US1311368A

US1311368A - Process and apparatus for forming sheet-metal forms

Info

Publication number: US1311368A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 1936-07-29

Description

I. H. AND J. L. AUBLE.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SHEET METAL FORMS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1919.

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Patented July 29, 1919.

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J. H. AND J. L. AUBLE.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SHEET METAL FORMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1919.

1,3 1 1 ,368. Patented July 29, 1919.

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PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SHEET METAL FORMS,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. i919.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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J. H. AND J. L. AUBLE.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SHEET METAL FORMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1919.

1,31 1,368. Patented July 29, 1919.

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JAMES H. AUBLE AND JAMES L. AUBLE, OF CINCINNATI,\OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE AUBLE DIE & ST$MPING COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PROCESS AND AIPARATUS FOR FORMING SHEET-METAL FORMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES H. AUBLE and JAMES L. AUBLE, citizens of the United States, and residents of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus for Forming Sheet-Metal Forms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

In the drawing of metal forms from a blank of sheet metal, it has been customary to employ a series of dies and punches or male and female dies in a series of progressive and separate operations to gradually draw out and form the blank into the shape desired. M

It is the principal object of our invention to provide a method of producing sheet metal articles and; the dies for carrying out the process with which the sheet metal article may be formed in a single operation, the various parts being so connected and in-' terrelated that the article. can be formed in a single set of operations without the necessity of-withdrawing the blank and subjecting it to a series of dies or for annealing as is usually necessary between each separate operation under the older methods.

In the drawings, d Figure 1 is a top plan View. of'the male Fig. 2' is a central longitudinal section of the dies at the commencement of the first operation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank holder.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the outer set of interlockingparts carried by the male die.

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the dies at the end of the firstoperation.

Fig. 6 is a similar View at the end of the second operation.

Fig. 7 is a similar view upon the completion of the dieing operation.

Fig. 8 is a side view of one of the cam arms depending from the headblock by means of which the movable die members are shifted.

Fig. 9 is a'plan view of the lower member of the outer set of interlocking and collapsible parts of the male die.

Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are perspective views of both sets of the upper and lower interlocking collapsible members, taken separately.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view, partly in section, of said members with the outer set in,collapsed position. 7

"As illustrated in the drawings, we have shown the construction of dies for forming a cylindrical shell, but of course it will be understood that the particular form of the article to be produced can be. of any shape desired, and that the dies will also be shaped accordingly.

We have also only shown two sets of collapsible members, although it will be understood that this number may be varied as desired.

As illustrated in the drawings, 1 is the male die block and 2 the female die. male die is suitably mounted on a base plate 2*, and the female die is secured to thetop plate 2 which in turn is securely bolted to the headblock 2, and .the headblock 2 is provided with the guiding

arms

3, 3, which move and are guided in the ver- The ticalholes 4, 4, in the die. There are prefessary in forming the metal, the die 2 is provided with a series of shoulders 8, 9. g

The, first step in the process is to cut the propershaped blank from a plateof sheet metal, and to accomplish this the sheet blank 10 is laid on top of the die block 1. Securely bolted on the top portion of the block 1 around the recesses 5 are a series of steel cutting-blocks 11 which formacutting edge 12 in connection with the outer edge 13 of the die 2. The die 2 is brought down and the blank is cut in the first operation of the shape desired.

As illustrated in the drawings this shape is that of the circular disk.

Mounted to slide in the central recess 5 in the block 1 is a ring 14 which serves as the blank holder during this operation. This rin has a series of supporting arms 15 which extend through the bottom plate 2 and upon which spring pressure is applied in any suitable way to hold the blank holding ring 14 in position, and as the die block 2 descends the blank holder 14 is pressed downwardly, holding the blank as it is formed into a shallow cup. As a convenient means for maintaining the clamping pres-- sure of the blank holder, the lower end of the arms 15 rest on a plate 16 which is spring-pressed upwardly by the coiled springs 17 interposed between the plate 16 and the bolster of the die press. Normally the blank holder 14 is held at a level with the top of the die block 2. p

As the blank is cut of the proper size by the cutting-blocks 11, the blank holder is pressed downwardly and the outer portion of the sheet metal blank is formed around the collapsible die member 18.

In the drawings we have illustrated two sets ofthese collapsible die members, but as it will appear from the. description of the construction and operation, as many sets of these collapsible dies can be used as desired.

For each set of these collapsible dies there are two members, for the outer set an upper member 18 and a lower member 19, and for the inner set an upper member 20 and a lower member 21. These die members for the upper members are constructed with depending

fingers

22, 22, and the lower members with upwardly extending

fingers

23, 23 and the outer member of each set rests upon and is supported by its-corresponding lower member as shown in Fig. 4, with the,

blunt ends of the corresponding .fingers abutting. One edge of each finger is straight or vertical, as shown at 24 and 24, and the other edge is cut obliquely, as shown at 25, 25 for the corresponding fingers of each set, and the straight and oblique faces are reversed for each successive set. It will be evident that if one of the collapsible dies of each pair is rotated while the other'die remains stationary, the ends of the fingers will pass each other and allow the upper die member to interlock with its corresponding lower member, the two members gradually telescoping as the oblique faces are brought more and more in contact as the upper member descends. I

To bring about this telescoping movement after the upper portion has served its purpose, as a die to hold the blank during the forming operation, we provide laterally ex tending arms 26 at the lower edge of the outer die member 19. These arms extend into recesses 27 between the bottom plate 2* and the die block 1. This recess is suffioiently wide to permit the. oscillation of the arms to allow the upper die member to be the arms 3 which depend from the headblock 2 are formed with cam bends 28, 29, and as the upper die descends these cam surfaces bear first on one side and then on the other of the forks 26 of the arms and rock or oscillate the lower die member 19 back and forth. The first movement as already described allows the upper and outer die member 18 to rotate into interlocking position, with its corresponding lower member, and the continued pressure of the die 2, as the lower member is turned presses the upper member downwardly.

Located inside the collapsible dies 18, 19, as already stated, are the collapsible dies 20, 21. The die member 21 at the bottom has a flange 30 which engages in a recess in the inner surface of the outer die member 19, and when the die 18 is pressed downwardly the proper distance, the lower ends of its depending fingers engage inslots in this flange 30 and thus the inner die member 21 becomes locked to the outer set of the collapsible dies.

Now as the die block 2 continues to descend, the cam portions 29 of the arms 8 shift the arms 26 in the other direction, and the three sets of dies thus interlocked are rotated back to their original position. This removes the support from the inner and upper die member 20 and allows it to be shifted into interlocking position with its corresponding lower member '21. The movement is in the opposite direction and therefore the oblique surfaces of the interlocking fingers are reversed.

From the foregoing description and an examination of Figs.2, 5, 6 and 7 the opera- ;tion of the dies will be made clear. The blank being first out has its edges gradually turned down over the outer surface of the first collapsible die 18 to form a shallow cup. During this forming action, the lower member of the outer set of collapsible dies is rotated so that at the proper time the upperdie member 22 gradually descends and serves as a blank holder while the blank is being formed around the upper member of the next set of collapsible dies. The gradual descent of die member 22 under the downward pressure of shoulder 8, maintains a constant pressure upon both sides of the blank and keeps it heated and prevents it from becoming creased. The lower member of that set becomes as described interlocked with the outer collapsible dies and is rotated so as to allow the descending female die to form the metal around the final punch mem'ber. Thus during the whole operation, the sheet'metal under treatment is held upon both sides and shaped to conform with the surface of the dies. The metal form having been completely fdrined and finished in this way, the

With the raising of the upper die block, the

knockout pin 34 pushes the blank from the die so that it is readily removed.

Our method of acting on the metal blank continuously in the same direction has very important: advantages over the older punclr and die methods, when the metal is bent alternately in opposite directions;

Where a sheet metal form is to be drawn in a series-of operations, the first step consists in cutting the blank and it is: then drawn over the first form. The blank then has to be removed and replaced in position and drawn in the opposite direction and so on for each operation. The result of this is that great strain is placed on the metal, first in one direction and then in the other, and it is necessary that the blank should be annealed and softened between each succeeding operation." 1 a y I With our process we bring the forming pressure'ltobear always in one direction and each movement follows in quick succession. The result. of this is that the sheet metal heats up and becomes liable so that it can be formed without liab one continuous operation. Moreover by starting'the bending of our blank near its edge by bending down a narrow flange, and by gradually increasing the depth of the flange, we avoid drawing the metal in the central part thereof and consequently do not diminish the thickness of the central art of the metal.

In addition to the fact that we are able to form thesheet metal article in one continuous operation, we are also able to trim off the edge of the-completed article immediately before the completion of the final operation. To accomplish this we form a flange or somewhat thicken the final punch die 7 at a point wliich will be reached by the lower edge of the sheet metal form, so that as the upper die reaches the completion of its prising a member having stroke, the metal blank will be cut ofi or trimmed'smoothly between the two coacting dies which at this point fit closely together, so that there is no room for any sheet metal.

In explaining our improved process and construction of dies, it has been necessary for us to illustrate the method by certain concrete forms or dies. W e have selected ility of fracture in for this purpose the simplest construction, that of drawing a cylindrical cup and we have also only suggested two sets of collapsible dies.

It will be evident,- however, that the shapes of'the dies may be varied to suit any form to be drawn, and that the number of collapsible die members can be increased as desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y I 1. A method of forming sheet metal which consists in forcing in one continuous operation a blank through a plurality of dies arranged in series, each die being adapted to collapse after it has served its purpose in the drawing operation to present the blank for the subsequent forming operations of the remaining dies.

2. A method of forming sheet metal which consists in forcing in one continuous operation a blankthrough a plurality of dies arranged in series, each d1e being adapted to collapse under pressure after it has served its purpose in the forming operation to present the blank for the subsequent formlng I the forming operation to present the blank forming operations of the remaining dies, and then removing the rough edges of the finished article at the termination of the final drawing operation by pressing the edges between the shoulders on the dies. H

4;. A method of forming sheet metal which for the subsequent 'consists in forcing in one continuous operation'a blank through a plurality of dies arranged in series, each die being adapted to collapse under pressure after it has served its purpose in the forming operation to present the blank for the subsequent forming operations of the remaining dies, and serve as a blank holder during the next succeeding operation, and then removin the rough edges of the finished article at the termina tion of the final forming operation by pressing the edges between the shoulders on the 1es. 5. A sheet metal forming apparatus coma recess with in wardly converging walls, an opposed member comprising a" series of concentric collapsible die members adapted successively to contact with the walls of the recess and automatic means adapted to cause the die members successively to collapse as the opposed member enters the recess.

6. In an apparatus of the character speci fied, collapsible dies comprising an upper and lower member adapted to telescope with each other, with means for shifting one of said members to bring its corresponding die member into telescopic engagement whereby the members may be collapsed.

7. In an apparatus of the character specified, in combination with permanent coacting dies, of a plurality of collapsible die members adapted to serve both as dies and as blank holders, supporting members for the collapsible .dies, and means for shifting the supports in succession to permit the dies to collapse to bring the dies into use in succession.

8. In an apparatus of the character specified, in combination with permanent coacting dies, of a plurality of collapsible die members adapted to serve both as dies and as blank holders, supporting means for the collapsible dies, and means intermediate one of the permanent coactingdies and the sup porting members ,for shifting the supports 10. In an apparatus of the character specified, in combination with permanent coacting dies, of a plurality of collapsible dies, each comprising an upper and a lower member adapted to telescope with each other, with means for shifting one of said members to bring its corresponding die into telescopic position.

11. In an apparatus of the character specified, in combination with permanent coacting dies, of a plurality of collapsible dies, each comprising an upper and a lower mem ber, .with interlocking fingers upon which each die is supported, withmeans for rotating one of said members to bring into alinement the fingers of one member and the spaces of the other, whereby the members I may be collapsed.

12. In a mechanism of the character specified, in combination with a female die shaped to give final form to the finished article, of a.coacting male die and a series of concentric die members to serve as dies and blank holders in succession, said members comprising a supporting'and forming portion, with interlocking fingers, having the fingers beveled in opposite directions, a contact portion extending from a supporting member, with a cam actuated by the female die to engage said contact portion and to shift the support for the forming member in opposite directions as the dies are brought together.

JAMES H. AUBLE. JAMES L. AUBLE.