US2576218A

US2576218A - Sheet material conveying and supporting means

Info

Publication number: US2576218A
Application number: US579756A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vernie A Fox
Original assignee: YOUNG BROTHERS CO
Current assignee: YOUNG BROTHERS CO
Priority date: 1942-02-20
Filing date: 1945-02-26
Publication date: 1951-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1968-11-27

Description

Nov. 27, 1951 l v. A. Fox

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS .s sheets-shea 1 original Filed Feb. 2o, 1942 :Suunto:

vfA. Fox 2,576,218

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS Nov. 27, 1951 3 Sheet's-Sheet 2 Original Filed Ferbl. 20, 1942 Gttornegs Nov. 27, 1951 v A, FCX 2,576,218

SHEET MATERIAL CONVEYING AND SUPPORTING MEANS original Filed Feb. 2o, 1942 3 sheets-sheet s :inventor Y 7,6 Hf@ A L/fa. ttornegs Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITE-'D STA-TES PATENT Q-FFICE i MATERIAL CONVEYING AND `SUPPORTING MEANS VernieA. Fox, DetroitgrMich., assignor, by mesne assignments; to-Young Brothers Company, Detroit,` Micln, a corporation of Michigan Original application February 20, 1942, Serial No. 432,541. Divided and this application February 26,1945, Serial No. 579,756

7 Claims.` (Cl. 198-102) This" invention relates to-heat processing` machines, andL in particularto=conveyoretype heat Another object is to provide-a;` h'eat processing machine having a. travelling conveyor with sheet carriers spaced at intervals therealong, these sheet" carriers being constructed" and arranged with elongated'central supports to convey either large or small" sheets. without leaving the lower edge unsupported at* its ends;

Anotherobj ect-isto provide a' carrier'for 'sheets of lmaterial consisting or a-framework of rods or bars adapted" to be carried' by a" conveyor andl having provisions` for' leaving` portionsk of theV lowerL edge accessible for engagement` byother portions of the machine yetl providingA an elongated'centrall support for `several different sizes of sheets or plates.

Thisis-ia-divisionof my application-tiled February 20,- 1942 for Heat Processing- Machine, Serial No.` 432,541, and now Patent No 2,406,821, grantedSeptember 3, 1946.

i Inl the drawings:

Figure 1` is aside elevation, partlyin section, ofi the outletend of av heat processing machine accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 uis a View similarto AFigure 1, but showing4 the inlet end and adjacent machinery;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section alongthe line to disclose the construction moreclearly;V

Figure4`is a--horizontal section similar'toFigure 3 but taken along theline `lL-lin Figure 2;

Figure 5U` isacross section along the line-5--5` in: Figure 1;

Figure 6 isl a side elevation of a portion of a 2 y Figure 9 is a detailed viewoflthe clutchshown in the lower centralportion oflFigures 2iandi4;

Figure 10'is a diagrammatic side elevation` of the conveyorat the outlet end of the machine,

`=\ showing the means whereby the lower edge ofthe sheet or plate is momentarily advanced more rapidly than the upper edge so as to make it fall without injury.

General arrangement In general, the heat processingmachine of this invention includes an oven Within downwardlyinclined ends for conserving heated air which is circulated through the oven by fans` or blowers;

* An endless conveyor moves through the oven and is provided with spaced sheetcarriersV at intervals therealong. The sheet carriers consist oi"l open frames (Figure 5) having gaps at the bottom 2D,thereoi'to permit engagement of the sheet with n the conveyor for conveying various sizes of sheets *Without changing the sheet carriers.

The spacing oi the carriers along the conveyor andthe mounting cf the carriers at their opposite ends on a pair of parallel conveyors enables the central portions to be maintained comparatively` `free from obstructions.

provided for circulatingheated air upward and- Heaters and blowers are downward'between the sheets on their carriers in a zigzag path, this heated air being iinally exhausted from the oven by an exhaust ian located near the inlet of the oven, thereby causing the heated air to'travel in the opposite direction to the conveyor and sheets.

An'auxiliary conveyor is provided at the outlet end of the machine for temporarily moving the lower edges or the sheets ahead ofV the upper edges, so that as the carriers swing downwardat the ends of the conveyor, the sheets will fall gently and without shock; thereby preventing damage to the sheets and possible injury tothe machine and operators. A- withdrawalconveyor is provided adjacent this auxiliary conveyor for carrying away the sheets as they are unloaded from the oven conveyor.

Machine driving mechanism Referring tothe drawings in detail, Figures 1 to 4 inclusive show the heat processing machine of this invention as consisting of an oven generally designated l0 containing an endless conveyor generally designated Il having sheet caraerobic carriers I2 and in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the conveyor li toward an exhaust fan il' located near the inlet E8 of the oven l@ (Figure 2).

Also located adjacent the oven inlet i3 is a printing machine is, a coating machine 25 and a feeder 2| located therebetween. The machines la, 2t and 2| in themselves form no part of the present invention, except as to their main driving motor 22 which cooperates with an auxiliary driving motor 23 to drive the machines i9, 25 and 2i together with the conveyor il by the motor 22, or optionally to drive the conveyor il alone by means of the auxiliary motor 23. The drive from the main motor shaft 2d is conveyed to the shaft 25 oi"` the machine i9 by a belt or chain 26 interconnecting the pulleys or sprocket 21 and 28 (Figure 4).

The shaft 25l carries a pulley or sprocket 29 which drives a pulley or sprocket 35 by means of a chain or belt 3l. The sprocket or pulley 3E is loosely mounted upon a shaft 32 mounted in brackets 33 and drives the shaft 32 through a jaw clutch 33. The shaft 32 carries a bev-el gear 35 meshing with a bevel gear 36 mounted on a shaft 31. The latter is connected by means of a jaw clutch 33 to the auxiliary driving motor 23 by means of a sprocket or pulley 33 mounted loosely upon the shaft 31. The shaft 31 extends lengthwise of the machine and the pulley or sprocket 39 is driven by a chain or belt 4| from a pulley or sprocket e2 mounted on the shaft 43 of the auxiliary motor 23. The shaft 31 also carries a sprocket or pulley i4 driving a sprocket or pulley i5 by means of a chain or belt 45. rThe sprocket or pulley l5 is mounted upon the input shaft i1 of a reduction gear set 48, the output shaft 49 of which is mounted transversely in the machine frame members 5@ and carries a pair of sprockets 5I meshing with the conveyor chains 52. IIhe shaft 31 (Figure l) is rotatably supported in brackets 53 mounted on the oven supports 5d and upon the outlet support 55, and at its outer end carries a sprocket or pulley 56 driving a sprocket or pulley 5l by means of a chain or belt 5S. The sprocket or pulley 51 is mounted upon the input shaft 59 of a reduction gear set 6), the output shaft 5| of which carries a pair of sprockets t2 driving the outlet ends of the main conveyor chains 63 of the conveyor l l, the inlet ends of which are driven by the sprockets 5I upon the shaft 49. The shaft 5i is likewise mounted transversely upon the outlet frame members 64. The shaft 52 also carries a pair of auxiliary conveyor sprockets S5 driving the sprockets 66 upon the shaft 51 by means of the belts or sprocket chains 68 of the auxiliary conveyor I3 (Figure 3) The auxiliary conveyor shaft 31 is mounted in brackets 89 supported upon the outlet frame members (it. The latter also Ycarry brackets 18 rotatably suppo-rting the shafts il carrying pulleys or sprockets 12 driving the belts or chains 13 of the withdrawal conveyor Iii. The latter is also provided with an intermediate sprocket or pulley 'It mounted upon a shaft 15 (Figure l0) supported invbrackets 16 and driving an intermediate belt or chain 11.

The jaw clutches 34 and 38 are of similar con-a struction in that they are arranged to drive their particular shaft in one direction and to slip relatively thereto in the opposite direction. Accordingly a single description suices for each of the clutches 34 and 38 (Figure 9), the clutch 38 being selected for this purpose. The clutch 38 consists of a driving member Y18 connected to the pulley 39 and having jaw portions I9 interconnected by inclined portions 80. The pulley 19 is loosely rotatable upon the shaft 31, and seats against a collar 8| pinned as at 82 to the shaft 31. Cooperating with the clutch member 18 is a clutch member 83 having driving shoulders or jaws 84 interconnected by inclined portions 85, the clutch member 83 being keyed or splined to the shaft 31 as at 86, so as'to be slidable longitudinally along the shaft 31 by means of a spring 81 seated against a collar 88 pinned as at 88 to the shaft 31. In this manner each clutch 34 or 38 drives its shaft 32 or 31 in one direction but slips and clicks without driving connection when the drive is in the opposite direction.

The purpose of the clutches 34 and 38, as described in connection with the operation of the machine, is to permit the conveyor I I to be driven normally by the main driving motor 22 when the machines I9 and 2li are in operation, yet to permit the auxiliary driving motor 23 to Vdrive the conveyor I I when the main driving motor 22 is halted and the machines I9 and 20 are shut down. In this way the sheets or plates 90 (Figure 10) which have been printed and possibly coated are carried through the oven I8 and dried even after the machines I9 and 2li and their driving motor 22 have ceased operation.

Oven construction The oven ID is an elongated box-like structure with side walls 9| (Figures 3 and 5), a top 92 and a bottom 93. The oven also has inlet and outlet ends 94 and 95 respectively (Figures 1 and 2). The inlet end 94 for the purpose of conserving heat is directed downwardly toward the inlet I8. The inlet end 94 is provided with a port 96 communicating with the conduit 91 in a casing 98 containing the exhaust fan I1 for creating a suction to remove air which has traversed the oven and to discharge this air into the discharge conduit 99.

The outlet end of the oven I0 (Figurel) is provided with an outlet |00 communicating with a hood or vestibule II likewise for the purpose of conserving heat and minimizing the escape of the heated air. Baiiles |02 are distributed at intervals along the interior of the oven Il] for impeding the direct passage of the air from one end of the ovenv to 4the other so as to force it downwardly between the sheets 90 as `they are carried along by the conveyor upon the carriers I2. One of the walls 9| of the oven is provided with doors I3 for permitting access to the burners I6 and other portions of the interior of the machine Y The burners I6 are shown as gas burners but othertypes may obviously be employed. The air heated by the burners is 4circulated by the fans or blowers I5, which are located in casings |84 having inlets |85 and outlets |06. The blowers I5 are operated by shafts |01 mounted in brackets Ill-8 (Figure 5) secured to the walls 9|. The shafts |81 carry pulleys |09 driven by belts ||8 from pulleys III upon the shafts I I2 of motors |I3. l The latter are mounted upon brackets lI I4 beneath the longitudinal `frame 51 members |I5 interconnecting the oven supports 54. The brackets ||4 are also matched by corresponding brackets IIS on the opposite side of the machine (Figure 5) and these together support the angle guide rails III upon which the conveyor chain 63 travels on its return path.

The interior of the oven is likewise provided with angle guide rails I8 which. support the conveyor 63 in its travel through the oven, and these guide rails H8 are inclined downwardly at the opposite ends of the oven. Cooling fan motors IIB provided with fans |20 in casings I2| are located near the outlet end 95 of the oven so as to cool the sheets or plates 90 as they emerge from the vestibule or hood |I.

Conveyor and carrier construction The conveyor and carriers I2 include the conveyor chains 53 mounted upon the guide rails HB and IIT as previously described. The conveyor chains 63 consist of links |26 and |27 pivotally connected to pivot pins |28 carrying rollers |29 which roll along the top edges of the guide rails and I|8. The pivot pins |28 are provided on one side with heads and on the other side are held in place by cotter pins |30. Mounted adjacent the links |2'| are angle members |3I which extend out over the links |21 and provide rests for the lower edges of the sheets or plates 90 which form the work pieces handled by the machine, Adjacent the opposite links |26 are mounted channel members |32 having aligned apertures |33 and |34 (Figure 8) through which |35 of the carriers I2.`

pass the side portions These side portions |35 are bifurcated as atv |36a and spread apart after their insertion so as to prevent their accidental withdrawal.

rIhe carriers |2 are thus spaced at intervals along the chain 63 and are inclined upwardly so that the sheets or plates 90 rest in inclined positions as they travel through the oven (Figure 6). The downwardly extending frame |46 with its supports |49 enables sheets smaller than the maximum size sheets to be conveyed, hence there is no necessity for changing the carriers I2 for different sizes of sheets. Moreover, the open spaces between the side members |35 and |46 permit the lower edges of the plates to be engagedby the auxiliary conveyor 68 (Figure 10) which passes through these spaces and serves to advance the lower edges of the sheets ahead of their upper edges as previously described above.

Operation In the operation of the machine of this invention, the main and auxiliary driving motors 22 and 23are energized to cause the conveyor II to pursue its orbital path through the oven I0 and also to drive the printing press I9 and coating machine 20. The switches |53 are then closed, energizing the blower motors I I, II3 and |I9, and causing air to now through the oven in a circuitous path opposite the direction travel of the conveyor II. ,The baliies |02 cause the air to mcve'up and down between the carriers I2, so that the air follows a zigzag path as indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2.

The operator also lights the gas burners I6 to heat the oven. The flow of gas to the burners I6 is controlled by a safety control circuit disclosed and claimed in the Fox Patent No. 2,406,- 822, issued September, '1946.

In the meantime, the printing machine I9 and coating machine 20 have been imprinting designs cn the sheets 90 of the tin or other material, and these have been deposited upon the carriers |2 as the conveyor moves them through the oven. The heated air circulates in a zigzag path through the spaces between. the carriers and the sheets, and follows a general direction opposite to the direction of travel of the conveyor l, due to the operation of the exhaust fan 93. As the sheets or plates 90 emerge from the vestibule |0I, they are cooled by the drafts of cool air coming from the cooling fans |20 operated by the motors I9.

It is to be noted that the fan |20 and blower I5 adjacent the outlet of the oven are arranged so that cool air will be directed upwardly through and between the plates |2 and will be further directed into the oven by reason of the hood I0! so as to be forced or drawn downwardly through the sheets I2 to the intake of said blower I5. In this manner, the heat from the oven may be prevented from escaping to the surrounding atmcsphere so that operation of the oven may be carried out during summer months without unduly heating the atmosphere in the building in which the oven is installed.

While the carriers I2 move over the auxiliary conveyors 68, the latter extend into the spaces in the bottom edges of the carriers I2, engaging the bottom edges of the sheets 90. Slince the auxiliary conveyors 68 are moving more rapidly than the main conveyor chains 63, the bottom edges of the sheets or plates 90 are moved ahead of their top edges (Figure 10) so that as the carriers |2 swing downwardly around the shaft 62 as an axis, the sheets 90 lie flat against the back of each carrier, until they arrive at the withdrawal conveyors 13 and "I1, The latter conveyors then convey the sheets to the next stage of operations such as the forming of cans from the sheets.

Meanwhile, the auxiliary driving motor 23 has also been operating but it has failed thus far to drive the shaft 3'I since the automatic body clutch 38 prevents this by the slippage of the clutch members 18 and 83 relative to each other (Figure 9).

If now the desired quantity of sheets or plates have been printed and coated and the main driving motor 22 is shut down to halt the machines 7* ISand 20, the shaft 25 and the pulley or sprocket 30 immediately come to rest. Due to thev provision'v of the automatic jaw clutches 34 and 38, however, the auxiliary driving motor 23 now drives the shaft 31 through the jaw clutch 38 while the clutch members of the jaw clutch 34 slip relatively to each other.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, it will be understood that various modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

WhatI claim is:

I1.V A conveyor apparatus comprising a plurality of longitudinally-movable laterally-spaced conveying devices, a plurality of sheet carrier frames secured near their opposite lateral'edges to said conveying devices, whereby to provide access to said frames at locations between said conveying devices, said carrier frames having gaps in their bottom edge portions extending between said respective conveying devices for facilitating engagement of the sheets for removal from said frames and having secured thereto structures depending into and laterally spaced from the edges of such gaps, said structures having generally horizontally projecting sheet-upholding means adapted to engage and uphold the lower edges of sheets resting against said frames.

2. A conveyor apparatus comprising a longitudinally-movable conveying device, a plurality of sheet carrier frames secured at spaced intervals along said conveying device, said carrier frames having gaps in their bottom portions, and an auxiliary conveyor disposed beneath said frames adjacent the discharge end of said conveying device and engageable with the edges of said sheets in said gaps for engaging and advancing the bottom edges of said sheets more rapidly than the upper edges thereof, whereby to move said bottom edges from the front of one carrier frame toward the back of the preceding carrier frame.

3. A sheet carrier for sheet conveyors comprising a framework of laterally spaced uprights having `interconnecting members connected theref between and having a pair of upwardly-extend-- ing gapsin the bottom thereof, and a central member in said framework having -a sheet-upholding support on the lower portion thereof spaced away from said conveyor and engageable with the lower edge of said sheet between said gaps whereby to carry either large or small sheets in said carrier while facilitating access to the lower edges thereof.

4. A conveyor apparatus comprising a longitudinally-movable conveying device, a plurality.

of sheet carrier frames secured at spaced intervals along said conveying device, said carrier frames having gaps in their bottom portions, an auxiliary conveyor disposed beneath said frames adjacent the discharge end of said conveying device and engageable with the edges of said sheets in said'gaps for engaging and advancingl the bottom edges of said sheets more rapidly than the upper edges thereof, whereby to move said bottom edges from the front of one carrier device. 1

5.A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a sheet carrier frame having side members attachable to said conveyor, said carrier frame including diagonally extending cross arms connected at their intermediate portions and having their ends connected with the side arms, and a bracket-shapedV member having downwardly-extending spaced legs depending from and connected to said diagonally extending cross arms, said legs being spaced inwardly from said side arms toprovide gaps therebetween.

' 6. A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a sheet carrier frame having side members attachable to said conveyor, said carrier frame including diagonally extending cross arms connected at their Y intermediate portions and having their ends` connected with the side arms, and a bracket, having downwardly extending spaced legs connected to said diagonally extending cross arms, said bracket including a U-shaped member having projections on the connecting portion thereof to provide a flange for engaging the lower edge of the sheet material. v

7. A sheet carrier for a sheet conveyor comprising a frame having a pair of spaced side arms attachable to said conveyor, diagonally extending cross arms connecting opposed pairs of side arms, and `a U-shaped bracket member having downwardly-extending spaced legs connected at their upper ends to said diagonally-extending arms and having a connecting -portion at their lower ends provided with lug extensions for engaging the lower edge of a piece of sheet material, said bracket member being spaced later-V ally from the lower portions of said cross arms and from said side arms to provide open gaps therebetween.

y VERNIE A. FOX.

REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number A Name Date l1,318,187 Taliaferro Oct. 7, 1919 1,443,104 Wagner et al Jan. 23, 1923 1,455,540 McManus May 15, 1923 1,467,211 Wagner et al. Sept. 4, 1923 1,468,18'1 Wagner et al. Sept. 18, 1923 1,513,619 Luehrs Oct. 28, 1924 1,562,560 Hormel Nov. 24, 1925 1,864,415 Clark June 21, 1932 V2,309,259 Seigh Jan. 26, 1943 2,322,299 Kouyoumjian June 22, 1943 2,338,015 Whitaker Dec; 28, 1943 2,362,847 ONeil Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 420,180 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1934