A method and a device for producing bipolar plates for fuel cells. A bipolar plate is formed by joining an anode plate to a cathode plate, wherein the anode plate and the cathode plate are formed by forming a substrate plate. In order to provide a cost-effective and automated method, it is proposed that a plate already provided with a reactive coating or catalyst coating, which is transported, automatically driven, via a transport device from the forming device to the joining device, is used as substrate plate.

A simulation device has a simulation unit and a coordinate acquisition unit. The simulation unit simulates the operations of press devices and the operations of feeder devices that transport a workpiece between the press devices. The coordinate acquisition unit acquires a locus of a plurality of predetermined positions in the width direction of the feeder devices from simulation.

A press machine includes upper and lower crankshafts having the same amount of eccentricity and driven in opposite directions with a phase difference of 180 degrees, a slide and a bolster rotatably connected to eccentric parts of the upper and lower crankshafts, respectively, a parallel maintaining mechanism configured to maintain a parallelism between the slide and the bolster, and a clamp mechanism including an upper clamp attached to the slide and a lower clamp attached to the bolster. The slide and the bolster move toward/away from each other and advance/retreat together along a feed direction of a material in accordance with rotational driving of the upper and lower crankshafts. The clamp mechanism clamps the material when the slide and the bolster move toward each other and unclamps the material forwardly fed while being clamped when the slide and the bolster move away from each other.

A workpiece conveying system for a transfer press machine includes: a beam provided to extend in a feed direction of a workpiece; and a plurality of workpiece conveying apparatus supported by the beam. The workpiece conveying apparatus each include: a feed device including a first carrier that is movable relative to the beam in the feed direction; a raising and lowering device including a second carrier that is movable relative to the first carrier in a raising and lowering direction; a clamp device including a third carrier that is movable relative to the second carrier in a clamp direction of the workpiece; and a workpiece holding tool, which is supported at a distal end of the third carrier, and is configured to hold and release the workpiece.

A transfer press includes a press machine that moves a slide up and down in accordance with pressing motion, and a transport device that moves a retainer in accordance with transfer motion to transport a workpiece. The transfer press includes a creation unit, a determination unit, and a phase adjustment unit. The creation unit creates a three-dimensional operating curved surface based on the provisionally set pressing motion and the provisionally set transfer motion. The determination unit compares a standard upper die interference curved surface with the operating curved surface in the same three-dimensional coordinate system to determine whether the operating curved surface is present within an interference region of the standard upper die interference curved surface. The phase adjustment unit changes a relative phase of the transfer motion relative to the pressing motion when the operating curved surface is present within the interference region.

A transfer device transfers a workpiece by a transfer motion which is based on a transfer individual phase signal synchronized with a master phase signal, and includes: a setting unit that sets a point on a trajectory of a transfer bar as a switching point of a timing switch, the point on the trajectory being separated from a reference point on the trajectory by a designated distance designated by a user, and the trajectory being based on the transfer motion; and a signal output unit that outputs a timing signal to an external device at a timing when the transfer bar reaches the switching point.

A transfer mechanism includes a rail, first and second tables on the rail, first and second arms each having a base pivotably supported by the first and second tables, respectively, and first and second drive mechanisms that move the first and second tables along the rail, respectively. The first and second arms are pivotaly connected to each other at a position between a tip side and a base side. Tip side portions of the first and second arms than a connected portion of the first and second arms serve as fingers for holding a workpiece. The first and second drive mechanisms independently move the first and second tables, respectively. A relative movement of the first and second tables causes the first and second arms to operate a clamp/unclamp operation. A coordinated movement of the first and second tables causes the first and second arms to perform an advance/return operation.

An apparatus (1) for the clocked longitudinal transport of workpieces (11) between processing stations in a transfer press. The apparatus has, at least on one side, a first (2) and a second (3) longitudinally movable control element as a control group (2, 3), wherein two control elements (2, 3) are mounted to be movable relative to each other solely in the longitudinal direction, and the control elements (2, 3) are driven via a common shaft (58). The first control element is a gripper rod (2) for the longitudinal transport of workpieces (11) between the processing stations, and gripper elements (4), offset in the longitudinal direction by the distance between the processing stations, are mounted in the gripper rod (2) and can be moved solely in the transversal direction. The second control element is a thrust rod (3) which forcibly controls the transversal movement of the at least two gripper elements (4).

The invention relates to a transfer press for successive forming and demoulding of work pieces by means of upper and lower tools in dies, wherein the upper tools are attached to a ram head, while the lower tools are installed on a ram foot. The ram head and the ram base are rigidly connected to each other and form a ram.

A method and a device for producing bipolar plates for fuel cells. A bipolar plate is formed by joining an anode plate to a cathode plate, wherein the anode plate and the cathode plate are formed by forming a substrate plate. In order to provide a cost-effective and automated method, it is proposed that a plate already provided with a reactive coating or catalyst coating, which is transported, automatically driven, via a transport device from the forming device to the joining device, is used as substrate plate.