Machine for setting heat-shrinkable sleeves on objects from a continuous sheath
First Claim
1. A machine (1) for fitting sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material on objects (10), the sleeves being taken from a continuous sheath (20) that is rolled up flat, the machine including a shaping mandrel (40) over which the sheath passes to be expanded, sheath drive means (10) using motor-driven wheels which co-operate with an associated portion of the shaping mandrel to engage an open end of the sheath on an object, and cutter means (30) intervening between the shaping mandrel (40) and the object (10) so as to form a sleeve (80) associated with said object, wherein the shaping mandrel (40) is substantially horizontal and comprises two torpedoes (41, 42) in axial alignment interconnected by a flexible wire (43) anchored at both ends (52, 53) in said torpedoes, one of the anchored ends of the flexible wire (43) being releasable so as to enable the length of said flexible wire between said torpedoes to be adjusted, said flexible wire being formed of a steel wire having a diameter of about 1 mm, with an upstream torpedo (41) having an upstream end forming an insertion spatula (44) and a downstream end (45) with a pair of smooth chamfers, and a downstream torpedo (42) presenting an upstream end (46) with a pair of smooth chamfers and a downstream end (47) with a straight edge (51) adjacent to the cutter means (30), each torpedo (41, 42) of said mandrel resting freely in an associated V-support (60), and the sheath drive means (90) comprises, between the two V-supports (60), two adjacent pinch wheels (25, 26) disposed symmetrically on either side of the flexible wire (43) of the shaping mandrel (40) and passing in the vicinity of the chamfered smooth edges of the torpedoes (41, 42), each wheel (25, 26) having a peripheral groove (65, 66) complementary to that of the other wheel (26, 25) so as to form a horizontal axis passage (67) for said flexible wire.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a machine for fitting sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material on objects, the sleeves being taken from a continuous sheath that is rolled flat. In the invention, a horizontal shaping mandrel (40) is provided that comprises two torpedoes (41, 42) in axial alignment and interconnected by a thread-like central element (43), the two torpedoes having facing ends (45, 46) each with a pair of smooth chamfers, and each torpedo resting freely on an associated V support (60). The sheath drive means comprises two adjacent pinch wheels (25, 26) disposed symmetrically on either side of the thread-like element (43) between the two V-supports (60) and passing in the vicinity of the pairs of smooth chamfers of the torpedoes (41, 42), each wheel (25, 26) having a peripheral groove (65, 66) that is complementary to the groove of the other wheel so as to form a horizontal axis passage for said thread-like element.
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Citations
13 Claims
- 1. A machine (1) for fitting sleeves of heat-shrink plastics material on objects (10), the sleeves being taken from a continuous sheath (20) that is rolled up flat, the machine including a shaping mandrel (40) over which the sheath passes to be expanded, sheath drive means (10) using motor-driven wheels which co-operate with an associated portion of the shaping mandrel to engage an open end of the sheath on an object, and cutter means (30) intervening between the shaping mandrel (40) and the object (10) so as to form a sleeve (80) associated with said object, wherein the shaping mandrel (40) is substantially horizontal and comprises two torpedoes (41, 42) in axial alignment interconnected by a flexible wire (43) anchored at both ends (52, 53) in said torpedoes, one of the anchored ends of the flexible wire (43) being releasable so as to enable the length of said flexible wire between said torpedoes to be adjusted, said flexible wire being formed of a steel wire having a diameter of about 1 mm, with an upstream torpedo (41) having an upstream end forming an insertion spatula (44) and a downstream end (45) with a pair of smooth chamfers, and a downstream torpedo (42) presenting an upstream end (46) with a pair of smooth chamfers and a downstream end (47) with a straight edge (51) adjacent to the cutter means (30), each torpedo (41, 42) of said mandrel resting freely in an associated V-support (60), and the sheath drive means (90) comprises, between the two V-supports (60), two adjacent pinch wheels (25, 26) disposed symmetrically on either side of the flexible wire (43) of the shaping mandrel (40) and passing in the vicinity of the chamfered smooth edges of the torpedoes (41, 42), each wheel (25, 26) having a peripheral groove (65, 66) complementary to that of the other wheel (26, 25) so as to form a horizontal axis passage (67) for said flexible wire.
Specification