Machine for taping capacitors and the like

Claim 1

In a taping machine for applying a protective wrapping to small parts of the type having a longitudinal axis, the combination comprising a frame, means on the frame for supporting a supply roll of adhesive tape, the front of the frame presenting a table surface having a front lip, first horizontally extending roller means alined below the lip of the table, the first roller means being axially fixed in position, a cutter mechanism including a reciprocating cutter blade fitted snugly under the lip of the table and above the roller means, second roller means opposite the first roller means and parallel thereto, a movable arm supporting the second roller means and having a handle for manual movement of the arm toward and away from the first roller means to define a captive winding space, means for driving both roller means in the same direction and at the same peripheral speed, means for guiding the tape along the surface of the table with the end of the tape extending to the lip of the table sticky side up so that a part may be manually pressed adheringly to the end of the tape in a transversely extending direction, a transversely extending knurled roller between the roll of tape and the table, a carrier mounting the knurled roller for bodily movement generally horizontally toward and away from the table, means including a cylindrical guide member spaced from the knurled roller and parallel thereto for guiding and restraining the back side of the tape so that the tape follows an S-shaped path terminating at the lip of the table and in which the sticky side forms a partial loop about the knurled roller, manually operated means for (a) moving the carrier away from the table while the part is pressed against the tape to prevent retrograde movement of the end of the tape so that the loop is elongated with the result that the knurled roller "takes" a length of tape from the supply roll and for (b) subsequently moving the carrier toward the table to shorten the loop and so that the end of the tape is advanced across the table with the result that the part adhering to the tape drops over the lip of the table and into the space between the roller means where, upon manual movement of the arm, it is trapped in the captive winding space, means for actuating the driving means so that the rollers rotate the part drawing the tape around the knurled roller and which is then wound about the part, and means for operating the cutter mechanism to sever the tape for release of the part.