Punch and drill machine for a structural angle

A machine for creating holes in the first and second legs of a structural angle oriented lengthwise along the X-axis of a mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z-axis coordinate system, said machine comprising:

• a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, first and second side plates defining a stationary first frame, each said side plate defining an opening generally aligned along the X-axis with the opening in the other said side plate to accommodate passage therethrough of said structural angle;
• a second frame mounted to said first frame side plates for movement along the Y-axis relative to said first frame, said second frame including a punch slide block defining a bore having a longitudinal axis parallel to said Z-axis;
• a movable carriage mounted on said second frame for movement along the Z-axis relative to said first frame;
• a punch on said second frame for punching a first hole in the first leg of said angle;
• a drill on said carriage for drilling a second hole in the second leg of said angle;
• said punch having a punch operation axis along which the punch moves longitudinally to punch said first hole and which is parallel to the Z-axis;
• said machine including a punch actuator support that (1) is mounted to said first frame, and (2) defines a bore;
• said machine including a punch hydraulic piston/cylinder actuator having a piston rod that (1) is slidably disposed in said punch actuator support bore, and (2) has a distal end;
• said machine including a guide that (1) is mounted to said distal end of said piston rod of said punch hydraulic piston/cylinder actuator, and (2) defines a guideway slot that
• (a) extends lengthwise parallel to said Y-axis, and
• (b) has a T-shaped transverse shape defining a narrow channel and a wide channel;
• said machine including a ram defining a shaft having (1) a distal end connected to said punch, (2) a portion that is slidably received in said punch slide block bore, (3) a proximal portion projecting from said slide block bore through said guideway narrow channel, and (4) an enlarged base on the proximal end of said shaft proximal portion received in said guideway slot wide channel to accommodate movement of said ram along the Y-axis when said second frame is moved along the Y-axis;
• said drill having a drill feed operation axis along which the drill moves longitudinally to drill said second hole and which is parallel to the Y-axis;
• and
• said drill and said punch being oriented with the drill feed operation axis and the punch operation axis together defining a common plane.