Improvements in Hydraulic Presses for Forming Hollow or Raised Articles from Sheet Metal and for Embossing the Surfaces thereof.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1888
Specification Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hydraulic Presses for Forming Hollow or Raised
Articles from Sheet Metal and for Embossing the Surfaces
thereof.
I, GEORGE JAMES, of 2, Key Hill Drive, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by Arthur Edwin Hobson, of the City of Hartford, Connecticut,
United States of America, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of the improvements herein described in hydraulic presses
for forming hollow or raised articles from sheet metal and for embossing the surfaces
thereof which I will describe by referring to the accompanying drawings of which
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a hydraulic press with my improvements applied,
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same on line X. X of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a sectional
plan of the same on line Y. Y of Fig. 1; Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate modified parts
of the same as hereinafter described.
The same letters and figures of reference indicate the same parts in all the
Figures.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the body or hydraulic
cylinder of the press is marked 10, and 11 is the ram fitting therein and carrying the
platen 12 which is guided by the pillars 14. The platen 12 carries the die holder 13
wherein are placed the sectional dies 20 which correspond internally with the shape of
the required hollow or raised article or are sunk with the embossed pattern required
to be produced thereon. 21 is a hollow article such as a sugar basin which has been
formed from a sheet metal blank by the said press and is represented as being
embossed thereby. 22 is a plate serving as a blank holder placed on die holder and
there secured by projecting parts round the blank holder taking under corresponding
overhanging flanges on the die holder so that by a slight axial movement the blank
holder 22 can readily be removed from or secured in position. A wedge-shaped
block 16 is mounted within the die holder and is guided by a central pin 17 fitting in
a corresponding hole in bottom of the die holder; the block 16 is provided with a
handle 18 projecting through a slot in the die holder and by which the block 16 can
Of otherwise
be turned to raise the die from the die holder. A head block 30 is bolted

page_text: fixed to the top 15 of the press and is provided with an annular ram 31 fitting in an
annular recess 36 therein. 32 is a plunger projecting centrally from the head block 30
and about which the annular ram 31 moves. There is an aperture 33 through the
plunger 32 and head block 30 connected with pipe 34 in direct communication with
the water supply under pressure and a hole 45 connecting aperture 33 with recess 36;
40 and 39 are valves controlling the water supply to the rams 11 and 31 and to the
aperture 33.
The operation of the parts above described is as follows:-The sectional dies 20
having been placed in the die holder 13 the sheet metal blank of a size to form the
required article (which blank for the particular dies illustrated, is circular) is placed
in position on the die holder 13 over the dies 20. The blank holder 22 is then placed
on the blank and is turned round through a short space by its handle 43 so as to bring
the projections round the edge of the blank holder under the projecting flanges of the
die holder and lock the blank holder on the blank. The valve 39 is then opened
(valve 40 meanwhile being closed) causing the water to raise the ram 11 and to force
the blank against the plunger 32 which presses the blank into the dies 20, the blank
holder 22 meanwhile keeping the blank from gathering. The upward motion of
the ram is continued until the blank.comes into contact with the bottom of ram 31
which latter is carried up to the bottom of the aperture 36 and a perfectly water-tight
joint is formed by the flat part a a-of the blank (which now forms a flange round the
partly finished article) being pressed between the upper face of the dies 20 and the
lower face of the ram 31. The valve 40 is now opened and the water under pressure
is passed through pipe 34, apertured plunger 33 into the partly formed article 21
which latter is pressed out by the internal pressure of the water to conform to the
shape of the dies 20. Valve 39 is then closed, and valve 40 being left open the
pressure is then on the ram 31 which moves down and forces the dies 20 and
the article 21 for a short distance along the plunger 32 and the cavity in the article
becomes filled with water through the aperture 33 in the plunger. It is evident that
whether the ram 11 is moving up or the ram 31 moving down the water-tight joint
on the flange a a is pressed in either case. When the ram 31 has moved three or
more inches, according to the size and form of the article, valve 40 is closed and
valve 39 opened which causes the ram 11 (acting through the dies 20) to press the
ram 31 which is pressed against the water in the annular recess 36 and cannot be
expelled except through plunger 32 into the article 21 in the dies, as the valve 40
is closed. Thus the article 21 is pressed into and made to conform to every minute
part of the dies, and if the dies are sunk with an embossed pattern or device, such
pattern or device will be reproduced on the article.
{
To remove the finished article from the dies the valve 40 is opened and closed again
to relieve the pressure, the force pumps which supply the water are thrown off, the
ram 11 lowered, plate 22 lifted off, handle 18 turned round to raise the dies 20 which
latter are taken from the die holder 13 and the article 21, which is now embossed, is
removed therefrom.
The die 20 is shewn on the drawings as made in four sections (see Fig. 3), but
more or less than four may be used, which is done for facilitating the removal of the
finished article from the dies, but when the article is of such a shape that it will leave
a solid die the die may be made whole as will be readily understood.
Fig. 4 is a modified form of the head block 30 in which the annular ram 31 is dis-
pensed with and a projecting circular shoulder 44 is formed on the underside of the
block round the plunger 32 against which the flange a a of the article is pressed to
form the water-tight joint as is done by the ram 31.
Fig. 5 represents a still further modification of head block 30 which is made flat
underneath, and Fig. 6 shews a form of die 41 used with the head block represented
by Fig. 5. With this die and head block the use of the blank holder 22 is dispensed
with the die 41 having a circular recess b b on its upper surface to take the blank so
that when pressed against the head block (Fig. 5) the edge of the blank will be
clamped between the underside thereof and the die 41 so as to make a water-tight
joint but still allow the sheet metal blank to draw into the die. B is the blank when

page_text: drawn in. Fig. 7 shows a form of die for use with the head block represented by
Fig. 5 and made in sections c c to allow undercut shapes to be pressed and removed
from the die by lifting out the sections c c which are then removed from the article
and replaced in the block 42.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise details
illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of this
invention.
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:
1st. In a hydraulic shaping press, the combination with a ram carrying a die
holder, of a head block provided with a bearing surface and arranged above the die
holder, whereby the edges of the blank may be clamped to the upper face of the
die, substantially as described.
.
2nd. In a hydraulic shaping press, the combination, with a die holder, of an
apertured head block provided with a bearing surface and arranged above the die
case, whereby the edges of the blank may be clamped to the upper face of the die,
substantially as described.
3rd. In a hydraulic press, the combination, with a ram, of a die holder carried
thereby, an apertured plunger arranged to enter the die holder, and a ring surrounding
the plunger, substantially as described.
4th. In a hydraulic press, the combination, with a ram, of a die holder carried
thereby, an apertured plunger, and an annular ram surrounding said plunger, as and
for the purpose stated.
5th. The combination with a ram, of a die holder, and a wedge-shaped block mounted
within the holder, substantially as described.
6th. The combination with a ram, of a die holder supported thereby, a wedge-
shaped block mounted within the die holder and provided with a downwardly
extending pin, and an outwardly extending lever arm or handle substantially as
described.
7th. The combination, with a ram, of a die holder carried thereby, dies adapted to
fit said holder, a blank-holding plate arranged to fit within the die holder above the
die, and a head block provided with a centrally apertured plunger that is in connection
with a water supply, substantially as described.
8th. The combination, with a ram, of a die holder 13, dies 20 mounted therein, a
plate holder 22, a head block, a plunger 32 supported thereby and formed with a
bore 33, a ram 31 mounted about the plunger, and a water supply, substantially as
described.
nl 1000
Dated this 200
day of
L
www
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.