Method and apparatus for forming a down feather sheet by heat injection
OwnerRonie Reubeninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for forming a down feather sheet is described and wherein a mixture of down feathers and a binder material is fused together by injecting hot air under pressure into the mixture. A plurality of hot air injection needles are caused to penetrate into a layer of the mixture as it is conveyed along a conveyor and to release hot air at a temperature sufficient to cause the binder material to fuse together and to the down causing the down and the binder material to be trapped into the layer. The displacement of the hot air injection mechanism is synchronized to the conveying speed and the projection of the needles into the layer is adjusted to the thickness of the layer being conveyed.
Claims20
A method of forming a down feather sheet comprising the steps of:
- i) mixing in a mixing chamber down material with a binder material in predetermined proportions to form a down/binder mixture,
- ii) depositing said down/binder mixture on a conveyor in motion to form a down insulation layer of predetermined thickness,
- iii) restraining exposed surfaces of said down insulation layer above said conveyor along a first conveyor length,
- iv) curing said down/binder mixture in said down insulation layer by injecting heated air into said down/binder mixture at a temperature sufficient to cure said binder material and under predetermined air pressure while said down insulation layer is being displaced by said conveyor in motion to form a homogeneous down insulation sheet.
Apparatus for forming a down feather sheet formed from a mixture of down feathers and binder material, said apparatus comprising a conveyor for conveying said mixture from a mixing chamber, a hot air injection mechanism supported above said conveyor, said hot air injection mechanism having a plurality of perforated hollow needles supported in a pattern by a plenum chamber to admit hot air under predetermined pressure in said needles, a needle housing secured to said mechanism below said plenum chamber for housing in close sliding contact an air injection length of said needles in which holes are formed about their circumference, adjustable vertical displacement means to displace said plenum chamber with respect to said needle housing to cause said needles to extend out of a lower surface of said needle housing a predetermined distance, restraining means to restrain exposed surfaces of said down and binder material above said conveyor along a first conveyor length from said mixing chamber, horizontal displacement means to displace said air injection mechanism in synchronism with the speed of said conveyor from a second conveyor length to a third conveyor length wherein said mixture of down feathers and binder is gradually fused together during displacement of said conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.