| 摘要 |
An automatic plug changer is disclosed, particularly for a plug mill, although some features may have applicability in conjunction with related mills, such as piercing and reeling mills. A rotatable drum is mounted below the pass line of the mill and has pockets for containing a plurality of mandrel plugs. A combined plug support and discharge trough is movably positioned between the plug-containing drum and the mill rolls, and is aligned with a plug-receiving position in the drum. After a tubular shell has been driven through the mill, over a mandrel plug, the plug simply drops out of the mill, slides down the discharge trough and is received in the drum. The drum then indexes to a new position, bringing a new plug into alignment with the trough. A pusher mechanism then moves the plug out the drum and onto the discharge trough. The trough is then pivoted upwardly and becomes part of the inlet trough for the tube shell, positioned to be passed through the mill, serving to support the plug until it is picked up by the incoming tube shell. The new mechanism improves the overall efficiency of the plug mill by substantially reducing the time required for the plug change cycle to occur.
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