Improvements in Adjusting the Slides of Cutting out and Punching and Shearing Machinery, and in Mechanism for Reducing or Preventing the Shocks and Strains Occasioned by the Accelerating Motion of the Slides after Cutting out a Metal Blank.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Adjusting the Slides of Cutting out and Punching
and Shearing Machinery, and in Mechanism for Reducing
or Preventing the Shocks and Strains Occasioned by the
Accelerating Motion of the Slides after Cutting out a Metal
Blank.
I, DANIEL SMITH, Junior, of Raglan Street, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
:-
I will first describe that part of my invention which relates to the means of adjusting
the slides of the class of machinery mentioned in the title.
According to this part of my invention the excentric block works in a box having
clearance at the top and bottom but fitting closely at its sides. This box works in a
large box having clearance at its sides for the stroke of the press and being a good
fit top and bottom. The tumbler block of the ordinary description bears on the
underside of the large box and the operation of the stop motion is of the usual
character.
The clearance in the excentric-box-is-for-the-purpose of inserting plates to adjust
the slide. Several plates of varying thicknesses are used and if it is desired to
adjust the slide so as to lessen the space for tools I take a plate (or plates) from the
upper side of the excentric box and place such plate under the block and thus the
space for the tools would be lessened. If it is desired to increase the space for tools
I take a plate (or plates) from the underside and place it on the upper side of the
excentric box as will be readily understood.
I will now describe the second part of my invention. In the class of machinery
mentioned in the title when the top tool has pierced through the metal blank the
momentum of the slide increases its velocity and the slide has a tendency to
descend even when the excentric has passed its bottom centre, and this throws a
great strain on the slide especially when the parts therein are much worn thereby
forming backlash.

page_text: According to this part of my invention I employ mechanism which retards the
accelleration of the slide after cutting out a metal blank &c. I cast one, two, or more
holes (or form grooves) but preferably two vertically through the jaws of the press, in
position near the back face of the slide and near cach side of such slide. I form the
upper end of each hole to an enlarged diameter so as to form a shoulder the use of
which will be described hereafter. Through these holes I place bolts screwed at their
upper ends to receive nuts and their lower ends have hook-pieces bolted to them at
right angles to their length. These hook-pieces are for the purpose of catching on the
underside of the slide. In the enlarged parts of the holes I place spiral or other
springs fitting around the bolts, such springs bearing against the shoulders aforesaid
and the underside of the nuts.
The bolts are adjusted by means of the nuts so that when the tools are about to
pierce the metal the slide of the machine catches on the projecting hooks on the bolts
and the springs around the bolts tend to resist the descent of the slide after the metal
has been pierced and so retard the acceleration of the slide and prevent all shocks as
will be readily understood.
I attatch handles to the hooks aforesaid or so shape them that they may be readily
turned out of the way for convenience of tool setting.
In the case of small machines I may use a modification consisting of a cross bar
attatched to the slide with springs at its extreme ends.
Another modification of this invention suitable for small machines consists of a
steel spring bar (having set pins at each end) fixed to the top of the slide. The set
pins are adjusted so that when the tools are about to pierce the metal they catch on
the jaws of the machine and the spring tends to resist the descent of the slide as
previously described.
These arrangements effect the objects named in the title with a minimum amount of
resistance to the slide and are more effective and less cumbersome than the balance
weights sometimes employed.
DANIEL SMITH, JUNR.,
Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Adjusting the Slides of Cutting out and Punching
and Shearing Machinery, and in Mechanism for Reducing
or Preventing the Shocks and Strains Occasioned by the
Accelerating Motion of the Slides after Cutting out a Metal
Blank.
I, DANIEL SMITH, Junior, of Raglan Street, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings
and the letters of reference marked thereon, (that is to say) :-
I will first describe that part of my invention which relates to the means of adjusting
the slides of the class of machinery mentioned in the title.
a a etc.
This part of my invention will be readily understood on reference to figure 1,
sheet 1, of the accompanying drawings which is a front elevation of a slide with my
adjusting mechanism therein. A is the slide of the usual construction, B is the large
box, and C the small box, D the excentric block and E the tumbler block.
are packing plates placed in the box C. Now if it is desired to lessen the space for
tools in a machine fitted with the slides and parts described I take one of the plates a
from above the block D and place it under such block and thus the space for tools
would be lessened a distance corresponding to the thickness of the plate a as will be
readily understood. Of course if it is desired to increase the space for. tools I take
a plate (or plates) from under the block D and place such plate above the block.
I will now describe the second part of my invention. In the class of machinery
mentioned in the title when the top tool has pierced through the metal blank the
momentum of the slide increases its velocity, and the slide has a tendency to descend
even when the excentric has passed its bottom centre, and this throws a great
strain on the slide especially when the parts therein are much worn, thereby
forming backlash. Now according to this part of my invention I employ mechanism
which retards the acceleration of the slide after cutting out a metal blank etc.
This part of my invention is clearly shewn by figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the
accompanying drawings. Figure 3 is a plan of a press suitable for punching etc.,
and figure 2 is a section taken on line xx of figure 3. Sufficient only of these
views are shewn to make the invention clear. Like letters of reference through-out
these views indicate corresponding parts. The remaining figures will be described
later on.
F is the body of the press and G G the jaws thereof. I cast holes through
these jaws in the position shewn. These holes are cast to an enlarged diameter at the
top (see figure 2) and I place bolts bb therethrough provided with nuts c c. Springs,
one of which is shewn at figure 2 and lettered d are placed around these bolts and
bear up against the underside of the nuts and against shoulders one of which is
shewn at e figure 2. ff are hook-pieces bolted to Hat parts of the bolts b b as shown.
The operation of the mechanism is as follows:-The bolts bb are adjusted so that
when the top tool is about to pierce, or has partly pierced, the metal the hook
pieces are up against the underside of the slide and as such slide descends the
springs are compressed and they thus retard the acceleration of the slide after the

page_text: metal is pierced, and so prevent all shocks as will be readily understood. The
look-pieces ff may be readily turned out of the way with a spanner for convenience
of tool setting and adjusting the slide.
j
Figure 4 sheet 3 shows a modification of this part of my invention. H is a lever
-one-end of which is under a projecting part y formed on the back of the slide, and
the other end is fulcrumed at hand a compression spring i bears up against the underside
thereof as shewn. is a spindle provided with a hand wheel and k is a collar fixed
on such spindle. This spindle is screwed into a gland bolted to the underside of the
body of the machine as shewn. The operation will be readily understood. The
lever His adjusted by means of the hand wheel so that when the top tool is about to
pierce, or has partly pierced, the metal the end of sucli lever is up against the
underside of the part g and the spring tends to retard the acceleration of the slide as
previously stated."
l
Another modification of this part of my invention suitable for small, machines, is
shown at figure 5 sheet 1. I fix a steel spring bar K to the top of the slide J
by means of a nut and at each end of this bar I place pins g₁g'. These pins are
adjusted so that as the top tool is about to pierce, or has partly pierced, the metal
they come in contact with the jaws of the press and the spring bar K yields as will
be readily understood. Instead of making the bar K to act as a spring I may use a
rigid bar having springs at each end. For convenience of tool setting
prevent the
action of the spring bar K and nuts g g by simply slackening the nut 7.
These arrangements effect the objects named in the title with a minimum amount
of resistance to the slide, and are more effective, and less cumbersome, than the
balance weights sometimes employed.
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. Adjusting the slides of the class of machinery mentioned in the title, substantially
as described and shewn by figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The box C in combination with the adjusting plates a a etc., substantially as
described and shewn and for the purpose set forth.
3. The mechanism for retarding the acceleration of the slide after cutting out a
metal blank, substantially as described and shewn by figures 2 and 3 of the accom-
panying drawings.
4. The combination of the. bolts with hook pieces ff, adjusting nuts cc, and
springs d d, substantially as described and shewn and for the purpose set forth.
5. The mechanism for retarding the acceleration of the slido after cutting out a
metal blank, substantially as described and shewn by figure 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. Tho combination of the lever H, spring i, adjusting spindle j and collar k, substan-
tially as described, and shewn and for the purpose set forth.
7. The mechanism for retarding the accelerating motion of the slide after cutting
out a metal blank, substantially as described and shewn by figure 5 of the accom-
panying drawings.
8. The spring bar K in combination with the pins g' g', substantially as described
and shewn and for the purpose set forth.
9. The spring bar K, pins g' g', and nut 7, substantially as described and shewn and
for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Fourteenth day of December 1888.
JOHN THOM, Junior,
Wolverhampton,
Agent for the Applicant.