US2641416A - Apparatus for and methods of aligning webs for lamination - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1953 J. L. MOCLEARY. ET AL APPARATUS FOR AND METHODS OF ALiGNING WEBS FOR LAMINATION Filed Oct. '7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

J1me 1953 J. 1.. MCCLEARY ETAL 2,641,416

APPARATUSIFOR AND METHODS OF ALIGNING WEBS FOR LAMINATION Filed Oct. 7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN-TORS.

pomp

0 l r m w Patented June 9, 1953 APPARATUS FOR AND METHODS OF ALIGNING WEBS FOR LAMINATION Jason L. McGleary and Roy E. Lowey, Jr., Mount Vernon, Ohio, assignors to Shellmar Products Corporation, Chicago, 111., a

Delaware corporation of Application October '7, 1950, Serial No. 188,914

4 Claims.

1 This invention relates to new and useful improvements and innovations in apparatus for and methods of aligning webs undergoing continuous lamination.

In the art of laminating two or more webs together by passing the webs between combining rolls, accurate alignment of the running webs so that the edges register has constituted a difficult and annoying problem for which there has heretofore been no completely satisfactory solution. We are aware that various schemes and apparatus have been previously proposed for the purpose of maintaining webs in alignment. A number of patents have issued covering different forms of apparatus for aligning webs two of which are 1,691,772 and 1,858,436.

It is current practice in modern laminating plants to employ commerciallyavailable automatic type devices for the purpose of aligning Webs as accurately as practical before they pass between the combining rolls. In so far as we are aware these various control and aligning devices now in use all operate on the same principle of attempting to keep the edge of each running web in a fixed line as nearly as practical. While these presently available web control devices are of some value, at best they only do a relatively incomplete job of accurately aligning the primary webs and secondary webs as they run in between the combining rolls.

For example, in present laminating apparatus it is the practice to have the width of the primary web exceed the width of the adhesive coating thereon by from to of an inch along each edge. The purpose of having these uncoated margins along the edges of the primary web is to allow for inaccuracy in alignment of the secondary web with the primary web as the webs pass between the combining rolls. In other words, the primary and secondary webs may be out of alignment as much as of an inch on a side and yet the secondary will still mask or cover the adhesive coating on the primary web. However, even with this overlap of A; to 1% of an inch on each side of the primary web, it is still not unusual for the webs to become so unaligned that the adhesive coating on the primary web is not covered along one edge whereupon some of the adhesive is picked-up on the combining rolls. When this happens, the webs stick and break resulting in a waste of material as well as loss of time and production due to the shut down time required to clean the machine and then put it back into production. In this connection, when the machines are put back into production there 2 is also some wastage which occurs at the initial portion of the new run. At the present time it is also frequently necessary to rewind secondary web rolls after they are printed and before lamination in order to lay each successive roll directly on the top of the preceding one. If these poorly wound secondary web rolls are not thus rewound, there will be sudden and frequent changes inthe positions of the edges of the secondary web as it is unwound so that the laminating operation carinot be properly carried out on the present apparatus.

According to the present invention novel apparatus and methods are provided which apply a new principle to the problem of aligning webs undergoing lamination. When the new apparatus and methods are applied to laminating ma,- chines now in use, the uncoated overlap or margin along the edges of the primary webs whichv is now customarily from to of an inch, can be safely reduced to to T13 of an inch thereby effecting a substantial saving of waste in the material due to trimming of the edges after lamination. Based on the foregoing figures, the waste due to trimming can ordinarily be reduced from as much as 50% to as much as Furthermore, when the new apparatus and methods are employed the overlaps of a e of an inch to the overlaps of of an inch give sufficient tolerance so that even when poorly wound secondary web rolls are used, there is practically no dimculty encountered due to adhesive sticking on the combining rolls and subsequent breakage.

of the webs and shut downs. Accordingly the savings which can be effected by use of the present invention by way of decreased waste and shutdown time, are very substantial.

in one of the webs (e. g. the primary web) serves as a reference or control web and the other websv (e. g. the secondary webs) are automatically maintained in alignment with the reference web,

which may shift or weave from side-to-side.

Certain other objects of the invention will, V in part, be obvious and will in part appear here--'' inafter.

For a more complete understanding of the na-- ture and scope of the present invention, refer-- ence may now be had to the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partly diagrammatic and -schematic View showing one complete embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, diagrammatic views of the two servomotors and control apparatus forming part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is ia diagrammatic viewishowing an .electrical type of servomotor and control apparatus that may be employed in lieu of the servomotors and control apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings two conventiomtlwornbining rolls, one being a rubber 'covere'd-roll-an'd the other being a steam heatedesteel roll areindicated at 5 and 6 for laminatinga prim-aryweb I and a secondary web 8 withwthenlaminated sheet 215 being wound up on roll II! which is suitably driven. The primary web I is.guided-into the combining rolls 5 and B by means o'fa"free"running support or idler roll I I while the secondary web 8 is similarly passed over a free running guideandrsupportroll, I.2. L'Ihe webs Land amay be. tormedoianysuitable material sucheas paper, metalioil .or. plastic. Specifically/ 1 and T8-may.be

formedof. :such material asfkraftipaper, .glassine papenaluminumioil, ..cell0phane,1.Plidfilm,L Saran, polyethylene, etc. .Alaminating adhesive. is.coated onto one of v.the .webs .and this web .is customar'ily referred i to vas I-the' ,primary web. The adhesive -c'oating is shown on .the surface .of .the primary web'I I .inzFig. L1 and is shown toextend up '.to ashort space 'ifrom the opposite edges .of the web I. 'This uncoated marginal strip along each .edge of the web 1 .isindicated .at I.3-.I'3 andiisfor the pmposeiofallowingithe secondary Cal Th'eprim'arywebl is usuallyled ontdthesupw port and guide roll I I fromno'ating 'app'aratusfor applying the 'a'dh'esiveand, whenreqdired, itrnay first'pass through-an ovenor und'erbanksofheat lamps-to placeit'in'nroper conditi'onfor lamina? ing with the "secondary "web 8. ""The"secondary' web t *may be suppi-iedfrom "a "roll 1- 1 "on which it *is wound. In practice, thesecondary'web is often iprinted "with "suitable advertising and *descriptive material. Accordingto"the-present inverition' the r611 1 G has to' be supported in suwa way that it may be readi'lyan d ffreely shifte'ti laterally from -side=to'-'s-i'de in -='or'der that the *s'e'condar-y web '8 ='may be man-irained in accurate alignment -with the primary -web -l. In 'Fig. '-1 the web roll F4 is shoWn--suppoi'teii between erfd suppor-tbe'arings 15-4 5 which are mounted-on the fpiatform l li ofa carriage provided with supporiting wheels at"each '-corner. m ehpr the w'hel orirnller' tm'its' compi ises anupper whel or' rolier II anti 8a 'bott'orn Wheel or roller l t "supported from thezeorner or kthe platform l e by means of a daraket iorrleg :Ztiwith the. wheels I 1 and ill-8 being supported and journaled on stub shafts Z-I+2I. The rrcarri'age 'runs'over'raiis or tracks 2-2-":22 with thetupperwheels I I supporting the weight zof the carriage on the' tra'cks and the lower wheels 5 H3 insuring that th'e .carria'ge cannot t'ilt or otherwise disengage fromthetra'cks' fl. It-w'ill other arrangements may be provided whereby the web roll I4 may be movably supported so that it may be shifted from side-to-side during the course of the laminating operation.

The combining rolls 5 and t and the wind up rolliI-IJ will bedriven in synchronism thereby pullingthe webs 'Iian tl 8 through the laminating apparatus and unwinding the secondary web 8 from tthe supply roll I4.

According to the present invention, one of the web I=or-'3 serves as a reference or control web while the other web is maintained in accurate alignment .with the reference or control web.

.Intthe arnangementeshown in Fig. l, the primary eservesias-thereference or control Web and the secondaryweb K8 is continuously maintained in accurate alignment therewith. The automatically "operated mechanism for maintainin theieecondary web 8 inaccurate alignment with the primary web I as these webs pass over the support .rolls II and I2 and=into.the combining rolls 5..and J8 includes apair of :devices -Z3.and 2'4 which are sensitive "to the location-of the 0Qlresponding edges of 'the running =webs and 8,

respectively. As will.appear..more 'fullyhereinafter, ..the .edge sensitive devices 123 and .24 may take several "forms and .the invention .in its broader aspects .is notllimitedlinrespect to any particular form or .theedge sensitive .de-vicesas employed. "Normally, the .edge sensitive .devices on one installation willZbe-of'the same or similar type, although there is -no reason'toprevent 'devices 16f difierent-typesbeing used. 'In thea'rrangementshown'infFig. 'l eaehofthe edge sens'itive "devices"23 and iMis rigidly siJ .pq':orted .on'

opposite ends ofia-LrigidmemberJZBiby means of the. supporting members '26 and 2"! respectively. Theedgesensitive "devi'cefitmaybe spaced somewhat fartherfrom' the 'guide ro'll I12 than the edge. sensitive device '23 iis. spaced from the guide roll. II. difference spacing compensates .for.

any timelagwhi'ch may berinvolvedinthe operation of the apparatus to bring the controlled edge-of "thesecon dary web 8 into alignment with the control edge of the "primary web I when the latter *hasshifted'to' one side or the other. :Where. this time 'lag'is not consequen'tiaL'this difference,

in spacing is not necessary.

The transverse-member 25 'is "supported at the middle by "'a clamp member "28 .carried on "the outer end of thecohnectihgrod 38 of a servomotor I In the embodiment "of the "invention shown in *Fig. 1 the -'servomotor '3! takes the form "of a double-ating cylinder "wherein the piston and *the connecting rod *3 t constitute the output elements. "The 'servomotor Si is controlled and operated by means of a controlunit 32. This unitand the e'dge'sensitive devices 23 and' il l will be described in detail below in conneetien with Figs. 52 and "3. The control unit 32 is "connected with a "source of fluid pressure delivered through the pipe tiirand operates to supply fiuid under pressure to the servom otor 31 at-opposite "ends of the-cylinder through the pressure lines 34 and35. The control unit 32"15 in turnactuate'd b'y variations in air pressure received from "the conduit 35 leading "from the.

edge sensitive "device 2-3. Air under regulated pressure isdntroducedinto the device 23 through a fiexible connection 3i.

when a' zero line thro-ugh'the' device -23 is in registration with the "edge or the web '7 the anio'unt'o'f pressure delivered to the control unit 32 through the connection 36 will 'be of such armagnitude -that the control unit "'32 will serve be understood and rrappre'ci'ated that numerous 110im21ifi1la1in16qu9l1 "pressures FP S tesideS of the double-acting piston within the servomotor 3| and there will be no movement of thepiston and the connecting rod 38. However, if the zero line of the device 23 is not in registration with the edge of the web 1, then a greater or lesser pressure will be delivered to the control unit 30 depending upon which side of the zero line the web edge lies. The result will be that the control unit 36 will apply an excess of pressure to one side or the other of the piston of the servomotor 3| thereby causing the piston to move in one direction or the other carrying with it the connecting rod 38 and the edge sensitive devices 23 and 24 supported from the cross beam 25. As will appear from the following description in connection with Figs. 2 and 3, the piston within the servomotor 3| will continue to move in the proper direction until the device 23 is back in zeroed position with respect to the edge of the running web I.

With respect to the edge sensitive device 24 and the running web 8, since the position of the device 24 is determined by the operation of the device 23, the zero relationship between the guided edge of the web 8 and the device 24 is obtained and maintained by shifting the position of the web roll l4. A servomotor 40 operated by a control unit 4| which is regulated or controlled by the edge sensitive device 24 serves to shift the carriage on which the web roll I4 is supported. The servomotor 40 may be of the same type as the servomotor 3| and the control unit 4| may likewise be of the same type as the control unit 32. The connecting rod 39 of the servomotor 40 is coupled to the carriage for the web roll I4 by means of a suitable coupling 42 joining the outer end of the connecting rod 39 and the outer end of a rod 43 which projects from the carriage unit as shown. Air pressure for the edge sensitive device 24 is delivered through a flexible connection 44 and the pressure from the device 24 is communicated to the control unit 4| through a flexible connection 45. Fluid presmotor 40 and the piston remains stationary so that no movement is imparted to the carriage supporting the web r011 l4. If the zero relationship between the device 24 and the edge of the web 8 is disturbed either through shifting of the device 24 or shifting of the edge of the Web, then an excess of pressure will be applied to the proper side of the double-acting piston so that it moves in the proper direction to shift the carriage so as to bring the edge of the Web 8 back into zero relationship with the edge sensitive device 24.

The construction and operation of the servomotors 8| and 46 and their control units 32 and 4| will now be set forth in greater detail in connection with Figs. 2 and 3. The servomotor control apparatus consisting of the servomotors 3| and 40, the control units 32 and 4|, and the edge sensitive devices 23 and 24 may be adaptions of a commercial type such as those which may be obtained from the Askania Regulator Company, Chicago, Illinois. The air inlet connections 31 and 44 may be provided with check valves 58 and 5| respectively so that the air pressure may be turned off when the regulators are. not in use.

The air connections 31 and 44 may be connected with the plant air pressure system or separateair compressor units may "be utilized. Each of the edge sensitive devices 23 and 24 has a slot opening 52 or 53, respectively, in which the respective edges of the webs 1 and 8 run. Preferably the devices 23 and 24 are positioned so that the edges of the webs run close to the air pres- 1 sure intake ports 54 and 55 respectively. The flexible air pressure connections 36 and 45 communicate between the intake ports 54 and 55,

respectively, and bellows units 56 and 51, respectively, which form elements of the control units 32 and 4 I. The control unit 32 has an oil jet pipe 58 which is pivotally connected at 66 to the oil pressure inlet line 33. The jet pipe 58 is connected on one side to the bellows unit 56 while wheel 62.

sure to the jet pipe 58. The oil discharged from the outlet end of the jet pipe 58 is directed into an oil pressure distributor block having branched conduit paths 66 and 61 communicating with a common inlet port 68. The oil pressure line 34 to the servomotor 3| is connected with the right-hand conduit or passageway 61 while the pressure line 35 is connected with the left hand passageway 66 as shown in Fig. 2.

When initially starting u the apparatus the tension on the spring 6| is so regulated that the oil jet pipe 58 will distribute the oil under equal pressures to both of the passageways 66 and 61 when the adjacent edge of the web I coincides with a diameter line through the intake port 54.

When this relationshi exists the device 23 is zeroed with the web double-actin piston within the servomotor 3| will be equal and the :piston will be held motionless.

of the intake port 54 would be uncovered and a greater amount of air pressure introduced from the line 31 will be picked up and delivered through the flexible conduit 36 to the bellows unit 56. The

bellows unit 56 is thereby expanded so as to allow the oil jet pipe 58 to be turned counterclockwise thereby delivering an excess of oil pressure into the passageway 66 while the oil pressure delivered into the passageway 61 is decreased. The excess in pressure will build up on the rear (left) side of the piston of the servomotor 3| thereby forcing the piston to the right and forcing the connecting rod 36 also to the right. As described above in connection with Fig. 1 the edge sensitive device 23 is op-eratively connected to the connecting rod 30 and this will shift the device 23 to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 thereby covering up a greater portion of the intake port area 54. The excess pressure continues to exist and move the connecting rod 30 until the device 23 has been so shifted that it is once again zeroed with respect to the edge of the moving web 1 whereupon the.

pressures to the servomotor 3| will again be equalized and the connecting rod 30 and the device 23 will be stationary. Conversely, should the web 1 shift to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 so as to cover up more than half of the intake area I of the port 54, the pressure delivered to the bellows unit 56 would be decreased and the oil jet pipe 58 would be moved clockwise to a position Under these conditions the pressures delivered to opposite sides of the v If the web I should now shift to the right .as viewed in Fig. 2, a greater portion of the area acetone:-

7 wlti an ei'icess of oilpressurewoulii bitleliveiied to the'passageway '6! and the oil- ;pressure doliv ered to the assagewavst would bedccreasedi Accordingly, an excess of pressure will he applied to=the front I (might) side o'ftlie double-actingpis-- ton and the piston will ice-moved so as to retract thevconnecing i'0d 'and Shift the etige sensitive device 23'- away from the edge of the web until it is .againzero'e'eli and the pressures are-equalized.

The control unit-Ma which operates the servomotor' corresponds inrconstructi'on: to the controll: In addition to its bellows-element 51:, its-has-an 'oil Jj'et'; pipe. 70 "pivotally mounted "at H and; 'comrectedi with the oil inlet connection 463 which: is supplied with: oil under pressure bymeans of :apump t2 drivenby an 'el'ectricmntor l3; 'llhe'oiiljet pipe I0 ist'connected on one side to th'e heliowselement 5 anclonthe other sideis-"connected by an adjustable tension spring 14' to a nigidv'connection. The tension on the-spring. 145 may beradjustedby turning a thumb knot 115'. The oil distributor 'b'lock Hihastwwpassageways TI- and 'l=8-con'neoting with ascommoninlet port 80 into which th oil under pressure-is delivered from theoiljetpip'e M). In this-case the oil-pressure tine 48 tothe servomotor 40 isnonnected to-theright-hand passageway 7'8 while the-oil pressure line 4'?" is connected to the left-hand passageway H of the oil distributor biock 1%..

explained: above: inconnection with Fig. I the position' of the edgesensitive'device 2'4 isde termined by means of the operation' ot theedge sensitive device 23'. It the clevice-M' should?be moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 3:, it would no: longer be zeroed with respect to 'the: 'edgeof the-web 8 and more thanhailf' of areaoithe intake port 55 woul'd be uncovered: so that the" flexible conduit woulclvreceive and 'deliver an increased pressure to the bellows unit 5 thereby causing the oil jet pipe '50 to swing: to the lettwofi its center position. Theresult is that aneexcess of pressure is delivered to theoilline fll' amd the oil pressure'in oil line 38 is-clecreased. The ocoble-acting piston of the servomotor MI "and the connecting rod--39 are thereby caused to shift to the left as viewed in Fig. 3 and. through the connection to the carriage supporting the web roll:

Hi this web '8 will be shifted-to-thalefit until onehalf of the area-of the-intake port is again covered. Should the edge sensitive device 24' be: shifted to the right, the apparatuswould operate in just the reverse to provide a greater pressure to the rear side of the-double-acting piston and result in the shifting of the web roll 14 to the right so asto uncover the exact one-half 'of'the area of the intake port 55-. The servomot'or control apparatus in- Fig. 3 operates in a like manner to take care of shifts in th wen-a due to'unevenness in winding on the roll IA.

The "operation of the embodiment of the-invention shown in Figs. 1', 2 and 5 has been described above in connection therewith. It will be seen that the primary web 1 serves as a control or re'ferenceweb and that the edge sensitive device 23 is automatically maintained in zeroed relationship with respect to the edge of the web 1. On the other hand, the edge sensitive device 2'4, the position of which is determined by the edge sensitive device 23, serves to operate the apparatus which shifts the web 8 and maintains it in zeroed relationship with respect to the device 24. The net result is that, within the limits 'of accuracy of the apparatus, the controlled edge of the secondary web 8 is always maintained with alignti'onal-apparatu's of-the'type in Fig. 3 will.

be added for each such additional web.

' As mentioned above the servomzotors and the control. apparatus may take several different forms. Fig; 4 of the drawings an electrical type servomotor control apparatus. is shown which may be substituted for thatshown in F ig. 2.- The edge sensitive device indicated generally at is in the form of. a photoelectric eye comprising a light source 86- and a photoelectric-cell.

a 8'1 placed above. the lig'ht sol-nee cfi so as to. re-

ceivea light beam therefrom. The photoelectric-cell 8:1 is connected in series circuit relationship with a :ga'lv'anometer type instrument 88 by means of the conductors 90.; 91 and 92:. The photocell 8? is of the type whereinfitheresistance of the-colt varies: with the amount of light received icy it and the .galvanometer adijusteda so: when/theweb 7: :is zeroed so.-

that it; covers just' one-half or the photocell; 81 the movable element "as of: the IgaLvanometer 88' "between electrical contacts 94' andi'aia The pnotocellati' may be oithebloching. layer: type" for. example.

The new windings lcfl5va nds 11M ofa reversible electric motor 911 (thez servomoiior in- 331 115. emmoment of the: invention) are connected; circult relationship: through. relay unlts fi i: and til, respeot-iveiy,, to'one terminal of thercun ent source. I08 and to the other terminal 013 the current source through: the winding of. the rotor M1,. as shown. The galvanometer 8:8; has a'terininal the whichis connected tonne terminal of the currenta -source 1:630. There is; an internal CO'HIIGCF- tion in-the'ga'lvanometcr connects the terminal Hi-3 to the movable element as which is: formed oi aeonrlncting metal. The electrical contacts-.Qtand: 35 are connected by conductors Hi] and H1 to. relays 98 and lit, respectively.

themovaible-element 93 of the galvanometer 88' is. incontact with terminal M the relay '98. is-energ-ized and the .fieldvwi-nding 1-36. of motor 96- is. energized. Whentheelement :33 is in contact with the-oOntact element 95 the relay 91; is energized and the field-winding- |:Ki5 of themetor 9B is-energized. Thed'rive shaft Nil of :themotor. '98. carries a pinion. M22 which meshes with a rack. 1113' which is-sui-tably connected with the edgesensitive deviceilfi. For example, the-unit 85 may be supported on the. rod/26 carried on. one endoflthebeam-QE shown Fig. 1. In this-embodiment the rack 1.03- constitutes the output elementof eleotricmotor 8 t and is connected to the beam '25 through therod 30.

In" operation, if thev web is zeroed with. respect with the. photocell 8 1 then the element 93' bf'tlie galvanometer BB will lie midway :between the 'eoritac'tswi and'9'5 and. neither of the fields I65 or I176 of the. motor 96 will be energized and the rack and pinion combination H32 and H13 willbe stationary. 'If the web 1 shouldnow shift to the left so as to uncoverinore than one-half of. the. receiving surface of the photocell the. resistance. of this cell will change and the galvanometer 88' will becomeunbalanced so that the elementwsflmoves into: contact with "one of the terminals on or QS -so as to energizeone-of "the fieldstof .the areversing motor 'gfi which willmove the-rack soastorshift the-edge sensitive device 85 to'theileit dmtilrBitIis-again zero'ed'with respect to thewedgie (fifths-web Conversely, iithe'web 1' should shift to the right from the zeroed position so as to thereby cover up more than half of the light receiving area of the photocell 87, then the opposite contact will be engaged by the mov' able element 93 and the other field of the motor 96 will be energized so as to shift the edge sensitive device to the right until it is once more zeroed.

While in Fig. 1 of the drawings we have shown the edge sensitive devices 23 and located in advance of the idler guide rolls ii and :2, respectively, it will be understood that these air pick-up heads or devices may also be located in rear of the idler rolls. That the device 23 would be located between idler roll ii and the combining rolls 5 and 6 and device 24 would be similarly located between the idler roll it and the combining rolls 5 and G. In this latter arrangement, the idler roll [2 and the web roll M are preferably both mounted on the same movable carriage which is shifted by the servomotor 40. Having the idler roll [2 co-mounted with the web roll 14 facilitates the shifting of the secondary web 8.

In view of the foregoing disclosure those skilled in the art will be able to provide other embodiments of the invention which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoing specific embodiments of the invention described above in connection with the accompanying drawings are intended to be interpreted as illustrative and are not to be construed in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In laminating apparatus of the class described for the continuous lamination of a plurality of webs between combining rolls. means for maintaining corresponding edges of said webs in alignment as they feed into said combining rolls, comprising in combination, a first device sensitive to the location of the edge of a moving web supported in sensitive relationship with an edge of one of said webs, a first servomotor including control means therefor, said first servomotor being operatively controlled by said first edge sensitive device whereby the output element of said first servomotor is in a stationary position when a zero line through said first device is maintained in registration with the edge of said first web and said output element moves in one of two opposite directions depending upon which side of said zero line said web edge may lie, support means for said first edge sensitive device operatively connected with said output element of ,said first servomotor whereby said servomotor operates to maintain said first edge sensitive device in zeroed registration with the edge of said first web as the latter shifts from side-to-side, a second edge sensitive device, support means for said second edge sensitive device supporting it in sensitive relationship with the edge of a second web which is to be aligned with the edge of said first Web and operatively connecting it with said first edge sensitive device whereby it is moved in unison therewith, a second servomotor including control means therefor, said second servomotor being operatively controlled by said second edge sensitive device whereby the output element of said second servomotor is in a stationary position when a zero line through said second edge sensitive device is in registration with the edge of said second web and said latter output element moves in one of two opposite directions depending upon which side of said zero line said latter web edge may lie, a support roll for said second web, a shiftable support for said sup-port roll whereby the latter may be shifted from side-to-side, and connecting means operatively interconnecting said support means with the output element of said second servomotor whereby when said second edge sensitive device is shifted in unison with said first edge sensitive device said second servomotor operates to shift said support roll so as to bring the edge of said second web into zero registration with said second edge sensitive device and thereby into registration with the edge of said first web.

2. In the continuous lamination of a plurality of webs wherein the webs are run over support rolls and fed in between combining rolls, the improvement which comprises, allowing one of said webs to serve as a reference web, automatically following one edge of said control web as it weaves from side-to-side, and automatically shifting the support rolls on which the remaining webs are supported so as to shift the remaining webs into alignment with said reference web.

3. The apparatus called for in claim 1 wherein each of said devices sensitive to the location of the edge of a moving web comprises an air discharge jet and an air receiving port aligned with said jet and spaced therefrom so as to permit the edge of a moving web to pass between said jet and receiving port, and each of said servomotors includes a double-acting cylinder unit controlled by a regulator unit sensitive to the variation in air pressure in said receiving port and operating to admit fluid pressure equally to opposite sides of the piston of said cylinder unit or to admit excess fluid pressure to one of the opposite sides of the piston depending, respectively, upon whether said edge sensitive device is zeroed with respect to said web edge or whether said web has shifted to one side of said zero line.

4. The apparatus called for in claim 1 wherein in each of said devices sensitive to the location of the edge of a moving web comprises a photoelectric eye unit, and each of said servomotors comprises a reversible electric motor controlled by a regulator unit sensitive to the variation in the amount of light transmitted by said photoelectric eye and operating to de-energize the fields of said motor or to energize one of the fields depending, respectively, upon whether said edge sensitive device is zeroed with respect to the web edge or whether said web has shifted to one side of said zero line.

JASON L. MCCLEARY. ROY E. LOWEY, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,347,893 Dickhaut May 2, 1944 2,399,418 Wood Apr. 30, 1946 2,491,636 Amos Dec. 20, 1949 2,506,053 Zuckerman May 2, 1950

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