Fastening machines
AssigneeHenrob Limited
InventorsStuart Edmund Blacket, Wojciech Gostylla
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fastening machine (1) has guide block (11) with a rivet delivery passage (12). Rivets (17) are supplied from a source via tube (22) and are delivered to the rivet delivery passage (12) by a rivet supply passage (20). The head of the rivet (17) is engaged by spring-loaded balls (60) to hold the rivet (17) in alignment with the rivet delivery passage (12) and a punch (16). When a limit switch (30) detects the presence of a rivet (17) in the rivet delivery passage (12), the punch (16) is advanced and the rivet (17) is releasably supported by the balls (60) and secondary balls (60A) as it is advanced to work pieces to be secured together.
Claims17
A fastener actuator for a fastening machine, wherein the actuator advances a fastener toward a workpiece for securing the fastener to the workpiece, comprising:
- means defining a fastener delivery passage downwardly through which the fastener passes,
- a fastener supply passage for sequentially delivering fasteners to the fastener delivery passage, and wherein
- the fastener actuator is vertically movable through the fastener delivery passage, the actuator including a nose at its leading end for engaging a fastener and advancing the same toward the workpiece, the actuator being provided with an internal passage one end of which is open to the nose of the actuator and another end of which is connected to a vacuum source through a control, whereby connecting the internal passage to the vacuum source effects vacuum retention of the fastener on the nose of the actuator to maintain orientation of the fastener as the actuator advances toward the workpiece.
An fastener actuator for advancing a fastener toward a workpiece for securing the fastener to the workpiece, comprising:
- a housing,
- a setting tool operatively connected to the housing, the setting tool being formed with a fastener supply passage for receiving fasteners seriatim from a fastener source, and a fastener delivery passage through which a fastener is directed to a workpiece, said setting tool further including a plurality of resiliently biased centralizing balls provided adjacent the upper end of the delivery passage to centralize the fastener with respect to a vertical axis of the delivery passage, and wherein
- the fastener actuator is mounted for vertical reciprocal movement in the housing and through the fastener delivery passage, the actuator including a nose at its leading end for engaging a fastener and advancing the same toward the workpiece, the actuator being provided with an internal axial passage one end of which is open to the nose of the actuator and another end of which is connected to a vacuum source through a control, whereby connecting the internal passage to the vacuum source effects vacuum retention of the fastener on the nose of the actuator to maintain orientation of the fastener as the actuator advances through the delivery passage toward the workpiece.
The fastening machine as claimed in clam 10, wherein two workpieces are secured by each fastener, and wherein the nose piece engages one of the workpieces to preclamp the workpieces to an upsetting die before the fastener fastens the workpieces together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.