Apparatus for Cutting into Lengths and Delivering Smokeless Explosive or other Plastic Material which has been Moulded Through a Die.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Cutting into Lengths and Delivering Smokeless
Explosive or other Plastic Material which has been Moulded
Through a Die.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM ANDERSON, of Roydon Lodge, Erith, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object apparatus for cutting into lengths and delivering
smokeless explosive or other plastic material which has been moulded through
a die.
The apparatus is either attached to or separate from the machine used in pressing
out the explosive or other material in the form of rods or cord, and may be worked
with or without the machine but I prefer to attach it thereto and operate on the
material as soon as it is delivered and I also prefer to drive the apparatus by gearing
connected to the press in such a way that the formation of the rods or cord and the
cutting up of necessity go on at the same rate.
The apparatus consists of an endless belt of suitable material on which are attached
at proper intervals according to the lengths of the pieces required to be cut off, narrow
knives standing across the width of the belt.
This belt passes over suitable guide pulleys, and a driving pulley connected with
suitable gearing, and is arranged so that the material to be cut up is delivered upon
it. The belt after travelling horizontally a cortain distance passes between two rollers
or a roller and a fixed block so placed that there is only just space between them to
allow the belt and its knives to pass.
The effect is that the cord or rod of material lying on the belt and over the
knife edges is forced down on to the knives as they come under the roller and is
thereby severed or nearly so. The belt now carries the cut length on and it is
removed.
By this arrangement I am enabled to cut the material up into even and definite
lengths while being delivered at a considerable speed.
Arrangements for adjusting the speed of the belt are provided.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Cutting into Lengths and Delivering Smokeless
Explosive or other Plastic Material which has been Moulded
Through a Die.
1, EDWARD WILLIAM ANDERSON of Roydon Lodge, Erith, 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 :-
:-
This invention has for its object apparatus for cutting into lengths and delivering
smokeless explosive or other plastic material which has been moulded through
a die.
The apparatus is either attached to or separate from the machine used in pressing
out the explosive or other material in the form of rods or cord, and may be worked
with or without the machine but I prefer to attach it thereto and operate on the
material as soon as it is delivered and I also prefer to drive the apparatus by gearing

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of apparatus arranged according to
my invention, for convenience the figure has been divided into two parts at the
line 1. 1.
Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus; this figure is similarly divided.
Figure 3 shows to a larger scale an elevation partly in section of the belt with knife
and cutting roller and parts connected therewith.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the belt and shows also a portion of the frame.
and one of the supporting rollers.
a is the frame, it carries in suitable bearings the axes of two pulleys 61 and 62
around which the endless belt e passes. The belt is supported at intervals by rollers d d
and above the belt there is a cutting roller e which works in conjunction with
knives a fixed upon the bolt. The knives divide into lengths the plastic material
which the belt carries. The knives are of phosphor bronze or steel and they are
fixed upon metal plates which are riveted to the belt; they may be secured to the
belt in such manner that the distance between the knives may if necessary be
varied.
A metal surface is provided beneath the belt to support it when the roller e presses
upon the knife. Just sufficient clearance is allowed to permit the knife edge to pass
without touching the roller.
The pulley is driven by means of a cone drum 9 on its axis. An endless driving
band passes from the drum g to another drum gl and on the axis of this drum is the
bevilled wheel i. The wheel is driven by the pinion k on a shaft which can be
clutched fast with a shaft l. On the shaft are belt pulleys the former receives
a driving belt from a shaft above and the latter receives a crossed belt.
When the cutting apparatus is in action the pulley drives; the pulley is
employed only to run back the press. The press is such as is described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to Messrs. Abel, Dewar and Anderson and dated
22nd July 1889 No. 11667.
The material is forced out of the cylinder or receiver of the press by a screw geared
with the upright shaft and this shaft is driven from the shaft 1 in the manner
shown.
The plastic moulded material issues from a die at m; between this die and the
surface of the belt c the material hangs more or less slack; it lies between the
guides yy and extends the whole length of the belt and after passing beneath
the cutting roll e it is removed by hand in detached pieces or it may be delivered

page_text: from the belt in any other convenient manner. As the cylinder of the press empties
the rod n is thrust down and at the end of the operation the weighted lever o falls
over and moves the sliding bar p to the right thereby shifting the driving belts and
causing the press to be run up rapidly. The bar p also moves a lever q and strikes
out the clutch which couples the shafts and 7. In this way the cutting apparatus
is automatically stopped when the material ceases to be delivered from the press. The
bar p has a handle p³ upon it and by this the attendant moves the bar to the left when
he desires to start the press. The attendant also at the proper time starts the belt c by
means of the hand levers; an arm on the axis of this lever is coupled with the clutch
lever g. The attendant can increase or diminish the speed of the helt c relatively
to the rate at which the press is driven by turning the hand wheel t. An endless
cord u conveys the motion of the hand wheel to a screw and this gives motion
to a belt fork w which controls the position of the driving band h on the cone
drums 9 g.
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 :-
1. Apparatus for cutting rods or cords of plastic material into lengths and consisting
of an endless receiving belt with knives upon it and a roller acting in conjunction with
E. W. ANDERSON.