US2018719A - Device for cleaning and greasing conveyer bands - Google Patents

Description

F. HAUG 2,018,719

DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND GREASING CONVEYER BANDS Oct. 29, 1935.

Filed Feb. 6, 1955 mm W MA R, w ,m

P m M I Rm D M F% UNITED STATE ENT OFFICE DEVICE ron CLEANING AND GREASING CONVEYER BANDS Friedrich Hang, Stuttgart-Munster, Germany,

assignor to Baker Perkins Company,

Inc.,

Saginaw, Mich., a corporation of New York Application February 6, 1935, Serial No. 5,242 In Germany May 23, 1934 4 Claims. (01. 198-230) This invention relates to means for cleaning and greasing sheet metal conveyer bands such as are commonly employed in bake ovens, and pertains more particularly to a progressively changing element for wiping the band and a novel means for actuating the element so as to change its cleaning surface while keeping it continuously in wiping contact with the band.

An object of the invention is to avoid certain disadvantages of earlier cleaning devices. Heretofore the cleaning was usually done in part by means of wire brushes which loosened the crumbs and larger particles adhering to the steel band and in part by means of stationary wipers made of cloth or leather, and used for the final cleaning. However, it was found that after running a short time the wiper became soiled by crumbs and fat and thereafter repeatedly smeared the cleaned part of the oven conveyer band. Moreover, the greasing pad sometimes picked up particles of material from the steel band and guided them towards the grease container, soiling the grease as it was being supplied. Satisfactory cleaning by stationary or rotary brushes followed by stationary pads could not be assured, especially when the oven band ran at a fairly high rate of travel.

When baking certain kinds of very sensitive goods which show even slight amounts of impurity, the baker usually had to resort to cleaning the band by hand before adding another charge of goods, a task which, on account of the width of the band, generally required two operators.

Further objects of this invention are, to attain at all band speeds commercially perfect cleaning of the band; to do away with manual labor for cleaning; to cause the cleaning element to slowly pass over its line of mutual contact with the band and thus to continually supply anew area of cloth for cleaning; to provide, in the form of a long sheet, a supply of cleaning cloth sufficient to last while being progressively fed as above described during a complete operating period of the oven; to provide a simple mounting for the cleaning cloth whereby the used supply can be quickly and easily removed and a fresh supply installed; to provide means for feeding the cloth at a rate proportional to the rate of travel of the oven band, and to-vary that proportion.

In order to obtain faultless biscuits, deposited goods and certain types of moulded goods, it is necessary to completely clean and then grease the steel conveyor band before applying the next charge of material.

Qther objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combination of elements, features of construction and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated 5 in the claims.

The accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically a preferred embodiment of my invention.

A typical oven equipment to which my invene tion is adapted to be applied consists of an oven band i, traveling on a rotatable drum 2, a rotary brush or sweeper 4 for removing larger particles from the band as it issues from the oven, and a greasing device, G.

My improvement comprises a cleaning cloth made of fabric, such as hemp or canvas that contacts with the band across its entire width. The line of contact is on the periphery of a progressively winding roll of the cloth, so that the outer convolution of the cloth continually presents to the band a fresh surface where the roll and band are mutually in contact. The roll of cloth for wiping the band is designated by numeral 3, and 3a is a reserve supply of clean cloth, the form shown being a roll mounted on shaft it from which cloth is fed progressively along the run I'l.

Novel means is provided to feed the cloth from roll 3a to roll 3 progressively and at a predetermined rate proportional to the rate of travel of band I. It consists of a crank l3 fixed to the shaft of drum 2, a link 5 pivoted at one end to the crank, a piece 6 pivoted to the other end of link 5 and slidable lengthwise on an oscillatable lever Ga which is pivoted intermediate its ends on shaft l2. A hand wheel I screw connected to the piece 6, is employed to vary the throw of lever 6a. A pawl 8 is mounted on the free end of lever 6a; so as to actuate a ratchet wheel l4 rotatably mounted on shaft l2. A gear l8, fixed to the ratchet wheel l4, meshes with a second gear l9 which is fixed to a drum shaft l5. By this progressive feeding means the rotation of crank [3 causes roll 3 to rotate with an intermittent step-by-step movement, the frequency of which'is proportional to the rate of travel of band I, its amplitude and the extent of such feeding movement being adjustable by means of hand wheel 1.

Novel means is also provided for maintaining uniform yielding pressure of the cloth against the conveyer band, regardless of the varying size of the roll 3. An arm or pair of arms, I0, is pivotally mounted on the supporting shaft I 2. An end of arm Ill projects downwardly and at its lower end is secured a tension spring II that 2 i i A tends to draw arm l toward drum 2. The shaft and drum l5, carrying roll 3, are mounted for rotation in arm II], as shown. An upwardly projecting part of arm l0 carries a detent 9 that engages the ratchet wheel [4.

By this means a good contact of the cloth is maintained with the oven band, although the diameter of the roll is changing, the roll 3 acting as a backing pad for the wiping portion of the cloth.

While I have shown an arrangement of working parts whereby counter-clockwise rotation is imparted to roll 3, it is to be understood that the roll may be rotated clockwise instead, by a mere rearrangement of the driving parts, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore is not here described in detail.

The shaft I5 is preferably arranged to permit the removal and replacement of the roll 3 when it becomes necessary to change it for a fresh supply.

With the device herein described, the greasing element G may be dispensed with, and the wiping cloth ll may be saturated with grease in order to simultaneously perform the greasing and wiping functions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drum comprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with its periphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of the band, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll, roll rotating means, and means yieldingly urging said roll into wiping engagement with said band along said line of contact.

2. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drum comprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with its periphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of the band, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll, an arm mounted for oscillatory movement toward and from said band and carrying said roll, spring means yieldingly urging said arm toward said band, and means for progressively rotating said roll while in contact with the band.

3. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drum comprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with its periphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of the band, a shaft carrying said roll, gears for rotating said shaft, a pawl-driven ratchet wheel actuating said gears and means operable from said drum for actuating said ratchet wheel proportionally to the rate of rotation of the drum, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll, and spring means maintaining a constant pressure of the roll against the band.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3 wherein the roll is mounted on pivotally mounted arms, and a tension spring is connected to said arms tending to urge said roll toward said band.

FRIEDRICH HAUG.

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