Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02317290 2000-08-29
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION
PRESSER ASSEMBLY AND FIXTURE FOR FASTENING PRESSER
ASSEMBLY
(b) TECHNICAL FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES
This invention relates to a presser assembly for holding carton blanks in
their
proper orientation on a female blanking die during a blanking operation.
(c) BACKGROUND ART
In the manufacture of cartons, small sheets of material are cut out of larger
sheets.
These smaller sheets are known as carton blanks which, in turn, are folded and
erected into
boxes. The blanks are formed during a process known as a blanking operation.
Typically such machine usually was formed by a series of stations, with the
first
station being an input station in which the sheets, preprinted if required,
were taken one-
by-one from the top of a stack in order to be sent onto a feed table, where
they were placed
in position against frontal and side guides. The sheet was then grasped at its
front edge by
a series of grippers which were fitted along a crossbar, to lead the sheet
into subsequent
processing stations.
The sheet was first conveyed into a cutting station of blanks according to a
required
size, and these blanks were held to the sheet and/or among themselves by
nicks, which
were arranged along the cut edges. The station usually comprised a platen
press having an
upper immovable platen on which a plate was provided with a plurality of line-
shaped
straight and curved die-cutting rules or blades, and a lower movable
cooperating platen.
Immediately after cutting, the sheet was carried into a stripping station on a
horizontal stripping plate (or female blanking die), which was provided with
apertures
which were aligned with the parts of the sheet which were to be stripped
therefrom. Such
stripping plate was generally a frame which included large openings which
corresponded in
size and in position to the carton blanks which had been previously cut.
Positioned above the horizontal stripping plate was a horizontal upper
stripping tool
holding device on which strippers and/or pressing items were mounted for
movement in a
vertical direction. Below the frame was a mechanism for stacking the blanks.
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In order to knock the carton blanks from the sheet of material and to hold the
blanks, a presser assembly was used. The presser assembly included a support
tool having
a presser member and a presser rail depending therefrom. The presser rail was
biassed
away from the support tool. As the support tool was lowered, the presser rail
engaged the
sheet of material such that the large sheet of material was held between the
presser rail and
the female blanking die. The support tool continued to be lowered such that
the strippers
engaged the carton blanks and knocked the blank out of the sheet of material.
The carton
blanks fell onto a stacking mechanism wherein the blanks were stacked.
If the presser rail did not adequately hold the carton blank to the female
blanking
die, the carton blank was not accurately aligned with the stripper and so the
mechanism
may jam.
In order to hold the carton blank securely, present day presser rails were
interconnected to the support tool by a plurality of guide cylinders. Each
guide cylinder
biassed the presser rail away from the support tool. This gave the presser
rail a certain
amount of flexibility when engaging the carton blank. However, even with this
limited
flexibility, present day presser rails have been found to be inadequate.
The upper tool, or male blanking die, generally included pushers or punches
which
were made of wood or foam, each of which was fastened on the upper tool or
male
blanking die, above a blank. Such pushers or punches generally have the
contour of the
border of the blank but of a slightly smaller extent. The upper tool, or male
blanking die,
generally also had pressing devices, i.e., blocks, which were situated
respectively above
the intermediate cardboard strips and which were fitted on elastic supports in
such a way as
to hold each of the strips against its respective bar corresponding to the
rack of the lower
tool during the blank separating step.
A deficiency of that system was that these pressing devices must be
repositioned
with every change of the production run with a view to their being adapted to
the new
requirements, e.g., the type of sheet, the size of the sheet, and the
configuration of the
parts to be stripped. Especially, the lower tools or female blanking dies had
to be
constructed in such a way that their structures would not interfere with the
free fall of the
waste bits after their removal by the stripping tools.
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To accomplish this, the female blanking dies ordinarily consisted of a
rectangular
frame within which was fitted a grid of transverse members which were made of
profile
metal bars. The profile of such metal bars generally had a height that was
greater than its
width to insure a high rigidity in the vertical direction for the tool. The
stripping
equipment was then arranged, as required, along these transverse members and
was held in
place by anchoring pieces or parts. In order to enable the user to create a
striping tool for
any configuration of sheets or board that were to be processed, these machines
were
supplied with an ample set of traverse members, i.e., an average of, e.g., 40
pieces or
members .
As is well-known, the sheet generally contained a great number of bits of
waste to
be ejected and, consequently, the upper and lower frames were to be equipped
with a
correspondingly large number of stripping tools, which sometimes may be more
than 100
tools.
Devices have been proposed in the past for fastening a stripping tool, a blank
separator tool or a similar tool onto an adjustable crossbar of a waste
stripping or blank
separation station within a sheet processing machine. Such devices generally
consisted of a
telescopic tool. In a waste stripping station of a cutting press, such tools
were fitted on
upper and lower frames consisting of movable crossbars in such a way as to be
set
according to the position of the waste.
The use of such telescopic tools which were fitted onto the male stripping die
involved numerous drawbacks as production speeds of the press were further
increased.
Generally, these tools had been secured by means of screws to simplify the
positioning of
the strippers. However, because of the rather large number of strippers which
were fitted
in the stripper station, the positioning of the stripper remained fastidious,
since the
technician was compelled to screw in every screw. The rate of tightening of
the screws,
as involved with the one or the other of the three operations, cannot be
determined easily
and exactly and absorbed much time, especially so with, e.g., 100 stripping
tools.
Another drawback was that the fastening device was not easy to assembly to fit
onto
a crossbar because of the fact that the clamps were able to turn independently
from one
another on the cross bar. Thus, they did not always have their supporting
surface in
parallelism with the guide surfaces of the crossbar, which caused their
assembly to be
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awkward. The screw making up the tie bar might be insufficiently screwed-in
for locking
if one of the clamps was misaligned. In the event a screw was not properly
tightened with
the clamp properly aligned, the clamp might slip off from the crossbar. The
fitting and
dismantling operations are almost always to be carried out by a technician by
using both
hands.
Even after being locked onto the crossbar, the fastening device may become
skewed
with regard to the lengthwise direction of the crossbar. When the machine
operated, the
vibrations had a tendency to realign the device which realignment will result
in a
diminished pre-stressing, and may cause the device to drop, entailing serious
damages to
the installation.
In addition, the technician may hastily lock a great number of strippers, with
excessive tightening of the screw of the fastening device and, therefore,
cause the breakage
of certain components. To avoid this hazard, the tightening strength applied
must,
therefore, be checked.
Many patents have been issued which were alleged to provide for the proper
alignment of the blank with the stripping tools. Among the patents are those
in the
following list:
U.S. Patent No. Issued Date Issued To
2,548,370 April 10, 1951 E. L. Hedstrom et
al.
2,845011 July 29, 1958 H. K. Schilling
3,249,272 May 3, 1996 R. Scarpa
3,786,731 Jan. 22, 1974 J. Bobst et al.
4,015,495 April S, 1977 M. Yerly
4,041,847 Aug. 16, 1977 E. M. Spengler
4,452,595 June 5, 1984 R. J. Huff
5,087,236 Feb. 11, 1992 H. Morimoto
5,375,751 Dec. 27, 1994 J. Makinen
5,474,219 Dec. 12, 1995 H. Mano
5,605,527 Feb. 25, 1997 J. L. Gillieron
5,735,442 Apr. 7, 1998 D. Emrich
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5,810,233 Sept. 22, 1998 C. Varidel
5,865,358 Feb. 2, 1999 J. M. V. Fernandez
5,893,825 Apr. 13, 1999 J-C Rebeaud
Other patents related to the securement of a crossbar which served to hold the
blanks in position during the stripping operation. Among such patents are the
following.
U.S. Patent No. 4,248,370, disclosed a fastening device for securing a tool on
a
crossbar of a waste stripping or blank separating station within a sheet
processing machine.
The device included a rod-shaped tie bar which was provided with a headed end
which
received a freely-shifting support for the tool. First and second guides were
each provided,
at least with one supporting surface slanting with regard to the axis of the
tie bar and were
constructed to act jointly with two corresponding guide surfaces on a crossbar
of the
station. Tightening means were provided on one end of the tie bar and were
designed to.
push the sliding components toward the headed end of the tie bar in order to
bring about a
variation in their contact pressure. This was said to enable the execution of
three
operations, which included fitting and dismantling the tool, shifting the
tool, and locking of
various components with regard to one another on the crossbar.
U.S. Patent No. 4,913,016, issued April 3, 1990, to Peter Frei, assigned to
Bobst
SA, provided a waste stripping tool for use in a machine which was used for
cutting sheet-
like items. Such waste stripping tool included a grid which was formed of
crossbar
members consisting of a crossbar assembly of two members which were held side-
by-side
by a coupler. The assembly included a strap, which had two jaws having two
triangular
profiled teeth which were engaged in grooves in each of the crossbar members,
and
threaded arrangement for causing a clamping of the jaws onto the members to
hold them in
a side-by-side relationship. Each crossbar was an adjustable crossbar assembly
having two
ends, including two crossbar members which were linked together lengthwise
side-by-side
in such a way that the length of the crossbar assembly corresponded to the
distance
separating the two opposite frame members between which it was secured. The
assembly,
at each end, had means for securing the assembly to the frame members.
U.S. Patent No. 5,064,110, issued November 12, 1991, to Marcel Yerly, assigned
to Bobst SA, provided a fixture for fastening a stripping tool or a blank
separating tool.
The fastening device included a tie bar which was provided with a headed end
which
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received a support for the tool part. A pair of clamping jaws, were each
provided with a
supporting surface which was designed to enter in contact with the crossbar of
the stripping
station and to have additional supporting surfaces designed to enter into
contact with one
another. The second end of the tie bars carried a tightening arrangement which
were said
to provide three positions. Such three positions included a substantial
release of pressure
on the jaws to enable fixing and dismantling of the tool, an intermediate
amount of pressure
on the jaws to allow shifting of the arrangement along the crossbar, and a
third amount of
pressure which provided a tightening or locking of the tool in a given
position on the
crossbar.
U.S. Patent No. 5,065,926, issued November 19,1991, to Marcel Yerly, assigned
to Bobst SA, provided a telescopic tool for stripping waste within a sheet
processing
machine. The telescopic tool included a hollow cylindrical body which received
a pin
having a portion extending out of a bore of the body with a tip for engaging
the waste
material. The tip was formed of a deformable material, while the remaining
portion of the
pin was of a rigid, hardened material. The pin had a collar which was received
in the
interior of the body which engaged an internal shoulder. To absorb noise, the
pin was
provided with an elastic element adjacent to the collar to be interposed
between the collar
and shoulder.
U.S. Patent No. 5,529,565, issued June 25, 1996, to Frank E. Oetlinger,
provided
a presser assembly. The presser assembly included a presser rail having a
first end which
was mounted to a first guide cylinder and a second end which was mounted to a
second
guide cylinder. Each end of the presser rail was vertically-movable
independent of the
opposite end. This was said to prevent jamming of the presser assembly during
the
blanking operation.
U.S. Patent No. 5,599,269, issued February 4, 1997, to Frank E Oetlinger, also
provided a presser assembly for supporting carton blanking scrap. The presser
assembly
included a hollow housing defining an open top and an open bottom. A
longitudinally-
extending stem was slidably-received within the housing for reciprocal
movement therein,
the stem having an upper end projecting from the open top and a lower end
projecting from
the open bottom. A presser rail was also provided, along with connector means
for
connecting the lower end of the stem to the presser rails. Bias means were
provided for
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biassing the presser rail away from the housing. Stop means at the upper end
of the stem
were engageable with the housing for limiting the movement of the rail away
from the
housing. A guide member surrounded the stem and was received within the open
bottom
of the housing in telescoping relation with the housing for guiding the
presser rail during
its vertical reciprocating movement. An anti-rotation mechanism was included
for
preventing relative rotation between the presser rail and the housing.
U.S. Patent No. 5,766,123, issued June 16, 1998, to Frank E. Oetlinger, also
provided a presser assembly for supporting carton blanking scrap. That presser
assembly
included a hollow housing including a cavity which was formed therethrough
defining an
open top and an open bottom. A longitudinally-extending stem was slidably
received
within the cavity for reciprocal movement therein. The stem had an upper end
projecting
from the open top and a lower end projecting from the open bottom. A presser
rail was
provided, along with connector means, for connecting the lower end of the stem
to the
presser rail. The connector means included a universal coupling to provide a
flexible
connection between the presser rail and the stem and a clevis. The universal
coupling
included spring means for biassing the rail away from the clevis. Bias means,
which were
provided for biassing the presser rail away from the housing stop means at the
upper end of
the stem, were engageable with the housing for limiting the movement of the
rail away
from the housing. A guide member surrounding the stem and was received within
the open
bottom of the cavity in telescoping relation with the housing for guiding the
presser rail
during its vertical reciprocating movement.
(d) DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of one aspect of this invention is to provide a presser assembly
having an
easily-assimilable presser rail for securely holding the selvedge or
perimetral waste
material of a carton blank to a female stripping die during a stripping
operation.
An object of a second aspect of this invention is to provide such a presser
assembly
having a presser rail which is durable and maintains its shape over an
extended period of
tune.
An object of a third aspect of this invention is to provide such a presser
assembly
which is easy to mount to the upper male stripping die of a stripping machine.
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An object of a fourth aspect of this invention is to provide such a presser
assembly
which can be easily dimensioned, as required by the size of the carton blanks
to be
stripped, and ensures that the same rate of rigidity is present while
involving a lesser
investment for materials.
An object of a fifrh aspect of this invention is to provide such a presser
assembly
for holding the selvedge or perimetral waste material of the carton blanks in
fixed position
during the stripping of the carton blank.
A first broad aspect of the present invention provides an improvement in a
presser
assembly for attachment to an upper male stripping die assembly for
temporarily holding a
carton blank in place on a female blanking die during a stripping operation.
The
improvement includes a presser rail having a first end and a second end, a
first guide
cylinder and a second guide cylinder. A first connection assembly of a
universal joint-type
is provided for flexibly-connecting the first guide cylinder to the first end
of the presser
rail, such that such first connected end of the presser rail may move in any
direction
independently from the second end. A second connection assembly of a universal
joint-type
is provided for flexibly connecting the second guide cylinder to the end of
the second
presser rail, such that such second connected end of the presser rail may move
in any
direction independently from the first end.
A second broad aspect of this invention provides a presser rail assembly for
temporarily holding carton blanks in place on a female stripping die during a
stripping
operation by an upper male stripping die. The presser rail assembly includes
an upper male
blanking die assembly having at least one pair of two spaced-apart circular
apertures and a
presser rail having a first end and a second end. A first guide cylinder is
flexibly connected
to the first end of the presser rail, such that such first connected end of
the presser rail may
move in any direction independently from the second end. A second guide
cylinder is
flexibly connected to the presser rail, such that such second connected end of
the presser
rail may move in any direction independently from the first end. Each guide
cylinder is
secured to the upper male stripping die by the combination of each of the
guide cylinders
extending through an associated circular aperture in the upper male stripping
die assembly,
with a lower stop ring of the guide cylinder abutting the lower surface of the
upper male
stripping die assembly, and with a projecting turret portion of the guide
cylinder being
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secured against the upper surface of the upper male stripping die by a
suitable locking
member.
By a first variant of this second broad aspect of this invention, such
suitable locking
member comprises an upper externally-threaded turret portion which projects
above the top
surface of the upper male stripping die assembly and is secured thereto by an
internally-
threaded locking nut. By a first variation thereof, the internally-threaded
locking nut
includes a plurality of notches around its circumference, the upper male
stripping die
assembly includes a plurality of holes surrounding the circular aperture, and
a pin extends
through a selected notch into a selected hole thereby, to prevent the
internally-threaded
locking nut from accidentally unscrewing.
By a second variant of this second broad aspect of this invention, such
suitable
locking means comprises a lower stop ring which abuts the bottom surface of
the upper
male stripping die assembly and an upper turret portion which projects above
the top of the
upper male stripping die assembly and is secured thereto by an encircling O-
ring.
The present invention, in a third broad aspect, provides an assembly for
temporarily
holding carton blanks in place on a female blanking die during a blanking or
stripping
operation. The assembly includes an upper male stripping die assembly. The
upper male
stripping die assembly includes at least one pair of longitudinally-spaced-
apart, circular
apertures, and a presser assembly. The presser assembly includes a first guide
cylinder, the
first guide cylinder including an outer housing terminating in a lower ring
and an intermediate
turret, the first guide cylinder also including an inner housing having a
depending,
longitudinally-extending stem terminating in a ball-shaped end. The first
guide cylinder is
secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending through an
associated first
circular aperture, with its lower ring abutting a lower surface of the area
around the
circular aperture of the upper male stripping die, and with its intermediate
turret projecting
above an upper surface of the area surrounding the circular aperture of the
upper male
stripping die assembly, the intermediate turret being secured against the
upper surface of
the upper male stripping die assembly by a locking member. The presser
assembly also
includes a second guide cylinder, the second guide cylinder including an outer
housing
terminating in a lower ring and an intermediate turret, the second guide
cylinder including
an inner housing having a depending, longitudinally-extending stem terminating
in a ball-
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shaped end. The second guide cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping
die assembly
by extending through an associated second circular aperture, with its lower
ring abutting a
lower surface of the area around the circular aperture of upper male stripping
die assembly,
and with its intermediate member projecting above an upper surface of the area
surrounding the second circular aperture of the upper male stripping die
assembly, the
intermediate turret being secured against the upper surface of the upper male
stripping die
assembly by a locking member. The presser assembly also includes a presser
rail having a
first end and a second end. The first end of the presser rail includes a
first, longitudinally-
extending, cylindrical channel which opens to a first, upwardly-directed,
longitudinally-
extending slot. The second end of the presser rail includes a second,
longitudinally-
extending, cylindrical channel which opens to a second, upwardly-directed,
longitudinally-
extending slot. The first end of the presser rail is connected to the first
guide cylinder by
the ball-shaped end of the stem of the first guide cylinder being slidably
retained in the
first, longitudinally-extending, cylindrical channel, with the stem of the
first guide cylinder
being slidable within the first longitudinally-extending slot such that the
connected first end
of the presser rail may move in any direction independently from the second
end. The
second end of the presser rail is connected to the second guide cylinder by
the ball-shaped
end of the stem of the second guide cylinder being slidably retained in the
second
longitudinally-extending cylindrical channel, with the stem of the second
guide cylinder
being slidable within the second longitudinally-extending slot, such that the
connected
second end of the presser rail may move in any direction independently from
the second
end.
By a first variant of this third broad aspect of this invention, the first
guide cylinder
is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending through an
associated first
circular aperture, with its lower ring abutting a lower surface of the area
around the
circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, and with its
intermediate
externally-threaded turret projecting above an upper surface of the area
surrounding the
circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, the externally-
threaded
intermediate turret being secured against the upper surface of the upper male
stripping die
assembly by an internally-threaded locking nut, and the second guide cylinder
is secured to
the upper support member by extending through an associated second circular
aperture,
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with its lower ring abutting a lower surface of the area around the circular
aperture of the
upper male stripping die assembly, and with its intermediate externally-
threaded turret
projecting above an upper surface of the area surrounding the circular
aperture of the upper
male stripping die assembly by the intermediate turret being secured against
the upper
surface of the upper male stripping die assembly by an internally-threaded
locking nut. By
a first variation thereof the internally-threaded locking nut includes a
plurality of notches
around its circumference, the upper male stripping die assembly includes a
plurality of
holes surrounding the circular aperture, and wherein a pin extends through a
selected notch
into a selected hole, thereby to prevent accidental unscrewing of the locking
nut.
By a second variant of this third broad aspect of this invention, the first
guide
cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending
through an
associated first circular aperture, with its lower ring abutting a lower
surface of the area
around the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, and
with its
intermediate turret projecting above an upper surface of the area surrounding
the circular
aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, the intermediate turret
being secured
against the upper surface of the upper male stripping die assembly by an
encircling O-ring,
and the second guide cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die
assembly by
extending through an associated second circular aperture, with its lower ring
abutting a
lower surface of the area around the circular aperture of upper male stripping
die assembly,
and with its intermediate member projecting above an upper surface of the area
surrounding the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly,
the intermediate
turret being secured against the upper surface of the upper male stripping die
assembly by
an encircling O-ring.
It is not essential for the turret of the second guide cylinder to be secured
to the
upper male stripping die assembly in the same manner as the turret of the
first guide
cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly.
By a third variant of this third broad aspect of this invention, and/or the
above
variants thereof, each of the first guide cylinder and the second guide
cylinder includes at
least one encircling groove for receiving an O-ring for sealing engagement
with the internal
periphery of an associated circular aperture in the upper male stripping die
assembly. By a
first variation thereof, there are two the encircling grooves, each for
receiving an
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associated O-ring, which are spaced apart by less than the thickness of the
upper male
stripping die assembly.
By a fourth variant of the above broad aspects of this invention, the presser
rail
includes a fixed lower resilient pad.
By a fifth variant of the above broad aspects of this invention, the presser
rail
includes a fixed resilient pad and a replaceable terminal resilient pad which
is spaced
longitudinally-apart from the fixed terminal resilient pad. By a first
variation thereof, the
assembly includes a metallic pin secured to the presser rail and having a
downwardly
projecting pointed end. By a second variation thereof, the terminal resilient
pad comprises
two transversely spaced-apart pads. By a third variation thereof, the assembly
includes a
metallic element disposed between the transversely spaced-apart pads, the
metallic element
including a downwardly projecting pointed end.
By a sixth variant of the above broad aspects of this invention, the inner
housing is
reciprocally movable within the outer housing. By a first variation thereof,
the inner
housing is resiliently mounted within the outer housing, and is upwardly
movable against
the reaction of a spring member. By a ninth variation thereof, the guide
cylinder includes a
piston rod, the lower end of which is secured to the inner housing.
The present invention in a fourth aspect, provides a stripper assembly
comprising a
stripper assembly including an upper male blanking die assembly. The upper
male stripping
die assembly includes at least one pair of longitudinally-spaced-apart
circular apertures,
and at least one depending die having a shape coincident with the outline of a
carton blank
to be stripped. The lower apertured female stripping die is provided for
supporting a carton
blank to be stripped, the lower stripping die including a central area having
an aperture of
a shape coincident with the outline of a carton blank to be stripped, and
peripheral support
areas. The upper male stripping die assembly is movable towards and away from
the
female stripping die. A presser assembly is provided. The presser assembly
includes a first
guide cylinder, the first guide cylinder including an outer housing
terminating in a lower
ring and an intermediate turret. The first guide cylinder includes an inner
housing having a
depending, longitudinally-extending stem terminating in a ball-shaped end. The
first guide
cylinder is secured to the upper male blanking die assembly by extending
through an
associated first circular aperture, with its lower ring abutting a lower
surface of the area
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around the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, and
with its
intermediate turret projecting above an upper surface of the area surrounding
the circular
aperture of the upper die assembly, the intermediate turret being secured
against the upper
surface of the upper male stripping die by a locking member. The presser
assembly
includes a second guide cylinder, the second guide cylinder including an outer
housing
terminating in a lower ring and an intermediate turret. The second guide
cylinder includes
an inner housing having a depending, longitudinally-extending stem terminating
in a ball-
shaped end, the second guide cylinder being secured to the upper male
stripping die
assembly by extending through an associated second circular aperture, with its
lower
terminal ring abutting a lower surface of the area around the circular
aperture of upper
male stripping die assembly, and with its intermediate member projecting above
an upper
surface of the area surrounding the circular aperture of the upper male
stripping die, the
intermediate turret being secured against the upper surface of the upper male
stripping die
by a locking member. The presser rail has a first end and a second end. The
first end of the
presser rail includes a first, longitudinally-extending, cylindrical channel
which opens to a
first, upwardly-directed, longitudinally-extending slot, and the second end of
the presser
rail includes a second, longitudinally-extending, cylindrical channel which
opens to a
second, upwardly-directed, longitudinally-extending slot. The first end of the
presser rail is
connected to the first guide cylinder by the ball-shaped end of the stem of
the first guide
cylinder being slidably retained in the first, longitudinally-extending,
cylindrical channel,
with the stem of the first guide cylinder being slidable within the first
longitudinally-
extending slot such that the connected first end of the presser rail may move
in any
direction independently from the second end, and the second end of the presser
rail being
connected to the second guide cylinder by the ball-shaped end of the stem of
the second
guide cylinder being slidably retained in the second longitudinally-extending
cylindrical
channel, with the stem of the second guide cylinder being slidable within the
second
longitudinally-extending slot, such that the connected second end of the
presser rail may
move in any direction independently from the second end. In use, the presser
rail is
uniformly pressed against the selvedge or waste portions of the carton blank
for
temporarily holding the selvedge or waste portions of the carbon blank on the
female
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
stripping die during a stripping operation, and to allow the carton blank to
be forced
through the aperture in the female stripping die. .
By a first variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, the first
guide
cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending
through an
associated first circular aperture, with its lower ring abutting a lower
surface of the area
around the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, and
with its
intermediate externally-threaded turret projecting above an upper surface of
the area
surrounding the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly,
the intermediate
externally-threaded turret being secured against the upper surface of the
upper male
stripping die by an internally-threaded locking nut, and the second guide
cylinder is
secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending through an
associated
second circular aperture, with its lower terminal ring abutting a lower
surface of the area
around the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, and
with its
intermediate externally-threaded turret member projecting above an upper
surface of the
area surrounding the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die
assembly, the
intermediate externally-threaded turret being secured against the upper
surface of the upper
male stripping die assembly by an internally-threaded locking nut. By a first
variation
thereof, the locking nut includes a plurality of notches around its
circumference, the upper
male stripping die assembly includes a plurality of holes surrounding the
circular aperture,
and a pin extends through a selected notch into a selected hole, thereby to
prevent
accidental unscrewing of the internally-threaded locking nut..
By a second variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, the first
guide
cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by extending
through an
associated first circular aperture, with its lower terminal ring abutting a
lower surface of
the area around the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die
assembly, and with its
intermediate turret projecting above an upper surface of the area surrounding
the circular
aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, the intermediate turret
being secured
against the upper surface of the upper male stripping die by an encircling O-
ring, and the
second guide cylinder is secured to the upper male stripping die assembly by
extending
through an associated second circular aperture, with its lower terminal ring
abutting a
lower surface of the area around the circular aperture of upper male stripping
die assembly,
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
and with its intermediate turret projecting above an upper surface of the area
surrounding
the circular aperture of the upper male stripping die assembly, the
intermediate turret being
secured against the upper surface of the upper male stripping die by an
encircling O-ring.
By a third variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, and or the
above
variants thereof, the presser rail includes a resilient pad for engaging the
waste or selvedge
of the carton blank.
By a fourth variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, and or the
above
variants thereof, each of the first guide cylinder and the second guide
cylinder includes at
least one encircling groove for receiving an O-ring for sealing engagement
with the internal
periphery of an associated circular aperture in the upper male stripping die
assembly. By a
first variation thereof, there are two the encircling grooves, each for
receiving an
associated O-ring, which are spaced apart by less than the thickness of the
upper male
stripping die assembly.
By a fifth variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, the presser
rail
includes a coextensive fixed resilient lower pad.
By a sixth variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, and/or the
above
variants thereof, the presser rail includes a fixed resilient pad and a
replaceable terminal
resilient pad which is spaced longitudinally-apart from the fixed terminal
resilient pad. By a
first variation thereof, a metallic pin secured to the presser rail and has a
downwardly
projecting painted end. By a second variation thereof, the terminal resilient
pad comprises
two transversely spaced-apart pads. By a third variation thereof, the inner
housing is
resiliently mounted within the outer housing, and is upwardly movable against
the reaction
of a spring member.
By a seventh variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, and or the
above
variants thereof, the inner housing is resiliently mounted within the outer
housing, and is
upwardly movable against the reaction of a spring member.
By an eighth variant of this fourth broad aspect of this invention, and or the
above
variants thereof, the stripper assembly includes a stop member for limiting
movement of
the presser rail away from the outer housing. By a first variation thereof,
the stripper
assembly includes a cushion which is disposed between the stop member and the
outer
CA 02317290 2000-08-29
housing. By a second variation thereof, the cushion comprises a washer which
is composed
of a resilient material.
(e) DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. lA is a side elevational view of a presser assembly of an embodiment of
an
aspect of this invention including an upper male blanking die assembly which
is provided
with a presser bar assembly of an aspect of this invention secured thereto,
and a lower
female blanking die with a blanked carton resting thereon, in its unpressed
orientation.
FIG. 1B is a side elevational view of the presser bar assembly of an
embodiment of
an aspect of this invention shown in FIG. lA, including an upper male blanking
die which
is provided with a presser bar assembly of an aspect of this invention secured
thereto, and
a lower female blanking die with a blanked carton having been pressed through
the lower
female blanking die.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a presser assembly of an embodiment of an
aspect
of this invention including an upper male blanking die which is provided with
a presser bar
assembly of an aspect of this invention secured thereto, and a lower female
blanking die
with a blanked carton having been pressed through the lower female blanking
die.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged central cross-sectional side view of the presser
assembly of an
embodiment of an aspect of this invention, also showing the attachment of the
guide
cylinder to the upper male blanking die assembly, (the male blanking die per
se being
omitted for clarity) and the attachment of the guide cylinder to the presser
bar.
FIG. 4 is a detail of the attachment of the guide cylinder to the presser bar.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the attachment of a
guide
cylinder to the presser bar.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing one embodiment of
a
manner of attaching the guide cylinder to the upper male blanking die
assembly.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing a second
embodiment
of a manner of attaching the guide cylinder to the upper male blanking die
assembly.
FIGS. 8 to 11 are views showing a third embodiment of a manner of attaching
the
guide cylinder to the upper male blanking die assembly, in which FIG. 8 is a
top plan view
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
of the area of the upper male blanking die assembly where the guide cylinder
is to be
attached, FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a locking member, FIG. 10 is a top plan
view of the
connected elements, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the manner of
connecting
the guide cylinder to the upper male blanking die assembly.
FIG. 12 is a vertical section through one embodiment of the lower end of an
assembled guide cylinder/presser bar.
FIG. 13 is a composite, exploded, perspective view showing the manner of
assembly of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a section through another embodiment of the lower end of an
assembled
guide cylinder/presser bar.
FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 14.
(fj AT LEAST ONE MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention, in its broad aspects, provides an improvement over the
three
embodiments of the connection of the guide cylinder to the presser rail as
described in the
three above-identified Oetlinger U.S. patents. Thus, the present invention, in
its broad
aspects, provides a novel attachment system of a cylindrical guide member to
an upper
support (i.e., a male blanking die assembly) and a novel attachment system of
the
cylindrical guide member to a presser rail. These improvements will be
described in more
detail in FIGS. 3 to 6.
Referring more generally to FIG. lA, FIG. 1B and FIG. 2, a presser assembly in
accordance with one embodiment of an aspect of the present invention is
generally
designated by the reference number 100. The presser assembly 100 includes
presser rail
103 which is moved vertically during a blanking or stripping operation. The
male pressing
die to strip the carton blanks away from the selvedge or wastes shown as 108
herein, for
clarity. The upper male blanking die assembly101 is an elongated member having
a first,
upper face 110 and a second, lower face 111. The male pressing die 108 is
secured to
lower face 111. In addition, each face 110, 111, is interconnected by at least
one pair of
spaced-apart circular apertures extending through the upper male blanking die
assembly
101. In practice there would generally be, e.g., over twenty of such pairs of
apertures, to
enable a like number of presser bars. These apertures are provided in the
upper male
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
blanking die assembly 101 to facilitate the mounting of a cylindrical guide
cylinder 105 to
the male blanking die assembly 101, in a manner to be described hereinafter.
FIG. lA shows the stripping machine before the stripping operation, with the
carton
blank 107, including its soon-to-become waste or selvedge 109, resting on the
lower,
female blanking die 102, and with the male blanking die 108 immediately above
the carton
blank 107.
FIG. 1B shows the stripping machine after the stripping operation, with the
male
blanking die 108 having pushed the carton blank 107 through the opening in the
female
blanking die 102, and with the presser bar 103 holding the waste or selvedge
109 onto the
perimeter of the female blanking die 102.
FIG. 2 shows, in perspective, a schematic version of a stripping machine. The
stripping machine includes an upper male stripping die assembly 101, to the
bottom 111 of
which the male stripping die 108 is secured, and a lower female stripping die
103. As is
conventional, the upper male stripping die assembly 101 thus includes a
depending,
profiled male stripping die 108 of the same shape as the outline of the carton
blank 107,
and the lower female stripping die 103 has a carton-blank aperture 114 therein
which is of
the same shape as the outline of the carton blank 107. While only one carton
blank 107 is
shown, whereby there is one profiled male stripping die 108 and one carton-
blank aperture
114, in commercial practice, there will be a plurality, e.g., twenty or more,
blanks 107.
Accordingly, the upper male stripping die assembly 101 would generally include
a plurality
of profiled male stripping dies 108 coinciding with the number of blanks 107.
Similarly,
the lower female blanking die 102 includes a like plurality of carton-blank
apertures 114, in
the form of a grid of a plurality of mutually-transverse grid rails to provide
openings for
the carton blanks to be discharged therethrough. The conventional grid rails
(not shown)
and the periphery of the die 102 support the waste or selvedge, e.g., of the
carton blank
107 to be stripped away.
The presser assembly 100 includes a presser bar 103 which is secured to a pair
of
guide cylinders only one of which guide cylinder 105, being shown. The presser
bar 103
is secured to the guide cylinder 105 in a variety of manners to be described
in greater detail
hereinafter. The guide cylinder105 is secured to the upper male stripping die
assembly 101
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
in a variety of manners to be described in greater detail hereinafter. The
stripped carton
blank 107 is shown below the stripping machine.
As seen in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the cylindrical guide cylinder 105
includes
a housing for mounting to the male blanking die assembly 101. The housing
includes a
tubular body portion and a cylindrical stop ring portion extending outwardly
therefrom.
More particularly, the cylindrical guide cylinder includes an outer housing
350 including a
central bore 352. An inner housing 329 is longitudinally slidably disposed
within central
bore 252. A piston rod 354 extends through the central bore 356 of the inner
housing
member 329 and is threadedly secured in an internally threaded bore 358
thereof by
threaded end 360. The other end of piston rod 354 extends through a bushing
362 at the
upper end 364 of the outer housing 350. A coil spring 366 encircles the piston
rod 354 and
rests with its lower end at the base of bore 356, and with its upper end
abutting the disc
portion 368 of the bushing 362. Bushing 362 is held in place by lock ring 370.
The lower end of the outer housing 350 is provided with a terminal stop ring
378
and with a pair of suitably spaced-apart encircling grooves 380, 382 within
each one of
which is secured an O-ring 384,388. Immediately above the upper O-ring 384,
the housing
350 is provided with an externally threaded turret 388. These external threads
are adapted
to cooperate with an internally-threaded bearing nut or locking member 390 to
hold each
cylindrical guide cylinder 105 to the male stripping die assembly 101, in a
manner to be
described hereinafter.
As previously described, the lower end of inner housing 329 has an integral
depending stem 328 which terminates in a knob 330.
In the assembly of the cylindrical guide cylinder105, the piston rod 354 is
extended
through bore 356 and its lower threaded end 360 is threaded into the
internally-threaded
well at lower end of the inner housing 329, with the piston rod being
encircled by the coil
spring 366. The so-connected inner housing 329 is slidably installed into the
bore 352 of
the outer housing 350 until the spring 366 abuts the lower end of upper guide
bushing 362.
The amount of the biassing between the outer housing 350 and the inner housing
329 is
adjusted and the upper end of the piston rod 354 is secured in place. This
securing in place
is achieved by means of a jam nut 370 which is secured in place by a nylon
lockout 372,
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
with a rubber shock absorber 374 disposed between the upper end of the outer
housing 350
and the jam nut 370.
Each cylindrical guide cylinder 145 is secured to the upper male stripping die
assembly 101 in the following manner, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6..
As previously described, the male stripping die assembly 101 is provided with
a
circular hole 314 therethrough for each cylindrical guide cylinder 105. The
cylindrical
guide cylinder 105, which has been assembled as described above, is inserted
through the
circular hole 314 so that the stop ring 378 abuts the lower face 111 of the
upper male
stripping die assembly 101. The two spaced-apart O-rings 384,386 seal against
the inner
periphery of the circular hole 314, with the externally threaded turret 388
projecting above
the top surface 110 of the upper male stripping die assembly 101. Then the
bearing nut 390
is threaded into the externally threaded turret 388 and is threaded until its
lower surface
abuts the upper surface 110 of the upper male stripping die assembly 101 to
secure the
cylindrical guide cylinder 105 to the upper male stripping die 101, with the
stem 328 and
its terminal knob 330 extending below the male stripping die 101.
The terminal knob 330 of the stem 328 is slidably fitted into the cylindrical,
longitudinally-extending channel 334 of the presser rail 103 and can slide
therein by way of
the slot 335. The combination of the knob 330 and the channel 334 and slot
335, provides
a universal joint-type connection, allowing unrestricted rotational movement
of the presser
rail 103 with respect to the cylindrical guide members 105.
The presser rail 103 includes an upper presser bar 331 (within which are
channel
334 and slot 335 and a lower resilient rubber-like rail 332 which is secured
to the bottom
333 of upper presser bar 331.
Because of these universal joint-type interconnections between the cylindrical
guide
members 105 and the presser rail 103 as described above, the ends of the
presser rail 103
may move in all directions, each in unison or independently of the opposite
end of the
presser rail 110. This, in turn, increases the flexibility of the presser rail
103.
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of an aspect of the connection of the
cylindrical
guide member 105 to the upper male stripping die assembly 101 in the presser
assembly of
an aspect of the present invention. This is constituted by a modification of
the cylindrical
guide cylinder, now given reference numeral 705. Cylindrical guide cylinder
705 includes
CA 02317290 2000-08-29
most parts which are identical with cylindrical guide cylinder 105, and those
parts are
provided with the same reference numbers. However, in this embodiment, turret
788 is not
provided with the external threads, but is, instead provided with a snap-ring
interlock 789.
The connection of cylindrical guide cylinder 705 to upper male stripping die
101 is
the same as previously described, with the following change. When the turret
758 having
the snap ring interlock 789 extends above upper surface 110 of upper male
stripping die
assembly 101, the snap ring 790 is engaged with the snap ring interlock 789 on
the turret
788 and is urged downwardly until it abuts the upper surface 110 of the upper
male
stripping die 101, to secure the cylindrical guide cylinder 705 to the upper
male stripping
die 101.
FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show another embodiment of the securement
of the cylindrical guide cylinder to the upper male stripping die assembly
101. As seen in
FIG. 8, the peripheral area around an aperture 814 is provided with a
plurality, namely
nine, small drill holes 815. The locking member 890 is a ring-like member 891
which is
provided with internal threads 891 (See FIG. 11) and four equi-spaced-apart
notches 892.
As seen in FIG. 11, the locking member 890 has been threaded by threads 891
into the
threads of turret 388, until one of the notches 892 is lined up around one of
the small drill
holes 815. A pin 893 is inserted through that drill hole 815 to prevent
locking member 890
from accidentally unscrewing.
FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 show another embodiment of the lower end of the
cylindrical
guide/presser rail 105. In this embodiment, the presser rail 1203 includes an
upper member
1231, a major lower fixed resilient material pad 1232, and a replaceable,
resilient material
split tip 1233. In the mid-area between split tips 1233 is a rigid, e.g.,
steel, member 1234,
which is provided with a projecting tip 1235. In all other aspects, the guide
cylinder 808 is
attached to the presser rail 805 in the above-described manner. When in use,
the projecting
tip 1235 of the presser bar 1203 slightly impales the waste or selvedge 109,
better to secure
the carton blank in place on the female blanking die 102.
FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 shows yet still another embodiment of the lower end of the
cylindrical guide/presser rail 105. In this embodiment, the presser rail 1403
is provided
with a depending pin 1406, as well as a major resilient material pad 1432 and
a terminal
resilient material pad 1432. The pin 1406 includes a head 1407 and a shank
1432 as well as
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
a pointed tip 1409. Head 1407 is secured within countersunk well 1410 and the
shank 1408
is threaded into internally threaded aperture 1411. When in use, the pointed
tip 1409 of the
presser bar 1403 impales the waste or selvedge 109, better to secure the
carton blank in
place on the female blanking die.
In operation, the upper male blanking die assembly, with its attached
depending,
blanking die and its attached, depending presser bar is urged downwardly, in
the usual
manner, towards the carton blanks which are supported in the lower female die
plate. The
presser bars first engage the soon-to-be waste or selvedge surrounding the
carton blank to
hold it firmly against the lower female blanking die. The upper male blanking
die then
continues in its downward motion to cause the male blanking die to punch the
carton blank
through the opening in the lower female blanking die, and to deposit the
carton blank on a
suitable platform. The waste or selvedge remains held to the lower female
blanking die.
The upper male blanking die is then moved upwardly, thereby simultaneously
releasing the
gripping of the presser bars on the waste or selvedge. Conventional gripping
fingers then
grip the waste or selvedge and discard it as waste, allowing another carton
blank to be
placed in the lower female blanking die.
The above procedure is then repeated.
As a result of these specific universal joint-type interconnections as
described
above, connection between the cylindrical guide members and the presser rail
is made easy.
Due to the various degrees of motion of these universal-type interconnection
means, the
cylindrical guide member and the presser rail need not be accurately aligned
for the
connection to be made. Moreover, the presser rail may move vertically upwardly
and
downwardly even if the movement is not 100 % vertical without impediment,
since the ends
of the presser rail are independently movable. Contact of the presser rail
with the carton
blank need not be simultaneous for the length of the presser rail. As a
result, the waste or
selvedge of the carton blank is more adequately supported. This, in turn,
prevents
jamming the blanking operating machinery.
As a result of the cooperation between the various embodiments of the turret
and
the cooperating snap ring or bearing nut, the cylinder assembly can very
easily be attached
to the upper male blanking die assembly. In addition, the O-rings assure a
positive gripping
of the guide cylinder within the hole in the upper male blanking die assembly.
Thus, since
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CA 02317290 2000-08-29
each guide cylinder need not be screwed onto the upper male blanking die, as
in the prior
art, the connection of the guide cylinder to the upper blanking die is greatly
facilitated.
23
