Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 7th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Jan., 1888
I, SIDNEY STEVENS, of 20 King Street, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of a machine by which metal plates, such
as sheet tin, may be folded and bent to required angles as desired, and in which
the adjustment for wear or alteration in work may be easily and readily
accomplished.
My machine consists of a horizontal table, which is pivotted at one end, and the
other is in close proximity to the edge of a folding knife. The said folding knife is
attached to a frame, and has underneath it a slide, that can be readily adjusted for
position by a suitable hand screw on the frame, which, when the work is first laid in,
appears to be a continuation of the working table. The sheet to be manipulated is
It is
laid upon the working table, and entered under the edge of the folding knife.
there gripped in position by a gripper under the knife, which slides upon the frame
supporting the folding knife, and is operated by a cam and lever movement by a
crank handle on the said knife frame.
The whole of the said gear, namely the folding knife, gripper and gripper cam and
lever movement, rotate around a centre, which is situated at the extreme edge of the
aforesaid working table. The said centre axis is provided with a cam, which supports
an overhead lever holding up the working table in position until the maximum angle
of fold has been traversed by the folding knife. A flat on the cam of the said axis
then allows the upper lever, and consequently the working table, to drop, freeing the
sheet, further undesirable travel being arrested by the main shaft resting upon
columns. The handle of the grip gear or other suitable part at the same time comes
into contact with a set screw or other portion of the overhead lever or frame, when
A reversal of the movement
the maximum angle of bending has been effected.
by which the grip was applied and the sheet folded resets the machine. The
determination of any desired angle of fold may be fixed by certain projecting cams
or arms adjusted by hand as required, by which the rotary or bending movement of
the knife table may be checked at any desired point. Should the knife edge wear, it

page_text: can be trued up and readjusted on the frame, but if the edge of the table wear, it may
also be trued up, but the frame carrying the folding knife must follow the wear.
This I effect by mounting the axis of the knife frame upon a pair of levers, which
are adjustable in position by set screws and thus enable the axis of the said knife
frame to be approached to the edge of the working table as desired. Or, should the
table not be parallel to the knife edge vertically, either end may be raised or lowered
by means of other set screws operating suitably upon the support of the axis of the
knife table.
Dated this ɩn day
of repruary 1087.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Metal Folding Machines.
I, SIDNEY STEVENS, of 20 King Street, Poplar, 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 construction of a machine by which metal plates, such
as sheet tin, may be folded and bent to required angles as desired, and in which
the adjustment for wear or alteration in work may be easily and readily
accomplished.
My machine consists of a horizontal table which is pivotted at one end, and the
other is in close proximity to the edge of a folding knife. The said folding knife is
attached to a frame, and has underneath it a slide that can be readily adjusted for
position by a suitable hand screw on the frame, which when the work is first laid in,
appears to be a continuation of the working table. The sheet to be manipulated is
laid upon the working table and entered under the edge of the folding knife. It is
there gripped in position by a gripper under the knife, which slides upon the frame
supporting the folding knife and is operated by a cam and lever movement by a
crank handle on the said knife frame.
The whole of the said gear, namely the folding knife, gripper and gripper cam
and lever movement, rotate around a centre, which is situated at the extreme edge of
the aforesaid working table. The said centre axis is provided with a cam, which
supports an overhead lever holding up the working table in position, until the

page_text: maximum angle of fold has been traversed by the folding knife. A flat on the cam
of the said axis then allows the upper lever, and consequently the working table, to
drop, freeing the sheet, further undesirable travel being arrested by the main shaft
or suitable lug resting upon columns. The handle of the grip gear or other suitable
part at the same time comes into contact with a set screw or other portion of the
overhead lever or frame, when the maximum angle of bending has been effected.
A reversal of the movement by which the grip was applied and the sheet folded resets
the machine. To remove the sheet :if the sheet be almost or completely folded over,
the sheet will push through under the bending or knife-table when in its inverted
position, the folded edge readily disengaging from the knife. If the angle of bending
be about 90° or less, on reversal of the bending table the sheet rises from the working
table, and is readily released towards the operator by the workman, as the gripping
jaws are slacked back & the knife table reverses. The determination of any desired
angle of fold may be fixed by certain projecting cams or arms adjusted by hand as
required, by which the rotary or bending movement of the knife table may be
checked at any desired point. Should the knife edge wear, it can be trued up and
readjusted on the frame, but if the edge of the table wears, it may also be trued up,
but the frame carrying the folding knife must follow the wear. This I effect by
mounting the axis of the knife frame upon a pair of levers, which are adjustable in
position by set screws and thus enable the axis of the said knife frame to be approached
to the edge of the working table as desired.
Or should the table not be parallel to the knife edge vertically, either end may be
raised or lowered by means of other set screws operating suitably upon the support
of the axis of the knife table.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had
to the letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to like parts throughout
the drawings.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my metal plate bending machine.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same on line xx.
Figure 3 is a plan of the same.
A is a table of suitable width and length, hinged at B; ("CC is a frame capable
of rotation about the axis D; E E is a regulator frame adjusted to and fro according
to the required width of the bend to be effected by a set screw F screwing in or out
of the frame C; G is a knife or plate with the edge nearest to the axis D bevilled off,
the knife edge coinciding with the axis of oscillation of the frame C; H is a shaft
capable of a partial rotation by the handle H' upon which are keyed two or more
cams J, which by this partial rotation act upon the lever jaws L, pivotted on the
frame C, and raise the gripper plate M, which grips the metal plate between itself
and the knife G. The whole frame and its parts rotate about the axis D, thus
bending the metal plate, because the table A prevents that part of the metal plate
which is not held by the gripper from rotating with the frame C. The frame is
capable of moving through one half revolution or other smaller angles as required,
and just before the completion of its travel, the flat c on the cam C₁ comes uppermost,
and thus allows the lever O to fall; and thus the table A, no longer held up by the
stud O', also falls, and leaves the metal plate free to be withdrawn so soon as the
gripper M is released, as follows:-During the latter portion of the rotation of C,
that is when the knife or plate G is approaching the table A, the weight of the
frame Crests upon the handle H' in a direction so as to cause the shaft H to return
to its normal position, and with it, the cam J, and thus the lever L is unlocked. The
surface n of the lug N which is cast solid or fixed to the gripper M comes to rest
upon the stud P, and thus the gripper is raised from the knife G, and so the bent
metal plate is free to be withdrawn as before described. By this operation the metal
plate has been bent almost double. Should a less amount of bend be desired, a pin cl
on each of the cheeks of the frame C comes in contact with one of the adjusting
pieces Q. As shown in the drawing, the pieces would allow the pin to clear and
complete a half revolution; but if they are turned so as to rest in a horizontal

page_text: position, they project into the path of the pin, and so prevent further travel of the
frame C. If all are horizontal, the metal plate will be bent to a right angle, and if
one by one they are dropped, beginning from the outermost, the metal plate will be
bent more and more until all are down, in which case the metal plate will be almost
bent double as previously described.
Should the knife edge wear, it can be trued up and readjusted on the frame C, and
if the edge A¹ of the table A wears, it can also be trued up but in this case the
frame C must be caused to follow the wear. This is effected as follows:-The axis D
is pivotted in the brackets R, which are pivotted at S, and, by moving these brackets
to right or left by set screws T, the frame will be caused to recede from or approach
to the edge of the table A as desired. Should the table A not be parallel to the knife
edge vertically, either end may be raised or lowered by means of sot screws U being
screwed in or out, using the rounded face of the bracket R as an incline.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
-
1st. The construction of a plate bending machine substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. In such a plate bending machine the combination of a pivotted frame carrying
a bending knife, adjustable distance stops and a gripper device, with a stationary
table free to drop when the operation is completed, substantially as described.
3rd. In such a plate bending machine, the pivoting of the bending frame upon lever
supports adjustable vertically and horizontally by set screws so that the bending knife
may be made to follow wear and be adjustable so as to be truly parallel to the edge
of the table, substantially as described.
4th. In such a plate bending machine the combination of the pivoted bending
frame carrying cams at its axis with over head supported lever and set screws, by
which the table is held up and released at the required moments, substantially as
described.
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