US 3,961,650 A · Weaving method and machine

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for cutting a plurality of patterned strips, suitable for labels, from a broadly woven fabric formed from threads of synthetic material on a broad fabric weaving machine. The weaving is carried out under low warp tension to produce a boxing condition and obviate weft arching. After weaving, the broad woven fabric is guided from the output of the machine at the point where the sley beats up the fabric towards the breast beam to inhibit movement in the reverse direction. This guiding is effected by passing the fabric into an undercut slot, round a bar, and out of the slot again. The guided fabric is then cut into strips and the cut edges of the strips are melted almost simultaneously to weld the same against rippling with the two functions being effected almost simultaneously by use of electrically heated wire/plate pairs arrayed across the width of the fabric according to the desired width for the strips. As a final step, the strips are heated again, in an overall manner, across the machine to relieve tensile stress variations by thermo-stabilization.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of forming a plurality of patterned strips of fabric woven from threads of synthetic material using a broad weaving machine having a sley and a breast beam, which method comprises:

weaving on the broad weaving machine a unitary broad fabric with said strips to be formed extending in parallel relation along the warp direction of said fabric;
conveying said fabric from the position where the sley of said machine beats up the fabric at a sufficiently low warp tension that a boxing condition occurs to obviate weft arching;
guiding the woven fabric leaving the position where the sley beats up the fabric to allow movement towards the breast beam of said machine, but not in the opposite direction;
cutting the guided woven fabric in the warp direction with a heated cutting blade means maintained at a first temperature of at least about 300.degree. C to form strips whereby the edges are welded by the heat and thereby avoids ripping;
separating said strips;
and thereafter further heating the entire body of said separated strips at a second temperature lower than said cutting temperature to relieve varying tensile stress therein by thermostabilization.

3 more elements

In a broad fabric weaving machine having a sley and a breast plate for forming a plurality of strips of fabric from threads of synthetic fiber, the improvement comprising:

a fabric guiding station extending across the width of said machine at the output from the machine where the sley beats up the fabric and ahead of the breast plate, said fabric guiding station comprising a slot and a rounded guide bar therebehind to define a re-entrant part-annular path for passage of woven fabric into said slot, round said bar and back out of said slot;
said guide bar being formed with a left-hand fabric guided thread over the right-hand half of its length in the direction towards a cutting station, and a right-hand guiding thread over its left-hand half;
a heating and cutting station downstream from said guiding station in the fabric path to said breast plate, which station includes a plurality of electrically heated cutting wires successively spaced across the width of said machine in the direction of the weft and extending into the path of the fabric for heating and cutting said woven fabric into desired width separated strips parallel to the warp of the fabric and for heating the cut edges of said strips to weld the same;
and a second heating station comprising an elongated heating member to heat said separated strips extending across the width of said machine downstream from said hot wire cutting and cut edge heating station towards said breast beam for heating the strips at a temperature lower than said cutting temperature to effect thermostabilization of said strips.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Weaving method and machine

Life of this patent

Weaving method and machine

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6