Die press control apparatus

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for controlling the movement of a member, such as a pressure head in a die press, the die press being of the type wherein the pressure head is horizontally movable relative to the material to be cut or otherwise impressed to locate the head in the desired position above the material. Once positioned, the head is vertically movable into engagement with a die which is pushed through the material to perform the cutting or impressing operation. The apparatus includes means for moving the member in first and second directions along a horizontal plane, preferably in the form of an electrically controlled motor. Means are also provided for moving the pressure member vertically, preferably in the form of an electrically operated hydraulic system. First and second switch means, in the form of triggers or push buttons, are operably connected to both the motor and the hydraulic system and when actuated individually energize the motor to move the pressure member horizontally. The direction of horizontal movement is determined by which switch is actuated. Joint actuation of the switch means energizes the hydraulic system to move the pressure member vertically downward to engage the die to perform the cutting or impressing operation. After the operation is completed, the cutting head is automatically moved upward to its original vertical position. The apparatus can also operate in a semi-automatic mode wherein the head is automatically repositioned horizontally with respect to the material to a location remote from the cutting operation after the operation is completed, such movement being initiated a given time interval after the completion of the previous operation. A memory is utilized to determine the direction of this horizontal movement and a timer is utilized to determine the magnitude thereof. The memory is set in accordance with the sequential actuation of the switch means in the previous cycle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.