Patent GB-690633-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to garment and like presses
Inventor: GRIMSLEY GEORGE FREDERICK
IPC: D06F71/06
Filed: 1950-08-24
Abstract: 690,633. Ironing presses. GRIMSLEY & CO. LEICESTER, Ltd. Aug. 23, 1951. [Aug. 24, 1950] No. 20956/50. Class 138 (ii). A garment press comprises pneumatic means for raising and lowering an upper buck 3, and further pneumatic means for applying steam and then a suction effect between the top and bottom bucks in response to press-closing movement of the upper buck. Press closing means. The upper buck 3 is mounted on a pair of rockable arms 4 carrying a common counterweight 5 and is moved up and down by means of a compressed air cylinder 7 whose piston rod 13 is jointed at 14 to links 15, 17 pivotally connected at 16, 18 respectively to the arms 4 and the framework of the machine. A tension spring 19 connects the arms 4 to the spindle 18. The cylinder 7 is adjustably mounted on a bracket pivoted to the framework as seen in Fig. 4 (not shown). An impulse valve 25 has an operating arm 24 connected to a rod 21 which passes through a boss 20 on the control link 17. When the buck 3 nears its lowered position the boss 20 engages with a collar 23 on the rod 21 to operate the valve. Compressed air is supplied through an inlet line 28 containing a non-return check valve 29, a pressure reducing valve 30 having a pressure gauge 31 and a lubricator 32 (Fig. 1), and an emergency valve 33 having a manually operable control lever 34. It then passes through a pair of valves 26, 27 (Fig. 5) secured to the front of the press and by pressing apart the operating levers 35, 36 of these two valves air is supplied through a line 37 to the cylinder 7. If either of the levers 35, 36 be released the press will not close, but once the press has closed both levers may be released. Throttle devices 38 in lines 37 and 67 control the outflow of air from cylinder 7 and thereby steady the up and down movement of the top buck. Steaming arrangements. The steaming system is governed by a cylinder 39 whose piston rod 41 projects from its lower end (Fig. 1) and is connected by a plate 42 to a draw rod 43. Depression of the rod 43 actuates linkages 44 to operate a pair of valves 45 supplying steam to the bottom buck 1. Steam is simultaneously supplied to the upper buck 3 by valves 47 opened by trip levers 46 connected to the plate 42 by a Bowden cable 48. The cylinder 39 is supplied with compressed air through valve 25 and a line 71, a reversing valve 50 and a line 51. Line 51 has a branch 52 leading through a regulator 53 to an air chamber 54 in which air pressure builds up until it reaches a predetermined value when it operates an adjoining unloader valve 55 which recloses the steam valve 45, 47. Thus the duration of the steaming treatment can be controlled by means of the regulator 53. Suction arrangements. The unloader valve 55 is connected through a line 56 to a second reversing valve 57 controlling the vacuum system of the press. Valve 57 is connected through a line 58 to a second control cylinder 59 whose piston rod 60 is arranged to actuate valves (not shown) connecting ports in the bottom buck to a suction source so as to draw off vapour and condensed liquid from the steaming operation. The piston 61 in cylinder 59 is acted on by a return spring 62. Line 58 is branched at 63 to pass through a regulator 64 to an air chamber 65 with an unloader valve 66, all similar to the steaming arrangements. Operation. With the top buck raised, valves 25, 27 and 57 are closed, and air entering at 28 passes through the open emergency valve 33 and line 67 to the right hand side of cylinder 7 whose piston 68 is to the left. The operator opens valves 26, 27 thereby allowing compressed air to flow through valve 33 and lines 69, 70 and 37 to the left hand end of cylinder 7. Piston 68 is thus moved to the right and brings down the buck 3. Towards the end of this movement the boss 20 contacts collar 23 and opens valve 25. Air from 28 now acts through line 71 to enter the reversing steam control valve 60 and from here through lines 51, 52. The piston 72 in cylinder 39 is thus driven forwards and the steam valves opened as described above (piston rod 41 is shown inverted in Fig. 5). Pressure continues to build up in the air chamber 54 for a period determined by the setting of regulator 53 and the unloader valve 55, and at the end of this period the valve 55 trips to release this pressure and air flows through line 56 to valve 57. From here the line branches to 63, 73 and 58. The back pressure due to the regulator 64 and the spring pressed piston 61 causes the air to act primarily through line 73 to reverse valve 50 thereby cutting off the air supply to the underside (in Fig. 5) of piston 72 and applying pressure through the appropriate ports of valve 50 and line 74 so as to return the piston 72 and shut the steam valves and stop the steaming of the garment. When piston 72 has returned to its starting point the main pressure transfers to line 58 and the piston rod 60 is actuated to open the vacuum connections. Pressure then builds up in the chamber 65 until valve 66 is operated. This opens line 75 through which air pressure then acts. Valve 57 is reversed and as a result the piston 61 is returned by spring 62 to close the vacuum valves, the period of suction treatment of the garments being governed by the setting of the regulator 64 and unloader valve 66. Air pressure in line 75 now acts to reverse the emergency valve 33 which, through line 67, returns piston 68 and raises the buck 3. Air expelled from the left hand of cylinder 7 is bypassed through a line 76 containing a non-return valve 77 and is exhausted through valve 33. At the end of the movement of piston 68 a second collar 22 on the rod 21 is engaged by the boss 20 and valve 25 re-closed, thus shutting off the air supply. The press operation may be arrested at any time by manual actuation of lever 34 to operate emergency valve 33 and allow air from line 28 to flow through line 67 and return the piston 68 to its left hand position.