Magnetic belt clamp
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorChristopher Dale Russo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magnetic belt clamp for clamping homogeneous conveyor belts for cutting or clamping. The magnetic belt clamp includes a clamp bar with one or more magnetic switches along its length. When in the on position, the magnetic switches attract ferromagnetic material in a belt aligner below to clamp a section of a conveyor belt in a gap between the bottom of the clamp bar and the aligner. The aligner has alignment structure on a deck that receives salient belt features to register the belt with respect to a guide track along which a cutting assembly is slid to cut on a precise line across the belt. Belt cutters or magnetic clamps can be readily mounted on a belt splicer to clamp the butt ends of a belt to be spliced.
Claims14
A magnetic belt clamp comprising:
- a clamp bar extending in length from a first end to a second end, in width from a front side to a rear side, and in thickness from a top to a bottom;
- one or more magnetic switches mounted in the clamp bar;
- a belt aligner situated across a gap from the clamp bar and including:
- a ferromagnetic material;
- a deck facing the clamp bar across the gap;
- alignment structure in the deck for receiving salient features on a face of a plastic conveyor belt received in the gap to register the conveyor belt;
- wherein the one or more magnetic switches are manually adjusted between an off position producing no magnetic attraction to the ferromagnetic material in the belt aligner and an on position attracting the belt aligner toward the bottom of the clamp bar and clamping the conveyor belt in the gap between the belt aligner's deck and the clamp bar.
The magnetic belt clamp as claimed in claim 8 comprising spring plungers extending through the side rails to stabilize the clamp bar and to release the clamp bar for removing the conveyor belt from the gap.
A belt cutter comprising:
- a magnetic clamp including:
- a clamp bar extending in length from a first end to a second end, in width from a front side to a rear side, and in thickness from a top to a bottom, and including a series of mounting holes extending through the thickness of the clamp bar from the top to the bottom along the length of the clamp bar;
- a plurality of magnetic switches, each mounted in an individual mounting hole;
- a belt aligner situated below the bottom of the clamp bar across a gap extending the length of the clamp bar and including:
- a ferromagnetic material;
- a deck facing the bottom of the clamp bar across the gap;
- alignment structure in the deck for receiving salient features on a face of a plastic conveyor belt received in the gap to register the conveyor belt;
- wherein the magnetic switches are manually adjusted between an off position producing no magnetic attraction to the ferromagnetic material in the belt aligner and an on position attracting the belt aligner toward the bottom of the clamp bar and clamping the conveyor belt in the gap between the belt aligner's deck and the bottom of the clamp bar;
- a guide track fastened to the front side of the clamp bar and extending along its length;
- a cutting assembly including a cutting blade and a carriage slidably attached to the guide track to slide along the guide track and cut though the conveyor belt clamped in the gap along a line outside the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.