Improvements in Apparatus used in the Manufacture of Tin Terne and other Coated Metal Plates.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus used in the Manufacture of Tin Terne
and other Coated Metal Plates.
I, DANIEL EDWARDS, of Dyffryn Steel and Tin Plate Works, Morriston, in the
County of Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable the plates which are to be coated to be
delivered automatically one by one to guides rolls or carriers which pass down into
the tinning pot and to push the plates along the guides rolls or carriers up to the
rolls which are at the exit end of the pot-the invention is more especially
applicable to apparatus such as is described in the Specification of a Patent
No. 7139 in the year 1887 but can also be adapted to other forms of coating
apparatus.
To feed plates one by one into the tinning pot I place a pile of plates at the
front of the pot in such a way as to slope somewhat downwards towards the top of
the pot and also with the bottom of the pile resting preferably along its centre on a
round bar which is at right angles to the pot so that the pile of plates bends
somewhat into a circular arc.
To take the plates one by one from the top of the pile I use a cup shaped
pneumatic sucker carried at the end of an arm which extends radially from a
horizontal axis which is parallel with the front end of the pot. When the arm is
approximately at right angles to the plate the sucker is thrust outwards along the
arm and brought against the plate preferably near its centre.
The sucker being
pressed against the plate is collapsed and air expelled from it and immediately
afterwards the central portion of the cup is drawn back a distance and the sucker
thereby caused to obtain a hold of the plate and tend to lift it away from the
others below it. A quick vibratory to and fro motion is now given to the sucker in
a direction lengthwise of the arm which greatly facilitates the detaching of the
plate from the ones below. As soon as the plate is detached it is carried along by
the continued rotation of the arm and its front edge brought between the upper
ends of the guides which lead down into the pot. A pusher is at the same time
brought against the rear edge of the plate and as soon as it has got hold of it the
sucker is caused to release its hold of the plate by the opening of a small air valve
to admit air to it-the pusher then pushes the plate forwards along the guides until
the forward end of the plate is seized by the rolls. Afterwards the pusher is
carried back to its former position ready to act in the same way upon the
next plate.
Dated this Third day of January 1891.
DANL. EDWARDS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus used in the Manufacture of Tin Terne
and other Coated Metal Plates.
1, DANIEL EDWARDS of Dyffryn Steel and Tin Plate Works, Morriston in the
County of Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to he performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to enable the plates which are to be coated to be

page_text: denvered automatically one by one to guide rolls or carriers which pass down into
the tinning pot and to push the plates along the guide rolls or carriers up to the
rolls which are at the exit end of the pot-the invention is more especially
applicable to apparatus such as is described in the Specification of a Patent
No. 7139 in the year 1887 but can also be adapted to other forms of coating
apparatus.
To feed plates one by one into the tinning pot I place a pile of plates at the front
of the pot sloping somewhat downwards.
To take the plates one by one from the pile I use a pneumatic sucker carried at
the end of an arm which extends radially from a horizontal axis which is parallel
with the front end of the pot. When the arm is approximately at right angles to
the plate the sucker is thrust outwards along the arm and brought against the front
plate. The sucker being pressed against the plate is collapsed and air expelled from
it and is thereby caused to obtain a hold of the plate so that when the sucker is
drawn back it tends to draw the plate away from the others.
To ensure that a single plate only shall be detached from the pile by the sucker
I preferably apply the sucker against the lower portion of the plate and when the
sucker has got hold of the plate I give to it a slight tilting movement so as to
tend to bend the lower edge of the plate away from the others and admit air
between it and the next plate. As soon as the plate is detached its lower edge is
brought by the sucker into position to drop between the upper ends of the guides
which lead down into the pot, the sucker is then caused to release its hold of the
plate by admitting air between it and the plate. A pusher is next brought against
the rear edge of the plate, and pushes the plate forwards along the guides until the
forward end of the plate is seized by the rolls. Afterwards the pusher is carried
back to its former position ready to act in the same way upon the next plate.
The drawings annexed shew apparatus acting in the manner above described.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus.
Figure 1 is part of the same on a larger scale, and
Figure 2 is a plan view with some parts removed-the view being taken in the
direction of the arrow in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a diagram view of one of the suckers and parts in connection with
it this diagram shews the position of the parts at the time when the sucker is
being pressed against the pile of plates.
Figure 4 is a similar diagram shewing the position of the parts when the sucker
is being tilted.
Figure 5 shews the position of the parts when the sucker has been drawn back.
Figure 6 shews the position of the parts when the plate has been carried into
position to be dropped into the tinning pot.
In the
Figures 7 and 8 shew separate views of the claw used for releasing the suckers.
A is an inclined table or support upon which is to be placed the pile of plates
which are to be passed one by one into the tinning pot. B is part of the upper
portion of the tinning pot above which the inclined table A. is supported.
drawing Figure 2 the pot is shewn as being of a width for two plates to be treated
simultaneously. CC are suckers, two for each plate, each is composed simply of
a disc of vulcanized india rubber secured at the centre to the centre of a metal disc
which is at the end of a rod that can play to and fro freely in tubular guides C'
these guides are all secured to a bar C2 which as shewn is jointed by joints C³ to
arins which extend from a boss C that is fast on the end of a rod D. The rod D
is supported in guides on an arm E see Figures 1 and 2 in such a way that it
can be moved to and fro endwise along this arm, and the suckers thereby moved
backwards or forwards. The arm E at its rear end can turn freely on a shaft F
and at its forward end it rests normally on a fixed support G. The rear end of
the rod D is jointed to one arm of a crank lever H the other arm of which carries
a weight H which tends always to draw the rod backwards. On the axis of this
crank lever is also an arm H' which by a link is coupled to a lever I. When
the suckers are to be thrust forwards against the plates this lever is acted upon by

page_text: a crank pin J' which projects out from a disc Jon a shaft which is revolved
continuously.
KK are pushers by which the plates are pressed forwards along the guides B¹
into the tinning pot B-the pushers descend from a bar L which is carried by
arms L' from the shaft F. Fixed on this shaft is also a slotted arm L' through
the slot in which the crank pin J¹ projects in this way the pushers are raised and
lowered as the shaft J is revolved.
Just before the suckers are thrust forward against the plates the bar which
carries them is raised somewhat to bring them into proper position-to do this
the arm E at its forward end carries a horizontal bar E this at each of its ends is
made to embrace loosely curved bars L³ which project downwards from the bar L
which carries the pushers.
When the pushers K have arrived towards the end of their upward movement
stops L' at the bottom of the bars L³ come against the underside of the ends of
the bar E and so carry upwards with it the forward end of the rod D and the
sucker bar which is jointed to it. C is an arm extending backwards from the
bar C2. M is a catch capable of sliding to and fro upon the rod D normally it
catches over the rear end of the arm C5 when the stems of the suckers are parallel
with the rod D. N is a stop carried by the bar E against which the catch M
strikes when the rod D is thrust forwards-this arrests the catch and as the rod
continues to be moved forward the rear end of the arm C³ gets clear of the catch
and the suckers are thus free to tilt.
C is a small projection from the front of the bar C2 which comes below a stop C7
before the arm C³ is liberated from the catch M-this arrests further upward
movement of the bar C2 and this bar and the suckers which it carries are therefore
compelled to.tilt as the bar E' continues to rise. To limit the extent to which the
suckers can be tilted the rear end of the arm C³ passes through a metal loop C8-
extensions from this loop form guides between which the catch M works to
and fro.
To release the suckers from the plates claws O are used carried by jointed arms 01
from an axis 02. The bearings for this axis are carried by the bar C² and normally
the suckers are held out of action by a weight 0³ carried by an arm O' fast on the
axis 02. O see Figures 7 and 8 is a spring which tends to hold the two parts of
the arm in a line with one another.
When the bar C2 descends down on to the fixed support G the weighted arm
comes against a stop P the axis O2 is thereby caused to turn and bring the claws O
against the edge of the india rubber disc of the sucker and then as the axis 0²
continues to turn the arm bends into the position shown in diagram 6 and the claw
is drawn backwards carrying along with it the portion of the india rubber disc with
which it engages so disengaging the disc from the plate-the plate will then be free
from the sucker and can drop down into the tinning pot.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
A pile of plates is placed in an inclined position resting upon the inclined table
or support A. As the axis J revolves and the arms which carry the pushers have
completed most of their upward movement the suckers are somewhat raised in the
manuer above explained to bring them opposite to the portion of the plate against
which they are to be pressed the rod D is then thrust forward by the action of the
crank pin J' upon the lever I.
The joints which connect the sucker bar C2 to the rod D is in this way brought
in front of the bar E' by which the forward end of the rod is being lifted-the
suckers would then be free to turn downwards were it not that the arm C is caught
by the sliding catch M. Just when the rod D has been thrust forward to such an
extent that the arm C' is nearly free from the catch M a projection from the front
end of the arm comes close under the stop C-the parts are shewn in this position
in diagram 3 immediately that the arm is free from the catch the sucker which has
now been pressed firmly against the plates is tilted by reason of the joints C³ being
carried upwards a short distance further by the continued upward movement of the

page_text: bar E and consequently of the rod D. By this movement the lower edge of the
plate that the suckers are holding on to is bent somewhat away from the other
plates in the pile and this being done the remainder of the plate can very readily
separate itself from the others when the suckers are moved back.
The suckers are now at once drawn back by the action of the weight H2 and the
pushers commence to descend and carry along with them the arms which carry
the suckers. As the arms descend the weighted arm 0* comes against the stop P
and is by it turned into the position shewn in diagram 6 as it does so the claws ()
lay hold of the edges of the flexible discs of the suckers and then are drawn
backwards as above explained to admit air between the disc and the plates which
they are holding and the plates are so released and allowed to drop between the
guides B which guide them down into the tinning pot B. The pushers then
descend on to the upper edges of the plates and push the plates forwards along the
guides until they are seized between the pairs of rolls to which the guides
lead them.
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. In apparatus for feeding metal plates to baths of coating metal the employ-
ment of pneumatic suckers to take the plates one by one from a pile of plates and
drop them into the coating bath substantially as described.
2. Mechanism for taking plates one by one from a pile of plates-consisting of a
pneumatic sucker and mechanism by which such sucker is first brought against the
front plate of the pile near one of its edges then tilted to bend that edge outwards
away from the pile and afterwards moved back from the pile substantially as
described.
3. Mechanism for taking plates one by one from a pile of plates-consisting of a
pneumatic sucker and mechanism by which such sucker is first brought against the
front plate of the pile near one of its edges then tilted to bend that edge outwards
away from the pile and afterwards moved back from the pile and of a claw which
takes hold of a portion of the edge of the sucker and bends it back so as to release
the sucker from the plate substantially as described.
4. The combination of apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described for
taking metal plates one by one from a pile of plates.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1891.
DANL. EDWARDS.