US2939492A - Forming mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 7, 1960 Filed Aug. 31. 1955 A. J. LEWIS m, ETAL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM I 15 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ART/40R J. LEW/6, GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD f. WELCH ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, ETAL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 650x05 5. YA TES a HAROLD E.WELCH ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS ETAL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/6, E $5099: 5. VATES HAROLD f. WLCH BY Jam/aw). 9 pad/714ml ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, ETAL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 51. 1955 l5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/6, ZZZ GEOR E E. YATES HAROLD E. WELCH BY s ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, EI'AL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM l5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 31. 1955 INVENTOR ARTHUR .J. LEWIS, 1H GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD E- WELCH (D m/hm 9- ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS Ill, ETAL FORMING MECHANISM l5 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Aug. 31. 1955 R B O E fl H m 66C 0 V/EL n mwr A LVMW R E m Ah J.I EVVIS llL ET'AL FORMING MECHANISM June 7, 1960 2,939,492

Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 7 EB jiigii 25 20a Fk 7 24 HVVENTOR ARTHUR J- LEW/6, EZ

GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD E. WELCH BY jwvanm 'pwzlw AHTTHUVEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, EIAL 2,939,492

' FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet a INVENT OR ARTHUR J. LEW/5, HZ GEORGE 5. YATES HAROLD E. WELCH BY m ma/aw 9 WW1! ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, EIAL FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 9 O'\ Q m n D 3 INVENTOR ARTHUR J LEW/6, 1F GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD E. WLCH ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 'A. J. LEWIS lIl, EI'AL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 10 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/6, GEORGE E. YA Tea HAROLD E. WELCH ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, EIAL 2,939,492

' FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 v 15 Sheets-Sheet 11 INVENTOR ARTHUR J LEW/J,fl GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD E. I VELCH BY 27 mm *WW ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 Filed Aug. 31. 1955 VALVE A. J. LEWIS Ill, EI'AL FORMING MECHANISM l5 Sheets-Sheet l2 TWISTER /N TWAS TER ETURN ARBOR sup: R

TAPE ROLL WIRE FE ED WIRE FEED $1.1 DE CUTOFF WIRE FEED RETURN PRESSURE PAD INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/6 1U GEORGE E. M47155 HAROLD E. WELCH ATTORNEYS 15 Sheets-Sheet 13 FORMING MECHANISM A. J. LEWIS Ill, EFAL June 7, 1960 Filed Aug. 31, 1955 ATTORNEYS June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, ETAL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 51. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 14 ARdO/E SL/DE INVENTOR ARTHUR J. LEW/.5 flZ GEORGE E. YA 7-55 HAROLD E. WELCH BY *WW ATTORNEY-S June 7, 1960 A. J. LEWIS m, EI'AL 2,939,492

FORMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31. 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR ARTHUR J Lew/s, lZZ GEORGE E. YATES HAROLD E. WELCH ATTORNEY:

pose to the appended claims.

"2,939,492 .33 i Patented June 7,19 60 FORMING MECHANISM Arthur J. Lewis III and George E. Yates, New London,

and Harold E. Welch, Elkins, N.H., assignors to Kearsarge Engineering Corporation, New London, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed Aug. '31, 1955, Ser. No. 531,731

30 Claims; (Cl. 140-71) of a machine of the above type so constituted as to ac.-

curately control the length of the springs wound onthe machine. 1 i I Yet another object of the invention is the provision of means for discharging the finished springs from the machine and securing them to an adhesive tape in such a manner that they may be readily handled during a later assembly operation. 1

Still another object of the invention is to provide a,

novel method of handling the springs as they are discharged from the machine.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for controlling "a sequence of operationsin a spring windingmachine. N i

Yet another object is the provision of mechanism for insuring that the springs will be 'of uniform length.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for stopping the machine in the event a spring is not properly discharged therefrom'after winding.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of means forcontrolling the unwinding of the spring to an unstressed condition following the winding operation.

These and other novel objects and features of the ing Y vention will be more readily understood when considered in the light 'of the following specifications and the attached drawings. It is to be specifically understood however, that the drawings are utilized for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, reference being had for this pur- In the drawings, Fig. l is a front elevational view of the machine, partially in section;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view showing the drive mechanism and the mechanism driven thereby in schematic form;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view showing the wire feed and cut-off mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view taken from the right showing the mechanism of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the spring windingarbor and arbor carriage mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a partial end view of the mechanism of Fig. 5 taken from the left;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the adhesive tape feed mechanism; J l e I Fig. 8 is a partial view of the mechanism of'Fig. 7 taken from the right;

Fig. 9 is a'planview partially in section showing a,

portion of the mechanism of Fig.7;

8 and 9 and a V-belt' -10 extending therebetween. A main 2 V Fig. 10 is a front elevational view, partially in section, of the pressure pad mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an end view of the pressure pad mechanism and a portion of the tape feed mechanism taken from the left;

Fig. 13 is a front elevational view, partly in section; of a portion of the spring bending or twister mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a plan view, partially in section, of the mechanism of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a rear elevational view, partially in section, showing a portion of the bending or twister mechanism associated with the spring winding arbor and collet;

Fig. 16 is a front elevational view of the feeler mechanism;

Fig. 17 is a plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 16;"

Fig. 18 is an end view of the mechanism of Fig. '17 taken from the left and shown partially in section;

Fig. 19 is an end view, partially in section, of the arbor positioning mechanism as taken from the left, the mech anism being shown rotated clockwise from its normal position;

Fig. 2G is another view of the'mechanism of Fig; 19;

Fig. 21 is -an exploded view in perspective of some of the mechanism of Figs. 19 and 20;

I Fig. 22 is a diagrammatic view, taken from the left, of the reeling mechanism for removing adhesive tape and completed springs from the machine;

Fig. 23. is a view showing the air control mecha for the machine in diagrammatic form;

Fig. 24 is a view in section of one of the valves shown in Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a viewin section of one'of the control valves of Fig. 23; i

Fig. 26 is a view taken from the left showingthe' form of some of the cams which control the machine;

. Fig. 27 is a view taken from the left, showing the form of the other cams which control the operation of the machine;

Fig. 28 is a timing diagram showing the relative timing of all of the cams;

Fig. 29 is a wiring diagram showing the electrical controls for the machine, and

Fig. 30 is a view in perspective of a spring adapted to be formed by the machine.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l of the drawings, which is a front elevational view of the machine, the machine including a frame 4 having a suitable base, not shown, a reduction gear box 5 mounted on the left hand end of the machine having a drive shaft 6 extending there from and driven by a reversible motor 7 through pulleys cam shaft 1'1, extending longitudinally of the machine, is driven from the gear box by skew gears 12 and 13, back gearing unit M, and a one way clutch 15, the lattei' being so constructed as to drive the cam shaft 11 in a;

counter-clockwise direction, as'viewed from the left, but not in the opposite direction. A cam shaft is provided with cams l6 and 17 adapted to control the operation of switches 13 and 19 respectively, for purposes to be herein after more fully described, as well as acam 20 which is adapted to operate a tape mechanism. A' cam operated- 26, 27, 28, 2.9, 30, 3 1, and 32, thesecams being operable respectively .to control the operation of air control valves 33, 34, 35,56, 37, 38,- and 39,.the mechanism foro erating these'valves being more fully shown and described. in connection with Fig. 25. I

A longitudinal'main shaft 40 is adapted to be con 7 nected to the motor driven shaft 6 by means of a clutch 41 controlled by an arm 42 attached to a sliding rod 43,,the movement of the latter rod being controlled by a solenoid, not shown in this view. Thus, with the motor operating, the reduction gear mechanism is driven at all times, While the main shaft 40 is driven by the motor only when the clutch 41 is engaged. A spring winding spindle 44 is geared to the main shaft 40 as will be described later, and a collet shaft 45 is mounted in bearings 46 and 47 in line with the spindle 44 and geared to the main shaft to rotate at the same speed as the spindle and in the same direction.

A wire feed unit 48 is slidably mounted on the frame of the machine, an upright member 49 being secured to a horizontal slide 50 slidably mounted between the numbers 51 and 52 which support the bearings 46 and 47-,'and a cover plate 52 secured to the members. The left end of the slide 50 is provided with an extension 54, this extension being connected by a link 55 and a rack 56, and by means of a link 57 with a piston rod 58 connected to a piston in an air cylinder 59. The rack is adapted to be driven to the right from the gearbox through means to be described, and a clutch 60 controlled by solenoids 61 and 62 is adapted to connect or disconnect the drive means from the rack. In addition to the foregoing, a spring measuring arm 63 is driven from the gear box, and is adapted on movement in one direction to contact an adjustable stop 64, and on movement in the other direction to engage and operate a control switch 65. The construction is such that the wire feed unit 48 is moved to the right during the winding of the spring by means of therack 56, and on declutching of the drive mechanism for the rack by the disengagement of the clutch 60, is retracted to the left by the operation of the air cylinder 59. 1 .As heretofore stated, the wire feed unit 48 includes an upright member 49 secured to the slide 50, and a wire feed cylinder 66 secured to the upper end of the upright by means of a bracket 67 and a nut 68. A wire feed block 69 is mounted on a piston rod 70 extending downwardly out of the air cylinder, the block being guided for vertical movement along the upright member 49 by suitable guides 70a. Secured to the lower portion of the upright 49 is a cut-ofi and hook forming unit 71 adapted to be operated by an air cylinder 72.

At the right of the wire feed unit 48, a pressure pad mechanism 73 is provided, this mechanism including a pressure pad 74 secured to a shaft 75 for rotation therewith, the shaft being slidably mounted on a base portion 76 of the machine in bearings 77 and 78 and being biased to the right in the position shown by means of a spring 79 interposed between the bearing number 78 and a collar 80 secured to the shaft and normally resting against the left side of the shaft bearing number 77. The rotatable arbor 44 is mounted on an arbor carriage 81 slidably mounted on rods 82 and 83 mounted on the base 76 of the machine, and on movement of the arbor carriage to the left as will be hereinafter described, the carriage engages the right end of the pressure pad shaft 75 to move it to the left for purposes to be more fully described.

A twister assembly 85 is mounted on the arbor carriage for movement therewith, the arbor carriage being moved back and forth longitudinally of the machine by means of a suitable air cylinder 85 having a piston connected to the carriage by means of a piston rod 86. A feeler arm and switch assembly 87 is mounted on a stationary portion of the machine adjacent the arbor slide carriage, this including a feeler switch 88 so arranged in connection with the feeler mechanism and control mechanism as to stop the entire machine in the event a completed spring is not discharged properly from the spring winding arbor 44 at the completion of the spring winding operation.

In clarification of the description to follow later, it is to be noted that all rotations are taken from the left end of the machine, the front of the machine, or looking down on the machine. When the machine is operating to actually wind the spring, the motor 7, the main shaft 40, and the measuring arm "61} are all rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, while the collet shaft 45 and the spindle 44 are rotating in a clockwise direction. The

cam shaft 11 and the cam unit 21 are inoperative during the spring winding operation, but at the end of the spring winding operation, both cam shafts rotate through one revolution in a counter-clockwise direction following the reversal of the motor 7 from a counter-clockwise to a clockwise directionof rotation and disengagement of clutches41 and 60. .Since the above clutches are disengaged following the completion of the spring winding operation and reversal of the motor, it will be apparent that themain shaft 40, the collet shaft 45, the winding arbor 44, and the drive means for the wire carriage feed rack 56 are inoperativeduring the cam shaft cycle. I 7

Referring now to Fig. 2, showing a schematic arrangement of some of the drive mechanism in isometric form, the drive shaft 6, which is driven by the motor 7 through V belt 10 and pulley 9, it is mounted on suitable bearings89 and 90 in the housing of the gear box 5 and is provided with a Worm gear 91 which mates with a gear 92' mounted on a vertical intermediate shaft 93 in the gear box. This shaft has a worm gear 94 mounted below the gear 92 and adapted to engage a gear 95 on shaft 96 mounted on bearings -97 and 98 in the gear box, this shaft being provided adjacent its left end with a skew gear 99, with the measuring arm 63 being mounted '3 on the left end of the shaft 96 by means of a split friction bushing '100 which provides a frictional drive between the shaft and the arm. The end of the arm adjacent the shaft is provided with a slot 101 and a cap screw 102. serves to tighten the frictional connection between the arm and the shaft.

line therewith, and is provided at its upper end with a feed carriage drive gear 109 which meshes with the teeth of the rack 56. The clutch mechanism 60 is adapted to connect or disconnect the shafts 106 and 108, the action of the clutch being controlled by solenoid 1 coils 61 and 62 which act through arm 110 to respectively engage or disengage the clutch. Referring again to the vertical shaft 93, this is provided at its lower end with the skew gear 12 which meshes with gear 13 secured to a short horizontal shaft 113. The back gearing unit 14 adjacent the right end of shaft 113 comprises gears 114, 115, and shaft 116, gear 117, and gear 118, and serves to drive a horizontal shaft 119 at a very low speed due to the reduction afforded by the back gear and by the other gears shown in the gearbox. The shaft 119 and the cam shaft 11 have the one-way clutch 15 mounted thereon, and the construction is such that when the shaft 119 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, the clutch 15 is eflective to rotate the shaft 11 in a similar direction, While on rotation of the shaft 119 in a clockwise direction, no rotation is imparted to the cam shaft.

As stated heretofore, cams 16, 17, and'20, are mounted on the cam shaft, for purposes described in connection with the. description of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the clutch 4l, -it will be apparent that this serves to connect or disconnect the shaft 6 and the g by'the movement of the arm 42 mounted on rod 43', which in turn is controlled by the action of the solenoid coils 120 and 121. Energization of the coil 120 serves to disengage the clutch, while energization of the coil 121 serves to engage the clutch. As shown, the main shaft is provided with a gear 122 in engagement with a gear 123 on the collet shaft 45. At the right end of the main shaft 40, an elongated gear 124 is provided and slidably engaged'by a gear 125 mounted on a shaft 126 which is connected to and serves to rotate the winding arbor 44. It will be noted that the shafts 45 and 126 are in axial alignment, and that the arrangement of the gears 122, 123, 124, and 125 is such that the shafts 45 and 126 both rotate at the same identical speed and in the same direction.

During the winding of the spring, the clutches 41 and '60 are engaged, and the motor, a gearbox drive shaft 6, the main shaft 40, the measuring arm 63, and the vertical shaft 108 rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, and consequently the collet shaft 45 and the arbor shaft 126 rotate in'a clockwise direction. During the winding operation, the shaft 119 which is associated with the oneway cam shaft drive clutch 15 rotates in a clockwise direction, and thus does not impart any rotation to the cam shaft 11. As will be explained more fully'hereinafter, the construction and the control mechanism is such that on completion of the winding of the spring, the motor is reversed to rotate in a clockwise direction and the clutches 41 and 611 are disengaged. Thus during this portion of the cycle, the gear box drive shaft 6 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the main shaft and the shafts 45 and 126 are stationary, the shaft 168 is disconnected fromthe shaft 196, and the measuring arm 63 rotates in a clockwise direction it engages the stop 1113, whereupon the frictional engagement between the measuring arm and the shaft 96 permits the shaft to rotate further without further movement of the arm. Also, the shaft 119, which is so connected to the gear box drive shaft 6 as to rotate at a very slow speed, is effective through the action of the one-way clutch 15 to rotate the cam shaft 11 and the connected lower cam shaft 22 in a clockwise direction, the construction being such, as will be fully explained later, that the upper and lower cam shafts rotate through one revolution to control the various sequential operations required between the completion of the winding of one spring and the starting of the winding of the following spring. In order to prevent appreciable over running of the cam shaft at the completion of its single revolution, a friction brake mechanism 127 is mounted on the shaft adjacent its right end, this brake mechanism comprising split collars 123 and 129' which are clamped together by cap screws 13% in order to hold friction elements 131 in frictional engagement with the shaft. Rotation of the brake mechanism 127 is prevented by means of a torque arm 132 which is suitably connected to the frame of the machine.

In addition to the foregoing, a zero switch mechanism 133 is mounted on the main shaft 4% as shown. The switch includes a switch operating member 134- slotted at its right end as shown and being provided with a clamping screw 135 which serves to clamp friction elements 136 against the shaft 49. A switch operating arm 137 extends to the left of the shaft and is movable between upper and lower stops 13S and 139 suitably secured to the frame of the machine. A spring switch arm 140 is secured to the machine and extends to the right as shown, the switch arm being provided with a contact 141, being adapted on downward movement of the arm to engage a similar contact 142. Thus on rotation of the shaft 40 in a. counter-clockwise direction, the frictional engagement between the shaft and the switch arm 134 will serve to rotate the arm in the same direction, whereupon the left end of the arm 137 engages the switch arm 14!) to close contacts 141 and 142. On rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction, the switch arm will rotate in the opposite direction also until it engages the upper stop 138, and at the same time'the spring arm 1'40 move upward to disengage the contacts.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, further detail of the wire feed unit 48 and the cut-off and hook forming unit 71 is shown, in addition to the showing already described in connection with Fig. l. A spring wire 143, which is fed to the machine from a supply reel, not shown in this view, passes through a suitable guide opening in a bracket 144 on the upper end of the cylinder 66, passes through the feed block mechanism 69, and thence through the cutoff mechanism 71. In Fig. 4, the feed block mechanism has been cut away to show the means for gripping the wire during the feeding movement, this means including a pawl 145 pivotally connected to the block by pin 146, and having a portion 14-7 at its right end adapted to clamp the wire against an insert 148 mounted on a stationary portion of the feed block. The location of the pivot point of the pawl 145 is such with relation to the location of the gripping portion 147, that on downward movement of the feed block, the portion 147 tends to wedge the wire against the insert 148, while on upward movement of the block, assuming that the wire is held at the lower end, the portion 14-7 moves away from the insert 148, al-

of a rack 153 connected to the piston of double acting air cylinder 72. The front face of the gear 152, as viewed in Fig. 4, is provided with a projecting portion 154 having a sharp cutting edge 155 adapted on clockwise rotation of the gear to engage and cut off the Wire at the lower end of the hollow guide 155. Following this cut-off operation, the gear continues to rotate, and the right face of the projecting portion 154 engages the wire and wraps it around the spindle 151 to form a hook on the end of wire, the rotation of the gear for this purpose being of the order of During this bending operation, the wire directly below the spindle 151 is prevented from bulging to the left by means of a fixed stop 156 on the framework of cut-off mechanism. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, the operation of the feed cylinder 66 and the cut-off cylinder 72 is controlled in proper sequence by means of suitable cam operative air valves. It will also be understood, that during the spring winding operation, the entire feed and cut-off mechanism is moved to the right along the spring winding arbor 44 by the rack 56 at the proper pitch for the spring being wound.

Figs. 5 and 6 show the arbor slide mechanism in further detail, Fig. 5 being taken from above the machine, and Fig. 6 being a partial end view of the arbor 44 and a portion of the mechanism adjacent thereto. Referring particularly to Fig. 5, the arbor slide carriage 81 is mounted to slid on rods 82 and 83, and an elongated gear 124 on the main shaft 40 drives the arbor shaft 126 through gear 125 which is adapted to slide along the teeth of the gear 124 on movement of the arbor carriage along the machine. The spring winding arbor 44 is suitably secured to the shaft 126 for rotation therewith, and is provided on one side with a flat groove 157 and with an arcuate groove 158 on the under side thereof, the mechanism'being such, as will be more fully explained, that at the termination of the spring winding operation, the arbor always comes to rest at the position shown in this view. A split collar 159 is secured to the arbor carriage by means of a bracket 160, this collar having a tangential slot 161 on one side thereof, as shown in Fig. 6. When the hook is formed on a straight portion of wire at the right end of the spring at the completion of the spring winding operation, the straight portion is bent downward and passes through this slot into the interior of the collar 159. The spring is later allowed to unwind to a smaa unstressed condition, and the direction of unwinding as viewed in Fig. 6, is clockwise, so that the hook po'rtion of the spring and the straight portion of wire does not tend to catchin the slot 161. The arbor carriage'operat ing cylinder 85 is provided with air ports 161a and 162 as shown.

, As indicated heretofore, means are provided for olfsetting the springs in spaced relationship on to an adhesive tape as the Winding of the spring is completed, the mechanism for'controlling this operation being in the central rear portion of the machine, and therefore not shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show this arrangement, and referring first to Fig. 7, a shaft or rod 163 is slidably mounted in bearing blocks 164 and 165 secured to the frame of the machine, the left end of the rod being slidably mounted in a cylinder 166 which is supplied with air under pressure through a port 167 whenever the machine is in operation, the piston being provided with a suitable sealing ring 168 at its left end. This sliding rod extends to the right and is non-rotatably connected to an arm 169 which is in turn non-rotatably connected to a rod 170 slidably mounted in a bearing block 171 also secured to the framework of the machine. A one-way clutch 172 is mounted on the rod 163 at the left side of a tape roller 173, while a similar clutch 174 is mounted on the rod at. the right side of the tape roller. One of the relatively rotating portions of the clutch 172 is connected to a lever 175 rotatably mounted on the rod, this lever being actuated by the cam 20, shown in Fig. 1, through the medium of a cam follower roller 176 carried by a lever 177 connected to a shaft 178 rotatably mounted on bearing blocks 179 and 181) on the machine. At the left end of the shaft 178 a similar lever 181 is rovided also non-rotatably mounted on the shaft, the end of this lever being connected to the lever 160 by means of universal joints 182 and 183 and link 184 interconnected.therebetween. Referring now to the oneway clutch 174, one of the relatively rotatable parts of the clutch is connected to the tape roll 173, while the other part of the clutch is connected to the arm 169. The feed cam 20 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the left end of the machine, or in a clock wise direction as viewed in Fig. 8, and on engagement of the cam with the cam follo'wer roll 176 during the cam shaft rotation, the shaft 178 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8 to impart counterclockwise rotation to the lever 175 about the rod 163. An off-set roller support 185 is non-ro'tatably secured to the level 175, .and a small roller 186 is rotatably mounted on the offset portion of the support at the right end thereof, the support being so positioned that the roller tends, dn rotation of the lever 175, to rotate about theaxis of the rod 163 with its outer surface in contact with the surface of the roller 173.

The arrangement of the two clutches is such that on counter-clockwise rotation of the lever 175, as viewed in Fig. 8, the roller 173 can rotate, while on rotation of the arm 175 in the opposite direction, the roller 173 is prevented from rotating. Except when operated by the cam 20, thearm 175 is maintained in the position shown by the tension of the adhesive tape passing through the machine, as will be more fully described later. It will also be noted that a portion of the tape handling mechanism is slidably mounted on the machine as heretofore indicated, the rod 170, during the spring winding portion of the cycle, being moved to the left to the position shown by engagement with the sliding arbor carriage 81. The entire arbor carriage moves .to the left on the machine at the start of the spring winding operation, and in doing so engages the shaft 170 to move the tape rollers and clutches bodily to the left to the position shown in Fig. 7. On subsequent movement of thearbo'r carriage to the right at thecompletion of the spring winding operation,

the entire tape handling mechanism is moved to the right by the action of air under pressure on the left end ofthe rod 163, theuniversal joint connections at the ends of link 184 permitting this type of operation. On such movement of the tape handling mechanism to the right, a spacer 187 on the shaft abuts the bearing block 171 and positions the assembly.

- The pressure pad mechanism 73 is illustrated more in detail in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Referring more particularly to Fig. 12, the pressure pad 74, which may be made of resilient material or fabric, is clamped to an arm 188 by means of a plate 189 and a bolt 190 as shown. The arm 188 in turn is clamped to the ro'd 75 by meansof bolts 191. The bolts 191 also serve to clamp a lever 192 to the rod 75, and as shown in Fig. 12, the rod 75 and the lever 192 are normally biased in a clockwise direction by means of a leaf spring 193 secured to a base portion 194 of the machine by means of a cap screw 195; The base portion 194 also supports an air cylinder 196 having a piston 197 slidably mounted therein, the air cylinder being provided at its outer end with a port 198 adapted to be supplied with air under pressure by means of a suitable control valve to be more fully described hereinafter. When pressure is supplied to the air cylinder, the lever 192, the shaft 75, and the attached lever 188 and pressure pad 74 are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 75 to engage the pressure pad 74 with a spring on the arbor 44. At the same time, the construction of the mechanism is such that an adhesive tape 199, which passes over the tape roller 173 and around the small tape roller 186 as shown, is pressed against the side of the spring opposite the pressure pad 74 by the operation of the tape control mechanism shown and previously described in connection with Figs. 7, 8, and 9 to adhesively secure the completed spring to the adhesively coated surface of the adhesive tape. On release of the air pressure from the cylinder 196, and on retraction of the tape roller 186 by the cam 20 on the upper cam shaft, following retractio'n of the arbor carriage and the arbor 44 to remove the latter from the inside of the completed spring, the spring remains on the tape, and is wound up on a suitable winding wheel connected with the machine as will be described.

It will be noted in the above figures that on movement of the arbor carriage 81 to the left, it engages the right end of the rod 75 to remove the rod to the left against the biasing action of the spring 79 interposed between the rod bearing number 78 and the collar 80 which is secured to the shaft 75. On such movement of the rod 75 by the arbor carriage, the lever arm 188, the pressure pad 74 and the associated parts, and the lever arm 192, are moved bodily to the left, with the lever support 192 sliding to the left across the outer end of the piston 197 in the cylinder 196. On retraction of the arbor carriage 81 to the right following the completion of the spring winding operation, the aforementioned assembly again moves to the right until stopped by abutment of the collar 80 with bearing member 77. At the same time, the slidable tape control mechanism, previously described, which has also been moved to the left at the initiation of the spring winding operation, is moved to the right bodily along with the pressure pad assembly mechanism, the arbor carriage during this phase of the operation being moved to the right sufiiciently to remove the arbor from the inside of the completed spring, leaving the spring interposed between the pressure pad 74 and the adhesive tape 199. Following this, as will be described in connection with the detailed operation of the machine, the pressure pad 74 and the adhesive tape roll 186 both retract from the position shown in Fig. 12, leaving the spring secured to the surface of the adhesive tape 199.

The twister or final bending assembly is shown in more detail in Figs. 13, 14 and 15, the twister assembly being mounted on the sliding arbor carriage 81 for movement therewith longitudinally of the machine. The assembly includes a support 200 suitably attached to the:

arbor carriage and carrying a twister cylinder 201 having a piston 202 slidably mounted therein and provided at its outer end with cylindrical projections 203 and 204 as shown more particularly in Figs. 14 and 15. A piston rod 205 is connected to the piston and extends outwardly to the end of the cylinder opposite the piston through a bore 206, the rod being provided at its outer end with a washer 207 held in position by a cotter key 208 and a spring 209 being interposed between the washer 207 and an abutment 210 on the end of the cylinder, this spring serving to normally keep the piston in the position shown. A port 211 serves to admit air under pressure to the cylinder 201. A gear 212 is secured to the rod 205 for rotation therewith, and with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 14, the upper end of this gear is spaced as shown from a surface 213. The gear is adapted to be rotated by a rack 214 connected by means of a connector 215 to a piston rod 216 secured to a piston 217 in cylinder 218, the cylinder being provided with ports 219 and 220 adapted to admit air under pressure to one side or the other of the piston 217. A seal 221 is provided at the left end of the cylinder for preventing leakage past the piston rod. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, the operation is such that air is first admitted to the cylinder 201 to move the rod 205 and the piston 202 longitudinally upward as shown in Fig. 14, and to thereafter admit air to the right end of cylinder 218 to move the rack 214 to the left and'rotate the gear 212 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 13. At the completion of the spring winding operation, and following the cutting off of the wire extending upward from the right end of the spring, this twisting mechanism is effective to engage and bend the cut-off portion of the wire down ward substantially in line with the axis of the spring. Following the bending operation, the control mechanism is such that the parts are immediately retracted to the position shown in the drawings. As indicated in Fig. 15, the cylindrical projection 203 on the piston 202 is concentric with the axis of the rod 205, and is so positioned that with the arbor 44 stopped in the predetermined position heretofore referred to, it is positioned for engagement with groove 158 on the under side of the arbor, the projection 204 resting as shown relativeto the spindle, in a position which, as viewed in Fig. 13, would be directly above the upper surface of the spindle. As the gear 212 and rod 205 are rotated by the rack 214, the projection 204 engages the wire at the right end of the spring and bends it over a horizontal position, the flat portion 157 on the arbor permitting this to occur. 'It should also be noted that the clearance between the upper end of the gear and the surface 213 in Fig. 14 is such as to permit the gear to slide along the teeth of rack 214 sufficiently to allow the movement of the piston 202 as described.

The arrangement of the tool collet relative to the Winding arbor 44 is also indicated in Fig. 15. In general a collet 222 is secured to the collet shaft 45, shown in Fig. 2, the collet mechanism including a member 223 slidably mounted in the mechanism and biased to the right by means of a spring 224. As best shown in Fig; 2, the member 223 has a flat surface portion 225 and a projection 226 extending outward therefrom, this projection being adapted for engagement by the left end of the spring winding arbor 44 on movement of the arbor and its carriage to the left at the initiation of the spring winding operation. At the initiation of the spring winding operation a wire passes vertically downward just at the right of collet member 227, the wire being so positioned as to be engaged by the left end of the projection 226 on movement of the member 223 to the left. A'slot 228 is provided in the member 227, and on movement of the parts to the left asshown in Fig. 15, the end portion of the wire is carried into the slot by the projection 226, thus forming a hook on the end of the: wire, it being ap: parent that the wire from the supply reel under this condition of operation, extends directly upward from the arhot in a position for winding the spring on movement of the wire feed carriage mechanism 48 to the right. This arrangement of course also serves to permit the wire to be gripped between the arbor and the collet in order to permit the winding of the spring. When the spring is completed, and the arbor carriage and arbor are moved to the right, as will be described, the movement is sufficient to permit the arbor to disengage the collet'and allow the hook which has been formed therein to move to the right out of the groove in the collet.

The feeler mechanism 87, which operates to stop the entire machine in the event a completed spring is not properly discharged from the winding arbor 44, is best shown in Figs. 16, 17, and 18. The mechanism includes a feeler arm 229 which is pivotally connected to a stationary portion of the machine 230 by means of a pivot pin 231. A roller 232 is pivotally mounted on the feeler arm by means of a pin 233, and is adapted en engage the upper surface of a cam 234 secured to and movable with the slidable arbor carriage 81. A rounded portion 235 at the left end of the arm engages a slot 236 in a block 237 secured to a tube 238 slidably mounted in a bore 239 in a bearing member 240 secured to the framework of the machine. A rod 241 is slidably mounted in the tube 238, and a pin 243 in the block passes through a slot 244 in the tube and rod and keeps the latter from turning. A pin 245, shown at the right end of the rod 241 in Fig. 18, and passing through the rod, is connected to the block 237 by means of suitable springs 245, these springs serving to normally maintain the rod in the position shown with the right end of the slot 244 abutting the pin 243. A switch actuating plunger 247 extends from the switch 88 as shown in Fig. 16, and normally rests in a groove 248 in rod 241, the construction of the switch being such that with the plunger in this position, the switch contacts are closed. The lower end of the rod 241 is provided with a feeler or presser foot 249 having a slot 250 in the lower end thereof adapted to pass over the arbor 44 in the event there is no spring on the arbor.

When the arbor carriage 81 is moved to the left at the initiation of the spring winding operation, the cam 234 serves to raise the lever 229 in order to move the presser foot 249 out of the way, the construction being such that on upward movement of the lever, the left end 235 of the lever acting in slot 236 on the block 237 bodily raises the block, the switch 88 which is secured to the block, the rod 241, the tube 238, and the presser foot 249, the pin 243 of course serving to raise the rod along with the rest of the mechanism. When the arbor carriage 81 is retracted at the completion of a spring winding cycle, the presser foot and associated mechanism again drops down to the position shown in the'drawings in the event there is no spring on the arbor 44, and in this case the switch 88 is not operated to open the contacts thereof and stop the machine. In the event there is a spring remaining on the arbor, however, the slot 250 in the presser foot is not wide enough to pass over the spring, and consequently as the arm drops, the presser foot is stopped by the spring, causing relative movement between the rod and the switch plunger 247. This cams the switch plunger out of the groove 24S and opens the contacts of the switch to stop the entire machine through control mechanism which will be more fully described hereinafter. In order to insure prompt and rapid operation of the presser foot mechanism, the arm 22? is biased in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 231 by means of a spring 251 interposed between the arm and a screw 252 secured to the support member240.

Mechanism is also provided for stopping the arbor in the same angular positioneach time the winding of a springis completed, this being for the purpose of allow-v ing proper registration of the projections 203 and 204 on the twister mechanism with the notch 158 on the arbor and the flat portion 157 formed thereon. This indexing or positioning mechanism is best shown in Figs. 19,

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