Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Capsules for Bottles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Capsules for Bottles.
I, CARL SCHERER, of Langen, Hessen, Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Up to the present time capsules for bottles have always been manufactured by
causing the metal disc of which they are made to pass between two revolving steel
bolts, and imparting thereto the requisite shape and polish by pressing a roller
against the same by hand.
The cutting or trimming of the bottom edge of the finished polished capsule was
also effected by hand, by holding against the same a sharp steel cutter.
This method of manufacturing bottle capsules is subject to various disadvantages
whereby the cost of manufacture is greatly increased.
Thus the pressing and polishing of the capsule by hand by means of a single
roller, requires very considerable time, as the roller must be passed repeatedly with
light pressure and slowly over the metal in order to produce a perfect well polished
capsule.
Again, by the slightest excessive pressure of the roller, the capsule becomes
defective, which causes great waste of labour and material, and lastly, the cutting
of the lower edge of the capsule also requires a considerable expenditure of time
and hand labour.
The present invention relates to a new method and to apparatus for carrying out
such method for the manufacture of capsules.
The pressing and polishing as also the trimming of the capsule is in this case
not effected by hand but by mechanical means.
For this purpose the capsule blank is forced by a mandril between a set of
revolving rollers or bosses, which are made to bear with spring pressure against
the blank so as by their revolution to press the blank closely against the surface of
the mandril in order that it may assume the shape thereof, and at the same time
to polish the outer surface of the capsule.
After the latter has been thus formed, a cutting tool attached to the framing
carrying the rollers and revolving therewith, is made to advance against the lower
edge of the capsule, and to cut or trim it by the rotation of the cutter. The
mandril and finished capsule are then withdrawn from between the rollers.
The rollers are for the above purpose mounted loose upon spindles, the front
ends of which can slide radially in slots in a disc carried by a central socket round
which the rollers are arranged.
The rear ends of the spindles are carried in a second disc which can be turned
round on the rear end of the socket, so that by turning such disc more or less, the
spindles and consequently the rollers can be made to assume a more or less oblique
position, thereby varying the action of the rollers on the capsule, the rollers being
pressed inwards against the capsule by a caoutchouc band which eucircles the
same.
Centrally within the hollow socket is a plunger which is forced forward between
the rollers by a helical spring, and which carries at the front end a disc-shaped
head that can revolve freely on the end of a central rod. On the introduction of
the mandril and capsule-blank between the rollers, the former is made to force
back the head and plunger, in compressing the spring, and these parts are thereby
made to form the flat head of the capsule.
The before mentioned cutting tool slides between guides on the front disc and
is urged forward by a spring; the tail of the cutting tool has one end of an elbow

page_text: lever bearing against it the other end of which bears against a rod sliding in guides
at the side of the socket and urged forward against the elbow lever by a spring,
so that the lever is thereby made to hold the cutter in the withdrawn position.
On the last named rod is an adjustable collar, while on the central plunger is a
finger projecting laterally through a slot in the socket; when the plunger has been
forced back to the full extent by the introduction of a capsule blank the finger in
coming in contact with the collar on the rod withdraws the latter and in thus
freeing the cutter, causes this to be moved forward by its spring so as to effect the
cutting of the edge of the capsule. The socket has its rear end attached to an
axis mounted in bearings on a framing and which is rotated by hand or by any.
suitable power, and the mandril receives its to and fro motion either by a treadle
or by a hand lever, or it may be mounted on a slide which is moved to and fro
by suitable gear receiving motion from the above named revolving axis.
A number of such before described apparatus can be mounted side by side or
one above the other on the same framing.
Instead of moving the mandril and capsule blank to and from the rollers, as
described, the mandril may be stationary and the rollers be made to advance and
recede, and instead of rotating the part carrying the rollers, this may be stationary,
and the mandril be rotated.
Dated this 28th day of October 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Capsules for Bottles.
I, CARL SCHERER of Langen, Hessen, Germany, Manufacturer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Up to the present time capsules for bottles have always been manufactured by
causing the metal disc of which they are made to pass between two revolving
steel bolts, and imparting thereto the requisite shape and polish by pressing a
roller against the same by hand.
The cutting or trimming of the bottom edge of the finished polished capsule
was also effected by hand, by holding against the same a sharp steel cutter.
This method of manufacturing bottle capsules is subject to various disadvantages
whereby the cost of manufacture is greatly increased.
Thus the pressing and polishing of the capsule by hand by means of a single
roller, requires very considerable time, as the roller must be passed repeatedly with
light pressure and slowly over the metal in order to produce a perfect, well polished
capsule.
Again, by the slightest excessive pressure of the roller, the capsule becomes
defective, which causes great waste of labor and material, and lastly, the cutting
of the lower edge of the capsule also requires a considerable expenditure of time
and hand labor.
The present invention relates to a new method, and to apparatus for carrying
out such method for the manufacture of capsules.
The pressing and polishing as also the trimming of the capsule is in this case
not effected by hand but by mechanical means.
For this purpose apparatus is employed the construction of which is shewn at
Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 shews an end
view, Figure 2 a side view. Figure 3 a part sectional end view, and Figure 4 a
longitudinal section of the tool for forming and cutting the capsule while Figures 5
and 6 shew side views to a smaller scale of two modifications of the complete
apparatus for operating with the tool.

page_text: E E are a number of rollers or bosses arranged in a circle round the opening O
of a plate D through which opening the metal disc for forming the capsule is
pressed by a mandril.
The rollers E can rotate upon spindles B the front ends of which can slide in
slots G in a disc C fixed to the socket A of the tool.
The rear ends of the spindles B enter holes in a disc F by the rotation of
which disc upon the socket A, the positions of the spindles, and consequently also
the operating parts of the pressing rollers E can be altered relatively to each
other.
By means of a caoutchouc ring H the spindles are pressed against the socket A.
In the interior of the socket A is a plunger J with sliding head K against
the rear end of which, or against the plate L presses a helical spring M, the
plate L being attached to the guide rod of the head K.
By the action of the spring M the plunger J and sliding head K is continuously
pressed forward, against the rollers E.
The disc C of the socket A carries between two of the rollers E, a device by
means of which, at the required moment, the trimming of the lower edge of the
capsule is effected.
.
As shewn at Figures 1 to 4, the trimming device consists of the cutter P capable
of sliding in a guide N, and acted upon by a helical spring Q attached to the outer
end thereof, which is bent over the edge of the disc C. This spring Q tends to
force the cutter forward into the position for cutting the end of the capsule. The
rear end of the cutter P bears against the front end of an elbow lever S pivotted
on a pin R, and having its other end in contact with the front end of a rod T
sliding in guides at the side of the socket A; the rod T has an adjustable collar U
against which bears one end of a helical spring V the other end of which bears
against the rear guide of the rod T.
By the action of this spring the rod T is always pressed forward and con-
sequently through the medium of the elbow lever S. it holds the cutter P in the
backward position, against the action of the spring Q as shewn in the drawing.
The plunger J carries a stud W Figure 4 projecting through a slot in the socket
and which when the plunger is moved backward towards the rear end of the
socket A by the forward motion of the capsule and mandril comes in contact with
the collar U and thereby forces the rod T backwards, so as to allow the cutter P
to be moved forward into position for cutting the edge of the capsule. As soon as
the plunger moves forward again so as to cause the stud W to release the collar U,
the spring V causes rod T to effect the withdrawal of the cutter again.
The above described apparatus is attached by screwing to a spindle X as shewn
at Figures 5 and 6, and this is rotated rapidly either by hand, by treadle action or
by pulley transmission in any known manner as indicated.
Against the mandril Y, over which the capsule is to be pressed and from which
it receives its form the metal disc Z for producing the capsule is held, or a partially
prepared capsule is placed upon the mandril Y and the latter is then advanced so
as to press the capsule blank between the rollers E, which thereupon by their.
rotation form and polish the capsule, acting thereon in a series of either circular
or helical lines while at the same time the lower end is trimmed by the cutter P.
The forward motion of the mandril Y towards and between the rollers E can
be effected as at Figure 5, by the depression of the treadle a or by a similarly
arranged handle; or, as shewn at Figure 6 the mandril Y can be mounted on a
slide to which a to and fro motion is imparted by suitable gear, from the revolving
spindle X, as shewn.
Several of the above described apparatus can be advantageously mounted side
by side, or above each other on one and the same framing, so that a single workman
can attend simultaneously to the manufacture of several capsules.
It will be evident that instead of rotating the tool, the mandril and capsule can
be rotated; also, instead of moving the mandril and capsule to and from the tool
the mandril may be stationary and the tool be moved longitudinally..

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of manufacturing capsules, by causing a metal disc or blank,
held against or upon a stationary or revolving mandril such as Y, to be subjected
to the action of a revolving or stationary set of rollers or bosses E, while the one
part has a longitudinal motion imparted to it relatively to the other part the rollers
having spring action and being so formed as to act either in annular or helical
lines upon the surface of the metal, while at the same time a plunger such as J
with head K arranged behind the rollers and having spring action, is pressed
backwards within a socket A, by the advance of the mandril and capsule, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In apparatus for manufacturing capsules according to the method described
in the first claim, the use of a set of rollers in which the position of the acting
surfaces of rollers or bosses E revolving upon spring spindles B are varied by
altering the positions of the roller spindles B, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for manufacturing capsules according to the method described in
the first claim, the use for cutting or trimming the edges of the finished capsules,
of a cutter such as P arranged between two rollers or bosses E of the roller
system, and receiving the requisite motion by means of the plunger J which is
moved backwards in the roller support, or by a stud on the sliding head K sub-
stantially as described.
4. In apparatus for manufacturing capsules according to the method set forth
in the first claim, the use of a slide such as b whereby the movement of the mandril
and capsule blank towards and between the set of rollers, and the removal of the
mandril and finished capsule from between the rollers is automatically effected,
substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of July 1892
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.