Patent GB-936826-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in machine tools for spinning sheet material
IPC: B21D22/16
Filed: 1959-10-01
Abstract: 936,826. Spinning. LODGE & SHIPLEY CO. Oct. 1, 1959 [Oct. 7, 1958], No. 33350/59. Class 83 (4). A spinning machine comprises a spindle adapted to rotatably support a blank to be worked, a roller for performing the working operation, mechanism interconnecting said spindle and said roller for causing relative movement between the roller and the spindle for the working operation and having first means permitting a component of motion in a direction along the rotational axis of the spindle and second means permitting a component of motion in a direction transverse the rotational axis of the spindle, the resultant of said components defining a path of roller motion for the working operation, said first means including a pair of flat, plate-like members disposed respectively on opposite sides of the rotational axis of the spindle and extending generally parallel thereto and support means connecting said plate-like members and said second means including a roller rest carrying said roller and disposed between said plate-like members and mounted therein for movement in said transverse direction. The machine comprises a frame F carrying a rotatable former T, a carriage C reciprocable on the frame along the axis of the tool T, roller rests RS mounted on the carriage and carrying work rollers R, tracer mechanism comprising valves SD on the roller mounts and templets P adjustably mounted on the carriage, a tailstick TS and blank positioning and stripping mechanism S. The machine frame.-This comprises a base support 90, an upright column 91, a top support 93 secured to the column 91 and a pair of spaced columns 94 and 94a. The column 91 guides the carriage along vertical gibs 96 and supports a carriage counterweight CW. The former.-The former T may be conical, cylindrical, horn or bowl-shaped and is mounted on a vertical shaft 30 rotated through bevel gearing from a shaft 32 driven by a motor (not shown). An electrically connected clutch 33 and brake 34 are provided. The carriage.-This comprises two triangular plates 66 and 67, a central support block 68 and adjustable side support members 69 and 70, all rigidly secured together (Figs. 3 and 4). Reciprocating movement is imparted to the carriage by a pair of hydraulic cylinders 150, one on each side of the former axis. The pistons 106 of the cylinders are secured to piston-rods 107, depending from the top support 93 of the machine frame. The mass of the carriage is counterbalanced by the counterweight CW which is connected to the carriage head 77 by a chain-and-sprocket system 108. The roller rests RS carrying the rollers are mounted on the side supports 69 and 70 for movement towards and away from the axis of the former at an angle of 60 degrees such movement being controlled by a tracer mechanism. The bottom edge of each side support member acts as a guideway 130 oriented at 60 degrees to the former axis and mounted on the guideway is a housing 131 constituting the cylinder for an hydraulic piston 136 attached to the side member. At the end of each housing 131 adjacent the centre line of the machine is an inclined surface 144 against which the roller block 150 of the work roller R is adjustably secured. The roller axis lies at an angle of 75 degrees to the former axis. The hydraulic cylinder is controlled by a tracer valve SD mounted on the roller housing 131. In this construction the rotational axes of the rollers, the axes of the cylinders 135 all lie in a common plane PSA (Fig. 4). The carriage has a support member 43 for carrying the templets and the tailstock TS (Fig. 2), the spindle 40 of which is rotatably mounted in anti-friction bearings in a housing 41. The tailstock assists in holding the blank on the former. The support member 43 has an hydraulic cylinder 45, the doubleacting piston 46 of which is attached to the carriage head 77. An arm 50 on the support member 43 is adjustably connected to the vertically reciprocable templet slide 61 (Fig. 3). The slide 61 carries a pair of support members 169, 170 for the adjustable templets TE. The stripper mechanism S.-This comprises a vertically reciprocable annular plate 190 pro. vided with four radially disposed guideways 192 for receiving adjustable stripper bars 193 which lap under the edge of the blank B (Fig. 13). Keepers 199 on the bars centre the blank on the former. The plate has two operating positions. In its uppermost position it supports and centres the blank on the nose of the former and in its lower position the plate is held in readiness to move up and strip the formed blank from the former. The plate is operated by hydraulic cylinders 205 mounted in the base support 90. Cushioning stops 206 for the plate are provided on the base support. Machine operation.-When the machine is set for automatic operation and switched on an hydraulic pump supplies pressure fluid to the cylinder 45 to move the templet support structure downwardly. Movement of the structure operates a limit switch to initiate downward movement of the carriage C by supplying pressure fluid to the top of the carriage cylinders. As the carriage moves downwardly, limit switches energize solenoids to cause the roller rests to move inwardly towards the former axis by supplying pressure fluid to the templet cylinders 135. The templet mounting structure continues to move downwardly until the tailstock contacts a blank B placed on the stripper and holds it firmly against the former and stripper bars so that the templet structure stops and the roller rests continue to move inwardly until their styli contact the templets. At this stage a control device arrests the carriage movement with the rollers spaced from the blank and the carriage is held in position by the counterweight CW. The stripper starts to move downwardly. The clutch is engaged to rotate the former, the blank and the tailstock. After a slight time delay the carriage continues to move downwardly under the control of a rate device and as the rollers move downwardly, the templets, having already been adjusted according to the thickness of the blank, cause the rollers to move outwardly as they work the blank over the former. A switch is energized at the end of the working operation to stop the carriage, to move the roller rests to their outermost position, to de-energize the clutch and apply a brake and to return the carriage, templet structure and stripper to their initial positions in readiness for the next forming operation. The formed article is removed from the stripper either manually or automatically and a new blank inserted. The automatic control system of the machine is arranged so that the carriage, templet mounting structure, roller rests, stripper and former can be operated independently of each other. The templet mounting structure may be used to push or pull work off the former especially when the workpiece is cylindrical. The automatic operation of the machine is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 23.