IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING OR PERFORATING BOILER PLATES AND OTHER METAL PLATES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Heaton at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
August 1875.
I, EDWARD HEATON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Boiler Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING OR PERFORATING BOILER PLATES
AND OTHER METAL PLATES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates principally to the operation of punching iron or
steel plates preparatory to the riveting of such plates in the formation
of steam generators, tanks, girders, and other similar constructions, and
has for its object to obtain apparatus capable of punching the holes in
or along all the four sides of a plate with one adjustment and fixing of
the said plate.
In the said apparatus a cross head or frame fitted with a row or
two or more rows of punches acts in conjunction with a sliding frame,
or a frame arranged to be moved in a straight line, to which frame the
plate to be punched is fixed. The said punches may be arranged in two
rows corresponding to the two rows of holes required to be made in the

page_text: end or a plate which has to be connected with another plate by means or
two rows of rivets, that is to say, by double riveting. Each punch-is-
fitted to slide upwards on coming into contact with the plate when not
required to act. A bed fitted with dies corresponding to the punches
is arranged below the aforesaid cross head."
The plate to be punched is fastened to the aforesaid sliding frame, or
to brackets fixed thereto, and is moved forwards until one end is brought
below the punches.
A reciprocating motion is imparted to the said cross head by means of
a crank shaft and connecting rods, or by other suitable means. The
punches are now caused to act successively by temporarily introducing
a distance piece between the end of the shank of the punch and the
end of a slot or opening in which the said shank slides or moves so as to
prevent the punch from sliding or yielding as aforesaid, and the punch
is thereby caused to perforate the plate.
Other means may be employed to bring any required punch into
action, but the means herein indicated being simple and efficient are
preferred. As many of the punches are thus caused to act either
singly or two or more at one operation as are required to produce the
required number of holes in the end of the plate, the said plate
remaining stationary. To punch the side holes an intermittent move-
ment is imparted to the sliding frame, the length of each movement
corresponding to the required pitch of the rivet holes, and two punches
corresponding in position to the required lines of holes are caused to act
after each movement of the sliding frame. When the two lines of
perforations along the sides of the plate have thus been made the
movement of the sliding frame is arrested, and the holes in the end of
the plate not yet operated upon may be made in the same manner as
when punching the holes in the other end. Other holes may also be
punched in any required positions on imaginary lines drawn through the
punches in directions parallel with the direction of movement of the
sliding frame.
The intermittent movements may be imparted to the said sliding
frame by means of a pawl and ratchet wheel acting upon a shaft, upon
which are fixed two rack pinions which gear, with racks fixed on the
said frame, and change wheels may be employed to vary the pitch or
distance apart of the holes to be punched in the plate, but I do not
confine myself to this arrangement.
1

page_text: The punches and dies may be changeable so that different sizes may
be fitted to the apparatus as may be required, and also the said punches
and dies may be fitted in parts which may be removed from the
apparatus, and be replaced with other parts adapted for a different pitch
of holes or perforations.