Device for two-sided application of foils or similar material onto plate-shaped workpieces, and method of operating the same

Claim 1

An apparatus for laminating a substrate with a lamina, comprising: a plurality of drums having the lamina disposed thereon, each one of said plurality of drums comprising a plurality of drum segments, said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, each of said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums being rotatable about a central axis of each of said plurality of drums without inducing rotation of any other of said drum segments; first means for cutting the lamina disposed on each of said plurality of drums into discrete lamina segments, each of said lamina segments being disposed on one of said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums; second means for conveying the substrate to a position among said plurality of drums; and third means for forcing one of said lamina segments from one of said plurality of drum segments of at least one of said plurality drums into adhesive abutment with the substrate, said forcing means controlling the angle of coincidence between said one of said lamina segments and the substrate.

Claim 2

An apparatus for laminating a substrate with a lamina, comprising: a plurality of drums having the lamina disposed thereon, each one of said plurality of drums comprising a plurality of drum segments, said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, each of said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums being rotatable about a central axis of each of said plurality of drums without inducing rotation of any other of said drum segments; first means for cutting the lamina disposed on each of said plurality of drums into discrete lamina segments, each of said lamina segments being disposed on one of said plurality of drum segments of each of said plurality of drums; second means for conveying the substrate to a position among said plurality of drums; and third means for forcing one of said lamina segments from one of said plurality of drum segments of at least one of said plurality drums into adhesive abutment with the substrate, said forcing means controlling the angle of coincidence between said one of said lamina segments and the substrate.

Claim 9

An apparatus for the two-sided application of foil segments onto workpieces by means of a plurality of rotary driven laminating rollers between which the workpieces are successively guided, the foil segments being supplied by a plurality of vacuum-admitting supply drums, wherein each one of the plurality of supply drums comprises: a plurality of drum segments having arcuate surface lengths approximately equal to the length of each of the foil segments, each of said plurality of drum segments being radially adjustable independent of each other and rotatable about a central axis of each of said plurality of supply drums without inducing rotation of any other of said drum segments; and shear blades mounted for movement along a seam between each of said plurality of drum segments of each one of the plurality of supply drums when said plurality of supply drums are at a starting position, said shear blades cutting foil disposed on each of said plurality of supply drums to define the foil segments prior to the application of the foil segments onto the workpieces.

Claim 10

An apparatus for the two-sided application of foil segments onto workpieces by means of a plurality of rotary driven laminating rollers between which the workpieces are successively guided, the foil segments being supplied by a plurality of vacuum-admitting supply drums, wherein each one of the plurality of supply drums comprises: a plurality of drum segments having arcuate surface lengths approximately equal to the length of each of the foil segments, each of said plurality of drum segments being radially adjustable independent of each other and rotatable about a central axis of each of said plurality of supply drums without inducing rotation of any other of said drum segments; and shear blades mounted for movement along a seam between each of said plurality of drum segments of each one of the plurality of supply drums when said plurality of supply drums are at a starting position, said shear blades cutting foil disposed on each of said plurality of supply drums to define the foil segments prior to the application of the foil segments onto the workpieces.

Claim 14

A method for continuously operating a laminating device for laminating the surface of a workpiece with a lamina, comprising the steps of: (a) conveying workpieces to a laminating station wherein workpieces are sequentially disposed between feeding drums, each of said feeding drums comprising first and second drum segments having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, said first and second drum segments having first and second lamina segments disposed thereon, respectively; (b) rotating said first drum segments of said feeding drums to an angular position wherein a leading edge of said first lamina segments is aligned with a leading edge of the workpiece; (c) shifting said first drum segments toward the workpiece to a position wherein said leading edge of said first lamina segments abut said leading edge of the workpiece; (d) shifting said first drum segments away from the workpiece, said leading edges of said first lamina segments adhering to said leading edge of the workpiece; (e) shifting a plurality of laminating rollers from a storage position into an operating position in which each of said plurality of laminating rollers abut a portion of one of said first lamina segments extending between said first drum segments and the workpiece; (f) rotating said first and second drum segments of the feeding drums and said plurality of laminating rollers to strip said first lamina segments off of said first drum segments and applying the stripped-off lamina to the workpiece; (g) while said first drum segments are being rotated in step (f), conveying lamina from a lamina source to the circumferences of said feeding drums; and (h) after completion of step (f), cutting said lamina on said feeding drums prior to conveying a subsequent workpiece to be laminated; and (i) after completion of step (f), shifting said laminating rollers from said operating position to said storage position.

Claim 15

A method for continuously operating a laminating device for laminating the surface of a workpiece with a lamina, comprising the steps of: (a) conveying workpieces to a laminating station wherein workpieces are sequentially disposed between feeding drums, each of said feeding drums comprising first and second drum segments having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, said first and second drum segments having first and second lamina segments disposed thereon, respectively; (b) rotating said first drum segments of said feeding drums to an angular position wherein a leading edge of said first lamina segments is aligned with a leading edge of the workpiece; (c) shifting said first drum segments toward the workpiece to a position wherein said leading edge of said first lamina segments abut said leading edge of the workpiece; (d) shifting said first drum segments away from the workpiece, said leading edges of said first lamina segments adhering to said leading edge of the workpiece; (e) shifting a plurality of laminating rollers from a storage position into an operating position in which each of said plurality of laminating rollers abut a portion of one of said first lamina segments extending between said first drum segments and the workpiece; (f) rotating said first and second drum segments of the feeding drums and said plurality of laminating rollers to strip said first lamina segments off of said first drum segments and applying the stripped-off lamina to the workpiece; (g) while said first drum segments are being rotated in step (f), conveying lamina from a lamina source to the circumferences of said feeding drums; and (h) after completion of step (f), cutting said lamina on said feeding drums prior to conveying a subsequent workpiece to be laminated; and (i) after completion of step (f), shifting said laminating rollers from said operating position to said storage position.

Claim 19

An apparatus for laminating a substrate with a lamina, comprising: at least one drum having the lamina disposed thereon, said drum comprising a plurality of drum segments having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, said segments being independently rotatable about a central axis of said drums and independently radially adjustable along a substantially horizontal plane, each one of said plurality of drum segments comprising a plurality of separate vacuum chambers; first means for conveying the lamina from a lamina source to said drum; second means for cutting the lamina disposed on the drum into discrete lamina segments prior to laminating the substrate, each of said lamina segments being disposed on one of said plurality of drum segments; third means for vertically conveying the substrate through an oven to a lamination position; and at least one laminating roller for forcing said lamina from one of said plurality of segments of said drum into adhesive abutment with the substrate, said laminating roller having a pivotally connected vacuum shoe for controlling the angle of incidence between said lamina and the substrate.

Claim 20

An apparatus for laminating a substrate with a lamina, comprising: at least one drum having the lamina disposed thereon, said drum comprising a plurality of drum segments having a segment angle sum of less than 360°, said segments being independently rotatable about a central axis of said drums and independently radially adjustable along a substantially horizontal plane, each one of said plurality of drum segments comprising a plurality of separate vacuum chambers; first means for conveying the lamina from a lamina source to said drum; second means for cutting the lamina disposed on the drum into discrete lamina segments prior to laminating the substrate, each of said lamina segments being disposed on one of said plurality of drum segments; third means for vertically conveying the substrate through an oven to a lamination position; and at least one laminating roller for forcing said lamina from one of said plurality of segments of said drum into adhesive abutment with the substrate, said laminating roller having a pivotally connected vacuum shoe for controlling the angle of incidence between said lamina and the substrate.