Patent GB-746898-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to typographical casting machines
IPC: B41B7/00
Filed: 1954-08-05
Abstract: 746,898. Type-bar-making machines. MERGENTHALER LINOTYPE CO. Aug. 5, 1954 [Sept. 3, 1953], No. 22778/54. Class 100 (3). Clamping matrices.-A typographical linecasting machine comprises a pair of lineclamping jaws, a closed hydraulic circulating system, a continuously-operated pump, and a cylinder and piston device operatively connected to at least one of the jaws for quadding or centring operations. The jaws 1, 2, Fig. 18, are controlled by racks 14, 16 driven by pistons 10, 11, Figs. 8 and 18, in cylinders 12, 13. Oil from a reservoir 33 is forced by a pump 34 through a conduit 48 into a slide valve 40, Figs. 8 and 13-16. The valve chamber 40b communicates with the reservoir through a pressure chamber 40c and high pressure spring-actuated release valve 50, low-pressure release valve 52, and passage 58. A cam on the main cam-shaft moves the valve during each machine cycle successively into the neutral position of Fig. 13, high-pressure jaw-closing position of Fig. 14, low-pressure position of Fig. 15, a second time to position of Fig. 14, a second time to position of Fig. 15, jaw-opening position of Fig. 16, and back to the neutral position. In Figs. 14 and 15, liquid is supplied to conduit 47, and in Fig. 16 to conduit 45. In this way the jaw or jaws is or are closed on the line first at high pressure, then after first justification at low pressure for matrix alignment, again at high pressure for casting, then at low pressure for the wiping action, and finally the jaws are opened. A rotary selector valve 27, Figs. 8 and 10, is set to one of four positions, for normal opeiation, left or right hand quadding, or centring, by a knob and pinion through a rack 30. The valve 27 comprises a right-angular radial passage 54, a semi-circular grooved circumferential passage 53, and an axial peripheral passage 55 communicating by means of a passage 59 and the conduit 46 and passage 58 with the reservoir. The valve passages are brought selectively into communication with ports 47a, 46a, 60a, 61 in the housing C containing the pistons, to connect two or more of said ports together and direct the liquid from the conduit 47 into the cylinders 12, 13 at the desired sides of the piston heads or to the exhaust conduit 46, and from the desired ends of the cylinders to the conduit 46. In Fig. 10, the valve 27 is set for right-hand quadding. In Fig. 8, the valve 27 is set for normal operation, the liquid passing directly from conduit 47 to conduit 46. The aforementioned knob also controls axial movement of a pinion 18 to move it into engagement with the rack 14 only during a centring operation. The jaw-closing area of the head of piston 10 is slightly larger than that of piston 11 so as to avoid back-lash between the pinion 18 and racks 14, 16. The left-hand jaw is adjustable by a screwed rod 15. In order to relieve the jaw pressure for matrix alignment after the first justification during normal operation, the lefthand jaw is given a slight leftward and then rightward movement controlled by the justification lever actuating the left-hand vertical justification rod, which lever acts through a vertical rod 8, Fig. 18, to rock an arm 66 secured to a sleeve 67 loosely mounted on the piston-rod 10a, which sleeve is externally threaded and rotates inside an internallythreaded stationary collar 68 so as to be moved axially and move the rack 14. The movement of the arm 66 during right-hand quadding establishes the proper banking point for the lefthand jaw. In left-hand quadding and centring, the rack 14 is not in contact with the arm 66. The valve 50 is set for a pressure of 100 1bs./ sq. inch and 110 1bs./sq. inch for the right and left-hand jaws respectively, or 70 and 60 1bs./ sq. inch, and the valve 52 for 10-20 1bs./sq. inch. During quadding and centring operations, the operation of the justification bar is prevented by locking the right-hand justification rod by means of a pawl actuated by a cam on the underside of the rack 30. For automatic operation by a teletypesetter unit, the rack 30 is set by a piston 90, Figs. 24 and 29. When the piston 90 is in its leftward position, the machine is set for regular operation. When the piston 90 is move to the right, the rack is arrested selectively in the desired one of three positions by means of teeth 96a, 96b, engaging stops 94, 95, which are selectively set in operative or inoperative position by tape-controlled solenoids 92, 93. When the slide valve 40, Fig. 29, is set to the high-pressure closing position of Fig. 14, liquid flows through conduit 47<SP>1</SP> to the cylinder 91 to set the selector valve. An additional cam on the cam-shaft then operates a lever to open valves 99, 99a, when the fluid from conduit 47<SP>1</SP> flows to the selector valve to operate the jaw or jaws, and returns through the conduits 45, 45<SP>1</SP>. After the wiping operation, the valves 99, 99a are closed, and when the valve 40 moves to jaw-opening position, fluid flows through conduit 45<SP>1</SP> to return the piston 90 to its leftward position, whereafter the valves 99, 99a are again opened to allow the jaws to be opened. During regular machine operation, the piston 90 must not be actuated, and the valve 40 is therefore kept in its neutral position by locking its actuating cam-operated lever in operative position by means of a pawl, which is tripped to release the lever for quadding or centring operations by a tape-controlled rotary solenoid. Specification 719,783 is referred to.