Aluminum Company of America

James A Miller

Robert P Evert

Robert E Welsh

Raymond Miller

James E Knepp

James D Smith

A method of handling a fragile, flexible card on a perforated plate. The method includes first locating the card on a tray having an open center, and disposing the tray and card on the plate. The plate is located on a hollow platen which is evacuated to draw the card to the plate. The hollow of the platen has a center compartment and peripheral compartments located about the center compartment. The evacuation process begins with the center compartment and gradually evacuates the peripheral compartments such that the center portion of the card is drawn first to the periphery plate while the peripheral portions of the card are drawn later to the periphery of the plate. In this manner, the drawing process begins with the center of the card and progresses outwardly from the center to the periphery of the card. After the card is drawn to the plate, the card is secured to the open tray by clamps.

Method of handling green ceramic cards

Method for making blanks from a fragile, flexible material cast on a supporting strip and rolled to form a composite roll of the flexible material and strip. The method includes the process of separating the supporting strip from the flexible material, winding the supporting strip on a take-up roll and cleaning the flexible material before it reaches a station for blanking cards from the flexible material. The cards blanked from material are collected on a conveyor, while a remaining skeleton of the flexible material is collected for reuse in making the flexible material.

Automatic handling of green ceramic tapes

The invention includes apparatus and method for lubricating and cooling a workpiece, dies or ironing rings, and punch at the interface between the workpiece and such dies or ironing rings and punch in forming a workpiece into a hollow closed end cylindrical article. A lubricant liquid phase is injected into a coolant liquid phase to form a 'dispersion' prior to application to the metal-tool interface. Providing the lubricant as a dispersion in the coolant liquid phase rather than as an emulsion provides several advantages. The quantity of lubricant and the time of lubricant injection can be varied to control lubricity and, thus, friction. The invention makes it possible to achieve differential friction in the ironing process by having higher lubricity on the ironing die (low friction) and lower lubricity on the punch surface (high friction). Lubricities and cooling are controllable for the specific metal forming process employed to produce closed end hollow body containers. After applicaiton, the lubricant and coolant are separated, the lubricant filtered to remove debris, stored, and then reinjected to provide lubrication for the process.

Apparatus and method for lubricating and cooling in a draw and iron press

A novel and improved method of deforming elongated hollow members so as to maintain uniform cross-sectional profile, uniform section thickness reduction, and minimal springback characteristics which includes superimposing in the forming process an internal fluid pressure support for the hollow member which imposes a circumferential tension thereon, a longitudinal tension which plastically elongates the member, and a transverse bending load which plastically bends the member.

Stretch-forming process

A method and apparatus are provided for removing closures from containers that are assembled in cases which are moved seriatum into position below multiple spindles arranged with respect to the container positions in the case. Each spindle has a non-rotatable internally threaded nut with a freely rotatable externally threaded screw therethrough, and a head unit for gripping a closure on the container. Axial displacement of the multiple spindles with respect to the containers causes the head unit of each spindle to grip a container only by its closure, if it has one thereon. Axial displacement of the screw with respect to the nut rotates the screw with sufficient torque to break any bond or seal securing the closure without need of holding the container to prevent its rotation.

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Apollo, PA, United States of America

James A Miller