Blank feeding unit for a coining press

摘要

A coining press (10) which comprises an indexable feed plate (11) having a number of circumferentially spaced blank-receiving recesses (12) in its periphery, a coining tool (13) arranged at a forming station (14) adjacent to the periphery of the feed plate, and a blank feed unit (15, 16) arranged at a feeding station adjacent to the periphery of the feed plate and circumferentially spaced from the forming station, in which the blank feed unit comprises a stacking device for receiving a stack of coin-forming blanks and a feeding device engageable successive with the instantaneously lowermost blank of the stack to feed the latter into an adjacent blank-receiving recess in the periphery of the feed plate, and the press being characterised by: an electrically operable driving device coupled with the feeding device to operate the latter between a retracted position and an extended position in order to move the lowermost blank into a respective recess in the feed plate; and, a control arrangement connected to the driving device and arranged to monitor the operation of the press so as to operate the electrically operated driving device in synchronism with the operation of the press.