US2116051A - Typographical composing and casting machine - Google Patents

Description

y 3, 1938. T. J. THATCHER 2,116,051

TYPOGRAPHICAL GOMPOSING AND CASTING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1936 1v VENTOR BY M I M {W A T RNEYJ,

Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING AND CAST- ING MACHINE tion of New York Application May 6, 1936, Serial No. 78.149

18 Claims.

This invention relates to slug casting machines of the general organization represented in U. S.

Letters Patent to O. Mergenthaler No. 436,532,

wherein circulating matrices are released from a magazine in the order in which their characters are to appear in print and then composed in line, the composed line transferred to a vertically movable transporter or first elevator which presents it to the mold, the mold filled with molten metal to form a slug or type-bar against the matrices which produce the type characters thereon and the matrices thereafter elevated and returned through a distributing mechanism to the magazine from which they started. At the time the matrices are being elevated and distributed, the cast slug is ejected from the mold and forced between a pair of trimming knives mounted on the vise frame and which dress down the sides of the slug and bring it to the proper thickness.

In these machines, it is the practise to remove the shavings from the knives after a slug has been trimmed and before the next slug is delivered therethrough, and this is ordinarily accomplished by the use of a knife wiping mechanism which is controlled or actuated by the movement of the first elevator, either in its descent or in its ascent, or some other periodically moving part of the machine. The wiper per se usually comprises a thin, narrow blade which extends across the cutting edges of the knives in engagement therewith and which has an active downward stroke lengthwise of the knives. Ordinarily the left-hand knife is stationary and the right-hand knife adjustable to set the knives for trimming slugs of different body thicknesses, and the wiping blade is made long enough to engage the cutting edges of both knives in any adjusted condition thereof.

.19 The present invention contemplates an improved form of wiping means whereby the shavings may be removed effectively without actual engagement of the wiping means with the cutting edges of the knives. To this end, two interchangeable wipers, one for each knife, are mounted independently of the knives for movement lengthwise of their respective cutting edges, the wiper associated with the adjustable knife being movable relatively to its mounting for adjustment automatically with the right-hand knife.

In the accompanying drawing, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form and obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment ex cept insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims. 5

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the vise frame carrying the elevator and slug trimming knives, and showing the knife wiping mechanism associated therewith at the beginning of the wiping stroke;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the knives and wipers, the bottom portions of the knives being lost in phantom;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the knives and wipers, showing by the full lines the knives in one set position for a slug of given body thickness and by the dotted lines the right-hand knife adjusted for a slug of greater body thickness; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the wiper assembly in disassembled condition to show the manner of mounting the wipers on the actuating mechanism.

The casting mechanism, which is of conventional form, is not shown in the accompanying drawing, but after composition the line of mat- 25 rices M is delivered to the first elevator A as shown in Fig. 1 and then lowered thereby to a position in front of the mold which is carried by a rotatable mold disc. Immediately thereafter, the mold disc advances to bring the mold into contact with the matrix line for the casting of the slug, and after the slug is cast the mold disc is retracted and rotated to carry the mold from its horizontal casting position to a vertical position immediately in front of an ejector (not shown) which operates to expel the slug from the mold and force it between a pair of trimming knives B and B whence the slug is delivered to a receiving galley (not shown) at the front of the machine. During the slug ejecting operation, the first elevator A ascends to its highest level to deliver the composed line to the distributing devices and thereafter descends to its normal poof rest (shown in Fig. 1) in readiness to: receive another composed line.

The mechanism shown in the drawing for actuating the knife wipers is the same as that shown in the pending U. S. application Serial No. 41,351, filed September 20, 1935 by Edgar H. Atkins, and for a more complete description thereof reference v50 may be had to that application. Briefly, the actuating mechanism comprises a vertically disposed rod D arranged at the back of the vise, frame E and guided in its vertical movement by a bracket 01 attached to the vise frame. The rod ,55

D is pivotally mounted as at d in the hub portion d of a link member d which connects the rod D to a similar rod :1 at the front of the vise frame, the connecting member 01 being rigidly and adjustably secured to the rod (1 by the nuts 11 and d A coiled spring s wound about the hub (1 and bearing against the rod D tends constantly to hold the rod in proper relation to the trimming knives B and B as determined by a guide shoe (1 (Figs. 2 and 3) fixed to the upper end of the rod D and bearing against the fiat vertical surface b of the knife B. The rod D is held in its normal or resting position by a compression spring (1 surrounding the rod d and arranged between two fixed brackets F and F on the stationary vise frame E, the upper or free end of the spring bearing against an adjusting nut (1 separated from the bracket F by a collar d. A dowel pin G, projecting from the elevator A and adapted, through one arm h of a lever H pivoted as at h to the elevator head A to strike the top of the rod d as the elevator A descends, forces the rods D and d and connecting link d as a unit, downwardly against the pressure of the compression spring d which later raises the rods back to their upper normal positions as the elevator ascends. The lever H serves to multiply the downward movement of the elevator A and maintain a normal stroke for the wiper actuating mechanism when the elevator is arrested at slightly higher levels in presenting a line of matrices bearing large characters to the mold, adjustable blocks (not shown) being arranged on top of the fixed frame E in the path of the arm h of the lever H and causing the latter to be rocked about its pivot 71 all as more fully set forth in the Atkins application referred to previously.

Coming now to the wipers and referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, each wiper P, P is slidably mounted on a horizontal arm (I of an angle bracket (1 whose vertical arm (1 is fixed to the upper end of the rod D as by locating pins thereon adapted to fit in openings 01 in the arm d and a screw, rivet or headed-over pin passing through the opening 11 in said arm. The bracket 11 is formed to be fitted on the rod D in the same manner as the usual wiping blade previously referred to, and the dimensions of the arm d are substantially the same as those of the said blade so that the wipers P and P are adaptable for mounting on the blades of existing wiping mechanisms, the only modification of the existing mechanisms required being the extension of the guide shoes corresponding to the shoes d as by hammering them out or tipping them with solder or the like.

The Wipers are preferably (although not necessarily) of identical form and are mounted face to face on the arm c1 each wiper comprising a narrow strip of material, preferably thin sheet metal, bent to present four sides P P P and P of substantially equal length. The side P which terminates in a free end P, is bent inwardly so that it extends at an angle toward the side P but short of engagement therewith. Near the juncture of the sides P and P with the side P the former are perforated to provide openings P" and P to receive the arm (1 of the supporting bracket 01 on which they are adapted to be freely slidable.

When located in operative position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the wipers P and P are associated, respectively, with the knives B and B so that the fiat inside face of the side P of each engages the inside face B of its respective knife;

while the outer inclined face B of each knife,

'which converges toward the inner face B to define the cutting edge thereof, is engaged by the outer face of the bent-in side P of the respective wiper. As. thus arranged, in their lengthwise travel along the knives, the wipers P and P remove all metal chips and shavings which adhere to the cutting edges and faces B and B of the knives, for although they do not engage directly with the cutting edges of the knives, their relationship thereto is such that even the smallest chips will be loosened and removed. Because of its sliding attachment to the arm (Z of the bracket (1 and its engagement with the inner and outer faces B and B of the adjustable righthand knife E the wiper P will move with the knife B to any adjusted position thereof.

The wiper P, which cooperates with the stationary left-hand knife B, could be fixed to the bracket arm (1 but obviously it is more desirable to have it freely mounted thereon as shown, since not only is it rendered removable from the bracket arm but the wipers can be made identical and interchangeable.

The invention has been shown and described as comprising, in its preferred form, a wiper which is a unitary structure, two such wipers individual to the knives being employed and arranged on a common mounting. However, it is obvious that similar results can be obtained by wipers engaging the converging faces of the knives but being independently mounted and operated by a common actuating mechanism, the wiper cooperating with the adjustable knife being movable relatively to its mounting or being carried by a movable or yielding mounting; and the wiping faces for each knife can be independent, that is, formed in separate sections. It is to be understood therefore that such modifications and variations fall within the contemplated scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A knife wiper for the slug trimming knife of a slug casting machine, said wiper being formed to engage the inner face of the knife.

2. A knife wiper for the slug trimming knife of a slug casting machine, said Wiper being formed to engage the inner and outer faces but not the cutting edge of the knife.

3. A knife Wiper for the slug trimming knife l. A knife wiper for the slug trimming knife of a slug casting machine, said wiper being formed with arms disposed in angular relation to one another to engage each with one of the converging faces of the knife, one of said arms being adap ed to engage the inner face of the knife and the other to engage the outer face of the knife but terminating short of the cutting edge thereof.

5. A knife wiper for the slug trimming knife of a slug casting machine, said wiper being formed with angularly disposed wiping surfaces adapted to engage the inner and outer faces but not the cutting edge of the knife.

6. A knife wiper for the slug trimming knife of a slug casting machine, said wiper being formed of a narrow strip of sheet metal bent to shape and presenting angularly disposed surfaces adapted to engage the inner and outer faces of the knife and being separated to avoid engagement with the cutting edge thereof.

7. In or for a slug casting machine equipped til) with a pair of trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, a knife wiping means whose active stroke is lengthwise of the cutting edges of the knives arranged to engage with inner and outer faces of each knife but not with the cutting edge thereof.

8. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, a kn fe wiping mechanism comprising a narrow blade extending transversely of the cutting edges of the knives and whose active stroke is lengthwise thereof, and a pair of wipers, one for each knife, adapted to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives but not the cutting edges thereof and being mounted on said transversely extending blade.

9. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, a knife wiping mechanism comprising a narrow blade extending transversely of the cutting edges of the knives and whose active stroke is lengthwise thereof, and a pair of wipers, one for each knife, adapted to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives but not the cutting edges thereof and being slidably mounted on said transversely extending blade.

10. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, a knife wiping mechanism comprising a narrow blade extending transversely of the cutting edges of the knives and whose active stroke is lengthwise thereof, and a pair of wipers, one for each knife, formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives but not the cutting edges thereof and being independently and slidably mounted on said transversely extending blade.

11. In or for a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, a knife wiping mechanism comprising a narrow blade extending transversely of the cutting edges of the knives and whose active stroke is lengthwise thereof, and a pair of wipers, one for each knife, formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives. but not the cutting edges thereof and being independently and slidably mounted on said transversely extending blade, said wipers being interchangeable in position on the blade.

12. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives. said wipers being mounted independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges there- 'of, and means for operating said wipers.

13. In a slug casting machined equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being mounted independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges thereof, and common means for operating said wipers.

. 14. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being arranged on a common mounting independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edge thereof, and means for operating said wipers.

15. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces and at least one of which is adjustable toward and away from the other for trimming slugs of different body thickness, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being mounted independently thereof for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges of their respective knives in any adjusted relation thereof, and means for operating said wipers.

16. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives Whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces and at least one of which is adjustable toward and away from the other for trimming slugs of different body thickness, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being mounted independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges thereof, and means for operating said wipers, the wiper associated with the adjustable knife being mounted for adjustment therewith.

17. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces and at least one of which is adjustable toward and away from the other to different set positions for trimming slugs of different body thickness, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being mounted independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges thereof, and means for operating said wipers, the wiper associated with the adjustable knife being movable relatively to its companion wiping member and carried by the adjustable knife to any set position thereof.

18. In a slug casting machine equipped with a pair of slug trimming knives whose cutting edges are formed by converging faces and at least one of which is adjustable toward and away from the other to different set positions for trimming slugs of different body thickness, the combination of a pair of wipers individual to the knives and formed to engage both of the converging faces of their respective knives, said wipers being mounted independently of their respective knives for movement lengthwise of the cutting edges there-'

Images