Patent GB-410135-A (GB)
Title: Automatic multiple spindle screw machines
IPC: B23B9/02
Filed: 1932-11-10
Abstract: 410,135. Automatic multiple-spindle screw machines. FAIRWEATHER, H. G. C., 65, Chancery Lane, London.-(National Acme Co. ; 131st Street, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.) Nov. 10, 1932, No. 31851. [Class 83 (iii).] Lathes, turret; combined turning and boring or drilling.-A multiple-spindle lathe of the Gridley type is provided with end-working tools on a beam connecting the upper ends of two upright housings at the ends of the bed of the machine, one of the housings containing a cam drum for operating the main tool slide and a gear train for operating the various parts of the machine, and the other housing containing a work-spindle carrier adapted for four, five or six spindles and its operating mechanism. The frame of the machine comprises a onepiece base 200, Fig. 1, in the form of a pan, carrying a pair of supports 201, 202 for two upright housings 203, 204, which are connected at the top by a triangular beam 205 and near the bottom by a sleeve 220 through which the main cam shaft 30 passes. A perforated sheet metal false bottom is provided in the pan 200 to separate oil and chips. Cooling liquid for the tools and dies is pumped from the pan 200 into a passage on the side of the top plate and from there is distributed as required. The lubricating pump and lubricators for the machine bearings are contained in the top beam 205. Headstocks.-The housing or headstock 203 carries a work spindle carrier 211, indexing mechanism for the spindle carrier, stock-stop mechanism, first and fourth position cross-slides 206, 207, which are operated direct from independent cam drums 112, 113 under the slides, and operating levers 208, on opposite sides of the machine for second and third position slides 209, 210 which are mounted on the beam 205 and are operated by the cam drums 112, 113 through levers 208, links 208<1>; segments 208<11> and racks 208<111>, Fig. 12. The housing 204 contains the gearing for driving the work spindles and stock bar feed mechanisms which are driven through toothed gearing and cam drums from a toothed gear 3, Fig. 2, on the shaft 2 of an electric driving motor M at one end of the machine. The spindle carrier may carry 4, 5 or 6 spindles as may be desired, e.g. threading spindles in two or more positions or rotating tools such as drills in all positions, and the main slide, indexing mechanism and positions of slides 209, 210 are modified or changed accordingly. The work spindles may be stopped in different positions if required. The work spindle carrier 211, Figs. 1, 2 comprises two discs joined by an intermediate section and from the centre projects a hardened steel tube 212 indexing with the spindle carrier and carrying the main tool slide 71. The forward ends of the work spindles are supported in the front disc 39, Fig. 2, by two roller bearings. A driving shaft 10 driven through variable speed gearing from the shaft 2 runs through the tube 212 and carries at its rear end a gear 40, Fig. 18, meshing with gears 41 on work spindles. An indexing gear 37 meshes with a similar gear 38 on the work carrier 39 and is rotated through an angle of 90‹, if there are four work spindles, by the engagement of an arm 36 on cam shaft 30 with lugs 49 on the gear 37 to turn from one spindle position to the next. A cam 50 on the arm 36 engages a lever 51, at the same time as the arm 36 engages the lugs 49, to withdraw a locking bolt 54 from its locking seat in the carrier 39, the bolt reseating after turning of the carrier. When five or six work spindles are used, the gear 37 is replaced by another gear and the eccentric bushing 57 is reset to engage the gears. As the locking bolt 54 enters its seat, a cam 60, Fig. 14, on earn shaft 30 lifts a lever 62 to lift plunger 63 and bring an adjustable stock stop 64 in line with a work spindle. During the dwell on cam 60 the stock bar is chucked and stock stop is then returned by a cam 65 to a position below the work slides 206, 207. The work may be chucked by a hand chucking slide 93, Fig. 22, operated by a hand lever 94 through a link 95 and carrying a shoe 96 which projects into a spool 97 by which the holding fingers are wedged and the collet drawn back to check or grip the stock. A cam drum 90 actuates a roll 100 on an automatic chucking slide 98 mounted on a bar 91 and guided on a parallel bar 92, so that as the spindle carrier indexes, a shoe 102 projects into a groove in spool 97 to remove the spool from beneath fingers of holders to allow collet to be released as the slide 98 moves along the bar 91. A ring 105 on a slide 103 encircles the stock feeding tubes 106. The main tool slide 71 is grooved for tool positions in accordance with the number of work spindles used, and is supported on the tube 212 and secured to a bracket 76 slidably supported on a guide. A felt ring in front of a forward bushing 72 prevents dirt &c. from working beneath the bushing. An arm 82 secured to a bar 81 on the bracket 76 is actuated by cams on a drum 89 on the cam shaft 30 to move the slide back and forth, forward motion being stopped by an adjustable stop rod 90. The main cam shaft 30 is driven by worm and worm wheel gearing 28, 29 from a shaft 27 which is driven through a clutch 26 by gears 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, roller clutch 23 and gear 24. Tools are returned and work spindles indexed for the next operation after the work has been cut off from the stock bar without loss of time by driving the gear 48 and consequently the gear 24 at a higher speed to over-run the clutch 23 through a clutch 45 which is automatically engaged by a cam. A clutch 26 stops and starts the operation of the cross slides and tool slide at any time. End working tools, such as, threading mechanisms, are carried on the beam 205, and are operated by a cam drum 115, on main cam shaft 30, in two sections, one for threading in the second slide position and the other for the third position. The axis about which the levers pivot by which the die slides 131, Fig. 24, are operated from the cams, may be varied to change the throw of the slides. A threaded rod 125 extending through the die slide 131 carries a spring 128 and two collars 127, 129, and provides an adjustable bumper in starting the die on to the work. A boss on the die yoke 137, slidably carried by a stud 136 on the slide 131, comes, as it slides back and forth, into contact with adjustable nuts 140, 141, on a threaded rod 138 tapped into a hole in a die slide bracket 134, opens and closes the die on its backward and forward strokes respectively. A spring 139 between the yoke 137 and die slide 131 normally holds the yokes forward and the die closed. A double gear 142 on the shaft 10 meshes with a clutch gear 143 on a die shaft 144, also having a double set of teeth, so that two different threading speeds may be obtained. A gear 145 on the shaft 10 meshes with a clutch gear 146 on a die shaft 144 to run the die at greater speed than spindles to return die over the work and for left-hand threading. A twindisc clutch 147 on the clutch shaft 144 is operated by cam drum 152 and levers to start and return the die or tap at the proper times. The die spindle 151 is driven from the clutch shaft 144 through rollers on the die spindle and a sleeve 148 on the shaft 144. A high-speed drill gear 166, Fig. 6, having a splined hub for driving a sliding drill spindle 167, is driven by a gear 165 on a sleeve 164, which is driven through variable speed tooth gearing from the shaft 10. The drill spindle 167 rotates freely in the sleeve 170 and split bushing 169 which holds the drill. The arrangement may be duplicated &c. if two or more drills are used. The tool feed is from main tool slide 71 to which the tool holder 168 is secured. The same frame, gear box drive, cam shaft and cam drums, feed and chucking mechanisms may be used whatever number of work spindles are employed.