Patent GB-1180983-A (GB)
Title: Cloth Laying Machine
IPC: B65H45/103
Filed: 1967-04-04
Abstract: 1,180,983. Laying fabric. CUTTERS MACHINE CO. Inc. 4 April, 1967 [4 April, 1966], No. 15609/67. Heading D1S. A fabric laying machine comprises a catcher mechanism 15, Fig. 15, mounted at one end of a table 13, Fig. 1, on which fabric 88 is to be laid, a laying unit 12 supplied with fabric 88 and mounted on a frame 10 movably supported on the table 13 to engage the mechanism 15 to form a fold in the fabric, means for moving the frame 10 to cause the unit 12 to move toward and away from engagement with the mechanism 15, means for mounting the unit 12 on the frame 10 for vertical reciprocation, fold blades 151, 152 directed toward each other and mounted for free vertical reciprocation on the unit 12, a cam follower roller 158 fixed to the blade 152, a cam follower roller 163 mounted on the unit 12 to reciprocate vertically between upper and lower stops 167, 168, respectively, a catcher bar 200 in the mechanism 15, a cam surface 201 on the bar 200 to engage the roller 158 to maintain the blade 152 above the bar 200 when the unit 12 engages the mechanism 15, and a cam 204 fixed to the bar 200 in the path of the roller 163; the roller 163 being adapted to engage and ride beneath surfaces 206, 207 of the cam 204 and, while engaging the stop 168, to lift the bar 200 above the blade 151, and then to drop the bar 200 upon the blade 151 when the roller 163 disengages the cam 104 as the unit 12 moves toward and into engagement with the mechanism 15, the roller 163 being adapted to engage a ride upon surfaces 208, 205 of the cam 204 as the unit 12 moves away from engagement with the mechanism 15, and the stop 167 being so positioned that it will be engaged by the roller 163 riding over the surface 205 to elevate the unit 12 as the height of the layered fabric increases. A similar cam surface and cam (both not shown) are mounted at the other end of the bar 200 and are engaged by two further cam follower rollers on the unit 12. Four further cam follower rollers are mounted on the unit 12 to engage cam surfaces and cams in a second catcher mechanism (14), Fig. 6 (not shown), similar to the mechanism 15 but mounted at the opposite end of the table 13. Initially, the frame 10 is stationary on the table 13 between the mechanisms (14), 15 and to load a fabric roll 40 a latch bar 56 is pivoted about a pin 57 and a standard 53 is swung outwardly about a hinge 55. The roll 40 is placed on a carriage 32 longitudinally between and upon feed rollers 37, 38. A conical bearing (75), Figs. 3 and 5 (both not shown), is adjusted by a hand wheel (82) through an endless cable (77) to align with the end of the roll 40 opposite to the standard 53 which is then swung upwardly. A conical bearing (65), Fig. 3 (not shown), is then manipulated to engage the roll 40 by manually adjusting a spindle support 60. The standard 53 is then secured by the latch 56. The fabric 88 is unrolled and manually threaded through a guide assembly 90, through the unit 12 between the blades 152, 151 and is held by the mechanism 15. The assembly 90 comprises guide rollers 99, 100, the fabric passing over the roller 99, a fabric guide platform 101 one end of which supports an edge sensing head 102 which maintains the fabric edge in a straight path, a guide roller 104, a bar or roller 105 to take up slack in the fabric, an idler roll 106 and a guide bar or roller 107. A switch 308 is pivoted downwardly to engage a track 23 on the table 13 and the frame 10 is driven at a high speed toward the mechanism (14). The rolls 37, 38 are also driven at high speed so that the fabric 88 is laid on the table 13 by the blade 152. If excess slack is developed in the fabric the bar 105 actuates a switch 111 to stop the fabric feed. When the frame 10 approaches its forward limit of travel the switch 308 rides upon an insulator tape 309 to break electrical contact with the track 23 and the speed of the frame 10 is reduced just prior to the unit 12 engaging the mechanism (14) to fold the forward end of the fabric. The frame 10 is reversed and the fabric is laid by the blade 151 as it moves towards the mechanism 15 which subsequently forms a second fold. When the fabric layers have reach a predetermined height, an arm 165 to which the roller 163 is journalled engages the stop 167 before the roller 163 reaches the land 205 to force upwardly the entire unit 12 relative to the frame 10. This causes pinions (126), (127), Figs. 2, 6 and 7 (all not shown), to roll upwardly on racks 128, (129). If the increment of elevation is sufficient, whichever pawl of a pair of pawls (134), (135), Fig. 7 (not shown), was not previously engaged, will engage the next higher tooth on a ratchet bar (132) to maintain the unit 12 at that elevation. The laying cycle is then repeated. If the roll 40 becomes exhausted the head 102 moves the carriage 11 until a finger (357), Fig. 4 (not shown), engages a limit switch (359) to stop the frame 10. The mechanical drive train, Fig. 22 (not shown), and the electrical circuit, Fig. 23 (not shown), for the operation of the machine are described.