Textiles: fiber preparation – Liberating – Animal fibers
Patent
1992-01-23
1994-03-08
Crowder, Clifford D.
Textiles: fiber preparation
Liberating
Animal fibers
452 71, D01C 300
Patent
active
052916367
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the cutting or shearing of wool from skins and hides, particularly after the skin or pelt has been removed from the animal as for example at an abattoir.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When animals are slaughtered, for example sheep, unless the sheep has been recently shorn, there is often a large quantity of wool on the skin and if the skin is to be tanned and produced into leather, then this wool must be removed. As the tanning is not usually carried out at or near the abattoirs, then this wool on the skin increases the transport costs, particularly as quite often the tanning and leather production is often carried out in an overseas country.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Various attempts have been made to shear the wool from a sheep or to remove the wool from the skin and these include AU 233663 which discloses an endless cutting blade to cut the wool from a skin passed under the endless cutting blade, and AU 266461 which utilizes very high pressure fluid jets to lift the wool from the skin. Another specification AU 483, 462 teaches the use of a laser to remove the wool from the skin by focusing two inclined laser bearing to intersect at the cutting area. A further specification SU 1214-413-A shows a hand held tool in the form of a handle, a forked shaped cutting head and a cutting element in the form of a wire connected to an electrical supply attached to the tips of the fork. Control means regulate the heating of the wire and the wire tension is also controlled.
However it appears that none of the above have been entirely successful and it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for the removal of wool or hair from the skin of an animal, and although the following description is particularly directed to the removal of wool from the skin of a slaughtered animal, it is to be realized that the invention is not to be limited thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
There is provided according to the invention the method of removal of wool from the skin, the method including the steps of presenting the skin with the wool thereon to a cutting element, said cutting element comprising a heated electrical element, and including the step of providing relative movement of the cutting element in a direction transverse to the direction of motion of the skin toward the cutting element.
Also in accordance with the present invention there is provided an apparatus for the removal of wool from a sheep skin, the apparatus including conveyor means to present the skin to a cutting element, said cutting element comprising a heated electrical element, means for heating the element, and means for providing relative movement of the cutting element in a direction transverse to the direction of the motion of the skin toward the cutting element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to more fully describe the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one form of the cutting element;
FIG. 2 is a similar view of a further form of the cutting element;
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of the apparatus;
FIG. 4 is a view of the cutter and comb; and
FIG. 5 shows a further form of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring firstly to FIG. 1 there is shown the cutter bar 1 provided with a plurality of spaced collets 2 each having a support 3 for a cutting wire 4 bridging all the supports 3. The cutting wire is supplied with electrical power to heat the wire to a temperature sufficient to burn or char the wool fibers so that the fleece of wool can be removed from the skin.
The cutter bar 1 is also provided with an air supply which air passes out of the air discharge outlets 5. This air can be used to lift the severed wool above the cutting element and onto a guide or conveyor (not shown), and if heated can also assist in the drying of the wool at the cutting area to assist in the cutting of the wool.
FIG. 2 shows a further
REFERENCES:
patent: 1470714 (1923-10-01), Donner
patent: 2143422 (1939-01-01), Plass
patent: 3535744 (1970-10-01), Reise
Crowder Clifford D.
Neas Michael A.
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