Abstract: An automatic shirt pressing apparatus includes at least a loading station, a pressing station and a movable support upon which a plurality of shirt receiving bucks are mounted for movement between the loading and pressing stations. A buck vacuum supply arrangement is associated with each of the bucks. A movable vacuum supply tube is arranged to successively be removably connected to the buck vacuum arrangement of each of the bucks when the buck located at the loading station, to travel with each of the bucks to a pressing station while remaining connected thereto and to be disconnected from the buck vacuum arrangement once a pressing operation is initiated. A method of pressing a shirt using such an automatic shirt pressing apparatus is also described.

Abstract: An indexing system for a garment pressing machine includes a rotatable carriage having radial arms supporting circumferentially spaced pressing bucks moveable between dressing, pressing and unloading positions. A fluid drive arrangement includes a single linear reciprocating fluid actuator extendible and retractable under control of various solenoid valves that are controlled by a microprocessor which receives and processes signals from sensors indicating the degree of extension or retraction of the fluid actuator and the position of the rotatable carriage. A single cycle of retraction and extension of the fluid actuator results in rotation of the carriage by one position. Another cycle of retraction and extension of the actuator returns the drive system to a starting position ready to initiate another rotation of the carriage to its next position. The carriage can be cyclically indexed to move the bucks between their various operating positions every other retraction and extension cycle of the actuator.