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 automatic processing system includes a base or platform, on which a loading station is mounted, adapted to house one or more trolleys having workpieces to be processed, a magazine adapted to pick up at least one work piece at a time from the loading station and to transport it to a centering device adapted to receive the workpiece and to place it in pick-up position by a robot, and a unloading station where the processed pieces are positioned.

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.

A metal strip holding device configured to be connected to the die of a stamping system is presented herein. The strip holding device includes a magnetic component and a non-magnetic bracket. The magnetic component has at least one pole shoe. The bracket is configured to be connected to the die. Moreover, the magnetic component is installed into a cavity in the metal bracket.

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 press working apparatus includes: a first positioner that is provided to at least one press of a first press or a second press and that performs positioning of at least one die of the at least one press; and a second positioner that performs positioning of the at least one die and that positions the at least one die in a position deviated in a feeding direction with respect to the first positioner.

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.

A first recessing-and-projecting line is formed in a trailing end of a preceding first belt material and a second recessing-and-projecting line is formed in a leading end of a newly fed out second belt material, and the first recessing-and-projecting line and the second recessing-and-projecting line are fitted to each other, thereby joining the first belt material and the second belt material. Note that the first recessing-and-projecting line and the second recessing-and-projecting line pass through a holding section that holds an element in the first belt material or the second belt material.

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.