US3340629A - Ironing apparatus for intermittently fed web material - Google Patents

Description

Sept. v12, 1967 H. OBERRECH T IRONING APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY FED WEB MATERIAL Filed Nov.'l9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

L MP HA ,v zi/v 7-5/2 OQEEEEcnr I United States Patent 8 Claims. (on. 381) The present invention relates to apparatus for the smoothing or ironing of flexible webs, such as webs consisting of fabric, synthetic or the like ironable material, more particularly to an ironing arrangement for use 1n connection with processing or the like apparatus of the type wherein the web is intermittently fed or withdrawn from a supply on its way to a work or processing station. An example is the intermittent feeding of a continuous fabric or the like Web to an automatic sewing apparatus preparatory to the carrying out of a series of integrated processing steps or operations, such as folding, cutting, hemming, etc.

It is customary in the operation of automatlc or semiautomatic sewing or the like processing devices to utilize a continuous web of material to be operated on, said web being supplied either in the form of a stock roll with the web wound into a cylindrical spiral, or in the form of a stack with the web being folded back and forth zig-zag fashion, desired lengths of material being intermittently withdrawn from said roll or stack and fed to the processing apparatus or work station. In the use of stock rolls, the feeding apparatus required becomes rather costly so as to be justified economically only in the case of working relatively expensive or high-grade materials. In all other cases, especially in the manufacture of linen goods, the material is ordinarily available or provided in folded stack form, whereby to involve the possibility of formation of undesirable folding pleats or creases in the web or sections thereof fed to the processing station. The greater the stack and the longer the storing periods, the more pronounced will be the creases formed in the material.

In the utilization and processing of webs of material fed intermittently from a folded stack in the manner pointed out, the creases in the web due to stacking are highly undesirable in preventing, among other defects and drawbacks, a perfectly flat shape or support of the web sections or cuts in the sewing or other processing devices. Thus, in the case where a pleat or crease closely adjoins the edge of a workpiece or cut, the hemming, folding or the like devices may be prevented from properly gripping or working the edges of the workpiece. This has made it necessary in the past to use perfectly smooth webs as provided, for instance, by a stock roll, or to take into account the waste, as well as the loss of operating or processing time associated with the use of folded webs in connection with automatic processing operations.

The use of suitable ironing devices preceding the feeding or processing devices has been found to be unsatisfactory in view of the unavoidable and unforeseeable interruptions of the processing operations, such as for the exchange of the lower bobbin thread and the replenishing of the upper thread of an automatic sewing machine, or due to disturbances of the processing apparatus and other causes. In all such cases, the ironing drum or the like device remains in contact with the web over an undue period of time, whereby to result in singeing or burning of the material. On the other hand, the use of suitable safety devices to avoid the latter defect, such as by retraction of the ironing drum or the like from the web in the case of a disturbance or interruption of the processing operation, is found to be costly on account of the relatively complex mechanical control devices required, such as a swivelling support for the ironing drum, guide and linkage elements, etc.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is the provision of improved ironing apparatus of the referred to type designed for use in conjunction with processing and the like devices utilizing an intermittently fed flexible web, preferably in the form of a folded stack, said apparatus being both simple in design and construction as well as devoid of the foregoing and related defects and drawbacks inherent in the prior devices and arrangements.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of an improved ironing arrangement of the referred to type designed especially for use with webs supplied in folded form and fed intermittently to a processing or work station, whereby temporary interruptions of the operation of the processing apparatus, such as due to mechanical or other defects or failures or resulting from the carrying out of adjustments or controls, will not result in excessive heating of the web by the ironing device and resultant singeing or burning of the material, despite the web being passed in continuous contact with the ironing drum or equivalent ironing member.

The invention, both as to the foregoing and ancillary objects, as well as novel aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred practical embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ironing arrangement designed for use in connection with intermittently fed webs and constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, shown partly in section, of the ironing drum forming part of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an electric wiring diagram of the intermittent ironing arrangement of the invention shown by the preceding figures.

Like reference numerals denote like parts in the different views of the drawings.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention, according to one of its aspects, involves generally the provision of a rotatable ironing drumincluding means, preferably in the form of a number of electrical heating resistors, to heat a circumferential half-section of said drum to ironing temperature, and intermittent web feeding means, such as in the form of a spring-pressed pressure roller or the like. First fixed guide means serve to successively pass the web from the folded stack in operative contact with said drum and through said feeding means, while additional movable guide means serve to temporarily store a portion of the web, upon emerging from the feeding means on its way to a work station, in the form of a loop of predetermined length, in such a manner as to shorten said loop upon withdrawal of a length of the web by the processing device or station.'Furthermore, first electrical control .and switching means actuatable by and in the shortened position of said web or displaceable guide means, respectively, serve to operate the web feeding means after a withdrawal operation by the processing station, to restore said loop to its predetermined length preparatory and for the carrying out of a subsequent withdrawal operation. Synchronized and cooperating with the intermittent web feeding and storing operations are additional electrical control and switching means designed to control said drum in such a manner as to maintain the drum in an angular position of engagement of its heated section with the web during the web feeding operations by said feeding means, on the one hand, and to maintain said drum in an angular position of engagement of its unheated section with said web in the inoperative or rest positions of the feeding means, on the other hand. In other words, the ironing drum is adjusted in such a manner in dependence upon the intermittent feeding operations as to cause the web to be in contact with the heated drum section during the intermittent web feeding periods only, or to render the operation of the ironing device independent of the condition or operation of the processing apparatus, in a manner as will be understood and become further apparent as the description proceeds in reference to the drawings.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, the web 1 (fabric, synthetic material, etc.) provided in the form of a folded stack 2 is led from the latter and by way of guide rollers 3, 4 and 8 to first embrace the ironing drum 7, having a pair of cylindrical half-sections 5 and 6, and to thereafter engage the drawoif or feed roller 10. The latter cooperates in a known manner with a pressure roller 9, to feed or withdraw the web 1 from the stack 2, as described in greater detail in the following. In the preferred arrangement of the rollers 3, 4, and 8, the web 1 embraces the drum over an angle of about 150l70, that is, less than 180 as shown in the drawing.

Mounted within and close to the inside of the halfsection 6 of the drum 7 are a number of electrical heating resistors 11, FIG. 2, while both halves of the drum are advantageously separated from one another by a heatinsulating spacer 12.

The web 1, after passing between the feed roller 10 and pressure roller 11, is furthermore led, by the aid of a first displaceable or shuttle guide roller 13 and a further fixed guide roller 14, to form a vertical depending loop .1 serving as a temporary storage prior to the intermittent withdrawal of the material by the processing station, as indicated by the arrow A in the drawing and as will become further apparent as the description proceeds. The shuttle roller 13, in the example shown, has its axis arranged to move within a vertical guide 13, whereby the position of the roller being controlled by gravity is determined by the length of the loop 1', in the manner to be further explained in the following.

The feed roller 10 is driven, in the example shown, by a conventional electric motor 15 having a shaft 16 which carries a pulley 17. Power is transmitted from the motor 15 to the roller 10 through a belt 18 embracing the pulley 17, on the one hand, and a further pulley 20 mounted upon the shaft 19 of the roller 10, on the other hand.

The ironing drum 7 is driven by a conventional reversible electric motor 21 having a shaft 22 which carries a pulley 2-3. Power is transmitted, in the example shown, from the motor 21 to the drum 7 by means of a belt 24 embracing the pulley 23, on the one hand, a further pulley 26 mounted upon the shaft of the drum 7, on the other hand.

Affixed to the shuttle roller 13 is a cam 27 arranged to cooperate with the control pins or the like actuating members of a pair of stationary electrical limit switches 28 and 29 disposed at the upper and lower ends of the path of the roller 13 or guide 13', respectively. Furthermore, secured to the end of the shaft 25 of the drum 7 is a cam 30 arranged to cooperate with the stationary control pins or the like actuating members of a pair of further stationary limit switches 31 and 32 disposed diametrically opposite in respect to the shaft 25, in the manner shown.

Switch 28, FIG. 3, has a pair of contacts 33 and switch 29 has two pairs of contacts 34 and 35, while switch 31 has a pair of contacts 36 and switch 32 has two pairs of contacts 37 and 38, respectively.

Items 39, 41 and 43 represent relays having cooperating switching contacts 39a, 41a and 43a, respectively. Connected in series with the relay winding 39 is a normally open (holding) contact 39b, connected in series with the relay winding 4-1 is a normally closed (safety) contact 43b, and connected in series with the relay winding 43 is a norm-ally closed (safety) contact 41b, coordinated relay contacts being designated by like numerals followed by different letters denoting the associated contacts.

Control of the heating resistors 11 is effected by way of a thermostat control switch 48 and a further relay 49 having switching contacts 49a, to connect the resistors to and to disconnect the same from the power source shown in the form of an electrical threeaphase network RST. The three-phase motors 2-1 and 15 are energized by the three phases of the network RST, while the relays 39, 41, 43 and 49 are energized by a single phase R of the network in cooperation with the neutral conductor M in the manner shown and understood. The reversible motor 21 may advantageously be of the conventional type, whereby interchange of two supply phases (R and T in the example shown) results in the reversal of the direction of rotation, in the manner further described in and understood from the following.

The operation of the invention as exemplified by the drawing will now be described in the following.

Upon closing of a main control switch (not shown), to connect the device to the power source RST, resistors 11 are energized by the closing of contacts 49a of the relay 49", the thermostat control switch 48 serving in a known manner to maintain a substantially constant ironing temperature of the heated section 6 of the drum 7.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, the device and electrical circuit are shown in the normal or rest position. If now a predetermined length of the web 1 is withdrawn in the direction of the arrow A by the associated processing device, such as an automatic sewing machine (not shown), the loop 1' of the web 1 between the feed roller 10 and fixed guide roller 14 is shortened, whereby the shuttle guide roller 15 is displaced in an upward direction along the guide 13' to a position opposite to the limit switch 28. As a consequence, cam 27 upon the roller 13 at first releases the switch 29, to result in the closing of contacts 34 and in the opening of contacts 35 (FIG. 3), and subsequently actuates the switch 28 in the upper limit position of the roller 13. This, in turn, results in the closing of contacts 33, whereby to energize the relay 41 by way of contacts 43b and 37 and to close the switch contacts 4101, while at the same time opening safety contact 41b. As a consequence, the motor 21 is started in the direction of rotation as indicated by the arrow V, FIG. 1, to in turn rotate the ironing drum 7 through an angle of from the position shown of engagement of the web 1 with the unheated section 5 to a position of engagement of the web with the heated section 6 of the drum. Upon arrival of the drum in the end position, cam 30 actuates the limit switch 32, whereby to open contacts 37 and to close contacts 38, FIG. 3. Immediately after the start of rotation of the drum 7, contacts 36 have been closed by release of the switch 31.

Opening of contacts 37, in turn, results in the deenergization of relay 41, whereby to stop the motor 21 by release of switch contacts 41a, to reclose contact 41b, and to arrest the drum 7.

Besides, closing of contacts 38 of switch 32 causes energization of relay 39, whereby to close switching contacts 39a and holding contact 39b. As consequence, motor 15 driving the feed roller 10 is started, whereby to withdraw a portion of the web 1 from the stack 2 via rollers 3, 4 and 8 and in contact with the heated section 6 of the ironing drum 7, whereby to result in the smoothing or ironing of the pleats or creases in the material withdrawn from the stack 2. As a consequence, the loop 1' is restored to its original length by the roller 13 descending by virtue of its gravity from its upper limit position to the lower or rest position as shown in FIG. 1, thereby returning the device to a position for the subsequent withdrawal of a new length of material by the processing station.

Assuming now that, due to a disturbance in the sewing or the like processing apparatus, no more material or a lesser amount of material is required than has been fed by the roller 10, the roller 13 during its downward movement at first releases cont-acts 33 of switch 28 and subsequently operates switch 29 upon reaching the lowermost limit position. As a consequence, the relay 39 is deenergized, whereby to result in the opening of holding contact 39b and of switching contacts 39a, to in turn cause the arrest of the motor 15 and with it of the feed roller 10. At the same time, relay 43 is energized by way of previously closed contact 36 and contact 35, whereby to close switching contacts 43a and open the safety contact 43b. As a consequence, the motor 21 is now started in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow R, FIG. 1, whereby to return the ironing drum 7 to its starting or rest position, or position of disengagements of its heated section 6 from the web 1, as shown by FIG. 1.

Upon the drum 7 reaching the normal or rest position, switch 31 is actuated by the cam 30, whereby to open contacts 36, to deenergize relay 43 to close safety contact 43b, and to arrest the motor 21.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the web 1 is in contact with the heated section 6 of the drum 7 during the feeding intervals or operations of the roller 10- or the like feeding means only, whereby to enable the sewing or the like processing apparatus to interrupt its operation during any length of time between successive web feeding cycles, substantially without the danger of prolonged heating and resultant singeing or burning of the material. In other words, the ironing drum is controlled in such a manner, by the function of the limit switches 29 and 30 and shuttle roller 13 and in dependence upon the feeding movements of the web, that the web is in contact with the heated drum section during the actual feeding periods by the roller 10 only, while being in contact with the non-heated drum section during its periods of rest or between successive feeding operations. In other words, the driving motor 15 of the feed roller 10 may be energized only after the heated section of the drum 7 has been brought into contact with the web 1, to heat or iron the web during the feeding periods only, while the web is disengaged from the heated drum section during the inoperative or rest periods of the feed roller 10.

The function of the holding contact 39b of relay 39 is to maintain the relay and feed motor 15 in energized condition after opening of contacts 33 of switch 28 immediately upon the roller 13 starting its downward movement. Furthermore, the function of the safety contacts 41b and 43b is to positively restrict operation of motor 21 to the respective directions, or prevent any out-ofphase operation of the drum 7 as a result of mechanical or electrical disturbances.

As will be understood, the invention is not limited in its use to folded webs, but may be used in connection with any form of web supply and means to intermittently feed the web to a processing or work station where it is desirable or necessary to iron the workpiece or web section prior to the feeding to the processing apparatus.

In the foregoing the invention has been described in reference to a specific illustrative device. It will be evident, however, that variations and modifications, as well as the substitution of equivalent parts or elements for those shown for illustration, may be made in accordance with the broader scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.

I claim:

1. In combination with a web of material folded zigzagfashion into a stack and means to intermittently withdraw predetermined lengths of said web from said stack on its way to a processing station, ironing apparatus comprising in combination:

(1) a rotatable ironing drum including means to heat a fractional circumferential section thereof to ironing temperature,

(2) a first reversible electric motor to drive said drum,

(3) a feed roller to withdraw. said web from said stack,

(4) a second electric motor to drive said roller,

(5) first guide means to successively pass said web in contact with said drum and said roller,

(6) further guide means for said web comprising a first displaceable guide roller operable between two limit positions and a second fixed guide roller, to form a loop of said Web varying length by said first guide roller upon said web emerging from said feed roller on its Way to the processing station,

(7) means to normally urge said second guide roller to its limit position of maximum length of said Web,

(8) a pair of first electrical switching means actuatable, respectively, by and in the limit positions of said first guide roller,

(9) :a pair of second electrical switching means actuatable, respectively, by and in diametrically opposite positions of said drum, and

(10) electrical circuit and control means operably interconnecting said first and second motor and said first and second pairs of switching means, whereby withdrawal of predetermined lengths of said web by the processing station and resultant displacement of said first guide roller from its limit position of maximum length of said loop to its position on minimum length of said loop will result in the automatic sequential operations of rotating said drum by said first motor in a first direction from a normal position of disengagement of the heated section of the drum from said web to a position of engagement of said heated section with said web, stopping said first motor and rotating said second motor, to withdraw said web from said stack by said feed roller, to thereby restore said loop to its maximum length by said first guide roller, stopping said second motor and rotating said first motor in a direction opposite to said first direction, to return said drum to its position of engagement of its unheated section with said web upon said first guide roller assuming its position of maximum length of said loop.

2. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said drum having heated and unheated sections each embracing a circumferential area of 180, and said web contacting said drum over an angle of less than 180 3. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said web embracing said drum over an angle of 170.

4. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said loop having a pair of vertical and parallel legs and the axis of said first guide roller movable within a vertical guide and urged by gravity to its lowermost position of maximum length of said loop.

5. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said drum having heated and unheated sections each embracing a circumferential area of said drum, and a heat insulating spacer interposed between said sections.

6. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said heating means being comprised of a plurality of electrical heating resistors disposed inside and adjoining a fractional circumferential portion of said drum.

7. In combination with a supply of web material and means to intermittently withdraw predetermined lengths of said web on its way to a processing station, ironing apparatus comprising in combination:

(1) a rotatable ironing drum including means to heat a fractional circumferential section thereof to ironing temperature,

(2) web feeding means,

(3) guide means to successively pass said web from said supply in contact with a fractional circumferential section of said drum and through said feeding means,

(4) further guide means to temporarily store a portion 7 8 of said web upon emerging from said feeding means web in the rest positions of said feeding means, rein the form of a loop of predetermined length, inspectively. eluding means to shorten said loop upon withdrawal 8. In ironing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, said drum of a length of web by the processing station, having heated and unheated sections each embracing a (5) first electrical control and switching means actu- 5 circumferential area of 180, said web embracing said atable by and in the shortened position of said loop, drum over an angle of from l50170, and a heat into operate said feeding means and to restore said sulating spacer interposed between the sections of said loop to its predetermined length, and u (6) further electrical control and switching means co- References Cited operating with said first control and switching means 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS and controlling said drum, to maintain said drum in 1 809 467 6/1931 Asher a position of engagement of its heated section with 1:912:724 6/1933 Remington said web during the web withdrawing periods by said 2,581,018 1/1952 Hatay X feeding means, and to maintain said drum in a position of engagement of its unheated section with said 15 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A WEB OF MATERIAL FOLDED ZIGZAGFASHION INTO A STACK AND MEANS TO INTERMITTENTLY WITHDRAW PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF SAID WEB FROM SAID STACK ON ITS WAY TO A PROCESSING STATION, IRONING APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (1) A ROTATABLE IRONING DRUM INCLUDING MEANS TO HEAT A FRACTIONAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL SECTION THEREOF TO IRONING TEMPERATURE, (2) A FIRST REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR TO DRIVE SAID DRUM, (3) A FEED ROLLER TO WITHDRAW SAID WEB FROM SAID STACK, (4) A SECOND ELECTRIC MOTOR TO DRIVE SAID ROLLER, (5) FIRST GUIDE MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY PASS SAID WEB IN CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM AND SAID ROLLER, (6) FURTHER GUIDE MEANS FOR SAID WEB COMPRISING A FIRST DISPLACEABLE GUIDE ROLLER OPERABLE BETWEEN TWO LIMIT POSITIONS AND A SECOND FIXED GUIDE ROLLER, TO FORM A LOOP OF SAID WEB VARYING LENGTH BY SAID FIRST GUIDE ROLLER UPON SAID WEB EMERGING FROM SAID FEED ROLLER ON ITS WAY TO THE PROCESSING STATION, (7) MEANS TO NORMALLY URGE SAID SECOND GUIDE ROLLER TO ITS LIMIT POSITION OF MAXIMUM LENGTH OF SAID WEB, (8) A PAIR OF FIRST ELECTRICAL SWITCHING MEANS ACTUATABLE, RESPECTIVELY, BY AND IN THE LIMIT POSITIONS OF SAID FIRST GUIDE ROLLER, (9) A PAIR OF SECOND ELECTRICAL SWITCHING MEANS ACTUATABLE, RESPECTIVELY, BY AND IN DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POSITIONS OF SAID DRUM, AND (10) ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND CONTROL MEANS OPERABLY INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOTOR AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF SWITCHING MEANS, WHEREBY WITHDRAWAL OF PREDETERMINED LENGTHS OF SAID WEB BY THE PROCESSING STATION AND RESULTANT DISPLACEMENT OF SAID FIRST GUIDE ROLLER FROM ITS LIMIT POSITION OF MAXIMUM LENGTH OF SAID LOOP TO ITS POSITION ON MINIMUM LENGTH OF SAID LOOP WILL RESULT IN THE AUTOMATIC SEQUENTIAL OPERATIONS OF ROTATING SAID DRUM BY SAID FIRST MOTOR IN A FIRST DIRECTION FROM A NORMAL POSITION OF DISENGAGEMENT OF THE HEATED SECTION OF THE DRUM FROM SAID WEB TO A POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT OF SAID HEATED SECTION WITH SAID WEB, STOPPING SAID FIRST MOTOR AND ROTATING SAID SECOND MOTOR, TO WITHDRAW SAID WEB FROM SAID STACK BY SAID FEED ROLLER, TO THEREBY RESTORE SAID LOOP TO ITS MAXIMUM LENGTH BY SAID FIRST GUIDE ROLLER, STOPPING SAID SECOND MOTOR AND ROTATING SAID FIRST MOTOR IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST DIRECTION, TO RETURN SAID DRUM TO ITS POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT OF ITS UNHEATED SECTION WITH SAID WEB UPON SAID FIRST GUIDE ROLLER ASSUMING ITS POSITION OF MAXIMUM LENGTH OF SAID LOOP.

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