Take-off machines

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR SUPPORTING AND CONVEYING EXTRUDED MATERIAL ISSUING CONTINUOUSLY FROM A DIE OR FORMER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM, A VERTICAL PEDESTAL MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND GEAR BOX MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM, A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL VERTICAL GUIDES MOUNTED AT THE REAR OF SAID PLATFORM, A VERTICAL TELESCOPIC PILLAR MOUNTED AT THE FRONT OF SAID PLATFORM, A CROSS-HEAD SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON EACH GUIDE AND UPON THE FRONT PILLAR, TRANSVERSE GUIDE SHAFTS INTERCONNECTING THE TWO CROSS-HEADS, A SLIDABLE SADDLE ON EACH GUIDE SHAFT, A MANUALLY OPERABLE SCREWTHREADED SHAFT AND NUT MECHANISM TO IMPART A TRAVERSING MOTION TO BOTH OF SAID SLIDABLE SADDLES ON SAID GUIDE SHAFTS, A PAIR OF MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE AND MANUALLY OPERATED SPACED VERTICAL SHAFTS ON EACH SADDLE, A DRIVEN SPROCKET MOUNTED UPON SAID VERTICAL SHAFT COACTING WITH EACH CROSS-HEAD, EACH PAIR OF VERTICAL SHAFTS CARRYING AN ENDLESS BELT ADAPTED TO DRIVE SAID DRIVEN SPROCKET, DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVING SPROCKET FOR SAID ENDLESS BELT WHICH IS DRIVEN FROM SAID ELECTRIC MOTOR TO EACH OF THE ENDLESS BELTS FOR EACH OF THE VERTICAL SHAFTS AND ASSOCIATED DRIVEN SPROCKETS, EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED PAIRS OF ELASTIC PADS ON SAID ENDLESS BELTS FOR FRICTIONALLY GRIPPING THE CONVEYED EXTRUDED MATERIAL, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE CROSS-HEADS IN A VERTICAL POSITION TO ADAPT THE TAKE-OFF OPERATION TO DIFFERENT THICKNESSES OF THE EXTRUDED MATERIAL, MEANS TO ADJUST THE SADDLES IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION TO MANIPULATE THE EXTRUDED MATERIAL TO THE PADS AND SAVE WEAR ON THE BELTS WHICH ARE VERTICALLY ARRANGED.