Patent GB-1278581-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to seaming textile articles
Inventor: DEEKS LESLIE ROY
IPC: D05B27/18
Filed: 1968-07-26
Abstract: 1278581 Seaming non-metallic sheet material DETEXOMAT Ltd 14 July 1969 [26 July 1968 8 Oct 1968 20 Jan 1969] 35811/68 48733/68 and 3243/69 Heading B5K [Also in Division D1] Apparatus for use in seaming textile articles comprises a front support 80, Fig. 1, and a rear support 82 to hold the portions of the articles to be seamed in an upright plane, the supports being movable between rear positions, where the article is loaded, and forward positions in which the article is fed for seaming, and also comprises means tensioning the portions of the article, means correcting misalignment between the portions and an uncurler for the edges of the position to be seamed. As shown the seaming means is a cup feed sewing machine 4, but the seaming means may comprise a thermal seamer or an adhesive applicator. Two sets of supports and uncurlers are provided in the apparatus shown, these are mounted on the rails 44 of a frame which may be swung about a vertical rod 32. One set is thus positioned at a loading station while the other set carries an article being seamed. The rear support 82 comprises (Fig. 5) a work clamp 152 secured to a block 150 sliding on rails 44 and urged rearwards by weights to tension the article held. A lower work clamp 154 is slidable on the block relatively to the upper clamp 152. The upper clamp has work engaging pins 164, the lower clamp a single pin 188. The forward support is included in an assembly carried in a carriage 326 (Fig. 10) slidable on rails 44 and including the uncurler and the misalignment correcting means. A front bracket 341 presents a work receiving groove 348 through which a work impaling pin (344, Fig. 12, not shown) mounted on a pivoted bracket (342) may pass. The uncurler comprises a centre plate 314 and two uncurler plates 312 one each side thereof. The article portions pass one each side of the centre plate 314 and are pressed thereagainst by the respective spring biased plate 312. A feeler 338 has its end portion 340 disposed between the portion edges; any difference in tension in the edges, which would cause one portion to sag relatively to the other, deflects the feeler laterally to operate one or other of a pair of side contacts to energize an appropriate solenoid, not shown, to reduce the nip between the plate 314, 312 for the tight portion. The tensions are thus equalized and the edges maintained in alignment. Operation.-The rear clamps and the uncurler are moved rearwardly on rails 44, the rear ends of the article portions inserted at 152, 154 and the impaling pins closed thereon. The front ends are passed each side of uncurler plate 314 beneath plates 312 and into notch 348 where pin 344 is swung into impaling position. The rails 44 are swung about the rod 32 into a position where the front edges of the portions may be engaged by the feed cups of the sewing machine 4. The block 362 is moved forwardly by a shuttle (not shown) engaging a roller 390 on the block, the forward impaling pin being removed by a fixed stop. As the work is advanced by the cup feed rollers block 326 carrying the uncurlers stops its forward motion. As the work advances the rising tensioning weight attached to the rear clamp block 150 picks up further weights to increase the tension. Magnets attached to the rising weights and to the shuttle actuate reed switches to control the operation. Work feeding rollers (8, Fig. 2, not shown) engage the work after the sewing position and a thread chain cutter (9) is provided.