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Title:
ASSEMBLY AND PROCESS FOR AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING OF RINGS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/038786
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to an assembly (10) and a process for the automated manufacturing of rings. The assembly (10) comprises a conveyor mechanism for facilitating the conveyance of at least one wound piece from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism; an entry regulating mechanism for regulating the timing of entry of the wound piece(s) into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism; and a ring forging cum ejection mechanism for facilitating forging of ring(s) from the wound piece(s), followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10). The components of the assembly (10) are driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) and the crankshaft (104) in the mechanical power press (100); in order to ensure safety and maintain high productivity without compromising on the product specifications.

Inventors:
LOKHANDE SHRIKANT (IN)
Application Number:
PCT/IN2018/050541
Publication Date:
February 28, 2019
Filing Date:
August 22, 2018
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
LOKHANDE SHRIKANT (IN)
International Classes:
B21F37/00; B21D53/16; B21J13/08; B21J13/14; B21K27/02
Foreign References:
DE1118137B1961-11-30
US3848444A1974-11-19
US3570300A1971-03-16
US4014203A1977-03-29
US4741196A1988-05-03
US20050092052A12005-05-05
IN20172102226A
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
MEHENDALE, Rujuta (IN)
Download PDF:
Claims:
I CLAIM:

1. An assembly (10) for automated manufacturing of rings, to be installed in a conventional mechanical power press (100), said assembly (10) comprising:

a. a conveyor mechanism for facilitating the conveyance of at least one wound piece from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism;

b. an entry regulating mechanism for regulating the timing of entry of said wound piece(s) into said ring forging cum ejection mechanism; and

c. a ring forging cum ejection mechanism for facilitating forging of ring(s) from said wound piece(s), followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10).

2. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said entry regulating mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) in said mechanical power press (100).

3. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ring forging cum ejection mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) and the crankshaft (104) in said mechanical power press (100).

4. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conveyor mechanism comprises at least one shoot (12) having the horizontal plane at a pre-determined angle with respect to the plane of the press bed (106) of said mechanical power press (100); said pre-determined angle decreasing with an increase in the specific weight of the material of the wound pieces and said pre-determined angle increasing with a decrease in the specific weight of the material of the wound pieces.

5. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said entry regulating mechanism comprises at least two wires affixed to said ram (102) and adapted to regulate the timing of entry of wound piece(s) in cue in said shoot (12), to ensure the reaching of only one wound piece into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism for forging, said entry regulating mechanism comprising:

a. at least one straight stopper wire (14); and

b. at least one U-shaped stopper wire (16).

6. The assembly (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ring forging cum ejection mechanism comprises:

a. at least one lower die unit, adapted to receive the wound piece(s) from said shoot (12), comprising:

i. at least one lower die base (18) mounted on the press bed (106) and adapted to hold and support at least one stationary component of the lower die unit and at least one moving component of the lower die unit;

ii. at least one stationary die component (20) mounted on said base (18), coaxial to the ram (102) of the mechanical power press (100) and adapted to hold the wound piece(s) conveyed from said shoot (12) and give shape thereto after impact from the upper die (108) of said mechanical power press (100) to form a ring; and

iii. at least one moving die component (22) mounted coaxially around said stationary die component (20) on said base (18) and comprising at least one sleeve element (22a) and at least one spring element (22b); wherein said sleeve element (22a) is adapted to hold the wound piece at the site of impact and is further adapted to expose the forged ring to at least one air blower (24) to eject the forged ring away from the assembly (10) upon actuation by at least one ring ejection setup and wherein said spring element (22b) is adapted to facilitate the exposure of the forged ring to the air blower (24); and at least one ring ejection setup adapted to cause actuation of the sleeve element (22a) to facilitate ejection of the forged ring upon the crankshaft (104) traversing a pre-determined distance; said ring ejection setup comprising:

i. at least one cam (26) affixed to crankshaft (104) of said mechanical power press (100) and adapted to mirror the movement of the rotating crankshaft (104) and exert pressure on the ring ejection setup to trigger the downward motion of at least one vertical element (28);

ii. at least one vertical element (28) being parallel to the frame (110) of said mechanical power press (100) and adapted to accept the trigger provided by said cam (26) and displace downwards and cause at least one horizontal element (30) to displace downwards; said vertical element (28) comprising a first end (28a) having a roller facing and being under intermittent influence of said cam (26) and a second end (28b) irreversibly inserted in at least one binding element (32), thereby influencing the movement of said horizontal element (30) also engaged in said binding element (32);

iii. at least one vertical element supporting frame (34) affixed to the frame (110) of the mechanical power press (100) and adapted to hold and support said vertical element (28); iv. at least one horizontal element (30), piercing through the frame (110) of said mechanical power press (100) in parallel to the press bed (106) of said mechanical power press (100) and adapted to receive the trigger provided by said vertical element (28) and displace downwards to cause the sleeve (22a) element to displace downwards and expose said forged ring to the air blower (24); said horizontal element (30) comprising a first end (30a) engaged in said binding element (32) and a second end (30b) resting onto the sleeve element (22a);

v. at least one stopper bolt (36) affixed on the horizontal element (30) and adapted to maintain a pre-determined distance between the top surfaces of the stationary die component (20) and the sleeve element (22a);

vi. at least one binding element (32) adapted to bind together said second end (28b) of the vertical element (28) and said first end (30a) of the horizontal element (30) to facilitate mechanical fluidity and to preclude said elements from getting damaged;

vii. at least one sliding element (38) affixed to the first end (30a) of the horizontal element (30), adjacent to the binding element (32), at one end and to the frame (110) of the power press (100) at the other end and adapted to cause the sleeve element (22a), the horizontal element (30), the binding element (32) and the vertical element (28) to displace upwards and resume original position, wherein said sliding element (38) being a spring;

viii. at least one reciprocating switch (40) affixed to the frame (110) of the power press (100) and adapted to maintain the axis and strength of motion of the vertical element (28); ix. at least one air blower actuator (42) affixed to the binding element (32) and adapted to open the valve of an air pipe (44) after the crankshaft (104) traverses a pre-determined distance upon actuation by the cam (26); and x. at least one air blower (24), being the outlet of said air pipe (44) and affixed on the upper surface of said sleeve (22a), adapted to eject the forged ring away from the assembly (10) upon actuation by the air blower actuator (42).

7. A process for automated manufacturing rings comprising:

a. transferring a plurality of wound pieces from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism by a conveying mechanism;

b. regulating the timing of entry of said wound pieces into said ring forging cum ejection mechanism by an entry regulating mechanism; and

c. forging of wound pieces to form rings, followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10) hosting said process, by means of said ring forging cum ejection mechanism; wherein the smooth functioning of said process is facilitated by installing said assembly (10) in a conventional mechanical power press (100).

8. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein step (b) is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) in said mechanical power press (100).

9. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein step (c), is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) and the crankshaft (104) of said mechanical power press (100).

10. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of transferring a plurality of wound pieces comprises transporting a plurality of wound pieces from the wound pieces' reservoir to said ring forging cum ejection mechanism by means of at least one shoot (12).

11. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of regulating the timing of entry of said wound pieces into said ring forging cum ejection mechanism ensures the reaching of only one wound piece into said ring forging cum ejection mechanism for forging and comprises:

a. sliding of a wound piece first in cue in the shoot (12) onto at least one stationary die component (20) of at least one lower die unit of said ring forging cum ejection mechanism, after disengagement from at least one straight stopper wire (14) of said entry regulating mechanism, when the ram (102) ascends to a distance ranging from 80 - 85 % of the total traveling distance from the bottom most position and reaches the topmost position, wherein the wound piece second in cue in said shoot (12) is blocked from sliding down the shoot (12), by the engagement of at least one U-shaped stopper wire (16) of said entry regulating mechanism therein;

b. allowing of said blocked wound piece second in cue in said shoot (12) to slide down due to gravity and become the new wound piece first in cue in said shoot (12), followed by being further blocked by engagement with said straight stopper wire (14) when the ram (102) descends to a distance ranging from 15 - 20 % of the total traveling distance from the topmost position;

c. dual blocking of said new wound piece first in cue by said straight stopper wire (14) as well said U shaped stopper wire (16) when the ram (102) travels 17 - 30 % of the total traveling distance from the topmost position;

d. continued blocking of said new wound piece first in cue by said straight stopper wire (14) as said U-shaped stopper wire (16) disengages therefrom, when the ram (102) descends to a distance ranging from 32 - 38% of the total traveling distance from the topmost position to when the ram (102) reaches the bottommost position; and from the ascent of the ram (102) from the bottommost position till the ram (102) ascends to a distance ranging from 80- 85% of the total traveling distance from the bottommost position; and

e. blocking of the wound piece next in cue to said new wound piece first in cue, by the engagement thereof with said U-shaped stopper wire (16), from when the ram (102) ascends to a distance ranging from 62 - 68 % of the total traveling distance from the bottommost position till the ram (102) reaches topmost position and descends to a distance ranging from 32 - 38% of the total traveling distance from the topmost position as claimed in claim 11(d).

12. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of forging of a wound piece to form a ring, followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10) comprises:

a. hammering on said wound piece at said stationary die component (20) to form a ring, by the upper die (108) of the mechanical power press (100), wherein said wound piece is held at the desired site of impact by at least one sleeve element (22a) of at least one moving die component (22) of said lower die unit at original position, aided by at least one stopper bolt (36) of said ring ejection setup and supported by at least one lower die base (18), when the ram (102) is at bottommost position and the crankshaft (104) is at 0°;

b. triggering downward motion of said vertical element (28), by at least one cam (26) of said ring ejection setup; leading to downward displacement of said horizontal element (30), said binding element (32), said sliding element (38) and said sleeve (22a) to expose said ring to said air blower; when the crankshaft (104) traverses to a distance ranging from 15° - 30°;

c. opening of an air pipe (44) leading up to said air blower (24), by at least one air blower actuator (42), causing ejection of the forged ring away from the assembly (10), when the crankshaft (104) traverses to a distance ranging from 30° - 45°; and

d. relaxing of at least one sliding element (38) of at least one ring ejection setup of said ring forging cum ejection mechanism to facilitate at least one horizontal element (30), at least one vertical element (28) and at least one binding element (32) of said ring ejection setup to displace upwards and resume original position and consequent relaxing of at least one spring element (22b) of said moving die component (22) to cause said sleeve element (22a) to resume original position when the crankshaft (104) traverses a distance from 45° - 360°.

13. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of forging of said wound piece in said lower die comprises giving the ring a pre-determined shape.

14. The process as claimed in claim 7, being cyclic in nature.

Description:
TITLE OF THE INVENTION

ASSEMBLY AND PROCESS FOR AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING OF RINGS FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an assembly and process for automated manufacturing of rings.

DEFINITIONS

Without departing from the conventional meaning of the word, the term 'ring', for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as a tool for attachment to multifarious articles of utility including but not limited to keys, inhalers, flashlights, compasses, calculators, penknives, discount cards, bottle openers, security tokens and USB flash drives. Without departing from the conventional meaning, the term 'mechanical power press', for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as a machine used in the manufacturing industry to give shape to an article of manufacture by the application of pressure.

The term 'wound piece', for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as a unit which is used as a precursor for manufacturing rings, which is obtained by winding a cord and cutting the stray ends in accordance with certain preset standards, wherein the cord is made up of any raw material typically used for manufacturing rings.

Without departing from the conventional meaning of the word, the term 'forging', for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. l The commonly known components of a mechanical power press, relevant for understanding the working and construction of the invention of the present disclosure, are described herein below.

Without departing from the conventional meaning of the word, the term 'ram' for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as a component, having reciprocating, up and down movement, that is responsible for the process of forging of the article of manufacture. An upper die or upper punch is attached to the lower surface of the ram. The term 'total traveling distance' is used multiple times in the present disclosure with respect to the ram. The term 'total traveling distance' is to be interpreted, for the purpose of the present disclosure, to mean the total distance traversed by the ram, in one direction, during the reciprocating, up and down movement thereof.

Without departing from the conventional meaning of the word, the term 'crankshaft' for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as the rod connecting the two vertical sides of the frame of the mechanical power press and is responsible for the conversion of the rotary movement of the motor to the reciprocating movement of the ram. The crankshaft may also be referred to as the main shaft. Without departing from the conventional meaning of the word, the term 'frame' for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as the main support structure or skeleton of the mechanical power press, over which the press components such as ram, crankshaft and the control mechanisms are mounted. Typically, the frame of a mechanical power press has a C - shape. Without departing from the conventional meaning, the term 'press bed' for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as the platform on which a lower die is mounted. Typically, the press bed is parallel to the floor on which the mechanical power press rests.

Without departing from the conventional meaning, the term 'lower die' for the purpose of the present disclosure, is to be interpreted as the component holding the article of manufacture (to be given the desired shape), during the process of forging. Particularly, the article of manufacture gets the desired shape due to the cumulative impact of the upper die and the lower die, with the article of manufacture resting on the lower die. The lower die may also be referred to as the lower punch.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, rings have been manufactured by processes that require significant human intervention. This, besides making the whole process time consuming and causing a decrease in the production rate, causes a towering increase in the incidence of accidents among the machine operators. Furthermore, as the dependency on the operators is tremendous, chances of manual errors are on the rise. The inventor of the present disclosure has envisaged an assembly and a process for manufacturing rings that mitigates the afore- stated problems.

OBJECTS

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an assembly for automating the manufacturing of rings.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an automated process for manufacturing rings.

It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide an assembly and a process for manufacturing rings which reduces human intervention. It is still another object of the present disclosure to provide an assembly and a process for manufacturing rings which reduces the incidence of accidents among machine operators and increases the safety.

It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide an assembly and a process for manufacturing rings which decreases the production time and increases productivity.

It is still another object of the present disclosure to provide an assembly and a process for manufacturing rings which decreases human errors.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an assembly (10) and a process for the automated manufacturing of rings. Typically, the assembly (10) is to be installed in a conventional mechanical power press (100). The assembly (10) of the present disclosure comprises a conveyor mechanism for facilitating the conveyance of at least one wound piece from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism; an entry regulating mechanism for regulating the timing of entry of said wound piece(s) into said ring forging cum ejection mechanism; and a ring forging cum ejection mechanism for facilitating forging of ring(s) from said wound piece(s), followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10). Typically, the components of the assembly (10) are driven by the movement of and position of the ram and the crankshaft (104) in said mechanical power press (100).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objectives and advantages of the proposed invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of the proposed invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Figure 1 illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of the ring of the present disclosure; Figure 2 illustrates the assembly of the present disclosure after installation in a mechanical power press;

Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the assembly of the present disclosure after installation in a mechanical power press, focusing on the ring ejection setup of the ring forging cum ejection mechanism;

Figure 4 illustrates the front view of the assembly of the present disclosure after installation in a mechanical power press, focusing on the conveyer mechanism, entry regulating mechanism and lower die unit of the ring forging cum ejection mechanism; and

Figure 5a illustrates the position of the components of the assembly, just before the wound piece is forged to form a ring; and Figure 5b illustrates the position of the components of the assembly, after the ring is forged and just before it is ejected away from the assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventor of the present disclosure provides an assembly (10) and process for automated manufacturing of rings.

The foregoing objects of the invention are accomplished, the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art techniques and approaches are overcome by the assembly (10) and process as described below in the preferred embodiment.

The conventional technique for the manufacturing of rings typically includes steps such as winding a cord, cutting the cord to separate out wound pieces, placing the wound piece on the die of a power press, causing the ram (102) of the power press to hammer on the wound piece and separating the resulting ring from the working area to a collection area - steps that are all carried out manually. Human intervention forms the crux of the conventional techniques. As a consequence, the conventional techniques are fraught with industrial hazards such as increased time and cost of production, increased incidences of injuries to machine operators, decreased safety of workers, increased percentages of error and the like. In spite of the advancement in technology that is being witnessed globally, the present industry has not received any significant technological contribution due to the comparatively low commercial value of the product. The assembly (10) and process of the present disclosure addresses the afore-stated concerns.

The inventor of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect, provides an assembly (10) for the automated manufacturing of rings. The assembly (10) of the present disclosure is to be installed in a conventional mechanical power press (100) as demonstrated in Figure 2 and comprises a conveyor mechanism; an entry regulating mechanism and a ring forging cum ejection mechanism.

The conveyor mechanism is for facilitating the conveyance of at least one wound piece from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism. Typically, the conveyor mechanism comprises at least one shoot (12) that linearly transfers the wound pieces from the reservoir. Characteristically, the horizontal plane of the shoot (12) is maintained at a predetermined angle with respect to the plane of the press bed (106) of the mechanical power press (100). In one embodiment, the pre-determined angle is decreased with an increase in the specific weight of the material of the wound pieces. In another embodiment, the pre-determined angle is increased with a decrease in the specific weight of the material of the wound pieces.

The entry regulating mechanism is for regulating the timing of entry of the wound piece(s) lined up in the shoot (12), into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism, such that only one wound piece slides into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism for forging. The entry regulating mechanism of the present disclosure comprises at least two wires affixed to the ram (102), wherein the first wire is a straight stopper wire (14) and the second wire is a U-shaped stopper wire (16). The inventor of the present disclosure, after extensive experimentation, has found that the maximum horizontal distance between the two wires should be 30 to 66 % of the internal diameter of the ring or l/3 rd for best results. Further, the length of the straight wire is determined on the basis of the time required by the wound piece first in cue to land and stabilize on the stationary die component (20) of the lower die unit. Typically, the entry regulating mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) in the mechanical power press (100), as explained in detail in subsequent parts of the present disclosure. The ring forging cum ejection mechanism is for facilitating forging of ring(s) from the wound piece(s), followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10) - all without human intervention. The ring forging cum ejection mechanism comprises at least one lower die unit, adapted to receive the wound piece from the shoot (12) for forging and at least one ring ejection setup adapted to cause actuation of the sleeve element (22a) to facilitate ejection of the forged ring away from the assembly.

The lower die unit (representations seen in Figures 4, 5a and 5b) comprises at least one lower die base (18), at least one stationary die component (20) and at least one moving die component (22). The lower die base (18) is mounted on the press bed (106) and is adapted to hold and support the stationary die component (20) and the moving die component (22). The stationary die component (20) is mounted on the base (18), coaxial to the ram (102) of the mechanical power press (100) and is adapted to hold the wound piece conveyed from the shoot (12) and give shape thereto after impact from the upper die (108) of the mechanical power press (100) to form a ring. The moving die component (22) is mounted coaxially around the stationary die component (20) on the base (18) and comprises at least one sleeve element (22a) and at least one spring element (22b). The sleeve element (22a) is adapted to hold the wound piece at the site of impact and is further adapted to expose the forged ring to at least one air blower (24) to eject the forged ring away from the assembly (10) upon actuation by the ring ejection setup. The spring element (22b) is adapted to facilitate the exposure of the forged ring to the air blower (24). The ring ejection setup (representations seen in Figures 3 and 4) comprises at least one cam (26), at least one vertical element (28), at least one vertical element supporting frame (34), at least one horizontal element (30) , at least one stopper bolt (36), at least one binding element (32), at least one sliding element (38), at least one reciprocating switch (40), at least one air blower actuator (42) and at least one air blower (24).

The cam (26) is affixed to the crankshaft (104) of the mechanical power press (100), besides the press brake and is adapted to mirror the movement of the rotating crankshaft (104) and exert pressure on the ring ejection setup to trigger the downward motion of the vertical element (28). The vertical element (28) is parallel to the frame of the mechanical power press (100) and is adapted to accept the trigger provided by the cam (26) and displace downwards and cause the horizontal element (30) to displace downwards. The vertical element (28) comprises a first end (28a) having a roller facing and being under intermittent influence of the cam (26) and a second end irreversibly inserted in at least one binding element (32), thereby influencing the movement of the horizontal element (30) which is also engaged in the binding element (32). The vertical element supporting frame (34) is affixed to the frame of the mechanical power press (100) and is adapted to hold and support the vertical element (28). The horizontal element (30), pierces through the frame of the mechanical power press (100) in parallel to the press bed (106) of the mechanical power press (100) and is adapted to receive the trigger provided by the vertical element (28) and displace downwards to cause the sleeve element (22a) to displace downwards and expose the forged ring to the air blower (24). The horizontal element (30) comprises a first end (30a) engaged in the binding element (32) and a second end resting onto the sleeve element (22a).

The stopper bolt (36) is affixed on the horizontal element (30) and adapted to maintain a pre-determined distance between the top surfaces of the stationary die component (20) and the sleeve element (22a) for best results.

The binding element (32) is adapted to bind together the second end (28b) of the vertical element (28) and the first end (30a) of the horizontal element (30) to facilitate transferability of stimulus or pressure between the vertical (28) and horizontal (30) elements and to preclude the elements from getting damaged. As the length of the horizontal element (30) is more, the end of the horizontal element (30b) receiving the trigger from the vertical element (28) and the end triggering the downward movement of the sleeve (22a) are on the opposite sides of the frame (110) of the press (100), there are high chances of the horizontal element (30) getting bent which is prevented by the specific design of the binding element (32).

The sliding element (38) is affixed to the first end (30a) of the horizontal element (30), adjacent to the binding element (32), at one end and to the frame of the power press (100) at the other end. The sliding element (38) is adapted to cause the sleeve element (22a), the horizontal element (30), the binding element (32) and the vertical element (28) to displace upwards and resume original position. In one embodiment, the sliding element (38) is a spring.

The reciprocating switch (40) is affixed to the frame of the power press and adapted to maintain the axis and strength of motion of the vertical element (28). As the distance between the vertical element (28) and the sleeve element (22a) is more and as both the said components are connected indirectly, the power of the vertical element (28) cannot be sufficiently harnessed to influence the downward movement of the sleeve element (22a), leading to outward displacement of the vertical element (28) with respect to the frame (110) of the press (100). The reciprocating switch (40) is included in the present setup to prevent the afore- stated undesirable side effect.

The air blower actuator (42) is affixed to the binding element (32) and is adapted to open the valve of an air pipe (44) leading up to the air blower (24), when the crankshaft (104) traverses a pre-determined distance; thereby actuating the cam (26).

The air blower (24), being the outlet of the air pipe (44) and being affixed on the upper surface of the sleeve (22a), is adapted to eject the forged ring away from the assembly (10) upon actuation by the air blower actuator (42).

Thus, when the ram (102) reaches the bottom most position, the wound piece is forged to form a ring. After the crankshaft (104) traverses a pre-determined distance (specified in subsequent parts of the present disclosure) from said point, the cam (26) while mirroring the crankshaft's (104) movement, triggers the downward movement of the vertical element (28), which in turn triggers the downward movement of the horizontal element, which in turn causes the sleeve element (22a) to displace downwards and expose the forged ring to the air blower (24). Upon the crankshaft (104) traversing a further pre-determined distance (specified in subsequent parts of the present disclosure), the cam (26) actuates the air blower actuator (42) which opens the air pipe (44) causing the air blower (24) to blow on the exposed ring and eject the forged ring away from the assembly. Thus, characteristically, the ring forging cum ejection mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) and the crankshaft (104) in the mechanical power press (100). The components of the assembly (10) are affixed, connected, coupled and mounted, as applicable by using convention methods such as welding, bolting and the like. The inventor of the present disclosure, in accordance with another aspect, provides a process for automated manufacturing rings using the aforementioned assembly (10). The process of the present disclosure comprises transferring a plurality of wound pieces from a wound pieces' reservoir to at least one ring forging cum ejection mechanism by a conveying mechanism; regulating the timing of entry of the wound pieces into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism by an entry regulating mechanism and forging of wound pieces to form rings, followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10) hosting the process, by means of said ring forging cum ejection mechanism.

The step of transferring a plurality of wound pieces comprises transporting a plurality of wound pieces from the wound pieces' reservoir to the ring forging cum ejection mechanism by means of the shoot (12).

The step of regulating the timing of entry of the wound pieces into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism ensures the reaching of only one wound piece into the ring forging cum ejection mechanism for forging. The step of regulating the timing of entry is carried out in multiple sub-steps depending upon the movement of and position of ram (102) of the mechanical power press (100) as demonstrated herein below. When the ram (102) ascends to a distance ranging from 80 - 85 % of the total traveling distance from the bottom most position (after forging) to reach the topmost position, the wound piece first in cue in the shoot (12) slides onto the stationary die component, as the straight stopper wire (14) disengages therefrom. At this time, the wound piece second in cue in the shoot (12) is blocked from sliding down the shoot (12), by being engaged in the U-shaped stopper wire (16).

When the ram (102) descends to a distance ranging from 15 - 20 % of the total traveling distance from the topmost position, the blocked wound piece second in cue in the shoot (12) is allowed to slide down due to gravity and become the new wound piece first in cue in the shoot (12). At the same instance, the straight stopper wire (14) also engages with the new wound piece first in cue, blocking the latter further. The new wound piece first in cue remains blocked due to engagement with both the afore- stated stopper wires during the time taken for the ram (102) to travel from 17% to 30 % of the total traveling distance from the topmost position.

When the ram (102) descends to a distance ranging from 32 - 38% of the total traveling distance from the topmost position, the U-shaped stopper wire (16) disengages from the new wound piece first in cue, however, the straight stopper wire (14) continues to block the new wound piece first in cue. The straight stopper wire (14) continues to block the new wound piece first in cue singularly till the ram (102) reaches the bottommost position and also during the time required by the ram (102) to ascend from the bottommost position to reach 80- 85% of the total traveling distance.

Throughout the journey of the ram (102) of ascending to a distance ranging from 62 - 68 % of the total traveling distance from the bottommost position till the ram (102) reaches topmost position and of descending to a distance ranging from 32 - 38% of the total traveling distance from the topmost position (as mentioned herein above), the U-shaped stopper wire (16) blocks the wound piece next in cue to the new wound piece first in cue.

The step of forging of wound pieces to form rings, followed by immediate ejection thereof away from the assembly (10) is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) as well as the crankshaft (104) of said mechanical power press (100).

When the ram (102) is at the bottommost position and the crankshaft (104) is at 0°, the wound piece at the stationary die component (20) is hammered on by the upper die (108) of the mechanical power press (100) to form a ring. The wound piece is held at the desired site of impact by the sleeve element (22a) being in the original position, aided by the stopper bolt (36) of the ring ejection setup and supported by the lower die base (18). One full rotation of the crankshaft (104) is taken to be from 0° to 360° and the values mentioned in degrees herein are derived using said equation.

When the crankshaft (104) traverses to a distance ranging from 15° - 30°, the downward motion of the vertical element (28) is triggered by the cam (26), leading to downward displacement of the horizontal element (30), the binding element (32), the sliding element (38) and the sleeve (22a) exposing the ring to the air blower (24).

When the crankshaft (104) traverses to a distance ranging from 30° - 45°, the air pipe (44) leading up to the air blower (24) is opened up by at least one air blower actuator (42) (after getting actuated by the cam (26)), causing ejection of the forged ring away from the assembly. When the crankshaft (104) traverses a distance from 45° - 360°, the sliding element (38) of the ring ejection setup of the ring forging cum ejection mechanism relaxes, and facilitates the horizontal element (30), the vertical element (28) and the binding element (32) of the ring ejection setup to displace upwards and resume the original position. Consequently, the spring element (22b) of the moving die component (22) also relaxes causing the sleeve element (22a) to resume the original position.

The step of forging of the wound piece includes giving the ring a predetermined shape. In one embodiment, the ring of the present disclosure is a flat ring (illustrated in Figure 1). As the process of the present disclosure is cyclic in nature, the afore-stated steps are carried out repeatedly to render forged rings using the assembly (10) of the present disclosure. It is crucial to note that the inventor of the present disclosure, after systematic research and trials over multiple years has designed the assembly (10) and process of the present disclosure, wherein the entry regulating mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) in the mechanical power press (100) and the ring forging cum ejection mechanism is driven by the movement of and position of the ram (102) and the crankshaft (104) in the mechanical power press (100). The afore-mentioned feature has been designed with the specific purpose of assigning the control of the assembly (10) and the process of manufacturing rings to the components of the press and to remove the control of the same from the workers operating the assembly; thereby making the assembly (10) and process safer, more efficient and highly productive without compromising on the product specifications.

Representative embodiments

Example 1A: Manufacturing rings by the conventional process

A wound piece was manually placed on the lower die of a conventional automated power press, just before the ram (102) hit the lower die. The resulting ring was removed from the die manually and was replaced by the next wound piece, just before the subsequent hit of the ram (102) on the lower die. The production rate was 45 pieces per minute. Example IB: Manufacturing rings by the assembly (10) and process of the present disclosure

The assembly (10) of the present disclosure was installed in the conventional mechanical power press (100) as shown in the Figures 2 to 5b. A plurality of wound pieces was transferred from the wound pieces' reservoir to the lower die unit by the conveying mechanism described herein above. The timing of entry of the wound pieces into the stationary die component (20) was regulated by the entry regulating mechanism described herein above. The wound piece in the stationary die component (20) was forged to form a ring and immediately ejected away from the assembly (10) by the ring forging cum ejection mechanism descried herein above. By employing the assembly (10) of the present disclosure (10), the production rate was found to be over 95 pieces per minute. The embodiments described herein above are non-limiting. The foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as an illustration of the concept of the proposed invention and it is in no way to be construed as a limitation. Description of terminologies, concepts and processes known to persons acquainted with technology has been avoided to preclude beclouding of the afore- stated embodiments.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The technical advantages and economic significance of the assembly (10) and process of the proposed invention include but are not limited to:

- increased rate of production of rings;

- increased safety of workers;

- decrease in dependency on workers;

- decrease in human errors;

- decrease in cost of production; and

- ease in planning and schedule making for the effective running of the manufacturing plant.

The foregoing objects of the invention are accomplished, and the problems and shortcomings associated with prior art techniques and approaches are overcome by the proposed invention described in the present embodiment. Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein; however, it is to be understood that the proposed invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the proposed invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, or matter.

The embodiments of the invention as described above, and the processes disclosed herein will suggest further modification and alterations to those skilled in the art. Such further modifications and alterations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.