Progressive Loading Press for Ammunition

Abstract

A progressive press for loading or reloading ammunition casings has a base containing a reversible press motor with speed control, and vertically-oriented nuts mechanically connected to the motor and having vertically-oriented power screws extending from the nuts. The screws are affixed to a tool head which can receive dies and other tools for loading and/or reloading ammunition casings. A rotatable shell plate receives ammunition casings and advances the casings through a series of operations performed by different dies and other tools. Using a control system, the press motor can be operated to extend the screws and lift the tool head when the shell plate is advanced, and to retract the screws and tool head to perform operations on the casings when the shell plate is stationary.

Claims

1. A progressive press, comprising: a tool head adapted to receive dies for loading or reloading ammunition casings; means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head; a rotatable shell plate having a plurality of recesses around a peripheral edge thereof adapted to receive ammunition casings; a shell plate motor for providing periodic rotational movement of the shell plate, wherein periodic rotational movement of the shell plate is indexed to upward and downward travel of the tool head; a control system controlling the shell plate motor whereby the shell plate motor is activated to provide rotational movement of the shell plate after upward travel of the tool head has been initiated; and the shell plate motor is halted such that the shell plate is stationary when the downward travel of the tool head is at a lowest point of its downward travel.

2. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the control system controls the shell plate motor speed to provide a variable speed of rotational movement of the rotatable shell plate during a periodic rotational movement of the shell plate.

3. The progressive press of claim 2, wherein the control system controls the shell plate motor speed to provide a gradual acceleration of rotational movement of the shell plate and a gradual deceleration of rotational movement of the shell plate during the periodic rotational movement.

4. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the control system controls operation of the means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head to control a stroke length of the reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head.

5. The progressive press of claim 4 wherein an upward travel of the tool head is controlled to a selected maximum height by the control system.

6. The progressive press of claim 5, wherein the selected maximum height can be set at different heights for pistol ammunition casings and for rifle ammunition casings.

7. The progressive press of claim 4, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines an amount of upward movement of the tool head required before rotational movement of the shell plate is activated.

8. The progressive press of claim 4, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines a selected maximum height of upward travel of the tool head.

9. The progressive press of claim 2, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines a speed of rotational movement of the rotatable shell plate during the periodic rotational movement of the shell plate.

10. The progressive press of claim 5, whereby a downward travel of the tool head is controlled to a selected minimum height.

11. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the shell plate includes a ring gear and the shell plate motor has a gear mounted thereto, the shell plate motor gear driving the shell plate ring gear.

12. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the shell plate motor is a servo motor.

13. The progressive press of claim 1, further comprising a rotatable primer plate having a plurality of notches around a perimeter thereof; a primer motor to rotate the primer plate; and wherein rotations of the primer plate are indexed to movement of the shell plate whereby a primer plate notch is periodically aligned with a shell plate recess.

14. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein positions of tool head dies for loading or reloading ammunition casings are aligned with positions of shell plate recesses when the shell plate is stationary.

15. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head comprises a manually activated lever system.

16. The progressive press of claim 1, wherein the means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head comprises a press motor and a mechanical linkage.

17. The progressive press of claim 16, wherein the press motor is a reversible servo motor, and wherein operation of the press motor in one direction causes upward travel of the tool head, and operation of the press motor in another direction causes downward travel of the tool head.

18. A progressive press, comprising: a base; a tool head adapted to receive dies for loading or reloading ammunition casings; means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head; a rotatable shell plate having a plurality of recesses around a peripheral edge thereof adapted to receive ammunition casings; a shell plate servo motor provided in the base which is mechanically coupled to the rotatable shell plate to provide periodic rotational movement of the shell plate, wherein rotational movement of the shell plate is indexed to upward and downward travel of the tool head; a control system controlling the shell plate motor whereby the shell plate motor is activated such that the shell plate is rotated after upward travel of the tool head has been initiated; and the shell plate motor is halted such that the shell plate is stationary when the downward travel of the tool head is at a lowest point of its downward travel, and whereby positions of tool head dies for loading or reloading ammunition casings are aligned with positions of shell plate recesses when the shell plate is stationary.

19. The progressive press of claim 18, wherein the control system controls the shell plate motor speed to provide a variable speed of rotational movement of the rotatable shell plate during a periodic rotational movement of the shell plate.

20. The progressive press of claim 19, wherein the control system controls the shell plate motor speed to provide a gradual acceleration of rotational movement of the shell plate and a gradual deceleration of rotational movement of the shell plate during the periodic rotational movement.

21. The progressive press of claim 18, wherein the control system controls operation of the means for providing reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head to control a stroke length of the reciprocating upward and downward movement of the tool head.

22. The progressive press of claim 21 wherein an upward travel of the tool head is controlled to a selected maximum height by the control system.

23. The progressive press of claim 22, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines an amount of upward movement of the tool head required before rotational movement of the shell plate is activated.

24. The progressive press of claim 22, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines a selected maximum height of upward travel of the tool head.

25. The progressive press of claim 19, wherein the control system has an input of a casing height and, based on the input casing height, determines a speed of rotational movement of the rotatable shell plate during the periodic rotational movement of the shell plate.

26. A progressive press, comprising: a tool head adapted to receive dies for loading or reloading ammunition casings; a rotatable shell plate having a plurality of recesses around a peripheral edge thereof adapted to receive ammunition casings; a control system controlling rotation of the shell plate whereby the shell plate is rotated after upward travel of the tool head has been initiated; and the shell plate is stationary when the downward travel of the tool head is at a lowest point of its downward travel; a rotatable primer plate having a plurality of notches around a perimeter thereof; a primer motor to rotate the primer plate; and wherein rotations of the primer plate are indexed to movement of the shell plate whereby a primer plate notch is periodically aligned with a shell plate recess.

27. The progressive press of claim 26, wherein the rotatable primer plate is located below the shell plate whereby the primer plate notch is below the shell plate recess when the primer plate notch and shell plate recess are periodically aligned.

28. The progressive press of claim 26, further comprising: a vibrating primer bowl; a feed ramp connecting the primer bowl to the primer plate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a top, front and left side perspective view of a progressive press in accordance with the invention with a tool head in a maximum raised position.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a top, front and left side perspective view of a progressive press in accordance with the invention with a tool head in a partial raised or partial retracted position.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a top, front and left side perspective view of a progressive press in accordance with the invention with a tool head in a fully retracted position.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a top, left side and rear perspective view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 with the base and shell plate removed to show the press motor, press drive and tool head.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a top, front and left side perspective view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 with the base removed to show the press motor, press drive and tool head, the shell plate motor and shell plate, and the primer plate motor and primer plate.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a cutaway detail view of a screw and ram positioned in upper and lower cavities of a base showing the screw in an extended position.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a cutaway detail view of a screw and ram positioned in upper and lower cavities of a base showing the screw in a retracted position.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a top, front and left side perspective view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 with the shell plate and other elements cutaway to show the shell plate motor and gearing driving the rotation of the shell plate and the primer motor driving the primer plate.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the progressive press of FIG. 1.

[0044] FIG. 10 is a top, front and left side perspective view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 with dies or loading accessories provided on the tool head.

[0045] FIG. 11 is a top, front and left side perspective view of the tool head of FIG. 9 with dies or loading accessories provided on the tool head.

[0046] FIG. 12 is a top, front and left side perspective view of the tool head and shell plate of FIG. 1 with the tool head positioned in its extended position above the shell plate, and a cross-section of an empty casing located above the swaging rod.

[0047] FIG. 13 is the top, front and left side perspective view of the tool head and shell plate of FIG. 12 with the tool head positioned in its retracted position above the shell plate, showing a swaging rod forming a primer pocket in the empty casing.

[0048] FIG. 14 is a left side cross-sectional elevation view of the progressive press of FIG. 1.

[0049] FIG. 15 is a left side elevation view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 showing with the tool head positioned in its extended position above the shell plate for use in loading/reloading a rifle ammunition casing.

[0050] FIG. 16 is a left side elevation view of the progressive press of FIG. 1 showing with the tool head positioned in its extended position above the shell plate for use in loading/reloading a pistol ammunition casing.

[0051] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the control system 140.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] The following detailed description illustrates the technology by way of example, not by way of limitation of the principles of the invention. This description will enable one skilled in the art to make and use the technology, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize alternative variations and arrangements, and the present technology is not limited to those embodiments described hereafter. In the following description, the same element numbers shown in different drawings identify the same element.

[0053] Referring now FIGS. 1-16, and in particular, FIGS. 1-3, 8, and 14-16, a progressive press 20 is shown. Progressive press 20 has a base 22 having an upper section 23, a middle section 24 and a lower section 28. Base 22 preferably has a generally triangular footprint. Base 22 is preferably fabricated from aluminum or another appropriate metal but may be fabricated in whole or part of other materials, including plastics. Upper, middle and lower sections 23, 24 and 28 are preferably three separate components that are bolted together to form the base 22.

[0054] Upper section 23 has a plurality, preferably three, of vertically oriented upper longitudinal cavities 26. Middle section 24 has a plurality, preferably three, of vertically-oriented lower cavities 30 aligned with the vertically oriented upper longitudinal cavities 26. Each of the lower cavities 30 has an upper circular socket 32 in an upper part of a lower cavity 30 and a lower circular socket 34 in a lower part of the lower cavity 30.

[0055] It is to be appreciated that the above description describes one embodiment of the base 22, and it may be fabricated as a single piece, or two pieces, or more, and that the lower cavities 30 can be located in any of the various base sections at the convenience of the designer. In some embodiments, the lower section 28 may be omitted.

[0056] As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, a press drive 40 for providing reciprocating movement to a tool head 60 is provided. In one embodiment, press drive 40 comprises a reversible press motor 80 which is operably engaged via a synchronous drive system with a plurality of threaded nuts 41 and matching threaded power screws 50.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 14, nuts 41 are vertically oriented and are retained in each of the vertically-oriented lower cavities 30. In the preferred embodiment there are three nuts 41 retained in three lower cavities 30. Preferably, the lower cavities 30 in base 22 and the nuts 41 provided therein are equidistant from each other, thereby forming a triangular layout, specifically, and equilateral triangle layout.

[0058] The nuts 41 have at least one exterior bearing 44, and preferably there are two exterior bearings 44, fitted to upper and lower ends of the outer circumference of the nuts 41. In the embodiment shown in the FIGS., each nut 41 has an upper bearing 46 seated in the upper circular socket 32 and a lower bearing 48 seated in the lower circular socket 34. Bearings 46 and 48 retain the nuts 41 in the lower cavities 30.

[0059] Each vertically-oriented nut 41 has a vertically-oriented power screw 50 having a matching thread threaded into the nut 41. In the preferred embodiment there are three power screws 50 provided in the three nuts 41. Power screws 50 preferably have an unthreaded portion at their upper end which is identified in this application as a ram 54. Preferably, the ram 54 is a cylindrical unthreaded shaft, but other cross-sectional shapes may be used if desired. Each ram 54 has an upper end 56. As seen in FIG. 6-7, the upper end 56 is desirably provided with a shoulder 59 and a tapped hole to receive a bolt and washer 57. Desirably the rams 54 extend upwardly out of base 22 through guide bushings 36 seated in apertures in the top of the upper section 23 of base 22.

[0060] The power screws 50 and nuts 41 may be any mating screw and nut arrangement that is suited for use in which the screw is provided with reciprocating motion through the nut by rotation of the nut. Thus, various types of lead screws, for example with a square thread, Acme thread or buttress thread, could be used. However, in one preferred embodiment, the power screws 50 are ball screws 51 and the nuts 41 are ball nuts 42.

[0061] The tool head 60 is affixed to the upper ends 56 of rams 54. Tool head 60, as shown in FIGS. 8-11, is generally a rigid annular metal piece having additional extending sections 61 that provide mounts for bolts 57 to attach the tool head 60 to the upper ends 56 of rams 54. Tool head 60 has a plurality of threaded apertures 62 adapted to receive dies 64 and other tools for loading or reloading ammunition. In one preferred embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 8-11, there are ten equidistant positions, which comprise nine threaded apertures 62 and a tenth notch position 66 which serves as a casing loading position. Notch 66 provides room for a feed tube 65 to deliver casings to the progressive press 20, where the casing is mounted to shell plate 100 and clipped in place with a circumferential case retention spring wire (not shown).

[0062] Tool head 60 may include a primer decapping die 67, a hold down die 106, a sizing die 68 for re-sizing a casing, a neck expansion/flare die 70, a powder drop station 72 for placing powder in the casing, a powder quantity checking station 74, a bullet drop station 76, a bullet seating die 78, and a bullet crimping die 79.

[0063] Vertical reciprocating motion of the rams 54 and the tool head 60 mounted thereon is provided by a reversible press motor 80. Reversible press motor 80 is preferably a servo motor, e.g. a DC or AC motor with a rotary encoder, and desirably also has a position and speed control. Referring again to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 14, reversible press motor 80 is mechanically coupled to the vertically-oriented nuts 41 whereby operation of the press motor 80 in one direction causes rotation of the nuts 41 to cause upward travel of the screws 50 to extend the rams 54 and tool head 60 to a selected maximum height; and operation of the press motor 80 in the opposite direction causes reverse rotation of the nuts 41 to cause downward travel of the screws 50 to retract the rams 54 and tool head 60 to a selected minimum height.

[0064] In one embodiment of a mechanical coupling between the press motor 80 and the nuts 41, nuts 41 each have a toothed pulley 90 around each nut. Toothed pulley 90 is a ring shaped pulley that slides on a nut 41 and is pinned or keyed in position. The drive shaft of press motor 80 is similarly provided with a toothed pulley 82. A double sided toothed belt 92 connects the motor toothed pulley 82 (which engages with one side of the double sided toothed belt 92) to the nut toothed pulleys 90 (which engage with the other side of the double sided toothed belt 92) as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0065] The arrangement of press motor 80 within base 22 shown in the FIGS. encloses all of the press drive components 40 within the base 22. However, in some embodiments, the lower section 28 may be omitted, and a portion of the press motor 80 extends downwardly below base 22. In this base 22 may be mounted to a work surface having one or more openings through which the press motor 80 and other components extend downwardly.

[0066] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 8-10, and 12, a circular shell plate 100 is provided in the top portion of base 22 below the tool head 60. Shell plate 100 has a plurality of recesses 102 around its peripheral edge 104 and a case retention spring wire (not shown) around that peripheral edge 104. Recesses 102 are preferably a keyhole slot with a wider opening and a slot sized for the casing to be loaded/reloaded. In general, optimal results are obtained when the shell plate 100 is specifically sized to a particular caliber of ammunition casing that is being processed. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the shell plate 100 has ten recesses 102 to match the ten positions in the tool head 60. Shell plate 100 receives empty ammunition casings 200 into the recesses 102 where they are held by the case retention spring wire. The shell plate rotates and the casings 200 are moved through the various stations where loading/reloading operations provided by the vertically reciprocating tool head 60 and associated dies 64 and other equipment is performed. The rotation of the shell plate 100 is indexed to the vertical movement of the screws 50 and rams 54 and tool head 60. In typical embodiments of the invention, the shell plate 100 is stationary when the rams 54 and tool head 60 are retracted and the tool head dies 64 are engaged with the casings 200 seated on the shell plate 100. The positions of recesses 102 of the stationary shell plate 100 are aligned with the positions of the apertures 62 in tool head 60, whereby the dies 64 can operate on the casings 200 seated on the shell plate 100. In typical embodiments of the invention, the shell plate 100 is rotated by one increment when the tool head 60 is lifted. The rotation of the shell plate 100 by one increment advances the position of each recess 102 in the shell plate 100 to the next station where the recess 102 is aligned with the next aperture 62 in the tool head 60 and any die 64 or other tools for loading or reloading ammunition located there.

[0067] Shell plate 100 may be driven by the press motor 80 via a mechanical linkage such as a gear mechanism or a cam and ratchet mechanism that is engaged with and driven by engagement with rams 54. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, which is best seen in FIGS. 5 and 8, movement of shell plate 100 is provided by a separate shell plate motor 120. Shell plate motor 120 has a shell plate motor gear 122 mounted the drive shaft of the motor 120. Motor gear 122 engages a ring gear 124 to which the shell plate 100 is mounted, thus providing rotation of the shell plate 100. Shell plate motor 120 can be an AC or DC motor but is preferably a DC servomotor, to allow finer control of indexing between the movement of the shell plate 100 and the tool head 60.

[0068] The loading of an empty casing 200 in shell plate 100 and an exemplary series of processing steps arising from the increments of rotational movement of the shell plate to sequentially advance the empty casing through a series of processing operations in one embodiment of the invention is described below.

[0069] An empty casing 200 is received at the shell plate 100 at the casing loading position located at tool head 60 notch position 66 via feed tube 65. The casing 200 is mounted to a recess 102 in shell plate 100 and clipped in place with the case retention spring wire.

[0070] The tool head 60 is extended and the shell plate 100 rotates by one increment of 36? to a primer decapping position. At the primer decapping position, the tool head is retracted downwardly and a primer decapping die 67 (typically having a downwardly extending vertical rod) descends with the tool head and punches any spent primer that may be in the casing out of the casing.

[0071] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a primer pocket swage position, which is best seen in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14. At the primer pocket swage position, the tool head is retracted downwardly and a swage actuation pin 182 extending downwardly from tool head 60 passes through a hole 184 on shell plate 100 and pushes down on swage connecting pin 186. Swage connecting pin 186 presses down on rocker 188. Rocker 188 is centered on fulcrum pin 190 and transfers the downward force on swage connecting pin 186 to an upward force on primer pocket swage rod 192. At this point in the cycle the casing 200 located above the primer pocket swage rod 192 is held in position on the shell plate 100 by hold down die 106. Hold down die 106 includes a rod which enters casing 200 from above and holds it down while the primer pocket swage operation is completed. Primer pocket swage rod 192 is extended upwardly by rocker 188 and reforms the primer pocket in casing 200 so that it is correctly sized to receive and retain a new primer.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, fulcrum pin 190 is seated on a load cell 180, as seen in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14. Load cell 180 is a strain gauge with a Wheatstone bridge circuit which measures the swage force encountered by the swage rod during the primer pocket swaging step. The measured swage force serves as a quality control determination. For example, if there is no swage force measured, that may indicate that the primer pocket area of the casing is missing the required metal needed to form a pocket. If the measured swage force is excessive, this may indicate that there is an obstruction or corrosion in the primer pocket that will prevent the primer from properly seating in the primer pocket. If the measured swage force is out of specification, the control system 140 may automatically stop the press 20 and/or issue an alarm or alert to the operator. There is a potential risk of igniting a primer during the subsequent installation of the primer in the primer pocket if the primer is not seated properly, and thus the swage force sensing provided by load cell 180 can prevent personal injury or damage to the press 20 by the inadvertent ignition of a primer.

[0073] After pocket swaging, the tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a casing sizing and primer loading position, where sizing die 68 resizes the casing, while a primer is simultaneously received from a notch 168 in primer plate 160 and seated in the primer pocket by a primer punch 194. Primer punch 194 is actuated by rocker 196 when primer punch actuation pin 198 extending downwardly from tool head 60 passes through a hole in shell plate 100 and pushes down on a primer punch connecting pin (not shown) which presses on one side of the rocker 196, causing the other side of rocker 196 to move upwardly and the primer punch 194 to move upwardly and seat the primer in the primer pocket. The primer pocket swage rod 192 and primer punch 194 operates very similarly to each other.

[0074] After this step, the tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a neck expansion/flare die 70 which adjusts the opening at the upper end of the casing to an appropriate size to receive the bullet when the tool head 60 is retracted downwardly to the working position.

[0075] Next, the tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a powder drop station 72 where a measured amount of smokeless powder is dropped into the casing 200.

[0076] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a powder quantity checking station 74 where the amount of powder is checked with an optical probe or contact probe to confirm that the level of powder loaded in the casing is within specifications.

[0077] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a bullet drop station 76 where a bullet is placed in the open upper end of casing 200.

[0078] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a bullet seating station 78 where the dropped bullet is positioned with a die so it is seated in the open upper end of casing 200.

[0079] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to a bullet crimping station where a bullet crimping die 79 crimps the bullet in casing 200.

[0080] The tool head 60 is extended again and the shell plate 100 rotates by another increment of 36? to its initial casing loading position. In this final rotational increment, the completed ammunition cartridge is extracted between the bullet crimping station and the casing loading position by a flange positioned in the path of the casing travel which extracts the cartridge from the recess 102 in shell plate 100.

[0081] Primers are preferably delivered to a position below a recess 102 by a primer plate 160, where they are seated in the primer pocket of a casing by a primer punch. Most primers employ a Boxer type construction, which is consists of two components-a cup and an anvil. The cup is on one end of the primer having rounded edges. The anvil is on the opposite end of the primer and has sharp 90 degrees corners. An explosive mixture is located between the cup and the anvil. The Boxer type primers are inserted into a cartridge anvil side first. Primers used in press 20 are oriented in the correct direction in a vibrating primer bowl 164. The oriented primers are delivered via feed ramp 166 to primer plate 160. Primer plate 160 has a plurality of notches 168 (preferably four) around its perimeter which each receive one primer delivered via ramp 166. Ramp 166 may be provided with optical or other sensors to detect the presence of primers in the ramp 166. A negative detection signal from the primer sensor will indicate an insufficient primer count in the ramp 166 and can be used to signal control system 140 to interrupt operation of the press 20 or to trigger an audible alarm to notify an operator to manually terminate operation of the press 20. Ramp 166 may also be provided with an inductive proximity sensor which serves as a primer position sensor to sense whether primers in ramp 166 are positioned in the correct top side-up orientation, and in the case of negative sensor result can also be used to signal control system 140 to interrupt operation of the press 20 or to trigger an audible alarm to notify an operator to manually terminate operation of the press 20.

[0082] Primer plate 160 is rotated by primer motor 162. Primer plate 160 may be directly mounted to primer motor 162 as shown in the drawings, or it may be coupled by a gear or belt system. Primer motor 162 is preferably a DC servo motor. The operation of primer motor 162 is indexed to the movement of the shell plate 100 whereby a primer is delivered to a position below a recess 102 in shell plate 100 at a time prior to the upward movement of primer punch 194 which seats the primer in the primer pocket of casing 200.

[0083] Control system 140 controls operation of the reversible press motor 80. Control system 140 preferably includes sensors, software controls, and a user interface in accordance with U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,583; 10,281,253; and 10,753,717; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0084] Control system 140 is an electronic control system which communicates with all of the components of press 20. The control system 140 provides servo control signals to the servo motors, e.g. press motor 80, shell plate motor 120, and primer motor 142. The control system receives back step pulses generated by the servo motor encoders which reflect movement of the servo motors. In this way, the control system 140 can continuously monitor the position of all components of press 20 in real time. Control system 140 has a clock which provides a synchronization pulse to synchronize the operation of all the components of press 20. The synchronization pulse serves to coordinate the extension and retraction of the tool head 60 with the rotation of the shell plate 100 and the delivery of a primer by the primer plate 160 so that the movements of the various components are coordinated no matter the speed at which the press 20 is operated.

[0085] Control of the speed of press 20 is implemented via the control system 140, which controls the speed and quantity of revolutions of each motor in press 20, including the press motor 80, the shell plate motor 120, and the primer motor 162. Thus for example the speed and quantity of revolutions of press motor 80 can be specified for each extension stroke and the length of the stroke can be controlled by specifying the number of revolutions of press motor 80 (for example, 5 revolutions, or 10 revolutions). A user interface can simplify the user input by specifying a height of tool head travel, and the control system 140 can convert this input to a requisite number of press motor 80 rotations needed to drive the screws 50 the necessary distance to obtain the specified height. The retraction stroke (reverse direction) revolutions will generally be always set to match the extension stroke revolutions so that the length of the retraction stroke is the same length as the extension stroke. The control system 140 also controls the speed of rotation of each motor, thereby controlling both the overall speed of the press 20, but also the speed of movement of tool head 60 during different parts of each stroke cycle. For example, the beginning of each extension stroke can start slowly, accelerate during the extension stroke, then decelerate at the top of the extension stroke; the retraction stroke again can start slowly, accelerate during the retraction stroke; and decelerate at the end of the retraction stroke. In this way, it is possible to control and extend the dwell time during which the tool head 60 is stationary during the top and bottom of the stroke. This may be advantageous to allow for example, a longer stationary period for powder or a bullet to be dropped into a casing.

[0086] Press motor 80 may have a torque sensor that communicates with control system 140. Control system 140 may be used to provide an alarm when the torque sensor determines that the press motor 80 torque exceeds a selected limit. For example, a torque limit alarm might be set at 20% of the maximum motor torque and if an alarm is triggered the press 20 can be automatically stopped. In some embodiments, the torque sensor may be programmed to provide an alarm at a low torque value during the extension stroke, but at a much higher value during the retraction stroke. Such torque alarms may be useful to prevent damage to misaligned casings.

[0087] In one embodiment, shown schematically in FIG. 17, a user interface 302 communicates with a microprocessor control unit 304 which receives sensor data from a plurality of sensors 306 in press 20 and sends control instructions to microprocessor controls 308, 310 and 312 for press motor 80, shell plate motor 120, and primer motor 142.

[0088] The control of press motor 80 by control system 140 allows a user to specifically control the stroke length of the rams 54. This allows the user to select and set a maximum height and a minimum height of the rams 54 and tool head 60 during operation. The user can accordingly specify a maximum height appropriate for the particular ammunition size that is being loaded/reloaded. For example, pistol ammunition is typically shorter that rifle ammunition, so the user could set the maximum height at 2.0 inches for many sizes of pistol ammunition, but might set the maximum height at 3.5 inches for many sizes of rifle ammunition. This difference is illustrated by comparison of FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 15 shows the tool head 60 positioned above the shell plate at a height useful in loading/reloading a rifle ammunition casing 202; FIG. 16 shows the tool head positioned above the shell plate at a height useful in loading/reloading a pistol ammunition casing 204. As can be seen there can be a meaningful difference in travel depending on the size of the ammunition casing.

[0089] The control of maximum height by providing an adjustable or variable stroke length in the tool head 60 lift mechanism provides greater opportunities for efficiency, as the movement of the tool head 60 can be tailored to the ammunition requirements, thus eliminating wasted movement and the time required for the wasted movement. During testing of a prototype of the invention, it was determined that a production rate of 2500 rifle cartridges/hour is possible in the embodiment shown in the drawings, but by adjusting the maximum height to a lower height for pistol cartridges, a production rate of 3500 pistol cartridges/hour is possible.

[0090] Driving shell plate 100 using a dedicated shell plate motor 120 also provides substantial advantages over a linkage to the main drive unit of the press. Specifically, driving shell plate 100 using a dedicated shell plate motor 120 allows the user to define the indexing relationship between the movement of the tool head 60 and movement of the shell plate 100. Using the control system 140, the user can select the point in the reciprocating travel of the tool head 60 at which movement of the shell plate 100 is initiated. For example, the user can specify that the rotation of the shell plate 100 will be initiated earlier in the cycle of the tool head 60 upward travel when shorter pistol ammunition cartridges are being loaded/reloaded, but later in the cycle of the tool head 60 upward travel when taller rifle ammunition cartridges are being loaded/reloaded, so that there is time for the tool head and dies to get clear of the casings 200 before the shell plate 100 is rotated.

[0091] In one exemplary embodiment, the control system could allow input of a casing height and the height of any dies, optionally with an appropriate margin of error, as the amount of travel of the tool head 60 required before the shell plate 100 rotation can be initiated via shell plate motor 120. Upon initiation of rotation, the shell plate 100 will move each casing to its next station and rotation is terminated. This fine control of indexing between the movement of the shell plate 100 and the tool head 60 provides flexibility and increased throughput by allowing the user to specify the point in the tool head 60 travel when rotation of the shell plate 100 is initiated.

[0092] Another advantage of driving shell plate 100 using a dedicated shell plate motor 120 is that the speed of shell plate 100 can be controlled very precisely. During the relocating segment of the processing cycle, when the shell plate is rotated to advance a casing from one position to the next, the speed of the movement of the shell plate can begin slowly, and then increase, and then decrease as the casing approaches its next position. This management of the acceleration forces on the casing helps to reduce abrupt lateral forces on the casing that might alter or disturb the vertical alignment of the casing by movement of the casing caused by the shell plate 100 rotation. Different size ammunition casings are susceptible to disturbance to different degrees. For example, taller rifle ammunition casings 202 are more likely to be displaced than shorter pistol ammunition casings 204. Therefore, the control system 140 can allow an input to specify the casing size as a rifle casing or a pistol casing, and the control system 140 will be able to control the shell plate motor 120 to provide a gradual acceleration of rotational motion of the shell plate and a gradual deceleration of rotational motion of the shell plate as the shell plate 100 periodically advances a casing from one position to the next. The control system 140 can also limit the rotation speed of the shell plate 100, along with the stroke speed of the press motor 80, to a maximum speed which is optimized for the input casing size.

[0093] The control of the indexing between the movement of the tool head 60 and movement of the shell plate 100 increases the flexibility of the system for use with different sizes of ammunition casings as suggested above, or different powder loads, or other variables.

[0094] While the present technology has been described with reference to particular embodiments and arrangements of parts, features, and the like, the present technology is not limited to these embodiments or arrangements. Indeed, many modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art, all of which are inferentially included in these teachings