Apparatus for covering panels with sheet material

摘要

A stiff rectangular panel is placed centrally on an adhesive coated rectangular sheet of covering material with marginal edge portions of the sheet extending beyond the panel edges. The panel and sheet are conveyed on a first pass through a roller press and on such pass a leading edge portion of the sheet is engaged by weighted pivoted folding plate segments which fold or turn the edge portion of the sheet upwardly and around the leading edge of the panel and down onto the top face of the panel where the tack of the adhesive holds the folded edge portion of the covering sheet temporarily in place. Immediately following this, a stationary stiff brush engages the folded edge portion of the sheet and presses it tightly against the top face of the panel while the brush bristles simultaneously tuck the opposite end portions of the folded sheet snugly against the advancing longitudinal edges of the panel. On a reverse pass through the press at a lower elevation, the opposite edge portion of the sheet is folded and tucked in the same manner, followed by two additional passes of the product through the press at successively lower levels in a direction at right angles to the first and second passes to complete the folding and tucking of the remaining adhesive coated edge portions of the covering sheet.