CN113767180B

CN113767180B - Industrial raw hide splitting machine

Info

Publication number: CN113767180B
Application number: CN202080032349.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿方索·佩洛索; 费德里科·马兰贡
Original assignee: Alpespark Co ltd
Current assignee: Alpespark Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-04
Filing date: 2020-04-03
Publication date: 2022-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-03
Also published as: CN113767180A; EP3947748A1; EP3947748B1; IT201900005094A1; WO2020202095A1

Abstract

An industrial pelt splitting machine (1) comprising a feeding table (2) and a drive head (3), the feeding table (2) being for feeding of pelts (P), the feeding table having a feeding belt (4), the feeding belt (4) having a pelt receiving surface (5) for positioning the pelts on the feeding belt (4), the drive head (3) being located above the feeding table (2) and having a feeding belt (6), the feeding belt (6) being wound around a first support roller arrangement (7) in a closed loop configuration and being adapted to cooperate with the feeding belt (4) so as to cause the pelts (P) to be fed in a predetermined feeding direction (D). The feed belt (6) has a lower surface (8), the lower surface (8) facing the receiving surface (5) of the feed belt (4) so as to define therewith a gap (9) for receiving the hides (P). The machine (1) further comprises a pair of mutually opposite guide rollers (10, 11), the pair of mutually opposite guide rollers (10, 11) being adapted to rotate about respective axes of rotation transverse to the feeding direction (D) so as to define an outlet (12) for the hides (P) to be cut, and a cutting device (13), the cutting device (13) being located downstream of the outlet (12) with respect to the feeding direction (D). The feeding belt (4) is wound around second supporting roller means (19) in a closed-loop configuration and has an outfeed section (20) for outflowing hides (P), the outfeed section (20) being located upstream of and facing the outlet (12) defined by the pair of guide rollers (10, 11) at a distance spaced from and not in contact with the cutting device (13).

Description

Industrial hide splitting machine

Technical Field

The present invention applies in general to the field of leather processing and in particular to an industrial hide splitting machine.

Background

Splitting machines are known for splitting hides, i.e. cutting them in the thickness direction into more valuable layers (known as veining) and less valuable layers or splits.

Typically, the prior art splitting machines comprise a lower table for receiving the hides and an upper head having a conveyor belt in the form of a sleeve made of synthetic material and feeding the hides towards a downstream cutting device.

In general, the cutting device comprises a blade wound in a loop around a pair of guiding flywheels, in a position transverse to the feeding direction of the hides, so as to rotate around a roller.

The cutting edge of the blade is located in front of the hide feed side so that cutting can be performed across its entire transverse extent.

A first drawback of the prior art arrangement is that the hides to be cut must be manually brought by the operator towards the cutting blade, which means a self-evident risk to the operator's safety.

In an attempt to obviate this drawback, the applicant has developed a splitting machine, as disclosed in IT1423320, in which the receiving station defines a feeding plane which cooperates with a drive belt to cause the hides to be fed towards the cutting blades, without the operator needing to put his/her hands in the vicinity thereof.

Another machine still developed by the applicant and disclosed in IT1429923 provides, immediately upstream of the cutting blades, pairs of opposite rollers defining a slit for the passage of the hides to be cut, and the mutual position of which is locally adjustable in order to calibrate the thickness of the hides.

In this arrangement, the feeding plane is defined by an endless belt which is wound around rotatable supporting rollers for rotation and to facilitate feeding of the hides.

The feed belt of the support table is wound around one of the two calibration rollers, in particular the lower calibration roller, while the upper feed belt is wound around the upper calibration roller.

While this arrangement can effectively eliminate the danger posed by the manual introduction of the hides by the operator, it still has limitations associated with the short distance of the cutting blade from the lower feed belt (which is as little as a few millimeters).

Due to this short distance, the feed belt may accidentally contact the blades, for example due to local deformations generated by the movement of the hides being fed, and therefore be exposed to local cuts that would significantly reduce their efficiency and durability.

A similar arrangement is also disclosed in US3165912 and FR2008203, in which the cutting blade acts on the tape without interposing any other member that might prevent accidental contact therebetween.

Another limitation of the prior art solutions is that the upper feed belt may risk slipping sideways under the stresses transmitted thereto by the hides, since when the blade rotates in a plane orthogonal to the feeding direction, it forces the hides to translate parallel to such a plane of rotation.

This requires frequent stops to place the belt back in its central position, which significantly affects productivity.

Another type of splitting machine is disclosed in WO2011148077, EP3121293 and US 6434978. However, these machines have belt arrangements that significantly increase the size and space requirements of the machine.

Technical problem

In view of the prior art, the technical problem solved by the present invention is to maintain the integrity of the lower feed belt of a splitting machine over time, so as to ensure high productivity, while limiting the overall dimensions of the machine.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problems and to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art by providing an efficient and relatively cost-effective industrial pelt splitting machine.

A particular object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine which maintains the integrity of the lower feed belt over time, so as to ensure a high productivity.

Another object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine which ensures high safety for personnel and increased productivity.

A further object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine that can quickly bring the upper feed belt to a central position without the need for long and complicated manual operations.

Another object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine that provides a quick and easy replacement of the feeding belts.

A particular object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine that provides an optimized thickness calibration of hides of high quality processing.

Another important object is to provide an industrial hide splitting machine that can spread the hides in an optimized manner to avoid the presence of dents that could cause improper cutting.

These and other objects are achieved by the following solution, as better explained hereafter.

An industrial hide splitting machine comprising:

a feeding table for feeding hides, the feeding table having a feeding belt with a hide receiving surface for positioning the hides to be cut on the feeding belt;

a drive head placed above the feeding table and having a feed belt wound in a closed loop around a first support roller device and adapted to cooperate with the feed belt to feed the hides in a predetermined feeding direction, the feed belt having a lower surface facing the receiving surface of the feed belt so as to define therewith slits (9) for receiving the hides;

a pair of mutually opposed upper and lower guide rollers adapted to rotate about respective axes of rotation transverse to the feed direction to define an outlet for the hides to be cut;

a cutting device located downstream of the outlet, as viewed in the feed direction;

wherein the feeding belt is wound around a second support roller device in a closed loop configuration and has an outfeed section for outflowing the hides, the outfeed section being located upstream of the outlet defined by the pair of upper and lower guide rollers and facing the outlet at a distance spaced from and not in contact with the cutting apparatus;

wherein the first support roller means comprises a plurality of first return rollers and/or tension rollers forming the feed belt;

characterized in that said upper guide roller and said plurality of first return rollers and/or tensioning rollers are arranged inside and in contact with said feeding belt to reduce the space occupied by said splitting machine.

The selected cutting device can be kept close enough to the hides to ensure accurate cutting without the risk of contact with the feed belt, even when the feed belt has dents or deformations caused by the movement of the hides being fed.

The feed belt will thus prevent any accidental cutting throughout its operation, while ensuring an increased overall productivity and lower maintenance costs.

Advantageously, the upper guide roller of the pair of rollers is a calibration roller for calibrating the size of the outlet and is associated with an adjustment device adapted for locally varying the distance between the calibration roller and the compensation roller.

This additional feature will provide a high precision of thickness control of the hides, allowing continuous adjustment for high quality processing.

Conveniently, the drive head may comprise a carrier frame having a pair of lateral supports, each lateral support having a shoulder for supporting a transverse end of the first return roller and/or drive roller.

Furthermore, the lateral shoulders may be associated with first drive means adapted for translating each of the shoulders to vary the inclination of the first roller.

Thus, if the feed belt slips laterally through the hides being processed due to the transverse stresses transferred by the cutting device, the feed belt can be automatically returned to its central position by simply tilting the roller on which it is wound, without requiring complex and time-consuming manual operations.

Furthermore, the frame may be hinged at least one of its lateral ends so as to pivot about a respective vertical axis and allow the tubular sleeve to be mounted around the first roller.

With this additional feature, if the feed belt needs to be replaced, the frame will simply pivot to release one of the lateral ends of the first roller so that the old belt can be removed therefrom and a new belt can be quickly mounted thereon.

Advantageously, the driving head can comprise a hide spreading member having a lower profile made of flexible material and placed above the feeding belt and associated with second driving means adapted to facilitate its translation in a vertical direction to adjust its distance from the receiving surface of the driving belt.

This additional feature will provide a continuously optimized spreading of the hides and avoid any sagging or folding that may affect the quality of the process.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment of the machine of the invention, which is described as a non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the machine of the present invention in a first preferred configuration;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged front view of a detail of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the machine according to a second configuration, with some components omitted;

Detailed Description

With reference to the attached drawings, an industrial hides processing machine is shown, for use with any kind of leather to perform the splitting process, i.e. cutting the hides in thickness direction into two superimposed layers, commonly known as veining and splintering. As used herein, "hide" is intended to mean an industrial hide of variable thickness having a profile of different shape depending on the animal from which the hide originates.

Fig. 1 shows a splitting machine, generally designated by reference numeral 1, comprising a lower feeding table 2 for feeding hides P and a drive head 3 arranged above the feeding table 2.

The feeding table 2 comprises a lower feeding belt 4 for feeding the hides P, which lower feeding belt 4 has a receiving surface 5 for positioning thereon the hides P to be treated.

The drive head 3 in turn has an upper feed belt 6, which upper feed belt 6 is wound around a first support roller arrangement 7 in a closed loop configuration and is adapted to cooperate with the lower feed belt 4 to feed the hides P in a predetermined feed direction D.

Preferably, but not exclusively, the feed belt 6 may be a tubular rubber sleeve having a lower stiffness than the feed belt 4, on the other hand the feed belt 4 may be formed by a sheet of polymeric material wound into a loop and sealed at its transverse end edges.

Furthermore, the feeding belt 6 may comprise ribbed surfaces with helical projections of different depth for improving the grip of the hides P and facilitating their feeding in the machine 1.

When the feed belt 6 rotates, it will always present a lower drive surface 8 facing the receiving surface 5 of the feed belt 4, which lower drive surface 8 is facing upwards from time to time, on which the hides P will be positioned.

The two mutually opposite surfaces 5, 8 will thus define a gap 9 therebetween for receiving the hide P.

Pairs of mutually opposite, counter-rotating guide rollers 10, 11 are arranged downstream of the slit 9 and rotate about respective axes of rotation transverse to the feed direction D, in turn defining an outlet 12 for the hides P to be cut, as shown more clearly in the detailed views of fig. 2 and 3A, in which the machine 1 is shown in outline and in cross-section.

Furthermore, a cutting device 13 is placed downstream of the outlet 12 (as seen in the feed direction D) and may be a blade wound in a loop around a pair of motorized rollers or flywheels (not shown).

The blade 13 will be arranged transversely to the feeding direction D of the hides P and will have its cutting edge 14 directly downstream of the outlet 12, so that the cutting will take place along the entire transverse extent of the hides P and divide them into two layers.

Still in a known manner, the blades 13 may be associated with feeding means (not shown) which will controllably feed their cutting edges 14 in a transverse direction towards the outlet 12, so that the cutting edges 14 will always remain at a suitable distance from the outlet 12 even if the blades 13 are worn in repeated contact with the hides P.

Furthermore, the cutting edge 14 may be associated with a sharpening tool (not shown) and is within the skill of the art designed to ensure that the cutting blade 13 will always have a sharp edge.

Fig. 2 also shows that the feed belt 6 is wound around a first support roller device 7, which first support roller device 7 comprises a plurality of first return and/or

tensioning rollers

15, 16, 17, 18, at least one of which is motorized to also enclose the upper guide roller 10 therein.

Thus, the upper guide roller 10 and the plurality of first return and/or tensioning rollers 15-18 are arranged inside the feed belt 6 and in contact with the feed belt 6 to reduce the space requirements of the splitting machine 1.

Conversely, the feed belt 4 is wound in a closed loop configuration around a second support roller arrangement 19 which does not include the lower guide roller 11, the lower guide roller 11 thus being outside the feed belt 4.

The feeding belt 4 has an outfeed section 20 for outflowing the hides P, which outfeed section 20 is located upstream of the outlet 12 and faces the latter at a distance spaced apart from and not in contact with the cutting device 13.

The first and second support roller means 7, 19 will be configured to rotate their respective belts 6, 4 in opposite directions of rotation and in parallel directions of feed.

The second support roller means 19 comprise at least one or more drive rollers 21, 22 (one of which is motorized) upstream of the gap 9, an intermediate tension roller 23 preferably located outside the feed belt 4 and a return roller 24 located at the outfeed section 20 of the feed belt 4.

The lower roller 11 of the pair of opposite guide rollers will preferably be a compensation roller designed to restore any irregularity of the thickness of the hides P, which may be due to differences in their configuration or to folds or depressions.

In particular, the lower compensation rollers 11 will be configured to automatically deform and vary the size of the outlet 12 as the hides P pass.

According to a preferred, non exclusive configuration, the compensation rollers 11 will comprise a transverse support bar 25 and a plurality of rollers 26, these rollers 26 being fitted on the bar 25 and being radially translatable with respect to the latter with a predetermined maximum radial clearance in response to the action of the hides P.

In particular, according to a configuration not shown in the figures, the support rod 25 may comprise a plurality of radial projections adapted to engage with a predetermined maximum radial clearance respective inner radial grooves of the roller 26, so as to rotate therewith about a respective rotation axis.

In a first variant embodiment, the supporting bar 25 is motorized so as to also drive the roller 26 in rotation.

In another variant corresponding to the configuration of the figures, the lower guide roller 11 is associated with a drive roller 27 having a rubber-coated surface resting on the roller 26 to allow radial translation thereof.

Possibly, a rubber-coated driving roller 27 may be motorized to drive the roller 26 in rotation. Here, the support bar 25 may or may not be motorized.

Conversely, the upper guide roller 10 may be a calibration roller for calibrating the size of the outlet 12.

In particular, the upper guide roller 10 will be associated with an adjustment device adapted to locally vary the distance between the upper calibration roller 10 and the lower compensation roller 11, so as to adapt the size of the outlet 12 to the thickness of the hides being treated.

The step of adjusting the outlet 12 can be carried out for each individual hide P during its passage or after a predetermined number of cuts based on the calculated thickness.

In this embodiment, the upper guide roller 10 is made up of a plurality of axial sectors 28, each associated with a corresponding actuator 29, the actuators 29 being selected from the group: pneumatic, hydraulic, oil-operated and electromechanical actuators, and the actuator 29 is adapted to exert radial stress on its corresponding axial section 28.

Thus, the different axial sectors 28 can be radially moved independently of each other so as to locally vary the distance of the upper guide roller 10 from the lower guide roller 11 and to locally vary the size of the outlet 12 on the basis of the thickness of the hides P detected by the particular sensor means, which are not described or illustrated since they are known per se.

The drive head 3 comprises a carrier frame 30, which carrier frame 30 has pairs of lateral support shoulders 31, 32 for supporting the lateral ends of the first return and/or drive rollers 15-18.

In another highly advantageous aspect, the lateral shoulders 31, 32 are associated with first drive means adapted for translating each of the

shoulders

31, 32 and varying the inclination of the first rollers 15-18.

In particular, the first drive means will be configured for driving the two

shoulders

31, 32 independently of each other and tilting the axis of the first roller in two opposite directions.

For example, the first drive means will comprise, at each of their

respective shoulders

31, 32, a double-acting hydraulic piston 33, which double-acting hydraulic piston 33 is adapted to cause the respective

lateral shoulder

31, 32 to translate upwards or downwards and to centre the belt 6 along the first rollers 15-18.

Fig. 4 also shows that the frame 30 is hinged at least at one of its lateral ends to pivot about a respective vertical axis.

This will provide lateral access to one of the lateral ends of the first return and/or tensioning rollers 15-18 to fit the tubular sleeve 6 around the first rollers 15-18.

Fig. 5 shows a variant of the machine 1 of the invention, in which the driving head 3 has a central spreading member 35 for spreading the hides P, this central spreading member 35 having a lower profile 36 made of flexible material placed above the feed belt 4.

The spreading member 35 is associated with a second drive device 37, which second drive device 37 is adapted to cause the spreading member 35 to translate in a vertical direction so as to adjust the distance of the spreading member 35 from the receiving surface 5 of the feed belt 4.

The lower section bars 36 made of flexible material can therefore be in contact with the hides P being processed so as to stress the hides in a vertical direction, which will help to stretch them parallel to the plane defined by the receiving surface 5 and to spread them apart to eliminate any sagging and to enhance uniformity.

Preferably, the splitting machine 1 comprises a device inside the belt 6 for restraining the hides P upstream of the cutting blades 13, as best shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

The pelt restriction device substantially comprises a pressure plate 38, which pressure plate 38 extends substantially over the entire width of the drive head 3 and is arranged between the upper guide roller 10 and one of the first return and/or drive rollers 15. The pressure plate 38 faces the lower surface 8 of the belt 6 and is pushed downwards perpendicular to the inner surface of the belt 6 by a series of pistons 39, the pistons 39 being attached to a carrying beam 40 of the head 3 and being arranged over the entire extent of the pressure plate 38.

As better shown in fig. 3A, thanks to the pressure exerted by the piston 39 on the plate 38, the belt 6 will be pushed towards the hide and exert a retaining and restraining action thereon and combine a stretching action before interacting with the cutting blade 13.

From the above it will be appreciated that the splitting machine achieves the intended purpose and that the integrity of the lower feed belt of the splitting machine can be maintained, i.e. over time, in order to ensure a high productivity.

The machine of the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variants, within the inventive concept disclosed in the appended claims.

All the details thereof may be replaced by other technically equivalent parts, and the materials may vary depending on different needs, without departure from the scope of the invention.

While the machine has been described with particular reference to the accompanying figures, the numerals referred to in the disclosure and claims are only used for the sake of better intelligibility of the invention and shall not be intended to limit the claimed scope in any manner.

Reference herein to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" indicates that the particular feature, structure, or component described is included in at least one embodiment of the present subject matter.

Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or components may be combined in any suitable manner to provide one or more embodiments.

Industrial applicability

The invention can find application in industry, since it can be produced on an industrial scale by means of machinery and splitting machines of a production plant.

Claims

1. An industrial hide splitting machine (1) comprising:

-a feeding table (2), said feeding table (2) being for the feeding of hides (P), said feeding table (2) having a feeding belt (4), said feeding belt (4) having a receiving surface (5) for positioning the hides (P) to be cut on said feeding belt;

a drive head (3), said drive head (3) being placed above said feeding table (2) and having a feed belt (6), said feed belt (6) being wound in a closed loop around a first support roller arrangement (7) and being adapted to cooperate with said feed belt (4) to feed said hides (P) in a predetermined feed direction (D), said feed belt (6) having a lower surface (8), said lower surface (8) facing said receiving surface (5) of said feed belt (4) so as to define therewith a slit (9) for receiving said hides (P);

-a pair of mutually opposite upper and lower guide rollers (10, 11), said pair of mutually opposite upper and lower guide rollers (10, 11) being adapted to rotate about respective axes of rotation transverse to the feed direction (D) to define an outlet (12) for the hides (P) to be cut;

a cutting device (13), seen in the feed direction (D), the cutting device (13) being located downstream of the outlet (12);

wherein said feeding belt (4) is wound in a closed loop configuration around a second supporting roller device (19) and has an outfeed section (20) for outflowing said hides (P), said outfeed section (20) being located upstream of said outlet (12) defined by said pair of upper and lower guide rollers (10, 11), and said outfeed section (20) facing said outlet at a distance spaced apart from and not in contact with said cutting apparatus (13);

wherein the first support roller device (7) comprises a plurality of first return and/or tensioning rollers (15-18) forming the feed belt (6);

characterized in that said upper guide roller (10) and said plurality of first return and/or tensioning rollers (15-18) are arranged inside said feed belt (6) and in contact with said feed belt (6) to reduce the space occupied by said splitting machine (1).

2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said second support roller means (19) comprise at least one drive roller (21), an intermediate tensioning roller (23) and a return roller (24), said at least one drive roller (21) being located upstream of said gap (9), said return roller (24) being located at said outfeed section (20).

3. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower guide roller (11) of said pair of opposite upper (10) and lower (11) guide rollers is a compensating roller comprising a transverse support bar (25) and a plurality of rollers (26) fitted to said transverse support bar (25) with a predetermined maximum radial clearance.

4. Machine as in claim 3, characterized in that said transverse support bar (25) comprises a plurality of radial projections adapted to engage with said predetermined maximum radial clearance respective inner radial grooves of said roller (26) so as to rotate integrally therewith about the rotation axis of said roller.

5. Machine according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said pair of upper guide rollers (10) is a calibration roller for calibrating the size of said outlet (12) and is associated with adjustment means adapted to locally vary the distance between said upper guide rollers (10) and said lower guide rollers (11).

6. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said drive head (3) comprises a carrying frame (30), said carrying frame (30) having pairs of lateral shoulders (31, 32) for holding the transverse ends of said first return and/or tensioning rollers (15-18).

7. Machine according to claim 6, wherein said lateral shoulders (31, 32) are associated with first drive means for translating each of said lateral shoulders (31, 32) independently of one another to vary the inclination of said tensioning rollers (15-18).

8. Machine according to claim 7, wherein said first drive means each comprise a double-acting hydraulic piston (33), said double-acting hydraulic piston (33) being adapted to promote the upward or downward translation of the corresponding lateral shoulder (31, 32).

9. Machine as in claim 1, characterized in that said feed belt (6) is a tubular sleeve having a lower rigidity than said feed belt (4).

10. Machine according to claim 6, wherein said carrying frame (30) is hinged at least at one of its lateral ends so as to pivot about a respective vertical axis and allow the feed belt (6) to be fitted around said tensioning rollers (15-18).

11. Machine as in claim 1, characterized in that said driving head (3) comprises a spreading member (35) for spreading the raw hide (P) being processed, said spreading member (35) having a lower profile (36), said lower profile (36) being made of flexible material facing said feeding belt (4) and being associated with second driving means (37) adapted to cause translation of said lower profile in a vertical direction to adjust the distance of said lower profile from said receiving surface (5) of said feeding belt (4).