New or Improved Machinery for Pressing Boats from Sheet Metal.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Pressing Boats from Sheet Metal.
I, WILLIAM HESLOP, of Calder Vale Road, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:―
The pressing of metal plates between male and female dies with the object of
causing the said plates to assume various forms and shapes is well known and now
commonly employed especially for such articles as metal cans, dishes, and the like,
and various arrangements are employed therewith for releasing such articles when
stamped, but such dies, and the machinery or devices employed therewith, have not
been calculated to successfully manipulate large sheets or plates of metal into deep
forms or shapes, such as are necessary to produce practically useful boats, suitable
for sea-going ships or other vessels, in a manner commercially successful, in fact
with dies as ordinarily constructed such an operation is, so to say, impossible. Now
the object of my invention is, to produce improved machinery, whereby the
manufacture of metal boats pressed into form from one sheet or plate of metal is
eminently practicable, and I form thereby not only the shell of the boat, but also
the projecting part for the keel.
For the above purpose of pressing a boat from one sheet of metal I employ male
and female dies as usual in pressing operations, but I form such dies of any number
of sections in accordance with the required size of the boat to be produced, and
the said sections are secured together by bolts or the like, and such dies are further
provided with holding and supporting devices for the plates to be operated upon,
all as hereafter described.
In carrying out my invention, I may conveniently employ four pressing operations
for manufacturing the said boats, and in the first three operations the same dies are
employed, a movable interior part of the female die being lowered at each different
operation, that is to say, the lower die is deepened after the first operation to be
ready for the second, and deepened after the second operation to be ready for the
third. In the fourth or finishing operation I employ a different set of dies to those
employed for the first three operations.
In the above three operations the plate is gradually pressed to the shape required,
and on being placed in the fourth or finishing dies, the said plate is pressed to the
final shape of boat.
The edge of the plate, which is to form the boat, is prevented from buckling
during the various pressing operations, and such plate is received and pushed out
of the lower die by apparatus all as hereafter described.
The lower or female die is constructed of any suitable number of sections which
are bolted together and mounted upon a rising table of the press. The said die has
a movable lower section mounted on the upper extremities of two hydraulic or
or other rams, or one hydraulic, or other rain situated in the rising table of the
press.
The said section is prevented descending beyond a given distance by packing
pieces, extending along the full length of the lower or female die, and these packing
pieces also support other sections.
The upper or male die, which is fastened to a stationary head of the press, may
be made up of any desired number of sections. Around this die 1 provide
hydraulic or other rams, six for example, and these rams suspend at their lower
ends a holding down plate, and there may be provided auxiliary holding down
plates. The plate to be operated upon has a flange which is formed on same during
the first operation, but which disappears after the third operation as hereafter

page_text: described. The dies forming the finishing press are similar in construction to those
first described, but the central movable section is provided with guide bars for
guiding the said movable central section.
The manufacture of boats by means of dies, constructed according to my
invention, is effected as follows: The plate to be operated upon is heated by or in
any suitable furnace, and then laid on the lower or female die, and at this time the
section of the lower die is raised on its two rams, preventing the plate bending
down into the centre of the die, as it would otherwise do by reason of its weight
when heated. The table is now raised, carrying with it its die, coming into contact
with the holding down plate, which clamps or presses the said plate between itself
and the outer top edge of the lower die. The section is now lowered, and the
table continuing to rise, forces back the rams, which being set to give the required
pressure, keeps the holding down plate on the edges of the plate, so as to prevent
the said edge of the plate buckling, as would otherwise be the case, whilst the
plate was drawn inwards, the dies finally coming together and thus completing the
first operation.
The table is now lowered, and packing pieces, which have during this first
operation supported the lower sections of the lower die, are now removed, being
replaced by packing pieces of less height, to enable the plate to be pressed deeper
into the lower die at the next operation. The plate being re-heated and supported
by the section, the table is again raised, the holding-down plate clamping the edge
of the plate when the section is lowered. In this second operation the table rises
higher, and the upper die enters deeper into the lower die by reason of the lesser
height of the packing piece, thus completing the second operation.
On the table being lowered, the edge of the plate will be found to be almost all
drawn in at the sides, though at the ends, viz. the stem and stern, there will still be
a considerable amount of edge left. The packing pieces are now removed, and the
several sections forming the base of the lower die' are replaced, and rest directly
upon the table. The rams and holding down plate are also removed, and the plate
having been suitably reheated and placed in position, is then lowered, the auxiliary
holding down plates situated at either end of the lower die are applied, and these
hold the edge of the plate at the stem and stern parts. The table is now raised,
causing the dies to enter one another, and press the plate deeper and more into the
required shape, causing the edge to turn up, at the same time drawing the ends of
the plate from under the auxiliary holding down plates, so leaving the entire edge
of the plate turned upwards, and completing the third operation.
The entire dies are now changed, and upper and lower dies are employed; the
plate having been suitably heated is inserted in the die, the central section being
raised on its ram ready to receive the said plate; the table is then raised, the
central section being lowered simultaneously therewith. The table continues to
rise until the dies are together, with the plate between them, whereby the plate is
finally pressed to the form required, the outwardly projecting keel being formed by
the projection on the upper die forcing the plate into the recess on the lower die.
The table being now lowered, the centre section is raised on its ram, extracting the
finished boat from the lower die, from which it can be removed by any suitable
means.
Although I have described the manipulation of the machinery constructed
according to my invention when four separate operations are performed therewith,
it is obvious that three operations might be sufficient, or even two, or 1 might even
find it necessary in some instances to re-heat and press the plate more than four
times in the said dies.

page_text: New or Improved Machinery for Pressing Boats from Sheet Metal.
I, WILLIAM HESLOP of Calder Vale Road, Wakefield in the County of York,
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:-
The pressing of metal plates between male and female dies with the object of
causing the said plates to assume various forms and shapes is well known and now
commonly employed, especially for such articles as metal cans, dishes and the like,
and various arrangements are employed therewith for releasing such articles when
stamped, but such dies and the machinery or devices employed therewith, have not
been calculated to successfully manipulate large sheets or plates of metal into deep
forms or shapes, such as are necessary to produce practically useful boats suitable
for sea going ships or other vessels, in a manner commercially successful, in fact
with dies as ordinarily constructed such an operation is, so to say, impossible. Now
the object of my invention is to produce improved machinery whereby the manu-
facture of metal boats pressed into form from one sheet or plate of metal is
eminently practicable, and I form thereby not only the shell of the boat but also
the projecting part for the keel.
For the above purpose of pressing a boat from one sheet of metal I employ male
and female dies as usual in pressing operatious, but I form such dies of any number
of sections in accordance with the required size of the boat to be produced, and
the said sections are secured together by bolts or the like, and such dies are further
provided with holding and supporting devices for the plates to be. operated upon all
as hereafter described.
With reference to the drawings hereafter particularly referred to, I have shown
four pressing operations for manufacturing the said boats, and in the first three
operations the same dies are employed, a movable interior part of the female die
being lowered at each different operation, that is to say, the lower die is deepened
after the first operation to be ready for the second, and deepened after the second
operation to be ready for the third. In the fourth or finishing operation I employ
à different set of dies to those employed for the first three operations.
In the above three operations the plate is gradually pressed to the shape
required, and on being placed in the fourth or finishing dies, the said plate is
pressed to the final shape of boat.
The edge of the plate which is to form the boat is prevented from buckling
during the various pressing operations, and such plate is received and pushed out of
the lower die by apparatus all as hereafter described.
In the drawings similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are cross sections of dies constructed according to my invention
showing the stages of the first pressing operation.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross sections, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation partly in section,
showing the stages of the second operation.
Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are cross sections, and Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively part
sectional elevation and plan of same, and Fig. 13 is a cross section taken on
line X Y of Fig. 12 all showing the stages of the third operation.
Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are cross sections of the finishing dies employed during the
fourth or final operation, and Figs. 17 and 18 are longitudinal sections of same.
A is the lower or female die constructed of any suitable number of sections
which are bolted together and mounted upon the rising table B of the press. The
said die A has a movable lower section A mounted on the upper extremities of two
hydraulic or other rams C, or one hydraulic or other ram situated in the rising
table B of the press. The said section A' is prevented descending beyond a given

page_text: "
distance by the packing pieces D, extending along the full length of the lower or
female die A, and these packing pieces D also support the sections A" best seen at
Fig. 7.
E is the upper or male die which is fastened to the stationary head F of the
press, and may be made up of any desired number of sections. Around this die E.
I provide hydraulic or other rams G, six of which are shewn and these rams
suspend at their lower ends a holding down plate H. H' are auxiliary holding
down plates seen at Figs. 11, 12 and 13. J is the plate to be operated upon,
and J Figs. 3 and 4 is a flange which is formed on same, during the first operation,
but which disappears after the third operation as hereafter described. The dies
forming the finishing press are similar in construction to those described with
reference to Figures 1 to 13. The central movable section A¹ Figs. 17 and 18, is
provided with guide bars K K, for guiding the said movable central section A'.
The manufacture of boats by means of dies constructed according to my invention
is effected as follows:
The plate J to be operated upon is heated by or in any suitable furnace and then
laid on the lower or female die A as at Fig. 1, and at this time the section A¹ of
the lower die is raised on its two rams C, preventing the plate bending down into
the centre of the die, as it would otherwise do by reason of its weight when heated.
The table B is now raised carrying with it the die A and on the said table
arriving at the position shown at Fig. 2, the holding down plate H comes into
contact with and clamps or presses the plate J between itself and the outer top
edge of the lower die A. The section A¹ is now lowered and the table B continuing
to rise, forces back the rams G, which being set to give the required pressure keeps
the holding down plate H on the edges of the plate J so as to prevent the said edge
of the plate J buckling, as would otherwise be the case, whilst the plate was drawn
inwards, the dies finally coming together as is shown at Fig. 3 and thus completing
the first operation.
The table B is now lowered and the packing pieces D Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which
have during this first operation, supported the lower sections of the lower die, are
now removed, being replaced by packing pieces D of less height, see Fig. 7, to
enable the plate J to be pressed deeper into the lower die at the next operation.
The plate J being reheated and supported by the section A' as shown at Fig. 4,
the table B is again raised, the holding down plate H clamping the edge of the
plate J as shown at Fig. 5, when the section A' is lowered. In this second
operation the table B rises higher and the upper die E enters deeper into the lower
die A by reason of the lesser height of the packing piece D, as shown at Fig. 6,
thus completing the second operation.
On the table B being lowered the edge J' of the plate J will be found to be
almost all drawn in at the sides, though at the ends viz. the stem and stern there
will still be a considerable amount of edge J' left. The packing pieces D are now
removed and the several sections A" forming the base of the lower die are replaced
and rest directly upon the table B. The rams G and holding down plate H are
also removed and the plate J having been suitably reheated and placed in position
as at Fig. 8 is then lowered to that shown at Fig. 9, the auxiliary holding down
plates H situated at either end of the lower die are applied as shown at Figs. 11, 12
and 13, and these hold the edge J' of the plate J at the stem and stern parts.
The table B is now raised causing the die E to enter the die A which presses the
plate J deeper and more into the required shape, causing the edge J₁ to turn up as
shown at Fig. 10, at the same time drawing the ends of the plate J from under the
auxiliary holding down plates H' Fig. 12, so leaving the entire edge of the plate J
turned upwards and completing the third operation.
The entire dies are now changed and upper and lower dies E and A are employed
as shown at Figs. 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. The plate J having been suitably heated
is inserted in the die A as shown at Fig. 14, the central section A' being raised on
its ram C ready to receive the said plate J, the table B is then raised and the
central section A' being lowered simultaneously therewith as shown at Fig. 15.

page_text: The table B continues to rise until the dies are, together with the plate J, between
them as shown at Fig. 16 whereby the plate J is finally pressed to the form
required the outwardly projecting keel being formed by the projection E* on the
upper die forcing the plate into the recess A on the lower die. The table B
being now lowered, the centre section A' is raised on its ram C extracting the
finished boat from the lower die A, from which it can be removed by any suitable
means.
Although I have described the manipulation of the machinery constructed
according to my invention, when four separate operations are performed therewith,
it is obvious that three operations might be sufficient or even two, or I might even
find it necessary in some instances to reheat and press the plate more than four times
in the said dies.
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:
First. In machinery for pressing boats from sheet metal, a sectional male upper
die and a sectional female lower die, adapted to give the shape required to the
boat and between which the plate is to be pressed, a movable central section on
the lower die, and mechanism for moving the said section vertically for holding
the boat blank in position, and allowing it to descend during the pressing operation
substantially as described.
Second. In machinery for pressing boats from sheet metal, a sectional male upper
die and a sectional female lower die, adapted to give the shape required to the
boat, and between which the plate is to be pressed, a movable central section in
the lower die, mechanism for moving the said section vertically for holding the
boat blank in position and allowing it to descend during the pressing operation;
in combination with a holding down plate for the edges of the sheet while being
pressed, suitable hydraulic rams for actuating the respective parts, and changable
packing pieces for supporting the lower die during the different operations,
substantially as described.
Third. In nachinery for pressing boats from a sheet of metal, the combination
with a vertically movable lower die, composed of sections A, a central movable
section A', end sections A2, supporting or packing base pieces D, carrying table B,
and rams C; of an upper die E, stationary head F and rams G, and holding
down plate H substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fourth. In machinery for pressing boats from a sheet of metal, the combination
with an upper die composed of sectional parts, with a lower die also composed of
sectional parts, of a central inovable section A', a ram C and guide bars K substan-
tially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In machinery for pressing boats from a sheet of metal, the combination
with an upper die E, built up in sections, and a fixed head or supporting plate F;
of a lower die, built up of sections, a central movable section A', holding down
plates H', and a vertically movable table B substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. The general combination and arrangement of parts composing my new or
improved machinery for pressing boats from sheet metal, all constructed and acting
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described with reference to the
accompanying drawings together with any mere modification or modifications
thereof.
Dated this 30th day of December 1893.