Process and apparatus for continuous drying, washing and cutting of vinyl sheeting

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING VINYL SHEETING IN WEB FORM TO PREPARE IT FOR USE IN LAMINATING, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FEED-IN MECHANISM FOR FEEDING THE VINYL WEB FROM A ROLL OF VINYL STOCK, A DRYING CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH THE WEB IS PASSED FROM THE FEED-IN MECHANISM FOR REMOVING MOISTURE AND SMALL AMOUNTS OF VOLATILE MATERIAL THEREFORM, A FIRST COOLING CHAMBER FOR COOLING THE WEB HAVING A CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING SAID WEB THERETHROUGH AS IT LEAVES SAID DRYING CHAMBER, VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE MECHANISM FOR SAID DRIER AND CONVEYOR MEANS OF THE FIRST COOLING CHAMBER, TENSION REGULATING MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE CONTROLLUNG SAID VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE MECHANISM, A WASHER FOR SAID WEB, LIQUID STRIPPING MECHANISM ASSOCIATED WITH SAID WASHER AND THROUGH WHICH SAID WEB PASSES FOR REMOVING LIQUID FROM THE WEB AS IT LEAVES THE WASHER, A SECOND CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING SAID WEB AS IT LEAVES THE LIQUID STRIPPING MEANS, HEATING MEANS FOR SAID WEB ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR REMOVING MOISTURE FROM THE WEB AND FOR HEATING THE WEB TO RELAX IT FROM ANY STRETCHING OCCURRING THERETO IN SAID WASHER AND STRIPPING MECHANISM, AIR JET MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND DISPOSED TO DIRECT AIR ON SAID WEB TO REMOVE MOISTURE AND STRAIGHTEN SAME, A THIRD CONVEYOR FOR SAID WEB AND A CHILLING MEANS THROUGH WHICH SAID WEB PASSES AS IT IS MOVED BY THE THIRD CONVEYOR TO CHILL AND SET THE VINYL WEB TO ADAPT SAID WEB FOR USE IN LAMINATING.