US 4,788,911 A · Prepress apparatus for an assembly of stacked sheets

Abstract

An apparatus for prepressing an assembly of stacked, superimposed glass and plastic sheets for subsequent autoclave lamination to provide a glazing includes a frame positioned between a delivery conveyor and a discharge conveyor and carrying prepress and support rollers. The prepress rollers are rotatably mounted in pairs and attached to air cylinders which retract the rollers during entry of an assembly in order to clear a vacuum ring which extends about a peripheral edge of the assembly and then extend the rollers into contact with an upper surface of the assembly to apply pressure thereto. The assembly is supported from its bottom side by the support rollers which are rotatably attached to the frame and are located on either side of a plurality of drive rollers which are rotatably attached to the frame in pairs. The drive rollers are of different diameters and are adjustably mounted on an axis of rotation which is tilted from the horizontal path of the assembly. The drive rollers are driven to move the assembly through the frame while the prepress rollers apply pressure to the asssembly. The different diameters and the tilted axis of rotation compensate for different lengths of the paths of travel of the drive rollers along the surface of the assemblies of curved or bent sheets.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An apparatus for prepressing assemblies of stacked sheets for subsequent lamination thereof, comprising:

a frame;
a delivery conveyor for supporting and advancing a horizontally disposed assembly in a generally horizontal path to one side of said frame;
means for aligning said assembly for entry into said frame including a pair of spaced apart aligning arms positioned adjacent said one side of said frame for engaging a leading edge of said assembly;
means mounted on said frame for applying pressure to said assembly;
and
means for moving said assembly through said frame and said means for applying pressure, said means for moving including a plurality of rollers of different diameter, said rollers being rotatably mounted along an axis of rotation tilted with respect to said horizontal path such that each of said rollers engages a surface of said assembly and means for driving said rollers in rotation to move said assembly through said frame and said means for applying pressure.

3 more elements

An apparatus for prepressing an assembly of stacked sheets for subsequent lamination thereof, comprising:

a frame;
a plurality of prepress rollers rotatably mounted on said frame for engaging one surface of an assembly;
a plurality of support rollers rotatably mounted on said frame for engaging an opposite surface of said assembly;
a plurality of drive rollers of different diameters for engaging one of said surfaces of said assembly and moving said assembly between said prepress rollers and said support rollers;
means for rotatably attaching said drive rollers to said frame including a plurality of brackets each for rotatably supporting a pair of said drive rollers, and a threaded shaft pivotally connected to each of said brackets and supported by said frame;
and
means for vertically adjusting the position of said drive rollers with respect to said one surface of said assembly including a pair of stop nuts threaded onto said shaft, a lower end of said shaft extending through an aperture formed in said frame and a lower one of said stop nuts engaging an upper surface of said frame to determine the vertical position of an associated pair of said drive rollers.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Prepress apparatus for an assembly of stacked sheets

Life of this patent

Prepress apparatus for an assembly of stacked sheets

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17