Means and method of sewing sheet metal

Dec. 23, 1958 h. d. ihrig 2,865,451

MEANS AND METHOD OF SEWING SHEET METAL

Filed June 5, 1956

Sheets-Sheet 1

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INVENTOR.

HAROLD. D IHRIG

BY

Dec. 23, 1958

H. D. IHRIG

2,865,451 ύ

Filed June 5, 1956

MEANS AND METHOD OF SEWING SHEET METAL

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US2865451A_D0002.tif" />

Dec. 23, 1958

H. D. 1HRIG

2,865,451

MEANS AND METHOD OF SEWING SHEET METAL

Filed June 5, 195S

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<img file="US2865451A_D0004.tif" />

FIG. 9

Sheets-Sheet 3

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INVENTOR.

HAROLD D. IHRIG

BY

United States Patent Office „ 2,865,451

Patented Dec. 23, 195S

2,865,451

MEANS AND METHOD OF SEWING SHEET METAL Harold D. Ihrig, San Diego, Calif.

Application June 5, 1956, Serial No. 589,485

Claims. (CI. 164—109)

This invention relates generally to machine tools and 15 more particularly to a machine for interconnecting sheet metal elements.

It is known that the prior art includes various types of riveting machines wherein portions of sheet metal stock are deformed and used for connecting the portions to- 20 geiher and no claim is made to invention of the broad concept of connecting two metal sheets together without use of separate rivet elements. The instant invention, is, however, concerned with the provision of improved punch and clincher block elements and the arrangement of the 25 same with a bed plate and novel spacing and power driving means, whereby the process is generally improved over that accomplished by prior art machines.

. A primary object of this invention, is therefore, to provide a machine for interconnecting sheet metal elements 30 characteriezd by improved operational characteristics, such as the minimizing of deformation in the elements, and the prevention of the setting up of unwanted stresses in the metal immediately surrounding the portions which are physically interconnected. 35

Another object of this invention is to provide such a machine as will be suitable for construction in various sizes to handle a very wide range of thicknesses in the sheet metal elements being processed, this versatility being due in part to the fact that minimum power is re- 40 quired to effect the desired results by reason of the character of the parting and clinching operations.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a machine of the character mentioned above which is extremely. simple to assemble and dismantle, when re- ₄₅quired, with a corresponding improvement in ease of maintenance and repair, and with maximum ease of replacement of portions which may become worn, the machine being not limited to the illustrated use of camoperated lever arms, since hydraulic means or other power ₅₀means can well be used, especially in the larger machines.

Still another object of this invention is to provide, probably for the first time in the art, satisfactory means for spacing the advance of the work piece as it is being ₅₅operated upon, while retaining the full advantages of easy insertion and withdrawal of the work piece from the machine.

A last Object to be mentioned specifically is to provide a machine of the general character mentioned above which is safe for the operator to handle, and which is extremely convenient and simple to use.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawings which form a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the assembled machine, portions of one side plate being removed to show ⁷⁰underlying structure and small portions of one of the arms and a portion of the frame being also removed for the same reason;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the machine with one side plate removed, and with sheet metal elements shown in vertical section, along with the bed plate which is also shown in vertical section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged view taken from the front end of the machine which will be considered the left hand end of the machine as shown in Figure 2, this Figure 3 being proposed as showing the position of the principal elements of the machine at the beginning of its cycle of operations when the work or work pieces have been placed in position and the punch as well as the clincher block are both fully retracted;

Figure 4 is a view, similar to Figure 3, and showing the punch in the position assumed at the end of its operative stroke;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figures 3 and 4 and showing the next step in the cycle of operations, namely, the clinching of the segments between the anvil faces of the punch and the abutment faces of the clincher block, the latter being shown in its fully raised position, the work pieces and bed plate are shown, in Figures 3, 4 and 5, in vertical section in the plane of the front face of the punch;

Figure 6 is a view of a pair of sheet metal strap elements which have been interconnected by the instant machine, the view being fragmentary and perspective in character;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a front end portion of the machine with a proximate side plate removed and work piece elements in position and shown in vertical section, on the bed plate, this Figure 7 being proposed as showing the parts of the machine when the upper arm is at the bottom of its downward stroke and the lower arm fully raised;.

Figure 8 is a view, similar to Figure 7 and showing how a catch on the upper arm after retracting the spacer pin and immediately after having released the same, the upper arm having, reached its upper limit of travel and the spacer pin having been released for depression by its operating spring into one of the holes punched in the work pieces;

Figure 9 is a view, similar to Figures 7 and 8, and showing the upper arm at the beginning of its upward stroke the position of the catch in Figure 9 being its operative position beneath the sliding bracket of the spacer pin;

Figure 10 is a view, in perspective, of the punch and clincher block with the rails used to assure rectilinear movement of the punch and clincher block.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawings.

. Referring now to the drawings in detail, this invention, in the embodiment thereof illustrated, includes a generally U-shaped frame having an upper portion 10, a vertical rear portion 12 and a base 14. A pair of side plates 16 may be considered as a portion of the frame, since these side plates support an upper or punch-carrying arm 18 and a lower or clincher-carrying arm 20. The side plates are rigidly secured, by any suitable means, not shown, to the frame and a trunnion element 22 is provided for pivotal mounting of the upper arm 18 on the side plates 16, while a similar trunnion element 24 is provided for similar pivotal mounting of the lower arm.

The arms 18 and 20 are substantially coextensive in length with the frame and may be completely enclosed thereby, as shown. A strong spring 26 is compressed between the rear ends of the arms, the front of the

2,865,461 chine operated, the upper arm 18 will move from a position approximating that shown in Figure 8 to the full upward position thereof and the catch 84 will then release the sliding bracket 78 and the spacer pin 72 will 5 be forced down by the action of the spring 8® until the lower end of this spacer pin enters into the last preceding aperture 94 formed in the elements 88 by the action of the machine, it bring understood, of course, that the spacer pin is only effective after the first clinching cycle 10 has been completed and the work piece moved ahead in the machine. After the first clinching cycle has been completed, the spacer pin will enter each preceding aperture 94 and the spacer pin may be shaped in any suitable manner to engage either end of the aperture 94 15 or to fit more or less snugly within the aperture according to the desire of the manufacturer of the machine the functioning of the spacer pin being substantially equivalent in any such case. On the downward stroke of the upper arm 18, the catch 84 first rides inopera20 tively on the sliding bracket 78 and when the lower arm reaches the bottom of its downward stroke, the catch 84 falls beneath the sliding bracket as indicated in Figure 7, ready to engage the sliding bracket 78 again on the upward stroke of the upper arm. It will be 25 noted that the spacer pin 72 is not removed from the work piece until the upper arm has moved upwardly sufficiently to withdraw the punch 36 from the work piece.

It will now also be. evident that the punch 36, by rea30 son of its elongated form, will, after first parting the metal in rectilinear line at the center of the punch, then part, the elements 68 along two parallel lines while bending the parted metal downwardly as clearly indicated in Figure 4. It is a feature of this invention that this 35 parting of relatively long narrow segments 92 by relatively closely spaced elongated cuts 90, as illustrated in Figure 6 permits the processing of the sheet material without the intervention of a movable bed plate element, yet without undue deformation of the sheet metal 40 elements. Of course, the deletion of a movable bed plate is a considerable advantage and this has been achieved by the instant invention. The next cycle of operation is indicated in Figure 5, with the clincher block 52 being brought into the position shown in.that 45 figure and clinching the segments 92 into final position so that the elements are firmly connected together. It should be noted that the clinching action is between the anvil faces 42 and the abutment faces 56, and that no intervening element is required between the con50 fronting pairs, of faces of these machine parts.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be con-.5 sidered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.