Machine for stiffening portions of sheet material

In a machine for stiffening a portion of a flexible work piece, the combination with means for dispensing molten thermoplastic adhesive, of a bolster assembly, a movable chill plate and main clamp assembly including a matrix engageable with said portion, said bolster assembly including an auxiliary clamp arranged to be moved by the main clamp assembly to hold said portion of the work piece flat and outspread against a resilient portion of the bolster assembly, mechanism operable while the work is thus held for causing the chill plate and matrix main clamp assembly and said dispensing means to be cooperatively moved in relative translation for depositing molten adhesive including a thicker ridge thereof on a predetermined portion of the matrix of said main clamp assembly, and other mechanism for then registering the main clamp assembly with its matrix in pressing relation with said outspread work piece portion to transfer the deposited adhesive while still molten thereto in such manner that the less viscous adhesive of said ridge is compressed and caused to flow outwardly and in contact with the work beyond the outline of the initial deposit.

A machine as in cliam 4 wherein said other mechanism is also employed to move the matrix of the main clamp assembly into work flattening relation prior to effective operation of the auxiliary clamp against the work.

A machine for stiffening predetermined portions of footwear components or the like, and operable in alternative modes dependent upon whether the component portions having regular or irregular surface, said machine comprising means for releasably supporting a component outspread, means for applying molten thermoplastic to a deposit area with uniform thickness or with such thickness and a contiguous thicker ridge, a carriage adaptable for moving the component itself or a detachable printing-on matrix of chillable metal into and out of position for receiving thermoplastic coating from the applying means, and mechanism thereafter operable, when the matrix is employed, to move the thermoplastic-bearing matrix abruptly against a component held by said supporting means to transfer the coating from the matrix to the irregular work piece portion and spread said ridge material beyond the outline of said deposit area.

In a stiffening or box toe applying machine of the type including in spaced relation a bolster assembly and an applicator means for depositing molten thermoplastic adhesive, a movable carriage, a chill plate main clamp assembly with detachable matrix mounted on the carriage, and mechanism for sequentially moving the carriage in translation and heightwise first to cause the matrix to register a work piece on the bolster assembly, next to cause the matrix to receive a molten thermoplastic deposit from the applicator means, and then to transfer the deposit while an exposed surface thereof is still molten from the matrix to the registered work piece, the matrix being held during said transfer in a pressing relation dwell with respect to said bolster assembly to exude less viscous portions of the deposit outwardly onto the registered work.

For use with a machine for stiffening portions of flexible work pieces and of the type having an applicator for depositing molten thermoplastic, and a carriage relatively movable in translation with respect to the applicator to receive deposited thermoplastic, a bolster assembly secured in register with the carriage when it is remote from the applicator, a chill plate matrix assembly detachably mountable on the carriage, said carriage in its remote position being automatically and relatively movable heightwise with respect to the bolster assembly to carry the matrix assembly with adhesive deposited on a predetermined area thereof and into and out of pressing relation with a work piece portion on the bolster assembly whereby the adhesive is spread beyond said area, and power means for cyclically moving the carriage in either of two modes respectively involving only translation or translation and relative heightwise movement.

In a machine for stiffening portions of flexible work pieces and of the type including a movable chill plate adapted to be cooled by a circulating fluid therein, a bolster assembly, a molten thermoplastic applicator, reciprocable power means including a main clamp for sequentially moving the chill plate into and out of cooperative work holding relation with the bolster assembly and the applicator, and means for detachably mounting a thermoplastic-receiving matrix on one side of the chill plate and the clamp on the opposite side thereof, said power means being automatically operable in a cycle of the machine to force a lesser viscous portion of the thermoplastic deposited by the applicator on the matrix to be spread outwardly thereof as said viscous portion is transferred from the matrix to the work being held by the bolster assembly.

A machine as in claim 19 wherein both the main clamp and the matrix are formed with tapering front and rear portions, a work table having a work supporting surface even with the mounted matrix integral with or affixed to a recessed interlocking member, the recess in said member being shaped to nest the tapered front portions respectively of the clamp and matrix when their tapered rear portions project into correspondingly shaped recesses formed in the chill plate, and spring plunger means yieldably holding the member connected to the chill plate and relatively displaceable to permit detachment of the matrix from the chill plate and/or detachment of the chill plate from the clamp.