Apparatus for forming and trimming articles from a web

In an article forming machine adapted to produce discrete articles from a continuous web of material, the machine comprising

• a forming press for forming the articles in the web,
• a trimming station including a press for trimming the articles from the web, and
• a web transport means for advancing the web past the forming and trimming presses,
• said forming press being constructed to form on each press cycle a plurality of articles arranged over a plurality of unit lengths in the direction of advance of the web, the improvement wherein,
• said web transport means comprises
• first conveyor means for advancing the web to said forming press and thence to said trimming station,
• second conveyor means for advancing the formed web through said trimming station,
• said first and second conveyor means including means for positively engaging the web so as to prevent longitudinal slippage of the web relative to said conveyor means,
• first drive means for driving said first and second conveyor means in unison to advance a section of formed web into said trimming station in such a manner that registry is maintained between said first and second conveyor means,
• severing means operable after said unison movement for severing the web at a location between said conveyor means to provide at said trimming station a severed section of said formed web made up of a plurality of said unit lengths, and
• second drive means for repetitively moving said severed section of web forward a single said unit length at a time within said trimming station while said first conveyor means is stationary,
• said trimming press includes die means extending over only one said unit length, said die means being operable, following each said unit-length movement of said second conveyor, to trim from said web those articles extending along said one unit length of said web.