US3158897A

US3158897A - Machine for shaping a fabric sheet unit to form a sheath for storage battery plates

Info

Publication number: US3158897A
Application number: US336738A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ball Harry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-01-09
Filing date: 1964-01-09
Publication date: 1964-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1981-12-01

Description

Dec. 1, 1964 H. BALL 7 MACHINE FOR SHAPING A FABRIC SHEET UNIT TO FORM A SHEATH FOR STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Jan. 9. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. A4406? r344 A A ORNEYS Dec. 1, 1964 H. BALL 3, 3,3

MACHINE FOR SHAPING A FABRIC SHEET UNIT TO FORM A SHEATH FOR STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Jan. 9, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 1 I a fi 0 2 INVENTOR. Awe/e n34; z.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 1, 1964 H. BALL 3,153,897

MACHINE FoR SHAPING A FABRIC SHEET UNIT TO FORM A SHEATH FoR STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Jan. 9, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 i H I ,1 J 2 57 87 INVENTOR. 52 A444 r3444 ATTORNEYS 3,158,897 RM A SHEATH 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 u Q m pm? QN a u R I I MACHINE FOR SHAPING A FA Dec. 1, 1964 Filed Jan.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent bush 6 lsate Terrace, New Brunswick, Nil. .iau. 9, 1%4, See. No. 335,738 1- (iil. 13--4) The present invention relates to a machine for shaping a fabric sheet unit to form a sheath for storage battery plates.

In certain types of storage batteries, t'-ere is provided a fabric sheath for retaining a series of pencil-like electrode elements, each comprising a slender body of lead oxide or other active material through which passes a conductive spline. The splines are connected at one end to a bus bar to form a grid.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved machine by which a flexible or limp double fabric blank in the form of a continuous sheet unit containing a series of flat pockets, is shaped by continuous automatic operation into an inflated, self-sustaining sheath having a series of expanded pockets to receive active storage battery materials, such as lead oxide therein.

In accordance with the present invention, the blank from which the sheath is formed constitutes two continuous face to face fabric sheets, which are Woven or knitted from thermoplastic heat-shrinkable synthetic yarns or fibers, and which are interlaced or interwoven at intervals to form a series or" parallel flat pockets. The continuous double sheet unit so constructed moves lengthwise in one direction through a heating zone and a series of die rods or mandrels are moved transversely of said rods along a path parallel to the path of the sheet unit and in a direction opposite to the direction of said sheet unit. At a station prior to the entry of the double sheet unit into the heating zone, there are provided means for pushing these die rods successively endwise from said rod path into successivepockets of the sheet unit, and means for opening up the mouths of the flat pockets at their rod entry end prior to the insertion of the rods into said pockets to facilitate the rod inserting operation. The pockets before Lhey are heat-stressed are large enough to receive the die rods therein loosely. The double fabric sheet unit carrying the die rods therein pass through the heating zone Where the fibers are heated to the softening point of the fibers. This will cause the fabric of the sheet unit to shrink snugly about the die rods so that the pockets become set and preformed to the peripheral shape of the rods and the fabric will attain self-sustaining stillness to form the sheath. On the outlet side of the heating zone, means are provided for automatically pulling out the die rods from the heat-shrunk shaped pockets of the fabric and for depositing them on a conveyor along said rod path for carriage along said rod path back into position to be reinserted into the flat pockets on the inlet side of the heating zone. The fabric sheath so formed will have its pockets fully inflated.

By the operation described, the insertion of die rods into the frat pockets of the double fabric unit sheet, the heat-shrinking of the sheet unit with inserted rods to shape the sheet unit into inflated pocket form, the withdrawal of the rods from the pockets of the shaped sheet and the return of the withdrawn rods back for reinsertion into the fiat fabric sheet unit is carried out automatically and continuously. The feed of the blank sheet unit for such continuous operation can be carried out without interruption or intermittently, but as long as this feed is made automatically repetitive and is corr and synchronized with the other operations on the sheet "ice FIG. 1 is a top plan view somewhat diagrammatic of the fabric shaping machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement in top plan view of a portion of FIG. 1 in the area indicated in dot and dash lines in FIG. 1 and shows the machine during fabric shaping operation;

FIG. 3 is a detail lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail lines 44 of FIG. 2;

FiG. 5 is a detail lines 5-5 of FIG. 2;

PEG. 6 is a detail lines 66 of PEG. 1;

PEG. 7 is a detail lines '77 of PEG. 1

FIG. 8 is a detail lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective of the fabric sheet unit just prior to the entry of a die rod into a pocket whose month has been opened;

FIG. 10 is a perspective of the heat-stressed shaped sheath produced by the machine; and

FIG. 11 is a wiring diagram showing the controls for the various pneumatic units in the machine.

Referring to the drawings, and especially to FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine of the present invention has a feed mechanism It for continuously advancing a blank in the form of a continuous double fabric sheet unit 11 in the direction A and a conveyor mechanism 12 for advancing a series of die rods or mandrels 13 in the direction B parallel to the direction A but opposite thereto. The sheet unit 11 consists of two woven cloth sheets 14 and 15 (FIG. 9) juxtaposed face to face and interlaced at spaced sections to form a plurality of flat parallel pockets 16. The sheets 1- and 15 are fabricated from crimped yarns made of thermoplastic heat-shrinkable synthetic fiber material, such as, polypropylene, and the bottom sheet 15 projects on one side beyond the corresponding side of the upper sheet 14 to form a selvage 17 serving the purpose to be described. The woven fabric of the sheet unit M3 is porous enough to permit electrolyte in the storage battery to pass therethrough in use, and is fine enough to retain the activated material with which the pockets 16 are later filled for use in a storage battery. The sheet unit 11 in blank form is flexible and flat and the function of the machine of the present invention is to shape and expand the pockets 16 and heatset them into self-sustaining rigid expanded form.

The double sheet unit 11 is continuously advanced from a roll (not shown) by the feed mechanism 10 comprising a pair of sprocket chains 2% (FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6) pasc'ag over sprockets 21 secured to shafts 22 and supporting the sheet unit 11 to feed said sheet unit continuously in the direction A. The rear shaft 22 is continuously driven from the drive and for that purpose it carries a gear 23, meshing with a pinion 24 on one end of a shaft 25 forming part of the conveyor mechanism 12. -The other end of the shaft 25 carries a sprocket driven from a drive motor 27 through a drive reducer 28 and a chain drive 3 3.

in the path of travel of the double sheet unit 11 is an oven 31 through which passes the sheet unit containing the die rods 13 in its pockets 16, to cause the unit to be heated to the point where the fabric of said sheet unit section of the machine taken on section of the machine taken on section of the machine taken on section of the machine taken on section of the machine taken on and FIG. 8;

section of the machine taken on shrinks about said die rods, is shaped thereby into cylindrical form and is set with self-sustaining rigidity maindie rods 13 are cylindrical in shape and taper at their 7 forward entry ends (FIGS. 2 and 9) to facilitate their insertion into the pockets l6 and are shaped at their rear ends with respective annular grooves 36 (FIGS. 2 and 8) to form respective knobs 37 by which the rods can.

be withdrawn from the pockets after the sheet unit 11 has been shaped, heat-shrunked and set into expanded form, as will be described. The die rods 13 are moved by the conveyor mechanism 12 towards a rod aligning station 40 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) where they are lined up successively with the plunger rod 41 of a pneumatic cylinder 42 for successive injection by said rod into the pockets 16. This rod aligning station 40 comprises a pair of angle irons 43 and 44 (FIGS. 2 and 4) having respective webs secured together face to face and their other webs spaced to form a channel 45 into which the rods are collected and are moved'for successive alignment with the plunger'rod 41. The plunger rod 41 is in axial alignment with the longitudinally center of the forward die rod 13 abutting the upstanding web of the angle iron 44. I

The conveyor mechanism 12 which carries the die rods 13 successively towards the rod aligning station 40 com prises the shaft 25 as described, and a shaft (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) parallel thereto these shafts carrying respective sprockets 51 over which pass two spaced chains 52 of the link'type. 52 contain the usual shallow recesses 53 which in the machine of the present invention serve to receive the die The links of the standard sprocket chains rods 13 and carry them in the direction B towards the rod aligning station 40. The die rods 13 are withdrawn from the pockets16 of the shaped double sheet unit 11 after it has emerged from the oven 31 and has been heatshrunk and set, and are deposited onto the chains 52 of,

conveyor mechanism 12.

Before the die rods 13 are inserted into the flat pockets 16 of the sheet unit 11, it is important to open up the mouths of said pockets to facilitate entry or" the rods therein. For that purpose, there is provideda pocket mouth opening mechanism 56 (FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 6) comprising a horizontal support 57 for the sheet unit 11 and an angle iron 60 seated on and secured 'to said support 57 and having a horizontal web 61 along which the selvage 1710f the sheet unit'll rides as the sheet unit is fed endwise, and an upstanding ,web 62 serving as a guide for the side edge of the selvage 17. An upstanding flange 63 integral with the support 57 is spaced from'the end of the web 610f the angle iron 66 to form a channel 64 therewith over which the selvag'e 17 of the sheet unit 11 passes. Ana'rm 65carries a presser foot 66 at one end and is movably mounted on the web 62 of the angle iron 60 by means of a pivot connection 67 near the other end-of the arm. The arm is oscillated about the axis of its pivot connection 67 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 6 8 having a piston rod 70 with a link connection 71 to'said arm. f V a 7 The presser foot 66 is providedion'the bottom with a roughfclamping face 72 and is located so that in selvage clamping position, it clamps the selvage 17 against the web 61 of the angle iron 66 in the region of said selvage just tothe rear of the'channel 64 and just to the rear the pocket 16 through which the next die rod 13 is to be insertedl .The machine isso synchronized that the i presser foot 66 moves into clamping position just at the instant when the pocket 16 next to be rod filled is in line with the channel 64. v

The presser foot 66 carries a spring finger 75 on its rent face extending at its lower end 76 below the clamping face 72 of the presser foot and offset at this lower end to engage the midsection of that segment 77 (FIGS. 4 and 9) of the selvage 17 which is located at one end of the corresponding pocket '16 through which the next,

die rod 13 is to be inserted and which is disposed directly over the channel 64. This finger 75 during the downward movement of the presser foot 66 towards selvage clamping position, presses this segment 77 of the selvage downwardly into the channel 64 and is narrow enough so that it does not engage the top wall of the corresponding pocket 16, thereby causing the mouth of this pocket to open up, as shown in FlGS. 4 and 9. As soonas the mouth of this pocket 16 is open, the die rod 13 is inserted the proper alignment of the rod with the pocket as said rod. is being inserted into said pocket.

Beyond the channel 64 is a support plate 82 (FIGS. 2,

4 and 6) which has its support surface in substantially the same plane as the upper surface of the support 57 and which may either form an integral extension'ofsaid support 57 or constitute a separate fixed support auxiliary to said support 57. As the pockets 16 of the sheet unit 11 are filled with die rods 13, the sheet unit carrying these die rods move along the support'plate 82.

Directly over the support plate 82 is a positivelyv driven wheel 83 (FIGS. l, 2, 5 and 6 havingteeth 84which mesh with the cloth'covered die rods 13 carried by the sheet unit 11 near one side of the sheet unit. This wheel 83'serves not onlyas a means for feeding the sheet unit 11 at a predetermined rate but also as a timing wheel for controlling the operationsof the ditferent pneumatic units. The timing and feeding wheel 83 is supported near one end of a shaft 85 carrying near the other end a similar wheel 86 also meshing with the cloth covered die rods 13 near the other side of the sheet unit 11 to assist the wheel 83 to feed the sheet unit at a predetermined synchronized rate. For driving the shaft 85 there is provided a chain drive 37 between said shaft and the a shaft 50 of the rod conveyor mechanism 12.

. Cooperating with the wheel 83 is a microswitch 88 which is tripped by the'wheel teeth 84 successivelyas said wheel rotates and which is located in series with the circuits of the different pneumatic units to effect their operations in synchronism with the feed of the sheet unit 11, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

- oven about 10 minutes before emerging therefrom. Under v As the sheet unit 11 is filled with the die rods 13, the

rear end sections of the rods project beyond'the'side of the sheet unit 11. As thesheet unit 11 so filled moves away from the rod inserting station,.a fixed cam 99 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 6) along which the rear'ends of the die rods 13 slide serves to align the rearends of these; die rods relative to the sheet unit. 7

The sheet unit '11 with the die rods .13 inserted there? in moves through the oven 31 where the sheet unit is heated at or close to the softening point ofrthe fiber material. At this stageof the operatiombefore moving: 7 into the oven 31, the die rods 13 fit loosely in the pockets 16 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In a specific embodiment of'the. invention, the tem perature in the oven 31 for polypropylenefibers could be about 350 F. and the speed of movement of the sheet 11 could be such relative to the length of the'oven as to" cause any increment of the sheet unit 11 to stay in the these conditions, the softened fibers of the sheet unit 11 ,will shrinlcsnugly about the die rods 13, causing'the 3 pockets 16 to be shaped cylindrically and to become set into self-sustm'ning rigidity.

At the outlet end of the oven 31, means are provided at a rod withdrawing station 95 (FIGS. 1, 7 and 8) for withdrawing the die rods 13 successively from the shaped and set pockets 16 to form an inflated semi-rigid sheath sheet 11a (FIGS. 7, 8 and and for depositing these rods in position to be carried back by the conveyor mechanism 12 to the rod aligning station 40 for reinsertion into the empty pockets of the advancing sheet unit 11. The withdrawing mechanism at this station 95 comprises a carriage 96 supported on and movable along a T-rail 97 and carrying a pair of

latch jaws

98 and 99 for gripping the rear ends of the die rods 13 and pulling them out of the shaped pockets 16. The carriage 96 has two sets of flanged wheels 1% engaging the base of the T-rail 97 to support said carriage from said rail and has rigid therewith two posts 161 to which is secured a bracket 1t32 in the form of an angle piece having an upstanding web 103. The carriage 96 is moved along the T-rail by a pneumatic cylinder 1134 having a piston rod 105 connected to the upstanding web of the bracket 162. The piston rod 165 is reduced at one end section 186 to form an annular shoulder 107, and this rod section passes through the bracket web 193 with a slide fit with said shoulder abutting said web. This end section 106 of the piston rod 105 is encircled by a coil spring 108 bearing at one end against the bracket web 193 and bearing at the other end against a stop 110 shown in the form of a nut threaded at the end of the piston rod. With this construction, when the carriage 96 is moving in the direction to pick up a die rod 13 to be withdrawn, the resilient connection between the carriage and the piston rod 105 including the coil spring 108,- perrm'ts the

jaws

98 and 99 to grippingly engage the rear end of a die rod 13 with minimum of shock and permits the piston rod to continue to move a small distance against the action of said spring, even after the carriage 96 has been stopped by this gripping action of the jaws. During the reverse movement of the carriage 96, while it is withdrawing the die rod 13 from its shaped pocket 16, the connection between the piston rod 105 and the carriage is a positive one through the pushing action of the shoulder 1117.

The lower jaw 98 is fixed to the carriage 96 and terminates at one end in a finger 111 having a slanting cam surface 112. The upper jaw 99 is in the form of a lever pivoted at 113 to the frame of the carriage 96 and terminating at one end in a finger 114 having a slanting cam surface 115. The upper jaw 99 is biased by a spring 116 towards the other jaw 98 and has a tail 117 which engages an unlatching cam .13 in the path of movement of said tail, when the carriage reaches the end of its die rod withdrawing stroke. This action releases the upper jaw 99 from the pocket withdrawn die rod 13, and permits this die rod to drop into an inclined trough 120 adjacent to the conveyor sprocket chains 52. From this trough 120, the released die rods 13 drop onto the conveyor chains 52 and are returned thereby to the rod aligning station 40.

As the carriage 96 moves to pick up a die rod 13 for withdrawal from a shaped pocket 16, the cam surfaces 112 and 115 on the

jaws

98 and 99 engaging the knob 37 at the rear end of the die rod permit the jaw fingers 111 and 114 to slip past said knob and to snap into the groove 36 so as to latch onto said die rod.

T he continuous semi-rigid sheath sheet 11a after the die rods 13 have been withdrawn from the pockets 16 thereof may be wound about a roll for storage and subsequent use or may be subdivided into panel sections and the selvage 17 trimmed for storage battery use.

FIG. 9 shows the way in which the various pneumatic units of the system are operated synchronously with the feed of the sheet unit 11. In this system, the

pneumatic cylinders

42, 68 and 104 have associated therewith

fourway solenoid valves

125, 126 and 127 respectively to which compressed air is delivered by m'r connections 128,

12? and 130 respectively from a header 131 supplied with air by air supply pipe 132 connected to a source of compressed air. The four-

way solenoid valves

125, 126 and 127 permit the flow of air alternately to opposite ends of the

cylinders

42, 68 and 1194 by means of

air lines

133, 134 and 135. The solenoids in the

valves

125, 126 and 127 re connected in parallel to a source of current 136 and one side of this source of current has in series with the parallel solenoid loops the microswitch 88. Just before the microswitch 88 is tripped by a tooth 84 on the timing and cloth feeding wheel 83 into closed position, the sheet unit 11:: is in position with the segment of the selvage 17 opposite the next pocket 16 to be rod-filled disposed in alignment with and over the channel 64, and the presser foot 66 is in raised position directly over the next preceding selvage segment; at this instant, the piston rod 41 of the air cylinder 42 and the piston rod of the air cylinder 1&4 are withdrawn into their respective air cylinders, Wlule the piston rod 76 of the air cylinder 68 is extended upwardly from the latter cylinder. A soon as the microswitch S3 is closed at this instant by the wheel tooth 84, the circuits of the solenoids in the

solenoid valves

125, 126 and 127 are closed, thereby reversing the valves and causing the

piston rods

41, 7t and 105 to be reversed. This causes the presser foot 66 to move downwardly into cloth clamping position and to open the mouth of the pocket 16 which is to receive the next die rod 13, the piston rod 41 to push the aligned die rod 13 into this pocket and the piston rod 165 to withdraw a die rod 13 from the shaped and heat-shrunk pocket 16. As soon as the tripping wheel tooth 84 has passed the microswitch 88, this microswitch is opened by its spring action, causing the solenoids in the

valves

125, 126 and 127 to become deenergized and the valves to be reversed, thereby causing the piston rods 41, 7d and 165 to reverse their movements into limiting initial positions until the next cycle is initiated. Since the sheet unit 11 is moved by the wheels 33 and 86 at a positive predetermined rate caus ing the sheet unit to move the distance between successive pockets 16 for every angular increment of movement of the wheels 83 and 86 corresponding to the distance between successive teeth, and since the microswitch 88 is tripped into closed position by every tooth and returns into opened position immediately thereafter, it is seen that the difierent pneumatic units are synchronized with the feed of the sheet unit to fill every rod-pocket 16 of the sheet unit successively before entry of the sheet unit into the oven 31 and to withdraw the die rods 13 successively from the heat-shrunk pockets of the sheet unit after the unit has left the oven.

The four-

way solenoid valves

125, 126 and 127 are of well-known construction, easily available on the market and need not be described with any greater degree of particularity.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended ticularity.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for manufacturing an electric storage battery sheath, comprising means for advancing a continuous fabric sheet unit of heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material in the direction of its length, said sheet unit comprising a pair of opposed sheets connected face to face at intervals to form a succession of parallel pockets extending therethrough transverse to the direction of advancement of the sheet unit, means for inserting into said pocket die rods respectively and successively automatically as the empty pockets pass a rod inserting station, means for heating the sheet unit with the die rods inserted in the pockets therein during advancement of the sheet unit, to cause said pockets to be shaped and shrunk around said rods into set form, and means beyond said heating means for withdrawing the die rods from the shaped pockets automatically, as said shaped pockets pass a rod Withdrawing station;

2. A machine as described in claim 1, said pockets being substantially fiat as said pockets'reach said rod inserting station, said machine Comprising means at said rod inserting station for opening the mouths of the flat pockets automatically prior to the insertion of the die rods therein to facilitate the insertion of the die rodsinto said flat pockets.

3. A machine as described in claim 1, said sheet unit having a selvageon one side thereof forming acontinua- .tion of one of said sheets beyond one end the pockets, said pockets being substantially flat as said pockets reach said rod inserting station, said machine comprising means at said rod inserting station for opening themouths of the flat pockets automatically prior to the insertion of the die rods therein to facilitate the insertion of the die rods into said flat pockets including a finger opposite said selvage,

and means for operating said finger cyclically in synchronisrn with the advancement of the sheet unit to cause said finger to engage successive segments of the selvage at the ends or the pockets and to press said segments away from the other sheet, whereby the mouths of the pockets are opened. 1

4. A machine as described in claim 1, said sheet unit moving substantially horizontally in the region of said rod inserting station, said sheet unit having a selvage on one side thereof forming a continuation of the bottom sheet beyond one end of the pockets, said pockets being substantially flat as said pockets reach said rod inserting station, said machine comprising means at said rod inserting station for opening the mouths of the flat pockets automatically prior to the insertion of the die rods therein to'facilitate the insertion of the die rods into said flat pocketsincluding a support for the selvage in the region of said rod inserting station'having a channel therein over which the selva ge travels, a finger over said channel and opposite said selvage, and means for operating said finger cyclically; in synchronism with the advancement of the sheet hnit towards and away from said channel, to

6. A machine as described in claim 1, comprising means for automatically returning'the die rods withdrawn from the shaped pockets to a rod aligning station opposite said rod inserting station, means at said rod aligning station for successively aligning the returning die rods with the empty pockets at the rod inserting station automatically as said returning die rods reach said rod aligning station,

said rod inserting means being operable in synchronism Withthe advancement of the sheet unit for inserting the aligned die rods successively into the pockets as they reach said rod inserting station.

7; A machine as described in claim 1, comprising means sively into the pockets as they reach said rod inserting stations.

8. A machine as described in claim 1, each of said die rods having a latching conformation at its rear end, said rod withdrawing means comprising a carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage towards and away from the cause said finger to press successive segments of the selvage at the ends of the pockets into said channel' and away from the other sheet, whereby the mouths of the pockets are opened.

5. A machineas described in claim 1, said sheet unit moving substantially horizontally in the region of said rod inserting station, said sheet unit having a selvage on one side thereof forming a continuation of the bottom sheet beyond one end or" the pockets, said pockets being substantially flat as said pockets reach said rod inserting station, said machine comprising-means at said rod inserting station for opening the mouths of the flat pockets autoincluding a support for the selvage in the region of said 9 matically prior'to the insertion of the die rods therein to;

facilitate the insertion of the die rods into said fiat pockets rod inserting station having a channel therein over which the selvage travels, a presser'foot opposite said selvage in a region adjacent said channel in advance thereof, a

.fingerconnecte'd to said presserfoot over said channel,

and means for operating said presser foot cyclically in synchronism with the advancement of the sheet towards and away from said're'gion adjacent said channel to cause said channel and away from the other sheet, whereby. the

'mouths of the pockets are opened.

path offadvancement of said sheet unit in a direction transverseto the direction of advancement of said sheet unit and insynchronism with the advancement of said sheet unit, and means for latching said carriage onto the 9 Y latch conformations on said die rods automatically as said die rods reach said rod withdrawing station and while said carriage is substantially nearest said path, and for unlatching'said carriage While said carriage is substantially farthest from said path to release said die rods.

9. A machine as described in claim 8, comprising means for returning the dierods released from said carriage to a position opposite said rod inserting station for reinsertion into the empty pockets of said sheet unit. 7

10. A machine as described in claim 1, said rod inserting means comprising a pnenrnatic cylinder with a reciprocable piston rod for cyclically pushing the die rods successively into the empty pockets of the sheet unit, and

said rod withdrawing means comprising a pneumatic cylinder with a reciprocable piston rod for' cyclically pulling the die rods successively out of the pockets of the sheet unit, said means for advancing saidsheet unit comprising a power-driven toothed feed. and timer wheel meshing with a rod-filled section of the sheet unit; and electric circuit means for controlling the cyclic operations of said pneumatic cylinders in synchronism with theadvancem ent of said sheetunit and comprising switch means 7 in said electric circuit means actuated intermittently by said wheel.

References fitedin the file of this patent nrrnn STATES PATENTS 2,414,177 Smith "has- 4, 1947 32,695,652 Segil No v.'30,19'54 2,919,472 sane Jan. 5, 1960 r 3,042,967 Edberg Iuly 6,'19.62

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,152,334

Germany Au 6, 1963

Claims

1. A MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING AN ELECTRIC STORAGE BATTERY SHEATH, COMPRISING MEANS FOR ADVANCING A CONTINUOUS FABRIC SHEET UNIT OF HEAT-SHRINKABLE THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH, SAID SHEET UNIT COMPRISING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SHEETS CONNECTED FACE TO FACE AT INTERVALS TO FORM A SUCCESSION OF PARALLEL POCKETS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCEMENT OF THE SHEET UNIT, MEANS FOR INSERTING INTO SAID POCKET DIE RODS RESPECTIVELY AND SUCCESSIVELY AUTOMATICALLY AS THE EMPTY POCKETS PASS A ROD INSERTING STATION, MEANS FOR HEATING THE SHEET UNIT WITH THE DIE RODS INSERTED IN THE POCKETS THEREIN DURING ADVANCEMENT OF THE SHEET UNIT, TO CAUSE SAID POCKETS TO BE SHAPED AND SHRUNK AROUND SAID RODS INTO SET FORM, AND MEANS BEYOND SAID HEATING MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING THE DIE RODS FROM THE SHAPED POCKETS AUTOMATICALLY, AS SAID SHAPED POCKETS PASS A ROD WITHDRAWING STATION.