Improvements in Screw Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1893--Accepted, 14th Oct., 1893
Improvements in Screw Machines.
I, EDWARD EMIL CLAUSSEN, of 253, Putnam Street, City and County of
Hartford, Connecticut, one of the United States of America, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in machines for automatically manu-
facturing screws from a coil or indefinite length of wire, the advance end of which
is straightened and presented in a fixed position to the action of a series of
revolving tool spindles. It relates also to improved devices for forming and
cutting off the screw blanks, which devices may commence their operations before
the principal revolving tool spindles have finished their work upon the blank. My
invention comprises also an improved device for removing and slotting the screws
as they are cut from the wire, while the principal tool spindles are operating on the
succeeding blank.
Figure 1 of the drawings represents a front view, partly in section, of my
improved machine, the partial section being taken on the line a-b of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1, showing the cutting down
spindle in position to engage with the wire rod; and the blank transferring device
with a blank in position for slotting.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a portion of what is shown in Figure 2, with the
spindles in another position.
Figures 4 and 5 are left and right hand end views respectively of the machine of
Figure 1.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 are a plan, an end, and a rear view respectively of my wire
feeding mechanism, Figure 7 being partly in section taken on the line c-d of
Figure 6.
Figure 9 is a left hand end view of one adaptation of my forming and cutting off
mechanism.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of the same, taken on the line e-f of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a sectional view on the line 9-h, and Figure 12 is a part sectional
view taken on the line -j of Figure 9.
Figure 13 is a sectional plan, and Figure 14 an end view of my forming and
cutting off mechanism as I prefer to construct it, the section shown in Figure 13
being on the line k-l of Figure 14.
Figures 15 and 16 are sectional views taken on the lines m―n and o-p
respectively of Figure 14.
A description will first be given of the construction and operation of each
section of the machine, and afterward their combined mode of operation will be
described.
THE DRIVING MECHANISM.
The main cam shaft 1 is journaled on the legs of the machine and is driven by
suitable gearing and an ordinary pulley as shown in Figure 1. That shaft has
fixed upon it the wire feed cam wheel 2, the cutting off cam wheel 3, the tool slide
cam wheel 4, and the tool head indexing cam wheel 5. Those cam wheels are
provided with detachable cam strips which are adjusted or replaced by others to
give the desired motions.

page_text: THE WIRE FEED MECHANISM.
The wire feeding rolls 6 and 7 are fixed on the shafts 8 and 9 which are journaled
in eccentric bushings 10 and 11 adjustably mounted on the main frame 12. By
means of the eccentric bushings the rolls 6 and 7 may be adjusted so as to properly
hold different sizes of wire. The lower end of the shaft 8 has fixed upon it the
ratchet wheel 13, and has loosely mounted upon it the pawl arm 14 carrying the
pawls 15 and 16 which are pressed against the ratchet by the springs 17 and 18,
and which advance the ratchet wheel as the arm 14 is oscillated. Motion is com-
municated to the pawl arm from the cam arm 19 which is caused to oscillate upon
its stud 20 by the cam 2 acting against a projection 191 of the arm 19. The arms 14
and 19 are provided with longitudinal slots into which the pin 21 is fitted and that
pin is provided with a nut for clamping it to the arm 14 at any part of the slot in
that arm.
When the pin is clamped at the end of the slot nearest the shaft 8
a much greater angular motion will be communicated to the arm 14 and conse-
quently to the ratchet 13 than when the pin is clamped at the opposite end of the
slot. Thus the amount of feed of the wire may be controlled by the adjustment
of the pin 21. The construction and relation of these parts may best be seen
by reference to Figures 6, 7, and 8, which are enlarged views of that part of
the mechanism. The pawls 15 and 16 are therein shown to be pivoted on the
arm 14, instead of sliding, but in either case they are so located that when the
point of one them, as 15, engages with a tooth of the ratchet the point of the other
pawl 16 is half way between two of the teeth, so that when the pawl arm is
oscillated to an angular extent equal to half of that by which the teeth are
separated the pawl 16 will engage with the next tooth. In this way the effect of
the ratchet is equal to that produced by one having twice the number of teeth,
while avoiding the excessively small teeth incident to the larger number. The
function of the feeding rolls is to draw forward through the straightening rolls 22,
a suitable length of wire for a screw and to hold it from turning while the tools
The head 23 revolves upon an extension 24 of the frame 12 and is held upon
that extension by the screw collar 25. The head 23 has journaled upon it the
shafts 26 and 27, which have fixed upon their left hand ends the tool arms 28 and 29
respectively. The arms 28 are provided with tools for forming or cutting down
the stock, while the arms 29 are provided with tools for severing the finished blank
from the wire rod. The shafts 26 and 27 have fixed upon their right hand ends
the arms 30 and 31, provided with bevelled rollers 32 and 33 respectively. The
annular cam 34 is fitted upon a threaded part of the frame extension 24 con-
centrically with the position of the rod or wire, and is provided with gear teeth
which engage with those of the sector 35. That sector is pivoted on the stud 36
fixed in the frame 12 and has the projection 35' adapted to engage with the cam 3,
which communicates to the cam 34 an oscillatory motion. The cam 34 is also pro-
vided with an internal annular rib 34¹ which is adapted to engage with the bevelled
rollers 32 and 33, as that cam is oscillated and moved upon its thread toward and
from the head 23. When moved toward that head the rollers 32 and 33 and the
tools are carried toward the center of the rod and operate to form and cut off the
blank from that rod; and as the cam 34 is rotated in the opposite direction and
moved away
from the head 23 the rollers and tools are carried outward by
centrifugal force, aided if necessary by slight springs 37.
For most purposes I prefer the construction shown in Figures 13 to 16
inclusive, in which the tools and rollers are attached directly to the sliding tool
blocks 28, 29¹, the blocks 28' carrying the forming tools and the rollers 32 while

page_text: the blocks 29' carry the cutting off tools and the rollers 33, the rollers being kept
out against the annular cam by centrifugal force aided by the action of the
springs 371
The head 23 is caused to rotate by a belt which is driven from any con-
venient countershaft, and which passes partly around the saw pulley 56 in the
direction of the arrow in Figure I thence over the idle pulley 38, on the stnd 39
which is fixed in the frame 12, thence under and partially around the head 23.
The forming tool rollers 32 are bevelled on both sides so that they may move
outwardly behind the annular rib 34' as shown in Figure 15 to allow the forming
tools to rest clear of their work while the cutting off tools are severing the blank
from the rod.
THE TOOL SLIDE MECHANISM.
The tool slide 40 is fitted to reciprocate in the frame 12 in a direction parallel
with the position of the rod to be operated upon, and it is provided with the
lug 40' which engages with the cam 4 by which it is caused to reciprocate at
suitable times and to the desired extent. The tool head 41 is supported upon the
slide 40 and is connected to it by the pivot stud 42 which is located in the same
vertical plane with the center line of the wire rod. Upon the head 41 are
journaled the cutting down an I threading spindles 43 and 44, with their axes in the
horizontal plane of the center of the wire rod, and intersecting each other in the
vertical plane of the center of the wire rod and of the pivot stud 42; so that by
the oscillation of the head 41 upon, its stud the spindles may successively be
brought into line with the wire rod. An extension 41' of the head 41 is fitted to
the index block 45 which is carried on the index arm 46. That arm is pivote.l on
the stud 47 fixed in the frame 12, and has a projection 46 which engages with the
cam 5, by means of which the head and spindles are indexed to their respective
positions. Upon the frame 12 is the guide piece 74 which is adapted to enter the
slots 75 76 and 77 in the tool head 41. Those slots are located beneath and
parallel with the spindles 43 and 44 and the carrier block 48 respectively, so that
the guide piece 74 enters those slots to guide and steady the front part of the
head 41 when their respective spindles are operating upon the blank. As the
slide 40 is drawn back to allow of bringing another spindle into operative position
the head 41 is drawn clear of the guide 74 and may be oscillated to another
position. The pulley 60, which receives motion by means of a belt from any con-
venient drum, is fixed upon the cutting down spindle 43 at a point nearly over the
pivot 42, in order that the position of the pulley shall alter but slightly with the
oscillation of the head 41. The spindle 43 carries upon its leading end a suitable
box tool for cutting down the screw to the body size, and has also fixed upon it the
bevel gear 61 which communicates motion to the double bevel gear 62. The
smaller bevel 62 transmits motion by means of the intermediate gear 63 to
the reversing bevel gear 64, which is journaled on the head 41 in line with the
gear 62, so that the spindle 44 passes concentrically through them both. The
leading end of that spindle has fixed upon it the collar 65 provided with the clutch
pins 66 which engage with corresponding pins on the adjacent ends of the gear 62
when the die 67 is to be run on to the screw. Upon the opposite end of the shaft 44
is a similar collar 68 with pins 69 which engage with pins on the adjacent end of
the gear 64 when the die 67 is to be backed off from the screw.
The transferring and slotting device is best shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, and
consists of a carrier block 48 pivoted on the head 41 by the stud 49, and provided
with a spring chuck 50 of a proper size to be pushed upon the body of the screw.
The block is retained in a position radial to the pivot 42 as shown in Figure 3,
by the spring 51 and adjusting screw 52, in order that the chuck may be pushed
upon the body of the screw when the chuck is brought into alignment with
it by the oscillation of the head 41. As that head moves to the position shown
in Figure 2 the block is carried against the parallel guide 53 of the frame 12 and
takes the position shown in that figure, and as the head 41 is carried forward in

page_text: the operation of cutting down the next blank with the spindle 43, the screw is
carried against the saw 54 which cuts the slot therein. The saw is carried on the
spindle 55 which is journaled in the frame 12, and has fixed upon it the pulley 56
which is driven by a belt as before described in connection with the forming and
cutting off mechanism. As the slide 41 is moved backward to disengage the
spindle 43 from the rod, the adjustable stop 57 collides with the slide 58 carrying
the ejector rod 59 which pushes the slotted screw out of the chuck whence it falls
into a convenient box. As the head 41 is oscillated to bring the spindle 44 into
line for threading the blank then on the rod the block is caused to resume its
normal position radial to the pivot 42 by means of the spring 51.
The consecutive operation of the machine as a whole, is as follows:
A coil of wire of suitable size is arranged upon a reel adjacent to the machine
and the end of the wire is passed through the straightening rolls 22, the feeding
rolls 6 and 7, and the bushing 70, so that a suitable length is presented beyond
the end of that bushing. The eccentric bushings 10 and 11 are adjusted so that
the wire is tightly gripped by the feeding rolls. The cutting down spindle 43
first operates on the rod as previously described, then the threading spindle is
brought into line and as the die is pressed against the end of the blank the clutch
pins 66 are engaged by the pins on the advancing gear 62 by which the spindle is
turned and the die forced upon the rod. When the thread is cut far enough the
feed of the slide 40 is reversed by the cam 4, and the clutch pins 69 engage with
those on the reversing gear 64 by which the die is backed off from the screw.
If no forming operation is necessary upon the head of the screw the cutting off
operation may begin while the thread is being cut, and if a forming operation is
needed, such as shaving or chamfering the head as shown in Figure 15, that
operation may begin while the thread is being cut, and be immediately followed
by the cutting off operation, during which the forming tools rest clear of the
work as shown in Figure 15. Meanwhile the transferring block has been brought
into position and the chuck passed upon the body of the screw which when severed
from the rod is carried to the position shown in Figure 2 and slotted as previously
described, while the cutting down spindle is at work upon the next blank, which
has been fed forward by the action of the feeding rolls and the cam 2.
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 combination with means for holding a wire rod from rotating, and which
allows it to move only in the direction of its length, a series of revolving tool
spindles and an intermittently oscillating bed on which those spindles are journaled,
airanged and operating to present those tool spindles successively to that wire rod,
all substantially as described.
2. In combination with means for holding a wire rod from rotating, and which
allow it to move only in the direction of its length, a series of revolving tool
spindles journaled on an intermittently oscillating bed, and a slide on which that
bed is mounted, arranged and operating to advance and retract those spindles to
and from the rod as they are presented to it, all substantially as described.
3. In combination with means for holding a wire rod from rotating, and which
allow it to move only in the direction of its length, a series of revolving tool
spindles journaled on an intermittently oscillating head, a slide on which that head
is mounted, and a cam wheel, arranged and operating to reciprocate that slide to
the extent and at the rate required by the respective spindles when in their
operative position; all substantially as described.
4. In combination with means for holding a wire rod from rotating, and which
allow it to move only in the direction of its length, a slide carrying a pivot located
and reciprocating in the plane of the wire rod, a tool head adapted to oscillate
upon that pivot, and a series of revolving tool spindles journaled upon that head
with their axes radial to that pivot, whereby those axes may successively be

page_text: brought into line with the center of the wire rod and reciprocated in the direction
of that line; substantially as described.
5. The combination of a series of revolving spindles journaled on
an inter-
mittently oscillating head which is provided with radial slots corresponding in
position with the respective spindles, a reciprocating slide on which that head is
pivoted, and a guide piece 74 adapted to enter the slots corresponding to the
respective spindles as they are brought into operative position and carried forward
by the reciprocation of the slide; all substantially as described.
6. In a machine for making screws, the combination of means for holding a
wire rod from rotating and for feeding it in the direction of its length, a
revolving tool carrier journaled concentrically with that wire rod, and provided with
cutting tools, with means for feeding those tools to the wire rod, consisting of
the cam plate 34, the sector 35 and the cam 3; all substantially as described.
7. The combination of a revolving carrier having oppositely disposed radially
sliding tool blocks thereon, with a threaded cam plate adjacent to that carrier, and
mechanism for rotating that cam plate upon its thread whereby it is advanced
against the engaging ends of the tool blocks; substantially as described.
8. In combination with means for holding a wire rod from rotating, a revolving
carrier having oppositely disposed radially sliding tool blocks, and a threaded
cam plate having an annular cam rib which is adapted to engage those blocks and
carry them toward the center of revolution when that cam plate is rotated and
advanced upon its thread; substantially as described.
9. A revolving carrier having oppositely disposed tool holders mounted thereon,
provided with the bevelled rollers 32, and a cam plate 34 having a bevelled
internal annular rib adapted to engage those rollers and carry them towards the
center of revolution, and to release them again; substantially as described.
10. In combination with means for holding a wire, rod from rotating and which
allow it to move only in the direction of its length, a threading device mounted on
a head which is adapted to carry it into operative relation to the rod, the said
device consisting of the bevel gears 62 and 64 adapted to revolve in opposite
directions, the die carrying spindle 44, and the clutches 65 and 68 arranged and
operating to alternately engage with one and the other of those gears; substantially
as described.
Dated this 28th day of August 1893.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.