IMPROVEMENTS IN FOLDING AND PREPARING OR PRESSING WOVEN FABRICS AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Kobert Wilson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th July 1855.
I, ROBERT WILSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FOLDING AND PREPARING OR PRESSING WOVEN FABRICS AND OTHER MATERIALS"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to self-acting machinery or apparatus for folding
pieces of woven fabrics or of any material in the form of a long web, and
comprehends various novel contrivances, whereby greater accuracy in the fold
is obtained; and amongst other advantages, the machine is rendered capable
of folding goods for the purpose of being hot-pressed, the pasteboards used in
this operation being inserted within the folds of the goods whilst the folding
action is proceeding.
According to one modification of the apparatus, the fabric to be folded is
passed between a pair of nipping rollers carried upon a frame which is made
to traverse back and forwards over a horizontal surface or table. The traversing
frame is made to go beyond the point corresponding to the width of the fold,
and when it is at the end of its traverse, two blades, one at each side of the
fabric, are made to approach each other, or enter in immediately over the fabric,

page_text: and then to descend upon it and hold it down. The traversing frame next
returns and lays the fabric over the blades, so as to form the fold, the nipping
rollers being slightly raised to carry them clear over the blades. After having
passed over the blades, the rollers descend and exert a smoothing action on the
fabric whilst proceeding to the opposite end of their traverse. In the mean-
time the side blades, already mentioned, are withdrawn, and a cross bar descends
upon the last fold, & presses it down to prevent its being drawn away by the
action of the carrying carriage in making the opposite succeeding fold. If
the fabric which is being folded is to be hot-pressed, the pasteboards can be
introduced with facility between each alternate or between every traverse of
the frame, as may be desired.
traversing
According to another modification of folding apparatus, and which is in-
tended for use where great accuracy is not required, and where no pressing
or smoothing action is necessary, but which is recommendable for its
extreme simplicity, the goods are caught at equal intervals at the selvedges
by self-acting fingers on the ends of arms which are made to reciprocate
back and forwards through a half revolution, more or less, on an axis at right
angles to the line of the fabric. There are two pairs of arms, each placed
diametrically opposite to the other, and the whole forming an oscillating frame,
upon which the fabric is held until the whole piece is folded upon it. The
fingers for catching the selvedges of the goods are contrived so that each fold
as it is made shall be held down upon the previous fold by a secondary finger,
whilst the finger which first caught it opens to catch a succeeding fold; or,
instead of this plan, a single bar or pair of arms may be arranged to oscillate
on a vertical axis, being fitted at each end with self-acting fingers for taking
the goods from between a pair of vertical guide rollers. The goods may be
guided at a uniform height through the rollers by hand, or by any suitable
contrivance.