Puller apparatus with movable mounting arm

A puller apparatus for pulling an extrusion profile as it emerges from an extruder, the puller apparatus comprising:

• a) a path through which an extrusion profile travels downstream from an outlet of an extruder;
• b) an upper nip member and a lower nip member defining a first portion of the path, wherein the upper and lower nip members are spaced apart by a gap sized to accommodate a thickness of the extrusion profile travelling in the path;
• c) an upper extrusion puller member and a lower extrusion puller member defining a second portion of the path downstream from the first portion of the path, wherein at least one of the extrusion puller members is a drive extrusion puller member, the drive extrusion puller member providing forward motion to the extrusion profile travelling through the path, and wherein, in operation, the extrusion profile has a lower temperature at the second portion of the path than the first portion of the path;
• and,
• d) a mounting arm moveably mounted to the puller apparatus, the mounting arm having a pair of laterally spaced apart arm segments, each arm segment having a substantially central mounting location at which location the mounting arm is moveably mounted to the puller apparatus, the mounting arm having a first portion on one side of the substantially central mounting locations and a second portion on an opposed side of the substantially central mounting locations, the first portion is mounted to the upper extrusion puller member, the second portion having a laterally extending cross member spanning the arm segments,
• wherein the mounting arm is moveable from a lowered position in which the upper extrusion puller member is positioned to engage the extrusion profile in the path and a raised position in which the upper extrusion puller member is spaced upwardly from the lowered position,
• wherein the second portion of the mounting arm is unconnected to any portion of the puller apparatus other than a part of the mounting arm whereby, during operation the mounting arm is freely moveable between the lowered position and the raised position,
• wherein the first portion of the mounting arm travels upwardly and forwardly as the mounting arm travels from the lowered position to the raised position, and
• wherein the mounting arm is moveable from the lowered position to the raised position by applying an external force to the cross member.