350 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^VORLD 



[August i, 1902. 



RUBBER FACTORY EQUIPMENT AND PROCESSES. 



THE CUTTING OF RUBBER-COATED FABRICS. 



IN the early days of the India-rubber industry the 

 cutting room in factories devoted to the making 

 of rubber clothing was a department that re. 

 quired a great deal of attention, and was also an 

 item of considerable cost in manufacturing, for the 

 cutting was nearly all done by skilled workmen by 

 hand. Suitable patterns were first provided, and then 

 as many thicknesses of rubber coated cloth as could 

 be cut through were handled by the cutter. Many of 

 these cutters by their skill, strength, and ability to 

 keep their knives in good condition, were able to earn 

 large w.iges. Of course, for small parts that go to make 

 up the garment, dies could be used in connection with 

 the dicing out of the press. When the rubber clothing 

 and mackintosh business, however, came to be a more 

 important factor, various machines, such as are used 

 in the manufacture of ready made clothing, were 

 adapted to meet the wants of the rubber men. 



At first this proved to be a difficult problem, for the 

 cutting knife used on cloth alone is not a suitable 



THE BAIRD CLOTH CUTTING MACHINE. 

 Electrically Oper.Tletl. Reciprocating Knife. 



THE FENNO CLOTH CUTTING MACHINE. 

 Operated by Power. Rotary Knife.. 



THE NATIONAL CLOTH CUTTER 

 Operated by Power or Compressed .\ir. Reciprocating Knife. 



instrument with which to cut both cloth and rubber, nor is 

 the broad presser foot in ordinary use applicable to this sort of 

 work. A curious fact in connection with the solution of this 

 problem is that the companies making the best grades of goods 

 and using the richest compounds, had the greatest trouble in 

 securing a cutting machine that would do the work rapidly 

 and evenly. To-day, however, nearly all the large rubber 

 clothing manufacturers have some sort of a machine for cut- 

 ting the garments in bulk. There are several types of these 

 machines. For a cutting surface they depend either upon a 

 round knife running at a high rate of speed, and usually fitted 

 with a self sharpening device, or a reciprocating knife or chisel 

 and are operated by power transmitted by belt, or by small elec- 

 tric motor. They are so built that they can be moved to any 

 part of the large table, on which the cloth in many thicknesses 

 is laid, and easily follow the chalked lines left by those who 

 prepare the work. The knives easily cut through plies of three 

 or four inches in thickness, following curves or angles, with 

 perfect accuracy, and turning out 

 infinitely more than the hand cutter 



can possibly accomplish. 

 Another point of special 



value in favor of 



ting machines is that 



a little training an 



workman can turn 



great amount of 



work. The usual 



manner of prepar- 

 ing the work for 



the operator is to 



have it laid out on 



two tables, the 



machine being 



placed between. 



When one tablefu 



has been complet- 

 ed the workman eastman cloth cutting machine. 



swings the ma- Operated by Electricity. Reciprocating Knife. 



