Morrison Berkshire, Inc.

Sadao Yagi

James S White

Edward C Kirchner

Peter P Stanislaw

David M Ascevich

A press roll system employed in connection with a web finishing assembly is provided. The press roll system includes a press roll, which cooperates with a head roll to provide a uniform nip area and pressing load; a support substrate, arranged between the ground and the press roll; at least one backup roller mounted to a first surface of the support substrate along a continuous axis for substantially the length of the press roll, and arranged to provide a uniform load to the press roll and uniform area between the press roll and head roll during operation to impart a uniform caliper to the web; and a retractable force actuator, mounted on a second surface of the support substrate, opposite the surface to which the backup rollers are mounted, to provide an even distribution of loads toward the press roll. A channel is attached to one end of the support substrate for receiving and channeling working fluid away from the rest of the press roll system.

Press roll system

A finishing assembly which includes an outside treatment roll for treating both sides of an endless web without having to remove, turn inside out and reload the endless web onto the finishing assembly. The outside treatment roll is movable and adapted to contact the endless web within an opening defined between a pair of cantilever beams such that the 'minimum loop length' of the endless web is preserved. The finishing assembly includes a movable non-contacting treatment assembly which is adapted to be arranged between the cantilever beams such that the non-contacting treatment assembly may be used with or without the outside treatment roll to facilitate different finishing processes. In addition, the finishing assembly may include a pivotable cantilever beam in place of one of the cantilever beams. The pivotable cantilever beam may be rotated out of the finishing assembly, further minimizing the 'minimum loop length' of the endless web. Finally, one of the cantilever beams may also be movable from a first position to a second position, wherein when in the second position, that beam is not in the way of the endless web and therefore does not interfere with the web. This again provides for a minimizing of the 'minimum loop length.'

Endless loop finishing assembly

A tentering system having a pair of spaced tenter rails defining a first end, a second end and a tentering path, and moveable material securement members carried by the tenter rails is disclosed. The tentering system may include first material guides at the first end of the tenter rails and second material guides at the second end of the tenter rails, and at least one drive motor for alternately and selectively driving the securement members in the first and second directions. In addition or in the alternative, a pair of direct drive motors is provided at the first end of the tenter rails, each of the direct drive motors including a clutch moveable between a drive position and a neutral position, and clutch actuating means to selectively and positively move the clutch from the neutral position to the drive position. In addition or in the alternative, first and second pairs of direct drive motors are provided at the first and second ends of the tenter rails, respectively. Still further, first and second tension adjusting motors are provided at the first and second ends of the tentering rails for selectively and independently adjusting the tentering width at the first and second ends and for adjusting the tension on material at the first and second ends. A method of tentering material on a finishing machine by alternately moving material in two opposite directions is also disclosed.

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Pittsfield, MA, United States of America

Sadao Yagi