IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOULDING OR SHAPING OF SEAMLESS WROUGHT-METAL KNOBS, CUPS, CANS, VASES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN MAXFIELD, of Bole Hills, Sheffield, in the County of York, Stamper
and Piercer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MOULDING OR SHAPING OF SEAMLESS WROUGHT-METAL KNOBS, CUPS, CANS,
VASES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement...
- From sheets of any kind of rolled metal fit for the purpose, and of a sufficiently
ductile nature, I cut discs of suitable dimensions and, draft or stamp them into
cylindrical-shaped cups of various sizes. This process being old and well under-
stood needs not to be more particularly described. Having obtained these cups I
next proceed to mould or shape them into the various forms required, according to
the nature or design of the article to be made, by means of a roller fixed on the
end of a lathe spindle and made to rotate in close proximity to a non-rotating die,
the form of such die being a reverse section of the form or shape of the article it
is intended to make. The die is firmly fixed, immediately under the rotating
roller, upon a table so constructed that it may be moved, by means of screws of
otherwise, vertically or horizontally at will, and so that any portion of its surface
may be brought to bear with the requisite amount of pressure upon the rotating
roller. One of the cylindrical-shaped cups is then placed in the die in such position
that the roller may rotate inside it. The die is then raised, by means of the
movable table, till the roller bears on the inner surface of the cup which causes it
to rotate in the die. While the cup thus rotates the die is moved, by means of
the table, upwards or downwards, backwards or forwards, as may be, desired, till
the roller by its constant pressure on the inner surface of the cup has expanded it
to the form or shape of the die in which it rotates.
My Invention also embraces an alternative method of working in which I use, in
place of the non-rotating die, a block or frame into which are set a pair of rollers
in such position that their axes are in the same horizontal plane and parallel to
each other, but whose outlines are the reverse of the outline of the article they are.
intended to mould or shape. These rollers are set in the block or frame so that
they may be made to rotate clear of each other. The block is then fixed on the
table, in the place of the die already described, in such position that the axes of
the two rollers are parallel to the axis of the lathe spindle, and so that the roller
on the spindle is vertically over a centre line running between, and parallel to, the
axes of the two rollers. One of the cylindrical-shaped cups is then placed so as to
rest equally on each of the two rollers and so that the roller on the spindle may
rotate inside it. Immediately the roller on the spindle is brought to bear on the.
inner surface of the cup (by the movement of the table already described) the cup
and the pair of rollers also begin to rotate. The mode of proceeding is then

page_text: identical with that described where the die is used, the process being continued till
the cup is expanded to the outlines of the rollers. The substitution of the block
and rollers for the die is sometimes advantageous as the friction on the article
being moulded or shaped is thereby reduced.
Reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which like letters represent
like parts, will make the nature of my Invention more clearly understood.
In Fig. 1. A represents one of the cylindrical-shaped cups as drafted, or stamped,
to make when finished the base B, Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, C represents the lathe with
such a roller as I employ fixed on the spindle, and shown in dotted lines at D.
E represents the table upon which is fixed the die F. The cylindrical-shaped cup
(as placed in the die) is shown in full lines at A, and the form into which it is to
be moulded is shown in the dotted lines a, b, c and a, b, c'. When the die is
raised, as already described, the rotating roller is made to bear upon the inner
surface of the cup at the point d, the friction of which causes the cup to rotate in
the die. The die is then gradually moved forwards (ie. in the direction of the
lathe), so that the roller traverses the cup towards the point c, an upward pressure
against the roller being maintained all the while. When the point c is reached the
movement of the die is reversed and the process repeated till the cup expanded
to the limits of the die, in which case it coincides with the outlines a, b,
C,. and
a, b, c, which is the particular form or shape desired, being that of the base B.
Fig. 4. shews the block or frame into which are set the pair of rollers which
may be used in place of the die F, as seen from above. Fig. 5. is an end elevation
of the same.
The lettering, together with what has already been said, render
further explanations unnecessary.
In some of the articles which I make by means of my Invention-as for
instance in the case of a narrow-necked base, or a knob having a very narrow
neck it is necessary to "contract" some portion of the cylindrical-shaped cup
so as to produce the form required. H, Fig. 6, and J, Fig. 7. being two such
articles. The dotted line in each case shews the cup from which the article would
be made, the portions of their outlines lying within the dotted lines would be
contracted," while those lying outside would be expanded. This "contracting"
process is done by the method described by me in the Specification of my Invention
for which Letters Patent were granted to me-1873-No. 1926, and therefore
does not form part of my present Invention. Sometimes it is desirable to partially
"contract" an article before any expanding" is done as the expanding."
process is thereby facilitated.
ct
I am aware that rollers of various kinds have been employed for moulding
or shaping of metallic vessels of different kinds and I therefore do not claim the
exclusive use of rollers for this purpose.
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 :-
:
1st The application of a roller fixed on a lathe spindle and working in com-
bination with a non-rotating die, for the purposes as set forth, all substantially
as described and shown in the Drawings, and
2nd The application of a roller fixed on a lathe spindle and working in combination
with a pair of rollers mounted in a block or frame; for the purposes as set
forth, all substantially as described and shown in the Drawings.