Bleeder cord affixing device and method

A bleeder cord affixing device comprising:

• a treatment member feeding device for feeding a treatment member in a direction;
• an affixing roller disposed to extend in a breadth direction across the direction in which the treatment member is fed;
• a bleeder cord arranging device for guiding and arranging a plurality of bleeder cords with leading ends thereof in parallel rows along the direction in which the treatment member is fed;
• an affixing roller moving mechanism rotatably supporting the affixing roller thereon and being operative to move the affixing roller between a pressed position in which the affixing roller is pressed onto the treatment member being fed, to cause the affixing roller to be rotated due to friction with the treatment member being fed, and a standby position in which the affixing roller is moved away from the treatment member;
• said affixing roller moving mechanism being configured to move the affixing roller in the standby position to the pressed position onto the treatment member being continuously fed, in a state in which the leading ends of the plurality of bleeder cords arranged by the bleeder cord arranging device are attached to an outer surface of the affixing roller, and to cause the affixing roller to rotate due to friction with the treatment member to thereby press the leading ends of the plurality of bleeder cords onto the treatment member so as to affix and adhere the plurality of bleeder cords continuously to the treatment member, wherein:
• the affixing roller is rotatable in one direction only, which is a direction in which the affixing roller is rotated due to the friction with the treatment member, created when the affixing roller is pressed on the treatment member being continuously fed, and
• a pass roll is supported on the bleeder cord arranging device, to extend in parallel with the affixing roller supported on the affixing roller moving mechanism, at such a disposition that the plurality of bleeder cords arranged in parallel rows by the bleeder cord arranging device are passed on the pass roll prior to the leading ends of the plurality of bleeder cords being attached to the affixing roller, the pass roll being rotatable only in one direction that is same as the direction in which the affixing roller is rotatable;
• and
• a bleeder cord cutting device for cutting trailing end portions of the plurality of bleeder cords, which have been affixed to the treatment member by the bleeder cord affixing device;
• wherein:
• the bleeder cord cutting device is provided with a bleeder cord clamping mechanism, including;
• pairs of opposing clamping plates between which are passed the trailing end portions of the plurality of bleeder cords extending from the bleeder cord arranging device and affixed to the treatment member, a drive member connected to one of the opposing clamping plates of each pair so as to move the one clamping plate of each pair toward the other clamping plate of each pair to clamp the trailing end portions of the plurality of bleeder cords between the opposing clamping plates of each pair, and a resilient member disposed between the drive member and the one clamping plate of each pair;
• the drive member connected to the one clamping plate of each pair has thereon a cutter with a cutting blade directed toward the other clamping plate of each pair and the trailing end portions of the plurality of bleeder cords;
• the one clamping plate of each pair is normally made to protrude toward the other clamping plate of each pair beyond the cutting blade of the cutter by a force of the resilient member;
• and
• the bleeder cord clamping mechanism and the cutters are configured to operate such that, when the opposing clamping plates of each pair, clamping the plurality of bleeder cords therebetween, are urged against each other by the operation of the drive member accompanied by compression of the resilient member, the cutting blade of the cutter fixed to the drive member is caused to project beyond the one clamping plate of each pair thereby to cut the plurality of bleeder cords.