Patent GB-629164-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in sheet material spreading machine
IPC: A41H43/00
Filed: 1944-12-27
Abstract: 629,164. Cuttling- machines. CUTTING ROOM APPLIANCES CORPORATION. Dec. 27, 1944, No. 25914. Convention date, Dec. 19, 1940. [Class 42 (ii)] A machine for spreading sheet material on a surface in successively superimposed layers comprises a carriage movable between limiting means along the surface, and carrying fold-forming means including a pivoted spreading member of U- shaped cross-section, having a fabricguiding slit between opposed arms, each of which has a fold-forming edge, the spreading member being reversible so that the fold-forming edge of the arm in the lower position is presented in the direction of travel of the carriage, means being provided for elevating the fold-forming means to adapt its position to the increasing height of the superimposed layers, there being gripping means for the fold which are movable into the spreading member and are guided by means associated with the foldforming means into an unsupported position within the spreading member and spaced from the lower arm thereof, and are released by the guiding means at that position to drop on the arm when the spreading member reaches its end position. The carriage 10, Fig. 1, carries the fabric on platform 18 or, if in roll form over a rod 22, from which it passes to the spreading device 44, Fig. 10, which is progressively raised by a chain 78 passing over sprockets 80 and 82. Sprocket 82 is connected through a gear-train with a ratchet-wheel 110, a pawl on a lever 120 operating to turn this and thus raise the spreading device whenever a roller 126 thereon contacts an abutment 128 on the table. An adjustable plate 130 having a cam surface is provided to control the dwell of the pawl, and a further ratchet-wheel 98 engaged by a pawl 102 prevents reverse movement of the chain. The spreading device 44, carries a U-shaped member 58 having foldforming edges and a central slot through which the fabric passes, and adapted to be rotated through 180 degrees by chain-and-sprocket mechanism. Four sprockets 150, 152, 148, 144, mounted on a parallelogram linkage 158, 160, 170, 172, are connected by a chain 146, so that the raising of the spreading device 44 will not cause rotation of the sprockets 152 and 144. Sprocket 152 is secured to stub axle 62 on which the member 58 is also fixed, sprocket 144 rotates with a sprocket 184 on a common axle, sprocket 184 being connected by a chain 186 with a sprocket 188. The axle 190 of the latter carries a crank 194 having at its other end a pin 196 running in a generally V-shaped cam slot 198 in plate 200, which is connected to a bar 202 having extension-pieces 206 and 212 and mounted so that it can slide longitudinally in the carriage. On the extension pieces 206 and 212 contacting abutments 128 and 216 respectively, the plate 200 will be moved relatively to the carriage, and the crank-pin 196 following the slot 198 turns its crank 194 and the associated sprocket 188 through 180 degrees, and thereby reverses the fold-forming member 58 through the chain drive. A slot in a bar 230 pivoted at 232 also engages the crank-pin 196, and its free end engages between pins 235 on the carriage during reversal to ensure that this takes place properly. A counting device may act in association with the bar 202. Arms 244, pivoted at 240, 242 on the carriage, and having rollers 250 running on the table, provide ramp surfaces 252 on which rollers mounted on the ends of the cloth-holding bar on the devices 220 can ride, lifting the bar as the carriage approaches. The rollers ride on to ledges 258 on the brackets of the fold-forming member 44, and finally over-ride the ends of these to cause the bar to re-engage the cloth. The clothholding devices 220 are as described in Specification 629,223.