Patent GB-1150374-A (GB)
Title: Strip-Forming Apparatus
IPC: B23D19/06
Filed: 1966-09-21
Abstract: 1,150,374. Breaking, winding and reeling; rolling strip. YODER CO. 21 Sept., 1966 [29 Oct., 1965], No. 42153/66. Headings B3A, B3E and B3M. A method of dividing sheet material into strips and conditioning the edges of the strips so formed includes the steps of feeding the sheet to a station having a plurality of pairs of aligned transversely-spaced blades, each pair of blades being spaced apart to partially sever the sheet as it passes through the blades, tearing the sheet into strips along the length of the partial severances and thereafter smoothing the opposed torn edges of at least one of the strips so formed to provide a strip having two edges which are smooth and radiused. The method is described in relation to dividing a 14 inch wide sheet of aluminium, 0À030 inch thick into two strips, each about 6 inches wide, both edges of each strip having been trimmed. The edges are rolled to a radius to improve the electrical quality of the strip, which is subsequently to be formed into electrical coils. An apparatus for carrying out the method comprises an uncoiler 10 from which the strip is drawn past an edge guide sensor 11 by an entry bridle 13 which has a driven roller 15. The strip is scored in a pinch slitter 18 and severed along the score lines in a separating unit 19, the edge trimmings being wound up in a unit 20 and the two strips passing to a stretcher leveller 21. Each strip then passes through a tension bridle 22, 23 and to an edgeconditioning unit 26. The strips are cleaned in a brush and spray unit 27 and pass through flatteners 28 and tension bridles 29 before being wound up on coilers 30 and 31. Pinch splitter unit.-Pairs of scoring blades 50, 56 are mounted on arbors 51, with distance collars 52 and are clamped by nuts 55. The arbors are supported on coned centres 64, 70 which are adjustable to position the arbors axially. The centre 64 is mounted in a bush 62 which is acted on by a screw 85 which is received in a unit 86. The nut is connected to a hand wheel 87 which has a graduated scale. The centre 70 is carried by a bush 69 which is biased by a spring 72 to move the arbor against the centre 64. The centre distance between the arbors is adjusted by screws 104 operated by hand wheels 107 and acting on the bearing assemblies 60 and 61 which are biased apart by compression springs 95 and 96. The strip is supported by lower pads 120 of low friction material such as nylon, and is held down by similar pads 121. The height of the upper surface of the lower pad is accurately adjusted by screw means. At the entry side of the unit (the left-hand side of Fig. 3) the pad is attached to a support shoe 137 which has a bevelled undersurface 139. The shoe rests on a bar 130, the height of which can be adjusted by screws 143. At the exit side of the unit the pad rests directly on a similar bar 130. A screw is clamped in the bar 130 and is engaged by a threaded knob 136 which has a micrometer scale. As the knob is turned the pad is moved along the bevelled surfaces of the bars 130 and is raised or lowered vertically. The upper pad is clamped to bars 163 and 181 which are adjusted by screws 161 and 184 and are clamped by sleeves 166 at each side of the unit. Edge-conditioning unit,-The separated strips have edges, of the shape shown in Fig. 9, which are partly radiused, but have a projecting fin a, b. The edge conditioning comprises eight rollers, four on each side of the strip, which roll the edge to the radiused shape shown in Fig. 11. Each roller 246 is mounted on ball bearings and is carried on a square shaft which is acted on by an air-cylinder 261. Each of the cylinders 261 has air pressure regulating means to enable the pressure of individual rollers to be adjusted. The height of each roller is individually adjustable in relation to the square shaft by which it is supported, and a housing in which the four rollers on one side are mounted is adjustable laterally of the strip and clamped by a handle 221. The strip is supported in its passage through the unit by three lower pads 270, each carried by a bracket 272, the brackets being fixed to a rod 273 which is free to float laterally in end mountings 274. The height of the pads is adjusted by screws 276 by which the mountings 274 are secured to the frame. Pressure pads 271 are similarly mounted on a rod 283 which can also float laterally to follow wandering of the strip edge.