Improvements in Machines or Apparatus to be used in the Manu- facture of Tin Plates and other Metal Coated or Uncoated Plates .or Sheets.
Year: 1899

page_text: Reprinted as amended in accordance with the decision of the Chief Examiner
dated the 5th day of March 1906.
(The Amendments are shown in erased type.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus to be used in the Manu-
facture of Tin Plates and other Metal Coated or Uncoated Plates
.or Sheets.
We, HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS, of Kayarma, Llanelly, in the County of Carmarthen
Tinplate Manufacturer, and WILLIAM DAVID DAVIES, of No. 66 Cwindu, Swansea,
in the County of Glamorgan, Tinhouse Superintendent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention consists of new or improved mechanical carriers and parts to be
used therewith to be employed in machines or apparatus used in the manufacture
of tin plates and other metal coated or uncoated plates or sheets which carriers are
especially suitable for the cleaning machines through which the plates are passed
after they have been coated with tin or the like and carried through the palm oil or
other grease, the said cleaning machines having for their object to effect the
removal of the grease from the surfaces of the said plates, but the said carriers inay
also be employed in connection with machines used in the inanufacture of tin plates
and the like other than cleaning machines as well as in connection with machines
used in the manufacture of uncoated plates or sheets.
We will describe the said invention in connection with a cleaning machine.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we remark that cleaning
machines of the ordinary construction consist of two parallel semi-circular or
approximately semi-circular troughs containing bran or the like through which bran
the greasy plates are passed the said plates being turned or inverted on their transfer
from the first trough to the second trough so as to treat equally both sides of the
plates. The means commonly employed for carrying the said plates through the
troughs and effecting the turning operation consist of wheels rotating in the troughs
the said wheels having on their periphery fixed studs or pegs which carry the plates
forward.
In the working of these, the ordinary machines, certain difficulties arise which
it is the object of our invention to overcome.
In constructing a cleaning machine according to our invention we employ the
parallel troughs described and arrange therein rotating wheels or discs having a series
of spindles projecting from one or both sides the said spindles being preferably
parallel to the axis of the disc or wheel. We employ four or other number of the
said spindles on each wheel or disc the spindles being equi-distant and preferably
adjustable. The spindles on one wheel or disc are coincident or in line with those

page_text: on the other wheels or discs on the same shaft or the spindles may be so long as to
pass through all the discs. To each of the said spindles we joint one or more arms
or carriers the said arms or carriers being capable of turning freely on their spindle.
Each of the arms or carriers is cranked near its inner or joint end and its acting
part has preferably a sweep or curvature similar or nearly similar to that of the
trough in which the wheels carrying the arms or carriers slowly rotate.. When
by the rotation of the wheels the arms are in their highest position the said arms
hang nearly vertically and when in that position their lower ends do not extend to
the rotating shaft on which the wheels are fixed and the said arms consequently miss
the said shaft in the rotation of the wheels. The said arms are so arranged that
their under or convex sides are, when the arms are in their highest position,
presented to the front or entrant end of the machine.
The entrant end of each trough is corrugated or provided with ribs, studs or pro-
jections to keep the plate at such a distance from the inner side of the said trough
as will permit the curved parts of the arms or carriers to pass under the plates until
the shoulders at the cranked ends of the arms come in contact with the edge of
the plate.
Between the wheels rotating in the front trough and the wheels rotating in the
parallel rear trough are a series of stops inclining from bottom to top towards the
front of the machine. -
The action of the jointed arms or carriers described is as follows:-
:-
A plate having been introduced into the machine at front is caught by the jointed
arm or carrier which on the introduction of the plate was uppermost. The said
jointed arin-or-carrier descends on the front side of the slowly rotating wheel and
being received on the inner or concave-side of the trough sweeps the bottom of the
said trough pushing the plate through the bran in the trough. The plate ascending
on the rear or distant side of the front trough strikes against the stop and is-so
inclined or directed that on the jointed arm or carrier on the ascending side of the
wheel falling outwards by its own-weight the said plate falls or descends into the
entrant end of the rear trough the face or side which was lowermost in the front
trough being thereby brought uppermost and the inversion or turning of the plate
effected. The plate is carried through the rear trough and delivered at the exit end
of the machine in essentially the same way as that described by which the plate is
carried through the front trough.
The essence of our invention consists in the adaptation to or combination_with
the rotating carrier wheels or arms of jointed arms or carriers of the construction
and having the action hereinbefore described.
1 11. 151
1
1000
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus to be used in the Manu-
facture of Tin Plates and other Metal Coated or Uncoated Plates
or Sheets.
We, HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS, of Kayarma, Llanelly, in the County of Carmarthen, 4
Tinplate. Manufacturer, and WILLIAM DAVID DAVIES, of No. 66 Cwindu, Swansea, in
the County of Glamorgan, Tinhouse Superintendent, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be par
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
1.
Oar nvention consists of new or improved mechanical carriers andi parts to be 5

page_text: used therewith to be employed in machines or apparatus used in the manufacture.
of tin plates and other metal coated or uncoated plates or sheets which carriers are,
especially suitable for the cleaning machines through which the plates are passed
after they have been coated with tin or the like and carried through the palm oil
or other grease, the said cleaning machines having for their object to effect the
removal of the grease from the surfaces of the said plates, but the said carriers may
also be employed in connection with machines used in the manufacture of tin plates
and the like, other than cleaning machines as well as in connection with machines
used in the manufacture of uncoated plates or sheets.
We will describe the said invention in connection with a cleaning machine.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we remark that clean-
ing machines of the ordinary construction consist of two parallel semi-circular or
approximately semi-circular troughs containing bran or the like through which bran
the greasy plates are passed, the said plates being turned or inverted on their
transfer froin the first trough to the second trough so as to treat equally both sides.
of the plates. The means commonly employed for carrying the said plates through
the troughs and effecting the turning operation consist of wheels rotating in the
troughs the said wheels having on their periphery fixed studs or pegs which carry
the plates forward.
In the working of these, the ordinary machines, certain difficulties arise which it,
is the object of our invention to overcome.
In constructing a cleaning machine according to our invention we employ the.
parallel troughs described and arrange therein rotating wheels or discs having a
series of spindles projecting from one or both sides, the said spindles being prefer-
ably parallel to the axis of the disc or wheel. We employ four or other number of
the said spindles on each wheel or disc the spindles being equi-distant and prefer-
ably adjustable. The spindles on one wheel or disc are coincident or in line with
those on the other wheels or discs on the same shaft, or the spindles may be so long
as to pass through all the discs. To each of the said spindles we joint one or more
arins or carriers the said arms or carriers being capable of turning freely on their
spindles. Each of the arms or carriers is cranked near its inner or joint end and
its acting part has preferably a sweep or curvature similar or nearly similar to that.
of the trough in which the wheels carrying the arms or carriers slowly rotate.
When by the rotation of the wheels the arms are in their highest position the said
arms hang nearly vertically and when in that position their lower ends do not
extend to the rotating shaft on which the wheels are fixed and the said arms con-
sequently miss the said shaft in the rotation of the wheels. The said arms are so
arranged that their under or convex sides are, when the arms are in their highest
position, presented to the front or entrant end of the machine.
The entrant end of each trough is corrugated or provided with ribs, studs or pro-
jections to keep the plate at such a distance from the inner side of the said trough
as will permit the curved parts of the arms or carriers to pass under the plates
until the shoulders at the cranked ends of the arms come in contact with the edge
of the plate.
Between the wheels rotating in the front trough and the wheels rotating in the
parallel rear trough are a series of stops or deflectors inclining from bottom to top
towards the front of the machine.
The action of the jointed arms or carriers described is as follows:-
:-
A plate having been introduced into the machine at front is caught by the jointed
arın or carrier which on the introduction of the plate was uppermost. The said
jointed arm or carrier descends on the front side of the slowly rotating wheel and
being received on the inner or concave side of the trough sweeps the bottom of the
said trough pushing the plate through the bran in the trough. The plate ascending
on the rear or distant side of the front trough strikes against the stop or deflector
and is so inclined or directed that on the jointed arm or carrier on the ascending
side of the wheel falling outwards by its own weight the said plate falls or descends
into the entrant end of the rear trough the face or side which was lowermost in the

page_text: front trough being thereby brought uppermost and the inversion or turning of the
plate effected. The plate is carried through the rear trough and delivered at
the exit end of the machine in essentially the same way as that described by which
the plate is carried through the front trough.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in longitudinal vertical section
a cleaning machine containing our improvements to be used in the manufacture of
tin plates and other like plates or sheets.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same and Figures 3 and 4 represent in side elevation
and plan respectively one of the jointed arins or carriers of the said machine detached.
Figure 5 is a modified form of the arm or carrier represented in the machine.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a and ² are the two parallel troughs respectively containing the cleaning bran
or the like and b, 62 are the two series of wheels rotating in the said troughs the
said wheels being driven in the ordinary way. Each of the said wheels has a series
of preferably four horizontal spindles c, c on or near its periphery, and to each of
the said spindles c are loosely-jointed the arins or carriers d. Bushes or sleeves on
the spindles e prevent the lateral motion of the arms or carriers d thereon. The
acting part of the arm & has preferably a sweep or curvature similar to that of the
bottom of the trough and is provided at or near its joint end with a projection or
shoulder d¹ (see Figures 3 and 4). In the modified form of carrier Figure 5 the
shoulder is formed by cranking the arm or carrier & near its joint end. The
projection or shoulder may however be dispensed with the arms or carriers.
having the form represented in Figure 6. In this case the projections on the
peripheries of the wheels b through which projections the spindles cpass.constitute
the-pushers-or-acting parts of the carriers the loosely jointed arms d serving as
cradles to keep the plate from rubbing against the fixed guides e or the bottom of
the trough during the motion of the plate through the trough. Where the carriers d
are suspended from points within the periphery of the wheel or disc_it_is_
desirable-to-provide-a-projection-at-the back of the carrier to prevent the plate
from entering the cleaning material too soon. A projection of the kind referred to
is indicated in dotted lines and marked in Figure 3.
Each of the troughs a, a2 has preferably in its front half a series of rails e which
are common to machines of this kind for preserving the-plate or sheet-introduced
into the trough from off the bottom of the same, the arins or carriers d, working
between the spaces of the rails passing under and engaging the plate or sheet.
At the front or entrance end of the machine is an inclined table or rest on which
the plate or sheet to be cleaned is placed the front edge of the sheet being supported
by the short arm i¹ of the lever i, 2. On the wheels b and at the rear of each arm
or carrier d is a tappet or knocker / which coming in contact with the long arm
of the lever ¹, 2 effects the turning of the said lever and consequently allows the
plate or sheet on the inclined table or rest h to pass into the trough a.
The front
projecting part i of the lever 1, 2 counterbalances the arms of the said lever and
ensures the return of the lever to its normal position as soon as the plate or sheet
has passed into the trough.
Between the two troughs a, a² is a stop or deflector for a series of stops or
deflectors by which the plate or sheet on ascending the rear side of the first trough
is so inclined that on the arın or carrier, rising out of the trough, falling backward
and assuming its pendent position, the plate or sheet enters the second trough
through which it is carried by the arms or carriers of the wheels in the said second
trough the rearmost edge of the plate or sheet while in the first trough becoming
'the foremost edge of the plate or sheet in the second trough.
Although we have described and represented a series of rotating wheels in each
trough we wish it to be understood that a series of discs or a series of arins radiating
from the shafts g, 92 may be employed the free ends of the arms in the latter case
carrying the spindle for the loosely jointed arms or carriers d of the machine.
The essence-of-our-invention consists-in-the-adaptation-to-or-combination-with-the