Stephen J Short

US Patent:

58761713, Mar 2, 1999

Filed:

May 9, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/853421

Inventors:

Gregory S. Martin - Springfield OH
Kurt D. Dietrich - Miamisburg OH
Stephen G. Short - Dayton OH

Assignee:

Dayton Reliable Tool & Mfg. Co. - Dayton OH

International Classification:

B21D 5144

US Classification:

413 14

Abstract:

A conversion press (20) which is readily reconfigurable to process shells of different sizes includes an endless belt (68) having a single lane of apertures (86) formed therein for transporting shells (S) along a progression of end-forming tooling (60, 62) comprising seven stations (58a-g) along an end path (59) through the press. A tab-forming tooling path (100) extends from a tab stock feeder (104) to a tab-staking station (58f) adjacent the discharge end of the press, the tab-forming path oriented at an oblique angle to the end path. The tab-forming tools (94, 96) are mounted on tab bases (112, 110) which are slidably adjustable on stationary and reciprocating press members (34, 44) along the tab path toward and away from the tab-staking station. Shells are supplied to the belt by a servo-driven downstacker (120) having feed screws (126) which engage the edge (E) of a shell within a downstacker feed chute (122) and which are adjustably mounted on a downstacker platen (135) to permit their relocation to accommodate changing shell size. Reconfiguring the press to process shells of a different size from about 1 inch to about 4 inches in diameter is accomplished by changing the belt and the end tooling, adjusting the tab tooling bases to accommodate for change in end rivet location, and changing the feed chute and adjusting the downstacker feed screw positions to correspond to the new shell diameter.