Can-body-forming machine.

Application filed January 10.1905.

JOHN ELDRIDGE, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

CAN-BODY-FORMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 7, 19C6.

Serial Ko. 240,432.

pitman 12. The end of the pitman is slotted, so that it slides and is guided upon the shaft 9. The other end of the pitman connects with a rocker-arm 13, mounted upon a shaft 60 14, journaled transversely of the lower part of the frame, and upon the opposite end of this shaft is a lever 15, having a forked upper end which is connected with a reciprocating carrier-bar 16 by a link, as at 17. 65

The sheets of metal from which the canbody is to be formed are placed upon a table 18, and the bar 16 carries an upwardly-projecting arm or spur 19, which is adapted to engage the sheet of metal and advance it 7⁰along the table in the line of movement of the bar 16.

The construction of the cam 10 and tne rocker-arms 13 and 15 is such that a comparatively short reciprocating movement of 75 the parts is produced. Thus the movement of the spur 19 is sufficient to advance the sheet of metal so far that when the carrier is again returned the hinged spring-pressed arm 20, which is movable beneath the sheet, 80 will be carried just behind the edge of the sheet, and its spring will raise it so that the next advance of the bar 16 will cause the arm 20 to engage the sheet and again move it forward, this arm 20 being connected with 85 and movable by the bar 16. The next backward movement in like manner causes the spring-pressed arm 21 to be retracted just behind the edge of the sheet, this in like manner being moved by the bar 16, and the sheet is finally advanced upon the table 22 beneath a weight 23, which prevents the blank from being lifted or disarranged while its leading edge is being presented to the folding mechanism._ This hinged block or plate is shown in Fig. 4. The sheet is now in position to be advanced transversely to its former movement and so that its front edge will be delivered to the folding mechanism.

At the left-hand portion of the machine, as . shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is arranged a hinged _L block or plate 23^a, provided with angle-irons 23^b, which are designed for the purpose of resting upon the sheet of tin and h aiding it 105 down upon the table 18, while the reciprocating lug 19 advances the sheet and carries ' it beneath the plate or weight 23, which latter continues to held the sheet down while it is being moved at right angles with its no former movement and presented to the mandrel and seam-forming devices.'”' This a

To all whom it may concern: . _ ]

Be it known that I, John Eldridge, a citi- i zen of the United States, residing at Astoria, ¹in the county of Clatsop and State of Oregon, s have invented new and useful Improvements in Can-Body-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus especially designed for the manufacture of canto bodies from sheet metal. .

My invention comprises a combmation or parts and mechanism whereby the sheets of metal are successively delivered to the apparatus, are formed into cylindrical bodies with a longitudinal interlocking seam, and are thence discharged from the end of the mandrel.

It also comprises details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, m which— . '

Figure 1 is a front elevation or tne machine. Fig. 2 is a view taken from the right end. Fig. 3 is a view of the left end of the macliine. Fig. 4 is a section taken, tlirougn x X of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view through y y of Fi°·. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of'the rotatable mandrel or former. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively views of the left and ₃o right end. Figs. 9,10,11,12,13,14 are transverse sections showing the successive steps in the formation of the body. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the table. Fig. 16 is a sectional detail of the mandrel and its associated parts.

As shown in the drawings, A is a frame having a suitable base by which it is supported this frame being so constructed as to carry the mechanism to be hereinafter described. Journaled transversely of this frame 40 is a shaft 2, to which power is applied through the medium of a pulley 3 or an equivalent transmitting device. Upon the opposite end of this shaft is a beveled pinion 4, and this pinion engages with a beveled gear-wheel 5, 45 mounted upon a shaft 6, which is journaled longitudinally upon the upper part of the frame and serves to give motion to certain cams and mechanism by which the operation of forming the can-body is completed.

7 is a spur-pinion mounted upon the shaft

2. This engages with a spur-gear 8, mounted upon a transverse shaft 9, journaled m a frame below the shaft 2. In the face of this spur-gear 8 is formed a cam-groove, (shown 55 in dotted lines at 10, Fig. 1,) and this camgroove engages a pin 11, which is fixed to a

100

828,024 shaft 28, it will be manifest that the cam 25 acting upon the pin at the junction of the arms 24 24^a, will cause a knee-lever movement, which will advance the metal sheet with its edge against the gage-plate 26 and m readiness for the next step of the operation.

is a gage against which the advance edge of the sheet is caused to abut, and in this position it is in readiness to receive a sheet, for the first folding operation. This gage is carried upon the arm 27, projecting from a sleeve upon the shaft or support 28 I 20 -and from.which sleeve an arm. 29 extends up | and has.a roller or pin operating on a cam I 30 this cam is mounted upon the shaft 6 } and revoluble therewith.

ίο arm?? ^{by m}f^a?^s_K^{of a pitman or} ’ beneath the correspondingly-inclineded<m of compress the spring 34, being itself depressed into the channel, m which it lies so as to allow the edge of the sheet to pass beneath the 75 hook 32, as plainly shown in Fig. 10. The fi?remains stationary during this portion of the operation, and after the turned edge of the sheet of metal has beei 1 engaged with the hook 32 the spring 34, .pressing against the 80 bar or place 33, maintains tie edge of the sheet in engagement with the hook 32.

The mechanism by which the mandrel or i former is rotated, with the intermittent i Stops, is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of a 8ς spur-wheel 41, engaging a pinion 42 upon the end or the mandrel or former and having radially-disposed channels 43. An arm 44 carried by the main shaft 6, has a roller-stud 45 fixed to its outer end, and this stud cooperates with the grooves 43 when by revolution it enters these grooves, so as to turn the wheel one-quarter of a revolution at every complete operation of the principal shaft. The disk 46, also carried by the shaft 6, has its periphery curved to fit corresponding concaved curves in the arms, between which the slits 43 are made, so that these arms and connected parts remain stationary during the greater part.of the revolution of the disk 46. When the pin or spur 45 enters a groove or channel 43, the cut-away portion 47 of the disk 46 coincides with the periphery of the

It will be seen that the revolutions of the 25 shaft will cause the various cams and camgrooves to be revolved, as is usual in such structures, and these are so disposed that the gage 26 will be depressed, so that the front edge of the sheet advanced by the cam 25 3° will contact with the gage at the proper time.

Lcneath the gage 26 is a horn or mandrel /Ί· Ims horn is substantially cylindrical tor the greater portion of its periphery; but •it has a. portion formed on a curvature which 35 carries it inside of that portion of the periphery to which it is contiguous, and this provides for the formation of an inturned hook as shown at 32, this hook being of a length substantially equal to that of the , ⁴⁰ ««i & £:½ ω within which is a bar 33, which is normally held up by a spring 34, so as to be flush with the cut-away portion of the mandrel and sub45 stantially m contact with the hook 32.

The hook-forming device consists of a blade 35, which is carried upon the end of a lever-arm 36. In conjunction with this arm is another arm 37, forming a· fork from the 50 first-named arm, and the junction of the two arms is pivoted or fulcrumed upon the shaft as at 38. The arm 37 carries at its outer end a pm or roller 39, and this pin or roller travels ma cam-groove within a disk, which disk 55 is carried by the shaft 6. The cam-groove is of such a character that the arm 36, with the hook-forming blade 35, will be reciprocated to and from the former. The angle of movement of the blade 35 is such that when the I 60 sheet of metal has been advanced so as to rest upon the ledge of the gage 26, as shown m Fig. 9, tins forming-blade will be advanced between the gage 32 and the support 40 upon winch the sheet of metal rests, and will 65 thus press the edge of the sheet downwardly

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J οο ' i ^nnel portion, and thus leaves pin 45, as before described.

i fi^rsLfolded edge of the metal sheet has been engaged with the hook 32 as shown in Fig. 10, the movement of the revolving apparatus just previously described will occur and a rotation of the mandrel will take place, the proportion of the. spur-wheel 41 and the pinion 42 being such as to effect such rotation. This rotation wraps the metal sheet around the mandrel and its free edge is just projected over the raised hook portion 32, as shown in Fig. 11. The projecting edge is just sufficient to provide material for a second fold in the edge of the sheet, and this is effected by the return movement of the folding-blade 35, as plainly shown m Fig. 12. The two edges of the sheet ot metal being thus reversely turned are in 1 condition to be interlocked, and this is efby the next movement of the longitu- : dmally-reciprocating devices, which act to slide the sheet along the mandrel.

.The slot or channel in the mandrel containing the bar or plate 33 and the spring 34 is continued, but becomes more shallow, so 13 = ^Ιο5 ι ίο ^ΤΙ5

120 ^Ι25

828,624 that this sliding movement of the partiallyformed can-body carries it beyond these parts and in line with a reciprocating plunger 48. This plunger is carried upon the end of 5 an oscillating arm 49, mounted upon the shaft or support 28 and having a suitable pressing-die in the lower end, as shown at 50.

The upper end of the arm 48 may carry an antifrictional roller 51, and this is adapted to to be engaged by a cam 52, carried by the main shaft 6 and revolved therewith, so that at the proper interval the cam acts to force the plunger down against the interlocked edges of the can-body blank; The parts are 15 shown in Fig. 13 in position for this movement.

The shallow channel in the mandrel being sufficient for the formation of the interlocked seam, as is plainly shown in Fig. 14, in which so the plunger is represented as having been depressed and the seam formed witmn the channel.

In order to support the mandrel and form a rigid bearing against the pressure of the 25 seam-closing plunger, I have shown a vertically-movable slide 60, having a projection 61 so formed that the mandrel may rest upon it when the slide 60 is raised. This slide has a rod or pitman 62 connecting it with a cam 30 or eccentric 63, carried by the main shaft 6, as shown at 63, and the eccentric is so fixed upon the shaft that just at the instant when the cam 52 is acting to force the plunger 48 down upon the seam the slide 60 will be 35 raised and the support 61 brought into contact with the lower part of the mandrel, thus forming a solid support for the seam-closing operation. The next longitudinal reciprocating movement of the forked lever 15 with 40 its connecting-links 15^a moves the ring 55 upon the mandrel. The bars 56 being slidable upon the mandrel and connected with the ring 55 by the projection or studs x', it Will be seen that when the bars move forward 45 the spring-fingers 58 will engage the cans which are on the mandrel and advance them step by step until they are pushed off the mandrel. The plunger is raised after pressing the seam by the spring 53. Then the 50 finished can-body is pushed off the mandrel, as previously described.

The tension of the spring may be regulated by turning this sleeve upon the shaft and fixing it by a set-screw, as at 54.

5 55 is a ring slidably mounted upon the mandrel and movable thereon, the length of the stroke being sufficient to move the sheets clear of the folding-blade to a position in advance of the intermediate spring-fingers 58.

The next forward movement of the ring and bars will move the can-body under the compressor-tool and subsequently the springfingers 58 at the end of the bars move the finished can-body from the mandrel.

The mandrel is provided with narrow bars

56, slidable in grooves or channels, as at 57, formed in the sides of the mandrel, as shown in Figs. 7, 9,10,11,12,13, and 14. The middle and ends of the bars have hinged spring-, pressed fingers 58, and the outer ends of these 70 fingers are pressed outwardly by the springs sufficiently so that when they have been drawn behind the edges of a completed body they will rise sufficiently to engage with the rear edge of this body, and the next forward 75 movement will cause them to impel it along the mandrel. The springs are sufficiently yielding, so that when again drawn back these fingers will compress into the bar, and thus be drawn back within the tubular can-body. 80

The forked lever 15, with its connections for feeding the metal blanks forward and under operation on the mandrel, has a short reciprocating movement which prevents any serious wear, and thereby protects the mech-' 85 anism against lost motion which a long stroke would be liable to develop.