Forging machine with die holder lateral adjustment

A forging machine comprising:

• a machine frame having a system axis extending therethrough;
• four forging rams slidably mounted in said frame and disposed in an X arrangement at 90.degree. to one another within a common working plane transverse to said system axis, each ram having a ram axis and being supported and guided by said machine frame for movement along said ram axis radially towards and away from said system axis over a working stroke;
• a radially inner end on each ram;
• pressure fluid piston and cylinder units on said machine frame each comprising a respective one of said rams as a constituent part thereof and having a stroke corresponding to said working stroke of said ram;
• a respective crosshead supporting each of said piston and cylinder units and adjustably supported for movement relative to said machine frame for moving a respective one of said piston and cylinder units and setting the stroke position and radially innermost end position of a respective ram;
• a die holder mounted on said radially inner end of each ram and adapted for adjustment of a die carried thereon in use in a direction transverse to said ram axis and within said common plane, so that said die holder is adjustable for offsetting from said ram axis within said working plane in dependence on said innermost end position of said ram whereby dies on said die holders in use, each having a working surface facing said system axis and side surfaces adjacent said working surface, are adjustable with parts of said working surfaces overlapping side surfaces of adjacent dies to form radially inwardly of said innermost end positions of said rams a closed forging pass contour smaller than the working surfaces of the dies;
• and
• actuator means for moving each die holder in said direction transverse to said ram axis, each actuator means comprising a substantially radially extending holder drive shaft located externally of and adjacent to the associated ram and having radially inner and outer end portions, drive means for said holder drive shaft, a gear unit operatively engaging said radially inner end portion of said holder drive shaft in driving relation with said die holder and attached to the associated ram, and a rotary coupling between said gear unit and drive means for accommodating ram radial movement.