manufacture, assembly and
use.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention is directed to novel and
improved quick-release and-lock clamp means to facilitate
rapid exchange of a fixture at a work station, especially
at a trim press station in a continuous molding system.
The present invention relates to a combination in a situ-
ation of a production system having means to facilitate
rapid registration of, and rapid insertion, withdrawal and
exchange of a fixture comprising:
fixture means having at least a pair of clamp
slots formed therein;
each slot (1) is open-ended at an outer face of
the fixture and is adapted thereat for clamp block regis-
tration and (2) has an offset section that is spaced rom
said face and adapted for clamp block locking;
the offset sections of each pair of slots being
in opposed relationship;
at least one fixture related platen supporting
at least a pair of clamp blocks;
each clamp block being configured in part for
registration with and entry into a said open end of a
clamp slot;
said clamp block configured part also confirming
to the angularity of its associated offset slot section;
and
power means to translate said clamp blocks with
respect to said slots;
whereby after a said entry and registration, the'
power means can be actuated and the blocks moved to clamp-
ing position in the respective offset slot sections, or
conversely, in the case of a clamped fixture, the power
means can be actuated to move the blocks out of clamping
position.
-4-
For a more fully developed presentation of the
invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, reference
is made to the following descriptive matter and attached
drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of mount plates for
punch and die tools.
Fig. 2 is a partial elevational side view of the trim
press and shows a side edge view of a mount plate and an
end view of a hydraulic cylinder and clamp therewith.
Ç'ig. 3 is a view taken on cut line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and
shows a clamp-block in open ~full line) and closed (broken
line) positions.
Fig. 4 is a view taken on cut lines 4-4 of Fig. 2 and
shows the back side of the clamping arrangement.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The embodiment shown and described is only illustra-
tive of the present invention and is not to be construed
as being delimitive thereof; since once being apprised of
the invention, changes in structure would be obvious and
readily apparent to one skilled in the art. Referring to
the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of
the invention and wherein like numerals indicate like ele-
ments of structure, there is shown in Fig. 1 assembled
tool mount plates; herein a punch mount plate 10 and die
mount plate 12 that operatively associate through bushing
and rod means 14.
Outer, opposed edge defining contiguous surfaces of
said plates have formed therein at least one pair of
opposed clamp slots. Each clamp slot is defined by a
first section that appears as a rectangular slot 16 when
the plate is viewed in the elevational and a second sec-
tion 18 that, when the plate is viewed in plan at the
upper edge, appears as wedge shaped; the wedge being
3 ~ ~
spaced Erom the face of the plate and the slot narrowing
to~ards the near side edge of the plate.
The plate arrangement is mounted spatially as shown
in Fig~ 1, molded or the like workpieces fed in vertical
direction therethrough and the products ejected in hori-
zontal direction through opening 20 of the die plate.
The mount plates are mounted on respectives ones of
platens 22. Each platen has pairs of opposed, identical
clamp means 24 corresponding to the pairs of mount plate
clamp slots. The clamp means comprise a hydraulic cylin-
der 26 having a piston rod 28 that carries a clamp block
30. The block is formed with a wedge-shaped extension 32
that in end view of which is shown as a depending portion
in Fig. 2 and the angularity of which is shown by broken
line 34 in Fig. 3.
The block wedge angularly (line 34) conforms to that
of the slot wedge section. The cross-section of the block
wedge, in the longitudinal direction, can conform to that
of the slot's open end section.
For insertion and fixing in a trim press, the mount
plate assembly first registers by entry of the block
wedges through the open end slot sections until, at the
end of travel, both block and wedge portions are aligned;
see Fig. 3, the block in solid lines. There can also be
locator pins on the surface of one platen which register
with openings on the mount plate and do the final refer-
encing of the plate to the platen prior to locking by the
block wedges. Thereafter, fluid power, either pneumatic
3~ or hydraulic, preferably hydraulic, is actuated whereby to
draw the block wedges into locking position as shown by
the corresponding broken lines in Fig. 3. Of course, the
mount block assembly can be registered and locked with
respect to one platen at a time or can be registered with
respect to both platens and simultaneously locked in and
the entire operation can be automated.
~2~3~3~7
While the invention is illustrated in a trim press
and has a special utility with a trim press in an overall
molding system, the quick-change means has a generic
utility.
In this instance, the trim press is but one station
of a highly automated system to manufacture molded pro-
ducts,
The embodiment shown and described is only 7 llustra-
tive of the present invention and is not to be construed
as being delimitive thereof; since once being apprised of
the invention, changes in structure would be obvious and
readily apparent to one skilled in the art. Hence, the
present invention includes all modifications encornpassed
within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
c~ ti~
