Patent GB-721165-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to garment and like presses
IPC: D06F71/10
Filed: 1952-02-20
Abstract: 721,165. Ironing-presses. SIMPSON, J., and SIMPSON, jun., J. May 8, 1953 [Feb. 20, 1952 ; April 8, 1952], Nos. 4515/52 and 8911/52. Class 138 (2). A garment press of the kind comprising a horizontally rotatable carrier with two or more tables which can be brought in turn into a position in which a ram 6 can be operated to effect pressing, is provided with a control arrangement comprising a valve device 23 which itself controls the communication of fluid pressure both to the ram 6 and to carrier turning gear and which is operatively associated with an operator's control device, such as a pedal operated device, and with the carrier or its turning gear in such a manner that automatically repeated cycles of operation of the press can be obtained by a single action of the control device, and a single completed cycle by two actions of that device by the operator. ' The invention is applied to a press similar to that in Specification 682,770, and comprising two tables mounted on the carrier and moved into contact with a fixed head member by means of the ram 6 which is operated by a piston 5 in a cylinder 4. The control arrangement includes the valve 23, a pedaloperated valve 24, and timing means 25. The valve 23 includes a sliding valve body 26 having four heads 27 ... 30, air under pressure being supplied to the valve through a port 31. A ring of ports 32 are connected through a passage 32<SP>1</SP> to the cylinder 4, and through a line b to a cylinder 34 containing a piston 35 of a ram device 49 for releasing a clutch (not shown) for coupling a driving pinion 15 to the carrier. The pinion 15 meshes with racks 16, 17 formed on pistons 18, 19 working in carrier-turning and return cylinders 20, 21 respectively, movement of piston 18 being subject to the control of a dashpot device 22. The movement of the valve body 26 is arrested in its two end positions by two shock-absorbing rings 37 cooperating with a flange 36 on the valve body. The valve 24 has a piston 44 actuated by a pedal 47 through a linkage 46 including spring- loaded toggle means 48 adapted to retain the pedal and linkage in the position to which they have last been moved by the operator. In order to ensure that the carrier turning gear will not be operated unless it is coupled by the clutch to the carrier, the plunger 49 of the clutch release piston 35 is provided with a bracket 50 engageable with a shoulder under the piston 44. The linkage 46 acts upon the piston rod 51 of the piston 44 through a push rod 52, thereby enabling the piston 44 to be held by the bracket 50 in the raised, closed position irrespective of the position of the pedal 47. The timing means 25 comprises a tube 55 communicating with a surrounding cylinder 41 through passages 56, a line i containing an adjustable throttling valve 57, and passages 60 communicating also with a pressure gauge 61. The valve 57 is operated by a knob 59 on a shaft 58 and provided with an indicator moving over a dial 63 calibrated in seconds, the setting of the valve 57 determining the time for which the press is closed. Operation.-In the normal rest position with the pedal in the position depicted in Fig. 1 (not shown), valve 44 is in its raised, closed position, the valve body 26 in its left-hand end position, piston 5 in its lowered position, the pistons 18, 19 in the positions shown in Fig. 3, and the clutch-release piston 35 in its lowered position, so that the clutch is engaged. If the pedal 47 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3, the valve piston 44 will descend to uncover a port 45 and allow air to flow through port 31, a port 42, a line e, port 45 and a line f to the cylinder 20 whose piston 18 thereupon rotates the carrier through 180 degrees by way of the pinion 15 and the clutch. Just before completion of this movement, the piston 18 uncovers a port 39 in the cylinder 20 to allow air to flow through a line c to a chamber 38 in the valve 23 so that the valve body 26 is moved to the right-hand end position seen in Fig. 3. Port 31 is thus cut off from cylinder 20 and air flows from port 31 through ports 32 to the cylinder 4 to raise one of the tables into pressing engagement with the head. Air also flows through the ports 32 and line b to the cylinder 34 whose piston 35 is thus raised to release the clutch and uncouple the table carrier from the pinion 15. In rising, piston 35 uncovers a port 53 so that air flows through a line g to cylinder 21 whose piston 19 then returns the pinion 15 and piston 18 idly to their initial positions. Towards the end of this movement, piston 19 uncovers a port 54 and allows air to flow through a line h to the timing device 25. After a period depending on the setting of the valve 57, the pressure in the cylinder 41, a line d and a chamber 40 builds up sufficiently to return the valve body 26 to its initial left-hand position. The cylinders 4, 34 are thus connected through ports 32 to an exhaust port 33 so that the table-raising piston 5 descends and the clutch re-engages. If pedal 47 is still depressed a fresh cycle will automatically commence, but if the pedal has been returned to its initial position, Fig. 1 (not shown), at any time after the carrier has completed its turning movement, no fresh cycle will be commenced. By restoring the pedal 47 to its initial position before the table carrier has completed its turning movement, the carrier may be brought to rest and the cycle interrupted by cutting off the pressure at port 45. A handle 64 projecting through a slot in the valve 23 enables the valve body 26 to be moved manually from its right-hand to its left-hand end position in an emergency in order to allow the piston 5 and the table to descend.