Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Machines for Making Screw-blanks.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Sept., 1888
Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Machines for Making
Screw-blanks.
I CHARLES DAKE ROGERS, of Providence, in the County of Providence, and State
of Rhode Island, United States of America, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MACHINES FOR
MAKING SOREW-BLANKS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In an application for a Patent in Great Britain filed by me July 10th, 1888,
No. 10,039 I have shown and described a machine for automatically making screw-
blanks, in which the said blanks are produced from a coil of wire the end of which is
intermittingly fed along after it has been upset in a solid die to form the head, and
then severed. In my application just referred to the solid die has a hole through it of
the size of the wire or stock, the whole being countersunk or enlarged at the front
of the die, thereby forming the die proper which is the counterpart of the head to be
produced. In upsetting the metal into this cavity the wire lying in the cylindrical
hole of the solid die-block is so expanded that its removal is attended with considerable
difficulty from the fact that the upsetting of the head is effected before the blank is
severed from the coil of wire, therefore it is necessary to provide not only a powerful
clamping device to withstand the thrust of the heading hammers but it is found that
a feeding device capable of starting the wire from the die after the heading hammers
have completed their work is very essential, supplemented and combined with a
feeding mechanism arranged to continue and complete the feeding of the wire ahead
the desired distance to produce a blank.
The object of my invention which forms the subject of this application, is to provide
a machine for making screw-blanks with improved means for automatically starting
the headed wire from the hole in the die, the movement being continued and
accelerated by a second or supplemental feeding device which feeds the wire ahead the
distance required, and in advance of the action of the cutting off dies which sever the
blank from the coil of wire.,
My invention consists, essentially, of two independent feed-blocks or carriages

page_text: mounted in ways and arranged to travel backwards and forwards through the agency
of suitably shaped actuated cams and connections; each of the blocks being in
halves and grooved to receive the wire or stock, the lower half of each block
being connected with toggle-jointed levers which in turn connect with the cams.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, Figure 1, sheet 1, represents a partial
plan view of a machine for automatically making screw-blanks, and provided with my
improved feeding devices. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view
taken through the line, of Fig. 1, showing the headed wire advanced to its
limit preparatory to being severed. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 represent the action of the
heading hammers upon the end of the wire in producing the head.
Fig. 7, sheet 2, is a partial side view of the machine corresponding to the position
shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 8 is an end view in partial section taken on
linc oo of Fig, 7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view in partial section, showing the feed-
carriages &c.; the forward carriage being upon the point of advancing to force the
headed blank from the solid die; the rear carriage, being in its extreme position and
resting against an adjustable stop. Fig. 10 is a view, corresponding to the preceding
Figure, after the blank has been severed from the wire; the forward carriage
firmly grasping the wire, and the rear carriage being in its extreme forward
position, and Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view taken through the upper portion of one
of the feed-boxes.
A description of the several parts embodied in my improvement, together with the
adjacent parts of the machine is as follows-
C, indicates the anvil portion of the machine in which the solid heading-die Dis
mounted. Immediately at the rear of the die is arranged the wire-clamping device
which consists of the toggle-jointed levers, an adjustably mounted thrust-block w
and gripping clamps 3; the upper half of the clamp is stationary and the lower half
is secured to a guided connection jointed to one of the levers r. A link m adapted
to be actuated by a suitable cam serves to alternately grip and release the wire. This
arrangement, which, however, forms no part of my present invention acts to rigidly
clamp the wire while it is being upset into the die D to form the head h, and is
released from the wire immediately thereafter, so that the devices about to be
described may act to force the wire from the die and push it ahead the desired distance
to produce a blank.
In the drawings, H indicates a cross-head mounted and connected to reciprocate in
ways, see Fig. 1. To the front face of the cross-head a holder G is vertically
mounted in which are secured a series of heading-hammers & for upsetting the end of
the wire into the cavity of the die D. This also does not constitute a part of the
present invention, the same being described and claimed in my application
No. 10,03988 before referred to.
To the front end of the machine is secured an extension or frame B having guides
therein in which the two feed-boxes A are supported and mounted to reciprocate.
These two boxes are substantially alike in construction, each being hollow and having
links connected and arranged therein to produce a toggle-jointed lever. A thrust-
block t¹ rests in the bottom of the box to receive and support the lower link. A
screw tapped into the end of the box affords means for nicely adjusting the grip or
pressure. A cap c is secured to the box, the same having the upper half, a, of the
feed-block secured thereto on its under side, see Fig. 2. The other or lower half, a,
of the feed-block is jointed to the upper link of the toggle-lever i. These feed-blocks
are grooved to receive the wire w, substantially as described with reference to the
gripping-clamps, and as shown in Fig. 11. The centre pin ", which constitutes the
knee of the toggle-lever, works in an elongated opening 2 (Fig. 9) formed in
the side of the feed-box; this slot is so arranged with reference to the centre joint i
that the centres of the three pins constituting the toggle-joint cannot be exactly in
line an adjustably mounted stopf serves to limit the movement of the centre joint i
the opposite direction.
Immediately in front of the forward feed-box and in line with the centre of the die
and the feed-blocks (the term "front" being now considered in the direction of the

page_text: travelling wire) is secured to the anvil portion C a stationary wire guide g, a guide b
being secured to the front side of the rear or second feed-box. These guides assist
to straighten the wire and also serve to prevent its "crimping" while being fed
along.
Mechanism for imparting motion to the feed-boxes is represented in Fig. 7, &c.
A cam K secured to a lower shaft M, in connection with a pivoted lever e engaging
the cam, serves to vibrate a slotted lever A' by means of a connecting rod et; this
slotted lever is secured to a short shaft s mounted at the front end of the machine.
The rod c is jointed to a nut e' constructed to slide in said slot by means of the
screw and hand-wheel c. To the opposite end of the shaft s is secured a lever /
having a link jointed to its upper end which in turn is jointed to the centre
pin of the toggle-lever. This arrangement obviously imparts an irregular
reciprocating movement to the rear feed-box A corresponding to the contour of
the cam K. The feed, or length of wire to be cut-off, is controlled (within its
limits) by the adjusting screw and nut mounted in the slotted lever A', the whole
constituting the main feeding device.
The other feed-box. which acts to forcibly eject the headed wire from the die D is
connected as follows-
A cam F (having a total "throw" of about one-quarter of an inch) is secured to the
shaft M, and by means of a pivoted lever 63 and connecting-rod 64 jointed thereto and
also to the centre pin of the front feed-box A, acts to impart a motion to it corre-
sponding to the cam's offset.
An arrangement for automatically locking the starting feed-box in position
preparatory to gripping the wire and forcing it ahead is as follows-
indicates a two-arm lever pivoted at u² to a stand secured to the frame B inter-
mediate of the two-feed boxes. The front end of the lever is provided with a hook v
adapted to engage a lug of the front box, A; the rear portion of the lever being
provided with a cam-shaped slot u in which a roll u³ attached to the rear feed-box
travels.
The joint operation of the feeding devices and connected mechanisms is substantially
as follows-
We will assume that the headed wire has just been fed ahead the proper distance,
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and that the cut-off dies e are about to be advanced from
opposite sides of the machine by means of the operating connection d³ and cams d²
(shown by dotted lines), the wire meanwhile being held firmly in position by the
gripping-clamp and the rear feed-block. After the blank has been severed from
the coil of wire the heading hammers will successively act to upset the projecting
wire (see Fig. 10) into the solid die D and form the slotted head h. During this
operation of heading, the revolution of the shaft M will cause the rear feed-box to be
forced rearwardly by the action of the cam K and connections and the retracting
It will be
spring d, to the position shown in Fig. 9, and resting against the stop n.
noticed that the roll u³, in connection with the slotted lever u, at the same time
automatically unlocks the forward feed-box by lifting the catch v from the lug v¹, of
the box. Immediately preceding the unlocking or lifting of the catch, however, the
revolution of the other cam (F) will cause the roll mounted in the end of the arm ³ to
advance from the cam surface (Fig. 7) to the concentric surface f³, thereby
carrying the pin ahead in the slot to its limit and thus firmly grip the wire by
the vertical movement of the lower half of the feed-block a². At the proper time,
by means of the continuous revolution of the cam shaft M, the enlargement of the
cam will encounter the lever and advance the front feed-box A ahead about
one-fourth of an inch; this latter movement by reason of the grip of the feed-block
upon the wire carries the wire end wise a like distance in the same direction, thereby
forcibly ejecting the headed wire from the die D. Now, while this is taking place
the other cam K will have engaged the lever e³, and caused the toggle-jointed
lever of the rear feed-box, to grip the wire substantially at the same instant that the
forward feed-box ceases its action. The rear feed will continue the movement of the

page_text: wire (begun by the front feed) and advance it to its limit: the several parts then
being substantially as represented in Fig. 2. I would state that the main gripping
clamp is automatically released just prior to the action of the front feed-box. After
the roll passes the cam projection 2 (Fig. 7) it is immediately forced down upon the
depressed surface f of the cam F, thereby forcing the feed-box in a rearward direction
and releasing the wire from its grasp. At the same time, or while it is thus moving
rearwardly, the advancing or rear feed-box depresses the front end of the lever u,
thereby locking the forward box in position preparatory to again feeding the wire
after the formation of the next head upon it.
By means of the mechanism before described it is obvious that a wire may be
headed in a solid die and then be forced therefrom without bending the stock or
roughening its surface.
As before stated the feed may be readily adjusted, corresponding to the length of
screw to be produced.
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 :
1. In a machine for making screw-blanks, the combination, with a solid die in
which the head of the blank is formed, and an intermittingly actuated gripping-clamp,
of a short stroke feed-box provided with a jointed clamp arranged and connected so
as to slowly start the headed wire from the dic, and a second or supplemental feed-box
having a similar clamp actuated by mechanism arranged to continue and complete
the feeding of the wire ahead to form the blank, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of two wire-feeding devices,
each provided with a toggle-jointed and adjustably mounted lever connected with
the grooved clamp to receive the wire, cams for actuating the feeding devices, the
same being so constructed and timed that the first cam to act will force the headed
wire from the die, immediately followed by the second cam which completes the
feeding of the wire to produce the blank.
3. The combination of a heading-die, a clamping-device, a guide, as .g, for the wire,
a short stroke feed box provided with means for intermittingly gripping and releasing
the wire, arranged to travel in close proximity to the mouth of said guide, and an
auxiliary feed-box having means for intermittingly gripping and releasing the wire,
substantially as herein before described.
4. In a machine for making screw-blanks, the combination of an initial or short
stroke feed-box having toggle-jointed cam-actuated levers for clamping the wire and
feeding it ahead, and a similarly jointed and actuated supplemental feed-box for
continuing and completing the feeding of the wire begun by the first named feeding
device, substantially as set forth.
5 A feed-box of the class described having a gripping-clamp adapted to receive
the wire, a toggle-jointed lever amounted therein connected with the gripping-clamp,
and adjusting screws for controlling the movement of said lever, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
6. The short stroke-feed-box, substantially as hereinbefore described, arranged to
first clamp the wire and having mechanism for forcing the box and wire ahead,
combined with a supplemental feed-box having a guide, as b, secured thereto, and
having a clamp arranged to grasp the wire and mechanism for actuating the clamp
and carrying the feed-box and wire ahead to complete the feeding of the wire to
produce a blank, and mechanism for releasing the clamps and returning the feed-
boxes to the normal position..
7. The combination, with the forward feed-box, constructed, arranged, and operating,
substantially as described, and having a lug, as e, of the rear or supplemental feed-
box, constructed, arranged and operating, substantially as set forth, and a locking-lever,

page_text: as u, pivoted to the frame and engaging both feed-boxes, whereby the forward feed-
box is held in a stationary position until the wire is firmly clamped therein, followed
by the movement of the rear feed-box which automatically releases the lever from the
forward box preparatory to feeding the wire to produce a blank.
8. The combination with the two feed-boxes, mounted one in advance of the other,
and provided with toggle-jointed levers arranged to actuate the gripping-clamps, of
mounted cans connected with the feed-boxes constructed, and arranged so that the
forward clamp will grasp the wire and remain stationary until the clamp of the rear
feed-box releases its hold upon the wire and returns to its normal position and again
commences to advance, the forward clamp is then carried ahead to its limit, thereby
forcing the headed blank from the die, instantly followed by releasing the wire, the
rear clamp meanwhile engages the wire, and completes the feeding of the wire to
produce a blank.
CHARLES DAKE ROGERS.