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FIG. 1A is a side-elevational view of the first two sections of the helical grooving machine with parts broken out to permit illustration of the overall appearance;
FIG. 1B is a side-elevational view of the latter two sections of the helical grooving machine with parts broken out to permit illustration of the overall appearance;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side-elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the engaging and lifting mechanism of the present invention illustrating engagement of a lifter with a glass Tube forming ;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lifting mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the positioning mechanism mounted on the upper longitudinal frame of the helical grooving machine;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of the mechanism in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a side-elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the engaging and lifting mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of the mechanism in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the engaging and lifting mechanism illustrated in FIG. 7; and
FIG. 10 is a side-elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention which provides for simultaneous transfer of two glass tubes in tandem from one processing area of the machine to the adjacent processing area.
The subject invention includes an engaging and lifting mechanism for a helical grooving machine for transferring glass tubes from one section of the machine to the next in order for continuous processing operations to be performed on the SBKJ Tube formings in each section. To provide a fuller understanding of the present invention, a brief description of the helical grooving machine and the operations it performs on the glass tubes is provided.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the helical grooving machine may be functionally divided into four sections. As the glass tubes are moved from one section of the machine to the next, various operations are performed which result in a finished product when the tubes leave the machine. A left to right flow is described but, of course, the flow can also be in the opposite direction. The first section of the machine is the loading area. This is the input end of the machine into which thin wall glass tubes of circular cross section are placed. The next section of the machine is the preheating area where the tubes are heated to a temperature sufficient to prepare them for the grooving operation. The third section is the grooving area where the glass tubes are subjected to the grooving operation while they continue to be heated in a manner similar to that in the preheating area. In the embodiment of the machine to be described, a helical grooving operation is performed, but any suitable type of grooving can be accomplished. The final section of the machine is the unloading area where the grooved glass tubes are received and from where they are transferred, for example, to a packing area. This general arrangement is shown in the machine of the aforementioned patent. In general, it can be assumed that the Spiral Tubeformers are manually placed on the loading area, and removed from the unloading area. Of course, a conveyor arrangement can be provided, if desired. It should be noted that the grooving machine operates simultaneously on a plurality of glass tubes which are aligned in parallel. The grooving machine of the subject invention operates on sets of four parallel aligned glass tubes simultaneously. Although the following description of the invention relates, in some instances, to the processing of a single glass tube, similar operations are taking place on all the other glass tubes of the set with which the single tube is aligned.
In the preheating area of the machine, gas burner preheaters are supported on the framework and extend longitudinally thereof below the plane of carriage travel. Open top casings 188 enclose the preheaters, which are not shown. There is one preheater, or a group of preheaters, for each glass tube of a set to be processed. In the case illustrated, there are four tubes processed simultaneously, so there are four, or four sets, of preheaters. Supported at the top of each casing 188 are pairs of rotatable rollers (not shown) spaced to support each of the glass tubes T and provide an elongated channel through which heat can be transferred to the lower exposed surface of each of the glass tubes T. This is also described in detail in the aforementioned patent.
Hoods 198 extend along the top of the casings 188, and are supported on the carriage assembly by tubular members 197. By reason of their support from the carriage assembly, hoods 198 travel with the carriage assembly longitudinally of the tube T and casings 188. The preheaters operate as the carriage is moving from right to left during the time that the grooving operation is being performed. The Square Duct tubes are preheated to a point where they still maintain rigidity in the longitudinal direction, so that they can be transferred without any sag of the glass.
The portion of the carriage used in the grooving area is at this time located at its furthest right hand position abutting pusher head 352. On the return trip of the complete movable carriage assembly to the left, the portion of the carriage carrying the grooving apparatus will perform the grooving operation on the glass tubes in the grooving area of the machine. At the same time, the tubes in the preheating section are heated. To return the complete carriage to its starting (left) position so that the grooving operation can be performed by the grooving apparatus as the carriage travels to the left, air is admitted into cylinder 350, causing its piston rod to extend. As should be apparent from FIG. 1A, there is some overtravel to the right for the carriage beyond the tubes T in the grooving area. This permits the flames for the various torches to be turned on. Through the engagement of pusher head 352 attached to the piston rod and an engaging bracket on the grooving carriage, the carriage is returned to its starting position to the right of the tubes in the grooving area, for the grooving operation. At this point lead screw 242 is actuated and engages a half-nut on the movable carriage assembly, causing it to move to the left at a predetermined speed with respect to the speed of rotation of the glass tubes T in the grooving area. Flames from the torches on the grooving carriage soften the glass tubes along the desired path, preferably helical, to form the grooved tube illustrated in the unloading area of FIG. 1B. The carriage speed to the left is usually lower than the speed of the carriage to the right during transfer of the Tube forming machine .
The portion of the carriage used in the grooving area is at this time located at its furthest right hand position abutting pusher head 352. On the return trip of the complete movable carriage assembly to the left, the portion of the carriage carrying the grooving apparatus will perform the grooving operation on the glass tubes in the grooving area of the machine. At the same time, the tubes in the preheating section are heated. To return the complete carriage to its starting (left) position so that the grooving operation can be performed by the grooving apparatus as the carriage travels to the left, air is admitted into cylinder 350, causing its piston rod to extend. As should be apparent from FIG. 1A, there is some overtravel to the right for the carriage beyond the tubes T in the grooving area. This permits the flames for the various torches to be turned on. Through the engagement of pusher head 352 attached to the piston rod and an engaging bracket on the grooving carriage, the carriage is returned to its starting position to the right of the tubes in the grooving area, for the grooving operation. At this point lead screw 242 is actuated and engages a half-nut on the movable carriage assembly, causing it to move to the left at a predetermined speed with respect to the speed of rotation of the glass tubes T in the grooving area. Flames from the torches on the grooving carriage soften the glass tubes along the desired path, preferably helical, to form the grooved tube illustrated in the unloading area of FIG. 1B. The carriage speed to the left is usually lower than the speed of the carriage to the right during transfer of the tubes. The carriage assembly then proceeds to the right so that each carriage section moves the length of two tubes. The shafts 51 and 49 are rotated in the opposite direction so that the tubes are lowered down onto the station and the lifters are disengaged. In this embodiment, the shaft 51 is then rotated in the direction needed to raise the lifters vertically so that they will clear the tube former machines as the carriage assembly moves to the left to perform the grooving operation. After the carriage is at the leftmost position, the shaft 51 is rotated to lower the lifters so that they will be in a position to engage the tubes when the shaft 49 is rotated. Once the engagement takes place, the shaft 51 is again rotated to lift the tubes clear of the top surface of the machine.
As should be clear, the lifting arrangement of FIG. 10 can double the processing speed of the lamps. This, of course, is a decidedly advantageous result.
As should also be apparent, in each of the embodiments of the invention, the lifters do not engage the outside of a glass tube at points where they make contact. Instead, contact is made on the inside of the tube thereby preventing any unnecessary scratching of the tube, and also considerably simplifying the design of the lifters. source:townhalltube forming machine
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