DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to the modular vice for the quick displacement of the
mobile jaw, where the fine lock regulation of a piece between the jaws is made by
a worm-screw, supported by a block sliding along guides, which causes said mobile
jaw to carry out limited axial displacements.
[0002] In the works where non-homogeneous pieces are worked by the tool-machines, that is
for the little mass- production, it is necessary to handle the vice several times
a day, which is fixed to the work table of the tool-machine in order to lock the pieces
before starting the operation. If the pieces to be worked are homogeneous, the mobile
jaw stroke is almost constant for every work cycle. On the contrary, if the pieces
are not homogeneous, the strokes for locking two pieces of considerable length difference
are substantially different. This involves a lost of time which influences the inoperative
period of the machine and increases the production costs. In order to overcome the
above described drawback, modular vice were realized, in which there is a quick approaching
of the mobile jaw to the piece to be locked and thus a fine displacement of said jaw
for locking the piece. The quick displacement is realized by means of the block connected
to the mobile jaw through a warm-screw. In the lower part of said block a ball is
fixed, which couples with spherical notches made out along the longitudinal axis of
the vice basis. When the ball is positioned in the desired notch, the operator, handling
the warm-screw, executes the locking of the piece to be worked, between the mobile
jaw and the fixed one. Thus the work table on which the vice is fixed, moves toward
the tool of the machine. During the working of the pieces it may occur a stumbling
of the tool against the piece, which is steadily pressed against the said tool of
the work table. A force is thus created which is opposed to the displacement direction
of the work table. Said force acts in a direction opposite to the one exercised by
the mobile jaw on the piece, and that may cause the coming out of the ball, fixed
to the block, from the spherical notch in which it was positioned. In this way the
block and consequently the mobile jaw move and the piece, no more locked, falls. Another
drawback of the vices of this known type consists in the fact that it is necessary
an almost great space between two consecutive notches, made out on the basis of the
vice, in order to avoid a damage of their contour due to an anomalous force. For this
reason the number of modular displacements of the block is limited. For overcoming
the above exposed drawbacks, vices were realized, having a series of holes made out
on the basis of the vice, in which a pin is engaged which fixes the block connected,
in a known way, to the mobile jaw. When a displacement of the block must be executed,
it is necessary to take the pin out of the hole, to position the block in the new
seat and to put the pin into the correspondent hole for the locking of said block.
As it is easily understanding, the displacement of the mobile jaw does not take place
quickly (taking in account the time for taking out the pin, for positioning the block
in proximity of a new hole, for engaging the pin again). Therefore the utility of
having a modular vice with quick displacements of the mobile jaw is lacking. It is
the purpose of the present invention to overcome the above described drawbacks.
[0003] The technical problem to be solved was that of realizing a modular vice with quick
displacements of the mobile jaw in such a way that no force, due to the stumbling
of the tool against the piece, causes the displacement of the block connected to the
mobile jaw and that the positioning of said block takes place in a simple and quick
way.
[0004] The solution of the technical problem is characterized by the fact that said block
is quickly displaceable along said guides in the lower part of which opposite constant
pitch seats, means being provided for engaging said seats and locking said block in
the desired position.
[0005] Further characteristics and advantages will be more apparent from the following description
and from the enclosed drawing in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the vice object of the present invention,
Fig. 2 is a section view according to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 3 is a lateral view of the vice.
[0006] With reference to Fig. 1 it is generally indicated with 20 a vice formed by a basis
22 to which the fixed jaw 24 is solidly connected. A mobile jaw 26 is displaceable
along the opposite guides 28, made out on the basis 22, by means of a worm-screw 30
supported by a block 32.
[0007] The connection jaw 26 - screw 30 is not illustrate in detail as it is known in the
art and does not form the object of the present invention.
[0008] The block 22 is sliding along the guides 28 and gu ded along them by a pin 34 (Figs.
1, 2 and 3).
[0009] In the lower part 36 of the guides 28 opposite constant pitch arch-shaped seats 40,
apt to be engaged by a plate 42, fixed to the block 32 (Figures 1 and 2) and parallel
to the axis of the pin 34. Said plate 42 is substantially of rectangular shape and
the shorter sides are shaped in such a way that they have the shape of half of the
circle corresponding to the seats 40 so that it is easily positioned in said seats
40 as it will be afterwards explained.
[0010] When the mobile jaw 26 has to be quickly displaced, the end 45 of the warm-screw
30 is raised in the direction of the arrow 47 (Fig. 2); in this way the block 32 makes
a little anticlockwise rotation. By this rotation the plate 42 is raised and does
not engage the seat 40. The block 32 is, in this way, free and may be quickly displaced
along the vice axis. As a consequence, the mobile jaw 26 is displaced. When said jaw
26 arrives in proximity of the piece to be locked, the end 45 of the warm-screw 30
is released and the plate 42 accommodates the shorter sides into the opposite seats
40 in such a way that the block is locked in the desired position. Operating the worm-screw
30, the mobile jaw approaches the piece until it locks against the fixed jaw 24. The
particular shape of the shorter sides of the-plate 42 prevents this last and thus
the block 32 from moving when said plate 42 is positioned in the opposite arch-shaped
seats 40, even in the case of a stumbling of the tool against the piece and of a considerable
increase of the generated force.
1. Modular vice for the quick displacement of the mobile jaw where the fine regulation
for the locking of a piece between the jaws is executed by a warm-screw, supported
by a block sliding along guides, for causing said mobi'le jaw to carry out limited
axial displacement, characterized by the fact that said block is quickly displaceable
along said guides in the lower part of which opposite constant pitch seats, means
being provided for engaging said seats and locking said block in the desired position.
2. Modular vice according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said means are
formed by a plate of substantially rectangular shape fixed to said block, the shorter
sides of said plate being shaped in such a way that they result to be the half of
said seats.
3. Modular vice according to claim 1 and 2, characterized by the fact that said seats
are circle-arch shaped so that said plate is easily positioned in said seats.