| 摘要 |
A retractable stock guide has a stationary guide rail on which a retractable guide cap is operably supported. The guide rail and cap have two through holes at opposite ends through which two mounting studs extend to attach the stock guide to an associated die member. The holes in the guide cap are ovate, and the heads of the mounting studs are tapered, whereby tightening of the mounting stud shifts the guide cap relative to the guide rail from an aligned, retracted load/unload condition, to an inwardly protruding, extended run condition, wherein the stock strip is slidingly captured between two like stock guides and the mounting surface of the die. Two ball bearing guides can be substituted for the stationary guide rail. |
| 主权项 |
1. In a metal forming die having at least two mutually converging and diverging die members between which an elongate stock strip is shifted longitudinally to form parts from the stock strip, the improvement of a retractable stock guide assembly for precisely guiding the stock strip longitudinally along a straight line through said die, comprising:
first and second stock guides detachably mounted on a first one of said die members in a laterally spaced apart, mutually parallel and oppositely facing relationship for guiding the stock strip therebetween, and each including: first and second guide rollers, each having:
a generally circular plan configuration with an inner face shaped for operable support on said one die member and an outer face disposed generally parallel with and opposite said inner face;a generally annularly shaped inner bearing race, a generally annularly shaped outer bearing race and a plurality of rolling bearing elements captured between said inner and outer bearing races which facilitate smooth anti-frictional rotation of said outer bearing race relative to said inner bearing race; said inner bearing race having an innermost mounting sidewall, said innermost mounting sidewall with a circular plan shape and an associated diameter, and said outer bearing race having outermost stock guiding sidewall, said outermost stock guiding sidewall with a circular plan shape and an associated diameter, and said outermost stock guiding sidewall is configured to rollingly contact an adjacent side edge of the stock strip to precisely guide said stock strip through said die; a rigid retractable guide cap, having:
an inner face generally overlying and operably supported by said outer faces of said guide rollers;an outer face disposed generally parallel with and opposite said inner face of said guide cap;a leading end portion, and a trailing end portion disposed generally opposite said leading end portion of said guide cap and downstream thereof in the direction of stock strip travel;a side edge disposed between said inner and outer faces of said guide cap and said side edge having a laterally inward cap portion which protrudes laterally inwardly over said outermost stock guiding sidewalls of said first and second guide rollers in an extended run condition to slidingly capture the stock strip between said first and second stock guides and said one die member, and said side edge is generally aligned with said outermost stock guiding sidewalls of said first and second guide rollers in a retracted load/unload condition to permit the stock strip to be readily loaded into and removed from inbetween said first and second stock guides;first and second through apertures extending through said inner and outer faces of said guide cap adjacent said leading and trailing end portions thereof respectively, and each aperture having a laterally oriented, generally ovate plan shape with first and second spaced apart axes of symmetry, and each aperture being defined by a generally ovate sidewall having a first arcuate portion which is disposed toward said laterally inward cap portion of said side edge, is centered about said first axis of symmetry and has a diameter generally commensurate with said diameter of the associated one of said first and second innermost mounting sidewalls of said first and second guide rollers, and a second arcuate portion which is disposed away from said laterally inward cap portion of said side edge, is centered about said second axis of symmetry, generally opposite said first arcuate portion of said ovate sidewall, and has a diameter greater than said first arcuate portion of said ovate sidewall; first and second mounting studs, each having: an enlarged head portion at one end thereof with a tapered outer sidewall having an outside diameter with at a least a portion thereof that is generally commensurate with said second arcuate portion of said ovate sidewall of the associated one of said first and second through holes in said guide cap, and is greater than the diameter of said first arcuate portion of said ovate sidewall of the associated one of said first and second through apertures in said guide cap; a threaded shank portion at the other end thereof, generally opposite said enlarged head portion, and shaped for insertion through an associated one of said first and second through apertures in said guide cap, an associated one of said innermost mounting sidewalls of said first and second guide rollers, and being threadedly anchored in said one die member; and a non-threaded collar portion disposed axially between said enlarged head portion and said threaded shank portion and having a cylindrical shape with an outside diameter substantially commensurate with the associated one of said innermost mounting sidewalls of said first and second guide rollers, and said first arcuate portion of said ovate sidewall of the associated one of said first and second through holes in said guide cap, whereby tightening of said first and second mounting studs in said first die member engages said tapered head portions of said first and second mounting studs against said ovate sidewalls of said first and second through apertures in said guide caps and shifts said guide caps laterally inwardly to said extended run condition to positively capture the stock strip between said first and second stock guides and said first die member and precisely guide the stock strip longitudinally along a straight line through said die, and loosening of said first and second mounting studs in said first die member facilitates laterally outward shifting of said guide caps to said retracted load/unload condition to permit the stock strip to be readily loaded into and removed from inbetween said first and second stock guides. |
