Conveyor for tensioned separate sheets esp. animal skins - eliminates tensioning frames and facilitates continuous precessing, partic. drying

摘要

A conveyor and conveying process for tensioned, individual sheets in single file succession are claimed, as well as sheets of animal skin thus conveyed and a skin drying oven with through conveyor of this type. Each sheet is attached by its opposite, longitudinal edges to a pair of spaced, roller chains running in semi-enclosed tracks of the conveyor; the tracks are parallel to each other and have at least one length of run over which the track spacing is narrower than the preceding and succeeding lengths of run, the roller chain links being hinged together for flexing in two planes at right angles. The narrow run is joined into the rest of the track by cranked sections which are pref. hinged to permit adjustment of track spacing in the narrow run; the adjustment can be mechanised by employing motorised screws to effect lateral displacement of the track sections. Eliminates the need for tensioning frames or platens, which were expensive, cumbersome and uneconomic for conversion to continuous processes. Loading, tensioning, slackening and unloading can now be fully automatic with continuous conveying through processing operations.