US1417397A - Metal-forming machine - Google Patents

Description

A. JLLEWIS METAL FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB, 9, 1921.

1,417,397. Patented May23, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

T im w "llll I AT"FORNEY -A. J. LEWIS.

METAL FORMINGMACHINE. APPLICATION man FEB. 9. 1921.

rammed ma 23, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE.

CONNECTICUT.

ECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE IBAIRD CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF METAL-FORMING MACEINE.

Application filed February 5 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stratford, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Metal-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to forming machines and more particularly to wire form ing machines adapted to form a blankinto relatively small articles or articles having a narrow bend, and the object thereof is to provide a novel mechanism for guiding the wire into operative position adjacent the form and forming mechanism before cutting the blank therefrom. The device herein shown is in some respects similar to that illustrated in my Patent #992,890, granted May 23, 1911, and is in the nature of an improvement on said device.

The device illustrated in my said patent comprises a number of sliding members having formingtools on their contiguous ends, means to move the slides inwardly to successively form the sides of the blank around a form, whichform. is pivotally supported and is adapted to swing toward the uncut wire and to hold the wire against the face of one of the forming tools during the time the blank is being out, after which the blank is carried into operative position by the advance of said forming tool, the form being held against the face of the tool and retain ing the blank therebetween.

This invention has for its object to provide a cutting off mechanism for wire forming machines, which allows the material to be fed directly to the form, and which shall be specially adapted for use in the formingv of small articles, or articles having a narrow bend. In machines of this character, as heretofore constructed, it has been the practice to accomplish the desired result by 'pro viding the machine with a swinging or sliding form. In my present invention I provide a stationary form, which avoids the objection of lack of rigidity and enables me to greatly simplify the construction of the machine. I accomplish the desired result by providing the cut off bracket, so called, with a recess, which receives the quill or wire guide, which is retained in the recess by means of a clamp attached to the bracket. As heretofore constructed it has been the practice to provide the cut off bracket with Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1922. Serial No, 443,603.

a hole, in which the quill was seated and retained in place by a set screw. It is, of course, "necessary that the wire lie in contact with the form when the blank is cut off. In the old construction this was impossible with a stationary form for the reason that the tool carried by the'second slide (or one of them) would come in contact with the cut off bracket on its return movement. In other words, it is required that the front of the form be in alineinent with the quill so that the wire, when fed forward, will lie in contact with the form, and it is desirable that the form should be stationary for the reasons stated above.

My present invention provides a structure using a stationary form and a bracket for retaining the quill, which is so constructed that there is no interference with the return movement of the tool carried by the second slide, or the slide contiguous to the quill where two slides act simultaneously, as shown in the present machine.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel structure which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and using reference characters to indicate the several parts,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the forming mechanism of a wire forming machine embodying my invention, showing the form in section;

2, a similar view showing the forming tools at the completion of the forming ope! ation, the front ends being shown in section;

Fig. 3, view partially in. section taken on line in I 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, I

,Fig. 1-, a view taken on line l-t in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the front end of the cutoff bracket.

10 denotes the bed plate of a wire formi g machine, commonly known to the trade as a four slide machine, in the surface of which are mounted for reciprocation, a number of slides 11, 12, 13 and 1 1, which are movablein suit-able guideways in the bed plate. On the inner ends of these slides are fixed the forming tools 15, 16, 17 and 18, which tools are shaped so as to cooperate in the bending of a blank into the proper shape. Located between theinnen ends of the forming tools is a form 19 which is stationarily mounted on the machine in any suitable manner (not shown). The slides may be actuated from a plurality of cams, such as illustrated in my Patent #992,890, and in this selected embodiment are intended to operate in the following manner. The slide 11 moves forward first, the tool 15 engaging the blank 20, which has been severed from a strip of material and is held ad acent the form 19 as will be hereinafter more fully described, and bending it around two sides of the form into a U-shaped piece. Shdes 12 and 14 are then actuated, the tools 16 and 18 folding the ends of the blank around the form 19, and subsequently the slide 13 is moved forward, the tool 17 forcing the ends of the blank in abutment, thus com; pleting the forming operation. The slides are then retracted and the articles stripped from the form in any desired manner.

It will be noted that in the forming of small articles or articles having a narrow bend, the forming tool 18 is moved in a line parallel with the line of movement of the material being acted upon, which would be impossible with a stationary form as machines of this class have heretofore been constructed.

It has been found more practicable, and also to greatly increase production, to use a stationary form and to feed the material directly to the point of operation, i. e., adjacent the form, and to then sever a blank from the material, the tool 15 moving for ward simultaneously with the cutter and serving to retain the blank against the form. The material, in the present instance a length of wire indicated by 31, is guided to the form 19 by a quill 21, through which the wire passes, the quill being located adjacent the form so that the aperture in the quill will be in alinement with one side of the form. HGIBtO'fOIG, in machines adapted to form, relatively small articles having a narrow bend, it has been found impracticable to mount the quill in proximity to a stationary form owing to the fact that'the line of movement of tool 18 is parallel to the quill and in close proximity thereto. This invention provides a simple and durable means for mounting the quill so that the wire may be fed directly to the point of.

operation before the cutting off of the blank.

Mounted on the bed plate of the machine is a cut-off bracket 22 having a slide 23 re ci rocable therein, the movement of said slide being controlled by a revoluble cam 24 in engagement with a roller 25 carried by the slide and by a spring 26 which keeps the slide normally withdrawn and the roller in contact with the cam. Secured to the slide is a cutter 32 used in severing the blanks from a length of wire. The cut-off bracket lies close to slide 14, and is beveled off, as at 27, to provide clearance for forming tool 18 when retracted, and a semi-circular recess 28 is provided which receives the quill. Secured to the face of the cut-off bracket is a clamping member 29, which is held thereon by a bolt 30, and overlies the quill, rigidly holding the quill in the recess and providing a substantial backing to hold the quill against the thrust of the cutter. It will be noted that this construction holds the quill rigidly, and at the same time leaves ample space for forming tool 18, the line of movement of the cutter being at an angle to the line of pressure of the clamping member, and the side of the quill opposite to the cutter being exposed. The clamping member is provided with a tongue 33, which is received in a groove 34; formed in the face of the bracket to prevent the clamping member from becoming dislocated and sliding into the path of forming tool 18. The cutter 32 slides across the end of the quill and cuts a blank from the wire strip fed through the quill, the edge of the bore of the quill aiding the cutter in the cutting operation. It will be seen, therefore, on account of the pressure exerted on the quill, that it is necessary to provide a sufficient backing for the quiil to produce a construction which will be durable.

In operation, a predetermined length of wire is fed through the quill either by hand or by a suitable mechanism, like that shown in my said patent referred to, the wire being positioned along one side of the form. Tool 15 is moved forward simultaneously with the advance of the cutter a suflicient distance to hold the wire against the form, the several parts being then in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The cutter is then further operated to sever the blank and then the various forming tools are actuated to form the blank in the manner hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, reciprocating forming tools adapted to co-act therewith, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, and means for retaining the quill in place, said means leaving one side of the quill unobstructed.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, means for retaining the quill in place, and reciprocating forming tools, one of said tools lying in close proximity to-the quill and moving in the general direction of the line of feed, and the cutoff bracket and retaining means being shaped to leave one side of the quill unobstructed to provide clearance for said tool and permit use of a stationary form in making close bends.

3. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a stationary form, reciprocating forming tools, a reciprocating cutter, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, one of said tools lying contiguous to and parallel with the quill, and means for retaining the quill in place, acting at an angle to the line of movement of the cutter.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, reciprocating forming tools, a cut-0H bracket having a recess, a quill seated in the recess, said quill lying contiguous to one of said tools and in alinement with one side of the form, and a clamping member secured to the bracket and adapted to hold the quill in the recess with the side adjacent the tool unobstructed.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of reciprocating forming tools, a form, a cut-off bracket contiguous to one of said tools, the side of the bracket toward said tool being provided with a recess, a quill in said recess, a clamping member secured to the bracket, said memher being adapted to bear against the quill and retain it in place leaving a side toward the tool unobstructed, and means for severing a blank from a strip of material when fed to the form through the quill.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of reciprocating forming tools, a form, a cut-ofi' bracket contiguous to one of said tools, the side of the bracket toward said tool being shaped to provide clearance for the tool, a quill recessed in said bracket, said quill being adapted to guide a strip of material parallel to one side of the form, a clamping member secured to said bracket, said member bearing on said quill and retaining it in place with an unobstructed side toward the tool, and means for severing a blank from the material.

7 In a machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary form, reciprocating forming tools, a cut-oil bracket having a recess and a groove, a quill seated in said recess, a clamping member having a tongue engaging the groove and bearing on the uill, and a bolt passing through said mem er and engaging the bracket.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, means for retaining the quill in place and leaving one side thereof unobstructed, and a plurality of reciprocating forming tools, one of said tools lying parallel with and in close proximity to the unobstructed side of the quill.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a stationary form, a cutoff bracket, a quill, a plurality of forming tools, one of said tools lying parallel with and in close proximity to the quill, and means for securing the quill to the bracket, no portion of said bracket or securing means lying between the quill and said tool.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, a cut-off bracket, a quill, a plurality of forming tools, one of said tools reciprocating in close proximity to the uill, and means for securing the quill to the racket, said means leaving a clear space between the quill and said tool.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, a reciprocating cutter, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, and means for securing the quill in said recess, said means leaving the quill exposed and unobstructed on the side opposite the cutter.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ARTHUR J. LEWIS.

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