Nibbler Accessory For Machine Tool
A nibbler attachment for use with a machine tool of the type having a rotatable chuck
member and a bed portion spaced from the rotatable chuck, including an elongated body member for mounting on the bed portion of the machine tool and for extending at one end from a position adjacent the rotatable chuck to an other end past the edge of the bed portion, a rotatable eccentric drive member.
Including first and second oppositely disposed shaft portions and an intermediate eccentric center portion and with the first shaft portion for coupling to the rotatable chuck for producing an eccentric rotarymotion of the center portion in accordance with a rotation by the rotatable chuck,the body member at the end including means for supporting the second shaft portion of the eccentric drive member for rotation, a nibbler punch and die for producing a cutting action in accordance with relative sliding motion between the punch and die, the body member at the other end including means for supporting the nibbler punch and die for producing the cutting action at the position past the edge of the bed portion and a connecting rod interconnecting the center portion of the eccentric drive and the nibble punch and die for converting the eccentric rotary motion of the center portion to a relative sliding motion between the nibbler punch and die.
A sheet metal cutting attachment for a machine tool of the type including a rotatable chuck driven from a source of power and with the rotatable chuck supported in a bearing structure for rotation around a vertical axis and with the machine tool including a bed portion having a horizontal plane surface spaced from the rotatable chuck, including an elongated body member including a first end formed as a bearing support and a second end formed as a support for a cutting tool and with the body member including means for mounting the body member on the bed portion of the machine tool and with the first end adjacent the rotatable chuck and the second end overhanging the edge of the bed portion, an eccentric drive member including a shaft portion including oppositely disposed ends for rotatable support by the rotatable chuck of the machine tool and the bearing support of the body member end and including an integral eccentric center portion, the cutting tool formed as a concentric sliding punch and die set and with the punch and die supported by the second end of the body member, and a connecting rod coupled at one end to the eccentric center portion of the eccentric drive member and coupled at the other end to the punch and with the connecting rod converting the eccentric rotary motion of the eccentric center portion to a sliding motion for the punch.
The present invention is directed to a nibbler accessory for use with a machine tool such as a drill press or a mill. Specifically, the nibbler accessory of the present invention may be used with any type ofmachine tool which includes a rotatable chuck member which would normally support a cutting tool, and with the chuck member spaced from a bed which would normally support a work piece.
In the prior art it is known to provide for a cutting apparatus generally known as a nibbler which is adapted to cut sheet material to a desired shape. In the nibblers of the prior art a punch is reciprocated relative to a die between a cuttingstroke and a return stroke. Sheet metal is fed between the punch and die set and the sheet metal is nibbled away by action of the punch and die cutting small progressive portions of the sheet metal.
Generally in the prior art, the nibblers may be large fixed pieces of equipment which typically include their own source of power and normally include a horizontal surface on which the sheet metal is supported while the sheet metal is fed betweenthe punch and die. In these large fixed type of nibblers, the reciprocating punch member may either extend from below the horizontal surface or from above the horizontal surface. In either case these large fixed machines are relatively cumbersome andexpensive and provide littler flexibility in cutting different types and shapes of materials. In addition, it may be difficult to follow the exact shape in cutting the sheet metal, since the operator must bend over the sheet metal to observe the cuttingline.
Another type of nibbler is a hand-held portable device which normally must be supported above the sheet metal to be cut and which must be guided relative to the sheet metal. This is in contrast to the large fixed devices where the sheet metal isguided relative to the nibbler punch. The portable devices are limited by size as to the thickness of sheet material which can be cut. Also, the portable device may be difficult to guide since the operator must support the entire weight of the portabledevice during the cutting operation.
The present invention is directed to a nibbler accessory for use with an existing machine tool so as to provide for a number of the advantages of the prior art devices at a relatively low cost. In particular the nibbler accessory of the presentinvention is used with a machine tool such as a drill press or mill and therefore can use the existing power sources of these machine tools. The nibbler accessory of the present invention thereby provides for the nibbler operation without the necessityof having a large fixed tool and without some of the inconveniences of the portable tool.
In the nibbler accessory of the present invention a rotatable shaft portion of an eccentric drive is coupled within the rotatable chuck of the machine tool. A body portion of the nibbler accessory is clamped to the bed of the machine toollocated below the rotatable chuck. As the machine tool is operated the shaft portion of the eccentric drive is rotated to provide for a reciprocation of a punch member relative to a die in the plane perpendicular to the chuck and parallel to the bed ofthe machine tool.
The reciprocating punch is positioned beyond the edge of the bed member by the body portion and the work piece may be fed between the punch and the die in a vertical direction. This allows the operator to visually observe the cutting actionwithout any parallax. The vertical feeding also allows for an easy maneuvering of the work piece since the nibbler accessory may be used to support the weight of the work piece and the operator merely has to provide a guiding action by pivoting the workpiece about the nibbler accessory so as to change the cutting direction.
The rotatable shaft portion of the eccentric drive may have its lower end within a bearing structure located below the eccentric drive. In addition, the bearing structure for the chuck of the machine tool is located above the eccentric drive sothat the shaft portion of the eccentric drive is maintained in a self-aligned bearing structure. This self-aligning allows for the loads to be distributed smoothly through the accessory and the machine tool so as to provide for a smooth cutting action. The self-aligning also minimizes any vibrations which may occur during use of the accessory. In addition, the body of the nibbler accessory is normally clamped to the bed of the machine tool so as to provide for a solid structure to absorb the loads.
Specifically, the nibbler accessory 10 includes an elongated body member 16, including an upstanding flange portion 18 at one end which extends past the edge of the bed 14. The body member also has a bearing support section 20 at the other end. The bearing support section 20 extends integrally from a mounting support section 22 of the body member 16. Also a web portion 24 of the body member 16 extends between the flange portion 18 and the bearing support section 20 so that the total bodymember 16 provides for a solid rigid structure.
It can be seen therefore that the present invention is directed to a nibbler attachment which is a separate mechanism attached to an existing machine tool. The attachment may be clamped between the rotating chuck of the machine tool and the bedof the machine tool so as to accurately align the nibbler accessory with the bearing structure present in the existing machine tool and the bearing structure present in the nibbler accessory. The various forces are, therefore, supported by these bearingforces and provide for a self-aligning of the tool.
by: Oliver
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