Apparatus for replacing pressing dies in upsetting press

An apparatus for replacing pressing dies in an upsetting press used for width reduction of rolled material, such as the reduction of a slab width in a hot rolled wide strip shaping train, comprising:

• a die carrier for each pressing die, wherein a pair of the pressing dies are mounted on the die carriers in operative positions facing one another on opposite sides of said slab to be width-reduced;
• a drive system for moving the die carriers in a reciprocating direction towards and away from one another for reducing the width of the slab in a horizontal stand between horizontally extending, spaced, stand beams as the slab is fed along a path between the pressing dies, said die carriers being arranged between said spaced stand beams so that the die carriers and stand beams define a window;
• at least one vertically extending hoisting frame having a hoisting drive arranged vertically above a retainer mounted on said frame for receiving the pressing die, wherein the retainer can be raised or lowered by an electric drive of the hoisting frame through the window in a direction towards and away from the pressing die;
• a support mounting on said hoisting frame, said support mounting connecting said retainer to said hoisting frame;
• a displaceable trolley supporting said hoisting frame wherein the hoisting drive for the hoisting frame is arranged on the displaceable trolley;
• a displaceable carrier trolley spaced from the pressing die in the operative position thereof, said carrier trolley having at least one depositing location for receiving a pressing die from or supplying a pressing die to said support mounting;
• a horizontal rail arrangement, wherein said displacement trolley is movable on the horizontal rail arrangement extending along the stand beams;
• a transverse rail arrangement extending transversely of said stand beams wherein said carrier trolley is moveable in the horizontal direction on said transverse rail arrangement;
• first rails on said horizontal rail arrangement for said displacement trolley arranged on the horizontal stand beams;
• and
• second rails on said transverse rail arrangement for the carrier trolley positioned on a transverse tie connected to and extending transversely of said stand beams.