Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2037330
FORMING AND FEEDING ASSEMBLY FOR A SHEET hATERIAL PRESS
The invention relates to sheet material presses and especially to
a forming and feeding assembly for a sheet material press used in the
production of decorative and industrial laminates of fibre-reinforced
resin systems and for the finishing of chipboards, fibreboards and the
like with layers of synthetic resins applied to a surface thereof.
Prior art forming and feeding assemblies include an assembly
table on which the laminate components are combined to form a
substantially rectangular mat of material to be compressed, and a
feeder assembly for moving the mat to a press. The feeder assembly
includes feeder arms having mat clamping members, which arms are
movable back and forth in a direction of feed of the assembly. The
mats of uncompressed material are gripped by the clamping members,
transported into an open sheet material press by the feed stroke of
the feeder arms and released after being inserted into the press. The
assembly may be constructed so that the clamping members tension the
mats during the feed stroke and then move towards each other to permit
the mats to sag within the open sheet material press. The edges of
the mats gripped by the clamping members then being released to
essentially achieve a rolling out of the mats on the press table.
This substantially prevents floating of the mats while they are being
positioned on the press, which interferes with the exact positioning
of the mats in the press.
The term "laminate components" within the framework of the
present invention includes, for example, woven and/or non-woven
fibreglass pre-impregnated with synthetic resin, especially epoxy-base
resin. The synthetic resin employed for impregnation is generally in
a pre-polymerized or partly polymermized condition and is completely
polymerized to its final condition through the use of pressure and
heat. The term "laminate components" further includes foils, for
example, metal foils, for the production of industrial or decorative
laminates, for example, for the finishing of chipboards and
fibreboards or the like. Thus, a mat of uncompressed material may
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also include a generally thin chipboard, fibreboard or the like, and a
fini chin~ layer.
In prior forming and feeding assemblies, the assembly table is
located i ~ tely adjacent the sheet material press. This
arrangement is disadvantageous. Uhen the laminate components are
manually stacked and adjusted to correct their orientation in
superposition the feeder arms, which are mounted along the edges of
the assembly table, interfere with these operations. This contributes
to unsatisfactory and extended cycle times. In fact, the cycle times
in prior art assemblies are dependent to a lesser degree on the press
time than on the time required for the assembly of the uncompressed
mats.
These disadvantages are overcome with a forming and feeding
assembly for a sheet material press in accordance with the invention,
which includes a transfer platform that is located between an assembly
table and a sheet material press. The transfer platform can be raised
and lowered from the level of the assembly table to the level of the
feeder arms carrying the clamping members. The feeder arms
reciprocate between the sheet material press and the transfer
platform. A transfer bridge, which is reciprocally movable on the
feeder arms, moves assembled mats from the assembly table to the
transfer table. The transfer bridge includes gripping arms which are
positioned parallel with the direction of movement of the feeder arms
for selectively gripping an end of a mat on the assembly table,
pulling the mat onto the transfer platform and releasing it.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the assembly of
the laminate components to form an uncompressed mat may be readily
achieved without interference from by the feeder arms and their
clamping members, which are mounted along the sides of the transfer
platform rather than the sides of the assembly table as in prior art
constructions. Uhen laminates are formed using equipment in
accordance with the present invention, cycle times are more dependent
on press times than on the mat assembly time.
It is an object of the invention to provide a forming and feeding
assembly of a construction as described above so that the layering of
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the laminate components may be easily achieved within a reasonable
time period and with accurate orientation and superposition.
Accordingly, the invention provides a forming and feeding
assembly for a sheet material press for the production of decorative
or industrial laminates of fibre or filament reinforced resin systems
and for the finishing of chipboard or fibreboard with layers of
synthetic resin applied to a surface thereof, comprising:
an assembly table for permitting the assembly of laminate
components to form a mat of material to be compressed, the mat having
a substantially rectangular layout; and
a feeder apparatus having feeder arms which carry clamping
members for selectively gripping the edges of the mat;
the feeder arms being reciprocally movable in a direction of feed
of the assembly for transporting a mat gripped by the clamping members
into the open sheet material press.
The feeder apparatus further includes a transfer platform
positioned between the assembly table and the sheet material press,
which transfer platform is selectively positioned at the height of the
assembly table or the height of the feeder arms. The feeder arms are
reciprocally movable along the transfer platform. A transfer bridge
having gripping arms which extend towards the assembly table parallel
with the direction of movement of the feeder arms, selectively grips
an end of an assembled mat from the assembly table and pulls the mat
from the assembly table to the transfer table. The transfer platform
is positioned at the height of the assembly table while the mats are
moved from the assembly table to the transfer platform.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transfer platform
is provided with notches spaced-apart along its longitudinal edges,
which notches are overlapped by an uncompressed mat on the transfer
platform. The clamping members of the feeder arms are movable into
the notches for gripping the edges of a mat when the transfer platform
is at the level of the feeder arms. In a first embodiment of the
invention, a platform section of constant level may be positioned
between the transfer platform and the assembly table, which platform
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section extends towards the assembly table. The transfer platform may
be mounted on a hydraulic ram or a hoist for raising and lowering it.
In another preferred embodiment, the assembled mats on the
assembly table are readily and securely moved to the transfer platform
over a tiltable intermediate table which is intermediate a platform
section of fixed height and the assembly table. The intermediate
table is provided with a table top, which in its elevated condition is
downwardly inclined in the direction of feed, and includes grooves for
accommodating at least part of the gripping arms of the transfer
bridge to permit those arms to reliably grip an end of the mat.
The invention will now be further described by way of example
only and with reference to the following drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a
forming and feeding assembly in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 shows an enlargement of an area indicated by reference A
in Fig. l; and
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the area indicated by reference A in
Fig. 1.
The preferred forming and feeding assembly in accordance with the
invention as illustrated in the drawings is used for loading a sheet
material press 1 during the production of decorative or industrial
laminates of fibre or filament reinforced resin systems or during the
finishing of chipboards, fibreboards and the like with a layer of
synthetic resin. The sheet material press 1 is partially shown on the
right-hand side of Fig. 1. The preferred embodiment of the invention
includes a feeding apparatus 4 and an assembly table 2 on which
laminate components are stacked to form a mat 3 of material to be
compressed, which mat has a generally rectangular layout. The feeding
apparatus, generally referred to by reference numeral 4, includes
feeder arms 5 which are reciprocally movable in the direction of feed
of the assembly, as indicated by a double arrow in Fig. 2. The feeder
arms 5 include clamping members 6. A mat 3 is gripped by the clamping
members 6, picked up by the feeder arms 5 and transferred into the
open sheet material press 1 during each feed stroke of the feeder arms
Z037330
5. The mat 3 is released by the clamping members 6, once the mat is
positioned in the press. The feeding apparatus is constructed so that
the clamping members 6 tighten a mat 3 during the feeding stroke of
the feeder arms. Subsequently, the clamping members 6 may be moved
towards each other so that the mat 3 sags between the feeder arms 5 in
the open sheet material press 1. The clamping members 6 thereafter
release the mat 3 so that the mat 3 rolls out on the press table 7.
This step prevents the entrapment of air under a mat being placed on
the press table and thus helps prevent the mat from floating over the
table when it is released. The mat 3 may be raised or lowered prior
to this step.
The movements of various parts of the assembly described above
are indicated by arrows. Of course, it will be readily apparent to a
person skilled in the art that appropriate drives and controls are
required for the operation of the assembly in accordance with the
invention, which drives and controls have been omitted from the
drawings for clarity and ease of underst~nding.
A transfer platform 8 is positioned between the assembly table 2
and the sheet material press 1, which transfer platform can be raised
and lowered between the height of the assembly table 2 and the height
of the feeder arms 5 and their clamping members 6. The feeder arms 5
are reciprocally movable in a direction of feed along the sheet
material press 1 and the transfer platform 8. A transfer bridge 9
which is reciprocally movable on the feeder arms 5 is provided with
gripping arms 10 which extend toward the assembly table 2, parallel
with the direction of movement of the feeder arms 5. The transfer
bridge 9 is movable relative to the feeder arms 5 to permit an
assembled mat to be gripped by the gripping arms 10 and pulled from
the assembly table 2 to the transfer platform 8. The forming and
feeding assembly is constructed to permit transfer of a mat 3 held by
the gripping arms 10 to the transfer platform 8 by movement in the
direction of feed of the transfer bridge 9 and the feeder arms 5. The
mat 3 is released onto the transfer platform 8 when the transfer
platform 8 is at a lowered position. Once again, the movements of
various parts of the assembly are indicated by double arrows. Each
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movable part requires at least one appropriate drive and control,
which are not illustrated.
Turning now to Figs. 2 and 4, it is apparent that transfer
platform 8 is provided with notches 11 along its longit~ldin~l edges,
which notches 11 are overlapped by a mat 3 placed on the platform 8.
The clamping members 6 of the feeder arms 5 are moved into the notches
11 for gripping the longitudinal edges of the mat 3, after the
transfer platform 8 has been raised to the height of the feeder arms
5. A platform section 12 of fixed height is positioned between the
transfer platform 8 with the assembly table 2, the function of which
is described below. The raising and lowering of the transfer platform
is achieved by a lifting mech~ni~ 13 (see Fig. 1), which is
preferably a lazy tong mechanism powered by hydraulic ram, or a hoist.
A downwardly tiltable intermediate table 14 is positioned between
the platform section 12 of fixed height and the assembly table 2. The
intermediate table has a table top 15, which is downwardly inclined in
the direction of the assembly. Table top 15 is provided with grooves
16, which accommodate a lower jaw of the gripping arms 10 of transfer
bridge 9 to facilitate the gripping of an end of a completed mat on
the assembly table. As is apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3, the
assembly table 2 is easily accessible from all sides when the
intermediate table 14 is in its downwardly tilted position,
facilitating the stacking of the laminate components and expediting
the st~cking of the components. The lower jaws of the gripping arms
10 are moved into the notches 16 for easy and precise pick up of the
end of mat 3. Thus, very short cycle times may be achieved with a
forming and feeding assembly in accordance with the present invention.
Various other constructions and realizations are possible within
the framework of the invention and will be readily apparent to a
person skilled in the art.
