Method and apparatus of producing plastic coated fabric conveyor belting

Claim 1

The method of manufacturing reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally horizontal and upwardly convex arcuate flight, depositing a continuous layer of liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor in a depositing zone at the beginning of the conveyor path of travel along said arcuate flight, applying a continuous sheet of fabric onto said layer of polyurethane on the upper surface of said conveyor adjacent said one end of the conveyor depositing zone and passing said sheet of fabric and layer of polyurethane and said conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers adjacent the zone at which said sheet of fabric is applied while advancing said conveyor along said arcuate flight, thereafter heating said layer of polyurethane and sheet of fabric as they advance with the conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by spraying the underside of the conveyor at the end of the arcuate flight first with water having a controlled temperature within a predetermined range and thereafter spraying the underside of the conveyor with water at a lower relatively stable temperature, and thereafter removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight, whereby the tension on said sheet of fabric holds it tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is

Claim 2

The method of manufacturing reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally horizontal and upwardly convex arcuate flight, depositing a continuous layer of liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor in a depositing zone at the beginning of the conveyor path of travel along said arcuate flight, applying a continuous sheet of fabric onto said layer of polyurethane on the upper surface of said conveyor adjacent said one end of the conveyor depositing zone and passing said sheet of fabric and layer of polyurethane and said conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers adjacent the zone at which said sheet of fabric is applied while advancing said conveyor along said arcuate flight, thereafter heating said layer of polyurethane and sheet of fabric as they advance with the conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by spraying the underside of the conveyor at the end of the arcuate flight first with water having a controlled temperature within a predetermined range and thereafter spraying the underside of the conveyor with water at a lower relatively stable temperature, and thereafter removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight, whereby the tension on said sheet of fabric holds it tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is

Claim 8

The method of manufacturing reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally convex arcuate flight, continuously depositing liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor at the beginning of its path of travel along said arcuate flight, applying a sheet of fabric to the polyurethane on the upper surface of said conveyor adjacent said one end of the conveyor and passing said sheet, polyurethane and conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers adjacent said one end of the conveyor while advancing said conveyor along said arcuate flight, thereafter heating said polyurethane and fabric sheet as they advance with said conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by the steps of spraying the underside of said conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight with water having a controlled temperature of between 75.degree. to 180.degree.F and thereafter spraying said underside of said conveyor with single pass water, at substantially ambient temperature, and removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight whereby said fabric sheet is held tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is

Claim 9

The method of manufacturing reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally convex arcuate flight, continuously depositing liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor at the beginning of its path of travel along said arcuate flight, applying a sheet of fabric to the polyurethane on the upper surface of said conveyor adjacent said one end of the conveyor and passing said sheet, polyurethane and conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers adjacent said one end of the conveyor while advancing said conveyor along said arcuate flight, thereafter heating said polyurethane and fabric sheet as they advance with said conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by the steps of spraying the underside of said conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight with water having a controlled temperature of between 75.degree. to 180.degree.F and thereafter spraying said underside of said conveyor with single pass water, at substantially ambient temperature, and removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight whereby said fabric sheet is held tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is

Claim 11

The method of continuously forming reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally arcuate convex flight, depositing liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor at the beginning of its path of travel along said flight, supplying a substantially continuous sheet of fabric to the surface of said polyurethane while passing said fabric, polyurethane, and conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers to distribute said polyurethane in an even thickness between said fabric and said conveyor, preheating said conveyor and deposited polyurethane prior to passage between said rollers and preheating said fabric prior to application thereof to said polyurethane to remove excess moisture therefrom, thereafter heating said polyurethane and fabric sheet by directing infrared radiant heat thereto as they advance within said conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by spraying the underside of said conveyor adjacent the end of said arcuate flight with water having a controlled temperature of between 75.degree.F to 180.degree.F and thereafter spraying said underside of said conveyor with single pass water at substantially ambient temperature, and removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight whereby said fabric sheet is held tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is moved along the arcuate flight of the

Claim 12

The method of continuously forming reinforced polyurethane belting which comprises the steps of, continuously advancing an endless conveyor along a generally arcuate convex flight, depositing liquid polyurethane on one end of said conveyor at the beginning of its path of travel along said flight, supplying a substantially continuous sheet of fabric to the surface of said polyurethane while passing said fabric, polyurethane, and conveyor between a pair of closely spaced rollers to distribute said polyurethane in an even thickness between said fabric and said conveyor, preheating said conveyor and deposited polyurethane prior to passage between said rollers and preheating said fabric prior to application thereof to said polyurethane to remove excess moisture therefrom, thereafter heating said polyurethane and fabric sheet by directing infrared radiant heat thereto as they advance within said conveyor along said arcuate flight to cure said polyurethane and form an integral laminated belting, cooling said belting and conveyor at the end of said arcuate flight by spraying the underside of said conveyor adjacent the end of said arcuate flight with water having a controlled temperature of between 75.degree.F to 180.degree.F and thereafter spraying said underside of said conveyor with single pass water at substantially ambient temperature, and removing said belting from said conveyor along a path substantially tangential to said arcuate flight whereby said fabric sheet is held tightly against the polyurethane and the polyurethane is held tightly and uniformly between the sheet and the conveyor as it is moved along the arcuate flight of the

Claim 16

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING REINFORCED POLYURETHANE BELTING WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR ALONG AN UPWARDLY-CONVEX FLIGHT PATH WHICH IS GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AND IS UPWARDLY-CONVEX THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE FORMING ZONE IN WHINH THE BELTING FORMING MATERIALS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND THE POLYURETHANE IS CURED, DEPOSITING A CONTINUOUS LAYER OF LIQUID POLYURETHANE ON SAID CONVEYOR IN A DEPOSITING ZONE AT THE BEGINING OF THE CONVEROY PATH OF TRAVEL INTO SAID FORMING ZONE, PASSING SAID LAYER OF POLYURETHANE BENEATH A ROLLER WHICH IS POSITIONED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM SAID BELT IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID LAYER AND BELT AWAY FROM SAID DEPOSITING ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING A CONTINUOUS SHEET OF CARCASS AGAINST THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID LAYER AS IT MOVES UNDER SAID ROLLER AND INTO THE NIP BETWEEN SAID ROLLER AND SAID BELT, THEREAFTER HEATING SAID LAYER OF POLURETHANE AS IT ADVANCES WITH THE CONVEYOR THROUGH SAID FORMING ZONE TO CURE SAID POLYURETHANE AND FROM AN INTEGRAL LAMINATED BELTING, COLLING SAID BELTING AS IT MOVES FROM SAID FORMING ZONE BY SPRAYING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONVEYOR FIRST WITH WATER HAVING A CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE WITHIN A PREDETERMINED RANGE AND THEREAFTER SPRAYING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONVEYOR WITH WATER AT A LOWER RELATIVELY STABLE TEMPERATURE, AND THEREAFTER REMOVING SAID BELTING FROM SAID CONVEYOR AT A REMOVAL ZONE ALONG A PATH DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID UPWARDLY-CONVEX FLIGHT PATH SO THAT SAID CARCASS IS HELD UNDER TENSION BETWEEN SAID NIP AND SAID REMOVAL ZONE, WHEREBY THE TENSION ON SAID SHEET OF CARCASS HOLDS SAID SHEET TIGHTLY AGAINST THE POLYURETHANE AND THE POLYURETHANE IS HELD THIGHTLY AND UNIFORMLY BETWEEN THE SHEET AND THE CONVEYOR AS IT IS MOVED THROUGH SAID FORMING ZONE THEREBY TO INSURE THAT SAID SHEET IS PROPERLY POSITIONED AGAINST THE POLYURETHANE AND THE POLYURETHANE IS FORMED AND CURED INTO A SHEET HAVING UNIFORM THICKNESS LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF.

Claim 17

THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING REINFORCED POLYURETHANE BELTING WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF, CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR ALONG AN UPWARDLY-CONVEX FLIGHT PATH WHICH IS GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AND IS UPWARDLY-CONVEX THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE FORMING ZONE IN WHINH THE BELTING FORMING MATERIALS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND THE POLYURETHANE IS CURED, DEPOSITING A CONTINUOUS LAYER OF LIQUID POLYURETHANE ON SAID CONVEYOR IN A DEPOSITING ZONE AT THE BEGINING OF THE CONVEROY PATH OF TRAVEL INTO SAID FORMING ZONE, PASSING SAID LAYER OF POLYURETHANE BENEATH A ROLLER WHICH IS POSITIONED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM SAID BELT IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID LAYER AND BELT AWAY FROM SAID DEPOSITING ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING A CONTINUOUS SHEET OF CARCASS AGAINST THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID LAYER AS IT MOVES UNDER SAID ROLLER AND INTO THE NIP BETWEEN SAID ROLLER AND SAID BELT, THEREAFTER HEATING SAID LAYER OF POLURETHANE AS IT ADVANCES WITH THE CONVEYOR THROUGH SAID FORMING ZONE TO CURE SAID POLYURETHANE AND FROM AN INTEGRAL LAMINATED BELTING, COLLING SAID BELTING AS IT MOVES FROM SAID FORMING ZONE BY SPRAYING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONVEYOR FIRST WITH WATER HAVING A CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE WITHIN A PREDETERMINED RANGE AND THEREAFTER SPRAYING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONVEYOR WITH WATER AT A LOWER RELATIVELY STABLE TEMPERATURE, AND THEREAFTER REMOVING SAID BELTING FROM SAID CONVEYOR AT A REMOVAL ZONE ALONG A PATH DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID UPWARDLY-CONVEX FLIGHT PATH SO THAT SAID CARCASS IS HELD UNDER TENSION BETWEEN SAID NIP AND SAID REMOVAL ZONE, WHEREBY THE TENSION ON SAID SHEET OF CARCASS HOLDS SAID SHEET TIGHTLY AGAINST THE POLYURETHANE AND THE POLYURETHANE IS HELD THIGHTLY AND UNIFORMLY BETWEEN THE SHEET AND THE CONVEYOR AS IT IS MOVED THROUGH SAID FORMING ZONE THEREBY TO INSURE THAT SAID SHEET IS PROPERLY POSITIONED AGAINST THE POLYURETHANE AND THE POLYURETHANE IS FORMED AND CURED INTO A SHEET HAVING UNIFORM THICKNESS LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF.