Patent GB-1143221-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in glass tube feeding devices
IPC: C03B23/11
Filed: 1966-02-10
Abstract: 1,143,221. Glass tube feeding device. J. DICHTER. 10 Feb., 1966 [12 Feb., 1965], No. 5990/66. Heading C1M. A control device, for feeding glass tubes 41 to chucks 24 of a glass working machine having at least one glass tube storage magazine 40 and a number of chucks which are successively advanced to different working stations, the machine having means for removing a finished glass tube from its chuck after it has been worked, adapted to be so positioned that the chucks are successively moved past said device comprises, a control shaft 29 on which are mounted cams 32, 34, 36, 37, 39 and 42, coacting with means for affecting transference of a fresh glass tube to a chuck 24 when the control shaft 29 is rotated by a continuously rotating drive shaft 48, and coupling means 30 actuable by a sensing means 63, 64 to connect the drive shaft in driving engagement with the control shaft only when the sensing means responds to the passage of an empty chuck past the device. An empty chuck 24 has an opening lever 65 and cam plate 64 in the lowest of two positions. As the empty chuck moves past the control device the cam plate first strikes and depresses a rail 68 and secondly a rail 63, it releasing both rails simultaneously. Depression of the rail 68 through a system of levers 66, 67, 69-72 releases a catch 73 holding an arm 58 of a control stirrup 52. During the depression of rail 68 the cam also depresses the rail 63 which through a system of linkages pivots the control stirrup 52 (Fig. 6) about point 56 into the position shown in dotted lines. This allows a stirrup 32 with associated roller 55 of the coupling 30 to drop from a raised position to a horizontal position. In this position a driver roller 50 mounted on the continuously rotating drive shaft 48 engages with a driver 51 on the control shaft 29 and rotates shaft 29 through 360 degrees. During the first part of the station the roller 55 of stirrup 32 moves inside one cam 53 of control stirrup 52, but on passing the pivot point 56 it contacts a second arm 54 of stirrup 52 and pivots that stirrup into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6. On completion of its full revolution the roller 55 rides up a cam surface 57 of arm 53 of stirrup 52 and lifts the stirrup 32 to its raised position thus disengaging the drive between the continuously rotating shaft 48 and control shaft 29. Riding of roller 55 up cam surface 57 coincides with the release of rail 63 by cam plate 64 and allows the rail 63 to be raised to its initial position. Simultaneously the rail 68 is raised to its initial position by a counterweight. The single revolution of the control shaft 29 also causes a series of other operations sequentially actuated by cams. Above the coupling 30 is a cam 34 having a follower 75 which through a lever system lifts a mechanical stop 35 into a support position beneath the empty chuck 24. Further up control shaft is a cam 36. This actuates a lever 91 having a mechanical stop 92 which is in contact with the opening lever 65 of the chuck 24. Thus rotation of cam 36 causes the chuck 24 to be opened, held open and closed. The chuck has a spring 93 tending to close it and in order to prevent too rapid a closing of the chuck after a glass tubing has been loaded therein, caused by the spring attempting to accelerate rotation of shaft 29, a brake 94 is attached to the shaft 29. A glass tube storage magazine 40 is mounted at the top of control shaft 29 about a hollow rotatable shaft 96. The foot of shaft 96 is provided with a toothed wheel 110 (Fig. 2) beneath which is a lever 111 having a pawl 112 engaging with the teeth of wheel 110. Rotation of the control shaft 29 rotates a cam 42 which bears against the lever 111 and pivots it about point 113. This causes pawl 112 to engage with wheel 110 and advance the latter to align a fresh tube above an empty chuck. The wheel 110 is locked in its new position by pawl 114. The glass tubes in the magazine 40 are retained at their lower ends by a stationary ring 106 and at their upper ends by a stationary ring 106a supported by pillars 107, 108 and a stationary arm 109. A hollow shaft 115 is mounted at one end on the ring 106 and at its other end on the arm 109 such as to be rotatable from a first position to a second position and back again. Rigidly mounted at the upper and lower ends of shaft 115 are levers 116, 117 connected by a guide rod 118. Movement of shaft 115 is effected by levers 125 and 123 actuated by a cam 39 on control shaft 29. An axially movable clamp assembly mounted on shaft 115 for movement therewith comprises three arms for holding a glass tube. Arms 119, 120 are rigidly mounted on the clamp which slides along shaft 115 and rod 118, and arm 121 is rotatably mounted thereon. A spring 200 (Fig. 4a) presses arm 121 against a. tube 41 to hold the tube against arms 119, 120. Thus on rotation of cam 39 the shaft 115 plus clamp assembly are rotated from a first to a second position carrying a glass tube 41 with them into alignment above an empty chuck. A cam 37 on control shaft 29 releases a catch 38 within shaft 29 which releases a chain 135 and permits the clamp assembly to slide down the shaft 115 until it contacts lever 117. During the latter part of this descent the lever 121 is opened away from tube 41 by a roller 147 acting in conjunction with a stop 145. The glass tube at this time also contacts the mechanical stop 35. On completion of this movement chuck 24 closes and holds the glass tube exactly in position. The clamp assembly is returned to its initial raised position through the action of a cam 126 and a lever and gear mechanism to which chain 135 is also attached. Further movement is prevented by catch 38. In rising the roller 147 contacts a further stop 146 which opens lever 121 ready for acceptance of another tube. In a second embodiment there is provided a machine having a turret 148 for each chuck, each turret being mounted on and rotating with the machine. In this embodiment as the chuck passes the control device if it is empty all the actions are triggered off as in the first embodiment but the actual loading is different. A cam 167 on the top of the control shaft causes movement of a lever 165. Lever 165 has at one end a surface 172 to which is attached a cam plate 173 which pushes against a roller 175 of a pawl 158 releasing it from engagement with a pin 153 beneath the turret 148. The surface 172 then contacts another pin 153 and rotates the turret 148, until a tube 41 held in guide 152 is positioned above a chuck 24. In this position the base of the tube is no longer supported and it is free to fall into the chuck. On the tube 41 striking the mechanical stop 35 the chuck closes.