US 4,078,032 AGranted

Method and apparatus for fabricating a continuous length of cleated belting

OwnerRalph B. Wennerinventor

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for fabricating continuous lengths of cleated belting. The method includes the steps of feeding a continuous length of belting base material alternately forwardly with or over and backwardly with, a cleat positioning mold first into, then out of and then through the space between vertically moveable press platens. The cleats are assembled with and cured to the base material in longitudinally adjacent groups. Each group of raw cleats and a corresponding section of the base material is moved with the mold forwardly into the press, cured, and then moved rearwardly with the mold out from between the press platens. The cured section is separated from the mold. A new group of uncured cleats is positioned for a succeeding section. The base material, including the cured section, is moved forwardly relative to the mold until the last cured cleat of the group of cured cleats is positioned at the first of the cleat positions of the mold. This moves the succeeding section of the base material over the mold and the raw cleats. The mold, the new group of raw cleats and the succeeding section of the base material then are moved into the press for curing with the preceding cured section being moved beyond the press. The apparatus comprises the press, the moveable mold, the mechanisms for reciprocating the belting base and the mold and mechanism for separating molded sections sequentially in order to carry out the process.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for fabricating a continuous length of cleated belting, said method comprising the steps of

(a) positioning a plurality of elongated uncured cleats with their upper edges downwardly in complementary longitudinally spaced recesses in a moveable mold, such recesses extending generally laterally of the length of the belting being fabricated,
(b) feeding a length of continuous belting base material from a supply forwardly over the mold and through between spaced heated press platens,
(c) moving the mold and the base material concommitantly forwardly into position between the press platens,
(d) closing the press platens and curing the cleats to the section of the base material that overlies the cleats,
(e) opening the press platens,
(f) moving the mold and the entire length of the base material including the cured section backwardly until the cured section is removed from between the press platens,
(g) lifting the cured section upwardly for removing the cured cleats from the mold recesses,
(h) positioning additional uncured cleats in all of the mold recesses except the first recess at the front of the moveable mold,
(i) feeding the entire length of the base material including the cured section forwardly over and beyond the mold while progressively lowering the cured section downwardly toward the mold level and holding the mold stationary until the last cured cleat reaches a position overlying the first recess,
(j) fitting the last cured cleat into the first recess,
(k) moving the mold and the entire length of the base material forwardly through the space between the platens until the mold is positioned therebetween, and
(l) serially repeating steps (d) through (k) until a desired length of continuous cleated belting has been fabricated.

9 more elements

Apparatus for fabricating a continuous length of cleated belting, said apparatus comprising, in combination,

(a) a press having opposed, heated, planar platens and mechanism for opening and closing said press,
(b) a mold carriageway extending rearwardly from and substantially at the level of the lower one of said platens,
(c) means for forwardly feeding and rearwardly retracting a continuous web of belting base material over said carriageway and through the space between said platens,
(d) a mold carriage having a plurality of spaced, generally laterally extending recesses in its upper surface, such recesses being complementary to the cleats to be cured to the base material, and
(e) means for moving said mold carriage back and forth between a position on said carriageway and a position between said press platens.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.