A Method of and Apparatus for Making Balls or other Articles from Molten Glass or other Molten or Plastic Material.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 16th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Making Balls or other Articles
from Molten Glass or other Molten or Plastic Material.
I, JOSEPH BENJAMIN ADAMS, of 10 Upper Baker Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of balls or other articles from molten
glass or other molten or plastic material and to apparatus therefor, and is chiefly
intended for the manufacture of glass ball stoppers for bottles and the like.
An important feature of my said invention is the manufacture of glass ball
stoppers or other articles by first compressing molten glass or other molten or plastic
material into suitable moulds and then by a movement of the mould blocks or of the
plunger blocks or of a suitable knife or other cutting apparatus so cutting off the
runners that when the moulds are opened the balls or other articles will be delivered
therefrom in a perfect or finished condition. Heretofore it has been customary to
remove the runners from cast glass balls by grinding. This is an expensive and
troublesome process. By my invention I obviate the necessity for grinding off the
runners and I produce a perfect ball in considerably less time and at considerably
less expense than has heretofore been possible.
In carrying my invention into practice I according to one arrangement provide
a pair of mould blocks, constructed of suitable metal and in the adjoining faces of
which are formed the recesses or moulds for receiving the molten metal. The
blocks may be constructed to contain any desired number of moulds. When
intended for the manufacture of glass balls the said moulds will consist of half
spheres so arranged that when the two mould blocks are brought together the half
spheres of one will justify exactly with those of the other and thus form a series
of spherical moulds. If intended for the manufacture of other shapes than balls
the moulds will be formed according to the shapes desired to be made. I prefer
that the mould blocks shall be straight and so constructed as to be capable of
sliding between suitable guides in a frame provided for the purpose. I moreover
so arrange that the moulds just pierce through the upper edge of the blocks, or
in other words I arrange that when the mould blocks are placed together there is
formed a central small aperture leading from the upper edge of the said blocks to
each mould or recess. Through this aperture the molten glass is forced into the
moulds.
On the frame containing the mould blocks I mount a suitable vessel for receiving
the molten glass or other metal or material to be moulded and which is provided
with a suitable plunger.
The lower edge of the said vessel is constructed to make close contact with the
upper edge of the mould blocks and it is provided with a narrow opening in line
with the aforesaid openings of the moulds.
The mode of manufacturing glass balls or other articles by my said apparatus
is as follows.
Molten glass or other molten or plastic material having been run into the
receiving vessel, the plunger is inserted and forced downwards by suitable means
so as to expel the plastic glass or other material and force the same into the moulds.
Immediately the said moulds are filled, the mould blocks are moved laterally in
their guides or the plunger block is moved sideways so as to cut off the runners
and thereby to produce a finished or perfect article. By separating the parts of
the mould blocks, the balls or other articles are allowed to fall out and the process
can then be repeated. Instead of moving the mould blocks or the plunger block

page_text: for the purpose of cutting off the runners I sometimes provide a cutting knife or
the like arranged to traverse the upper edge of the die blocks, the plunger being
first moved away from the die blocks before the said knife is brought into
operation.
I sometimes arrange for simultaneously moulding two or more rows of balls or
other articles.
For this purpose I arrange the mould blocks side by side and construct them to
fit the guide ways in the frame of the apparatus, and so that the upper faces of the
said blocks are all in the same plane. I morcover arrange the plunger block with
a series of narrow openings corresponding in number and relative position to the
number and position of the rows of moulds. I thus provide for filling all the
moulds simultaneously. Moreover with this arrangement the runners of all of
the moulded articles are cut off by one operation or movement of the plunger
block, or mould blocks or knife as above described. I may arrange that the
bars or strips of metal in the plunger block forming the divisions between the
several outlet openings shall be removable.
Dated this 16th day of June 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Making Balls or other Articles
from Molten Glass or other Molten or Plastic Material.
1, JOSEPH BENJAMIN ADAMS, of 143 Gray's Inn Road in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of balls or other articles from molten
glass or other molten or plastic material and to apparatus therefor, and is chiefly
intended for the manufacture of glass ball stoppers for bottles and the like.
The important feature of my said invention is the manufacture of glass ball
stoppers or other articles by first compressing molten glass or other molten or
plastic material into suitable moulds and then by a movement of the mould blocks
or of the plunger block or of a suitable knife or other cutting apparatus so cutting
off the runners that when the moulds are opened the balls or other articles will be
delivered therefrom in a perfect or finished condition. Heretofore it has been
customary to remove the runners from cast glass balls by grinding. This is an
expensive and troublesome process. By my invention I obviate the necessity for
grinding off the runners and I produce a perfect ball in considerably less time and
at considerably less expense than has heretofore been possible.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown in transverse central section a
machine for making glass balls embodying my invention.
A is the framing of the machine, B, B1, B2 are mould blocks which are mounted
between parallel slides in the framing and are capable of moving to and fro in the
said slides. In the inner faces of the said mould blocks are formed hemi-spherical
recesses C, so arranged that when the moulds are closed, the said recesses justify
with each other and forin perfect spherical moulds. The said moulds C just pierce
through the top edges of the mould blocks. The mould blocks are made of any
desired length so as to contain a large or small number of moulds side by side.
I provide the central mould block B with depending parts which form bearings
for a shaft b, is a disc fixed on the said shaft . In the said disc are formed
cam or eccentric grooves ³ ³ for a purpose hereinafter specified. The outer
mould blocks B, B are also provided with depending parts b, in which are fixed
pins, that project into the cam grooves 1, 3. D is a lever pivoted to the
framing at D' and coupled by a lever D' and link D³ to the outer mould block B.

page_text: By operating this hand lever the mould blocks can be moved to and fro in their
slides.
E is a vessel fixed to the framing above the moulds for receiving the molten or
plastic glass or other metal to be formed into balls and the lower face of which is
in close contact with the top of the mould blocks. E' E' are V-shaped grooves
leading to the mouths of the moulds. The strip of metal E' between the said
grooves or channels E' may be made removable.
F is a plunger carried by side rods F1 which are coupled by links F2 and
levers F³ with the pivot axis G¹ of another lever G. By operating the said lever G
the plunger can be brought down into the vessel E upon the molten metal therein.
G³ is a weighted balance arm for raising the plunger upon the release of the hand
lever G. prefer to provide the plunger with a movable part which is adapted
to slide up and down a recess "formed in the plunger. The said movable part f
is carried by rods which pass up through openings in the top of the plunger and
are connected to a cross bar f³. The said cross bar is connected with the plunger
by springs which tend to depress the said cross bar and maintain the part fin
the lowered position shown in the drawing.
When the plunger is forced down upon the molten metal in the vessel E the
part facts with a yielding pressure and operates to spread the plastic metal in the
vessel E from the centre to the sides of the said vessel.
The action of the above described apparatus is as follows. The moulds having
been adjusted to the position shown in the drawing with the mouths thereof
immediately below the openings in the bottom of the vessel E, molten or plastic
glass is placed into the said vessel and then the plunger F is brought down by
means of the lever G with sufficient force to press the glass well into the moulds C.
When this is accomplished, the hand lever D is operated to slide the mould blocks
from beneath the vessel E thereby cutting off the balls while hot.
For opening the moulds to allow the balls to drop out when set, I provide a
rod H which is coupled to the disc 62, and is provided with stops H1, H2 the latter
being formed by nuts which are adjustable on the said rod. When the mould
blocks have been moved laterally and the balls severed from the gates or runners,
the stop H2 encounters a fixed part of the framing A and is arrested, thereby
causing the disc 2 to turn about its shaft as the movement of the lever D is con-
tinued. This rotary movement of the disc operates through the cam or eccentric
groove and pin connections 63, 6 to separate the outer blocks B, B' from the inner
block B and thus allow the balls to drop out. During the return movement of
the lever D the stop H₁ operates to turn back the disc and thus to reclose
the mould blocks. By this apparatus the balls are delivered in a perfect condition
and do not require any subsequent grinding or treatment of any kind.
It is obvious that I may have two mould blocks only so as to cast one row of
balls at one operation, or I may cast more than two rows of balls simultaneously
by duplicating the parts.
If the apparatus is intended for the manufacture of shapes other than balls,
I simply provide the mould blocks with recesses or moulds of the desired shape.
In some instances I provide a cutting knife for cutting off the runners
immediately the articles are cast. In other instances I arrange that the vessel E
shall be moved to cut off the runners. In all cases the runners are cut off
immediately after the balls or other articles are cast, and while the glass is hot.
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 :-
First. A method of making balls or other shaped articles from molten or plastic
glass, or other metal, consisting in casting the said articles in moulds of the proper
shape, and, as soon as the metal has sufficiently solidified, cutting off the runners
by a movement of the moulds or of the feeding vessel, or by a knife traversing the
face of the moulds, for the purpose specified.

page_text: Second. The sliding moulds constructed as described, for the purpose specified.
Third. The devices for opening the moulds as they are moved away from the
feeding vessel, substantially as described.
Fourth. The apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference to
the accompanying drawings, and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 16th day of April 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.