Arrangement in tool changes for stamping and nibbling machines and the like

Claim 2

A punch press comprising: a. a working station including a ram and a bolster adapted to engage coactive punch and die tooling; b. a movable storage magazine receptive of coactive punch and die tooling; c. a pair of tool transfer arms disposed between said working station and said storage magazine and rotatable about a vertical axis with an end of each arm thus movable between a position adjacent to said magazine and a position where said end is aligned with said ram and bolster; and d. means on each said arm for engaging with the tooling, said arms holding the tooling in coactive alignment during punching.

Claim 3

A punch press according to claim 1 in which said engaging means comprises: extendible tool gripping means carried on said arm, and fixed tool clamping means at said end of said arm, said tool gripping means being operable for gripping aNd releasing the tooling in said magazine when extended, and for retractingly moving the tooling to said clamping means on said arm for punching.

Claim 4

A punch press according to claim 1 in which said storage magazine is rotatable about a vertical axis, said magazine having radially opening peripheral slots receptive of the tooling.

Claim 5

A punch press according to claim 3 in which said storage magazine has a plurality of axially spaced sets of said peripheral slots, and means for shifting said magazine axially to align a selected group of peripheral slots with said arms.

Claim 6

An automatic retooling means in machines working with two cooperating tools such as stamping, nibbling and like machines, the tools being transferred by means of tool change over means from a turret-type magazine arranged in connection with the machine to a working position in said machine, said retooling means comprising a plurality of superposed pairs of turret head plates arranged to carry respective cooperating pairs of tools in the magazine in positions relative to their corresponding working position, and two parallel and simultaneously operating tool changing means being arranged for transporting the respective tools from the magazine to the working position and vice versa, said turret head plates being arranged to be commonly rotated and moved in the direction of their axis of rotation to move the respective cooperating pairs of tools to determined positions to be gripped by the tool changing means and being fixed to a hub having the form of a cylinder and in which a piston is slidably accommodated, the piston being stationary and the hub capable of being moved axially in relation to the piston by introducing pressure medium above the piston to place axially respective pairs of tools in gripping positions.

Claim 7

An automatic retooling means in machines working with two cooperating tools such as stamping, nibbling and like machines, the tools being transferred by means of tool change over means from a turret-type magazine arranged in connection with the machine to a working position in said machine, said retooling means comprising a plurality of superposed pairs of turret head plates arranged to carry respective cooperating pairs of tools in the magazine in positions relative to their corresponding working position, and two parallel and simultaneously operating tool changing means being arranged for transporting the respective tools from the magazine to the working position and vice versa, said turret head plates being arranged to be commonly rotated and moved in the direction of their axis of rotation to move the respective cooperating pairs of tools to determined positions to be gripped by the tool changing means and being fixed to a hub having the form of a cylinder and in which a piston is slidably accommodated, the piston being stationary and the hub capable of being moved axially in relation to the piston by introducing pressure medium above the piston to place axially respective pairs of tools in gripping positions.

Claim 8

A means according to claim 5, wherein the tool magazine constructed of said turret head plates is arranged to place the tool pair for the next following working operating in gripping position whilst a working operation is taking place in the machine.

Claim 9

A means according to claim 5, wherein the tool changing means is arranged to accommodate the gripped tools in guides which serve as guides for the tools during their working period in the machine.

Claim 10

A means according to claim 7, wherein the tool changing means is provided with guide means for aligning and fixing the cooperating tool pair in working position.