Improved Apparatus for the Manufacture of Screw-threaded Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: e of Application, 5th Sept., 1893—Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE RUSSELL AND ERWIN MANUFACTURING Co,,
of New Britain, Connecticut, United States of America.]
Improved Apparatus for the Manufacture of Screw-threaded
Articles.
I, LEONARD DOIG, of 47 Upper Thames Street in the City of London, Manager
of The Russell and Erwin Manufacturing Co., 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 improved apparatus for the manufacture of screw-
threaded articles; and the objects of my improvements are simplicity and economy
in construction and efficiency in operation.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my machine showing the front and one side.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same, showing the rear end and opposite
side of the machine.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same with a part of the hopper and frame
shown in central vertical section.
Figure 4 is a transverse section of the same on the line of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a plan view of my machine with the hopper and some of the holding
caps removed.
Figure 6 is a detached view, showing a longitudinal section of a portion of the
frame and a face view of the blauk-holding wings.
Figure 7 is a like view of the same with the parts in a different position.
Figure 8 is a detached vertical section on the line of Figure 4, the outline
of the wings which come in front of the plane of section being indicated in
dotted lines.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of a portion of the hopper and the swinging chute.
Figure 10 is a detached view of the lower end of said swinging chute and the top
of the feeding tube through which the screws are delivered from the chute, and,
Figure 11 is a corresponding view of the same with the parts in a different
position.
A designates the frame in the lower part of which is mounted the driving
shaft B extending longitudinally within the frame and carrying fast and loose
pulleys 12 and 13, balance wheel C and beveled gear D. Said balance wheel is
also used as a hand wheel to turn the shaft when the power is not on.
At the
rear of the machine and mounted in suitable bearings on a vertical axis is the
crank pin driving disk E having a beveled gear formed on its under surface engaged
with and driven by the beveled gear D. On the same shaft which carries the
crank pin disk is another beveled gear 14 which engages with and drives the
beveled gear 15 on a short horizontal shaft at the other end of which is a disk 16
carrying crank pin 17 to which the lower end of the connecting rod 18 is attached.
The upper end of this rod 18 is connected with an arm 19 of the rock-shaft 20
adjacent to the hopper F. This rock shaft 20 has formed on it an arm 21 that
carries a segment 22 of an annulus, the inner edge of which is fitted to the curved
end of the stationary chute 23 within the hopper. The revolution of the disk 16
acting through the connecting-rod 18 operates to move the segment 22 up and
down in the hopper so as to bring its upper end even at one end of the movement
of the rock-shaft with the upper end of the stationary hopper as shown in Figures 2
and 3 for example and also down near the bottom of the hopper at the other end of
the movement of the rock-shaft. The upper end of the segment 22 is slotted or
grooved so that it takes up screw blanks as it descends towards the bottom of the
D

page_text: hopper and as it rises again, and then delivers them to the stationary chute 23
through which they may fall into the swinging chute 24 and consequently I call the
said segment 22 the "lifter segment." On the upper part of the hopper is a lesser
rock shaft 25 carrying an arm 26 located in a position to be hit by the arm 27 of
the rock shaft 20. On the hopper end of this rock shaft 25 there is a wiper
arm 28 which is of such shape and length in its middle portion as to permit blanks
"which are properly seated in the upper end of the chute to pass under it while a
blank that is improperly seated cannot pass under it. At each movement of the
rock shaft 20 its arm 27 strikes the arm 26 of the rock shaft 25 and thereby moves
the wiper arm 28 upwardly over the extreme upper end of the chute so that if any
blanks lie on the upper end of the chute which are not properly seated therein,
they will be pushed off by said wiper. The movement of this wiper arm takes
place when the upper end of the lifter segment 22 is down below the upper edge of
said hopper. The feed at the lower end of the swinging chute 24 will be hereinafter
described.
Above the crank pin disk E and forward of its centre is a vertical rock shaft G,
the upper end of which carries the gear wheel H, while the lower end carries the
slotted crank arm J. The crank pin 29 of the disk E, shown in broken lines in
Figure 5, rests in a pin block 30, and this pin block lies within a slot of the crank
arm whereby as the driving disk E is revolved, an oscillating movement is given to
the said crank arm so that the gear H is driven alternately in opposite directions.
Upon each side of the gear His a rack 31 which is reciprocated thereby, and to
these racks I secure the threading dies 32 and their carriages whereby the dies are
reciprocated so as to travel past each other. The arrangement of the crank pin on
the disk E with reference to the crank arm J and gear H is such that these dies move
past each other in the direction for doing their work when the crank pin 29 has
the longest leverage on the arm H, and they move in the reverse direction, when
they are not at work, under the shorter leverage of the crank pin whereby the
return stroke of the dies is made in about one quarter of the time that is occupied
by the working stroke. The dies, die holder and carriage may be of any ordinary
or suitable construction.
Mounted to slide transversely in the frame of the machine adjacent to one of the
racks 31 is a slide 33 which is continually pressed upon by a spring 34 with a
. tendency to force it inwardly. At the inner end of this slide there is an adjustable
extension 37, the end of which is opposite one side of the lower end of the swinging
chute 24. In the under side of the slide is a pin 35 which most of the time
presses against the outer edge of the rack 31 as shown at the upper side of
Figure 5, so that it is held in the position there shown. In the same edge of this
rack there is a beveled notch 36 and as soon as this notch is brought in front of the
pin the slide 33 is released and permitted to be moved inwardly by the spring 34
so as to press the adjustable extension 37 against the lower end of the swinging
chute 24 and thereby move it from the position shown in Figure 11 to that shown
in Figure 10. A spring 388 is secured at one end of the slide 33 and by its other
end to the lower end of the swinging chute 24, whereby said lower end of the chute
is held in contact with the end of the adjustable extension 37. At the lower end
of the swinging chute is the stationary feeding tube 38 which is slotted in its rear
side to correspond with the slot in the swinging chute and which is also provided
with a stop finger 39. This finger holds the screws from falling down through the
chute as they press one upon the other, as illustrated in Figure 11. As soon as
the rack reaches the proper point for feeding another screw, the notch 36 comes
opposite the pin 35 of the slide 33 thereby releasing said slide and the swinging
chute is moved by the action of the slide of the spring 34, from the position shown
in Figure 11 to that shown in Figure 10, thereby letting all of the screws in the
chute fall downwardly a distance equal to that occupied by one blank when they
are stopped by striking the left hand upper corner of the feeding tube 38 as shown
in Figure 10. As the rack moves away from the pin 35, the beveled side of its
notch 36 forces said pin and the slide 33 back into the position shown in Figure 5,

page_text: and the lower end of the chute moves with it from the position shown in Figure 10
to that shown in Figure 11. In coming into this position, the stop finger 39 is
interposed in front of the blank immediately above the bottom one so as to stop all
the blanks above it from falling down the chute, and permitting the lower blank to
fall down through the feeding tube as shown in Figure 11.
When the blank thus fed passes out at the lower end of the feeding tube its body
may fall down between the wings 40 while its head is caught by the said wings to
hold the screw in proper position to present the part to be threaded to the
threading dies 32. The dies then make their working stroke to roll the thread in
a manner well understood, and when at or near the end of the said stroke the
wedge 41 on the top of one of the die carriages passes under a swinging block 42
to lift it. This blank is substantially trough shaped in cross section and is pivoted
at its lower outer corner as at 43. Extending longitudinally through it in suitable
bearings is a shaft to which the wing blocks 44 are connected so as to swing
thereon, one of said blocks being secured to said shaft and the other moving on it.
Each wing block carries a pin 45, see Figures 4 and 8, said pin also being indicated
by broken circles in Figures 6 and 7. These pins are acted upon by the lower
corners of the swinging block so that when said block is depressed as shown in
Figure 6 the wing blocks and wings are brought together, and when it is raised as
shown in Figures 7 and 8 they may be opened. This swinging block is depressed
by gravity aided by the spring 46 and the wing blocks and wings are pulled open
by the springs 47. The wings being thus opened by the wedge 41 as shown in
Figures 7 and 8 the threaded screw is permitted to fall from the machine. Upon
the withdrawal of said wedge the wings close together again ready to receive
another blank.
While have described the slide 33 as having an adjustable extension, it is
evident that if properly set, a slide of like form, consisting of one rigid piece
would answer the same purpose. I have also specified the pin 35 as such, but in
effect it is only a holding shoulder so that its pin form is not essential. I have
also described the notch 36 as in one of the racks 31, but it is evident that the
operation and result would be the same if said notch were formed in any part that
reciprocates in like manner in front of said slide. In specifying these particulars,
I do not wish to imply that the other parts of the machine may not also be subject
to such changes as would be readily suggested to mechanics skilled in the art of
rolling screw threads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of the hopper, the upper end of the chute located therein and
having the edge 23 on the arc of a circle, the rock shaft 20 mounted in the centre
of said arc, the lifter segment 22 slotted or grooved at its upper end and mounted
on said rock shaft to oscillate up and down in said hopper about said curved end of
the chute and mechanism for operating said rock shaft, substantially as described
and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination of the hopper, the upper end of the chute 23, the rock
shaft 20, the oscillating lifter segment 22 carried by said rock shaft, the lesser
rock shaft 25, the wiper arm 28 mounted on said lesser rock shaft, and operating
mechanism to move said lesser rock shaft and wiper when the upper end of said
segment is below said upper corner of the chute, substantially as described and for
the purpose specified.
3. The combination of the hopper, the upper end of the chute 23, the rock
shaft 20, the lifter segment 22 mounted on an arm 21 of said rock shaft, the lesser
rock shaft 25, the wiper arm 28 mounted thereon, the arm 26 also on said lesser
rock shaft 25 and the arm 27 on the rock shaft 20 for engaging said arm 26,
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination of the driving shaft B, beveled gear D mounted thereon, the

page_text: crank pin driving-disk having beveled gear in engagement with said gear D, the
slotted crank arm J, its shaft, the gear H at the opposite end of said shaft, the
reciprocating racks geared with the said gear H, the beveled gear 14 mounted
concentrically with the gear of the crank pin disk, and gear 15 in engagement
therewith, the disk 16, the crank pin 17 of said disk 16, the connecting-rod 18,
connected therewith, the arm 19 at the other end of said connecting-rod and the
lifter-carrying rock shaft 20 on which said arm 19 is mounted, substantially as
described and for the purpose specified.
5. The combination of a slotted feeding tube for the end wise passage of blanks
therethrough, the laterally-moving chute mounted with the opening at its
discharge end arranged to face the slotted side of said tube and to be brought into
and out of position for registering therewith, the stop finger 39 located in the path
of the blanks in said chute when it is in position to register with the slot in said
feeding tube, and mechanism for operating said chute, substantially as described
and for the purpose specified.
6. The combination of the laterally-swinging chute the reciprocating rack
having the notch or recess 36, the slide 33 bearing a pin 35 and extension for
engagement with said chute, and the spring 34 for moving said slide when released
by said rack, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
7. The combination of the laterally swinging chute, the slide 33 for acting
against the same, the spring 34 for moving said slide in one direction, the spring 388
for holding said chute and slide together and the rack having the beveled notch,
arranged and operating substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
8. The machine for the manufacture of screw-threaded articles, substantially as
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of Auc 1902
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.