US3886778A

US3886778A - Apparatus for the roller stamping of thin sheets, especially starting sheets for electrolytic production of copper

Info

Publication number: US3886778A
Application number: US370622A
Authority: US
Inventors: Olov Carl Gustav Wennberg
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-06-19
Filing date: 1973-06-18
Publication date: 1975-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1992-06-03
Also published as: JPS4952121A; GB1432468A; DE2331232A1

Abstract

Apparatus for the roller stamping of thin sheets, especially starting sheets for electrolytic production of copper. One or more endless bands are disposed for advancing the sheet between the stamping rollers when the sheet is to be stamped. When plural bands are used, they are alternately radially offset.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,886,778

Wennberg June 3, 1975 [54] APPARATUS FOR THE ROLLER STAMPING 2,266,418 12/1941 Evans 72/205 X F THIN SHEETS, ESPECIALLY STARTING 2,506,182 5/1950 Toubhans 72/181 X SHEETS FOR ELECTROLYTIC 2,605,810 8/1952 Rlchardson 72/180 2,708,958 5/1955 Crafton 72/180 PRODUCTION OF COPPER 2,987,988 6/1961 Roblendano 100/121 x 7 Inventor; 01 Carl Gustav wennberg 16, 3,559,438 2/1971 Rouyer et al. 72/160 c p du v Chasseur Bruxenesa 3,680,342 Mott 61 a1. Belgium [22] Filed: June 18, 1973 Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr [211 App] No 370 622 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Young & Thompson Foreign Application Priority Data June 19, 1972 Sweden 8056/72 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 72/180; /151 Apparatus for the roller stamping of thin sheets, espe- [51] Int. Cl B21d 5/16 cially starting sheets for electrol tic reduction of y P [58] Field of Search 72/ 180, 177, 161, 176, copper. One or more endless bands are disposed for 72/220 advancing the sheet between the stamping rollers when the sheet is to be stamped. When plural bands [56] References Cited are used, they are alternately radially offset.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 815,710 3/1906 Johnson 72/ 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PMEW JUH3 l9 HEB 75 3,888,778

FIG.1

FIG. 2

PATENTEDJUNS I875 SHEET FIG. 3

FIGS

APPARATUS FOR THE ROLLER STAMPING OF THIN SHEETS, ESPECIALLY STARTING SHEETS FOR ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION OF COPPER Electrolytic refining of, for example. copper is done in cells, in which raw copper is dissolved in the electro lyte and pure copper is precipitated on the cathode unit, the major portion of which consists of a thin sheet of pure copper. Such thin sheets, usually 1 mm thick, constitute the active portion of so-called starting sheets for the electrolytic refining. Starting sheets usually have a relatively large surface area, 1 m relative to the thickness and are therefore fragile and must be handled with great care. so that they do not buckle or bend in such a way as to become unusable in the electrolytic cells.

The present invention relates to a device, which makes it possible to work starting sheets so that they have an increased rigidity and are not so fragile. The device can be used not only for starting sheets but also for other thin sheets which need to be made more rigid so that they can be handled Without losing their generally plane form.

It is known to stamp starting sheets while being pressed in hydraulic presses, giving the plates at reinforcing pattern, and this method has also been used in connection with the preceding alignment of the sheet. However, the method is relatively time-consuming and the insertion into and extraction from the hydraulic press involves difficulties.

The present invention avoids these disadvantages with a device which is characterized in that the stamping is done by stamping rollers, one or more endless bands being disposed for feeding in of the sheet between the stamping rollers when the sheet is to be stamped. In the present device the apparatus can itself carry out the advancing of the sheets thereby significantly facilitating the process. The endless bands can themselves effect the advancing, but it can also be done by the stamping rollers and the bands working in conjunction. It is possible to let the endless band extend merely over one of two stamping rollers disposed to work in conjunction with one another, but one can instead use two endless bands which run over individual stamping rollers, designed to work in conjunction, the stamping being done by means of the bands.

As a rule it is advantageous to arrange two or more pairs of stamping rollers disposed to work in conjunction, one after another, so that the sheet during advancement by means of the band or bands passes with its front edge first between a pair of rollers and then between another pair. which completes the stamping or continues it. The width of the endless band can be essentially equal to the effective length of a stamping roller and the bands and rollers can be so disposed that the sheet is advanced and stamped in contact with the band on one side and with an opposing stamping roller on the other. It is also possible to divide up the band into a number of sub-bands whose combined width is essen tially the same as the effective length of the stamping roller, every other sub-band running over one of a pair of stamping rollers, disposed to work in conjunction with one another, and the other band running over the other roller in a pair. A simple stamping pattern is ob tained, if each stamping roller in a pair is constructed with parts with different diameters. so that there are two groups of roller members with the same diameter within each group but with the groups ha\ing mutually different diameters, the sub-bands running over those roller members which have the smallest diameter.

Furthermore, it is possible in the same apparatus to arrange alignment rollers over which the band or hands also run. so that the sheet is first advanced between these alignment rollers and is aligned and is then advanced to the stamping rollers.

Examples of the use of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings which relate to an embodiment with several pairs of stamping rollers with alignment rollers mounted in the same apparatus. FIG. I shows the apparatus viewed from above, FIG. 2 is a vertical projection, viewed from below in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 is a view which reveals on a larger scale how the rollers and bands work in conjunction with each other. FIG. 5 shows how a sheet being handled in the apparatus can look when viewed from its front edge when being advanced, and FIG. 6 is a corresponding plane view.

The apparatus shown in the drawing comprises a frame, consisting ofa pair of

frame posts

10 and 12 and upper and lower horizontal

journalling beams

14, 16 and 18, 20 respectively extending between said frame posts and

intermediate beams

22,24. Said

intermediate beams

22,24 are also disposed in pairs on top of one another. The

journalling beams

14,16 and 18,20 carry end bearings for a number of parallel rollers, namely three pairs of

stamping rollers

26,28; 30,32 and 34,36, five alignment rollers, specifically three lower alignment rollers 38 and two upper 40, the latter being placed next to the space between the three lower rollers 38. In addition to said rollers there is a pair of

feedin rollers

42,44 of the same size and shape as the stamping rollers but disposed at a somewhat greater distance from one another than the stamping rollers.

All of the rollers except for the alignment rollers are placed in pairs but with one of the rollers in the pair according to the drawing placed above the other, so that one can imagine an upper and lower row of rollers, in which the upper row contains the feed-in roller 42 and the

stamping rollers

26,30 and 34 and the lower row contains the feed-in roller 44 and the

stamping rollers

28,32 and 36; cf. FIG. 3. A number of endless subbands 46 run over the rollers in the upper row and a number of endless sub-bands 48 run over the rollers of the lower row. They are called sub-bands in this connection because each

band group

46 and 48 can be replaced by a single band, whose width is equal to the entire effective length of the stamping roller. Each stamping roller in a

pair

26,28; 30,32; 34,36 is constructed with

parts

52,54 with different diameters, so that there are two groups of roller members 52 with equal diameters within each group but with different diameters between the groups. The

sub-bands

46,48 run over these roller members which have the smallest diameter.

As is shown in the drawing the

outermost rollers

42,34 and 44,36 respectively serve as turning rollers for the

different sub-bands

46 and 48 respectively. The thicker roller member 42 on a stamping roller lies next to a smaller member 54 on the other stamping roller in the pair and the plate during stamping will therefore lie with one ofits sides against a sub-band on the narrower roller member and the thicker member. free from the band. on the opposing stamping roller.

All of the

lower stamping rollers

28,32,36 are driven from a drive motor 60 over chain or belt driven devices 62 (indicated schematically while the

upper stamping rollers

26,30,34 are driven from axles of the lower stamping rollers over gears or the like.

A sheet which is to be aligned and stamped is shown with its front portion 66 to the left in FIG. 3 and is introduced between those portions of the

endless bands

46,48 which run over the

feedin rollers

42,44. The sheet is caught here by the portions of the endless bands which face one another and is advanced by them first between the

alignment rollers

38,40 where any strains are removed and it is made level, and then between the subsequent pairs of

stamping rollers

26,28; 30,32 and 34,36 respectively. From the stamping rollers the sheet obtains successive elevations 68 and depressions 70 as well as intermediate bevellings 72 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Although the pattern thus obtained is easy to achieve, other stamping patterns can be obtained simply by changing the shape of the stamping rollers.

The bands should be made of non-rigid material, e.g. rubber, since one of their main tasks is to compensate, during the advancing of the thin sheets, for variations in thickness and uneveness in the surface of the plates. so that the advancement is even, among other things. i.e. the front and rear edges of the sheet are moved parallel without side movement during advancement. As an example it could be mentioned that the starting sheet of the type intended here normally has a thickness of 0.7-1.0 mm but that variations can occur be- Lil LII

tween 0.5 and 1.5mm. These variations and the unevenness in the surface, if only hard metal rollers were used. could cause significant problems and make it more difficult or even impossible to achieve an effective stamping of the sheet.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for corrugating thin sheets. comprising a pair of opposed contoured rollers each of which has a plurality of cylindrical portions thereon of alternately large and small diameter that register with respective portions of alternately small and large diameter on the other said roller, a plurality of endless bands passing about said rollers, alternate bands passing about said small portions of one said roller, the remaining bands passing about said small portions of the other said roller, said bands having a length substantially greater than the periphery of said rollers and a width about equal to the axial length of the said small portions about which they pass, and further rollers having axes parallel to said stamping rollers and about which the remaining portions of said bands are trained.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, there being a plurality of said rollers in the direction of movement of a said sheet, whereby a first said roller effects a portion of the corrugation of the sheet and a further said roller continues the corrugation of the sheet.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and alignment rollers for aligning said sheets before the sheets pass be tween said contoured rollers.

l l l

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING THIN SHEETS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED CONTOURED ROLLERS EACH OF WHICH HAS A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL PORTIONS THEREON OF ALTERNATELY LARGE AND SMALL DIAMETER THAT REGISTER WITH RESPECTIVE PORTIONS OF ALTERNATELY SMALL AND LARGE DIAMETER ON THE OTHER SAID ROLLER, A PLURALITY OF ENDLESS BANDS PASSING ABOUT SAID ROLLERS, ALTERNATE BANDS PASSING ABOUT SAID SMALL PORTIONS OF ONE SAID ROLLER, THE REMAINING BANDS PASSING ABOUT SAID SMALL PORTIONS OF THE OTHER SAID ROLLER, SAID BANDS HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLLERS AND A WIDTH ABOUT WHICH THEY PASS, AND LENGTH OF THE SAID SMALL PORTIONS ABOUT WHICH THEY PASS, AND FURTHER ROLLERS HAVING AXES PARALLEL TO SAID STAMPING ROLLERS AND ABOUT WHICH THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF SAID BANDS ARE TRAINED.

1. Apparatus for corrugating thin sheets, comprising a pair of opposed contoured rollers each of which has a plurality of cylindrical portions thereon of alternately large and small diameter that register with respective portions of alternately small and large diameter on the other said roller, a plurality of endless bands passing about said rollers, alternate bands passing about said small portions of one said roller, the remaining bands passing about said small portions of the other said roller, said bands having a length substantially greater than the periphery of said rollers and a width about equal to the axial length of the said small portions about which they pass, and further rollers having axes parallel to said stamping rollers and about which the remaining portions of said bands are trained.