CA1039466A - Extruder and cutter arrangement with means for orienting cut portions - Google Patents
Extruder and cutter arrangement with means for orienting cut portionsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1039466A CA1039466A CA190,363A CA190363A CA1039466A CA 1039466 A CA1039466 A CA 1039466A CA 190363 A CA190363 A CA 190363A CA 1039466 A CA1039466 A CA 1039466A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- driving
- belt
- cutter
- path
- conveyor
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 206010043268 Tension Diseases 0.000 claims 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 8
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 2
- 241000237858 Gastropoda Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000002730 additional effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003138 coordinated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007799 cork Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure The disclosure relates to an apparatus for driving a metering type charge depositing apparatus that includes a con-veyor advancing a plurality of open-topped receiving devices in predetermined relation along a receiving path with means above the path for supplying a constant supply of plastic material along a vertical path toward the receiving path and cutting means for removing a predetermined amount of the constant supply for deposit into a receiving device. The apparatus for driving includes first drive means for driving the conveyor at a pre-determined rate and second drive means for driving the cutter means, which includes first and second rotating cutters, at a constant rate synchronous to said predetermined rate. First adjustable means cooperates with the second drive means for co-ordinating the cutter means relative to the conveyor to insure that the severed amounts of plastic material are deposited in the centers of the open-topped receiving devices. The drive means also includes second adjustable means for varying the engaging relationship of the first and second cutters relative to the constant supply of plastic material to control the orien-tation of the plastic material when it is received into the open-topped receiving devices.
Description
~L~3946~ .
Background of the Invention This invention relates to a plastic processing system, and more particularly to a drive system for moving open-topped receiving devices along a path and accurately positioning meas-ured amounts of an extrudate in plastic form in the centers of the receiving devices in predetermined orientation~
In recent years, a plastic interior liner has been utilized to replace the cork that is normally found in a crown cap for a bottle, In the production of such plastic lined 10 crown caps, a slug of plastic is inserted into the crown cap and is molded to produce the plastic interior liner~ In such an operation, it is necessary that the hot plastic slugs are of uniform size and that they are accurately directed into the caps while the caps are moving along a path at a relatively high speed.
~ One type of molding operation that has found a re-"markable degree o~ commercial success in the production ofplastic lined crown caps is that disclosed in Caviglia United States Patent No, 3,414 ! 938. In the system disclosed in this 20 patent, hot plastic is extruded into the elongated endless rod that is cut with synchronous counter-rotating blades that rotate on axes transverse to an extrudate path so that severed portions of the rod of extrudate are deposited into open-topped receiving devices moving along a receiving path.
While such a unit has found wide acceptance in the industry, difficulties have been encountered in insuring that the plastic material is deposited into the center of the re-ceiving gap. It will be appreciated that if the plastic mate-rial is located at anv place other than the center of the 30 receiving device, problems are created to produce a uniform
Background of the Invention This invention relates to a plastic processing system, and more particularly to a drive system for moving open-topped receiving devices along a path and accurately positioning meas-ured amounts of an extrudate in plastic form in the centers of the receiving devices in predetermined orientation~
In recent years, a plastic interior liner has been utilized to replace the cork that is normally found in a crown cap for a bottle, In the production of such plastic lined 10 crown caps, a slug of plastic is inserted into the crown cap and is molded to produce the plastic interior liner~ In such an operation, it is necessary that the hot plastic slugs are of uniform size and that they are accurately directed into the caps while the caps are moving along a path at a relatively high speed.
~ One type of molding operation that has found a re-"markable degree o~ commercial success in the production ofplastic lined crown caps is that disclosed in Caviglia United States Patent No, 3,414 ! 938. In the system disclosed in this 20 patent, hot plastic is extruded into the elongated endless rod that is cut with synchronous counter-rotating blades that rotate on axes transverse to an extrudate path so that severed portions of the rod of extrudate are deposited into open-topped receiving devices moving along a receiving path.
While such a unit has found wide acceptance in the industry, difficulties have been encountered in insuring that the plastic material is deposited into the center of the re-ceiving gap. It will be appreciated that if the plastic mate-rial is located at anv place other than the center of the 30 receiving device, problems are created to produce a uniform
-2-~b ~39~66 thick plastic interior liner in all portions of a receiving device or crown cap~
It has also been determined that sometimes it may be desirable to accurately control the orientation of the plastic material that is received into the crown caps. For example, sometimes it may be desirable to have the severed portion of the rod of plastic deposited in axial ~nd-to-end relationship on the surface of the crown cap while, at other times, it may be desirable to have the severed portion of the rod oriented 10 so that the axis of the severed portion of the rod extends paral-lel to the surface of the crown cap~
Such adjustments require that the machine be shut down and the drive mechanism realigned to center the plastic slug at the desired orientation.
Summary of the Invention -The present invention contemplates a simple drive mechanism for a high speed molding unit, which can readily be adjusted while the unit is operating, to insure that the severed portions of a continuous plastic extrudate rod are deposited in 20 the centers of the open-topped receiving devices or crown caps~
The drive mechanism also incorporates means for controlling the orientation of the severed portion of the plastic extrudate as it is received into the crown caps.
In its broadest context the inventions reside in apparatus comprising a conveyor for advancing plurality of open-topped receiving devices along a receiving path including means for maintaining a predetermined spaced relation between the devices along the path; extruder means above said path for continuously extruding a rod of hot plastic material; cutter 30 means for successiyely severing the rod to deposit a severed ~3~
~' ~3~466 portion in each receiving device; and drive means for said con-veyor and cutter means, said drive means including first means for driving said conveyor continuously at a predetermined rate, second means for driving said cutter means at a rate which is in a constant ratio to said predetermined rate, and means adjustable while the apparatus is in operation for varying the time at which the severance is effected relative to that at which said devices are at a given location along said path so that said severed por-tions of said rod may be deposited into the centers of said re-10 ceiVing devices.
More specifically, the second drive means includes afirst drive sprocket wheel driving an endless belt that coop-erates with a pair of driven sprocket wheels respectively con-nected to the first and second cutters.
The first adjustable means consists of a pair of idler sprocket wheels that are supported on a movable carrier and engage the endless belt between the driven sprocket wheels connected to the cutters and the drive sprocket wheel. The carrier has gear teeth defined thereon that are engaged by a 20 rotatable gear so that the carrier and the idler sprocket wheels supported thereon may be shi~ted laterally relative to the direction of movement of the endless belt and the lateral shifting of the idler sprocket wheels will change the orienta-tion of the drive for the cutters relative to the conveyor without changing the speed for either the conveyor or the cutters.
The second adjustable means consists of an addi-tional idler sprocket wheel engaging the endless belt above the two driven sprocket wheels connected to the respective 30 cutters, which have blades associated therewith, with means 'E~
~39466 for moving the idler sprocket wheel to vary the engaging rela-tionship of the cutter blades with respect to the extrudate rod and thereby control the orientation and trajectory of the sever-ed portion as it i5 received into the receiving ~evice.
Both adjustable means are designed so that the cutter blades and the conveyor or finger bar can be properly coordi-nated relative to each other and the engaging angular relation-ship of the cutter blades with respect to the plastic extrudate may be changed while the machine is in operation, Brief Description of Drawing The single view in the drawing shows a perspective view of the drive mechanism of the present invention incor-porated into a metering apparatus~
Detailed Description While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shc~wn in the drawlng and will herein be described in detail one embodiment, with the under-standing that he present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and 20 is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illu-strated.
The metering apparatus utilizing the principles of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing and in-cludes an endless conveyor or finger bar 10 supported for rota-tion about a fixed vertical axis (not shown) which supports a plurality of open-topped receiving devices or crown caps 12 and moves the caps along a receiving path. Extruder nozzle 1 is positioned above the receiving path for the receiving devices or crown caps 12 and produces a continuous supply of 30 extrudate 16 directed along a vertical path towards the ~L~3~466 receiving path defined by conveyor 10. While nozzle 14 is shown vertical, it could be angularly disposed if desirable.
Cutter means consisting of first and second cutter blades 18 and 20 that are supported for rotation on shafts 22 and 24 are respectively rotated about horizontal axeq on oppo-site sides of extrudate 16. The cutter blades are driven in synchronous, counter-rotation so that, when they are disposed towards one another in horizontal alignment, the outer edges of the respective blades substantially meet along a line ~hich 10 passes through the center axis of extruder nozzle 14. Each time the blades meet, extrudate rod 16 is severed and rod por-tion 21 is deposited into an open-topped receiving device 12 by the combination of the forces imparted to it by the knives and gravity.
The metering apparatus also includes a fluid cooling system of the type disclosed in the above mentioned patent, and or this purpose, shafts 22 and 24 are hollow and have pipes 26 and 28 connected to one end for su~plying the fluid, such as cold water. The opposite ends of hollow shafts 22 and 24 are 20 interconnected through coupling means 29.
As was indicated above, it is extremely important to insure that the portions of the extrudate that are succes-sively severed are directed to the centers of the crown caps.
The present invention provides a drive mechanism for the con-veyor and the cutters that can be adjusted by an operator while the machine is in motion to insure that a severed por~
tion of the extrudate is deposited in the center of the crown cap.
As shown in the drawing, the apparatus for driving 30 the conveyor and cutter means consists of drive member 30, ~1~13~46~i such as an electric motor, with first drive means 32 driven by drive member 30, for driving conveyor 10 at a predetermined rate and second drive means 34, driven by drive member 30 for driving the cutter means at a constant rate synchronous to the predetermined rate for the conveyor. While a single source of power has been disclosed, it is readily apparent that the two means could be driven by separate power sources that are synchronized.
First drive means 32 consists of gear 36 fixed to 10 output shaft 38 from drive member 30 and engaging gear teeth on enlarged drive gear 40 fixedly secured to conveyor 10 by suitable means (not shown). Rotation of gear 36 at a constant rate will drive conveyor 10 at a constant predetermined rate.
Since crown caps 12 are equally spaced on conveyor 10, crown caps will be moving at a predetermined rate and in predetermined sapced relation along a receiving path.
Second drive 34 includes shaft 42 driven by member 30 at a rate synchronous to the predetermined rate for conveyor 10. Shaft 42 has drive sprocket wheel 44 secured thereto 20 which drives endless chain belt 46. Endless belt 46 drives cutter blades 18 and 20 through drive mechanism 48 spaced from drive sprocket wheel 44. Since sprocket wheel 44 is driven directly by the same power source for conveyor drive 32, cutter blades 18 and 20 are driven in synchronous relation with conveyor 10.
According to the invention, the driving relation between drive sprocket wheel 44 and cutter drive mechanism can be changed while the unit is operating by adjustable means 50 so that separated portions of the rod of hot plastic 30 material are deposited in the centers of the crown receiving caps.
., 1~)3~ 6~i Adjustable means 50 includes a pair of idler sprocket wheels 52,54 engaging endless belt 46 at a location between drive sprocket wheel 44 and cutter drive mechanism 48~ sprocket wheels 52 and 54 are supported on carrier 56 and one of the idler sprocket wheels is biased away from carrier 56 by biasing means 57, for a purpose that will be described later. Carrier 56 has gear teeth 58 defined on one surface thereof that are engaged by gear teeth on rotatable gear 60 supported on fixed axis 62 adjacent carrier 56. The means for shifting carrier 56 10 includes second gear 64 having knob 66 secured thereto and hav-ing teeth engaging gear teeth on gear 60.
Before describing the operation of adjustable means 50, the remainder of second drive means 34 will be described.
Cutter drive mechanism 48 includes idler sprocket wheel 70 and driven sprocket wheels 72 and 74 respectively connected to shafts 22 and 24 for rotating cutter blades 18 and 20, Second drive means from drive member 30 also includes two additional pairs of idler sprocket wheels 76 and 78 that respectively engage an opposite surface of endless ~elt 46 20 above and below carrier 56. Idler sprocket wheels 76 are posi-tioned to define substantially vertically extending belt seg-ments 46a and 46b that respectively engage driven sprocket wheels 72 and 74, while idler sprocket wheels 78 are positioned to define substantially vertical belt segments 46c and 46d below carrier 56.
The adjustment of the synchronous relation between conveyor 10 and cutter blades 18 and 20 will now be described.
Assuming that the drive means 30 is inoperative, shaft 42, drive sprocket wheel 44 and idler sprocket wheels 78 will 30 define a fixed position for the lower end of endless belt 46.
'D
~r~
~39466 Shifting carrier 56 to the left as viewed in the drawing, by rotation of knob 66 in a clockwise direction will locate the idler sprocket wheels 52 and 54 in the dotted line position shown in the drawings. Since the lower portion of end-less belt 46 remains fixed below idler pulleys 78, belt seg-ments 46a must be moved upwardly while belt segment 46b must move downwardly to accommodate the lateral shifting of idler sprocket wheels 52,54. This will cause cutter blade 18 to be rotated clockwise while cutter blade 20 will be rotated counter~
10 clockwise an equal amount. The result will be that the two blades will be engaging the plastic rod at a different time and thereby reposition the severed portion of the rod with respect to the receiving path defined by conveyor 10. As was indicated above, such adjustment may readily take place while the machine is in operation so that the operator can accurately position the respective severed portions in the center of the respective crown caps. `
According to a further aspect of the invention, the drive means also incorporates second adjustment means for 20 changing the pitch adjustment of the blades with respect to each other. The changing of the pitch adjustment of the blades with respect to each other changes the angular relationship between the blades on shafts 22 and 24 to provide for varia-tions in the severed portion orientation when it is deposited on the upper surface of the crown cap.
The second adjustment is produced by laterally shifting idler sprocket wheel 70 transversely to the horizontal axes of the shafts 22 and 24. Thus, assuming again the entire drive mechanism is stationary, movement of idler sprocket 30 wheel 70 from the solid line position shown in the drawing to 1G~3~6 the dotted line position will produce some slack in belt seg-ment 46b which will automatically be taken up by the movement of idler sprocket wheel 52 from the force of biasing means 57 to the left which in turn will cause a counterclockwise rota-tion of the driven sprocket wheel 74 while driven sprocket wheel 72 remains stationary. This adjustment will change the engaging relationship of the respective cutter blades with re-spect to plastic extrudate or rod 16 to change the orientation of the severed portion with respect to the surface o~ the crown 10 cap 12. The lateral adjustment of idler sprocket wheel 70 may be again accomplished through any suitable means interposed between control knob 80 and a carrier (not shown) for idler sprocket wheel 70~ For example, the end of rotatable knob could have a worm gear defined thereon engaging teeth on an elongated carrier supported for movement transversely of the axes of shafts 22 and 24 with the idler sprocket wheel 70 supported for rotation about a fixed axis on the carrier 70.
Suffice it to say that rotation of knob 80 in either direction will cause idler sprocket wheel 70 to move laterally in oppo-20 site directions indicated by arrows 82e Thus, it will be seen that the present inve~tionprovides a simple and inexpensive expedient of adjusting the position and orientation of a severed portion of extrudate relative to the surface of a crown cap.
It has also been determined that sometimes it may be desirable to accurately control the orientation of the plastic material that is received into the crown caps. For example, sometimes it may be desirable to have the severed portion of the rod of plastic deposited in axial ~nd-to-end relationship on the surface of the crown cap while, at other times, it may be desirable to have the severed portion of the rod oriented 10 so that the axis of the severed portion of the rod extends paral-lel to the surface of the crown cap~
Such adjustments require that the machine be shut down and the drive mechanism realigned to center the plastic slug at the desired orientation.
Summary of the Invention -The present invention contemplates a simple drive mechanism for a high speed molding unit, which can readily be adjusted while the unit is operating, to insure that the severed portions of a continuous plastic extrudate rod are deposited in 20 the centers of the open-topped receiving devices or crown caps~
The drive mechanism also incorporates means for controlling the orientation of the severed portion of the plastic extrudate as it is received into the crown caps.
In its broadest context the inventions reside in apparatus comprising a conveyor for advancing plurality of open-topped receiving devices along a receiving path including means for maintaining a predetermined spaced relation between the devices along the path; extruder means above said path for continuously extruding a rod of hot plastic material; cutter 30 means for successiyely severing the rod to deposit a severed ~3~
~' ~3~466 portion in each receiving device; and drive means for said con-veyor and cutter means, said drive means including first means for driving said conveyor continuously at a predetermined rate, second means for driving said cutter means at a rate which is in a constant ratio to said predetermined rate, and means adjustable while the apparatus is in operation for varying the time at which the severance is effected relative to that at which said devices are at a given location along said path so that said severed por-tions of said rod may be deposited into the centers of said re-10 ceiVing devices.
More specifically, the second drive means includes afirst drive sprocket wheel driving an endless belt that coop-erates with a pair of driven sprocket wheels respectively con-nected to the first and second cutters.
The first adjustable means consists of a pair of idler sprocket wheels that are supported on a movable carrier and engage the endless belt between the driven sprocket wheels connected to the cutters and the drive sprocket wheel. The carrier has gear teeth defined thereon that are engaged by a 20 rotatable gear so that the carrier and the idler sprocket wheels supported thereon may be shi~ted laterally relative to the direction of movement of the endless belt and the lateral shifting of the idler sprocket wheels will change the orienta-tion of the drive for the cutters relative to the conveyor without changing the speed for either the conveyor or the cutters.
The second adjustable means consists of an addi-tional idler sprocket wheel engaging the endless belt above the two driven sprocket wheels connected to the respective 30 cutters, which have blades associated therewith, with means 'E~
~39466 for moving the idler sprocket wheel to vary the engaging rela-tionship of the cutter blades with respect to the extrudate rod and thereby control the orientation and trajectory of the sever-ed portion as it i5 received into the receiving ~evice.
Both adjustable means are designed so that the cutter blades and the conveyor or finger bar can be properly coordi-nated relative to each other and the engaging angular relation-ship of the cutter blades with respect to the plastic extrudate may be changed while the machine is in operation, Brief Description of Drawing The single view in the drawing shows a perspective view of the drive mechanism of the present invention incor-porated into a metering apparatus~
Detailed Description While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shc~wn in the drawlng and will herein be described in detail one embodiment, with the under-standing that he present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and 20 is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illu-strated.
The metering apparatus utilizing the principles of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing and in-cludes an endless conveyor or finger bar 10 supported for rota-tion about a fixed vertical axis (not shown) which supports a plurality of open-topped receiving devices or crown caps 12 and moves the caps along a receiving path. Extruder nozzle 1 is positioned above the receiving path for the receiving devices or crown caps 12 and produces a continuous supply of 30 extrudate 16 directed along a vertical path towards the ~L~3~466 receiving path defined by conveyor 10. While nozzle 14 is shown vertical, it could be angularly disposed if desirable.
Cutter means consisting of first and second cutter blades 18 and 20 that are supported for rotation on shafts 22 and 24 are respectively rotated about horizontal axeq on oppo-site sides of extrudate 16. The cutter blades are driven in synchronous, counter-rotation so that, when they are disposed towards one another in horizontal alignment, the outer edges of the respective blades substantially meet along a line ~hich 10 passes through the center axis of extruder nozzle 14. Each time the blades meet, extrudate rod 16 is severed and rod por-tion 21 is deposited into an open-topped receiving device 12 by the combination of the forces imparted to it by the knives and gravity.
The metering apparatus also includes a fluid cooling system of the type disclosed in the above mentioned patent, and or this purpose, shafts 22 and 24 are hollow and have pipes 26 and 28 connected to one end for su~plying the fluid, such as cold water. The opposite ends of hollow shafts 22 and 24 are 20 interconnected through coupling means 29.
As was indicated above, it is extremely important to insure that the portions of the extrudate that are succes-sively severed are directed to the centers of the crown caps.
The present invention provides a drive mechanism for the con-veyor and the cutters that can be adjusted by an operator while the machine is in motion to insure that a severed por~
tion of the extrudate is deposited in the center of the crown cap.
As shown in the drawing, the apparatus for driving 30 the conveyor and cutter means consists of drive member 30, ~1~13~46~i such as an electric motor, with first drive means 32 driven by drive member 30, for driving conveyor 10 at a predetermined rate and second drive means 34, driven by drive member 30 for driving the cutter means at a constant rate synchronous to the predetermined rate for the conveyor. While a single source of power has been disclosed, it is readily apparent that the two means could be driven by separate power sources that are synchronized.
First drive means 32 consists of gear 36 fixed to 10 output shaft 38 from drive member 30 and engaging gear teeth on enlarged drive gear 40 fixedly secured to conveyor 10 by suitable means (not shown). Rotation of gear 36 at a constant rate will drive conveyor 10 at a constant predetermined rate.
Since crown caps 12 are equally spaced on conveyor 10, crown caps will be moving at a predetermined rate and in predetermined sapced relation along a receiving path.
Second drive 34 includes shaft 42 driven by member 30 at a rate synchronous to the predetermined rate for conveyor 10. Shaft 42 has drive sprocket wheel 44 secured thereto 20 which drives endless chain belt 46. Endless belt 46 drives cutter blades 18 and 20 through drive mechanism 48 spaced from drive sprocket wheel 44. Since sprocket wheel 44 is driven directly by the same power source for conveyor drive 32, cutter blades 18 and 20 are driven in synchronous relation with conveyor 10.
According to the invention, the driving relation between drive sprocket wheel 44 and cutter drive mechanism can be changed while the unit is operating by adjustable means 50 so that separated portions of the rod of hot plastic 30 material are deposited in the centers of the crown receiving caps.
., 1~)3~ 6~i Adjustable means 50 includes a pair of idler sprocket wheels 52,54 engaging endless belt 46 at a location between drive sprocket wheel 44 and cutter drive mechanism 48~ sprocket wheels 52 and 54 are supported on carrier 56 and one of the idler sprocket wheels is biased away from carrier 56 by biasing means 57, for a purpose that will be described later. Carrier 56 has gear teeth 58 defined on one surface thereof that are engaged by gear teeth on rotatable gear 60 supported on fixed axis 62 adjacent carrier 56. The means for shifting carrier 56 10 includes second gear 64 having knob 66 secured thereto and hav-ing teeth engaging gear teeth on gear 60.
Before describing the operation of adjustable means 50, the remainder of second drive means 34 will be described.
Cutter drive mechanism 48 includes idler sprocket wheel 70 and driven sprocket wheels 72 and 74 respectively connected to shafts 22 and 24 for rotating cutter blades 18 and 20, Second drive means from drive member 30 also includes two additional pairs of idler sprocket wheels 76 and 78 that respectively engage an opposite surface of endless ~elt 46 20 above and below carrier 56. Idler sprocket wheels 76 are posi-tioned to define substantially vertically extending belt seg-ments 46a and 46b that respectively engage driven sprocket wheels 72 and 74, while idler sprocket wheels 78 are positioned to define substantially vertical belt segments 46c and 46d below carrier 56.
The adjustment of the synchronous relation between conveyor 10 and cutter blades 18 and 20 will now be described.
Assuming that the drive means 30 is inoperative, shaft 42, drive sprocket wheel 44 and idler sprocket wheels 78 will 30 define a fixed position for the lower end of endless belt 46.
'D
~r~
~39466 Shifting carrier 56 to the left as viewed in the drawing, by rotation of knob 66 in a clockwise direction will locate the idler sprocket wheels 52 and 54 in the dotted line position shown in the drawings. Since the lower portion of end-less belt 46 remains fixed below idler pulleys 78, belt seg-ments 46a must be moved upwardly while belt segment 46b must move downwardly to accommodate the lateral shifting of idler sprocket wheels 52,54. This will cause cutter blade 18 to be rotated clockwise while cutter blade 20 will be rotated counter~
10 clockwise an equal amount. The result will be that the two blades will be engaging the plastic rod at a different time and thereby reposition the severed portion of the rod with respect to the receiving path defined by conveyor 10. As was indicated above, such adjustment may readily take place while the machine is in operation so that the operator can accurately position the respective severed portions in the center of the respective crown caps. `
According to a further aspect of the invention, the drive means also incorporates second adjustment means for 20 changing the pitch adjustment of the blades with respect to each other. The changing of the pitch adjustment of the blades with respect to each other changes the angular relationship between the blades on shafts 22 and 24 to provide for varia-tions in the severed portion orientation when it is deposited on the upper surface of the crown cap.
The second adjustment is produced by laterally shifting idler sprocket wheel 70 transversely to the horizontal axes of the shafts 22 and 24. Thus, assuming again the entire drive mechanism is stationary, movement of idler sprocket 30 wheel 70 from the solid line position shown in the drawing to 1G~3~6 the dotted line position will produce some slack in belt seg-ment 46b which will automatically be taken up by the movement of idler sprocket wheel 52 from the force of biasing means 57 to the left which in turn will cause a counterclockwise rota-tion of the driven sprocket wheel 74 while driven sprocket wheel 72 remains stationary. This adjustment will change the engaging relationship of the respective cutter blades with re-spect to plastic extrudate or rod 16 to change the orientation of the severed portion with respect to the surface o~ the crown 10 cap 12. The lateral adjustment of idler sprocket wheel 70 may be again accomplished through any suitable means interposed between control knob 80 and a carrier (not shown) for idler sprocket wheel 70~ For example, the end of rotatable knob could have a worm gear defined thereon engaging teeth on an elongated carrier supported for movement transversely of the axes of shafts 22 and 24 with the idler sprocket wheel 70 supported for rotation about a fixed axis on the carrier 70.
Suffice it to say that rotation of knob 80 in either direction will cause idler sprocket wheel 70 to move laterally in oppo-20 site directions indicated by arrows 82e Thus, it will be seen that the present inve~tionprovides a simple and inexpensive expedient of adjusting the position and orientation of a severed portion of extrudate relative to the surface of a crown cap.
Claims (4)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Apparatus comprising a conveyor for advancing a plurality of open-topped receiving devices along a receiving path including means for maintaining a predetermined spaced relation between the devices along the path; extruder means above said path for continuously extruding a rod of hot plastic material; cutter means for successively severing the rod to deposit a severed portion in each receiving device; and drive means for said conveyor and cutter means, said drive means in-cluding first means for driving said conveyor continuously at a predetermined rate, second means for driving said cutter means at a rate which is in a constant ratio to said predeter-mined rate, and means adjustable while the apparatus is in operation for varying the time at which the severance is effected relative to that at which said devices are at a given location along said path so that said severed portions of said rod may be deposited into the centers of said receiving devices.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said second means includes an endless belt, a drive wheel driving said belt, and mechanism spaced from said drive wheel and co-operating with said belt for driving said cutter means; and in which said adjustable means includes first and second idler wheels engaging said belt respectively on the driving run and on the return run thereof between said drive wheel and said mechanism, a carrier supporting said idler wheels and means for shifting said carrier transversely of the direction of driving movement of said belt to effect said time variation.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which said means for shifting said carrier includes rack teeth on said carrier and a pinion engaging said rack teeth, said pinion being rotatable about a fixed axis to shift said carrier.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which said cutter means includes first and second cutter blades rotatable about horizontal axes of rotation respectively lo-cated on opposite sides of said rod; and in which said mechanism includes a further idler wheel engaging said belt and driven wheels respectively connected to said rotatable blades, said driven wheels engaging opposite sides of said endless belt for driving said rotatable blades, biasing means maintaining ten-sion in said belt and means for moving said further idler wheel to cause said belt to effect angular advancement of one of said driven wheels relative to the other to vary the engaging rela-tionship of said cutter blades with said rod, thereby varying the orientation of said severed portions with respect to the receiving devices.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA190,363A CA1039466A (en) | 1974-01-17 | 1974-01-17 | Extruder and cutter arrangement with means for orienting cut portions |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA190,363A CA1039466A (en) | 1974-01-17 | 1974-01-17 | Extruder and cutter arrangement with means for orienting cut portions |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1039466A true CA1039466A (en) | 1978-10-03 |
Family
ID=4098954
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA190,363A Expired CA1039466A (en) | 1974-01-17 | 1974-01-17 | Extruder and cutter arrangement with means for orienting cut portions |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1039466A (en) |
-
1974
- 1974-01-17 CA CA190,363A patent/CA1039466A/en not_active Expired
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 19951003 |