Apparatus for Manufacture of Hollow Caoutchouc Balls.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Manufacture of Hollow Caoutchouc Balls.
I, GUSTAV LOUIS HILLE, of 45, Finsbury Pavement, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for manufacture of hollow caoutchouc balls,
which is of the following description. I provide a plunger the end of which has a
hemispherical hollow, and provide below it a die which has also a hemispherical
hollow. Between the end of the plunger and the die I mount on a moveable
spring frame a "former" which is a globe of metal having a conical lip projecting
equatorially from it.
On suitable guide frames above and below the "former" I place discs of
caoutchouc each a little larger than is necessary to form half the ball. By means
of a lever or otherwise I cause the plunger to descend, thus forcing the upper disc
into the hollow of the plunger and the lower disc into the die both being thus
pressed into hemispherical forms with their edges a little projecting. On raising
the plunger, the "former" which is left free, is moved aside.
A little cement is applied to the edge of the lower disc and the plunger again
descending brings the edge of the upper disc, down into the outwardly coned lip
of the lower disc, whereupon a flexible steel band is drawn tightly rounil the latter
causing it to close in on the lip of the upper disc and to become cemented to it.
Thus there is formed a ball with an overlapped air tight joint at its middle.
Instead of using a flexible band to close in the lip of the lower hemisphere it
may be closed in by a ring mould made in segments or by pushing it down into the
tubular holder of the die which is in this case held up by a spring. In order to
facilitate the moulding as above described, the plunger, and the die are warmed by
steam or otherwise.
J
CT 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Manufacture of Hollow Caoutchouc Balls.
I, GUSTAV LOUIS HILLE, of 45 Finsbury Pavement in the City of London,
Merchant 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 apparatus for manufacturing hollow caoutchouc balls.
Heretofore all caoutchouc balls have been manufactured by hand, and were
either made of four oblong pieces, or of two pieces which had approximately the
form: 8.
According to the present invention the balls are made by first forming two
caoutchouc discs into two half balls, the one half-ball being formed with a
projecting rim. The second half-ball is pressed against the inner side of the rim,
and both parts are united together by a suitable cement, the rim overlapping the
edge of the other half. In order to close the joint air tight, a flexible steel band
is laid round the same for a short time or the two halves are otherwise pressed
together until a perfect union is obtained.
For carrying out the said operations, the following apparatus may be
advantageously employed, whereby a considerable saving in time and labour will
be effected

page_text: a side view, party in section:
Figs. 34, 38, 4A 4B show detached details,
Figs. 34,3 shewing side view and plan of the arrangement by means of which a
flexible steel band is laid round the ball, and
Figs. 4, 4B, shewing side view and plan of the part of the apparatus on which
the half balls are formed.
Fig. 5 and 5B shew a side view and plan of another arrangement for joining the
two half balls.
A is a bracket in which is formed a boring, (shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 2)
through which heat is supplied from a gas burner or a steam pipe, to the parts of
the apparatus which operate in forming the half balls, whereby the operation is
considerably facilitated. The overhanging upper end of the bracket is bored
cylindrically for the reception of the piston B which can be moved up and down
by the weighted lever C.
The connection between the piston and the lever is effected by means of a rod D.
The piston B is bored out at its lower end to a size corresponding to the diameter
of the ball halves to be produced. Within the bore is provided an ejector E, the
lower end of which is formed as a hemispherical mould, and which is maintained in
its normal position, shewn at Fig. 2, by means of a helical spring F.
It can however be pushed downwards by means of a lever V pivotted.in a vertical
slot in the side of the piston, such motion taking place when the outer arm of the
lever comes in contact with the top of the bracket A during the downward
motion of the piston B.
At the side of the piston B is a projecting stop X by means of which the
downward motion of the piston is limited.
:
At the lower end of the bracket A is a block G which is bored out in line with
the boring of the overhanging part of the bracket. Into this boring of the
block G is fitted a tube H whose internal diameter corresponds to the diameter of
the ball to be formed. At its upper end this tube H is provided with an upward
bent flange, thus forming a space for the reception of a steel band I, and also
providing a suitable support for one of the two caoutchouc discs to be operated
upon, as shewn more clearly at Figs. 3ª, 3B.
For actuating the steel band, the following arrangement is employed:
The tube H has a projection K on its top flange, and on this projection is
pivotted an excentric lever, L, as shewn at Fig. 3B. To. this excentric the one end
of the steel band I is connected, while the other end thereof is attached to a
slide M.
When the excentric lever L is turned so as to tighten the band I, the slide M
will be drawn, inwards towards the centre of the tube H, causing its inner end to
be applied against the projecting edge of the lower half ball, after which the
band I will be drawn tight round the ball. This arrangement can, of course be
replaced by any other device having the same effect. Thus for example the
arrangement shewn at Figs. 54 and 5 could be employed, with equal advantage, in
which sliding cheeks P are employed, the inner curved faces of which correspond
to the curvature of the ball's surface, and which, when pressed tight against the
ball, form a continuous ring by means of which the joint between the two ball
halves is closed air-tight. The simultaneous motion of the sliding cheeks P is
effected by means of a disc Q with excentric slots, which is turned by, means of a
lever R.
It is however simpler to force the ball by means of the piston B into a tube
suitably fitted to the block G, the sides of which tube then fit tightly round the
joint of the ball, so that this will be effectually pressed, together in an airtight
manner.
Between the piston, B. and the tube H is arranged, the former N N., in a
removeable manner. It consists mainly of two hemispherically formed parts NN1
of which the one is arranged above and the other below a cross bar Zas at

page_text: Fig. 44. Upon these two hemispheres the caoutchouc discs are moulded into.the
form of half balls. The lower part N has a conical projection W which serves to.
form the rim on the lower half ball. The cross bar Z rests upon two tubes. U that
fit into borings formed in a looped piece T, in which borings they can, slide up.
and down. The looped piece T can be turned upon a pin Ỗ, so that the entire.
former can be moved laterally out of its position into, that shewn in dotted lines at
Fig. 1. The tubes U are surrounded by helical springs U' that fit in recesses
in the borings of T'. Within the tubes are fitted pins U sliding vertically
therein, but held in the normal position shewn by springs U. The pins U³ carry
a second, cross bar S having a middle opening for the reception of one of the
caoutchouc discs to be operated upon.
For forming a caoutchouc ball by means of the above described apparatus the
proceeding is as follows:
Two caoutchouc discs are placed, the one in the opening of the cross bar S,
and the other upou the tube H. The lever C is then pressed down, carrying with
it the piston B. During such downward motion of the piston, the upper
caoutchouc disc is first pressed by the former N into the bore of the piston and
the hemispherical mould of the ejector E; the former will then be moved
downwards together with the piston, whereby the former N will be made to
press the lower caoutchouc disc into the tube H. Thus both ball halves will
have been formed during one stroke of the piston. On the piston rising again,
the former N N will also be raised into its original position by the springs U U₁,
while the ball halves remain in the mould of the ejector E and in the tube H.
The former N N¹ is then turned to one side, after which the piston B is again
moved downwards, thereby bringing the two ball halves towards each other.
Before they are brought completely together, the projecting rim of the lower ball
half is coated with a suitable cementitious matter. When the piston approaches
the tube H with its lower end, the small lever comes in contact with the
bracket A, and is thus made to actuate the ejector E so as to cause this to press
the upper ball-half out of the piston and against the projecting rim of the lower.
ball-half. The steel band I or the checks P is or are then drawn inwards so as to
press the projecting rim of the lower ball-half tight against the outer surface of
the edge of the upper ball-half, so that an air tight joint between the two is
effected.
After some time, the finished ball can be removed from the apparatus. Such
removal might be facilitated by a lever projecting through a slot in the tube H
into the interior thereof, beneath the ball, so as to force this upwards.
By the above described method and apparatus caoutchouc balls can be
manufactured very expeditiously and cheaply.
The subsequent vulcanising of the balls is effected in the same way as with
hand made balls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for manufacturing hollow caoutchouc balls whereby two
caoutchouc discs are brought into the form of half balls, the one half being formed
with a projecting rim, which, after being coated with cementitious matter, serves
to unite the two halves together by fitting over the edge of the other half when
they are brought together.
2. In apparatus for manufacturing balls in the manner set forth in the preceding
claim, the combination of a bracket A with base G capable of being beated, a
removeable former consisting of two hemispherical parts N N¹ fixed one on each
side of a cross bar Z, one of which parts has a conical projection W, and a
moveable and a fixed die cr mould E and H situated respectively above and below
the former, so that on the downward motion of the upper mould E the two
caoutchouc discs, suitably placed in position, are brought consecutively into the

page_text: form of half balls, and after removal of the former, are joined together with an
overlapping joint by the downward motion of an ejector carrying the upper mould,
the joint being made air tight by first coating the part or parts with cementitious
matter and then subjecting them to pressure by means of a ring I or cheeks P,
substantially as described.
Dated this 26th dor of October 1892
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant..