US2093173A - Wire forming machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 14, 1937. M, ON ET AL 2,093,173.

WYIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 V Muriz Olson an B i RdC/lfifd .4. Jivhnson/ W 6' ATTORNEY Sept. 14,1937. f MOLSONETAL 2,093.173

WIRE FORMING MACI-IiNE I Filed Dec. 5, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OES J urz z Olson an .Rg'c/zard .4 @fahns an.

A TTORNE Y Sept. 14, 1937. M. OLSON 5 A 2,093,173-

WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed bee; 5, 1955 -7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y AJTORNE} B 6. ht

I IN VENTORS Magriiz Olson and @chard .4 Q7bhnson/ Sept. '14, 1937. M. QLSQNI ET AL WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1935 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 W N WNN IN VENT 0R5 Marl Z2 Olson and Rgghard .4. Jb/znsorq 2?. he

ATTORNEY p 3 M. OLSON ET AL WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1935 7 Sheets-Shee'lifi INVENT R Murcia Ol 9 i B Lchard flclb/LI'LSOI'U A TTORNE Y Sept. 14, 1937.

M. OLSON ET A1,-

WIRE FORMING MAQHINE 7 Shets-Sheet 6 I Filed Dec. 5, 1935 .Muriiz wmw @N RMNK N WN Nb mu w ism ATTORNEY Sept. 14, 1937. M. OLSON ET AL WIRE FORMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1935 INVENTORS Olson and charm .4 g7bhnsow A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 14, 1937 PATEN foFi-lce;

WIRE FORMING mcnmn Mauritz Olson, Bridgeport, and Richard A. Johnson, Fairfield, Conn.,

assignors to The A. He

-'Nilson Machine Company, Bridgeport, Conm, a corporation of Connecticut Application December 5, 1935, Serial No. 52,992

18 Claims.

This invention relates to wire feeding and forming machines of the slide type and is particularly adapted for the formation of comparatively large articles requiring long lengths of wire such as, for instance, garment hangers, bucket bails, frames for strainers, etc.

The formation of these different articles onthis machine would obviously require a change of tools whereas the several cam shafts, the feed mechanism, wire guides and some of the bending tools wouldremain very much as are herein shown.

The present machine has, therefbre'been designed with a view of adapting it not alone for the formation of coat hangers but as a general purpose slide machine for forming wire "into special shapes thusmaking of it a more attractive manufacturing proposition and whereby machines for these specific purposes will not each have to be entirely especially built.

One of the objections heretoforeexperienced in wire forming machines particularly where lone lengths of wire are fed from a reel, is the diificulty of feeding proper and uniform lengths of wire from which to form the specific articles to be formed. This apparently is due to the type of feed mechanisms .employed and the means for operating the same more particularly the stop-' ping and starting of the feeding means. Where feed rollers are employed-and operated from a drive means and where they are started and stoppedby brake mechanisms applied to the rollers, or other means employed to check the effect of the power drive, the stopping of the feed, is quick, presumably with the forward end of the wire in engagement with a stop, in which case the feed is likely to be started with a jerk depending upon the quickness of the releasement of the brake or other means of retarding the movement of the feed, so. that the feeds as a whole, as we have observed them, are not as deslrable as the form herein employed whereby a gradual starting and stopping of the feeding movement is assured and whereby uniform lengths of wire are fed and positioned for outt ns.

. Another objection experienced with certain types of machines feeding long wires, is that the forming mechanism remains idle from the time the wire is completely formed until 'the' feeding wire is fed the full length thereby tripping a clutch and setting the forming mechanism in motion.

In accordance with the construction of this -machine, the wire which is t ken from a reel is cut to uniform lengths, which constitutes the first operation. It is then shifted to a lower level where a hook is formed upon the forward end of the wire, and during which time a second length of wire i'sfed into the machine'and cut off. After the hook has been formed on the end of the first wire blank it is again shifted to a third and lower level'where it is bent to form the shoulder and shank portions and the latter twisted to complete the hanger. The machine thus operates upon three wire blanks simultaneously on different levels and produces a complete -coat hanger with each cycle of the machine. By this means the speed of production is increased since the. time actually consumed in the production of a hanger The-machine includes a novel form of feed mechanism whereby the wire is taken from a reel and fed into position in the machine preparatory to being cut off in suitable lengths. .This feed obviously operates automatically and is of such a nature as to provide a feed which insures a slow preliminary feed, a rapid feed of the intermediate portion of the wire blank and a slow final movement preparatory to cutting. In .this respect the forward end of the wire is fed against a stop at the same instant the said rolls cease to ,rotate only long' enough to permit ofthe cutting -operation and the shifting of the wire from its feeding plane to a lower plane where the hook is formed upon one end.

The wire is fed into a relatively long guide way which is made separable along a vertical and.

suitable forming dies that are slidably operated,

no rotary memberszbeing used in this hook forming operation. f

The hook being formed, it is promptly moved to a'lower level wherev a pair of. hook-ended slides are employed for folding the wire around a static former in a way to bring the hook and the straight end together in parallel relation and in which position theyrare grasped by a rotatable head that winds the two wire shankportions around each' other intermediate of the formed body portion of the hanger and the hook in a way to form a twisted shank-for the hanger.

-The invention further consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more fully described, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification and wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention. It is to nate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, I

Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of my improved wire forming machine including the feed mechanism.

Fig. 2 is'also a top plan view, upon an enlarged scale, of the central portion of the bed of the machine, showing in a general way the tools for performing the several operations upon the wire.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and drawn on the same scale. Y

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the wire cutter shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through the wire cutter taken on wire line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the hook forming mechanism.

Fig. '7 is a vertical cross section of the hook forming mechanism shown in Fig. 6 and taken on line 1-1.

Fig. 8 is a further plan view similar to Fig. 6 except that the movable wire guide bar and forming tools are in an open position.

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross section taken on line 99 of Fig. 8. Y

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through one pair of feed rolls and associated operating mechanism shown at the right in Fig. 1, and taken on line III-l0 of Fig. 11.

- Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation of the feed mechanism taken on line ll-ll of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line l2|2 of Fig. 2 with tools in position I preparatory to twisting the shank.

Fig. 13 shows a detail to be read in connection with Fig. 12 showing the combined wire guide and stripper in raised position.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged detached side view of the hanger 93 and its notched lowering tool, and the associated guide bars and former, and taken on line l4l4 of Fig. 2 and shown in Fig. 12, employed to shift the wires from upper to lower levels.

Fig. 15 is a detail plan of guide bars and former, and hook forming tools in closed position, the

wire blank being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 16 shows a further detail plan view of the former and-a wire blank in formation and the forming tools positioned in relation thereto.

Fig. 17 shows a further advanced position of the wire' forming tools and wire blank, and

' v Fig. 18 shows a further detail view somewhat like the preceding ones again illustrating an advanced stepin the formation of the wire coat hanger preparatory to twisting as shown in 'Fig. 2.

As previously suggested, this wire forming machine-is designed principally as a slide machine since all forming tools are operated through slides and cams. The principal forming tools operate on horizontal lines except that .of the twisting head which in addition to. having a horizontal an advanced stage of charge them from the machine at the rate of approximately fortya minute.

Referring first to the characters of reference marked upon the drawings, as clearly appears in Fig. 1, 20 represents the bed which'in design has a comparatively flat top surface and is supported upon suitable legs 2| which, however, for the most part have been omitted to save space. 22

represents a main shaft that is hung in bearings 23 secured to the main bed and is provided with a belt ,wheel 24' which may be connected to be driven by a motor, not shown, and a fly wheel 25 at the opposite end. A clutch 26 is also provided upon this shaft for engagement with the continuously driven belt whe'el, said clutch being operated through a hand lever 21 pivotally connected to a fined bearing of the machine and is connected by a rod and lever 28 with said clutch for its operation. Power is transmitted from the shaft 22 through a pinion 29 at a reduced ratio to the larger gear 30 on a cam shaft 3| that is journalled in bearings 3232 of the bed. This cam shaft is connected to drive two additional cam shafts 33 and 34 arranged at right angles.

thereto, the first mentioned being connected through bevel gears 35 and the last mentioned through similar bevel gears 36 whereby the three said shafts are driven continuously along with the main driving shaft 22 when the clutch 26 is engaged. Shafts 3|, 33 and 34 are all provided with cams for operating various slides, levers and forming tools of the machine and in addition the shaft 33 serves to operate a wire feed mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 10 and 11 which, due to its rapid successfuloperation, m'aterially adds to the uniform and successful production of commercially perfect garment hangers. Since this feed mechanism forms the introduction of the wire into the machine, and thus constitutes the first or preliminary operation, it will next be described, in-

. This gear is provided, upon one side, with a series of four rollers. 42, for engagement with and disengagement from radial slots 43 formed on the adjacent side face of a gear 44 that is mounted upon a shortshaft 45 also journalled in the hangers 4L. This last mentioned gear 44 is thus operated one-quarter turn by the gear 39, for the feeding of a length of wire, with each one-quarter movement of the gear 39 through the engagement of the rollers 42 with the slots 43 after the manner of a Geneva movement thus producing alternate quarter rotations of the gear 44 and a consequential feeding movement of the wire with,

each rotation of the cam shafts so as to no t only feed and cut off alength of wire witheach cycle of the machine but to perform other operations on the advanced blanks and the resultant completion of-a finished garment hanger.

There are two pairs of feed rollers, each pair I including ;an upper roller A and a lower roller We will, therefore. first describe one pair of these feed rollers which should suffice for a proper un-" derstanding of both and then further describe the driving connections for the two pairs from the before mentioned gear 44. A suitable supporting frame 46 is provided for the. feed and is secured to the bed of the machine by screws. 41, see Fig. 1. A shaft 48 is journalledin the lower portion. of this frame for each of the lower feed rollers B and is provided with a gear 49 upon its outer end that meshes with. and drives a gear 50 secured on the outer end of an upper shaft 5i that-supports the upper feed roller A. This upper shaft is journalled in a bearing block 52 that is pivotally supported at 59 and carries a spring 54 secured to its top side to exert a yieldable downward pressure upon wire a. between. the feed rollers A and B. An adjusting screw 55 is threadably mounted in a fixed plate 56 secured to the frame 46 and has its lower end in engagement with the said spring 54 in a manner to provide an adjustable yieldable tension of the rollers upon the wire to be fed. As will be seen there are two sets of these feed rollers. shafts and gears so that the wire is drawn in through the straightening rollers A from the coil,

passed through the two feed rollers, under the cutting off mechanism and into guide bars Ii and 12. These two sets of feed rollers are operated from the before mentioned shaft 33 through the gears 38, 89, 44 and its short shaft 45. The gear 44 meshes with anddrives a smaller gear 51 on an intermediate shaft 58 journalled in bearings on the underside of the bed, and carries a larger gear 59, see Figs. 10. and 11, that meshes with a smaller gear 89 on each of the before mentioned roller shafts 48, and whereby the gears 49 are operated and which in turn operate the upper gears and rollers. Next adjacent to the feed mechanism is positioned the wire cutter which serves to cut the wire blanks from the main supply with the completion of each feeding operation. This mechanism will probably best be understood by refer-' ence to Figs. 1, 4 and 5 which, as will be seen, comprises a bracket Si in which is adjustably mounted a quill 62 through which the wire a is fed. A cutter lever 68 is pivotally supported as at 86. The forward end of this lever is guided in a pocket of the bracket 6! formed in part by a plate 65 and carries a cutter 66 that is secured to the lever by a screw 61 and made adjustable with respect to the lever by an adjusting screw 68. The rear end of the lever is provided with a cam roll 69 that engages a groove in a cam 10 on shaft 9i that serves to move the rear end of the lever up and down in a way to reciprocate the before mentioned cutter 66 with respect to the wire quill in a manner to cut off wire blanks. The length of wire to be used for a hanger is fed in between the edge portions of a pair of guide bars II and 12, the former being a stationary bar secured to the bed of the machine, see Figs. 2, 12, and 6 to 9 inclusive, by means-of 6:, screws 19. The somewhat similar bar I2 is provided with a longitudinal groove 14, see Figs. 7, 9 and 14, formed in its inner edge portion to receive the wire and support it during the feeding operations and is adapted to be moved toward 70 and from the edge of the stationary bar in a way .to receive the wire and release the blanks as they are cut. In this connection it is to be understood that when the wires are fed into'the groove 14 it also passes through the upper notch 71. in the lowering tool 92 which serves to support and lower the wire when the movable bar 12 is open. This bar 12 is loosely supported upon brackets 15 and the clamping plate [8 and is thus adapted to move to and from the edge of. the fixed bar Ii 5 so as to permit the wire blank, after having been fed longitudinally therein and cut off, to be moved to a lower level preparatory to the formation of the hook on the forward end ofthe wire blank. This movable bar is normally held up against the 10 fixed bar by means of springs 11 of which two are shown in the drawings. The movable bar is moved to and from the fixed bar against the re.- sistance 'of these springs through links 18 whose ends are hingedly connected to the fixed and 15 movable bars respectively.

This sliding movement of the movable bar with respect to the fixed bar is actuated through the cam 19 on the shaft'34, see Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, through the medium of a bell crank. lever 89 20 which is fulcrumed on the bed and has a roller 8i upon one end to engage with the side of the said cam and has a slot and pin connection 82 with the movable bar so that with each rotation of the cam the bell crank 'lever is given' a, for- 25 ward and backward movement in a manner to draw the movable bar longitudinally and sidewise, being guided by the links 18, and against the action of the spring 11.

An opening 83 is formed in the bed through 9 which the completed garment hangers are dropped from the former 84 of the machine. This former is supported by a bracket 85, see Figs. 1 and 12, in a way to overhang the opening 83 in the bed and so that when the hanger is formed 35 it will be free to drop out when released by the tool 88. The before mentioned clamping plate I6 is attached to a block 81 which in turn is ad- -justably secured to a slide 89 that carries a roller 89 that operatesin a path 90 of a cam 91 secured to the cam shaft 913-. 1'

In Fig; 14 the groove 14 in the movable'guide bar 12 is indicated in dotted lines and the teeth in the lowering tool 92 carried by the hanger 99 in mu lines. As .will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2' 45 there are four of these hangers carrying similar special shaped tools having toothed edges. 94 that operate through suitable openings 95 in the movable bar and serve to support and move the wire blank from one level-to another. Three 50 of the hangers 93 are carried by a longitudinal rod 98, see Figs. 1, 3 and 12 and are provided with springs 91 that serve to normally hold the notched face of these tools 92 up against the fixed bar and former yet are free to move vertically 55 'to" engage the incoming and successive wire blanks. The rod 98 is carried by two arms 98-48 and an intermediate arm 99 which arms in turn are secured to a rocker shaft Hi0 journalled in .bearings iill in the top portion of the bracket 95. 60

This rocker shaft is in turn provided with a cam lever I02 which bears aroller I03 that engages the side portion of the before mentioned cam II and whereby the rocker shaft, rod 96 and the three depending hangers 93 are operated. 65

The fourth hanger 93 is carried on an arm [25 that is secured on shaft I09 and also serves to move the wire blank to the second or hook forming level. The arm 99 which is'also mounted uponthe rocker shaft I00 has a hanger I04 7 hingedly hung from its forward end and provided with a spring I05 that normally holds these.

beveled edge I08 of its tool 99 against the bevel I01 formed on the nose Hi8 of the former 94.

The hanger is provided with a guide l'09, secured 75 I to bracket 85, which preventssidewise movementand' insures a proper alignment of the V- described.

The tool III further operates, after the wires have been so positioned and grasped by the twister, to raise out of engagement with the looped ends of the wire, and so remains in an elevated position until the twisting operation has been completed, whereupon the tool is lowered in a manner to engage the twisted shank portion c of the hanger C and strip it free of the projected forming nose I03 on the front. edge of the former 34 whereby spaced apart portions H of the hanger, see Figs. 2 and 18, are formed.

After the wire a has been fed in between the fixed andmovable guide bars II and I2 and the blank severed by the cutter 63, the movable guide bar is operated to free the blank whereby the tools 32, see dotted line, Fig. 12 and full lines, Fig. 14, are moved down slightly to shift the wire to the second level, see Fig. 9, and): in Fig. 14.

The hook e on the forward end of the blank is formed as soon as the blank has been lowered to its second .or intermediate position. These hook forming operations are performed by three tools, first a stationary tool II2' shown in dotted lines in Figs. 6 and 8 and in cross section in Figs. '7 and 9. It is secured to the underside of a block II3 which is attached to the top of the bed by screws H4 and is cut away upon the underside to allow free outward movement of the hook end of the wire with the folding of the wire around the shoulder portions II5-of the former plate 34. Iii represents a special shaped movable tool that engages the end portion of ,mounted on the cam shaft 3I.

the wire blank while the latter is in the position shown in Fig. 8 and bends said end portion into the concaved portions of the stationary tool I I2 leaving the wire end free and disposed outward,

see dotted lines, Fig. 6, in the path of the tool III which is the next to. operate. The movable tool H3 is carried by a slide III thatis mounted in ways of the bed and carries a roller ill to engage the groove of the cam I20, see Fig. l, The tool III is carried by a slide I2I which is also mounted in the bed and carries a roller I22 which engages a groove in the cam I9. From the foregoing it will be seen thatthe hook is formed by the three tools as the result of two operations, the first of which shoves the blank against the fixed tool in a way to partially form the hook whereupon the second movable tool shoves the remaining free end portion of the wire around and against the back oi the projectedportion b of the tool Ill in a way to produce the form of hook desired. The formation of the hook having been completed, the tool Iii is drawn back until'the formed hook is positioned beneath the tools I23 and I24. The next operation is to lower the wire blank to the third level and clear the forming tools for the incoming or next blank. This shifting of the wire is again accomplished in part by t. .e notched tools 32 together with two additional tools I23 and I24 which are attached to hanger I20 and positione'd'to engage the wire hook when formed and adapted to strip it from the tool I" after the tool III has been withdrawn.

A stop I 21 is adiustably mounted in a block I23 secured to the guide bar II in line with the movement of the forward end of the wire blank to dependably stop it and insure proper'and uniform lengths of wire as are necessary from which insure proper registration of its tool 32' with and operation upon .the end portion of the wire. This tool 32' has no teeth in its edge portion, like the tools 32, and simply serves to act upon and lower the forward end portion of the wire.

.I3I represents an arm that serves to support the hanger I24 and its tools I23 and I24. This arm is free to rock upon the rocker shaft 'IN and includes a rearwardly projected member I32 that carries a roller I33 that engages a path in the before mentioned cam I 23.

The former 34, before referred to and clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 15 to 18 inclusive, is an elongated member that is securedto the underside of the bracket II, and includes a straight back edge portion 1, see Figs. 12 and 15, against which the clamping head I! and two' of the notched tools 32 operate, and two rounded shoulder end portions I II, two similarly concaved front edge portions 0 -9 and the before mentioned pro- Jected beveled edged nose I, and thus constitutes the former around which the garment hanger is bent and formed and upon which it is held and supported during the twisting of the shank which is formed adjacent tothe hook end between it and the shoulder portion of the hanger.

lowered through the medium of the several tools 92 to the third or lowermost level, the opposite end portions of the wire become free for further bending operations. As before suggested, there are two of these former tools, one for each shoulder portion of the former, and serve to simultaneously bend the end portions of the wire forward and inward around the before mentioned shoulders III by a pair oftools' I34 carried by spring and cam actuated rocker arms I33 fulcrumed as at I38 upon slides I31 that are provided with rollers I33 to engage a cam path I33 of a cam I in one instance and in the before i mentioned gear 33 in the other. These cams obviously serve to move the arms I34 and their tools forward and backward with respect to the shoulder portion of the former.

' These rocker arms I33 are provided upon their rear ends with rollers "I that engage cam blocks I42 secured to the-bed and a spring I43 is provided to normally hold these rollers against the face of the blocks so that with the engagement through the then horizontally positioned opening of the twisting head.

In this connection it will be seen that a pair of guides are positioned upon opposite side portions of the top of the bed between which the ends of the wire travel during the bending operations Just described. These guide members are substantially alike in construction, the lower one I44 is secured directly to the bed, while the upper one I45 is also secured to the bed through the medium of brackets I46 though is arranged in spaced relation to the lower guide member so as to' permit the wires to be freely moved thercbetween and guided into the twisting head and the vshaped notch III of the tool 86.

A second pair of wire closing tools I41 which are alike in construction and operated through similar mechanisms, see Figs. 1, 2, 3, 16 and 17, is provided to engage the wires after the same have been bent over the shoulders and disposed in approximately the position indicated in ,Fig. 16 for the purpose of closing the wires against the front edge portion of the former and around its nose preparatory, as shown in Fig. 18, to the twisting of the aligned shank portions of the wire.

These closing tools I41, for the most part, move horizontally to engage the wire end portions after they have been bent forward by the tools I34, to close them against the nose of the former as in I Fig. 18. They are also moved vertically as well as horizontally whereby they are raised from the position shown in Fig. 3 as they recede from the closing operation, shown in Fig. 18, to a slightly higher plane in their return movement to normal position as indicated in Fig. 2 so as to be out of the way of the next incoming wire and during the operation upon that wire by the tools I34.

These closing tools are carried by arms I48, see Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which in turn are mounted to swing upon vertical posts I49 that have their bearings in the bed, are provided with collars I50 which are normally seated upon the bed in a manner to form a normal and operative position for the closure tools when in their lowered position. The posts I49 extend down through the bed and are provided with a swivel connection II with arms I52 and I52 that are carried upon a rocker shaft I53 journalled in hangers I54 secured to the underside of the bed. The arm I52 which like the arm I52 is secured to the rocker shaft, differs from the arm I52 in that it extends rearward and carries a roller I55 to engage a cam groove in the side of the gear 30. This line of connection obviously provides for the raising and lowering of the closing jaws I41 inthe manner and for the purposes heretofore described.

The closing movements of these two jaws and their arms are alike in construction and therefore similar reference characters will be used to describe them as follows:

The forward end portions I56 of links I51 are swivelly connected to the before mentioned arms I48, while the rear ends I58 are likewise swivelly connected-to the slides I59 which are reciprocat- 1 ably mounted in the bed and are provided with rollers I60, see Fig. 1, that engage groovesin the cams I40 and M respectively, on shaft 3I,'whereby reciprocatory movement of the slides and,

. links are provided in a manner to swing the arms and closure tools upon the pivots I49.

As will be understood from the previous description and the illustrations, the wire end portions when brought to the position indicated in Fig. 16 are first received by the-V-shaped notch III which brings them together, one above the other, in the pocket and opposite the vertical edge portion of the nose preparatory to the closing operation of the tools. The said notched tool is,

.at this time, being gradually raised and slides back on the beveled shoulder I01, see Fig. 13, as the closing tools are tightened in upon the wires,

' to drop out.

as shown in Fig. 2 whereupon the tool 86 descendsina manner to'engage the blank portion of the hanger and strip it from theformer.

The twisting head H0 is rotatably mounted in bearings of a slide I6I in the bed and is adapted to be moved toward and from the nose of the former; The said head is adapted to receive the aligned wire ends of the hanger and to close its jaw down upon the wires whereupon-rotary movement is imparted and serves totwist the shank portions of the wire around each other,.after which they are released leaving the hanger free In this connection the slide I6I mounted in the bed carries aligned bearings I62 that serve to rotatably support the spindle I63 of the twisting head. This spindle includes a toothed peripheral portion I64 forming a gear that is engaged and rotated by a toothed segment I65 that is hung ona short shaft I66 carried in the two upstanding brackets I61 secured to the bed of the machine.

1 This segment I65, which has a toothed lower edge is adapted to be swung backward and for- .ward upon its pivot I66 for the purpose of rotating the spindle I63 and its twisting head, by a cam I68 upon the shaft 34 through a lever I69 that is hingedly connected to the bed as at I10 and carries a roller I1I for engagement with the groove in the side of the cam. A link I12 connects the inner end'of this lever with the intermediate portion of the segment as at I13. The

slide I6I which carries bearings I62 is adapted to be moved forward and backward to bring the twisting head into and out of engagement with the wire ends by means of a bell crank I14 that is pivotally connected to the bed at I15, has its longer end I16 connected with the slide and the has a forked end I82 that engages a collared sleeve'J83 of the twisting head. This sleeve is provided with adjustable contact screws I84 and I85 which serve to engage cam surfaces I86 and I I81 on a jaw I80 that is pivotally mounted in the head on a pin I89 and serves to operate against the fixed lower jaw I90 of the twisting head so that as the sleeve is shifted forward and backward through the shifting rod and'its operative .connections the two cam surfaces on the jaw will be alternately engaged to rock the jaw on its pin in'a way to engage and release the wires.

The before mentioned bell crank I19 has it's short end engaged as at I9I with a slide I92 fitted to reciprocatein the bed and held down in position by aplate I93. This slide carries a roller I94 for engagement with thegroove in the cam I95 carried on the before mentioned shaft 34. The slide I92 includes a plate I96 having a reduced forward end positioned close adjacent to the front of the twisting head better to guide the hooked end of the wire between the jaws of the head g and obviously is moved back through the action of the slide after the wire ends have been aligned in the head.

The sequence of operations has been brought out in the foregoing description of the construction of the machine better to impart a clearer understanding of the construction and operation of the machine, and thus making a further-description of the operation unnecessary. In this respect attention is' called to the introductory paragraphs of the specification which serve to familiarize the reader with both the description of the machine and respective operations which were to follow. Among the important or outstanding features of the wire forming machine is the feeding mechanism which in practice has proven to be a superior feeding device and much more dependable than most wire feeds. Next important is the general designof the machine whereby three separate wires in different stages of formation of a coat hanger is going through the machine simultaneously thusmaterially increasing production, and whereby different sets of forming mechanism simultaneously operate upon different portions of the three wire blanks in a way to complete a hanger with each rotation of the main cam shaft.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wire forming machine of the class described, means for feeding wire into the machine, guide bars between which the wire is fed, means for cutting the wire off to form blanks, means for operating the guide bars to free the blanks after the same have been cut, means for. moving the wire to a lower level, means for forming a hook upon one end of the blank while in the lower level,

- means for bending the wire around a form, and

on one end portion of the wire blank, a former,

means for closing the end portions of the wire around the former and bringing the ends adjacent each other, and means for twisting the end portions of the wire to unite the same.

3. In a wire forming machine of the class de-. scribed, means for feeding wire into the machine, guide bars between which the'wire is fed, one of said bars having agroove in its edge portion to receive andguide the wire, means for cutting the wire of! to form a blank, means for lowering the wire blank from between the guide bars to a lower level, means for forming a hook upon one end of the blank while in said lower level, a former, means for bending the wire around the former in a way to bring the ends adjacent each other,

and means for twisting the end portions of the wire to unite the same.

, second level, means for bending the wire upon a form and means for uniting the end portions of the wire while in the third level.

5. A wire forming machine adapted to simultaneously operate upon three separate wire I blanks, including guide means between which the wire is' fed, means for cutting the wire 03' to form lengths, means for moving the wire blank from the feeding level to a second or hook forming level and for moving 'the second time to a third level for final operations upon the wire, means for forming the hook upon one end of the blank, means for bending the wire around a former and means for uniting the end portions of the wire to form a garment hanger.

6. In a wire forming machine of the class described, means for feeding wire from a reel into the machine, guide means to receive the wire, means for cutting the wire to lengths, means for moving the wire to a diiferent'level, a fixed forming tool to receive one end of the wire, two

slidable forming tools, means for operating the latter in relation to the fixed tool to form a hook.

means for moving the wire to a lower level, a, former, tools for bending the end portions of thewire around shoulder portions of the former, means to guide the end portions of the wire'during their bending movements, closing tools for' cutting the wire to lengths, means for moving the wire to a different level, a fixed forming tool to receive the wire secured upon the bed, twov additional forming tools slidably mounted on the bed, means for operating the latter in relation to the fixed tool to form a hook, means for lowering the wire, a former, tools slidably mounted on the bed for bending end portions of the wire around the shoulder portions of the former, means to guide the end portions of the wire during their bending. movements, closing tools hingedly mounted on the bed for engaging the said bent end portions of the wire, means for connecting the end portions of the wire to .iixed and movable guide far between whichthe wire is fed, said movable bar'having a wire receiving groove formed in the length thereof, a lowering tool positioned to engage the wire and move it from the guide bars to a lower level. means for moving one of the guide bars to free the wire and permit of the operation of the lowering means, means for forming a hook upon one end of the wire, means for bending the wire to form the body of a garment hanger, means for bringing the end portions of /the wire together and means for twisting said end portions to complete the hanger.

a. In a' wireforming machine of the class described, means for feedinii wlre into the machine, guide means to receive'the wire, means for cutting the wire to lengths, means for transferring the 'wire from the guide means to hook forming means, means for forming a hook upon oneend of the wire, a former arbund which the the garment hanger is formed, tools for bending the two end portions of the wire around shoulder portions of the former, means to guidetthe end portions of the wire during said bending operations. closing tools for enga ing the said .gototwi'sttheendportionsotthewire. 5

bent end portions of the wire and aligning them against the front of the former and means for securing the ends of the wires together.

10. In a wire garment hanger forming machine, means for feeding wire from a reel into the machine, means for cutting the wire of! to form blanks, means for forming a hook upon one end of the wire blank, an elongated former having shoulder portions and a front projected nose portion, a combined wire guiding and stripping tool adapted to operate adjacent the nose of the former to guide the wire ends in position thereon, means for operating said tool to-disengage it from said wire ends and to strip the completed hanger from the former.'

11. In a garment hanger forming machine, means for feeding wire from a reel into the ma-- chine, means for cutting the wire into lengthson one level, means for shifting thewire blank to another level, means for forming a hook upon the wire blank while in said'second leveLmeans for moving the wire blank to athird level, a former, means for bending the wires around said former-while in said third level, means for securing the end portions of the wire together.

12. In a garment hanger forming machine adapted to handle three separatewires during a cycle of the machine, including means for feeding and cutting of! wire to produce a'wire blank, mechanism for forming a hook upon another blank, and wire bending means and twisting tools upon athird blank, the three said setsof operations being performed simultaneously upon 7 the three blanks in a manner to produce a complete hanger with each series of operations, said operations being performed on diilerent levels one below the other.

13. Ina garment hanger forming machine,

, means for feeding wire into. the machine, a 40 former around which the hanger-is iformed, a pair of swinging arms carrying closing jaws to bend and shape the wire against the former, means forswinging the arms forward and backward in their bending operations, means for also loweringslnd raising the arms and jaws horimntally th each swinging movement of the srmsto carry the wire ends from one level to anotherand means for securing the ends of the wires together after being bent to position.

14. In a wire forming machine of the class described, means for feeding wire from a reel, guide bars between which the .wire is fed, means for' cutting the wire oil to form blanks, means for operating the guide bars to free'the blanks after as thesame have been cut, means for forming a hook upon one endoi the blank, means for bending the wire to a form, a twisting head, means-for reciprocating the same to engage and disengage e wire ends'and means for rotating the lo d wire forming machine of the class de-' head scribed,'including a bed, means for .i'eeding-wire into the machine, a former mounted on the bed and'having a small extended nose portion, arms carrying tool'to bend the wire around the former and dispose them across the nose, a movable tool 1 having a V-shaped notch in its front edge to receive and direct the wire end portions and align them against the nose, means for withdrawing the tool from the wires, to position them against the nose, and means for twisting the end portions of the wire together.

16. A wire forming machine .of the class scribed, including a bed and instrumentalities disposed to operate upon wires while in approximately horizontal planes and on three different levels above the bed, and comprising first, feeding and cutting mechanisms, second, hook forming means and third, bending and twisting means, the mechanisms being so arranged and timed as to simultaneously perform different operations upon the three wires.

17. 'I'hecombination with a wire forming ma chine, of a wire feed mechanism comprising a drive shaft two pairs of wire feed rollers adapted to draw wire from arch and feed it into the machine preparatory to cutting the wire, a relatively large'gear driven from the drive sh'aftand carrying a series of rollers, an associate gear having a like number of radial slots, an intermediate. shaft and reducing gearing between the: last mentioned-gear and the feed rollers for operating the same-the saidrollers of the one gear and number and position of the slots carried by the driven gear being such as tocause successive engagements of the rollers with the slots and to produce a slight dwell of the drivinggear and stoppa e or the feed rollers between'said engage ments and a resultantslight stoppage of the feeding of the wire.

is. The combination with a wire forming machine, of a wire feed mechanism comprising a' drive shaft, two pairs of wire feed rollers adapted to draw wire from a roll'and feed it into the machine preparatory to cuttingthe wire,'a rela' tively large'gear driven from the drive shaft and carrying a series of rollers on one side, an associate gear mounted on a different shaft having a. like number of radial slots formed in its side next adjacent the rollers, an intermediate shaft and reducing gearing between the last mentioned gear and the feed rollers for operating thesame,

the said rollers of the driving gear and number and position of the slots carried by the driven gear being'such as to cause successive engagements oi the rollers with the slots and to produce a slight dwell of the driven ge'ar'and stoppage of the feed rollers between said eng ments and a resultant slightstoppage of thefeedingofthe 'MAURIIZ'OISON RICHARD a. son'nson.

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