Patent GB-142156-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for manufacturing articles of glass
IPC: C03B9/18
Filed: 1918-10-30
Abstract: 142,156. Miller, W. J. Oct. 30, 1918. Blowing.-In a machine for blowing glass articles, and of the particular kind comprising a series of blank and blowing moulds movable step by step to different stations for successive operations, means for blowing the glass in the moulds, and means for transferring the blank, by turning it over independently of the blank moved, to the blowing- mould, means are provided for sucking down the gather by vacuum into the blank and neck moulds. A series of blank moulds J, Fig. 1, adapted to receive gathers of glass in succession, and a series of blowing-moulds K, each in vertical alinement with the corresponding blank mould, are mounted on supports H, D which are intermittently rotated around a hollow pillar B, and a suction and blowing mechanism M mounted between each blank mould and the corresponding blowing-mould to rotate therewith includes neck-forming elements 99 and is reversible independently of the blank mould, so that the glass is subjected to suction and blowing actions in the blank mould, and then to a final blowing action in the blowing-mould, from which the finished article is removed by grippers. The supports H, D are alined by vertical bars 15, to which they are adjustably connected, and screw mechanism 7, 8 is connected by rods 9 to the support H for adjusting this support to permit moulds of different heights to be used. A sleeve E on the pillar B is oscillated by an attached arm in which slides a member 33 engaging a crank-pin 32 on a wheel rotated by worm gearing 27, 28, and the sliding member 33 has a camgroove adapted to project and retract a pin 37 into and from engagement with recesses 38 in the support D, so that the support is moved forwards and then freed, the arm at the end of its forward movement actuating a pin 50 to lock the support during the reverse movement of the arm. The blowing-mechanism includes a cylinder 72, Fig. 10, containing a plunger 76 the outer end of which is initially extended to form a depression in the neck end of the gather in the blank mould and is subsequently retracted by an arm 78 and a cam-surface to permit the entrance of pressure fluid to the cylinder by a pipe 139 to act on the glass. The outer end of the plunger is screwed thereto, so as to be readily changeable. The pipe 139 is connected to a passage 138, which is brought successively into communication with a suction chamber and three pressure chambers connected by pipes passing passing down to valves 120, 121, 122 respectively, the valves being controlled by a tappet shaft 126 oscillated by connexion with the sleeve E. The arrangement is such that the glass is forced down to the neck of the blank mould by pressure fluid entering a blow-head O through a pipe 145 connected to a valve 146 controlled by the tappet shaft 126, is sucked into the neck mould when the suction chamber becomes operative, and has two blowings in the blank mould. This mould is then opened, and the device M is reversed to carry the partly-formed article into the open blowing-mould, which is then closed and the final blowing takes place. Each blank mould comprises two sections pivoted on a vertical pin and connected by links to a yoke yieldingly connected to a slide carrying a roller 64 engaging a cam-groove in a member 21, whereby the sections are opened and closed as the support H is rotated. The blowing-mould is similarly formed and operated, but its actuating-roller 117 engages a cam-groove in a member 119 on the oscillating sleeve E. The neck mould also comprises two pivoted sections which are closed by a toggle mechanism operated by the blank-mould closing means and are opened by a cam-striker 109 on a member F on the sleeve E to release the neck of the article after it has been positioned in the blowing-mould. The blowing-mechanism M is mounted on the support H and is reversed by a pinion and a rack 91 operated through a yielding connexion with a slide carrying a roller 95 engaging a cam-groove in the member F. The articles are taken from the opened blowing-moulds by gripping-members 177, Fig. 20, pivoted on a vertical axis 178 on an arm 174 movable about horizontal trunnions 175 on a rotary supporting-member. The members 177 are adapted to be depressed and closed to grip an article in the opened mould, then elevated to raise the article clear of the mould bottom and swung to remove it from the mould, then lowered and opened to release the article, and finally raised and returned to their initial position, opening and closing and raising and lowering movements being effected by cam and roller devices mounted on the arm 174 and on a relatively movable operating-member connected by a rod 166 to the arm 35 that oscillates the sleeve E and adjustable in height to suit the size of the mould. At the termination of each swinging movement of the arm 174, the supporting-member of the trunnions is locked by catches 194, which are released after the parts have moved relatively to cause the cam and roller devices to operate at the start of the next movement of the rod 166.