Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering Number:7,146,694 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent

Title: Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering

Abstract: An apparatus for fabricating tubular vanes and adhering the vanes to a plurality of associated ladder tapes for use in a blind assembly for an architectural opening is described. The apparatus includes a first section for unrolling resin impregnated fabric tape, folding the tape, and cutting the tape to a predetermined length. In a second section of the apparatus, the cut and folded tape is bonded to together along its longitudinal edges to form a tubular vane. In the third and final section, the completed vane is positioned between the vertical cords of a plurality of associated ladder tapes and the vane is adhesively bonded to a cross rung of each. After the vane has been bonded to the cross rungs, the ladder tapes are advanced and prepared for receipt of the next vane. The resulting subassembly of vanes is used to fabricate blind assemblies through the addition of headrails and bottom rails.

Patent Number: 7,146,694 Issued on 12/12/2006 to Colson,   et al.

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Inventors:	Colson; Wendell B. (Weston, MA), Fogarty; Daniel M. (Framingham, MA), Jaramillo; Todd B. (Broomfield, CO)
Assignee:	Hunter Douglas Inc. (Upper Saddle River, NJ)
Appl. No.:	10/402,223
Filed:	March 26, 2003

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Current U.S. Class:	29/24.5 ; 156/65; 160/178.3; 29/783; 29/791
Current International Class:	B23P 19/04 (20060101); E06B 9/382 (20060101)
Field of Search:	29/24.5,703,711,783,791

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References Cited [Referenced By]

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U.S. Patent Documents

	2317660		April 1943		Williams
	2532617		December 1950		Hauser et al.
	2591750		April 1952		Walker
	2796927		June 1957		Evans
	5349730		September 1994		Anderson et al.
	5553653		September 1996		Rozon
	5797442		August 1998		Colson et al.
	5826317		October 1998		van Oostrom et al.
	6029553		February 2000		Berntsson et al.
	6296037		October 2001		Ruggles
	2002/0079066		June 2002		Colson
	2003/0015300		January 2003		Colson et al.

Foreign Patent Documents

	243263		Aug., 1960		AU
	WO 02/06619		Jan., 2002		WO
	WO 03/008751		Jan., 2003		WO

Primary Examiner: Jimenez; Marc
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dorsey & Whitney LLP

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Parent Case Text

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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/369,355, filed 01 Apr. 2002 which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.

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Claims

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What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for fabricating blind subassemblies, the apparatus comprising in combination: a vane forming section where vanes of a predetermined length are formed; a fabrication section where vanes are positioned within ladder tapes having a pair of vertical cords interconnected by spaced cross rungs; and a system for fixedly attaching each vane to an associated cross rung including a mechanism for positioning a securement medium in engagement with a vane and an associated cross rung.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vane-forming section includes a system for folding an elongated strip of material into a substantially tubular form and securing the strip in the tubular form.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said vane-forming section further includes a cutter for cutting said strip of material into a predetermined length.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said cutter is positioned for cutting said strip of material after the strip of material is folded into a substantially tubular form.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said cutter is movable within said apparatus between predetermined fixed positions.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means for positioning the vane within a ladder tape is coordinated with the position of said cutter.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said system for folding pulls the strip longitudinally along a blade that forms a fold along the length of the strip.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said fold is formed approximately along a longitudinal centerline of the strip.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 or 7 wherein said strip has a line of adhesive along one longitudinal edge and wherein said strip is secured in said tubular form by compressing said line of adhesive against the other longitudinal edge of the strip.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 or 7 wherein said strip is a foldable semi-rigid material.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said strip is a resin impregnated non-woven fabric tape.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fabrication section includes a system for positioning the vane within the ladder tape and a system for supporting the vertical cords in a predetermined spaced relationship and with a preselected rung being positioned within a space contiguous thereto, a system for advancing said vane longitudinally into said space, and a system for yieldingly resisting the longitudinal movement of said vane to stop the longitudinal movement to position said vane in said space adjacent to said rung.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said system for yieldingly resisting movement further functions to move said vane in an opposite longitudinal direction after the initial movement has stopped to positively position said vane in a predetermined position relative to said rung.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a system for coordinating said predetermined length of said vane with the positioning of said vane within said ladder tape.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fabrication section includes a system for supporting the vertical cords in a predetermined spaced relationship and with a rung being positioned within a space contiguous thereto, a system for advancing said vane longitudinally into said space and positively positioning the vane in the space adjacent to a rung, and where said mechanism for positioning is a system for confining a bonding medium in engagement with said vane and said adjacent rung to secure said vane to said rung.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said bonding medium is an adhesive.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said attachment means is a mechanical fastener.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said adhesive is a thermoplastic resin.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 further including a reservoir for said adhesive, a system for dispensing adhesive from said reservoir onto a movable support and a system for moving the movable support adjacent to said vane and adjacent rung to secure the vane to the adjacent rung.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further including a backup positioned on the opposite side of said vane and adjacent rung from said support so that the adhesive can be compressively forced against said vane and adjacent rung.

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Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for fabricating coverings for architectural openings, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for continuously fabricating tubular vanes from a fabric material and arranging the tubular vanes in associated ladder tapes.

2. Background Description

Venetian style blinds and plantation style shutters are two styles of window coverings commonly used in residential and commercial applications.

Conventional Venetian blind assemblies typically comprise a head rail, a bottom rail and a plurality of horizontal slats disposed therebetween. Lift cords extend from a catch mechanism in the head rail to the bottom rail. By releasing the catch and by pulling on or guiding the portions of the lift cords that extend from the head rail and the catch, the vertical distribution of the slats can be moved up or down between retracted and extended positions across an opening. Furthermore, each of the plurality of slats is typically supported by a ladder tape (or cord). The ladder tape is typically attached to a tilt mechanism in the headrail to facilitate pivotal movement of the slats about the slats' longitudinal axes, whereby rotating a rod or pulling cords that extend from the mechanism, the plurality of slats can be opened or closed depending on how much light a user wants to pass through the opening.

Generally speaking, Venetian blinds are thinner and lighter than plantation shutters and do not have the peripheral frame required in plantation shutters. Furthermore, the exposed and dangling lift cords found in a Venetian blind can be unruly especially when the blind is in its retracted position, wherein the ends of the cord may gather unattractively on the sill of the window. On the other hand, when the blind is extended, the ends of the cords may be too high for someone of short stature to easily reach. Additionally, the head rail of a Venetian blind assembly that typically contains the mechanisms necessary to control the operation of the blind assembly is often not very architecturally pleasing, and may even be unsightly. It is common for an architectural opening having a Venetian blind assembly to make use of a valance or other interior design element to hide the headrail.

Plantation shutters typically comprise a plurality of horizontal slats like the Venetian blinds, yet they tend to be more massive in appearance. The plurality of slats are typically enclosed in a peripheral framework that surrounds the architectural opening. Because the slats are connected directly to the framework they cannot be moved up and down. They can, however, be pivoted between open and closed positions usually by the operation of an actuator rod that is loosely attached to the slats, wherein movement upwardly or downwardly of the actuator rod pivots the slats between the open and closed positions.

Although many consider that plantation shutters tend to be more attractive than Venetian blinds, there are some drawbacks that discourage purchases. Perhaps, the biggest drawback is that plantation shutters cannot be easily removed from a window, leaving the user with the limited choice of having the slats in the open position or the closed position, but no ability to have a clear unobstructed view through the window, such as is provided when a Venetian blind is retracted. Furthermore, because shutters are typically very deep, and because the framework often extends beyond the surface of the interior wall, it is only on deeply inset windows that plantation shutter type blinds can be installed flush with the wall surface.

No prior art covering product is known that combines the operational advantages of the Venetian blind with the aesthetics of the plantation shutter. The thick (typically wooded) slats that are part of the visual appeal of plantation blinds do not translate well to Venetian blinds. The weight and thickness of plantation blind slats are not well suited to being retracted and extended. For instance, if the slats of a plantation shutter could be incorporated into a Venetian style blind, the stack height of a plurality of the slats would be very substantial, covering a substantial portion of the window even when the blind is retracted.

A variety of apparatuses and machines are utilized to produce coverings for architectural openings, such as Venetian blinds. Generally, one or more machines are utilized to produce the slats of the coverings. For instance, in the case of Venetian blinds with aluminum slats, the slats can be formed from rolls of aluminum stock. Another machine is typically utilized to insert and secure a plurality of the formed slats within a set of ladder tapes to form a subassembly to which the headrail and footrail are subsequently attached to form a completed blind.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vane fabrication apparatus and method of using the apparatus is described. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes: (1) a forming and sizing section to form a piece of fabric tape into a tubular vane and cut it to length; (2) a bonding section to join one edge of the formed tape to another along the tape's length to complete the tubular vane; and (3) a subassembly fabrication section to position the completed vanes in between the vertical cords of associated ladder tapes and to couple the vanes to the cross rungs of the ladder tapes to create a blind subassembly. The subassembly may be utilized to fabricate a completed window blind assembly by adding a headrail and a footrail to it.

Other aspects, features and details of the present invention will be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and B are front elevational views, each of a portion of the entire vane fabrication apparatus.

FIGS. 2A and B are top plan views, each of a portion of the entire vane fabrication apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the vane tape taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the left end of the vane fabrication apparatus illustrating the roll of vane material and the bin in which the unrolled material is held.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an isometric top plan view of a feeder motor assembly from the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus.

FIG. 9 is an isometric bottom plan view of a feeder motor assembly from the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the feeder motor assembly taken along lines 10--10 of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a second feeder motor assembly as utilized in the bonding and subassembly sections of the vane fabrication apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the second feeder motor assembly taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary isometric view of the forming and sizing section showing a feeder motor assembly and the sensor array.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the forming and sizing section showing the sensor array, two feeder motor assemblies and the L-shaped guides.

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the forming and sizing section illustrating the sensor array and the vane guides as taken along line 15--15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the end of the forming and sizing section and the beginning of the bonding section.

FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 are all cross sectional views of the flap folding guide taken along lines 17--17, 18--18 and 19--19 of FIG. 16 respectively.

FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of the left end of the bonding section taken along line 20--20 of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 21--21 of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 22--22 of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of a vertical adjustment screw for containment block taken along line 23--23 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the heater cover plate taken along line 24--24 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary cross sectional top view of bonding section taken along line 25--25 of FIG. 20.

FIG. 26 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 26--26 of FIG. 1B.

FIGS. 27 29 are cross sectional views taken along line 26--26 of FIG. 1B sequentially illustrating the operation of the bonding section.

FIG. 30 is a right end view of the bonding section taken along lines 30--30 of FIG. 1B.

FIGS. 31 and 32 are front views of the catch mechanism assembly taken along lines 31--31 and 32--32 of FIG. 33 respectively.

FIG. 33 is a cross sectional view of the rails and rail guides as taken along line 33--33 of FIG. 43.

FIG. 34 is a cross sectional view taken along line 34--34 of FIG. 32 showing the stopper air cylinder of the catch mechanism assembly.

FIGS. 35 37 are isometric views of three headrails of differing lengths that can be utilized as guides in setting up the vane fabrication apparatus to fabricate vane subassemblies compatible with the headrails.

FIG. 38 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38--38 of FIG. 40.

FIG. 39 is a cross sectional front view of a ladder tape supply section viewed along line 39--39 of FIG. 38.

FIG. 40 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce long vane subassemblies utilizing four ladder tape supply stations.

FIG. 41 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce short vane subassemblies utilizing two ladder tape supply stations.

FIG. 42 is a cross sectional view of the ladder tape reel cassette as viewed along line 42--42 of FIG. 38.

FIG. 43 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the bonding section illustrating a single ladder tape supply station and the catch mechanism assembly.

FIG. 44 is a cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 44--44 of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 is a cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 45--45 of FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 is cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 46--46 of FIG. 44.

FIG. 47 is a cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 47--47 of FIG. 40.

FIGS. 48 and 49 are enlarged fragmentary cross sectional views of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 48--48 of FIG. 62.

FIG. 50 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 38--38 of FIG. 40 illustrating the thermoplastic resin bead dispenser and bonding assembly and the movement of the components associated therewith.

FIGS. 51 and 52 are a cross sectional views of the resin shuttle mechanism illustrating the upwardly and leftwardly movement of the bonding platen as taken along line 51--51 of FIG. 50.

FIG. 53 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38--38 of FIG. 40 illustrating the ultrasonic curing thermoset resin dispenser and bonding assembly.

FIG. 54 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 38--38 of FIG. 40 illustrating the thermoplastic resin bonding assembly and the movement of the components associated therewith.

FIGS. 55 and 56 are cross sectional views of the resin shuttle mechanism illustrating the upwardly and leftwardly movement of the bonding platen as taken along line 55--55 of FIG. 54.

FIG. 57 is a cross sectional view of the bonding platen and clamp mechanism for the ultrasonic thermoset resin bonding assembly as taken along line 57--57 of FIG. 54.

FIG. 58 is a cross sectional view of the bonding platen and clamp mechanism for the ultrasonic thermoset resin bonding assembly as taken along line 58--58 of FIG. 57.

FIGS. 59 61 are cross sectional views of the resin shuttle taken along line 59--59 of FIG. 38 illustrating the movement of the resin shuttle during a vane to cross rung bonding operation.

FIGS. 62 64 are cross sectional views of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 62--62 of FIG. 38 and line 64--64 of FIG. 50 illustrating the movement of the station's components during operation.

FIG. 65 is a cross sectional view of a vane taken along line 65--65 of FIG. 48 showing the cross rung adhesively joined to the vane by way of an resin bead.

FIG. 66 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of a vane taken along line 66--66 of FIG. 48.

FIG. 67 is a cross sectional view of a vane that is attached to a cross rung by way of an resin bead taken along line 67--67 of FIG. 65.

FIG. 68 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce long vane subassemblies utilizing four ladder tape supply stations with the two end ladder tape supply stations placed proximate the ends of the vanes.

FIG. 69 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38--38 of FIG. 40 illustrating the third embodiment resin dispenser and bonding assembly.

FIG. 70 is a partial cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 70--70 of FIG. 69.

FIGS. 71 and 72 are partial side views of a ladder tape supply station incorporating the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly.

FIG. 73 is partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 73--73 of FIG. 71.

FIG. 74 is partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 74--74 of FIG. 72.

FIG. 75 is a partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 75--75 of FIG. 74.

FIG. 76 is an enlarged partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 75--75 of FIG. 74.

FIG. 77 is a cross sectional view of a vane attached to a cross rung in two locations by resin beads.

FIG. 78 is a cross sectional view of the alternative embodiment bonding section with the heated anvil in its initial position taken along lines 21--21 of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 79 is a cross sectional view of the alternative embodiment bonding section with the heated anvil in its rotated position taken along lines 21--21 of FIG. 1B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for continuously fabricating collapsible tubular vanes (or slats) and securing the vanes into ladder tapes in a spaced relationship to one another is described. The vane and ladder tape subassembly is utilized in the fabrication of horizontally orientated Venetian style blind assemblies.

The tubular vanes are typically fabricated from a roll of resin impregnated non-woven longitudinally pre-creased fabric tape that has a curvilinear set across its width. In other embodiments, the curvilinear set non-woven fabric tape is creased as necessary as it is pulled against a creasing blade after the tape is unwound from a roll by the apparatus. As will be described in greater detail below, the fabric tape is folded onto itself about its approximate lateral creased midpoint and the two lateral edges are adhesively joined such that a tubular vane with top and bottom convex sides is formed. Because of the semi-rigid construction of the resin impregnated non-woven fabric tape and the tubular configuration, the resulting vane has the necessary stiffness to resist sagging when horizontally disposed. Furthermore, the flexible nature of the fabric tape permits the convex sides to be collapsed onto one another, facilitating a more compact stack of vanes on an associated horizontal blind assembly when the assembly is in a retracted position. The tubular vanes are described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/332,411, filed 07 Jan. 2003, which is a national phase filing from the PCT application No. PCT/US/0122336, filed 16 Jul. 2001, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/219,039, filed on 18 Jul. 2001, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

When the vanes are utilized as slats in horizontal Venetian blind assemblies, each slat is cradled in corresponding rungs of two or more ladder tapes. Movement of the cross rungs of the ladder tapes from a near horizontal orientation when the slats of the blinds are open to a nearly vertical position when the slats are in their closed position is facilitated by raising or lowering vertical cords of the ladder tape that intersect with the ends of each cross rung. In one embodiment of a horizontal blind assembly incorporating the tubular vanes, each vane is secured to its corresponding cross rungs by resin beads. The application of the resin bead to the vane to secure the cross rung thereto is performed by a preferred embodiment of the vane fabrication apparatus as is described in greater detail below. The resin beads facilitate complete closure of the blind assembly by encouraging the vanes into a more vertical position, wherein they rest directly against similarly orientated adjacent vanes to more effectively block unwanted light. The use of resin to secure the slats of horizontal blind assemblies to the cross rungs of a ladder tape are described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/003,097, filed on 06 Dec. 2001, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/305,996 filed on 16 Jul. 2001, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

Horizontal blind subassemblies comprising a plurality of tubular vanes that are (1) arranged in two or more ladder tapes and (2) secured to the cross rungs of the ladder tapes with an resin can be utilized to fabricate a variety of styles of horizontal blind assemblies. One particular type of blind assembly utilizes pivotal vane-shaped headrails and bottom rails in conjunction with the subassembly and a plantation shutter style tilt rod, creating a blind assembly that when in its extended position resembles plantation shutters. This type of horizontal blind assembly is described in greater detail in the PCT application PCT/US02/22577, filed 16 Jul. 2002, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 60/305,947, filed on 16 Jul. 2001 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/197,674, filed 16 Jul. 2002 which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/306,049, filed on 16 Jul. 2001, which are owned by the assignee of the present invention and are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

General Overview

The vane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated in its entirety in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. In a vane forming and sizing section 100, semi-rigid non-woven fibrous composite material configured for use in making tubular vanes is unwound from a roll, creased longitudinally as necessary if the material is not pre-creased, and folded about a longitudinal crease proximate the material's lateral center to form the general shape of a tubular vane. Next, the formed vane material is cut to a predetermined length, and finally in this section, a flap along the longitudinal edge of the vane's top side that has a thermoplastic resin adhered to its surface is partially folded over in preparation for the bonding operation.

In a bonding section 300 of the vane fabrication apparatus, the hot melt resin on the flap is heated to above its melting point and the flap is folded onto the vane's bottom side. Pressure is applied, and the glue is allowed to cool.

In a final subassembly fabrication section 400, the finished vane is slid between the vertical cords of corresponding ladder tapes. Next, the bottom side of the vane is secured to corresponding cross rungs of the ladder tapes, through the application of a resin bead. Finally the vane is lowered via the ladder tapes and the adjacent set of the ladder tapes' cross rungs are positioned for receipt of the next vane.

A preferred embodiment of the apparatus 10 is adjustable to facilitate the fabrication of vanes and subassemblies for a wide variety of blind assembly widths from 1 foot to 8 feet. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, by moving a catch mechanism assembly 302 in the subassembly fabrication section 400 that helps position the vanes within the ladder tapes to the left or right, the size of the vane and subassembly produced by the apparatus can be varied. The catch mechanism assembly 302 is secured to one end of an elongated bar 12. The opposite end of the elongated bar is secured to a sensor array 102 of the vane forming and sizing section 100. A template 304 is placed in between the catch mechanism assembly 302 and a surface of a vertical plate 306 located along the left edge of subassembly fabrication section 400. The catch mechanism assembly 302 is moved leftwardly until it abuts the right edge of the template 304 and is secured in this location. The sensor array 102 moves simultaneously with the catch mechanism via the elongated bar 12. The distance between the sensor array 102 and a guillotine shear 104 determines the length of the vane material that is subsequently fabricated into a vane. In alternative embodiments other mechanisms may be utilized to set the length of the vanes. For instance, the rod can be replaced by a wire, or the sensor array could be coupled to a catch mechanism assembly electronically such that movement of the catch mechanism is signaled to the sensor array and the sensor array moves correspondingly. The operation of the various components and the adjustment of the vane fabrication apparatus is described in greater detail below in the descriptions of the various sections of the apparatus.

The Forming and Sizing Section

The forming and sizing section 100 of the vane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 10 and 13 19. The primary function of this section is to orientate and form the vane tape 105 supplied from a roll into a tubular vane shape and cut the tape into predetermined vane lengths. The forming and sizing section 100 includes: (1) a spindle 106 attached to the apparatus framework 14 for holding a roll 108 of vane tape; (2) a motor 110 attached to a drive wheel 112 for unwinding the roll of vane tape (3) a bin 114 made of a translucent plastic in the preferred embodiment to hold the unwound vane material; (4) a sensor pair 115 for controlling the operation of the motor based on the amount of unrolled vane tape in the bin; (5) guides 116 and 118 to change the orientation and direction of the vane material from longitudinally vertical and laterally horizontal to longitudinally horizontal and laterally vertical; (6) a forming plate 120 that encourages the vane tape to fold along a crease proximate the middle of the tape; (7) a forming guide 122 that folds the vane material about the crease; (8) a motor-driven drum 124 for pulling the vane material through the forming guide; (9) the sensor array 102 for controlling the drum and associated feed motor assemblies 126 based on the desired length of a vane; (10) a guillotine 104 for cutting the tape at the desired vane length; and (11) a guide 130 for folding a flap 132 that extends beyond the longitudinal edge of the top side 134 of the formed vane vertically downwardly.

Referring to FIG. 3, the vane tape 105 utilized to make the tubular vanes is illustrated. Typically, the vane tape 105 is comprised of a non-woven fiberglass mat that has been partially impregnated with a thermoset resin. The thermoset resin is cured against a curvilinear mandrel to give the fiberglass mat a measure of rigidity and a lateral curvilinear set as is shown in FIG. 3. The vane tape 105 may also include a second layer of patterned fabric (not shown) laminated to the fiberglass mat to provide the vanes fabricated from it with a desired surface appearance.

The vane tape 105 also includes two longitudinally extending pre-formed creases 136 and 138 indicating where the tape is to be bent during the formation of a vane. The first crease 136 is located proximate the lateral center of the vane material, such that folding the vane tape along the first crease forms top and bottom convex sides 134 and 142 of substantially equal width. The second crease 138 defines the longitudinal edge of the top convex side 134 with a flap 132 extending laterally from it. The flap 132 includes a thermoplastic resin layer 144 that has been applied to its inside surface. It is to be appreciated that by folding the flap over the bottom side 142 of the vane tape 105 and adhesively bonding it against the bottom side with the thermoplastic resin layer 144, a tubular vane is formed.

Once the creases have been made in and the thermoplastic resin has been applied to the vane tape, the vane tape is wound onto a cylindrical core for use by the vane fabrication apparatus 10 as is described in detail herein. The compressive force applied as the tape is wound into a roll 108 causes the tape to flatten and temporarily lose its curvilinear profile. It is to be appreciated that the tape has memory and snaps back into the curvilinear profile once unwound from the roll 108.

Referring to FIG. 4, the roll 108 of vane tape 105 is placed on a horizontal spindle 106 that extends from the apparatus framework 14 at the left end of the apparatus 10 for free rotational movement about the spindle. The vane tape is threaded over a drive wheel 112 located vertically above the spindle. The wheel 112 is coupled with an electric motor 10 by way of gears 146 and a drive chain 148 as can best be seen in FIG. 5. Further, a roller 150 is biased against the drive wheel 112 by an air cylinder 152, wherein the vane tape 105 passes between the surface of the roller and the drive wheel. Operationally, actuation of the motor 110 causes the drive wheel 112 to rotate counterclockwise (as viewed from FIG. 4) in turn pulling the vane tape 105 off of the roll 108, and into the downwardly tapered bin 114. In an alternative embodiment, one or more creasing blades (not shown) can be incorporated into the drive wheel 112 and/or the roller 150 to crease the vane tape if vane tape that is not pre-creased is utilized.

The sensor pair 115 create a horizontal beam across the bin 114 proximate the bin's bottom. The sensor pair is electronically coupled to the motor 110, acting to switch the motor off when the beam is broken by a strip of the unwound vane tape 105. It is to be appreciated that once the tape is unwound from the roll 108 it is not longitudinally tensioned permitting it to hang freely in the bin 114.

From its nadir, the vane tape 105 loops upwardly passing over and resting on a horizontally orientated support rod guide 116 located above the plexiglass bin. From the support rod 116, the vane tape is encouraged from a generally longitudinally vertical orientation to a generally longitudinally horizontal position, wherein the tape is also vertically orientated in its lateral direction as best seen in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. The vane tape is held in its laterally vertical orientation by two closely spaced vertical guide rods 118 that extend upwardly from the top surface of the apparatus 10.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the horizontally disposed forming plate 120 is supported above the top surface of the apparatus at a distance generally equal to the lateral distance from one edge of the vane tape to the longitudinal crease 136 proximate the tape's centerline, such that the rear edge 154 of the plate 120 (as viewed in FIG. 6) is coplanar with the vertically oriented vane tape's longitudinal crease 136 as it is pulled to the right past the two vertical guide rods 118. The plate's rear edge 154 is curvilinearly tapered rearwardly as it extends toward the right. It is of particular note that the rightmost portion of the rear edge 154 is located to the rear of the vertical guide rods 118. Accordingly, as the vane tape is pulled to the right by the motor driven drum 124 (as described below), the crease 136 of the vane tape is pulled up against the rear edge 154 of the plate 120, causing the vane tape 105 to begin to fold both over and under the plate.

Next, the partially folded vane tape 105 is pulled through the forming guide 122, which completes the fold along the cease 136, causing a top side 134 of the vane tape to fold over a bottom side 142 of the vane tape. Referring to FIG. 7, the forming guide 122 comprises upper and lower plates 156 and 158 that form a C-shaped slot with a horizontal center that is generally coplanar with the plate 120 and the crease 136 of the vane tape 105. A left portion 162 of the slot tapers from the left to the right with the right end of the plate 120 extending between the left portion 162 of the slot. The right portion 164 of the slot includes spaced parallel top and bottom surfaces. The backside of the slot is generally aligned with the folded edge of the vane tape.

As mentioned above, the tape 105 is pulled up from the base of the bin 114, through the guides 116 and 118, across the plate 120, and through the forming guide 122 by a rotating drum 124 attached to an electric drive motor 166. The drum 124 is located to the right of and adjacent to the forming guide 122. The motor 166 is electrically coupled with the control system (not shown) of the apparatus 10 for precise operational control. Typically, the drum 124 is switched off once the front edge of the folded vane tape passes through the sensor array 102, located to the right of the drum that is utilized to set the length of each vane as will be described in greater detail below. The drive drum assembly further includes a roller 168 that is biased against the drum 124 by an air cylinder 170, wherein the vane tape passes between the surface of the roller 168 and the drum 124. The substantially vertical shaft 172 extending from the air cylinder 170 with which the roller 168 is attached is free to pivot about its longitudinal axis. Accordingly, the drive drum assembly operates only to pull the tape 105 from the bin 114 and push the folded vane tape 105 towards the sensor array 102, and not to control the front to rear tracking or positioning of the vane tape.

The guillotine 104 is positioned to the right of and adjacent to the drum 124. The guillotine comprises a blade 124 having a generally horizontal cutting edge disposed above the folded vane tape, wherein the blade 124 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vane tape as best seen in FIG. 7. The blade 124 is connected to a vertically orientated shaft of an air cylinder 180 that is pneumatically coupled with a control system actuatable air valve (not shown). A block 182 is also provided underneath the folded vane tape 105 that spans the width of the vane tape to support the tape just to the left of the blade 174 as the tape is being cut. It is appreciated that unlike the vane tape to the left of the drum 124, the folded vane tape 105 to the right is held in tension, such that it has sufficient tautness to facilitate a clean cut. The folded vane tape is held to the left of the guillotine 104 by the drum 124 which is stationary during the cutting operation and essentially acts to lightly clamp the tape between the drum and the biased roller 168. To the right of the guillotine 104, the vane tape 105 is held by one or more feeder motor assemblies 126 that are not in operation during the cutting operation and also act to lightly clamp the folded vane tape in place.

As mentioned above, a number of feed motor assemblies 124 are utilized to advance the folded vane tape 105 through both the forming and sizing, and bonding sections 100 and 300 respectively of the apparatus 10. A typical feeder motor assembly is illustrated in FIGS. 8 10. The feeder motor assembly 124 includes: (i) a motor 184 that is affixed to a vertically extending mounting plate 185 attached to the top side of the apparatus framework 14; (ii) a torque control clutch 186 coupled with the shaft of the motor; and (iii) a drive wheel 188 coupled to the clutch. The feeder motor assembly 126 further includes an upper wheel 190 disposed directly above the drive wheel. The upper wheel is rotatably coupled via a bearing and a shaft 192 to a distal end of a cantilevered arm 194. The proximal end of the cantilever is pivotally connected to the vertically extending mounting plate 185.

In operation, the drive wheel 188, which is typically located below the folded vane tape 105, is rotated clockwise as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The vane tape passes between the drive wheel 188 and the upper wheel 190 with the weight of the upper wheel acting through the cantilever 194 providing sufficient biasing force against the drive wheel to generate traction against the vane tape and propel it forward. The vane tape passes through the drive and upper wheels near the folded edge of the vane tape. As can be appreciated, in the vane forming and sizing section 100, the feed motor assemblies 126 operate in conjunction with the motor driven drum 124 when feeding folded vane tape between the guillotine 104 and the sensor array 102.

The clutch 186 provided between the motor 184 and the drive wheel 188 of each feeder motor assembly 126 helps ensure that all the drives wheels of associated feeder motor assemblies are operating at the same speed and applying the same level of torque to the vane tape, so that the vane tape moves uniformly through the apparatus 10 without buckling or bunching up between feeder assemblies. Essentially, the clutch 186 allows the drive wheel 188 to rotate free of the motor's drive shaft below a certain rpm level. Accordingly, when the motors 184 are switched off, the drive wheels 188 can still spin freely to allow the tension in the vane tape between each of the feeder motor assemblies 126 to equalize. In the preferred embodiment a Perma-Tork HC01-1 clutch assembly, manufactured by Magpower of Fenton, Mo., is utilized.

A second type of feeder motor assembly 196 is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 for use when a more secure grip on the vane or vane tape is desired as the vane or vane tape is advanced through the various sections of the fabrication apparatus 10. The second type feeder motor assembly 196 is very similar to the previously described feeder motor assembly 126 except that a coil spring 198 is provided to apply a downward bias to the upper wheel 190. The shaft 192 to which the cantilevered arm 194 is pivotally attached extends outwardly beyond the surface of the cantilevered arm as best shown in FIG. 11. The coil spring 198 is received over the shaft 192. A first end 202 of the coiled spring extends vertically a short distance until it clears the cantilever arm and the vertically extending mounting plate 185, wherein it is bent 90 degrees and extends horizontally, bracing up against a vertical shaft 204 that is fixedly attached to the mounting plate 185. The other end 206 of the spring radiates from the coil and is biased against the shaft 192 of the upper wheel 190. In the illustrated embodiment, the second type feeder motor assembly 196 is utilized in the bonding and subassembly sections 300 and 400 of the fabrication apparatus 10. In other alternative embodiments, the second type feeder motor assemblies 196 incorporating a biasing spring are utilized throughout the fabrication apparatus in place of the first type of feeder motor assemblies 126 without a biasing spring.

Referring back to FIGS. 1A and 2A, the folded vane tape 105 is transported from the motor-driven drum 124 towards the sensor array 102. The distance between the sensor array and the guillotine 104 sets the length of the vanes 208 fabricated from the vane tape 105. The various feeder motor assemblies 126 assist the drum 124 in propelling the vane tape forward. As is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 8 10, guide members are provided between the feeder assemblies to ensure that the vane tape remains properly aligned and to ensure the vane tape remains folded and compressed. The folded longitudinal edge of the folded vane tape is butted up against a vertical fence 210, which defines the rearmost position of the folded vane material. The vertical fence 210 is formed from a lower plate 212 that has a thinner front portion and a thicker rear portion. The upwardly facing surface of the front portion provides a support for the bottom side of the folded vane tape. Periodically, along the length of the sizing portion of the form and sizing section 100, an upper plate 214 that overhangs the fence 210 and the downwardly facing surface of the upper plate is secured to the rear thicker portion of the lower plate 212 to form a slot 216 for containing the folded longitudinal edge of the vane tape. Additionally, a pair of opposing elongated L-brackets 218 and 220 extend along the length of the apparatus between the guillotine 104 and the sensor array 102 in front of the drive and upper wheels 188 and 190 of the feeder motor assemblies 126. A top L-bracket 218 has a downwardly facing horizontal bottom side, which prevents the vane material from flying out of the apparatus. The lower L-bracket 220 has an upwardly facing top side that is spaced from the bottom side a sufficient distance so that the folded vane tape can easily slide therethrough. Together, the L-brackets 218 and 220 keep the top and bottom sides 134 and 142 of the vane tape 105 located in front of the drive wheels 188 lightly compressed against each other.

As previously stated the drive and upper wheels 188 and 190 of the feeder motor assemblies 126 are generally longitudinally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the folded vane tape 105. Although in a preferred embodiment, the wheels 188 and 190 are canted slightly rearwardly a few degrees so that as the vane tape is moved to the right, the vane tape is also encouraged up against the vertical fence 210, helping to ensure that the tape is properly positioned for subsequent fabrication operations.

Referring to FIGS. 13 15, two pair of light beam sensors 222 and 224 of the sensor array 102 are disposed above and below the path of the front portion of the folded vane tape 105, and are horizontally spaced several inches from the other pair along the longitudinal length of the vane tape. A substantially vertical beam of light is emitted from a first sensor of each pair and is received by a second sensor that is aligned with the first sensor. The sensors are coupled to the control system which turns the drum motor 166 and the feeder assembly motors 126 off and on based on whether the beams of light have been obstructed.

As described earlier, it is the distance between the sensor array 102 and the guillotine 104 that determines the length of the vanes fabricated in the apparatus 10. The sensor support plate 226 to which the sensor pairs 222 and 224 are coupled is slidable along the framework 14 of the apparatus 10. The sensor support plate 226 s in turn coupled with the catch mechanism assembly 302 in the subassembly fabrication section 400. By releasing and moving the catch mechanism assembly, as is described below, the distance between the guillotine 104 and the sensor array 102 can be varied.

In operation, the front edge of the folded vane tape 105 moves to the right propelled by the motor-driven drum 124 and the feeder motor assemblies 126. As the front edge of the vane tape passes between the light beam of the first sensor pair 222, the control system prepares to shut off the feeder motor assemblies 126 and drum drive motor 166. Once the beam of the second sensor pair 224 is obstructed, the control system shuts off the motors 166 and 184. It is to be appreciated that because of the clutches 186 utilized in each of the feeder motor assemblies 126, turning off the feeder assembly motors 186 will not prevent the vane tape 105 from traveling further to the right. Therefore, it is the drum 124 with its positive coupling with its drive motor that effectively brakes and stops the forward movement of the vane tape 105. After the movement of the vane tape has been stopped, the guillotine 104 is activated and the folded vane material is cut, creating an in progress vane 208. By using a two-stage stopping mechanism, the length of the vanes 208 can be precisely controlled, wherein the variance from one vane to another is typically less than 1 millimeter.

Next, the feeder motor assemblies 126 are turned back on to move the in progress vane 208 into the bonding section 300 for fabrication into a completed tubular vane. Once the cut vane 208 has been moved to the next section, the drum motor 166 reactivates feeding a new front edge of the folded vane tape 105 towards the sensor array 102 so that another vane 208 can be cut.

As the in-progress vane 208 is fed from the forming and sizing section 110 into the bonding section 300, the vane's flap 132 extends generally horizontally outwardly from the top side 134 as can best be seen in FIG. 17. Referring to FIGS. 16 19, the folding guide 130 is provided to fold the flap 132 downwardly about the flap crease 138 to a generally vertical orientation as the vane 208 is fed into the bonding section 300. The folding guide 130 includes two pieces; a support piece 228 providing a horizontal surface to support the front portion of the vane 208 proximate the unbonded edges of the top and bottom sides 134 and 142, and forming piece 230 which has surfaces that taper and change orientation to move the flap 132 from the horizontal to a vertical position.

The elongated forming piece 230 includes several inside surfaces that vary as they extend from left to right. Proximate the leftmost edge of the forming piece, a cross section of the forming piece as illustrated in FIG. 17 reveals a downwardly facing horizontal surface 232 which over hangs the flap 132 and a small portion of top side 134. Moving to the right as seen in FIG. 18, the portion of the downwardly facing horizontal surface in front of the flap crease 138 cants downwardly from an axis adjacent the flap crease to form a rearwardly and downwardly facing canted surface 234. Furthermore, a rearwardly facing and tapering vertical surface 236 extends from the frontmost edge of the canted surface. From left to right (as viewed in FIG. 16), the angle of incidence between the remaining horizontal surface 232 and the canted surface 234 continues to increase until the canted surface 234 effectively merges with the vertical surface 236 as is shown in FIG. 19. Additionally, the vertical surface 236 tapers rearwardly (to the right as shown in FIG. 19) until it intersects directly with the edge of the remaining horizontal surface 232 at the axis adjacent the flap crease 138. As illustrated in FIGS. 17 19, the flap 132, which is butted up against the surfaces of the forming piece 230 is encouraged from a generally horizontal orientation to a downwardly extending vertical position as it travels through the folding guide 130.

The Bonding Section

The bonding section 300 of the vane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 20 29. The primary function of the bonding section is to adhesively join the longitudinal edges of the in-progress vane 208 to create a completed tubular vane 208. The bonding section 300 includes: (1) an enclosed heater containment block 302 having a horizontal support surface 304 upon which the bottom side 142 of the in-progress vane 208 rests during the bonding operation; (2) an elongated heater 306 contained within the heater containment block beneath the support surface for heating the resin 144 disposed on the flap 132; (3) a heater cover plate 308 coupled with one or more air cylinders 310 for moving between (i) a closed position in between the flap and the heater, and (ii) an open position, wherein the resin is exposed to the heat radiation emanating from the heater; (4) a pivotal bond anvil assembly 312 for moving the flap with the melted resin from the vertical position to a horizontal position in contact with the bottom side 142 of the vane 208; and (5) an elongated clamp plate 314 attached to a plurality of air cylinders 316 for applying downwardly-directed pressure to the bondline.

Referring to FIGS. 20 25, cutaways 318 are periodically provided near the rear longitudinal edge of the containment block 302 to provide space for feeder motor assemblies 196, such as those described in reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, that are utilized to move the vane 208 through the bonding section 300. As shown, the right side of the vane (as viewed in FIG. 20) proximate the unbonded edges overhangs the right edge of the support surface 304. It is this overhanging portion of the vane's bottom side 142 that is bonded to the inside surface of the flap 132 to form the completed vane 208. A fence 320 is provided along the folded edge of the vane 208, which can be adjusted laterally via long screws 322 (as shown in FIGS. 22 and 25) to ensure the proper alignment of the vane on the support surface 304 of the containment block 302.

The downwardly extending vertically orientated flap 132 of the in-progress vane is prevented from springing back to a substantially horizontal position by a vertically orientated bond side 324 of an elongated triangularly shaped bond anvil 326 of the pivoting bond anvil assembly 312. The bond anvil 326 includes one or more cooling hoses 328 passing through it to maintain the temperature of the anvil below the melting point of the vane flap's thermoplastic resin 144. As will be discussed in greater detail below, when activated the bond anvil assembly 312 pivots the anvil 326 approximately 90 degrees such that the bond side 324 moves to a horizontal orientation, wherein the flap is brought into contact with the bottom side 142 of the vane 208.

The high temperature elongated rod heater 306 capable of heating to temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit is mounted within a cavity 330 of the heater containment block 302 as can best be seen in FIGS. 21 and 22. As shown, the rod heater 306 is insulated around approximately 270 degrees of its surface to minimize heat transfer from the heater into the heater containment block 302. Further, a series of cooling pipes 332 extend longitudinally along heater containment block within the cavity 330. Cold water is circulated through the cooling pipes to minimize any increase in temperature of the containment block during the bonding operation. The uninsulated portion of the heater faces upwardly and rightwardly in the direction of the flap 132 through an elongated opening 334 in the heater containment block.

Normally, the elongated opening 334 in the containment block cavity 330 is covered by the heater cover plate 308 as shown in FIGS. 20 25. The heater cover plate rests against an upwardly and rightwardly facing surface of the containment block 302. The plate is held in place by a series of air cylinders 310 that have shafts coupled to a bottom longitudinal edge of the plate. The cylinders are actuatable to move the plate 308 between a normally closed position as illustrated and an open position, wherein the plate is retracted exposing the vane flap 132 to heat radiation emanating from the heater 306 through the elongated opening 334. The plate is also secured to the surface of the containment block 302 by a plurality of screws 338 riding in slots 340 in the plate as best shown in FIG. 24. The top longitudinal edge 342 of the plate is pointed and is received in a similarly shaped cavity 344 on the surface of the containment block when the plate is closed to minimize the release of heat from the heater.

As mentioned above, the bond anvil 326 is pivotable such that the vertical bond surface 324 against which the vane flap rests can be rotated 90 degrees to a horizontal orientation. The pivotal bond anvil assembly 312 includes a series of stationary vertical support plates 346 that are spaced along the length of the heater containment block 302, wherein each of the plates is fixedly secured to the framework 14 of the apparatus 10. Each of the plurality of support plates 346 have circular openings 348 passing through them, wherein the openings are all longitudinally aligned and have the containment block with the heater cover plate 308 passing within each of the openings. As shown, the air cylinder actuators 310 for moving the cover plate between its opened and closed positions are mounted to at least several of the support plates.

Circumscribing and mounted to an inside surface of each of the support plate openings 348 is a large diameter sealed bearing 350. In turn, a circular pivotal anvil plate 352 is mounted to the inside surface of the sealed bearing 350 for free rotational movement relative to the fixed support plate 346. As can be appreciated, a significant portion of each anvil plate 352 has been removed to form an opening 356 permitting the heater containment block and the cover plate to pass therethrough. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the containment block is supported within each of the vertical support plates 346 by way of vertically disposed screws 354 that can be utilized to adjust the height of the containment block 302 as necessary. The bond anvil 326 also passes through the opening in each anvil plate 352 and is secured to the surface of each opening 356 for pivotal movement in concert with the anvil plates 352. It is of particular note that the center point of each circular anvil plate is located proximate the flap crease 138 of a properly indexed vane 208. On the preferred embodiment the vertical bond surface 324 of the bond anvil 326 is located 0.010 to 0.020'' horizontally from the center point to accommodate for the thickness of the vane 208 and the bondline of the resin 144 when the edges are being joined as will become more apparent below. Accordingly, as the bond anvil is pivoted 90 degrees during the bonding operation, it does not push up against the vane and change its position. Rather, the anvil merely pivots the flap about a longitudinal axis formed by the flap crease.

To cause the pivotal movement of the bond anvil 326, the shafts 358 of one or more air cylinders 360 are pivotally coupled with one or more of the anvil plates 352 at connection points 362 located on the anvil plates above and to the right of the anvil plates' centerpoints as viewed in FIG. 26. The other end of each air cylinder 360 is pivotally coupled to an associated fixed support plate 346. Accordingly, when actuated, the shafts 358 move outwardly to the left (as shown in FIG. 26) and initially upwardly following the arc of the shaft's connection points 362 on the anvil plates 352 relative to the centerpoints until the connection points reach apexes directly above centerpoints, wherein the shafts 358 and connection points continue to move to the left as well as, downwardly. It is appreciated that once the connection points have moved to locations that are essentially coplanar with the locations of the connection points when they are in the retracted position, the anvil plate 352 will have rotated 90 degrees. Since it is desirable to have a substantially horizontal surface on which to bond the flap 132 to the bottom side 142 of the vane 208, it is necessary to prevent further counterclockwise rotation of the anvil plates 352 past 90 degrees. This may be accomplished in any one of a number of ways including (1) providing stops along the bottom of the air cylinders 360 that prevents them from pivoting downwardly or (2) limiting the maximum extension of the air cylinder's shafts 358.

Referring primarily to FIG. 26, the elongated clamp plate 314 with a downwardly facing horizontal surface is suspended above and is coextensive with the containment block's support surfa