Conveyor for supporting and advancing sheet material.

摘要

In a conveyor apparatus (13) for supporting and advancing sheet material (15), such as fabric to be cut by a cutter head (23), the conveying element is an endless belt (14) made of elongated supporting members (36) having their length dimensions extending transversely of the path of belt movement. The supporting members include coengagable parts, such as tongues (120) and grooves (122) extending along the length of the members, which coengage one another when the supporting members are in the upper run (19) of the conveyor to prevent vertical movement of the supporting members relative to one another and to thereby maintain the supporting surface defined by the upper run in a smooth and flat condition.