Patent GB-1207280-A (GB)
Title: A semiautomatic wire fed top stop machine
Inventor: PERLMAN MORRIS
IPC: A44B19/60
Filed: 1968-12-10
Abstract: 1,207,280. Making sliding clasp fasteners; clinching; shearing. M. PERLMAN. 10 Dec., 1968, No. 58530/68. Headings B3A, B3Q and B3W. [Also in Division E2] A wire fed top stop machine for the manufacture of slide fasteners comprises a frame 32, a base 36 having a bracket 40 for supporting a reel 44 of flat wire 46, a motor 50 for rotating a drive shaft 62 which drives a main shaft 66 via a clutch 64, automatic clutch disengaging means (not shown), a foot-actuated solenoid switch for manually engaging the clutch, a collar 74 secured on the end of the main shaft 66 carrying an eccentrically mounted pin 76 engaging one end of a link 78 the other end of which is freely pivoted on a pin 80 mounted in a slidable driver assembly 82, a stationary die block 116, a disappearing arbor 118, a roller assembly 166 and a pair of wire feed jaws 98 and 100 together forming a wire feed mechanism, a top stop forming mechanism and a top stop clinching mechanism for placing the top stops 202 on toothed slide fastener slingers. The wire 46 is threaded through a guide 194, the wire feed jaws 100 and 98 and then into the lower end of opening 122 in the stationary die block 116. The manual switch 196 is turned on to provide rotation to the drive shaft 62, however in the initial operation a complete production of a top stop and securement thereof to a stringer is not possible since in each cycle the securement of a top stop is accomplished first, after which the formation of the next top stop is done. Once the machine is in operation a normal cycle takes place as follows. Clinching.-A stringer is inserted into a notch 212 at the forward end of the forwardly projecting driver assembly 82 so that the longitudinal tape edge is in the opening 214 in the top stop 202. The clutch is then engaged by means of the foot switch thus moving the driver assembly 82 forward until a cam face 176 moving below a roller 172 is depressed downwardly causing the jaws 128 and 132 to clinch the formed top stop on to the tape (see Fig. 14). The driver assembly having reached its extreme forward position returns back causing the cam face 176 to be moved from a high to a low face below the roller 172. Thus the jaws 128 and 132 open, due to a spring 134, releasing the top stop on the tape. If the tape cannot be inserted into the top stop due to the top stop being inaccurately formed, the driver assembly 82 now moving rearwards will cause the unused top stop still between the jaws 128 and 132 to strike against a kick-out pin 184 and so eject the unused top stop. Forming the top stop.-In the remainder of the cycle a new top stop is fabricated. The disappearing arbor 118 is pushed by a spring 160 in front of the driver assembly 82 when the latter moves rearwardly. Next the driver assembly continues to move rearwardly causing cam 88 to depress roller 90 and thus pivot the arm 92 about pin 94. This causes the feed jaw 98 to push the wire upwardly out of the upper end of opening 122 and across the space 198 between the top of the stationary die block 116 and a lower face 124 of the disappearing arbor, the upper end of the wire abutting with the face 124. Further rotation of the main shaft 66 causes the drive assembly 82 to start to travel forwardly, causing cam 88 to clear the roller 90. The spring 96 now pivots arm 92 in the reverse direction causing feed jaw 98 to descend, the wire being held securely in jaw 100 preventing the return travel of the wire. The forwardly moving driver assembly 82 causes the lower forward corner of the lower jaw 148 to shear off the end of the wire extending across the space 198 (see Fig. 23). In the next step, the jaws 140 and 148 are carried further forward by the driver assembly to push the ends of the sheared wire 200 forwardly and bend the wire around the die 126 to form the U-shaped top stop 202 (see Fig. 24). The driver assembly then continues to move further forwards to cause the disappearing arbor 118 to be pushed sideways by the cam 158, bearing against face 156, to cause the arbor to retract against spring 160. Thus the top stop 202 is left in the jaws 140 and 148. Finally the clutch is disengaged. In one embodiment a microswitch 250 is used instead of a foot switch (see Fig. 8).