Cincinnati Milacron Inc.

David A Peterson

Michael N Grimshaw

Jerry D Wisbey

Stephen J Albers

John H Pugh

An improved tape laying machine, more particularly an improved tape laying head assembly is provided for laying plastic tape onto a work surface to produce a reinforced plastic structure. The improvement provides means for transferring the vertical movement of at least one segment of a stacked plate segmented shoe presser member, of the head assembly, as it engages the work surface to a non-terminal segment of the stacked plate segmented shoe and a sensor means, e.g. a linear variable differential transformer, sensing the movement of the non-terminal segment to produce a signal related to the movement of the non-terminal segment that can be employed to control and direct the movement of the head assembly and/or presser member. The improvement of the invention produces a smooth shimless transition of the presser member onto the work surface, from a work surface non-engaging position, in a tape laying operation.

Tape laying apparatus and method

A main compactor and a tail compactor are independently movable with respect to a tape laying head when compacting composite tape. A piston-driven linkage switches the two compactors alternately to a tape laydown point defined with respect to the tape head.

Tape compactor

An improved tape laying machine for depositing and compacting composite plastic tape onto a work surface, for producing a plastic article, has a presser shoe member for applying and compacting a strip of composite plastic tape onto a work surface, and a tail compaction member for compacting the tail of the strip of composite plastic tape that are independently actuated, coordinately movable and linked to each other. The tail compaction member has a roller that engages the strip of tape substantially rearward of the point where the centerline of the presser shoe member intersects the compacted tape applied to the work surface as the presser shoe member is in compaction engagement with the tape. The tail compaction member roller then moves along a straight line path on the tape as the presser shoe member progressively retracts from compaction engagement with the composite plastic tape.

Tape laying and compaction apparatus

An improved plastic tape laying machine is provided having a spring driven spool rotationally mounted on a stationary shaft and being coupled to a flexible skid member interposed between a presser member of a tape laying head of the machine and the plastic tape being applied to a work surface. The spool applies a movement restraining force to the skid member that restricts or prevents undesired movements of the skid that lead to misalignment, delamination and other defects in a produced plastic composite article while at the same time biasing the skid against the tape detruding portion of the presser member without significantly inhibiting the working motions of the presser member.

Tape laying apparatus

A gripper on a powered gantry, which moves longitudinally relative to a porous conveyor belt, pulls a selected length of a composite sheet material and its backing from a supply roll on a carrousel and past a cutter. After a segment has been cut, the gantry returns the gripper to pull the composite sheet and its backing from the supply roll while the belt moves the segment thereon to a desired position thereon. This continues until the belt supports a plurality of segments. The gripper gantry includes a marker to mark each segment on the belt. After marking is completed, a powered gantry moves to dispose a top film over the segments. A powered gantry, which has a cutter thereon, is then moved so that the cutter, which can move orthogonal to the motion of the gantry and also has its reciprocating cutting blades rotatable about a vertical axis, can cut one or more pieces of desired shapes from each segment. After cutting is completed, the segments are advanced from the belt through a separator. The top film is fed through pinch rolls to pull all scrap downwardly after passing through the separator while each cut piece is advanced horizontally to a bottom film. The bottom film is connected to a first roller to wind the bottom film with the pieces theraround.

Method and apparatus for forming composite pieces from composite sheet

A rack lubricator is bolted to a drive pinion housing. The lubricator supports a porous felt gear on a rotatable shaft. Lubricant is ported through the shaft to the inner surface of the gear, and the gear wicks the lubricant onto the rack teeth, thereby coating the surface of the rack with minimal lubricant as the felt gear rolls with the rack.

Rack lubricator

An adjustable tape chute guides a composite tape on a tape laying machine. The chute has a main body with a central guide slot of nominal width, for receiving a composite tape. The exit end of the chute has a pair of opposite edge guides which are movable with an adjusting screw along guide pins to conform to the actual tape width, so the tape may be accurately deposited alongside previously deposited tape strips.

Growing community of inventors

Milford, OH, United States of America

David A Peterson