Tube coating machine feed mechanism - has tube advanced by carrier shaft towards coating head engaged by grippers each end

摘要

The feed mechanism advances perforated tubes (2) up to 3 or more metres long to a machine (17) with a head which coats them with plastics. The tubes are delivered from a hopper (4) to a roller conveyor (10) which passes them one at a time through a cone shaped guide (11) to the next station. Here, two grippers (28, 29) which are spaced apart at a distance longer than a length of tube, forward a long shaft (22) with rounded ends (23, 24) over which the tube is passed, towards the plastics coating head. At the same time, the tube is supported between rollers (10) underneath and spring loaded curved members (14) above. The coated tube is afterwards discharged by the shaft (22) onto a takeoff roller conveyor.