Needles, Wire, and the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: Needles, Wire, and the like.
I GEORGE MANSON EAMES, residing at Bridgeport, in the County of Fairfield
and State of Connecticut in the United. States of America, gentleman, 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 certain new and useful improvements in the method of
and apparatus for straightening needles, wire, tubing and the like, and has for its
object to accomplish the desired result in a manner that shall be extremely accurate
and entirely automatic, and with these ends in view my invention consists in
revolving the object to be straightened across the path of the straightening
mechanism and in controlling, the operation of the straightening mechanism by the
eccentricities of the object to be straightened.
My invention also consists in the peculiar construction of apparatus and the
combination of parts constituting the same for carrying out my processes.
In order that those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains may
fully understand the same, I will proceed to describe the same, referring by letter
to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my machine.
Fig. 2 an end view.
Fig. 3 a plan, the electric circuit being shown in diagram, and
Fig. 4 an end elevation showing a modification of my improvement..
Similar letters, denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.
A, is the bed-plate, which supports the operative parts of the machine..
B, is a standard secured to the bed-plate and having journaled therein a sleeve C,
on which is mounted the gear-wheel D. E is a spindle which passes through the
sleeve C and is splined thereto, so that any revolution of the former will be trans-
mmitted to the latter. The inner end of the spindle is journaled within a standard F,
which is secured to the bed.
G is a rod supported by the standards E, F, on which is pivoted the heel end
of the sectional put H, confined between the collars L. This nut, when in position
engages with threads, J, on the spindle E, so that when the latter revolves it.
will have a longitudinal feeding movement as will be presently explained. The
071

page_text: inner end of this spindle is provided with a chuck K, or other device for holding
the object to be operated upon.
L is an anvil supported by the standard M, over which the needle or wire is fed
and revolved by the action of the spindle. N and O are standards in which is
journaled the shaft P, having mounted thereon the gear wheel Q, which is
preferably of greater diameter than the wheel D, from which it receives its motion
through the idle-wheel R.
Mounted upon the shaft P, and insulated therefrom, is a yoke S, which forms a
part of the electro-magnet T; also on this shaft is loosely mounted a. disk U, of
soft iron, forming the armature of the magnet and having secured to its abank,
arın V, which extends to a point over the anvil L, and forms the handle of the
hammer W.
X is a coiled spring around the shaft P, between the yoke and armature disk and
serves to keep the latter in its normal position out of contact with the poles of the
magnet, for the purpose hereinafter explained.
Y are commutator-rings secured to and insulated from the shaft P, and Z, Z,
are their metallic brushes, secured to the bed-plate and in constant contact with
their respective rings.
A¹ is a contact lever pivoted to the insulated post B¹. The normal position of
the upper extremity of this lever is in a vertical plane whose distance from the
axial line of the needle or wire is constant.
C¹ is a coiled spring attached to the insulated post D¹ and lower end of the
lever A¹ and retracts the latter against the thumb screw E¹, by which the normal
position of said lever is regulated.
The electric circuit as shown in diagram in Fig. 3 is as follows: F¹ is the electric
source from whence the circuit proceeds in a direction of the arrows c, to the
positive (+) commutator brush and its ring, from thence by the arrows d, to the
electro-magnet, thence by the arrows e, to the remaining or negative commutator Z¹,
by arrows f, to the binding-post D¹, through the spring C, to the contact lever, and
when the latter is in contact with the needle, from thence through the spindle E, to
the frame of the machine and finally from the post G', to the source by arrows g.
From the foregoing description the operation of my improvement will be obviously
as follows:
A needle having been inserted in the chuck the spindle is revolved by means of
a crank or pulley and will be fed backward, as before described. Now if the needle
revolving in front of the contact-lever be out of true, its eccentricities will come in
contact with said lever on its upward movement, thereby completing the circuit,
thus vitalizing the electro-magnet which will attract its armature against the
resiliency of the spring X, and as the magnet is revolving with the shaft P the
disk will be caused to revolve also, thereby lifting the hammer. As the spindle
continues to revolve, the eccentricities in the needle or wire will be carried beyond
the contact-lever A¹ and the circuit thereby broken, thus causing the magnet to
lose its vitality and consequently its hold on the disk which will allow the hammer
to fall on the said needle.
The hammer may be assisted in its fall by a coil spring H³, attached to its handle
and the bed-plate.
As the needle is fed in front of the contact-lever throughout its entire length, it
will be made perfectly true.
To return this spindle to its starting point it is only necessary to disengage the
sectional nut from the thread on said spindle when the latter can be readily thrown
back.
It is obvious that the above described machine may be varied considerably
without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I have shown in Fig. 4 one
of the many modifications which may be used. In this modification the spindle and
its bearings remain, but instead of the gearing, magnet, disk, etc, a solenoid A¹¹,
is supported above the anvil, and its loose armature B", forms the handle of the
hammer C

page_text: Now when the circuit is completed, as before described, the hammer is raised
by the magnetic influence of the solenoid and when the circuit is broken it is
allowed to fall.
In the drawings I have represented the circuit as passing through the needle or
object to be straightened; but this is not essential as the lower end of the contact-
lever may form the circuit closer, and the circuit be carried from thence directly to
the negative binding-post 'G'.
Neither is it absolutely necessary that the closing of the circuit. raises the
hammer, as it may be the means of tripping or lowering the same as will be readily
understood.
.
The gist of my invention rests in the broad idea of revolving the object to be
straightened across the path of the straightening mechanism and controlling the
operation of the straightening mechanism by the direct action of the eccentricities
of the object to be straightened.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The method herein described of straightening needles, wire, etc the same
consisting in revolving the object to be straightened and passing it across the path
of the straightening device and causing the eccentricities of said object to operate
the straightening device.
2. The method herein described of straightening needles, wire, etc consisting in
revolving the object to be straightened and passing it across the path of an electri-
cally controlled straightening device, and causing the eccentricities of said object to
operate the electrical controlling mechanism.
3. The combination of a straightening device and means for operating said
straightening device lying in the path of the object to be straightened, said means
constructed to be operated by the irregularities of the object to be straightened.
4. The combination with means for holding the needle or wire and means for
revolving and feeding the latter, of an anvil over which the needle or wire is fed,
and a hammer controlled as to its operation by the eccentricities of the object to be
straightened.
5. In combination with the electrical circuit breaker arranged in close proximity
to the path of the object to be straightened, the straightening hammer secured to
an armature capable of being revolved, said armature being within the magnetic
field of an electro-magnet also capable of being revolved, whereby when the eccen-
tricities of the object to be straightened come in contact with the circuit breaker,
the electrical circuit will be completed and the armature attracted by the magnet
thereby causing the hammer to operate upon the needle or wire to straighten
the same.