GB850300A - Improvements in bar feeds for automatic lathes and other machine tools - Google Patents

Abstract

850,300. Bar-feeds for lathes. RATBY ENGINEERING CO. Ltd. Nov. 21, 1958 [Dec. 2, 1957], No. 37483/57. Class 83 (3). [Also in Group XXIII] A bar-feed for lathes or centreless-grinders is of the kind comprising a stand upon which is mounted a long horizontal feed-tube and a pusher-element slidable axially within the tube to engage the end of a stock-bar to feed it into the machine-tool, and is characterized in that one-half of the feed-tube (the " lid "), is divided transversely at intervals into a number of independent sections which are successively unlocked to permit the free passage of a carriermember for the pusher element. The bar-feed device is of the general form described in Specification 784,407. The feed-tube T, Fig. 1, is supported by a number of brackets from a large-diameter tube 1, which is carried on adjustable supporting-pillars 2 so that the feedtube is in alignment with the machine-spindle to which stock-bars are to be fed. The lower half 7 of the feed-tube is a one-peice bar of rectangular cross-section, the upper surface of which is channelled to take a stock-bar. The complementary upper half or " lid " of the feed-tube, instead of being in one piece as in the above Specification, comprises a number of independent sections 9a, the two end sections of the series being shorter than the others. Each lidsection is carried by a pair of spaced twoarmed levers 10 rigidly secured to a short hinge shaft 11. One of the downwardly-directed arms 10a of one of the levers 10 of each lid-section is connected by a link 15, Fig. 6, to one of a number of levers 14 secured to a rock-shaft 13, parallel to the feed-tube. The shaft 13 is rocked by a pneumatic cylinder to open all the lid-sections simultaneously to allow a fresh stock-bar 8 to pass from the store-rack R to the inside of the feed-tube. All the lid-sections are then tightly closed and locked by pivoted latchmembers 44, Fig. 8 (unlatched condition). The pusher-member 29, Fig. 9, previously withdrawn by motor rotation of a continuous chain 31, is now fed forwardly, and a leading campiece 51a on the carrier 30 for the pusher wedges between latch-member 44 and the side-wall of a lid to open the lid-sections seriatim by a small amount " x," Fig. 8, to allow a passage for the pusher-carrier 30. The lid-sections are pressed open by spring-plungers 47 engaging stops 46 on levers 45, secured one to each hinge-section 11. This movement is permitted by the linkage 10a, 15, through a pin-and-slot connection 16, 17.