GB2196657A - Bagging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In a bagging machine for fabric pieces, the triangular construction of rods 7, 8, which is well known for effecting a folding of the pieces edge-to-edge, is arranged to be movable backwards and forwards as per arrow 16 relative to a supporting structure on which is mounted a sewing machine. By virtue of the arrangement, the machine can insert a row of stitches into the folded fabric parallel to the aligned edges in spite of variations in the width of the fabric. The fabric is fed over the triangular construction and drapes down either side and over rods 18 and through edge guides 36. The fabric is now folded and is passed under roller 24 through rollers 25, 26 which provide a drive and over roller 27 and hence to a sewing machine. To adjust for variations in fabric width the triangular construction is moved mechanically via hand wheel 15 or, automatically via a sensor adjacent the sewing machine and pneumatic devices. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bagging machine The invention relates to bagging machines for the textile industry, that is to say machines for sewing the longitudinal edges of fabric pieces together prior to subjecting them to finishing operations.

The process of bagging comprises the step of folding the fabric lengthwise and sewing the longitudinal edges together to form a flat tube. Conventionally the folding of the fabric is effected by advancing the fabric lengthwise over an assembly of rods arranged in a triangular configuration with the longitudinal centre line of the fabric passing over and folding at one of the angles of the triangle, and the edges of the fabric draping over the respective rods forming that angle and being brought into register with one another.

A problem arises in attempting to sew the edges together with a sewing machine after folding because of variations in width of the piece along its length which typically is 60 yards or more.

With the sewing machine located in a fixed position relative to the fabric fold line, increases in cloth width result in the- stitching running further from the edge than is desirable whilst a narrowing of the fabric may result in this line of stitching running off the fabric altogether. Attempts have been made in the past to make the sewing machine positionally adjustable and to follow the wandering edge line, but these attempts have not been particularly successful or have resulted in very expensive machines.

According to the present invention there is provided a bagging machine comprising a frame mounting a sewing machine, an assembly of rods arranged in a triangular configuration and means for displacing the assembly relative to the frame in accordance with variations in the width of the fabric.

The displacement means may be manually operated or may be controlled by means adapted to sense the position of the aligned edges of the fabric.

Preferably the fabric is drawn over the assembly of rods and past the sewing machine in a series of intermittent movements. The length of each movement may be varied and is preferably equal to the length of a finite number of stitches of the sewing machine.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a side elevation on a bagging machine; Figure 2 is a partial front elevation of the machine of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a view from beneath of a fabric folding over the machine; and Figure 4 is a detail of the drive mechanism.

The frame of the machine consists essentially of two end assemblies 1 each comprising a rearward upright 2. a forward upright 3 and an upper beam 4 supported by the uprights.

Horizontal beams 5 connect the end frames 1 and support a central transverse horizontal beam 6 which as shown in Figure 1 extends forwardly of the forward uprights 3.

The frame supports a folding triangle of a type which is well known in the art. The triangle comprises a rod 7 parallel to beams 5 and a pair of rods 8 extending from the rod 7, with which they make equal angles, coming together at a point A. The rods 8 incline downwardly from rod 7 to point A and a further rod 9 is secured to the rods 8 and extends downwardly from point A. The rods 7, 8 and 9 are of circular section and have a smooth surface to facilitate the sliding of fabric thereover.

The assembly of rods 7, 8 and 9 is rigid and is supported both by a pair of rods 10 which in turn are supported by the upper beams 4 and by rod 11 which in turn is supported by the central beam 6.

However, the mounting blocks 1-2 supporting the respective rods 10, 11 are such as to allow the rods to slide longitudinally therethrough. Moreover, portion 13 of rod 11 is threaded and passes through a similarly threaded block 14 mounted on the beam 6 and the rod 11 terminates in a hand wheel 15 by means of which it may be rotated about its longitudinal axis. It will be appreciated therefore that as the wheel 15 is turned, the action of the threaded portion relative to the block 14 will cause the rod 11 to slide through blockes 12 forwardly or backwardly according to the direction of rotation of the wheel, and consequently the assembly of rods 7, 8 and 9 will move, with corresponding sliding of the rod 10 in the blocks 12, in the direction shown by the arrow 16.

An upright column 17 is arranged forwardly of the rod 9 in the foremost position of its adjustable movement, and at its upper end, which is higher than point A where the rods 8 come together, it supports two further smooth rods 1 8 which diverge in a horizontal plane to pass outside the triangle formed by the rods 7 and 8 to terminate in the plane of the forward uprights 3. The divergent ends of rods 18 are supported by uprights 19 which in turn are supported by one of the horizontal members 5.

A pair of smooth rods 20 extend lengthwise of the frame between the upper beams 4. At their rearward ends the beams 4 also support brackets 21 which in turn support parallel rollers 22, 23 which extend lengthwise of the frame.

In use of the apparatus as described, a piece of open width fabric, in the form of a roll or other convenient package, is located behind the frame. A free end of the piece is raised from the package and threaded around the rollers 22, 23 as shown, carried over the top of the frame where it is supported by the rods 20, and laid over the triangle of rods 7, 8. The apparatus as described so far is substantially symmetrical about the line of the upright rod 9, and the fabric is arranged so that the centre of its width lies at point A. The respective edges of the fabric drape over the convergent rods 8 and are then drawn under the rods and over the respective rods 18.A downward pull on the leading edge of the fabric piece causes the fabric to unwind from its package, ride over the rods 20 and slide over the convergent rods 18 and 8 so that a central fold is formed at point A and continues downwards along the rod 9 whilst the longitudinal edges fall vertically downwards one at each side of the central beam 6.

A roller 24 is mounted below a rod 9 for free rotation about a horizontal axis. One lateral edge of the roller 24 is in vertical alignment with the rod 9.

A further roller 25 is arranged to one side of roller 24 and slightly below it so the lower edge of roller 24 is in the same plane as the upper edge of roller 25. A disc 26 forms a nip with the roller 25 at the end of the roller nearest the plane of the uprights 3. The disc 26 is not directly driven but is urged with considerable pressure against roller 25. Still further removed from the roller 24 and elevated above disc 26 is a further horizontal roller 27 which is driven at a surface speed slightly in excess of that of the roller 25, the speed ratio being 6:5.

As the two sides of the fabric, folding centrally along the line of rod 9, fall at the respective sides of the beam 6, they are brought into face to face contact by being wrapped around one side and underneath roller 24 which is somewhat longer than half the width of the fabric and extends at least as far as the rod 9 in its foremost position.

From the underside of roller 24 the fabric, now folded flat widthwise passes over roller 25 where it is engaged in the vicinity of the edges by the disc 26. From the nip between the disc 26 and the roller 25 the fabric is taken up and over the roller 27 from whence it falls to a receiving station not shown.

It will be understood that the fabric is drawn from the supply package, over the frame, and is drawn foldingly over the rods 8 and 18 by the tension imparted by the roller 27 and more particularly by the nip between the disc 26 and the roller 25. In other embodiments not shown the disc 26 is replaced by a full width roller forming a nip with the roller 25 along the whole of its length.

A sewing machine 28 is located above th horizontal reach of fabric stretched between rollers 24 and 25. The sewing machine is of conventional construction and has a vertically reciprocating needle arrange to penetrate the fabric from above. and a shuttle or looping device arranged underneath the fabric for engagement with the needle when it penetrates through the fabric in its downward movement.

The sewing machine has no feed dogs, however, the passage of the fabric past the sewing machine being effected exclusively by the rollers 25 and 27 as already described. The reciprocal motion of the needle and shuttle of the sewing machine 28 is, however, linked to the rotation of the roller 25 by the mechanism shown in the figure 4.

A sprocket wheel 29 is driven by an electric motor 30 and in turn drives the sewing machine drive wheel 31 by means of a timing belt 32, the tension of which is maintained by means of a tension roller 33.

A rod 34 is connected at one end eccentrically of the drive wheel 29 and at its other end connects to a crank 35 fast to a Spragg clutch which is arranged coaxially with the roller 25. During somewhat less than half of the rotation of the wheel 29 the action of the rod 34 on the crank 35 is to turn the Spragg clutch and with it the roller 25. but during the remainder of the rotation of the wheel 29 the reverse movement of the rod 34 returns the crank 35 without reversing the rotation of the feed roller 25. The rod 34 can be connected to the crank 35 at different positions along its length to effect different degrees of rotation of the feed roller 25 for every full revolution of the wheel 29 so that the fabric is advanced intermittently in variable steps past the sewing machine which inserts one stitch or a given number of stitches for every advance of the fabric.

In order that the edges of the fabric shall be kept in alignment despite variations in the width of the fabric and despite any tendency of the fabric to wander from a symmetrical position relative to the point A, each halfwidth of fabric passing from the rod 18 to the roller 24 passes through a guider 36. The guiders 36 are conventional units and comprise a pair of generally parallel rollers one of which rocks about a central axis perpendicular to its longitudinal rotational axis so that depending on the orientation relative to the central axis it either does or does not form a nip with the other roller. When the rollers form a nip the guider tends to draw the fabric in its own plane away from the rod 9, but the guider also comprises a feeler which is arranged to tilt the rocking roller to its nonnipping position when the edge of the fabric reaches the feeler. Since there is a similar guider acting on both halves of the fabric and the guiders are arranged symmetrically with respect to the rod 9, the arrangement ensures that the edges of the fabric are in complete alignment and would engage the roller 24 at a non-varying position were it not for the abovementioned tendency of pieces to vary in width along their length.

Were the position of the rod 9 to be fixed relative to the position of the sewing machine 28, a widening of the fabric would, assuming that the guiders were able to maintain the edges of the fabric in alignment, cause the stitching to be inserted further from the edge than required whilst a narrowing of the fabric may similarly result in the stitching line running off the fabric altogether.However, with the mechanism for the control of the position of the folding triangle as described, an operative can watch for any variations in the position of the stitch line relative to the edge of the fabric, and if the stitch line is running too close to the edge by reason of a narrowing of the fabric he will turn the hand wheel 13 in such a direction as to draw the folding triangle including the downward rod 9 inwards towards the frame so that the stitch line re-establishes its desired spacing from the edge. Similarly if the operative observes that the stitching is wandering away from the aligned edges he can operative the wheel 15 in the opposite direction and push the folding triangle away from the framework so that the fold is pushed away from the sewing machine and again the stitch line is returned to its required position relative to the aligned edges.While the operative is thus engaged, the guiders 36 will be ensuring that the edges are in alignment irrespective of the width of the fabric, it being understood that they are powerful enough if required to pull fabric from one side of the rod 9 to the other to effect an equalisation of the two halves of the fabric.

The apparatus can be more completely automated by arranging that the movement of the rods 10 and 11 can be effected by, say, pneumatic devices instead of by the rotation of a threaded portion, and the pneumatic devices may be controlled by sensors or feelers arranged to detect any diversion of the position of the aligned edges relative to the needle of the sewing machine. Thus an increase in the distance between the needle and the edge would result in the pneumatic devices pushing the folding triangle outwardly and any reduction in the spacing causes the pneumatic devices to draw the folding triangle inwards towards the framework.

Claims (6)

1. A machine for the folding of lengths of fabric lengthwise and for sevving the aligned longitudinal edges together comprises a frame mounting a sewing machine, an assembly of rods arranged in a triangular configuration, and means for displacing the assembly relative to the frame in accordance with variations in the width of the fabric.

2. A machine according to Claim 1 wherein the displacement means are manually operated.

3. A machine according to Claim 1 wherein the displacement means are controlled by means adapted to sense the position of the aligned edges of the fabric.

4. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fabric is drawn over the assembly and passed the sewing machine in a series of intermittent movements.

5. A machine according to Claim 4 wherein the length of each movement is equal to the length of a finite number of stitches of the same machine.

6. A machine for the folding of lengths of fabric lengthwise and for sewing the aligned longitudinal edges together substantially as described with reference to the drawings.