Apparatus and method for butt joining strip-shaped members
AssigneeVmi Holland B.V.
InventorLuuk VAN TIENEN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for joining a leading and a trailing end of one or more strip-shaped members, the apparatus includes: a working surface including a butt line, an arranging device for arranging the leading and trailing end of the member(s) at the butt line, a stitching device for pushing the leading and trailing ends against each other to obtain a butt splice, a transfer device for moving a separator strip onto and away from the working surface, wherein the separator strip is a flat strip including a splice band of a flexible material and a first release surface at a side which faces away from the working surface, and wherein the apparatus is arranged for pulling the separator strip from underneath the butt spliced strip-shaped member(s).
Claims30
1-29. (canceled)
Apparatus for arranging a leading and a trailing end of one or more strip-shaped members on a surface at or near a butt line, wherein the apparatus comprises:
- a working surface comprising the butt line,
- an arranging device for arranging the leading and/or the trailing end of one or more strip-shaped members at or near the butt line on the working surface,
- a stitching device which is movable along the butt line, wherein said stitching device comprises a stitching member for pushing the leading and trailing ends against each other to obtain a butt splice,
- a separator strip which is movable onto said working surface and away from said working surface, wherein said separator strip has a width, when arranged on said working surface, to cover said butt line and an area of said working surface on both sides adjacent to said butt line,
- a transfer device for moving said separator strip onto said working surface and away from said working surface, characterized in that
- said separator strip is a flat strip comprising a splice band of a flexible material and a first release surface at a side which faces away from said working surface, and
- wherein said apparatus is arranged for pulling said separator strip in a pulling direction parallel to the working surface from underneath the butt spliced leading and trailing end of the one or more strip-shaped members.
Method for arranging a leading and a trailing end of one or more strip-shaped members on a surface at or near a butt line, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- providing a working surface comprising the butt line,
- arranging a separator strip onto said working surface, wherein said separator strip is a flat strip comprising a splice band of a flexible material and a first release surface at a side which faces away from said working surface, and wherein said separator strip is arranged to cover said butt line and an area of said working surface on both sides adjacent to said butt line,
- arranging the leading and the trailing end of one or more strip-shaped members at or near the butt line on the separator strip on said working surface,
- pushing the leading and trailing ends against each other to obtain a butt splice, and
- pulling said separator strip in a pulling direction parallel to the working surface from underneath the butt spliced leading and trailing end of the one or more strip-shaped members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.