Patent GB-718672-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to sealing machines for incandescent electric lamps, electronic tubes and the like
IPC: H01J5/24
Filed: 1952-10-07
Abstract: 718,672. Making electric lamps. WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC INTERNATIONAL CO. Oct. 7, 1952, [Oct. 26, 1951.] No. 25073/52. Class 39 (2). In a turret machine for sealing a mount comprising an exhausting tube and leading-in wires, to the bulb of an electric lamp or like device, a series of heads around a turret each comprise a mount-loading guide with separable parts which are movable to a position above a hollow pin or socket to guide therein the exhausting-tube and leading-in wires of the mount, and above the hollow pin or socket is disposed a bulbcentring device with separable centring members for aligning a bulb axially on the assembly, means being provided for moving the mount-support towards the bulb, rotating each head, bringing the mount-guiding parts together during loading, and separating the bulb-centring members during loading of the bulbs and subsequent unloading of the assembled bulbs and mounts. Each sealing head 12, Fig. 1, is mounted on a shaft assembly 16 rotatably mounted on a table 14, and comprises a pair of vertical rods 68, 70 carrying the mount-loading guide 22 and the bulb-centring device 24 above it. The rods 68, 70 are mounted on the head of aT-shaped shaft housing 28 which has a hollow vertical limb with a driving pulley on its lower end, an inner shaft 26 within the vertical limb being keyed to the latter by a key 57 within a long slot 39, so that the shaft 26 can be lifted vertically relative to the housing by a cam track 38 engaging its lower end. The upper end of the shaft 26 is formed into a hollow pin 40 with a flared mouth 41, Fig. 4, and a frusto-conical edge portion 43 to fit the inner flared surface of the stem 44 of a mount 45 when the latter is seated thereon. The two mount-guiding arms 86, 88 are pivotally mounted on a platform bracket 94 clamped to the vertical rods 68, 70, the upper ends 124, 129 of the arms being shaped to form an inverted conical pocket 125 when brought together. Simultaneous movements of the arms 86, 88 is effected by connecting them by a link 96, and the arm 88 forms part of a bell-crank pivoted at 131 and with a cam roller 92 on the limb 90 in association with a resiliently-mounted arcuate cam track 100, Figs. 1 and 4. The cam track 100 is located adjacent to the unloading and loading stations of the machine and acts to bring the mount-guiding arms together against the action of a coiled spring 98, thereby enabling an operator to place a mount in the position shown in Fig. 4 without touching an already hot part of the apparatus. The bulb centring device comprises a pair of pivoted arms 172, 198 provided with end jaws which are each formed with a V-shaped notch to engage a bulb between them, the arm 172 being mounted on a pivot pin 186 and secured to a pinion 174 which engages and drives a pinion 202 secured to the other arm 198. Rotation of the driving pinion 174 is effected by providing its hub 178 with an actuating pin 176 which extends through a slot in a pivoted arm 190, Fig. 1, carrying a roller 166 that engages a cam track 164 positioned to swing the arm 190 and open the jaws; a counterweight 194 on an offset arm secured to the arm 190 is provided to close the jaws at other times. The mount is loaded manually into the guide 22 at station 1 or 2, and as the mount leaves station 2 the arms 86, 88 fall backward therefrom due to the roller 92 riding down the inclined track 100. At station 3 a bulb 84 is loaded automatically into the bulb holder 72 which has three fingers 78, 80, 82, shaped and arranged to support the bulb, the bulb centring arms being at that time in their inoperative open position. Between stations 2 and 5 the shaft 26 supporting the mount 45 is raised in gradual ascent by the cam track 38 into sealing position relative to the bulb, and while between stations 3 and 4 the centring fingers 172, 198 close about the top of the bulb due to the roller 166 disengaging from the track 164 and permitting the counterweight 194 to operate. Between stations 5 and 12 the mount and bulb are rotated and sealed together by stationary fires, Fig. 7 (not shown). Moulding of the seal is effected at station 13, the rotation of the sealing head being halted by it striking a stop, and cooling is effected by air blown upon the seal at stations 14 and 15, before automatic unloading at station 16.