Improvements in and relating to Can-seaming and like Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Can-seaming and like Machines.
We, CONRAD FIELD MENDHAM, of 4, East India Avenue, in the City of London,
Consulting Engineer, ERNEST FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of "Westleigh," Wood-
side Park, North Finchley, in the County of Middlesex, Factory Manager and
WALTER EDWARD HIGGs, of 27, Crowndale Road, Camden Town, in the County
of London, 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:-
Our invention relates to can-seaming and like machines and is chiefly designed
to enable such machines to act automatically and rapidly so as to permit a large
output whilst obviating any risk of danger to the attendants.
An important feature of our said invention consists in that the bodies of the
sheet-metal boxes or cans are flanged up, the ends pressed on and the joints
double-seamed all in one operation.
For this purpose, the cylindrical can-body, with the ends loosely placed in
position thereon, is received between two suitably-formed and fast rotating
chucks. As the tin revolves between the said chucks, suitably-formed spinning-
wheels are moved automatically into contact with the body, and operate in such
a manner as to throw up the necessary flanges. The process is further acceler-
ated by the rotating cliucks closing up together by an amount equal to the
depth of the flunges, at the precise moment the flanges themselves commence to
form. The flanges being thus made, the spinning-wheels continue to advance,
and by this action slightly curl the edges of the ends of the tins. This done,
the wheels withdraw, and two others also specially shaped, come into play and
continue the spinning action where the former ones left off, till the ends, and the
flanges on the body are curled up together, forming what is known as a double-
seam joint. These latter wheels now retire, and the chucks slide apart releasing
the tin ready for the next. The rotation of the tin, by means of the said chucks,
is quite distinct from the operation of flunging and curling. The two chucks
aro driven by independent belts, the speed varying according to the diamoter
of the tins it is required to make.
According to another part of our invention, we provide improved means where-
by enn-bodies, drums or the like can be automatically and rapidly transferred
from one place to another, for example, from an inclined chute or way onto
which they are placed by hand, into position between the rotating chucks above
mentioned. Or they can be employed for analogous purposes in can-working
machinery.
For this purpose, the apparatus consists chiefly of a hanging arm which, by an
arrangement of shafts, cranks and cams, receives two principal movements, viz;
a swinging or pendulum motion from one cam, and a vertical reciprocating
action from the other. By a suitable combination of these motions, the lower
end of the arm, which is provided with a suitable hand for grasping the tiu.
can be made to pick up the boxes from some convenient source of supply and
rapidly deliver them into the seaming or other machine. To further ensure
DO37

page_text: positive action, i,e., that each tin shall be delivered to exactly the same position,
tho cam rollers are brought to rest on special adjustable stops, when the tin is
in the position to be grasped by the machine. It is further carried out in tho
design, that in the event of the machine refusing to discharge the finished tin at
the proper moment, this apparatus cannot become deranged by the tins colliding.
The rollers on the cam-paths above referred to, are held down by hanging
weights, which in the event of any undue resistance to the arm either in swing-
ing, lifting or lowering, are simply raised up. This is a feature of special
safety. The apparatus is adjustable throughout and may be made to landle
any size tins or drums. It can further be used in either vertical or horizontal
positions.
Our said invention moreover comprises other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In the accompanying drawings, we have shown how our said invention can be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation.
Figure 2a rear elevation, and
Figure 3 a rear elevation, with parts removed, of our improved can-seaming
machine.
Figure 3 is a partial side elevation illustrating the operation of our improved
machine.
Figure 4 is a plan, illustrating a detail of construction.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating the successive stages in the
formation of a joint or seam.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
a is the frame of the machine. b, c are head-stocks adapted to slide on guide-
ways on the frame a and bearing chucks, f on their mandrels which are
driven by means of bell-pulleys g.
The chucks e, f are of suitable form to engage with the onds of the cans to be
made and are provided with spring-controlled presser-pads in their end faces
for automatically freeing the finished cans from the said chucks when the head-
stocks are moved outwards as hereinafter described.
The inward motion of the headstocks b, c to engage the can, and the outward
motion thereof to release the said can, are obtained by means of a cam-groove j
formed in a drum on the main-shaft k, to which rotary motion is imparted by
means of spur-wheel reduction-gearing from the driving-pulley 1. In the cam-
groove j, works a roller m mounted at one end of a sliding barn, the other end
of the said bar being secured to the lower part of the head-stock c which is
adjustably secured to the upper part by means of a nut and leading-
screw The bar is morcover provided with a sleeve which is adjustably
secured thereto by means of a set-screw or other suitable means, and bears a
kuife-edged projection. This projection p is adapted to engage with the lower
arm of a double-armed lever pivoted at r in the frame a and having its upper
end pivotally connected to a blocks which is adjustably secured to the head-
stock by means of a leading screw. When the bar is moved to the left,
Figures 2 and 3, the headstock c will be carried with it and at the same time,
the headstock b will be moved to the right by means of the lever q, thus bringing
the chucks e, f together. The chuck is moved outwards again by means of
the bar and the chuck e by means of a spring u, resting at one end against
an adjustable stop on the frame a, and at the other against the block 5.
The spinning-rollers to, r, for acting on the ends of the can y, are rotatably
mounted on carriages which are adapted to slide on brackets or frames 1. 2
and are adjustable thereon by means of nuts and leading-screws 3. The
brackets 1, 2 are mounted on a rock-shaft 4 which is supported in suitable bear-
ings on the frame a, the bracket 2 being adjustable longitudinally along the
shaft 4, for which purpose it is secured thereto by means of a sel-screw 5 engag-
ing with a slot or groove 6 in the said shaft.

page_text: In order to bring one or other set w, a, of spinning-rollers into ongagement
with the can, or to hold both sets out of engagement therewith, as required, the
bracket 1 is provided with an arm 7 which is connected by links 8 to an arm 9
on a second rock-shaft 10, in such a manner that the distance between the axis
of the shaft 10 and the axis of the joint between the links 8 and arm 9 can be
adjusted by means of a nut and leading screw 11. The rock-shaft 10 is actuated
by means of an arm 12 which bears a rollor 13 engaging with a cam-groove 14
in the inner side of the drum on the main-shaft k. By adjusting the head-
stocks b, c, the bracket 2, the carriages z and the link 8 as above described, the
machine can be arranged to work on cans of any desired length and diameter
within given limits.
15 is an inclined chute onto which the can-bodies with the ends loosely fitted
therein, are placed, and to the bottom of which they successively roll by the action
of gravity. This chute is pivotally mounted on brackets 16 and can be secured
at any desired inclination by means of set-screws or other clamping devices acting
upon quadrants 17. The height of the brackets 16 and therefore also of the lower
ond of the chule 15, can be adjusted by raising and lowering the studs supporting
the brackets 16, in the slots 18 in the frame d.
In order to transfer the can-bodies y from the lower end of the chute 15 into
position between the chucks e, f, we employ our improved feeding or transferring
device which comprises a spring-clip or hand 19 formed of elastic sheet
metal of suitable width of aperture and diameter to readily slip or spring over
and retain the cam-bodies y to be worked.
This hand 19 is detachably secured by means of a set-screw 20, to a rod 21
which is adapted to slide longitudinally in a sleeve 22 mounted on a rock.
shaft 23. The shaft 23 is provided with an arm 24 connected by means of a
link 25 to one arm 26 of a bell-crank lever 26, 27 which is capable of turning
freely on the shaft 28, the link 25 being made in two parts connected by a
turn-buckle 29 80 as to permit adjustment of the limiting positions of the
sleeve 22. The arm 26 is drawn downwards by means of a weight 30 pivotally
connected thereto, its lowermost position being determined by means of an adjust-
able atop 31; the upward motion of the arm 26 is effected by means of a cam 32
on the cam-drum acting on a roller at the end of the arm 27 of the said lever.
By these means, the sleeve 22 will be oscillated between the extreme positions
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3.
The motion of the rod 21 in the sleeve 22 is effected by means of links 33
pivotally connected to a cross-head 34 at the lower end of the said rod and to
arms 35 mounted on a rock-shaft 36. The shaft 36 is actuated, by means of
an arm 37 and a link 38 provided with a turn-buckle 39 for adjusting the limit-
ing positions of the hand 19, from an arm 40 on the shaft 28 which shaft is itself
controlled by an arm 41 having a roller at its end for engaging with a cam 42
on the cam-drum, and by a weight 43 pivotally attached to the arm 40. A
further adjustment for limiting the downward travel of the hand 19 is provided
by a stop consisting of lock-nuts 44 secured on the screw-threaded upper end of
the rod 21 and adapted to engage with the upper end of the sleeve 22 when the
hand 19 is in its lowermost position.
The operation of our improved machine is as follows:-Assuming the roller m
to be in the part of the cam-groove at which the chucks are moved to their
farthest distance apart, as shown in Figure 2, the hand 19 in the position shown
in Figure 1, and the chucks e, f to be rapidly rotating at equal velocities, the
head-stocks b, c are first moved together so as to firmly grip the can between the
chucks e, f, and the hand 19 withdrawn by raising the rod 21 in its sleeve 22.
The spinning-wheels are then brought into engagement with the ends of the
can, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, to form flanges on the body thereof, the
chucks e, f being simultaneously moved further together to facilitate the forma-
tion of said flanges. The frames 1, 2 are then oscillated so as to bring the
spinning-wheels to out of engagement and the spinning-wheels into engagement

page_text: with the said can. The wheels act to curl over and compress together the
flanges on the ends and on the body, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6 and
in full lines in Figures 7, and 8, and thus firmly unite the said ends and body.
Whilst the operations above described are being performed, the rod 21 bearing
the hand 19 is first raised in the sleeve 22 and the said sleeve oscillated until
it approaches the left-hand position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, whon
the hand 19 is depressed and seizes the can at the bottom of the chute 15. The
hand 19 is again raised, as shown in Figure 3, and the sleeve oscillated until it
approaches the position shown in Figure 1, when the hand 19 descends and places
the fresh can in position between the chucks e, f which have, in the meantime,
moved apart to release the finished can, the frames 1, 2 being simultaneously
moved into their mid-position where the spinning-wheels 10, are at equal dis-
tances from the axis of the chucks e, f, Figure 9. The said chucks now mov
inwards to seize the fresh cau and the spinning-wheels we move into engagement
with the said can, after which the above described operations are repeated as often
as desired. The chute 15 is kept supplied with unseamed cans, whilst the
finished cans fall into a chute or other suitable transferring device whereby they
are conveyed into any desired position.
It will thus be seen that the machine works quite automatically and the
attendant runs no risk of personal damage in supplying the caus to or removing
them therefrom.
Moreover by arranging the levers 26, 40 so as to be brought to rest by ad-
justable stops 31, 44, when the hund 19 is in its delivery position to hold an
unseamed can between the chucks e, f, we are enabled to ensure that the tin,
can or the like shall always register accurately with the said chucks.
Another advantage of our improved machine consists in that there is no risk
of damage being caused to the machine or to the cans in the event of any jambing
taking place, since the positive motions of the hand 19 i.e., those produced by
the arms 27, 41 being pressed away from the shaft by the cams 32, 42, are those
which take place in a direction extending away from the chucks e, f, and in
an upward direction wherein the hand 19 would be pulled off the can in the event
of the can bring arrested. The downward and inward motions of the hand 19
are all effected by the action of gravity on the weights 30, 43, so that, if there
should be any obstruction one or both of the said weights would remain lifted
and the roller on the corresponding arm or arms 27, 41 will be kept out of contact
with its cam or cams, 32, 42, and thus damage to the machine or to the can pre-
vented.
It is obvious that the spinning-wheels can be of any suitable form and number
and that the order of the several operations can be modified without departing
from the nature of our said invention.
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:- -
1. The improved machine for automatically receiving the bodies and_ends
of sheet-metal boxes or cans and forming double seams whereby the said ends are
united to the said bodies, the whole being effected in one operation, substantially
as described.
2. In a machine such as is herein before described, means for forming flanges
on the bodies of the boxes or cans, means for pressing the ends on to the said
bodies, means for forming double seams uniting said ends to said bodies, and
means whereby the machine can be adjusted for working on boxes or cans of
different sizes, substantially as described.
3. A machine for the purposes specified, wherein the box or can is held and
rapidly rotated by means of two chucks and is operated upon simultaneously at
both ends for flanging and double-seaming the joints.
4. A con-scaming machine comprising two headstocks bearing chucks adapted

page_text: to engage with the heads of the boxes or cans to be worked, cam-and-lever-
mechanism for automatically bringing together and separating said head-stocks,
brackets bearing sets of spinning-tools arranged to act simultaneously on both
ends of the box or cau, and cam-and-lever-mechanism for bringing the several
Bets of spinning-tools successively into and out of engagement with the said box
or can, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.
5. In a machine such as is hereinbefore described, a feeding apparatus whereby
the boxes or cans are automatically transferred separately from one to another
part of the said machine, substantially as described.
6. An automatic feeding device comprising an oscillating sleeve, an arn
sliding in said sleeve and bearing a spring clip or hand,' and means for
oscillating said sleeve and for reciprocating said arm in said sleeve, substantially
as described.
7. An automatic feeding-device such as is herein before described, wherein the
motion of the parts in one direction is effected positively by means of cams and
linkwork, and in other direction by means of weights, for the purposes specihed.
8. An automatic feeding-device such as is hereinbefore described, wherein
the delivery position is determined by allowing the arms of the link-work
controlling the several motions to rest on adjustable stops when the box or tin
is in such delivery position, substantially as, and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
9. The improved cam-seaming machine constructed substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as and for the pur-
poses specified.
Dated this 7th dov of Navamla- 1900.
CONRAD FIELD MENDHAM,
ERNEST FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN,
WALTER EDWARD HIGGS.