Flying shear for metal strip stock

Shearing apparatus for making transverse cuts through a strip while said strip is in lengthwise movement in a forward direction, said shearing apparatus being characterized by:

• A. strip guide and drive means for constraining a horizontally extending strip to move in a forward direction with a bottom surface of the strip at a predetermined level;
• B. a lower blade carrier confined to motion in said forward direction and in the opposite rearward direction, said lower blade carrier having
• (1) an upwardly facing clamping surface at said level and
• (2) an upwardly projecting lower shearing blade spaced behind said clamping surface;
• C. horizontal biasing means urging said lower blade carrier rearwardly to a predetermined position;
• D. an upper blade carrier having on a rear portion thereof a downwardly projecting upper shearing blade cooperable with said lower shearing blade;
• E. hinge means on front portions of said upper and lower blade carriers connecting the upper blade carrier with the lower one to move forward and backward with it and to swing up and down relative to it;
• F. vertical biasing means urging the upper blade carrier to a raised position;
• G. a gripper carried by the lower blade carrier, said gripper
• (1) being swingable backward and forward about a gripper axis spaced behind said hinge means and substantially above said level, and
• (2) having a bottom surface below said gripper axis that is curved eccentrically thereto and opposes said clamping surface;
• H. link means providing a lost motion connection between the upper blade carrier and said gripper whereby movement of the upper blade carrier to its raised position disposes the gripper in a rearwardly swung position wherein its bottom surface is spaced substantially above said level and whereby the upper blade carrier can swing down relative to the gripper as well as relative to the lower blade carrier;
• and
• I. an actuator at a fixed location above the blade carriers having a downwardly movable element engageable with the upper blade carrier to swing the same downwardly from its raised position.

Shearing apparatus for making transverse cuts through a strip while said strip is in lengthwise movement in a forward direction, said shearing apparatus being characterized by:

• A. a lower blade carrier confined to motion in said forward direction and the opposite direction and biased rearward to a predetermined position, said blade carrier having thereon
• (1) an upwardly facing clamping surface and
• (2) an upwardly projecting lower shearing blade;
• B. an upper blade carrier connected with said lower blade carrier for forward and rearward motion therewith and for up and down motion relative thereto, said upper blade carrier being biased to a raised position;
• C. a gripper having a bottom wedging surface opposingly cooperable with said clamping surface, said gripper being mounted on said lower blade carrier for limited motion relative thereto in a wedging direction that carries said bottom surface obliquely forwardly and downwardly and in an opposite releasing direction, said gripper being biased in said wedging direction;
• D. an actuator at a fixed location above said blade carriers having a downwardly movable element engageable with the upper blade carrier to move the same downward from its raised position;
• and
• E. means providing a lost motion connection between said upper blade carrier and said gripper whereby the upper blade carrier can move downward independently of the gripper but movement of said upper blade carrier to its raised position moves the gripper in its releasing direction to a defined position wherein said wedging surface is spaced substantially above said clamping surface.