Improvements relating to Machines for the Manufacture of Cans.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Machines for the Manufacture of Cans.
I, WILLIAM BEEDE PAGE, of Dixon, Illinois, United States of America,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
he same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This is
My invention relates to improvements in machines for first forming into the.
desired shape the can body blank, and then soldering the side seam.
attained while the mechanism is continuously revolving in a circular direction.
In the accompanying drawings,

page_text: :
2
the under side of the blank to its. places against the mandrel; d are studs for
engaging the wings to the levers D: d(shown in dotted lines Figure 4) are
springs to enable the wings to yield if necessary and d nuts for regulating the
length of the stumps d to regulate the pressure of the wing on the mandrel.
F, Figure 5, is a bell crank lever pivoted at f to a bracket F' extending from the
frame B; f, are rollers on each end of the lever F, one adapted to ride on the
cam track F while the other presses against the bar E and tilts the latter together
with the balance of the frame B' and all the mechanism carried thereby, upward :
care rollers on the lower ends of the levers C adapted to bear on the cam track C¹
(Figure 4) and G rods passing loosely through brackets G¹ on the frame B*;
G2 a
bracket or support on the rod G adapted to receive and support one end of the
blank; G a roller on the bracket G adapted to travel in the cam groove G
(Figure 4). The solder feeding mechanism is shown in Figures 2, 17, 18, 19 & 20;
H is a reel for carrying the solder supported by a suitable bracket extending from
the main frame; H', H' a pair of ways or guides supported from the main frame by
the bracket H within which slides the block H2; H' is a pivoted lever on the
block H and H' a stationary block forming a part of the block H³, the adjacent
faces of the lever H and block H' being serrated so that when the block H' moves
forward the solder wire will be clamped and moved with it; H 7 is a lever. pivoted
ath to the track K'; ' is a pin movable in the wing D' adapted to project out
when a blank is between the wing and the mandrel but caused to enter the
crifice in the mandrel when there is no blank therein by the roller 3 (Figure 2);
He is a bell crank lever pivoted at A to the lower end of the lever H', and his a
hook on the end of the lever H8 adapted to engage the pin wlien it is held in its
outward position by the blank; H is an adjustable stop adapted to tilt the
lever H at the desired. point aud. release the lever H' from the wing; H0 is a pin
on the block H³ adapted to enter the elongated orifice / in the lever H', so that the
block H³ is carried with the lever H7; ha spring for retracting the lever H7 when
it has been released from the wing; H a vertically moving knife, in the
brackets H on the end of the guides H', H'; 8 is a spring for holding the knife
normally in its upward position, H a lever fulcrumed at to the bracket H one
end of the said lever being provided with a roller 10 while the other end is pivoted
to the knife H"; H" a series of small.cams on the frame A³.
The soldering mechanism is shown in Figures 1, 12, and 13, there being one for
each folding mechanism.. K is. the soldering iron preferably made with the open
side up as shown, and heated from above by the gas jets K', the latter being fed
by the flexible tubes K' from the hollow shaft A which is provided with a
diaphragm to separate the gas supply from the air supply K³ are the supporting
arms for the soldering irons, which are pivoted at k to the frame A2, is a roller
journalled in the outer end of the arm K' and travelling on the track K (Figure 1);
M is an arm pivoted to the arm K' by a vertical pivot m and which directly
supports the soldering iron and M' an eccentric roller working in the slot m¹ in the
end of the arm M and engaged to the pivot m² which is journalled in the arm K³;
Ma pinion on the lower end of the pivot m³, the pinion meshing when the
soldering iron is down, to its work in the rack bar M on the frame (Figure 1
and 11). The stripping mechanism is shown in detail in Figures 14, 15 and 16.
N is an arm extending horizontally from the main frame, Figure 2; N¹ is another
arm pivoted by the vertical pivot n to arm N and N³ a horse-shoe-shaped fitting
pivoted on the outer end of the arm N¹ by the pivot n'; n² are projections extending
inwardly from the fitting N' adapted to enter the longitudinal grooves n³ in the
mandrel (Figures 4 & 5); N³ (Figure 15) are rollers journalled in the fitting N'
adapted to bear upon the mandrel and guide the fitting as the mandrel passes
through, N is a set-screw to limit the tilting motion of the fitting on the pivot n¹
and Na spring for keeping the fitting normally in one position. The operation of
the apparatus is as follows:-
-
Power is applied and the frames A', A' revolved through the rack A' and driving

page_text: shaft A. The operator stands at a predetermined point and places the blanks in
the machine. I will follow a single blank through the various operations. It is
placed by the operator with one end on the bracket G (Figure 1) and the other
end on the frame B'; as the carriage advances by the revolution of the mechanism,
the cam G carries the rod G, the accompanying frame and the blank, towards the
centre thus bringing the middle of the blank underneath the mandrel. As soon as
this point is reached, the roller f¹ riding onto the rise in the track F³, by means of
the lever F, throws the frame B and the accompanying mechanism upward, at the
same time the levers Care tilted by the cams C and through the toggle motion
of the levers D' the wings D of the formers are thrown up thus bending the blank
around the mandrel; the carriage has now reached the solder mechanism. The
pin being held out by the blank engages the hook and carries the lever H',
and with it the block H³ along, thus carrying the solder wire, until the stop H³,
tilts the lever H3 and releases it from the pin . Simultaneously with this release,
one of the cams H strikes the roller 40, tilts the lever F¹³ and thus cuts the solder
wire which drops down onto the seam. The can is now ready for the soldering
iron. By reference to Figure 11 it will be observed that at one point the track K
is depressed. The outer end of the arm K³ travelling on the track K* is carried
down and with it the iron K, the latter resting on the seam of the formed can body,
the pinion M meshing with the rack bar M³ causes the eccentric M' to revolve,
thus giving the iron a reciprocating motion in the direction of its longitudinal axis,
while it is being carried along with the can. The rise in the track K now carries
the iron away from the can. At this point is a blast of cold air or other cooler,
shown at O Figure 1. At this point the cam track F is depressed, and the
frame B³ thereby allowed to drop and at the same time the cams C¹ tilt the levers C
and allow the wings D² to drop, simultaneously with the above the cam track G*
carries the blank feeding mechanism out. The projections n' now strike the end of
the can body and commence to strip it from the mandrel, the latter passing on
between the rollers n³. It must be remembered that the mandrel is moving in an
arc. In order that the fitting N2 can always present a square face to the can-body,
the motion on the vertical pivot n' is provided; in order that the stripping
mechanism as a whole can adjust itself to the arc of the mandrel path the vertical
pivot n is provided. The body now leaves the mandrel and drops to a suitable chute.
In order that when the machine is first started and while the irons are heating some
power may be saved, I provide over the depression in the track K' (Figure 11) a
bridge P, the ends P1, P of which can be turned up so that the rollers will
follow the depression or when the ends are turned down a continuous level track is
provided.
:
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 combination, with a continuously moving mandrel, of fixed solder-
supplying mechanism and a reciprocating soldering device, substantially as
described.
a
2. The combination of a mandrel moving continuously in a horizontal circle, a
fixed solder-supplying device and a reciprocating soldering device, substantially as
described.
3. The combination, with a series of mandrels moving continuously in a horizontal
circle, of fixed solder-supplying mechanism and a reciprocating soldering device,
substantially as described."
4. The combination, with a gas-supplied tubular shaft, of a connected burner
and a soldering-bit receiving gas from said shaft, substantially as described.
5. The combination, with a gas-supplied tubular shaft provided with a
diaphragm, of a connected burner and soldering hit moving together,' substantially
as described.

page_text: 6. The combination, with a continuously moving mandrel and fixed mechanism
for supplying soldering substances, of a reciprocating soldering device, substantially
as described.
7. The combination, with a moving mandrel, of a conjointly-moving vertically
and longitudinally reciprocating soldering edge, substantially as described.
8. The combination, with the mandrel and folding wings, of toggle levers for
operating the wings and cams for operating the toggle levers, substantially as
described.
9. The combination, with the mandrel and folding wings, of a bell-crank lever
for each wing and a link pivoted to the end of each lever and to the wing,
substantially as described.
10. The combination, with the forming mandrel, of the stripping mechanism
consisting of a horizontally oscillating arm having a pivoted head provided with
projections to engage with the can, substantially as described.
11. The combination, with the forming mandrel, of the stripping mechanism
consisting of a horizontally oscillating arm having a horizontally oscillating
pivoted head provided with projections to engage with the can, substantially as
described.
12. The combination, with the vertically movable frame carrying the folding
wings, of a lever having one end to bear on the movable frame and the other to
bear on a suitable cam-track to raise the frame, substantially as described.
13. The combination, with the vertically movable frame carrying the folding
wings, of a pivoted bell-crank lever having on one end a roller adapted to bear on
the frame, and on the other end a roller to bear on a cam-track, substantially as
described.
14. A can-making machine comprising a hollow shaft, two spider frames
thereon, one carrying the solder irons, and the other carrying the can-operating
mechanism, and a rack around the periphery of the spider frame carrying the can-
operating mechanism, said rack being revolved by a pinion and suitable driving
mechanism, substantially as described.
15. A can-making machine comprising a circular spider frame carrying the can-
forming mechanism, said frame being supported at its periphery by a series of
rollers, substantially as described.
16. A can-making machine comprising a circular spider frame carrying the can-
forming mechanism, said frame being supported at its periphery by a series of
rollers pivoted to a strip or frame, substantially as described.
17. The combination, with the circular movable frame carrying the can-forming
mechanism, of a stationary solder-feed mechanism consisting of a clutch for
engaging the solder wire and a lever engaged by the moving can-mechanism and
engaging with the clutch, and thereby moving the solder wire, substantially as
described.
18. The combination, with the moving can-mechanism of the stationary solder-
feed mechanism comprising the pivoted lever H' carrying a suitable clutch for the
solder wire, a pin on the can-mechanism for engaging with the lever, a stop for
releasing the lever, and a spring for returning the lever to its normal position,
substantially as described.
19. A cutting mechanism for the solder wire, consisting of a vertically movable
knile, a lever for actuating the same and a revolving frame carrying a series of cams
for operating the lever, substantially as described.
20. The combination, with a central shaft having arms carrying the soldering
irons, of a track for supporting the outer ends of the arms, said track being
provided with a depression and a movable bridge-piece or pieces above the depressed
section.
21. The combination, with the soldering iron arms, of the track for supporting
the outer ends thereof, said track having a depressed portion and two pivoted
sections adjacent to the depressed portion, the said sections being adapted, when

page_text: thrown down, to make the track level and, when thrown up, to open the depression,
substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of December 1895.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.