Belt fabrication machine

Apparatus for fabricating belts comprising, in combination,

• (a) web supply means for supplying a web having a leading edge from a web supply roll to a belt loop forming station,
• (b) a web receiving platform,
• (c) web retention means adapted to temporarily retain said leading edge of said web on said web receiving platform,
• (d) web pick-up means adapted to temporarily grip said web and pull said leading edge a predetermined distance downstream from said web receiving platform,
• (e) web cutter means adapted to sever said web to form a web segment having a trailing edge, a midsection and said leading edge,
• (f) a first invertable gripper paddle means adapted to temporarily grip the lower surface of said trailing edge of said web,
• (g) means to temporarily align said first invertable gripper paddle adjacent to, downstream from and spaced from said cutting edge,
• (h) an anvil comprising an elongated arm having a free end, a pivotable end, an upper surface, and having at least one leading edge gripper opening and at least one trailing edge gripper opening, said openings extending along the length of said upper surface of said elongated arm and being substantially parallel to each other and spaced from each other by an anvil welding surface,
• (i) means to pivot said anvil at said pivotable end to convey said free end through an arc of about 90.degree. from an initial position in which the centerline along the length of said anvil is substantially parallel to the path of said web pick-up means to a position in which said centerline of said anvil is substantially perpendicular to said path and to subsequently pivot said anvil to return said anvil to said initial position,
• (j) means to form a partial vacuum within said leading edge gripper opening,
• (k) means to form a partial vacuum within said trailing edge gripper opening
• (l) means to align said first invertable gripper paddle in an inverted position on said leading edge gripper opening of said anvil whereby said trailing edge of said web segment forms a loop over said midsection of said web segment,
• (m) a second invertable gripper paddle means spaced downstream from said first invertable gripper paddle means, said second invertable gripper paddle means being adapted to temporarily grip the lower surface of said leading edge of said web,
• (n) means to align said second invertable gripper paddle at a position downstream from said cutting edge, the downstream distance being less than said predetermined distance downstream from said web receiving platform,
• (o) means to temporarily retain said web pick-up means adjacent to and above said second invertable gripper means,
• (p) means to align said second invertable gripper in an inverted position on said trailing edge gripper opening of said anvil whereby said leading edge of said web segment forms a loop over said midsection of said web segment and said leading edge forms a lap joint with said trailing edge and said midsection of said web segment forms the bottom of a loop loosely suspended from said lap joint,
• (q) belt welding means adapted to weld said lap joint, and
• (r) means to activate said welding means to weld said lap joint while said lap joint is secured to said elongated arm of said anvil to form a welded belt.

A process for fabricating belts comprising providing a web from a supply roll, said web having a leading edge adjacent a cutting edge, gripping the upper surface of said web adjacent said leading edge, conveying said leading edge in a straight path a predetermined first distance from said cutting edge while maintaining said web under tension, gripping the lower surface of said web adjacent to and upstream from said cutting edge, gripping the lower surface of said web adjacent to, downstream from and spaced from said cutting edge, cutting said web at said cutting edge to from a web segment having said leading edge at one end and a trailing edge at the opposite end, conveying said leading edge a predetermined second distance in an upstream direction to form slack in said web, gripping the lower surface of said web adjacent to and spaced from said leading edge, gripping the lower surface of said web adjacent to and spaced from said trailing edge, inverting said lower surface of said web adjacent said leading edge, inverting said lower surface of said web adjacent said trailing edge, overlapping said leading edge and said trailing edge on an upper surface of an elongated anvil at a home position, said anvil having a centerline positioned substantially perpendicular to said straight path of said web, to form a loop of said web segment loosely suspended from a lap joint formed by the overlapped leading edge and trailing edge, conveying said loop of said web segment on said anvil along an arcuate path to position said joint substantially parallel to the direction of said straight path, welding said lap joint on said anvil to form a belt welded at said joint, conveying said loop of said web segment on said anvil in an arcuate path in a direction opposite the previous direction until said centerline of said anvil traverses said straight path of said web, and removing said belt from said anvil.

Apparatus for fabricating belts comprising, in combination,

• (a) web supply means for supplying a web having a leading edge from a web supply roll to a belt loop forming station,
• (b) a web receiving platform,
• (c) web retention means adapted to temporarily retain said leading edge of said web on said web receiving platform,
• (d) web pick-up means adapted to temporarily grip said web and pull said leading edge a predetermined distance downstream from said web receiving platform,
• (e) web cutter means adapted to sever said web to form a web segment having a trailing edge, a midsection and said leading edge,
• (f) a first invertable gripper paddle means adapted to temporarily grip the lower surface of said trailing edge of said web,
• (g) means to temporarily align said first invertable gripper paddle adjacent to, downstream from and spaced from said cutting edge,
• (h) an anvil comprising an elongated arm having a free end, a supported end, an upper surface, at least one leading edge gripper opening and at least one trailing edge gripper opening, said openings extending along the length of said upper surface of said elongated arm and being substantially parallel to each other and spaced from each other by an anvil welding surface,
• (i) means to position the centerline of said anvil at a loading location substantially perpendicular to the path of said web pick-up means,
• (j) means to form a partial vacuum within said leading edge gripper opening,
• (k) means to form a partial vacuum within said trailing edge gripper opening
• (l) means to align said first invertable gripper paddle in an inverted position on said leading edge gripper opening of said anvil whereby said trailing edge of said web segment forms a loop over said midsection of said web segment,
• (m) a second invertable gripper paddle means spaced downstream from said first invertable gripper paddle means, said second invertable gripper paddle means being adapted to temporarily grip the lower surface of said leading edge of said web,
• (n) means to align said second invertable gripper paddle at a position downstream from said cutting edge, the downstream distance being less than said predetermined distance downstream from said web receiving platform,
• (o) means to temporarily retain said web pick-up means adjacent to and above said second invertable gripper means,
• (p) means to align said second invertable gripper paddle in an inverted position on said trailing edge gripper opening of said anvil whereby said leading edge of said web segment forms a loop over said midsection of said web segment and said leading edge forms a lap joint with said trailing edge and said midsection of said web segment forms the bottom of a loop loosely suspended from said lap joint,
• (q) belt welding means adapted to weld said lap joint,
• (r) means at said supported end of said anvil to convey said anvil from said loading location along a path in a single plane in a first direction to said belt welding means at a loading location and to return said anvil to said loading location in a direction that is opposite said first direction, and
• (s) means to activate said welding means to weld said lap joint while said lap joint is secured to said elongated arm of said anvil to form a welded belt.