Silk screen roller applicator technique

A method for joining the edges of silk screen type fabric material having a magnetic metal on the surface thereof for use in a roller applicator using an apparatus having an outwardly extending base member and a movable fusing bar, comprising the steps of:

• forming at least two index marks spaced back a predetermined distance at both edges of the screen material to be secured together;
• providing at least two guide points on an outwardly extending base member on each side of a fusing line along which the edges are to be secured together;
• aligning the two index marks at each of the first and second screen fabric edges with the two guide points on one side and on the other side, respectively, of said fusing line so that the edges overlap but not more than one-sixteenth of an inch;
• holding the edges of said screen fabric with said overlap in place with magnetic force, leaving said fusing line open;
• stretching a thread of fusable material accurately aligned along said fusing line between the overlapping edges of screen fabric;
• accurately aligning a fusing bar by moving it into position aligned with said base member;
• moving the heated fusing bar into brief engagement with the outer screen fabric edge to heat said metal on the surface thereof and fuse said thread through the mesh openings of both of said edges of the screen fabric;
• and
• removing the resultant closed loop silk screen material from the apparatus by sliding it off the outwardly extending end of the base member, after the fusing bar has been moved away therefrom;
• whereby the edges of said screen material are firmly secured together along a very narrow line, with resultant economies in repetitive printing and associated use of paper stock.

A method for joining the edges of silk screen type material having metal on the surface thereof for use in a roller applicator, comprising the steps of:

• forming at least two index marks spaced back a predetermined distance at both edges of the screen material to be secured together;
• providing at least two guide points on a base member on each side of a fusing line along which the edges are to be secured together;
• coarsely aligning the two index marks at each of the first and second screen fabric edges with the two guide points on one side and on the other side, respectively, of said fusing line, so that the edges overlap by not more than one-sixteenth of an inch;
• separately clamping each of the edges of said screen fabric with said overlap in place leaving said fusing line open;
• shifting at least one of said clamped edges slightly relative to said base member and relative to the other of said clamped edges to provide final accurate alignment of said index marks and said guide points;
• stretching a thread of fusable material accurately aligned along said fusing line between the overlapping edges of screen fabric;
• and
• moving a heated fusing bar into brief engagement with the outer screen fabric edge to heat said metal on the surface thereof and fuse said thread through the surface of both of said edges of the screen fabric;
• whereby the edges of said screen material are firmly secured together along a very narrow line, with resultant economies in repetitive printing and associated use of paper stock.