US577458A - solter - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) I 2Sheets-Sheet 1 J. SOLTER. j CAN MAKING MACHINE. No. 577,458. Patented Peb.'23, 1897.

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CAN MAKING MACHINE. v

Paentsdfeb 23, 1897.; I

llllmmm UNITED STAT S PATENT- QFFIQE.

JOHN SOLTER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN R.

MITCHELL, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN- MAK|NG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,458, dated February 23, 1897.

Application filed June 23, 1896.- $eria1N0- 596,618. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN SOLTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can- Making Machinery, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the manufacture of sheet-metal cans, and particularly to means for preparing the body-blank, so that the side edges of the same may be interlocked for forming the side seam.

It is my object to produce a machine of simple construction by which the work may be carried on efficiently and expeditiously.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the machine; Fig. 2, a section transversely thereof; Fig. 8, aside view of the clamping and breaking mechanism; Fig. 4, a plan View of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 an end view of Fig. 3. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 show the different steps in the operation of the breakrollers.

The sheet-metal blanks are placed upon an endless carrier-belt which passes around carrier-wheels 2, journaled in brackets at the front and rear of the machine, the front wheel having connected therewith a ratchet-wheel which is operated step by step through a pawl 3, a lever 4, pivoted at 5 and connected through a pitman 6 with a gear-wheel 7, j ournaled in a bracket 8, depending from the main frame, the pitman connection being eccentric, so that the revolution of the gearwheel will oscillate the pawl-lever and at each movement the carrier-belt will be moved to the rear a sufficient distance to carry the blanks between the breaking-rollers 8 and 9. The carrier-belt has projections to engage the blanks and feed them to the rear. As shown in Fig. 1, there are a pair of belts and carrierwheels, and the side edges of the sheet-metal blank project over these bands, so as to move between the clamping-jaws 10 11, a pair of these jaws being located at each side of the carrier means and in direct line with the path of the projecting side edges of the can-blank. The lower jaw 11 of each pair is fixed, being rigidly carried by a base-plate 12, secured on the main table 13, and the upper jaw 10 of each pair is movable, and as soon as the projecting edges or ends of the can-blank come between the fixed and movable jaws the movable jaws descend and clamp these edges. The edges project inward beyond the jaws and into recesses 14 in the periphery of breaking-rollers 15, which are journ'aled in bearings on the plate 12. The walls of these recesses form side stops for the edges of the can-blank, and there is a shoulder 16 on one side of the recess and a rounded shoulder 17 on the opposite side of the recess. The inner edges of the gripping-jaws have receding inclined faces, and in the detail view Fig. 6 the inclined face 18 of the lower fixed jaw serves as the anvil or former surface upon which the projecting edge of the can-blank is bent for this purpose.

In addition to the square shoulder and the rounded shoulder 17, the break-roller has a second shoulder 19, extending radially and preferably formed by inserting a piece of hard material in the face of the roller. The bending of the edge of the blank is done simply by the rocking of the roller, and supposing the parts to be in position of Figs. 3 and 6 if the roller is rocked over from right to left the square shoulder 16 will be brought down upon the projecting edge of the blank, and this will be turned down at right angles to the body portion, as in Fig. 7, and upon the rocking of the roller in the opposite direction the rounded shoulder 17 will be moved in front of the right-angular edge of the blank to form a seat therefor, as in Fig. 8, and the square shoulder 19 then coming into play will bend the right-angularblank over upon the inclined surface 18 at an acute angle to the body of the blank, as in Fig. 9, after which the roller rocks back to normal position, (shown in Fig. 3,) with the recess 14 in a central position to receive the projecting edge of the next blank. The rounded shoulder 17 is of such form that it prevents buckling of the right-angular bent edge of the blank under the action of the shoulder 19, it having a Wiping effect on the bent edge and moving the same slightly at an angle to insure the proper bending by the shoulder 19.

The rocking of the rolleris effected through an oscillating or reciprocating drive-rod 20, extending along the front of the machine and operated from a cam 21 011 a shaft 22, journaled in the main frame, said cam having a groove to operate a lever 23. The upper end of this lever carries a roller fitting between projections secured to the side of the reciproeating bar 20, and the bar 520 carries also projections 26, between which fits a roller 27 of a lever 28, connected with the break-roller. These projections 26 may be adjustable to aceurately set the roller in relation to the clamping-jaws.

The movable clamping-jaw is pivoted 011 a lever 10 in standards 27 of the plate 12, and said lever has an extension 28, to which a spring 29 is attached, tending constantly to lift the movable jawlO from the jaw 11. The movable jaw is closed upon the fixed jaw by means of a lever 30, journaled on a transverse pivot 31 of the standard 27 and having an adjusting'serew 32 at its end bearing upon the surface of the clamp-lever 10. The lever 30 has a forked front end carrying a roller 33, which, when the clamping-jaws are open, fits into a depression 34: of a segment 35, fixed on a shaft 36, journaled in bearings 37, which shaft has a depending arm 38, fixed thereto and extending to the drive-rod 20, to which it is connected through a roller and projections in a manner similar to the depending lever 28 of the break-roller.

From this construction it will be seen that when the segment is rocked in either direction from the central normal direction of Fig. 3 the roller of the lever 30 will ride out of the depression 34c and upon the high part of the segment, and thus the elamp-le ver 10 will be forced downwardly through the adj usting screw 32; and this clamping action takes place simultaneously with the rocking of the break -roller, so that when either shoulder of said roller engages the can edge the can-blank will at this time be firmly held by the clamping-jaws, and this elampin g effect takes place in both the forward and the return movements of the breaking-roller.

It will be understood from Fig. 1 that the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is duplicated, one

set being on one side of the carrier-belts and the other set being upon the other side, the parts being simply reversed as to their location.

It will be also seen that the whole operation takes place through the action of a single cam and the reciprocating drive-rod and that the mechanism of the machine is reduced to a minimum number of elements. The gearwheel 7, which operates the carrier mechanism, is in turn operated through a gear 7 on the main cam-shaft 22.

The feeding mechanism, it will be seen, after having moved the blank into the jaws is at rest, and while the bending of the blank is being done the pawl-lever is retracting for a quay be adjusted toward and from each other.

It will be understood that while I have designated the breaking means as oscillating breaking-rollers Ido not limit myself in this respect to a roller form of break device, the essential feature here being an oscillating device shouldered and acting on both of its strokes to bend the metal.

I claim as my invention 1. 111 canmaking machinery, means for holding the can-blanks, and breaking-rollers arranged on fixed axis at opposite edges of the said blanks, with means for oscillating the rollers about their axis to bend the projecting edges of the blanks, the edges being partially bent as the rollers turn one way and completely bent as the rollers turn in the reverse direction, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the gripping-jaws, the breaking-rollers, means for oscillating the rollers about their axis to bend the edges of the metal 011 each stroke and means for feeding the blanks between the gripping-jaws to leave the edges of the same exposed to be e11- gaged by the breaking-rollers, the axis of said break-rollers bearing a fixed relation to the gripping-jaws, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the gripping-jaws for the can-blanks, breaking-rollers with means for moving the same, an endless carrier moving step by step in a constant forward direction to move the blanks between the jaws, said carrier remaining in its moved position until the can-blank is bent, substantially as described.

4. In combination, clamping means, the breaking-rollers, arranged to engage the opposite edges of the blank, the step-by-step endless carrier arranged to feed the blanks with their edges projecting and pawl-andratchet mechanism for giving the carrier a step-by-step movement, the movement of the carrier being always forward and being arrested during the bending of the edges, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the clamping-jaws for gripping the blanks, to leave the edges exposed and break-rollers to engage the opposite edges of the blanks and means for partially rotating the rollers back and forth in opposite directions to bend one edge upwardly and the other downwardly, the said rollers bending the edges partially as they move one way and completing the bending as they return substantially as described.

6. In combination, the gripping-jaws, one of which has an inclined face and a breakroller adapted to engage the projecting end of the can-blank to bend the same upon the inclined face, said roller having an oscillating movement to partially bend the blank as it moves one way and to bend it onto the inclined face as it returns, substantially as described.

7. In combination, the gripping-jaws and a break-roller having a plurality of independent shoulders for bending the projecting end of the can-blank, substantially as described.

8. In combination, the grippingjaws, a shouldered breaking-roller arranged to have rotary oscillation, and means for oscillating the breakroller to and fro to bring first one shoulder and then the other into contact with the projecting edge of the blank, substantially as described.

9. In combination, means for holding the blank and a break-roller having a shoulder 16, a rounded shoulder 17, with a recess between them and a third shoulder 19, substantially as described.

10. In combination, the holding means for the blank having an inclined face 18, a breakroller having a recess, a shoulder on each side of the same and a third shoulder adapted to force the edge of the blank upon an inclined face 18, and means for oscillating the breakroller, substantially as described.

11. In combination, means for holding the can-blanks, a break-roller and means for operating the break-roller and clamp comprising the reciprocating bar with connections to the break-roller and to the clamp, said connections comprising the roller connecting the drive-rod and break-roller and a second roller connected with the drive-rod and having intermediate connections to the clamp, substantially as described.

12. In combination, the clamp comprising the movable jaw, the oscillating break-roller, the lever carrying the clamp, the reciprocating drive-rod, the connection between the same and the break-roller and means for operating the clamp-lever, comprising the segment connected with the drive-rod, substantially as described.

13. In combination, the clamp comprising the movable jaw, the oscillating break-roller and means for controlling the clamp, comprising the oscillating segment and the reciprocating drive-bar for oscillating both the break-roller and the segment, substantially as described.

14. In combination, the clamp comprising the movable jaws, the lever carrying the same, the lever 30 having an adjustable connection therewith, the oscillating segment arranged to move the lever 30, the oscillating break-roller and means for moving said roller and segment, comprising the rollers connected with the break-roller and segment respectively and the drive-rod for moving said rollers, substantially as described.

15. In combination, the clamp, comprising the movable jaw, the lever carrying the same having an extension, the spring controlling the same, the lever 30 having an adjustable connection with the clamp-lever, the oscillating segment arranged to operate the lever 30, the oscillating break-roller and means for moving the same and the segment, substantially as described.

16. In combination, the two clamps, the two oscillating breaking-rollers, the drive-rod extending across the machine, means for reciprocating the same and vertically-extending arms connecting the drive-rod and oscillating rollers and independent arms connecting the drive-rod and clamps, substantially as described.

17. In combination, clamping means, the break-roller, the reciprocating drive-rod connected independently to said parts, the camshaft, the cam and lever connected with the drive-rod, the feed-carrier, and means for giving the same intermittent and constant forward movement, said means being connected with the cam-shaft and being arranged to remain stationary during the bending of the edge of the blank, substantially as described.

18. In combination, the clamps to hold the blank with its edge exposed and the oscillating roller arranged on a fixed axis and operating on said projecting end, said roller receiving the blank at its periphery, substantially as described.

19. In combination, the clamps andabreakroller having a back-and-forth movement and bending the edge partially on one movement and completing the bending on the return of the roller to normal position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of -two witnesses.

JOHN SOLTER.

Witnesses:

WALTER DONALDSON, HENRY E. OooPEE.

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 577,458, granted February 23, 1897, upon the application of John Solter, of Baltimore, Maryland, for an improvement in Gan-Making Machines, was erroneously issued to John R. Mitchell, as owner of the entire interest in said invention; that said Letters Patent should have been issued to the inventor, J ohwSolter and John R. Mitchell, jointly, said John R. Mitchell being the assignee of one-half interest only in said patent, as shown by the record of assignments in this Oflice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 9th day of March, A. D. 1897.

JNO. M. REYNOLDS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Countersigned JOHN S. SEYMOUR,

Commissioner of Patents.

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