A stock lifter for metal forming dies includes a self-contained assembly. The assembly includes a guide pin that reciprocates within a base. A hardened end cap, which contacts the stock, is attached to the guide pin. A spring is located on the exterior surface of a portion of the base and surrounds the guide pin body. One end of the spring contacts a surface on the cap, while the other end of the spring contacts a surface on the base or an optional mounting flange that is attached above the base. Thus, the stock lifter assembly has a hardened cap for the stock to slide on and a larger, externally mounted spring that provides longer life for the stock lifter. The stock lifter assembly can be made of several different lengths and sizes by using longer or wider guide pins and springs.

An adjustable joining machine is provided. In another aspect, a workpiece-joining apparatus includes a punch and/or die with an automatically adjustable joining position. A further aspect employs a workpiece-clinching or piercing apparatus including an automatically adjustable punch and/or die. A method of clinching or piercing workpiece sheets includes changing a position of a punch and/or die based on a sensed workpiece characteristic.

A device for guiding and directing a metal sheet in a bending machine to form continuously a conical structure, in particular a frustoconical structure, comprises: resting and contrasting arrangement extending along a closed path, and suitable for restingly receiving a longitudinal edge of the metal sheet and contrasting a movement of the edge in a direction that is transverse to a preset advancement trajectory of the metal sheet; a supporting body for the resting and contrasting arrangement, having at least one oblong lateral portion that is suitable for facing the edge and configured for conforming the resting and contrasting arrangement to the longitudinal profile of the edge so as to obtain an extended zone of contact with said edge and impose resting and contrasting pressure distributed along the edge; the resting and contrasting arrangement is movable around the supporting body along the closed path to accompany the edge of the metal sheet by a distributed contact devoid of relative sliding and rolling, so as to impose on the metal sheet the advancement along the desired advancement trajectory to and through the bending machine. The corresponding method is also provided.

Disclosed is a flattening device, comprising: a rack; a material-pressing component, which is provided on the rack and has a material-pressing part; a material-guiding component, which is provided on the rack and has a material-guiding part corresponding to the material-pressing part, the material-pressing part and the material-guiding part being configured to be able to bear against two sides of a sheet material respectively, so as to form a flattening channel between the material-guiding part and the material-pressing part; and an adjusting component, which drives at least one of the material-pressing component and the material-guiding component to move, so as to adjust the distance between the material-pressing part and the material-guiding part. Further disclosed are a material-conveying apparatus including the flattening device and a sheet material processing system comprising the material-conveying apparatus.

A laminated core manufacturing device includes: an overlapping unit configured to overlap the plurality of laminated core materials conveyed along different conveyance routes; an edge position correction unit configured to align edge positions in a width direction of the plurality of laminated core materials between the plurality of laminated core materials and to correct shift of each edge position of the plurality of laminated core materials with respect to a standard edge position; an uplift prevention unit configured to prevent uplift of the plurality of laminated core materials; and a punching unit configured to punch out the plurality of laminated core materials which are overlapped by the overlapping unit and have been subjected to a process to align the edge positions and to correct shift of the edge positions performed by the edge position correction unit, and a process to prevent the uplift performed by the uplift prevention unit.

A Laminated core manufacturing device includes: an overlapping unit configured to overlap the plurality of laminated core materials conveyed along different conveyance routes; an edge aligning unit configured to align edge positions in a width direction of the plurality of laminated core materials between the plurality of laminated core materials; an uplift prevention unit configured to prevent uplift of the plurality of laminated core materials; an edge position correction unit configured to correct the edge positions in the width direction of the plurality of laminated core materials; and a punching unit configured to punch out the plurality of laminated core materials which are overlapped by the overlapping unit and have been subjected to an edge position alignment process performed by the edge aligning unit, an uplift prevention process performed by the uplift prevention unit, and an edge position correction process performed by the edge position correction unit.

A centering system comprising a conveyor for receiving a plurality of blanks outputted from a furnace and displacing the blanks along a first horizontal axis and shifting units for each individual blank including two or more adjustable lifting bars, the shifting units configured to move along a second horizontal axis, and the adjustable lifting bars being configured to lift the blanks along a vertical axis, wherein each of the shifting units is independently movable along the second axis, and a plurality of centering pins for centering the blanks, such that the blanks can be centered by moving the individual blanks along the second axis against the centering pins. Also disclosed are conveyor systems and methods for centering and conveying blanks.

A centering system comprising a conveyor for receiving a plurality of blanks outputted from a furnace and displacing the blanks along a first horizontal axis and shifting units for each individual blank including two or more adjustable lifting bars, the shifting units configured to move along a second horizontal axis, and the adjustable lifting bars being configured to lift the blanks along a vertical axis, wherein each of the shifting units is independently movable along the second axis, and a plurality of centering pins for centering the blanks, such that the blanks can be centered by moving the individual blanks along the second axis against the centering pins. Also disclosed are conveyor systems and methods for centering and conveying blanks.

A compact stock guide assembly and method for metal forming dies includes a stock guide that includes a fastener that secures the stock guide to the die through a central aperture in the stock guide. The stock guide has a locating boss that can be received in a pocket in the die that has been bored and tapped to receive the fastener.

The procedure followed for aligning a metal sheet in the correct position for inserting it into a punch press is that the aligned position in the feed direction is adjusted by means of stops. The alignment in the second direction orthogonal to the feed direction is such that the position of the metal sheet in the second direction is determined by a sensor and a control unit, and the deviation of the metal sheet from the predetermined aligned position in the second direction from the control unit is determined. Next, the alignment in the second direction is controlled by means of the gripping arrangement which is provided for the feed of the metal sheet to the punch press by controlling the gripping arrangement in such a way that the deviation is compensated and the metal sheet is aligned correctly.