ON THE NEW MECHANICAL PRESS WITH A PLANETARY GEAR TRAIN

A new 1-DOF mechanical press with a geared eight-bar linkage mechanism is presented. The proposed press can generate the required kinematic and dynamic performance for drawing, stamping, deep drawing, and precision cutting processes by simply adjusting the offset of the ram. The press consists of an elementary planetary gear train with a pair of planet gears, a slider-crank mechanism, and a slider-crank mechanism with a variable-length crank. The configuration and a solid model are described, and a kinematic analysis, dynamic analysis, and optimized dimensional synthesis of the press are discussed. Examples are provided to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the design methodology. The proposed press could lead to more flexible and cost-effective applications.