Improvements in and connected with Mills for Rolling Balls and other Shaped Articles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Mills for Rolling Balls and
other Shaped Articles.
I, JULIUS WILHELM VON PITTLER, Engineer, of 144, High Holborn, in the
County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The following invention applies to rolling mills and facilitates the manufac-
ture of spherical & other shaped pieces. By this method the red hot raw material
(in the shape of wire or other suitable form of metal) (the heating having taken
place during the exclusion of air) is carried through one or more pairs of shaping
rollers and then is brought between two cutting off rollers which latter separate
the individual shaped pieces one from the. other.
Annexed is the design of the rolling mill. Fig. 1 is the side view of the same,
one portion of machine in section.
Fig. 2 is the section of Fig. 1 through the lines Z-Z.
Fig. 3 is the design of a pair of rollers, on a larger scale, of which the shaping
and cutting off parts are shewn in section.
Fig. 4 is the section of the cutting off rollers.
B (Fig. 1), in the furnace A, is a retort constructed so as to close hermetically,
and contains a drum C of fire proof material, round this latter is wound the
requisite material to be shaped. The material is drawn out redhot through
the opening o and is conducted through the first pair of rollers w₁ & w, imme-
diately in front. On the periphery of these rollers are suitable hollows or in-
dentations corresponding with the shapes to be manufactured. This rolling
mill as represented on the design is specially suitable for the manufacture of
balls and each of the rollers is provided with a series of semi-spherical hollows
or indentations.
The material as prepared by the first pair of rollers is conducted to the second
pair &, which are in the same way provided with hollows like the first pair
and proceed with the completion of the rolling so that the individual shaped
pieces are only attached one to the other by a thin strip.
From the second pair of rollers the material is conducted to the cutting off
rollers 10 & w of which the lower one is, provided with holes having sharp
angular edges, these holes go through the periphery into a circular groove or
channel etc. The upper roller is provided with corresponding hollows which are
not so deep as in the lower one.
When the prepared material comes between these rollers, then the individual
shaped pieces are forced by the upper roller w into the holes in the lower roller
by which the pieces are cut off from the strip. In the event of any shaped pieces
sticking in the holes they will be forced through definitively by roller w, so
that they shall fall into the groove from whence they are conducted by channels k
(Fig. 3) into the receptacle S.
In order to conveniently change the rollers these latter are constructed with

page_text: removable peripheries which are made fast on to the ends of axles (v, & v, Fig. 2)
(v, & v Fig. 4) working in the frame work (D Fig. 1 & Fig. 2). Driving power
is applied at the point a (Fig. 2) and is transmitted through the cog wheel c
(Fig. 2) to the intermediate gear wheels g & g, (Fig. 1) and thus to the axle cog-
wheels. The upper rollers 9 9 9 (Fig. 1) are on bearings adjustable vertically
& suitable pressure can be applied to them.
For the manufacture therefore of smaller shaped pieces it will be sufficient as
represented in Fig. 3 to have only one pair of shaping rollers between the cutting
off rollers and the furnace. Whereas for larger shaped pieces on the other hand,
two or even more pairs of rollers may be required.
Patent claimed for:
Whereas the material whilst not immediately on ite exit from the furnace is
carried through one or several pairs of rollers provided with suitably indented
surfaces. The material thus treated takes the form of a series of individual
shaped pieces connected together by a small strip which is cut up by cutting
off rollers.
Dated this Third day of September 1897.
Improvements in and connected with Mills for Rolling Balls and
other Shaped Articles.
I, JULIUS WILHELM VON PITTLER, Engineer, of 144, High Holborn, in the
County of London, 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:
―
The present invention has for its object, to facilitate the manufacture of large
quantities of spherical and otherwise shaped articles in a continuous operation
by means of rolling mills.
For this purpose the raw material consisting of wire or a metal bar of any
suitable profile is made red hot, while excluding air, then led through a pair or
several pairs of shaping or forming rollers, and subsequently through a pair of
cutting rollers adapted to cut the finished pieces out of the shaped metal bar
or wire.
In the drawings filed with the Provisional Specification Fig. 1 is partly a side
view and partly a section of a rolling mill embodying my invention; Fig. 2
is a section along line z-z of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a pair of forming rollers and
a pair of cutting-rollers on a larger scale; Fig. 4 is an axial section of the cutting-
rollers.
The heating furnace A contains a hermetically closed retort B, in which is
mounted a drum C of fire-proof material. The wire or other material to be
shaped has been wound on this drum and is drawn through an opening o by the
first pair of rollers w¹ and w³ placed in proximity to the furnace.
The periphery of these rollers contains suitable recesses corresponding in shape
and size with the articles to be manufactured. The rolling mill represented on
the drawing is specially designed for the manufacture of steel balls, and each
of the rollers is therefore provided with a series of spherically curved recesses.
The material prepared by the first pair of rollers is conducted to the second
pair w³ and w, which are in the same way provided with recesses like the first
pair, and continue the rolling process so far, that consecutive pieces are only
connected with each other by a thin strip or thread.

page_text: From the second pair of rollers the material is conducted to the cutting-
rollers and w, of which the lower one is provided with holes having acute-
angled cutting edges and leading to an annular groover, as shown by Fig. 3.
The upper roller is provided with corresponding recesses, which are not so deep
as those in the preceding rollers.
When the string of formed pieces arrives between these rollers, the individual
pieces are forced by the upper roller w into the holes of the lower roller w³,
whereby the pieces are cut out and separated from the strip or string. In the
event of any individual pieces sticking in the holes, they will be forced through
completely by an auxiliary roller w, so as to fall into the groove r, whence they
are conducted by channels k (Fig. 3) into the receptacle s.
In order to facilitate the renewal or exchange of the rollers, they are made of
rings mounted and made fast on the ends of axles 1 to 2 (Figs. 1, 2 and 4),
which in their turn are mounted in the machine stand D) (Figs. 1 and 2). Driv-
ing power is applied to the belt pulley a (Fig. 2) and transmitted through the
spur-wheels c (Fig. 2) to an intermediate shaft, and thence through spur wheels g
to g (Fig. 1) to the axles of the rollers. The bearings of the upper roller
axles 3, 4, (Fig. 1) are adjustable vertically and held down by suitable pres-
sure, which may be produced by springs or weights.
For the manufacture of small pieces, it will be sufficient, as represented in
Fig. 3, to have only one pair of forming rollers between the cutting rollers and
the furnace. For large pieces, on the other hand, more than two pairs of forming
rollers may be employed.
Although primarily intended for the manufacture of balls and other small
objects from steel wires or bars, the invention is. applicable also to other malle-
able materials.
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:-
1. The process for producing spherical and otherwise shaped articles, which
consists in first heating a metal bar or wire to the required heat, immediately
afterwards subjecting it to a forming or shaping device or devices adapted to
form a string of spherical or otherwise shaped pieces (according to requirements),
and then subjecting the said string to a cutting device adapted to cut out the
individual pieces, substantially as described.
2. The combination of a heating furnace, with a pair or pairs of forming or
shaping rollers, and a pair of cutting rollers, the whole being arranged and
adapted to operate, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a heating furnace containing the material to be operated
upon in an airtight chamber, with a pair or pairs of forming rollers adapted to
draw the heated material out of the said chamber, and a cutting-out apparatus
arranged and adapted to operate substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1898.