Year: 1897

page_text: I, JAMES BROCKIE, of 12, Tyson Road, Forest Hill, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to lathes in which the turrets or other tool holders are
moved automatically so as to bring successive tools into operation, each being
moved through a space suited to the work to be done. Usually the turret or
tool holder when it is approaching the ends of its determined stroke acts on stops
or tappets which alter the connections to the driving gear in such a manner as
to reverse the movement of the tool holder or to turn the turret partly round
so as to bring a fresh tool into operation or to effect both of these movements.
According to my invention I arrange the stops or tappets so that when they
are acted on by the tool holder they make electrical contacts which bring into
action electromagnets that effect the required change of connections for altering
the tools and determining their movements. These movements instead of being
effected mechanically by gear connecting them to the driving shaft of the lathe,
may be effected by electro-motors which are brought into action when the
contacts are made at the stops or tappets.
Instead of or in addition to employing stops or tappets for making these contacts,
a commutator may be used this being caused to revolve by connection to the
lathe gearing, and effecting successive electrical connections by which the succession
and movement of the tools are determined. For each different pattern of work to
be done a special commutator may be provided having the conducting and non-
conducting parts of its surface arranged to suit the movements required for the
work. Instead of a revolving commutator, a band, or chain of perforated cards
like those of a jacquard loom may he employed.
In order to economise the electrical energy that would have to be employed
as above described in moving clutches or changing gearing or performing such
other mechanical work as is required for the alteration of the tools or their move-
ments, I prefer to effect the motions of the tool holders by hydraulic pressure,
applying the electrical energy solely to move valves by which the pressure is
directed the one way or the other. Thus for instance I attach the slide carrying the
tool holder to the piston of a hydraulic cylinder in which water or other liquid
under pressure acts so as to move the slide in the one direction or the other
according as suitable valves are acted on by electro-magnets energised as above
described when contacts are made by tappets or commutating apparatus.
Dated this 16th day of February 1897
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Lathes.
I, JAMES BROCKIE, of 12, Tyson Road, Forest Hill, in the County of Kent,
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:-
My invention relates to lathes in which the turrets or other tool holders are
moved automatically so as to bring successive tools into operation, each being
moved through a space suited to the work to be done. Usually the turret or
tool holder, when it is approaching the ends of its determined stroke, acts on stops
or tappets which alter the connections to the driving gear in such a manner as
to reverse the movement of the tool holder, or to turn the turret partly round
so as to bring a fresh tool into operation, or to effect both of these movements.
According to my invention I arrange the stops or tappets so that, when they
are acted on by the tool holder, they make electrical contacts which bring into
action electromagnets that effect the required change of connections for altering
the tools and determining their movements.
Instead of or in addition to employing stops or tappets for making these contacts,
a commutator may be used, this being caused to revolve by connection to the
lathe gearing, and effecting successive electrical connections by which the succession
and movement of the tools are determined. For each different pattern of work to
be done a special commutator may be provided having the conducting and non-
conducting parts of its surface arranged to suit the movements required for the
work.
In order to economise the electrical energy that would have to be employed,
as above described, in moving clutches or changing gearing or performing such
other mechanical work as is required for the alteration of the tools or their move-
ments, I prefer to effect the motions of the tool holders by hydraulic pressure,
applying the electrical energy solely to move valves by which the pressure is
directed the one way or the other. Thus for instance I attach the slide carrying the
tool holder to the piston of a hydraulic cylinder in which water or other liquid
under pressure acts so as to move the slide in the one direction or the other
according as suitable valves are acted on by electro-magnets energized as above
described when contacts are made by tappets or commutating apparatus.
I shall describe by way of example my invention as applied to an ordinary
capstan turret lathe and to a lathe having a modified form of turret, referring
to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the turret lathe, the parts of which are moved by
hydraulic pressure, brought into action electrically.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation shewing the turret slide moved by electrically con-
trolled mechanism.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation shewing the turret slide moved by an electro-
motor, Fig. 1° is a side elevation of the electromotor.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the hydraulic cylinder for moving the turret
saddle. Fig. 3 is a back elevation and Fig. 4 is an end view of the saddle.
Fig. 5 is a section partly in elevation shewing the hydraulic cylinder for
operating the chuck.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the hydraulic cylinder for moving the trans-
verse or cut off slide.
Figure 7 is a front elevation Figure 8 is an end elevation of a turret revolving

page_text: on a horizontal axis and Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the hydraulic cylinder
and elevation of the ratchet turned by it.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, A is the lathe bed, B the head stock
with cone pulley C, tubular mandril D, chuck E and its operating mechanism E¹.
F is the transverse or cut off slide, G is the turret block or saddle, H the turret
slide and J the turret carrying the various tools K and provided as usual with
tightening screw J. The hydraulic cylinders shewn in section in Figures 25
and 6 for moving the turret slide operating the chuck and moving the transverse
slide respectively, are fitted with differential pistons which are always subject to
the pressure on their smaller area, and the supply of fluid under pressure to act on
their larger area is governed by the valves L M N. The valve levers are linked
to the cores of double solenoids L M N¹ each consisting of an upper and a
lower coil, the one, when energised, attracting the core upwards, the other
attracting the core downwards. The connections of these coils to batteries or other
sources of electricity are determined by a commutator which may be in the form
of a disc O perforated with radial rows of holes in any of which can be placed
conducting plugs which, as the disc is turned step by step, make contact with springs
electrically connected to the several solenoid coils. The disc is turned step by
step in the following manner. As the turret slide H completes its stroke,
adjustable stops H₁ H³ upon it act on a stationary insulated contact G¹ by which a
curved solenoid P is alternately put in and out of circuit with a battery.
The core of this solenoid has mounted on it a pawl which engages with ratchet
teeth on the disc O, so that when the solenoid P is energised, its core is attracted
upwards turning the disc O, through one division. When one of the stops H¹ H²
leaves G the current is cut off from P, whereupon the core descends so that its
pawl engages with a succeeding tooth of the ratchet which it turns another tooth,
when the other stop makes contact with G. It will thus be seen that according
as the contact plugs are placed in the holes of the disc, the operations of the several
parts of the lathe and their order are determined. Obviously instead of a disc such
as 0, other known forms of commutators might be employed.
In order to ensure the turning of the commutator a complete division, it may
have on its axis a suitable toothed wheel acted on by a pawl, such as is employed
in many signalling mechanisms. Or the core of the solenoid P may work an anchor
on a toothed wheel, moving it partly by its up stroke and partly by its down stroke.
The turret J is turned round step by step when it makes its back stroke and
locked in its successive positions by any of the known mechanism for that purpose.
The speed of its working stroke can be varied as the nature of the work may
require in the following manner. A skew toothed wheel S fixed on the turret.
gearing with a skew pinion. Se turns step by step a cylinder S having on it
inclines $3 of various forms, which as the turret moves forward act on a roller on
a guided rod L¹ linked to the lever of the valve L, so as to more or less close the
valve while the turret makes its stroke.
As shewn in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the turret is arranged to turn on a horizontal
axis T presenting tools fixed in longitudinally sliding holders, parallel to the
axis. It is caused to revolve step by step by a ratchet wheel on it acted on by a
spring pawl on the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder T the valve for which is
worked in the same manner as those of the cylinders already described. The turret
is locked in each position by a spring bolt Te entering a hole of the ratchet wheel;
before the pawl in the forward stroke of the piston of T¹ reaches a tooth of the
ratchet, an incline T3 on the side of the piston rod acts on a projection T* from
the bolt, withdrawing the bolt from the hole; on the piston making its return
stroke the bolt is released, so that it enters the succeeding hole of the ratchet.
each tool holder attains its uppermost position a notch V₁ near its rear end is
engaged by a projection from the piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder V, which in
making its stroke pushes the tool holder forwards and then draws it back. On
each tool holder is adjustably fixed a collar W carrying a tappet W which meets
contacts W at each end of its stroke and thereby brings into action each of the
As

page_text: two solenoid coils, which as previously described operate the valve for the cylinder V.
The tool holders have fixed on them suitable inclines X which act on a lever X¹
linked to the rod of the valve for the cylinder V closing it more or less, and thus
determining the speed of the tool in its working stroke. Referring to Fig. 1 the
core of the double solenoid L¹, when the one coil or other is excited, moves a
lever L3 having on its axis a cam L³ acting on a slide which has one bearing for
a worm shaft L*, the other bearing L5 being swivelled allowing the shaft L* to be
raised or lowered according as the lever L3 is moved to the one hand or the other.
When the shaft. L' which carries a pulley L' driven by a belt, is raised into gear
with the worm wheel Lo the turret slide H is advanced; when the shaft L is
lowered, the worm is disengaged from the worm wheel and the turret slide is
retracted by a weight G². The one or the other of the two solenoid coils at L
is excited according as the one or the other of the stops H¹ He makes contact with G¹
as explained in reference to Fig. 1.
As shewn in Figs. 1 and 1°, the core of the double solenoid L' moves the
commutator brushes of an electromotor Z causing it to revolve in the one direction
or the other driving the worm shaft L so as to advance and retract the turret
slide G.
Although in Figs. 14, 1º and 1° I have shewn arrangements for moving only
the turret slide, obviously similar mechanism, similarly controlled by electricity,
can be applied to effect the movements of the mandrel or chuck and of the trans-
verse slide.
Although separate batteries are shewn for operating the several solenoids, this
being done in order that the connections may the more readily be traced, obviously
a single battery or other source of electricity may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1
1. In combination with the sliding parts of a turret or automatic lathe, motors for
these parts which are brought into action and out of action by solenoids having their
coils connected with and disconnected from batteries or other sources of electrical
energy in order determined by an electrically worked commutator, substantially
as described.
2. In combination with the sliding parts of a turret or automatic lathe, hydraulic
cylinders having their valves moved by the cores of solenoids actuated as set forth
in Claim 1, substantially as set forth.
3. In combination with the sliding parts of a turret or automatic lathe worm
gearing for moving these parts engaged and disengaged by the cores of solenoids
actuated as set forth in Claim 1, substantially as described.
4. In combination with the sliding parts of a turret or automatic lathe electro-
motors having their commutator brushes moved by the cores of solenoids actuated
as set forth in Claim 1 substantially as described.
5. In combination with a tool holder for a turret or automatic lathe mounted on
a horizontal axis a hydraulic cylinder with piston rod and pawl thereon arranged
to turn the tool holder step by step, the valve of the cylinder being moved by the
core of a solenoid actuated as set forth in Claim 1, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of November 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.