METHOD OF MANUFACTURING TYPE FINGERS

• US 3,763,544 A
• Filed: 04/17/1972
• Issued: 10/09/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genicom Corp.
• Original Assignee: Archibald M. Gibson Jr
• Inventors: Gibson, Archibald M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moon, Charlie T.
• Application Number:
  US05/244,918
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 29/407,411,417,418,464,493 76/107 101/401.4,401.6
• US Class Current: 148/528
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 1/20 with types or dies mounted on endless bands or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49609 Spring making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49787 Obtaining plural composite product pieces from preassembled workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49799 Providing transitory integral holding or handling portion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49895 Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]

Abstract

High precision type fingers are produced from a character bar containing raised type faces for a plurality of characters, and a precision punched sheet metal coupon blank. The method comprises forging of the character bar, punching of the coupon blank, welding and brazing the two elements together, and then punching out a plurality of type fingers from each assembly.

Claims

1. The method of producing type fingers comprising:

forming a character bar having a plurality of characters disposed along the length thereof, providing a coupon blank, welding said character bar to said coupon blank, subsequently brazing said character bar to said coupon blank, and punching out a plurality of type fingers each including a single character and a portion of said coupon blank.

2. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 1, including plating said type fingers.

3. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 1, wherein said welding comprises spot welding said character bar to said coupon blank in the space between each of said characters.

4. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 1, including initially punching said coupon blank with a plurality of slots extending parallel to the location of the axis of the fingers to be subsequently punched out and intermediate each of the finger locations.

5. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 4, including initially punching positioning apertures in said coupon blank.

6. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 1, wherein said character bar is initially forged from a hard, corrosion-resistant steel and said coupon blank is initially punched from a sheet alloy having good resilience characteristics.

7. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 6, wherein said brazing is carried out with a brazing alloy in a protective atmosphere.

8. The method of producing type fingers as defined in claim 6 wherein said brazing is carried out with a brazing in which composition there is a flux and nickel additive, the flux inducing improved capillarity and the nickel inhibiting interface corrosion.

9. The method of producing type fingers comprising:

forming a character bar having a plurality of characters spaced along the length thereof with location projections at the ends thereof and a relatively short length, forming a coupon blank having a length substantially equal to the length of said bar and having a plurality of slots extending lengthwise thereof, forming a first series of apertures along one end of the length dimension and a corresponding series of apertures along the other end of the length dimension, said apertures being positioned on the center lines between each pair of adjacent slots and having the same spacing as said characters on said bar, utilizing said projections and end apertures of said first and second series of apertures for accurately positioning said bar on said blank for a welding operation such that said characters lie on the center lines between opposing apertures of said first and second series of apertures spot welding said character bar to said blank in the space between each of said characters, to provide a composite assembly, brazing said bar to said blank at the faying surfaces of said bar and coupon, utilizing each of said first and secOnd series of apertures for accurately positioning said composite assembly for a punching operation, punching out a plurality of type fingers in succession each including a single character and a portion of the coupon blank between opposing apertures of said first and second series of apertures and adjacent slots.

10. The method of producing type fingers comprising:

forming a character bar having a plurality of type characters spaced along the length thereof from an impact resistant material, forming a coupon blank from a sheet alloy material having good resilience characteristics and a length substantially equal to the length of said bar, spot welding said character bar to said blank in the space between each of said characters at locations sufficiently far from the characters to permit the discard of the welded portion when the fingers are punched out in a subsequent operation, brazing said bar to said blank at the faying surfaces of said bar and coupon with a brazing alloy at the melting temperature of said alloy in a nonoxidizing atmosphere, punching out a plurality of type fingers each including a single character of said bar and a portion of the coupon blank brazed thereto, and subsequently hardening the punched out type fingers by heat treating them in a nonoxidizing atmosphere for a sufficient period of time at a temperature below the temperature of brazing, followed by rapid cooling in such atmosphere to provide the punched out type fingers with desirable spring properties.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said coupon blank material is maraging steel.

12. The method of producing type fingers comprising:

forming a character bar having a plurality of characters spaced along the length thereof from a hard, impact resistant steel with location projections at the ends thereof, forming a coupon blank from maraging steel having a length substantially equal to the length of said bar and having a plurality of slots extending transversely of the length thereof, forming a first series of apertures along one end of the length dimension of said blank and a corresponding series of apertures along the other end of the length dimension of said blank, said apertures being positioned on the center lines between each pair of adjacent slots and having the same spacing as said characters on said bar, utilizing said projections and end apertures of said first and second series of apertures for accurately positioning said bar on said blank for a welding operation such that said characters lie on the center lines between opposing apertures of said first and second series of apertures, spot welding said character bar to said blank in the space between each of said characters at locations sufficiently far from the characters to insure the discard of the welded portion when the fingers are subsequently punched out, brazing said bar to said blank at the faying surfaces of said bar and coupon with a brazing alloy at the melting temperature of said alloy, utilizing each of said first and second series of apertures for accurately positioning said composite assembly for a punching operation, punching out a plurality of type fingers each including a single character of said bar and a portion of the coupon blank between opposing apertures of said first and second series of apertures and between adjacent slots, and subsequently hardening the punched out type fingers by heat treating them in a nonoxidizing atmosphere for a sufficient period of time at a temperature below the temperature of brazing, and then rapidly cooling in such atmosphere to provide the punched out fingers with desirable spring properties.

13. The method of producing type fingers comprising:

forming a character bar having a plurality of characters raised above the surface of the bar and being equally spaced along the length thereof from hard, impact resistant material, said bar including projections used to precisely locate the bar in a fixture, forming a coupon blank from a super-strength alloy with relatively good Hardness, slight corrosion resistance, favorable fatigue limits and good spring properties, said blank having a length substantially equal to the length of said bar and having a plurality of slots extending transversely of the length thereof, placing the bar with the type faces facing down on the fixture and the projections inserted into locating holes in the fixture, placing the coupon atop of the located bar with the two outermost apertures of the coupon inserted over corresponding locating pins in the fixture, punching said coupon blank with a plurality of slots extending parallel to the location of the axis of the fingers to be subsequently punched out and intermediate each of the finger locations, forming a first series of apertures along one end of the length dimension and a corresponding series of apertures along the other end of the length dimension, said apertures being positioned on the center lines between each pair of adjacent slots and having the same spacing as said characters on said bar, spot welding said character bar to said blank in the space between each of said characters at locations sufficiently far from the characters to insure the discard of the welded portion when the fingers are subsequently punched out, brazing said bar to said blank at the faying surfaces of said bar and coupon, utilizing each of said first and second series of apertures for accurately positioning said composite assembly for a punching operation, punching out a plurality of type fingers in succession each including a single character and a portion of the coupon blank between opposing apertures of said first and second series of apertures and between adjacent slots, subsequently hardening the punched out type fingers by heat treating them in nonoxidizing atmosphere, and then rapidly cooling said fingers in such atmosphere to provide the punched out fingers with desirable spring properties.