Patent GB-752312-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in sealing in apparatus for use in the manufacture of tubular electric lamps
IPC: H01J5/24
Filed: 1954-10-18
Abstract: 752,312. Making tubular electric lamps. BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON CO., Ltd. Oct. 18, 1954 [Oct. 21, 1953), No. 29951/54. Class 39(2). Apparatus for sealing lamp mounts into the opposite ends of tubular glass envelopes comprises a pair of mountsealing machines 3, 4, Fig. 1, of the indexing turret type, arranged side-by-side and operated by common driving means, and a transfer device T actuated by the same driving means in sequence with the two turrets, so that after a mount has been sealed at one end of a lamp tube while on the turret 3 the tube is removed therefrom by the transfer device and inverted while being carried across to a sealing-head 71 on the adjacent turret 4. The sealing machines may be of the type described in Specification 607,766, provided with a series of uniformly spaced sealing heads 7 or 71 which are indexed in known manner past work stations A to Q, and A<SP>1</SP> to Q<SP>1</SP>, respectively, corresponding in number to the number of heads on each turret. Each sealing head 7 or 71 comprises a vertical mount-supporting spindle 13, Fig. 2, located between supports for a tube holder of the kind comprising a bracket 13<SP>1</SP> carrying a pair of opposed pivoted jaws 15, 16 which are normally held in the closed position, to grip a tube 2, by a tensioned spring 17 which is connected to an operating lever 18 for opening the jaws. Considering turret 3 :- Mounts and tubes are loaded at stations A and B and carried anti-clockwise past work stations at some of which the glass flare of the mount and the glass tube are heated by gas fires to effect fusion until, at station P, the tube is lifted to withdraw the exhausting tube of the mount from within the spindle 13. The lifting device, which is operative only while a tube is halted at station P and is at other times withdrawn from the part of the work-holding heads7, comprises a head assembly 20, Fig. 1, including a pair of jaws 21,-22 pivotally mounted on a bracket 23 and provided with sector gear portions which are engaged by a rack bar 24 on the end of the piston of a two-way hydraulic, or oil, cylinder 25 fastened to the bracket 23. The valve controlling the oil supply to the cylinder 25 is cam controlled from the main drive shaft 10 of the turrets. The entire head assembly 20 is pivotally mounted on a horizontal arm 26 which allows a limited amount of swing for horizontal adjustment of the jaws 21, 22, and the arm 26 is mounted up a vertical lifting- rod 27 which is reciprocable vertically within a bearing 28 under the action of a lever arm 29 actuated by a slotted face cam 32 on the shaft 10. The grip of the jaws 14, 15 is insufficient to prevent the lifting of the tube 2 while additionally gripped by the lifting-jaws 21, 22, but is sufficient to hold the raised tube when the grip of jaws 21, 22 is released to allow the turret 3 to index the tube to station Q, at which the transfer device T becomes operative. The transfer device comprises a horizontally extending arms 33, Figs. 2 and 3, consisting of a hollow shaft rotatably supported in bearings at the top of a housing 35 at the upper end of a hollow vertical shaft 36 mounted between the two turrets 3, 4. The shaft 36 is rotatably mounted within bearings in a column .38 and at its lower end is connected to a crank arm 43 which is connected to a cam controlled rod 42 whereby the arm 33 is swung to and fro between the turrets. Simultaneously with its swinging movement in a horizontal plane the transfer arm is rotated about its axis through 180 degrees under the action of a vertically reciprocating rod 79, Fig. 3, provided with a rack 80 to engage a pinion on the portion of the arm 33 within the housing 35. At its outer end the arm 33 carries a mounting or bracket 47, Fig. 2, supporting two tube-gripping jaws 50 arranged to bear on one side of a tube, and an intermediate jaw 51 at the other side, these jaws being secured on vertical shafts 48, 49 respectively provided with interengaging spur gears 56, 57 secured at their upper ends, opening and closing of the jaws being effected by a yoked lever 54 secured upon the shaft 48 and formed with a pair of arms 62, 62 which receive the arm 33 between them. The arms 62 are each provided with a slot to receive a pin 58 extending upwardly and downwardly respectively through a longitudinal slot in the arm 33, these pins being secured near the end of an actuating rod 53 extending through the hollow arm 33 and movable longitudinally within the latter by connection to a piston within a double-acting oil cylinder 65 mounted on the housing 35. Gripping movement is thereby imparted to the jaws 50, 51 while at station Q of turret 3 and tube releasing movement at the completion of transfer to the receiving station B<SP>1</SP> of turret 4. Specifications 252,395, [Class 39(ii)], 593,969 and 607,766 are referred to.