Hydraulic servo valve controlled cupping press

Claim 2

In a blanking and forming die press for deep drawn members such as drawn and ironed cans, an actuator with a longitudinal central axis and an outer periphery, comprising a multi-stage cylinder having a main body, a first cylinder portion movable with respect to said main body adjacent the outer periphery thereof, said first cylinder portion comprising a sleeve mounted over said main body and having piston portions cooperating with portions of said main body to form a fluid cylinder operable to move said sleeve with respect to said main body between a cutting and a retracted position, a hold down member, means defining a hold down cylinder and piston combination acting between said hold down member and said main body, and means to actuate said hold down cylinder to force said hold down member away from said main body, and cooperating means between said sleeve and said hold down member operable to retract said hold down member when said sleeve is retracted, but to permit movement of said sleeve toward its cutting position independently of said hold down member.

Claim 3

The combination as specified in claim 1 and limit detector means to determine when said sleeve reaches said cutting position, cooperating stop means between said hold down member and said sleeve to prevent said sleeve from moving to activate said limit detector means if said hold down member is held from moving a desired amount in direction away from said main body.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 1 and a cylinder rod having piston portions thereon cooperating with said main body and slidably mounted with respect thereto generally centered along the longitudinal central axis, said center cylinder portions being concentric with said sleeve and said hold down member and operable independently thereto for forming operations.

Claim 5

The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said cooperating means between said sleeve and said hold down member comprise a lug on said hold down member, and a cooperating shoulder on said sleeve operable to retract said hold down cylinder toward said main body when said sleeve is retracted.

Claim 6

The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said actuator includes a longitudinal passageway through said cylinder rod, and a stroke transducer attached between said main body portion and said cylinder rod to provide means for sensing position of said cylinder rod with respect to said main body, said stroke transducer being carried in said passageway.

Claim 7

The combination as specified in claim 3 and a longitudinal passageway defined in said cylinder rod, and transfer tube means mounted in said passageway in said rod, the exterior of said transfer tube means being open to a first fluid used for actuating said cylinder rod, sealing means between said rod and the exterior of said transfer tube means, and the interior of said transfer tube means being open to a second fluid supplied to said passageway in said rod.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 6 wherein said cylinder rod has two longitudinal passageways spaced from each other, separate transfer tube means in each of said longitudinal passageways, a work element attached to the outer end of said rod, connecting passageways in said work element fluidly connecting said longitudinal passageways, and means to connect the interior passageway of one of said transfer tube means to a source of work element cooling fluid.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 1 wherein said main body has a base and an outwardly extending end and first cylinder portion is formed at an outwardly extending end of said actuator and is formed by reducing the cross sectional size of said main body member adjacent the outwardly extending end thereof.

Claim 10

The comBination of claim 8 wherein said sleeve is positioned to the exterior of said hold down cylinder.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 1 wherein said main body has a base end and an outer end and has a reduced cross sectional size portion adjacent its outer end forming a shoulder, a support ring mounted on said reduced cross sectional size portion and having an end surface facing said shoulder and spaced therefrom, said piston portions comprising an internal piston member on said sleeve positioned between said shoulder and said end surface and slidably sealed with respect to the reduced cross sectional portion to form chambers on opposite sides of said internal piston member.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 10 and sleeve bearing means for supporting said sleeve, one of said bearing means being mounted on said main body between said shoulder and said base end, and one of said bearing means being mounted in position spaced between the end surface of said ring and the outer end of said actuator.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 11 wherein said means defining said hold down cylinder and piston combination are of relative size and said cooperating means include nonsecured engagable members so that said hold down member may tilt between two to five degrees to accommodate irregularities in material contacted by said hold down member.

Claim 14

A forming press including a frame having a pair of cross heads fixedly supported relative to each other and spaced apart, a hydraulic actuator comprising a main actuator body having a base end mounted on one cross head and an outer end spaced from the base end and extending toward the other cross head, a blanking and drawing die assembly supported on said other cross head in alignment with said hydraulic actuator, said main actuator body including a cutting cylinder for cutting a blank, and including means defining a hold down cylinder having a hold down member movable to an extended position for engaging and holding a blank cut by said cutting cylinder against said die assembly, and means to directly mechanically support said means defining said hold down cylinder on said main body whereby force developed by said hold down cylinder is reacted directly by said main body to said one cross head and frame, said hold down cylinder being a single acting cylinder and said cutting cylinder being a double acting cylinder, and mechanical means directly acting between said cutting cylinder and said hold down cylinder to move said hold down member away from its extended position as soon as the cutting cylinder retracts past to a position where the mechanical means engage.

Claim 15

A forming press including a frame having a pair of cross heads fixedly supported relative to each other and spaced apart, a hydraulic actuator comprising a main actuator body having a base end mounted on one cross head and an outer end spaced from the base end and extending toward the other cross head, a blanking and drawing die assembly supported on said other cross head in alignment with said hydraulic actuator, said main actuator body including a cutting cylinder for cutting a blank, and including means defining a hold down cylinder having a hold down member movable to an extended position for engaging and holding a blank cut by said cutting cylinder against said die assembly, and means to directly mechanically support said means defining said hold down cylinder on said main body whereby force developed by said hold down cylinder is reacted directly by said main body to said one cross head and frame, said hold down cylinder being a single acting cylinder and said cutting cylinder being a double acting cylinder, and mechanical means directly acting between said cutting cylinder and said hold down cylinder to move said hold down member away from its extended position as soon as the cutting cylinder retracts past to a position where the mechanical means engage.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 13 and a die set including a support pad for supporting a blank, said die set including a blank drawing opening, means to supply pressure to said hold down cylinder to force said hold down member against a blank on said support pad to restrain said blank, punch means to draw a blank being restrained by said hold down member through said opening, and means to control said cutting cylinder to mechanically move said hold down cylinder away from said blank before said blank is completely drawn by said punch means.

Claim 17

An actuator used for forming drawn and ironed cans comprising a main cylinder body having a fluid power cylinder cavity defined therein, a piston and longitudinally extending rod assembly mounted in said fluid power cylinder cavity and being actuable by a first fluid under pressure introduced into said fluid power cylinder cavity, said piston and rod assembly having a portion extending to the exterior of said main body, a longitudinally extending passageway in said piston and rod assembly, a transfer tube having a first end portion fixed to said main body and other portions positioned in said fluid power cylinder cavity and having portions slidably mounted in said passageway of said piston and rod assembly, said transfer tube having an exterior surface and an interior passageway, means connecting the interior passageway of said transfer tube tO a source of a second fluid to be supplied to the longitudinal passageway of said piston and rod assembly, sealing means between the exterior of said transfer tube and said piston and rod assembly to slidably seal the longitudinal passageway of said piston from fluid communication with the fluid power cylinder cavity when the piston and rod assembly is actuated.

Claim 18

An actuator used for forming drawn and ironed cans comprising a main cylinder body having a fluid power cylinder cavity defined therein, a piston and longitudinally extending rod assembly mounted in said fluid power cylinder cavity and being actuable by a first fluid under pressure introduced into said fluid power cylinder cavity, said piston and rod assembly having a portion extending to the exterior of said main body, a longitudinally extending passageway in said piston and rod assembly, a transfer tube having a first end portion fixed to said main body and other portions positioned in said fluid power cylinder cavity and having portions slidably mounted in said passageway of said piston and rod assembly, said transfer tube having an exterior surface and an interior passageway, means connecting the interior passageway of said transfer tube tO a source of a second fluid to be supplied to the longitudinal passageway of said piston and rod assembly, sealing means between the exterior of said transfer tube and said piston and rod assembly to slidably seal the longitudinal passageway of said piston from fluid communication with the fluid power cylinder cavity when the piston and rod assembly is actuated.

Claim 19

A drawing die press assembly for forming can blanks comprising a frame having first and second cross supports fixed to said frame and spaced apart, a drawing die member mounted on said first cross support and defining an opening, fluid pressure cylinder means mounted on said second cross support and having an actuable punch member mounted thereon and movable to enter the die member opening under fluid pressure to form a can blank supported on the die member directly over the opening, said fluid pressure cylinder means further including a fluid pressure operated hold down member operable to engage a can blank in position resting on said die member and hold said blank under force as the punch member enters the drawing die member opening, said die member and said punch member being positioned so that the surface of a blank supported on said die member when the blank is held by said hold down member lies generally along a common bisecting plane between said cross supports, and said cross supports having substantially the same resistance to bending under loads from said fluid pressure cylinder means so that bending of said cross supports under load results in the center lines of said die member and said mating punch member intersecting at a point lying substantially in said bisecting plane.

Claim 20

A drawing die press assembly for forming can blanks comprising a frame having first and second cross supports fixed to said frame and spaced apart, a drawing die member mounted on said first cross support and defining an opening, fluid pressure cylinder means mounted on said second cross support and having an actuable punch member mounted thereon and movable to enter the die member opening under fluid pressure to form a can blank supported on the die member directly over the opening, said fluid pressure cylinder means further including a fluid pressure operated hold down member operable to engage a can blank in position resting on said die member and hold said blank under force as the punch member enters the drawing die member opening, said die member and said punch member being positioned so that the surface of a blank supported on said die member when the blank is held by said hold down member lies generally along a common bisecting plane between said cross supports, and said cross supports having substantially the same resistance to bending under loads from said fluid pressure cylinder means so that bending of said cross supports under load results in the center lines of said die member and said mating punch member intersecting at a point lying substantially in said bisecting plane.

Claim 21

A cupping press including a frame support, a plurality of actuators for use with a blanking and drawing die for forming drawn and ironed cans supported on said frame, each actuator comprising a main actuator body having a base end and an outer end spaced from the base end, each main actuator body including a cutting cylinder for cutting a blank, and including means defining a hold down cylinder having a hold down member movable to an extended position for engaging and holding a blank cut by said cutting cylinder on said blanking and drawing die, separate hydraulic manifold means for providing hydraulic connections to each of said actuators, and hydraulic connecting means between the manifolds of first and second adjacent actuators comprising a connecting tube having a first end portion slidably sealingly mounted in a first manifold and being inserted into said first manifold a desired amount, a flange at a second end of said tube, and means to sealingly connect the flange to a second manifold without substantial projection of said tube into said second manifold whereby the center-to-center distance between manifolds may be changed without changing connecting tubes, and one of said manifolds may be removed after disconnecting said flange.

Claim 22

A cupping press including a frame support, a plurality of actuators for use with a blanking and drawing die for forming drawn and ironed cans supported on said frame, each actuator comprising a main actuator body having a base end and an outer end spaced from the base end, each main actuator body including a cutting cylinder for cutting a blank, and including means defining a hold down cylinder having a hold down member movable to an extended position for engaging and holding a blank cut by said cutting cylinder on said blanking and drawing die, separate hydraulic manifold means for providing hydraulic connections to each of said actuators, and hydraulic connecting means between the manifolds of first and second adjacent actuators comprising a connecting tube having a first end portion slidably sealingly mounted in a first manifold and being inserted into said first manifold a desired amount, a flange at a second end of said tube, and means to sealingly connect the flange to a second manifold without substantial projection of said tube into said second manifold whereby the center-to-center distance between manifolds may be changed without changing connecting tubes, and one of said manifolds may be removed after disconnecting said flange.