US1675803A - Sheet-feeding guide for expanding machines - Google Patents

Description

July 3, 1928. 1,675,803

, H. F. HEwETsoN SHEET FEEDING GUIDE FOR' EXPANDING MACHINES Filed Sept. 27, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,675,803 H. F. HEwETsoN SHEET FEI-mms GUIDE FOR EXPANDING MAGHINES Filed sept. 27, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 July 3, 1928.

Patented July 3, 1928. l

.UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

HAROLD FROST HEWETSON, F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, BY HESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO TBUSCON IICHIGAN.

STEEL COIPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF BHEET-FEEDINGVGUIDE FOB EXPANDIN G MACHINES.

Application mea september 27,1924. serial 'no'. 740,312.

This invention relates to machines for maln'ng expanded metal, and more particu-I larly to the sheet feeding and uiding means for transferring the slitted b ank from the slitting or cutting machine to the expanding machine. y

In the manufacture of expanded metal lathing and the like, it is customary to use a long narrowblank of metal which is cut or slit to provide rows of alternating slits throu hout the length'of the blank, and this .slittec blank is fed to the expanding chine. The manner in which the slitted blank is fed from the slitting device to the expandin mechanism is` of particular importance ecause the cutting and slitting instrumentalities preferably operate on the sheet while it is in the horizontal plane while the preferred expanding instrumentalities operate on the sheet while held in a vertical plane. Thus, during the transfer of the slitted blank from the cutting machine to the expanding machine, it is necessary to rotate the same through an angl: of 90, and since this movement must accomplished quickly and A accurately to maintain the capacity of the machines, it is necessary to provide eilicient means for properly conveying the sheet from the 4slitting 30 station to the expanding station continuously and without buckling or binding in the guidewa Accordingly, the present invention has particularly 1n view a novel sheet feeding guide which allows the sheet to turn freely as it sli s forward over a guiding surface which gives the sheet the required freedom of turnin withoutprod'ucing internal stresses. In ot er words, the invention provides a means which will permit the slittedblank to readily twistor warp in its movement but on the other hand ,will always have sucient freedom to revent bucklmg.

A further object o the invention is to provide a guideway which will compel the sheet to turn or rotate about a longitudlnal axis which therefore becomes the center of rotation. During this turning or rotating which will more readily appear as the nature of the inyention is better understood, l,the same conslsts in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.-

A preferred and practical-embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Flgure l is a diagrammatic top plan view illustrating the application of the invention. F1gure 2 is a iagrammatic side elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illus-o trating the progress of the slitted blankthrough the guide and associated machines.

Figure 4 1s a diagrammaticf'view illustrating the manner in which a transverse element of the sheet is turned or rotated' transversely in moving from a horizontal to a vertical plane. y

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the guide constltuting the resent invention.

Figure 6 is a iagrammatic side elevation of the improved gu1de.`

Figure 7 is an elevation of the discharge so end of the ideway.

Figure 8 1s a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. y

The 4present invention possesses special utility as a component part of a sheet metal expanding machine, particularly when combined and coordinated with a rotary cutter functioning as the slitting device of the machine and also as a propelling means to direct and feed the slitted sheet toward the expanding mechanism.` The general relation of that combination is shownin Figs.

"1 and 2 of thedrawings wherein the rotary cutter is designated generally by the refer- .ence letter C andcomprises the upper and lower cutting rolls (l1 -and C, and the expanding mechanism designated generally by wo the reference letter E. o

The rotary cutter and the expanding mechanism are arran ed at a distance apart, and between these evices is arranged the present novel sheet feeding guide which Cooperates therewith, the receiving end of the guide being disposed in proximal relation to the delivery side of the cutter C and the vancin Ypropelled through with the necessary delivering or feeding end of the guide being arranged in proximal relation to the receiving end of the expanding'mechanism. The expanding mechanism may be of any suitable type, but preferably is ofV the type employing the'shouldered dies e and stepped deflector disks d having the relation and function disclosed in the patent of Joseph A Halls No. 1,505,388, dated August 19, 1924.

A primary function of the sheet feeding guide G arranged in the relation described is to evenly, progressively and rapidly transfer the slitted blanks from the hori- Zontal plane of the slitting device or cutter C to the vertical receiving-guideway of the expanding mechanism. In practice the elongated metalblank is operated upon by the cutting rolls C1 and C2 to thereby produce` an elongated -slitted blank B which after passing through the strippers S is fed into t e guide G .rwhere it is automatically freethe dom to prevent buckling. Preferab frontend of the following sheet is over` lapped with the rear end of the leading sheet and the same are thus automatically propelled or fed through the guideway by the feeding action of the cutting rolls until they reach the zone of the expanding machine which is also provided with feeding or adrollers. As s own in Figures 1 and 2, the blank is sltted by the cutting rolls C1 and C2 in a horizontal plane andis then assed into the receiving end G1 of the gui e G. As will be observed from Figures 5 and 6 the said guide G preferably comprises a turning plate 1 whicli'is horizontally disposed at the receiving end G1, and is supported by a base' 2 which extends throughout Vthe length of -thedevice and cooperates with a. vertical wall 3 lying op ite the turning plate 1, thereby proviiisg a continuous trough or groove 4 which guides the lower edge of the metal blank and to a certain extent holds the same while the upper edge remains free to follow the 'surface of the turnin plate 1. v'

At t e receivin end G1 the said guide device G is provided with the upper and lower directing or guard lates 5 and 6 which overlie the horizonte portion of the turning plate 1 as well as the prelimina art thereof to insure that the sheet 1s inltially directed into the groove 4 adjacent the vertical wall 3. After the slitted blank has been given its preliminary transversely warped and dished set by passing through the guard plates 5 and 6, the same willcontlnue along the turning plate 1 in the manner indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

lVhen the sheet leaves the cutting and slitting rolls Cl and Cz it is taken into the receiving end G1 of the guide device G in the fiat plane indicated at K, in Fig. 4 and as it proceeds along the turning late 1 it successively assumes the positions M, N, O, P, Q and R, the latter being the vertical planein which the sheet leaves the guideway and enters the expanding machine.

AThe four edges of the sheet are in sub` stantially a warped plane between the position K of Fig. 4 and the position R, but at the positions K and R the sheet is shown as in a flat plane.v However, between the horizontal and vertical positions of the blank, the same is curved or warped transversely as indicated at L, M, O, P and Q, thus the whole blank is rotated while advancing from the horizontal plane K to the vertical plane R due to the set and contour of the turning plate 1 which compels the edge a: of the blank to follow the bottom edge of the wall 3 while the opposite edge y of the sheet rises gradually as 1t passes along tlievcurved or twisted surface of the turnin plate 1. The edge y of the sheet becomes re eased fromthe upper guiding plate 5 as soon as the end of the blank clears the same, and thus, except for the preliminarytransverse #bending or warping iven the sheet as it passes through the guar plates 5 and 6, the said sheet is free to follow lthe curvature of the turning plate 1 during the rest of its travel in the guide. In that way injurious stresses and uckling are avoided in the blank, while at the same time the blank has been bent or warped transversely to a sullicient degree to loosen up the strands formed by the slits in such a wa that the delecting rollers d of the expan ing machine can more readily deflect and open up the strands into meshes by 'Ipushing t e same against the dies e.

o assist in maintaining the sheet inthe groove or guideway 4 as it nears the discharging end of the guide device lG a suitable guard roller 7 may be provided. This roller preferably has a grooved periphery, and its spindle 1s adjusta 1y mounted in the brackets 8 carried by the wall 3 and the turng Also it will be perceived that the inveny tionalso involves'a novel method of preparing expanded metal sheets which consists first in feeding horizontally a blank metal strip to a slitting device producingV slits therein, then feeding the horizontal slitted sheet longitudinally forward and simultaneously progressively rotating it from a horizon to a vertical position and finally causing the slitted blank to be moved from its vertical position-through an expandin mechanism and delivered in an expand condition substantially along a horizontal plane.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of -the invent-ion will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion an'd minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet feeding device forexpanding lmachines including a guideway having a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion and a guard roller arranged about said substantially vertical portion. .Y

2. Ay sheet feeding device for expanding machines including a guideway having a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion and a groovedslitted sheet -on a lon itudinal axis and a guard roller disposed a of said guideway.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature.

HAROLD FROST HEwETSoN;

ut the upright part

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