US842191A - Rotating heating device for tubulating glass bulbs. - Google Patents

Description

, PATENTED JAN. 29, 1903.

R. B. FLATHER.

SS BULBS.

ROTATING HEATING DEVICE FOR TUBULATING. GLA

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21 1906.

UNITED strirrns PATENT (inn-Ion.

ROBERT BRUCE FLATHER, or OAKLAND, oiniironnni, ASSIGNOR TO BRYAN-MARSH COMPANY, on NEW YORK, AconPoRATroN OF NEW YORK.

ROTATING HEATING DEVICE FOR TUBULATING GLASS BULBSQ I no. 842,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT BRUCE FLA- THEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Qakland, in the county of Alameda and rovide means whereby heat may be. applied uniformly to the tube at the lower extremity and in the zone where the attenuation is pro-- duced after the tube has been-joined to the bulb. The same end has been attained here- -tofore bythe' operator directing heatingflames upon the tube by means of a handburner, which was manipulated about the tube in such positions as to apply the flames as nearly as possible to all sides alike. Such a method, however, has not been found to be satisfactory, since it is impossible to always focus the heating-flame by hand directly upon the proper spot when the burner is subject to constant movement, and, further, the movement of the burner about the tube for the purpose of applying the heat to all sides is not easily ei'l'ected without one side cooling while the other side is being heated. This is not 'only undesirable for the purpose of forminga satisfactory joint when the tube is applied to the bulb, but, as is well known to those skilled in the art, an'uneven heat at the zone of. attenuation always results. in the tube caving upon the softest side as it is being drawn out.. For the urpose of remedying these defects I have evised a mechanically-open ated means by which the heat may be applied uniformly to a tube as desired and applied to all sides alike without pcrinil'tii'ig thereof to become-cool.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one form of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the rotatablc device for applying the flames. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly broken Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21) 1906. Serial No. 312,944.

of air and to the grooves.

any portion Patented Jan. 2 9, 1907.,

- away to show the supporting-plate, through which the air and gas connections to the rotatable flame-plate are made. Fig. 3 is a' bottom plan view of the rotating flame-plate.

The supporting or bed plate A for the device is carried by a standard A or by any other suitable means and has in the form shown a flat machined upper surface. Mounted upon this-upper surface is the flameplate B, which is channeled on its under face withJcontinuous concentric grooves B- B.

,These grooves are positioned to ride over two ,ports A A in the supporting-plate, which are connected with air and gas supplies, which thus maintain a constant su ply Carried by the upper face of the flame-plate are blowpipes B and gas-burners B, the burners connected with the inner orgas groove B and the blowpipes connected with the outer orair groove B before mentioned. On the outer periphery of said flame-plate are rackteeth B engaged by a pinion C,-mounted on a short shaft C, which is rotated by a ower-wheel C orother device in any preferred manner. In order to secure a tight contact during rotation, the fiameate A is held against thebed plate B by means of bolts- D secured thereto and passing through a rotatin l'ring against the under face of the bed-plate, 'as shown in Figv 1, and I preferto insert springs D between thehead of the bolts D'and the said ring D in order that the proper frictional pressure. may be secured without causin themechanism to bind. The burners' and blowpipes are so arranged as to direct the flames inwardly and concentrate them about the axis of their plane of rotation. L. i

Mounted upon a standard E adjacent to the revolving flame-plate is an adjustable .res-t E in the form of a horseshoe, against the lower face of which the upper side of a bulb is held during the tubulating operation.

This rest may be hollow and provided upon its upper-face withsmall openings in order thatair connection may be established to D, which bearsapply small cooling-jets about the tubulating zone, if desired. Also carried by the standard E is a sliding sleeve F, supportin a pair of pivoted spring-pressed interlocke jaws F, by which the tube is held, The

sleeve is capable, of vertical reciprocation through means of the hand-lever F fulerumed on a fixed supporting-bracket F By the above arrangement it will be evident that the flame-plate can be kept in a state of constant rotation, the rate of speed of rotation being quite under the control of the operator, who has only to adjust the driving mechanism to conform with the requirements of the case. Thus when the flames are once properly directed and adjusted so they focus upon a tube held in the clamping-jaws there will be no variation between the amount of heat applied to one side and that applied to another and the tube will be continuously and constantly heated on all sides without any danger of becoming cool through reason of the burner being applied to one side only, as in the former hand-operated devices.

The tube can be lowered into the focal I point of the flames and manipulated up and down by means of the hand-lever until it is thorou hly heated about the end. Upon the bu b being then placed in the rest the tube may be lowered until its fused end attaches itself to the apex of the bulb. Thereupon the operator elevates the clamp somewhat, drawing out an attenuating tube at the portion where it has been softened, reducing the interior diameter to a degree suitable for the subsequent exhaustion of the bulb and formation of the tip. The bulb may now bewithdrawn downward, carrying the tube with it until the latter slips out of the clamp-jaws, and the operation maybe again begun with another tube and bulb.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim 1. Mechanism for securing an even appli- 4o cation of heat to tubes, comprisin means for maintaininga tube in'a given axial alinement and means for rotating a burner ,concentrically thereabout,

2. Means for seeming an even application of heat'to' tubes, comprising means for holding a tubeinagiven axial alinement, a sup: port carrying a plurality-of burners and connections whereby it may be mechanically rotated, and means for maintaining a con' stant supply of gas to said burner during rotation.

3. In combination a bed-plate, a flameplate mounted therea ainst, a gas-ductbetween the faces of sai plate, a burner carried by the flame-plate and connected with the gas-duct, means for rotating the flameplate so'that the burners shall move in a circle about a iven axis, and means for holding a tube in a inement with said axis.

4. In combination, means for holding a tube in-a iven axial alinement, a bed-plate,v

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