Improved Method of Driving the Spindles of Machine Tools and other Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 2nd Sept.,
1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Driving the Spindles of Machine Tools and
other Machines.
I, JOSEF FLIEGEL, a subject of the Emperor of Germany and resident of
No. 8 Sprottauer Chaussée, Mallmitz, Silesia, in the Empire of Germany, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 an improved method of driving the working spindles
of machine tools and other machines and has for its object, on the employment
of belt, rope, chain or toothed wheel transmission of the driving spindles of the
shafts on machine tools or other machines, directly or by means of gearing shafts,
to exclude, the oscillations, one sided or lateral strains and other irregular
motions necessarily connected which such mechanisms by coupling the driving or
gearing shafts with the working spindles in such a manner that the lateral strains
or other irregular motions are not transmitted to the spindles to be driven.
This is attained by the shafts being coupled in such a manner that the driving
or gearing shafts may exert an independent motion against the spindles to be
driven.
For this purpose, there are provided between the shafts, suitable couplings or
clutches or joints which allow of this independent motion without the driving
mechanism itself being interrupted.
Such a transmission of the driven shafts to the spindles to be driven is of
moment in connection with machine tools or other machines of different kinds,
as manifoldly employed, for instance, in treating metals, glass, ceramic or other
materials.
For carrying out the process herein before described a machine for grinding the
even or perfectly plain surfaces of vessels as for instance, bottles and their
stoppers may be described as an example. This grinding of the bodies or stoppers
can according to this invention be exactly carried out in such a manner that the
employment of tightening means or packing for making a tight stopper is
dispensable. It is immaterial which form the grinding surfaces receive; they
may be even, conical or curved. According to the grinding machine subsequently
treated as an example, the invention is embodied in such a manner that there are
inserted between the driving shafts or gearing shafts operated by the latter and the
spindles to be driven, couplings or clutches which allow of an independent motion
of the shafts and spindles against each other, without the driving mechanism being
interrupted, so that the irregular motions and strains are not transmitted to the
spindles to be driven. As an example, there is treated a coupling or clutch,
consisting of discs on the shafts to be connected, of which the disc on the one
shaft carries pivotally mounted pins or bolts, which freely pass through
spherical bodies rotatably mounted on the one disc. In the manner, this driving
shaft and those to be driven can freely move against each other in all directions,
so that the oscillating and thrusting motions of the driving shafts are not trans-
mitted to the driven spindles. In this manner mutual accurate adjustment of the

page_text: blanks and tools until the completion of the work is maintained during the whole
process. With the grinding machine hereafter described by way of example, there
are obtained grinding surfaces exactly fitting on each other so that the employment
of packing or the like is rendered dispensable.
In the drawing is shown as an example, a grinding machine which by means of
one grinding disc or tool grinds or finishes the surface on a bottle neck and a
bottle stopper to be placed upon the latter.
Fig. 1 is partly front elevation and partly a vertical section of the upper part
of the grinding machine,
Fig. 2 is partly side elevation and partly cross section,
Fig. 3 is partly a plan and partly an horizontal section of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line - of Figure 3 through the coupling
or clutch device on a larger scale and
Fig. 5 is a section on the line y-y of Figure 4 as seen to the right.
1
The frame A of the machine carries on the upper bed plate the spindles a a¹ a³ 1
for the grinding disc or tool d and the blanks e and f, which in the example shown
are a bottle to be provided on the face of the neck with an even or plain
surface and a stopper f fitting thereon, both being simultaneously ground or
operated upon by the disc d.
The spindle a is a hollow spindle, in which the blanke is clamped in a 2
suitable manner, whilst the blank is rigidly connected to its spindle as by a
sleeve for any other suitable device. The spindles a a¹ a³ are mounted in spindle
boxes bb 63, which may be moved longitudinally by slides or head-stocks c c¹ c³ in
the usual manner.
The spindle a is driven by the shaft B, whose pulley C receives motion from a 2
suitable motor and whose disc D operates the shaft 5 by means of a belt passing
round the disc E of such shaft. This shaft 5, which is mounted on a standard or
support 8 serves as gearing shaft for the tool spindle a.
The driving of the spindles a¹ a for the blanks e and f is effected by means
of the shafts 3 and 4, whose bearings are rigidly connected to the spindle 3
boxes bb and which again are driven by the gearing shafts 6 and 7. To these
shafts 6 and 7 the motion of the driving shaft B is transmitted by friction gearing
or other suitable mechanism which, according to the construction shown as an
example, consists of a friction disc g rigidly mounted on the shaft B and in
contact with friction-discs and h on the shafts and h¹ whose pulleys F and G 3
effect by means of belts passing over pulleys I and H respectively the driving
of the gearing shafts 6 and 7 mounted in the spindle boxes 9 and 10.
The coupling of those gearing shafts 6 and 7 with their spindles 3 and 4 and
also the gearing shaft 5 with the spindle a of the grinding disc d is effected
by clutch devices which are fully shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Each clutch device 40
consists of a disc secured on to the driven shaft (as, for instance, 7) such disc³
receiving in a circular groove or in separate recess of semicircular or similar
cross-section the rounded off heads of the pins which pass through radial
slots of a disc s bolted to the plate and are mounted on pivots t. The
bolts or pins r pass through holes or bores of ball-shaped bodies u which by means 48
of discs and respectively are secured in corresponding recesses of the disc v
of the tool spindle or the driving discs secured to the spindles 3 and 4 in such
a manner that they may freely move in all directions. In this manner, the
driving and driven spindles (5 and a, 6 and 3 and 7 and 4 respectively) can exert
such independent motions that vibrations, lateral strains or other irregular 50
motions of the driven gearing shafts 5, 6, 7 caused by the driving mechanism are
not transmitted to the driven spindles a, 3 and 4; there is even possible an angular
position of the spindles as, for instance, shown in Fig. 4.
The spindles at a of the blanks e and f are provided with driving discs 1 and 2
respectively, around which an endless band w passes that is also laid with double- 55
crossing (Fig. 3) over the preferably double conical discs ¹ on the spindles 3 and 4
as also on similar discs 2¹. The discs z', if adjustably arranged, allow of an adjust-

page_text: ment of the tension of the bands wand cause the central discs 1 and 2 being
released or freed from any lateral strain.
The automatic forward movement or feed of the slides or head stocks is
effected as usual in such machines, for instance by worm gearing consisting of
a worm 2ª mounted on the shaft it and engaging in a worm wheel k of the shaft k¹
whose worm again effects the driving of the shaft by means of the worm
wheel ; on the same shaft are provided the toothed gearing m¹ m³ engaging with
the gears n and n³ of the spindles oo which may be adjusted by the hand
wheels 0¹ 0¹ and operating the two slides or head-stocks of the blanks in the
usual manner.
The spindles S of the slide or head-stock of the tool spindle is driven from the
shaft by the gearing PQ R. The slides or head-stocks for the blanks can be
disengaged and moved backwards automatically or by hand by means of any
suitable device used in connection with such machines and therefore not shown
in the drawings. The moving forward or feeding of the slides or head-stocks
can also eventually be effected by hand.
The operations of the various spindle boxes and their slide or head-stocks are
of course arranged according to the blanks to be operated upon the grinding
surfaces to be made, which, as already mentioned, may be even, conical, concave
or convex. The positions of the slides or head-stocks are likewise arranged
according to the work to be done.
The machine can also be operated in such a manner that on dispensing with the
head-stock for the tool spindle and this spindle with its spindle box, the two spindle
boxes for the blanks are moved together with their slides or head-stocks in such a
manner that the blanks work on each other or are mutually ground without the
aid of a grinding disc or other tool.
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:
1/. Improved method of driving the working spindles of machine tools and
other machines by hinging or coupling these spindles to the driving or gearing
shafts of the machine in such a manner that the oscillations, lateral strains
and other irregular motions of these shafts by the motor are not transmitted
to the working spindles substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
2. The employment in connection with the method of driving the working
spindles of machine tools and other machines described in Claim 1, of a driven
spindle provided with a disc carrying bolts pivotted on pins t, such bolts
passing through spherical bodies u freely moving in the disc of the spindle to be
driven substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 17th day of November 1898.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.