Improvements in the Manufacture of Ribbons, Bands, and other Fabrics with a Finished Severed Edge, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Ribbons, Bands, and other
Fabrics with a Finished Severed Edge, and Apparatus therefor.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM BRACHER of Greene Street, New York, United States
of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to ribbons bands and other fabrics which are formed to
any desired size shape or width by cutting or severing one portion of woven
fabric from another and is designed to provide a severed edge or selvage that will
not fray or ravel and to provide apparatus for cutting the fabric and securing
the edge.
Hitherto a cut edge of textile material in order to prevent fraying has been
stitched or turned over and hemmed thereby making the cut edge when thus
secured thicker or more bulky than the other edge or parts of the material which
for certain classes of work I find very objectionable.
The invention is primarily intended to be applied to ribbons or bands for
passing round hats and for binding the brims thereof which are desired to be wider
at one portion of their width than another having one sinuous edge and the other
straight as it was woven though it may be applied to produce fabrics with edges
sinuous or straight.
It consists essentially in forming ou a band ribbon or other fabric an outside or
selvage edge by applying to the cut edge a narrow line of adhesive or cementing
material which stiffens and causes the threads to adhere and simultaneously
severing or cutting with a sharp instrument and in apparatus provided with cutting
discs by which the fabric is cut and a continuous cord or thread passing through a
trough by which the adhesive or cementing material is applied to the edge
simultaneously with the cutting.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. Representation of two bands or ribbons made in accordance with the
invention severed along a sinuous line.
Fig. 2. Enlarged view of the band or ribbon showing the face of the severed
edge secured by adhesive material.
Fig. 3. Enlarged view of the band or ribbon showing the back or side of the
severed edge upon which the adhesive material is applied.
Fig. 4. Transverse section of Figs. 2 and 3.
Fig. 5. Enlarged view showing my improved severed edge on a piece of textile
fabric woven with warp and weft threads of equal size and tension.
Fig. 6. Enlarged view of bottom cutter showing position of materials before
being operated upon.
Fig. 7. Enlarged view of cutters showing their position and that of the material
during the operation of cutting and cementing the edges.
Fig. 8. Front elevation of the apparatus partly in section for cutting the
material and cementing the severed edges.
Fig. 9. Left hand end elevation partly in section of same.
Fig. 10. Plan of same.
Fig. 11. Plan of same partly in section with cutting rolls removed.
Fig. 12. Right hand end elevation of same with driving pulley and friction disc
haw in dotted linus

page_text: In forming the severed or cut edge B of the band or ribbon A the edge is
preferably sinuous or oblique cutting across both weft and warp threads and the
edge is finished by pressing the adhesive or cementing material into the fibres
along a narrow strip during the process of cutting.
The severing of the fabric is effected by means of two rolls G and K the upper
one K of which is brought to a single edge forming a knife roll and the lower
one G is grooved to receive the cutting edge of the knife roll K. Behind the
cutting rolls K and G is placed a box or trough S containing adhesive substance
gum or shellac through which a fine cord or thread C passes and becomes
moistened with shellac. The cord then passes part way round the grooved roll
and is carried under the fabric A which passes in between the grooved roll and the
knife roll from a guide or trough T. The knife roll K cuts or presses through the
fabric A and into the underlying cord in the grooved roll. At the same time
the pressure squeezes the adhesive substance out of the cord and into the fabric as
it is drawn in between the rolls and severed.
The cord or thread C serves a double purpose first as a travelling carrier to
transfer the adhesive material to the cut edges while they are tightly held between
the two rolls, and second as a buffer on the opposite side of the fabric from the
knife into which the knife edge of one of the rolls presses on cutting through the
fabric,
There is also a second box for shellac R in which is a gum roll r by which the
shellac is transferred to the flanges of the grooved roll. On the spindle k with
the knife roll K and on each side of the knife roll K are discs D which are pressed
toward the rolls by springs P. These discs are loose on the knife roll spindle so
that they can tilt slightly but they revolve with it. At the point of contact of the
two rolls the discs overlap the grooved roll and serve to fold the fabric over its
projecting edges. The fabric having thus been folded and at the same time cut it
is carried around with the knife roll and the discs for nearly three fourths of a
revolution, and the folded edges of the two severed parts sink into the two grooves
formed by the meeting of the dises and knife roll. The edges of the fabric are
thus pinched down and held while the shellac sets. On leaving the knife roll and
the discs, the severed parts are delivered over a rod H. It is not necessary to the
carrying out of my invention always to apply the shellac in both the ways which
have been described for under some conditions either may be sufficient, and the
application of the shellac may if desired be made by means of a gum roll directly
to the knife roll or to the groove of the grooved roll and the use of a moistened
cord avoided. There is an advantage however in cutting against a cord or other
yielding surface inasmuch as the knife roll does not dull so readily since it is not
Decessary to set it so close to the grooved roll in order to insure the complete
severing of the fabric. By removing the discs D D the fabric may be severed and
the severed edges secured with adhesive or cementing material without folding the
edges over. Edges treated in this way are shown in Figs. 2 3 and 4 in which are
illustrated front back and sectional views of a portion of a band or ribbon drawn
to an enlarged senle. The adhesive or cementing material is applied to the back
at b and the fabrics cut from the face or side b'. The woven selvage of the ribbon
or band is shown at a.
For certain purposes we may desire to accelerate the setting of the adhesive
substance and in that case it may be desirable to apply heat to the cemented edge.
For this purpose we use the appliances shown in Figure 8. These consist of a
Bunsen burner R' so adjusted as to cause the flame to impinge on the long nut k
on shaft k. The bent then passes by conduction along the shaft k to the discs D D
and cutter K.
As a binding A for hats I find that it is desirable to use a ribbon which has a
width of about an inch at the sides of the hat, and a width of about half an inch
at the front and back. Taking the circumference of a hat brim at 34 inches it
will be seen that such a ribbon should have two narrow and two wide places in
that length. This is what my machine as shown is designed to make when

page_text: constructed of such proportions that the rolls will be one inch in diameter. The
work is fed to the machine as a straight ribbon having a uniform width of one and
a half inches. This is sheared apart along an undulating or sinuous line, the waves
of which repeat about every seventeen inches and two ribbons A. as above described
are simultaneously produced.
Automatic means are provided for guiding the work so that it will be sheared in.
the way that has been indicated. This is done by cams which cause the guide or
trough T through which the work passes to the cutting rolls to reciprocate
transversely. The trough is supported at the front by a bracket Q which is
jointed to a rod E that slides through a hole e in the frame of the machine below
the spindles of the cutting rolls. The rod is reciprocated through a lever L by a
cam V. A second cam W is located under the guide or trough T and operates
upon it directly. These cams are revolved through suitable gearing consisting of
worm wheels I and J a worm shaft F and gearing M and N so that each will turn
through one revolution to a peripheral travel of 34 inches by the rolls. By
changing the gearing in the manner hereinafter described the machine can readily
be altered so as to produce other lengths. In order to produce two undulations to
a revolution of the cams they are each provided with two lobes. The cams are so
shaped and set with respect to each other that the highest points of one and the
lowest points of the other will bear simultaneously against their respective rolls.
When one of the lowest points of the cam V and one of the highest points of the
cam W are against their respective cam rolls the guide will be in its extreme.
position to the right. With the converse positions of the cams the guide will be
in its extreme left position. In both positions the guide is parallel to the direction
of cutting since at these points the line along which the ribbon is sheared lies in
the direction of the ribbon. But, while shifting the guide from one side to the
other it is necessary to gradually carry it to an angular position in order to keep
the line of shear in the direction of cutting. This is effected by so shaping the
cam W that the part of the guide acted upon by it will move laterally in advance
of the part acted on by the cam V.
The method of changing the gearing is illustrated in Figure 12 in which
X represents the friction disc X fitting into the belt pulley Y. The motion is
communicated from the same by a gear wheel a on the shaft y of the friction
disc X, to the gear wheel N on shaft n. The wheel N gears into intermediate
gear-wheel Z and this again into the gear wheel M keyed on shaft F and secured
by a nut so that the wheel M can be conveniently removed or replaced. The
wheel M is devised to give a given number of revolutions of the shaft F at each
revolution of the shaft n. In order to form bands of the various lengths requisite
I provide other gear wheels M giving other proportional speeds to the shaft F.
The wheel Z is adjusted to the various diameters of M by means of the lever Z¹ on
which its axle is supported and secured at the proper position by means of the
bolt z screwed into the frame and sliding in the slot 21 of the lever Z¹.
The friction disc X is operated by the handle P to engage the shaft y
driving power or to free it therefrom as may be desired. The mechanical arrange-
ments for this purpose may be such as are shown in Fig. 10.
My invention as above set forth enables the formation of selvage edges on
textile fabrics without regard to the contour of the edge. The selvage can follow
on lines which are straight oblique or curved in any way that is desired. I am
thereby enabled to produce ribbons and trimmings from goods woven in wide widths
and to give these a great variety of form. Ribbons for example when made in
this way can be curved or given undulating or sinuous edges, or made of variable
widths for great variety of purposes.
I am aware that edges of fabrics have been gummed or sized and stamped or t
pressed on the surface to prevent fraying and to improve or ornament the edge.
Over all such processes my method of applying the adhesive substance and
effecting the cutting of the fabric in one operation has the advantage that it enables
me to make an extremely fine edge because the adhesive substance, being applied

page_text: at the precise point of severance can be applied upon a line as narrow as may be
wished and yet the cut will come accurately in the centre of the cemented line and
moreover the capillary forces brought into action by the pressure and subsequent
withdrawal of the cutter cause the cut edge to draw in the adhesive substance and
thus produce a stiffened and protected edge which is structurally different from
any stiffened edge formed by processes heretofore in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. A band or ribbon of textile material formed with a severed edge which is
stiffened and the threads secured by an adhesive or cementing material in the
manner herein described and shewn.
2. The method of producing a finished edge on a band or ribbon or other textile
fabric which consists in applying a narrow strip of an adhesive or cementing
material to the fabric and simultaneously compressing and severing the fabric
along the adhesive strip to form a smooth edge substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. The method of applying an adhesive or cementing material in a fine strip to
the cut edge of fabric which consists in saturating a cord or thread therewith and
passing the same under the cutting tool during the operation of cutting substantially
as described.
4. An apparatus for cementing and severing textile fabrics to form a finished
edge constructed with a pair of cutting discs which sever the material, a travelling
cord, rollers or other mechanism to apply the adhesive or cementing material and
a reciprocating oscillating guide which delivers the material to the cutting discs
substantially as described and shewa.
5. Apparatus for forming a finished severed edge on fabrics having the several
parts constructed and arranged substantially as described and shewn."
Dated this 14th day of September 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.