LifeTrac III/Manufacturing Instructions/Misc/Tread Rebar

=work flow for press bending treads=

work space setup
 * operator station should be to the side of the pressing machine with some shielding in case a bar should shatter while press bending.
 * track repository should be to the other side of the press machine, for ease of ejection and clear work space.


 * dimensions for the mold

the mold is symmetric about the center line. three plates stand parallel to the center-line of the mold their faces spaced, from the outside in, 7.375 in by 5.5 in tall, 6.25 in by 3.0 tall, and the last plate stands 3.0 tall and the top of the face is 5.75 in while the bottom is 5.375 in. a radius of R.5 to R.75 should be ground in all three plates and their mirrored counterparts until the top of the plate has ~160 degrees of the full circle (the angle of the bore should following, roughly, the angle of the steps that they are going through). all other edges that the bar comes into contact with should be rounded (R.25) to facilitate removal from the mold. sticking angle is around 7 degrees, if the mold has angles more vertical then this the part will stick in the mold.

I will upload a picture of the print when my camera battery is charged


 * the dimensions for the die are:

4.0in by 8.5in by 1.0in

steps of workflow


 * 1) set bar in press parting line vertical to increase smoothness of the pressing. Bar should be in both front and back notches.
 * 2) check centering of the bar with gauge (can be anything that has the right width to center to bar easily)
 * 3) flip hydraulics while stepping to operator station
 * 4) give press a 2-3 extra pushes until the die doesn't move down any more.
 * 5) pull press back to highest point
 * 6) grab the next blank and use it to knock the pressed tread out of the mold (the tread may have some spring force when it becomes unstuck, putting one hand on the tread while hitting it should prevent the tread from flying odd places)
 * 7) throw the bent track onto the finished pile and load the blank into the machine
 * 8) repeat

