Apparatus for producing a coupling element assembly for slide fasteners

Claim 1

An apparatus for producing a coupling element assembly for slide fasteners which includes a row of spaced coupling elements of synthetic resin and a warp-knit elongate structure having a pair of spaced webs and a plurality of transverse thread portions interconnecting the spaced webs and embedded in the coupling elements, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable molding wheel having on its periphery a series of elongate mold cavities with their longitudinal axes spaced by a distance from each other extending axially of said molding wheel for receiving the transverse thread portions, and a pair of parallel annular grooves intersecting end portions of each of said mold cavities for receiving the spaced webs; an injection shoe fixedly disposed in slidable contact with a portion of the periphery of said molding wheel and having a sprue opening toward said periphery portion of the molding wheel; a guide drum rotatably disposed adjacent to said molding wheel on one side of said injection shoe for guiding the warp-knit elongate structure onto said molding wheel, said guide drum having on its periphery a series of substantially rectangular raised portions spaced circumferentially from each other with axial channels therebetween spaced from each other by said distance, each of said raised portions having a width which is substantially the same as said distance and a length which is substantially the same as a distance between the annular grooves; means disposed adjacent to said molding wheel on a side opposite said one side of said injection shoe for separating a molded product from one of said mold cavities at a time; and means disposed adjacent to said separating means for bending the molded product about its transverse central axis into the shape of a U.

Claim 2

An apparatus for producing a coupling element assembly for slide fasteners which includes a row of spaced coupling elements of synthetic resin and a warp-knit elongate structure having a pair of spaced webs and a plurality of transverse thread portions interconnecting the spaced webs and embedded in the coupling elements, said apparatus comprising: a rotatable molding wheel having on its periphery a series of elongate mold cavities with their longitudinal axes spaced by a distance from each other extending axially of said molding wheel for receiving the transverse thread portions, and a pair of parallel annular grooves intersecting end portions of each of said mold cavities for receiving the spaced webs; an injection shoe fixedly disposed in slidable contact with a portion of the periphery of said molding wheel and having a sprue opening toward said periphery portion of the molding wheel; a guide drum rotatably disposed adjacent to said molding wheel on one side of said injection shoe for guiding the warp-knit elongate structure onto said molding wheel, said guide drum having on its periphery a series of substantially rectangular raised portions spaced circumferentially from each other with axial channels therebetween spaced from each other by said distance, each of said raised portions having a width which is substantially the same as said distance and a length which is substantially the same as a distance between the annular grooves; means disposed adjacent to said molding wheel on a side opposite said one side of said injection shoe for separating a molded product from one of said mold cavities at a time; and means disposed adjacent to said separating means for bending the molded product about its transverse central axis into the shape of a U.