Method for making seamless apertured metallic belt

• Main Authors: KENNETH S. MCGUIRE, PETER W. HAMILTON
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.10.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVINGPURPOSES; BLASTING; CHAINS; CUTTING; CUTTING-OUT; DECORATIVE ARTS; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HAND CUTTING TOOLS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR TOOLS FOR ARTISTIC WORK, e.g. FORSCULPTURING, GUILLOCHING, CARVING, BRANDING, INLAYING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORATING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; PUNCHING; SEVERING; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING; STAMPING-OUT; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The present invention provides a method for making a seamless apertured belt comprising the steps of: (a) providing a strip of material having two opposing ends and having a length at least equal to a finished belt length; (b) providing an aperture pattern having a length substantially equal to the finished belt length, the pattern including a plurality of two-dimensional geometrical shapes, the pattern having opposing end edges which can be tiled together; (c) removing a pre-determined portion of each end of the pattern and joining the pre-determined portions to one another along the opposing end edges to form a re-etch pattern; (d) forming apertures in the strip corresponding to the two-dimensional geometrical shapes in the pattern, the strip remaining free of apertures in regions near each end comprising fusion zones; (e) fusing the ends of the strip to one another such that the fusion zones form a common fusion zone; and (f) forming apertures in the common fusion zone corresponding to the re-etch pattern. In a preferred embodiment, the two-dimensional pattern is an amorphous two-dimensional pattern of interlocking two-dimensional geometrical shapes. The strip of material may comprise a material selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, fabric, rubber, and combinations thereof.