AU676868B2

AU676868B2 - Improved baling machine

Info

Publication number: AU676868B2
Application number: AU55070/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: James Lavington Dunn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-02-11
Filing date: 1994-02-11
Publication date: 1997-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-11
Also published as: AU5507094A

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: JAMES LAVINGTON DUNN Actual Inventors: JAMES LAVINGTON DUNN Address for Service: R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: "IMPROVED BALING MACHINE" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PL 7252 Actl filed llth February 1993 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

This invention relates to a baling machine which has improvements over and above the baling machine described in earlier Australian Patent Application No. 600808 (13803/88).

The earlier Australian Patent Application referred to above described a baling machine comprising a press having a platen, walls extending away from the platen, and a press plate driveable towards the platen so that material placed between the platen and the press plate could be compressed.

A discharge opening was provided adjacent the platen so that the compressed material could be pushed through the opening via an injection plate that was located opposite the discharge opening. The compressed material was forced S" through the discharge opening while the press plate held the material in its compressed state. A discharge tube was aligned with the opening, and as the material was pushed through the discharge tube, the casing positioned over the discharge tube was pulled over the compressed material so as to prevent any significant re-expansion. With this arrangement, articles such as bales of hay could be compressed to a significantly smaller volume so as to assist in reducing shipment costs.

If was found that the most conveninnt way of operating this earlier press was to orientate it vertically so that the main press operated in a substantially vertical axis. In relation to use of the invention with bales of hay, this represented a significant disadvantage as a result of having to orientate the elongate bales onto their smaller end before locating them within the press. Clearly this resulted in inefficient material handling which required some manual manipulation of the hay bales.

A further problem with the press described in the abovementioned Australian Patent Application is that although compression of some material such as hay bales require significant force, this force is really only required in the last stages of compression. The initial stages of -2- I -IS Illl°lla~*I°YI 1 compression require minimal force. However, in order to achieve the degree of compression required, a high powered hydraulic ram is required, which by design is relatively slow moving. Therefore, the overall pressing operation was very slow.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to overcome the abovementioned problems, and to produce an improved baling machine which increases the cycle time of a compression process.

It is a further object of this invention to produce an improved baling machine which improves the material handling efficiency during the process.

In its broadest form, the invention comprises an improved baling machine for the compression and delivery for baling of 15 compressible material in which there is a first stage press for compressing said material to a omaller volume, comprising a compression chamber for receiving said compressible material and a wall driven by a first ram for compressing said compressible material in said chamber, a second stage press for further compressing said material, comprising a compression chamber connected to said first stage press compression chamber for receiving said compressed material from the compression chamber of said first stage press, and a wall driven by a second ram wherein said second ram is higher in power by comparison to said first ram, transter means for transferring said compressed material from the compression chamber of said first stage press in its compressed state to the compression chamber of said second sta.e press, a delivery tube adjacent the compression chamber of said second stage press, and an ejection ram on a side of the compression chamber of said second stage press that is opposite said delivery tube and that acts transverse to the axis of the ram of said second stage press for pushing said further compressed material from soie 'ompression chamber through said delivery tube.

413-I I ~II_ It will be recognised that the abovementioned invention can be used for the compression of a great variety of material in both pre-baled or loose form. For ease of description, this present invention will be described in relation to pre-baled material such as hay bales.

In one aspect of the invention. the first and second stage presses may be aligned such that they operate along a common axis, whereupon the compressible material is compressed between the platens of the first and second stage presses.

There may be provided a side opening between the first and second stage press which in which the material to be I V *s 1 -3acompressed can be placed, and it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that necessary floor, ceiling and side walls will need to be provided which can withstand the compression forces developed.

In operation of this aspect of the invention, the first stage press will press towards the second stage press whereupon the platen of the first stage press will remain stationary so that the second stage press may then operate. The final position 3f the fully compressed material will then be opposite a delivery tube, whereupon an ejection ram can then push the compressed material into the delivery tube.

This aspect of the invention may be provided with a side oe e opening door which may move parallel with respect to the baling machine such that the material to be compressed may be S pushed into the baling machine by closure of the door.

Preferably, the first stage press uses a press having a smaller compressing force with a greater speed of movement by comparison to the second stage press.

In a further aspect of this invention, the first stage press may be positioned above the second stage press, and there may .i be provided a further transfer ram which pushes the compressible material from the first stage press down into the second stage press. Again, according to this aspect of :ee i the invention there may be provided a side opening to the 0 6 first stage press which enables the compressible material to be pushed into the first stage press via a door which moves parallel with respect to the first stage press.

Depending on the type of material being compressed, the baling machine may comprise substantially elongate boxlike chambers where an end wall of each chamber comprises a movable platen which is driven by a ram such as an hydraulic ram, and where the adjacent end wall of each of the chambers comprises a stationary wall. Side walls and top and bottom -4- ~I r ps walls are provided having sufficient strength to withstand the compressible forces.

To improve material handling, either of the abovementioned inventions may be provided with a platform adjacent the opening, and a conveyor line designed to feed elongate prebaled compressible material onto the platform so as to position it adjacent the opening of the baling machine. The conveyor may be arranged so as to operate only when compressible material is required to be fed on-o the platform.

Preferably, the delivery tube has planar top, bottom and side walls, and a flexible tube is in turn placed over this delivery tube so that the compressed material is pushed out of the delivery tube and encased so as tu prevent any significant re-expansion of the compressible material.

Preferably, the flexible tube comprises a polymeric material having sufficient strength to withstand the hoop stress induced by re-expansion forces.

In A further aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of compressing material whereby the process comprises a first compression in a first stage press, transfer of said hay bale to a second stage press for a further compression whsrein the first stage press has a lower compressing power and higher speed of movement by comparison to said second stage press, and transferring said further compressed 6• material to a delivery tube to hold said material in a compresse state prior to external binding being applied.

Preferably, flexible polymeric tube is placed over the delivery tube such that the compressed hay bale is pushed out of the delivery tube so it is encased by the polymeric tube which prevents any significant re-expansion.

As will be seen from the above description, the main advantage of the invention is a two-stage pressing process which uses a first stage of compression having minimal force I- u but high speed by comparison to the second stage press. It has been found by the inventor that this arrangement significantly increases the processing speed. In addition, both aspects of this invention can be arranged so allow convenient r rial handling and placing of material into the baling machi.i_.

While it is preferable to make us of flexible tubular material to encase the compressed material, the invention may be equally suited to the use of wire or strapping, such as plastic or metal strapping for preventing re-expansion of the compressed material.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, a oeo preferred embodiment will now be described, but it should be realised that the invention is not to be restricted or confined in its scope to the specific details of this preferred embodiment. This embodiment is illustrated in Fig.

1 which shows an exploded schematic view of a two-stage baling machine.

In this embodiment, the baling machine 10 comprises a first stage press 11 and a second stage press 12. As seen in Fig.

1, the first stage press 11 is located above the second press 12. The first stage press 11 is provided with an hydraulic ram 13 and platen 14. In this embodiment, only the end wall 15 is illustrated, but it will be realised by people skilled oeo.i in the art that side walls and upper and lower walls of 0:o00 sufficient strength will be provided. The second stage press 12 comprises an hydraulic cylinder 18 with corresponding platen 19 and end wall As illustrated, this embodiment is used for the compression of pre-baled hay 25. To facilitate handling of the hay bales 25, a platform 22 is provided adjacent to an opening of the first stage press 11. A door 23 that is movable by hydraulic rams 24 can be used to push hay bales 25 through the opening into the first stage press 11. Once in position, the door 23 -6- I L ~L remains closed and the hydraulic rams 24 provide sufficient force to keep the door shut during the pressing operation.

As illustrated, a conveyor belt 26 is used to deliver the hay bales 25 onto the platform 22. Although the figure shows the conveyor 26 delivering the bale 25 directly to the platform 22, an alternative arrangement may comprise the conveyor 26 ending short of the platform 22 shown in the diagram with an extension of the platform forward of that shown in the diagram. In order to move the bale 25 into the required position, a pneumatic push-rod may be used to engage the end of the bale and push it into the required position onto the platform 22. This ensures correct positioning of the bale so that it enters the first stage press 11 without either end .is* being crushed.

9.

ooem As can be seen, the hydraulic ram 13 acts to compress the bale 25 to approximately half its length. In this position, the hydraulic ram 28 and pushing plate 29 is used to push the partly compressed bale 25 into the second stage press 12.

Before this occurs, a sliding plate 30 is slid away from underneath the partly compressed bale 25, whereupon the partly compressed bale 25 is forced into the second stage press 12,.

*2a* Once the partly compressed bale 25 is in position, the hydraulic ram 28 and pushing plate 29 retract to their original starting position, and there is sufficient clearance to allow the sliding plate 30 to cover the pre-compressed bale In the sequence of operation, when the hydraulic ram and pushing plate 29 are at their lowest point, the door 23 is slid to an open position, whereupon a new bale 25 is loaded onto the platform 22. Upon retraction of the hydraulic ram 28 and pushing plate 29, and upon the sliding plate resuming its closed position, the first stage press 11 is ready to receive a new bale -7- In respect of the partly compressed bale 25 which is now in the second stage press 12, the hydraulic ram 18 then operates to compress the bale by a further 50%. Obviously, the compression force is much higher than in the first stage press 11, and therefore the hydraulic cylinder 18 is much more powerful and operates at a slower speed. In addition, the wall 20 together with side and bottom walls are reinforced to withstand the increased pressures.

Once in the finally compressed position, the bale 25 is between a delivery tube 31 and an ejection ram. In this embodiment, the delivery tube 31 haE planar top, bottom and side walls, and in order to encase the fully compressed bale a polymeric tube is placed over the delivery tube 31 so ~that it is drawn off as the compressed bale is pushed out of ~the delivery tube 31. The polymeric fabric tube has sees sufficient strength to prevent any significant re-expansion of the compressed bale 25. In this embodiment, the fully compressed bale 25 within the second stage press 12 will in turn press against a bale which is already within the delivery tube 31 thereby pushing it from within the delivery tube 31. The ejection ram 32 has a pressing plate 33 which o a is designed to fit between the platen 19 and end wall 20 when a fully compressed bale 25 is held therebetween.

es At the time that the ejection ram 32 is operating, the rams 24 are operating so as to load a further bale 25 into the soee* S: first stage press 11. As the ram 18 is withdrawing, ram 13 is operating so as to pre-compress the bale 25. This cycle minimises the demand placed on the hydraulic circuit, while at the same time ensuring that there is no delay in processing of each bale. It has been found that the initial stages of compression of material such as hay bales involve minimal force, and that the compressive force increases virtually exponentially as the bale approaches its smaller size. Therefore, it is much more convenient to use a low power hydraulic ram which can operate at a higher speed to effect the initial compression of the bale. Once the precompression has occurred, then a much more powerful hydraulic -8- II dl l"-i 3-uj ram which, in turn is much slower acting, can be effectively used to compress the bale to its final size. The inventor has found that this dramatically decreases the cycle time for such a baling machine, while at the same time enabling efficient material handling for loading and unloading of the baling machine.

$066 *0.

*eo 0: k I s

Claims

2. An improved baling machine according to claim 1 wherein said first stage press is positioned above said second stage press and said transfer means comprising a transfer ram which pushes said compressible material from said first stage press into said second stage press.
3. An improved baling machine according to claim 2 further comprising a side opening in said first stage press and a door movable between an open closed position out of and into c~--I said opening such that compressible materiaJ in the form of an elongate body, can be moved into said firzt stage press for compression.
4. An improved baling machine according to claim 3 wherein said door in an open position is parallel to and spaced from said first stage press such that said compressible elongate body is pushed into said Lirst stage press as said door is closed. An improved baling machine according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein each of said first and second stage .presses substantially comprise elongate boxlike chambers oooo wherein an end wall of each said chamber comprises a movable :4 o5 platen driven by a ram. o
6. An improved baling machine according to any one of S claims 2 to 5 wherein the axes of said first and second stage presses are oriented within a common vertical plane, with the direction of compression movement of said first stage press being opposite to that of said second stage press.
7. An improved baling machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6 further comprising a platform adjacent said opening and a conveyor line for feeding said elongate bodies onto said platform, the elongate bodies being positioned to allow said door to push said elongate bodies into said baling machine.
8. An improved baling machine according to claim 7 further comprising a sliding plate positioned between said first and second stage presses which remains closed as material is being compressed in both first and second stage presses, and opens by sliding in a substantially horizontal plane to provide an opening to allow movement of said compressible material between said first and second stage presses. O i ~P II -g 3-11- V: gC IR
9. An improved baling machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said delivery tube has planar top bottom and side walls. An improved baling machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a flexible tube is placed over said delivery tube such that as said compressed material is pushed out of said delivery tube it is encased by said flexible tube.
11. An improved baling machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said compressible material comprises a hay bale. *000 0o S12. A method of compressing a hay bale using a baling machine in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 8 comprising a first compression in a first stage press, transfer of said hay bale to a second stage press for a further compression wherein the first stage press has lower compressing power and higher speed of movement by comparison to said second stage press, and transferring said further compressed hay bale to a delivery tube to hold said hay bale in a compressed state prior to external binding being 10 applied. 0
13. A method according to claim 12 further comprising placing a flexible polymeric tube over said delivery tube such that as said compressed hay bale is pushed out of said delivery tube, said polymeric tube encases said compressed bale and prevents any significant re-expansion.
14. An improved baling machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. A method of compressing a hay bale substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated -12- I 41s. in the accompanying drawing. Dated this 23rd day of January 1997 JAMES LAVINGTON DUNN By his Patent Attorneys ,M .PDERN.S 2 :0. *6* *04. -13- 'I A, B S T R A CT This invention relates to an improved baling machine for compression and delivery for baling of compressible material comprising a first stage press (11) for compressing said material to smaller volume, a second stage press (12) for S further compressing the material, a delivery tube (31) adjacent the position of said further compressed material and an ejection ram (32) opposite the delivery tube (31) which ~acts transverse to the axis of the second stage press (12) S for pushing the further compressed material through the delivery tube (31) 9 The invention provides a quicker operating time by comparison to known baling machines, while at the same time enabling more efficient material handling for loading and unloading of the baling machine. I,-I I