An Improved Method of Making Steel Balls and the like and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1899-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Making Steel Balls and the like and
Apparatus therefor.
I, CARL ALBERT HIRTH, of 34, Kanzleistrasse, Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of
Wurtemberg, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer, 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 for its object an improved method of turning steel balls,
and the like turned bodies, with an even curvature on all sides the essential
feature of which consists in cylindrical rods previously turned to pearl bars,
and which are rotated on their axes, being first turned down on a fixed tool or
a rotating cutter partially into balls, then cut off, and then set in rotation on
an axis at right angles to the previous axis of rotation by means of two spindles
and subjected to a second cutter or steel in order to remove the inequalities
remaining after the cutting off. Balls made in this way are turned so exactly that
they require only very little or no polishing before use.
In the accompanying drawings two forms of construction of the improved
lathe or apparatus for carrying out the above method are shown in Figures 1-7.
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are respectively a longitudinal section, a cross section,
a plan view and an end view of the lathe or apparatus, in which a and a¹ are two
levers actuated by a cam disc e, and serving for pushing forward a rod ↳ in
sections or at intervals, which rod is rotated in the ordinary manner by means.
of a step pulley d. f indicates a cutter which is adjustably mounted in a
carriage f¹ and alternately raised and lowered during the working of the machine
by means of a pin or roller f engaging in a cam disc h. Two spindles e operated
by means of step pulleys e are given both a longitudinal and also a transverse
movement on the bed of the lathe. The longitudinal movement takes place by
means of a cam disc m mounted on the same shaft as the cam discs e and h,
a roller v mounted in a carriage n engaging in the said cam dise m; for the
purpose of regulating the longitudinal movement of the spindles the roller v
is adjustably mounted by means of a spindle p. The adjustment of the two
spindles e in the transverse direction to the axis of the lathe takes place by
means of cam discs i also mounted on the shaft 7 in which cam disc there engage
two elbow levers k which have at their upper end each a toothed sector which
engages in the corresponding teeth of a carriage q lying above them carrying the
spindle e and adjustable transversely on the carriage n. A fixed cutter g
serves for finishing the balls held between the spindles e.
The mode of working of the above described lathe is as follows:-
Assuming that two balls have already been almost completely turned from a
bar pushed forward by the arms a al, and that the cutter f begins to cut off the
outer ball lying on the right hand side in Figure 1, the spindles e which at this
moment have been adjusted in a straight line to the said ball will be drawn
inwards, by means of the cam disc i revolving with the shaft and the arms k
with their toothed sectors ¹, so that they will clamp between them this ball as
shown in Figure 3. When this is done, on the further rotation of the shaft /

page_text: the roller and with it also the carriage n and the spindles e will be drawn
back until the ball comes within reach of the cutter g by which the inequalities
remaining after the cutting off are removed. The spindles e are then drawn
apart by means of the elbow lever k, the finished ball drops down and the
spindles e are again moved forwards by means of the cam disc m in order to
receive the next ball which is to be cut off by the cutter f. It is evident that
during this time in which the rod b is pushed forward, the cutter f must be drawn
off the article to be operated on. This in the lathe shown in the drawings is
effected by means of the cam disc h which at a suitable period of time by means
of the roller flowers the cutter mounted in the guide f¹ and again raises the
same after the rod 6 has been pushed forward.
The machine herein before described may serve for explaining the improved
method of working, but it must be expressly pointed out that lathes of very
different construction may also be employed for carrying out said method. Thus
for instance the pushing forward of the article to be operated on as well as the
form, arrangement and number of the cutters ƒ and g and also the arrangement
of the spindles e may be altered in various ways. The spindles e may of course
be so arranged that they do not make a longitudinal movement and in this case
of course a separate device must be arranged which conveys the balls cut off from
the bar to the spindles e, and further the cutter g must in this case be mounted
movably so that at a suitable moment it may be approached to the ball held by the
spindles e.
A lathe of this latter kind is specially suitable for practical use and a con-
struction of this kind is shown in Figures 5-7 in partial longitudinal section, plan
view and cross section respectively. The rod b pushed forward in a suitable manner
and set in rotation by means of a step pulley d is operated on by means of a
cutter adjustably mounted in a carriage f¹ as in the lathe previously described.
The two spindles e are adjusted at right angles to the longitudinal direction of
the lathe, also in the manner hereinbefore described by means of elbow levers k
from the cam disc i. Between the spindles e and the cutter f a revoluble clamp
is inserted, the arm r r of which are connected by means of a shaft s, a hollow
shafts and round racks t t. These round racks may be moved apart or
approached to one another by means of toothed wheels V operated by the sectors u
and thereby the arms of the clamp r r may be closed or opened. The elbow
lever engaging in a cam disc ¹ serves for effecting the movement of the
toothed sectors u.
The rotation or turning of the clamp for the purpose of transferring the ball
to between the spindles e takes place by means of a toothed sector w which is
moved from the cam disc 2 by means of a pivoted lever w¹ and link w² and which
engages in the wheel w which is mounted on the sleeve s¹- loosely mounted on
the shaft s. The cutter 9 is provided with an arm g¹ travelling upon the cam
disc and by this means is pressed against the ball as soon as the latter is con-
veyed to the spindles e by the clamps r.
The succession in which the mechanisms of the lathe herein before described
come periodically into action is as follows:-In the period of time in which
the outermost ball shown in Figure 5 on the right hand is cut off by the
cutter f, the arms of the clamp are closed by the up and down movement
of the toothed sector u. The sector w then turns and swings the clamp 180°
round, so that the ball is brought between the spindles e.. The latter then approach
one another under the action of the sectors and clamp the ball fast, the two
round racks t t¹ are approached to one another by means of the toothed wheels V,
that is to say the clamps are opened and then by the rotation of the arm g¹ the
cutter is caused to operate on the ball and complete the turning of the latter.
The clamp has in the meantime again returned to its initial position in order
to engage the next ball and the parts e and galso return to their initial position
after the previous ball has been finished in order to operate on the next one.
It may be also stated that instead of a clamp other suitable grip or transport

page_text: mechanisms, may be employed, for instance magnets might serve for the designed
purpose.
Instead of turning the balls as shown in the drawings from cylindrical rods,
roughly previously treated pearl bars may be utilized in any other suitable manner
in order to obtain an acceleration of the process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The method of making balls and the like turned bodies, with an even
curvature on all sides, from round bars or shaped bars on a lathe, characterised
by the separate parts of the bar being turned off at right angles to the axis of
the bar in the form of the body to be made and after having been entirely cut
off from the bar are finished in a second zone lying at right angles to the first
for the purpose of removing the inequalities remaining after the cutting off,
substantially as herein before set forth.
2. A machine for carrying out the hereinbefore described method of making
balls and the like characterised by the separate parts of the bar being first turned
down by means of turning or shaped tools placed at right angles to the bar
and then cut off by a cutter which is pushed forward, after which the turned down
picces are gripped by two spindles revolving in the same direction and brought
within reach of a tool standing at right angles to the first tools by the pushing
forward of both spindles in the direction of the axis of the spindle of the lathe,
substantially as described.
3. A modification of the machine described for making balls and the like,
characterised by the spindles holding the cut-off work-piece being non-adjustable
in the direction of the axis of the spindle of the lathe and the transference of
the cut off articles to the clamp spindles being effected by means of a pivoting
or oscillating grip or clamp, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & CO.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.