IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EARS FOR HANDLES OF BUCKETS AND PAINT POTS AND OTHER ARTICLES PUNCHED OUT OF METAL SHEETS, AND IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY THEREFOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Read, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
"
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EARS FOR
HANDLES OF BUCKETS AND PAINT POTS AND OTHER ARTICLES PUNCHED OUT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Read at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th November 1880.
ROBERT READ, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF EARS FOR HANDLES OF BUCKETS AND PAINT POTS AND
OTHER ARTICLES PUNCHED OUT OF METAL SHEETS, AND IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY THEREFOR."
This Invention is designed for the manufacture of such sheet metal articles
as are stamped out of metal and then either punched, bent to shape, or both.
Taking bucket ears for instance, these are first stamped out as blanks, then holes
are punched; they are then bent to shape. This involves three operations.
I will explain my mechanism by describing the machine I am making to manu-
facture these ears.
Under a vertically reciprocating plunger, armed with suitable dies, as hereafter
described, I place a table of four concentric layers; the uppermost disc table, No. 1,
is stationary; the next, No. 2, has an intermittent motion; Nos. 3 and 4 are
stationary. In the top table, immediately under the punch in the plunger used
for cutting out the blanks, I place a corresponding bottomless female die. This die
is recessed from the top downward, and the bottom of the table acts as a taker-off
from the punches. Immediately under this table, No. 1, is an intermittently
revolving plate (table No. 2) a little thicker than the blank to be formed, and with
four openings corresponding exactly in shape to the said blank. These openings are
placed in the centre of each quadrant and at exactly ninety degrees from each
other, so that as the plate rotates ninety degrees each hole in turn takes a position
exactly under the female die previously occupied by the other. In the plunger,
over one quadrant and the female die already mentioned, is the punch for punching
the blanks, over the next that for punching the holes. There is a female die in
table No. 3 below this latter for receiving the punch, and holes in table No. 4 below,

page_text: for allowing the discs punched out of the holes to escape. Over the next quadrant
is the bending or shaping die, and the corresponding female die is placed below in
the surface of table No. 3. Over the fourth quadrant is a rammer, and in tables
Nos. 3 and 4 a corresponding hole to let the blanks fall out. As parts of the
bending die are below the level of the revolving table No. 2, I place in this die,
passing up through it, a pusher, counterweighted with a weight or spring, so as to
raise the article formed into the revolving plate when the pressure is removed;
part of plate No. 1 may be also cut away to let projecting parts of the object pass
over it if desired.
The mode of action is as follows:-All the punches, upper dies, and rammer,
descend simultaneously together, being on the same broad plunger. On the shaft
that actuates the plunger is geared mechanism that turns the revolving plate
(table No. 2) round one quarter of a revolution exactly whenever the plunger is
near the top of its stroke, the mechanism holding the plate in place, after the
plunger has descended one fourth of its stroke. The mechanism for causing inter-
mittent motion can be either fractional gearing with a stop, or by any other of the
well known mechanisms for causing exact intermittent motion.
The mode of manufacture is as follows:-A bar of hoop iron being brought
under the first punch it is punched, the blank falling through into the hole in the
revolving plate. When the plunger rises this plate (table No. 2) is rotated, carrying
the blank with it, a second empty hole coming into position below the bar and
punch. The operator now feeds the bar forward and another blank is punched off,
following the last. In the meantime the first blank has come to the hole making
punches and simultaneously as the second blank is formed, this one has its holes
punched at the next descent of the plunger; blank Number one is bent to shape
under the third die, blank Number two has its holes punched, and blank Number
three is formed. At the fourth descent blank Number one perfectly formed is
assisted, if required, by the rammer to fall into the hole below into a basket or
other receptacle, and at the fifth descent of the plunger, the hole in the revolving
plate, relieved of blank Number one, receives a fresh blank (Number five), and so
on, a perfect ear being formed at every stroke after the first three strokes of the
plunger. In the same way where four, five, or six different operations are required
they can all be done automatically by having five, six, or seven holes and an
intermittent motion of one fifth, one sixth, or one seventh of a revolution. One
of the motions, for instance, could stamp the words "Read's Patent" upon the'
blank. Although I have only described the application of my Invention to bucket
ears, it is obvious that it is also applicable for making almost any simple article
stamped out of sheet metal or other like material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Read in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th May
1881,
ROBERT READ, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF EARS FOR HANDLES OF BUCKETS AND PAINT-POTS AND
OTHER ARTICLES PUNCHED OUT OF METAL SHEETS, AND IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY THEREFOR."
This Invention is designed for the manufacture of such sheet metal articles as are
stamped out of metal, and then either punched, bent to shape, or both. Taking
bucket ears, for instance, these are first stamped out as blanks, then holes are
punched; they are then bent to shape. This involves three operations.
I will explain my mechanism by describing the machine I am making to manu-
facture these ears, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, in which
Sheet shows the machine in elevation and Sheet 2 details of tables.
Under a vertically reciprocating plunger A armed with suitable dies or
'punches B, C, D, E, F, as hereafter described, I place a table of four concentric
layers; the uppermost disc table G is stationary, the next H has an intermittent
motion, I and J are stationary. In the top tables G, immediately under the punch B
in the plunger A used for cutting out the blanks, I place a corresponding bottomless
female die b; the die is recessed from the top downward, and the bottom of the
table acts as a taker off from the punches. Immediately under this table G is an
intermittently revolving plate H, a little thicker than the blank to be formed and
with five openings corresponding exactly in shape to the said blank. These
openings are placed in the centre of each segment and at exactly seventy two
degrees from each other, so that as the plate rotates seventy two degrees each hole
in turn takes a position exactly under the female die previously occupied by the
other. In the plunger A over one segment and the female die b already mentioned
is the punch B for punching the blanks from the sheets or hoop iron placed against
guide K over the next segment, and female die c is the punch C for punching the
holes. There is a female die in table I below this latter for receiving the punch and
holes in table J below for allowing the discs punched out of the holes to escape.
Over the next segment is the die D for stamping the name and trade mark, and
over the fourth segment the bending or shaping die E and the corresponding female
die e is placed below in the surface of table J. Over the fifth segment is a
rammer F, and in tables I and J a corresponding hole f to let the blanks fall out.
As parts of the bending die D are below the level of the revolving table H, I place
in this die passing up through it a pusher L counterweighted with a weight M or
spring so as to raise the article formed into the revolving plate H when the.
pressure is removed; part of plate G may be also cut away to let projecting parts
of the object pass over it if desired.
The mode of action is as follows:-All the punches, upper dies, and rammers
descend simultaneously together being on the same broad plunger plate A. On
the shaft N that actuates the plunger is geared mechanism, segmental wheel O, or
other equivalent mechanism, such as is well known for giving an intermittent
motion through an exact uniform angle that turns the revolving plate (table H)
round one fifth of a revolution exactly whenever the plunger is near the top of
its stroke, the mechanism holding the plate in place after the plunger has descended
one fifth of its stroke. The mechanism for causing intermittent motion can be
either fractional gearing with a spring stop to hold it at the right points placed in
any convenient place and not shown in the Drawing or by any other of the well
known mechanisms for causing exact intermittent motion.

page_text: The mode of manufacture is as follows:-A bar of hoop iron being brought under
the first punch, being guided in position by guide or fence K, it is punched, the blank
falling through into the hole in the revolving plate H. When the plunger rises
this plate H is rotated, carrying the blank with it, a second empty hole coming into
position below the bar and punch. The operator now feeds the bar forward and
another blank is punched off following the last. In the meantime the first blank
has come to the hole-making punches C, and simultaneously as the second blank is
formed this one has its holes punched; at the next descent of the plunger, blank
number one is stamped with the name and trade-mark under the third die; blank
number two has its holes punched, and blank number three is formed. At the
fourth descent blank number one is bent to shape under the fourth die, and at the
fifth descent perfectly formed; it is assisted if required by the rammer to fall into
the hole below into a basket or other receptacle, and at the sixth descent of the
plunger the hole in the revolving plate relieved of blank number one receives a
fresh blank (number six), and so on, a perfect ear being formed at every stroke
after the first four strokes of the plunger. In the same way where any number of
different operations are required they can all be done automatically by having the
right number of holes and an intermittent motion to give the required number of
strokes to a revolution.
Although I have only described the application of my Invention to bucket ears, it
is obvious that it is also applicable for making almost any simple article stamped
out of sheet metal or other like material.
Having now described my Invention and its application I claim as new and to be
protected under the Letters Patent,-
First. The manufacture of ears for handles of buckets or paint pots and other
like articles punched out of metal sheets by bringing the material in a travelling
or revolving frame or equivalent mechanism successively under a series of punches
or dies, substantially as specified.
Second. The machinery for manufacturing ears for buckets and other articles
punched out of metal sheets, consisting of a series of reciprocating dies or punches
with their respective dies and a travelling or revolving frame with intermittent
motion to carry the blanks from one punch or die to the next, so that each blank
may be punched out and operated upon by each punch or die in succession till
finally completely fashioned and thrown out, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Read, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
WM. P. THOMPSON,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool & London.
ROBERT READ. (L.S.)