The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 18, 1997
Filed:
Aug. 14, 1996
Donald L Van Erden, Wildwood, IL (US);
Manuel C Enriquez, Morton Grove, IL (US);
Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for producing an oriented plastic strap having a predetermined desired thickness and flatness characteristics for use in connection with the strapping of packages or the like, is disclosed. A sheet workpiece is conducted into a nip defined between a pair of opposed milling and stretching rollers wherein one of the rollers is rotated at a lineal surface velocity which is greater than the lineal surface velocity of the other roller, and the rollers are rotated in opposite directions. One of the rollers effectively brakes or retards one of the surfaces of the sheet workpiece while the other one of the rollers effectively accelerates the other one of the surfaces of the sheet workpiece as the workpiece passes through the nip defined between the rollers whereby the workpiece is simultaneously milled and stretched. The workpiece is heated along its side portions disposed inwardly from the side edge portions so as to eliminate concavities and bump transitional points which normally tend to form at and within the vicinity of the side portions, and in addition, the side edge portions of the sheet workpiece are also heated so as to cooperate with the heated, axially inward side portions so as to advantageously control the degree of flatness of the sheet workpiece across the width thereof after the same has been milled and stretched.