Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – By means to convey sheet
Patent
1991-04-19
1993-01-12
Olszewski, Robert P.
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
By means to convey sheet
271 1, 11212115, 1122623, 414 14, 414222, 901 8, B65H 500
Patent
active
051783819
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing flexible sheet workpieces, such as fabric workpieces, through at least part of a procedure for making up workpieces into garments or other products made from flexible sheet material.
BACKGROUND ART
Apparatus is known for carrying out specific operations in a garment assembly process, examples being automated sewing machines and apparatus for automatically removing a fabric play from a stack of fabric plies. Little has been done, however, to develop a system wherein the transfer of fabric pieces between workstations is automatic. Current garment assembly systems, therefore, remain labour intensive. Where more automated systems have been introduced, they are usually specific to the manufacture of one type of garment or garment piece.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an automated system whilst allowing a degree of versatility and adjustability to be achieved such that the range of operations which can be carried out by a single apparatus is enlarged and thus adaptation to size, fashion and style changes in the assembly of garments and other products is facilitated. The invention consists of apparatus for processing a flexible sheet workpiece which comprises:
(a) two or more workstations, each workstation being adapted to carry out at least one operation on the flexible sheets workpiece;
(b) a bypass area adjacent to one or more of the workstations, the bypass area being adapted such that the workpiece can be transferred from a workstation to the bypass area in order to bypass a subsequent workstation; and
(c) one or more transfer means capable of transferring the workpiece form one workstation to another workstation, from a workstation to the bypass area and from a bypass area to the workstation.
The provision of a bypass area enables the workpiece to be either automatically processed through each of the workstations in the apparatus or to bypass automatically one or more workstations if the operations carried out at that particular workstation is not required for that particular workpiece. Without the bypass area, either the workpiece has to be manually removed from the assembly line and repositioned further along the line, or the apparatus itself must be modified by removing or replacing one or more workstations in order to produce different garment types or other end products. Thus by using transfer means to move workpieces automatically from one workstation to another, and to and from the bypass area when required, a system is provided which is both a automated and flexible.
Although the workstations and bypass area can be arranged in any suitable manner, it is preferred that they are in a substantially linear arrangement with the bypass area positioned adjacent to and extending along substantially the length of the arrangement of workstations.
For even greater flexibility, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides apparatus for processing a flexible sheet workpiece which comprises:
(a) two or more series of workstations, each workstation being adapted to carry out at least one operation on the flexible sheet workpiece, and each series being substantially parallel to adjacent series;
(b) an interchange area between each adjacent series of workstations, each interchange area being adapted such that the workpiece can be transferred from a workstation in one series to a workstation in an adjacent series via the interchange area; and
(c) transfer means capable of transferring the workpiece from one workstation to another workstation, from a workstation to an interchange area and from an interchange area to a workstation.
In addition to being used to transfer the workpiece from one series of workstations to another, the interchange area can also be used as a bypass area as described above and hereinafter shall be referred to as the interchange/bypass area. Thus as it is processed along the assembly line, the workpiece can transferred by means of transfer means from one workstation to another
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Manufacturing Clothier, vol. 29, No. 5, p. 820, "Transportation Systems in Clothing Production", (Nov. 1960).
Laheria Bashir
Nash Michael A.
Cegelec Projects Limited
Courtaulds PLC
Milef Boris
Olszewski Robert P.
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