US2143116A - Transfer mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 10, 1939. v. w. TODD TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l .INVENTOR VAN WINKLE TODD.

ATTOR N EY 5 Jan, 10, 1939. v w TODD TRANSFER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS Filed March 3, 1937 INVENTOR VAN WINKLEITODD,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 10, 1939 My'invention relates to transfer mechanism for n-electroprocessing machine H .v v I :It is-the'object of my: invention" to'provide a machine which-has'one or more of the following .-features,sing1y or in combination: arapid transj fer mechanism adaptedto'pick up, 'elevate,' advanceland" lower a cantilever arm in "order to transfer itfroma position over one tank to a position over'the next adjacent tank; means of .moving intermittently a carrier chain "by' the transfer mechanism when the transfer mechanism moving from--a-position over one tanl;

to a position over the'next' adjacent tank? and P thecombination of lifting a cantilever arm toan elevated-position and then-moving it horizon-3 tally to a positionv over'the -nextadjacent tanl; and "then slowering it and; during the'h'orizont'al movement; utilizing the lifting transfer-mecha= 1 nism for advancing'themain}carrier chain a requisite distance. Y Y r 7 It is a furtherobject' of my invention'to provide meansof'suppor ting and' guiding' the cantilever arm; lifting and "transporting mechanism along'side'of and 'preferablv'adjacent the top of and eliminatingany chance bf contamination of the contents of the tanks. i

It is a' further objectto provide an interlocking means between the actuating means and the cantilever arm carrier;

It is "an object tolfprovideffor I supporting the 1 cantilever'arm alternatelypnthe carrier "chainfl I g ciprocationivertically of the plate 15 of the lifting and upon the transfer mechanism in, such a man ner that the side, of the tank is 'notiused'to sup} port {and guide the nne end [of cantilever Figurej l" is alside lelevation of ato ofithe tanks; thelhoriaontal carrier chain, acarrier and 'transferlmechanism, therefor;

sidiary track mechanism when right-hand position.'

roller: on the end of the actuating lever'withthe locking mechanismw 2 lookingtinthedirection-xof the-arrows;

' 1,.looking in the; direction of the arrows.

' the center of Figure respondingpaired, grooved rollers ll.

gure 3-;-is,,a detail front elevation diagram 7 matically illustrating I other engagement of the V rRANsFER-rmommsrr r; g V van winkle ToddisMatawan," N. J-., assignor to rt flansonj-van' winkleMunning' Company, Mat- 7 IIW J a nome 1 "mutant March-3,1937, Serial No. 128,877

t (c1. 214-f-11) I a Figure 5 isa' side elevation of the carrier 'with the cantilever arm; as it appears when moved in its uppermost position 'awayiro'in thech'ain. I

Figure 6 is aside elevation partiallybroken away showing in dotted'lines the position'of we cantilever arm in its lowermostposition but with the elevating mechanism inits uppermost position, corresponding to that in Figure 5. l ,t

Figure 7 is a section on the line of Figure Figure 8 is a section onthe line.8,-v-,8 of Figure. 10 1, looking inthedirection orthe arrows.

Figure 9 isa detail view ofqthe .liftingandtransporting mechanism shown in small size in- Referringto thedrawings in detail, 'I desig-l nates a tank having an end 2. 3 designatesithe vo enextadiacent tank 4'. t

A framework, consistingof upright angle irons 5 resting upon the floor-and, arranged :closely adjacentto the sides of the tanks, carries-Ea hon-:1 zontally-disposed T-rail having, a; vertical flange portion: B zand athorizontal flangeu portionr T.

This rail is mounted adjacent the top edge of the tanks and parallel thereto. .;The 'top of the rail; designated 8, supports a pair "of grooved rollers 9, while the bottom edge); is engaged by a corv I'hese rollers are mounted upon axles upon a carrier 1 plate I2. T he.axles project through; the plate 30 I2 and support ,on-the back of the plate a pair of spaced grooved rollers l3 at the top and M e at the bottom. The last mentioned grooved rollers l3 and l4'guidebe tween them the flanged,

T-shaped, lifting member l5, -which has-the'flange l6. Mounted-on this'member is achain' actuatingfingert I! having a taperedh'ead l8. Ther'eaccomplished through the rollers '9 and II resting upon and-being guided by the siderail 'fii 'I'hepointed finger I1 is inserted within a notch I9 in the: horiz'ontal portion 20 of theeantilever' a m su ortin late,'-which con'sists'of'th ho' 1 Figure; is a; detail viewlof the locking and sub-w, r pp g p e n "its :1 lowermost 7' zontal portion 20 the'vertical apron 2i.- flhis insertion is accomplished duringj the vertical- I movement of the finger' llso that-the chaini l will be moved a forward step duringthe hori zontal movement of the cantilever-"arm inits I uppermost position when it' is' moved substan tially horizontal'to 'a new position' 'over thene'xt adjacent tank. a The chain #22 supported a" This chain is provided with pointed fingers 23 which project through apertures 24 in the horizontal portion 25 of the inner end of the cantilever arm. This cantilever arm at its inner end has, in addition to the horizontal plate 25, a vertical plate 25 extending above the plate 25 and a second vertical plate 21 extending below the plate 25 and engaging with the stud 23 on the vertically depending plate 2| on the chain 22.

The arm itself comprises a horizontal portion 29 and diagonal portions 30 which are connected at their inner ends respectively to the horizontal plate 25 and the top of the vertical plate 26. Gusset plates 3| and 32 connect and reinforce the vertical and horizontal portions of the inner end of the cantilever arm. The rear surface of the vertical plate 26 is provided with inwardlyspaced, depending hooks 33 one above the other, which engage upon studs 34 mounted upon the face of the lifting member |5. A laterally extending plate 35 on the face of the support l5 engages with and positions the inner end 35 of the horizontal plate member 25.

The work pieces, which are being treated in the tanks, are suspended from this cantilever arm.

Lifting mechanism,

The lifting mechanism for the lifting member |5 consists of a power shaft 31 driven from any suitable source, a lever on the end thereof marked 33, and a roller 39 on the end of the arm marked 38. This roller engages with the under side of an angle iron 40 mounted on the bottom of the lifting member l5. The angle iron 40 is a part of a transversely-arranged track mechanism, which engages with the roller 39 and which is attached to the lower end of the lifting member 5. It provides a trackway in which the roller reciprocates during its raising and lowering movements and a trackway in which it is temporarily locked by the locking member 4| during its horizontal movements.

The locking member 4| is provided with shoulders 42 which engage with one of the flanges 43 formed on the plate 44. The plate 44 is provided with studs 45 operating in slots 46a of the track member 40. A notch 41 engages with the vertical flange member 5 after having been brought in line with it in the cut-away portion at 45 at the top and bottom of the vertical member 5. This happens at opposite corners at the top and bottom of the movement.

Method of operation One or more cantilever arms are mounted in a horizontal position to extend over the tanks to support in the tanks work pieces that are being plated or otherwise treated. These cantilever arms rest upon the supports consisting of the plates 20 and 2|. The lower ends of the plates 2| are provided with rollers 2|a which engage with the face of the side rail 5. When it is desired to transfer quickly a cantilever arm from adjacent the end of one tank over the partitions of that tank and the next adjacent tank, then the lifting arm 38 with its roller 39 lifts the lifting member I5, the lifting member |5 first moves vertically on the line (1-1:, while the end of the arm 38 and its roller 39 travels through the are between the points a-a marked b due to the compensatory track mechanism heretofore described carried on the lower end of the lifting member l5. When the roller engages with the locking member 4|, the lifting member I5 is now in its uppermost position with its wedgeshaped pin I! inserted in the notch |9 of the plate 29. A continuation of the movement of the arm 38 causes a horizontal movement of the rollers 9 and H with the plate l2, thus carrying the arm |5 horizontally from a to 0, while the end of the arm travels through the arc between those points, designated d. Simultaneously, this horizontal movement imparts the movement to the chain 22 which is advanced to a new position. It comes to rest when opposite the point c, at which time the lifting member l5 starts to lower so that the cantilever arm will be replaced upon the chain with the cantilever arm over the new tank. During this operation, the end of the roller passes from c to e on the are I, while the lifting member [5 travels downwardly on the straight line between 0 and e and thereafter returns to the left hand from e to a, while the end of thearm 39 travels through the are from e to a, designated a.

The engagement of the notch 41 of the trackway 40 with the vertical guide members 5 insures a vertical movement, either up or down, of the carrier l5 with its cantilever arm 29, when lifting the arm from over one tank and lowering it downwardly onto another.

It is understood that I desire to comprehend within my specification and claims various modifications of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof so that it can be adapted to varying conditions and uses.

It will be understood that the chain may be advanced by this driving mechanism without utilizing the lifting mechanism: the lifting mechanism may be operated by itself without moving the chain; but I prefer to employ the two in combination in such a manner that the chain is only moved a predetermined distance when the cantilever arm in its uppermost position is moved on a substantially horizontal line.

By putting all of the mechanism to one side of the tank and most of it below the tank, I am enabled to get the advantages of low overall height so that the machine can be placed in areas having a restricted height. I place all of the mechanism within easy range and reach of the operator for inspection, adjustment, lubrication and repair. I place it in such a position as not to interfere with or contaminate the contents of the tanks. I greatly simplify the entire mechanism as I completely eliminate the expensive driving mechanism for the main chain 22. I am enabled to provide very strong and rigid cantilever arms, which can be made out of standard materials as, for instance, by welding rods and angle irons to a supporting base plate. I thus eliminate the disadvantages of special castings and forms.

A further advantage accrues in that, by locating this mechanism between parallel tanks, as in the return type of machine, all of the mechanism can be kept in a confined space between the tanks where it is will not interfere with the operators, and easy inspection of the work, and loading and unloading of the work can be accomplished as all of the operating mechanism will be on the opposite side of the tank from the operator. No overhead mechanism is necessary and the only clearance required is that needed to give the lifting member, with its attached work pieces, suflicient elevation to be lifted and passed over the adjacent ends of the tank. By having a straight lifting of both ends of the cantilever arm, which is lifted in a horizontal position, I am enabled to avoid any dripping outside of the tank chain by driving the chain throughthe actuation. horizontally of said lifting member," atrackand, carriage thereon adapted to support said liftingv means during its reciprocation and to guide itj'. horizontally during its lateral movement, and means between said lifting means andthepower and I can utilize a very narrow tank as compared with the conditions where a swinging mechanism is employed.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

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

1. In combination, a cantilever arm, a lifting member for detachably supporting said cantilever arm, a chain for detachably supporting said cantilever arm, a track, a carriage on said track adapted to support said lifting member and to guide it vertically as it reciprocates, and a power means for reciprocating said lifting member to I lift and lower the cantilever arm to and from the chain and to also move said lifting member a predetermined horizontal distance with its carriage on the track, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain by driving the chain through the actuation horizontally of said shifting member.

2. In combination, a cantilever arm, a lifting member for detachably supporting said cantilever arm, a chain for detachably supporting said cantilever arm, a track, a carriage on said track adapted to support said lifting member and to guide it vertically as it reciprocates, and a power means for reciprocating said lifting member to lift and lower the cantilever arm toand from the chain and to also move said lifting member a predetermined horizontal distance with its carriage on the track, said power means being located substantially below the top of said tank, and said track and chain being located substantially adjacent the top of said tank, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain by driving the chain through the actuation horizontally of said lifting member.

3. In combination, a work supporting means, a chain for detachably supporting said means, a reciprocating lifting member adapted to disengage said supporting means from the chain and to raise and lower it with respect thereto and to transport the supporting means laterally thereof; and power means for reciprocating said lifting member and for moving it laterally, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain by driving the chain through the actuation horizontally of said lifting member.

4. In combination, a work supporting means,

a chain for detachably supporting said means, a

reciprocating lifting member adapted to disengage said supporting means from the chain and to raise and lower it with respect thereto and to transport the supporting means laterally thereof; power means for reciprocating said lifting member and for moving it laterally, a track and carriage thereon adapted to support said lifting means during its reciprocation and to guide it horizontally during its lateral movement, said power means being so arranged as to move the chain by driving the chain through the actuation'horizontally of said lifting member.

5. In combination, a work supporting means, a chain for detachably supporting said means, a reciprocating lifting member adapted to disengage said supporting means from the chain and to raise and lower it with respect thereto and to transport the supporting means laterally thereof; power means for reciprocating said lifting member and for moving it laterally, said power means being so arranged as to move the means to permit relative movement therebetween' during the raising and lowering of the lifting means and to lock the-power means and thelifting means together when they are movedin'a substantially horizontal direction. I

6. In combination, a track, a carriage'thereon having rollers engaging with the track, and

rollers thereon engaging with the lifting 1118011311,,

nism, a lifting mechanism engaging with the last; 15

mentioned rollers so as to be guided vertically, .a

power driven lever so connected with said lifting member as to be fixed thereto during the horizontal movement thereof and as to move relatively thereto during the vertical movement thereof; and a detachable means for supporting work pieces adapted to be detachably mounted on the end of said lifting member and a chain associated therewith for detachably supporting the work supporting means.

7. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving lifting member, a chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternately mounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide said lifting member laterally, means to move said lifting member and said guide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, and power means to move said lifting 1 member laterally and vertically and to drive said chain through said lifting member when it is moved horizontally.

8. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving lifting member, a chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternately mounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide said lifting member laterally, and means to move said lifting member and said guide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, said means being so arranged as to be locked to the lifting member when guiding it laterally and unlocked so as to move relatively thereto when raising and lowering the lifting member. I

9. In combination, a vertically reciprocating, laterally moving lifting member, a. chain, a detachable cantilever arm adapted to be alternately mounted on said chain and on said lifting member, means to guide said lifting member laterally, means to move said lifting member and said guide laterally and to reciprocate said lifting member, said means being so arranged as to be locked to the lifting member'when guiding it laterally and unlocked so as to move relatively thereto when raising and lowering the lifting member, and means on said lifting member for engaging with said chain to move the chain when the lifting member is being moved bodily laterally in at least one direction.

10. In combinatlon,-a chain, a detachable carrier means thereon, a lifting arm adapted to engage with said carrier means to raise and lower it, means to guide said lifting member laterally, means on said lifting member for engaging with said chain during the lateral movement of said lifting member, and power driven means for reciprocating said lifting member and for moving the lifting member and the chain laterally together during the lateral movement of the lifting member.

11.- In combination, a chain, a detachable cantiiever arm mounted thereon, a vertically reciprocable lifting member adapted to detachably r ciprocable lifting member adapted to detachably engage with said cantilever arm to raise, lower and transport it, a carriage, a trackway supporting said carriage, means on said carriage for guiding the reciprocal movement of the lifting member, means on the lifting member for engaging with the chain to move it laterally when the lifting member is movedv laterally, and power means for reciprocating the lifting member and for moving it with its carriage and chain laterally, said power means comprising a power driven lever, means to guide said lever freely with respect to said lifting member during the raising and lowering thereof, and meam to lock said lever pivotally on said lifting member during the lateral movement thereof.

VAN WINmE TODD.

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