Improved Cartridge Loading Machine
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.,
Improved Cartridge Loading Machine:
1, ARMIN TENNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Berlin
in the German Empire, 13 Grossbeerenstr., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of my said invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
The subject matter of the present invention is a cartridge loading machine
characterised in general by a step like movement of the rotary table with its clamp
like closing cartridge bearings in which the cartridge cases are successively brought,
beneath the tools or loading devices so that by each simultaneous operation of the
same a cartridge is completely loaded...
A device is combined, with the rotary table consisting essentially of radially
movable slides in order to bring felt wads, cut out by hand or machine, over the
mouths of the cartridge cases at the moment when the same come beneath the punch
immediately following the powder charging device.
The same device can also be used for loading ball cartridge.
The details relate, besides the friction gear of the rotary table, to the following
tools or loading devices arranged. in a common holder; a reamer in connection with
the powder charging device, the shot. measure (on the opposite side of the afore,
named wad punch) the device for upsetting the edge of the cartridge case and the
well known devices for cutting, stamping and inserting the upper wad.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the cartridge loading machine for shot cartridge.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section..
Fig. 3 a top view partly in section.
Fig. 4 is a part horizontals: ction.showing the clamps for the cartridge cases in
top view....
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the tool carrier in its lowest position, five cartridges
being shown in section to demonstrate the operation of the parts.
Fig. 6 is a section of the last tool for upsetting or turning down the edge of the
cartridge case, on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 7 is the section of a modification of the shot charger.
Figs. 8 and 9 represent in vertical section and top view a modification of the
parts shown in Fig. 2 and 3 when the cartridges are to be loaded with bullets.
The. frame of the machine consists of a base plate A and two standards B B
connected by a yoke C, the tool carrier D being guided in prismatic or other guide
ways in the arms of the same. To the front of and beneath the plate like tool
carrier D, which, moves in vertical direction, is a feed wheel or rotary table E in.
the centre of which is the fixed standard A' which carries a stationary plate A²
Between, the standard A! and tlie conically bored nave E' of the rotary
table E is an exteriorily conical annular member F which can be so adjusted
by means, of screws py that a, considerable friction can be produced on the
surface of the nave in order to prevent all independent rotation of the table E
under the impulse of the ratched and pawl driving device. The movement of
this device is in common, with the stroke of the tool carrier D derived from
the horizontal shaft G which is driven by appropriate straps or in other suitable
manner..
The excentrica with excentric rod -which is in connection with the slide
with spring pawl c serves to transmit the movement of the shaft G so that the
ratchet wheel e connected to the nave E¹ of the rotary table E receives its
intermittent movement during each semi-rotation of the shaft G.. The tool
carrier Dis hereby reciprocated in the vertical plane by the same being con-
nated by the rod H to the crank 1.of the shaft G (Fig. 2).

page_text: The circumference of the rotary table. E or the edge of the upper plate of
the same and the annular part E beneath the same is, as will be seen
from Fig. 2 and 3, so recessed to form the part of a cartridge bearing i, that
the cartridge cases can be inserted from the exterior to be transported under
the various tools during the rotation of the table E.
The number of recesses i correspond with the number of teeth in the ratchet
wheele each recess corresponding with a clamping lever j moving around the
fulcrum within the rotary table E and operated by means of a
spring f.
suitable
The flange U arranged at appropriate height above the base plate and
running almost entirely around the same, serves to support the transported
cartridge cases so that the same cannot fall out until they reach the open
space where as is shown in Fig. 4 the flange is interrupted so as to allow
the finished cartridge to fall out of the machine. The clamping levers ; are
held open for a part of their travel and the action of their springs overcome
by the shorter arms of the same, which carry antifriction rollers, coming into
contact with an extension U of the flange U which runs from the opening Z
to the point U2 (Fig. 3 and 4) or for about one half of the circumference.
On that side of the rotary table directed towards the tool carrier, the
clamping levers are always closed as the flange U³ lies lower than the way
described by the antifriction rollers so that the springs can press the bent
ends of the levers onto the cartridges.
After the cartridge cases have been placed in the open bearings and the
clamping levers have securely gripped the same they are successively transported
beneath the tools carried by the tool carrier the distance of the same from
each other being determined by the distance of five successive cartridge cases 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 from each other.
The first device which comes into operation is the powder charging device
attached to the powder receptacle N.
The construction of this device is similar to that described later on for the
shot charging device and for the reamer or widener. The latter device serves
to make any cases, which. may have become unround, of correct form before
charging same and consists of a somewhat conical tubular spindle m attached
to one of the sides of the plate D, (Fig. 1 and 5) and glides over the lower
end of the powder feed tube n. By partially inserting this conical hollow
spindle in the mouth of the cartridge case the mouth of the same is cylindrically
enlarged during the charging of the case with powder.
1
The punch is the second device which comes into operation on the tool
carrier D descending in order to force a felt wad r, cut out by means of a
special device, into the cartridge case (2) already charged with powder. Slides 8
attached to the rotary table or in a guide of a plate P applied to the same.
which is radially movable and of like number with the cartridge bearings
(Fig. 2 and 3), serve to guide the felt wads. The slides carry at their onter
ends tubes or rings of like interior diameter to the cartridge cases and are fed.
by hand with the felt wads.
Roller's rotating on appropriate pins are attached to the upper surface of the
slides s'and gear into a guide groove in the upper plate A²
"This groove is almost circular and retains the slides in their position to the
requisite radial movement, the same is, at the point where the punch for driving
in the wad is arranged, given the for.n of a cam (Fig. 3) so that as soon as a
cartridge case during the rotary movement of the table comes into the position 2
the tube on the slide s will be over the mouth of the cartridge case so that
the punch o can drive the wad in the tube s¹ onto the powder charge.
In the third position or above the cartridge 3 (Fig. 5) is the stationary tube w of
the shot measurer.
The construction of this device which corresponds in all essential points with the
powder measuring device is provided with a slide D¹ (Fig. 2), which in combination

page_text: with the plate D is moved vertically between the plate W' and the casing W' said
slide having an inclined opening t and an adjustable piece D' in order to adjust the
size of the shot measurer.
In the uppermost position of the slide D', the opening t comes into communication
with the inclined canal leading from the shot magazine W and receives the requisite
charge of shot which on the descent of the parts will be filled into the cartridge (3)
by means of the tube or channel w.
As in some cases the requisite number of shot have not reached the opening t but,
specially with large shot, a shot falls half into the same and would on the further
movement of the slide be cut in two, a piece of metal t' under spring action is so
arranged that the forward surface will as a rule be flush with the surface of the
slide and form a yielding edge.
In consequence of an incline on the piece t' and the continued descent of the slide
the superfluous shot will be forced into the space so formed but will by the next
movement of the slide at once fall into the opening t when the same during the
upward stroke of the slide comes opposite to the said shot. A modification of this
auxiliary device which can be omitted in the powder charging device (N, n) is
represented in Fig. 7. In this case the lower surface t2 of the charging canal is
made to yield, being held by the spring the bent end of which prevents the
superfluous shot from falling out.
The yielding corner piece yl (Fig. 2) is also employed but so that the same is
fixed to the sharper corner of the slide (instead of the casing) whereby a like result
is attained.
As soon as the cartridge cases are as afore-described charged with powder and
shot with intermediate felt wad, the same come beneath a second punch o¹
(position 4) which acts similar to the punch o and which first cuts a cardboard
wad out of a suitably transported band and then drives the same onto the shot
charge.
The ratchet device for transporting the cardboard band or strip and also a
stamp o, attached to the tool carrier, for numbering the wad is shown in Fig. 2
and partially in Fig. 3 but being well known to all versed in the art requires no
further description.
Both punch o¹ and stamp o² are as shown in Fig. 5 yieldingly attached in tubes
to the reciprocating tool carrier so that the blow is not sudden but yielding and
thus all undue strain on the parts avoided.
the same.
In the fifth and last position (cartridge 5 Fig. 5) the new upsetting device or
tool for bending over the edge of the cartridge case onto the upper wad comes into
action and consists of a spindle v with upsetting tool u inserted in the head o' of
The spindle is rotary, glides in vertical direction, is attached by the
bearings V and V to the frame and receives its rotary movement by means of a
spur gear from the roll between the arms of the same. During the rotation of
the rotary table the spindle is so far raised that the head will be above the way
described by the cartridge cases.
A spring stop o* connected to the tool carrier, will, when the latter reaches the
eid of its downward stroke drive the spindle or mandril down so that the notches
in the tool u in the head will press on the upper edge of the cartridge case with
increasing force. The pressure in conjunction with the rotary motion transmitted
to the tool will upset or turn over the edge of the cartridge case so as to securely
hold the cardboard wad above the charge of shot.
The annular edge of the mouth of the head r¹ prevents the edge of the cartridge
cise being turned outwards.
In case the clamping by means of the spring, to the clamping device should
not be sufficient during the upsetting of the upper edge of the shell to firmly hold
the cartridge, a leaf spring ff (Fig. 4) is arranged on the flange U of the frame
o that at the time mentioned the action of the roller of the lever arms is
increased.
As soon as the finished cartridge is moved with the rotary table E a distance

page_text: equal to one tooth of the ratchet wheel, the same will fall through the opening Z
as the same is on the one hand no longer supported by the flauge U and on the
other hand is released from the grip of the clamping lever, the roller j² of which
lies on the flange U¹.
It will be seen from the above that the cartridge clamps will be at certain times
in open position ready for the insertion of fresh cartridge cases.
The new felt wads are also inserted in the wad holders s' of the slide s from this
side of the rotary table said slide being drawn inwards.
At each rotation of the shaft G the machine will deliver a cartridge loaded in
five operations which falls out at the opening Z into a collecting receptacle. Fig. 8
and 9 represent the modification for loading ball or military cartridges all the
essential points of the foregoing machine being employed.
The empty metallic shells are fed from a tubular magazine M successively, by
means of a wheel L, under suitable borings of the rotary table E the clamping
device in this case being omitted.
The cartridge shells are raised into the cartridge bearings by a connecting rod *
when the borings correspond, said rod being operated by a lever and a tappet
wheel (Fig. 8) the tappet ouly being shown.
The borings in the rotary table E and the wheel will correspond at each step
of the ratchet wheel (Fig. 9). The powder feed is effected from the opposite side
of the rotary table in precisely the same manner as described with reference to the
Fig. 1 and 7 whilst the bullets are driven in by a device similar to the wad feed,
the radial slides s in this case forming the receivers for the bullets which when
the same are above the cartridge cases 2 will be driven into the cartridge cases
by the punch o. The devices for feeding the shot, upsetting the upper edge etc.
are of course not necessary whereas an ejector is applied to the tool holder.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare, that what I claim is:
(1) A cartridge loading machine with stepwise rotating table E, in the clamp
like automatically closing cartridge bearing ij of which, the cartridge cases are
successively brought under the simultaneously operated tools so that the cartridge
cases are charged with powder, widened at the mouth, the felt wad applied, the
cartridge charged with shot, then the cardboard inserted, the edge of the shell
upset and lastly the finished cartridge released, substantially as described and shown
in the drawings.
2) In a cartridge loading machine of the kind above mentioned:
j
a) The automatically closing cartridge bearings on the rotary table E
consisting of the stationary half bearing the clamping lever and spring f
said lever being withdrawn from the stationary half of the bearing by the
friction roller of the lever operating against the flange U' substantially
as described and shown in the drawings.
b) The device for widening or making the cartridge mouth round consisting
of the hollow mandril m on the reciprocating tool holder D which simul-
taneously serves as powder feed substantially as described and shown in the
drawings.
c) The feed device for the felt wad to be driven into the cartridge by the
punch o of the tool holder D consisting of the slides moving radially on
the rotary table E for receiving the wads whereby the single slides are so
moved forward by the cam groove that the wads are brought above the
cartridge cases in the rotary table when the punch o descends substantially
as described and shown in the drawings.
d) The device consisting of a slide with opening operating as powder or shot
measure with spring corner t' or spring bottom t' so as to prevent the shot
being cut or deformed by the slide substantially as described and shown in
the drawings.
_ e) The friction gear for retaining the rotary table after each step motion
:- 1.

page_text: characterised by the adjustable conical ring F. arranged between the
parts A and E of the rotary table, substantially as described and shown
in the drawings.
3. The modified construction of my improved loading machine for loading ball
cartridge in which the bullet is fed into the shells by the slides (Claim cc) the
shells being fed into the bearings in the rotary table E by means of a wheel L
operated simultaneously with the table E substantially as described and shown in
the drawings Fig. 8 and 9.
4. The construction of my improved cartridge loading machine substantially as
described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 10th law of No. 1900
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
Agents for Applicant.