Patent GB-900983-A (GB)
Title: Glass cutting apparatus
IPC: C03B33/03
Filed: 1959-10-21
Abstract: 900,983. Glass cutting. PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS CO. Oct. 21, 1959 [Oct. 23, 1958], No. 35659/59. Class 56. Apparatus for cutting a glass sheet comprises a supporting structure, a table to support the sheet, a carriage mounted on the supporting structure to move across the table, a plurality of glass cutter means mounted on the carriage to provide parallel score lines on the sheet by movement of the carriage across the sheet, a plurality of snapping means resting below the table surface ,and adapted to be lifted upwardly against the glass sheet for snapping of the sheet along the score line, a pair of abutment heads mounted on the carriage rearwardly of each cutter means and transversely spaced so as to act on opposite sides of the score line produced by the cutter means, the snapping means being positioned to lie beneath and between the abutment heads and operating in sequence when the carriage has completed its scoring movement. Glass sheets G are fed by rolls 33 of conveyers 31 to a table 38 on a supporting structure 30 and thence to rolls 34 of a receiving carriage 32. The table 38 comprises end-plates 40 supported on uprights ,41 and .sections 42-47, each having a pair of parallel plates joined to the plates 40. Table tops 50 are joined to parallel plates 48 of,each section, the .tops 50 being convexly curved longitudinally. A conveyer belt 58 moving over pulleys 57 runs over each table top 50 to receive the sheets G, them to cutting position against stop assemblies 245 and, after cutting on to the conveyer 32. Short conveyer belts 83 just ahead of the conveyer 32 move the glass : trims beyond the structure 30 to fall into a cutter hopper. A carriage 36, carrying the alignment devices 218, the cutting devices 180 and abutment devices 162, is supported by wheels' 144 on spaced parallel rails 35 on structure 30, for movement from a home position against stop members 132 to a snapping position against stop members 133 by an hydraulic motor 156 through suitable gearing. The . carriage 36 comprises an I-beam 137 and side irons 138, 139 and bottom channel iron 159 between a pair of plates 135, the iron 159 supporting abutment devices 162 at two inch intervals there being64 of the devices 162 in, the preferred embodiment. The iron 138 has a number of plates 158 supported by a pair of bars 157, the plates 158 having cutter assemblies 180 mounted thereon at 2-inch intervals, there being 64 assemblies as 'described. The glass shell G is cut by one or more cutter devices, each of which is separately operable by a solenoid such as ISOL. Alignment of glass sheets.-Two pusher assemblies 218 are mounted on the I-beam 137, each comprising a pusher roller 234 mounted ahead of cutter devices 180 to push the raised sheet against side alignment stops 245, the rollers 234 then being raised above the gless sheet. Each stop 245 is then retracted by air cylinder to move the stop away from the aligned sheet and below a cam surface on a cooling plate 251 engageable by the cutter devices 180.. Different width sheets G are raised by sets of castors 69, each mounted on a top flange of vertical bar 68 supported by stub shafts 67 in vertical slots 70 therein, each bar 68 having a stub snaft 71 extending horizontally into an inclined slot 72 in one of the vertical bores 60-63 supported near their ends by stub shafts 65 in horizontal slots 66 therein, the bars 68 and bars 60, 60, 61, 62, 63 lying between the table sections 42 and 43, 13 and 44, 44 and 45, 45 and 46. 46 and 47 respectively and on which the stub shafts 65, 67 are mounted. Each set of castors 69 between the sections is raised by operation of an air cylinder, the sets between sections 42 and 43, 43 and 44 which are supported on bars 60 being raised together. The bars 60, and similarly bars 61-63, are connected to one end of link 73 pivoted on a shaft 80 and at its other end pivoted to a shaft 74 through a bearing block 77 at the end of a piston-rod 76 of air cylinder 75 so that retraction of the rod of the appropriate cylinder raises the set or sets of castors 69. Cutting devices.-Each cutter assembly 180 comprises a channel bracket 181 between the side walls 182 of which a latch 185 is pivoted on a pin 184 and rotetably connected to the shaft 187 of its solenoid ISOL. Cutter pivotsupport plates 190, 192 are bolted to a hub 189 mounted on a pin 188 below pin 184, the plates 190 having an upward extension with a flange 191 which abuts the latch 185 to hold the plate 190 in inoperative position. A turret cutter device 195, with glass cutter wheels 196, is supported by its shaft 194 in bayonet slots 193 in plates 190, 192. A hand-operated latch 199 has a detent 202 to enter one of a number of radial slots 198 in one of a pair of plates 197 between which the wheels 196 are mounted. A latch 211 mounted by 8 pin 212 on plate 190 has at one end a roller 213 to engage the sheet G and at the other an arm 214 abutting a flange 215 in a slot in bracket 181 so that, for each assembly 180 in use, when the cutter device 195 is lowered by operation of the solenoid so that latch 185 releases plate 190 for pivotal movement about pin 188, the latch 211 is moved by flange 215 so that the roller 213 is raised out of engagement with the sheet G. The amount of force exerted by the cutter 196 on the sheet G is adjusted against a dial 206 by a knob 207 on shaft 205 connected by a spring 208 to a stub shaft 209. After cutting, the plates 190 are pivoted to inoperative position by engagement with the cam surface on cooling plate 251. Snapping devices.-Snapping devices 280 are provided adjacent the alignment stops 245, one in alignment with each cutter assembly 180 and each comprising a head 282 mounted on the piston-rod of an hydraulic cylinder 281 operated by a four-way solenoid valve. The glass G is pressed by the head 282 at the end of the cut between abutment devices 162, each of which comprises an externally-threaded tube 163 extending through channel iron 159, all but the end devices being held by pairs of nuts 164, 165. A shaft 166 resting on the top of and extending through tube 163 has an abutment head 167 and spring 169 between a washer 168 and nuts 165. The two end devices 162 are arranged to be raised together until carriage 36 has passed clamping arms 170; upward extensions of tubes 163 slide in supports 174 and are connected to a plate 171 secured to the piston-rod 172 of air cylinder 173. Spacing devices.-The first cut-off section of a sheet G and subsequent sections as they are snapped at the score lines in sequence, are spaced from the remainder of the sheet by a spacing device which form the subject-matter of Specification 900,984. Controls.-A fully automatic electrical circuit operation of the machine is disclosed, but manual operation of the snapping devices may be used, as by push-button control. The spacing device can be cut out of the operation and the particular cutting and snapping devices to be used can be varied if desired by the operation after the sheet is aligned.