GB1471045A - Automatic bar feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1471045 Bar-stock feeding AZUMA ENG CO Ltd 25 June 1974 28062/74 Heading B3B An automatic bar feeding apparatus is provided with a motor M 1 driven supply mechanism 2 for delivering bar material from a magazine 5 to an open top feed tube 35, a motor M2 driven feed mechanism for feeding bar material along the feed tube 35 to a machine tool wherein a chain driven pusher 44 includes gripping section 41 for gripping the end of a bar material, and a motor M3 driven jaw mechanism 105 which includes jaws that grip a bar material when the pusher is at its rearward position to enable the gripping section to be pushed on to a new bar, or to be pulled off a machined bar. The gripping section 41 (Fig. 6) is rotatably coupled to a joint section 42 of the pusher which has notches 57 at a rearward face which is engaged by a lock piece 43. A spring 60 biases the lock piece 43 to engage its protrusions 58 with the said notches. The protrusions 58 also engage in grooves 56 of a threaded part 54 on the end of the pusher 44 which passes through the lock piece and screws into the joint section 42. The supply mechanism 2 (Figs. 3, 4, not shown) comprises a track (6) and guide (8) channelling bar material to an escapement mechanism comprising a rotatable disc (14) having a plurality of recesses (15) of different width to accommodate differing bar diameters. A back-up plate (13) has a single recess aligned with the required recess (15) in the disc (14) so that only the chosen recess accepts bars from the track (6). A plurality of similar mechanisms 2 are provided along the length of a frame 3 of the apparatus. The open feed tube 35 is covered at each mechanism 2 by a cam operated coverplate (29) which prevent oscillations of the bar in the feed tube. The jaw mechanism 105 includes a gear (110) (Fig. 16a, not shown) driven by the motor M3 to operate through a cam (115) operated linkage (131), (135) to operate the jaws that grip a bar material. The gear (110) also drives a further linkage (122), (182) with a lost-motion drive which controls the movement of the pusher during gripping and releasing of a bar material. The apparatus is used in conjunction with, e.g. an automatic lathe having a movable headstock and the control cycle of the lathe and the feeding apparatus are interlinked. Waste ends of bars are dropped into a shoot 216 and collected in a trough 217.