Patent GB-367000-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to pad making machines
IPC: A61F13/15
Filed: 1930-10-31
Abstract: 367,000. Making catamenial and like appliances. TRIGGS, W.. W., 57, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.-(International Cellucotton Products Co. ; 180, North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, U.S.A.) Oct. 31, 1930, No. 32830. [Class 81 (ii).] In a machine for making catamenial bandages &c. wherein a pad is enclosed in a gauze or like wrapper, the filling material is fed to a cutter and deposited in spaced relation along a strip of wrapping material which is fed through devices to fold the wrapping material over the severed pads of filling material, and then sever it between the pads, the filling material being fed in a, direction crosswise of the direction of travel of the wrapping material. The gauze wrapping material 24 is fed from a roll 19 along a belt 6, which travels over a horizontal plate 3. This belt passes over idlers 9, 10, 11, the last of which drives a stripping roll 15 which diverts the wrapping material to a cutting device. The roll 19 can be adjusted axially to feed the wrapping in correct alignment with the pad feeding and folding mechanisms, and a slight tension is placed on the strip 24 by a shoe 31. The filling material 80 is fed by a belt 53 along a table 40 at right-angles to and above plate 3. The extreme end of the table 40 carries a vertical plate 49 which coincides with the rear edge of the belt 6. The machine is operated from a suitable source of power by a link belt 58. The roll 4 is driven bv a chain 263 passing round sprockets 61<1>, 62, 63, on shafts 56, 59, 60 respectively. The drum 55, and therefrom the belt 53, is rotated with a step-by-step movement by the oscillation of the arm 70 through a pawl and ratchet 72, 74. The arm 70 is actuated by a bell crank, the arm 68 of which is connected by a link 69 to the arm 70. The bell crank is rocked bv a cam disc 75, rotated by shaft 60, which co-operates with a spring-stressed roller 77 on the lower end of the arm 78 of the bell crank. The bell crank is adjustable to alter the throw of the arm 70 and so vary the extent to which the strip 80 is advanced. The strip 80 is held on the belt 53 adjacent the delivery end by a pair of rolls 85, 86, having a belt 88 rotated by gears 92, 293, 294, 98, 96. The strip 80 then passes under a cover-plate 100, and on to a, movable support 105 where it is severed by a rotary knife 126 driven by a motor 124, slidably mounted on posts 120. The support 105 is held in the closed position as shown by a spring 109 and is withdrawn by the longitudinal movement of the shaft 103 and bracket 104. This movement is carried out from the shaft 56 by means of a cam 118 operating a rocker arm 114, pivoted at 116. The severed pad is stripped from the support 105 by a block 107. On each side of the motor 124 are mounted sliding shafts 128 to the bottom of which is attached a shoe 129 having a slot for the cutter disc, and which is held in the lowermost position by springs 130. When the cutter is lowered, the shoe 129 first clamps the end portion of the strip 80 on the support 105 and the end of the belt 53, and the blade then passes through the slot to sever the material. The cutter is reciprocated vertically by a crank 138, driven by shaft 61, through a link 135 and the rods 133 connected to the sliding crossheads 123, 134. The movements of the cutter 126, the belt 53 and the support 105 are synchronized so that a portion of the filling material, is advanced on to the support 105, the cutter descends and severs it and is then elevated, and the support is then withdrawn so that the pad drops on to the strip of gauze 24. The movement is then repeated. To ensure proper deposit of the pad on to the moving strip 24, the dropping of the rear end of the pad is retarded until the forward end is engaged by the moving strip by means of inclined guides 141 secured to a bracket 142 at the rear end of block 107. The pads are then carried between folding members 143 mounted on the plate 3 at opposite sides of the belt 6 and which fold up the sides of the wrapping gauze as shown in Fig. 11. Beyond the members 143 are arranged folder plates 144, 145 (Fig. 9), which serve to completely wrap the side portions of the gauze over the pads. A shoe 146 pivoted on bridge 147 may be provided near the delivery end of the folders 143 to keep the side portions of the gauze in position. At the delivery end of the machine is an inclined shoot 148 having guides 149 at the sides and between which the folded strip and enclosed pads are delivered by the stripping roll 15. The shoot is pivoted on hanger 150 and the lower end is resiliently supported by springs 151 carried on bracket 153. This bracket also carries a shear blade 155 which is positioned at the end of the shoot so that the edge is normally below the surface of the shoot when the latter is held out by the springs. Co-operating with the blade 155 is a rotating cutter 159 with a blade 160, serving to cut the folded strip at predetermined intervals between the pads. As the cutter- 159 rotates, the blade 160 depresses the lower end of the shoot 148 by means of the bevelled ends 164 of the guides 149. This cutter is rotated at a speed corresponding with the rate of movement of the folded strip 24, which is thus severed without pulling. After this operation, the shoot 148 returns to the normal position so as to advance the strip over the blade 155. The severed strips and enclosed pads fall on to a conveyer band 170 which, with the cutter 159 is driven by a chain 174 from the shaft 61, the tension being regulated by adjustable brackets 182, and the speed of motion is synchronized with the speed of the belt 6 and the cutter 126 &c. by means of idler sprockets 185, 186, journalled in a block 187, which can be simultaneously raised or lowered, thus advancing or retarding the operation of the cutter 159, by a threaded stem 191 actuated by wheel 190 (see Fig. 16).