IES960121A2 - Manufacture of trailer curtains - Google Patents

Abstract

A material web (18) is drawn from one of a number of reels (10) of material mounted on a support rack (11). A rectangular panel of a desired size is cut from the web (18) and delivered to an assembly station. A plurality of reinforcing strips are formed by drawing the web (18) through a cutter (40) on the rack (11). The reinforcing strips are glued spaced-apart onto an inner face of the panel at the assembly station. Side edges of the panel are folded inwardly and glued to the inner face of the panel to form a peripheral hem. Rollers are then mounted along an upper edge of the panel and the straps mounted adjacent a lower end of the panel. <Fig. 1>

Description

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for the manufacture of trailer curtains.

The invention is particularly concerned with the manufacture of trailer curtains wherein different trailer curtains are produced in relatively small batches or individually from different material.

It is an object of the invention to provide a process and apparatus which enables trailer curtains to be produced in an efficient and trouble-free manner and to minimise lost production time due to change-over and handling of different materials used to manufacture the curtains.

According to the invention there is provided a process for the manufacture of trailer curtains, comprising the steps: mounting a plurality of reels of material on a reel 15 support rack, each reel being rotatably mounted on the reel support rack, drawing a web of material from a selected reel on the reel support rack onto a cutting table extending outwardly at one end of the reel support rack, cutting a panel of a desired size from the web and cutting a plurality of reinforcing strips from the web, delivering the panel and the assembly station, spreading the panel flat on a face of the panel uppermost, reinforcing strips to an support bed with an inner OPEN TO PUP! ' MSPECTION SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 JN! No I3&K 960121 - 2 marking hems on the inner face of the panel and marking positions for reinforcement strips on the inner face of the panel, gluing the reinforcement strips spaced-apart a preset distance on the inner face of the panel, each reinforcement strip extending between a bottom edge and a top edge of the panel, turning in a hem at a peripheral edge of the panel and gluing the hem to the inner face of the panel, forming a pocket at an end of the panel by turning in an end of the panel to form a loop at the end of the panel and gluing a free end edge of the panel to an inner face of the panel, punching mounting holes through the panel spaced-apart at reinforcing strips adjacent a top and a bottom of the panel, fastening rollers at each set of upper mounting holes to mount rollers spaced-apart along a top edge of the panel, and fastening tie straps at each set of lower mounting holes .

In one embodiment of the invention the process includes mounting each reel on the reel support rack by means of a shaft passing axially through the reel and extending outwardly at each end of the reel, each outer end of the reel being rotatably supported on the rack on a pair of spaced-apart rotatable bearings on the rack.

In a further embodiment the process includes forming the reinforcing strips by pulling the web from a reel, feeding the web to a cutter at an outlet end of the reel support 960 12 1 - 3 rack, drawing the web over a plurality of cutting blades spaced-apart corresponding to a desired width of the reinforcing strips for dividing the web to a plurality of reinforcing strips of a desired width.

In another aspect the invention provides apparatus for carrying out the process substantially as herein described.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reel support rack used in the process; Fig. 2 is a perspective of an assembly station used in the process; and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing portion of a trailer curtain formed according to the process.

Referring to the drawings a process and apparatus for the manufacture of trailer curtains according to the invention will be described.

A plurality of reels 10 of plastics web material are mounted on a reel support rack 11. The reel support rack 11 has a frame 12 with a plurality of spaced-apart groundengaging upright support struts 14 at each side of the frame 12 on which are mounted a number of vertically spaced-apart horizontal reel bearing beams 15. A shaft 16 passes axially through each reel 10 extending outwardly at each end of the reel 10. Each outer end of the shaft 16 is rotatably supported on a pair of spaced-apart rotatable •βο 12 1 - 4 bearings 17 which are mounted on the beams 15. In this way, conveniently a number of different reels 10 of material of different colours and/or thicknesses or of different types of plastics material may be mounted on the rack 11 ready for use.

To form a trailer curtain a web 18 of material is drawn from a selected reel 10 on the reel support rack 11 onto a cutting table 19 which extends horizontally outwardly at an outlet end of the reel support rack 11.

A rectangular panel 20 of a desired size is cut from the web 18 and delivered to an assembly station 30 (Fig. 2). A plurality of elongate reinforcing strips 22 are also cut from the web 18 by pulling the web 18 from a reel 10 and feeding the web 18 through a cutter 40 mounted at an outlet end of the rack 11.

The cutter 40 has a cutter bar 41 carrying a plurality of spaced-apart cutting blades 42. The cutter bar 41 is rotatably mounted between mounting brackets 43 on the rack 11. A number of guide bars 44 are also mounted between the brackets 4 3 for feeding the web 18 in a controlled manner past the cutting blades 42. A handle 45 at an end of the cutter bar 41 enables the cutter bar 41 to be rotated on the brackets 43 between a cutting position as shown in Fig. 1 and a disengaged position. It will be noted that when in the cutting position as illustrated in Fig. 1 the handle 45 biases the cutting blades 42 downwardly against a web 18 drawn around the guide bars 44 for cutting the web into a plurality of elongate reinforcing strips as the web is pulled off the reel 10. In this way a plurality of reinforcing strips can be readily easily and quickly produced in an accurate fashion. The spacing between adjacent cutting blades 42 on the cutter bar 41 corresponds to the desired width of - 5 980121 reinforcing strip required. The reinforcing strips are delivered to the assembly station 30.

At the assembly station 30 a panel 20 is spread flat on a support bed or table 31 with an inner face 21 of the panel uppermost. Markings for hems and for placement of the reinforcement strips 22 are marked on the inner face 21 of the panel 20. Then the reinforcement strips 22 are glued spaced-apart at preset distances on the inner face 21 of the panel 20. Each reinforcing strip 22 is glued to the panel 20 by means of a welding machine 38 which heat welds the reinforcing strip 22 to the inner face 21 of the panel 20. Each reinforcement strip 22 extends between a bottom edge and a top edge of the panel 20.

A hem is turned in at a top edge 25 and at a bottom edge 26 of the panel 20 and glued to the inner face 21 of the panel 20 with the welding machine 38.

Then, referring to Fig. 3, a loop 37 is formed at an end of the panel 20 by turning in a free end of the panel 20 and gluing the free end of the panel 20 to the inner face of the panel 20 with the welding machine 38.

A plurality of mounting holes are punched through the panel 20 along the top edge 25 of the panel 20 for reception of bolts 38 which pass through the panel 20 to secure rollers 43 spaced-apart along the top edge 25 of the panel 20.

In similar fashion mounting holes are punched through the panel 20 adjacent a lower end of the panel 20 spaced inwardly from the bottom edge 26 for securing tie straps 45 spaced-apart along the lower end of the panel 20. A finished trailer curtain 50 thus formed can be hung on a trailer, the rollers 43 engaging an overhead track to 96012 1 suspend the curtain 50 at each side of the trailer, the tie straps 45 engagable with associated hooks spaced along the bed of the trailer to retain the curtain 50 in position.

It will be noted that the rollers 43 and tie straps 45 are positioned at the reinforcing strips 22.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a process and apparatus for the efficient production of trailer curtains. The rack 11 for the reels 10 of material greatly facilitates production runs which comprise large numbers of individual trailer curtains of different material which is taken from different reels 10. Any required material can be readily easily drawn off a selected reel for use. Reel handling and change-over between different jobs can be carried out in an efficient manner minimising time delays at change-over.

Further, relatively large numbers of reinforcing strips can be produced quickly and accurately by the manner in which the web is drawn through the cutter.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (5)

1. A process for the manufacture of trailer curtains, comprising the steps: mounting a plurality of reels of material on a reel support rack, each reel being rotatably mounted on the reel support rack, drawing a web of material from a selected reel on the reel support rack onto a cutting table extending outwardly at one end of the reel support rack, cutting a panel of a desired size from the web and cutting a plurality of reinforcing strips from the web, delivering the panel and the reinforcing strips to an assembly station, spreading the panel flat on a support bed with an inner face of the panel uppermost, marking hems on the inner face of the panel and marking positions for reinforcement strips on the inner face of the panel, gluing the reinforcement strips spaced-apart a preset distance on the inner face of the panel, each reinforcement strip extending between a bottom edge and a top edge of the panel, 96 0 12 1 - 8 turning in a hem at a peripheral edge of the panel and gluing the hem to the inner face of the panel, forming a pocket at an end of the panel by turning in an end of the panel to form a loop at the end of the panel and gluing a free end edge of the panel to an inner face of the panel, punching mounting holes through the panel spaced-apart at reinforcing strips adjacent a top and a bottom of the panel, fastening rollers at each set of upper mounting holes to mount rollers spaced-apart along a top edge of the panel, and fastening tie straps at each set of lower mounting holes.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 which includes mounting each reel on the reel support rack by means of a shaft passing axially through the reel and extending outwardly at each end of the reel, each outer end of the reel being rotatably supported on the rack on a pair of spaced-apart rotatable bearings on the rack.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 which includes forming the reinforcing strips by pulling the web from a reel, feeding the web to a cutter at an outlet end of the reel support rack, drawing the web over a plurality of cutting blades spacedapart corresponding to a desired width of the reinforcing strips for dividing the web to a 96012 1 plurality of reinforcing strips of a desired width.

4. A process for the manufacture of trailer curtains substantially as hereinbefore described with 5. Reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A trailer curtain whenever manufactured according to the process as claimed in any preceding claim.