Guided keeper and method for metal forming dies

摘要

A locking collar assembly for metal forming dies includes a disc-shaped locking collar with a cylindrical outer surface closely received in a collar bore in one face of a first die member. A circular recess in the outer face of the locking collar has an internal retainer ring groove. A counterbored shaped fastener hole extends through the collar and a part of the recess, and has shank, head and shoulder portions. A socket head cap screw is inserted in the fastener hole with a threaded end anchored in a threaded end aperture in one of the guide pins, with the head seated on the shoulder of the fastener hole. A retainer ring is mounted in the collar ring groove and overlies the cap screw head to positively prevent the cap screw from unintentionally unfastening from the guide pin.

主权项

1. In a metal forming die of the type having a plurality of guide pins interconnecting first and second die members for reciprocation between converged and diverged positions, the improvement of a locking collar assembly, comprising:
a cylindrically shaped collar bore disposed in a first face of said first die member; a circularly shaped support surface disposed on a second face of said first die member at a location generally opposite and aligned with said collar bore, and configured to support one end of one of said guide pins thereon;
a disc-shaped collar body with opposed, circularly shaped inner and outer faces, an axially extending central axis, and a cylindrical outside surface closely received in said collar bore in said first face of said first die member, and including:
a circular recess disposed in said outer face of said collar body in a concentric relationship therewith, and defining an axially oriented inner side wall;an internal retainer ring groove disposed in said side wall of said collar body, and shaped to receive and detachably retain therein an associated retainer ring;at least one fastener clearance hole extending axially through said collar body and at least a portion of said circular recess at a location spaced radially offset from said central axis of said collar body and oriented parallel therewith;said fastener clearance hole having a counterbored shape with a shank portion disposed adjacent said inner face of said collar body, an enlarged head portion disposed adjacent said outer face of said collar body, and an annular shoulder portion disposed between said shank portion and said head portion; a socket head cap screw having a threaded shank portion extending through said shank portion of said fastener clearance hole in said collar body and detachably received and securely retained in a threaded end aperture in said one guide pin, and a cylindrically shaped head portion with an exterior end face, an interior end face abutting against and securely seated on said shoulder portion of said fastener clearance hole, and an outside peripheral surface received in said head portion of said fastener clearance hole in said collar body; and a retainer ring detachably received and securely retained in said retainer ring groove in said collar body, and having an interior face disposed over at least a portion of said exterior end face of said head portion of said cap screw, whereby engagement between said exterior end face of said head portion of said cap screw and said interior face of said retainer ring positively prevents said cap screw from unintentionally unfastening from said end aperture in said one guide pin.