US3782309A

US3782309A - Method and apparatus for manufacturing articles of clothing

Info

Publication number: US3782309A
Application number: US00238783A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Lee
Original assignee: Bonds Wear Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Bonds Wear Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1971-05-24
Filing date: 1972-03-28
Publication date: 1974-01-01
Anticipated expiration: 1991-01-01
Also published as: DE2216373A1; DE2216375A1; DE2216374A1; DE2216372A1; US3777683A

Abstract

A method and apparatus for manufacturing garments in a continuous and automatic manner from strip material cut to provide profiled blanks. The method comprising the steps of traversing a blank on a first conveyor through a number of work stations to provide a semi-finished garment and then mechanically transferring it to a second conveyor for traverse through garment finishing stations.

Description

nit ttes atet [191 Lee 1 1 Jan. 1, 11974 [5 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 3,097,733 7/1961 Frydryk 112/121.15 x

MANUFACTURING ARTICLES 0 3,208,419 9/1965 Frydryk 112/262 3,467,037 9/1969 Frydryk ll2/l2l.l5 CLOTHHNG 3,488,778 1/ 1970 Goujon et al. 2/243 R X [75] Inventor: Harold Barry Lee, Heidelberg, 3,505,149 4/1970 Sanchez 1. 156/160 X Victoria Australia 3,604,015 9/1971 Dove 1 i 2/224 A 3,663,962 5/1972 Burger i 2/243 R X [73] Assignee: Bonds-Wear Pty. Limited, 3,669,046 6/1972 Fowler 1l2/121.15

Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia [22] Filed: Man 28, W72 Primary Examiner-James R. Boler Attorney-Davis S. Kane et a1. [21] Appl. No.: 238,783

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar 30, 1971 Australia PA 4452 [57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 112/121.29, 112/262, 2/224 A, A method and app r tus for manufacturing garments l 12/121.27 in a continuous and automatic manner from strip ma- [51 llnt. Cl 10051) 23/00 terial cut to provide profiled blanks. The method com- [58] Field! of Search 112/121.11, 121.12, prising the steps of traversing a blank on a first con- 112/121.15, 121.29, 203, 262, 121,27; 2/243 veyor through a number of work stations to provide a R, 224 R, 224 A; 156/251, 160 semi-finished garment and then mechanically transferring it to a second conveyor for traverse through gar- [56] Refierences Cited ment finishing stations.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,976,199 3/1961 Rand 156/251 X 20 Claims, 31 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 1 I974 SHEET 01 0F 28 rwre r PATENTED H974 3,782,309 sum '05 0F 28 PATENTEDJAN H914 3.782.309

sum near 28 I PATENTEDJAN Hm 3.782.309

' sum m2: or 28 PATENTEUJ" memo SHEET 09 0F 28 PATENTEDJAN U974 3,782 309 sum 10 or 28 'PATENTEDJAN 1W 3.182.309

' SHEET 11 UF PATENTEUJAR um 3,782,309

wen 120F 28

Claims

1. Apparatus for automatically manufacturing briefs from blanks cut from a strip of interconnected blanks, said apparatus comprising a first endless intermittently moving conveyor having a plurality of forming boards equally spaced therealong, releasable blank gripping means on each forming board to grip and hold a blank thereon in an initial unfolded condition and subsequently a folded position, means to align side edge portions of each blank, means to secure said edge portions together whilst held aligned to form the side seams of the waist and leg openings thereby defining said waist and leg openings for the finished briefs, means to position and temporarily locate a gusset flap over the crutch of the briefs, means to position an elasticised loop around the side seamed blank adjacent the waist opening, means to temporarily secure the waist portion Of said briefs to said loop thereby completing the formation of a semi-finished pair of briefs; a second endless intermittently moving conveyor having a plurality of individual movable body forms equally spaced therealong, synchronized drive means for the first and second conveyors, means positioned in the path of travel of said body forms to secure the waist loop permanently in position and further means positioned in the path of travel of said body forms to edge finish the leg openings and thereby permanently secure the gusset in position on said garment.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein said forming board is hollow and of generally wedge shape having a sharp end, a blund end, two substantially parallel edges and two substantially rectangular converging faces, said grippers being supported fron within the forming boards and projecting from the faces thereof with operating arms for the grippers on each face of the forming board projecting beyond the forming board edges, wings on each edge of the forming board each wing being a truncated triangular prism hinged at its small end and being connected at its large end to a mechanism whereby the wings can be moved in unison relative to the forming board about their hinged connections and support arms fixed to the forming board carrying axles whereby the forming board is connected to the first conveyor and is able to turn end over end, and a cam follower arm fixed to one of said axles.

3. The apparatus claimed in claim 2 including cam means engaged by said cam follower arm and adapted to maintain the uppermost face of the forming board substantially horizontal during the traverse of a garment blank along the first conveyor.

4. The apparatus claimed in claim 3 including blank positioning means which is operated at a blank severing station where the forming board is stationary and prior to blank severing, said positioning means by pressing on a blank between a forming board gripping one end of that blank and the next forming board moving the leading end of the attached following blank into gripping relationship with the grippers of said next forming board.

5. The apparatus claimed in claim 4 including blank severing means whereby each blank is severed from the next blank, said severing means including pressure rollers on a movable member located in the path of travel of said forming boards and blades mounted in said forming board and adapted to be traversed by said pressure rollers.

6. The apparatus claimed in claim 2 including a turn over station having forming board turn over means comprising a turn over arm pivotal about an axis and having lugs to embrace the cam follower arm fixed to successive forming board axles, said axis being in line with the axle of each forming board when it stops at the turn over station so that by movement of said turn over arm said forming board is turned end over end.

7. The apparatus claimed in claim 6 including smoothing means at said turn over station to smooth the blank out over and end of the forming board and on the uppermost (formerly lowermost) face thereof as the forming board is turned over.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 also including a smoothing station where moving brushes angularly sweep acorss the portion of the blank on the uppermost face of the forming board to smooth the blank and insert the trailing edge thereof under the grippers on that face of the forming board.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including a sewing station having movable blades which position side edges of the blank in overlying relationship and sewing machine positioning and drive means which direct sewing machines along the overlying side edges of the blank to form garment side seams.

10. The apparatus claimed in claim 2 including a gusset station having gusset severing and positioning means, said positioning means including brushes and a gripper assembly, said brushes sweeping a severed end of the gusset into the gripper assembly and after the application of gLue to the crutch part of the garment by glue printing means and the overlying of the gusset on the crutch part by the gripper assembly said brushes apply pressure to said gusset.

11. The apparatus claimed in claim 2 including an elastic material loop forming and fitting station, said elastic material being printed at spaced positions along its length with spots of heat reactive glue, said loops being formed and fitted to a forming board over a side seamed blank thereon by a machine, said machine comprising a rotatable work-head having a circular periphery and a central axis of rotation, bearing means on a frame to support the work head, a stitching machine fixed to the frame in operative relationship to an anvil fitted into the periphery of the work head, gripper means on the work head biased to a grip position on said anvil and releasable by first cam means on the frame, an arm universally pivotally mounted on the frame, an openable beak biased to closed position fixed to the arm, means to bias the arm to a position where the beak occupies a first position, second and third cam means on the frame adapted to move the arm and thus the beak through a path of travel which is substantially rectangular the four terminal points of said path defining four operative positions for said beak, fourth cam means on the frame to open the beak, and drive means adapted to rotate said work head and move the beak between its four operative positions and actuate said stitcher and actuate a material severing device, the operation of said machine being to move the beak from its first position to its second position with the beak open to close the beak to grip the end of a strip from a material supply which is to be formed into a loop, to move the beak to its third position to locate the strip behind the beak under the gripper which is open and over the anivl, to close the gripper to clamp the material on the anvil and to open the beak and move it to its fourth position, to rotate the work head and at the same time move the beak from the fourth to the first position, upon completion of one rotation of the work head to operate the stapler to form a loop of material and at the same time move the beak to its second position and grip the material supply behind the staple forming the loop, to actuate the severing device to cut the material supply strip between the staple and the beak and release the gripper, and a loop transfer mechanism comprising two pairs of fingers on carriages mounted on a rail and adapted to be moved together or apart, to provide a spacing between the pairs of fingers equal to and in excess of the spacing of two pairs of cut-outs in the periphery of the work head, said rail being pivotally mounted on arms, drive means selectively operable to raise and lower the arm, move the carriages and tilt the rail relative to the arms, the relative positioning of the fingers and the work head being such that with the arms raised and the rail tilted the fingers can be swung into work head cut-outs by removing the rail tilt, and by separation of the carriages and tilting and lowering of the rail and arms respectively remove the finished loop to free the work head for a further loop fabricating cycle and position the loop in line with the forming boards on the first conveyor which at the loop positioning station stop with the waist end of the side seamed blank in line with the loop and by manipulation of the fingers the loop is deposited in position on the blank.

12. The apparatus claimed in claim 11 including an elastic loop securing station where heated members are brought into engagement with the elastic loop to react the glue thereon.

13. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 including a transfer station having movable arms carrying movable gripping fingers adapted to engage a semi-finished blank and transfer it from a forming board to an aligned body form on the second conveyor.

14. The machine claimed in claim 1 wherein said body forms are each a replica of a body trunk from the waist tO the thigh having a waist opening and a pair of leg openings and is mounted rotatably on a bar rotatably supported on the second conveyor transverse to the direction of movement thereof.

15. The machine claimed in claim 14 including a waist finishing station having a waist finishing mechanism comprising a fixed frame, a frame movable relative to the fixed frame, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the movable frame and co-axial with the axis of rotation of the body form, a replica of the periphery of the shape of the waist opening fixed to the drive shaft and drive members on the drive shaft engageable with driven members fixed to the body form by movement of the movable frame, a constant speed power shaft rotatably mounted on the movable frame drivingly coupled to a power transfer shaft and the periphery of said replica, first and second cam means driven by the transfer shaft, and third cam means driven by the power shaft, a sewing machine carrying arm assembly pivotally supported from the moving frame, said first cam means controlling the movement of the moving frame, and said second and third cam means controlling the movement of said arm assembly, the arrangement being such that rotation of the power shaft causes movement of the moving frame with consequent driving engagement of the drive shaft with the body form and movement of the arm assembly to bring a sewing machine fitted to the arm assembly into operative relationship with the waist edge of a garment and rotation of the drive shaft and thus the body form with a uniform surface speed for the periphery of the garment waist opening.

16. The machine claimed in claim 15 wherein the transfer shaft and the drive shaft are concentrically mounted and the arm assembly includes a first pair of arms pivotally connected to the moving frame at their first ends and respectively at their second ends to the ends of a second pair of arms, said second pair of arms being disposed between side guides and carrying a cam roller urged toward a lateral positioning cam forming the third cam means and a sewing machine support mounted on the second pair of arms and wherein said second cam means includes an up and down positioning cam and engaged by a roller mounted on said arm assembly, said last mentioned cam and roller being maintained in engagement by an air cylinder extending between said arm assembly and said moving frame.

17. The machine claimed in claim 15 including two angularly disposed leg opening finishing mechanisms positioned at a finishing station, each mechanism comprising a main frame, a table mounted on the main frame and movable to and fro, a work shaft rotatably mounted on the table co-axial with an axis of the leg opening to be finished which is circular in shape, a sewing machine support fixed to the work shaft, cam means on a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the frame to engage and move the table to and fro in a path which represents the profile of the edge of the leg opening to be finished in a plane at right angles to said axis, power transfer means coupling the work shaft and the drive shaft to effect rotation of the former, a sewing machine drive comprising a lay shaft mounted rotatably on the table co-axial with the work shaft and adapted to transfer a drive from a sewing machine motor mounted on said table to a sewing machine mounted on said sewing machine support and control means for energising said sewing machine motor and controlling the sewing machine functions as a result of the rotation of said drive shaft, the arrangement being such that rotation of the drive shaft effects rotation of the sewing machine support and movement of the table to cause the sewing mechanism of a sewing machine to trace a path which is circular relative to said axis and follows the profile of the garment opening edge in a plane at right angles to said axis.

18. The machine claimed in claim 17 including for each mechanism a locating bar which is co-axial with the work shaft and is mounted on the table and moving means to axially move said locating bar into and out of engagement with a socket opening in the body form in line with said axis.

19. The machine claimed in claim 1 including a stripping mechanism to remove finished briefs from a body form said stripping mechanism comprising arms movable into and out of position beneath a body form to be stripped, lifters on said arms adapted to engage the waist of a pair of briefs and expand it and a movable gripper to grip the crutch of the briefs and strip them from the body form.

20. A method for the automatic manufacture of briefs from fabric, said method comprising the steps of providing a fabric strip of blanks pre-cut to provide for leg and waist openings in a finished brief, successively feeding the blanks onto garment forming boards equally spaced along an intermittently moving first endless conveyor, advancing the conveyor thereby traversing the forming boards successively through a plurality of garment forming stations and performing the following steps on each blank: a. folding about its forming board and releasably securing each blank thereto in folded position; b. securing the edge portions permanently together to form the side seams of the briefs thereby defining said leg and waist openings; c. forming at least one gusset located in overlying relationship with the crutch portion of the briefs and temporarily securing said gusset in position; d. encircling said blank with an elasticised loop adjacent the waist opening of the briefs, temporarily securing the waist portion to the elasticised band, to provide a semi-finished pair of briefs, transferring each semi-finished pair of briefs from its associated forming board on the first conveyor to use of a plurality of body forms equally spaced along an intermittently moving second endless conveyor the movement of which is synchronized with said first conveyor, advancing said conveyors thereby traversing said body forms successively through a plurality of garment finishing stations, permanently securing the elasticised waist band in position at one of said garment finishing stations and edge finishing the leg openings of said briefs at another of said garment finishing stations.