GB2051615A

GB2051615A - Stiffening textile sheets

Info

Publication number: GB2051615A
Application number: GB8017473A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-06-02
Filing date: 1980-05-28
Publication date: 1981-01-21
Also published as: JPS55163257A; GB2051615B; DE2922613A1; FR2457925B1; IT8048834A0; DE2922613C2; IT1127482B; FR2457925A1; JPS5837435B2

Abstract

Textile sheets are stiffened, for the manufacture of garments, by coating with plastics, in a coating device including a belt-shaped conveyor mechanism (20, 21, 22) for conveying the textile sheets (10) through a printing unit (41) having a printing cylinder (16) arranged above a pressure roller (18) and a tunnel dryer (12). The conveyor mechanism is sub-divided into a plurality of movable units (13, 14) in the region of the printing unit, so that the pressure roller (18) and the printing cylinder (16) are pressable onto one another without the inclusion of a conveyor belt and the units are separable to permit servicing and cleaning. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for stiffening textile sheet-like structures This invention relates to apparatus for the stiffening of textile sheet-like structures and is particularly concerned with the stiffening of textile sheet-like structures of various shapes for the manufacture of garments by coating these with plastics, especially for the stiffening of such sheet-like structures of outer fabrics, said apparatus consisting of a device for coating the textile sheet-like structures and of a device for the subsequent heat treatment thereof as well as of a belt-shaped conveyor mechanism for conveying the textile sheet-like structures through these devices, the coating device having a printing unit with a printing cylinder arranged above a pressure roller and the heat treatment device having a tunnel dryer.

With known apparatus (see, for example, German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,552,878, Fig. 3) the belt-shaped conveyor mechanism is sub-divided transversely to its conveying direction before the heat treatment device. In practice, two conveyor belts are present, the conveyor belt of the coating device being considerably drawn forward and extended in the conveying plane, respectively before and after the printing cylinder and pressure roller, for the purpose of forming a feed station. The conveyor belt of the coating device is further more in one piece and guided over the pressure roller with its upper strand. The pressure roller and printing cylinder are thus pressable on one another only with the inclusion of the conveyor belt. For cleaning remains of plastics material from the conveyor belt, a washing bath is provided for said belt at the end thereof.A disadvantage with this apparatus is that owing to the above-mentioned construction it can be serviced and especially cleaned only inadequately.

The present invention aims to provide apparatus of the above-mentioned type which is substantially easier and quicker to service, especially to clean, than the known apparatus.

According to the invention, there is provided apparatus for the stiffening of textile sheet-like structures, said apparatus consisting of a device for coating the textile sheet-like structures with plastics material, a device for the subsequent heat-treatment thereof, and a belt-shaped conveyor mechanism for conveying the textile sheet-like structures through these devices, the coating device having a printing unit with a printing cylinder arranged above a pressure roller and the heat-treatment device having a tunnel dryer, wherein the conveyor mechanism is sub-divided, outside the heat-treatment device, transversely to its conveying direction, into a plurality of movable units in the region of the coating device, so that that the pressure roller and the printing cylinder of the printing unit are pressable onto one another without the inclusion of a conveyor belt.

Owing to the special sub-division according to the invention of the conveyor mechanism transversely to its conveying direction into several movable units, the apparatus can be serviced, especially cleaned, substantially more easily and more quickly than the known apparatus. Said sub-division of the conveyor mechanism enables it to be moved away from the pressure roller and printing cylinder, so that these parts and the conveyor mechanism itself are substantially more easily accessible.

Thus, for example, the pressure roller and printing cylinder are freely accessible on their longitudinal sides after the conveyor mechanism units placed before and after the same have been moved away.

Preferably, the printing unit is also arranged to be movable and the movable units of the conveyor mechanism and the printing unit are desirably movable in and oppositely to the conveying direction of the conveyor mechanism. The printing unit may also be movable laterally with respect to the conveying direction. By means of these features, the accessibility and consequently the servicing of said parts and devices are further improved.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the movable units of the conveyor mechanism and/or the printing unit are movable on rails. The movable units of the conveyor mechanism and the printing unit may also be mechanically movable by means of a drive of the runners thereof or by means of thrust elements, for example working cylinders actuable by means of pressure medium. By means of these features, the parts and devices can be moved apart and together again especially quickly and exactly.

It is also preferred for the movable units of the conveyor mechanism, the printing unit and the heat-treatment device to be electrically operated and connected to one another and to a control system by means of flexible electrical leads which are disconnectable by means of plug couplings arranged therein.

This arrangement enables rapid movement of the units and devices and, at the same time, the accessibility of the units and devices to be cleaned is further improved.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the working range of the printing unit is smaller than the working width of the conveyor mechanism, the conveyor mechanism unit located in front of the printing unit has two conveyor belts arranged next to one another, the first conveyor belt has a width corresponding to the length of the printing cylinder or of the pressure roller and the second conveyor belt has a width corresponding to the difference between the length of the printing cylinder or of the pressure roller and the working width of the conveyor mechanism and the second conveyor belt is guided in the conveying direction to immediately in front of the conveyor belt of the conveyor mechanism unit located after the printing unit.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 but in which the units of the conveyor mechanism and the printing unit are moved away from one another; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through a coating device in which the working range of the printing unit is smaller than the working width of the conveyor mechanism, said section being taken along the section line indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4; and Figure 4 is a plan view of the coating device shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a coating device 11, a heat-treatment device 1 2 and a conveyor mechanism sub-divided into units 13, 14, 1 5 for conveying textile sheet-like structures 10 to be coated through the devices 11, 1 2. The coating device 11 has a printing unit 41 with a printing cylinder 16 and a pressure roller 1 8. The printing cylinder 1 6 has radial grooves 1 7 for receiving plastics material to be transferred onto the textile sheet-like structures 1 0. The plastics material is fed to the grooves 1 7 by means of devices not illustrated and known per se.The printing cylinder 1 6 and the pressure roller 18 are arranged between side walls 31, 32 of the apparatus which are connected by means of crossbars 38 and the cylinder and roller are mounted in an appropriate form on said walls by means of respective shafts or axles 50, 51.

The printing cylinder 1 6 and the pressure roller 1 8 are driven in the direction of the arrows 52, 53 by means of electrical drives not illustrated and known per se, such as, for example, geared motors. The device 1 2 for the heat-treatment of textile sheet-like structures which have been coated by the device 11 has a tunnel dryer 42 with infra-red lamps 43. The tunnel dryer 42 is arranged between side walls 35, 36 of the apparatus and is fastened thereto. The side walls 35, 36 are connected to one another by means of three crossbars 40.Conveyor belts 20, 21, 22, guided via guide rolls 44, 45, 46 and deflector plates 47, 48, 49, respectively of the units 13, 14, 1 5 of the conveyor mechanism, are arranged between the side walls 29, 30 and 33 to 36 of the apparatus, which side walls are connected to one another by means of crossbars 37, 39, 40. Each of the conveyor belts 20, 21, 22 is driven by means of an electrical drive not illustrated and known per seethe drives, for example geared motors, driving the guide rolls 44-46 over which the conveyor belts are guided.

Arranged at the lower ends of the side walls 29-36 are runners 25-28, by means of which the units 13, 1 4 of the conveyor mechanism, the printing unit 41 and the device 1 2 with the tunnel dryer 42 and the unit 1 5 of the conveyor mechanism are mounted movably on rails 23, 24. The rails 23, 24 can be arranged in a manner known per se in or on the floor at the place of erection of the apparatus. The above-mentioned units 13, 14, the printing unit 41 and the device 12 are movable in and oppositely to the conveying direction of the conveyor mechanism indicated by the arrow 1 9. The operation can be carried out manually or else mechanically.

Mechanically it is carried out by driving the runners 25-28 or else by thrust elements.

e.g. working cylinders actuable by means of pressure medium. These drives are, however, not illustrated in the drawings. The electrical devices of the units 13, 14 of the conveyor mechanism, of the printing unit 41 and of the heat-treatment device 1 2 are interconnected by means of flexible electrical leads 56, 57, 58 and are linked to an electrical control system 59. Plug couplings 60 are fitted in the electrical leads 56, 57, 58 for the rapid disconnection thereof. The positions of the plug couplings 60 and of the control system 59 may, of course, be different from those shown in Fig. 2.

The coating device 11' illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 has a printing unit 31 whose working range is smaller than the working width of the conveyor mechanism and the conveyor mechanism is likewise sub-divided into two units 13, 14. However, in contrast to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the unit 1 3 has two conveyor belts 54, 55 arranged next to one another.

The first conveyor belt 54 has a width corresponding to the length of the printing cylinder 1 6 or of the pressure roller 1 8. The second conveyor belt 55 has a width corresponding to the difference between the length of the printing cylinder 1 6 or pressure roller 18 and the working width of the conveyor mechanism. The first conveyor belt 54 is guided in the same way as the conveyor belt 20 (Fig.

1). The second conveyor belt 55 is guided in the conveying direction to immediately in front of the conveyor belt 21 of the unit 14 of the conveyor mechanism. Further, both conveyor belts 54, 55 are guided on the feed side over the guide roll 44, by means of which they are also driven at the same speed.

In the region of the printing unit 41 the conveyor belts 54, 55 are guided over the deflector plates 47 (conveyor belt 54) and 62 (cdnveyor belt 55). Due to this construction of the unit 13, textile sheet-like structures 10' which are to be coated only partly, in a line pattern in the weft direction 61 of their fabric (see item 10"), are conveyed supported both in the coating region and in the non-coating region.

The lateral movability of the printing unit 41 will be provided, analogously to the foregoing, especially in cases where the apparatus cannot be moved far enough apart longitudinally owing to the conditions present at its place of erection. Because of the conditions at the place of erection it may also be advantageous additionally to move the heat-treatment device 12, although this in not normally necessary.

Furthermore, the apparatus has other parts and devices required for the handling thereof according to the invention and for coating textile sheet-like structures 10 and 10', for example also adjusting plug couplings for the precise and rapid coupling and uncoupling of the detachable units and devices. However, these parts and devices are not illustrated in the drawings, because they are known. The mode of operation of the apparatus for the coating of textile sheet-like structures 10 is also known.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the stiffening of textile sheet-like structures, said apparatus consisting of a device for coating the textile sheet-like structures with plastics material, a device for the subsequent heat-treatment thereof, and a belt-shaped conveyor mechanism for conveying the textile sheet-like structures through these devices, the coating device having a printing unit with a printing cylinder arranged above a pressure roller and the heat-treatment device having a tunnel dryer, wherein the conveyor mechanism is sub-divided, outside the heat-treatment device, transversely to its conveying direction, into a plurality of movable units in the region of the coating device, so that the pressure roller and the printing cylinder of the printing unit are pressable onto one another without the inclusion of a conveyor belt.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit is also arranged to be movable.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the movable units of the conveyor mechanism and the printing unit are movable in and oppositely to the conveying direction of the conveyor mechanism.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the printing unit is movable laterally with respect to the conveying direction.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the movable units of the conveyor mechanism and/or the printing unit are movable on rails.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the movable units of the conveyor mechanism and the printing unit are mechanically movable by means of a drive of the runners thereof or by means of thrust elements.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the thrust elements comprise working cylinders actuable by means of pressure medium.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the movable units of the conveyor mechanism, the printing unit and the heat-treatment device are electrically operated and are connected to one another and to a control system by means of flexible electrical leads which are disconnectable by means of plug couplings arranged therein.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the working range of the printing unit is smaller than the working width of the conveyor mechanism, wherein the conveyor mechanism unit located in front of the printing unit has two conveyor belts arranged next to one another, wherein the first conveyor belt has a width corresponding to the length of the printing cylinder or of the pressure roller and the second conveyor belt has a width corresponding to the difference between the length of the printing cylinder or of the pressure roller and the working width of the conveyor mechanism and wherein the second conveyor belt is guided in the conveying direction to immediately in front of the conveyor belt of the conveyor mechanism unit located after the printing unit.

1 0. Apparatus for the stiffening of textile sheet-like structures, said apparatus being substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.