US2569850A - Crimping device - Google Patents

Description

R. w. FALCONER CRIMPING DEVICE Oct 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l ((Zorzzeys.

Filed March 8, 194'? Oct; 2, 1951 R. w. FALCONER 2,569,850

CRIMPING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 305:2? 1f." i'hkwyev' FM w fi mmma Patented Oct. 2, 1951 GRIMPING DEVICE Robert W. Falconer, Lancaster, N. Y., assignor to ATF Incorporated, Elizabeth, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application March 8, 1947, Serial No. 733,307

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for shaping tubular blanks and more particularly to the manufacture of a tubular blank having a crimped portion adjacent one end to facilitate later operations to form a collapsible tube therefrom. In a prior patent of Boris Bogoslowsky, Serial No. 2,396,635, granted March 19, 1946, there is disclosed and claimed a collapsible tube formed of sheet material consisting of a flexible cylindrical tubular body portion having an integral shoulder and neck, the shoulder consisting of a plurality of small folds, the neck consisting of twisted folds forming continuations of the folds of the shoulder with the twisted folds of the neck pressed to form a shortened, thickened, tubular wall of substantial strength and rigidity.

In the manufacture of collapsible tubes of the type disclosed in the Bogoslowsky patent, it has been found that the operations of forming the shoulder and neck can be more easily carried out if the end of the tubular body is first submitted to a crimping operation.

The present invention is directed to a method of an mechanism for imparting this preliminary crimp to the end of a tubular body which method possesses certain advantages over previously known methods of accomplishing this result. While the invention will hereinafter be described more particularly in connection with the preliminary shaping of the end of a tubular blank used for manufacturing collapsible tubes, it is of course to be understood that the invention may be employed in any case where a tubular blank is to be provided with a crimped portion.

In carrying out the invention I provide a pair of members, one of which is rotatable with respect to the other. Between these members, spaced equidistantly and concentrically of the axis, I provide a plurality of rods of equal length, the rods terminating in spherical heads or balls which are received in the two members. The rods are thus free to rotate or pivot in any direction around either of the members. As stated, one of the members is provided with means for imparting rotary motion to it.

Rotation of this member causes the rods to change their positions with respect to the axis. Thus, if the rods are originally parallel to the axis of the crimping device, movement of one of the members causes them to assume inclined positions moving in spiral baths about the central axis. The rods, being supported at each end, are always maintained at the same distance from each other and as they extend in an inclined position from one of the members to the other across the central opening of the members, they engage the wall of a blank in the opening at equally spaced intervals to crimp or fold the material of which the wall is made.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Fig. 1 is a central, vertical, sectional view of the two relatively rotatable members and the crimping rods showing one means for actuating the crimping device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one end of one of the tubular bodies prior to crimping;

Fig. 4 is a similar view after crimping;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a central, vertical, sectional. view with the crimping rods in their extreme or open'position;

Fig. '7 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 1-1 of Fig. 6 at the end of the crimping operation; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal, sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the crimping mechanism comprises a pair of cylindrical members I0 and 12, one of which fits into the other as shown. One of the members is shown as being rotatable with respect to the other and the two members are so mounted that the rotatable member is also capable of axial movement with respect to the other. As shown, the lower outer member ID is mounted in a split clamping ring M, the clamping ring being capable of being adjusted to hold the member In by means of a bolt or screw IS. The other side or end I8 of the clamping ring is mounted in any suitable support or bracket or on the frame of the machine of which the crimping apparatus forms a part. The upper member I2 is likewise mounted in a split clamping ring 20 which is held in position on the member l2 by bolt or screw 22. l

A plurality of rods 24, illustrated as twelve in number, are arranged between the upper and lower members. These rods are of equal length and are spaced equidistantly and concentrically around the axis (see Figs. 5 and '7). The rods are provided with balls 25 on their upper ends and balls 26 on their lower ends, these balls being mounted in seats in the upper and lower members which permit the rods to assume various angles with respect to the upper and lower members and with respect to the axis. The balls 25 are m0unt ed in seats 28 in the movable member 12 and the balls 26 are mounted in similar seats 30 in a detachable ring 32 carried by the lower member. While theoretically these seats should be spherical, I have found that for practical operation the seats can be formed as drilled openings with the conical drill tip forming the bottom of the seat and the cylindrical hole formed by the drill forming the side walls of the seats. The balls may be removably confined in these seats by rings 34 provided with beveled or curved walls engaging the faces of the balls adjacent the point where the rods are attached. These rings may in turn be retained in place by split or snap rings received beneath shoulders 33 formed in the upper and lower members. I I I Clamping ring 20, which carries the upper r'nov able member, is provided with a lateral arm or extension 40 to which isponnected a link 42. As shown, thearmw is forked as at 44 and the link 42 is connected thereto by a swivel connection 46.

. T e other end of the link is also provided with a swivel "connection as to a rocker arm at. The rocker arm is fixed by" a key 52 to a rock shaft 54'. shaft is mounted in suitable bearings, one of which is shown as at 56 and is oscillated by suitable means (not shown), Oscillation of V he shaft sk s in turn transmitted to the upper me ber 12 which is oscillated in the lower memher as indicated by the arrow 2 of the drawings. The mounting of the uppermember with the swivel connections at each end of the linkalso permits the upper member to have an axial inbviiient with respect to the lower member and the distance between the two members is controlled by the position of the rods 24. When the rods 24 are in a position parallel to the axis as shown inFig. 6 of the drawings, the ends of thero'ds will be at their greatest vertical distance from each other and when the upper member is oscillated to bring the rods to an inclined position as shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings, the upper member moves toward the lower member.

The tubular blanks T to be crimped are fed to the crimping mechanismon rods or posts 58 having" frusto conical upper ends 60, These posts may be mounted on a suitableturret (not shown) and may be brought inaxial alignment with the crimping i'nember and then moved into the crimping position as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. As shown, the tubular body is mounted on the post with a portion 62 of the material projecting beyond thepost and when in erimping pbs it'ion thisportion 62 of the materialoccupies most of thespace between the upper and lower members. 'Ihrough shaft 54 and link 42 the upper member may be oscillated as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As there shown; the upper member has been oscillated through an arm of 150. Qne of the rods designated. by the reference numeral 24has its upper end at the po si=- tion indicated by the reference numeral 64, whereas its lower end is in the ring 32 at a point 150 away, indicated by the reference numeral 66. H The rod, having its upper end at the point in the eircumference represented by, the. reference numeral 66, likewise extends across the center area of the crimping device and has its lower end at the point indicated by the reference numeral 68. Likewise each of the other ten rods extends from the upper member to the lower member as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7 of thedrawing's with thesemembers 15G apart. Therods thus extend across the center area of the crimp- 4 ing mechanism and as the angle of rotation increases, approach the axis.

When a tube is'arranged in the crimping mechanism as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings and the upper member rotated as indicated in Figs. 1 and '7, the rods in assuming the position shown in Fig. 7, engage the wall 62 of the material within the crimping mechanism and fold the material as shown in Fig. 4 to form the crimps 10.

By employing a crimping device consisting of straight rods which are supported at each end and which are equidistantly spaced from each other tne rods a r e always maintained at the same distance from each other in any seleceted horizontal plane in any position of the crimping members and uniform crimps or flutes are thus produced; In normal use it is not necessary to open the device to the position indicated in Fig. i

6 with the crimpin rods arranged vertically. The movement of the upper member toward open position may be arrested atany point after the central opening is large enough to receive the tubular body and with therods still in a slightly inclined position. This can, of course, be varied; by varyingthe amount of movement of the shaft 54 depending upon the diameter of thetubes beme o e at d .onh fl t he o ,en s m ment of the upper member is permitted through the ball and socket connections on the link 52 and by thefact that the upper member is in reality supported by the rods. 7 I

One important feature of the invention istha't the tubes Tmay be positioned on the p'osts 53 r and retained byv any suitable means in a fixed ill position during the crimping operation. In previous constructions it was necesary to freely support thetubular bodies on the posts to permit variable lengthwisemovement of the tubes during crimping. As the operation is performed in connection with the. manufacture of collapsible tubes for tooth paste, shaving cream and the like; which must be of a standard length; such former practice required an additional operation in bringing the tubes to the right length after crimping. In the present apparatus there is no movement of thetubular body during the crimp ing operation and the tubular body can therefore be exactly positioned prior to crimping;

While the invention has been illustrated with the lower member Ii! stationary and the upper member I2 rotatable and also capable of axialmovement, it will of course be understood that the relative movement of the two members can be obtained by movement of either of them;

The form of the invention herein shown is; of course; illustrative and the invention is not lim-- ited thereby except as set forth in the appended other; and means for rotating one of said inem=.

bars with respect to the other to cause the rods to extend at an angle to the axis of said mem bers across the. space between said members and cause he tubular members to move toward each D b t. w H I 2 Apparatus'for forming parallel ,spiralpleats in a tubular body'comprising a pair of axially spaced, co-axial tubular members, each member having a plurality of seats concentrically arranged and spaced equidistantly from each other, a plurality of rods, equal in number to the number of seats, arranged between the two members, balls mounted on the ends of the rods and received in the seats, the rods, in one relative position of the members, being parallel to and concentric with the axis of the tubular members to space the tubular members axially a maximum distance from each other, and means for rotating one of the members with respect to the other to cause the rods to extend at an angle to the axis of said members across the space between said members and cause the tubular members to move toward each other.

3. Apparatus for forming parallel spiral pleats in a tubular body comprising a pair of axially spaced, co-axial tubular members, each member having a plurality of seats concentrically arranged and spaced equidistantly from each other, a plurality of rods, equal in number to the number of seats, arranged between the members, balls on the ends of the rods and received in the seats, the rods, in one relative position of the tubular members, being each parallel to and concentric with the axis of the tubular members to space the tubular members axially a maximum distance from each other, and means for rotating one of the members with respect to the other to cause the rods to extend at an angle to the axis of said members across the space between said members and cause the tubular members to move toward each other while maintaining said rods in corresponding spaced relation to each other.

ROBERT W. FALCONER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 477,362 Grisel June 21, 1892 866,223 Bitty Sept. 17, 1907 1,245,952 Nichols Nov. 6, 1917 1,667,498 Simmons Apr. 24, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,458 Great Britain Aug, 10, 1909

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