Journal-less rotary dies and stand

An apparatus comprising a pair of die cylinders each having a pair of opposed ends and an axis of rotation, each die cylinder having a recess in each of its opposed ends, each said recess having a sidewall tapering inwardly relative to its associated end, the sidewalls of the recesses of each cylinder being essentially coaxial with each other and the axis of rotation of their associated cylinder, a pair of arbor assemblies for each die cylinder, each said arbor assembly having a carrier block and a spindle journaled for rotation in said carrier block and having a nose removably receivable in one of said recesses of an associated die cylinder, said nose having a tapered peripheral sidewall for complementary mating engagement with the sidewall of the recess of the associated die cylinder and being essentially coaxial with the axis of rotation of its spindle, the axes of rotation of the spindles of each pair of said arbor assemblies being coaxial and their noses being in opposed spaced apart relationship, securing means for each pair of arbor assemblies releasably urging the noses of the spindles thereof into the recesses of one of the die cylinders with the tapered peripheral sidewalls of the noses in mating engagement with the sidewalls of the recesses to coaxially align the axis of the die cylinder with the axis of rotation of the spindles for rotation in unison, the securing means for at least one pair of arbor assemblies comprising a drawbar extending generally axially through one spindle of the pair of arbor assemblies and its associated die cylinder and removably engaging the other spindle of the pair of arbor assemblies, and each carrier block being constructed and arranged to be removably and slidably receivable between a pair of spaced apart and generally parallel guideways in a die stand in conjunction with its associated cylinder and without disassembling its associated arbor assembly from the die cylinder.

An apparatus comprising a pair of die cylinders each having a pair of opposed ends and an axis of rotation, each die cylinder having a recess in each of its opposed ends, each said recess having a sidewall tapering inwardly relative to its associated end, the sidewalls of the recesses of each cylinder being essentially coaxial with each other and the axis of rotation of their associated cylinder, a pair of arbor assemblies for each die cylinder, each said arbor assembly having a carrier block and a spindle journaled for rotation in said carrier block and having a nose removably receivable in one of said recesses of an associated die cylinder, said nose having a tapered peripheral sidewall for complementary mating engagement with the sidewall of the recess of the associated die cylinder and essentially coaxial with the axis of rotation of its spindle, the axes of rotation of the spindles of each pair of said arbor assemblies being coaxial and their noses being in spaced apart opposed relationship, securing means for each pair of arbor assemblies releasably urging the noses of the spindles thereof into the recesses of one of the die cylinders with the tapered peripheral sidewalls of the noses in mating engagement with the sidewalls of the recesses to coaxially align the axis of the die cylinder with the axis of rotation of the spindles for rotation in unison, a die stand having a base, a pair of spaced apart and generally parallel guideways constructed and arranged to receive said blocks of said arbor assemblies thereon when assembled with said die cylinders and with said die cylinders being disposed between said spaced apart guideways with their axes extending essentially parallel to each other and permitting each pair of said arbor assemblies to be removed from said guideways and said die stand along with their associated die cylinder and while still in assembled relationship with their associated die cylinder, each carrier block being constructed and arranged to be removably receivable in the die stand in conjunction with its associated die cylinder and without disassembling its associated arbor assembly from the die cylinder and each die cylinder and its associated pair of arbor assemblies being separately removable from the die stand without disassembling the arbor assemblies from their associated die cylinder.