Methods and apparatus to adjust the lateral clearance between cutting blades of shearing machines

A method to adjust a lateral clearance between an upper blade and a lower blade of a shear press, the method comprising:

• moving a material through the shear press, wherein the upper blade is operatively coupled to a ram that moves the upper blade relative to the lower blade;
• determining a first clearance position based on a thickness of the material;
• adjusting a slide device from a second clearance position to the first clearance position determined based on the thickness of the material, wherein adjusting the slide device is to cause the upper blade to move laterally relative to the lower blade;
• and
• driving the upper blade towards the lower blade to cut the material.

A shear press comprising:

• means for detecting a lateral clearance between an upper blade and a lower blade for each length of strip material to be cut by the shear press;
• means for positioning an adjustable gib from an initial position to a second position to adjust the lateral clearance between the upper blade and the lower blade as the material moves;
• and
• means for driving at least one of the upper blade and the lower blade toward each other to shear the strip material.