Abstract: A web aligning apparatus for use with multi-level web material such as carpeting, tufted fabrics and the like having a backing web and a pile on the backing web inwardly of a side edge of the backing web. The web aligning apparatus includes a pile engaging member mounted at a sensing location along the course of travel of the web for movement along a first path crosswise of the course of web travel and generally parallel to the face of the web at the sensing location to sense lateral deviations of the course of travel of the pile edge from a preselected position. The pile engaging member is also mounted for movement along a second arcuate path generally tangent to the web from a first position extending alongside the web backing at the sensing location toward a second position displaced along the arcuate path in the direction of travel of the web when the pile engaging member rides onto the pile.

Abstract: A sliding spool type valve and method of making the same in which a set of like valve plates and a set of like pot plates are interleaved in a stack to form a laminated valve body having a central valve bore with valve ports at spaced locations therealong and a plurality of lengthwise extending flow passages at uniform angularly spaced positions around the valve bore, the port plates each having a transfer passage extending outwardly from the valve bore and the port plates of the set being disposed at relatively different angular positions in the stack to have the transfer passage communicate with different ones of the lengthwise extending flow passages. The port and valve plates have flat side faces and the plates are clamped together in a stack by bolts extending through angularly spaced bolt openings in the port and valve plates. The valve bore is honed after the plates are assembled in a stack to receive a sliding spool type valve member.

Abstract: A web alignment apparatus for use with multi-level web material such as carpeting, tufted fabrics and the like having a backing web and a pile on the backing web inwardly of the side edge of the backing web. The web alignment apparatus senses the pile edge and operates to maintain the pile edge in a preselected course relative to an apparatus that operates on the web. The sensor includes a web engaging member movable in a first path generally paralling the plane of the web to sense lateral deviations of the pile edge from the desired course of travel and the web engaging member is also movable in a second path transverse to the plane of the web to sense if the web engaging member rides onto the pile material, and the sensor is arranged to produce a signal when moved in either the first or second paths to operate the web alignment apparatus accordingly to shift the web relative to the apparatus operating thereon in a direction to bring the pile edge to the desired course of travel.