US2339756A - Sheet feeding method and gauging mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 25, 1944.

J. AN EIROS SHEET FEEDING METHOD AND GAUGING MECHANISM THEREFOR Fi led Sepi. 13, 1941 FIG.2.

FIG3.

ATTORNEYS.

m m TM WW E s N%/ M Y B 8 24 m 0 4 Q Patented Jan. 25,

OFFl-CE Y SHEET FEEDING METHOD AND GAUGING MECHANISM THEREFOR Joseph Aneiros, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1941, Serial No. 410,777 9 Claims. (01. 271-60) The present invention relates to a sheet gau ing mechanism and is devised for use in machines serving for cutting or trimming sheet material. In particular, the mechanism is applicable in scroll shear presses used for cutting out accurately sized blank from which a multiplicity of smaller blanks are subsequently punched out.

The object of the invention is to provide mean for accurate registration of blanks which are fed into a-blank cutting machine such as a scroll shearing press, or other machine for cuttin sheet material. When blanks are fed into the the case in modern machines of the aforementioned typ the momentum gathered in the blank imparts to the same an impulse of forward movement after the driving power has ceased to act, said impulse carrying the blank along beyond the point of registration, thus rendering accurate positioningof blanks for trimming and cutting purposes diiiicult, if not impossible. Such accurate positioning is, however,- of very great importance to obtain the desired results with absolute reliability.

The present invention provides a gauging mechanism which allows of accurate registration in a simple way. Instead of arranging the line of registration, at which the incoming blank is stopped and positioned for being worked upon,

' machine at a considerable rate of speed, as is in the direction of feed, I allow the blank to travel in that direction without skipping it abruptly at agiven point. Moreover, means are provided to push the blank in the opposite direction where a positive stop is caused by appropriate arrangement. Since this back drivin force is much less powerful than the driving force of the feeding mechanism, accurate registration at this stage of travel is easily accomplished.

. For the above outlined purpose I provide means for frictionally engaging said blank when it arrives in the machine, which means are carried along by the blank until all the force moving it forward is spent. engagement with the blanks consists of a movable block or the like, which carries in its front end an elastic means secured to the frame of the machine. The elastic means is compressed when the block is carried forward by the blank. As soon as the forward movement comes to a stop. which need not be at any well defined point at all, the movable block or carrier is urged back by the action of the elastic means taking the The means for frictional direction of back travel, thus providing the accurate registration as set forth. I

As mentioned above, one of the intended uses for my improved sheet gauging mechanism is the combination with a scroll shear press adapted to receive metal sheets and to out the same into a series of scroll edged blanks which are subsequently fed through automatic die presses which cut and form a multiplicity of can tops from each of said blanks. Since the primary object of providing scroll edged blanks is to achieve the greatest possible economy of metal in subsequently punching out the can tops, it will be apparent that the blanks should be cut accurately to the required size. Oversize blanks would result in Waste of material, while undersize blanks would result in-defective can tops.

The usual commercial sheets obtained from the mill do not have accurately out edges and it is, therefore, impracticable to use such edges.

for effective registration in the successive shearing operations. to provide registering points which are mployed as gauge points in positioning the sheet for making the scroll cuts. i

My improved means for accuratel positioning the sheets when arriving from the feed-in mechanism makes it possible to have initially trimmed blanks with perfectly straight parallel margin lines, the successive operations in the press being greatly simplified thereby.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of blank along to the positive stop arranged in the the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claimsi the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various means in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a scroll shear press with the sheet gauging mechanism forming the invention built into the press;

' 2 is a top plan view of the said mechanism;

Fig. 3 shows the mechanism in section along lines 3'-3 of F18. 2; andv Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2. v

Referring to Fig. l, '5 is the rigid frame of a blank cuttingmachine, this frame providing a fiat bed 6 along which the sheets are fed onto a platform I, from the left-hand side in Fig. 1. At the rear of the frame 5 is disposed a recipro- Special means had to be applied anism are located below the platform I and are, 5

therefore, likewise not shown in the drawing. This arrangement of the operating mechanism below the platform has the advantage of eliminating any possibility of oil, or grease dripping on the sheet under treatment. The main shaft from which the dies are driven is shown at 8, other parts of the driving mechanism comprising a wheel I4, a rod l5 slidably mounted therein, sprockets H and I2 as well as chains lOand l8,

all .of which cooperate in a well-known manner to effect a reciprocating'movement in the working parts of the machine, thus advancing the blank for a predetermined space to have successive trimmings and cuttings performed thereon.

The sheet gauging mechanism is built into the frame between upright members 22, one of which is shown in Fig. 1. The mechanism is duplicated on each side of the machine and hence a description of one side will sufiice for both.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, so is a castingex- 2 tending transversely over the bed of the machine and secured to the frame of the same between the uprights 22. A crossbar 26 extends parallel to casting 60, said crossbar 26 having portions and 24 for housing sheet engaging member 2! and a longitudinal bar 28 respectively. Bar 28 is secured to crossbar 26 by means of a pin 30 and nut H. Member 29 is a roller carried in a bearing 32 within a slide block 33 upon which a spring 34 acts.. The other end of the spring bears 35 against the head of an adjusting bolt 35 held down by a nut 36.

A carriage 40 is arranged underneath said roller 29 and cooperating therewith in a groove of a casting 4| secured to the frame of the ma- 40 chine. Said groove is longer than carriage 4! to an extent that will allow a certain movement of e said carriage under 'the impact of the incoming sheet. Carriage 40 is slidably supported on rollers 42 and bears against a spring 45. the otherend of said spring being secured to frame 4| by bolt 48 and nut '49.

The carriage 40 has its surface slightly raised above the level of the platform I, but beveled at so the end receiving the incoming sheets, thereby being adapted to readily receive said sheets and to carry them in said raised plane and thus take complete control of their movement.

A gauge finger ill, pivotally mounted at II on casting I, bears on the frame 4| under the con- 5 trol of a spring I2, likewise mounted on said casting 40.

The operation of the sheet gauge mechanism is as follows: I

form I by means of any known feed-in mecha- Sheet material is fed onto the platnism, delivering sheets at a rate of 100 or more per minute. The incoming sheets are swept beneath fingers 5| owing to the force of the feeding thrust, lifting said fingers out of their way,

but being frictionally engaged by carriages 4.

which are arranged at both sides of the platiorm. and being held in engagement with the carriages by spring-controlled rollers 28. The impact of the blank pushes the carriage along towards the wall 41 .spring 45 absorbing the shock and preventing the carriage with the sheet thereon from being abruptly stopped in its movement. As the impact'of the sheet is spent. spring 45 is free to return to its former position, imparting to the carriage and the blan held ere n a. movement 3 not shown, provided at the rear end of the machine in a well known manner.

, While I have described the operation of my improved sheet gauging mechanism in combination with a scroll shearing press it will be readily "understood that it may be used in combination with any blank trimming or cutting machine, where accurate registration of the incoming sheets is of a major importance.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means and the steps herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any'of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a method for feeding sheets to' a cutting station of a blank cutting machine, the steps of providing a movable carrier as a shock absorbing means, receiving the incoming sheets travelling at a considerable speed on said movable carrier, allowing said carrier to advance with the sheets under the impact thereof, urging said carrier and sheets back under the control of a force weaker than the driving force of the feed-in mechanism and arranging a positive stop for said sheets at the rear of the line reached by their prevlcus'forward travel.

2. In a method for feeding sheets to a cutting station of a blank cutting machine, the steps of 48 providing a movable carrier as a shock absorbe ing. means for receiving the incoming sheets which are traveling at a considerable speed, allowing said carrler to advance'with the sheets under the impact thereof, urging said carrier and sheets back under the control of a force weaker than the driving force of the feed-in mechanism and originating from a source disposed at a point on the incoming path of said sheets before they reach the cutting station, and arranging a positive stop for said sheets at the rear of the linereached by their previous forward travel.

3. In a method for feeding sheets to a cutting station of a blank cutting machine, the steps of providing a movable carrier as a shock absorbing means, receiving the incoming sheets travelling at a considerable speed between said movable carrier and a pressure exerting means, allowing the sheets to travel on said carrier against the resistance of elastic means disposed at a point on the incoming path of said sheets before they reach the cutting station, said travelling con.- tinuing until the driving :force or the feed-in mechanism is spent, urging the sheets back under the control of said elastic means and arranging a positive stop for said sheets at the rear of the line reached by their previousforward travel.

4. In a Llank cutting machine comprising a means for feeding sheets to a platform on a cutting mechanism, means for advancing said sheets over said platform to the cutting working station and means for feeding the cut blanks out aasenae of said machine in combination, a sheet gauging mechanism comprising a movable carrier-block for receiving the incoming sheets travelling at a considerable speed and for frictionally engaging therewith, yielding means disposed between the entrance for said sheets on said platform and the cutting station, said means being adapted to cooperate with said carrier-block in absorbing the shock of said incoming blanks and imparting thereto a movement in 'the opposite direction and means for positively stopping and register ing said sheets at a position behind the line reached by their previous forward travel.

t 5. In a blank cutting machine, a sheet'gauging 'mechanism as claimed in claim 4 characterized by duplicate carrier blocks, one on each side of the machine. I

a 6. In a blank cutting machine comprising means for feeding sheets to a platform on a cut ting mechanism, means for advancing said sheets over said platform to the working stations, and means for feeding the cut blanks out of said machine in combination a sheet gauging mechanism comprising on both sides of the machine a carriage located in a groovelonger than said carriage, said carriages being adapted to receive the incoming sheets travelling at'a speed of at least one hundred per minute and to frictionally engage therewith, a spring mounted between each of said carriages and one wall ofsaid grooves for cooperating with said carriages in absorbing the shock of said incoming blanks and for imparting -thereto a movement in the opposite direction, a spring controlled member for holding said sheets on said carriage while in engagement therewith, andmeans for positively stopping and registering said sheets at a position behind the line reache by their previous forward travel.

'I. In a blank cutting a machine comprising means for feeding sheets to a platform on a cutting mechanism, means for advancing said sheets over said platform to the working stations, means for feeding the cut blanks out of said machine in combination, a sheet gauging mechanism, comprising on both sides of the machine a carriage for receiving the incoming sheets travelling at considerable speed, said carriage being located in a groove of greater length than said carriage and having a surface raised above the level of the working platform of the machine,

said surface being adapted to hold the incoming sheets in frictional engagement, a spring mounted between the front wall of each of said carriages and one end wall of the groove for cooperating with said carriages in absorbing the shock oi said incoming blanks and imparting to said carriages and the blank transported thereon a movement in the opposite direction, a spring loaded member located above said carriages for holding down said sheets, a pivotally mounted finger for positively stopping and registering said sheets at a position behind the line reached by previous forward travel, and a spring for returning said finger after it has been moved out of the path of travel of the incoming blanks.

8. A sheet gauging mechanism comprising on both sidesof the machine a carriage located in a groove longer than said carriage, said carriage being adapted to receive the incoming sheets and frictionally engage therewith, a spring mounted between said carriage and one wall of said groove for absorbing the shock of said incoming blanks and imparting thereto a movement in the opposite direction, a spring controlled member for holding said sheets on said carriage while in engagement therewith, and means for positively stopping and registering said sheets at a position behind the line reached by their previous for-- ward travel.

9. A sheet gauging mechanism, comprising on both sides of the machine a carriage located in a groove of greater length than said carriage, said carriage having a surface raised above the level of the working platform of themachine, said surface being adapted to receive the incoming sheets and frictionally engage therewith, a spring mounted between the front wall of said carriage and one end wall of the groove for absorbing the shock of said incoming blanks and imparting to said carriage and the blank transported thereon a movement in the opposite direction, a spring loaded member located above said carriage'for holding down said. sheets, a pivotally mounted finger for positively stopping and registering said 3 sheets at a position behind the line reached by previous forward travel, and a spring for returning said finger after ithas been moved out of the path of travel of the. incoming blanks.

' JOSEPH ANEIROS.

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