A belt splicing machine includes two pressing plates respectively arranged at an upper side and a lower side and opposite to each other. The pressing plate located at the upper side and the pressing plate located at the lower side are respectively mounted on a support located at the upper side and a support seat located at the lower side. A heating sheet, a clamping plate, and an airbag are successively arranged between the pressing plate located at the upper side and the support seat from bottom to top. The clamping plate is fixedly connected to the pressing plate. A connecting plate is arranged between the airbag and the clamping plate. The clamping plate is fixedly connected to the support seat. A plurality of elongated grooves are formed on the lower side surface of the connecting plate along its length direction.

A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.

An apparatus and a method for stitching are provided. The apparatus includes a separator for separating in a separation position the leading end and the trailing end from a working surface to form a separation space, a stitcher unit with a stitcher foot to support the leading end and the trailing end from the separation space and a stitcher head for stitching the leading end and the trailing end on the stitcher foot from outside the separation space, a stitcher drive for driving the stitcher unit, a separator drive for retracting the separator, and a control unit to control the separator drive and the stitcher drive simultaneously such that, during the stitching, the separator is retracted in the stitching direction ahead of the stitcher unit.

An apparatus for producing an improved friction-fused welded joint is provided for use with overlapping thermoplastic strap portions. In an embodiment, the gripper is caused to swing back and force with a sufficiently large stroke and with a sufficiently fast stroke to cause sufficient reciprocation to rapidly heat the thermoplastic so that the two straps are welded together while reducing the depth of the area that is melted compared to traditional methods. Also, in an embodiment, a method is provided for stopping the relative motion of the two portions of straps with the portions of the plastic straps oriented in the same aligned relative positions at the end of the welding operation as at the beginning is disclosed.

A method for treating substrates, including applying a composition, which includes at least one latent alkyl borane and is substantially free of decomplexing agents for the latent alkyl borane, to a substrate (1) that has a material having unsaturated units, applying a radically curable substance to the substrate (1) pretreated with the latent alkyl borane, and allowing the radically curable substance to cure in order to form a composite structure. The method is suitable in particular for applying paints, coatings, or sealing materials/filling materials to substrates, such as EPDM, NBR, and SBR, and for adhesively bonding such substrates. Composite materials adhesively bonded accordingly are distinguished by especially firm adhesion of the adhesive to the substrate, wherein conventional adhesives can be used, which have optimized properties with regard to the storage stability, open time, and cure time thereof.

A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.

A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.

A printing system is described that has an intermediate transfer member in the form of a seamed endless belt for transporting an ink image from an image forming station, at which an ink image is deposited on the intermediate transfer member, to an impression station, where the ink image is transferred onto a printing substrate. The belt has along its edges formations of a greater thickness than the belt. The formations are received in channels to guide the belt and maintain the belt under lateral tension. Two drive members are provided, each located within a respective one of the channels. The two drive members are connected for movement in synchronism with one another and each has a respective laterally projecting gripper shaped for form locking engagement with the formations on a leading end of a strip from which the intermediate transfer member is to be formed. Rotation of the drive members during installation of a new intermediate transfer member serves to thread the strip through the printing system by pulling the strip from its leading end.

An apparatus and a method for stitching are provided. The apparatus includes a separator for separating in a separation position the leading end and the trailing end from a working surface to form a separation space, a stitcher unit with a stitcher foot to support the leading end and the trailing end from the separation space and a stitcher head for stitching the leading end and the trailing end on the stitcher foot from outside the separation space, a stitcher drive for driving the stitcher unit, a separator drive for retracting the separator, and a control unit to control the separator drive and the stitcher drive simultaneously such that, during the stitching, the separator is retracted in the stitching direction ahead of the stitcher unit.

A tension-link of the belt-splicer is based on a rope-loop of high-strength synthetic fibre, wound around bosses. The bosses and the loop are encapsulated in moulded plastic. The link connects cross-beams of the splicer. The link includes couplings which permit rotation when the beams deflect in bending. The links can be stored inside the hollow interior of the beams. The couplings include eccentrically-mounted blocks that can be orientated to adjust the length of the link.