Eastman Machine Company

Robert J Pieroni

Rolf Jung

Lester C Bennett

Jack M Schwartzott

Arnold Tobler

A pin for use in apparatus for supporting sheet material such as cloth during operations such as cutting performed thereon comprising a supporting frame, a planar supporting surface on the frame for receiving plies of sheet material placed thereon, the surface having at least one through aperture therein and the surface having an outer portion contacting the material and an oppositely disposed portion, a pin holding and supporting arrangement carried by the frame and facing the oppositely disposed portion of the supporting surface, the holding and supporting surface for receiving a pin and maintaining the disposition of the pin substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surface and the location of the pin in registry with the aperture, a mechanism carried by the frame for moving the holding and supporting arrangement to move the pin through the aperture so that sheet material can be anchored on the pin, the pin comprising an elongated body having a substantially constant cross sectional dimension along substantially the entire length of the body and terminating in a sharp pointed head at one end of the body and an enlargement at the opposite end of the body having a shape and cross-sectional size enabling the holding and supporting arrangement to positively hold the pin and prevent unwanted withdrawl of the pin while at the same time allowing unimpeded movement of the pin and the enlargement through the aperture.

Pin for use in fabric stacking and pinning table

An end cutter includes a pair of rollers (64,73) operatively arranged to frictionally engage cloth passing through the nip thereof. One of the rollers is mounted for unidirectional rotation such that the cloth may be pulled forwardly from a roll, but cannot retract when such pulling force is released. The logic includes a pressure comparator and pneumatically-operated safety dump valve (92,94) for sensing whether the cutter (31) has encountered a motion-impeding obstruction on its forward cutting stroke, and automatically releases the force urging the cutter to move forwardly in such event. The cutter is mounted on a rodless cylinder (48).

Unidirectional pinch rollers for a cloth spreading machine

A lubrication system for a cutting machine such as a cloth cutting machine. The lubricant reservoir is provided within a housing portion so as to protect it from damage when the machine is laid on its side. An easily removable wicking module is provided with an end adjacent a reservoir outlet so that only a short feeder wick need be provided for transmission of lubricant into the module.

Cutting machine having lubricant reservoir within the housing

An ergonomic handle mechanism for a cutting machine having a vertically reciprocating knife. The position of the handle between a horizontal orientation and an orientation at an angle thereto is adjustable for greater comfort as well as a longer working time without tiring so that greater productivity may be achieved. A link to which the handle is attached is pivotally mounted to a block which is fixedly attached to the machine housing. A pin having an eccentric portion received in a groove in the link is provided to determine handle position by the rotational position of the pin. A projection is provided on the block for limiting the pivotal movement of the link and thus acting as a stop in case of pin breakage.

Ergonomic handle for cutting machine

A method and apparatus for supporting sheet material such as cloth during operations thereon such as cutting wherein a pattern is placed on a supporting surface provided with a plurality of pins extending through apertures in the surface, the pins are lowered below the surface for removal of the pattern whereupon sheet material is placed on the surface, typically a plurality of plies being layed up in a stack, and simultaneously the pins are moved through the sheet material to maintain alignment and matching of the plies in the stack. The pattern then is placed on the sheet material in a position determined by the location of the pins, and the material is shaped such as by cutting. A plurality of separate pin holding and supporting devices, each of relatively narrow width, are provided in spaced relation lengthwise along the apparatus and are independently movable lengthwise toward and away from each other. Each pin holding and supporting device includes a pin contacting component wherein a pin contacting surface is defined by a member mounted for limited movement and wherein another pin contacting surface is provided with a wear resistant coating. There is also provided an arrangement for moving the supporting devices to move the pins through the apertures between a position where the heads of the pins are spaced below the supporting surface and a position where the pins extend through the apertures and the heads of the pins are above the supporting surface so that the sheet material can be anchored thereon.

Pin table

A method and apparatus for supporting sheet material such as cloth during operations thereon such as cutting wherein a pattern is placed on a supporting surface provided with a plurality of pins extending through apertures in the surface, the pins are lowered below the surface for removal of the pattern whereupon sheet material is placed on the surface, typically a plurality of plies being layed up in a stack, and simultaneously the pins are moved through the sheet material to maintain alignment and matching of the plies in the stack. The pattern then is placed on the sheet material in a position determined by the location of the pins, and the material is shaped such as by cutting. A plurality of separate pin holding and supporting devices of narrow width are spaced lengthwise along the apparatus and independently movable lengthwise toward and away from each other. Pins of adjacent rows can be closely spaced together thereby achieving a grid pattern wherein the pins are relatively closely spaced. There is provided apparatus for developing a positive pressure which is employed to apply a flotation force to sheet material on the surface to facilitate movement of the material along the surface, apparatus for developing a negative pressure which is employed to apply a hold down force to sheet material on the surface to facilitate operating on the material, and apparatus for controlling selection of positive or negative pressure so developed.

Growing community of inventors

Youngstown, NY, United States of America

Robert J Pieroni