Tool holder clamp and storage

A tool housing and picking assembly comprising:

• a tool-holder clamp for picking and depositing a set of tools for a radial press from a tool-holder storage, said tool-holder clamp comprising:
• a gripping handle mainly extending along a clamp axis;
• a tool-holder disc positioned at one end of the gripping handle and provided with support means suitable for supporting the set of tools in a circular arrangement;
• and
• an identification and centering structure slidingly engaged outside the gripping handle so as to translate along the clamp axis between a retracted position associated with an engagement with a first set of tools, and an advanced position associated with an engagement with a second set of tools having a different axial length with respect to an axial length of the first set of tools,
• wherein the identification and centering structure comprises centering means suitable for creating complementary coupling means with respective centering counter-means provided on the tool-holder storage so that, by arranging the identification and centering structure in a position compliant with the length of the set of tools to be picked, the centering means are configured so that an engagement with the respective centering counter-means is obtained, and the tool-holder clamp is made engageable with the set of tools;
• and
• a tool-holder storage for tooling the radial press comprising:
• a support frame;
• at least one set of tools comprising a plurality of blocks having a cross-section in a shape of a circular crown portion, wherein each block of said plurality of blocks is provided with a pin protruding radially outwards, the at least one set of tools being engageable by the tool-holder clamp;
• and
• a plurality of tool-holder shells fixed to said support frame, wherein each tool-holder shell of said plurality of tool-holder shells is configured to house the set of tools,
• wherein each tool-holder shell comprises a substantially cylindrical shell body internally delimiting a compartment where the set of tools is housed, longitudinal slits being obtained in the substantially cylindrical shell body, frontally open and posteriorly ending with a slot inclined by 90° with respect to said longitudinal slits, each longitudinal slit of said longitudinal slits and the respective slot being configured to slidingly accommodate the pin,
• and wherein the tool-holder storage further comprises centering counter-means suitable for creating complementary coupling means with respective centering means provided on the identification and centering structure of the tool-holder clamp, in such a way that, by arranging the identification and centering structure in the position compliant with the length of the set of tools to be picked, the centering counter-means are configured to obtain the engagement with the respective centering means and make the tool-holder clamp engageable with the set of tools, said centering counter-means being outside the substantially cylindrical shell body.

A method for extracting a set of tools from a tool-holder storage, the method comprising:

• providing a tool housing and picking assembly comprising:
• a tool-holder clamp for picking and depositing a set of tools for a radial press from a tool-holder storage, said tool-holder clamp comprising:
• a gripping handle mainly extending along a clamp axis;
• a tool-holder disc positioned at one end of the gripping handle and provided with support means suitable for supporting the set of tools in a circular arrangement;
• and
• an identification and centering structure slidingly engaged outside the gripping handle so as to translate along the clamp axis between a retracted position associated with an engagement with a first set of tools, and an advanced position associated with an engagement with a second set of tools having a different axial length with respect to an axial length of the first set of tools,
• wherein the identification and centering structure comprises centering means suitable for creating complementary coupling means with respective centering counter-means provided on the tool-holder storage so that, by arranging the identification and centering structure in a position compliant with the length of the set of tools to be picked, the centering means are configured so that an engagement with the respective centering counter-means is obtained, and the tool-holder clamp is made engageable with the set of tools;
• and
• a tool-holder storage for tooling the radial press comprising:
• a support frame;
• at least one set of tools comprising a plurality of blocks having a cross-section in a shape of a circular crown portion, wherein each block of said plurality of blocks is provided with a pin protruding radially outwards, the at least one set of tools being engageable by the tool-holder clamp;
• and
• a plurality of tool-holder shells fixed to said support frame, wherein each tool-holder shell of said plurality of tool-holder shells is configured to house the set of tools,
• wherein each tool-holder shell comprises a substantially cylindrical shell body internally delimiting a compartment where the set of tools is housed, longitudinal slits being obtained in the substantially cylindrical shell body, frontally open and posteriorly ending with a slot inclined by 90° with respect to said longitudinal slits, each longitudinal slit of said longitudinal slits and the respective slot being configured to slidingly accommodate the pin,
• and wherein the tool-holder storage further comprises centering counter-means suitable for creating complementary coupling means with respective centering means provided on the identification and centering structure of the tool-holder clamp, in such a way that, by arranging the identification and centering structure in the position compliant with the length of the set of tools to be picked, the centering counter-means are configured to obtain the engagement with the respective centering means and make the tool-holder clamp engageable with the set of tools, said centering counter-means being outside the substantially cylindrical shell body;
• grasping the tool-holder clamp and moving said tool-holder clamp close to the tool-holder storage to pick the set of tools with a desired axial length for carrying out pressing operations;
• arranging the identification and centering structure in the retracted position for picking the first set of tools, or in the advanced position for picking the second set of tools;
• engaging the tool-holder disc with the set of tools to be picked;
• engaging the centering means of the tool-holder clamp with the respective centering counter-means of the tool-holder storage;
• rotating the tool-holder clamp, so that the pin of each block moves along the slot until the pin is aligned with the respective longitudinal slit;
• and
• pulling the tool-holder clamp so that a movement of each pin along the longitudinal slit allows an extraction of the set of tools from the tool-holder shell.