Device for producing metal rings

A device for producing a metal ring from a substantially flat metal plate member, comprising:

• a rigid roller having a rigid outer cylindrical surface;
• a resilient roller including two opposed circular flanges, a cylindrical core portion concentrically disposed between said two opposed circular flanges, and an elastic annular member concentrically disposed on an outer surface of said cylindrical core portion, peripheries of said flanges extending radially outward beyond the outer surface of the elastic annular member thereby to define therebetween a shallow annular groove;
• first means for driving said resilient roller to rotate in a given direction;
• second means for providing the outer peripheral portion of said resilient roller with a plurality of equally spaced recesses, each recess extending in an axial direction parallel with an axis of said resilient roller having a concave bottom surface which is shaped in conformity with an outer surface of the metal ring produced around said rigid roller;
• and
• third means for pushing one end of said metal ring and thus thrusting said metal ring off the rigid roller when said resilient roller stops at a position wherein one of said recesses is registered with said rigid roller.

In a metal ring producing device for producing a metal ring from a substantially flat metal plate member, said device comprising a rigid roller;

• a resilient roller having an outer cylindrical portion covered with an elastic annular member, said resilient roller being positioned in the vicinity of said rigid roller so that said metal plate member can be inserted between said rigid roller and said resilient roller, said elastic annular member being formed with a plurality of equally spaced recesses each extending axially and having a concave bottom surface which is shaped in conformity with an outer surface of the metal ring produced around said rigid roller;
• and means for driving said resilient roller to rotate in a given direction,
• a method for producing the metal ring, comprising the steps of:
• (a) transferring the metal plate member to the resilient roller at a position separated from one of the recesses by a given angle;
• (b) rotating said resilient roller in a given direction winding said metal plate member around said rigid roller;
• (c) continuing the rotation of said resilient roller until a subsequent recess comes to said rigid roller;
• (d) removing the produced ring from said rigid roller;
• (e) rotating said resilient roller in the same direction to an angular position wherein said subsequent recess is advanced from said rigid roller by said given angle.