Improvements in Automatic Feeding and Regulating Devices for Machine Tools.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 1st Dec., 1899-Accepted, 1st May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Feeding and Regulating Devices
for Machine Tools.
We, HENRY AUTON LIEBERT and EMIL HERMAN LIEBERT, both of Perseverance
Works, Milnrow, near Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, Tool-
makers, Machinists, and Electricians, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:--
This invention relates to improvements in machine tools and has for its object
to provide means whereby the various feeds and cuts necessary to produce the
work desired will, instead of being regulated by hand as hitherto be brought into
and out of action by electric currents governed by a compound former
each part or segment of which controls a movement of the cutting tool, thus
causing ordinary machine tools to produce their work automatically.
The invention consists, firstly, in the application to the feed motion of the tool,
of electro-magnet clutches which bring the feeds in and out of action as may be
required, secondly, in the use of a sliding electrical contact driven continuously
from the driving shaft of the machine or independently and adapted to make and
break the electrical contact, for the purpose of bringing the said clutches in and
out of action, and lastly, in the combination of a cross feed actuated by a former
which is driven continuously and a traverse feed brought in and out of gear by
the said clutches.
Our invention may be applied in various ways.
..
When applying our invention, for instance to the back shaft of a lathe for
reversing its rotation, we employ upon the back shaft two cone clutches, the
she parts of which are loose and form pulleys driven from the headstock, one
by an open and the other by a crossed strap, whilst the he clutch parts we key
upon the back shaft and contain each an electro-magnet coil connected to two
rings employed on the outside of the respective clutch parts each in contact with
a brush.
One of the said brushes at the side of each clutch, is connected to a wire lead-
ing to an electric source and the other to wires leading to adjustable bars arranged
in conjunction with a brush also connected to the said electric source by a wire.
This brush is carried by a screw suitably rotated from the headstock of the
lathe and adapted to slide in and out of contact with the said bars, so that when
coming into contact, the electric current will be caused to flow through the respec-
tive clutch and bring same in action and rotate the shaft to the left or right
as the case may be, whilst when coming out of contact with the said bars the
electric current will be broken and the respective clutch thrown out of gear.
The former used in connection with the said electrically operated clutches con-
sists of a cylinder having cam faces and continuously rotated from the headstock.
The tool slide which is adapted to move in contact with the periphery of the said
cylinder and cam faces, is connected to the electric source by a wire so that when
the cross feed is actuated by one of the cam faces on the former, the electric cur-

page_text: rent through the clutch is broken and the latter thus brought out of action,
whilst when the cross feed is completed the electric current flows through the said
former, brings the clutch into action and thus causes the tool carriage to traverse.
When applying our invention, for instance to the traverse and cross feed of
a lathe, the ordinary sliding and surfacing carriage is used and two worms are
placed loose upon the back shaft adapted to be brought electrically in and out of
action with a double cone which is keyed upon the back shaft and contains the
electro-magnet coils connected by wires to collars arranged in contact with brushes
as herein before described, whilst one of the said worms gears into the worm wheel
of the cross feed and the other into that of the traverse, or again we may make
the electro-magnet clutches act on the worm wheels instead of on the worms
that is, allow the worm wheels to run loose and let them only drive the feed
motion gearing, when held by an electro-magnet friction clutch similar to the ones
described above.
Dotad this 28th day of Wahre 1800
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.
Improvements in Automatic Feeding and Regulating Devices
for Machine Tools.
We, HENRY ANTON LIEBERT and EMIL HERMAN LIEBERT, both of Perseverance
Works, Milnrow, near Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, Tool-
makers, Machinists, and Electricians, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
Our invention relates to improvement in machine tools and has for its object
to provide means whereby the various feeds and cuts necessary to produce the
work desired will, instead of being regulated by hand as hitherto be brought into
and cut of action by electric currents governed by a compound former
each part or segment of which controls a movement of the cutting tool, thus
causing ordinary machine tools to produce their work automatically.
The invention consists, firstly, in the application to the feed motion of the tool,
of electric-magnet clutches which bring the feeds in and out of action as may be
required secondly, in the use of a sliding electrical contact driven continuously
from the driving shaft of the machine or independently and adapted to make and
break the electrical contact, for the purpose of bringing the said clutches in and
out of action, and lastly, in the combination of a cross feed actuated by a former
which is driven continuously and a traverse feed brought in and out of gear by
the said clutches.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have caused
to be appended hereunto three sheets of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures.
Fig. 1. Sheet I, is a diagram of one form of and application of our electro-
magnet clutches and sliding electrical contact.
Fig. 2. Sheet II, is a sectional plan, and Figs. 3. 4 & 5 are
cross sections
thereof at lines A-A, B-B, and C-C respectively of the electrically connected
former, Fig. 6 is a cross section.
Fig. 7, Sheet III, a front view, and Fig. 8 a plan of a lathe showing our
improvements applied thereto.
In carrying out the first and second parts of and employing our invention for

page_text: the purpose of reversing the feed or back shaft a of a machine tool, Fig. 1, we
employ upon the same two cone clutches b, c and o, 4, the "she" parts 6 & 4 of
which are adapted to rotate loosely thereon and are driven in opposite directions,
in the present instance from the driving spindle d of the machine by means of
spur gearing.
g
For this purpose we form each of the "she" clutch parts externally with a
wheel e, one of the same gearing directly into a wheel secured upon a shaft
interposed between the feed or back shaft a and driving spindle d and the other
indirectly by means of a pinion h into a second wheel i also secured upon the
shaft g.
The "he" clutch parts c & o are keyed upon the feed or back shaft a and each
contain an electro-magnet coil k connected to rings l, m, n employed around the
clutch parts c & o which rings are in contact with the brushes p, q, r.
The brush is connected to a wire s leading to an electric source and the
brush I to a wire t leading to a number of bars u, rendered relatively adjustable
in a frame w formed of insulating material and connected to each other by
wires.
The brush is similarly connected by the wire z to a wire y by which
the bars are connected together.
In connection with the said adjustable bars we employ a brush 1 carried by a
screw 2 suitably rotated from the driving spindle d and adapted to slide over the
contact bars u & v in and out of contact therewith.
This brush is also connected by a wire 3 to an electric source and together with
the said adjustable bars forms a switch so that each time the brush comes into
contact with one of the said bars, the electric current will be caused to flow
through and couple up one of the clutches b, c & o, 4 thus rotate the shaft a to
the left or right as the case may be, whilst when coming out of contact with the
said bars the electric current will be broken and the respective clutch thrown out
of gear.
When applying our invention for instance to the traverse and cross feed of a
machine tool, the ordinary sliding and surfacing carriage is used and in addition
to the electro-magnet clutches described, two worms 5, 6 are employed to rotate
loosely upon the feed or back shaft a, see dotted lines Fig. 1, each formed with
the "she" part 6, 4* respectively of a cone clutch adapted to be brought elec-
trically in and out of action with the cone or "he" part e, o* of a second double
electro-magnet clutch keyed upon the feed or back shaft a and containing electro-
magnet coils connected by wires to rings arranged in contact with brushes and
by wires with another series of adjustable bars, in exactly the same manner as
when applied for the reversion of the feed or back shaft.
The said second electro-magnet clutches are arranged to slide along the said feed
or back shaft with the saddle of the tool and through the first named electro-
magnet clutches can be rotated right or left.
The worm 5 gears into the worm wheel 7 secured to the spindle of the cross
feed and the worm 6 into the worm wheel 8 secured upon the spindle of the
traverse feed of the tool.
By changing or altering the position of the said contact bars either of the
clutches or 4 can be used in connection with either of the clutches b* or 4.i.e.
when using clutches & 4 alternately in connection with 4* the tool will be
caused to travel longitudinally forwards and backwards and when using the
clutches & 4 alternately in connection with the tool will travel crosswise
in and out and thus either feed independently reversed.
According to a modification we may make the electro-magnet clutches act on
the worm wheels instead of on the worms, that is to say, allow the worm wheels
to run loose and let them only drive the feed motion gearing, when held by an
electro-magnet friction clutch similar to the ones described above.
It is obvious that the length of time for which the said clutches remain in action
is dependent on the speed of the screw 2 and the length of the said bars which may
be varied at will to suit circumstances.

page_text: Referring to the last part of our invention and Sheets II & III, the former used
in connection with the said electrically operated clutches consists of a metal
cylinder 9 having cam faces 10 formed of insulating material and secured to a
metal shaft 11 having a metal ring 12 arranged to run in contact with a. brush 13.
The said former is mounted in bearings 14 formed on the carriage or slide 15
and bushed with insulating material. It is secured to and continuously rotated
by a chuck 16 carried by a shaft, say in a lathe by the back shaft 17, rotated
from the headstock by gearing, say such as shown in Figs. 7 & 8.
18 is the object to be operated upon and 19 the tool carried by the slide 20
mounted on the carriage 15 which slide is furnished with a wheel 21 kept in con-
tact with the former 7, 8, 9 by the weight 21* so that the tool 19 will take a copy-
ing cut off the object under operation.
The electrical clutch 22 actuates the traverse of the slide or carriage 15, the
current passing from the electric source through wire 23,, clutch coil 24, wire 25,
to the insulated bracket carrying the wheel 21, then to former 9, brush 13 and
so back by wire 26 to electric source. When the wheel 21 is touching one of the
insulated cam faces 10, the traverse feed is interrupted and the tool moves in and
out under control of said cam faces whilst when on metal cylinder 9 the carriage
traverses.
The clutch 22, shown in Fig. 7 is a single one and in principle and action the
same as the double one previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1st. In machine tools, the employment of one or more electro-magnet clutches
adapted to bring any of the feeds in and out of action, all substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
2nd. In machine tools, the employment of one or more electro-magnet clutches
adapted to bring any one of the feeds in and out of action, in combination with
a series of insulating bars and a brush adapted to move in contact therewith which
together form a switch adapted to electrically control the said clutch or clutches,
all substantially as set forth.
3rd. In machine tools, the use of a rotary cylindrical former in lieu of the usual
flat stationary one, all substantially as set forth.
4th. In machine tools, the combination of a rotary cylindrical former composed
of conducting and insulating surfaces with an electro-magnet clutch, the said
former being adapted to regulate the feeds partly mechanically and partly electri-
cally, all substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of November 1899.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants..