Patent GB-817171-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to closure sealing machines
Inventor: WILTON RONALD WILLIAM
IPC: B67B3/18
Filed: 1955-01-18
Abstract: 817,171. Capsule sealing. METAL CLOSURES Ltd. April 13, 1956 [Jan. 18, 1955], No. 1490/55. Class 125(2). The invention relates to closure sealing machines of the type in which an applied closure is acted upon by pressure applied simultaneously to the closure in a radially inward direction and to the crown of the closure, and in which the radial thrust is transmitted to the closure by means of a headset incorporating tools for operation on the closure. According to the invention fluid mechanisms are employed to impose endwise and/or radial thrust to the closure through movable tool assemblies in the heat set. Reciprocal vertical motion is transmitted to the pressure block 100 attached to shaft 45, rotary motion is given to the tool assemblies 103 by their attachment to a housing 4 and radial motion of the tool assemblies is transmitted by fluid thrust applied to the expansible member 33. The assemblies and the headset construction are preferably those described in Specification 817,172. The rotating shaft 1 drives a spur gear 2 in mesh with a gear pinion 3 fixed to the top of housing 4, while a bevelled gear 22 at the top of shaft 1 meshes with a gear 23 to rotate a shaft 17 with an eccentrically mounted rod 12 carrying a piston 11. The rotating housing 4 is supported by bearing assemblies 5, 6 on a non rotary stub shaft 8 which is located centrally within and secured to a head block 9 which functions as a vertical slide, incorporates an air cylinder 9A and provides a support for the spur gear 2. The piston 11 is caused on the up-stroke to abut inwards projections on the top of block 9 and thus to raise the block and with it the shaft 8 and housing 4. Thus the shaft 1 transmits vertical motion to the shafts 45 and rotary motion to the housing 4 while, owing to the travel of piston 11 in air chamber 9A the shaft 45 is stationary for a short period at the bottom of the stroke while rotation of the housing 4 takes place. The shaft 45 is positioned in a central bore of the shaft 8 by a buttress screw thread 45A and its upper end froms a square spigot 45C which a gear 44 engages, the gear enabling vertical adjustment of the effective travel of shaft 45 to be made by rotating a worm gearing meshed in gear 44 from outside the machine. Air under pressure enters the block 9 by passages 48, 49 from a valve system 24. That entering by passage 49 passes to the air cylinder 9A and acts as a cushion for the descending piston 11. That entering by passage 48 is led by passage 8B in the shaft 8 and thence to a chamber 38 connected to chamber 36 and expandible thrust member 33, which takes the form of rubber ring of the shape shown bonded to the housing 4, by passages 37 and 35. A light valve 41 is slidable in chamber 36 which has an opening to atmosphere through flange 43, a resilient pad 41A on the valve 41 co-operating with the opening. The chamber 36 is traversed lengthwise by air passages 42. As shown in Fig. 3 the expandible member 33 is collapsed, the passage 35 being open to atmosphere. In Fig. 3A air has been admitted through pipe 37 forcing the valve 41 to the other end of the chamber 36, closing the vent to atmosphere and uncovering the passage 42. Air under pressure then expands the member 33 giving radial motion to the tool assemblies. The valve system comprises two control valves and a delivery valve, air under pressure being admitted to each control valve, passing from one directly through passage 49 to the air cylinder 9A and from the other to the delivery valve. The delivery valve is normally open to atmosphere and is closed, allowing compressed air to enter the circuit to the expandible member 33, by depressing lever 28 by means of a timing device 30 depending from the spindle 17A carrying rod 12 on shaft 17. The timing device is arranged coaxially with shaft 17 and has cam surfaces which on each rotation of the shaft abut the lever 28 for a time which may be predetermined by adjusting the cam surfaces. The lateral motion of the tool assemblies may be transmitted by a cog in mesh with the tool assemblies which is rocked by the expandible member 33.