US1671983A - Spring-coiling tool - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1928.

C. FAUST SPRING COILING TOOL Filed Feb. 19, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l June 5 1 928. 1,671,983 I CLF'AUST SPRING COILING TOOL Filed Feb. 19, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 2 N /N VE/V 70 1 CHRL Fqus T June 5, 1928. 1,671,983

c. FAUST SPRING COILING TOOL Filed Feb. 19, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i fza ATTURNEY Patented June 5, 1928. UNITED STATES 1,671,983 PATENT OFFICE.

C431 FAUST, OF B'IUTTGABT, GERIANY.

BPBING-COILING TOOL.

Appllcation flled February 19, 1924. mm m. mam.

This invention relates to tools for making coil springs, and among its particular ob-- jects arethe production by the same tool curately control the tension of wire feed, and

in general to provide a tool of low cost, simplicity and durability, used with certainty of operation, that will rovide for all of the objects mentioned an will involve .-various other advantages which will appear lfrom the following specification, reference beinglhad to the accompanying drawings in whic Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the tool em- 7 bodying the invention as viewed on the axis of the spring .coiling mandrel.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same tool, viewed transverse to the axis of the spring to bBICOild and showing the tool in adjustment producing a tension spring.

Fig. 3 .is a side elevation from the reverse side to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is anend elevation from the opposite side to that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, showing the parts of the tool in adjustment and producing a compression spring. 1

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the wire feed pin plate and mandrel, to produce a right hand. wound spring.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing a wire threaded in process of left han winding. I

Fig. 8 is a side view of a tension coil spring. i Fig. 9 is a side view of a compression coil spring.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the pitch determining dog plate.

This. invention in its preferred form involves a tool for producing in the simplest manner and with precision, coil springs sin'-.

gly or in small quantities and in any desired :pitch or with varying pitch at the ends or otherwise, so .that with the proper quality and condition of wire one or more springs of precise specification can be made quickly, accurately and at low cost.

The characteristics of such tools make it desirable that a small size is used for relatively small size Wire, and small springs, and larger sizes for the best manipulation of lar r sizes of wire and for larger coils,

. whi e nevertheless one tool will accommodate a considerable range of sizes and becomes a very economical and convenient tool for its particular uses in all machine shops, and also most useful in model work or experimental work wherever diflerent or varying While of different sizes, the. preferred.

form consists of a clampin head with an adjustable claw or grip to c amp between it and the head, the desired mandrel on which the spring is to be formed. The head embodies the means for guiding and feedin the wire on to the mandrel with all desire adjustments for controlling feed, and means for instant adjustment of the pitch of feed and for setting thetool to maintain a uniform pitch of the coil spring being formed. In the accompanying drawings, mmandrel 1,'provides the form and controls the size of spring to be coiled. This mandrel is engaged by the tool grip 2, formed. with an angle 2, opposed to which are the tool mandrel bearin s 33, while the grip or claw 2, is movabfie to and from the head of the tool having an arm 4, movable in slide 5, and with a threaded collar 4", en aging the screw 6, manipulated by the ban le 6 and held against longitudinal displacement on the head by the studscrews 7 these parts providing a means for clamping or hanging the tool on to the mandrel, and with ad ustable pressure, easily manipulated, to assure the. tool position at right angles to the mandrel and still sufliciently free to move along the mandrel subject to the reaction of the coils of the sprin as it is being formed.

On the head a eed plate 8 is formed with a face transverse to the axis of the mandrel but slightly inclined from the right angle for reasons'hereinafter set forth. This feed plate has guide studs 9-9 and entering studs 10-40, so positioned on the guide plate that wire passing'through and parallel with the guide will feed on to the mandrel by leaving studs 9 or 9' slightly defiected in the plane at right angles to the mandrel, but just sufiiciently deflected so that the bend in conjunction with the passage from the entering guide pin will constitute a straightening or unifying of the wire condition, in order that it will be uniform and feed with uniform tension when reaching the surface of the mandrel. In

' cooperation with the guide plate 8 a c amp plate 11 registers, and is movable to and fro by its shaft support 12, which passes through a hole in the tool head and lies substantially parallel with the axis of the. mandrel. This clamp shaft carries a coil spring 13 ina counterbore in the hole in the head, and at its opposite end a clamping nut 14 preferably with a knurled or similar head, which serves to draw the clamp plate 11 toward the guide plate 8, and jointly form a parallel faced guide clamp to guide the wire of any desired size for which the particular size of tool is made. On the boss of the set nut 14 graduations 14 may be provided, so that the pressure of the guiding clamps may be set with accuracy when once determined and may be reset to provide identical tension under repeated operation in order to assist in maintaining the uniformity of the product. This hand-nut 14, is spring held against the plate 15 by the spring 13, to the limit of expansion of the spring 13, which presses the clamp 11 away from the guide plate 8 thereby opening the wire grip and moving the clamp 11 outward clear of the heads of the guide studs 1010 so that the initial operation of inserting the wire preparatory to starting the coil wind ing, can be accomplished with facility.

Mounted in the head, and parallel with the mandrel position, a plate 17 is supported to slide in the plates 15 and 16, with an upturned end or dog, 18, having a slightly concave end or recess 19, closely fitting the mandrel surface as positioned by the engagement of the mandrel 1, with the bearing members 3-3. This dog plate has a notch 20 preferably with rounded sides, into which the end 21 of the shifting lever 22, fits in a manner permitting the longitudinal shifting of the plate 17 and suitable engagement where the shifting lever 21 engages the side walls of the slot 20. This shifting lever turnson a screw pin 23, with a long arm and suitable finger knob 24, for convenience of movement and adjustment, and an inter-. mediate segment slot 25 with a screw clamp 26 and actuating bar 27, which provides for locking the shifting lever in any desired position. The adjustment of this lever 22 can be noted by a pointer 28 registering with the calibrations 29 preferably fixed by suitable positioned plate on the main head block 30, which forms the means of interconnection and1 support of the various members of the too .8 and a compression spring in Fig. 9,. thelatter having uniform pitch of spiral windings throughout its length with the exception of a close-winding B for a little over one turn at each end.

Such expansion spring is formed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with the guide studs on clamping plate leading the wire as shown in Fig. 6. This operation of the tool, it will now be understood, involves ,the'gr1pping of a mandrel 1, by the end hook 2 of the tool, then turning the handle grip 6 draws the head block andhook together on ,tothe mandrel until the tool is held in contact, but free to rotate on the mandrel by engagement of the bearings 33 and the inside converging surfaces of the end hook 2. When so mounted on to the mandrel the pitch lever 22 is shifted to the position shown in Fig. 2 and locked by clamp screw 26 thus shifting the slide with dog '18 into a position registering substantially in the plane of the guide plate 8. The clamp 11 being opened, the wire A is threaded be-.

tween the guide studs 10 and 9, as shown in Fig. 6, whereupon the clamp 11 is tightened up by operation of the finger nut 14 and sufficient tension applied to assure pressure but permit sliding of the wire between the grip surfaces without strain affecting the tensile strength or spring temper of the wire. The end of the wire A- is then threaded into a hole in the mandrel, and the mandrel is then turned in any manner desired. The mandrel may be carried in alathe chuck, or may be supported in a convenient hand apparatus adapted with manual operation. The speed of rotation of the mandrel will depend upon the thickness of wire and also the ratio between the diameter of coil desired compared with the gauge of the wire, but will permit of any reasonable speed depending only upon. the convenience of starting the operation and the time element in stopping the mandrel for'the given length of spring being formed. Thus 'theexpansion spring A as in Fig. 8 is formed, and at the start or end of the operation a long pitch can be giventhe first and last convolution, so asto leave an end section to be bent into an eye, or one of the convolutions at each end can be bent after completing the tight wound spring, as at A -A To form compression springs, the same tool, by a very. slight change in adjustment, actuates with equal facility in the manner illustrated in Fig.5. In this case the wire B is suitably threaded past guide studs 1O -9 between the guide plates, and then over one side of the mandrel, with the end of the wire B inserted in the hole in the mandrel, or any Way temporarily fixed to the mandrel to rotate with it. On giving the mandrel one turn, the first convolution of the coil engages the pitch dog 18, and for the purpose of forming a compression spring, this pitch dog is shifted by the shifting lever 22, so that the dog 18 is dis- 'mandrel awayfrom the starting point of the coil. This displacement by the pitch dogforces the wire when sliding out from the guide plate, to take a lateral set the am-- plitude of which is determined by the olfset distance of the pitch dog which in turn is held in*--its'pre'determined set position by the shifting lever 22 locked by the screw clamp 26, while the degree of pitch is noted by the calibrations 29, by the leading point 28,- so that the tool maybe readily set for the predetermined pitch desire-d. However, as it is usually desired that one or more turns at the end of compression springs .should be *close wound, this tool provides most readily for the close winding and quick change after one or more tight turns of the spring,'into the extended itch or separated spiral convolutions. hus, as shown in Fig. 9, the mainportion of the spring 13. has at each end a close wound section B", and these end sections are formed with substantially the same tension when the wire passes from the clamp to and around the mandrel, as during the forming of the balance of the spring, so that the natural spring in the wire stock as initially provided, remains the same throughout the entire spring. This forming. of close wound end sections on compression springs simplifies their production and assures 'the results or quality desired, and makes it unnecessary to heat the ends of the compression springas has heretofore been 3 the practice, and compress them as desired and thereafter temper them.

It will be understood that the mandrel may be turned in the opposlte direction with the. tool aflixed and adjusted in like manner as hereinbefore described, and in such case, the feeding of the wire involves threading it past the guide studs 9 and 10, as shown in F igs, 6 and 7. This simple change, while using the tool in the same manner as heretofore, will produce a leftwound spring, and such can be made as a tension spring or compression spring by the adjustment of itch dog and its manipulation by theshi ting lever in like manner as described above.

It will be noted that the guiding surface 8- on the guide block 16 is not exactly normal to the axis of the mandrel, but is slightly inclined thereto, and the inclination toward the mandrel, is in the direction of moveof springs.

ment on the mandrel. This arrangement causes a slight angular draft of the wire as 'it leaves the clamping guides, which gives a slight set'to the wire as it feeds on to the mandrel, and by this arrangement, the con volutions ,of an expansion spring are so set that their contact is assured and all of the different portions of the spring press-tight together, thereby forming a tight wound and uniform diameter closed-up coil spring.

These tools,- it will be understood, may be used in each size, for a considerable range of sizes of mandrel and a large range of sizes of the wire, in addition to practically any variation in'pitch from a tight wound to a wide open helix, so, that the tool may be considered universal 'inview of its range of use. The claw and head stock bearings cooperate and are actuated by the screw turned by the handle to grip varying sizes of mandrel. The adjustable guide plate extends or can be drawn in by the set nut or finger-nut so as to set the guide for varying sizes of wire. The pitch dog'and its slide can be adjusted by the setting lever for any degree of pitch. 'Calibrations as shown and described serve to reproduce tension of feed or pitch; when once determined, in order to accurately duplicate samples or quantities All of the parts cooperate and interen age in such manner as toprovide ample earings and strength so as to perthus serving substantially asa precision tool, be-

mit nice ad ustment and accuracy,

sides providing durability of all parts, The parts engaging the mandrel supply the three-point grip which makes the tool selfsettling in its proper position and engagement on the mandrel, with the contacts ample to prevent too great unit pressure under the strain of the setting up screw actuated by the handle, thereby insuring a good sliding fit on the mandrel due to the reaction of the pitch dog against the turns of the wire wound on to the mandrel.

The operation of the tool, it will thus be seen, is as follows:

A mandrel of the desired diameter to correspond with the wire coil, is secured to a lathe chuck, or clamped to a hand rotating device. The coiling tool is then hooked on to the mandrel and the handle turned to secure the head block bearings against the mandrel so that in cooperation with the hook,'the tool takes a bearing on the mandrel, firm, but not locked, the pressure being such as to permit an easy sliding of the tool along the mandrel. The thumb nut is then unscrewed so that the movable guide I then screwedhome and brings the movable guide plate against the wire being guided in registering position by the ends of the inner guide studs, passing through holes in the movable guide plate. The pressure of the movable guide plate isadjusted so that the wire .will feed smoothly through, and the end of the wire is then attached to a hole in the mandrel and secured so that it will be turned by the mandrel. The pitch of the spring being predetermined, the pitch dog is then adjusted by the shifting lever, to produce the desired helixand' the adjusting lever is locked by the Set screw. Thus adjusted, the mandrel is turned and draws the wire through the tool uide, wrapping it around the mandrel whie. the tool slides along the mandrel away from the turns on the mandrel, as fast as the coil is made. Shortor long springs may be finished when the pre-determined length has been wound, or after making a sample, wire may be cut into lengths and each length run through to the end to complete the duplication of springs to conform to the sample, preferably the rotation of the mandrel is stopped when the desired length is reached, and the wire clipped alongside of the mandrel where it has already taken the necessary set in its convolution. For left or right hand springs,

it is only necessary to turn the mandrel in,

the opposite direction, having previously threaded the wire between the alternate set of guide studs and between the guide plates. In either case. the calibrations for the pitch or the calibrations which indicate the uni formity of set in the tension of guide plates is part of the operation readily visible, as are also all of the parts to be manipulated in setting, starting and operating the tool.

While variations can be made in sizes and in the material in the different parts of the construction, without limiting myself to the precise form of tool herein specifically illus trated and described, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a coil spring forming tool, an adjust able uide clamp to control the wire feed, a doub e guide stud cooperating with said fee-d adapted to deliver the wire to a mandrel with a slight bend on leaving the guide under, tension of the clamp, a handle and means controlled thereby for adjustably clamping the tool on the mandrel with a pitch dog mounted adjustably, on said tool for sliding engagement with said mandrel and adjustable contact with the last winding on the mandrel and thereby drive the tool at a prcdetermined pitch along. the mandrel.

2. A coil spring winding too] including a and a handle to control the head and adjust the grip, a wire feed clamp having means for adjusting the tension for delivery of the wvire, a pitch dog'adapted to slide along the mandrel with awire g'uidetoothinqprokimity to the mandrel clamp bearingg and means for accurate adjustment ofthe pitch dog and for'readily setting same in a fixed position.

3. In combination in a coil spring forming tool, one .fixed and one adjustable mandrel bearing, a wire feed guide comprising a wire compressclamping plate adjustable for 4. A coil spring forming tool consisting of a hand tool adapted to adjustably grip and cooperate with a coil mandrel, including in said hand tool a wire feed plate compress clamp, oppositely disposed guide'studs in said clamp, whereby at will, the feed of the wire may be controlled for either right hand or left hand winding uponsaid mandrel.

5. A coil spring forming tool consisting of a hand tool adapted to adjustably grip and cooperate with a coil mandrel, including in said hand tool a wire feed clamp, having means to control right or left hand coiling of the wire, a pitch controlling means adapted to engage the last turn of the wire on the mandrel and means for shifting during operation the same coil of said wire to tight abutting helices or. in'separated turns of varying pitch, or for setting said controlling means in a fixed pitch position.

'6. In a wire 'coiling'tool of the character described, a head stock combining therewith pitch adjusting and setting means durin operation, mandrel mountingv means an adj ustable wire feeding clamps and guide having means for calibrated regulation of the wire feed tension.

7. A wire coiling tool comprising a head stock, a niandrel grip embodied on said head stock, a handle to hold said head stock duringefoperation and simultaneousl differentially regulate the'engagement o the mandrel grip.

8. A wire coiling tool comprising a head stock embodying means for engaging a mandrel with adjustable size and pressure, a delivery compress-clamp for the 'wire secured on said head stock, and means for ad usting the pressure of said wire compress clamp during operation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my namev to this application this 15th day of 7 February, 1924. head stock with an adjustable mandrel grip CARL FAUST.

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