WO1998044514A1

WO1998044514A1 - Apparatus for manufacturing ribbon cables

Info

Publication number: WO1998044514A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/000959
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jury Victorovich Larioshin; Vadim Leonidovich Emilfarb; Leonid Vladimirovich Teslenko; Vladimir Julievich Petrushansky
Original assignee: Barwell Ip Limited
Priority date: 1997-04-01
Filing date: 1998-04-01
Publication date: 1998-10-08
Also published as: GB9706514D0; AU6846598A

Abstract

A first roll (10) and a second roll (12) are mounted so as to be adjustable with respect to each other both axially and angularly. The outboard ends of the rolls (10, 12) are supported by respective beams (22, 24).

Description

"Apparatus for Manufacturing Ribbon Cables"

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the manufacture of ribbon cables of the kind used, for example, in interconnecting computer apparatus.

It is known to produce ribbon cables by arranging a parallel array of insulated conductors and laminating these to a flat ribbon of thermoplastic material. It is also known to produce ribbon cables by arranging a parallel array of bare conductors and laminating these between two flat ribbons of thermoplastic material.

In either case, the laminating is typically performed by passing the conductors and the thermoplastic ribbon or ribbons between a pair of pressure rolls at least one of which is heated. The surface of one or both of the rolls is formed with grooves to accommodate the conductors. The quality of the product is dependent upon the accuracy with which the grooves are aligned with each other, and upon the accurate parallelism of the rollers.

Apparatus of this nature which is currently available suffers from defects in positional accuracy which limits the quality of the product and/or the rate of production, and accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which overcomes or mitigates these problems.

The present invention provides a laminating apparatus suffers from defects in positional accuracy which limits the quality of the product and/or the rate of production, and accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which overcomes or mitigates these problems .

The present invention provides a laminating apparatus comprising first and second rolls arranged for rotation about parallel axes, and in which the first roll is mounted on a shaft extending from a main housing and the second roll is mounted on a shaft extending from a second housing, and means are provided for the adjustable positioning of the second housing with respect to the main housing.

Preferably, the second roll can be adjusted axially with respect to the first roll, and also the axis of the second roll can be adjusted angularly with respect to the axis of the first roll.

In a particularly preferred arrangement, the second housing is adjustably mounted by means of tie rods to a shaft which is rotatable within a carrier about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the second roll. The carrier is mounted in the main housing for limited adjustment along an axis parallel to the roll axis, and the tie rods may be used to effect angular adjustment of the second housing with respect to said shaft.

In an important preferred feature of the present invention, the outboard ends of the first and second rolls are supported by beams extending from the main housing and the second housing respectively.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a laminating roller unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view, partially in cross-section of part of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a laminating roller unit comprises an upper roll 10 and a lower roll 12 which are used to apply pressure to a sandwich of materials passing between them. Typically, one of the rolls 10, 12 is provided with heating means (not shown), and the outer surfaces of one or both of the rolls 10 and 12 are formed with circumferential grooves (not shown) to accommodate a predetermined array of electrical conductors .

The lower roll 12 is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft 14 which is journalled in a housing 16. The upper roll 10 is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft 18 which is journalled in a bearing housing 20.

The stiffness of the roller mountings is increased by the provision of upper and lower beams 22 and 24 rotatably engaged with the outer ends of the rolls 10 and 12.

The bearing housing 20 is secured by means of tie rods 26 on a shaft 28 which is rotatable within a carrier 30. The opposing faces of the shaft 28 and the bearing housing 20 are provided with V-grooves which seat on a rod 32. This arrangement allows the upper roll 10 to be adjusted rotationally about the axis of the rod 32 in the direction indicated at B by adjustment of the tie rods 26. The carrier 30 is mounted within a yoke portion of the housing 16 on a screw 34. This allows the axial position of the upper roll 10 with respect to the lower roll 12 to be adjusted in the direction indicated at A by adjustment of the screw 34.

Fine adjustment of the upper roll 10 with respect to the lower roll 12 can be effected by means of an adjustment screw 35 engaged in the housing 16 and bearing on an arm 36 secured to the carrier 30. This adjustment allows the axes of the rolls 10 and 12 to be made accurately parallel when seen in plan.

In normal operation, the upper roll 10 is raised away from and pressed towards the lower roll 12 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 38 having a cylinder rod 40 connected to rotate the carrier 30 about the mounting screw 34, in the direction C.

The present embodiment therefore allows the relative positioning of the upper and lower rolls to be adjusted in all required directions, and also provides a roller mounting arrangement which minimises deformation of the roller axis under load.

Modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiment within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A laminating apparatus comprising first and second rolls arranged for rotation about parallel axes, and in which the first roll is mounted on a shaft extending from a main housing and the second roll is mounted on a shaft extending from a second housing, and means are provided for the adjustable positioning of the second housing with respect to the main housing.

2. A laminating apparatus according to claim 1, in which the second roll can be adjusted axially with respect to the first roll, and also the axis of the second roll can be adjusted angularly with respect to the axis of the first roll.

3. A laminating apparatus according to claim 2, in which the second housing is adjustably mounted by means of tie rods to a shaft which is rotatable within a carrier about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the second roll, the carrier being mounted in the main housing for limited adjustment along an axis parallel to the roll axis, and the tie rods are adjustable to effect angular adjustment of the second housing with respect to said shaft.

4. A laminating apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the outboard ends of the first and second rolls are supported by beams extending from the main housing and the second housing respectively.