US1349903A - Coil-forming machine - Google Patents

Description

A. W, MILLER. C'oIL FORMING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.'I8, I9I9.

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A. W. MILLER.

COIL FORMING MACHINE- APPucA'rmN F1LED sEPT,1,1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEES-SHEE'I 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT W. MILLER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-I'IALF TO ELIZABETH C. BRYAN, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

COIL-FORMIN G MACHINE.

Application filed September 18, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBER" IV. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside, State of California, have invented a new and useful Coil-Forming Machine, of which the following is a specication.

rI'his invention relates to coil forming machines for winding helical springs of either open or closed formation, to produce coinpression or tension springs.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide an improved device for ceiling a single length of wire upon a rotatable mandrel to conveniently and accurately form a coil spring or a coil for any desired purpose, and to further provide a means for gaging the convolutions of the coil to produce a spring of the desired pitch, the normal position of said means being invariable and the regulation oli the pitch ot the spring depending upon the manner in which the Wire is threaded into the machine.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character adapted to coperate with mandrels of various sizes and to provide an operating handle adapted to be detachably clamped to said mandrels.

A further object is to provide means for guiding the wire at a point closely adjacent the mandrel so as to control the terminal end of the wire as the wire supply becomes exhausted.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description ot the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of embodiment of the invention and forming a part oi: this spi-iciication.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of my iinproved coil forming machine.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a central transverse section.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation.

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section.

Fig. 6 is a detail view oi' the wire control mechanism showing the parts in position for threading the wire into the machine.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on line :v7-m7 ot Fig. 5. i

Fig. 8 is a detail section on line ms m8 of Fig. 4.

The frame or support for the mechanism as illustrated in the drawings comprises a rectangular frame l bolted or otherwise se- Specieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

serial No. 324,646.

cured to a bench or table, or lirmly held by any other desired means. The side walls 2 3 of said trame are provided with apertures 4 5 forming clamp edges (3 7 of inverted V-shape. Vertically slidable within the Jframe l is a friction clamp slide 8 which is of inverted U-shape with the side limbs 9 10 thereoil lying closely adjacent the side walls 2 3 of the Vframe and provided withI apertures Il l2 forming V-shape clamp edges 13 14; adapted to cooperate with the clamp edges 6 7 of the frame to frictionally grip -a mandrel l5, as shown in Fig. 3.. The limbs 9-10 of the clamp slide S are maintained in spaced relation by a tie rod 16 secured in the lower ends oi" said limbs and the slide is vertically guided upon the frame by guide plates N lS which are secured, respectively, to the lower ends of the slide limbs 9 1() with their opposite ends bent outwardly providing ears 19 engaging the opposed vertical edges o'lE the side wallsi2 3 of the frame.

A clamp screw 2() has a screw-threaded engagement through the top plate of the frame l and is rotatably retained within a bore in the slide 8, a handle 2l being provided for turning the screw 20.

rhe mechanism above described provides a frame for the machine, having incorporated therein a means for frictionally gripping mandrels of various diameters.

The mandrel l5 extends through the .frame and handle 22 is adapted to be clamped. thereto, serving as a means for rotating the mandrel and ior other purposes as will hereinafter be explained. The clamp end of the lever is bifureated to iorm opposed limbs 3 211: provided with apertures forming V- shaped mandrel engaging edges 2li-2G, respectively, and pivotally journaled in the ends of said limbs and positioned therebetween is a clamp member 27 having a spirally contoured clamp edge 2S adapted to wedgingly engage the mandrel. A handle nut 29 has a screw threaded engagement with the pivot bolt 30 of the clamp niember 27 and serves to compress the limbs 23 24; of the handle into clampins` engagement withl the clamp member and retain said. member in set position. The gage device for controlling the pitch of the spring to be coiled is carried by a rod 32 which is loosely journaled in opposed plates 33 34 secured to and projecting beyond the side walls 2 3,

respectively,- of the frame. It is obvious that these plates may be eliminated and that suitable ears may be extended outwardly as integral parts of the frame.

Secured to one end of the rod 32 is a gage supporting lever 35 and spaced irom the' plate 811 by a loose spacing collar 36 is a series of sector shaped gage plates 3T allloose on the rod 32 and retained against rotary movement relative to the lever 35 by a stud 38 secured to said lever and projecting through alined orifices in the gage plates.

The opposite end olf' the iod has a screw-threaded engagement with a wing-nut 39 which engages the outer surface of the plate 33 for the purpose of translating the rod32 to provide rictional tension on the wire stock as will later be described.

A guide lever l() is pivoted on the gage supporting lever 35 and extends inwardly to normally lie between the said lever 35 and the series of gage plates with a notch l1 formed in the lower edge ot the lever 40 engaging over the rod 32. The inner upper edge ofthe lever et() is provided with a horizontal shelf l2 extending as a guide bridge over the gage plates and provided with a downturned lip e3 on its 'free end. A reiatively wide guide roller 4a is rotatably jo'urnaled on the lever el() and a stud 45 is ixed'thereon in position to engage into a notch L16 formed in the lower edge of the lever 35. `When the lever el() is in normal position in relation to the lever 35 it is frictionally clamped thereto by a handle nut ,4iwhich has a screw threaded engagement with stud t and clamping y engages the side of the lever 35. The lower edge of the inner end of the lever 4l() from the points 4:8, e9, 50 is tapered from the side adjacent the lever 85 upwardly (see Figs. 5 and S) iorming a lower knife edge, the particular purpose of which will later be pointed out.

When the lead end oi? the wire stock is inserted into the machine preparatory to a coil forming operation, said lead end must be secured to the mandrel or to the operating handle and in the present instance l illustrate a means Jfor attaching it to the handle, which means comprises a bolt 5l loosely inserted through alined apertures in the limbs 23-24 of the handle 22, the aperture in the limb 23 being square and the inner end of the .bolt having a square shank to prevent said bolt from turning. rThe outer end of the bolt shank is threaded Jfor cooperation with a wing-nutl 52 and the square portion of said bolt shank is provided with a vertical transverse aperture 58 positioned adjacent the bolt head and of a size to accommodate the largest size ot wire which the machine is designed to handle. This structure provides a means 'for clamping the lead end oi the wire stock, ofvarious sizes, to the handle.

The loperation of the machine, including the preliminary adjustments and the threading or entraining ol the wire stock into the machine will now be described.

The proper size mandrel is first selected and inserted in the frame between the clamp edges GMT ot the trame and the clampedges 13-14 of theslide 8 alter which the clamp screw 2O is operated to provide suiiicient clamping tension on the mandrel to prevent a free turning or' said mandrel while at the same time allowing it to be forcibly turned in a wire coiling operation and translated longitudinally as the convolutions of the spring yare formed. The operating handle 22 is neXt placed on thel mandrel with the il-shaped edges engaging the mandrel, the clamp member 2 being then turned until its clamp edgeV 28 wedgingly engages the mandrel and the handle nut 29 tightened to maintain the clamp member 2T in set position. Y

The guide lever 410 is released'and swings to the position shown in Fig. 6 and the wire stock, as indicated by the reference numeral 55, threaded under the guide roller le and over the rod 32 and stud between two ad-V jacent gage plates 37 and is then given one or more turns around the mandrel and threaded through the aperture 53 of the bolt 5l adjacent the outer suriace oi the limb 23 of the handle after which'the wing-nut 52 is tightened to securely clamp the lead end or' the wire stoclr to thehandle. (See rigs. 2, 5 and T).

rlhe guide lever l() is now restored to normal position and clamped to the lever 35 by tightening the handle-nut il?. Both levers, as a unit, are now rotated on the rod until the lower inner edges of thel gage plates 37 engage the mandrel 15 with the outer side surface of the outermost gage plate engaging the last completed convolution of the spring, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. In these igures the wire stock is shown threaded between the second and third gage plate providing for theV production of a spring oi a pitch equal to the combined thickness ot the iirst two plates. 1t will, ot course, be understood that to form springs of various other pitches the wire will be threaded between others of the plates as is required. V

To provide the required tension on the wire stock, the wing-nut 39 is tightened to translate the rod 32, thereby vdrawing the levers 35-e0, the gage plates 37 and the spacing collar 36 against the plate Se and against each other to produce a variable frictional gripping of the wire stoclr between the gage plates.

The operating handle 22 and mandrel 15 being operated to form a spring ofV slightly less than thev desired number of convolutions, the wire stock is cut as closely to theplates iso 37 as possible, the free end of the wire being wound, springing upwardly until it hits the guide bridge or shelf 42, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, after which the mandrel is again rotated to complete the spring. The number of turns produced by the secondary rotation easily determined by trial.

To again thread the wire stock between the gage plates 37 the guide lever 40 is released and turned to the position shown in Fig. 6 and the wire threaded into the machine and attached to the operating handle as previously described. If the next spring to be produced is to be of the same kind and tension as the first, the adjustment of the wing-nut 39 remains as previously set and after the wire stock is again threaded in the machine the lever 40 is normalized, the forward lcwer knife edge portions 48, 49, 50 thereof engaging between the lever 35 and the first gage plate 37 with a wedging action which will restore the same frictional tension on the wire stock as determined by the above described previous setting.

I claim:

l. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, means for rotating the mandrel, means for guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a series of gage plates laterally movable to permit the insertion of the wire stock between any two of them, and means exerting a variable clamping tension on the gage plates to produce a rictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

2. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, means for rotating the mandrel, means for guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a gage supporting member, a series of gage plates laterally movable to permit the insertion of the wire stock between any two of them, a lever, and means for translating the lever to compress the gage plates and produce a variable rictional gripping of the wire stock.

3. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotary mandrel, means for rotating the mandrel, means for guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a series of gage plates laterally movable to permit the insertion oi' the wire stock between any two of them, means exerting a variable clamping tension on the gage plates to produce a i'rictional gripping tension on the wire stock, and an independent means movable to release the gage plates.

il. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotary mandrel, means ior supporting and rictionally gripping the mandrel, a series of gage plates adapted te engage the mandrel and laterally movable to permit the insertion of wire stock between the plates, and means for clamping the plates together to produce a rictional tension on the wire stock.

e. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotary mandrel, a frame, a translatory rod journaled in the frame, a series of gage plates loose on the rod and laterally movable for the insertion of wire stock between the plates, means for supporting the plates in relative transverse alinement, and means for translating the rod to compress the gage plates and produce a frictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

6. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotary mandrel, a frame, a translatory rod journaled in the iframe, a gage supporting lever fixed on the rod, a series of gage plates loose on the rod intermediate the lever and the frame and laterally movable to permit the insertion of wire stock between the plates, and means for translating the rod to compress the plates between the lever and frame for producing a irictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

7. A coil forming machine including a frame, a longitudinally movable rotary mandrel supported in the frame, a coil spacing device comprising a series of gage plates freely separable to permit the insertion of wire stock between said plates, and means for compressing the plates to produce a frictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

S. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, a frame, means guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a bifurcated handle providing opposed limbs apertured to provide mandrel engaging edges, an eccentric clamp member pivoted on the handle between the limbs thereorl and adapted to wedgingly engage the mandrel, and means for clamping said limbs together' to irictionally clamp the eccentric clamp member in set position.

9. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, a frame, means guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a bifurcated handle providing opposed limbs apertured to provide mandrel engaging edges and provided with a bolt receiving orifice, an eccentric clamp member pivoted on the handle between the limbs thereof and adapted to wedgingly engage the mandrel, means for clamping the limbs together to frictionally clamp the eccentric clamp member in set position, a bolt engaging into the bolt orifice and provided with a transverse aperture for receiving the wire stock, and means for translating the bolt to clamp the wire stock between the handle and the head of the bolt.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of September, 1919.

ALBERT W. MILLER.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE B. FOSTER, L. BELLE WEAVER.

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