New or Improved Method and Means for Rolling Metal Balls.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method and Means for Rolling Metal Balls.
I, PAUL MÜLLER, of Sobernheim (Rhine Province) in the Empire of Germany,
Technical 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 :-
This invention relates to a rolling mill for the automatic production of com-
pletely true balls of all kinds of metals, intended to replace hitherto used ball
cutting machines as well as the chipping of the balls and which gives considerably
larger output in comparison with the older processes and also avoids the loud noise.
produced by the chipping.
The annexed drawing shows the rolling mill in front view in Fig. 1 and in side.
view in Fig. 2.
In a convenient support a the axles 61 of several pairs of cylinders barrauged
behind one another are journalled in bearings c in such a manner that the steel
rings 6 of the rollers touch one another in the last pair, but that towards the side
where the steel rod blank is introduced they leave between one another an always
increasing space. Each of the cylinders 6 carries a steel ring 63 with hemispherical
holes lying at equal distances, a tension disk 63 for tightening up the steel rings
and screws for the tension disk. By means of toothed wheels d worm wheels e
and worms on the contuon shaft g the cylinders receive an equal rotary move-
ment and the holes in the steel rings of the upper cylinders coincide successively
with the holes provided in the steel rings of the under cylinders, so that each pair
of holes forms a ball like hollow space. For guiding the blank to be worked from
one cylinder pair to the following guides or bridge pieces h are used and for
regulating the position of the upper rollers to the lower ones a hand wheel i is
employed with bevelled wheels k upon the shaft 7 and screw spindles m.
The operation of working is as follows:-
A steel rod of convenient section and about 3 meters length is led through the
introduction cross piece to the first roller pair, and is seized by the cylinders,
which do not touch one another, and is drawn in whereby the sharp eyes in the
steel rings & provide the rod on both sides simultaneously with circular cuts of
2 to 3 mm. depth. The thus prepared rod is then led by the guide h to the
following roller pair, of which the components are placed a little nearer together
and of which the eyes deepen the cut produced by the first roller pair so that the
round cut blanks adhere only for about 1-2 mm. thickness to the body of the rod.
The steel rod now consisting of half finished balls is in the meantime transported
to the third roller pair, which rollers touch one another completely and in this
roller pair the half finished balls are cut away and are pressed and rounded by the
pressure in the sharp edged matrices exactly fitting on one another in the steel
rings whereupon the finished balls fall out of the rollers fully rounded and of the
size required.
For working strong steel rods for producing larger balls, the number of roller
pairs must be augmented, as each pair cuts only 2-3 mm. and the last pair is only
intended for completely cutting and for rounding the balls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what [
claim is :-
1 A method of automatically producing metal halle wherein a metal rod when

page_text: passing through roller pairs arranged behind one another and provided on their
circumference with hemispherical hollows corresponding to the size of the balls,
is provided on both sides with successively deepened cuts, as it advances from
one roller pair to another the last roller pair pressing, rounding, and completely
severing the balls.
2. For carrying out the method specified under Claim 1 a rolling mill, consisting
of several equally propelled roller pairs (bb. . .) arranged behind one another on
which are secured exchangeable steel rings (62 62. . .) serving as matrices, which
steel rings are provided all round at equal distances with hemispherical hollows
and which leave an always diminishing space between them from the first to the
last roller pair and which receive between each roller pair a bridge piece for
guiding the blank to be worked.
Dated this 15th day of
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Application.