System for delivering chopped fiberglass strands to a preform screen
First Claim
1. A system for delivering chopped fiberglass strands to a preform screen comprising a robot having an articulating arm, and a chopper/feeder unit mounted on an outer end of said arm for movement therewith, said chopper/feeder unit comprising a housing containing a cutter for chopping fiberglass strands fed into said housing into desired lengths, a variable speed motor mounted on said housing for driving said cutter, a discharge chute at an outer end of said housing, and two air amplifiers attached to opposite sides of said housing upstream of said cutter for generating an air stream within said housing to carry the chopped fiberglass strands out through said discharge chute.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for placing chopped fiberglass strands onto a preform screen where desired includes a relatively light-weight chopper/feeder unit mounted on the outer end of a robot arm in closely spaced relation to the preform screen for robotically directing the chopped fiberglass strands onto the preform screen where desired with very little loss. Within the chopper/feeder unit is a cutter for chopping the fiberglass strands to the desired length. The cutter is driven by a variable speed motor attached to the chopper/feeder unit. Also attached to opposite sides of the chopper/feeder unit are a pair of air amplifiers that produce a sufficient volume and velocity of air flow around said cutter and through said unit to carry the chopped fiberglass strands away from the cutter and out through a discharge chute onto the preform screen.
41 Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A system for delivering chopped fiberglass strands to a preform screen comprising a robot having an articulating arm, and a chopper/feeder unit mounted on an outer end of said arm for movement therewith, said chopper/feeder unit comprising a housing containing a cutter for chopping fiberglass strands fed into said housing into desired lengths, a variable speed motor mounted on said housing for driving said cutter, a discharge chute at an outer end of said housing, and two air amplifiers attached to opposite sides of said housing upstream of said cutter for generating an air stream within said housing to carry the chopped fiberglass strands out through said discharge chute.
- 9. A system for delivering chopped fiberglass strands to a preform screen comprising a robot having an articulating arm, and a chopper/feeder unit mounted on an outer end of said arm for movement therewith, said chopper/feeder unit comprising a housing containing a cutter for chopping fiberglass strands fed into said housing into desired lengths, a variable speed motor mounted on said housing for driving said cutter, a discharge chute at an outer end of said housing, and an air amplifier attached to said housing for generating an air stream within said housing to carry the chopped fiberglass strands out through said discharge chute, said housing comprising a back housing part attached to said robot arm, a front housing part connected to said back housing part, and a latch mechanism for releasably latching said housing parts together for easy access to said housing parts, said air amplifier being attached to a side of said back housing part upstream of said front housing part, and said motor being attached to a side of said front housing part, said front housing part containing said cutter, and said discharge chute extending forwardly from said front housing part downstream of said cutter.
- 11. A system for delivering chopped fiberglass strands to a preform screen comprising a robot having an articulating arm, a housing attached to an outer end of said arm, a cutter within said housing for chopping fiberglass strands fed into said housing to a desired length, a discharge chute extending from said housing downstream of said cutter, and an air amplifier connected to said housing upstream of said cutter for introducing an air stream into said housing to carry the chopped fiberglass strands away from said cutter and out through said discharge chute onto a preform screen in close proximity to said discharge chute, said housing comprising a first housing part attached to said robot arm and a second housing part connected to said first housing part and releasably latched to said first housing part for gaining easy access to the interior of said housing.
Specification