Cutting – Processes – Plural cutting steps
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-09
2001-09-04
Ashley, Boyer (Department: 3724)
Cutting
Processes
Plural cutting steps
C083S022000, C083S056000, C083S072000, C083S076800, C083S100000, C083S155000, C083S209000, C083S370000, C083S365000, C083S367000, C083S422000, C083S614000, C083S937000, C083S650000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283001
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a custom cutting apparatus for cutting fabric, a device for feeding said fabric to cutting apparatus and a process for the use of such equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A device for the feed of fabric to a textile machine has been disclosed by EP-A-0 589 089. The device is designed as a trough with a driven surface, so that fabric rolls lying in the trough are set into rotation by friction and thereby unwind themselves. The so unwound fabric length is laid upon a conveyor belt assigned to said unwinder and by means of this conveyor belt is transferred to another additional and separate conveyor belt which is dedicated to feeding a cutting machine. These operations, taken all together, provide the assembly with the name of a feeding device.
Conventional equipment of this kind has not proven itself as optimal, since it is difficult for such equipment to bring out a fold-free, straight line issue of the fabric. Furthermore, the exactness with which the custom cutting of said fabric is carried out is limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to make available a custom cutting apparatus, which overcomes the above named deficiencies of the existing state of the technology. This purpose includes the formulation of a process for said custom cutting, corresponding to the operation of said feeder and cutting apparatus. The invention further provides an improved fabric feeding device.
This purpose will be achieved by a custom cutting apparatus which exhibits the following:
at least one fabric unwinding device for a fabric roll,
a conveyor belt for the transport of the unwound fabric,
a custom cutting apparatus which cuts the fabric while said fabric is still on the transport band, whereby the transport band extends at least from the position where the fabric is deposited by the unwinder device up to the operational area of the custom cutter and
the fabric band lies directly on the conveyor belt or on one or more thereupon lying fabric bands.
Because of the use of the conveyor belt, with a through movement, the control of the fabric custom cutting apparatus has available very precise data in regard to the position of the fabric in the operational zone of the custom cutter. In addition, this movement eases the issuing of fold-free and straight line character of the fabric. Consequently, the pattern can be more exactly positioned in relation to the material, so that the custom cutting can be done with greater precision.
In the state of the technology up to now, the cutting off of the fabric at the end of a pattern or at the fabric roll end, is, in general, done by the said cutting apparatus. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the fabric unwinder device is equipped with a fabric cut-off device. In the case of several unwinding devices, these are each advantageously and respectively equipped with a fabric cut-off device. These measures, on the basis of the increased precision of the conveying belt position, enable the cut-off operations at the pattern, or end of a fabric roll, to be carried out at the respective unwinding device. This increases the operational speed, since it makes possible the relieving of the custom-cutting apparatus from the cutoff operation, and provides a faster change of the fabric roll. The custom cutting apparatus permits a simple removal of fabric ends, although not cut off at the custom cutter, but at the unwinding device.
Fundamentally, these remainder pieces can also run on with the conveyor belt. The cutoff fabric remainders have, usually, a length of 0.2 m to 1 m and can be rolled up and discarded by an operating person or by the custom cutter apparatus (see below).
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the fabric unwind device is equipped with fabric stretch loading apparatus or fabric tension loading apparatus, which holds the fabric firmly upon cutoff with the fabric cutoff device.
In order to attain an especially fast exchange of the fabric to be cut, the fabric unwinding device, of which there may be several, is so designed, that it can, in a self-acting manner, rewind the remainders on the fabric rolls (or on a winding shell). This enables an especially fast change-over to a new fabric roll. The cutoff of the fabric can, as already noted, be exercised for two different reasons. The first possible reason is the reaching of the end of a pattern cut, when the subsequent pattern must cut from a different material, i.e. a different color or a different pattern. The necessary cutoff signal emanates from the control of the fabric feed device, which possesses data on the pattern which is to be used. The second reason lies in the reaching of the end of the material which was originally in the fabric roll.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the material unwinding device, of which there may be more than one, is equipped with a material end sensor or fabric end sensor, which detects the approach or the reaching of the fabric end, advantageously upon the sensing of the complete or nearly complete unwinding of the fabric roll. Differently, in yet another embodiment of the present invention, the fabric end sensor is designed from a light-relay, through the beam of which the fabric band is run, proximal to the unwinder. The control of the cutting is stopped and simultaneously, the unwinding is interrupted as soon as the end of the fabric strip is recognized. With this action cutoff is instituted for the fabric. Because of the traveling conveyor belt, the control senses, with great exactness, the arrival of the fabric end at the custom cutter apparatus and can, therefore, synchronize the cutting operation accordingly.
The advantages of the invention can be especially effectively put to use, when—in yet another embodiment of the present invention—two or more unwinding devices are provided, preferably one unwinding device following the other winding device. This arrangement, achieves, for instance, a substantial reduction of the idle time of the custom cutting apparatus and besides, enables a significant increase of the effective speed of operation is possible. As has been explained above, there is an obvious requirement that a fabric roll must be changed frequently, because of necessary switches in color or pattern specifications.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides for such changes in the fabric roll, practically without interruption in the operation, since after the cutoff of a fabric with the existing cutoff device for the respective fabric roll, the control of the equipment immediately acts so that the remnant fabric roll is rewound and the unwinding of fabric from other textile rolls is carried out subsequently so that the layout of the material on the transport belt and the conveyance of the “new” fabric to the custom cutting device is immediately effected.
Because of the continuous conveyor belt, the arrival of the fabric band end at the custom cutter can be precisely calculated. Yet another embodiment of the present invention permits an interruption of the control of the custom cutter process at the latest, when the calculated arrival of the said fabric band end at the custom cutter takes place and sets the control back in operation by a “Start-again” signal upon the arrival of a subsequent fabric band. The computing of the arrival time is carried out advantageously with reference to the speed of the conveyor belt and the difference in distance between the fabric cutoff device or the fabric-end sensor and the custom cutter. The fabric end sensor can, because of the use of the continuous conveyor belt be disposed proximally to the unwinding device (and not the custom cutter, although this would also be possible and would lead to a self actuating recognition of a fabric end.) The control can also automatically compute the arrival time of the lead edge of another fabric band at the custom cutter, after the said restart of the unwinder. The valid basis for this is again the continuity of the conveyor belt.
Alternatively
Ashley Boyer
Gpv mbH
Hooker, P.C. Thomas
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