Process and apparatus for producing an endless seamed belt

• Main Authors: HAMMOND, WILLIAM A, THORNTON, CONSTANCE J, YU, ROBERT C. U, SCHLEUTER, EDWARD L. JR
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 14.07.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVINGPURPOSES; BLASTING; CHAINS; CONVEYING; CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING,CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HAND CUTTING TOOLS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; SEVERING; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A novel method and apparatus for producing an endless flexible seamed belt (10) using templates is disclosed. A first form of the template is a mask template with a template aperture in the form of a puzzle cut pattem to be used in combination with an excimer laser. The template is placed between the excimer laser source and the belt material to be cut. As the excimer laser traverses the width of the belt, the laser forms a puzzle cut pattern on the belt. A second form of the template is a punch and die having patterned edges in the form of a puzzle cut pattern with extremely small nodes and kerfs. The cutting tolerances of the patterned edges make it necessary to fix the punch with respect to the die so that there is no misalignment of the punch and die between cutting operations. This is accomplished by resiliently fixing the punch to the die, rather than having the punch attached to the force generating assembly as in normal punch and die assemblies. Belt material is positioned between a stock gap between the punch and die and the force generating assembly is activated to provide the cutting force. Once the belt material is cut, the cutting force is removed and the force generating assembly returns to its retracted position. Both types of templates result in very clean cuts without deformation or distortion.