Patent GB-742057-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines organised for exerting a thickness measuringaction on articles of sheet material and for dealing with said articles in accordance with measured thickness thereof
IPC: A43D1/08
Filed: 1952-09-18
Abstract: 742,057. Splitting-machines. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO., Ltd., and MAWBEY, L. Sept. 17, 1953 [Sept. 18, 1952], No. 23416/52. Class 31 (1). [Also in Groups XIX and XXIV] A machine for operating upon shoe soles or other workpieces, such as to split or mark them, comprising fluid-operated means controlled by mechanism for measuring the thickness of the workpieces and arranged to adjust the splitting or other operating means in accordance with the differing measured thicknesses of the workpieces, has work-contacting members associated with the measuring mechanism for controlling the fluid-operated means so as to determine at what points of a workpiece the measurement starts and stops. Other features of the machine relate to the construction and action of the superposed rolls of the measuring mechanism, the use of servo-type fluid-pressure means for transmitting the minimum measured thickness of a workpiece to the operating means, and a clutch-tripping device actuated by the workpieces as they travel from the measuring mechanism to the means for operating upon the workpieces so as to control such means. In the machine shown in Fig. 9, the workpieces are fed over a table into the gap between the upper and lower rolls 1, 3 of the measuring mechanism which determines the minimum thickness of a workpiece, then beneath a device 685 for marking this measurement on the workpiece, and finally between the upper and lower rolls 355, 357 of the splitting or evening mechanism. Thickness-measuring mechanism.-The upper roll 1, Fig. 1, is rotatable in end bearings 31, 51 which are slidable in vertical guides 61 and carried by a lateral yoke 53 so that this roll can move to and from the lower roll 3 during the passage of a workpiece. The roll 3 is driven through gearing from a main drive shaft, and the roll 1 by a rod 37 universally coupled at one end to an end gear 43 driven from a gear 57 on the roll 3 and at the other end to the inner central part of the roll 1 so as to permit tilting of this roll when dealing with workpieces of uneven thicknesses. Movement of the upper roll upon the passage of a workpiece occurs against the downward pressure of a spring 157 and is commmicated to rolls 69, 71, which are carried by pivoted arms 77, 79 and rest upon the face of the yoke 53, and thence to spring- pressed arms 103, 105 freely mounted on a transverse shaft 107, Figs. 1 and 3. This shaft has a fixed double-pronged member 113 engaging beneath the arms 103, 105, and a spring- pressed lever 125 freely mounted at one end of the shaft carries a block 123 which engages a wedge 119 on the shaft so that the latter will turn so far as permitted by the arms 77, 79 and rolls 69, 71. The lever 125 therefore moves in accordance with the upper roll 1 and is used through the transmitting mechanism described below to control the setting of the marking and splitting mechanisms; the mechanism for operating the lever is such that should the upper roll be tilted by a workpiece of uneven thickness the lever will move only to an extent proportional to the movement of whichever roll 69, 71 is over the thinner margin. Correct adjustment of the mechanism is provided by adjusting the wedge 119, and stop screws cooperate with the upper end of the lever 125 to set the limits to which the workpiece can be evened. The means including the spring 157 for adjusting the downward pressure of the upper roll 1 may be modified (Fig. 20, not shown) to permit the initial setting of that roll to roughly the thickness of the workpieces being operated upon. Measurement transmitting mechanism.-The lower end of the lever 125 acts through a rod 171, Fig. 4, to move a slide 173 carrying a pivoted lever 175 which is connected between the piston-rod 197 of a valve 199 in a hydraulic system and a block 189 on the piston-rod 191 of a piston-and-valve device controlled by the valve 199. The block 189 carries a rack 273 which therefore moves in accordance with the measured thickness of a workpiece, although in operation it is locked by one of two pawls 275, 277 so that it registers only diminishing thicknesses. The block 189 is also connected by a lever 279 and rod 283 with a second slide 288 carrying a pivoted lever 287 which is connected between the piston-rod 291 of a valve 289 in the hydraulic system and the piston-rod 301 of a piston-and-cylinder device 297 controlled by the valve 289 through a shut-off valve 295. The piston-rod 301 carries a rack 321 which acts through gearing to adjust, in accordance with the minimum measured thickness, the marking mechanism 685, Fig. 9, and the splitting mechanism (see below). The shut-off valve 295 is automatically opened and closed in the machine cycle by a main cam (529, Fig. 8, not shown) which acts through linkage including mechanism including links 665, 313, Fig. 4, and is brought into the drive by the engagement of a clutch (see Group XXIV) when the measured workpiece as it travels from the measuring rolls actuates a foot 599, Fig. 9, adjustably positioned along a bar 601. Control of the starting and stopping of measurement.-The point of a workpiece at which measurement starts is determined by a trailing shoe 453, Fig. 3, which is adjustable along a pivoted rod 455 and when engaged by the workpiece operates linkage 461, 463, Fig. 4, to release the pawls 275, 277 for engagement with the rack 273 ; to start measurement actually at the leading edge of the workpiece, an auxiliary shoe 475, Fig. 3, situated in a groove 59 in the upper roll 1 is caused to actuate the shoe 453 to release the pawls. Measurement is stopped by acting upon the lever 175, Fig. 4, so as to urge the rack 273 into locking position against one of the pawls by means of mechanism operable either to stop measurement actually at the trailing edge of the workpiece or at some earlier adjustable point. The mechanism is operated in the first case when a trailing shoe 549, Fig. 3, disposed in the groove 59 of the uppei roll 1, drops off the trailing edge of the workpiece and in the second case when a vertically-movable gate 491, which is adjustably positioned some distance in front of the shoe 549, drops off the workpiece ; the gate 491 is connected with the yoke 53 so that it is lowered on to the workpiece when the latter enters between the rolls 1, 3. Grade proximating mechanism.-The measurement to be transmitted from the measuring mechanism is assessed to the nearest half-iron by mounting one pawl 275, Fig. 4, on a simple pivot and the other pawl 277 on an eccentric pin 647 carried by a pivoted arm 649 which is connected at its lower end to the linkage 313, 665 controlling the shut-off valve 295 in the transmitting mechanism ; the rack teeth 273 have a pitch of a half-iron and the two pawls are set apart to the extent of a half-pitch. By this means, when the foot 599, Fig. 9, is engaged by the workpiece to operate the valve as described above, the pawl 277 is given a small forward and rear movement which together with the locking-movement of the rack results in the pawl 275 being caused to engage whichever of the rack teeth represents the nearer half-iron to the actual measurement. Splitting mechanism.-The lower splitting roll 357, Figs. 9 and 10, is driven from the main drive shaft and is carried by a lower yoke 377 urged upwardly by springs 379 so far as permitted by rods 381. End bearing blocks 354, Figs. 4 and 10, carrying the upper roll 355 are guided for inclined vertical movement and urged upwardly by spring-pressed levers 365 into engagement with blocks 345 which are adjusted vertically by screws 341 and nuts 343 so as to position the upper roll in accordance with the measured thickness ; for this purpose, the screws 341 are formed on vertical shafts 331 provided with pinions 329 engaging a rack 353 which is moved through gearing from the rack 321, Fig. 4, in the transmitting mechanism described above. The shafts 331 are mounted in threaded bushings 337 rotatable in unison to adjust the splitting mechanism, e.g. after sharpening the knife 359, Fig. 9. Stripper blades 384 project into grooves in the lower roll 357 in order to clear the scrap cuttings. It will be noted that the valve 295 is not operated to adjust the splitting mechanism until the workpiece has been split. Should it be desired to prevent splitting below a desired minimum thickness, the nuts 343, which are normally restrained from rotation by being formed with gears 347, Fig. 4, engaging a spring-pressed rack 351, are then rotated in a direction to permit the upper roll 355 to rise ; at the selected thickness, the rack 351 is therefore moved by a cam on the rack 353 acting through a bellcrank. A pointer 382, Figs. 4 and 10, driven from the rack 321 gives a reading of the measured thickness. Marking mechanism.-This comprises a thickness-indicating wheel 685, Figs. 9 and 10, which is rotated in accordance with the measured thickness when the transmitting mechanism is rendered operative by the clutching in of the main cam (by the action of the foot 599) ; the wheel is then driven from the rack 321 and rack 353 through a rod 691, gear segment 687 and pinion 689. Stamping is effected from a shaft 677 which is mounted coaxially with the main cam and driven by it ; the shaft 677 is connected with the cam by spring catches enabling it to be indexed so as to vary the point of operation. A stop 692 is provided for locking the mechanism out of action. For stamping the same size on successive workpieces, a manually-adjustable thickness wheel 693 is mounted coaxially with the wheel 685 for stamping from the shaft 677 ; a hand-operated spindle 695, Fig. 10, drives the wheel 693 and an indicating dial 701. Re-setting mechanism.-The main cam completes one revolution after being set into operation by the foot 599 and, in addition to opening and closing the valve 295 for transmitting the measurement, serves to release the measurement stopping pressure on the rack 273,