Patent GB-1054564-A (GB)
IPC: D06F67/04
Abstract: 1,054,564. Ironing machines. J. L. ROILAND. June 17, 1964 [Oct. 3, 1963], No. 25151/64. Heading D1A. A spreading and feeding device for feeding flatwork articles to an ironing machine comprises a spreader unit 22 having a frame supporting diverging conveyer belts 29,31 having curved workpiece guiding members 34 adjacent idler rollers 32 at their forward ends. A guide bar 35 extends across the members 34 and has rearward extensions 36 adjacent the lower runs of the belts. Positioned between belts 29,31 are a plurality of conveyer belts 42 whose forward ends are carried on idler rollers 43 and whose rear ends are carried on a driving roller 46. Two central conveyer belts 45 are carried on forward and central idler rollers 52,53, Fig. 3 (not shown), respectively lower and higher than belts 29 and 31. A pressure roll 57 extending across belts 45 and engaging belts 29,31 is carried on a shaft 58 journalled in arms 59 mounted upon a transverse rod 61. Pressure exerted by roll 57 is controlled by screws 64 on projections 66 of arms 59 engaging the machine frame. Endless belts 67,68 carried on roller 57 extend in engagement with belts 45, their rear ends being carried on rollers 69 on a shaft 71 carried on members 73,74 mounted at their forward ends on rod 61 and held by braces 76,77. A workpiece pick-up roller 78 engages and is rotated by the forward ends of belts 29,31 and is carried by arms 79,81. Belt 83 extends around rolls 57 and 78 to prevent the workpiece from wrapping around roller 78. Positive feed of the work is obtained by a rod 88 with arms 89 carrying flat ends 90 rotatably supported in a tube 87 arranged adjacent roller 78. The arms 89 are biased upwardly by a spring 91 connected between members 73, 74 and a finger on rod 88 projecting through a slot in tube 87, which slot limits the movement of the arms 89. In operation, the leading edge of a workpiece such as a sheet, is held on the ends 90 of arms 89 which are then rotated downwardly to insert the edge between roller 78 and belts 29,31 which carry the workpiece onto belts 42,45 and under pressure roll 57 whilst spreading it laterally. The leading end of the workpiece is guided by a curved member 96 into a trough 94 between the spreader unit 22 and a smoothing and feeder unit 26 and the trailing end is picked up and fed to the unit 26 by a transfer assembly at 24 comprising two pivoted levers 162, Fig. 3 (not shown), having heads 164 supporting a rubber covered roller 167. Bellcranks pivoted on levers 162 carry a bowed beam or rod 188 having spaced fingers 190 projecting therefrom. The levers 162 are adapted to be actuated by a motor 204, Fig. 3 (not shown) through a clutch-brake 206 and a transmission 207 to move the roller 167 and fingers 190 at the appropriate moment to pick up the trailing end of the workpiece and then move it into engagement with a spiral ribbon 154 on a roller 143 of the unit 26. The roller 143 directs the workpiece whilst stretching it onto a plurality of endless belts 106 mounted between rollers 116 and 107, Fig. 5 (not shown), which carry it under a pressure roller 134 to the discharge end of the unit where it is guided by spring fingers 133 onto the conveyer of the ironing machine. Motors 48 and 112, Fig. 3 (not shown) drive the conveyer belts of units 22 and 26 respectively.