US2800959A - Window channeling machine - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1957. w. s. BAKER EI'AL WINDOW CHANNELING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 5, 1952 INVENTOR Walter Scott Baker BYHoward M- De e M *f k e ATTORNEYS y 30, 1957 W. s. BAKER ETAL v 2,800,959

WINDOW GHANLJELING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 an 72 uunuu 64 INVENTOR 7 Walter Scott Baker Haward MDodge i j E ATTORNEYS Unite WINDOW CHANNELING. MACHINE Application November .1952, SerialNo. 318,9il8

vtllaims. (Cl. 164-89) This invention relates to. a machine for perforating and otherwise deforming strips and bands of resilient material. In particular,.it relates to a. machine for perforating strip stock witha positive punch return mechanism and with resilient. strip stock feed rolls, at least one of which comprises inner and outer concentric. cylinders withvan annulus. of;rubber=like material in substantial elongation and radial compression disposed between them.

Bands or. strips-of thin-metal and plastic stock are often punched or otherwise deformed so as to provide them withvarious; combinations of rigidity andflexibility in alternate planes. For example, strips of metal are punched for formation ofthe frames for Window channel in automobile bodies, said channelbeing laterally rigid but transversely flexible to provide for fitting'into the automobile window contour. Likewise, strips and bands of material are fed into machines for making large numbers of .stampings or punchings in conventional punch and die mechanisms.

In the above type of operations the strip is always momentarily arrested and deformed and then fed on through the machine. One of the most difficult problems is that of feedingthe strip into the machine and coordinating, the rate of feed with the intermittent and momentary arrest of the strip.

Accordingly, it is one object of the subject invention to provide means for feeding strip into punching or perforating machines which is relatively simple and inexpensive and automatically provides for the intermittent and momentary arrest of the strip.

It is another object of the subject invention to provide means in the feed rolls to take up and compensate for the momentary arrest in punching and deforming operations which in no way mars or defaces the strip and which does not place undue strain on the punch.

Still other objects of the present invention are to provide a punching machine which is not subject to excessive Wear and break down and which is still relatively inexpensive to build and maintain.

Other objects and advantages become apparent from the following description of several embodiments of the invention made in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts and in which;

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a strip perforating machine embodying the subject invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of this machine taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section of the feed rolls taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the feed rolls, the punch impact lever, and the punch return crank;

Fig. 5 is a side view with portions broken away of the feed rolls and the punch and die mechanism of the subject machine;

Fig. 6 is an end view of the punch and die mechanism of the subject machine; and

Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the punch impact lever,

.ittes Patent O1 punch, punch. return crank, and die of the. subject machine.

Referring particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a machine. embodyingthe subject. invention. This machine comprises a frame l'provided-with a punch and die mechanism.11 operated by cams 13 and 14 on flywheel 2. Feed rolls 6.and 7, mounted on the frame, feed or supply the strip material to the punch and die mechanism. The flywheel and feed rollsare driven through a driving means comprising a motor 23, a. gear reduction box 24 and a link belt'and sprocketarrangement offthe gear reduction box to the flywheel and top feed roll respectively. The flywheel itselfis supported by brackets 28 and 31 mounted on upright posts 3,.4 and 1.6 which are in turn integral with the frame. The. strip material 5 is supplied to the feed rolls from a reel 10 or other supply means located to the left: of the motor.

Fig. 3' shows the feed roll arrangement contemplated by the subject invention.v In this arrangement, top feed roll.6 is drivenby. sprocket 34 keyed to its shaft or axle 39"through. key 41'. The shaft in turn is supported by plates 42 and 43'located at either side thereof and rotates in roller bearingspneedle bearings, bushings .or the like. Topv feed'roll' 6 comprises an outer cylinder or outer'member'36. and aniinner cylinder or inner member 38 with an annulus Of' 1llbbI"-llk6. material 37. in substantial elongation and radial compression. disposed or located between them. The top roll 6 is keyed to the shaft 39" through 35.. Obviously, other means can be employed to unite the sprocket and feed roll with the shaft such as' press fittings or'machine screws of. various sorts. The outer contact face of outer roll 36 can be roughenedasbya knurling or cross-hatching or other devices to increase its grip on the strip stock. Any such knurling, however, tends to mar the surface of the strip stock and as" such is not particularly desirable except when necessary to provide friction and grip. between the feed roll and strip stock.

The inner andonter cylinders of the top roll can be substantially parallel or can diverge at the center and converge near the edges as shown in Fig. 3. In any case, the inner member should be in a radially spacedrelation to the outer member and substantially concentric with it to provide for the intermediate rubber annulus. Any of the resilient mountings in which the rubber annulus is in substantial elongation and radial compression are suitable for this purpose. United States Patent No. 2,572,215 to Swart issued October 23, 1951, United States Patent No. 2,517,791 to Hutton issued August 8, 1950 and United States Patent No. 2,598,115 to Dodge issued May 27, 1952 disclose several species of such mountings and further describe their characteristics.

The bottom feed roll 7 of the subject apparatus is mounted on single ball bearings 46 which are in turn mounted on shaft 47. The shaft is supported by plates 48 and 49. The surface of the bottom feed roll can likewise be knurled or otherwise roughened to provide a better grip between it and the feed roll. I have found, however, that it is preferable to knurl or roughen the surface of one feed roll only, preferably the driving feed roll and not the idler feed roll, so that one face of the strip is clear and unmarred and always presentable. The bottom feed roll of Fig. 3 can be replaced by a resilient feed roll similar to top feed roll 6 as desired. In most applications, I have found that only one of the two feed rolls need by a resilient roll and provide the resilient, torsional, takeup means required by the subject invention. This, of course, depends upon the thickness and rigidity of the material being perforated or otherwise deformed and the amount of take-up or wind-up required of the feed rolls during the actual. punching or stamping operation. Furthermore, we preferably. use only one resilient feed roll and drive this resilient feed roll and allow the other roll .to rotate as an idler. In some cases, however, both feed rolls may be driven and may be resilient rolls as already described. Inaccordance, with this invention, wil preferably drive the resilient roll and not the rigid ro I a a a The feed rolls should be set so that they are notasfar apart as the thickness of the material being fed through them or so that they are slightly closer together than the thickness of material being fed through them. Thus a grip or initial compression on the strip material is provided. The resilient mounting and particularly the rubber annulus of the mounting gives as necessary to accommodate the strip material. In this way the resilient feed roll performs a dual function by providing a torsional spring take-up when the strip material is momentarily arrested and by providing a resilient and spring-like grip on the .strip material as it passes through the rolls.

Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate the punch and diearrangement of the subject invention. In thisarrangement, a punch 8 18 mounted in slot 69 in punch block 67 and the punch 'block is in turn screwed to or otherwise made'integral with top body block 59 or to the frame itself (see Figs. .5

. and 7). The die 64 is mounted-in die block 66 which is screwed to or otherwise made integral with bottom .body

block 61 or with the machine frame. As shown in Fig.6, .machine screw 78 screw the punch block 67 tothe top body block 59 and machine screws 79 screw the die block i 66 to bottom body block 61. Intermediate thepunch and die and the body blocks is a slot or passage 65 for the strip 5. This passage is adapted to accommodate the Various gaugesof strip to be used and extends from the feed rolls to the punch and die andon through the appa- .ratus. If'desired, wear plates 62 and 63 may be provided on the body blocks to protect the body blocks against wear and to control thepassagethicknesses. Pins-76 and 77 unite the body blocks with the frame and screw into the frame at the base thereof. The pins are removable to provide for adjustment; of the, body blocks such as by shimming or grinding. The plates 42 and 48 supporting the feed rolls are also screwed to the body blockswith machine screws 52 and 53 and are adjustable therewith.

4 impact lever and then earns 14 strike the punch return arm 72. It should be noted that arm 72 extends to the side of the wheel so as not .to interfere with the other cams 13. If desired, a spring or rubber band 55 can be attached to the end of arm 71 from extension rod 50 on one of the machine screws 78 to minimize chatter and provide smoother operation.

Pairs of cams 13 and 14;should be spaced and adjusted about the circumference of the flywheel to coordinate with the radius of the flywheel, number of cams on the flywheel, speed of rotation of the flywheel and punching cycle. Under some circumstances, usually with slow speeds of rotation and large radiusflywheels, a plurality of single cams or actuating means may be employed on the flywheel so that eachcam strikes both the punch impact lever and punch return bell crank arm. When regular and evenly spaced perforations are desired, the cams should be evenlyspaced about, the circumference .of the flywheel. Otherwise, the cams should be. spaced. in accordance with the spacing of the perforations.

.The flywheelshould be relatively heavy to provide adequate momentum and to securely. mount the cams. As shown in Fig. 5, cams 13 are evenly spaced about the circumference of the Wheel and bolted to it with bolts 56. Said cams are shown herein as cylindrical cam rollers or iballbearings which are found to be quite satisfactory and 'to minimize wear on both the impact lever and cam. A recess 81 (Fig. 2) is provided in the wheel for each impact roller 13. Cam 14 is bolted to the wheel with bolts 57 and can be adjusted in slots 58 as necessary. Gener- Lally only one of the cams need'be adjustable and this ;should preferably be the bell crank arm cam 14. The

- lwheel itself is mounted on hub 33 on axle 217 which is in The punch 8 is engaged by an impact bar or lever 9 intermediate the punch and flywheel that is pivoted on pin 54 mounted on cars 73 on the top body block. 'One or more impact earns 13 on the flywheel strike hammer :blows onthe bar 9 as the'wheel rotates and force and advance the punch 8 through the strip material. Punch 8 can also be provided with a knob or head of other conventional design integral with or resting upon it so as to absorb the blow from cam 13. Generally, however, it is preferable to provide an impact bar or punch lever resting on the head of the punch and separate from the punch so as to minimize lateral forces against. the punch and minimize punch breakage. a a 1 Bell crank 12 pivoted on pin 51 provides a positive act ing punch return means to withdraw the punch from the turn supported by hearings in brackets 28 and 31.

' The driving means for the machine shown comprises an electric motor 23and gear box or gear reduction unit 24 mounted on the frame. Sprocket 19 on the. axle 22 Tof the 'gear reduction unit drives chain belt'or jlink belt 117 which drives sprocketr26 keyed to shaft 27.of.the fly-' .wheel. Likewise,'sprocket 21 on axle 22 .drives belt 18 .jwhich in turn drives the sprocket 3470f the top feed roll 6. Obviously other driving means such as a pulley and V- ,belt arrangement are equally satisfactory provided that they do not slip. The rotation of the flywheel 2'and the 'feed rolls 6 and 7 is preferably synchronized or coordi nated for best results as shown in the drawings. i It is understood that the feed roll of the subject invention can be adapted to any punching, stamping, coining,

drawing, or other machine into'which a strip ofma'terial is continuously fed and in which the movement of the material is momentarily halted or arrested while it is deformed. The above machines are further characterized by having relatively short and rapid. punching or strip material and complete the punching cycle. 'Bell a crank 12 has two arms, arm 71 whichzis approximately or roughly perpendicular to the punch and arm 72 which is. roughly parallel to the punch; The end 83'of arm 71 fits in central longitudinal slot or opening 80 formed in the'punch; This slot extendsalong the line or axis of movement of the punch as shown-j The'other arm 72 .extends out from thepivot pin to a point -adjacent the circumference of the flywheel andcoextensive with the .head of the punch. Impact earns -14 on the flywheel are set so as to strike the end '82 of arm 72 when it isin the .raised position and the punch is in the down position (Fig. 7). Thus as the flywheel rotates, one of -the cams 13 strikes bar 9 or the head of the punch and forces the :punch through the strip material and immediately there- :after one of the'cams 14 strikes-arm 72' and returnsgthe .punch to its initial position. i The flywheel shown rotates counterclockwise so that cams 13first strike the punch deforming cycles so that the strip material is fed .to. it .in a substantially continuous fashion. In any such cases, feed rolls according to the subject invention can be utilized -to take-up and automatically compensate for the stoppage and then release the energy so stored and feed the material forward. It is also understood that the strip material can be bands or strips of ferrous metal, brass, copper and the like or even plastics such as nylon and polyvinyl chloride. w I i It will be understood that, in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, variations and modifications of the specific devices disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. ,7 What we claim is:

1. In a punching machine for perforating strip stock I v having a frame, a punch mounted for reciprocation on blows to said punch, the improvement which comprises: means including a pair of feed rolls for continuously feeding strip material to said punch in said transverse direction to be perforated by said punch, one of said feed rolls comprising inner and outer rigid annular members and an annulus of elastic rubber-like material in substantial elongation and radial compression disposed between said rigid members, said annulus providing a resilient torsional spring which permits limited rotation of the outer rigid member relative to the inner member due to variation in the movement of the strip material when movement of the strip material is retarded by engagement with the punch, said outer member engaging said strip material and holding said material against the other feed roll, and means for continuously driving said one of said feed rolls and said impact wheel in synchronism.

2. Strip feeding means for a high speed punching machine having a frame, a punch mounted for reciprocation on said frame in one direction and held against movement in a transverse direction,.an impact wheel mounted for rotation on said frame and having at least one impact member thereon for striking hammer blows on said punch, and means for rotating the wheel at high velocity, said feeding means comprising: a pair of feed rollers for engaging the opposite faces of a sheet of strip material to feed said material past said punch in said transverse direction and means for driving one of said feed rollers continuously, said one feed roller comprising an outer rigid strip-engaging sleeve, an inner core spaced from and concentric to said sleeve, and torsional take-up means comprising an annulus of rubber-like material in substantial elongation and radial compression between said core and said sleeve, said sleeve being driven from said core solely through said annulus and being rotatable relative to said core to compensate for temporary stoppage of the strip by the punch during the punching operations.

3. A feeding mechanism for a punching machine having a stationary die, a punch mounted for reciprocation toward and away from the die, and means for reciproeating the punch at high velocity, said feeding mechanism comprising: a pair of feed members, one feed member comprising an inner driving member, an outer rigid stripengaging sleeve, and a resilient rubber torsion spring between said driving member and said sleeve, and means for continuously rotating said driving member at a predetermined speed in timed relation to the operation of said punch, said sleeve being free to rotate slower than said member during the time movement of the strip is interrupted by the punch so that torsional energy is stored in said rubber spring and being free to rotate faster than said core when the strip is released by the punch to expend the energy stored in said spring.

4. Strip feeding means for a high speed punching machine having a frame, a punch mounted for reciprocation on said frame in one direction, means restraining movement of the punch in a transverse direction, an impact wheel mounted for rotation on said frame and having at least one impact member thereon for striking hammer blows on said punch, and means for rotating the Wheel at high velocity, said feeding means comprising: a pair of feed rollers for en aging the opposite faces of a sheet of strip material to feed the material past said punch in said transverse direction, one feed roller comprising an outer rigid strip-engaging member, an inner driving member, and a torsional spring operably connected between said strip-engaging member and said driving member, said members being rotatable relative to each other to compensate for changes in the rate of movement of said strip material due to engagement of the strip material with the punch, and motor means for rotating said driving member to cause feeding of the strip material by said feed rollers.

5. In a machine for punching strip stock having a frame, punch mounted for reciprocation on said frame, an impact Wheel rotatably mounted on said frame, and one or more impact members spaced about the periphery of said wheel for imparting hammer blows to said punch, the improvement which comprises: means including a pair of feed rolls for feeding strip material to said punch to be perforated by said punch, one of said feed rolls comprising driving and driven members and a torsional spring interposed between said members for transmitting rotational energy from the driving to the driven member, and means for continuously rotating said driving member in synchronism with said impact wheel, said driven member engaging the strip stock to feed the stock at varying speeds, the driven member rotating slower than the driving member during the time movement of the strip is interrupted by the punch so that torsional energy is stored in said spring and rotating faster than the driving member when the strip is released by the punch due to the energy stored in said spring.

6. A machine for perforating strip stock comprising a frame, a punch and a die mounted on said frame, said punch and die being mounted so as to provide a passage for the strip stock between them, means to advance said punch through the strip stock, means to retract said punch, feed rolls for feeding said strip stock through the punch and die, means for restraining movement of said punch and said die in the direction of feed of said strip stock at least one of said feed rolls comprising inner and outer concentric cylinders with an annulus of rubberlike material in substantial elongation and radial compression disposed between them, and means for continuously driving one of said feed rolls in synchronism with said punch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 692,122 Cumms Jan. 28, 1902 1,747,240 Haupt Feb. 18, 1930 2,229,488 Barbieri Jan. 21, 1941 2,517,791 Hutton Aug. 8, 1950 2,572,215 Swart Oct. 23, 1951 2,598,115 Dodge May 27, 1952 2,292,851 Tykal Aug. 11, 1952

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