Method and apparatus for continually forming spherical objects

Abstract

The method and apparatus for continually forming spherical objects such as steel balls or the like which balls are utilized in various grinding processes which apparatus and method includes at least one longitudinally extending forming tube with means for rotating the same wherein a predetermined amount of material is introduced at one end thereof and the rotation of the tube along with the downward movement of the material will form the introduced material into a substantially spherical shape and thereafter providing forming dies for compressing the formed object into a more positive spherical shape of a hardened compressed quality. The apparatus may include a plurality of such forming tubes with each such tube feeding the formed object into a set of forming dies wherein one set of the dies is rotated with the forming tubes past a stationary set of dies which forming dies are provided with forming grooves therein to compress and drive the balls to an exit portion of the apparatus.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.