IES950885A2 - An apparatus for drawing a continuous length of material from a supply - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for drawing a continuous length of material from a supply comprises first and second clamps C1, C2 with the first clamp C1 being mounted on a carriage 14 for reciprocation towards and away from the second clamp C2. The first clamp C1 is operated during forward movement of the carriage 14 towards the second clamp C2 and the second clamp C2 is operated during the reverse movement of the carriage. <Fig. 5>

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for drawing a continuous 5 length of material from a supply, in particular but not exclusively in an apparatus for making a multi-part ribbon which may be used to make rosettes.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for 10 drawing a continuous length of material from a supply, comprising first and second clamps with one of the clamps being able to reciprocate relative to the other, the reciprocating clamp being operated during one direction of reciprocation and the other clamp being operated during the other direction of reciprocation.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a multi-part ribbon manufactured by the present 20 embodiment; Figure 1A is an enlarged cross-section of the ribbon of Figure 1 taken on the line 1A-1A, with the vertical dimension highly exaggerated; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus for manufacturing the ribbon of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the slicing frame of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of the alignment frame of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 4A is a guide forming part of the alignment frame of Figure 4; Τ 8L-26S-H jj OQ OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION UNDER SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 JNL. No. OF 950885 -2Figure 5 is a plan view of the weld head carriage and ribbon cutting head of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 6 is an underneath view of a weld heads carried by the weld head carriage; Figure 6A is a cross-section taken on line 6A-6A of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a timing diagram illustrating the operation of the apparatus of Figure 2.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 1A, a multi-part ribbon comprises two relatively wide outer ribbons 24 which are in registration one above the other having sandwiched between them two relatively narrow inner ribbons 25 also in registration one above the other and running approximately along the centre of the outer ribbons 24.

The outer ribbons 24 are welded together at intervals on each side of the inner ribbons 25, as seen in Figure 1A. In particular, pairs of welds Pl and P2 alternate along the outer ribbons 24, the pairs Pl being oppositely inclined to the pairs P2, except that every fourth pair of welds P2 is replaced by a centre weld W which welds all four ribbons together at that point. Thus, apart from at the welds W, the inner ribbons 25 are free to move relative to the outer ribbons 24.

By cutting the multi-part ribbon along the V-shaped cut lines 60 a number of sections of multi-part ribbon are obtained, each section having one weld W at one end followed by four pairs of welds Pl alternating with three pairs of welds P3. In each such length all four ribbons are welded together at the point W near one end of the section, while the inner ribbons 25 are free to move relative to the outer ribbons 24 along the rest of the section.

Each such cut section may be used to form a rosette. This is done by pulling the free ends of the inner ribbons 25 out from between the outer ribbons 24 in the manner of a drawstring or drawcord, so that the outer ribbons bunch up to form loops or bows between adjacent pairs of welds L950885 -3P1 and P2. In the descriotion which follows, the ribbons 24 will be referred to as ’’bow” ribbons and the ribbons 25 will be described as cord ribbons.

Referring now to Figure 2, an apparatus 10 for manufacturing the multi-part ribbon shown in Figures 1 and 1A comprises series of sections including a ribbon material dispensing frame 11, a slicing frame 12, an alignment frame 13, a weld head carriage 14, a cutting head 15 and a dispensing conveyor 16.

The dispensing frame 11 comprises an upper roll holder 17, located at approximately shoulder height, and a lower roll holder 18, located close to ground level. Each roll holder 17, 18 dispenses from a respective roll (not shown) a sheet of ribbon material which passes around a respective spring loaded tensioning bar 17' and 18'. The two sheets of ribbon material then pass together between a pair of aligning rollers 19, located at waist height on the dispensing frame. The alignment of the sheets of ribbon material can be adjusted by laterally moving one or other of the rolls on the roll holders 17, 18 to ensure edge to edge registration of the sheets of ribbon material. As will be described, the sheets of ribbon material are drawn from the respective rolls on the roll holders 17, 18 and through the apparatus by the action of clamps associated with the weld head carriage 14 and cutting head 15.

The sheets of ribbon material next pass over the slicing frame 12 in the direction of the arrow A, Figure 3. The slicing frame 12 comprises a block (not shown) on which a plurality of upwardly projecting blades 20 are mounted, spaced apart from one another by wide and narrow spacers 21, 22 respectively. The spacers and blades are clamped together between a pair of shoulder blocks 23 which also serve to align the sheets of ribbon material correctly. The sheets of ribbon material are slit by the blades 20 as they pass over the slicing frame 12, thus dividing each sheet into four wide (bow) ribbons and four narrow (cord) ribbons.

Referring now to figure 4, the slicing frame 12 is again shown schematically at the left, and the four bow ribbons 24-1...24-4 and the four k.950889 -4cord ribbons 25-1.. .25-4 produced thereby from each sheet of ribbon material are shown. It will be understood that although only one sheet of ribbon material, and one set of bow and cord ribbons 24-1...24-4 and 25-1.. .25-4, are shown in the plan view of Figure 4, there are in fact two overlying sheets of ribbon material so that two sets of bow and cord ribbons are produced in register. It will be seen that the slicing frame 12 produces two adjacent cord ribbons 25-2, 25-3 from the centre of each sheet, with bow and cord ribbons then alternating towards the edges of the sheet.

The bow and cord ribbons then pass through the alignment frame 13. The frame comprises a first guide bar 26 under which the bow and cord ribbons pass and a second guide bar 27 over which the bow and cord ribbons pass. The bow and cord ribbons then pass through a guide 28 in which four sets 29 of four vertically spaced slots are formed, Figure 4A. The particular ribbon which pases through each slot is indicated in Figure 4A by labelling each slot with the ribbon which passes through it (the primed references refer to the bow and cord ribbons from the lower sheet of ribbon material, while the unprimed references refer to the bow and cord ribbons from the upper sheet of ribbon material).

It will readily be seen that each set 29 of four slots forms, from the individual bow and cord ribbons passing through it, a respective multi-part ribbon 30-1.. .30-4 as shown in Figure 1, although as yet unwelded. Thus each set 29 organises a respective pair of bow ribbons 24 one above the other in register with two cord ribbons 25 sandwiched between them also one above the other in register and running approximately along the centre of the bow ribbons 24. The guide 28 is spaced apart sufficiently from the slicing frame 12 to ensure little or no lateral stress on the bow and cords ribbons.

The four multi-part ribbons 30-1...30-4 next pass onto the weld head carriage 14, Figure 5. The carriage 14 comprises a baseplate 62 which is mounted on parallel rails 50 for sliding movement towards and away from the cutting head 15, as indicated by the double headed arrow B, between a first postion (shown in Figure 5) wherein the baseplate 62 is spaced from 950885 -5the cutting head 15 to a second position where the baseplate 62 is adjacent to the cutting head 15. The length of the stroke is equal to D, Figure 1, which is the desired distance between consecutive pairs of welds Pl. This motion of the baseplate 62 is effected by a motor under the control of a microprocessor (not shown), as will be described.

A rectangular frame 31 is mounted on a baseplate 62. Four guide rods 32 are mounted on the frame 31 and run parallel to the direction of travel of the baseplate 62. First and second weld head-carrying blocks 33 and 34 are mounted transversely on the guide rods 32 so that each is slidable perpendicular to its length along the rods 32, i.e. parallel to the direction of motion of the basepalte 62. The first block 33 is movable manually along the rods 32 and is fixed in position for any particular manufacturing nm. The second block 34 is connected to a pair of pneumatic rams 35 which extend and retract under the control of the microprocessor to move the block 34 along the rods 32, as will be described.

A pair of rails 37 are supported by the frame 31 over the blocks 33 and 34 and run along the centre of the frame parallel to the rods 32. A pair of vertically orientated pneumatic rams 38 are supported by the rails 37 at opposite ends of the rails 37 and their pistons are secured respectively to opposite ends of a bar 36 which runs between the two parallel rails 37. The rams 38 project downwards to engage the bar 36, so that by extending and retracting the rams 38 under control of the microprocessor, the bar 36 can be lifted and lowered vertically.

A first weld head Pl, Figure 6, is mounted on the underside of the first head-carrying block 33 (the use of the reference Pl for this weld head indictes that it is the weld head that produces the similarly referenced pairs of welds Pl shown in Figure 1). As seen in Figure 6A, each end of the head Pl is connected to the block 33 by a respective bolt 39 which passes freely through a respective hole 64 in the block 33 to project above the upper surface of the block, the upper free end of the bolt 39 being spring-loaded away from the upper surface of the block 33 by a compression spring 66 so that the head Pl is biassed upwards towards the underside of the block 33 and out of contact with the baseplate 62. 950885 -6A stud 42 projects freely upwards from the centre of the head Pl through a hole (not shown) in the block 33, Figure 5. The stud 42 extends almost into contact with the bar 36 so that when the rams 38 are extended the bar 36 engages the stud 42 and the head Pl is pushed downwards against the bias of the springs 66, away from the block 33 and into contact with the baseplate 62. When the rams 38 are retracted the springs 66 return the head Pl to a position under the block 33, out of contact with the baseplate 62.

The head Pl comprises four individual weld heads P1-1...P1-4 each comprising a pair of obliquely spaced apart weld elements 40. Each element 40 in turn comprises a pair of electrically heated weld points 41. In use, the four multi-part ribbons 30-1...30-4 pass over the baseplate 62 in a direction substantially parallel with the guide rods 32. Each multi-part ribbon passes under a respective weld head Pl-1...Pl-4 such that the cord ribbons 25 pass between the individual weld elements 40 but the outer edges of the bow ribbons 24 pass under at least one of the weld points 41 of the weld element 40 on the corresponding side of the bow ribbons. This is shown in Figure 6 for the multi-part ribbon 30-1, where it will be seen that the outer edges of the bow ribbons 24-1 pass under only one of the weld points 41 on each side. However, for a wider bow ribbon the outer edges may pass under both weld points 41 on each side. Each time the weld head Pl is pushed down onto the baseplate 62 a pair of welds of the type Pl shown in Figure 1 is made.

A second weld head P2 is mounted on the underside of the second head-carrying block 34 (again, the use of the reference P2 for this weld head indictes that it is the weld head that produces the similarly referenced pairs of welds P2 shown in Figure 1). In a similar manner to the head Pl, each end of the head P2 is connected to the block 34 by a respective spring-loaded bolt 43 which passes freely through a respective hole (not shown) in the block 34 so that the head P2 is biassed upwards towards the underside of the block 34 and out of contact with the baseplate 62.

A stud 44 projects freely upwards from the centre of the head P2 through a hole (not shown) in the block 34, Figure 5. However, in this case, the position of the block 34 on the guide rods 32 determines whether or not the 95ββ^ι -7stud 44 is engaged by the underside of the bar 36 when the rams 38 are extended. When the block 34 is in the position shown in Figure 5 with the rams 35 extended, the stud 44 is in register with a hole 45 in the bar 36, so that when the bar 36 moves down under the action of the rams 38 the stud 44 simply passes freely through the hole 45 and the head P2 remains out of contact with the base plate 62. However, when the the rams 31 are retracted the block 34 moves to the right on the guide rods 32 so that the stud 44 is moved out of register with the hole 45 and the bar 36 will in that case push the head P2 down into contact with the baseplate 62 when the rams 38 are extended.

The head P2 comprises four individual weld heads P2-1...P2-4 each comprising a pair of obliquely spaced apart weld elements 40, each element 40 in turn comprising a pair of electrically heated weld points 41. As for the head Pl, each multi-part ribbon passes under a respective weld head P2-1...P2-4 such that the cord ribbons 25 pass between the individual weld elements 40 but the outer edges of the bow ribbons 24 pass under at least one of the weld points 41 of the weld element 40 on the corresponding side of the bow ribbons. This is shown in Figure 6 for the multi-part ribbon 30-1. Each time the weld head P2 is pushed down onto the baseplate 62 a pair of welds of the type P2 shown in Figure 1 is made.

A third weld head W is mounted on the underside of the second head-carrying block 33 (again, the use of the reference W for this weld head indictes that it is the weld head that produces the similarly referenced welds W shown in Figure 1). In a similar manner to the heads Pl and P2, each end of the head W is connected to the block 34 by a respective spring-loaded bolt 46 which passes freely through a respective hole (not shown) in the block 34 so that the head W is biassed upwards towards the underside of the block 34 and out of contact with the baseplate 62.

A stud 47 projects freely upwards from die centre of the head W through a hole (not shown) in the block 34, Figure 5. As for the head P2, the position of the block 34 on the guide rods 32 determines whether or not the stud 47 is engaged by the underside of the bar 36 when the rams 38 are extended. However, in this case, when the block 34 is in the position 950885 -8shown in Figure 5 with the rams 35 extended, the stud 47 is out of register with a further hole 48 in the bar 36 and the bar 36 will push the head P2 down into contact with the baseplate 62 when the rams 38 are extended.

However, when the rams 31 are retracted the block 34 moves to the right on the guide rods 32 so that the stud 47 is moved into register with the hole 48; thus when the bar 36 moves down under the action of the rams 38 the stud 47 passes freely through the hole 48 and the head W remains out of contact with the base plate 62.

The head W comprises four individual weld heads W1...W4.

Each multi-part ribbon passes under a respective weld head W such that the cord ribbons 25 pass under the weld elements 40. This is shown in Figure 6 for the multi-part ribbon 30-1. Each time the weld head W is pushed down onto the baseplate 62 a pair of welds of the type W shown in Figure 1 is made.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that each time the rams 38 are extended, the head Pl will always he pushed down into contact with the baseplate 62 whereas only one or other, but not both, of the heads P2 and W will be pushed down into contact with the baseplate 62, depending upon whether the rams 35 are extended or retracted.

The weld head carriage 14 is provided with a clamp Cl which extends across the baseplate 62 above the multi-part ribbons 30-1.. .30-4. When the clamp Cl is turned on it clamps down on the baseplate 62 and holds the ribbons 30-1.. .30-4 in position relative to the carriage 14. A clamp C2 is also provided in association with the cutting head 15. The clamp C2 also extends across the ribbons and when it is turned on it holds the ribbons 30-1.. .30-4 in position relative to the cutting head 15.

Referring now to Figure 7, the operation of the apparatus will now be described. The apparatus is operated cyclically under microprocessor control, a cycle being indicated at the bottom of Figure 7 and consisting of four phases 0-> 1, 1->2, 2->3 and 3->0. 950885 -9Movement of the ribbons through the apparatus is effected by using the motion of the carriage 14 to draw the ribbon material from the rolls on the roll holders 17, 18 (Figure 2). As seen in the top three lines of Figure 7, the clamps Cl and C2 are turned on alternately and, during the periods when the clamp Cl is on and clamp C2 is off, the carriage 14 is advanced in the forward direction F and, during the periods when the clamp C2 is on and the clamp Cl is off, the carriage 14 is retracted in the reverse direction R. The result is that each forward stroke of the carriage 14 pulls the ribbons forward by a distance D (Figure 1) whereupon the ribbons are clamped by the clamp C2 as the carriage returns to prevent the ribbons being dragged back. Thus the ribbons are fed intermittently through the apparatus, each time advancing by the distance D. A motor-driven platen 52 immediately in front of the clamp C2 engages the ribbons sufficiently to ensure that the ribbons are drawn forwardly through the cutting head 15.

As seen in line 4 of Figure 7, the weld head Pl is actuated during each forward stroke of the carriage 14, so that the pairs of welds Pl are always made. However, as seen in lines 6 and 7 of Figure 7, the weld head P2 is only actuated in three out of four of the phases in each cycle, i.e. during the phases 0- > 1, 1- > 2 and 2- > 3, and the weld head W is actuated during the fourth phase 3->0. This is effected by extending the ram 35 during the return stroke of the carriage in phase 2- > 3 and retracting it again during the return stroke of the carriage in phase 3- > 0.

The result is a continuous length of multipart ribbon welded as described in realtion to Figure 1. All that remains is to cut it into lengths as indicated by the dashed lines 60 in Figure 1. This is achieved by activating a cutting blade 51 once per cycle, as seen in the bottom line of Figure 7. This is shown as occurring during phase 1- > 2 on the assumption that the cutting blade 51 is a distance 3xD away from the clamp Cl when the carriage is at the end of its forward stroke.

Finally, the cut ribbons are then fed along the dispensing conveyor 16 where they can be packaged and boxed for shipment.

Variations in the above embodiment are clearly possible. For example, the 950885 -10apparatus can be easily programmed to manufacture multi-part ribbons having a different periodicity of welds W to that shown in Figure 1. Also, while the embodiment has described four multi-part ribbons 30-1...30.4 being manufactured in parallel, clearly by appropriate design of the slicing frame 12 and weld heads Pl, P2 and W one can increase or decrease this number.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS:

1. An apparatus for drawing a continuous length of material from a supply, comprising first and second clamps with one of the clamps being able to reciprocate relative to the other, the reciprocating clamp being operated during one direction of reciprocation and the other clamp being operated during the other direction of reciprocation.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material is a sheet ribbon material and the apparatus further comprises means located between the supply and the clamps for slitting the material lengthwise to form a plurality of ribbons.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further including means between the slitting means and the clamps for directing the ribbons into an overlying relationship, wherein the reciprocating clamp is fixed to a reciprocating carriage over which the ribbons pass, and wherein the carriage has means adapted to weld the overlying ribbons together during movement of the carriage in the said one direction.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the overlying relationship comprises two relatively wide ribbons which are in registration one above the other having sandwiched between them at least one relatively narrow ribbon running approximately along the centre of the wide ribbons, the welding means being adapted to weld the wide ribbons together periodically on each side of the narrow ribbon and to weld all the ribbons together periodically at intervals substantially greater than the intervals between the welds on each side of the narrow ribbon.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further include means located after the clamps for cutting the ribbon into lengths, each cut being made adjacent to a weld where all the ribbons are welded together.