Improvements in or relating to the Forming, Shaping, or Spinning of Metal Bodies.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in or relating to the Forming, Shaping, or Spinning
of Metal Bodies.
I, EUGEN POLTE of Magdeburg-Sudenburg, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The formation or spinning process herein described is based upon the employment
of balls or the like as means of producing the required pressure, the reason for
their adoption being that they offer the least resistance to motion, and owing to this
reduction of the resistance to a minimum enable the metal articles to be shaped or
formed, to be operated upon under the most favourable conditions. The methods
hitherto known which mainly consisted in drawing the pieces of metal through a
combination of dies and matrices and which required the bodily displacement of
large sectional surfaces, or spinning with tools presenting fixed surfaces are here
replaced by rotary.movements which owing to the employment of balls as pressure-
devices, may be produced with a minimum expenditure of power.
The apparatus devised for carrying out this invention in practice may consist of
two shafts or spindles whose axes coincide and which may be adapted either to
turn in both directions or to be longitudinally adjusted in their bearings or both
through the medium of suitable mechanism such as screws, straps and the like.
In
One of the spindles carries a ring face-plate chuck or equivalent in which is
provided an annular groove or recess for the reception of a number of balls.
this recess the balls may either be arranged to run freely, or may be maintained in
position at proper distances apart by an auxiliary removable ring.
Supposing that it is desired to form hollow closed cylinders from..round plates,
a die or mandrel advances against the blank which undergoes the action of the
balls in the chuck whereby its motion may be either simply longitudinal or at the
same time longitudinal and rotary the rotation taking place in the opposite direction
to and preferably at a slower speed than that of the ball bearing; the advancing
motion being brought about by a feed-screw or other suitable means.
modification of this would be to keep the mandrel stationary and impart the
combined longitudinal and revolving motion to the chuck.
'
An obvious
Under such an action the blank is made into the form of a hollow cylinder with
one end closed.
If it be desired that the edge of such cylindrical body should be stretched and
bent the mandrel may be suitably shaped.
The desired increase in the length of the hollow cylinder may take place according
to the same method the same operation as described, being repeated, the ball-
bearing chuck being in this case made narrower and conveniently mounted upon a
hollow spindle.
A hollow mandrel or die adjustable in relation to the mandrel which it surrounds
by means for example of a groove and tongue and adapted say by means of a
bearing resting upon the balls to exercise a drawing action upon the inner wall of
the cylindrical body so as to extend it, may be employed.
The formation of beads or shoulders at the bottom edge of such cylindrical body
may take place, by reversing the first process and by means of an auxiliary inner
die or punch which under pressure comes up against the end of the mandrel first
mentioned and follows all the movements of the latter.
Instead of rotating bodies with free axes such as balls bodies of suitable shape
:

page_text: revolving about fixed axes may be employed the position of the axes being adjusted
according to requirements.
The formation of edges or flanges and the stretching and shaping of plates may
be effected by mechanism very similar to that described with the exception that
instead of a mandrel a hardened or tempered plate is used the front surface of
which may be either plane or of other suitable shapé. Around this plate upon the
spindle carrying it a support or bearing is so arranged that it reciprocates along
with the spindle though it is prevented by an arm from participating in the rotary
motion of the same. By means of the said bearing a ball is reciprocated by the
plate as desired across the surface of the revolving blank.
The blank being a centred plate, a hollow cylinder, or the like is fitted in the
chuck carried by its spindle and may be carried round by compression or friction.
If the same peripheral speed is imparted to both spindles in opposite directions the
ball compressed between them, independently of its rotary motion, may be said to
remain entirely at rest.
The ball-bearing therefore sustains no pressure or strain in this case and enables
the metal to be driven outwardly towards the centre of the disc without any
excessive resistance.
Dad thin 0th day of - 1002
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to the Forming, Shaping, or Spinning.
of Metal Bodies.
1, EUGEN POLTE, of Magdeburg-Sudenburg, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The formation or spinning process herein described is based upon the employment
of balls or the like as means of producing the required pressure, the reason for
their adoption being that they offer the least resistance to motion, and, owing to
this reduction of the resistance to a minimum, enable the metal articles to be shaped
or formed, to be operated upon under the most favourable conditions.
The methods hitherto known, which mainly consisted in drawing the pieces of
metal through a combination of dies and matrices, and required the bodily displace-
ment of large sectional surfaces or spinning with tools presenting fixed surfaces are
here replaced by rotary movements, which, owing to the employment of balls as
pressure-devices, may be produced with a minimum expenditure of power.
The apparatus devised for carrying out this invention in practice may, as
exemplified in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, consist of two shafts or
spindles whose axes coincide which may be adapted either to turn in both directions
or to be longitudinally adjusted in their bearings, or both, through the medium of
suitable mechanism such as screws, straps, and the like.
One of the spindles carries a ring face-plate chuck or equivalent R in which is
provided an annular groove or recess for the reception of a number of balls. In
this recess the balls may either be arranged to run freely, as shown in Figure 2 for
example, or may be maintained in position at proper distances apart, by an
auxiliary removable ring, as illustrated by Figure 6.
Supposing that it is desired to form hollow closed cylinders from round plates,
according to Figure 1 a die or mandrel D advances against the blank w which
undergoes the action of the balls in the chuck R, whereby its motion may be either

page_text: simply longitudinal or at the same time longitudinal and rotary, the rotation taking
place in the opposite direction to, and preferably at a slower speed than that of the
ball-bearing R; the advancing motion being brought about by a feed-screw S¹ or
other suitable means. An obvious modification of this would be to keep the
mandrel D stationary and impart the combined longitudinal and revolving motion
to the chuck R.
Under such an action the blank w. (the initial shape of which is indicated in the
drawing by the thick black line) is made into the form of a hollow cylinder as
indicated by the dotted lines, with one end closed.
If it be desired that the edge of such cylindrical body should be stretched and
bent as shown in Figure 4, the mandrel may have the shape represented in that
figure.
The desired increase in the length of the hollow cylinder may take place according
to the same method, the same operation as described in reference to Figure 1 being
repeated, the ball-bearing chuck being in this case made narrower and conveniently
mounted upon a hollow spindle as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 5 illustrates the employment of a hollow mandrel or die H, adjustable in
relation to D by means for example of a groove and tongue, and adapted say by
means of a bearing resting upon the balls to exercise a drawing action upon the
inner wall of the cylindrical body so as to extend it.
The formation of beads or shoulders at the bottom edge of such cylindrical body
may take place as shown in Figure 3, by reversing the first process and by means
of an auxiliary inner die or plunger D' which under pressure comes up against the
end of D and follows all the movements of the latter.
Instead of rotating bodies with free axes such as balls, bodies of suitable shape
revolving about fixed axes may be employed, the position of the axes being adjusted
according to requirements, for example as shown in Figure 10.
The formation of flanges or borders, as well as the extension or stretching and
the shaping of plates is effected according to this invention by means of the herein-
before described apparatus (Figure 1) in the following manner as shown by. way of
example in Figures 7 and 8.
Instead of the mandrel D a hardened plate P is used having a flat or shaped
face. In the drawing the face is shown flat, by way of example. Around the
plate P upon the boss of the wheel or pulley in which it is mounted, a support or
frame S is so arranged that it may reciprocate along with the spindle when it is
moved by the screw S' but is prevented from rotating along with it by means of
the arm Swhich engages with a slot in the bed of the lathe. In front of the
plate Pa slide-bar L is arranged, which by means of a hand-wheel and screw can
be moved transversely to and fro in the frame S" and in front of the plate P. The
slide-bar L is bored to receive a ball K¹; and its thickness is somewhat less than the
diameter of the ball so that the spherical surface of the ball projects on both sides
of the slide-bar L as shown in Figure 7. The chuck F is fitted with a spindle to
carry the piece to be operated upon, which in this instance is shown on the drawing
(by way of example) as a capsule W whereof the bottom is to be stretched out or
enlarged. If the chuck F with capsule W are caused to rotate, and the ball K' is
pressed against the bottom of the latter and traversed by means of the appropriate
screw, then in the case of the ball commencing on the centre of the capsule-bottom
and being moved outwards towards its edge or rim, an enlargement or stretching of
the bottom will result. In working, so soon as the apparatus is put in motion, the
movement of the ball K', over the surface operated upon, from the centre to the
outer edge will be effected simply by the motion of the slide-bar L, under
the influence of its operating screw. It is obvious that if the face of the plate P be
shaped according to any sectional profile, that profile will be reproduced by the
ball K on the surface operated upon. If the ball K' be made to commence its
pressure at the outside edge of the surface operated upon, and work thence
towards the centre, the metal displaced will necessarily be driven inwards to the
centre,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The employment of rotating bodies in the spinning of metal substantially in
the manner described.
2. Spinning or shaping metal by the application of pressure to the same by means
of balls rotating in the annular grooves of a ring or face plate and a mandrel
advancing into the latter centrally between the balls the rotary and longitudinal
motions of balls and mandrel taking place simultaneously or separately.
3. In the above process the substitution for balls of bodies of suitable shape
revolving about fixed axes the position of such axes being adjusted according to
requirement.
4. The combination with the mechanism set forth in the second claim of a
supplementary or second mandrel such as D substantially as described and
illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In the spinning or shaping of metal the employment of a hollow mandrel or
die such as Hadjustable in relation to and surrounding the advancing mandrel
such hollow mandrel not participating in the motion of the latter substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
6. Stretching metal plates and forming side projections thereon and lateral edges
on the bottoms of hollow bodies by means of one or more rotating balls reciprocated
under pressure upon a rotating plate substantially as described and illustrated in
Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
7. For the spinning or forming of metal an arrangement of mechanism consisting
substantially of
(a) A ring or face plate such as R capable of being rotated and longitudinally
adjusted
(b) A number of balls K capable of rotation within the ring R
(c) A mandrel concentric with R and rotary stationary or adjustable
longitudinally.
8. In apparatus for spinning or forming metal the combination with a ripg such
as R balls K and mandrel D of a second mandrel such as D¹ substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
9. In apparatus for spinning or forming metal the combination with a ring such
as R balls K and mandrel D of a hollow mandrel or sleeve such as H so
connected with D as to be capable of rotating but not moving longitudinally
with it substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
10. In apparatus for spiuning or forming metal the combination of
(a) A rotating and longitudinally adjustable plate with plane or other shaped
front surface
(b) A transverse support connected but not capable of rotating with said
-plate
•
(c) The ball K' guided in and reciprocated by this support across the surface
of the blank.
(d) A hollow cylinder for the reception of the blank placed concentrically to
the pressure plate (p) and rotating with it but in the opposite direction,
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 25th day of September 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.