US3823860A

US3823860A - Web guiding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3823860A
Application number: US00346955A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Perry
Original assignee: Owens Illinois Inc
Current assignee: OI Glass Inc
Priority date: 1973-04-02
Filing date: 1973-04-02
Publication date: 1974-07-16
Anticipated expiration: 1991-07-16

Abstract

Apparatus for guiding webs of material in such a manner as to maintain a fixed center line regardless of the width of the web. A main carrier member is fixed to a base. The center line which must be maintained regardless of web width passes through the center of the vertical height of the main carrier. Upper and lower movable web guides are slidably mounted on the main carrier. An adjustment mechanism allows both the upper and lower web guides to be moved toward or away from the fixed center line simultaneously. This movement keeps both web guides the same distance away from the fixed center line to allow guiding of webs of differing widths. An alignment mechanism is used to initially set both web guides the same distance away from the fixed center line. This is then locked, thereby maintaining the equi-distance relationship even though the actual distance value is increased or decreased by operation of the adjustment mechanism.

Description

United States Patent [191 Perry [111 3,823,860 July 16, 1974 WEB GUIDING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Jack I. Perry, Sylvania Township,

21 Appl. No.: 346,955 g [52] US. Cl. 226/199 [51] Int. Cl B65h 23/32 [58] Field of Search 226/199, 196, 198, 23;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,659,028 4/1972 Harcuba 226/199 Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Attorney, Agent, or FirmSteve M. McLary; E. J. Holler I [5 7] ABSTRACT Apparatus for guiding webs of material in such a manner as to maintain a fixed center line regardless of the width of the web. A main carrier member is fixed to a base; The center line which must be maintained regardless of web width passes through the center of the vertical height of the main carrier. Upper and lower movable web guides are slidably mounted on the main carrier. An adjustment mechanism allows both the upper and lower web guides to be moved toward or away from the fixed center line simultaneously. This movement keeps both web guides the same distance away from the fixed center line to allow guiding of webs of differing widths. An alignment mechanism is used to initially set both web guides the same distance away from the fixed center line. This is then locked,

thereby maintaining the equi-di'stance relationship even though the actual distance value is increased or decreased by operation of the adjustment mechanism.

17 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1 5 I974 sum 1 or 2 FIG.

2 A O Ha 2 M B O 7 O 6 4 O 2 4 4 v 6 M 6 5 NOV 7 5 4. 2 7 M H w H 3 3 3 OJ 900 m 6 2 4 M 9 7 &

PAIENIED HEIQH SHEEI 2 BF 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention generally relates to web guiding mechanisms. More particularly, this invention relates to web guides which are adjustable to guide webs of varying widths. Specifically, this invention relates to a web guiding mechanism having two movable guide members which are moved. toward or away from a fixed center line to keep the web on this center line regardless of web width.

In some types of machines which have a web fed into them for processing, it is required that the web always be fed in on the same center line,'regardless of web width. Such a machine may be seen in US. Pat. application Ser. No-209,75l, filed Dec. 20, 1971 and having an assignee in common with the assignee of the present invention. In the past, a plurality of guide members were required to maintain this fixed center line relationship. Each time the web width was changed, a new set of guide members was required. This was an expensive and time-consuming procedure. The present invention overcomes this situation by making the guide members simultaneously adjustable about the fixed center line. In addition, the apparatus of the present invention includes an alignment feature to ensure that both guide members are always the same distance from the fixed center line.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION This invention is an improvement in the guiding of webs of material, wherein it is required to maintain a constant web center line regardless of web width. A vertically extending main carrier, having a fixed web center line passing through it, is attached to a base. An upper movable web guide is slidably attached to the main carrier above the fixed center line and a lower movable web guide is slidably attached to the main carrier below the fixed center line. An adjustment means is used to simultaneously move both the upper and lower movable web guides toward or away from the fixed center line an equal amount on both sides of the fixed center line. An alignment means is used to initially set the distance from the fixed center line to the upper and lower movable web guides at the same value.

A locking means holds the alignment means in its initially set position during movement of the upper and lower movable web guides by the adjustment means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top, plan view of the web guiding apparatus of the present invention in its operational environ ment;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the web contact side of the apparatus of the present invention, removed from its operational environment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, generally taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2, of the apparatus of FIG. 2 on a slightly enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view, partially in cross section, of the upper portion of the apparatus of FIG. 3. I

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the side of the present v DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The apparatus of the present invention is shown in its general operational environment in FIG. 1. This apparatus has found its greatest utility in conjunction with the machine which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 209,751 filed Dec. 20, 1971 and having an assignee in common with the assignee ofthe present invention. The machine disclosed in the noted patent application is of the type which operateson a constant material infeed center line. This machine is used to produce glass containers having a thermoplastic, sleeve placed thereon. A web of material is fed into the machine and formed onto the glass container. The web of material enters the machine at a constant center line location, regardless of the actual height or, as it may be termed, width of the web of material. This has created operational difficulties in the feeding of the web in that it has been .difficult to maintain the precise center line location to the degree of accuracy that is required for proper operation. The present invention solves this problem, and likewise could solve a similar problem for other types of machines which require-a web'feed at a constant center location regardless of web height. While this machine and the following description require the web to be moving in a vertical path of travel,

theapparatus of the present invention could equally well be used to guide a web moving in a horizontal path of travel. The portion of the entire operating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is after the web has been removed from a supply reel, under tension, and just before the web is fed into the end use machinery. The entire apparatus is mounted on a base 10, which is positioned on the floor of a manufacturing area, and is level to give a precise and known elevation. The web 12, which, for this example, is preferably a printed foamed polystyrene material, but may be any weblike material, such as paper or thermoplastic material, is passed before an inspection apparatus 14 which examines the printing of the web 12 to determine if there have been any errors in printing. The inspection device 14 forms no part of the present invention and therefore needs to be discussed no further. The movement of the web 12 is from left to right as seen in FIG. 1. The web 12 is guided in its path by a first adjustable web guide mechanism 16 and a second adjustable web guide mechanism 17. The

web guide mechanisms

16 and 17 are structurally identical and differ only in their method of attachment to the base 10. Intermediate the first web guide 16 and the second web guide l7, the web 12 is passed between two

rotatable guide rollers

20 and 21, which are mounted on the base 10, and held to the path of travel between the two

guide rolls

20 and 21 by a fixed web guide 22. After leaving the influence of the second adjustable web guide mechanism 17, the web 12 passes between two additional

rotatable guide rolls

24 and 25, which are rotatably mounted on the base 10, and proceeds toward the web utilization machine. The second adjustable web guide mechanism 17 has two

support plates

28 and 29 attached to a main carrier 30. The

support plates

28 and 29 in turn are attached to a mounting plate 32 'which is affixed to the upper surface of the base 10. Thus, the second adjustable web guide mechanism '17 is securely attached to the base 10 at a known elevation. The first adjustable web guide mechanism 16 is likewise attached to the base 10 through a horizontally extending support plate 34. The'support plate 34 is actually attached to a machined pad at the rear of the base 10. The first adjustable web guide mechanism 16 has two support brackets 36 and 37, which are under the horizontal support plate 34. The support brackets 36 and 37 are attached to the main carrier 30 of the first adjustable web guide mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the second adjustable web guide mechanism 17 removed from its operational environment. It should be kept in mind again that the two

web guide mechanisms

16 and 17 are identical, except for their method of attachment to the base 10, and therefore the description of one of these mechanisms is sufficient as a description for both. It may be seen that the web guide mechanism 17 has an upper movable web guide 40, a lower movable web guide 42, and a central fixed web guide 44. All of the web guides 40, 42 and 44 have a curved surface over which the web 12 rides. This may best be seen with reference to either FIG. 1 or FIG. 5. In addition, the rear portion of the web guides'40 and 42 have two slots'cut out to allow defining a key.

Only slots

46 and 47 for the upper movable web guide 40 are visible in FIG. 1. The key for web guide 40 is designed as key 48 and the key for the web guide 42 is designated as key 49. The

slots

46 and 47 are cut sufficiently wide to allow them 'to completely clear the main carrier 30. The

keys

48 and 49 are engaged in a keyway 50 formed in the main carrier 30, thus allowing a slidable connection to the main carrier 30. Thus, the upper movable web guide 40 and the lower movable web guide 42 may slide up and down with respect to the main carrier 30-with the

keys

48 and 49 engaged in the keyway 50 maintaining the properorientation of the movable web guides 40 and 42. A cap 52 is attached to the main carrier 30 with two screws 53 and 54. Rotatably supported in the cap 52 is a shaft 56. As will best be seen with reference to FIG. 3, the upper movable web guide 40 and the lower movable web guide 42 are rotatably mounted on the shaft 56. A handle assembly 58 has a hub portion 60 pinned to the shaft 56. Rotation ofthe handle assembly 58 will in turn rotate the shaft 56, which will move the upper movable web guide 40 and the lower movable web guide 42 toward or away from the fixed web center line, designated as C." I

The handle assembly 58 is not provided with any locking mechanism, and thus, to preventaccidental movement of the web guides 40 and 42, provision is made to lock the web guides 40 and 42 into any position at which they are set. This is accomplished by two spring-loaded

screws

62 and 63, which are attached-to the face of the upper web guide 40, which is remote from face guiding the web 12. The

screws

62 and 63 extend through elongated slots 64 and 65 which extend completely through the main carrier 30. As the upper movable web guide 40 is moved, the

screws

62 and 63 move with it in the elongated slots 64 and 65. The spring .load on the

screws

62 and 63 tends to hold the location with

screws

72 and 73, which extend through the main carrier 30 and hold the central fixed web guide 44 in a known location.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the adjustable web guide mechanism 17 is shown partially in cross section. The shaft 56 is not sectioned in order to more clearly show its distinct and important portions. It may be seen that the upper movable web guide has a lip 74 formed in its front surface. The lip 74 defines an edge which prevents the web 12 from moving beyond this edge. Likewise, the lower movable web guide 42 has a lip- 76 formed from its front face, the lip portion 76 serving to prevent the web 12 from falling below this fixed location. It should be clear therefore, that as the web 12 travels over the web guides 40 and 42, it is trapped between the two

lip portions

74 and 76. The central fixed web guide 44 serves to support the central portion of the web 12 and prevents flexing motion of the web 12 during its travel. The key portion 48 of the upper movable web guide 40 and the key portion 49 at the lower'movable web guide 42 may be seen to be in engagement with the keyway 50 in the main carrier 30. The upper movable web guide 40 is formed with a hole 75 extending completely through it parallel to the face which contains the lip portion 74. Likewise, the lower movable web guide'42 is formed with a hole 77 completely through it also parallel to the face containing its lip portion 76. The shaft 56 extends through these holes in the web guides 40 and 42, and also extends through a relief portion formed in the central fixed web guide 44. The upper movable web guide 40 is made with a recess 78, connecting with the hole 75, behind the face with the lip portion 74. Inserted in the recess 78 is a cylindrical nut 79, which has a threaded opening extending completely through it. The lower movable web guide 42 has a corresponding recess 80, connecting with the hole 77, formed in it, also behind the face which contains its lip portion 76. A cylindrical nut 81 upper movable web guide 40 in whatever position it is inserted in the recess portion 80 of the lower movable web guide 42, the cylindrical nut 81 having a threaded opening extending completely. through it. The shaft 56 has an upper portion 84, which is of a somewhat smaller diameter than the rest of the shaft 56. The hug 60 of the handle assembly 58 is pinned to this upper portion 84 with a roll pin 85. Just below the cap 52, the upper portion 84 of the shaft 56 ends, and a first threaded. portion 86 begins. A distinct shoulder is formed at the transition point between the

portions

84 and 86. Approximately along the center lineC, the first threaded portion 86 ends, and a short transition portion 88 which is unthreaded, connects the first threaded portion 86 with a second threaded portion 90. The first threaded portion 86 is preferably made up of a righthand thread. This right-hand thread is in engagement with the threaded hole extending through the cylindrical nut 79. The second threaded portion 90 is preferably made up of a left-hand threaded portion and is in threadable engagement with the threaded opening extending through the cylindrical nut 81. It should be apparent now that rotation of the handle assembly 58 will rotate the threaded portions of the shaft 56. Since these are in engagement with the cylindrical nuts 79 and 81, and the threaded nuts 79 and 81 are trapped within the upper movable web guide 40 and the lower movable web guides 42, the web guides 40 and 42 will be moved toward the center line or away from the center line, as thehandle assembly 58 is rotated.'It would be possible,

of course, if desired, to reverse the threading of the first threaded portion 86 and the second threaded portion 90 with respect to their right-hand and left-hand threads and still achieve the same result. In addition, it may be seen that the spring-loaded

screws

63 and 69 are also visible in FIG. 3. Their

respective springs

92 and 93 may be seen to bear against the rearmost portion of the main carrier and the head of the

screws

63 and 69. In this case, the

springs

92 and 93 do not actually bear against the heads of the

screws

63 and 69, but

rather bear against washers 94. The washers 94, of

course, are not necessary if the heads of the

screws

63 and 69 are sufficiently large to prevent escape of the

springs

92 and 93. The cap 52, the handle assembly 58, the shaft 56, the nuts 79and 81 and the configuration of the movable web guides 40 and 42 make up an adjustment means for simultaneously moving both the upper movable web guide 40 and the lower movable web guide 42 toward or away from the fixed center line C an equal amount on both sides of the center'line C.

One difficulty with this particular mechanism is that the position of the

lip portions

74 and 76, which are important points that must be controlled with respect to the center line C, can be positioned no more precisely with respect to the center line C than one pitch of the threads formed in the threaded

portions

86 and 90 of the shaft 56. This is 'not a sufficient degree of precision to allow proper control anddelivery of the web '12 along the fixed center line C. Therefore, an alignment means for initially setting the distance from the center line C to the upper and lower movable web guides 40 and 42 at the samevalue is required. The alignment means is shown in FIG. 4.

' With respect now to FIG. 4, the upper portion of the first threaded portion 86 of the shaft 56 and the upper portion 84 of. the shaft 56 maybe seen in perspective. The opening which extends through the cap 52 through which the shaft 56 extends is a threaded opening. A threaded bushing 96 is threadably engaged in this opening through the cap 52. The upper portion of the bushing 96 terminates in a hexagonal configuration 97, which may be engaged with a wrench for rotation. A lock nut 98, which is a locking means for holding the alignment means in its initially set position, is engaged with the threads of the bushing 96 and may be tightened to prevent accidental movement of the bushing 96. A flanged bushing 100 extends between the lowermost portion of the hub 60 of the handle assembly 58 and the shoulder 101 of the shaft 56, the shoulder 101 being defined by the difference in diameters of the upper portion 84 of the shaft 56 and the first threaded portion 86 of the shaft 56. Additionally, in this situation, the flanged bushing 100 does not actually bear directly on the shoulder 101, but rather bears on a hardened washer 102, which is placed on the shoulder The hardened washer 102 is an optional feature and is inserted merely to help protect the threads of the first threaded portion 86. It is not an absolute requirement and could be eliminated and properfunctioning would still result. ln operation, once the upper web guide 40 and the lower web guide 42 have been positioned as precisely as possible with respect to the center line C by rotation of the handle assembly 58, the locking nut 98 is loosened. With the lock nut 98 loose, rotation of the bushing 96 in its threaded engagement with the cap 52 will cause the entire shaft 56 to be raised and lowered. This adjustment is vitally necessary to provide for the precise location of both of the web guides 40 and 42 with respect to the center line C. Since both the upper threaded portion 86 and'the lower threaded portion are machined from a common shaft, it is impossible to preciselylocate the entrance point of the second threaded portion 90 such that it corresponds precisely with the exit point of the first threaded portion 86. Therefore, considering these manufacturing tolerances, when initially assembled, the web guides 40 and 42 when completely closed together will not be exactly the same distance away from the center line C. Therefore, it is necessary to loosen the locking nut 98 and rotate the bushing 96 to raise or lower the shaft 56 slightly, such that both web guides 40 and 42 are'precisely the same distance away from the center line C.

Once this has been done, the lock nut 98 may be tightened again to hold the bushing 96 in this fixed location. When this has'been accomplished, the handle 58 may be rotated to move the upper web guide 40 and the lower web guide 42 toward and away from the center line C, and this movement will give exactly corresponding displacement for both the upper and lower web guides 40 and 42. Thus, it is possible to maintain a precise split or division of the width of any web 12 which is guided. One may readily appreciate that the flanged bushing l 00 fmay be split into two pieces for assembly.

In FIG. 5, the curvature of the three web guides 40, 42, and 44 may be seen, Springs 104 and for the spring-loaded

screws

62 and 69 respectively are also visible. As was the case with the

springs

92 and 93, washers 94 are used to retain

the'springs

104 and 105 in place. The two

support plates

28 and 29 are also shown, partially broken away.

In FIG. 6, the upper movable web guide 40 and the lowermovable web guide 42 are shown removed from the main carrier 30. The key 49 in the lower movable web guide 42 is seen as being defined by two slots I06 and 107. The

slots

106 and 107, like the

corresponding slots

46 and 47 in the web guide 40, are sufficiently wide to clear the main carrier 30 and allow free movement up and down of the lower movable web guide 42. Tapped holes 110 and Ill accept the spring-loaded

screws

62 and 63 for the upper movable web guide.

Tapped

holes

112 and 113 accept the spring-loaded

screws

68 and 69 for the lowermovable web guide 42.

What I claim is:

l. A web guide mechanism for guiding webs of differing widths, having first and second marginal, opposed edges while maintaining each web guided on a fixed center line with respect to the width of said web, said anism,comprising, in combinationi a main carrier, attached to said base, said fixed center line passing through said main carrier;

a first movable web guide, positioned in the path of travel of said web to'direct one marginal edge .of said web;

a second movable web guide, positioned in the path of travel of said web to direct the opposite marginal edge of said web;

means for slidably connecting both said first and second movable Web guides to said main carrier, said first movable web guide being connected on one fixed center line passing through said web guide mechside of said fixed center line and said'second movable web guide being connected on the opposite side of said fixed center line;

adjustment means, attached to said main carrier and said first and second movable guide means, for simultaneously moving both said first and second movable web guides toward or away from said fixed center line an equal amount on both sides of said fixed center line;

alignment means, connected to said adjustment means, for initially setting the distance from said fixed-center line to said first and second movable web guides at the same value; and locking means connected to said alignment means for holding said alignment means in its initially set position during movement of said first and second movable web guides by said adjustment means.

2. The improvement of claim 1, further including a fixed central web guide, attached to said main carrier onsaid fixed center line, for guiding the center portion of said web.

3. The improvement of claim 1, further including means for holding said first and second movable web guides infa position set by said adjustment means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said main carrier is formed with a first pair of elongated spaced apart slots on one side of said fixed center line and a second pair of elongated, spaced apart slots on the other side of said fixed center line, all of said elongated slots extending completely through said main carrier, and wherein said means for holding said first and second movable web guides comprises:

four screws, extending from the side of said main carrier opposite said web, one screw passing through each of said first pair of slots and engaging said first movable web guide and one screw passing through each of said second pair of slots and engaging said second movable web guide; and

four springs, one for each of said four screws, said springs being trapped and held in compression between the head of said screws and the side of said main carrier opposite said web.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said main carrier is formed with a keyway formed in the face thereof facing said web, said keyway extending substantially the entire length of said main carrier, and wherein said means for slidably connecting both said first and second movable web guides to said main carrier comprises: 4

a key formed in the face opposite said web of each of said first and second movable web guides, said keys each being defined by spaced apart slots formed in said face of s'aid'web guides opposite said web, said keys being engaged in said keyway.

6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second movable web guides are formed with a recess open to the face of said web guides opposite said web, said recess being formed substantially perpendicular to the plane of travel of said web, and with a hole completely through each of said web guides intersecting said recess and being substantially perpendicular thereto, and wherein said adjustment means comprises:

a cap having a .hole extending completely therethrough in alignment with said holes in said first and second movable web guides, said cap being at-' tached to said main carrier;

a shaft, rotatably mounted in said hole in said cap, having a length substantially equal to the length of said main carrier and extending through said holes in said first and second movable web guides, said shaft having an unthreaded portion extending beyond said cap, a first threaded portion connected to said unthreaded portion and defined therefrom by a shoulder portion, a transition portion connected to said first threaded portion and located adjacent to said fixed center line and a second threaded portion connected to said transition portion; 7

a handle assembly, attached to said unthreaded portion of said shaft, for rotating said shaft;

a first interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said first movable web guide, threadably engaged with said first threaded portion of said shaft; and

a second interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said second movable web guide, threadably engaged with said second threaded portion of said shaft, one of said first and second nuts having righthand threads, and the other having left-hand threads, the portion of said shaft in engagement with said nuts being threaded to mesh with its associated nut, whereby rotation of said handle assembly will simultaneously move both said first and second movable web guides toward or away from said fixed center line the same distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said hole in said cap is threaded, and wherein said alignment means comprises:

a threaded bushing, threaded on the exterior thereof,

in engagement with said hole in said cap, said bushing extending beyond said cap and terminating in a wrench engageable head, and unthreaded portion of said shaft passing through said threaded bushing;

, and

a flanged bushing, extending through said threaded bushing and located intermediate said threaded bushing and said shaft, terminating in flanges on each end thereof, one of said flanges being in contact with said shoulder portion of said shaft and the other one of said flanges being in contact with said handle assembly, whereby changing the degree of engagement of said bushing in said hole in said cap by turning said bushing will move said first movable web guide away from said fixed center line while moving said second movable web guide toward said fixed center line or will move said first movable web guide toward said fixed center line while moving said second movable web guide away from said fixedcenter line.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said locking means comprises:

a lock nut engaged with the threaded portion of said threaded bushing extending beyond said cap and engageable, when tightened, with the upper surface of said cap to prevent accidental movement of said threaded bushing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein both said first and second movable web guides have an arcuate web contact face to constrain said web to an arcuate path of travel while being guided, wherein said first movable web guide has a lip portion adjacent edge thereof, remote from said fixed center line, and wherein said second movable web guide has a lip portion adjacent edge thereof, remote from said fixed center line, said web being trapped between said lip portions of said first and second movable web guides.

10. A web guiding apparatus for guiding webs of material having differing widths, said webs all having first and second marginal, opposed edges, while maintaining each web guided on a fixed center line with respect to the width of said web, said fixed center line passing through said web guiding apparatus, comprising, in combination:

a base;

a main carrier, attached to said base, said fixed center line passing through said main carrier;

a first web guide movable along said main carrier toward and away from said fixed center line on one side of said fixed center line;

a second web guide movable along said main carrier toward and away from said fixed center line on the opposite side of said fixed center line from said first web guide;

a fixed central web guide, attached to said main carrier on said fixed center line, for guiding the center portion of said web;

means connected to said first and second web guides for simultaneously moving both said first and second web guides an identical distance toward or away from said fixed center line;

alignment means, connected to said means for moving said first and second web guides, for initially setting the distance from said fixed center line to said first and second web guides at the same value; and

locking means, connected to said alignment means, for holding said alignment means in its initially set position during movement of said first and second web guides.

11. The improvement of claim 10, further including means for holding said first and second web guides in a position set by said means for moving said first and second web guides.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said main carrier is formed with a first pair of elongated spaced apart slots on one side of said fixed center line and a second pair of elongated, spaced apart slots on the opposite side of said fixed center line, all of said elongated slots extending completely through said main carrier, and wherein said means for holding said first and sec ond web guides comprises:

four screws, extendingfrom the side of said main carrier opposite said web, one screw passing through each of said first pair of slots and engaging said first web guide and one screw passing through each of said second pair of slots and engaging said second web guide; and

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said main carrier is formed with a keyway formed in the face thereof facing said web, said keyway extending substantially the entire length of said main carrier, and wherein said first and second web guides are movably attached to said main carrier by keys formed in the face opposite said web of each of said first and second web guides and slidably engaged in said keyway, said keys,

each being defined by spaced apart slots formed in-said face of said web guides opposite said web.

14. The improvement of claim l0, wherein each of said first and second web guides are formed with a recess open to the face of said web guides opposite said web, said recess being formed substantially perpendicular to the plane of travel of said web, and with a hole completely through each of said web guides intersecting said recess and being substantially perpendicular thereto, and wherein said means for moving said first and second web guides comprises:

a cap having a hole extending completely therethrough in alignment with said holes in said first and second web guides, said cap being attached to said main carrier; i

a shaft, rotatably mounted in said hole in said cap, having a length substantially equal to the length of said main carrier and extending through said holes in said first and second web guides, said shaft'having an unthreaded portion extending beyond said cap, a first threaded portion connected to said unthreaded portion and defined therefrom by a shoulderportion, a transition portion connected to said first threaded portion and located adjacent to said fixed center line and a second threaded portion connected to said transition portion;

a handle assembly, attached to said unthreadedportion of said shaft, for rotating said shaft;

a first interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said first web guide, threadably engaged with said first threaded portion of said shaft;'and

a second interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said second web guide, threadably engaged with said second threaded portion of said shaft, one of said first and second nuts havingright-hand threads, and the other having left-hand threads, the portion of said shaft in engagement with said nuts, being threaded to mesh with its associated nut, whereby rotation of said handle assembly will simultaneously move both said first and second web guides toward and away-from said fixed center line the same distance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said hole in said cap is threaded, and wherein said alignment means comprises: I

a threaded bushing, threaded on the exterior thereof,

in engagement with said hole in said cap, said bushing extending beyond said cap and terminating in a wrench engageable head, said unthreaded portion of said shaft passing through said threaded bushing; and

a flanged bushing, extending through said threaded bushing intermediate said threaded bushing and said shaft, terminating in flanges on each end thereof, one of said flanges being in contact with said shoulder portion of said shaft and the other one of said flanges being in contact with said handle assembly, whereby changing the degree of engagement of said bushing in said holein said cap by turning said bushing will move said first web guide away from said fixed center line while moving said second web guide toward said fixed center line or will move said first web guide toward said fixed center line while moving said second web guide away from said fixed center line.

. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said locking means comprises:

12 while being guided, wherein said first web guide has a lip portion adjacent one marginal edge of said web, and wherein said second web guide has a lip portion adjacent the opposite marginal edge of said web, said web being trapped between said lip portions of said first and second web guides.

Claims

1. A web guide mechanism for guiding webs of differing widths, having first and second marginal, opposed edges while maintaining each web guided on a fixed center line with respect to the width of said web, said fixed center line passing through said web guide mechanism, comprising, in combination: a base; a main carrier, attached to said base, said fixed center line passing through said main carrier; a first movable web guide, positioned in the path of travel of said web to direct one marginal edge of said web; a second movable web guide, positioned in the path of travel of said web to direct the opposite marginal edge of said web; means for slidably connecting both said first and second movable web guides to said main carrier, said first movable web guide being connected on one side of said fixed center line and said second movable web guide being connected on the opposite side of said fixed center line; adjustment means, attached to said main carrier and said first and second movable guide means, for simultaneously moving both said first and second movable web guides toward or away from said fixed center line an equal amount on both sides of said fixed center line; alignment means, connected to said adjustment means, for initially setting the distance from said fixed center line to said first and second movable web guides at the same value; and locking means connected to said alignment means for holding said alignment means in its initially set position during movement of said first and second movable web guides by said adjustment means.

2. The improvement of claim 1, further including a fixed central web guide, attached to said main carrier on said fixed center line, for guiding the center portion of said web.

3. The improvement of claim 1, further including means for holding said first and second movable web guides in a position set by said adjustment means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said main carrier is formed with a first pair of elongated spaced apart slots on one side of said fixed center line and a second pair of elongated, spaced apart slots on the other side of said fixed center line, all of said elongated slots extending completely through said main carrier, and wherein said means for holding said first and second movable web guides comprises: four screws, extending from the side of said main carrier opposite said web, one screw passing through each of said first pair of slots and engaging said first movable web guide and one screw passing through each of said second pair of slots and engaging said second movable web guide; and four springs, one for each of said four screws, said springs being trapped and held in compression between the head of said screws and the side of said main carrier opposite saId web.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said main carrier is formed with a keyway formed in the face thereof facing said web, said keyway extending substantially the entire length of said main carrier, and wherein said means for slidably connecting both said first and second movable web guides to said main carrier comprises: a key formed in the face opposite said web of each of said first and second movable web guides, said keys each being defined by spaced apart slots formed in said face of said web guides opposite said web, said keys being engaged in said keyway.

6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second movable web guides are formed with a recess open to the face of said web guides opposite said web, said recess being formed substantially perpendicular to the plane of travel of said web, and with a hole completely through each of said web guides intersecting said recess and being substantially perpendicular thereto, and wherein said adjustment means comprises: a cap having a hole extending completely therethrough in alignment with said holes in said first and second movable web guides, said cap being attached to said main carrier; a shaft, rotatably mounted in said hole in said cap, having a length substantially equal to the length of said main carrier and extending through said holes in said first and second movable web guides, said shaft having an unthreaded portion extending beyond said cap, a first threaded portion connected to said unthreaded portion and defined therefrom by a shoulder portion, a transition portion connected to said first threaded portion and located adjacent to said fixed center line and a second threaded portion connected to said transition portion; a handle assembly, attached to said unthreaded portion of said shaft, for rotating said shaft; a first interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said first movable web guide, threadably engaged with said first threaded portion of said shaft; and a second interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said second movable web guide, threadably engaged with said second threaded portion of said shaft, one of said first and second nuts having right-hand threads, and the other having left-hand threads, the portion of said shaft in engagement with said nuts being threaded to mesh with its associated nut, whereby rotation of said handle assembly will simultaneously move both said first and second movable web guides toward or away from said fixed center line the same distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said hole in said cap is threaded, and wherein said alignment means comprises: a threaded bushing, threaded on the exterior thereof, in engagement with said hole in said cap, said bushing extending beyond said cap and terminating in a wrench engageable head, and unthreaded portion of said shaft passing through said threaded bushing; and a flanged bushing, extending through said threaded bushing and located intermediate said threaded bushing and said shaft, terminating in flanges on each end thereof, one of said flanges being in contact with said shoulder portion of said shaft and the other one of said flanges being in contact with said handle assembly, whereby changing the degree of engagement of said bushing in said hole in said cap by turning said bushing will move said first movable web guide away from said fixed center line while moving said second movable web guide toward said fixed center line or will move said first movable web guide toward said fixed center line while moving said second movable web guide away from said fixed center line.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said locking means comprises: a lock nut engaged with the threaded portion of said threaded bushing extending beyond said cap and engageable, when tightened, with the upper surface of said cap to prevent accidental movement of said threaded bushing.

10. A web guiding apparatus for guiding webs of material having differing widths, said webs all having first and second marginal, opposed edges, while maintaining each web guided on a fixed center line with respect to the width of said web, said fixed center line passing through said web guiding apparatus, comprising, in combination: a base; a main carrier, attached to said base, said fixed center line passing through said main carrier; a first web guide movable along said main carrier toward and away from said fixed center line on one side of said fixed center line; a second web guide movable along said main carrier toward and away from said fixed center line on the opposite side of said fixed center line from said first web guide; a fixed central web guide, attached to said main carrier on said fixed center line, for guiding the center portion of said web; means connected to said first and second web guides for simultaneously moving both said first and second web guides an identical distance toward or away from said fixed center line; alignment means, connected to said means for moving said first and second web guides, for initially setting the distance from said fixed center line to said first and second web guides at the same value; and locking means, connected to said alignment means, for holding said alignment means in its initially set position during movement of said first and second web guides.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said main carrier is formed with a first pair of elongated spaced apart slots on one side of said fixed center line and a second pair of elongated, spaced apart slots on the opposite side of said fixed center line, all of said elongated slots extending completely through said main carrier, and wherein said means for holding said first and second web guides comprises: four screws, extending from the side of said main carrier opposite said web, one screw passing through each of said first pair of slots and engaging said first web guide and one screw passing through each of said second pair of slots and engaging said second web guide; and four springs, one for each of said four screws, said springs being trapped and held in compression between the head of said screws and the side of said main carrier opposite said web.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said main carrier is formed with a keyway formed in the face thereof facing said web, said keyway extending substantially the entire length of said main carrier, and wherein said first and second web guides are movably attached to said main carrier by keys formed in the face opposite said web of each of said first and second web guides and slidably engaged in said keyway, said keys each being defined by spaced apart slots formed in said face of said web guides opposite said web.

14. The improvement of claim 10, wherein each of said first and second web guides are formed with a recess open to the face of said web guides opposite said web, said recess being formed substantially perpendicular to the plane of travel of said web, and with a hole completely through each of said web guides intersecting said recess and being substantially perpendicular thereto, and wherein said means for moving said first and second web guides comprises: a cap having a hole extending completely therethrough in alignment with said holes in said first and second web guides, said cap being attached to said main carrier; a shaft, rotatably mounted in said hole in said cap, having a length substantially equal to the length of said main carrier and extending through said holes in said first and second web guides, said shaft having an unthreaded portion extending beyond said cap, a first threaded portion connected to said unthreaded portion and defined therefrom by a shoulder portion, a transition portion connected to said first threaded portion and located adjacent to said fixed center line and a second threaded portion connected to said transition portion; a handle assembly, attached to said unthreaded portion of said shaft, for rotating said shaft; a first interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said first web guide, threadably engaged with said first threaded portion of said shaft; and a second interiorally threaded nut, trapped in said recess in said second web guide, threadably engaged with said second threaded portion of said shaft, one of said first and second nuts having right-hand threads, and the other having left-hand threads, the portion of said shaft in engagement with said nuts being threaded to mesh with its associated nut, whereby rotation of said handle assembly will simultaneously move both said first and second web guides toward and away from said fixed center line the same distance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said hole in said cap is threaded, and wherein said alignment means comprises: a threaded bushing, threaded on the exterior thereof, in engagement with said hole in said cap, said bushing extending beyond said cap and terminating in a wrench engageable head, said unthreaded portion of said shaft passing through said threaded bushing; and a flanged bushing, extending through said threaded bushing intermediate said threaded bushing and said shaft, terminating in flanges on each end thereof, one of said flanges being in contact with said shoulder portion of said shaft and the other one of said flanges being in contact with said handle assembly, whereby changing the degree of engagement of said bushing in said hole in said cap by turning said bushing will move said first web guide away from said fixed center line while moving said second web guide toward said fixed center line or will move said first web guide toward said fixed center line while moving said second web guide away from said fixed center line.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said locking means comprises: a lock nut engaged with the threaded portion of said threaded bushing extending beyond said cap and engageable, when tightened with the upper surface of said cap to prevent accidental movement of said threaded bushing.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein both said first and second web guides have an arcuate web contact face to constrain said web to an arcuate path of travel while being guided, wherein said first web guide has a lip portion adjacent one marginal edge of said web, and wherein said second web guide has a lip portion adjacent the opposite marginal edge of said web, said web being trapped between said lip portions of said first and second web guides.