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US 5,312,154 AGranted
Apparatus for holding down workpieces to be machined
OwnerDarrel Woodallinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for holding down workpieces in milling machines and other machine tools. A hollow receptacle has undercut regions that receive lugs on the lower end of a stud. The stud thereby connects to the receptacle, and disconnects from it, by being turned only a fraction of a turn. A nut on the stud is friction related to it by an adjustable friction generator. The receptacle, nut and stud cooperate with a strap clamp and heel block, to very quickly and easily mount and demount parts in milling and other machines.
Claims16
Apparatus for holding down a workpiece on a workpiece support, comprising:
- a connector adapted to be connected to a workpiece support,
- said connector having one component of a quick-connect coupling element,
- a stud having a threaded upper portion,
- said stud having at the lower end thereof the other component of said quick-connect coupling element,
- a nut threadedly mounted on said threaded upper portion of said stud, and
- a clamp disposed between said nut and said quick-connect coupling element when said one and said other components thereof are in mated condition,
- said clamp having a portion that seats on a portion of a workpiece when a workpiece is resting on said workpiece support,
- there being no apparatus associated with said claim portion and which is adapted to vary the pressure on said workpiece portion when said clamp portion is stationary,
- said nut being adapted to tighten on said clamp, and force said clamp portion into tight pressure engagement with said workpiece portion, in response to turning of said nut when said one and said other components of said quick-connect coupling element are in mated condition.
6 more elements
Apparatus for holding down a workpiece on a workpiece support, comprising:
- anchor means adapted to be threadedly connected to a workpiece support,
- a plurality of vertical studs each having a threaded upper end, and each also having a quick-connect portion at its lower end that, after rotation of each stud in a predetermined direction about its vertical axis, for less than one turn, connects such quick-connect portion to said anchor means,
- stop means on said anchor means to stop rotation of each stud in said predetermined direction after less than one turn,
- a plurality of nuts respectively mounted on said threaded upper ends,
- each of said nuts being adapted to tighten down on an associated clamp upon rotation of said nuts in said predetermined direction after said stop means had been engaged,
- a plurality of work clamps, having said studs respectively passed therethrough and having said nuts respectively seated thereon, and
- means to raise the friction between said nuts and said threaded upper ends of said studs,
- said last-named means causing said studs to rotate with said nuts in said predetermined direction until said stop means is engaged.
5 more elements
Apparatus for holding down a workpiece on a workpiece support, comprising:
- a connector adapted to be connected to a workpiece support,
- said connector having one component of a quick-connect coupling element,
- a stud having a threaded upper portion,
- said stud having at the lower end thereof the other component of said quick-connect coupling element,
- a nut threadedly mounted on said threaded upper portion of said stud, and
- a clamp disposed between said nut and said quick-connect coupling element when said one and said other components thereof are in mated condition,
- said clamp being shaped to seat on a workpiece when a workpiece is resting on said workpiece support,
- said nut being adapted to tighten on said clamp, and force said clamp into tight pressure engagement with said workpiece, in response to turning of said nut when said one and said other components of said quick-connect coupling element are in mated condition,
- there being no seat associated with said stud on which said clamp seats, whereby downward force on said clamp, created by said nut, is transmitted to said workpiece.
6 more elements
Apparatus for holding down a workpiece on a workpiece support, comprising:
- a connector adapted to be connected to a workpiece support,
- said connector having one component of a quick-connect coupling element,
- a stud having a threaded upper portion,
- said stud having at the lower end thereof the other component of said quick-connect coupling element,
- a nut threadedly mounted on said threaded upper portion of said stud,
- a clamp disposed between said nut and said quick-connect coupling element when said one and said other components thereof are in mated condition,
- said clamp being shaped to seat on a workpiece when a workpiece is resting on said workpiece support,
- said nut being adapted to tighten on said clamp, and force said clamp into tight pressure engagement with said workpiece, in response to turning of said nut when said one and said other components of said quick-connect coupling element are in mated condition,
- said one component of said quick-connect coupling element being a receptacle adapted to seat on top of said workpiece support, and said other component thereof being an element adapted to enter said receptacle and rotate therein about the longitudinal axis of said stud, and
- an externally-threaded connector connected to the bottom of said receptacle for threading into a threaded hole in said workpiece support.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.