Patent GB-320124-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to a method and apparatus for the manufacture of narrowing elements or points
IPC: B21G1/12
Filed: 1928-07-07
Abstract: 320,124. Hofmann Needle Works, Inc., A., and Hofmann, A. July 7, 1928. Needles. - Knitting- machine transfer-needles for use in combination with spring-beard needles as shown in Fig. 25, are produced by a continuous operation consisting in transferring a needle blank from a reciprocating carrier to each of a number of operating devices, the needle blank being transferred after each operation back to the carrier prior to being transferred to the next operating device; the several operations comprise in succession, as shown in Fig. 24, severing the blank A, grinding the butt B, curving the point C, grinding the point D, bending the butt E, punching the groove F, flattening the grooved part G, and bending the point H, followed by final tempering. The machine is generally similar in arrangement and operation to that described in Specification 310,712 for making spring-beard needles. The wire is drawn through a wirestraightener by a feed slide 10, Fig. 1, actuated by a lever 12 and crank disc 13 on a shaft 14 driven by gearing 15 from a shaft 16 geared to the shaft 8. As in the above Specification, the wire is supported in an apertured blank holder, severed by a pair of lower fixed knives and a pair of upper movable knives actuated by cams 21 on the shaft 16, and carried by the movement of the blank holder bar 23 moving in conjunction with the main carrier bar 27 to the first work holder 49. The carrier bar 27 is provided with pairs of spring-closed cam-opened jaws 35 corresponding to the number of different work stations and has a parallelogram-motion derived from a longitudinal reciprocation imparted by a drum cam 28, Fig. 4, and a vertical reciprocation imparted by cams 34, all as set out in the above Specification. Grinding the needle butt. The work holder 49 is advanced by cam mechanism and presents the needle butt to the grinding wheel 50 which is movably mounted and axially reciprocated by a cam 51 on a shaft 52 geared at 53 to the shaft 14. Swaging. The needle is now transferred to the work holder 54 and advanced to the swage 58 of radially-moving striker construction similar to that described in the above Specification. Grinding the point. The needle is next transferred to the work holder 59 and the swaged point is finished and ground by a grinding wheel 60 adjustably mounted and reciprocated by a cam 61. Butt bending and groove punching. For these operations the needle is transferred to the work holder 63, Figs. 5 and 8, being pushed during this transfer to correct position in the work holder by a pusher 66 carried on an arm on a shaft 65 connected by a lever 70 to a pivoted lever 67 having a roller 68 engaging a cam 69, by which the pusher 66 is raised; it is then moved forward to push the needle into the holder jaws by a cam 71 operating a lever 72 which actuates another lever 73 connected to the shaft 65. As the work holder advances the butt end is bent over by a roller 77 on a lever actuated by a cam track 78, and at the completion of the forward movement the needle rests on the anvil 79 and is grooved by a punch 80 actuated by a crank on the one-revolution shaft 81, all as set out in the above Specification. Flattening the grooved portion. For taking out the lateral bulging due to the grooving the needle is transferred to the next work holder which is given a quarter turn by a cam as it advances to position the needle on the anvil 85 under a hammer 86 actuated by a crank on the shaft 81. Bending the point. The needle is now transferred to another work holder 87, Fig. 13, and the point bent to an angle between a stationary die 90 and a companion die 93 on a pivoted lever 92 actuated by a cam on the shaft 8. Tempering. The needle is transferred by the last pair of jaws on the carrier bar 27 to a plate 97, Figs. 16 and 19, by which it is pushed into a tube entering a furnace by an arm 99 pivoted to a lever 104 linked to a lever 103 connected to a lever 101 actuated by a cam 100 on the shaft 5. The arm 99 is given a rising movement on its return stroke by the engagement of a pin 105 carried thereby with a pivoted guide 106 which drops behind the pin at the end of the forward movement. The needle pushed by the arm 99 into a tube 110 is advanced by a plunger 112 actuated by the cam-lever mechanism 113 - - 117 into a furnace 111, Figs. 20 and 21, and is deposited at the rear end of a pair of stationary racks 118 between which is arranged a movable rack 119. The latter has a parallelogram motion derived from a horizontal reciprocation imparted by a cam-lever mechanism 120, 121, 122 and a vertical reciprocation imparted by lever 123 and cam 124, whereby the needle is advanced step by step to the furnace exit 125 and dropped into the oil tempering bath 126.