Pressurizer

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6792788
  • Patent Number
    6,792,788
  • Date Filed
    Monday, December 3, 2001
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 21, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
Disclosed is a high-accuracy pressure device for working that has a large pressing force and requires small driving energy.The pressure device comprises: a base plate, a support plate spaced at a prescribed distance from the base plate, a first slider and a second slider; the first slider and the second slider being formed so that the two can move between the base plate and the support plate in a direction orthogonal to the base plate and support plate and are capable of relative movement with each other in that direction, a position sensor for detecting the moving position of the second slider; a first drive means for driving the first slider; a second drive means for driving the second slider; and a central processing unit which controls the first drive means and second drive means and receives and processes position signals from the position sensor.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a pressure device, such as a pressing machine used, for example, in sheet metal working and, more particularly, to a pressure device which is capable of pressing operation requiring accurate position control and which, at the same time, involves a large pressing force and yet small driving energy.




2. Description of the Related Art




In a conventional type of press working machine, a hydraulic cylinder is widely used as a means of driving a ram that comes in contact with a workpiece and, in particular, an oil hydraulic cylinder is frequently used. In this type of hydraulic cylinder-operated pressing machine, it is necessary to perform press working as shown in

FIG. 6

, that is, working is conducted with the distance between a ram and a table kept constant.





FIG. 6

is an explanatory drawing of conventional working. In

FIG. 6

, numeral


31


indicates a table. With respect to this table


31


, a ram


32


of a pressing machine moves up and down by use of an oil hydraulic cylinder, for example, to perform the press working of a workpiece


33


. In order to accurately work the workpiece


33


to a thickness dimension t with this arrangement, the bottom end of the ram


32


is provided with projections


35


that have a height equal to the workpiece thickness t and protrude downward from a working surface


34


.




With this arrangement, when the ram


32


is operated downward, the working surface


34


can perform prescribed working of the workpiece


33


. Keeping the projections


35


of the ram


32


abutting against the table


31


allows the thickness dimension t of the workpiece


33


to be accurately maintained, free from dimensional variations. Thus, the working accuracy of the workpiece


33


can be improved.




The working method shown in

FIG. 6

, however, poses the following problem although the working accuracy can be improved by this method. That is, impact noises are inevitably generated because the ram


23


hits against the workpiece


33


in an impacting manner and because the projections


35


of the ram


32


also violently hit against the table


31


. In particular, in the case of high-speed working where the working frequency of the ram


32


per unit time is high, noises become so great that they impair the working environment.




On the other hand, working by use of an electrically-driven press has so far been practiced, and it is known that this working method is favorable for preventing the generation of noises caused by the working as shown in

FIG. 6

by the above hydraulic press, etc.





FIG. 7

is a longitudinal sectional view of essential portions of an example of the conventional electrically-driven press. This drawing is contained in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei-6(1994)-218591, for example. In

FIG. 7

, reference numeral


41


indicates a pressing force generating means. The pressing force generating means


41


is housed within a head frame


44


installed on a column


43


, which is formed integrally with a table


42


.




Numeral


45


indicates a tubular body. The tubular body


45


is installed within the head frame


44


and is provided with a bearing part


46


at the top end thereof. Numeral


47


indicates a screw shaft. The top end of the screw shaft


47


is supported by the bearing part


46


in a suspended state. Numeral


48


indicates a ram shaft, which is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. A nut


49


, which engages with the screw shaft


47


, is fixed to the top end of the ram shaft


48


. The ram shaft


48


is installed so that it can move vertically within the tubular body


45


. Numeral


50


indicates a pressing element detachably installed in the bottom end portion of the ram shaft


48


. The screw shaft


47


and nut


49


are in ball-screw engagement.




Next, numeral


51


indicates a sliding guide post. The sliding guide post


51


comprises a guide portion


52


installed within the head frame


44


, a sliding rod


53


, and a connecting plate


54


installed between the ram shaft


48


and the bottom end of the sliding rod


53


. Numeral


55


indicates a drive motor. The drive motor


55


is installed within the head frame


44


and drives the screw shaft


47


in both forward and reverse directions via a pulley


56


and a belt


57


, which are installed in the top end portion of the screw shaft


47


.




Note that measuring means, central processing unit, etc., which are not shown in the drawing, set the start and stop positions of the pressing element


50


and the rotational speed of the drive motor


55


, give the drive motor


55


instructions for rotation in the forward and reverse directions, etc.




With the above construction of the electrically-operated press, as the screw shaft


47


is rotated by the operation of the drive motor


55


via the belt


57


and the pulley


56


, the ram shaft


48


having the nut


49


fixed to the upper end thereof descends and the pressing element


50


abuts against a workpiece W with a pressing force in a preset position as shown by chain lines to perform the prescribed press working. After the completion of press working, the ram shaft


48


and pressing element


50


ascend by the reverse rotation of the drive motor


55


and return to the initial positions. By repeating the above operation, the prescribed press working can be accomplished on a plurality of workpieces W.




When an electrically-driven press as mentioned above is used, it is possible to perform working without generating noises. However, a conventional electrically-driven press poses problems as described below. Because the pressing force applied to the workpiece W is determined by the capacity of the drive motor


55


, large-capacity pressing machines require the drive motor


55


having a large capacity. Furthermore, in a large-capacity and large-size pressing machine, moving parts including the ram shaft


48


and pressing element


50


also become large both in size and weight. As a result, the driving energy necessary for the repeated vertical movements of the moving parts also becomes large, adding momentum to the undesirable trend toward larger size design and larger capacity design of drive motor


55


.




Furthermore, it is difficult to precisely position the pressing element


50


in a prescribed position (height h), for example, above the table


42


, and positioning errors frequently occur. Since the pressing element


50


is caused to move vertically by the movement of the nut


49


engaging with the screw shaft


47


as the screw shaft


47


is rotated, it is necessary to increase the number of revolutions and/or the screw pitch of the screw shaft


47


in order to shorten the working cycle time. This results in a decrease in the positioning accuracy of the pressing body


50


. On the other hand, reducing the number of revolutions and/or the screw pitch of the screw shaft


47


in order to improve the locating accuracy of the pressing element


50


could increase the time required for the vertical movement of the pressing element


50


and therefore the working cycle time accordingly, resulting in a decrease in working efficiency.




Although there can be another arrangement where the vertical movement of the pressing element


50


is accomplished by use of a plurality of drive means, this requires a complicated structure and a large-sized unit, and it is difficult to smoothly perform the control of a plurality of drive means. Therefore, this method has not been put to practical use.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




This invention is intended to overcome the aforementioned problems inherent in the prior art, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pressure device for press working having high working accuracy and a large pressing force and requiring small driving energy.




To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts a technical means that comprises: a base plate; a support plate spaced at a predetermined distance from the base plate; a first slider and a second slider, both being formed so that they can move between the base plate and the support plate in a direction orthogonal to the base plate and support plate and are capable of relative movement with each other in the above direction, a position sensor for detecting the moving position of the second slider; a first drive means for driving the first slider; a second drive means for driving the second slider; and a central processing unit which controls the first drive means and second drive means and receives and processes position signals from the position sensor. In this technical means, a workpiece placed between the second slider and the base plate is pressed by moving the first slider and second slider to prescribed positions by use of the first drive means and by moving the second slider to a prescribed position by use of the second drive means. Incidentally, the above drive means can include a known speed reduction mechanism having a plurality of gear groups.




In the present invention, the base plate and support plate can be disposed parallel to the horizontal plane and the first slider and second slider can be disposed so that they can move in a vertical direction.




Next, in the present invention, the first drive means may be formed as a crank mechanism and the second drive means as a mechanism comprising a screw pair.




Furthermore, in the present invention, the first drive means and second drive means each can be formed as a mechanism comprising a screw pair.




In this case, the screw in the first drive means can be formed as a ball screw.




Furthermore, in the present invention, the first slider and second slider can be formed so that the relationship between the amount of movement, m


1


, of the first slider per unit of time and the amount of movement, m


2


, of the second slider per unit of time is expressed by m


1


>m


2


.




Furthermore, in the present invention, motors in the first drive means and second drive means can be formed as servo motors.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an explanatory drawing of the construction of essential portions of a first embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is an explanatory drawing that schematically shows the relationship between the position of second slider


65


shown in FIG.


1


and time.





FIG. 3

is a front view in longitudinal section of the essential portions of a second embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a plane view in section of the essential portions taken along the lines A—A of FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is an explanatory drawing that schematically shows the relationship between the position of the pressing element


24


shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

and time and the relationship between pressing force and time.





FIG. 6

is an explanatory drawing of conventional press working.





FIG. 7

is a longitudinal sectional view of essential portions in an example of the conventional electrically-driven press.





FIG. 8

is a view in longitudinal section of the essential portions of the first embodiment of the present invention that schematically shows second slide


65


shown in

FIG. 1

at position H


0


of FIG.


2


.





FIG. 9

is a view in longitudinal section of the essential portions of the first embodiment of the present invention that schematically shows second slide


65


shown in

FIG. 1

at position H


1


of FIG.


2


.





FIG. 10

is a view in longitudinal section of the essential portions of the first embodiment of the present invention that schematically shows second slide


65


shown in

FIG. 1

at position H of FIG.


2


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS





FIG. 1

is an explanatory drawing of the construction of essential portions of a first embodiment of the present invention. In

FIG. 1

, numerals


61


and


62


indicate a base plate and a support plate, respectively. The base plate


61


and support plate


62


are formed, for example, in rectangular flat-plate shape, integrally constructed parallel to each other, and spaced by a column


63


from each other at a prescribed distance. Numerals


64


and


65


indicate a first slider and a second slider, respectively. The fist slider


64


and second slider


65


, which are interposed between the base plate


61


and support plate


62


, are formed so that they can move vertically and are capable of vertical relative movement with each other.




Numerals


66


and


67


indicate a first motor and a second motor, respectively. The first motor


66


and second motor


67


are formed as servo motors, such as pulse motors, are installed on the support plate


62


and on the first slider


64


, respectively, and are each fabricated in such a manner as to drive screw shafts


68


and


69


in forward and reverse directions. The screw shafts


68


and


69


are engaged with a nut member or female screw member (both not shown in the figure) provided within the first slider


64


and the second slider


64


, respectively, in a non-rotatable fashion, so as to vertically drive the first slider


64


and the second slider


65


, respectively, thereby forming a first drive means and a second drive means, respectively. Numerals


70


and


71


indicate dies. The dies


70


and


71


are detachably installed facing the second slider


65


and the base plate


61


, respectively, thereby forming a pair or a set of dies. Numeral


72


indicates a linear scale, installed on the column


63


, for example, and faces a detecting element


73


installed on the second slider


65


, thereby forming a position sensor of the second slider


65


.




In this case, although the position sensor directly detects the position of the second slider


65


, it can also indirectly detect the position of the first slider


64


by recognizing the relative position the first slider


64


connected to the second slider


65


. Therefore, the above position sensor serves as a position sensor common to the first slider


64


and the second slider


65


.




The screw pair formed screw shaft


68


constituting the above first drive means and the female screw engaging with the screw shaft


68


can be formed as a ball screw. Furthermore, the above drive means can include a known speed reduction mechanism having a plurality of gear groups between the first motor


66


and the second motor


67


.




Next, numeral


74


indicates a central processing unit (CPU). The central processing unit


74


sends signals to the first motor


66


and second motor


67


by an interface


75


via a first driver


76


and a second driver


77


and thereby controls the driving of the two motors


66


and


67


. Numeral


78


indicates a pulse counter. The pulse counter


78


counts pulse signals sent from the position sensor comprising the detecting element


73


and linear scale


72


and sends the pulse signals to the central processing unit


74


. The signals are received and stored by the central processing unit


74


and are processed for the control of the first motor


66


and second motor


67


. Numeral


79


indicates an input device. The input device


79


inputs the movement data of the first slider


64


and second slider


65


to the central processing unit


74


.





FIG. 2

is an explanatory drawing that schematically shows the relationship between the position of the second slider


65


shown in FIG.


1


and time. Operation is described below by referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




First, through the use of the input device


79


, data on the positions H


0


, H


1


and H of the second slider


65


and data on stop time t


21


(during descent), t


22


(during ascent) and t


4


at the respective positions H


1


and H of the second slider


65


are input to the central processing unit


74


and stored there. Next, when the first motor


66


is operated under instructions from the central processing unit


74


with the second motor


67


kept locked, the first slider


64


and second slider


64


descend without mutual relative movement and the second slider


65


reaches the position H


1


after the lapse of time t


1


. The position at this point of time is detected by the detecting element


73


and the linear scale


72


and is input to the central processing unit


74


via the pulse counter


78


, with the result that the first motor


66


stops and is locked. During the operation of the first motor


66


, control is performed so that the second motor


67


is in a locked condition.




Next, after the lapse of time t


21


the second motor


67


is operated, whereby the second slider


65


reaches a final position H after the lapse of time t


31


and the second motor


67


stops. Prescribed press working is performed by the dies


70


and


71


within time t


4


. This press working may extend to the time t


31


during which the second slider is descending.




After the completion of the above press working, the operation of the second motor


67


in a reverse direction causes the second slider


65


to reach the position H


1


after the lapse of time t


32


and the second motor


67


stops and is locked. And after the lapse of time t


22


, the operation of the first motor


66


in a reverse direction causes the second slider


65


, along with the first slider


64


, to reach the initial position H


0


after the lapse of time t


12


and the first motor


66


stops.




The control of the first motor


66


and second motor


67


is performed by feedback from the central processing unit


64


and the position sensor. In this case, it is also possible to make the time t


21


, t


22


and t


4


zero. Furthermore, the second motor


67


can also be operated before the second slider


65


reaches the position H


1


, and after the completion of working, the first motor


66


and second motor


67


can be simultaneously operated in reverse directions.




Moreover, by appropriately selecting the number of revolutions of the first motor


66


and second motor


67


and the pitch of the screw shafts


68


and


69


, it is possible to ensure the relationship between the amount of movement, m


1


, of the first slider


64


per unit of time and the amount of movement, m


2


, of the second slider


65


per unit time is m


1


>m


2


. By forming a pressure device as in this example, the die


70


can be moved to the neighborhood of the working position in a short period of time and the accuracy of the subsequent positioning can also be improved. At the same time, as will be described later, a pressing force much larger than by a single slider can be obtained.





FIG. 3

is a front view in longitudinal section of the essential portions of a second embodiment of the present invention and

FIG. 4

is a plane view in cross section of the essential portions taken along the lines A—A of FIG.


3


. In the two drawings, numeral


1


indicates a base plate


1


. The base plate


1


is formed, for example, in rectangular flat-plate form and cylindrical guide bars


2


, for example, are provided at the four corners of the base plate


1


. A support plate


3


formed in rectangular flat-plate shape, for example, is rotatably fitted to the top end of the guide bar


2


via fastening members


4


, for example.




Next, numeral


5


indicates a crankshaft. The crankshaft


5


is rotatably provided between a pair of support members


6


provided on the support plate


3


via bearings


8


and is connected, via a connecting rod


9


, to a quill


10


installed in such a manner as to pierce through the support plate


3


. Numeral


7


indicates a slider. The slider


7


engages with the guide bar


2


in such a manner as to be movable in the axial direction of the guide bar


2


. Numeral


13


indicates a differential male screw. The differential male screw


13


is integrally joined to the bottom end of the quill


10


.




Numeral


14


indicates a differential member. The differential member


14


is formed in hollow cylindrical shape and is provided, on the inner peripheral surface, with a differential female screw


17


engaging with the differential male screw


13


. Numeral


16


indicates a worm wheel. The worm wheel


16


is integrally fixed to the differential member


14


and is formed in such a manner as to engage with a worm


17


. Numerals


18


and


19


indicate a radial bearing and a thrust bearing, respectively. The radial bearing


18


and the thrust bearing


19


are installed within the slider


7


and support the differential member


14


and the worm wheel


16


, respectively.




Numeral


20


indicates a worm shaft. The worm shaft


20


is inserted into the center of the worm


17


and is fixed to it. At the same time, both ends of the worm shaft


20


are rotatably supported by bearings


21


installed within the slider


7


. Numerals


22


and


23


indicate pulse motors. The pulse motors


22


and


23


are provided in such a manner as to cause the crankshaft


5


and the worm shaft


20


, respectively, to rotate. Numeral


24


indicates a pressing element. The pressing element


24


is detachably provided in the bottom end portion of the central portion of the slider


7


. Numeral


25


indicates a linear scale provided on the base plate


1


, for example, facing a detecting element


26


provided in the slider


7


, thereby forming a position sensor of the slider


7


.




Note that the pulse motors


22


and


23


are each connected to a central processing unit as shown in

FIG. 1

via a driver and an interface (not shown in the figures). The same also applies to the linear scale


25


and detecting element


26


that constitute the position sensor. The differential male screw


13


and the slider


7


shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

correspond to the first slider


64


and second slider


65


, respectively, shown in FIG.


1


. And the pulse motors


22


and


23


shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

correspond to the first motor


66


and second motor


67


, respectively, shown in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 5

is an explanatory drawing that schematically shows the relationship between the position of the pressing element


24


shown in FIG.


3


and time, and the relationship between pressing force and time. Operation is described below by referring to

FIG. 3

or


5


.




First, when the pulse motor


22


is operated by applying a predetermined number of pulses, the crankshaft


5


rotates and the slider


7


descends via the connecting rod


9


, the quill


10


and the differential male screw


13


, with the result that the pressing element


24


descends from the initial position H


0


(upper dead center) to the position H


1


(lower dead center of the connecting rod


9


or the differential male screw


13


) near the working position H and the pulse motor


22


stops in this position.




Next, when the pulse motor


23


is operated by applying a predetermined number of pulses, the worm shaft


20


, the worm


17


and the worm wheel


16


rotate and the differential member


14


rotate. As a result, the pressing element


24


descends from the above position H


1


to the working position H and abuts against the workpiece W. As a result, the press working of the workpiece W is performed by a pressing force that is set beforehand via the pressing element


24


.




After the completion of press working, the slider


7


ascends by a reverse operation of the pulse motor


23


and the pressing element


24


ascends from the working position H to the position H


1


. The pressing element


24


then returns to the initial position H


0


by a reverse operation of the pulse motor


22


. The pressing element


24


may be returned as indicated by chain lines in

FIG. 5

by a simultaneous reverse operation of the pulse motors


22


and


23


after the completion of press working.




The pressing force applied by the pressing element


24


to the workpiece W during the above descent of the slider


7


increases substantially from F


1


by the pulse motor


22


to F


2


by the pulse motor


23


. This is because the rotational speed by the pulse motor


23


is substantially reduced due to a reduction gear ratio between the worm


17


and the worm wheel


16


and, therefore, a transmitted torque increases to a reverse multiple of the above reduction gear ratio. Because the pressing force applied to the workpiece W can be substantially increased as mentioned above, the capacity of the pulse motor


23


may be small.




The movement of the pressing element


24


from the position H


1


to the position H in

FIG. 5

is performed at a slow speed because this movement is due to the rotation of the worm


17


and the worm wheel


16


and the engagement between the differential male screw


13


and the differential female screw


15


in

FIGS. 3 and 3

. However, because (H


1


-H), i.e., the working stroke is, for example, about 2-5 mm, the working time does not becomes unwantedly long. On the other hand, when the working stroke is long, the working time can be shortened by starting the operation of the pulse motor


23


in the position H


2


of pressing element


24


and causing the pressing element


24


to descend in collaboration with the pulse motor


22


. The above values of H


0


, H


1


, H


2


and H are measured by the linear scale


25


and detecting element


26


, which constitute a position sensor, and are input to a central processing unit (not shown). These values can be adapted in such a manner as to be controlled with respect to the pulse motors


22


and


23


.




In this case, the stroke given by the crankshaft


5


to the slider


7


as a maximum value is the distance between the upper and lower dead centers of the crankshaft


5


. However, it is possible to set the stroke of the slider


7


to a desired value of less than the above maximum value by stopping the crankshaft


5


without causing it to rotate up to the upper dead center.




In the above embodiments of the present invention, description has been made of what is called a vertical type in which the base plate


1


and support plate


3


are arranged parallel to a horizontal plane and the guide bar


2


connecting the two is vertically installed. However, the present invention can be applied to what is called a horizontal type in which the base plate and support plate are arranged parallel to the vertical plane and the guide bar is horizontally installed.




Although in the above description, an arrangement in which the slider


7


is present above the workpiece W was shown, the operation is the same also in an arrangement in which the slider


7


is present under the workpiece W.




Furthermore, an example of speed reducing mechanism by a worm and worm wheel was shown as a means for relative movement of the differential male screw


13


with the slider


7


. However, the relative movement means is not limited to this example and a known gear group in which a speed reducing mechanism comprises three or more gears can be used.




In the above embodiments, descriptions were furnished with the aid of the drive motors of crankshaft


5


and worm shaft


20


as pulse motors. However, the drive motors may be servo motors capable of the detection and control of position.




Furthermore, for the guide bar


2


that guides the movement of the slider


7


, it is preferred that two or more guide bars be used when a large-size guide bar or a guide bar requiring rigidity is needed. However, a single guide bar may be used or in some cases the guide bar


2


may be formed in columnar or beam form in such a manner that the slider


7


slides along the side of the guide bar


2


.




Moreover, in addition to a case where the pressure device of the present invention is used singly, the present invention can naturally be applied to a case where two or more units are arranged in tandem and, for example, a long workpiece is subjected to progressive working. In addition to a use in the sheet metal working of plate materials, the pressure device of the present invention can also be used in the assembling, press-fitting, staking and other working of a plurality of parts, and further for the clamping of molds in an injection molding machine, die casting, powder metallurgy, etc.




INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY




Because of the above-mentioned essential features and operation, the present invention can provide the following effects:




(1) A large pressing force can be obtained since the pressing force applied to a workpiece or a body to be pressed increases to a reverse multiple of the reduction gear ratio by the speed reducing mechanism.




(2) The motor that drives the slider may be of a small capacity and, therefore, the driving energy can be substantially reduced.




(3) The stroke from the end point of movement to the start point of movement of the reciprocal drive means can be arbitrarily set.




(4) The bottom dead center of the slider can be accurately controlled and, therefore, working accuracy can be increased.




(5) Noises as in a fluid pressure-operated pressure device are not generated and, therefore, a quiet working environment can be ensured.



Claims
  • 1. A pressure device comprisinga base plate, a support plate spaced at a prescribed distance from the base plate, a first slider and a second slider; the first slider and second slider being formed so that the two can move between the base plate and the support plate in a direction orthogonal to the base plate and the support plate and are capable of relative movement with each other in that direction, a position sensor for detecting the moving position of the second slider, a first drive means for driving the first slider, a second drive means disposed on the first slider for driving the second slider, and a central processing unit which controls the first drive means and the second drive means and receives and processes position signals from the position sensor, wherein a workpiece being pressed which is placed between the second slider and the base plate is pressed until the workpiece reaches a prescribed position by moving the second slider to a prescribed position by use of the second drive means based on position signals from the position sensor, while moving the first slider and the second slider by use of the first drive means.
  • 2. A pressure device according to claim 1, wherein the base plate and support plate are disposed parallel to the horizontal plane and the first slider and the second slider are disposed so that the two can move in a vertical direction.
  • 3. A pressure device according to claim 1, wherein the first drive means is formed as a crank mechanism and the second drive means as a mechanism comprising a screw pair.
  • 4. A pressure device according to claim 1, wherein the first drive means and the second drive means are each formed as a mechanism comprising a screw pair.
  • 5. A pressure device according to claim 4, wherein the screw in the first drive means is formed as a ball screw.
  • 6. A pressure device according to claim 1, wherein the first slider and the second slider are disposed so that the relationship between the amount of movement, m1, of the first slider per unit time and the amount of movement, m2, of the second slider per unit time is expressed by m1>m2.
  • 7. A pressure device according to claim 1, wherein motors in the first drive means and the second drive means are formed as servo motors.
  • 8. A method for pressing a work piece precisely, the method comprising the steps of:providing a base plate having a plane; providing a first drive means connected to said base plate wherein a work space is provided between said base plate and said first drive means; providing a first slider provided within said work spare and connected to said first drive means by a first linearly displacing means having an axis orthogonal to said plane of said base plate; providing a second drive means connected to said first slider; providing a second slider provided within said work space and connected to said second drive means by a second linearly displacing means having an axis orthogonal to said plane of said base plate; providing a position sensor; providing a central processing unit; using said first driving means to actuate said first slider and said second slider to bring the second slider in contact with the work piece; setting said position sensor to initial stage using said second driving means to actuate said second slider to start molding the work piece; sending position from position sensor to said central processing unit; and controlling said second driving means by said central processing unit to press the work piece evenly and precisely.
  • 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said first drive means is a crank mechanism and said second drive means is a mechanism comprising a screw pair.
  • 10. A method according to claim 8, wherein said first drive means and said second drive means are each a screw pair.
  • 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said screw pairs in said first drive means is a ball screw.
  • 12. A method according to claim 8, wherein said first slider and said second slider are actuated so that said first slider moves in greater proportion than said second slider.
  • 13. A method according to claim 8, wherein said first drive means and said second drive means are servo motors.
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/JP01/01075 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO02/06435 8/22/2002 WO A
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number Name Date Kind
2128152 MacMillin Aug 1938 A
3830615 Walchhuetter Aug 1974 A
4646555 Postupack Mar 1987 A
6520077 Minagawa et al. Feb 2003 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (8)
Number Date Country
58-163617 Sep 1983 JP
61-106221 May 1986 JP
4-47520 Apr 1992 JP
6-54498 Jul 1994 JP
6-218591 Aug 1994 JP
10-015699 Jan 1998 JP
11-221700 Aug 1999 JP
11-226796 Aug 1999 JP