Patent CA-1062223-A (CA)
Inventor: CHESNUT W RICHARD
IPC: B65H23/188
Filed: 1976-11-04
Granted: 1979-09-11
Abstract: MACHINE FOR ADVANCING STRIP MATERIAL THROUGH A           UTILIZATION APPARATUS            ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE      A machine for providing strip material from a reel of the strip material to a utilization apparatus, such as a hot-foil stamping press, is disclosed.  The various component parts of the machine are secured to a support means.  Included is a reel carrier, which may be readily adjusted to accommodate reels of different widths, and which may include a coil spring in frictional engagement with a pulley attached to the axial core of the reel, which serves to apply a controlled drag and restoring torque to the reel.  An optional elastic band in frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of the  reel  of  strip  material provides  an  additional  drag torque which decreases as the strip materal is consumed from the reel, thereby resulting in a sub-stantially constant tensile force applied to the strip material.      The strip material is in frictional engagement with a motor-driven metering roll, which serves to pull the strip material from the reel and to advance the strip material through the utilization apparatus.  To assure positive frictional contact between the strip material and the metering roll, a nip roll may be placed in frictional engagement with the metering roll, and the strip material passed between and in frictional engagement with both the metering roll and the nip roll.      To cushion the tensile stresses in the strip material resultin from intermittent operation of the metering roll, a spring-loaded cushion bar may be provided intermediate the reel of strip material and the metering roll.  The spring-loaded cushion bar also con-tributes to maintaining,within predetermined limits, the tension of the strip material between the reel of strip material and the metering roll.  One or more dashpots may be provided to absorb energy from the motion of the cushion bar, and thereby to dampen 1.   its excursions.  The dashpots may take the form of double-acting air cylinders, with adjustable flow control valves provided at the ports of such cylinders so as to permit independent adjustment of the damping forces associated with each direction of motion of the spring-loaded cushion bar.      A stripper mechanism may also be provided to assist in re-leasing the strip material from within the utilization apparatus by applying a predetermined impulse of tension to the strip material.  One form of the stripper consists of two fixed bars and a movable bar; the strip material is arranged to pass through the fixed bars and the movable bar in such a way that translation of the movable bar, in a direction perpendicular to its axis, alters the length of the strip material passing through the arrangement of bars.  Means, such as one or more air-operated cylinders, is provided for causing translation of the movable bar, which thereby applies a predetermined impulse of tension to the strip material within the utilization apparatus so as to cause release of the strip material within the utilization apparatus.          The air cylinders are typically connected through a solenoid valve to a source of pressurized air.  The solenoid valve is energized, so as to actuate the air cylinders, at the appropriate times im-mediately prior to advancing the strip material.  To insure that the movable bar remains parallel to the fixed bars during trans-lation, a rack and pinion mechanism may be utilized at each end of the movable bar.      The strip material passes from the stripper through the utilization apparatus to a means for receiving spent strip material The metering roll is driven by an electric motor, which nay be, for example, a digital stepping motor.  One technique for mechanically coupling the electric motor to the metering roll 2.   involves the use of pulleys and a timing belt.     An electronic control means is provided for supplying electri-cal power to the electric motor so as to energize the motor to cause rotation of its shaft through a predetermined program sequence of advancing the strip material.  Alternatively, a dc motor may be utilized with a shaft encoder, which serves to generate an electri-cal signal representative of the position of the motor shaft.  This electrical signal is supplied to the electronic control means, which electrically energizes the motor so as to cause rotation of the motor shaft through the predetermined program sequence.     The electronic control means may also include provision for energizing the solenoid valve, so as to actuate the air cylinder driving the stripper mechanism, at the appropriate times immediately prior to advancing the strip material.     The electronic control means serves to cause the machine to advance strip material through the utilization apparatus in accordance with a predetermined program:  for example, a typical program for efficient use of strip material might involve a number of short advances followed by a single long advance, with this particular sequence repeated.  The electronic control means may also incorporate limits on the maximum angular acceler-ation and deceleration, and angular velocity, of the shaft of the electric motor.  These limits result in corresponding limita-tions on the maximum acceleration, deceleration, and velocity of the strip material taken from the reel of strip material and advanced through the utilization apparatus.          CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS      To Applicant's knowledge, there are no pending applications which relate to the present application.   3.