GB1158135A - Artificial Tree Limb Tapering Machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,158,135. Angular bending. P. DIEFFENBACH. 19 Oct., 1966 [24 Oct., 1965; 3 Aug., 1966], No. 46789/66. Heading B3E. [Also in Division B6] Apparatus for bending the tip end of a series of artificial Christmas tree limbs passing through the apparatus comprises (Fig. 9) an endless belt 216 supported by two spaced pulleys 208 and 210. The pulley 208 is mounted for free rotation about a horizontal axis and positioned above the driven conveyer belt 134. The pulley 210 is supported for free rotation about a vertical axis, is slightly inclined from the horizontal and positioned below the conveyer belt 134. The tip section 114 of the tree limbs moves into contact with the belt 216 at contact point 218 and is bent downwardly since the belt is moving downwardly and at the same time changing from a generally horizontal position to a vertical position. Apparatus for bending the inner end 115 of the same limb in the opposite direction to the bend given to the tip end 114 comprises upper and lower axially spaced, overlapped notched wheels 230 and 232 (Fig. 7) which are positively driven in opposite directions at a speed which is co-ordinated to the velocity of the conveyer belt carrying the spaced limbs by a flexible drive means coupled directly to a driven pulley associated with the driven conveyer belt. The periphery of the upper wheel at the bottom thereof is in line with the upper run of the conveyer belt 136, and the wheel locates the inner end 115 of the limb adjacent the bend point 117 while the bending is achieved by the smaller overlapped wheel 232. The extent of the bend is determined by the axial spacing Y between the wheels and the vertical overlap between the wheels.