Shell press and method for forming a shell
AssigneeStolle Machinery Company, LLC
InventorsDavid Keith Wynn, Steven Todd Albright
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention generally relates to an apparatus for forming a shell. The apparatus has a die center and a panel punch located in opposed relation to the die center. A panel punch piston is coupled to the panel punch. The panel punch piston has an upper end and a spacer member is disposed concentrically around an outside surface of the panel punch piston at or proximate to the upper end of the panel punch piston. The upper end of the spacer member is in contact with a lower end of the panel punch and the spacer member is located proximate to a peripheral surface of the lower end of the panel punch. A method for manufacturing a shell is additionally provided as well.
Claims13
A tooling assembly for forming a shell, the tooling assembly comprising:
- a die center;
- a panel punch located in opposed relation to the die center;
- a panel punch piston coupled to the panel punch, the panel punch piston having an upper end;
- and
- a spacer member disposed concentrically around an outside surface of the panel punch piston at or proximate to the upper end of the panel punch piston,
- wherein an upper end of the spacer member is in contact with a lower end of the panel punch and the spacer member is located proximate to a peripheral surface of the lower end of the panel punch, and
- wherein the tooling assembly is movable between a first position in which a lower end of the spacer member is structured to be spaced apart from an opposing portion of the tooling assembly, and a second position in which the lower end of the spacer member is structured to engage the opposing portion of the tooling assembly.
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the die center is coupled to a die center riser having a shoulder,
- wherein the upper pressure sleeve has an upper piston portion, and
- wherein the shoulder of the die center riser is structured to engage the upper piston portion of the upper pressure sleeve at a bottom of a stroke of the apparatus.
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is structured to form shells with a generally uniform depth.
A method for forming a shell, the method comprising:
- moving material between an upper die shoe and a lower die shoe;
- blanking the material to form a blank;
- forming the blank to provide a peripheral edge portion coupled to a raised center panel portion with the raised central panel portion located above the peripheral edge portion;
- forming the blank into a shell with a center panel coupled to a crown with the crown located above the center panel location;
- controlling movement of a panel punch by spacing the movement of the panel punch from a shoulder of a die core ring;
- and
- preventing engagement of a lower end of the panel punch with the shoulder of the die core ring using a spacer member disposed between the lower end of the panel punch and the shoulder of the die core ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.