Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates or Sheets with Tin, Lead, or other Metals or Alloys.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates
or Sheets with Tin, Lead, or other Metals or Alloys.
We, PHILIP ROGERS of 4 St. George's Terrace, Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Machinery Agent, and JOHN PLAYER of Clydach, near Swansea
aforesaid, Tin Plate Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in machinery or apparatus of the
kind described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us, dated
19th Nov. 1886, No. 15040 for coating metal plates with tin, lead, or other metals,
or metallic alloys. The invention has for its object to improve the construction
and operation of such machinery or apparatus, and to increase the working capacity
thereof.
And in order that our present improvements in the above mentioned machinery
or apparatus may be clearly understood, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings wherein we will, in referring to certain parts of the original Specification,
distinguish them by the same reference letters with which they are marked in the
drawings annexed to the Specification of our before mentioned Patent.
Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other, and both partly in
vertical section, of our improved machine.
Figs. 3 to 10 inclusive are detail views.
Fig. 11 is a sectional detail view illustrating a modification.
Figs. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic views hereinafter referred to.
Figs. 1 and 2 are to a smaller scale than the remaining figures.
A machine of the kind referred to, comprises a pot A for the molten coating
metal or alloy; a flux-box C; a grease-box B containing several pairs of finishing
rolls G, G¹, G' each working in a roll feeding trough K; a cradle H; a clip bar d
with spring clips which receives the plates to be coated one at a time through the
flux box, carries them down into the molten metal in the pot A, and delivers them
through a box I and the grease-box to the lower pair of finishing rolls G; a pick-
up apparatus marked collectively D, provided with mechanical fingers and adapted
to automatically remove the finished plates one at a time, from the top pair of
finishing rolls G, and either deposit them in a suitable rack such as E, or other-
wise dispose of them; and mechanism for operating the several parts mentioned.
The cradle H consists of a series of bent bars secured together by transverse
bars o, o, and the outermost of which are secured to a third bar i the ends of which
are journaled in bearings,, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The ends of the transverse
bar o are extended far enough on each side to come in contact with guide plates
and so prevent the lower ends of the cradle bars touching the clip bar d to which
are secured, at points opposite the spaces between the ribs M at the back of the
pot A, a number of bent bars e, each carrying at one end a spring bar el that bears
against the other end, the whole forming a spring clip adapted to receive and hold
a plate whilst the same is being carried down through the metal in pot A. The clip
bar d is guided vertically by guide bars c, which instead of being each made
double as in our former machine, are made single, and enter recesses in the ends of
the clip bar, these recesses being each formed by a jaw piece d' secured to the bar
as shown in sectional plan in Fig. 5. The upper and lower ends of each guide
bar c are secured to the grease-box and to a cross bar " respectively, as in our
former machine. By making the guide bars single they can be more readily with-
drawn, than heretofore, from the pot A, together with the spring clips, for the

page_text: purpose of regulating the latter, or for cleaning purposes. The clip bar d is raised
and lowered as in our former machine by side levers b which are connected to it by
links h¹. These levers are depressed by a slotted connecting rod d (Fig. 4) which
is connected to one of the levers and acts solely by compression, being operated
from the driving shaft L through toothed wheels h, g, and f, and crank e on the
shaft e. The longer arms of the levers are raised by the counterweight is a
toothed wheel for driving the finishing rolls.
According to this invention we dispense with the pivoted switch or guide
described in our former Specification for directing coated plates, whilst being
raised, to the finishing rollers, and use in lieu thereof a guide which in cross
section is approximately V shaped. This guide f¹ is fixed, it may be by rivets
extending through lugs at each end, to the guide bars cc as shown in Figs. 1 and 3,
and to its ends are secured the guide plates g. The front of the guide is plain,
but the back has grooves cast in it as shown in Fig. 3, to correspond with the spaces
between the cradle bars and the spaces between the ribs M. The guide "may be
cast in one with the grease pot B, but this is open to the objections that a larger
percentage of wasters are obtained in casting the grease pots, and the V shaped
guide is not readily accessible for cleaning. With the arrangement described, after
a plate to be coated has been passed through the flux box between the guide
plates g and inserted in the spring clip, it is carried by the clips down into the
molten metal, and is caused by the bent bars of the cradle H bearing against it,
to assume a vertical or approximately vertical position, so that when it is after-
wards raised, its top edge will be guided by the grooved side of the guide ƒ¨¹ and
the ribs M, into the guide I and thence to the finishing rolls G, G, G²
When making terne plates, the greater buoyancy of the molten alloy renders the
working of the cradle H rather heavy. To obviate or neutralize this to a certain
extent, a bar at the upper end of the cradle is connected by a rod 2 to one arm
of a lever 3, the other arm of which carries an adjustable counterweight *, which
is so adjusted that the cradle will yield to allow the plates to pass down into
the spring clip without bending them, but will afterwards push over the top
edge of the plates beyond the lower edge of the guide f¹, before they begin
to rise.
To adapt the machine to work smaller plates than can be worked with the
spring clips shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the modified form of clip shown in Fig. 11
can be used.
In this arrangement the bars e and spring bars e' are connected to
the clip bar d as shown, so that they can pass upward within the spaces between
the guide piece f and the ribs M, without coming in contact with the lower edge of
such guide piece. The upper end of each bar e is bent as shown to form a shoulder
at e* to support a plate, and the upper end of each of the spring bars e¹ is bent so as
to press against the
upper bent end of the corresponding bar e. Screws e, one only
of which can be seen in Fig. 11, are provided for adjusting the degree of pressure
between the upper ends of each pair of bars e and e. As the plates to be treated
cannot be inserted in place in this modified form of clip when the same is in its
highest position, it is necessary to impart a different motion to the clip-bar shown
in Fig. 11, than that imparted to the clip-bar shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 12
shows diagrammatically an arrangement for this purpose in which a cam e³ on the
shaft e¹ is used instead of the crank e (Fig. 1). This cam works in contact with a
roller es journalled to the forked end of the connecting rod which is jointed to
one of the two connected side levers 6, the roller being kept always in contact with
the cam by counterbalance weights such as 2 Fig. 2. The cam is so formed that
assuming the clip bar d to be in the position shown in Fig. 11, and the cam to be
turning in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 12), the cam will gradually depress the
lever b and bar d until the point e of the cam comes into contact with the roller e
when the bar will be sufficiently depressed to enable a plate to be inserted in the
clip through the flux box. The clip bar will then remain stationary or "dwell"
whilst the periphery of the cam from es to e, which is concentric to the cam centre,

page_text: travels in contact with the roller, thereby affording sufficient time for the insertion
of the plate. The clip bar is then depressed by the action of the cam surface from e
to e' to a sufficient extent to enable the top edge of the plate to be carried down
below the lower edge of the guide piece f¹, and the plate is then caused by the
cradle H to assume a vertical position. From e to the periphery of the cam is
such as to allow the levers to be raised by their balance weights and thus
cause the bar d and clip to rise into the position shown in Fig. 11 and so feed
the coated plate to the finishing rolls G whence they are automatically taken and
deposited in the rack E by the pick-up apparatus D.
The side levers instead of being operated by a crank and a connecting rod
directly attached to one of them, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, or by a cam as in Fig. 12,
may be operated by a lever that is secured to the shaft a upon which the levers >>
are fixed, and is coupled by a connecting rod to a crank e (or eccentric strap) as
diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 13. Or the rod may be operated by a cam.
In this arrangement the levers are depressed by a pull on the rod d³, but are
raised by counter-balance weights as in the previous arrangements.
In the pick-up apparatus constructed according to this invention, the arms m², m³
that carry the rod o with mechanical fingers are each directly operated from
the lever r.
For this purpose the arms m³ m³ are connected to flanges or
plates m, m fixed to, or cast in one with the toothed wheels s¹² respectively.
These wheels are fixed upon shafts m, m¹ and are each in gear with the toothed
segment of the lever r. To the shafts m, m' are fixed arms carrying counter-
balance weights, respectively. By this arrangement a steady parallel motion
can be imparted to the arms m² and without subjecting them to unequal strains
liable to derange their working, and the working of the apparatus is rendered more
uniform and even than when one of the toothed wheels (3) and one arm (m³) only
are directly driven and motion is transferred from these to the other arm through
crank arms and a connecting link as in the arrangement described in our former
Specification. The lever is oscillated by a connecting rod the length of which
can be adjusted as desired and which is operated from the driving shaft L through
the toothed wheels, g, f, and crank shaft e as in our former machine. k, k¹, are
vertically adjustable touch rods as in our former machine for opening the
mechanical fingers n' when these are brought over the finishing rolls G and rack E
respectively.
►
Our improved form of circular rack E consists of two or more sets of bent
rods E (Fig. 7) each set being fixed, by casting, to a disc E2 formed with an
annular flange E' around which is a tyre or band E of elastic or flexible material
such as india rubber that is protected by a sheath of metal as for example black
or tinned plate. The two discs are fixed at a suitable distance apart upon a
shaft E, ilie space between them being left open. By this construction an elastic
bed or support is provided for the lower edges of the finished plates to fall upon
when released from the mechanical fingers n', and the liability of these edges
being damaged by falling on a rigid support is thus obviated.
s is a worm fixed upon the rack shaft E and in gear with a worm & on the
shaft t. Upon this shaft is loosely mounted a sheave around which is wound a
chain the upper end of which passes partly around and is secured to a sheave t*
(Figs. 1 and 2) fixed upon the shaft m of the pick up apparatus. The lower end
of the chain carries a weight. The sheave t¹ is pressed outward against a pin t
on the shaft by a spring and is formed with an inclined cam that engages the
pin and rotates the shaft when turned in one direction by the chain and
sheave t¹, but slips idly past the pin when turned in the other direction by the
weight, the sheave then moving inward a short distance and compressing the
spring . By this means an intermittent step by step movement can be imparted
from the pick-up apparatus to the rack E each time the mechanical fingers pass
from a position above the rack to the position shown in Fig. 1, the rack E
remaining stationary when these fingers move in the opposite direction, the slack
then produced in the chain being taken up by the weight t³. To prevent the

page_text: shaft t, being turned during this latter movement by reason of the friction between
the cam sheave t¹ and the pin t, we employ a brake (Fig. 10) consisting of a
strip of flexible material as for example, leather or india rubber that partly
surrounds the shaft t and carries a weight u'.
Dated this 22nd day of July 1890.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates
or Sheets with Tin, Lead, or other Metals or Alloys.
We, PHILIP ROGERS of 4 St. George's Terrace, Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Machinery Agent, and JOHN PLAYER of Clydach, near Swansea
aforesaid, Tin Plate 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 :—
This invention has reference to improvements in machinery or apparatus of the
kind described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us, dated
19th Nov. 1886, No. 15040 for coating metal plates with tin, lead, or other metals,
or metallic alloys. The invention has for its object to improve the construction
and operation of such machinery or apparatus, and to increase the working capacity
thereof.
And in order that our present improvements in the above mentioned machinery
or apparatus may be clearly understood, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings wherein we will, in referring to certain parts of the original Specification,
of our hereinbefore mentioned Patent, distinguish them by the same reference
letters with which they are marked in the drawings annexed to that Specification.
In the drawings left with our Provisional Specification,
Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other, and both partly in
vertical section, of our improved machine.
Figs. 3 to 10 inclusive are detail views.
Fig. 11 is a sectional detail view illustrating a modification.
Figs. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic views hereinafter referred to.
Figs. 1 and 2 are to a smaller scale than the remaining figures.
A machine of the kind referred to comprises a pot A for the molten coating
metal or alloy; a flux-box C; a grease-box B containing several pairs of finishing
rolls G. G', Geach working in a roll feeding trough K; a cradle H; a clip bar d
with spring clip which receives the plates to be coated one at a time through the
flux box, carries them down into the molten metal in the pot A, and delivers them
through a guide box I and the grease box B to the lower pair of finishing rolls G;
a pick-up apparatus marked collectively D, provided with mechanical fingers and
adapted to automatically remove the finished plates one at a time, from the top pair
of finishing rolls G, and either deposit them in a suitable rack such as E, or
otherwise dispose of them; and mechanism for operating the several parts
mentioned.
The cradle H consists of a series of bent bars secured together by transverse
bars o, o, and the outermost of which are secured to a third bari the ends of which
are journalled in bearings i¹, ', as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The ends of the trans-
verse bar o are extended far enough on each side to come in contact with guide
plates g and so prevent the lower ends of the cradle bars touching the clip bar d.
To this clip bar are secured, at points opposite the spaces between the ribs M at the
back of the pot A, a number of bent bars e, each carrying at one end a spring
bar e' that bears against the other end, the whole forming a spring clip adapted to
receive and hold a plate whilst the same is being carried down through the metal

page_text: in pot A. The clip bar d is guided vertically by guide bars c, which instead of
being each made double so as to form a guide slot for the clip bar as in our former
machine, consist of single bars arranged to enter recesses in the ends of the clip
bar, these recesses being each formed by a jaw piece d' secured to the bar as shown
in sectional plan in Fig. 5. The upper and lower ends of each guide bar c are secured
to the grease-box and to a cross bar n respectively, as in our former machine. By
making the uide bars single they can be more readily withdrawn, than heretofore, from
the pot A together with the spring clips, for the purpose of regulating the latter, or for
cleaning purposes. The clip bar d is raised and lowered as in our former machine
by side levers 6 which are connected to it by links. These levers are depressed
by a slotted connecting rod (Fig. 4) which is connected to one of the levers and
acts solely by compression, being operated from the driving shaft L through
toothed wheels h, y, and f, and crank e on the shaft e¹ The longer arms of the
levers are raised by the counter-weight Z. * is a toothed wheel for driving the
finishing rolls.
According to this invention we dispense with the pivoted switch or guide
described in our former Specification for directing coated plates, whilst being
raised, to the finishing rollers, and use in lieu thereof a guide which in
cross section is approximately V shaped. This guide is fixed, it may be
by rivets extending through lugs at each end, to the guide bars c c as shown
in Figs. 1 and 3, and to its ends are secured the guide plates g. The front
of the guide that is to say the side next the cradle H, is plain, but the
back has grooves cast in it as shown in Fig. 3, to correspond with the spaces
between the cradle bars, and the spaces between the ribs M. The guide f¹ may be
cast in one with the grease pot B, but this is open to the objections that a larger
percentage of wasters are obtained in casting the grease pots, and the V shaped
guide is not readily accessible for cleaning. With the arrangement described,
after a plate to be coated has been passed through the flux box between the guide
plates g, and inserted in the spring clip, it is carried by the clips down into the
molten metal, and is caused by the bent bars of the cradle H bearing against it, to
assume a vertical or approximately vertical position, so that when it is afterwards
raised, its top edge will be guided by the grooved side of the guide f¹ and the
ribs M, into the guide box I and thence to the finishing rolls G, G¹, G².
When making terne plates, the greater buoyancy of the molten alloy renders the
working of the cradle H rather heavy. To obviate or neutralize this to a certain
extent, a bar at the upper end of the cradle, is connected by a rod to one arm
of a lever i³, the other arm of which carries an adjustable counterweight, which
is so adjusted that the cradle will yield to allow the plates to pass down into the
spring clip without bending them, but will afterwards push over the top edge of
the plates beyond the lower edge of the guide f¹ before they begin to rise.
To adapt the machine to work smaller plates than can be worked with the
spring clip shown in Figs. 1 and 2, we provide the modified form of clip shown
in Fig. 11. In this arrangement the bars e and spring bars el are connected
to the clip bar d as shown, so that they can pass upward within the spaces between
the ribs on the guide piece f¹ and the ribs M, without coming in contact with
the lower edge of such guide piece. The upper end of each bar e is bent as
shown to form a shoulder at e* to support a plate, and the upper end of each
of the spring bars e¹ is bent so as to press against the upper bent end of the
corresponding bar e. A screw, may be provided for adjusting the degree of
pressure between the upper ends of each pair of bars e and e¹.
As the plates
to be treated cannot be inserted in place in this modified form of clip when the
same is in its highest position, it is necessary to impart a different motion to
the clip-bar d, shown in Fig. 11, to that imparted to the clip-bar shown in
Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 12 shows diagrammatically an arrangement for this purpose
in which a came on the shaft el is used instead of the crank e (Fig. 1). This
cam works in contact with a roller e journaled to the forked end of the con-
necting rod which is jointed to one of the two connected side levers the

page_text: roller being kept always in contact with the cam by counterbalance weights
such as ZFig. 2. The cam is so formed that assuming the clip bar d to be
in the position shown in Fig. 11, and the cam to be turning in the direction of
the arrow (Fig. 12) the cam will gradually depress the lever and bar d until
the point of the cam comes into contact with the roller e when the bar will
be sufficiently depressed to enable a plate to be inserted in the clip through
the flux box. The clip bar will then remain stationary or "dwell" whilst the
periphery of the cam from es to e, which is concentric with the centre of
motion of the cam travels in contact with the roller, thereby affording sufficient
time for the insertion of the plate. The clip-bar is then depressed by the action
of the cam surface from e to to a sufficient extent to enable the top edge
of the plate to be carried down below the lower edge of the guide piece,
when the plate will be caused by the cradle H to assume a vertical position.
From to the periphery of the cam is such as to allow the levers to be
raised by their balance weights 7 and thus cause the bar d and clip to rise
into the position shown in Fig. 11 and so feed the coated plate to the finishing
rolls G whence it is automatically taken and deposited in the rack E by the
pick-up apparatus D.
The side levers b instead of being operated by a crank and a connecting rod
directly attached to one of them, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, or by a cam
as in
Fig. 12, may be operated by a lever that is secured to the shaft a upon
which the levers are fixed, and is coupled by a connecting rod d² to a crank e
(or eccentric strap) as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 13. Or the rod
may be operated by a cam. In these arrangements the levers are depressed
by a pull on the rod d³, but are raised by counter-balance weights as in the
previous arrangements.
In the pick-up apparatus constructed according to this invention, the arms m², m³
that carry the rod o with mechanical fingers are each directly operated from
the lever r. For this purpose the arms m² m³ are connected to flanges or
plates m, fixed to, or cast in one with the toothed wheels s¹, s respectively.
These wheels are fixed upon shafts m, m' and are each in gear with the toothed
segment of the lever r. To the shafts m, m² are fixed arms carrying counter-
balance weights Z, Z respectively. By this arrangement a steady parallel
motion can be imparted to the arms m² and m³ without subjecting them to
unequal strains liable to derange their working, and the working of the apparatus
is rendered more uniform and even than when one of the toothed wheels (*)
and one arm (m³) only are directly driven and motion is transferred from these
to the other arm through crank arms and a connecting link as in the arrange-
ment described in our former Specification. The lever is oscillated by a
connecting rod d' the length of which can be adjusted as desired and which is
operated from the driving shaft L through the toothed wheels h, g, f, and crank
shaft e as in our former machine. k, k¹, are vertically adjustable touch rods as
in our former machine for opening the mechanical fingers »' when these are
brought over the finishing rolls G and rack E respectively.
Our improved form of circular rack E consists of two or more sets of bent
rods E¹ (Fig. 7) each set being fixed, by casting, to a disc E* formed with an
annular Hange E³ around which is a tire or band E of clastic or flexible
material such as india rubber which is protected externally by a sheath of
metal as for example black or tinned plate. The two discs are fixed at a suit-
able distance apart upon a shaft E³, the space between them being left open.
By this construction an elastic bed or support provided for the lower edges
of the finished plates to fall upon when released from the mechanical fingers n',
and the liability of these edges being damaged by falling on a rigid support is
thus obviated.
Sis a
worm fixed upon the rack shaft E* and in gear with a worm S¹
on the shaft t. Upon this shaft is loosely mounted a sheave t¹ around which
is wound a chain t the upper end of which passes partly around and is secured

page_text: to a sheave (Fig. 1 and 2) fixed upon the shaft m of the pick-up apparatus.
The lower end of the chain carries a weight t. The sheave t¹ is pressed
outward against a pin on the shaft t by a spring to, and is formed with an
inclined cam that engages the pin and rotates the shaft t when turned in
one direction by the chain and sheave t*, but slips idly past the pin when
turned in the other direction by the weight 3, the sheave then moving inward
a short distance and compressing the spring t. By this means an intermittent
step by step movement can be transmitted from the pick-up apparatus to the
rack E each time the mechanical fingers pass from a position above the rack
to the position shown in Fig. 1, the rack E remaining stationary when these
fingers move in the opposite direction, the slack that would otherwise be then
produced in the chain being taken up by the weight t³. To prevent the
shaft t, being turned during this latter movement by reason of the friction
between the cam sheave and the pin t, we employ a brake (Fig. 10) con-
sisting of a strip u of flexible material as for example leather or india rubber,
that partly surrounds the shaft t and carries a weight u¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a machine or apparatus of the kind herein referred to for coating metal
plates or sheets with tin, or other metal or alloy, connecting the cradle H to one
arm of a lever the other arm of which carries an adjustable counterweight the
action of which is to depress the lower end of the cradle, so that the buoyancy of
the said cradle in baths of different metals can be adjusted or regulated, substantially
as hereinbefore described for the purpose specified.
2. A machine or apparatus of the kind herein referred to, for coating metal plates
or sheets with tin or other metal or alloy, provided with a cradle H and with a
V-shaped ribbed casting or guide arranged near the top of the pot A and below
the guide box I as shown so that on the upward movement of the spring clip e e,
the top edge of the plate held thereby will be guided upward into the guide box Í
and thence to the finishing rolls G in the grease box as described and shown.
3. Providing a machine or apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding
claim, with the modified form of spring clip shown in Fig. 11 and with a cam such
as e² for operating the same through a connecting rod and. balanced levers sub-
stantially in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in
Fig. 12 for the purposes specified.
4. In a machine or apparatus of the kind herein referred to, actuating each of the
arms m² m³ of the automatic pick-up apparatus, directly from the toothed segment,
by means of a toothed wheel connected with the arm and gearing with the said
segment substantially as hereinbefore described for the purpose specified.
5. In a machine or apparatus of the kind herein referred to for coating metal
plates or sheets, a circular rotary rack E composed of two or more groups of out-
wardly bent arms E', carried by bosses or discs spaced apart and each formed with
a circular flange or rim covered with a tire or band of elastic or flexible material
such as india rubber protected by an outer thin metal sheath, substantially as
hereinbefore described for the purpose specified.
6. The improved machine or apparatus for coating metal plates or sheets with
tin, or other metal or alloy, constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive of the drawings or
modified according to Figs. 11 and 12; or to Fig. 13.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.