Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct., 1888
I, HERMANN CARL ZAPPERT, of 3 Saint George's Avenue, Upton Park, in the
County of Essex, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide a simple and efficient apparatus for cutting
splints for matches and arranging the said splints as they are cut in a convenient
manner for dipping.
According to my Invention the veneer or strip of wood from which the splints are
to be cut is fed beneath a reciprocating cutting blade or guillotine knife which at
each cutting stroke separates from the veneer a splint of the required thickness to form
a match.
The splints as they are cut fall between the periphery of a roller formed of or
covered with elastic material and a concave curved surface arranged in proximity
thereto, and are thereby conducted on to a travelling web or band. This web or band
in the form of a roll is placed on a spindle mounted in suitable bearings in the frame
of the machine, and the free end of the band, after passing round a guide roller,
arranged beneath the clastic roller before referred to, is connected to another spindle
which is mounted in moveable bearings, and acted upon by a spring or springs or their
equivalents so as to cause the spindle to bear upon the guide roller round which the
band passes. An intermittent rotary motion is given to the elastic roller, so as to feed
forward the splints, by means of a pawl carried by a lever mounted loosely on the
axle of the elastic roller the said paw! gearing with a ratchet whee! fast on the said
axle. Reciprocating motion is imparted to the cutting blade by means of an eccentric
or its equivalent on a shaft driven from the main driving shaft of the machine, and
on the eccentric shaft is loosely mounted a lever which is connected at its outer end to
the lever carrying the pawl herein before referred to, so that each time the cutting
blade moves back after separating a splint from the veneer, a partial rotation is given

page_text: to the elastic roller so as to feed the severed splints forward towards the web or
band. The splints are thus arranged at or about equal distances apart on the web or
band and projecting beyond the edges thereof. The distance apart of the splints on
the band is regulated by the extent of the intermittent motions given to the elastic
roller.
A motion coincident with the motions of the clastic roller is given to the guide
wheel by means of a strap from the main shaft passing round a pulley fast on the axle
of the said roller, and as this roller is in frictional contact by the pressure of the springs
or their equivalents with the web or band which passes between it and the spindle to
which the band is attached, the web or band with the splints thereon is wound on to
the said spindle, the splints being thus spirally arranged in series between the con-
volutions of the band and with their ends projecting. When the whole of the web or
band is wound on to the spindle it is removed from the machine and the projecting
ends of the splints are dipped and then left to dry and another roll of web or band is
placed in the machine to be filled with splints as herein before described. The machine
may be arranged to cut two or more splints at each motion of the cutting blade, and
to feed two or more webs or bands simultaneously.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Cutting and Arranging Match
Splints.
I, HERMANN CARL ZAPPERT of 3 St. Georges Avenue, Upton Park in the County
of Essex, Chemist 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 :-
The object of my Invention' is to provide a simple and efficient apparatus for cutting
splints for matches and arranging the said splints as they are cut in a convenient
manner for dipping.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a plan and Figure 2 a longitudinal section
of a machine constructed according to my Invention and Figure 3 is a detail herein
after described.
The veneer or strip of wood from which the splints are to be cut is fed between
rollers A A¹ to beneath a reciprocating cutting blade or guillotine knife B carried
by a bar B2 fitted to slide vertically in guides Cin the frame D. This knife at each
cutting stroke separates from the vencer a splint of the required thickness to form a
match.
The splints as they are cut fall between the periphery of a roller E formed of or
covered with elastic material and a concave curved surface F arranged in proximity
thereto as shown and are thereby conducted on to a travelling web or band G. This
web or band G in the form of a roll is placed on a stud or spindle H carried on an arm
or bracket H2 fixed to the frame of the machine and the free end of the band after passing
round a guide roller I and over a flat surface K is connected to a bobbin L² mounted
on a stud or spindle L. fixed on a movable arm or lever M to which is attached one
end of a cord N passing round pulleys O the opposite end of which cord carries a
weight P tending to maintain the web G as it is being wound onto the bobbin L² in
contact with the roller so as to cause it to be compactly wound upon the
bobbin L². A spring or springs may if desired be substituted for the cord and
weight.
Reciprocating motion is imparted to the cutting blade B by means of eccentrics Q
(or their equivalent) mounted on a shaft R driven by gearing T from the main driving
shaft S of the machine the eccentrics Q acting on arms or levers U connected to the
cutter bar B².
One of the levers U as shown in Figure 3 carries a pawl V which each time the
cutting blade moves back after separating a splint from the veneer engages a tooth of
a wheel W fast on the axle of the feed roller A so as to impart a partial rotation to the
said roller to feed the veneer forward towards the cutter. An intermittent rotary
motion is thus given to the feed roller A so as to feed forward the veneer step by step
a distance equal to the thickness of the splints to be cut. The splints as they are cut
fall between the elastic roller E and the curved surface F as herein before described
and are conducted thereby to and arranged at or about equal distances apart on
the web or band G the ends of the splints projecting beyond the edges of the web.

page_text: The distance apart of the splints on the web may be regulated by an arrangement
of change wheels so as to vary as required the speed of rotation of the rollers E and I
with reference to the intermittent motions of the feed roller A. A motion coincident
with the motions of the elastic roller E may be given to the guide wheel I by means
of gearing X as shown or by other suitable means, and as the roller I is in frictional
contact with the web or band which passes between it and the bobbin L² to which the.
band is attached the web or band with the splints thereon is wound on to the said
bobbin the splints being thus spirally arranged in series between the convolutions of
the band and with their ends projecting. When the whole of the web or band is
wound on to the bobbin L² it is removed from the stud or spindle Land the projecting
ends of the splints are dipped and then left to dry, and another roll of web or band is
placed in the machine to be filled with splints as herein before described. To facilitate
the unwinding of the band G after the splints have been dipped a tape or web Y is
simultaneously wound on the bobbin 1 with the splints and the web G the splints
being between them. This tape Y which is preferably narrower than the web G is
mounted in the form of a roll on a stud Z and the end thereof after passing round a
groove e in the roller E is attached to the bobbin L² to which the web G is connected.
The machine illustrated by my drawing is arranged to cut two splints at each motion
of the cutting blade and to feed two webs or bands simultaneously G being the
second web held out off action by the bar L³ and Y' is the tape to be wound with the
splints in the convolutions of the said web G, but a machine may be constructed to
cut only one splint or more than two splints at each cutting motion of the blade B if
desired.
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 :-
First. In machines for cutting and arranging match splints the combination with a
reciprocating cutter or guillotine knife of means for feeding intermittently to the
action of the cutter the vencer or strip from which the splints are to be cut a distance
equal to the required thickness of a splint substantially as herein before described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. In machines for cutting and arranging match splints the combination with
a cutting device for cutting splints from a strip of wood or vencer of an elastic roller
arranged to rotate in proximity to a concave surface between which roller and concave
surface the splints as they are cut fall and by which the splints are conducted on to a
travelling web substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Third. In machines for cutting and arranging match splints the combination of the
elastic roller E concave surface F travelling web G and the roller I for arranging the
splints as they are cut at or about equal distances apart on the travelling web the said
web being wound on a bobbin or the like with the splints between the convolutions
of the wound web substantially as herein before described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fourth. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting a machine
for cutting and arranging match splints as herein before described and illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
D
11 .all
T
1000