Apparatus for manufacturing endless needled paper machine felts

An apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally oriented, paper machine felts having a predetermined width formed from a plurality of overlapping loops of a narrower width strip is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first needling mechanism having a working width at least equal to the predetermined width, a feeder to feed a strip of batt from a web to the first needling mechanism, means to reciprocate the web throughout the working width of the first needling mechanism, a second needling mechanism having a working width at least equal to the working width of the first needling mechanism and including a plurality of driven, adjacent needling units each of which is actuable between a needling position and a non-needling position, and means associated with each of the needling units and correlated to the position of the batt strip relative to the working width for selectively actuating corresponding ones of the needling units to needle the strip being fed to the first needling mechanism while the strip is in longitudinal alignment with the corresponding ones of the units.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing endless, 
needled, paper machine felts in which a narrow strip of felting batt is 
applied on and needled to an endless base fabric and/or to adjacent loops 
of felting batt as a longitudinally extending spiral winding having a 
pitch in the transverse direction thereof. As used herein, the term 
"longitudinally oriented felt" has reference to endless, needled paper 
machine felts of the type described in the preceding sentence. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Longitudinally oriented felts have heretofore been made by a number of 
different processes employing different types of apparatus. In one case, 
hereinafter referred to as a "full width needling process" and illustrated 
and described in Canadian Patent No. 980,556 to Cedercreutz, a strip of 
felting batt is pressure-rolled onto a fabric base in a plurality of 
longitudinally extending spiral windings until it is fully wound on to the 
base fabric and, thereafter, the spirally wound longitudinally oriented 
felt is needled together. The apparatus employed in the Cedercreutz patent 
utilizes a single, full width, needling mechanism. The adhesion which can 
be achieved between the loops of felting batt and the underlying base 
fabric due to the contact pressure generated by the pressure roller is, in 
the absence of any preliminary needling, insufficient to prevent the 
felting batt from locally lifting away from the base fabric, so that 
wrinkles form during the subsequent needling operation. Another 
disadvantage of the foregoing full width needling process and apparatus is 
that the joints between loops of the felting batt tend to separate, 
allowing the loops to shift transversly relative to one another and 
resulting in variations of thickness in the transverse direction of the 
completed, needled, longitudinally oriented paper machine felt. 
One attempt to overcome the disadvantages inherent in the full width 
needling process is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,927 
to Feyerl et al. In the Feyerl et al patent, a needling mechanism having a 
working width corresponding to the desired width of the completed, 
needled, longitudinally oriented paper machine felt is utilized in 
conjunction with a felting batt strip feeder which is transversely 
reciprocable throughout the working width of the needling mechanism. A 
small needling unit, having a working width corresponding to that of the 
felting batt strip, is provided between the feeder and the needling 
mechanism. The small needling unit is transversely reciprocated in unison 
with the feeder throughout the working width of the larger needling 
mechanism. The small needling unit needles each loop of the felting batt 
strip to the base fabric at the time that the felting batt strip is 
applied to the base fabric to keep the loops in place. Thereafter, when 
the felting batt strip has been wound into a number of needled loops 
corresponding to the full width of the composite longitudinally oriented 
paper machine felt, the full width needling mechanism is activated to 
needle the composite construction. The foregoing process, hereinafter 
referred to as the "sequential strip and full width needling process" 
represents an improvement over the use only of a full width needling 
process for needling longitudinally oriented felts. However, the apparatus 
employed in such sequential strip and full width needling process requires 
that a bulky needling unit be traversed across the full width of the 
machine in concert with the felting strip batt web, resulting in problems 
relating to adequately supporting and transversely reciprocating the 
needling unit, as well as problems relating to driving the needles of the 
transversely reciprocating needling unit. 
For the foregoing reasons, prior forms of apparatus for manufacturing 
endless, needled, longitudinally oriented paper machine felts, either by 
the full width needling process or by the sequential strip and full width 
needling process, have not been entirely successful in practice. 
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an 
improved apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally 
oriented paper machine felts by the sequential strip and full width 
needling process. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus 
for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally oriented paper machine 
felts, in which a full width needling mechanism having a plurality of 
smaller, selectively operable needling units therein is employed to needle 
the felting batt strip to adjacent felting batt loops and to the base 
fabric (where one is used) as the strip is applied thereto. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved 
apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally oriented 
paper machine felts in which a second full width needling mechanism, 
having a plurality of selectively actuable smaller width needling units 
therein, is positioned between a transversely reciprocating roll of 
felting batt strip and a first full width needling mechanism, and the 
needling units are selectively actuated to needle the felting batt strip 
to the adjacent felting batt loops and to the base fabric (where one is 
used) only while the strip is passing under a corresponding needling unit 
while it is being wound into loops. 
Additional objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as 
the following description proceeds. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly stated, and in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, an 
improved apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, paper machine felts 
having a predetermined width formed from a plurality of overlapping loops 
of a narrower width strip comprises a first needling mechanism having a 
working width at least equal to the predetermined width, a feeder to feed 
a strip of felt batt from a web to the first needling mechanism, means to 
reciprocate the web throughout the working width of the first needling 
mechanism, a second needling mechanism having a working width at least 
equal to the working width of the first needling mechanism and including a 
plurality of driven, adjacent needling units each of which is actuable 
between a needling position and non-needling position, and means 
associated with each of the needling units and correlated to the position 
of the strip of felt batt relative to the working width for selectively 
actuating corresponding ones of the needling units to needle the strip 
while the strip being fed to the first needling mechanism is in 
longitudinal alignment with the corresponding ones of the units.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, apparatus in accordance with the present 
invention for manufacturing longitudinally oriented felt has been 
illustrated generally at 10. The apparatus comprises a first pair of 
longitudinally spaced loom support legs 12, 13 which support one end of an 
elevated rectangular loom support frame 16. The other end of the loom 
support frame 16 is supported by another pair of longitudinally spaced 
loom legs 14, 15, similar to legs 12, 13. The loom support frame 16 spans 
the entire width of the apparatus 10 and supports a first needling 
mechanism, shown generally at 20, which includes two rows 22 and 24 of 
interconnected, commonly driven needling units or modules 22a-22j and 
24a-24j, respectively. The needling units 22a-22j and 24a-24j are driven 
by a motor 26 and gears 28 and 32. The needling rows 22 and 24 of the 
first needling mechanism 20 each extend across the entire width of the 
apparatus 10 so that full width needling of the composite, longitudinally 
oriented, paper machine felt can be accomplished after the composite felt 
has been wound from the felting batt strip. 
Each of the needling units 22a-22j and 24a-24j includes an eccentrically 
driven, conventional needle board 34 which carries a plurality of barbed 
needles 35 (FIG. 3). A vertically adjustable table 36 supports the 
composite longitudinally oriented paper machine felt below the needle 
boards 34 during the full width needling operation. A vertically 
adjustable stripper plate 38 cooperates with the needles 35 of the needle 
board during this operation, in accordance with conventional practices. A 
plurality of screw jacks 40, which may be ganged and commonly driven, are 
employed to raise and lower the table 36. Similarly a plurality of screw 
jacks 42, which also may be ganged and commonly driven, are employed in 
raising and lowering the stripper plate 38. 
The apparatus 10 also includes a loom and tension unit, shown generally at 
50, which is mounted on tracks, one of which is shown at 52, to facilitate 
movement of the unit 50 towards and away from the first needling mechanism 
20 in connection with threading a base fabric, indicated by the broken 
line 54, on to the apparatus 10. The loom tension unit 50 includes an 
upper roller 56 which is movably mounted on the tension unit 50 so that it 
can be moved by means (not shown) from its full line position, to its 
broken line position, shown at 56a. The loom tension unit 50 also includes 
a lower roller 58 which is rotatable at a fixed position relative to the 
tension unit 50. 
The fabric 54 may be threaded into the apparatus 10 following two different 
paths, a "single hitch" path comprising rollers 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68 and 
70, and a "double hitch" path comprising the aforesaid rollers and 
including the roller 56 on loom tension unit 50. The double hitch path is 
used when longer longitudinally oriented felts are to be made. The single 
hitch path is used when shorter longitudinally oriented felts are to be 
made. The extra length of the double hitch path is indicated by the broken 
line 54a. 
The roller 62 is preferably driven by a motor (not shown) in order to drive 
the base fabric 54 through its endless circuit. The roller 64 constitutes 
a wrap roll which insures that there is sufficient contact between the 
base fabric and the roll 62 to allow the latter to effectively drive base 
fabric 54 through its endless path. One or more of the remaining rollers 
58-70 may also be driven for this purpose. 
The loom support frame 16 supports a second needling mechanism, shown 
generally at 80, which includes a row 82 of interconnected, commonly 
driven needling units or modules 82a-82j that are driven by a motor 84. 
The needling row 82 of the second needling mechanism 80 extends across the 
entire width of the apparatus 10; however, as will appear in greater 
detail hereinafter, the various needling units 82a-82j are selectively 
actuated to needle the felting batt strip only during the time that a 
portion of the strip is in longitudinal alignment with a corresponding one 
of the needling units. Each of the needling units 82a-82j includes an 
eccentrically driven, conventional needle board 86 which carries a 
plurality of barbed needles 88 (FIG. 3). 
A table 90, having one of its ends pivotally supported at 92, supports the 
felting batt strip below the needle boards 86 during the selective 
needling of the felting batt strip to the portions of the composite, 
longitudinally oriented, paper machine felt previously laid down on the 
base fabric 54. The other, upstream, end of table 90 rotatably supports 
the roller 66 about which the base fabric 54 is entrained. A vertically 
adjustable stripper plate 94 is provided at each of the needling units 
82a-82j. The stripper plates 94 cooperate with the needle boards 86 at 
each of the needling units, during the selective operation of the needling 
units, to strip the batt material from the needles during the upward 
strokes of the needles. Screw jacks 96 are provided at each of the 
needling units 82a-82j to facilitate setting the level of the stripper 
plates 94 relative to the needle boards 86. 
The apparatus 10 also includes a transversely reciprocative batt let-off or 
feeder mechanism, shown generally at 100, which is operable to feed a 
strip of felting batt 101 from a web or roll 102 thereof onto the base 
fabric 54 carried atop table 90. The felting batt strip 101 thereafter 
proceeds with the base fabric and with any other felting material already 
carried on the base fabric, first under the second needling mechanism 80 
and then under the two rows of the first needling mechanism 20, in moving 
through either the single or double hitch path of the base fabric 54. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roll 102 of felting batt is carried on and 
rotatable relative to a rod or shaft 104 that is supported between 
vertically arranged slide members 106, 108. The slide members 106, 108 are 
vertically movable on a guide member 110. The guide member 110 is fixed to 
and moves along with a horizontally reciprocatable carriage 112 that 
reciprocates on a support track or frame 114. A lead screw 116 driven by a 
motor 118 is employed to transversely reciprocate the carriage 112 and 
roll 102 with respect to frame 114. Alternatively, a rack and pinion gear 
arrangement, comprising a motor (not shown) carried by carriage 112 and 
provided with a pinion gear (not shown) that engages a rack gear (not 
shown) fixed to frame 114, can be employed to transversely reciprocate 
carriage 112 on frame 114. The carriage 112 also carries a pair of spaced 
rollers 120, 122 on which the roll 102 of felting batt sits. Also, 
longitudinally movable clamping members 124, 126, which are moved by 
respective hand wheels 128, 129, are employed to clamp the shaft 104 
relative to the vertical slide members 106, 108. 
An electronic control unit, shown generally at 130, is coupled to lead 
screw 116 (or to the motor of the pinion gear where the alternate rack and 
pinion drive arrangement for carriage 112 is employed) and is programmed 
to provide output control signals that are correlated to the position of 
the carriage 112 and its roll 102 of felting batt relative to the various 
needling units 82a-82j in the second needling mechanism 80. The electronic 
control unit 130 is preferably a Model HTMDS90-DBC-100-1PB tracking, 
multi-turn encoder, made by Computer Conversions Corporation of 6 Dunton 
Court, East Northport, N.Y. 11731. During the traversing movement of the 
roll 102 from needling unit 82j to needling unit 82a, the electronic 
control unit 130 provides respective, sequential, "on" signals to the 
needling units 82j-82a as the leading side edge 132 of the strip 101 
sequentially enters the spaces beneath the respective needling units, and 
provides respective, sequential, "off" signals to the needling units 
82j-82a as the trailing side edge 134 of strip 101 exits from under the 
respective needling units. Similarly, during the return traversing 
movement of roll 102 from needling unit 82a to needling unit 82j, control 
unit 130 provides respective, sequential, "on" signals to the needling 
units 82a-82j as the then leading side edge 134 of strip 101 sequentially 
enters the spaces beneath the respective needling units, and provides 
respective, sequential "off" signals to the needling units 82a-82j as the 
then trailing side edge 132 of strip 101 exits from under the respective 
needling units. 
Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein a representative 
one of the needling units in the second needling mechanism has been 
illustrated in greater detail, it will be seen that the representative 
needling unit, in this case needling unit 82g, includes a frame assembly, 
shown generally at 140, which is comprised of a pair of transversely 
spaced vertical frame members 142, 144 and a group of vertically spaced 
horizontal frame members 146, 148, 150 and 152, the latter frame member 
having a tubular rectangular cross-sectional shape. The frame assembly 140 
is provided with a pair of transversely spaced slide members, ore of which 
is shown at 154 (FIG. 3), which members are welded or otherwise fixed to 
the horizontal frame members 146 and 150. The slide members 154 are 
vertically movably carried in guideways 156 and 158 fixed to the forward 
vertical wall 160 of the rectangular loom support frame 16. 
The frame assembly 140 is raised and lowered vertically relative to the 
rectangular loom support frame 16 by means of a screw jack 162 that is 
fixed to frame member 146 and includes a lead screw 164 that is fastened 
to a gib 166 fixedly supported on the front wall 160. The screw jack 162 
includes a drive shaft 168 which, when rotated, moves the shaft 164 into 
or out of the housing 162, concurrently moving the frame assembly 140 up 
or down relative to the rectangular loom support frame 16. 
The drive shafts 168 of the screw jacks 162 of the various needling units 
82a-82j are ganged together and commonly driven by a drive motor (not 
shown) in order to allow all of the needling units 82a-82j to be moved at 
the same time in conjunction with setting up the apparatus. The lead 
screws 164 are threaded into the gibs 166 and locked in place relative 
thereto by means of cap nuts 170. This allows for individual vertical 
adjustment of the frames 140 that carry the various needling units 
82a-82j. The needling boards 86 and needles 88 have been identified in 
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 with the subscripts a-j to correlate them to the needling 
units that drive them. Thus, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, which provide 
details with respect to needling unit 82g, the needle board and needles 
thereon are identified respectively as 86g and 88g. It will be understood 
that the description that follows with respect to the details of needling 
unit 82g also applies to the various other needling units 82a-82f and 
82h-82j. 
Needle board 86g is supported at the bottom of needle station 82g by a pair 
of transversly spaced connecting links 172, 174, which links are pivotally 
connected at their lower ends to the needle board 86g and are 
interconnected at an intermediate position therein by a connecting link 
176. The connecting link 176 is mounted in bearings at its ends, which 
bearings are carried at the intermediate positions of the connecting links 
172, 174. The upper ends of the connecting links 172, 174 and the 
intermediate positions of the connecting links 172 and 174 are pivotally 
connected to corresponding ends of respective pairs of connecting links 
178, 180 and 182, 184. The other ends of connecting links 178, 180 and 
182, 184 are connected to vertically extending arms 186, 188 which are 
bolted at their upper ends to a yoke 190 that spans the space between the 
two arms 186, 188. Yoke 190 is suspended from and vertically moved by the 
lead screw 192 of a screw jack 194 that is fixed to the horizontal frame 
member 150. The lead screw 192 is extended into and out of screw jack 194 
by rotation of a shaft 196 driven by a motor 198 carried by the frame 
assembly 140. Thus, rotation of the shaft 196 by the motor 198 results in 
vertical movement of the lead screw 192 into or out of the housing of 
screw jack 194. This results in corresponding vertical movment of the left 
ends (as viewed in FIG. 3) of the connecting links 178 and 182 as well as 
the corresponding ends of their paired connecting links 180 and 184 (FIG. 
4). The arm 186 and links 178, 182 and 172 form one parallelogram of a 
pair of spaced parallelograms that constrain the movement of the needle 
board 86g and its needles 88g into an essentially vertical reciprocative 
movement under the influence of a pair of eccentrically driven connecting 
rods, one of which is shown at 200. The lower ends of connecting rods 200 
are provided with sleeve bearings that are rotatably and slideably mounted 
on shafts 202, 204 carried by respective clevises 206, 208. The lower ends 
of clevises 206, 208 are pivotally connected to the respective upper 
connecting links 178, 180, one of such pivotal connections being shown at 
210. 
The upper ends of the connecting rods 200 are eccentrically driven by drive 
shafts 212, 214 which, in turn are driven by belt and pulley drive systems 
including lower pulleys 216, 218, belts 220, 222, and upper pulleys 224, 
226. The upper pulleys 224, 226 are driven by respective gear drives 228, 
230 that, in turn, are driven by interconnected sections of a drive shaft 
232 driven by the motor 84 (FIG. 2). 
During operation of the apparatus 10, the motor 84 is continuously driven 
and, in turn, continuously drives the connecting rods 200, causing the 
needle board 86g and its needles 88g to constantly reciprocate through a 
range referred to as the needling range. The length of the needling range 
is determined by the throw of the eccentric connection between the drive 
shafts 212, 214 and the connecting rods 200. The vertical elevation of the 
center point of the needling range of needle board 86g is determined by 
the elevation of the left ends (as viewed in FIG. 3) or fulcrums of the 
connecting links 178, 180 and 182, 184. The vertical elevation of the 
fulcrums of the connecting links 178, 180, 182 and 184 is established by 
the extension or retraction of the lead screw 192 from the housing of the 
screw jack 194 which, in turn, is accomplished by cperation of the motor 
198 (FIG. 4). Thus, when motor 198 rotates drive shaft 196 and extends 
lead screw 192 from the housing of screw jack 194, the left end fulcrums 
of connecting links 178, 180, 182 and 184 move down, as viewed in FIG. 3, 
causing the mid-point of the needling range of needle board 86g (and 
needles 88g) to move up. This brings the needles out of contact with the 
strip of felting batt 101 that is passing therebeneath on table 90. 
Similarly, when the direction of rotation of motor 198 is reversed and the 
lead screw 192 is retracted into the housing of screw jack 194, the left 
ends or fulcrums of connecting links 178, 180, 182 and 184 are raised, 
causing the center of the needling range of needle board 86g (and needles 
88g) to move downwardly, thereby bringing the needles 88g into engagement 
with the strip of felting batt 101 that is passing therebeneath on table 
90 and causing the strip of felting batt to be needled to the remaining 
material on the table. The direction and amount of rotation of the motors 
198 are controlled by the hereinbefore mentioned electronic control unit 
130. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the needle boards 86a-86j and the needles 
88a-88j of the needling units 82a-82j have been diagrammatically 
represented relative to delivery table 90 below the needling units, base 
fabric 54, a plurality of turns of spirally wound strips of felt batt, 
indicated generally at 240, and the strip of felting batt 101 being let 
off the roll of felting batt 102. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the strip of 
felting batt 101 is primarily under the needling unit 82f and partially 
under the needling unit 82e. Thus, these two units are shown actuated so 
that their needling ranges have been lowered and the needles 88f and 88e 
are oscillating into and out of penetration with the strip 101 and the 
mass 240 of felting batt, needling the strip to the mass. The remaining 
needles 82.sub.a -82.sub.d and 82.sub.g -82.sub.j are oscillating in their 
upper needling ranges wherein the needles remain out of contact with the 
mass 240. 
As the lead screw 116 moves the roll 102 toward the needling unit 82a, the 
trailing edge 134 of strip 101 will move to the left of needling unit 82f 
(as viewed in FIG. 5) and the electronic control unit 130 will generate an 
"off" signal which causes the motor 198 to drive the lead screw 192 of 
needling unit 82f in a direction that extends the lead screw 192 from the 
housing of screw jack 194. This, in turn, raises the needling range of the 
needle board 86f and needles 88f out of engagement with the mass 240 of 
felting batt on the table 90. Similarly, when the leading edge 132 of 
strip 101 enters under the needling board 86d of needling unit 82d, the 
electronic control unit 130 will generate an "on" signal which causes the 
motor 198 of needling unit 82d to drive the lead screw 192 of that unit in 
a direction that retracts the lead screw into the housing of the screw 
jack 194 thereof, lowering the needling range of the needle board 86 d and 
needles 88d into needling contact with the strip 101 and mass 240 on table 
90. This process is repeated with respect to each of the needling units 
82a-82j as the strip 101 traverses up and back across the width of table 
90. 
When the desired thickness of the mass of felting batt 240 has been reached 
and has been preliminarily tacked together by the selective operation of 
the various needling units 82a-82j, the strip 101 is severed from the let 
off roll 102 and the electronic control unit 130 signals all of the 
needling units 82a-82j to raise their needling boards out of contact with 
the mass of felting batt 240. Control unit 130 also concurrently signals 
the drive motor 26 (FIG. 2) of the first needling mechanism 20 to begin 
full width, two row needling of the mass of felting batt 240 passing 
therebeneath. When the entire longitudinal length of the mass of felting 
batt 240 on the base fabric 54 has passed beneath the two rows of needling 
units 22a-22j and 24a-24j, the full width needling operation of first 
needling mechanism 20 is terminated. 
Thereafter the tension on the longitudinally oriented felt is released by 
moving the loom tension unit 50 to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, and the 
completed, longitudinally oriented felt is removed from the apparatus 10. 
At this point the apparatus 10 can be loaded with a new base fabric 54 and 
the cycle started again to make a new longitudinally oriented felt. 
It will be apparent from the foregoing description that this invention 
provides an improved apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, 
longitudinally oriented paper machine felts, in which apparatus a full 
width needling mechanism having a plurality of smaller, selectively 
operable needling units therein is employed to preliminarily needle a 
felting batt strip to adjacent felting batt loops and to a base fabric as 
the strip is applied thereto. The needling units are selectively actuated 
to needle the felting batt strip to the adjacent felting batt loops and to 
the base fabric only while the strip is passing under a corresponding 
needling unit while it is being wound into loops. An additional full width 
needling mechanism is employed in the preferred embodiment of the 
invention to finally needle the entire mass of felting batt on the 
needling table after the preliminary needling of the longitudinal windings 
has been completed. 
While a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown and 
described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various 
changes and modifications may be made without departing from this 
invention in its broader aspects, and it is, therefore, aimed in the 
appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within 
the true spirit and scope of this invention.