IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STAMPING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Evans, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Engine Fitter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR STAMPING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS."
Soaled the 13th November 1877, and dated the 18th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Evans at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th May 1877.
CHARLES EVANS, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Engine Fitter.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STAMPING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS."
This Invention relates to a method of forming articles from metal sheets by
holding the blanks, by means of a pressure plate, whilst the operation of stamping is
being effected.
A machine is now in use by which the stamping is effected by means of a falling
weight, whilst the blank is held by a pressure plate, but the weight is raised by
means of a cam, and there is no method of varying the force of the blow; whereas,.
according to my improvements, the force of the blow may be varied as required.
My improved stamp is constructed as follows:-The mechanism which gives the
blows or percussions consists primarily of a falling tup or head, which is actuated by
means of a single or double-acting steam cylinder in a manner similar to that
adopted for an ordinary steam stamp, or by means of friction in a manner similar.
to that adopted for an ordinary friction stamp.
The tup is guided through a guide frame which is fixed between the two.
standards forming the main framing of the stamp. The tup has a vertically slotted
opening therethrough above the guide frame for a purpose hereafter shewn. The
force or top die is fixed to the bottom of the tup.
The mechanism for holding the blank during the stamping operation is some-
what similar to that in use for the machine referred to, by which the weight is
lifted by a cam, except that two vertical rods are used instead of four, and the.
pressure is thus transmitted direct from the cams to the pressure plate instead of
through the medium of a cross head connecting each pair of rods. A horizontal
shaft, having its bearings in the standards, passes through the slotted part in the
Price G71

page_text: tup. The shaft is driven by any suitable gearing, and either by an independent
engine or from a line of shafting. It is preferred that the power may be com-
municated to the cam shaft through the medium of a friction clutch, for a purpose
hereafter explained. The said shaft has a cam thereupon at each side of the tup,
and a part of the periphery of each cam, and at the greatest throw thereof
is struck from the centre of the shaft instead of from the contre of tho
eccentric part. The said part of the periphery of each cam, and for a distanco
somewhat beyond each end thereof, is formed of steel; and fastened into the cam.
Immediately below the said cams are rollers carried in the heads of vertical rods.
Bridles are connected to the heads of the vertical rods, and pass over the said cams.
The vertical rods pass down, and are guided through the said guide frame, and aro
connected by lock nuts at their lower extremities to a pressure block. By means of
the said lock nuts the pressure is adjusted as required. The pressure block consists
of an annular part having snugs or cars for connecting to the vertical rods, and also
to fit against vertical guides on the standards. A plate forming the pressure-plate
holder is fitted into a rebate in the bottom of the pressure block, and is fixed to
tho block; and the pressure plate is fitted into a rebate in the pressure-plate
holder, and is fixed thereto. The opening through the pressure plate is slightly
larger than tho base of the top die, so as to allow the top die to pass therethrough.
When a steam cylinder is used for actuating the tup it is preferred to fix an
additional cam upon the said shaft having a recess, into which a vertical rod con-
nected with the valve gearing drops to move the valve and allow the tup to fall.
The last-mentioned rod is raised by the additional cam as it continues to revolvo.
An adjustable stop regulates the distance through which the last-mentioned rod
drops, and consequently regulates the force of the blow given to the tup. Other
equivalent self-acting mechanism may be used to actuate the valve.
The method of working is as follows:-During the revolution of the borizontal
shaft the cams raise the bridles, and consequently the pressure plate. A blank, or
more than one, is then placed over the bottom die, and as the shaft continues to
revolve the pressure plate is lowered on to the blank or blanks, and as the parts of
the cams, which are struck from the centre of the shaft, pass over the rollers, the
pressure plate is kept down upon the blank or blanks.
"
When a steam cylinder is used, the vertical rod connected to the valve gearing
drops into the recess in the additional cam as the pressure plate is pressed on to the
blank or blanks, and the tup strikes a blow and forces the metal into the bottom die.
Instead of the self-acting arrangement for actuating the tup, or extra thereto,.
the operator may strike one or more blows with the tup by means of hand gear,
varying the force of the blow in the same manner as with the ordinary steam stamp.
If a friction stainp is used, the blows are given when the blank or blanks are held
down by the pressure plate, and the force of the blow is regulated by the height to
which the operator allows the tup to be lifted. The part of the sheet under the
pressure plate is prevented from "buckling" by reason of the pressure thereupon.
As the shaft continues to revolve, the pressure plate is raised by means of the
self-acting gearing or otherwise, the blank or blanks are removed, and the process
repeated upon another blank or blanks.
The friction clutch, before mentioned, is used, so that the operator can release the
clutch and stop the revolution of the shaft when the pressure plate is down upon
the blank or blanks, and thus give a greater number of blows with the tup.
To insure that the blanks are properly placed upon the bottom die, it is preferred
to raise the metal around the top of the outside of the dic, thus forming the top of
the die into a recess to receive the blanks. The pressure plate is shaped to enter
this recess and bear upon the blank or blanks. This arrangement of bottom die
and pressure plate is now in use for stamps for similar purposes.
The features of novelty which constituto this Invention are, the combination of
the tup, actuated by means of a steam cylinder or by friction, as described (the force
of the blow being thus adjustable), with the mechanism for causing pressure upon
the blank or blanks, the self-acting mechanism for actuating the valve, the friction

page_text: clutch for the purpose described, the two vertical rods connected to the pressure
plate, and the machino taken as a whole, whether with the steam cylinder or
with the friction arrangement (as for the ordinary friction stamp) for actuating
the tup.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Evans in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th November
1877.
CHARLES EVANS, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Engino Fitter.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY FOR STAMPING ARTICLES FROM METAL SHEETS."
This Invention relates to a method of forming articles from metal sheets by
holding the blank, by means of a pressure plate, whilst the operation of stamping is
being effected.:
A machine is now in use by which the stamping is effected by means of a
falling weight, whilst the blank is held by a pressure plate, but the weight is
raised by means of a cam, and there is no method of varying the force of the blow;
whereas, according to my improvements, the force of the blow may be varied as
required.
That the method of carrying my Invention into effect may be clearly understood,
I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
The Drawings are to a scale of one inch to a foot.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, certain of the parts being shewn in section.
Figure 2. is a side elevation, in which certain parts, which are clearly shown by
the other views, are omitted.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan.
Figure 4 is a plan of the guide frame; and Figure 5 an inside elevation of the
nave of the driving pulley.
The same letters of reference occuring upon different views indicate corresponding
parts.
A is the bed plate; B, B, are standards; C is a steam cylinder; in this case single
acting, though a double-acting cylinder may be employed. D is the falling tup or
head; E is the driving shaft; F, a shaft carrying the cams G, G; H, H,. are rollers
carried in the heads of vertical rods J, J. The lower ends of the rods J, J, are con-
nected to the pressure block K by lock nuts L, L, L, L. M is a guide frame for the
tup D and the rods J, J.; N, N, are slides for the pressure block K; O, O,. are
bridles for lifting the pressure block by; P is a ring forming a pressure plate for
larger blanks, and P₁ a ring fitted into the ring P. when smaller blanks are
required. Qis the top die or force, and R the bottom dic.. S is the driving pulley.;
T, the clutch for throwing the inachine.into and out of gear with the driving pulley;
n, n, are two studs in the clutch T, and o, o, are slots into which the studs n, n.
gear. U is. the driving pinion on the shaft E, and V the spur wheel on the .cam
shaft F; W is the valve box; a is a lever connected to the valve spindle; b, a
vertical rod to the lever c, which latter terminates in a handle, as shewn; e is a
lever terminating at one end in a handle, and at the other in a boss or bearing to
carry the spindle f; g is a short hanging lever at one end of the spindle f; and h

page_text: is a horizontal lever at the other end of the spindle f; i is a stud in the rim of the
wheel V, and a stud in the vertical valve rod b. The lever c is carried by a
standard l, and can be fixed in any position by means of an ordinary quadrant
arrangement, as shewn. The valve is of the ordinary self-opening kind, so that the
steam is always under the piston, and the tup raised, unless the lever a is held down,
by hand or other power.
The machine is actuated as follows:-Motion is given through the medium of
the pulley S, clutch T, and shaft E, to the pinion U, and thence through the spur
wheel V to the cam shaft F. An up-and-down motion is imparted to the pressure plate
or ring Pthrough the medium of the cams G, G, rollers H, HI, vertical rods J, J, pressure
block K, and pressure plate (in this case pressure-plate holder) P. X, X, are pieces
of steel let into the peripheries of the cams G, G, as shewn. The outer edge of the
part X in each cam is struck from the centre of the shaft, and not from the centre
of the cam.
The metal is reduced down gradually at each end to be flush with the
other part of the cam. By this method of shaping the cams the pressure upon the
pressure plate is maintained for the required time. When the full pressure is
brought to bear upon the blank (or blanks, as the case may be) the stud i, travelling
in the direction of the arrow m, comes into contact with the lever g; and thus through
the medium of the spindle f, lever 1, and stud k, depresses the verticel rod b, and
thus closes the steam valve, and allows the steam to escape to the top of the piston
and into the atmosphere in the usual way, and allows the tup to fall upon the
blank or blanks. As the stud i continues to move in the direction of the arrow m,
the lever is released, and the valve flys open again, bringing the levers back to
their former position, and also raising the tup D. The strength of the blow can be
adjusted by means of the lever e, as the spindle f can be raised or lowered, thus
giving a less or greater motion to the vertical rod b, and allowing the steam to
escape from under the piston as slowly or quickly as desired. By depressing the
handle of the lever e to the lowest notch of the quadrant, the valve gear may be
thrown out of gear with the stud i. By means of the lever c, a blow, or more
than one blow, can be given by the operator, as desired. The operator can release
the clutch T, and stop the motion of the shaft F at any point in its revolution. The
studs n, n, gearing into the long slots o, o, render the clutch T easy to throw into
gear, as the throwing into gear can be effected during a large portion of the
revolution of the driving pulley S. By means of the lock nuts L, L, L, L, the
pressure of the pressure plate is adjusted, as required. A small key p is fixed in
the guide frame M (see Figure 4), and a corresponding keyway is cut in the tup to
prevent the tup from turning in the case of stamping oval blanks.
It will be seen that the cam shaft F passes through a slotted opening in the tup.
The shafts E and F are carried in bearings formed in the standards B, B. Bearings
of copper and tin, or other anti-friction metal, are preferably placed under the
journals of the rollers H, H. The top die or force has a turned shank fitting into
the bottom of the tup D, the said shank being held by a set pin, as shewn. A
clearance space is left in the guide frame M to receive the head of the set pin as the
tup rises. The pressure plate or ring P is held to the pressure block K by means of
a set pin s, and the pressure plate or ring P¹ is held to the pressure plate P by
means of the set pin t, or the pressure plates may be held in position by any means
now employed for that purpose. In order to facilitate the removal of the pressure
block K when required, the parts Y, Y, are made separate, and are bolted to the
main part, as shown.
Instead of the tup D being raised by a steam cylinder it may be raised by friction,
in a manner similar to that adopted for an ordinary friction stamp. In this case
the force of the blow is regulated by the height from which the tup is allowed
to fall.
Instead of the clutch arrangement, as described and illustrated, a friction
clutch may be used.
Instead of the self-acting gearing for actuating the valve, as described and
illustrated, an additional cam may be placed upon the cam shaft F, the said

page_text: additional cam having a recess into which a vertical rod, connected with the valve
gearing, drops, to move the valve, and allow the tup to fall. The last-mentioned rod
is raised by the additional cam as it continues to revolve. An adjustable stop
regulates the distance through which the last-mentioned rod drops, and consequently
regulates the force of the blow given by the tup. Other equivalent self-acting
mechanism may be used to actuate the valve, but I prefer the arrangement as
illustrated.
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 I do not
limit myself to the exact details as described and shewn, as such may be varied
without lessening the utility of my Invention; but what I claim as my Invention,
and desire to secure by Letters Patont is,--
1st. The combination of the tup actuated by means of a steam cylinder, or by
friction, as described (the force of the blow being thus adjustable), with the
mechanism for causing pressure upon the blank or blanks, substantially as described
and shewn.
2nd. The self-acting mechanism for actuating the valve, substantially as described
and shewn.
3rd. The clutch for throwing the machine into and out of gear with the driving
pulley, the said clutch being constructed with projecting pins or studs gearing
into slots, substantially as described and shewn, or as an ordinary friction clutch.
4th. The two vertical rods carrying the rollers in their heads (instead of the four
rods carrying the rollers in cross bearers, heretofore used for the machine before
referred to), substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn.
5th. The construction of the parts Y, Y, in separate pieces from the main part of
the pressure block, substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn.
6th. The combination of parts forming the complete machine, whether with the
steam cylinder or with the friction arrangement for lifting the tup (as for the
ordinary friction stamp), substantially as described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Evans, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Assoc. Inst., C.E.,
Patent Office,
Wolverhampton.
CHARLES EVANS. (L.S.)