THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



253 



New Machines and Appliances. 



THE MORRIS AUTOMATIC HEEL-TRIMMING MACHINE. 



IN the accompanying illustration mav be seen a novel heel- 

 tr.mmmg machine that is practically automatic in operation. 

 A rubber heel that has just been trimmed is about to fall into 

 the delivery trough, while an untrimmed heel is shown in the 

 position of being 

 fed to the trim- 

 mer. When the 

 heel is advanced 

 to a certain point 

 by the operator 

 the machine 

 takes hold of it 1 

 and automat- 

 ically completes 

 the trimming op- 

 eration. 



Special cutters 

 are provided on 

 this machine, the 

 upper one hav- 

 ing a tapered 

 cutting edge so that either tapered or straight-side heels 

 may be trimmed in the same machine. Integral with the 

 lower cutter is a small circular ridge, extending at right angles 

 to the cutting edge, for the purpose of supporting the heel as 

 ■the overflow is being removed. A special guard is fastened to the 

 frame of the machine and extends outwardly under the upper 

 cutter, effectively covering the cutting edge, protecting the heel 

 and allowing only the overflow to be removed. 



An ailiiivt.ililc cruide that is attached to the table enables the 

 o[n.ratnr tn iiM\f the heels into the machine in rapid succession. 

 An inclined tnninh conveys the trimmed heels by gravity to boxe? 

 provided for the purpose. (T. W. Morris. 3304 Warren avenue, 

 Chicago, III.) 



Heel-Trimmer. 



SEWING-MACHINE FOR BALLOON FABRIC. 



Sewing-machines are necessary in the production of both air- 

 planes and balloons, but there is so much more sewing to be done 

 in the manufacture of even the smallest type of balloon that a 

 special sewing machine was perfected in order that balloon pro- 

 duction in the United States might be facilitated during the war. 



This machine is known as the Singer No. 113 w 110, front view 

 of which is here shown. It makes two lines of lock-stitching 

 simultaneously and the work is accomplished rapidly, each of the 

 two needles being capable of a speed of up to 2,500 stitches per 

 minute. When it is remembered that in the' envelope of even 

 some of the smaller balloons there are about 400 pieces of rub- 

 berized fabric to be sewed, the great advantage of a high-speed 

 machine is apparent. 



Before the seams are stitched the edges of the sections are ce- 

 mented. The arm of this machine being 30 inches long, a large 

 number of gores can be attached with cement and then sewed at 

 one time. As the feed must be sufficiently powerful to handle 

 long lengths of rubberized fabric, the machine is equipped with 

 additional feeding mechanism including two feeding rolls which 

 are located at the back of the twin needles. This auxiliary feed 

 pulls the work while it is being stitched so that much of the bur- 

 den of feeding heavy and bunchy fabrics is taken from the regu- 

 lar feed, the entire feeding mechanism working in unison. 



As already stated, this machine makes two lines of lock-stitch- 

 ing, there being one needle thread and one bobbin thread for each 

 line of stitching, the lock of the threads being located within the 

 thickness of the rubberised fabric. Tliis true lock-stitch passes 



tli£ strictest government tests. When the covering strip of 

 fabric is cemented over the stitched seams of the balloon, the 

 upper and under threads of the lock-stitch lie so snugly under the 

 strip that no air pockets are formed. When air pockets are 

 formed a leakage of hydrogen gas from the balloon follows. 



The illustration shows the machine equipped with individual 

 electric motor which is the most satisfactory form of drive. The 



M.^CHINE FOR StITCHIXC BaLLOOXS. 



outlit, moreover, is portable, being mounted on casters to facili- 

 tate moving ihe equipment from place to place as desired. (The 

 Singer Manufacturing Co., Elizabethport, New Jersey.) 



A NEW RETREADING EQUIPMENT. 

 Retreading continues to be a popular expedient for prolong- 

 ni.y tire mdeage and particularly so at the present time when 

 tire prices are high. That marked 

 improvement is being made in the 

 mechanical equipment for doing this 

 work, is shown in the accompanying 

 illustration of a new type of retread- 

 ing vulcanizer. This is known as. 

 type E retreading equipment. This 

 outfit will retread tires from 2}4 to 

 5 inches and consists of two ribbed 

 tread cavities, 2^4 to 4- 

 inch and 4J4 to S-inch,. 

 and a plain tread reduc- 

 ing shell for the 3^ to 4- 

 inch cavity which will 

 cure 2y2 to 3-inch tires. 

 It is made in 1/3 circle, 

 can be heated by gas or 

 T. „ T> ,r gasoline and includes 



Tire-Retreading Vulcanizer. ,,^^^ ^^^^ ^.^,^.^ ^^^^^ 



safety valve and steel bands. This is a self-contained outfit. No 

 boiler is required. (The Akron Rubber Mold & Machine Co 

 Akron. Ohio.) '' 



