Dual ram assembly for necker machine

A necking module, comprising:

• a necking machine including a necking machine axis;
• a first cam surface on a shaft of the necking machine;
• a second cam surface on the shaft;
• and
• a dual ram assembly including an inner knockout tooling and an outer die tooling configured to perform a necking operation on an article to be worked on, wherein the dual ram assembly comprises:
• a frame member;
• a first ram with a first cam follower bracket and a first set of cam followers, the outer die tooling being connected to the first ram, and the first set of cam followers being configured to follow the first cam surface;
• a second ram with a second cam follower bracket and second set of cam followers, the inner knockout tooling being connected to the second ram, and the second set of cam followers being configured to follow the second cam surface;
• and
• an anti-lift device configured in relation to the necking machine to resist lifting of the dual ram assembly away from the necking machine axis in a radial direction, thereby resisting a sliding of the first and second set of cam followers laterally along the first and second cam surfaces away from the necking machine axis,
• wherein the first ram is connected to the second ram on the frame member,
• wherein as the first set of cam followers follows the first cam surface, the outer die tooling moves toward or away from an article to be worked on, and wherein as the second set of cam followers follows the second cam surface, the inner knockout tooling moves toward or away from the article to be worked on, and
• wherein the anti-lift device includes a first anti-lift roller positioned against the first cam follower bracket.

A method for utilizing a dual ram assembly in a necking machine line, comprising the steps of:

• providing a first necking station on a first necking machine with a necking machine axis and a first dual ram assembly including first and second rams attached to one another, wherein the first ram includes a first cam follower bracket and a first set of cam followers configured to follow a first cam surface and the second ram includes a second set of cam followers configured to follow a second cam surface;
• moving the second ram with inner knockout tooling towards an article to be worked on in the first necking station;
• moving the first ram with outer die tooling towards the article to be worked on;
• performing a necking operation on the article to be worked on;
• withdrawing the outer die tooling and inner knockout tooling from the article to be worked on;
• and
• resisting lifting of the first dual ram assembly away from the necking machine axis in a radial direction with an anti-lift device, thereby resisting a sliding of the first and second set of cam followers laterally along the first and second cam surfaces away from the necking machine axis,
• wherein the anti-lift device includes a first anti-lift roller positioned against the first cam follower bracket.