Method of mounting a wheel retaining ring on a wheel support shaft
AssigneeVeeder Industries Inc.
InventorsGeorge Marres, Loreto B. D'Alesandris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus employing induction heating for positively mounting a grip ring on a thermoplastic support shaft of a counter wheel subassembly for retaining a bank of counter wheels on the support shaft with a preselected axial end play.
Claims8
A method of mounting a grip ring at a selected axial position along one generally cylindrical end section of a wheel support shaft of a wheel and shaft assembly comprising a said wheel support shaft, a bank of coaxial wheels mounted on the shaft for rotatable and axial movement thereon, and retaining means at the other end of the shaft for limiting the axial movement of the bank of wheels thereon in one axial direction, the grip ring being mounted on said one generally cylindrical end section of the shaft for limiting the axial movement of the bank of wheels thereon in the opposite axial direction and at a selected axial position along said one end section establishing a predetermined axial play of the bank of wheels thereon, comprising the steps of providing a said wheel and shaft assembly having a wheel support shaft of thermoplastic material at least at said one end section thereof, providing a radially expandable metal grip ring having an internal opening with the ring unexpanded which is slightly less than the diameter of said one generally cylindrical end section of the shaft, inserting the metal grip ring at a selected axial position along said one end section of the shaft establishing said predetermined axial play and with the metal grip ring expanded by the shaft and the ring firmly engaging the shaft, and heating the metal grip ring for heat softening a peripheral portion of the thermoplastic shaft material engaged by the metal grip ring sufficiently to permit the grip ring to contract into the heat softened peripheral portion of the shaft and positively lock the grip ring to the shaft at said selected axial position.
A method of mounting a grip ring on one end of a counter wheel support shaft of a counter wheel and shaft assembly comprising said counter wheel support shaft, a bank of molded plastic coaxial counter wheels of ascending order mounted on the shaft for rotatable and axial movement thereon, and retaining means at the other end of the shaft for positively limiting the axial movement of the bank of coaxial counter wheels thereon in one axial direction, the grip ring being mounted on said one end of the shaft for limiting the axial movement of the bank of counter wheels thereon in the opposite axial direction and at a selected axial position to establish a predetermined axial play of the wheels thereon, each pair of adjacent counter wheels of higher and lower order having respectively a wheel drive gear and a combination transfer gear segment and locking ring for engagement with an intermediate mutilated transfer pinion, comprising the steps of providing a said counter wheel and shaft assembly having a counter wheel support shaft of thermoplastic material with a predetermined melting point, providing a radially expandable metal grip ring having an internal diameter with the ring unexpanded slightly less than the diameter of the wheel support shaft, inserting the metal grip ring onto said one end of the shaft to an axial position thereon establishing said predetermined axial play and with the metal grip ring expanded by the shaft and firmly engaging a peripheral portion of the shaft at said axial position, and induction heating the metal grip ring above the predetermined melting point of the thermoplastic shaft for a short interval for heat softening said peripheral portion of the shaft engaged by the metal grip ring sufficiently to permit the grip ring to contract into the heat softened peripheral portion of the shaft and force the thermoplastic material axially therefrom and positively lock the grip ring to the shaft at said selected axial position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.