US1636956A - Process of making nut blanks - Google Patents

Description

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aftozweq July 26, 1927.

J. F. GOLDING PRoqEss OF MAKING NUT BLANKS Filed April 24, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIAIIL Patented July 26, 1927 J'OHN I. GOLDING, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MAKING NU'I BLANKS.

Application filed April 24, 1828. Serial No. 104,477.

My invention relates to a process of making nut blanks from heated and softened metal, and relates to the subject of my prlor application No. 629,440, filed April 2, 1923 and No. 741,267 filed October 2, 1924. In the second application above referred to the cutting edges of the outside or female dies and the punch were arranged at or about the same. level so that both of these instrumentalities would begin to operate upon the metal at about the same time, the punch being within the said outside member. In that case the outward flow of'heated and softened metal caused by the pressure of the punch was somewhat restricted or restrained by the outside cutting die which was advancing into the metal at the same time with the punch, but I have discovered that by delaying the action of the punch so that the outside die will have entered the metal before thepunch begins to act, the outflow of the soft metal can be very much'more restricted, even to the point where the nut blank produced will be of ve little less thickness than the thickness 0 the metal operated upon. More broadly considered the amount of metal conserved in the nut blank, and the vertical dimension of the same, may be regulated b the .times at which the cuttin and punc ing respectively, take place, and thinner nuts, of less vertical dimension, can be produced when desired by advancing the action of the punch, or relatively retarding the action of said cutting die, to any desired extent. This can be effected without any change in the vertical dimension of the die space within which the nut blank is received as it is produced, and in a simple manner by operating the die and punch from the same press crosshead and providing a screw adjustment by which the relative heights of the die and punch may be adjusted.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to the use of the improvements, the invention consists in the procedure, and in the use of the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportions and arrangement without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

In orderto make the invention more clearly understood there are shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect without limiting the improvements, in their useful apphcations, to the particular constructions or steps of procedure which, for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration. In the said drawings 2-- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of so much of a die press, adapted for the production of nut blanks, as is necessary for the understanding of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a vertical sectlonal view of the blank cutting devices, anda side View of the nut blank produced, when said adjustment is such that the die and punch will begin to act at about the same time.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views showing the same parts when the adjustment is such that the outside die has completed its cutting at the time when the punch begins to cut.

Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of the same parts when said ad'ustment is such that the punch has complete its operation at the time when the outside die begins to act.

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of the same parts, when the adjustment is such that the outside die will have made about two-thirds of its cutting when the punch begins'to act.

Referring to the drawings 2 is the male die which-is preferably fixed firmly but removably in the lower part of the press as a lower die. 3 is the outside or female and upper die fixed by a set-block 4 and set screw 5 in the die holder 6, the latter being vertically movable with the cross-head 7 of the press. The holder 6 also carries a hammer 8' secured therein by a set screw 9, and the hammer cooperates with an anvil part 10 of the bed of the press to flatten the heated and softened slug '2; to the form shown at to (Fig. 1). On the descent of the holder 6 the hammer performs its flattening operation on the heated slug which has been positioned beneath it and atthe same time the die 3 cooperates to cut the blank :1: from a flattened slug w (Fig. 1), which has been positioned and centered between the dies and form the blank with smooth vertical sides. The unflattened metal is fed under the hammer 8, and the flattened metal under the die 3, by means set forth in my said applications, or otherwise, and a description of feeding means is not necessary to an understanding of my present invention.

The hole cutter or piercer 11 cooperates with the perforation 12 of the die 2 to very ration- 12. The cutting operation of the dies 2 and 3 forms and removes from the blank w a ring-like scrap y, the same being the outer rim of the slug which has thus been cut.

7 This scrap y as it, is made forces down a plate 13, or this plate is mechanically lowered at this instant, and when the d1e'3 rises the plate 13 is lifted and strips the scrap 3 up from around the die 2, and before the next flattened slug is centered between the dies the scrap is removed or swept away by suitable means. This trimming 3 may be then flattened, whereby the central opening is closed up to a considerable extent, and is then cut by dies to produce cheaply a circular washer having a concentric hole. This may be performed by substituting in the press suitable washer dies and then feeding the said trimmings under the hammer and thence between the washer dies.

The piercer 11 moves with the holder 6 and die 3, having a head 15 fitted in slots 16 in an adjusting screw 17 the latter being screwed into the holder 6. By the screw 17 the piercer may be adjusted relative to the bottom of the die 3 to be flush therewith (Fig. 2) or to be retarded in action relative to the outside die (Figs. 1, 4 and 8), or to be relatively advanced (Fig. 6) as may be desired.

Around the piercer is arranged the blankejector 18 so as to be vertically slidable in the holder 6 and die 3. The ejector is loose and as the nut blank is cut the ejector is lifted by the blank, but it imposes no pressure endwise or down on the blank excepting the mere weight of the ejector, and the latter has no function to crown the blank. The ejector has yoke arms extending out throu h slots in the holder and these arms may e provided with adjustable stop screws, said arms of the yoke and stop screws being illustrated in my said application Serial No. 741,267. When the holder 6 is lifted" the screws encounter fixed parts of the press frame and the ejector is arrested and the finished nut blank is stripped from off the piercer and from within the die 3. The blank not being pressed on its top by any usual forming and crowning plunger, the softened metal is free to expand or swell upward in the die 3, and the thickness of the finished blank depends upon the thickness of the metal which is placed on the lower die and is changed in thickness by the die-cutting action; and the thickness of the metal operated on depends upon the selection of a desired thickness of metal or upon the action of the hammer 8, and also upon the actions of the outside die and punch as explained.

Preliminary to the above described blankforming operation the metal, in the form of slugs or any other suitable shape, is heated to make it sufliciently soft to cut smoothly and then su lied or'fed, automatically or in any suita e manner, to cuttin posltion between the dies 2 and 3. Such heating is or, may be to a temperature of 1200f to 1600 F., more or less, and by the devices therein set forth or by other practicable means.

The relative times of action of the outside or female die and the centralv punch are of great importance. As soon as the outside die begins to cut the outflow of soft metal from the interior of the die and from the body of the blank into the outside trimming or scrap begins to be restricted. If the punch acts first and the outside die acts later the outward fiow of the metal is less restrained and less metal will remain in the nut blank and more of the metal operated on will pass out into the trimming, and the vertical thickness or height of the nut blank will be correspondingly less. If the punch and dies be in to act at about the same time the outwar flow of the metal will be more restrained or restricted and the nut blank will have more metal in it and be of greater height and the trimming will contain less metal. All of these results are more marked as the relative adjustment of the punch and die, and the relay of the action of the punch, are made reater. At the maximum of this relative a justment the die will have completed its action and the outside of the nut blank completely out before the punch begins to act.

The die and punch are operated by the same vertically moving cross-head, and the more metal is received into the die and the nut blank becomes higher the ejector rises up to accommodate itself to the greater amount of metal and height of the nut.

In these operations the metal to be cut is to be at the proper heat and softness.

It will be observed from the foregoing that my method is very economical in conserving in the nut blank a-very large proportion of the metal operated on and in greatly reducing the amount of the resulting scrap; also it is of great advanta e in regulating the amount of metal in the lank, and the consequent height of the blank, b the use of the same dies, and by the said a justment of the times of operation of the cutting elements.

The conservation of metal for the greater height of the nut blank, especially near the middle of the top of the blank is of material use in that more length of thread is obtained in the finished nut in proportion to the amount of metal employed.

In the operation above described the perfect crowning of the nut blank is performed by the cutting pressure of the outside die, and when the outward flow of metal from the body of the blank is considerably restricted the depression of the middle of the crown of the nut by the punch is of small amount so that practically the full and desired height of the blank is obtained at the perforation which is to be screw-threaded.

In the crowning of t-henut blanks as heretofore produced, by a separate operation after the blank has been made, the metal removed in the formation of the crown is entirely lost, but by my improvement it is conserved in the nut blank and what passes away in the trimming is in the form of available scrap, and the cost of such crowning operation is saved.

The word vertical as used herein is not a word of limitation, but only refers to the machine illustrated, and the dies may be mounted to work horizontally, or in any suitable direction, although the vertical arrangement is preferable.

Vhat I claim is 1. In the use of .dies having a punch and outside die for cutting nut blanks from heated and softened metal, the method of regulating the amount of metal conserved in the thickness of the blanks, which consists in restricting or increasing the outflow of the 2. A process of making nut blanks from metal, which consists iniheating the metal to make it sufficiently soft to be cut smoothly, and then cutting the metal along all the Vertical sides of the nut blank to be produced and removing the exterior trimming to form the desired faces of the blank, and removing the metal from the middle of the blank to form a perforation, and restricting the outflow of the metal from within the blank, and regulating the amount of metal in the body of the blank by causing the cutting of the sides of the blank to begin prior to the beginningof the formation of said perforation.

3. A process of making nut blanks from metal, which consists in heating the metal to make it sufficiently soft to be cut smoothly, and then cutting the metal alon all the vertical sides of the nut blank to be produced and removing the exterior trimming to form the desired faces of the blank, and removing the metal from the middle of the blank to form a perforation, and leaving the blank unrestricted as to its endwise dimension or height so that more or less metal may be retained in the body of the blank, and regulating said dimension by causing the cutting of the sides of the blank to begin more or less in advance of the forming of said perforation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signautre.

JOHN F. GOLDING.

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