Improvements in Powder Distributing Machinery for Producing Enamelled Surfaces.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 12th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Powder Distributing Machinery for Producing
Enamelled Surfaces.
We WILLIAM WALTERS of 288 Bradford Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Managing Director of the Patent Enamel Company, and CHARLES
ARTHUR SMITH of 71 Temple Row, Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described, machinery for distributing powder used in the production of enamelled
surfaces, letters and enamelled designs upon plates or other surfaces, whereby we
are enabled to employ one line of shafting to drive and give motion to separate and
independent distributing or enamelling machines and to cause this line of shafting
to run continuously in one direction, instead of employing counter shafts and reversing
driving shafts as is at present necessary with the existing and ordinary machines.
We are also enabled to distribute the powder more uniformly over the surface to be
coated; and to regulate the amount of powder that shall be so distributed, together
with employing the machines to distribute the powder over a small or a wide surface
as may be required.
In carrying our invention into effect we construct an enamelling machine or as it
may be more correctly described a powder distributing machine to work off a line
of driving shaft or main motion shaft as follows:-
We form the bottom frame or plate table in any ordinary manner, but we employ
a special runner or overhead travelling carriage to run upon girders or suitable rails
along each side and over the bottom frame or table. This overhead travelling carriage
we form by arranging two cross-shafts or spindles to carry rail wheels upon each
side and to be tied or held together by suitably formed end frames through which
the cross-shafts pass-The end frame which we place in position nearest to the line
or driving shaft, we form with a suitable projecting bracket to carry a wormbox and
bearings in which a worm attached to the line shaft runs; this worm we provide with
a feather or long driving key or keys to work into a long keyway or continuous key,
groove or grooves cut in the driving shaft. We attach to or cast with the worm
wheel which receives its motion from the worm or the line shaft, a bevil wheel
running loosely upon one of the cross rail shafts, which wheel gears into an idle
wheel, transmitting the motion to a second bevil wheel running loosely upon the
same rail wheel shaft. Between these two loose bevil wheels we place a sliding
clutch which is keyed on to the rail wheel shaft and cannot thus revolve without
giving motion to the travelling wheels and thereby cause the overhead carriage to
travel along the rails-Thus when we cause the sliding clutch to come into the
corresponding clutches on either of the bevil wheels the travelling wheels are rotated
and the overhead carriage moves along the rails-the direction in which it travels
that is either up or down the rails depends upon the bevil wheel that the sliding
clutch is engaged with, seeing that due to the idle wheel one bevil wheel revolves
in the opposite direction to the other. In order to cause the overhead carriage to
automatically reverse its direction of travel along the rails, we place a stop in any
desired position along the girder rails or to any convenient bracket or beam, so that
upon the lever which actuates the clutch coming into contact with this stop the clutch
is withdrawn from one wheel and carried over to the opposite wheel giving thereby a
contrary motion to the travelling wheels-We employ any suitable spring or pad to
take up the shock due to the lever suddenly striking the stop and in order to keep the

page_text: clutch from slipping or working out of contact with the wheel on which ever side
it may be engaged we arrange a balance weight to fall to the side of the clutch
which may be in contact.
To ensure that the worm wheel shall always be true with the driving shaft we
arrange one or more sleeves or projecting bushes from the end frame, which bushes
allow the line shaft to revolve freely within them-To the end frames we attach and
rigidly secure an underframe for carrying the distributing hopper or hoppers which
we divide into two compartments by a diaphragm running down its entire length.
The shape of the hopper is such that its outer sides slope inwards and the bottom
is formed by means of a number of doors which hinge from the side and close against
the diaphragm plate which passes down beneath them thus when the doors are close
against the plate no powder or composition falls from the hopper. The doors we keep
in position at any desired distance from the diaphragm to regulate the amount of
powder which is to fall, by means of screws or any ordinary lever or catch bar.
We sometimes make the doors in one length on each side of the hopper, when we
have one machine always to be employed for operating upon a constant width of
plate, but by varying the size of the doors or by arranging the hopper into divisions
we are enabled to deal with plates of different widths upon one machine. To tho
underframe we communicate the motion of the line shaft by means of a vertical
shaft and bevil wheel driven preferably from a bevil wheel sliding along the line
shaft but running with it.
Beneath the hopper diaphragm plate we arrange two metal or other rollers to
revolve in opposite directions receiving their motion from the before mentioned
vertical shaft driven from the main line shaft, one of these rollers we arrange with
sliding bearings so that it may be brought close to the other or kept at any slight
distance away from it; by this method we further regulate the distribution of the
powder or enamelling composition falling from the hopper immediately above.
Beneath these rollers we place a sieve having one side open and suspended slightly
inclined, so that when the composition or powder falls from the rollers on to the
sieve the rough material falls down into a trough which we arrange beneath the open
side or end of the sieve that is to say the material that does not fall through the
meshes of the sieve rolls down its inclined surface into the trough.
We arrange on one or both ends of the underframe a crank receiving its motion
from the vertical shaft which we connect to the frame of the sieve so that a suitable
movement is imparted to the sieve for the better separation and distribution of the
powder upon the surface to be enamelled.
We arrange a lever to operate the driving clutch from the underframe by hand
when desired, and we employ the two hoppers or the partitions of the hopper to
contain different powders for the backs and fronts of the plates, or different colours
that may be required for stencilling or other purposes.
When working a number of machines from off the same main or driving shaft we
attach a contact stop to reverse cach machine at its particular position, so that when
the overhead travelling carriage of each machine carries its clutch lever against its
special fixed stop, the machine automatically reverses its direction of travel while the
main driving shaft continues revolving in the same direction. We place the contact
stops in any position to suit the particular length of plate which may be upon the
under table of the machine.
Dated this 26th day of July 1880
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham.

page_text: COMITETE SIMULATION.
Improvements in Powder Distributing Machinery for Producing.
Enamelled Surfaces.
We WILLIAM WALTERS of 288 Bradford Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Managing Director of Patent Enamel Company, and CHARLES ARTHUR
SMITH of 71 Temple Row, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
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 :-
Our invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner hereinafter
described, machinery for distributing powder used in the production of enamelled
surfaces, letters and enamelled designs upon plates or other surfaces, whereby we are
enabled to employ one line of shafting to drive and give motion to separate and
independent distributing or enamelling machines and to cause this line of shafting to
run continuously in one direction, instead of employing counter shafts and reversing
driving shafts as is at present necessary with the existing and ordinary machines.
We are also enabled to distribute the powder more uniformly over the surface
to be coated; and to regulate the amount of powder that shall be so distributed,
together with employing the machine to distribute powder over a small or a wide
surface as may be required.
In carrying our invention into effect we construct an enamelling machine or as
it may be more correctly described a powder distributing machine to work off a
line of driving shaft or main motion shaft as follows:-We form the bottom frame
or plate table in any ordinary manner, but we employ a special runner or overhead
travelling carriage to run upon girders or suitable rails along each side and over the
bottom frame or table. This overhead travelling carriage we form by arranging
two cross shafts or spindles to carry rail wheels upon each side and to be tied or held
together by suitably formed end frames through which the cross-shafts pass. The
end frame which we place in position nearest to the line or driving shaft, we form
with a suitable projecting bracket to carry a wormbox and bearings in which a worm
attached to the line shaft runs; this worm we provide with a feather or long driving
key or keys to work into a long keyway or continuous key groove or grooves cut in
the driving shaft. We attach to or cast with the worin wheel which receives its
motion from the worm on the line shaft a bevil wheel running loosely upon one of
the crossrail shafts, which wheel gears into an idle wheel, transmitting the motion to
a second bevil wheel running loosely upon the same rail wheel shaft. Between these
two loose bevil wheels we place a sliding clutch which is keyed on to the rail wheel
shaft and cannot thus revolve without giving motion to the travelling wheels and
thereby cause the overhead carriage to travel along the rails, thus when we cause the
sliding clutch to come into the corresponding clutches on either of the bevil wheels
the travelling wheels are rotated and the overhead carriage moves along the rails, the
direction in which it travels that is whether up or down the rails depends upon the
bevil wheel that the sliding clutch is engaged with, seeing that due to the idle wheel
one bevil wheel revolves in the opposite direction to the other. In order to cause
the overhead carriage to automatically reverse its direction of travel along the rails,
we place a stop in any desired position along the girder rails or to any convenient
bracket or beam, so that upon the lever which actuates the clutch coming into
contact with this stop the clutch is withdrawn from one wheel and carried over to the
opposite wheel giving thereby a contrary motion to the travelling wheels-We
employ any suitable spring or pad to take up the shock due to the lever suddenly
striking the stop and in order to keep the clutch from slipping, or working out of
contact with the wheel on whichever side it may be engaged we arrange a balance
weight to fall to the side of the clutch which may be in contact. To ensure that the
worm wheel shall always be true with the driving shaft we arrange one or more

page_text: sleeves or projecting bushes from the end frame, which bushes allow the line shaft to
revolve freely within them. To the end frames we attach and rigidly secure an
underframe for carrying the distributing hopper or hoppers which we divide into
two compartments by a diaphragm running down its entire length. The shape of
the hopper is such that its outer sides slope inwards and the bottom is formed by
means of a number of doors which hinge from the side and close against the diaphragm
plate which passes down beneath them--thus when the doors are closed against the
plate no powder or composition falls from the hopper. The doors we keep in position
at any desired distance from the diaphragm to regulate the amount of powder which
is to fall, by means of screws or any ordinary lever or catch bar. We sometimes
make the doors in one length on each side of the hopper, when we have one machine
always to be employed for operating upon a constant width of plate, but by varying
the size of the doors or by arranging the hopper into divisions we are enabled to deal
with plates of different widths upon one machine. To the underframe we com-
municate the motion of the line shaft by means of a vertical shaft and bevil wheel
driven preferably from a bevil wheel sliding along the line shaft but running with it.
Beneath the hopper diaphragm plate we arrange two metal or other rollers to
revolve in opposite directions receiving their motion from the before mentioned vertical
shaft driven from the main line shaft, one of these rollers we arrange with sliding
bearings so that it may be brought close to the other or kept at any slight distance
away from it; by this method we further regulate the distribution of the powder or
enamelling composition falling from the hopper immediately above. Beneath these
rollers we place a sieve having one side open and suspended slightly inclined, so that
when the composition or powder falls from the rollers on to the sieve the rough
material falls down into a trough which we arrange beneath the open side or end of
the sieve that is to say the material that does not fall through the meshes of the sieve
rolls down its inclined surface into the trough.
We arrange on one or both ends of the underframe a crank receiving its motion
from the vertical shaft, which we connect to the frame of the sieve so that a suitable
movement is imparted to the sieve for the better separation and distribution of the
powder upon the surface to be enamelled.
We arrange a lever to operate the driving clutch from the underframe by hand
when desired, and we employ the two hoppers or the partitions of the hopper to
contain different powders for the backs and fronts of the plates, or different colours
that may be required for stencilling or other purposes.
When working a number of machines from off the same main or driving shaft we
attach a contact stop to reverse each machine at its particular position, so that when
the overhead travelling carriage of each machine carries its clutch lever against its
special fixed stop, the machine automatically reverses its direction of travel while the
main driving shaft continues revolving in the same direction. We place the contact
stops in any position to suit the particular length of plate which may be upon the
under table of the machine.
In order that our invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect we append hereunto two sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to.
Figure 1 is a side elevation general arrangement of our improved machine showing
three travelling carriages B, B, B, in position upon the longitudinal rails E of the
machine together with the line or driving shaft S for working each travelling
carriage, and the table, or frame A upon which the plates are arranged to be
enamelled.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the running carriage of our improved machine.
Figure 3 is an elevation, and Figure 4 is a cross section of the same. Figure 5 is an
alternative driving arrangement which we sometimes adopt to ensure uniformity of
travelling motion along the rails or girders carrying the under carriage; and Figure 6
is a side elevation of the same arrangement. Figure 7 is a detailed sectional view of
a hopper and powder feeding arrangement which we sometimes adopt and Figure 8 is
a side elevation of the arrangement.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout.
In Figure 1, A is the bottom frame or plate table upon which the plates requiring to
be enamelled are placed; B is the travelling carriage with end frames F; the end
frame being detailed in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The Shaft S receives its motion from
pulleye fixed on the end or by any other ordinary arrangement. The worm / slides
freely along the shaft S by means of a feather, or keyway i running the entire length
of shafting which the worin has to traverse and this worm gears into the worm wheel
running loosely upon the axle or rail shaft C. Cast with or attached to this worm
wheel is the bevel wheel k, gearing into an idle hevel wheel which also gears with
the bevel wheel k¹ running loose upon the axle C.
Each of the bevel wheels k, k', is provided with horns or projections, suitable for
embracing or connecting with the sliding clutch m which is feathered or keyed to the
axle C, so that it cannot revolve without giving motion to the axle C, thus causing the
running carriage to travel along the guide rail E by the revolution of the rail
wheels D, D, D, D, firmly secured to each end of the axles CC. The sliding clutch mis
thrown into gear with either of the bevel wheels k, k, according to the direction
required for the carriage to travel in, by means of the clutch lever n, and the balance
weight n keeps the clutch from slipping or working out of contact with the wheel in
which it may be engaged. When the carriage has travelled its required distance in
either direction its motion is reversed by the bell crank lever " coming into contact
with stops placed in any required position on the girder rails E, by which means the
sliding clutch m is operated, and the opposite bevel wheel brought into gear, thus
reversing the motion imparted to the carriage. The clutch m may also be operated
by hand, with the levers n The worm is supported by the sleeves or bushes,
projecting from the end frame F, and in these bushes the line shaft can freely
revolve.
To ensure uniformity of travelling motion we sometimes employ a rack E¹ running
alongside the rail E as shown in figures 5 and 6 on one or both of the longitudinal
girders. This rack is geared into by pinion D' keyed on the rail shaft or axle C.
The hoppers O, we divide into compartments by fixing partitions between the central
diaphragm, or instead of this subdivision we employ a series of doors or shutters 011
which can be opened, by means of the hand wheel and screw P operating the lever P¹
which is secured to the door; or we employ any ordinary draw lever and bar instead
of the screw when constructing a cheaper form of hopper.
The sieve we cause to have a rocking motion imparted to it by means of a vertical
shaft or spindle R which spindle receives its motion from the bevel wheel R' geared
into by the travelling bevel wheel R" sliding upon, and revolving constantly with
the shaft S. When the machine is not in use we throw the vertical shaft partly out
of gear by means of a clutch W coupled to the hand lever W₁ by the connecting
rods W
The
This arrangement prevents the vibration of the sieve when not in actual use.
uniformity of the rocking motion we ensure by causing the motion to be given to
cranks Y, Y working into each end of the sieve frame; a cross roller shaft T com-
municating by bevel wheels T, T', the motion from the vertical shaft R. The sieve
we suspend upon chain links as indicated in Figures 2, 3 and 4.
The composition or powder from the hopper falls down between the revolving
rollers T, t, one of which, t, is carried by means of bearings having adjustable screws
for regulating the distance apart that the rollers shall stand, and thereby the amount
of composition which shall pass.
Sometimes we provide adjusting screws for each roller, the extent of travel upon
the roller T being very slight and determined by the amount of loose working or play
between the teeth of the wheels T¹, T. Instead of two rollers we sometimes employ
only one roller T as indicated in Figure 7, and allow this roller to revolve against a
fixed steel plate Y or other surface and the composition to pass between.
We also provide adjusting screws as before described for regulating the distance
apart of roller and steel edge.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is —
1. In powder distributing machinery employed for producing enamelled surfaces,
the arrangement of one continuously revolving shaft to give motion to separate or
independent travelling distributing machines.
II. The combination and arrangement of parts as herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings for driving the travelling hopper and for
automatically reversing its motion upon reaching any determined travel in either
direction.
III. The combination and arrangement of doors or divisions whereby a hopper
can be used to distribute powder over a narrow or a wide surface of plate.
IV. The combination and arrangement of parts forming a travelling hopper for
distributing powder over surfaces to be enamelled, substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
1. 1000
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.