Improvements in Spring Making Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Making Machines.
We, HERMANN KNIPPING and FRITZ HOHAGE, both residents of Altena, in the
Province of Westphalia, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, manufacturers
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to a machine for making furniture springs in such a manner
that all the advantages accruing to springs made by hand are effected in this case
by machinery.
In making springs by hand, the wire is wound on to a spool of about half the
diameter, which the spring is to have; in this manner the wire is of course strained
beyond the extent of its normal elasticity and on being released from the spool
springs back in length, at the same time taking a larger diameter, where upon the
wire is cut off.
Exactly the same process is effected by our machine automatically and in much
shorter time. The wire is led to the spool, brought into or under a hook on the
same, the wooden spool then revolves slowly whilst the wire is slowly led along it,
as soon as the winding is completed, the wire is released, the spring contracts,
increasing in diameter, and is then cut off by the automatically working scissor-
arrangement.
.
One of the advantages of this machine over other machines of the kind, is that,
though the spool is in two parts, both parts are driven from the driving shaft ; not as
is usually the case, one half driving the other by means of a coupling.
Further the wire is not guided on the spool by means of a groove cut in the
latter, as up to the present customary, but the guiding is effected from the leading
arrangement horizontally moved by means of a screw-spindle.
In order to make our invention more clear, we refer to the accompanying drawings
which form part of this specification and in which similar letters denote similar parts
throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation with gearing wheels left away. Fig. 3 is a plan. All
the various motions are effected by the driving shaft A which is driven from a
may revolve
main driving shaft, the gearing must however be such, that the shaft A
very slowly, making about 12 revolutions per minute. To the driving shaft A is
fixed a disc B having a groove in its rim, by means of which the horizontal back-
ward and forward movement of one half S¹ of the spool is effected. Shaft A
contains further the disc C which works the shears D and lastly excentric E.
Excentric E drives the rack F and pinion Z. Pinion Z has its bearings in the
machine frame, and rack F is guided on one side by rods F1 F2, on which the
rollers and f run, on the other side by roller ffixed to machine frame
which runs in a groove in the rack F. The roller fo on end of rack F runs on
excentric E.
The rack F is further supported by the roller f³ fixed in the machine frame. On
the shaft on which pinion Z is fixed, is keyed the larger driving wheel z' which gears
into the smaller cog wheel 22 driving thereby the larger cogwheel 3 which is keyed
to the same shaft as 2 Wheel gears into the small wheel z keyed to spindle s.
The gearing of these wheels is so arranged that during the upward movement of the
rack F, the spindle s and with it spool S S¹ shall make exactly the same number of
revolutions as the coils which the spring is to receive, before it contracts (in the
drawing 10 in number).

page_text: The winding drum n is fixed to spindles and as the rack F is pushed upwards by
the excentric E the small wire rope n' carrying weight N is wound on to drum n and
afterwards causes the downward motion of rack F.
To spindle s is fixed spool half S and spindle s' containing the other half of the
spool is driven from spindle s by gearing wheels and shaft w at exactly
the same rate as the first half, and in the same direction. The half of the spool S¹
with its spindle s' is, with its bed plate, horizontally moveable along guides. S³ S³ of
the machine frame, and the movement of the same is effected by means of rod B¹
containing roller b running in groove in disc B and pivoted at its lower end to the
machine frame.
The working of the screw-spindle G is effected from that end near the fixed
spindle bearing So by means of gearing wheels 29210. Screw-spindle G has its
bearings in the frame G1 G2. The pitch of the screw-spindle G varies, increasing
in the middle of the same, diminishing towards each end, corresponding to the pitch
of the spring coils. The leader G³ for the wire is guided by the guide rod G2 and
is moved horizontally along the spool S S¹ by the roller g on its under side running
in the thread of the screw-spindle G.
The wire is passed through the eye g¹ which may be turned round and which is
moveable in a sideward direction under the influence of a spring. The eye glis
made moveable in every direction in order that the wire may undergo no strain
whatever, which could possibly injure the copper coating of the same.
From the
eye git passes between rollers g² g³, one of which is adjustable by means of a set
screw, so that wire of any thickness may be passed through between the same. The
wire then passes through the eye g* which is elastically fixed to the leader G³ in
order to correspond to the varying diameter of the spool.
The spool consists of the fixed half S and the horizontally moveable half S₁ as
previously remarked, which are both so fixed to their respective spindles s and st that
they may easily be removed from the same and replaced by others. The half of the
spool S has a hook s which holds the end of the wire at the beginning of the
winding and has further a groove which shall guide the wire at the commencement of
winding the spring. Besides these, half S¹ has a projections on its end which fits
into the end of half S.
The shears for cutting off the spring when it is completed consists of a frame D
horizontally adjustable in a slit d in the machine frame. The frame D has a ring d¹
in which shears on the end of rod d² are vertically adjustable. The end of rod d² is
formed into the fixed shank of the shears and at the same time forms the bearing d³
of the moveable shank pl of the same. The moveable shank p₁ is worked by means
of lever p² onto which lever p³ is attached. Lever p³ is pivoted in its middle to
the frame D and has at its lower end roller c which is worked by the disc C.
The working of the machine is as follows:
At the beginning of the winding of each spring the spindle bearing S² with the
spool half S, as well as the leader G³ stand at the right end of their respective guide
bars. The wire, as already described, is led through eye c¹ between rollers g²g then
through second eye 9 and projects so far beyond the eye 9 that the hooks on spool
balf S¹ may pass over and take hold of the end of wire when the bearing $2 of
spindle s¹ is moved to the left. This movement is caused by the disc B and as soon
as the two halves of the spool S S¹ come together, the excentric E begins to push
the rack F upwards. By means of rack F and gearing wheels 2234 the spindle s¹
and spool half S are set in motion, whilst at the same time by means of gearing
wheels of which 27 is horizontally moveable along shaft w with the spindle
-bearing S2-the other half S¹ of the spool is set in motion. As now the leader G³
passes over the end of the screw-spindle, where the pitch of the same is less than in
the middle, the spring will be coiled more closely at the end and thus the "head" of
the same is formed. At the middle of the screw-spindle the pitch of the spring will
become greater and then at the other end less again. The spring has now received
two coils more than it is ultimately to possess. As soon, however as the excentric E

page_text: has reached its highest point rack F descends and pinion z begins to turn round in
the other direction and the leader G³ has reached the end of the screw-spindle, the wire
is released to a certain extent, the spring contracts and becomes two coils shorted and
proportionately larger in diameter. On its becoming loose and assuming a larger
diameter the spring will slip from under the hook on spool half S₁ and will be
pressed upwards by the rest ŕ fixed to the machine frame close under the left end of
spool balf S (figs. 1 and 3).
The weight N which was wound up by the rising of the rack E now runs down
setting the screw-spindle G in motion and moving the leader G³ backwards. On the
backward-motion of the leader G³ with the spring, the wire will be brought between
the shears p p which have previously been adjusted to the proper height and cut off
at such a point that the end of wire still left projecting through eye g₁ shall be exactly
long enough to come under hook s², when the spool half S', which has been moved
back by the disc B and lever B', shall come forwards next time. Just as the wire
comes between the shears p p', the projection on disc C comes under roller c, closing
the shears and cutting off the spring which falls down into the bed of the machine.
Bearing S2 will then be moved forwards again and the same action takes place. The
screw-spindle may be changed for making springs of various sizes. The spool may
also easily be changed. The shears too are adjustable, so that springs of all sizes
and pitches may be made in the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1.) The combination consisting of the spool in two halves S and S¹, one half
having on its end a projection fitting into a socket in the end of the other half,
having further a hook s for holding the wire, the spool having a smaller diameter in
the middle than at the ends and both of the halves of spool being driven independently
of each other, from the main driving shaft but at the same speed, and one half of
the spool being horizontally moveable along the bed plate of the machine, in the
manner and for the purpose, substantially as described.
2.) The combination with spool S S₁ of the rack F, driven from driving shaft by
excentric E, guide bars F¹ F², rollers f¹ƒ², roller fº, running on excentric E, rack F
having groove in which guide roller f runs, and guided further by roller f³ on
machine frame, pinion z, gearing wheels 21 22 23 24 and 26 27 28 for driving both
halves of spool SS', in the manner and for the purpose, substantially as described.
3.) The combination of the spool S S¹ in two halves, one of which is horizontally
moveable on machine frame, bearing plate S² of spool half S₁ running on guides S³ ³
connecting rod B' pivoted on under part of frame and having roller b running in
groove of disc B, disc B being attached to driving shaft A.
4.) The combination of the screw-spindle & having the pitch of the thread
varying, in the manner and for the purpose, substantially as described.
5.) The combination of screw-spindle G, having varying screw thread, frame G¹ G³,
leader G³ having guiding eye g¹ horizontally moveable under influence of spring,
having rollers and g³, one of which is adjustable to suit wire of various gauge,
and further having roller 9 running in thread of screw-spindle G, in the manner and
for the purpose, substantially as described.
g
6.) The combination of spool S S¹ having one half S¹ with its bearing plate and
driving wheels 27 28 horizontally moveable backwards and forwards, shaft w,
whereon driving wheel 27 slides, gearing wheels 278 spindle G having driving
wheels 220, leader G³, rack F, pinion Z, gear wheels ¹³, excentric E, disc B
and connecting rod B₁ having roller b, in the manner and for the purpose, substan-
tially as described.
7.) The combination of spool S S¹, spindless s¹, winding drum n on spindle s,
wire rope n¹ and weight N, rest for pressing spring upwards, shears p p vertically
adjustable by means of guide d and rod d¹ and set screw, and horizontally adjustable
by means of slit d in machine frame, moveable shank p¹ of shears worked by means

page_text: of connecting rod p², connecting it with double lever p³ pivoted in the middle and
operated at its lower end by disc C, in the manner and for the purpose, substantially
as described.
8.) The combination of spool S S¹, bearing plate S2 horizontally moveable by
means of connecting rod B¹, disc B having groove, screw-spindle G, leader G³,
rack F, disc E, pinion Z gearing wheels 23 winding drum n, weight N,
rest "", shears pp, shears frame D, double lever p³, disc C, in the manner and for
the purpose, substantially as described.
Dated this 7th day of Sentember 1880
By RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.
By RAYNER & CASSELL,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.