Portable article strapping apparatus

A portable article strapping apparatus for stretching a thermoplastic strap being wound around an article, then welding the lower strap section and upper strap section of the overlapped part of the thermoplastic strap and simultaneously cutting off the welded overlapped part from said thermoplastic strap, the apparatus comprising a base frame for bearing said overlapped part and for allowing said overlapped part to be loaded into position only in a transverse direction perpendicular to the stretching direction of said thermoplastic strap, a strap take-up mechanism spaced above said overlapped part for taking up said thermoplastic strap, a welding and cutting mechanism disposed above said overlapped part, and a suspension mechanism, wherein:

• said welding and cutting mechanism comprises a friction head moved relative to a first position on said overlapped part, a cutting device moved relative to a second position on said overlapped part, and a reciprocating mechanism controlled to reciprocate said friction head in said first position along said transverse direction, said friction head and said cutting device being synchronously moved between the operative position pressed on said overlapped part and the non-operative position away from said overlapped part;
• said base frame comprises a toothed portion for holding the lower strap section of said overlapped part from being moved in said transverse direction and the stretching direction of said thermoplastic strap;
• said strap take-up mechanism comprises a lever set, a ratchet wheel having a wheel shaft pivoted to said lever set and pressed on said overlapped part and controlled to stretch said thermoplastic strap, and a pressure mechanism coupled to the wheel shaft of said ratchet wheel and controlled to give it a downward pressure when said ratchet wheel is pressed on said overlapped part, said lever set being operated to move said ratchet wheel away from said overlapped part to a release position;
• said suspension mechanism comprises a moving part moved relative to said overlapped part between a stop position and an action position, a retainer for holding said moving part in said stop position, and an operating arm for moving said moving part to said stop position and said lever set to said release position simultaneously, said friction head and said cutting device being moved away from said overlapped part by said moving part when said moving part is moved to said stop position, said friction head and said cutting device being pressed on said overlapped part when said moving part is moved to said action position.