Patent GB-433836-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to glass-forming machines
IPC: C03B9/22
Filed: 1934-11-08
Abstract: 433,836. Glass manufacture. PARFITT, A. W., Stafford House, Norfolk Street, Strand, London.-(Europõischer Verband der Flaschenfabriken Ges. ; 20, Breitestrasse, D³sseldorf, Germany) Nov. 8, 1934, No. 32126. [Class 56] [See also Group XXIV] Relates to a glass-shaping machine of the kind in which a number of mould units rotate about one or more stationary columns, the various movements of the moulds being effected by cams which are fixed to the columns and have movable sections to enable the shape of the cams, and the character of the movement imparted by them to the moulds, to be varied. According to the invention, the movable cam sections are all adjusted from one point on the machine frame by means of a single handle, a selecting device being provided by which any desired cam section can be coupled with the operating handle. Fig. 1 shows in section a machine of the Owens type in which the movements of the moulds and of the cut-off blade, and the application of suction and compressed air, are effected by means of stationary cams 57, 80, 122, 123, as described in Specifications 29251 /12 and 13356/13, [both in Class 56]. The cam 57 which raises and lowers the parison moulds 46 includes two adjustable sections, one of which 60, Fig. 10, controls the lowering of the moulds into contact with the molten glass in the gathering-pool. This section slides in a segmental guide 58, and its inner edge is secured to a segmental rack 61 which engages a gear 62 that is rotated by a worm 63 on a shaft 64. Thus by rotation of the shaft 64, the position of the cam section 60 can be adjusted to suit particular operating-conditions. The other adjustable cam-section, 65 which controls the lifting of the moulds away from the gathering-pool, is similarly adjusted by means of a rotatable shaft 70. In order to bridge the gap between the two cam sections, the section 65 is provided with a flexible extension in the form of a chain 71 which normally lies within a channel 72 provided on the other cam section 60. The other cams have movable sections which are adjustable by means similar to the rack, gear wheel, and worm wheel 61-63. The shafts 64, 70, and other similar shafts, are geared to vertical shafts 64b, 70b, Fig. 1, which are rotated by mechanism enclosed in a stationary casing 140 supported in the lower end of the central column 41. A rotary shaft 144, Fig. 6, extends centrally through the casing 140 and carries a gear wheel 149 that meshes with a series of pinions 150, each of which is associated with an adjustable cam section by the shafts 64b, 70<b> and the similar shafts. Each pinion 150 is connected to its associated shaft by means of a clutch which is closed when the pin 153, on which the pinion is rotatable, is raised by means of a cam 171 secured to the outer end of a selector arm 170. This arm is attached to a sleeve 173 that rotates on the shaft 144 and is operated by means of a bevel pinion 176 which can be clutched to the end of a shaft 181. A sleeve 182, rotatable on the shaft 181, carries a bevel pinion 152 that gears with a bevel wheel 151 secured to the shaft 144. A crank 183 is secured to the shaft 181, and by moving the shaft inwards or outwards, it can be arranged to rotate either the selector arm 170 or the shaft 144. When the shaft 181 is moved inwards, a collar 187 secured to the shaft becomes locked to the sleeve 182 by means of notches 188 and teeth 189. When the shaft 181 is moved outwards, it is freed from the sleeve 182 and becomes clutched to the pinion 176. In operation, the shaft 181 is moved outwards and is then rotated by means of the crank 183 until the selector arm 170 has closed the clutch which connects the selected cam section with the shaft 144. A pointer 185, attached to the shaft 181, and an index plate 186 indicates which particular cam is connected. The shaft 181 is then moved inwards and becomes connected with the sleeve 182. Rotation of the crank 183 then turns the pinion 150 and moves the particular cam section which has been selected by the arm 170. The movable cam sections which control the time of operation of the cut-off knife 52 and the raising of the parison moulds are interconnected in order that their operation may not be so adjusted as to overlap and cause damage to the machine. The interconnection is effected by means of pinions 198, 204 and by a nut 201 which screws into a sleeve 199, to which the pinion 198 is secured, and is splined on a shaft 202 to which the pinion 204 is secured. In a modified construction of the selecting and adjusting device, each of the cam mechanisms is provided with an indicator which shows the exact position of the cam section and the extent to which it can be adjusted in either direction. In another modification, the selector arm is replaced by a rotary cam, and pneumatically operated devices are provided to lock each cam section except when it is being adjusted.