Improvements in Machines for Making Metal Slats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 20th Mar.. 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Making Metal Slats.
1, WILLIAM RAYMOND KINNEAR, of Columbus, in the County of Franklin,
and State of Ohio, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 particular object of my invention is to provide a machine for making
a metallic slat with similarly-formed but reversely-arranged grooves and shoulders
on the opposite edges thereof, such slats being adapted to be interlocked by
sliding them longitudinally together to form a curtain which may be rolled up on
a, roller.
My invention is embodied in a machine having a series of rolls of the improved
construction herein shown and described to act in succession upon the slat blank
to give it the several bends by which the grooves are formed, and also having
dies and rolls for hardening the metal and rendering permanent the perfected form
of the slat.
In the annexed drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.
Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of rolls taken from the vertical
planes A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D, E-E, and G-G of Fig. 1, respectively.
Fig. 9 is a view taken on the vertical plane F-F of Fig. 1.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on plane H-H, Fig. 1, there being also shown
above, and as a part of this view cross sections of a slat illustrating the changes
of form imparted to the slat in its progress through the dies.
Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the curving dies and rolls taken on the plane [-I,
Fig. 1.
As the grooves to be formed on the edges of the slat are similar in form and
size, with the openings thereto on reverse sides of the slat, the members of each
pair of rolls will be the substantial counterparts of each other.
The first pair of rolls 1 are formed to bend in a blank slat or flat strip of
metal the shoulders a which stand substantially at right angles to the plane
of the strip but in opposite directions to each other. The second pair of
the rolls 2 are constructed to bend up the edges in opposite directions so that
the said edges stand substantially at an angle of 45 degrees to the plane of the
strip.
The third pair 3 give a further bend to these edges so that they stand at right
angles to the plane of the strip.
The fourth pair 4 give to the edges an initial bend inward, and the fifth pair 5
impart a further bend in the same direction.
From this pair of rolls the grooves of the slat move onto steel cores 7 which
are of the size and shape of the grooves. These cores are prolonged to extend
near a pair of rolls 6 which are of proper form to press the metal about the
ends of the cores near said rolls and give the grooved edges their final and
permanent form.
From the rolls 6 the strip of metal or slat passes between two die-plates 8, 81

page_text: which are, on their adjacent faces, correspondingly concaved and convexed to give
a transverse curvature to the body of the slat. In order that the bending may not
be too sudden the curvature at the beginning of the die is zero or very slight and
increases until that of final form of the slat is attained. At this point is located
a pair of rolls 9 which compress and harden the metal making permanent the
desired form of curve.
The opening between the die plates 8, 81 beyond the rolls 9 is of the form aud
size of the finished slat which freely passes thence to a pair of rolls 10 which last
are for the purpose of drawing the finished slat from the machine.
The several pairs of rolls as well as the dies are all arranged so that their
openings are in a straight line and the series of rolls illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8 are mounted in the front part of the frame of the machine. The bearings
of the upper rolls are preferably adjustably cushioned as indicated in Fig. 3, so
as to yield to inequalities in the metal, but at the same time so as to act with
sufficient pressure upon the metal to effect the desired bending thereof. The
members of the pairs of rolls illustrated in these Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are
geared together so that the motion of one is communicated to all the others.
Any suitable mechanism for the application of power to impart rotary motion
to the rolls is provided and the power is shown to be transmissible from the shaft
of the lower roll 6 to the rolls 9 and 10 by means of sprocket wheels and chains 12
and 13, substantially as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.
The cross section of the slat as it is formed by the several rolls is indicated
by the heavy dark lines between the rolls, and just above the longitudinal sectional
view (Fig. 10) of the curving dies 8 8¹ I have illustrated the appearance of the
cross section of the slat before, during, and after its passage through the dies.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature, of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a machine for making metallic slats of the kind herein described, a series
of pairs of rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 constructed to act in succession upon the edges
of a strip of metal to bend the same to form a similar but reversely arranged
shoulder and groove upon each of the opposite edges of the slat, combined with
cores 7 constructed to fit in the grooves of the slat and prolonged to extend near
the rolls 6, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a machine for making metallic slats of the kind herein described, a series
of pairs of rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 constructed to act in succession upon the edges
of a strip of metal to bend the same to form a similar but reversely arranged
shoulder and groove in each of the opposite edges of the strip, combined with
die plates 88' and rolls 9 for imparting curvature to the slat between the shoulders,
substantially as shown and described.
3. In a machine for making metallic slats of the kind herein described, a series
of pairs of rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 constructed to act in succession upon the
edges of the strip of metal to bend the same to form a similar but reversely
arranged shoulder and groove on each of the opposite edges of the strip,
combined with cores 7 constructed to fit in the grooves so formed and prolonged
to extend near the rolls 6, and the die-plates 8, 8' and rolls 9 for imparting
curvature to the slat between the shoulders, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 24th day of November 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.