Improvements in Baling Presses.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Baling Presses.
We, JAMES HAROLD HOWARD, GEOFFREY HOWARD, and GEORGE GIBBS, all of the
Britannia Iron Works, Bedford, in the County of Bedford, England, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in baling presses and has reference more
particularly to continuous presses for baling straw and the like, of the kind in
which the wiring of the bales is effected by means of wires which are drawn
from reels by the bales as the latter are built up and pushed forward in the press,
the said wires being passed across the rear ends of the bales by suitable tools
termed needles.
The main object of the said invention is to provide improved means for thus
wiring the bales so as to reduce the amount of labour required and to render the
operation safer and more certain that it has heretofore been.
According to our said invention we provide suitable mechanically operated
needles for feeding the wires through the press behind the bale after the said wire
has. been drawn round the bale in the formation of the latter. These needles may
be actuated by any convenient moving part of the press, say for example by the
ram, and an important feature of the invention consists in so arranging the needles
that the wires remain constantly threaded through them. In other words, the
wires, which are fed from coils mounted on suitable reels. or drums, are drawn
through the eyes of the needles on their way to the bales, and when they are cut it
is only those portions that have passed through the needles which are severed,
the ends of the other portions remaining still engaged in the eyes of the needles
and being held by suitable retaining devices.
A further important feature of the invention consists in providing means for
connecting the needles with the moving part which operates them, in such a
manner that they are inserted into the press only as the ram recedes, and are
withdrawn therefrom in the forward movement of the ram, thereby guarding
against any risk of damage to the press by reason of the ram striking the said
needles.
As the needles only require to be operated at intervals that is to say on the
completion of a bale, we prefer to provide suitable mechanism under the control
of the attendant for throwing them into and out of action. This mechanism
is so arranged that normally the needles are withdrawn from the press and remain
so until the said mechanism is operated. The advantage of this is that any
carelessness on the part of the attendant would only lead to the needles missing
an operation and would not involve any risk of injury to the press in the manner
above referred to.
In combination with the needles we preferably provide suitable automatic
devices for engaging or catching the loops of wire as they are passed through the
These devices may be applied to or form part of the wire cutting devices.
press.
These catches are intended to retain the bights or loops of the wires as they are
passed through the press by the needles.

page_text: The invention further has reference to a device for preventing the unnecessary
or accidental unwinding of the wire from the reels, to an improved construction of
reel adapted to receive the wire in coils as it comes from the manufacturers, and
to the use of antifriction guide rollers at suitable points in the press to diminish
the strain on the wires especially at the points where the same is passed through
the press by the needles.
In
According to one construction of our improved baling press we employ pivoted
needles of approximately scythe-shape, the eye being formed at what corresponds
to the point of the scythe blade, whilst the pivot is at the end of the handle.
the eye of each of the needles are arranged antifriction rollers, between which the
wire passes, and the said needles are mounted on a vertical spindle operated by
suitable cranks and links from a connecting rod adapted to. be thrown into and
out of engagement with, the ram as hereinafter described..
The wires are led from their reels through the eye of the needle and through
the press, where they are made fast. As the bale is formed it distends or draws out
the wire, in the well known manner, till, when it is finished,, the said wire encircles
it except at its rear end. The operator then throws the aforesaid connecting rod
into engagement with the ram and as the latter completes its rearward stroke
after finishing the bale, it operates the needles through the medium of the said
rod and causes them to swing on their pivot and pass the wires through slots in
the side of the press and across the rear end of the bale in loops, undue friction at
the edges of the slots being prevented by grooved wheels or rollers round which the
wires are bent by the needles. The loops are caught by the aforesaid automatio
devices and are retained while the needles swing back along the leg of the loops
which are nearest the reels. The loop is then cut by a suitable device so arranged
that it retains the legs of the loops just mentioned, but cuts the other legs thereof
that is to say those immediately connected with the bale. It is then only
necessary to twist the ends of the latter, legs round the other ends of the wire on
the bale to complete the wiring.
The aforesaid connecting rod is preferably provided with a transverse pin at its
rear end working in a guide or guides beneath the ram, having a recess or recesses
near the middle thereof to receive the pin. when the connecting rod is not to be
operated and the needles are out of action. The ram carries a downward projection
on which are catches to engage the pin, and a lever and handle are provided to
enable the attendant to raise the pins into engagement with the said catches,
whereupon the connecting rod performs a stroke and operates the needles, the
guides preventing the accidental disengagement of the rod from the ram until the
pin comes over the aforesaid recesses and falls into them, these recesses cor-
responding in position to the withdrawn position of the needles. To facilitate the
falling of the pin away from the projection on the ram suitable inclines c
engaging devices may be provided in proximity to these recesses.
.or. dis-
The devices for automatically engaging the loops of wire as they are passed
through the press, may comprise pivoted catches on one of the fixed jaws of the
cutting device, or may be formed say by the movable cutting jaw if the latter
be suitably shaped and so arranged that the wire rides up on to it when pushed
through by the needles.
י
The arrangement for preventing the accidental unwinding of the wires com
prises a ratchet wheel and detent beneath each of the reels, and a pivoted arm or
lever having an eye through which the wire passes. The arrangement is such that
as long as the wire is taut, as is the case when it is being deliberately withdrawn from
the reel, the lever is raised and keeps the detent disengaged, whereas when the
wire is slack, the lever falls by its own weight and the detent is caused to engage
by a suitable spring or otherwise.
The pivoted needles before referred to may be replaced by needles attached to
pivotted arms and it will be obvious that instead of employing pivotted needles
at all we may employ straight needles worked either by a parallel motion arrange-
ment or mounted in guides. Moreover, instead of cranks and links for operating

page_text: the levers we may employ any other suitable mechanical contrivances, say for
example rack and pinion mechanism, gear wheels, or ropes or chains for connecting
them with the moving parts of the press.
The reels or drums which we employ to receive the coils of wire are of tapered
form, their upper and narrower ends being approximately of the diameter of the
coil, in its original state. The advantage of this is that as the coil expands and
becomes loose as it is unwound it slips gradually down the drum so that the slack
is taken up automatically. The drum has a plain flange at the lower end thereof
but at its upper end it is provided with a set of hinged pieces or fingers which are
turned so as to project over the edge of the same after the coil is placed in
position thereon.
Dated this 25th day of Sentember 1897
We, JAMES HAROLD HOWARD, GEOFFREY HOWARD and GEORGE GIBBS, all of the
Britannia Iron Works, Bedford, in the County of Bedford, England, Engineers,
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 has reference more particularly to continuous baling presses of
the kind in which the binding wires are drawn from reels by the bales as the
latter are built up and pushed forward in the press, the said wires being passed
across the rear ends of the bales by suitable tools termed needles, as described in
the Specification of our former British Letters Patent No. 10607 of 1897.
The main object of our present invention is to provide improved means for thus
wiring the bales so as to reduce the amount of labour required and avoid danger
to the attendant, while at the same time rendering the working of the press more
certain than it has heretofore been.
To this end we provide suitable mechanically operated needles for feeding the
wires through the press behind the bale after the said wires have been drawn
around the bale in the formation of the latter. These needles may be actuated
by any convenient moving part of the press but we prefer to actuate them by the
ram as hereinafter described.
An important feature of the invention consists in the fact that the wires remain
constantly threaded through the needles, that is to say the needles do not require to
be re-threaded after the formation of each bale.
A further important feature consists in providing means for connecting the
needles with the ram of the press in such a manner that they are inserted into the
press only as the ram recedes and are withdrawn therefrom in the forward move-
ment of the ram, thereby guarding against any risk of damage to the press by
reason of contact between the ram and said needles.
As the needles only require to be operated at intervals, that is to say on the
completion of a bale, we provide suitable mechanism under the control of the
attendant for throwing them into and out of action.
In combination with the needles we provide automatic catches for engaging
with the loops of wire as they are passed across the press and for retaining them
while the needles return. A suitable cutter is also provided into which the
attendant transfers the loops from the catches. By means of this cutter the said

page_text: loops can be severed, the ends required for the wiring of the next bale being
retained in the cutter, while the free ends are ready for the attendant to join to the
ends of the wires which have just been passed around the bale by the operation of
the press, as hereinafter set forth.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect we will now describe the same fully by reference to the accompanying
drawings in w
which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a press having our invention applied
thereto, Fig. 1^ being a detail view thereof.
Figure 2 is a plan of same.
:
Figure 3 is a cross-section through the baling chamber.
Figures 4 and 5 are detail views to a larger scale showing the automatic catch
for retaining the loops while the needles perform their return movement.
Figure 6 is a plan showing a modified arrangement for operating the needles.
A is the frame of the press, B, is the rain, CC are the wires for binding the
bales, DD are the reels on which the said wires are wound, and EE are the
fingers or retainers usually employed in presses of this kind for preventing reaction
or re-expansion of the material after it has been compressed by the ram.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 5, a a are the mechanically operated
needles, which are mounted at a in swinging arms a pivoted on a vertical
spindle a³ carried by brackets as on the frame of the machine, these arms being
connected together as shown in Figure 3. The outer ends of the needles are also
connected together as shown in Figures 1 and 3 and are coupled to a link a
pivoted at a to a bracket a on the said frame, which latter has slots a³, analogous
to those described in the specification of the said former patent; for the needles
to pass through. In their forward extremities or eyes," the needles are provided
with grooved rollers a around which the wires extend as they are being passed
through the press, and which serve to diminish the friction on the said wires.
<<
2
The result of this arrangement for carrying the needles is that they have a
compound motion imparted to them by reason of the arms a² turning on a different
centre to the link a
Consequently when the arms a² are operated, in the manner hereinafter described,
to thrust the needles through the press, the said needles turn on their pivots a
under the action of the link as and are rapidly brought into a position approxi-
mately at right angles to the press and maintain this position as they are thrust
through the slots a8 and across the press.
The operation of the arms a² is effected by a rack 6, which is in gear, through the
medium of a pair of pinions b¹ 62, with a toothed sector or segmental rack ba
secured at the lower extremity of the spindle a³.
The rack is mounted in suitable guides beneath the framing, and carries at
one end, a pair of links pivoted on a cross pin and carrying at their free ends
a cross bar 6. This latter cross bar is adapted to be put into and out of engage-
ment with a pair of plates c projecting on the under side of the ram of the press,
and having notches or recesses, c¹ to receive the said cross-bar.
When the ram has effected the pressing of a bale and is about to recede, the
attendant throws the cross-bar 66 up into the notches c¹ by the device hereinafter
mentioned, and the result is that the ram carries the rack b. back with it and
so operates the needles and causes them to thrust the loops of wire through the
press, across the rear of the bales.
dd are the automatic catches for retaining the loops of wire after they have been
passed through the press. These catches are pivoted at d¹ to brackets d³ secured
to the frame, and are provided with pivoted cam-like projections which can
however only turn on their pivots in the direction of the arrow (Figure 4) the
movement in the other direction being prevented by a stop d do is a spring
which tends to draw the catches d downward, until they rest in recesses in
brackets do.
.7.
The arrangement is such that the eye of each needle in passing out through

page_text: the press, comes under its respective catch, between the pivot thereof and the
projection d3. Owing to the compound nature of the movement of the needle,
the said eye is at the same time displaced laterally as indicated by the dotted
lines in Figure 5 and strikes the projection d³ in the direction in which the latter
is unable to move. The consequence is that the said projection rides up on to the
needle after the manner of a cam, so lifting the catch into its highest position.
Immediately, however that the needle has passed from beneath the projection d³,
the catch falls and its nose do inserts itself into the wire-loop, (see Figures 4 and 5).
In its return movement however the needle strikes the projection d³ in the
opposite. direction i.e. that in which it is free to turn, the result being that the
said projection simply, swings upward on its pivot d without raising the catch,
and consequently the nose de remains in engagement with the loop all the time
the needle is retiring, and until the attendant disengages it.
The cutting device into which the wire is placed after being disengaged from
the catch d, is similar to that described in the specification of the aforesaid British
Patent, and it will suffice for the purposes of the present description to state that
it comprises a handle a carrying a cutter e working between a pair of stationary
jaws e³.
в
One edge of the cutter e and the adjacent edge of the jaw e³ are rounded-off,
while the other edge of the cutter and the edge of the jaw are sharp, so that
while the latter edges sever the wire, the former serve to nip and retain that leg
of the loop which is still left in the eye of the needle and is connected to the réel.
It should be mentioned with regard to Figure 5, that the end of the wire shown as
held in the cutter was passed through the press by the previous operation of the
needle and that it forms in reality continuation of the loop of wire shown
the needle, the intermediate portion being stretched around the bale.
It will be
understood therefore that all the wires shown in Figure 5 form one continuous
length which is still in connection with the reel.
Thus the needles a never become disconnected from the wires, but simply after
each cutting operation retire along those legs of the loops which are held in the
cutter and which still remain connected with the reels.
″.
The device for throwing the cross bar 6 into the notches so that the needles
can be operated at will, comprises a handle f carried by an axle which has at
its opposite extremity an arm f³ to prevent its being turned in the wrong direction
and is mounted in brackets f³ On the axle f¹ is a pair of cranked arms f* adapted
when the axle is turned to engage with the aforesaid links 64 and to raise them
so as to throw the cross-bar 66 into the recesses c¹ of the projecting plates.c on the
ram, as indicated more clearly in dotted lines, Fig; 1^.
.: 5
t
....
The force with which the edges of the recesses c¹ bear against the cross-bar b
when the ram is moving, prevents the said bar dropping out of engagement, but
in order to positively prevent this, suitable rails or guides f (see Figure 1) are
provided on to which the ends of the bar 66 pass at the commencement of the
travel; and which effectually keep the bar in the recess until the ram returns it
to the end of the rail fb.
In order to prevent the reels D revolving at times when the wires are not being
drawn off them, we employ a ratchet g and pawl g¹ in connection with each reel,
the pawl having an extension or tail g³ carrying a bent wire rod g³ through which
the wire from the reel passes; the arrangement being such that the pawl engages
with the teeth of the ratchet g and prevents the wheels, turning, as long as the
wire C is slack and is hanging as in Figure 1, but immediately. the wire is
tightened up, which occurs when it is being drawn into the press, the tail g² is
raised so dépressing the catch and setting the reel free.
This arrangement is substantially similar to, but simpler than, that set forth
in the specification of the aforesaid prior patent.
9 9 are bent rods, and 9° 9° are rollers which serve respectively as guides for
the wire and to prevent friction of the same against the edges of the slots a³.
The action of the press is as follows:--The wires C are first passed through the

page_text: eyes of the needles and across the press, and their ends are secured in the cutting
device between the rounded edges of the cutter e¹ and jaw e³.
The material is then fed into the press between the wire and the ram, in suc-
cessive charges and the ram is operated to compress the said material and gradually
build up the bale, reaction of the compressed material being prevented by the
spring fingers or retainers E. During these operations, which are of the ordinary
kind, the wires originally stretched straight across the press are gradually forced
laterally into a loop which eventually extends from the cutting device to the eye
of the needle, around three sides of the bale, as shown in Figure 2.
The next step is to complete the encircling of the bale by the wires, which is
done by means of the needles. For this purpose, just as the ram is commencing
its backward stroke, the handle f is operated to throw the cross bar connected
to the rack b into engagement with the notched plates c on the ram, as
herein before described.
Consequently, as the ram recedes, the rack b is drawn back with it and through
the medium of the toothed gearing b¹ ª 63, the arms a² are caused to turn on their
pivots and the needles are thrust through the slots as in the press and project out
on the other side thereof, and the automatic catches & insert themselves as already
explained into the loops of wire. Concurrently with this the ram which has
completed its rearward movement, commences to move forward and the rack b
reverses the motion of the needles causing them to swing back towards the position
shown in Figure 2, the loops of wire being however retained on the noses d6 of
the catches, which then rest on the brackets do. The ram completes its forward
movement, but as it commences to move rearwardly again the edges of the
recesses c¹ in the plates c during the change of motion, momentarily cease to
press on the bar 76.
The latter therefore being now in the raised position shown
in Figure 1 and being unsupported by the rails f5, immediately falls out of the
said recesses and the rack b is automatically disconnected from the ram.
prevent the rack 6 from being driven too far forward a pair of stops f* are provided
against which the ends of the bar 66 engage if the said bar be carried too far
by the ram.
To
Meanwhile the attendant opens the cutter and releases the end of the wire that
had previously been in it, and transfers to it the loop left on the catch d, which
loop is then cut off, one end i.e. that connected to the reel being held between the
rounded edges of the cutter while the other, which is connected to the bale is
twisted round the wire which has just been released from the cutter.
The apparatus is now ready for the formation of another bale which proceeds
in a precisely similar manner.
Referring now to Figure 6, this shows a modified arrangement we may some-
times employ for operating the arms a2 and the needles, instead of the
gearing 163 previously described.
The
In this case h h¹ are the two arms of a bell crank lever pivoted at h².
arm h¹ has a pin and slot connection with the rod 6 taking the place of the rack b
in the former arrangement, while the arm his connected with a corresponding.
arm h³ on the spindle a³ of the arm a², by means of a link h* extending beneath
the bottom of the press. The operation of the parts is substantially the same as
that of the previous arrangement.
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. A baling press provided with mechanically operated needles for the purpose
specified.
2. The combination with the needles of automatic catches for retaining the
loops of wire after they have been thrust across the press, substantially as described.
3. The means for effecting the wiring of the bales and the severance of the
wires, without the needles becoming unthreaded.

page_text: 4. The means for throwing the needle operating mechanism into and out of
engagement with the ram of the press for the purposes specified.
5. A baling press constructed and operating substantially as herein before
described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.