Progressive loading press for ammunition

A progressive press, comprising:

• a base having three vertically oriented upper cavities spaced apart in a triangle arrangement and lower cavities aligned with the vertically oriented upper cavities;
• a vertically-oriented ball nut retained in each one of the lower cavities, each ball nut having an exterior bearing whereby each ball nut is retained in and rotatable in one of the lower cavities;
• a vertically-oriented ball screw provided in each one of the ball nuts, the ball screws having a ram at their upper ends;
• a rigid tool head, having a plurality of apertures adapted to receive dies and other tools for loading or reloading ammunition, affixed to upper ends of the three rams;
• a reversible press motor with speed control, mechanically connected to the ball nuts to cause rotation thereof, wherein operation of the press motor in one direction causes upward travel of the ball screws to extend the rams and tool head, and operation of the press motor in another direction causes downward travel of the ball screws to retract the rams and tool head;
• and
• a rotatable shell plate having a plurality of recesses around a peripheral edge thereof adapted to receive ammunition casings, the shell plate being rotated by a shell plate motor in indexed movement whereby rotation of the shell plate is indexed to extending and retracting of the screws;
• whereby the shell plate is stationary when the screws are retracted, with a position of at least one recess in the shell plate aligned with a position of at least one aperture in the tool head;
• and
• whereby the shell plate is rotated during one or more of extension and retraction of the screws, to move the position of the least one recess in the shell plate to a position aligned with another aperture in the tool head.

A progressive press, comprising:

• a base having three vertically oriented upper longitudinal cavities positioned at the apices of an equilateral triangle and three vertically-oriented lower cavities aligned with the vertically oriented upper longitudinal cavities;
• a vertically-oriented ball nut, having a toothed pulley affixed thereto, retained in each one of the vertically-oriented lower cavities, each ball nut having an upper bearing seated in an upper circular socket in an upper part of a lower cavity and a lower bearing seated in a lower circular socket in a lower part of the lower cavity, whereby each ball nut is retained in and rotatable in its lower cavity;
• a vertically-oriented ball screw provided in each one of the ball nuts, the ball screws having an unthreaded cylindrical ram at their upper ends;
• a rigid planar tool head, having a plurality of apertures adapted to receive dies and other tools for loading or reloading ammunition, affixed to upper ends of the three cylindrical rams;
• a shell plate having a plurality of recesses around a peripheral edge thereof for receiving ammunition casings,
• a reversible press motor with speed control having a toothed pulley affixed thereto, with a toothed synchronous belt is mounted to and connects the press motor toothed pulley to the ball nut toothed pulleys, wherein operation of the press motor in one direction causes upward travel of the ball screws to extend the rams and tool head to a selected maximum height, and operation of the press motor in another direction causes downward travel of the ball screws to retract the rams and tool head to a selected minimum height;
• the shell plate being driven in indexed movement to the extending and retracting of the rams, whereby the shell plate is stationary when the rams are retracted, with a position of at least one recess in the shell plate is aligned with a position of at least one aperture in the tool head, and whereby the shell plate is rotated when the rams are extended, to move the position of the least one recess in the shell plate to a position aligned with another aperture in the tool head;
• a control system for controlling operation of the press motor including rotational direction, speed and quantity of motor revolutions, whereby the selected maximum height and selected minimum height of the rams and tool head are set by a user using the control system.