Quick-change die and roller assembly

Claim 2

A quick-change die and roller assembly, comprising in combination, a housing, a roller shaft secured to said housing and fixed thereby against rotation for supporting extrusion rollers internally of the die, an inner quill shaft rotatably mounted with respect to and surrounding said roller shaft for rotation therearound, said quill shaft having said die secured thereto around said extrusion rollers, a drive shaft or outer quill shaft rotatably supported by said housing and surrounding said inner quill shaft, either said drive shaft or said inner quill shaft including an annular groove formed on one of said shafts, a plurality of elements mounted on the other of said shafts which can be moved into and out of engagement with the groove on the one shaft, said elements being biasable from said shaft into the groove on the other shaft, a plurality of springs biasing said elements into said engagement position with said groove, a plurality of fluid operated reciprocating pistons formed to act when activated against the biasing action of said springs to contract said elements to the released position out of engagement with the internal groove of said shaft, and means interconnecting said inner quill shaft and said outer quill or drive shaft by a mechanical interference fit when said shafts are biased longitudinally towards each other, said interconnection not being a force or friction fit and not requiring a separation force in excess of that to simply move the parts apart when the force biasing said shafts is removed and not requiring a torque to remove the biasing force, means for remotely actuating the pistons whereby said inner quill shaft, said die, and said roller shaft may be disengaged and withdrawn from said drive shaft by simply pulling the inner and outer quill shafts apart.

Claim 3

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 1 wherein said elements are segments which in effect form a portion of an annular expansion member mounted on the inner quill shaft and which can be pivotally biased outwardly from said inner quill shaft into the groove which is formed internally of the drive shaft, said plurality of springs are mounted on said inner quill shaft, an annular ring surrounds said quill shaft and is disposed between each of said segments and said springs to bias said segments into the expanded condition, said plurality of pistons oppose the mechanical effect of said spring pressure on said segments, and said fluid operated means is formed for simultaneous actuation of said pistons to overcome said spring pressure and retract said segments around said quill shaft.

Claim 4

The quick-chanGe die and roller assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said elements is a ball held in an annular holding member surrounding the groove formed around said inner quill shaft, said balls being biased inwardly toward said inner quill shaft and into said groove for engagement in said groove.

Claim 5

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 3, including an annular locking ring having an inclined inner surface acting against said balls for biasing said balls into said groove.

Claim 6

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 4, including a plurality of springs biasing said locking ring against said balls.

Claim 7

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 5, wherein a plurality of fluid operated reciprocating pistons are provided to move said locking ring to the unlocked position, against the biasing action of said springs, to allow said balls to move out of said groove.

Claim 8

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 6 further including an unlocking ring surrounding said inner quill shaft, said unlocking ring disposed adjacent said pistons, a plurality of pin elements slidably supported in said holding ring within said outer quill shaft, said pin elements extending between said unlocking ring and said locking ring whereby, upon actuation of said pistons by the application of fluid pressure thereto, said unlocking ring, pin elements and locking ring will be moved to the unlocked position.

Claim 9

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 1, wherein said roller shaft includes an end flange keyed thereto, said end flange having a receptacle for a shear pin, and a shear pin reciprocatably mounted on the housing to engage the receptacle in said flange to prevent rotation of the roller shaft.

Claim 10

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 8, wherein said drive shaft includes an internally formed groove and said means for engagement of the drive shaft with the quill shaft comprises a plurality of pivotable segments which can be biased into and out of engagement with said internal groove.

Claim 11

The quick-change die and roller assembly of claim 1 wherein said drive shaft includes a drive gear secured to the outside surface thereof and said inner and outer quill shafts include opposing meshed gear interfaces, whereby when said quill shaft and roller shaft are secured therein and biased longitudinally towards each other to mesh the gear interfaces and said drive gear is operated, said drive shaft will be rotated to thereby rotate said quill shaft and said die.

Claim 12

A quick-change die and roller assembly for a pellet mill, comprising, in combination, a housing, a roller shaft secured to said housing for supporting extrusion rollers and generally disposed extending along the central longitudinal axis of said housing, a rear flange splined to said roller shaft and having a receptacle for a shear pin formed therein, a shear pin mounted on said housing for reciprocating engagement of said flange receptacle to prevent said rear flange and, thereby, said roller shaft from rotating with respect to said housing, an inner quill shaft rotatably mounted with respect to and surrounding said roller shaft, a die secured to said inner quill shaft for rotation therewith around the extrusion rollers mounted on the roller shaft, an annular ring surrounding said inner quill shaft and supporting a plurality of spring alignment pins aligned with the axis of said shaft, a spring surrounding each of said alignment pins, an annular sleeve secured to said annular ring and surrounding said pins and said springs, a slidable annular plate surrounding said inner quill shaft within the space between said annular sleeve and the outside surface of said inner quill shaft, said annular plate being disposed in an abutting relationship with said springs, a plurality of locator pins held in said annular plate, a plurality of pivotable segments having cam faces formed on the surface disposed away from said annular Plate, said segments straddling said locator pins and pivoted on said annular plate and being normally biased into an expanded position to project outwardly from the surface of said inner quill shaft by the action of said springs, a plurality of rollers disposed against the cam faces of said segments, an annular sliding L-shaped ring member surrounding said inner quill shaft and disposed between said shaft and said rollers and in abutment with said rollers, a plurality of hydraulically operated reciprocating pistons disposed on said inner quill shaft and which act against said L-shaped ring members, said rollers, and against the biasing force of said springs to compress said springs to slide said L-shaped ring along said shaft inside said annular sleeve when said pistons are activated whereby said sleeve engages said segments and rotates them about said locator pins into the contracted position, an outer quill or drive shaft rotatably supported within said housing and having an inner groove formed on the inner surface thereof, said outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft with said inner quill shaft being removably disposed therein by the coaction of said outwardly expanded pivoting segments with said inner groove, said inner quill shaft being capable of being withdrawn from said outer quill shaft when said segments are pivoted inwardly or contracted by the action of said reciprocating pistons, and engaged interface gears mounted on and secured to said inner and outer quill shafts whereby when said drive shaft is rotated, said inner quill shaft and said die will be rotated about said roller shaft.

Claim 13

A quick-change die and roller assembly for a pellet mill, comprising, in combination, a housing, a roller shaft secured to said housing for supporting extrusion rollers and generally disposed extending along the central longitudinal axis of said housing, a rear flange splined to said roller shaft and having a receptacle for a shear pin formed therein, a shear pin mounted on said housing for reciprocating engagement of said flange receptacle to prevent said rear flange and, thereby, said roller shaft from rotating with respect to said housing, an inner quill shaft rotatably mounted with respect to and surrounding said roller shaft, a die secured to said inner quill shaft for rotation therewith around the extrusion rollers mounted on the roller shaft, an annular ring surrounding said inner quill shaft and supporting a plurality of spring alignment pins aligned with the axis of said shaft, a spring surrounding each of said alignment pins, an annular sleeve secured to said annular ring and surrounding said pins and said springs, a slidable annular plate surrounding said inner quill shaft within the space between said annular sleeve and the outside surface of said inner quill shaft, said annular plate being disposed in an abutting relationship with said springs, a plurality of locator pins held in said annular plate, a plurality of pivotable segments having cam faces formed on the surface disposed away from said annular Plate, said segments straddling said locator pins and pivoted on said annular plate and being normally biased into an expanded position to project outwardly from the surface of said inner quill shaft by the action of said springs, a plurality of rollers disposed against the cam faces of said segments, an annular sliding L-shaped ring member surrounding said inner quill shaft and disposed between said shaft and said rollers and in abutment with said rollers, a plurality of hydraulically operated reciprocating pistons disposed on said inner quill shaft and which act against said L-shaped ring members, said rollers, and against the biasing force of said springs to compress said springs to slide said L-shaped ring along said shaft inside said annular sleeve when said pistons are activated whereby said sleeve engages said segments and rotates them about said locator pins into the contracted position, an outer quill or drive shaft rotatably supported within said housing and having an inner groove formed on the inner surface thereof, said outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft with said inner quill shaft being removably disposed therein by the coaction of said outwardly expanded pivoting segments with said inner groove, said inner quill shaft being capable of being withdrawn from said outer quill shaft when said segments are pivoted inwardly or contracted by the action of said reciprocating pistons, and engaged interface gears mounted on and secured to said inner and outer quill shafts whereby when said drive shaft is rotated, said inner quill shaft and said die will be rotated about said roller shaft.

Claim 14

A quick-change die and roller assembly for a pellet mill, comprising, in combination, a housing, a roller shaft secured to said housing for supporting extrusion rollers and generally disposed extending along the central longitudinal axis of said housing, a rear flange splined to said roller shaft and having a receptacle for a shear pin formed therein, a shear pin mounted on said housing for reciprocating engagement of said flange receptacle to prevent said rear flange and, thereby, said roller shaft from rotating with respect to said housing, an inner quill shaft rotatably mounted with respect to and surrounding said roller shaft, a die secured to said inner quill shaft for rotation therewith around the extrusion rollers mounted on the roller shaft, an annular ring mounted in an outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft and supporting a plurality of spring alignment pins aligned with the axis of said shaft, a spring surrounding each of said alignment pins, a reciprocating annular locking ring mounted on said outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft, said locking ring having a tapered inner surface and being disposed in an abutting relationship with said springs, a plurality of balls mounted within a holding member surrounding said inner quill shaft and being normally biased into a groove formed around said inner quill shaft by the action of said springs against said locking ring, an annular sliding unlocking ring surrounding said inner quill shaft, a plurality of reciprocating pin elements disposed between said locking and unlocking rings, a plurality of hydraulically operated reciprocating pistons disposed around said outer quill shaft and which act against said unlocking ring, said pin elements, said locking ring, and against the biasing force of said springs to compress said springs to slide said locking ring along said inner quill shaft when said pistons are activated whereby said tapered inner surface of the locking ring is moved away from said balls, said outer quill shaft being rotatably supported within said housing surrounding said inner quill shaft with said inner quill shaft being removably disposed therein by the coaction of said balls with said groove, said inner quill shaft being capable of being withdrawn from said outer quill shaft When said balls are released by the action of said reciprocating pistons, and engaged interface gears mounted on and secured to said inner and outer quill shafts whereby when said driveshaft is rotated, said inner quill shaft and said die will be rotated about said roller shaft.

Claim 15

A quick-change die and roller assembly for a pellet mill, comprising, in combination, a housing, a roller shaft secured to said housing for supporting extrusion rollers and generally disposed extending along the central longitudinal axis of said housing, a rear flange splined to said roller shaft and having a receptacle for a shear pin formed therein, a shear pin mounted on said housing for reciprocating engagement of said flange receptacle to prevent said rear flange and, thereby, said roller shaft from rotating with respect to said housing, an inner quill shaft rotatably mounted with respect to and surrounding said roller shaft, a die secured to said inner quill shaft for rotation therewith around the extrusion rollers mounted on the roller shaft, an annular ring mounted in an outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft and supporting a plurality of spring alignment pins aligned with the axis of said shaft, a spring surrounding each of said alignment pins, a reciprocating annular locking ring mounted on said outer quill shaft surrounding said inner quill shaft, said locking ring having a tapered inner surface and being disposed in an abutting relationship with said springs, a plurality of balls mounted within a holding member surrounding said inner quill shaft and being normally biased into a groove formed around said inner quill shaft by the action of said springs against said locking ring, an annular sliding unlocking ring surrounding said inner quill shaft, a plurality of reciprocating pin elements disposed between said locking and unlocking rings, a plurality of hydraulically operated reciprocating pistons disposed around said outer quill shaft and which act against said unlocking ring, said pin elements, said locking ring, and against the biasing force of said springs to compress said springs to slide said locking ring along said inner quill shaft when said pistons are activated whereby said tapered inner surface of the locking ring is moved away from said balls, said outer quill shaft being rotatably supported within said housing surrounding said inner quill shaft with said inner quill shaft being removably disposed therein by the coaction of said balls with said groove, said inner quill shaft being capable of being withdrawn from said outer quill shaft When said balls are released by the action of said reciprocating pistons, and engaged interface gears mounted on and secured to said inner and outer quill shafts whereby when said driveshaft is rotated, said inner quill shaft and said die will be rotated about said roller shaft.