Precise pallet locating and clamping arrangement for workpiece transfer mechanism

A mechanism for indexing workpieces to successive stations and for locating and clamping the workpieces at precise locations at the stations comprising:

• (a) a pallet on which the workpiece is adapted to be fixedly mounted and having a pair of laterally spaced, downwardly facing, flat locating surfaces thereon;
• (b) a fixture at each station having a pair of upwardly facing flat locating surfaces thereon adapted to be vertically abutted by the locating surfaces on the pallet to support and locate the pallet in a precise horizontal plane;
• (c) a pair of laterally spaced transfer bars extending longitudinally through the successive stations;
• (d) means for raising and lowering the transfer bars to lift and lower the pallet;
• (e) means for reciprocating the transfer bars longitudinally for advancing the pallet through successive stations;
• (f) said pallet and fixture having inclined, interengageable surface means thereon;
• (g) clamp means on the fixture engageable with the pallet for shifting the pallet laterally in one direction after the transfer bars are lowered and the pallet is deposited on the locating surfaces of the fixture to interengage said inclined surface means on the pallet and fixture, said inclined surface means being adapted, when the pallet is shifted laterally in said one direction, to engage and draw the pallet downwardly against the fixture so as to bring the locating surfaces on the pallet into firm coplanar relation with the locating surfaces on the fixture;
• (h) said transfer bars and pallet having means thereon interengageable when the transfer bars are raised to lift the pallet and displace it laterally in a direction opposite to said one direction.