Dual notcher

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6640602
  • Patent Number
    6,640,602
  • Date Filed
    Friday, February 22, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 4, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A device for simultaneously forming multiple notches in opposing surfaces of a hollow workpiece in a single action. The device includes a first die and a first punch that is fixed relative to the first die. A second die and a second punch are fixed relative to each other and movable relative to the first punch and first die. In response to movement of the second die and second punch, the first die cooperates with the second punch to form a first notch in the first surface and the first punch cooperates with the second die to form a second notch in the second surface.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to notching equipment, and more specifically to a device that is capable of forming two notches in a hollow workpiece in the same action.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Polyvinyl tubing is commonly used for many purposes, including by way of example rather than limitation, fencing, decking, lawn furniture etc. In such applications, it is often required that the polyvinyl tubing be processed in one or more ways. For example, in many applications notches must be formed into two or more of the sidewalls in order to permit an end portion of one piece of tubing to be inserted and securely locked in a receiving aperture in another piece of tubing. In an application such as polyvinyl fence systems, for example, the notched end of one tubular polyvinyl fence rail is inserted into a receiving aperture in a tubular polyvinyl fence post, thereby forming an easy to assemble joint.




The processing of such components often requires the polyvinyl tubing to go through several repetitions in a notching die to create a single complete section of tubing. In such a process, the workpiece (e.g. a piece of hollow polyvinyl tubing or some other tubing material) is aligned and inserted into the notching die. The die is cycled to create a notch on a first surface, and then the workpiece is removed from the die and reoriented. The reoriented workpiece is again inserted into the die to create another notch on a second surface. This process is repeated until the desired number and location of notches is achieved.




In order to improve processing efficiencies it may be desirable to create multiple notches in a single action.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is perspective view of a device for notching a hollow workpiece assembled in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG.


1


and illustrating the fixed and moving elements of the apparatus;





FIG. 3

is a side elevational view similar to

FIG. 2

but illustrating the workpiece installed in the apparatus;





FIG. 4

is a side elevational view similar to

FIGS. 2 and 3

but showing the apparatus in the active or notch forming position;





FIG. 5

is a side elevational view similar to

FIGS. 2 through 5

but showing the apparatus moving toward the inactive or retracted position;





FIG. 6

is another side elevational view of the notching device of the previous Figs. but showing the workpiece removed from the apparatus after completion of the notch forming cycle;





FIG. 7

is a front side elevational view of the notching device of the previous Figs. shown in the retracted or inactive position and with a workpiece (partly in section) inserted in the device;





FIG. 8

is a front side elevational view similar to

FIG. 7

but showing the apparatus in the active position;





FIG. 9

is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line


9





9


of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 10

is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line


10





10


of

FIG. 8

;





FIG. 11

is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective view of a notch formed in a hollow workpiece; and





FIG. 12

is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective view of a notched workpiece engaging a hollow member.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




The following description of the disclosed embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the precise form or forms detailed herein. Instead, the following description is intended to be illustrative of the principles of the invention so that others may follow its teachings.




Referring now to the drawings,

FIG. 1

illustrates a notching device assembled in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is generally referred to by the reference numeral


100


. It will be understood that the notching device


100


may be used to create notches


101


(viewable in each of

FIGS. 4

,


6


,


10


and


11


) in opposing surfaces, i.e., a lower surface


102


and an upper surface


104


, of a hollow workpiece


106


(shown in

FIG. 3

) as will be described below. The notching device


100


includes a lower die set


108


and an upper die set


110


. Preferable both the lower die set


108


and the upper die set


110


are manufactured from tool steel, such as S-7, A-2, and/or 0-6, all of which are commonly employed in the art. The lower die set


108


and the upper die set


110


are also heat treated and ground into their final configuration.




The lower die set


108


includes a downward facing punch


112


and a corresponding upward facing die


114


. The upper die set


110


includes a upward facing punch


116


and a corresponding downward facing die


118


. A support frame


120


is provided, and a fixed plate


122


is mounted to the support frame


120


. A pair of guide rods


124


are mounted to the fixed plate


122


.




An actuator


128


, which may be for example, a commercially available Bimba® 8″ diameter linear actuator, is provided and is operatively connected to the movable plate


126


. Accordingly, the moveable plate


126


will move up and down relative to the fixed plate


122


in response to actuation of the actuator


128


, with the moveable plate


126


being guided by the guide rods


124


. A commercially available die set, such as a Danly IEM® AS-34, which includes the fixed plate


122


, the movable plate


126


and the guide rods


124


may be used, if so desired.




Turning now to

FIG. 2

, the die


114


of the of the lower die set


108


and the upward facing punch


116


of the upper die set


110


are both mounted to the fixed plate


122


, while the downward facing punch


112


of the lower die set


108


and the die


118


of the upper die set


110


are both mounted to the moveable plate


126


.




Referring to

FIG. 9

, the punches


112


,


116


each include a sloping portion


112




a


,


116




a


, respectively, which terminates in a tip


112




b


,


116




b


, respectively. The die


114


includes an edge


114




a


which generally surrounds a die cavity


114




b


. Similarly, the die


118


includes an edge


118




a


which generally surrounds a die cavity


118




b


. It will be noted that die cavity


114




b


is sized to receive the sloping portion


112




a


and the tip


112




b


of the punch


112


, while the die cavity


118




b


is sized to receive the sloping portion


116




a


and the tip


116




b


of the punch


116


.




As shown in

FIG. 3

, the actuator


128


includes a rod


130


which is operatively connected to the moveable plate


126


. Accordingly, in response to operation of the actuator


128


, the rod


130


will reciprocate up or down when viewing

FIGS. 4 and 5

, thus causing the moveable plate


126


to move relative to the fixed plate


122


. In the disclosed embodiment the guide rods


124


serve to ensure that the moveable plate


126


moves along a relatively straight path.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, the die


114


and the punch


116


may be mounted to a common block


132


using bolts or any other suitable fasteners, with the block


132


being mounted to the fixed plate


122


. Further, the die


118


and the punch


112


may be mounted to a common block


134


using bolts or any other suitable fasteners, with the block


134


being mounted to the movable plate


126


. The blocks


132


,


134


may be mounted to their respective plates


122


,


126


using bolts or other suitable fasteners. In the disclosed embodiment, this mounting arrangement using the blocks


132


and


134


permits the upper and lower die sets


108


,


110


of the notching device


100


to be easily mounted to the plates


122


,


126


, or to any other suitable die press assembly of the type commonly employed in the art.




It will be noted that when the notching device


100


is in an inactive position, such as that shown in

FIG. 2

, the punches


112


,


116


may be disposed in back-to-back relationship, with an upper side


112




c


of the punch


112


in contact with a lower side


116




c


of the punch


116


. With the punches


112


,


116


so disposed, a gap


136


is created between the punch


112


and the die


114


, and a gap


138


is created between the punch


116


and the die


118


. As shown in

FIG. 9

, the gaps


136


,


138


are sized to permit the workpiece


106


to be inserted into the notching device


100


. In the disclosed embodiment, a fixed stop


140


is provided. A leading end


106




a


of the workpiece


106


will come into contact with the stop


140


when the workpiece


106


is fully inserted into the notching device


100


. Accordingly, when a stop


140


of the disclosed embodiment is employed, the tips


112




b


,


116




b


of the punches


112


,


116


will be accurately and consistently positioned a desired distance from the leading end


106




a


of the workpiece


106


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 7

, a contact switch


142


may be provided, with the contact switch


142


being disposed generally adjacent to the stop


140


. The contact switch is operatively connected to the actuator


128


, and is positioned such that the leading end


106




a


of the workpiece


106


will come into contact with and activate the contact switch


142


when the workpiece


106


is fully inserted into the notching device


100


. Alternatively, floor mounted switches, foot activated switches, optical switches, or other suitable switches (not shown) may be used. In operation, the notching device


100


is initially positioned in an inactive or retracted position, such as that shown in each of

FIGS. 1-3

, and


5


-


7


, As outlined above, contact between the backs


112




c


,


116




c


of the punches


112


,


116


, respectively, may help serve to define this inactive position. It will be noted that the fixed plate


122


and the moveable plate


126


are spaced apart by a known distance, such that the gaps


136


and


138


are created.




A workpiece


106


is then inserted into the notching device


100


, with the lower surface


102


inserted into the gap


136


and the upper surface


104


inserted in the upper gap


138


. Ideally, the workpiece


106


is placed so that the leading end


106




a


contacts the stop


140


such that the notches


101


to be formed will be properly placed relative to the end


106




a


(i.e, spaced inwardly form the end


106




a


the desired distance). The desired distance will depend on the overall physical dimensions of the workpiece as well as the size of the receiving aperture


160


, in the member


158


shown in

FIG. 12

, into which the leading end


106




a


will ultimately be inserted.




When the workpiece


106


is properly positioned, the actuator


128


is actuated. As outlined above, the actuator


128


may be activated upon contact between the leading end


106




a


of the workpiece


106


and the contact switch


142


, or by other suitable means (not shown).




When actuator


128


is activated, the rod


130


is drawn downwardly when viewing

FIG. 4

, which moves the moveable plate


126


closer toward the fixed plate


122


, thus shifting the notching device from the inactive position of

FIGS. 1-3

, and


5


-


7


, toward the active, notch forming position of

FIGS. 4

,


8


, and


10


.




In the process, the punch


112


moves into the cavity


114




b


of the fixed die


114


, and the die


118


moves downwardly over the stationary punch


116


, effectively moving the punch


116


into the cavity


118




b


of the die


118


. The relative movement of the punches and their cooperating dies is equal to the distance traveled by the rod


130


of the actuator


128


.




In the process, the punches


112


,


116


cut the notches


101


in the surfaces


102


,


104


, as the punches cut and deflect a portion of the workpiece material. The tip


112




b


of the punch


112


comes into contact with a lower inner surface


144


of the lower surface


102


of the workpiece


106


. The continued downward motion of the movable plate


126


forces the tip


116




b


of the punch


116


to contact an upper inner surface


146


of the upper surface


104


. Thus, as the moveable plate


126


completes its downward motion, the notches


101


are fully formed.

FIG. 11

shows a perspective view of the upper notch


101


, after the workpiece


106


has been removed from the notching device


100


.




At the end of the cycle the actuator


128


reverses, and pushes the movable plate


126


upwardly back toward the initial, inactive position of

FIGS. 1-3

, and


5


-


7


. The workpiece can then be removed from the notching device


100


.




In the disclosed embodiment the actuator


128


is a double acting pneumatic cylinder mounted in a fixed position relative to the bottom surface of the fixed plate


122


. Other suitable actuators such as standard hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic die presses, and mechanical die presses may be employed. The rod


130


of the actuator


128


extends through an aperture


121


in the fixed plate


122


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 10

, in the disclosed embodiment the dies


114


,


118


each may include a replaceable die element


148


. Each replaceable die element


148


incorporates an upper pair


150


and a lower pair


152


of symmetrical side holes (only one hole of each pair being viewable in

FIG. 9

or


10


). Further, the die elements


148


will include a pair of symmetrical front holes


154


,


156


. The front holes


154


,


156


along with the side hole pairs


150


,


152


allow the replaceable die elements


148


to be removed from either die


114


,


118


, flipped over, and be re-connected to present a fresh cutting surface or edge


162


. The ability to reuse the replaceable die elements increases the operating efficiency of the notching device


100


while reducing maintenance and operation costs.




Referring to

FIGS. 1

,


7


-


8


the notching device


100


may be paired with a similar notching device


1001


, thus allowing the simultaneous creation of two pairs of notches (i.e., a left pair of upper and lower notches and a right pair of upper and lower notches) in the same action the single hollow workpiece


106


shown in FIG.


7


.




It will be understood that the notching device


100


may be attached to a conventional die press with the fixed plate


122


attached to a fixed bed of the die press and the movable plate


126


attached to a movable ram of the die press in a manner that would be apparent to those skilled in the art.




Further, a commercially available die set such as the aforementioned Danly IEM® AS-34, may be incorporated into the notching device


100


to provide the movable plate


122


, the fixed plate


126


and the guide posts


124


needed to mount and align the components of the notching device


100


.




Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although the teachings of the invention have been illustrated in connection with certain embodiments, there is no intent to limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, the intention of this application is to cover all modifications and embodiments fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. A device for forming a notch in a first surface and second surface of a hollow workpiece in a single action, the device comprising:a first die; a first punch, the first punch fixed relative to the first die; a second die; a second punch, the second punch fixed relative to the second die, the second punch and the second die being moveable relative to the first die and first punch; whereby in response to movement of the second die and the second punch relative to the first die and the first punch, the second punch and the first die are adapted to cooperate to form a notch in the first surface of the workpiece, and the first punch and second die are adapted to cooperate to form a notch in the second surface of the workpiece.
  • 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is mounted to the top support and bottom support of a die set.
  • 3. The device of claim 1, wherein a working surface of the first die and second die are replaceable.
  • 4. The device of claim 1, wherein a working surface of the first punch and second punch are replaceable.
  • 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is mounted to a hydraulic press.
  • 6. The device of claim 1, wherein a downward facing die and an upward facing punch and downward facing punch and an upward facing die are adapted cooperate so that the first notch and the second notch are formed simultaneously.
  • 7. A device for notching a first surface and a second surface of a hollow workpiece in a single action, the device comprising:a first die; a second die, the second die movable relative to the first die, an actuator operatively connected to the second die and arranged to shift the second die between an active position and an inactive position; a first punch, the first punch fixed relative to the first die and arranged to cooperate with the second die to form a notch on the first surface of the workpiece in response to the shift of the second die from the inactive position to the active position, a second punch, the second punch fixed relative to the second die and arranged to cooperate with the first die to form a notch on the second surface of the workpiece in response to the shift of the second punch from the inactive position to the active position.
  • 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the actuator is a pneumatic cylinder.
  • 9. A device for notching a first surface and a second surface of a hollow workpiece in a single action, the device comprising:a first die set, the first die set including moveable punch and a fixed die; a second die set, the second die set including a fixed punch and a moveable die; an actuator operatively connected to the moveable punch of the first die set and the moveable die of the second die set for moving the moveable punch of the first die set and the moveable die of the second die set in unison relative to the fixed die of the first die set and the fixed punch of the second die set; whereby in response to movement of the actuator the first die set forms a notch in the first surface of the workpiece and the second die set forms a notch in the second surface of the workpiece.
  • 10. A method for notching multiple faces of a hollow workpiece in a single action comprising the steps of,providing a first die; providing a first punch spaced away from and fixed relative to the first die; providing a second die; providing a second punch spaced away from and fixed relative to the second die; the second die and the second punch movable relative to the first die and the first punch between an inactive position and an active position; placing the workpiece between the second die and the first punch and the second punch and the first die when the first die and the second die are in the inactive position; shifting the second die and the second punch relative to the first punch and the first die from the inactive position to the active position; and shifting the second punch and the second die, thereby forming a first notch in the first face and forming a second notch in the second face of the hollow workpiece.
  • 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hollow workpiece is inserted around the first punch and the second punch and between the first die and the second die.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/272,908 filed Mar. 2, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
1679572 Hayden Aug 1928 A
1895589 Spatta Jan 1933 A
3270604 Waltonen Sep 1966 A
4205545 Andrews Jun 1980 A
4334703 Arthur et al. Jun 1982 A
4621553 Gruchalski et al. Nov 1986 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
947194 May 1974 CA
919788 Apr 1982 SU
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/272908 Mar 2001 US