Extended nip press for the leather industry
AssigneeAlbany International Corp.
InventorEric Romanski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An extended nip press machine, similar to those used in the paper industry, for use in the leather industry to remove water from hides after the tanning process. The leather press consists of a shoe whose surface substantially matches the radius of an opposing pressure roll. Moving across the shoe is an endless belt, which is lubricated by a thin film of oil. Between the belt and corresponding pressure roll pass two endless felt belts, which are the means of conveying the leather hides. The nip formed by the shoe press is dramatically longer than a conventional press nip, thereby increasing the dewatering efficiency of the leather press.
Claims17
A press device for use in the leather industry having an extended nip for dewatering hides, comprising:
- a press roll having a smooth cylindrical surface;
- a pressure shoe having a cylindrically concave surface whose radius of curvature is substantially similar to that of the press roll;
- the pressure shoe being in close physical proximity to the press roll, thereby forming the extended nip between the press roll and the pressure shoe;
- hydraulic means operatively attached to the pressure shoe to adjust the distance between the press roll and the pressure shoe to control a pressure of the extended nip;
- a shoe press belt encircling and sliding over the pressure shoe on a lubricating film of oil;
- the shoe press belt being impermeable to oil and having grooves on an outer surface thereof;
- a first felt belt encircling and rotating about the press roll;
- and
- a second felt belt encircling the press belt and rotating about the pressure shoe;
- wherein the shoe press belt prevents the second felt belt from directly sliding against the pressure shoe;
- wherein wet hides are placed between the first and second felt belts and conveyed through the extended nip;
- the extended nip pressing water from the hides through the second felt belt where the water is channeled away via the grooves in the shoe press belt.
A shoe press belt for use on an extended nip press to dewater hides in the leather industry, characterized by machine direction grooves and cross-machine direction grooves on an outer surface of the shoe press belt, thereby providing voids and/or paths to channel water pressed from the hides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.