A BAR FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MACHINE TOOLS

1,213,973. Bar feeding devices. GEARAIDE Ltd. 5 Dec., 1967 [7 Sept., 1966; 22 Oct., 1966], Nos. 39976/66 and 47456/66, Heading B3B. In a method of feeding bar-stock to a machine tool such as a lathe, a first bar to be worked upon is acted upon by a second bar subsequently to be worked upon which in turn is acted upon by a pusher member of a bar feed apparatus to successively feed bars to the machining station. The bars are stored in a magazine and are automatically released by a fluid actuated pivotable lever 26 and fall under gravity into a feed tube 12 along which they are moved by the pusher member 36 attached to an endless chain 40. Initially the second bar, having been released from the magazine 10 is moved along the feed tube 12 against a measuring stop 58 where its movement is temporarily arrested, the stop effecting control of the feed through a slip clutch 60, to ensure each of the bars irrespective of variations in length, is fed the same distance into the machining station. The stop 58 is subsequently retracted and the feed of the second bar, with the first bar is effected from a control unit 46 from which the pusher 36 and chain 40 are driven by a piston and cylinder unit 50, with the clutch 60 engaged, via a chain and sprocket mechanism 52, 54, and 100, 102, 104 the movement of the actuating mechanism being controlled by sequentially actuated switches which initiate the forward movement of the pusher, control the operation of the slip clutch 60 and stop 58 and also initiate the return of the pusher to its starting position when one bar has been displaced from the feed tube. (For Figures see next page.)