US3137259A

US3137259A - Metal working

Info

Publication number: US3137259A
Application number: US765878A
Authority: US
Inventors: Claus L Sporck
Original assignee: Lodge and Shipley Co
Current assignee: Lodge and Shipley Co
Priority date: 1958-10-07
Filing date: 1958-10-07
Publication date: 1964-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-16
Also published as: GB936826A

Description

June 16, 1964 Filed obi. 7, 1958 7" 56640144/ ATTORNEYS C. L. SPORCK METAL WORKING June 16, 1964 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCt. 7, 1958 INVENTOR 'L/w L. SPa/Fak C. L. SPORCK June 16, 1964 METAL WORKING 15 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 7, 1958 xNvENToR 2m/5 L. SPa/vak fr ATTORNEYS C. L. SPORCK June 16, 1964 METAL WORKING 3 15 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 7, 1958 51:5 C azs 4m INVENTOR C'Mus l.. SfocK `ulle 16, 1964 C,-| SPORCK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING Filed Oct. 7, 1958 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 OID /53 24x INVENTOR 2,405 l.. spv/2cK C. L. SPORCK METAL WORKING June 16, 1964 15 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed OGC. 7, 1958 June 16, 1964 c. L. sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING Filgezd oct. 7, 1958 15 sheets-sheet v INVENTOR CL/ws L SAQ/FCK l l -f- Mw., LAL@ MORNEYS June 16, 1964 c. 1 sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING T TORNEYS June 16, 1964 c. L. sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING Filed oct. '7, 1958 15 sheets-Sheet 9 C. L. SPORCK June 16, 1964 METAL WORKING 15 Sheets-Sheet l0 Filed Oct. 7, 1958 K m y s R5 *w O. N .NIL R O Es r VU T ma A a 5 L 6 n wim? 2 /w ,z s :a R M A-- L/ 9 6 av l u M u m IL L 11| J w/ E m WM im 5 M Jun@ 15, 1954 c. l.. sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING Filed OCt.. 7, 1958 l5 Sheets-Sheet 11 way/Aa: a ane/PPE# PUMP 256 Z302 aim/A65 cm. TOP

7-0 JUMP dJ/Z tra .fl/MP lNvEN-r OR Leu5 l.. SHQ/MK (7920.

vua/W ATTORNEYS June 16, 1964 c. l.. sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING Filed oct. 7, 1958 15 sheets-sheet 12 RES/JTAACE VAL v5 CARR /AGE CYL l/v DER /00 FIG/l 7' #ANP VAL VE FAE lNvENToR "5 34 (2,405 L. SPa/eck fr 206' BY ATTORNEYS June 16, 1964 c. L, sPoRcK 3,137,259

METAL WORKING ATTORNEY C. L. SPORCK June 16, 1964 METAL WORKING l5 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Oct. 7. 1958 TILS TOCK ENGA GES BLAH K BRAKE RELEASED BRAKE APPLIED SPINDLE STOPS CLUT'CH DIS-ENGAG ED fg 2f INVENTOR (2.405 L. SPO/fdl( Weww ATTORNEYS United States Patent O f.; il

3,137,2sa METAL WORKllNG @Saus L. Sporck, Cincinnati, Ghia, assignor to The Lodge @t Shipley Company, Cincinnati, Ghia, a corporation of hio Filed ct. '7, 1958, Ser. No. 765,378 19 Claims. (Cl. 113-52) This invention relates to the art of metal working and, in particular, relates to apparatus for forming hollow articles from sheet metal blanks.

The term hollow as used herewith will be understood to apply to a formed article which is frusto-conical in shape, for example an article similar in shape to a megaphone, and is also meant to include an article which has a hemispherical shape such as a bowl, to an article which is in the shape of a horn and to an article which is generally tubular or cylindrical in shape. It will be understood that the term sheet metal includes plate, sheet or plate-like elements when formed by forging, rolling, casting and the like.

ln general the apparatus disclosed herein relates to the cold working or flowing of metals by use of a roller or rollers cooperating With a contoured tool or spindle cornmonly known in the art as power spinning. Known machines for this purpose comprise, in general, a rotatable spindle which is contoured to the shape of the article desired, a rotatable tailstock for clamping or holding a blank on the spindle together with a roller mounted on a suitable carriage movable over a bed. The carriage is moved so that the roller is brought up to the blank and, while the spindle and blank are rotating, the roller is moved over the surface of the spindle to flow or axially displace the metal of the blank and form the article. Where the article is of conical shape, such machines are arranged so that the bed mounting the carriage can be oriented with respect to the rotational axis of the spindle whereby the carriage moves parallel to the spindle surface. Where the article is to be contoured, the machine may be equipped with a tracer mechanism appropriately moving a roller slide or rest toward and away from the spinde axis. With such tracer control the desired contour is obtained by the resultant roller motion, the carriage imparting to the roller a component of motion along the spindle axis and the roller rest a component of motion transverse the axis.

In copending application 679,551, tiled August 20, 1957 (now Patent No. 3,104,640), and being a division of application 454,871, tiled September 9, 1954 (now Patent No. 3,114,342), there is disclosed apparatus for working sheet metal blanks by cold rolling or power spinning. The machine disclosed in Patent 3,104,640, as viewed in a general way, makes use of various known elements such as a spindle, tailstock, carriage mounting a roller rest and tracer mechanism to control the in and out motion of the roller rest. As disclosed in that application, such elements have been improved in structure and function, and operation coordinated in a manner previously unknown. Additionally, this application discloses elements of a highly novel nature in the cold ilowing art of the kind in question.

The present invention discloses a machine generally along the lines of that disclosed in Patent 3,104,640 in that the machine is particularly suitable for the power spinning of sheet metal blanks into nished articles of the desired shape, and the machine functions in a manner which is largely automatic since the operator merely has to load and remove blanks and initiate the machine operation by pressing a button.

With the foregoing in mind, it is pointed out that the present invention makes substantial improvements both in the apparatus of the art and in the apparatus of Patent BBZSQ' Patented June 16, 1964 ICC 3,104,640. certain wholly novel structures and further provides for new and useful cooperative action between such new structures and/or between improved structures, the foregoing being heretofore unknown and measurably contributing to the advance of the cold working art.

In the forming of articles of the kind discussed herein, it is exceedingly important that dimensional accuracy be maintained, particularly where such articles are for industrial or military use. By dimensional accuracy is meant the overall length of the article and particularly the thickness of its side wall. For dimensional accuracy in the finished article, it is essential to eliminate distortions so as to maintain the desired relative positions of the spindle and roller (or rollers) while the blank is being worked. Despite the required dimensional accuracy, it is necessary, in order to have reasonable costs, that such articles be made on a mass production basis by a fast-operating machine which is largely automatic.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a fast-operating, automatic machine whose components are constructed and arranged to, in themselves, be strong, rugged and free from distortion and to cooperate with one another in forming an overall structure which functions to maintain the desired dimensional accuracy of the articles being formed.

As one aspect of this, the invention contemplates a novelbed or frame having spaced ends, one of which rotatably mounts a spindle and the other, the driving mechanism for a carriage, the two ends being interconnected by a plurality of columns or tie-in members symmetrically disposed about the rotational axis of the spindle. Preferably there are three columns located substantially at the vertices of a triangle with the spindle axis substantially at the center of the same. This structure provides a strong, rugged, lightweight frame which, in itself, and in cooperation with the carriage carrying the rollers, is conductive to distortion-free operation under high speeds and loads.

Further in this connection, the invention contemplates that the bed and the rotational axis of the spindle be oriented in a true vertical direction. This is of considerable advantage and importance from the standpointl of distortion because there are no gravity cantilever loads on the spindle.

Further the invention contemplates a highly novel carriage structure guided on the bed for up and down movement in a direction along the rotational axis of the spindle. The carriage and its connected components are arranged so that the composite center of gravity lies along the rotational axis of the spindle. Thus, the carriage and the connected components impose no moments on the bed nor on the spindle which otherwise would set up distortions and hence deviations from the desired roller-spindle positions.

The carriage itself has a pair of at plates disposed on either side of the spindle axis and connected together centrally by a block and further connected together outboard on either side of the block by webbed members which mount the roller rests. The plates, block and webbed members are all interconnected by key and keyway means which contribute to ultimate rigidity, yet provide for the webbed members to be adjustable toward and away from the axis of the spindle for obtaining roller and spindle alignment. The force for moving the carriage is provided by piston and cylinder means interconnected between the carriage and the bed, the piston and cylinder means being arranged so that the resultant force thereof lies along the spindle axis. With this type of arrangement, the driving thrust for the carriage imposes no cantilever loads on the carriage itself, nor on the In addition, the present invention provides` bed. Preferably there are two of such piston and cylinder means, the axes of which lie in a plane containing the rotational axis of the spindle and being disposed in such plane at equal distances from the spindle axis.

The roller rests contemplated by the invention are of unique construction comprising cylinders respectively movably mounted on the webbed members and cooperating with pistons fixed to the webbed members, the axes of the pistons and cylinders lying in the above-mentioned plane. The cylinders are movable toward and away from the spindle axis so that the thrusts or loads developed by the pistons and cylinders, in causing roller motion toward and away from the spindle axis, lie in the abovementioned plane and, therefore, impose no cantilever loads on the carriage; The roller rests mount the rollers so that their working tips and/or rotational axes lie in said plane and, with the thrusts of the piston and cylinder means also lying in said plane, there are no unbalanced radial or cantilever loads on the spindle. The tracer mechanisms operating the roller rests contribute to this condition by controlling the rests so that the working tips of the rollers, during a working operation, are symmetrical with respect to the spindle axis.

The above referred-to Patent 3,104,640 discloses a novel and highly advantageous mechanism which provides that the rollers shall form the article with the required dimensions despite variations in the original thickness of the blank. For this purpose that application discloses mechanism for automatically and correctly positioning the tracer templet at the start of the working operation whereby the rollers will also be correctly positioned, the position of the templet being determined by the thickness of the blank.

It is an object of the invention to provide certain improvements in such mechanism. The invention contemplates that the tailstock and templet both be mounted on a main structure which is movably, yieldably supported by the carriage, the moving and yielding conditions being provided by hydraulic piston and cylinder means. The arrangement provides that the tailstock and templets be fixed connected to that when the tailstock engages a blank on the spindle, the templet is xed in its correct position while the carriage can continue to move. The arrangement of the invention is particularly suitable for positively driving the main structure in both the up and down direction. This, in conjunction with the vertically-mounted spindle, is highly advantageous from the standpoint of reducing the overall length of the machine. Another advantage in such an arrangement is that the main structure can be independently controlled for the purpose of using the tailstock as a press to push or pull articles or blanks off the spindle, particularly when the blank and/or article is tubular in shape. A further advantage in the present structure is that the tailstock is mounted so that its rotational axis is in a vertical direction and, heretofore, not subject to gravity cantilever loads.

Still another object of the invention is to provide structure so that the rollers, during a working operation, move toward or away from the axis of the spindle in a direction which is oriented at an acute angle to the spindle axis, the preferred angle being 60. This has special advantage in that the required structure which is relatively light in weight yet able to withstand the thrusts involved without distortion. The preferred angle of 60 is of importance in that it is conducive to a machine of minimum overall length and width.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roller in a machine of the kind described whose rotational axis is oriented at about 75 with respect to the rotational axis of the spindle so that the plane of the roller working tip is disposed at an angle of about to the spindle axis. This is particularly advantageous from the standpoint of the ease of working the metal, hence minimizing the power requirements for driving the rollers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide unique mechanism which is arranged to correctly position a blank on the spindle for the start of the working operation and, when the working operation is over, to move the formed article away from the spindle.

Certain other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention with the parts shown in position ready to start working the blank;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front sectional elevational view, the left-hand half of the view being shown in elevation and the right-hand half in section as indicated by the line 2-2 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross section taken as indicated by the line 3 3 in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 4 is a plan section taken as indicated by the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the right-hand roller rest cylinder and the tracer valve for controlling it looking from the back of the machine;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of part of the carriage structure;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a half view illustrating one of the carriage plates and the adjustably mounted side support;.

FIGURE 11 is a side elevational view of part of the templet mounting structure;

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of the positioning and stripping mechanism;

FIGURE 14 is a sectional elevational view of the mechanism of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 15-15 of FIGURE 13 FIGURE 16 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 16-16 of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 17 is a more or less diagrammatic sectional elevational view illustrating the machine in its starting position, the templet structure being shown in dot and dash lines in order not to hide other parts and that the switch trip dogs carried thereby and the associated switches have been diagrammatically indicated. The switch trip dogs carried by the carriage and the associated switches also have been diagrammatically indicated;

FIGURE 18 is a similar view showing the position of the parts at the end of the operation of working the blank on the spindle to form a cone;

FIGURE 19 is a similar view showing the position of components of the machine during a portion of the upward travel of the carriage;

FIGURES 20 and 20a taken together schematically illustrate the hydraulic circuits of the machine;

FIGURES 21 and 22 are schematic diagrams illustrating the electrical circuits of the machine; and FIGURE 23 is a chart showing in a general manner the sequence of machine operation.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 1-16, the machine in general comprises: the bed or frame F, the rotatable tool or spindle T mounted on the bed, the carriage C arranged on the bed for movement back and forth generally along the rotational axis of the spindle, roller rests RS mounted on the carriage for back and forth movement transverse the spindle axis and carrying work rollers R, tracer mechanism comprising valves SD on the roller mounts and the templets or patterns P, the ltemplet mounting structure Te movably mounted on the carriage and carrying the templets P and a tailstock TS, together with blank positioning and stripping mechanism S.

The spindle or tool T is secured on a vertical shaft Si) having bevel gear drive connection 31 with a drive shaft 32 suitably driven by a motor (not shown). An electrically-controlled clutch 33, diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 1, controls engagement and disengagement of the drive shaft 32 with the spindle 39, and an electricallycontrolled brake is provided as indicated at 34. The spindle as shown is conically shaped. However, it will be understood that it may have other shapes depending upon the type of article to be made, for example a cylindrical, horn or bowl shape.

The Carriage The carriage serves the basic function of supporting the rollers and templets and imparts to the rollers a coniponent of motion in a direction along the spindle axis. The carriage and its connected components are arranged so that the composite center of gravity is along the spindle axls.

The carriage C comprises two rugged substantially triangular flat plates d6 and 67 in spaced parallel relation as viewed in FIGURES 3 and 4, a central support block 68, a side support member 69, a side support 7d, all rigidly secured together as explained below.

The block 68 has three spaced, integral collars 68a, 63h and 63C, the collars 63a and 63e having flat sides 71 (FIGURES 8 and 9) abutting the

plates

66 and 67 and secured by bolts (not shown) secured in the threaded holes 72. The collar sdb has iiat surfaces 73 having keyways 74 therein which receive keys 75 carried by the

plates

66 and 67 and extending for the length of the plates.

The block 68 is apertured as indicated at 76 and on top of the block is lixedly secured a head or cap 77. The block and head are slotted at 7S and is best seen in FIG- URE 8.

The side support members 69 and 7i) are of box-like form rigidly braced by spaced webs 79 to provide a rugged construction and are secured between the plates do and 67 by tie rods 80 and nuts 31. The side support members 69 and 7i) are provided with keyways 82 for the keys 75.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, the central support block is positioned centrally lengthwise of the carriage so that the axis of the aperture 76 is substantially coaxial with the rotational axis of the spindle. The

plates

66 and 67 and the side supports 69 and 7@ are also symmetrically disposed with respect to the spindle axis. This gives symmetricai distribution of forces about the spindle axis. The side support members 69 and 7) may be desirably positioned with respect to the spindle axis by loosening the nuts 31 and moving the same on the keys 75. This adjustment is accomplished by means of end adjusting screws S3 and having their bearings in end cross members 85 and 815 secured to the

carriage plates

66 and 67. Elongated slots 87 are provided in the

members

69 and 70 to enable the adjustment. The side supports mount the rollers and, by means of the foregoing adjustment, the spacing of the work rollers R, can be altered to suit work pieces and tools of different diameters. This adjustment is also provided to enable leveling of the two rollers so as to work in the same horizontal plane.

The above-described structure and disposition of the carriage are important features of the machine. The plates, the central block and the side supports make a strong and rugged unit capable of taking up the thrusts or stresses produced in a working operation with the very minimum of deflection or distortion. Arranging the carriage generally symmetrically with respect to the spindle axis is conducive to coniining resultant thrust load taken by the carriage along the spindle axis so that there are no undesired bending moments. The keys 75' which tie in the various carriage parts perform an important function in permitting adjustability of side supports yet insuring necessary rigidity. In addition to providing a rugged,

deection-free carriage, the structure is such that the carriage is of relatively small size and light Weight. This is important because the carriage is adapted to move in a vertical direction and the necessary power for moving the carriage upwardly is minimized. A distortionand moment-free carriage is especially important in maintaining the proper relative position of the roller and spindle during a working operation.

The Bed The function of the bed is to form a support for the rotatable spindle and for the carriage with its connected elements, the bed being of a structure so that it will not distort under the stresses produced in a working operation nor cause distortions of the spindle mount nor the carriage and its connected parts. Distortionless operation is highly desirable so that there will be no deviations of the desired relative position of the spindle and rollers during a Working operation. This contributes to the formation of accurately dimensioned articles.

The bed (or frame) comprises a base or support 90, serving as a headstock for the machine, a main upright column or frame 91 (FIGURES 3 and 7) of very rugged construction supported on the base and having a pair of

side brace members

92,92 also secured to the base, a substantial web reinforced top cap or support 93 secured to the top of the column 91 and braces 92, 92, a pair of spaced columns or frames 94 and 94a extending from the base 9i? to the cap 93. The column 91 is of heavier construction than the

columns

94 and 94a since it serves the function of guiding the carriage and supporting a carriage counter-weight. A pair of

brackets

95, 95 extend downwardly from the cap 93. The base has a rugged top plate 9de provided with radial reinforcing webs 90b.

As best seen in FTGURE 4, the

columns

91, 94 and 94a are disposed on the base so that their vertical axes are located at the points X, Y and Z or at the vertices of a triangle. Also, it will be observed that the columns are arranged with respect to the spindle axis so that the spindle axis lies substantially at the center of this triangle. As will be explained more in detail later, during a working operation the carriage moves the rollers against the blank on the spindle and the reaction of the means moving the carriage is taken on the top cap 93. Thus the stresses of the working operation tend to move the spindle and base away from the top cap. Such movement is prevented by the arrangement and structure of the

columns

91, 94 and 94a. The top cap and the base 90 are distortion-free due to the heavy webbed construction described above. I have found that by having the columns spaced in triangular fashion with the spindle axis generally centrally thereof leads to symmetrical load distribution about the spindle axis and resulting in equal loads being taken by the columns so that the resultant forces act along the spindle axis. This prevents undesirable tension or twisting strains in the columns and in the base and top cap. The foregoing is an important part of the invention in that a sturdy, relatively immovable bed prevents distortion between the relative spindle and roller positions desired during the working operation.

The carriage is guided in its up and down motion by means on the main column 91. The guide means takes the form of spaced vertical gibs 96, 96 (FIGURES 3, 4 and 7) cooperating with spaced

Vertical gibs

97, 97 on the carriage plate 67. The gibs and their supporting shoulders in the plate and column are very accurately machined so that up and down motion of the carriage runs true with the spindle axis.

The Carriage Pistons and Cylinders Up and down movement is imparted to the carriage by means of a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder devices, one to each side of the spindle axis, comprising cylinders 1th?, 100 depending from the flanges 191, 161 of the head 7'7 and centered at their lower ends in

brackets

102, 102

e secured to the block 68 adjacent its lower end. Upper and

lower closures

103 and 104 are provided for the cylinders 100 and vertical tie rods 105 tie the cylinders to the flanges 101 (FIGURE 8).

Pistons

106, 106 are secured to

piston rods

107, 107 depending from the top cap 93 are provided in the cylinders.

Fluid is admitted and exhausted at the upper ends of the cylinders via inlet pipes 110 (FIGURE 2), lateral passages 111, annular chambers 112 and lower ports 113. Fluid is admitted and exhausted at the lower ends of the cylinders by inlet pipes 115 and central passages 116.

When uid is flowing to the lower ends of the cylinders and exhausting from the upper ends, the carriage is moving down. When uid flow is reversed, the carriage is moving up. The mass of the carriage (and the connected parts not yet described) are counter-balanced by a counterweight CW connected to the head 77 by a chain and sprocket system generally designated by the numeral S.

As best seen in FIGURE 4, the pistons and cylinders are disposed the same distance on either side of the rotational axis of the spindle and lie in a plane PSA containing the spindle axis. The forces or thrusts developed by the pistons and cylinders in forcing the carriage down during a working operation react against the top cap 93. With the pistons and cylinders arranged as described, these forces are symmetrically distributed and the resultant force acts along the spindle axis. This is important as it eliminates off-axis thrusts which would otherwise tend to cause deviations in the desired positions of the rollers and spindle during the working operation.

The Roller Rests The roller rests carry the rollers and are mounted on the carriage side supports 69 and 70 for movement toward and away from the rotational axis of the spindle. Each rest imparts to its roller a component of motion which is transverse to the rotational axis of the spindle (or the direction of carriage movement). Preferably this component of motion is at an angle of 60 acute in the direction opposite to the direction of carriage movement. The movement of each roller rest is controlled by a tracer mechanism. During the working operation the roller rests are moved so that the rollers are symmetrically positioned with respect to the spindle axis. Thus the forces of the rollers counteract one another and there is no unbalanced forces tending to distort the blank or push the spindle off its normal rotational axis.

The left and right hand rollers RS are of like construction and, therefore, only one will be described in detail.

As best seen in FIGURES 5 and l0, the bottom of the side support has a planar surface or guideway 130 which is perpendicular to the spindle plane PSA and oriented in the plane at a 60 acute angle to the spindle axis. It might be pointed out here that the key and keyway means 74 and 75 are set up so that lateral adjustment of a side support does not disturb this relationship.

Movably mounted on the guideway 130 is a housing 131 (see also FIGURE 2) and held in the guideway by gibs 132 secured by bolts 133. The housing 131 is formed with an axial bore 135 which constitutes a cylinder for the piston 136. The piston rod 137 of the piston 136 is rigidly secured by screws 138 to an end block 139 which in turn is rigidly secured to the side support member by screws 140.

At the end of the housing or cylinder 131 toward the vertical center line of the machine an inclined surface 144 is provided against which the roller block 150 of the work roller R is secured by screws 151 and a positioning key 152. Suitable anti-friction bearings (not shown) are provided for rotatably mounting the roller R in the block 150. Each block mounts its roller so that the rotational axis of the roller makes an acute angle of 75 to the spindle axis.

The piston rod 137 (FIGURE 6) has a central passage 153 and lateral ports 154 communicating with the out- 8 board end of the cylinder and the inboard end of the cylinder is provided with

ports

156 and 157. The

ports

156, 157 and 155 (on the outboard end of the cylinder) are under control of the tracer valve SD mounted on the roller housing 131 by a bracket 158 secured thereto by screws 159 (FIGURES 2 and 4).

In general, when Huid is owing into the outboard end of the cylinder and out of the inboard end of the cylinder, the roller rest is moving away from the spindle axis. When the fluid flow is reversed, the roller rest is moving toward the spindle axis.

The manner in which this iiuid flow is controlled will be described hereinafter.

The construction above described is such that the rotational axis of the rollers, the axes of the cylinders 135 and pistons 136 all lie in the plane PSA. Further, the axes of the cylinders and pistons are parallel to the guideway and, therefore, are oriented at an acute angle of with respect to the spindle axis. When a roller rest moves its roller during a working operation, the roller and/or its working tip or surface moves in said plane. The foregoing has several important advantages.

During a working operation the thrust of the roller is transmitted to the side support through the roller block 150, cylinders 135, pistons 136 and end block 139. With the above-described construction, the resultant of this thrust lies in the plane PSA. Also, the resultant of the forces developed by the piston and cylinder for controlling the roller lie in the spindle plane. Thus, there are no forces or moments which develop which would tend to cause undesired carriage distortion and effect a tendency to move the roller out of the spindle plane noito cause deviation of the relative desired position of the roller and the spindle during the working operation. This is highly important from the standpoint of the ability to produce accurately dimensioned articles.

Positioning the roller so that its axis lies at an acute angle of with the spindle axis is important from the standpoint of ease of working the blank because the plane of the roller working tip is closely parallel (15) to the direction in which the strata of the blank are displaced, i.e., generally parallel the spindle axis. Thus the necessary power to work the blank is reduced.

Orienting the path of the roller at an angle of 60 is important from the standpoint of machine construction, particularly in minimizing the overall length and width of the machine and in the use of components of relatively small size for the forces involved in the working operation. For example, when the carriage path and roller path are oriented at to each other, the total lineal movement of the roller and carriage is a minimum for the purposes of placing a blank on the spindle, working the same, and then removing. In this type of an arrangement relatively large components are required as the resultant thrust of the rollers is at an acute angle to the spindle axis. By orienting the roller to move at an acute angle, generally smaller components can be used for the forces involved. By making this acute angle 60, the total lineal movements of the rests and carriage are only slightly more than the 90 condition. While acute angles of less than 60 may be used, this has the disadvantage of requiring much longer carriage movement and hence a longer machine. Also, if acute angles of 45 or less are used, this requires substantially greater roller movement and hence a much wider machine.

T emplet Mounting Structure Patent 3,104,640 discloses an arrangement for automatically and correctly positioning the templet, hence the rollers, at the start of the working operation so that variations in blank thickness have no effect on the dimensional accuracy of the article or the object being formed. The present invention makes certain improvements in the structure for accomplishing the foregoing. Essentially this is done by providing a main support which is directly iounted on the carriage and carrying both the templets and the tailstock. This main support is adapted to be positively moved in opposite directions by hydraulic means which also form a yielding connection with the carriage. The arrangement not only accomplishes the desired automatic compensation for deviation in blank thickness, but, in addition, provides several other highly useful advantages.

The arrangement has special advantage in connection with a vertical type machine of the kind described herein. With this vertical type machine it is not necessary for the tailstock to remain in contact with the formed article until the carriage, rollers, etc., have moved (usually the length of a blank) away from the spindle as is the case in a horizontal machine, as otherwise the article would fall oil the spindle and be damaged or cause damage to the moving parts. On the vertical type machine it is only necessary that the tailstock remain in contact with the article until the spindle has been braked and its rotation has been stopped.

Thus, by mounting the templets and tailstock on a single structure supported on the carriage and having a yieldable connection therewith, several desirable objectives are accomplished. The templet and tailstock are a unitary structure and the templet is xed in position for the working operation by the direct action of the tailstock contacting the blank. The yielding connection allows the templet to remain fixed during the working operation while the carriage moves, this yielding being provided by the hydraulic means. After the working operation the tailstock and templets are positively moved away from the spindle practically simultaneously with the carriage, this motion being provided by the yielding or hydraulic means.

Positively controlling the templets and tailstock so that the same move substantially simultaneously with the carriage back to the starting position has an additional important advantage in reducing the overall length of the machine. For example, it is necessary that the carriage, rollers, etc., when in the starting position, be spaced away from the tip of the spindle a distance at least the length of the largest article which the machine is capable of working. This, of course, is necessary in order that a worked article can be taken oi the spindle. Also, it will be apparent that the yielding motion between the the tailstock and templets and the carriage must be for a length which is at least twice the length of the largest article to be formed on the machine. Thus, in machines where the tailstock remains in contact with the blank after the working operation and is not positively moved back, for example its back motion being provided by engagement with the carriage, it is necessary for the carriage to travel back at least an additional length of the largest article to be made so that when the carriage is in starting position, the tailstock will also be in correct starting position. In other words, the total carriage travel has to be about three times the length of the largest article. By positively moving the tailstock back, the length. of carriage travel may be reduced by one length of the article so that the overall length of the machine is shortened by that amount.

In FIGURE 2 the main support member is designated by 43. This is generally cylindrical in shape and is movably mounted in the aperture 76 of the central support block 68. The tailstock TS has a tailstock spindle 4t) rotatably mounted by suitable anti-friction bearings in a housing 41 secured by bolts 42 to the support member 43. In addition to its function of positioning the templet, the tailstock assists in holding the blank on the spindle. The support member 43 has an upright extension 44 having a central bore 45 forming a cylinder for the piston 46. The piston is xed to the head 77. The piston is double acting so that the support member can be driven up or down and so that the support member can remain fixed while the carriage moves. The axes of the piston and cylinder and the motion of thesupport member are along the axis of the spindle and lie in the plane PSA. rI'hus, the thrusts on the tailstock during the working operation are along the spindle axis which is important from theV standpoint of providing against ott-axis loads and deflections. A bottom limit stop ring 49 is secured to the bottom ofthe block 68 to limit the extent of downward movement of the support 43.

Fluid may be admitted or exhausted to'and from the upper end of cylinder 45 by side inlet pipe 118, lateral passage 119, annular chamber 12) and port 121. Fluid may be admitted or exhausted from and to the lower end of cylinder 45 by inlet pipe 123 and central passage 124. When fluid is owing intothe lower end and exhausting from the upper end, the support 43 is moving down. When uid is iiowing into the upper end and exhausting from the lower end, the support 43 is moving up. Also, this is the condition when the support 43 is xed and the carriage, hence the piston 46, is moved down.

As seen in FIGURE 3, a laterally projecting arm 5t) is secured to the support member 43 by means of a nut 51 and extends outwardly through the elongated slot 7S for connection to the templet slide 61, the connection (FIGURES 3 and ll) being made by means of an adjusting stud 53 and collars 54.

The templet slide 61 is mounted for up and down sliding movement in a vertically disposed gib plate 166 (FIGURES 4 and 7) which is rigidly secured by screws 167 to the front carriage side plate 66. This slide is connected to the laterally projecting arm 5t) by the adjusting stud 53 as above described.

Mounted in the slide 61 for vertical adjustment in vertical kibs are a pair of

intermediate support members

169 and 170 having horizontally disposed gibs 171 (FIGURE 4) in which a pair of templet-carrying

members

172 and 173 are adjustably mounted. The righthand member 172 carries the right-hand templet and the left-hand member 173 carries the left-hand templet through the medium of arcuately adjustable plates 176 having depending mounting bars 177 to which the templets are secured by clamps 178.

It is to be observed that by reason of the adjustable mounting described, the templets are adapted for three adjustments for positioning them in proper relationship to the spindle. Adjusting

knobs

179, 180 and 181 having, for example, suitable screw and nut connection with the

intermediate support members

169 and 170, the templet-carrying

members

172 and 173, and the arcuate plates 176, are provided to make the adjustments.

Thus, the templets can be independently adjusted up or down parallel to the center line of the tool by knobs 179, in or out at 90 to the center line by knobs 18@ and angularly to line up the templet parallel to the tool by knobs 181. After the two templets have been properly positioned, the slide 61 can be adjusted up or down by the adjusting stud 53 to increase or decrease the distance between the rollers and the tool.

The Stripper Mechanism The function of the stripper mechanism is to correctly support and align the blank with respect to the spindle at the start of the working operation and then to remove or strip the worked blank, or formed article, from the spindle after the working operation.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1-3, 13-16, the stripper mechanism S comprises an annular plate 19d having a central clearance opening 191 for the spindle. The plate is arranged to reciprocate back and forth along the spindle axis. On the plate are radially disposed guideways 192 for receiving four adjustable stripper bars 193. The stripper bars 193 are adjusted inwardly to a position in which their inner portions 184 lap under the edge of the blank B, as shown in FIGURE 13 and are then clamped in place by tightening the gibs 195 by means of screws 196.

The stripper bars 193 have elongated shouldered slots

Claims

1. IN A MACHINE TOOL: A BED; A FIRST SUPPORT MOUNTED ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID BED; A SPINDLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT; A SECOND SUPPORT MOUNTED ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BED; A CARRIAGE DISPOSED ON SAID BED FOR MOVEMENT OVER THE BED IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY ALONG THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF SAID SPINDLE; HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER MEANS FOR MOVING THE CARRIAGE OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID SECOND SUPPORT, THE RESULTANT OPERATING FORCE OF SAID MEANS ACTING ALONG THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID SPINDLE; A SUPPORT MEMBER MOVABLE MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE, THE MOVEMENT BEING IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY ALONG SAID ROTATIONAL AXIS; HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SUPPORT MEMBER OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID SUPPORT MEMBER; A ROTATABLE TAILSTOCK MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, THE ROTATABLE TAILSTOCK MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF THE TAILSTOCK BEING COAXIAL WITH THE SPINDLE AXIS; TWO ROLLER RESTS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF THE SPINDLE AND EACH ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION AT AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID ROTATIONAL AXIS; A PAIR OF HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER MEANS FOR MOVING THE RESTS RESPECTIVELY OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID RESTS, THE RESULTANT OPERATING FORCES OF LAST SAID MEANS LYING IN A PLANE CONTAINING THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF THE SPINDLE; A PAIR OF ROLLERS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID RESTS; AND TWO TRACER VALVES RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED ON SAID RESTS AND COOPERATING RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID TEMPLETS TO CONTROL FLUID FOR LAST SAID PISTON AND CYLINDER MEANS.