Patent GB-957962-A (GB)
Title: A process for the production of start sheets and an apparatus for carrying out the process
IPC: C25C7/02
Filed: 1962-04-11
Abstract: 957,962. Making start sheets; bending. BOLIDENS GRUVAKTIEBOLAG. April 11, 1962 [June 15, 1961; Oct. 23, 1961], No. 13950/62. Headings B3A and B3E. A method of making start sheets for electrolytic refinement comprises advancing a straightened sheet in a horizontal plane, placing a cathode rod in the path of the sheet for movement therewith against lug blanks placed vertically in the path thereof so that the blanks are bent by the rod to loosely embrace the sheet, the lugs then being caused to grip the sheet whereafter the sheet is transferred to and transported away in a vertical position. A start sheet blank 1 is passed through a known cutting or gang slitting machine, trimmed to size and fed through a straightening mill 2 on to a driven roller conveyer 3 which crosses at 90 degrees a conveyer 5. The edge of the sheet operates a pneumatic valve which lowers the rollers of the conveyer 3 below the belts of the conveyer 5 to transfer the sheet thereto. The sheet 5 is conveyed below a cathode rod magazine station 7 and transferred to a slower running overlapping chain conveyer 7a such that the leading edge thereof abuts stop cleats 7b attached to chains 7a. The station 7 comprises a frame 30 and a pair of forwardly extending supporting arms 31 between which is mounted a fork arrangement having arms 32 which are swung about a horizontal axis by an arm 36 pivotally connected to a pneumatic cylinder assembly 38. Rectangular cross-section copper cathode rods are positioned between the frame 30 and arms 32 and the motor 38 manually operated to release a number of them on to the arms 31 positioned over the sheet from which they are singly manually removed and positioned across the three conveyers upon a table or plate. The dogs 44 of a third chain conveyer 9 driven at the same speed as conveyer 7a grip and carry the rod at a fixed distance in front of the sheet to a lug applying station 10 where a pair of elongated lug blanks 11 are fed down vertical shoots 45, 46 against stop angles 52 positioned in front of the rod and sheet with the plane of the conveyer 9 intersecting the centre of the blank, so that as the rod advances the blanks are bent about the rod and sheet by deflecting rollers 50, 51. The lugs are subsequently fixed to the sheets at a station 12 which comprises a pair of vertically disposed upper and lower fluid cylinder units, fixed to a transverse frame above the conveyer, and on which are mounted riveting, punching and riveting or welding tools. The conveyer 9 is moved intermittently, being stationary during the operation at station 12, by a pneumatically operated ratchet drive arrangement 60. The sheet assembly is subsequently fed to a table top 65 and in doing so actuates a valve which causes the table, via fluid motors, to raise above the conveyer 9, turn through 90 degrees and swing the table top into a vertical position during which movement the cathode rod is thrown upwardly over cam members 78 against stop pins 79 with the sheet suspended vertically. Subsequently the rod is released by the pins 78 and is engaged and carried away by a pneumatically operated ratchet driven chain storage conveyer 83 arranged at right angles to the main conveyers.