US249859A - Cloth-finishing machine - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. E. SMITH.

. CLOTH FINISHING MACHINE,

No. 249,859. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

l'nvemZZrw 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. H. SMITH.

OLOTH FINISHING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

No. 249,859. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

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Unrrn STATES PATENT CLOTH-FINISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,859, dated November 22, lSl,

Application filed April 29, 1881-. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J. HARPER SnrrH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Rarita-n, in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Finishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of machines for cutting figures or designs upon cloth in which a relief-pattern upon a revolvingclothsupporting roller projects the surface of the cloth to meet the cutters. its object is to produce upon the cloth clearly-cut, accurate, and uniform designs by projecting into the path of revolving cutters only a surface of the cloth precisely corresponding to the pattern, and by feeding the cloth over the pattern-roller at an unvarying speed, and to enable the cutting of closed designs composed of both transverse and longitudinal or diagonal lines as accurately upon wide or double-width as upon narrow or single-width cloths.

In some machines of this class as heretofore constructed, so great a surface of the cloth has been brought into the near vicinity of the cutters, on account of the comparatively large diameter of the pattern-roller, that often portions of the nap contiguous to the pattern would be cut away, giving the design a ragged uneven appearance. In others the cloth has been bent over a very small roller of wood inclosing a metal core tapering from the center toward the ends; but this small roller'did not obtain by this construction the required stiffness, although provided with asupporting-roll. I 0bviate this disadvantage by arranging over the supporting-roller a casing which also incloses a portion of the pattern-roller, sustains the sides thereof, and serves as a guard to prevent contact of the cloth with said supporting or bracing roller, and also to guide the cloth at the proper angles to and from the patternroller. The small pattern-roller and its bracing-roller have heretofore been directly supported only at their ends, and in a machine for cutting designs upon wide or double-width cloth these rollers are so long in proportion to their diameter that their middle portions are liable to yield laterally to a very light pressure, and also to become warped, so that the surface of the pattern-roller is not maintained in the same position with respect to the cutter at-all parts of its revolution, and therefore the design is cut at varyingdepths, and often portions of the surface of the cloth which should be cutaway are left untouched. I remedy this defect by arranging under the bracing-roller, at short intervals of its length, a series of adjustable bearing-rollers, whereby it may be maintained with its axis in a true rectilinear position, so that its surface will evenly brace the pattern-roller throughout its length, and prevent its swaying at any point.

Another evil which has attended this class of machines has been the slipping of the cloth upon the pattern-roller, whereby the parts of the designs have become unevenly spaced, and this defect I overcome by so proportioning the size of the patternroller, its supporting-roller, and the cloth drawingor feeding roller and their intermediate gearing that the circumferential travel of all these rollers shall be precisely the same, and the connections positive between them, so that there is no possibility of the cloth being stretched or failed at any point, or of its slipping upon either of said rollers.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a Vertical tranverse section of a machine constructed according to my invention. Fig.2 is a partial front view of the same with a portion of the framein section, the guide or guard casing in this view being removed to show the central parts. Figs. 3 2111614: represent samples of cloth having designs cut by my machine. Fig. 5 is a side view of the machine with some of the gearingrcmoved to show the bearings of shafts.

The letter A designates the pattern-roller, upon which are formed in relief the patterns for the designs which are to be cut in the surface of the cloth. This roller has its ends journaled in standards A, supported by a bedplate, F, which is itself supported by a suitable frame-work, F.

Immediately above the patternroller, and parallel therewith, is arranged the cutter-roller B, provided with spiral cutting-blades I), this roller being mounted in an adjustable frame, B, by which it may be moved toward or from the pattern-roller as desired. The lower end of said frame is hinged to the bed-plate F at b and the other is connected with the sides F of the frame by means of bolts f, made preferably with a round head, entering a corresponding recess in the sides F to form balljoints therewith. The upper end of said bolts pass through the upper arms of the frame B and retain the latter rigidly, after being adjusted by means of nuts f, placed upon the bolts f above and under said arms of the frame that supports the shaft ofthe cutter. The projecting shaft of this revolving cutter is provided with a belt-pulley, b.

Directly below the pattern-roller A, with its surface parallel and in contact therewith, is journaled .in boxes, adjustable vertically by means of washers or otherwise, the bracing or supporting roller 0, below which are arranged, in pairs, the bearing-rollers D, which brace and maintain the roller 0 in its true position. These bearing-rollers are journaled in'blocks E, which rest upon the tips of adjustingscrews E, which are tapped through the bedplate F. The blocks E can also be adjusted laterally by the side screws, E The pairs of bearingrollers are arranged at short intervals of the length of the roller 0, so as to perfectly control the same as to its position.

The letter J indicates acasingtormed in two parts, adjustably secured by means of bolts J, passing through slots in the bottom flange thereof to the bed-plate F, and inclosing the roller 0, its bearing-rollers, and thelower portion of the pattern-roller A, which revolves in a longitudinal slot formed in the top between the two halves of said casing, its upper portion projecting above the casing in order to receive the cloth. The upper portions of the wall of the casingJ are curved outwardly and down wardlyaway from the patternroller, and serve as guides upon which the cloth passes to and from said roller. This casing extends the entire length of the rollers between the standards A.

The projecting end ol'theshaft ol'the patternroller has fixed upon it a small gear-wheel, L, which meshes with a large gear-wheel, 0, upon the shaft of the supporting-roller C, and this shaft is also provided with a similar gear-wheel, O, which meshes with a motion-transmitting gear-wheel, Gr, mounted in a slot in the bedplate and meshing with another transmittingwhcel, G,journalcd below the bed-plate on a stud, g, projecting inwardly from the frame F. This wheel G meshes with a larger gear-wheel, H, upon the shaft of the drawing or cloth-feeding roller I, which isjournaled in arms K, projecting forward from the frame below the level of the bed-plate. This drawing-roller Iis provided with projecting points, which engage with the cloth and move it forward in the direction indicated by the arrow 1. It will thus be understood that the pattern-roller and the cloth-feeding roller carrying gears upon the shafts thereof, and being constantly and uniformly rotated together by means of intermediate gears meshing, as shown in the drawings, said gears beingproperly proportioned, the circum ferential travel of said rollers will beat precisely the same speed.

TheletterMdenotesaledger-blade, arranged with its edge above and close to the patternroller to hold the nap of the cloth in position to be properly cut.

The letters N N designate guide-rollers for the cloth, which, in Fig. 1, is indicated by the letter P. The shaft of the drawing or feed roller is connected with the driving-shaft ofthe machine, and may receive motion from any suitable source. This drivingshal't is shown in Fig. 5 at R, its driving-pulley being R. There is mounted upon said shaft adjoining to the driving-pulley It a small pulley, R giving mo tion by means of a belt, 1", to a pulley, S, upon the shaft 8, and this shaft carries a pinion, S, that gears with a large cog-wheel, H, upon one end of the shaft of the cloth-feeding roller I, giving a slow motion to the latter. A rapid motion is given to the revolving cutter B from a large pulley, R, on the driving-shaft R by means of a belt, 1*, passing over guide-pulleys t and around the pulley b upon one end of the revolving cutter-sha ft. The cloth being drawn from a reel or receiver (not shown) is passed over the pattern-roller, as shown, and engaged with the points of the feed-roller. The tension upon the cloth is then so adjusted as to draw it tight enough upon the pattern-roller to cause the relief-pattern to project a corresponding surface of the cloth outwardly beyond the general surface of the same, and in a position to have its nap cut away by the action ofthe cutter-blades 1) against the led ger-blade.

The pattern-roller, supported as above described, can be used in combination with a plain rotary cutter, a revolving cutter having notched blades, a notched ledger-blade, or a plain led ger-blade.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1. In a machine for cutting figures or designs on cloth, the combination, with the pat tern-roller of small diameter and its bracing roller, of the adjustable casing J, to support the sides ofsaid pattern-roller and to guide the cloth steadily to and from said pattern-roller, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the pattern-roller and its bracing-roller, of the frameF and bearing-rollers D, and adjustable blocks E thereof, whereby the axles of said pattern and bracing rollers may be maintained in true rectilinear position, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the pattern-roller A, its bracing-roller 0, adjustable casing, and the feed-roller I, of gears positively connecting said rollers, substantially as described, whereby the circumferential travel of all of said rollers will be precisely at the same speed, for the purpose specified.

J. HARPER SMITH.

Witnesses: I

ADOLPH MACK, P. B. S'IRYKER.

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