US1104559A - Machine for performing operations on the ends of can-bodies. - Google Patents

Description

" L. O. SHARP. MACHINE FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON THE ENDS OF (:AN BODIES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909. RENEWED DEC. 7, 1912.

1,104,559. Patented July 2-1, 1914.

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L. C. SHARP.

MACHINE FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON THE ENDS OF CAN BODIES.

APBLIOATION FILED JUNE18, 190 RENEWED DBO. 7, 1912.

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MACHINE FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON THE ENDS or CAN BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909. RENEWED DBO. 7. 1912.

1,104,559, Patented July 21, 1914.

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L. G. SHARP.

MACHINE FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON THE ENDS 0F CAN BODIES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 18, 1909. RENEWED DEC. 7, 1912.

1,104,559. Patented July 21, 1914.

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LEE C. SHARP, 0F PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR '10 AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ONTHE ENDS OF CAN-BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21,1914.

Application filed June 18, 1909, Serial No. 502,861. Renewed December 7, 1912. Serial No. 736,541.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, LEE C. SHARP, of Plattsmouth, count-y of Cass, State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Performing Operations on the Ends of Can- Bodies, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as Wlll enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present application embodies a refinement of the mechanism disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 455,950, filed October 3, 1908.

1n the embodiment here shown, the machine is designed to flange outwardly the ends of can bodies preparatory to the application of the head and the rolling of a seam by which to join the head to the body without solder." The invention, however, is by no means limited by this specific work, since by obvious modifications in the form of the dies it may be adapted to numerous other operations on or at the ends of the can body. 7

One of the leading features of m invention resides in a former head or eads which is furnished with a die arranged to engage the end of the can body and force its edge outward to form the flange, said head having a limiting or gage wall which determines the width of the flange and insures its uniformity. Preferably, the head or heads rotate and are furnished with curved or arc-shaped guides, which not only control'automatically the engagement and disengagement of the bodies with and from the heads, but embody shoulders acting as a means by which the flanges when formed are engaged and the cans stripped from the dies.

My invention involves numerous other features of importance, all of whichwill be set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims,

Reference is now. had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, as an exam ple, the preferred embodiment of my invention when the same is adapted for Hanging can bodies.

In said drawings,-Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the former heads showing the dies, limiting and holder walls and illustrating the can bodies by broken lines; Fig. 4; is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing the can bodies in section, one of the former heads and the adjacent chutes and illustrating the automatic movement of the bodies through the machine; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sect-ion of one of the former heads on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 6 is a still further enlargement illustrating the die and the limiting wall of the former head; Fig. 7 is a detailed section showing possible modification by which the die is spring-sustained on the former head; and'Fig. 8 is an enlarged section through one of the former heads, the spindle thereof and its bearings, and illustrating the driving sprocket and the cam and roller by which the former head and die are periodically reciprocated.

The machine is provided with a frame which, as shown, has legs 10 and a table 11, sustained thereby. The table 11 (see Fig. 2) is relatively narrow for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. It is obvious, however, that this formation of the frame is not essential to my invention. On the table are mounted two pairs of pedestal bearings 12 which are designed to carry the rotating spindles to be hereinafter described. Said pairs of pedestals are designed to be adjusted towardand from each other on the table to accommodate different forms and.

shafts or spindles 17 in such a manner that said spindles or shafts are free to both rotate and reciprocate. Keyed, or otherwise fastened to said shafts 17, are sprocket wheels. 18 over which run chains 19. The runs of'the chains are at opposite sides of the narrow table 11 and run over sprocket wheels 20 on a driveshaft 21; The drive shaft 21 is carried horizontally in the frame below the table and one or both of. the sprocket wheels 20 are designed to be adjusted along the shaft to follow the adjustment of the pedestals. The shaft 21 is furnished with a band pulley 22 or other means bywhich it may be rotated rapidly. In this manner the shafts 17 are rotated rapidly and in exact unison with each other. v 1

The, shafts 17 carry fixedly, either. as

parts of the sprocket wheels 18 or. otherwise, hubs or collars 23and these mount, each of them, a roller 24. Said'rollers move orbitally around the shaft with the sprocket Wheels and are designed to engage cams 25 formed on the faces of disks 26 against .which said rollers run. The disks 26 are fixedly mounted at the sides of the bearings 16 and are preferably furnished with devices ofany suitable nature by which their P on around the axis of the shaft 17 may be adjusted. o I

27 indicates, expansive springs which are coiled around the projecting ends of the shafts 17 beyond the bearings 16 and engage collars 28 at the extremities of said projecting ends, tending to move the shafts 17 outward away from each other.

. Ifdesired, anti-friction collars or other similar devices 29 may be fitted loosely on the shafts. 17 and engage with the bearings 16. In this manner the rollers '24 are held yieldingly in contact with the track disks 26 and as the {shafts 17' rotate'the rollers periodically engage the cams and the shafts are given simultaneous and instantaneous reciprocation inward toward each other and 'thence outward away from each The abovementionedformer heads 30 are carriedon the inner or opposing ends of the shafts 17, and as bestshown in Figs. 3, 4

and 5 are circularin forna, adapt ed to circular cans and rovided with an" annular flange 30 constituting the limiting wall.

v The heads 30 are further provided with areshaped, preferably semi-circular walls '30, forming extensions of the flanges 30* and terminating in inwardly disposed flanges 30 constitutmg the stripping walls or flanges. Located against the inner faces of the former heads and within the flanges 30 are-dies 31. These are'circula'r for circular cans and preferably have their Cope-rating edges31 tapered inwardly, the wider di-' mension of said edges" carrying an outward flange or wall 31 against whlch'the flange is formed. The precise shape of the edges '31'is not however material and largely depends upon the nature of the w'orloto be performed. Thus, in Fig. 6 it"is's'hown that flange 31 is practically cylindri'c, the flanging operation being performed mainly by the lip or' wall 31 'before-described: The

7 parts 30 and 31 arehere shown'as cylindric.

This, however,' is a more example of the numerous possible constructions; and the shape of the parts in practice is varied widely to accommodate square and other forms of cans and other .modifications in the character of the'work performed bythe machine. When the canbody is positioned between the former heads, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3, it rests tom 0- rarily on the flanges 30. which serve to ]l18- to stri m the tan body with respeet'to "thcqdiesl 31. At this instant the former heads move forward ,simultaneously "and the "edges--' of the ca'n body engage the working edges 31 of the dies, whereupon saidedges are...

swaged or forced outwardagain st the walls 31 which continue the swagingaction and form the flanges which are indicated b the broken lines in Fig. This 'swagingor flanging operation continues until the outer" edges of the flanges engage the limiting Walls '30; These walls serv two distinct and important functions. First, they limit or arrest the flanging operation, and second, they present a true circular wall tothe round flange, giving saidflange. a corresponding shape and'causing it to be -true and perfect in every particular. -When these operations have been completed, and

they are effected by an instantaneous action, the former heads retract and thereupon the flanges 30 and walls 30" engage and carry the flanged can body until-the same is discharged from the former heads, as will-be hereinafter described. Fig. 7 shows that in some cases the die 31 instead of beingrig- .idly fastened to the former head maybe loosely arranged and furnishedwith a-stud 31 movablein the shaft 17 andpressedoutward by a s rmg 33 alsofitted-in said cav-.

ity. With t is construction the die is projected toward the can body inadvance; of

stick to one of the dies as they separate, the flange 30 of the other die willengagethe flange of the can and pull the'can off of the first named die. v 11 The bearings 15 carry on their flathtop surfaces upwardly and outwardly extend- ,ing supporting arms 34 which are parallel with each other and sustain angle strips 35 also parallel and constituting a guideway on which the can bodies are held and along which they roll outward toward the former heads as shown in Fig. 4. The bearings 15 also carry upwardly and inwardly projecting arms 36 which sustain guide strips 37 extending longitudinally of the iron angles 35 but above the same so as to bear on or directly over the can bodies at the lower part of the chute to prevent the can bodies from being displaced upwardly. The guide strips 37 are preferably flexible-so that they maygive to allow slight movement of the cans upward in the c ute but prevent any rom the dies at the time that-the material displacement in that direction. As shown in Fig. 4-, the supply chute leads down to the space between the former heads, and below this space and leading from the machine at the side opposite that on which the chute 35 is located are similar, angle strips 38 which constitute the discharge chute receiving the flanged can bodies as they disengage from the former heads. The before described semi-circular wall 30 in addition to the functions previously described serves the further function of introducing a can body intoposition between the lormer heads, holding back the supply in the chute 35 and discharging the can bodies into the chute 38 when the flanges have been formed. Referring to Fig.4, it will be seen that the can body has been entered into position between the former heads and is resting on the wall 30. It will also be seen that said wall rotating with the former head engages with the supply of can bodies in the chute 34 and will continue so engaged for J; revolution of the former head holding back the supply during this time. At this period the flanges are formed by the operations before described, and the former heads separate so that as the wall or walls 30 reach a position upward from that shown in Fig. 4 the can will be deprived of its support and will fall from the walls 30* into the discharge chute 38. At this time the supply of cans in chute 35 will be deprived of their support and will advance downward, the lowermost can entering the space between the former heads and being there arrested by the walls 30. NVhen this takes place the continued rotation of the former heads brings the walls 50 back to the position shown in Fig. 4 and the above-described operation is repeated. It will thus appear that the can bodies are automatically ontereu into engagement with the former heads and discharged therefrom, and that this important operation is performed without special feeding devices and by mere rotation of the former heads which in addition to this function is performing other and equally important functions.

From the aforegoing it will be perceived that my invention performs a diflicult operation by a most simple mechanism which is automatic in every respect and which by reason of its simplicity may be driven at very high speed, thus making the machine one of high capacity.

It will further be seen that the principles herein set forth are by n means limited to the Hanging of cans, but that by simple modifications the machine may be adapted to various other operations, such, for instance, as fastening the heads to the previously flanged can bodies. Further, it. is not esscntial that two similar former heads be employed in opposition to each other as shown, since one of such heads might be adapted to flange and the other to perform some other operation or it might be a blank to perform no operation.

It will also be seen that the machine may be easily adapted to various sizes of cans by adjusting the bearings of the spindles, and further that as these are adjusted the parts of the chute follow the adjustment since they are attached to the bearings and movetherewith.

I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a machine for forming flanges on can bodies, the combination of an inclined chute, a yielding guide finger over the chute,

'said chute and guide finger adapted to carry a row of cans, a reciprocating die and means for allowing the can bodies successively to engage the die, said die fitting within the end of .the can body and simultaneously engaging its entire circumference and acting to form a continuous flange around the whole circumference of the can body at the same time by the movement of the die in the direction of the axis of the can.

2. In a machine for making cans, the combination of a frame having a table and supports therefor with a reciprocating Hanging die having a surrounding limiting wall for the flange to abut against, a rotating shaft carrying it, a sprocket wheel attached to said shaft, a drive shaft in the frame below the table, a sprocket wheel attached thereto and a chain run over said sprockets and having its runs at opposite sides of the table, said die fitting within the end of the can body and simultaneously engaging its entirecircumference and acting to form a con t-inuous flange around the whole circumference of the can body at the same time by the movement of the die in the direction of the axis of the can.

3. In a can-body fianging machine, the combination of a pair of opposing Hanging heads, each head having a portion of its inner side extended a substantial distance to form a segmental rest to receive and sup-- port the can-body, and each head having also in its inner face an annular groove with a tapering port-ion rigid with the head and projecting from the inner wall of said groove, said tapering portion being adapted to enter the open end of the can-body and the groove being adapted to form the flange on said end, and means for moving the heads toward and from each other.

4-. In a can-body flanging machine, the combination of a pair of opposing flanging heads, each head having a portion of its inner side extended a substantial distance to form a segmental rest to receive and support the can-body, and each head having also in its inner face an annular groove with a tapering portion rigidwith the head and projecting from the inner wall of said groove, said tapering portion being adapted to enter the open end of the can-body, and the groove being adapted to form the flange on said end, means for delivering the can to the heads; means for revolving said heads, and means called into action by the'revolution of the heads for forcing them toward and from each other.

5. In a can-body flanging machine, means for extracting the flanged body from the groove in which the flange is. formed, in-

eluding reciprocating flanging heads oarrycopies of this patent may he'obtained for ing semi-circular rests, a shoulder formed in two subscribing witnesses.

a LEE 0. SHARP.

Witnesses: Boy GfKRA rz,

five cents each, by addressing the '(tomminioner 012mm, I walhington, Ill-G." I t r.

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