US2051011A - Press mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 11 I936. P. s. SMITH PRESS MECHANISM Original Filed May a, 1932 U INVEN OB 45 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11, 1936 PRESS MECHANISM Paul S. Smith, Cambridge, N. Y., assignor to Ralph S. Allen, Detroit, Mich.

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in press mechanism and has to do more particularly with a press mechanism which is adapted to apply pressure to a web of continuously advancing fabric. This application is a division of my pending application, Serial No. 608,999, filed May 3, 1932, for Method and apparatus for the manufacture of cemented pile fabrics.

In the manufacture of cemented pile fabric, as

1 disclosed in said pending application, for example, there is formed a continuously advancing web or plaited structure comprising a fibrous web plaited about a series of severable separator strips and having backing sheets cemented thereto by rubber latex or like cementing material. This plaited structure must be subjected to a vulcanizing and consolidating pressure before being split longitudinally to form two webs of cemented pile fabric. The principal object of my invention is to provide a press mechanism suitable for applying such a vulcanizing and consolidating pressure to the continuously advancing web.

A further object of my invention is to provide a comparatively simple and relatively inexpensive press mechanism, which is adapted to apply pressure to a vertically arranged continuously advancing web or the like.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction and economies of manufacture, will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. In one instance, I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and means set forth in the following specification. My invention is clearly defined and pointedout in the accompanying claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, of a press 40 mechanism embodying my invention.

In general, the press mechanism of my invention comprises a pair of pressure devices which alternately engage the web of continuously advancingmaterial and are movable in unison with 4 the advancing material while in engagement therewith, together with means for retracting the pressure. devices while disengaged from the material. I propose to provide a main frame on which a subframe is longitudinally movable,

50 means being provided whereby this subframe is quickly raised and slowly lowered in unison with the advancing material. This subframe carries a relatively fixed platen for engagement with one face of the advancing material and a movable platen which may be advanced by pressure decni vices into engagement with the other face of the advancing material and retracted therefrom, the pressure devices being so timed in their action as to clamp the web of advancing material between the fixed and movable platens during the slow descent of the subframe and to release the material during the quick rise thereof. I propose also to provide a pair of such pressure units, one of which will clamp and apply pressure to the web, while the other is released and returning to its upper position.

Referring to the numbered parts of the drawing, the press mechanism is shown in Fig. 1 in side elevation. It comprises a rectangular base plate I0 having a slot therein through which the web of material A passes and lugs at the four corners thereof in which are mounted four posts, two of which, i I and I2, are shown in Fig. 1. The four posts are held in parallelism by the end casting I 3 and serve as supports for the fixed frames l4 and I5 and also as guides for the movable frames is, H, l8 and H9. The movable frames l6 and I! are tied together by aplaten 20 carried thereby, of substantially the width of the material to be treated, and by a plate 2! which serves as a support for the hydraulic rams 22 and 23, whose piston rods 2d and 25 are attached to a movable platen 25 cooperating with the platen 20. Similarly, the movable frames l9 and 20 are tied together by a platen 21 and a plate 28, which serves as a support for a hydraulic ram 29 whose piston rod 30 is attached to a movable platen 3!. A hydraulic cylinder 32 mounted on a lug 33 on the fixed frame member M is connected by a piston rod 34 with a lug 35 on the movable frame l1. Similarly, a hydraulic cylinder 3K5 mounted on a lug 31 on the fixed frame i5 is connected by its piston rod 38 with the lug 39 on the movable frame l9. Sufiicient pressure is applied to the movable frames l1 and it by the hydraulic cylinders 32 and 36 to nearly counterbalance the weight of such frames and the parts carried thereby, so that little work is required to shift such frames along the guide posts I l and i2 by the cam means to be described.

It will appear from the foregoing that the movable frames i6 and I1, connected by the platen 20 and plate 2!, carrying the hydraulic rams 22 and 23 for the movable platen 26 constitute a press unit which is vertically movable on the posts H and i2. Also, the movable frames l8 and I9, connected by the platen 217 and the plate 28 carrying'the hydraulic ram 29 for movable platen 3| constitute another press unit, also Vertically movable on the posts I l and I2. The

fixed frame member I4 is provided with lugs 40 and 4| which support shafts 42 and 43, on which are mounted the cams 44 and 45 contacting with rollers 46 and 41 which are journaled in lugs 48 and 49 on the movable frame member l6. Of course, similar cams will be provided on the opposite ends of the shafts 42 and 43 contacting with similar rollers 46 and 47, journaled in similar lugs on the opposite corners of the movable frame member l6. As the shafts 42 and 43 re volve, therefore, the frame l6 and the press unit carried thereby are slowly permitted to"descend and then quickly raised to the position shown in Fig. 1. Similarly, the fixed frame [5 is provided with lugs 50 and 5| which support shafts 52 and 53, on which are mounted the cams 54 and 55 contacting with rollers 56 and 57, journaled in lugs 58 and 59 carried by the movable frame I8. Similar cams are provided on the opposite ends of shafts 52 and 53 contacting with similar rollers journaled in lugs on the opposite corners of the frame l8. As the shafts 52 and 53 revolve, the frame I8 will be quickly raised to the upper position by cams 54 and 55 and then permitted to descend slowly.

It will be observed that the cams are so mounted that the lower press unit is descending slowly while the upper press unit is being quickly raised to the upper position. The cam shafts 42, 43, 52 and 53 may be positively connected, by any suitable means, with a shaft of the mechanism controlling the production of the web of continuously advancing material A, so that the downward movements of the press units, when engaged in pressure contact with the material, may correspond exactly with the rate of feed of such material. The cam pairs 44, 45, 54 and 55 are so related to each other and the valves controlling the supply of water to the hydraulic rams 22, 23 and 29 are so operated mechanically in the well-known manner, by the vertical movement of the associated press units that when either of the press units is descending, its platens are in pressure contact with the material between them, while the platens of the ascending unit are out of contact with the material between them. The result of this correlation between the mechanisms for operating the press units is that the material is being pressed and. vulcanized'constantly and the active press unit is controllably moved downward at a. rate corresponding exactly with the rate at which the material is being formed. The hydraulic cylinders 32 and 36 are constantly supplied with water under pressure and, as previously stated, are so proportioned as to relieve the cams 44 and 45, 54 and 55 of practically the entire work of raising the corresponding press unit.

When the web A of material emerges from the lower end of the press, it may pass between guide rollers 60 and 6! and is split by aband knife 62 which moves between stationary guides 63 and 64. This knife'not only splits the fibers, which are secured to and extend from one backing sheet to another, but also splits the severa ble separator strips thus splitting the web A as it comes from the press into two webs of cemented pile fabric, which are wound into rolls 65 and 66 upon shells 61 and 68 on shafts 69 and 1!] which may be driven frictionally in a well-known manner.

As stated above, the cams which control the rise and fall of the press units are so actuated and formed as to permit the press units to descend at the rate at which the web of material is continuously advanced. This web passes between the fixed and movable platens of the press units, which alternately grip the material to apply a consolidating and vulcanizing pressure thereto, and release the same. The upper unit is shown in Fig. 1, as released and about to rise, while the lower unit is applying pressure to the web of material and is about to descend slowly at a rate corresponding to the rate of movement of the material through the machine. When the lower press unit is released, the upper press unit will be in position to apply pressure and move downwardly at said rate.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention, here illustrated, is susceptible of considerable variation without departing from the spirit thereof, and, therefore, I claim my invention broadly, as indicated by the appended claims. a

What I claim is:

1. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of composite material, the combination of a pair of pressure devices reciprocable parallel to the path of said web, and means actuating each of said pressure devices to apply a working pressure to the web and to maintain said pressure throughout substantially the period of movement of the device in the direction of advance of the web and to release said pressure when the device moves in the opposite direction, said pressure devices applying pressure to the web alternately.

2. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of composite material, the combination of a pressure device acting on said web, means for reciprocating said device parallel to the path of the web, and means actuating said device to apply a working pressure to said web and to maintain said pressure throughout substantially the period of movement of the device in the direction of advance of the web and to release said pressure when the device moves in the opposite direction, whereby the device moves with the web during an extended period of application of pressure.

3. In press mechanism for acting on a web of advancing material, the combination of a pair of pressure devices acting on said web, means for reciprocating said devices parallel to the path 01' said web and so timed that the movement of one device in the direction opposite to the advance of the web occurs while the other device is advancing with the web, and means actuating each of said devices to apply a working pressure by each device to the web and to maintain said pressure throughout substantially the period of movement of the device in the direction of advance of the web and to release the pressure when the device moves in the opposite direction.

4. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, the combination of a pressure device acting on said web, means for imparting to said device a slow advance movement parallel to the path of the web and a quick return movement in the opposite direction, and means actuating said pressure device to pressureapplying position for the slow advance movement and to pressure-release position for the quick return.

5. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, the combination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, a platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of said web, a. second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on the opposite side of said web, means for reciproeating said auxiliary frame to move said platens along the path of the web, and pressure means acting on one of said platens and efiective to apply a working pressure thereto and to maintain said pressure throughout substantially the period of movement of the platens in the direction of advance of the web and to release said pressure for the return movement.

6. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, the combination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, a platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of the web, a second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on the opposite side of the web, cam means acting on said auxiliary frame to move said platen along the path of the web with a slow movement in the advance direction and a quick return, and pressure means acting on one of said platens and effective to apply pressure thereto throughout said slow advance movement and to release said pressure for said return movement.

7. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, the combination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, a platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of the web, a second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on the opposite side of the web, cam means acting on said auxiliary frame to move said platens along the path of the web with a slow movement in the advance direction and a quick return, and fluid pressure means carried by said auxiliary frame and acting on one of said platens, said means being so timed as to apply pressure throughout the slow advance movement and to release the pressure for said return movement.

8. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, the combination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, a platen rigidly mounted in said auxiliary frame and located on one side of said web, a second platen movably mounted in said auxiliary frame and located on the opposite side of said web, cam means acting on said auxiliary frame to move said platens along the path of the web with a slow advance movement and a quick return, and fluid pressure means carried by the auxiliary frame and acting on the second platen, said means being so timed as to apply pressure thereto throughout the slow advance movement and to release the pressure for the quick return.

PAUL S. SMITH.

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