Improvements in or connected with Machines for Drilling and Punching Metals.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left. 12th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Machines for Drilling and
Punching Metals.
We WILLIAM ROURKE, Manufacturer, 12 Little Peter Street Manchester
AARON BERRY Engineer 12 Little Peter Street Manchester do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
By means of this invention sheets or bars of metal may be drilled or punched
with any number of drills or punches simultaneously, or with single drill or punch
if preferred, with the greatest accuracy as to distance apart, and straightness of
line.
This is done by means of a slide rack, notched to correspond with the holes
required, into which notches a spring or other catch is made to fit, and so arrest
the progress of the metal until the punching or drilling is completed when the
metal automatically moves forward to the next notch, when the process is repeated.
The catch is liberated immediately the punches or drills are withdrawn, by means
of a swell or cam on the crank shaft properly timed. Friction or other power
may be used to provide the motion across the die or drill bed. The plate or bar
may be attached to the rack by means of a stud or cramp, or any other fastening
that may be preferred, and may be made to move in a straight or curved direction,
or at right angles, so as to perforate all the sides of a plate.
Math 1802
AARON BERRY.
WILLIAM ROURKE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Machines for Drilling and
Punching Metals.
We WILLIAM ROURKE of 12 Little Peter Street, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturer, and AARON BERRY also of 12 Little Peter Street,
aforesaid, 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 and accompanying drawings
:―
Our invention relates to apparatus adapted to be applied to machinery for
punching or drilling holes in metal and serving to space or regulate the distance
apart of the holes.
For this purpose we use a pattern or template rack or bar which is adapted to be
used in the punching or drilling of a number of plates bars or bodies so that the
distances apart of the holes in all shall correspond.
The rack or bar is formed with teeth notches or recesses having the same
distance or distances apart as the holes which are to be formed in the work.
The rack or bar is connected with the work and is acted upon by a load or spring
or by parts which tend to move the rack or bar which is held by a catch or detent.
After the formation of each hole the catch is acted upon to liberate the rack or
bar which is then permitted to move to the limited distance between the hole last
formed and the next one to be formed.
An arrangement which we have adopted when carrying our invention into effect
is illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

page_text: In the said drawings; Fig. 1 partly in section represents our improved spacing
apparatus and Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.
In the said figs a is a pattern or template rack b represents the excentric shaft
of a punching machine and c the punch of the same.
C
The punching machine to which our invention may be applied may be of any
ordinary or suitable construction and we have not therefore considered it to be
necessary to illustrate any particular form of machine. The rack a is mounted
and applied so that it can slide or be drawn in the direction in which the work is to
be moved.
The apparatus illustrated is adapted to be used in the punching of hoop iron or
other thin metal. A strip of hoop iron is indicated by d and is represented as
being attached by one end by means of a screw nut e to the rack. The strip passes
below the punch and over the face of a dief as is usual the rack passing below the
die. A chain g is attached to one end of the rack and is connected with a load not
shown in the drawing such load being applied in such a way as that it tends to draw
the rack in the direction indicated by the arrow. The rack is held from moving
excepting at the required time by means of a detent or catch which is mounted
to slide toward and from the rack.
is
A spring i acts upon the detent and forces it toward the rack so that the detent
is caused to engage with one of the teeth of the rack and to hold the same against
the drawing action of the load. The rack is thus held whilst a hole is being
punched but on the withdrawal of the punch the rack is released in order that the
strip may be shifted preparatory to the punching of another hole. The means for
effecting the release of the rack might vary and would necessarily depend upon the
construction of the machine to which our invention would be applied. In the
example a tappet k fixed upon the shaft b acts through a rod upon the detent to
withdraw it from engagement with the rack at the required times. The rod
provided with a finger which extends through a slot in the shank of the detent.
The construction is such as that the detent shall be withdrawn or forced down just
sufficiently to release the tooth with which it may at the time be engaged and be
immediately liberated so as to rise and engage with the next succeeding tooth of
the rack. The result is that the rack is permitted to move by steps each equal to
the distance between one tooth and the next the attached strip being drawn forward
below the punch to the same extent. The rack used would be shaped to suit the
nature of the particular work in hand the spaces between the teeth being regular
or irregular as may be required—that is to say whatever might be the required
distance between any two holes in the work a space of the same length and in the
same relative position would be formed in the rack. It will be seen that the strip d
would be automatically shifted after the punching of each hole until all the holes
would have been punched.
The strip would then be removed the rack shifted back and a second strip be
secured to the rack the second strip being punched to correspond with the first and
so on for any required number.
At times it is necessary or advisable to arrest the movements of the rack without
stopping the punching machine. For this purpose we provide a moveable block or
part m which can be brought into position to transmit the thrust of the finger 1 to
the detent or be withdrawn so as to permit the said finger to move up and down
without moving the detent.
The said block can be moved in and out by means of a handle n. Any suitablé
arrangement may be adopted for the purpose.
In practice we have secured the bar a to a part a¹ mounted to slide or to travel
upon or between wheels the chain g being attached to such part. This construction
facilitates the changing of the pattern rack or bar. On the occurrence of a long
interval between two holes the action of the punch may be arrested in the ordinary
manner whilst the pattern rack is moved forward to the extent of two or more
teeth.
The formation and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus may be greatly

page_text: varied so long as a pattern rack or bar would be used to draw forward the work by
steps in a similar manner as when using the rack a.
In place of using a load to draw forward the work we may use friction gear or
other suitable means.
In some cases and especially in the cases of machines adapted for use in the
punching of plates or heavier work than hoop iron strips the pattern rack or bar
would be attached to a carriage holding the work and sliding or travelling upon a
bed.
We
e may apply more than one rack to a machine, as for example a machine might
be provided with a carriage having a cross slide and a second rack mounted to move
at right angles to the first rack so that plates could be punched along two sides
with one adjustment.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of a toothed rack so long as a pattern
bar adapted to be held and released and to move distances equal to the required
distances between the holes would be used.
Our invention is also applicable to machines constructed to drill the holes in place
of punching the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1. The combination of parts constructed and adapted to act substantially as and
for the purposes set forth and indicated.
2. The rack or bar a applied to a punching or perforating machine in combina-
tion with means for drawing such rack forward and with a detent for holding and
releasing the rack and with means for operating upon such detent substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
3. As applied to a punching or perforating machine a pattern or template bar
formed with teeth notches or recesses spaced to correspond with the distances
between the holes to be formed in the work to be done in combination with means
for holding and releasing such bar and with means for moving it a step forward at
each release substantially as set forth.
Dated this och de
Tan 1001
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.