Shearing machine

A blade gap adjustment mechanism adapted for use with sheet material shearing machines having a fixed lower blade mounted between opposed end walls of a frame housing and an upper blade assembly mounted for vertical reciprocation between said opposed end walls past said lower blade on each stroke to effect a shearing of one or more sheets of material inserted between said lower blade and said upper blade assembly, said blade gap adjustment mechanism comprising:

• a) a pair of gib brackets, each of which includes a track extending substantially vertically, and a ram having a blade fixed thereto, said ram being vertically reciprocal in said tracks;
• b) a pair of vertically spaced mounting pins extending inwardly from each of said side walls of said housing;
• c) one of said gib brackets being suspended from said mounting pins adjacent the inner wall of each of said side walls;
• d) each of said gib brackets having at least one circular opening therein;
• e) an eccentric cam mounted for rotation within said opening in said gib bracket and including an aperture therein through which the lowermost of said mounting pins extends in non-rotatable relation thereto, the center of said aperture in said eccentric cam being spaced from the center of said opening in said gib bracket, whereby rotation of said cam causes said forward or rearward movement of said gib bracket;
• f) means for rotating said eccentric cam in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

A hold down apparatus adapted for use with sheet material shearing machines having a fixed lower blade mounted on a bed plate extending between opposed end walls of a frame housing and an upper blade assembly mounted for vertical reciprocation between opposed end walls past said lower blade on each stroke to effect a shearing of one or more sheets of material inserted between the blades, said hold down apparatus comprising:

• a) a support having an upper wall and a lower wall and extending between said end walls;
• b) means for affixing said support to said end walls;
• c) a plurality of hold down pins extending through said upper and lower walls at spaced points therealong;
• d) spring means for biasing said hold down pins toward said bed plate;
• and
• e) a slotted lift bracket mounted on said upper blade assembly and extending into operative engagement with said hold down pins, said lift bracket engaging said hold down pins during the upward stoke of said upper blade assembly to lift said hold down pins out of engagement with said sheet of material, and said lift bracket releasing said hold down pins during the downward stroke of said upper blade assembly to allow said hold down pins to move into engagement with said sheet of material positioned therebelow;
• f) stop means for limiting the path of travel of said hold down pins to a point spaced from said bed plate.

An apparatus adapted for sue in adjustably mounting a drive motor or actuator onto machines having a pair of side walls with a rotatable drive shaft extending therebetween, said drive shaft extending through bearings on each side wall and having said motor mounted on the exterior side of said side walls in operative engagement with the extending portion of said drive shaft, the adjustable motor mounting apparatus comprising:

• a) means for journalling said drive shaft in the bearings in both side walls;
• b) a pair of diametrically opposed mounting lugs extending outwardly from said side wall on either side of said drive shaft and having opposed flattened surfaces;
• c) a mounting bracket having a central opening therein for receiving said drive shaft and means for affixing said motor or actuator to one surface thereof at a position surrounding said drive shaft;
• d) said mounting bracket including a pair of spaced slots therein at positions corresponding to said mounting lugs;
• e) the length and width of each of said slots being slightly greater than the corresponding dimensions of said lugs;
• f) means for securing said mounting bracket to said lugs in a prescribed fixed position;
• and
• g) whereby said motor is secured to said mounting bracket and said mounting bracket is adjustably mounted to said mounting lugs.

A sheet material shearing machine comprising:

• a) a frame including a pair of spaced side walls;
• b) a bed plate secured between said side walls and including a fixed lower blade extending between said side walls and secured to said bed plate;
• c) a gib bracket mounted on the inner surface of each of said side walls in opposed relation to each other and including a vertical track thereon;
• d) a ram extending between said side walls and slidably retained for substantially vertically reciprocal movement within said tracks, and an upper blade assembly secured to the bottom edge of said ram adjacent the upstream side thereof;
• e) a drive system associated with said machine for activating said ram in said vertically reciprocal path between an uppermost position with said upper blade assembly spaced above a workpiece placed on said bed plate and a lowermost position in which said upper blade assembly has moved through said workpiece severing a portion thereof from the remainder of said workpiece;
• f) said drive system comprising:
• i) a reciprocating rotary hydraulic actuator mounted to said frame;
• ii) a drive shaft extending between said side walls in parallel relation to said upper blade assembly and operatively connected to said rotary actuator for reciprocal rotary motion responsive thereto;
• iii) a pair of drive straps, each having an opening in the lower end thereof, each of said drive straps receiving said drive shaft through said opening and being operatively connected thereto by an eccentric can, said eccentric can being keyed to said shaft and rotatively received within said opening, the axis of said shaft through said eccentric cam being spaced from the center of said cam, whereby reciprocal rotary motion of said drive shaft imparts vertical reciprocal movement of said drive straps;
• iv) the upper end of said drive straps being pivotally connected to opposite sides of said upper blade assembly.