US769644A

US769644A - Fire-finishing machine.

Info

Publication number: US769644A
Application number: US10176102A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry L Bock
Original assignee: TOLEDO GLASS CO
Current assignee: TOLEDO GLASS CO
Priority date: 1902-04-07
Filing date: 1902-04-07
Publication date: 1904-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 1921-09-06

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

H. L. BOCK. FIRE FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NO MODEL.

fro/6,7060 r .7/n/ryj 750 01% PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904,

H. L. BOOK. FIRE FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

7mm: Ma r PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

H. L. BOGK. FIRE FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1902.

3 BHBETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

Patented September 6, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. BOCK, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TOLEDO GLASS COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FIRE-FINISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,644, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed April 7, 1902. Serial No. 101,761. \No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY L. Boon, a citi- The machine herein shown and which con- 1 tains my invention is one which was particularly designed for finishing tumblers, and combines means for fire-finishing the tumbler and for afterward shaping it by rotating it in a mold, which mold is preferably a paste-lined mold.

The invention consists particularly in constructing a machine in which the article to be fire-finished may be held by a so-ealled suction-arm with a seat on its end for the article, with means for exhausting the air from beneath the article to hold it on the arm by atmospheric pressure, such arm or seat carrying the article to the glow box or burner and rotating it in operative relation thereto during the fire-finishing process, also having means for cutting off the vacuum from the seat in case no article is placed thereon, and, further. in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts, as more fully hereinafter described,

ln the drawings,Figure 1 is a section through my improved machine on such a line as to show the article in the glow-box at one point in the operation and the article in the finishing or shaping mold at another point in the operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the mold-actuating mechanism. Fig. a is an enlarged view of a detail of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section through the glow-box A is a suitable base having a central sleeve or socket B, in which is secured a vertical shaft C. At the top of this shaft is secured a spiderframe I), which at its outer end supports a ring E.

1 machine.

F is a sleeve surrounding the middle portion of the shaft C, having a series of radial arms F, which carry at their outer ends a ring G. The parts F, F, and Cr form a rotary frame or spindle-carrier. The spindle-carrier has secured to it a worm-wheel H, which is driven by a worm H on the shaft H, which shaft in turn is driven by a suitable belting from a motor I, preferably secured on the base of the On the ring (1 at suitable points are journal-bearings 1 for the hollow arms or spindles J. These spindles at their inner ends are journaled in bearing J on the collar J which is secured to the top of the spindle-car-. rier or frame, as plainly shown in Fig. 1.

\Vithin the collar J around the shaft C is an annular chamber K, which communicates with the passage K through the shaft C, which passage is connected through any suitable connections at the lower end, such as a pipe K with an exhaust apparatus, so as to make the chamber,K an exhaust or vacuum chamber, and as the ends of the spindles J communicate with the chamber K the air will be exhausted from the interior of said spindles or arms. To the outer end of the spindles are attached the pinions L, which for a part of their travel or movement mesh with the rack-bar L on the under side of the ring E of the spiderframe 1).

M is a glow-box segmental in shape closed on the top, bottom, and rear side and having a slot M on its inner side, its ends being open or having openings through which the article to be tirefinished and which is supported upon the spindle may enter and find exit, the spindles passing through the slot M on the inner side. This glow-box is preferably lined with fire-clay and is provided at N with a gasinlet and at N with a gas and air inlet or Bunsen burner to maintain combustion practically the entire length of the glow-box.

The spindles J have a valve-seat (a near their outer ends and a valve 6 for closing the same. This valve is on the end of the stem 0, which in this construction extends in through the inner end of the spindle and into the annular chamber K. In the normal position of parts this valve is drawn to its seat by the suction and is moved away from its seat when the glass article is desired to be secured on the end of the spindle by means of the engagement of the end of the stem 0 against the cam (Z, secured on the shaft C, as plainly'shown in Fig. 1.

On the end of the spindle is a seat 0 for the glass article, such as a tumbler f. This seat has an aperture it, so that when the valve 5 is opened the air will be drawn in through the aperture it, and if the tumbler or other article is placed upon the seat it will be held tightly thereon by the atmospheric pressure. It is evident that just as soon as the tumbler is placed upon the seat there will be'no longer an indraft of air. Consequently the valve 6 will remain in its open position without the necessity of being held open by the cam, while if the tumbler should be knocked off accidentally or the tumbler should fail to be placed on the seat of each spindle the valve would be drawn to its seat as soon as it has left the raised part of the cam cl.

The operation of the parts so far described is as follows: Motion being imparted from the motor I to the shaft H the spindle-carrier will be slowly rotated by the. gear connection,

from theshaft H consisting of the worm H and the worm-wheel H. The cam (Z is so constructed as to open the valve 7) at the point 0 indicated in the plan view, and at this point the operator places a tumbler upon the seat, where it is held by the atmospheric pressure during the travel of the spindle. In order to positively center the article on the spindle, there is arranged a centering-plate O in the path of the article and at such a point that as the spindle revolves if the article is placed eccentrically upon the spindle it will roll on the centering-plate and slide it across the seat until it is perfectly centered, so that the center of the article is in line with the axis of rotation ofthe spindle. The spindle is rotated by the engagement of the pinion L with the rack L, and the article is firefinished by passing through the glow-box, the spindle entering through the slot M and travcling the whole length of the box, being slowly rotated during such travel. With this construction the axis of the article to be firefinished is preferably horizontal, or substantially so, so that if the glass is heated (as it usually is) to a plastic condition there is no tendency for it to become shortened or elongated, as is the case in machines in which the article is fire-finished while standing in a vertical position, either upright or inverted. It will also be observed that with this machine I am able to fire-finish the entire article while holding it in this horizontal position. because I do away with the use .of guides which grasp or inclose the exterior of the article, the holding means being applied directly to and only upon the bottom of the tumbler. I not only am thus able to finish the entire exterior so as to perfectly eliminate all mold-marks on pressed ware, but also am enabled to support the article by holding it by atmospheric pressure without marring or marking the bottom face thereon in any way.

Vhile I have shown and believe it is desirable in most cases to use my supportingspindle arranged in a horizontal or substantially horizontal position. I believe that my invention is not limited to such arrangement and use.

When the article is fire-finished, it is necessary usually to shape and further finish it, and this I preferably do, as shown in the drawings, while the article is still held upon the spindle J, by revolving the article rapidly inside of a mold, preferably a paste-lined mold. For this I use two mold-sections P, which together form a complete mold, supported and carried by the spindle-carrier, one pair below each spindle. These mold-sections P, I show as carried on arms P. attached to the outer end of shafts P journaled in bearings Q, in brackets Q, connected to the under side of the ring G, as plainly shown in Fig. 1. The shafts P one for each of the mold-sections, are arranged a short distance apart and are provided on their inner ends with pinions R, which are actuated by a rack-bar R, having teeth upon opposite sides. This rackbar slides in suitable guides in the inner face of the bracket Q and is provided with a rollerwrist S, engaging a camway S on the outer face of the flange T, which is secured to the base of the machine. T is a tank filled with water or other suitable fluid. The cam S is so constructed that at approximately the beginning of the glow-box the roller-wrist is lifted up and the mold-sections are lowered, as shown at the left hand in Fig. 1, into the tank, traveling therein while the article is being fire-finished in the glow-box. As the article emerges from the glow-box the moldsections are lifted from the tank by suitable inclines in the cam. After traveling a short distance from the glow-box the sections are closed about the article on the spindle, as shown at the right hand in Fig. 1. As the mold-sections close about the article the pinion L runs off the end of the rack L, and at this point the spindle is rotated at a high speed, so as to more rapidly turn the article inside of the non-rotating mold. The speed of rotation is sufficient to throw the plastic glass against the sides of the mold and not only give it a perfect shape, but also polish it by the rapid rotation of the glass against the paste-lined surfaces of the mold. The rotation which the machine shown herein is clesigned to give at this point in the operation is about three hundred revolutions per minute. Of course this may be varied to suit the requirements of the article and the other conditions as experience and practice may suggest.

My mechanism for turningthis spindle at a high speed consists of a drive-wheel U, sleeved upon the shaft C above the collar l J and driven by a belt connection from a suitable source of power to the drive-pulley U, secured to the drive-wheel U. This drivewheel may be given constant motion.

V is a friction drive-wheel slidingly secured upon the spindleJ and splined thereto. This friction drive-wheel V engages in a socket 2', formed in the lever 7r, journaled on one of the arms F of the spindle-carrier and having a friction-roller at its upper end adapted to bear against the camway m, arranged at a 1 suitable point on the upper spider D, as plainly shown at the right hand of Fig. 1. As the s iindle-carrier F travels and at the time when the mold closes about the article the roller Z strikes this cam m and forces the friction-Wheel V into driving contact with the drive-Wheel U, and thus the necessary high speed is given to the spindle and the article thereon to properly finish the article in the mold. As soon as the roller 1 passes off the 1 cam 11/ the. spindle will cease rotation, and through the operation of the mold-opening device the mold will be opened to permit of the article being removed from the spindle and a new one placed thereon by any suitable means. The cam S is of such shape that as the mold opens the moldsections will move in a substantially horizontal position until they again reach the tank, when they will descend into the water and the operations already described be again repeated.

By the use of this machine I am enabled to take such articles as tumblers directly from the press in which they are made and dispense with the use of boy labor, which is very diflicult to get and which is very uncertain when obtained, in fire-finishing articles. I am also enabled to fire-finish the articles throughout their entire length without marking the bottom of the article. so that when it 1 leaves the machine it is ready for the market without further operations.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a glass-finishing machine, a traveling rotary arm, a seat thereon for the work and means operable at a predetermined point in the travel of said seat for creating a suction l at said seat to hold the work thereon by atmospheric pressure.

2. Inaglass-finishingmachine.a rotary arm, movable to and from a glow box or furnace, a seat thereon for the work, and means oper able at a predetermined point in the travel of said seat for creating a suction at said seat to hold the work thereon by atmospheric pressure.

3. In a glass-finishing machine, a movable suction-arm, a seat thereon for the work, means operable in the cycle of movement of the machine for creating and maintaining a suction at said seat to hold the Work thereon by atmospheric pressure during an interval of time in said cycle of movement.

L. In a glass-finishing machine, a movable rotary suction-arm, a seat thereon for the article connected with an exhaust apparatus combined with means for automatically producing a vacuum. operable at a predetermined point in the cycle of movement of the machine to hold the article thereon.

5. In a glass-finishing machine, the combination with a furnace, glow box or burner, of a rotary suction-arm, means for moving it to and from the furnace, a seat on the arm connected with an exhaust apparatus, means for automatically opening and closing said connection at a predeteri'nined point in the cycle of movement of the machine.

6. In a glass-finishing machine, the combii nation with a furnace or burner, of a traveling support, a series of rotary suction-arms thereon adapted to be moved to and from the furnace. a seat on each arm for the article, means for successively maintaining a vacuum at the seats of the respective arms, during the interval the arms are in operative relation to the furnace, and means for restoring atmospheric pressure to the seats after they leave the furnace.

7. In a glass-finishing machine, the combination with a furnace, or burner, of a traveling support, a series of rotary suction-arms thereon, adapted to be moved to and from the furnace, a seat on each arm, connected with an air-exhaust apparatus, and means for successively exhausting the air from said seat on each arm and for restoring atmospheric pressure to the seat.

8. A seat for a glass article. means for holding the article thereon by atmospheric pressure, a mold or former adapted to be applied to the article, and means for rapidly rotating the seat, to rotate the article whilein contact with the mold around a substantially horizontal axis.

9. The combination of a movable rotating suction-arm, means for producing a vacuum at the seat for the article, and for automatically shutting it off when no article is placed thereon.

10. The combination of a movable rotating suction-arm, a seat for the article thereon, means for producing avacuum at the seat and l for automatically disconnecting the seat from the vacuum-forming apparatus when no article is placed thereon.

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

HENRY L. BOG K.

\Vitnesses:

NELLIE PHOENIX, "11. H. Honss.