Dual forging system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981306-B2
Application number	US-201514750093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus includes an anvil having a first end and second end, and a press head reciprocally mounted relative to the anvil. The apparatus further includes an induction heater having a workpiece discharge end mounted adjacent the first end of the anvil, and a plurality of first station dies secured to the anvil. The first station dies each form at least a portion of a first contour. A plurality of second station dies are also secured to the anvil, the second station dies each defining at least a portion of a second contour.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an anvil having a first end and second end;
a press head reciprocally mounted relative to the anvil;
an induction heater having a workpiece discharge end mounted adjacent the first end of the anvil;
a plurality of first station dies, each of the first station dies are secured to the anvil, the first station dies each define at least a portion of a first contour;
a plurality of second station dies, each of the second station dies are secured to the anvil, the second station dies each define at least a portion of a second contour; and
a die feeder having an arm defining a plurality of receptacles, the arm movable into at least (i) a first position adjacent the workpiece discharge end such that workpieces exiting the workpiece discharge end are received by the respective receptacles and supported by trays and (ii) a second position adjacent one of the first station dies wherein the workpieces are unsupported by the trays and drop into the respective plurality of first station dies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the second station dies is disposed along a line parallel to a progression axis relative to one of the first station dies.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first station dies are disposed along a first line perpendicular to the progression axis, and wherein the second station dies are disposed along a second line perpendicular to the progression axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
an inductor feeder disposed at an input end of the induction heater.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a discharger disposed adjacent the second end of the anvil and having a plurality of workpiece removal arms, each workpiece removal arm operable to selectively engage a workpiece at one of the second station dies.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a sorter disposed adjacent the workpiece discharge end of the induction heater; and
wherein the die feeder selectively moves workpieces discharged from the workpiece discharge end that do not have a desired temperature to the sorter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a tray actuator that withdraws a tray portion of the tray such that the respective workpieces drop out of the respective receptacles and into the sorter.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the sorter has a chute at a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is elevated relative to the second end.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the chute has two openings, one opening of the two openings disposed at the second end of the sorter and the other opening of the two openings disposed closer to the discharge end of plurality of induction heaters.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the die feeder further comprises ramps positioned to receive heated workpieces from the induction heaters and direct the workpieces into the respective receptacles.

11. An apparatus comprising:
an anvil having a first end and a second end;
a press head reciprocally mounted relative to the anvil;
a plurality of induction heaters, each of the induction heaters having a workpiece discharge end mounted adjacent the first end of the anvil;
a plurality of first station dies, each of the first station dies are secured to the anvil, the first station dies each define at least a portion of a first contour;
a plurality of second station dies, each of the second station dies are secured to the anvil, the second station dies each define at least a portion of a second contour;
a die feeder having an arm defining a plurality of receptacles, the arm movable into at least (i) a first position adjacent the workpiece discharge end such that workpieces exiting the workpiece discharge end are received by the respective receptacles and supported by trays and (ii) a second position adjacent one of the first station dies wherein the workpieces are unsupported by the trays and drop into the respective plurality of first station dies; and
a discharger disposed adjacent the second end of the anvil and having a plurality of workpiece removal arms each operable to selectively engage a workpiece at the second station dies.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein one of the first station dies and a corresponding one of the second station dies are disposed along a line parallel to a progression axis.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first station dies is disposed along a first line perpendicular to the progression axis, and wherein the plurality of second station dies is disposed along a second line perpendicular to the progression axis.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
an inductor feeder disposed at an input end of the induction heater.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a sorter disposed adjacent the workpiece discharge end of the induction heater.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a sorter disposed adjacent the workpiece discharge end of the induction heater; and
wherein the die feeder selectively moves workpieces discharged from the workpiece discharge end that do not have a desired temperature to the sorter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a tray actuator that withdraws a tray portion of the tray such that the respective workpieces drop out of the respective receptacles and into the sorter.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the sorter has a chute at a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is elevated relative to the second end.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the chute has two openings, one opening of the two openings disposed at the second end of the sorter and the other opening of the two openings disposed closer to the discharge end of plurality of induction heaters.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the die feeder further comprises ramps positioned to receive heated workpieces from the induction heaters and direct the workpieces into the respective receptacles.

Assignees

• Eaton Corp

Inventors

• Ferianci Lucas Santiago Ribeiro
• Araujo Darci Primon
• Candido Marco Antonio
• Silva Joao Benedito

Classifications

• B21K27/02

  Feeding devices for rods, wire, or strips · CPC title

• B21J9/08

  equipped with devices for heating the work-piece (electric heating elements H05B) · CPC title

• B21J13/06 Primary

  Hammers tups; Anvils; Anvil blocks · CPC title

• B21J1/06

  Heating or cooling methods or arrangements specially adapted for performing forging or pressing operations {(B21J5/063 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B21J9/022

  multi-stage forging presses (handling devices B21K27/00) · CPC title