Christopher E Rhodes

US Patent:

56037902, Feb 18, 1997

Filed:

Oct 21, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/327532

Inventors:

Christopher J. Rhodes - Oklahoma City OK

Assignee:

Xerox Corporation - Stamford CT

International Classification:

B29C 5340

US Classification:

156137

Abstract:

Process and apparatus for fabricating belts are disclosed. The process includes conveying the leading edge of a flexible web from a supply roll past a slitting station, slitting the web a predetermined distance from the leading edge to form a web segment having the leading edge at one end and a trailing edge at the opposite end, maintaining the web slack at the location where the web is slit during slitting, overlapping the leading edge and the trailing edge of the web segment to form a joint and welding the joint to permanently join the leading edge and the trailing edge together to form a belt. The apparatus includes means to convey the leading edge of a flexible web from a supply roll past a slitting station, means at the slitting station to slit the web a predetermined distance from the leading edge to form a web segment having the leading edge at one end and a trailing edge at the opposite end, means to maintain the web slack at the location where the web is slit during slitting, means to overlap the leading edge and the trailing edge of the web segment to form a joint and means to weld the joint to permanently join the leading edge and the trailing edge together to form a belt.