US2208061A - Folding brake construction - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1949. wA ER 2,208,061

v FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION I I Filed April 11, 1958 4Sheets-5heet l July l6, 1940- B. WARGER FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1938 July 16, 1940. WARGER I 2308,06]

' FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 11, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet s FTTOR/VEYS .Hy 16, 1940. w E R 2,208,061

FOLDING BRAKE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 11, 1958 4 Sheets-Shae; 4

' BE/VJH/W/V WHRGEA. 1 15.51- 1 Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE Benjamin Warger, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 11, 1938, Serial No. 201,407

7 Claims.

Folding or cornice brakes are widely used in tinsmith shops for producing gutter or like trough structures from blanks of sheet metal. The construction of these brakes or folding machines, however, makes it necessary to perform the various folding or bending operations in separate runs, and a lengthwise turning of the halffinished product between such runs is also necessary to permit the performance of certain foldll) ing operations. Obviously, considerable time is lost by such procedure, and the efficiency of output of the folding brakes is rather limited.

Another disadvantage of the present day constructions of folding machines of this nature re- 1 5 sides in the fact that all sheet metal blanks from which the final product is manufactured have to be measured, laid out, and marked so as to enable the operators of the machine to properly insert the blanks into the same for the various folding operations to obtain fairly accurate results. However, even though the greatest care is exercised, the final products manufactured by this type of machine will not be exact duplicates. According to the present practice, the bending or folding operations are started from both sides of the sheet metal blank, and any inaccuracies due to slight variations in size of the sheetmetal blanks and inaccurate positioning of the same within the machine cannot be corrected and may cause considerable trouble during installation of the gutter.

The foldingbrake construction of the present invention has been devised especially for the purpose of eliminating the above mentioned disadvantages, and it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a folding brake construction which permits the manufacture of gutters or other trough like structures from sheet metal blanks in a single run of successive folding operations without the necessity of a lengthwise turning of the blank worked upon.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a gutter folding machine which comprises a plurality of matrix members arranged in a certain cooperative relation to the other parts of the machine in'such a manner as to permit a movement of these matrices to operative or inoperative positions. By arranging the matrices in this manner, the utility of the fold- ;ing machine for other purposes is not impaired thereby and its use for any other kind of folding or bending work for which such' machines are generally adaptable, is not prevented.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of certaingauge or abutwarping and bending of the sheet metal blank from which the final product is formed.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a folding brake structure according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial front elevation of the machine of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the folding brake structure of Figure 1, certain parts being omitted for the purposes of clearness.

Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of a portion of one of the matrix holders employed in connection with the present invention, and illustrating especially the adjustability of the same.

Figure 6 is a top elevation of a gauge device, illustrating the arrangement of various gauge members upon a gauge supporting structure which is secured to the folding machine.

Figure 7 illustrates an-end' view of the gauge members and their supporting structures as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 shows a side view of another gauge or abutment member.

Figure 9 illustrates a top view of the abutment member of Figure 8.

Figure 10 shows a lever construction for performing certain folding and bending operations.

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the lever construction as shown in Figure ,10, the section being taken on line ll-H ofFigure 10 and certain parts being broken away.

Figure 12 is a plan view of a blank of sheet metal from which the gutters or trough members may be formed in accordance with the'present invention. I

Figures 13 to 20 inclusive are somewhat diagrammatic views showing portions of the folding brake of the present invention and their cooperation during the various folding operations of the 5 machine. These figures demonstrate also in successive order how the sheet metal blank is folded during each operation of the machine to obtain the final product.

Figure 21 isa sectional view of a completed gutter structure as obtained in' accordance with the tee chings of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings and especially to Figures 1 to 3, I illustrates the working table of the folding brake structure which is provided with uprights 2 forming a base structure for supporting the cooperating parts of the structure I at the proper elevation most suitable for performing the various folding operations. table I is stationary and carries at its forward end a lower jaw member 3 which is somewhat elevated with respect to the remaining surface 4 of said table. Angularly disposed with respect to the table I is a movable upper jaw member 5 adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly with respect to the lower jaw member 3 by means of upper jaw levers 5 cooperating with cam members 1 and 8 to produce the above described movement or by any other mechanism well known in the art. Hinged tobearing members 9 at both ends of the working table I is a. folding member or plate I 0. The bearing members 9 are integral parts of the table I and cooperate with similar hinge members II of the folding member or plate by pivoting around pivot pins I2 mounted within the bearing members 9 and extending laterally therefrom into the bearing members II.

-'.The folding member In is further provided with counterweights I3 so as to counterbalance the weight of themovable plate It to a certain degree and to relieve certain of the lifting strain on the operator when the plate It is raised upwardly as shown in Figure 19 to perform the bending or folding operations. For the convenience of the operator, the folding member or plate I!) is provided with a handle portion I4. The plate Ill is further provided with cut-out portions I5:which are positioned adjacent cutout portions or grooves I6 in the upper jaw 5 and the lower jaw 3.

Mounted on the bearing member II on each side of the machine is a gauge supporting member I'I provided with a plurality of sleeves I8, I9, and 29 adapted to carry gauge or abutment members 2|, 22, and 23 adjustably secured to gauge arms 24, 25, and 26. The gauge arms 24, 2,5, and 25 are secured to'the sleeves I8; I9, and 20 respectively by means of clamping devices 2?, 28, and 29. The sleeve members I8, I9 and 20, together with their respective gauge arms and gauge members are movable with respect to the gauge support I'I so that the same may be swung into operative and inoperative positions. Stop pins 30, 3I, and 32 secured to the supporting member I! cooperate with slots 33, 34, and 35 of the sleeve members I8, I9, and 20 to limit their movement and to maintain the same in proper operative or inoperative positions. I

The gauge orabutment members 2I, 22, 23

may be readily adjusted with respect to their cooperating gauge arms by loosening the lock nuts 36, 31, 38 and by turning the respective gauge members to obtain proper position, whereupon the lock nuts are'tightened again. Further adjustability of the gauge members is obtained by loosening the clamp connections 2'5, 28, and 29 and-by shifting the gauge arms 24, 25, and 26 with respect to their cooperative sleeve members. I Mounted upon the upper jaw 5 is a plurality The" of matrix holding or supporting members genment of the matrix 40 to swing the same out of the way if not in use, but to permit the same to be lowered immediately into cooperative relationship with other parts of the machine when in use. A plurality of set screws 42 threadedly connected with the lower portion 39a of the matrix holders engage the surface of the upper jaw member 5 and are provided to permit a correct adjustment of the matrix 40 with respect to the upper jaw member 5 and other cooperating parts, as will be clearly understood from the following.

The matrix holder members 39, as shown clearly in Figures 4 and 5, are secured to the upper jaw 5 by means of head screws 44 threadedly connected with the upper jaw member 5 as shown at 45. Interposed between the matrix holder members 39 and screws 44 is an eccentric bushing 49 positioned in a concentric hole 41 in the upper portion of the matrix holder 39. By removing the screw 44 the eccentric bushing 46 may be turned within the hole 41 and in this way a more proper positioning of the matrix holder members may be effected, especially if such matrix holding members are to be attached to present day type machines where it sometimes may be rather difiicult to exactly position the screws 44.

Thefolding member or movable plate I9 is also provided with a matrix member very similar in configuration to the matrix 40, as clearly seen from Figure 18. This matrix member has been indicated at 48 and extends substantially over the whole length of the machine, in the same manner as matrix 40. The matrix holder 49 of the matrix 43 is secured to the plate III and is of a construction similar to matrix holder shown at 39. The .matrixholder 49 is clearly illustrated in Figures 18 and 19 and maybe swung out of the way in a manner similar. to matrix holder 39. This has been indicated in Figure 20. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate an abutment member 59 which comprises a frame structure 5! having upstanding portions 52 and 53 through which a rod 54 extends. For this purpose the upstanding portions 52v and 53are provided with openings 55 and 56. The opening 55 is somewhat elongated in a vertical direction so as to permit an up and down movement of the rod 54 which is provided with ashoulder member 51 adapted to engage the lower edge of the opening 55 when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 8. The rod 54 is provided at its rear end with a washer 58 held in position by a pin 59, and interposed between the washer 58 and the upwardly extending portion 53 offfthe abutment frame 5i is a spring 60 tending to holdthe rod 54 in a retracted position. The'rod 54 is further. provided with a threaded portion IiI cooperating with an inwardly threaded sleeve 52 of the gauge or abutment 63 which is also provided with an additional sleeve member I54 within which the rod 54 is free to move.

It will therefore be seen that 'by turning rod 54 the abutment 53 may be moved backwardly or; forwardly to establish the desired adjustment of the member 63 necessary fora certain working operation. The forward end of rod 54 is providedwith a cam-like portion 65 and a handle member 56 forpurposes which will be later explained. A'shoulder plate 61 limits the backward movement of the rod.

With the parts in the position shown in Figure 8, it will be seen that when the forward end of the rod 54 as indicated at 54a. is pressed upwardly, the shoulder 51 will be disengaged from the lower edge of the slot 55 and by virtue of spring 60 rod 54 will be moved backwardly until the shoulder 51 contacts the frame portion 52. This position of the parts is shown for instance in Figures 13 and 14. By gripping the handle member 66 of the rod 5 and pulling the same forwardly and downwardly, the parts may be brought in the position shown in Figure 8. In this manner two fixed positions for the abutment 63 are provided for purposes which will become apparent later on from the description of the operation of the machine.

The frame 5! of the abutment member 50 is mounted upon the table of the machine and it must be noted that one of these abutment structures is provided for each end of the machine. The forward end 545a of the rod 5 extends through the recess it in the upper jaw 5 and lower jaw 3. Frame 5! is held in place and secured to the working table i of the machine by means of screw 68, as will be clearly seen from Figures 13 to 20 inclusive.

By positioning the frame 5!, rod 54, and its forward end 54a in the manner above described, a cooperation between cam 65 and recess I5 of the folding plate i5) is obtained; 1. e., when the rod 54 is in the position shown in Figures 8 and 16, upward movement of the folding plate it! will bring the lower edge of the recess E5 in camming cooperation with the cam portion 65 and cause an upward movement of the front portion 54a of the rod 54 which will disengage the cooperative relationship between the shoulder member 51 and the lower edge of the slot l5. whereupon spring 5i? will force the rod 54 and abutment 63 rearwardly until the shoulder plate 61 contacts frame portion 52.

In Figure 10 there is shown a lever construction 69 comprising the handle portion ill and frame structure it having a lower frame member 12 extending substantially over the whole width of the front portion of the machine. The lever construction 69 is not directly attached to the machine and is separate therefrom but cooperates therewith to perform work on sheet metal blanks in a manner to be described. The lower frame member l2, as best seen in Figure 11, is provided with a gripping member 13 for engaging the partially folded sheet metal blank to thereby permit bending or folding of the same against the lower matrix 48. This step in the operation of the device is clearly illustrated in Figure 19 and will be more specifically described later on.

Figure 12 shows a blank of sheet metal from which the gutter or similar trough membermay be formed. These blanks are obtained by cutting the same from large plates of sheet metal to proper size and length. This blank is folded and bent until it finally assumes the configuration shown in Figure 21, which represents a sectional view of the finished gutter produced by the machine of the present invention.

Mounted upon the upper surface of the table 4 is a guard plate 4a which has an upwardly inclined portion db angularly disposed with respect to the rear vertical surface of the jaw member 3 and contacting the same near its upper edge. This guard plate is adapted to properly guide bent portions of the sheet metal blank upwardly between the bending operations when the partially bent sheet metal blank has to be removed from its position between the lower and upper jaw members. In the absence of this guard plate the bent portions of the sheet metal blank would otherwise catch at the rear side of the lower jaw 3 and the removal of the blank to perform additional bending operations would be rather difiicult.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 13 to '20 inclusive, the operation of the machine will be described in conjunction therewith. Before the machine is set into operation and the various folding and bending operations are performed, the abutment or gauge members 24, 22. 23 and 63 are first adjusted to the respective desired positions, which of course vary according to the size of the gutter or trough to be produced. They may be set within limits to any distance for such purposes, as will be quite obvious to those skilled in the art. The machine is now conditioned for operation. The levers 6 at both sides of the machine are operated and the upper jaw member 5 is moved upwardly so as to permit the introduction of the sheet metal blank M as shown in Figure 13. Then the upper jaw member 5 islowered so that its lower edge 75 rests upon the upper surface of the sheet metal blank M substantially as shown in Figure 13. When the blank is inserted in this manner, by sliding the same into the machine in the direction of the arrow 16 in Figure 13, it will be noted that the rear edge of the sheet metal blank will abut against abutment or gauge 83, which at this time is in the position shown in Figure 13, and is properly positioned so that only a certain desired length of the blank 14 as shown at 11 extends outwardly from between the members. The folding member 5 0 is now moved upwardly to a certain extent by gripping the handle I4 so as to bend the portion 1'! of the blank substantially into a position as shown at 11a in dotted lines. The operator will of course use his judgment as to how far the plate II) will be moved to obtain the desired angular position of the forward portion of the blank '74. Slight variations in angularity are inconsequential.

Referring now to Figure 14, and proceeding with the description of the operation of the machine, the next step involves again the operation of the levers 6 to again raise the upper jaw member. The abutment members 23 on both sides of the machine are now swung into a position as shown in dotted lines in Figure '7, and the sheet metal blank M is pulled outwardly until the outer portion 'll'a of the same abuts against the stops 23. Thereupon, the upper jaw m b 5 is lowered to thereby clamp the sheet metal blank securely in this position. The abutments 23 are swung out of the way to a position as shown in Figure 7 in full lines. The folding plate [0 is now raised to a horizontal position and the part 18 of the blank is bent at right angles to a position as shown at 13a in Figure 14.

gauge for this operation. plate it is now moved to horizontal position and the portion 18b is thereby bent into the configuration shown- Now jaw.

in dotted lines in Figure 1.5, at 19.

5 is again raised and, as shown in Figure 16, the handle members 86 of the rods 54 of the abutment members 58 on each side of the machine are gripped by the operators and pulled out wardly until the shoulder member 51 engages frame portion 52 of the abutment frame 5| in substantially the same manner as described previously in regard to Figure 8. This moves the abutment 63 a certain distance forward toward the lower and upper jaw members. The sheet metal blank 14 which has now the configuration shown in full lines in Figure 16, is pushed into the machine until the rear edge of the same abuts against the abutment member 63 and the upper jaw 5 is now again lowered. The folding member I0 is moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 16, thereby bending the forward end of the portion 19 of the blank 14 upwardly and at right angles thereto as shown at 19a. During the progress of upward movement and while the bending of the portion 19a has been partially accomplished, the lower edge of the recess l5 as shown at I50. in Figure 16 will now engage the cam of the rod 56. The front end of the rod 54a. will be rocked upwardly, the interlocking engagement between the parts 52 and 51 will be released, and abutment 63 will move back to its original position under the force of spring 60.

Figure 17 illustrates the next step in the formation of the finished product, which involves raising of the upper jaw 5 and a swinging into position of the gauges 24 at both ends of the machine. The blank M is now slightly pulled forward until its portion 19a engages gauges 2|,

whereupon the upper jaw 5 is lowered again to clamp the blank in proper position. The abutments or gauges 2| are 'moved out of the way and the folding member 18 is raised to a horizontal position and the forward end of the blank, as seen in Figure 17, will thereby assume the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 17 and designated 88.

The next step in the operation is illustrated in Figure 18. However, before describing this operation, it should be mentioned that during all previous cycles of operation the matrices 48 and 48 were swung out of the way so as not to interfere with the working operations. Now, however, the same will be swung into positions as shown in Figure 18, which are the operative positions, after the blank M has been pulled outwardly to such an extent that the portion 8| of the same abuts against the lower side 82 of the jaw 5, the latter serving now as an abutment member. With the parts in this position, the folding member ID is moved upwardly as shown in Figure 19. The portion 83 of the blank 14 is forced against the matrix 40 and bent thereupon according to the configuration of the latter. As will be seen in comparison of Figures 18 and 19, the upward movement of the protruding blank portion is caused by engagement between the portion 83 of the blank and the matrix 48 which moves with the folding member ID. Now with the blank bent as in full lines in Figure 19 and with the folding member [0 maintained in the position shown in the same figure, the lever member 69 is placed with its gripping members l3 engaged with the free end of the protruding blank portion as shown in Figure 19', and with the plate l8 held in the position shown in Figure 19, the lever 69 is pressed downwardly toward the matrix member 48 by manual force of the operators to the dotted line position, forcing the portion 83 of the blank against and partially around the matrix 48. This gives the partially finished product the appearance shown in full lines in Figure 20, and the same is ready for the performance of the final bending operation, which is accomplished by raising the upper jaw 5 in the usual manner, swinging the abutments 22 at both ends of the machine into operative position and pulling out the blank M until it abuts against the gauges 22. Now the gauges are swung out of the way and the folding plate 10 is raised to horizontal position. This bends the sheet metal blank at 84 at right angles and the same assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 20. The upper portion 85 of the now finished gutter 86 will abut against the supporting frame 39, or, if the same is arranged higher up and out of the way from that as shown in Figure 20, it will abut against the upper portion of the upper jaw 5. However, this will not do any harm tothe finished product because it is sufficiently springy and will retain its shape without any deformation. When the upper jaw 5 is now raised and the finished gutter removed, it will have the appearance shown in Figure 21.

From the above it will be noted that by setting the gauges and abutment members as mentioned hereinbefore, the dimensions for the various portions of the gutter structure are predetermined and no variations in the size of the i finished product can possibly occur. Furthermore, if the sheet metal blank should not be cut to the exact size, only slight variations in dimension of the gutter portion 85 will occur. Such variations in size of the portion 85 are absolutely inconsequential and cannot be seen when the gutter is mounted in place on a building structure.

The abutment and gauge members, as well as a certain portion of the matrix holder members 39 and 459 may be permanently secured to the folding machine referred to herein, and, if desired, certain portions of the matrix holders 39 and 49 may be integral parts of the upper jaw member 5 or the folding plate In. However, if desired, these parts may also be manufactured so as to be used as attachments for folding machines of present constructions to render the same adaptable and more efiicient for the purposes of manufacturing gutters in the manner set forth herein.

The matrix 48 may be a-djustably mounted on its holder or supporting members 49 substantially in the same manner as shown in Figure 5, so

that a considerable flexibility in the horizontal adjustment of said matrix may be obtained.

The matrix members 40 and 48 may be of any desired configuration, as will suggest itself for various purposes of practice.

If desired, the sleeve 64 of the abutment 63 may be provided with internal threads and the portion 6! of the rod 54 may be arranged to 00 operate with the threads of the sleeve 54 while in such case sleeve 62 is not internally threaded, as will be clearly seen from Figures 13 to 20. Either the construction shown in Figure 8 or in Figures 13 to 20 may be used' in connection with the present invention, as will be obvious from the illustrations.

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

1. A folding machine of the class described, comprising, in combination, a plurality of cooperating jaw members, a folding plate movable relative to said jaw members, abutment means on one of said jaw members for holding a sheet metal blank interposed between said jaw mem bers in a predetermined position with respect to the same, and instrumentalities on said abutment means cooperating with said folding plate for shifting said abutment means to another predetermined position upon operation of said folding plate.

2. A folding machine of the character described, comprising, in combination, a plurality of cooperating jaws for holding a blank of material to be worked upon in position, ,a movable folding member adjacent, said jaws movable relative to the latter for bending said blank of material with respect to said jaws, matrix members 'on one of the jaws and the folding member adaptedfor actuation upon the blank of material and for causing bending thereof incident to the operation of the folding member, and man ual means comprising a leverhaving a gripping member engageable with said blank for causing bending thereof about said matrix-means upon movement being imparted to said lever while said blankis held between said jaws.

3. In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, a table having a fixed jaw member, a movable jaw member mounted on said table above the fixed jaw member, abutment means carried by the table for limiting the positioning movement of the work in one direction in relation to the: jaw members when saidwork is inserted between the jaw members, and a series of differentially positioned gauge members carried by the table and arranged. to differently gaugethe positions taken by the work when adjusted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the work is limited in its movement by the abutment means, operating means for the movable jaw member to effect its cooperation with the fixed jaw member, and a folding member on the table arranged to perform bending operations on the work when the latter is adjusted to its various positions in which it may be set by cooperation thereof with the abutment means and the said gauge members.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the gauge members referred to are adjustable toward and from the jaw members.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the gauge members referred to are adjustable toward and from the jaw members, and other parts securing the gauge members in their Working positions adjustably connecting them to a table for adjustmentsat right angles to the direction of their adjustment toward and from the jaw members.

5. In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, a working table equipped with a lower jaw member, an upper jaw member movable above the table toward and from said lower jaw member, abutment means on the table for positioning sheet metal inserted between said jaw members for bending operations thereon, operating means for the upper jaw member to effect movement thereof toward and from the lower jaw member and to position the same in working engagement with the lower jaw member for holding the sheet metal, a gauge member movably mounted on the table and shiftable to a predetermined gauging position to govern the position of the sheet metal on the table with respect to said jaw members, and a folding member movably carried by the table adjacent to the said jaws for bending the metal while held by the jaws, said gauge member being movable to non-working or inoperative positionpermitting the folding of the work on the table without interference therefrom, said abutment means being equipped with a camming part arranged to cooperate with the folding member so that upon movement of the latter automatic movement of the abutment means may be caused.

7.'In a folding machine for sheet metal or the like, in combination, a working table equipped with a lower jaw member, an upper jaw member movable above the table toward and from said lower jaw member, abutment means on the table for positioning sheet metal inserted between said jaw members for bending operations thereon, operating means for the upper jaw member to effect movement thereof toward and from terference therefrom, spring means adapted to actuate the abutment means, and cam means on the abutment means operable by movement of the folding member to cause action of the said spring means on the abutment means for shifting the. position of the latter.

BENJAMIN WARGER.

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