Patent ID: 7428858
Filing Date: 2008-09-30
Classification: B23D,B26D,B27B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of processing material, comprising the steps of: a) providing a processing apparatus comprising input and output conveyors installed in series and spaced apart from each other for carrying the material to be processed in a working direction, each of the input and output conveyors including an endless belt having an non-skid upper surface adapted to carry the material and a lower opposing surface provided thereon with a guiding strip extending longitudinally of the endless belt, and a pair of input-side and output-side pulleys having horizontal axes of rotation around which the endless belt is trained with the non-skid upper surface facing outwardly and the guiding strip extending in a plane substantially parallel with the working direction, each of the pulleys having a groove extending continuously circumferentially around the pulley and in the plane for engaging the strip thereby preventing transverse displacements of the endless belt with respect to the working direction, said apparatus further comprising a processing unit disposed between the input and output conveyors for processing the material; b) carrying the material on the non-skid upper surface of the input conveyor toward the processing unit; c) processing the material with said processing unit; and d) carrying the processed material on the non-skid upper surface of the output conveyor away from the processing unit wherein steps b) and d) are performed without positive lateral edge contact of the material with said apparatus.