Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 8th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 7th Jan., 1887.
I, WILHELM POTTHOFF of the firm of Potthoff and Flume of Louisenhütte
near Lünon of Lippe in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of metal castings and consists chiefly in
the employment of intermittently-rotating tables for supporting the boxes or flasks
during the moulding operation and of a rotating ring for transporting the moulds to
the place of casting.
For facilitating the production of castings, various combinations of mechanical
appliances have already been constructed which render it possible to prepare the
mould to dry the same and to cast the article in a cycle of operations and without
any great interruption. These appliances, however do not act upon one another
through a direct mechanical medium. Or the operation of moulding from the patterns
by the moulding machine has only been performed without employing apparatus for
transporting the moulds to the place of casting and back again in direct mechanical
connection therewith. For instance with some moulding machines, intermittently
rotated ring-plates are employed for the reception of the patterns, in order to subject
these, one after another, to the action of vertically moving stamps for the production
of impressions in the moulding sand.
Now, in the process of producing castings which forms the subject of this inven-
tion, the appliance for performing the moulding is brought regularly into direct
mechanical connection with a device by which the mould is transported to the place
of casting, and thence further transported until the empty moulding box is returned
to the place of moulding. For the reception of the box or flask during the moulding,
intermittently turning tables are used with whose driving mechanism is connected an
intermittently rotating ring for transporting the moulds to the place of casting and
back again.
The accompanying drawing shows an appliance adapted for this purpose.
Fire 1 being a plan view and

page_text: By turning the driving shaft a in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1, the pattern
plates c, which are moved up and down by cranks b, Figure 2 are pressed upon the
sand in the moulding boxes, which boxes are carried upon rotating tables and brought
successively beneath the pattern ww² so that the moulds are mechanically produced
one after another at regular intervals.
For the purpose of turning the moulding tables ww, the shaft f, which is
supported vertically in foot step and collar bearings, is rotated by means of a pair of
bevel-wheels, d from the driving shaft a and this vertical shaft transmits rotary
motion through the spur-wheel e to the spur-wheel e¹ of the shaft f1, by which the
moulding tables w³ w² are intermittently rotated through the medium of spur-wheels 7,
Figure 2, and star wheels m¹ m². Instead of the star wheels, ratchet wheel gearing
may be employed in order to intermittently turn the moulding-tables.
During the rotation of the shaft f¹, the arm g thereon engages with the pins /
of the transporting ring i, so that this ring is turned in the direction of the arrow A
Figure 1 through a distance corresponding to the distance between two pins h,
upon the way formed by rollers k. The moulding tables w w² carry yielding stands
for the moulding boxes, which may be of any construction adapted for the purpose.
At the point I of the table w¹ the upper half of each mould is formed, the boxes
being brought into proximity thereto by the transporting ring i.
The devices for moulding the runner-holes are in the stands of the table w¹.
The lower parts of the mould are formed in the table w².
With this arrangement, as the driving shaft a makes one revolution, the tables
ww, by reason of the action of the star-wheels m² m² make a quarter of a revolution
in the directions of the arrows. At the point 1 of the table w¹ the upper half of a
box is applied and at the point 1 of the other table w² the lower half of a box is
applied. At the next quarter of a revolution these boxes move to the points 2, 2
where they are filled with sand.
In the next movement of the tables the boxes pass to the points 3 where thin
ayers of fresh sand are placed in the boxes and the surfaces of the moulds are
dusted over with loam or charcoal. In the next movement of the shaft a the boxes
pass to the points 4, where the impression of the pattern into the sand takes place.
In the following movement the boxes pass to the points 1 1. Here the lower half
of the box at the point 4 of the table wis removed and placed on the transporting
ring; the upper half of the box is then lifted off the table w¹, turned over and
placed upon the lower half of the box on the ring.
The moulding box put together in this manner ready for casting is conveyed by
the intermittent rotation of the transporting ring i in the direction of the arrow A,
to the furnace B, here it is filled with metal and then conveyed away upon the
transporting ringi until the casting has cooled, when it is removed from the ring.
The box or flask after having been freed from the sand and casting, is again put
on the transporting ring i.and thereby passes near the two moulding tables w
upon whose places 1 which are free, the halves of the boxes aro again placed.
22
In this manner at every rotation of the driving shaft a a casting corresponding to
the pattern situated below the pattern-plates c is produced.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Metal Castings, and
to Apparatus therefor.
I WILHELM POTTHOFF, of the firm of Potthoff and Flume, of Louisenhütte
near Lünen / Lippe, in the Empire of Germany, 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 relates to the manufacturo of metal castings and consists chiefly
in the employment of intermittently rotating tables for supporting the boxes or
flasks during the moulding operation, and of a rotating ring for transporting the
moulds to the place of casting.
For facilitating the production of castings, various combinations of mechanical
appliances have already been constructed, which render it possible to prepare the
mould, to dry the same, and to cast the article in a cycle of operations and without
any great interruption. These appliances, however, do not act upon one another
through a direct mechanical medium. Or the operation of moulding from the
patterns by the moulding machine has only been performed without employing
apparatus for transporting the moulds to the place of casting and back again in direct
mechanical connection therewith. For instance, with some moulding machines,
intermittently rotated ring plates are employed for the reception of the patterns, in
order to subject these, one after another; to the action of vertically moving stamps
for the production of impressions in the moulding sand.
Now, in the process of producing castings which forms the subject of this inven-
tion, the appliance for performing the moulding is brought regularly into direct
mechanical connection with a device by which the mould transported to the place
of casting, and thence further transported until the empty moulding box is returned
to the place of moulding. For the reception of the box or flask during the moulding,
intermittently turning tables are used with whose driving mechanism is connected
an intermittently rotating ring for transporting the moulds to the place of casting
and back again.
The accompanying drawing shews an appliance adapted for this purpose.
Figure 1 being a plan view and
Figure 2 a side view partly in vertical section.
By turning the driving shaft a in the direction of the arrow Figure 1, the pattern
plates c, which are moved up and down by cranks & Figure 2, are pressed upon the
sand in the moulding boxes, which boxes are carried upon rotating tables w¹², and
brought successively beneath the pattern, so that the moulds are mechanically
produced one after another at regular intervals.
For the purpose of turning the moulding tables 10 10², the shaft f, which is
supported vertically in foot-step and collar bearings, is rotated by means of a pair
of bevel-wheels d from the driving shaft a, and this vertical shaft transmits rotary
motion through the spur-wheel e to the spur-wheel e' on the shaft ¹, by which spur-
wheels the moulding tables w w³ are intermittently rotated through the medium of
spur wheels Figure 2, and star-wheels m1 m². Instead of the star wheels, ratchet.
wheel gearing may be amntared in ander to indrumittant, tum tha
LI
11

page_text: During the rotation of the shaft "the army thereon engages with the pins h of
the transporting ring i, so that this ring is turned in the direction of the arrow A,
Figure 1, through a distance corresponding to the distance between two pins h, upon
the way formed by rollers k.
The moulding tables w¹ w² carry yielding stands for the moulding boxes, which
may be of any construction adapted for the purpose.
At the point 1 of the table the upper half of each mould is formed, the boxes
being brought into proximity thereto by the transporting ring i.
The devices for moulding the runner holes are in the stands of the table w¹.
The lower parts of the mould are formed on the table w².
With this arrangement, as the driving shaft a makes one revolution, the tables
ww², by reason of the action of the star wheels m¹ m², make a quarter of a revo-
lution in the directions of the arrows. At the point 1 of the table w the uppor
half of a box is applied and at the point 1 of the other table w² the lower half of
a box is applied. At the next quarter of a revolution these boxes move to the
points 2, 2 where they are filled with sand.
In the next movement of the tables the boxes pass to the points 3 where thin
layers of fresh sand are placed in the boxes and the surfaces of the moulds are dusted
over with loam or charcoal. In the next movement of the shaft a the boxes pass to
the points 4, where the impression of the pattern into the sand takes place.
In the following movement the boxes pass to the points 1, 1. Here the lower half
of the box at the point 4 of the table 13 is removed and placed on the transporting
ring the upper half of the box is then lifted off the table w¹ turned over and
placed upon the lower half of the box on the ring.
The moulding box put together in this manner ready for casting is conveyed by
the intermittent rotation of the transporting ring i in the direction of the arrow A,
to the furnace B, here it is filled with metal and then conveyed away upon the trans-
porting ring until the casting has cooled, when it is removed from the ring.
The box or flask after having been freed from the sand and casting, is again put
on the transporting ring and thereby passes near the two moulding tables ww,
upon whose places I which are freo, the halves of the boxes are again placed.
In this manner at every rotation of the driving shaft a a casting corresponding to
the pattern situated below the pattern plates c is produced.
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
---
In the mechanical production of metal castings, the employment of moulding
tables (ww) arranged to carry the upper and lower. mould boxes or flasks respec-
tively, and to rotate intermittently, for the purpose of bringing the said boxes or
flasks successively beneath the patterns, in combination with a transporting ring i
which intermittently rotates with the said moulding tables and upon which the upper
and lower halves of the moulding boxes are put together as they are lifted from the.
moulding tables, the said ring then conveying the moulds to the place for casting,
and, after casting returning the emptied halves. of the moulding boxes to the
moulding tables.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.