EP0751086B1 - Device for removing air inclusions from paper stacks - Google Patents

Abstract

The press (24) is positioned on a carriage (16) which is moved on at least one guide (14) converging at a slant to the conveyor track (1) in the stack direction (3) of travel. At least the downward movement of the carriage along the guide is controlled by controls (28,29) in relation to the position of the tongs-carriage (8) when the stack is pulled over the conveyor track. The carriage guide and the controls are placed on the press directly behind the pincers (13) of the tongs (11) resting on the stack.

Description

The invention relates to a device for removing Air pockets from stacks of paper with a conveyor for the stacks, a tongs carriage that can be moved along the conveyor track with at least one stack in a first position moving and along the conveyor in a second Positioning pliers and one that can be lowered onto the stack Pressing element, which presses the stack to squeeze air, during this relative to the pressing member along the conveyor track is pulled.

Stacks of paper are giant and other layers or stacks of individually or sheets of paper stacked on top of each other, that is transported and processed, for example packaged, become. Under stacks of paper are also supposed to be stacks other sheet material can be understood, which are like stacks of paper are to be treated.

The transport of sheets of paper stacked on top of each other requires special caution and care because of such Stacks are not very dimensionally stable. Individuals or groups of Bows can slip easily, making the stack its desired, generally cuboid configuration loses. This instability of the stack is essentially due to the fact that when the sheets are stacked between them Form layers of air. This air escapes due to its own weight the arches by themselves after some time, in the high production speeds of modern paper processing machines and the desired short funding routes however, there is no time to self-vent the stack of paper to be seen.

Therefore, facilities and measures are known to take before or during the Transport of the stacks to accelerate their venting.

From DE-OS 27 53 668 a device is known in which one of pliers detected stack pulled under a pressure roller placed on the stack while squeezing out the air trapped between the arches. This document contains no information on how, on the one hand, collisions between the downward moving roller and the pliers avoided and on the other hand placing the squeeze roller on the stack as close as possible to the Gripper fingers of the pliers can be guaranteed.

From DE 34 03 209 A1 a device is known in which to eliminate Air pockets on the stack drawn by pliers form a streak a brush or roller is swung in, which blows out the trapped air, while pulling the stack under it. The streak of this Device is attached to swivel levers and requires for its movement relatively much lateral space on the machine. He also depends on the Height of the stack at different angles in different places the stacks so that the spreading effect can differ.

The invention has for its object a further device of the initially described Specify type.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the pressing member at its Downward movement along at least one converging obliquely to the conveyor track in the direction of the tong carriage Guide is movable and is guided by the tong carriage.

Further continuations and advantageous refinements of the Invention are specified in the subclaims.

Claims 2 to 4 relate to the arrangement of the pressing member above the stack conveyor, his guidance converging diagonally to the conveyor track, which also with the rapid transport of the stacks using the pliers Pressing device on top of the stack allows, and the positive guidance of the Downward movement of the pressing member depending on the position of the tong carriage until it is placed on a stack. In particular the forced management of the Pressing device according to claims 3 and 4 ensures that collisions between the pressing device and the pliers are excluded and that the mounting still of the pressing member on the stack immediately in front of the grasping the stack Gripping the pliers is possible. Claim 5 contains special features of positive control of the press through the pincer wagon.

Conventional spreading tools such as, for example, can be used as the pressing member Brushes. According to claim 6, however, is a press roll as a pressing member provided under the pressing force acting on them on the surface of the rolls freely beneath it and rolls between the sheets of the stack reliably extracts trapped air. Because of the rotating Press roll are significantly increased tensile stresses in the upper sheets of the stack avoided.

Claim 7 relates to the drive of the up and down movement of the pressing member, which at the same time causes a pressure required for the positive guidance by the pliers carriage and the pressing of the pressing member onto the stack also during the downward movement of the pressing member. Claims 8 and 9 relate to configurations of the conveyor track and the pressing member mounting, which allow the pressure to be exerted on the stack by means of the pressing member and enable simple format adaptation.
Claim 10 relates to a special embodiment of the drive for the up and down movement of the pressing member, with which a high effectiveness is achieved in a small space.

The device according to the invention is characterized by a simple structure, which requires little installation space and not far beyond the side edges of the machine takes hold. The control of the downward movement of the pressing member is strictly dependent from the movement of the gun carriage so that collisions between the Pressing organ and the pliers are avoided and the pressing operation immediately before the grippers of the pliers onto the stack. The press organ is based on the tongs - always in the same place regardless of the stack height. there the adjustment to different stack heights is very easy.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

Figures 1 to 3 show a side view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention in three different working positions.

The embodiment shown in the drawing of a device according to the The invention has a conveyor track 1, which has a first position 2 of stacks 3 connects to a second stack position 4. The first stack position 2 is, for example a collection box 6 with side walls 7, in which individual sheets or layers several sheets of paper or similar material in the usual way to stack 3 be piled up. The second position 4 can, what is not shown in the drawing is shown, a conveyor, which the incoming stack to a subsequent one Processing station, for example a packing machine, transported.

A conveyor wagon 8 is assigned to the conveyor track 1 is usually guided and driven so that it is moved in the direction of arrow 9 parallel to the conveyor track 1 in order to one or more pliers 11 arranged side by side Stack from the first position 2 to the second position 4 transport. The pliers 11 consist of a lower one Gripper 12 and an upper gripper 13, with which they Grab stack 3 and during transport from the first Hold position 2 in the second position 4. The device, consisting of conveyor track, first and second stacking position as well as pliers and pliers is in the usual way constructed and therefore needs no further description here. Please refer to DE 41 16 969 A1 (corresponding to US 5 233 815), which describes how the stacks in the Position 1 accumulated several usable side by side and with pliers deducted to a second position next to each other become.

On guide rails 14, which are inclined on both sides of the conveyor track 1 to the conveyor track converging on a not shown Machine frame are attached, is a press slide 16 guided up and down. The press slide 16 consists of two each assigned to the guide strips 14, in the embodiment shown plate-shaped Side supports 17, which are connected to one another by a cross member 18 are. On each side support 17 is a rodless Pneumatic cylinder 19 attached in one of the guide rails 14 is integrated. This pneumatic cylinder 19 with The integrated guide rails serve as drives for the Preßorganschlitten 16, the slide on the guide rails move along. Resilient stops 21 and 22 on the two Ends of the guide rails act as dampers in the top and the lower position of the pressing member slide 16.

A press member 23 in the form of a press roll 24 is on both Pages stored in the side carriers 17. This is the shaft 26 the press roll attached to both side beams 17 so that the press roll over the entire working width of the conveyor track 1 and positions 2 and 4. The ends of the According to the exemplary embodiment shown, shaft 26 is shown in FIG Invention screwed into slots 27, which the adjustment of Location of the press roller 24 allowed at the height of the stack 3.

On the side facing the press organ slide 16, the Gun 8 at least one substantially vertical guide surface 28 on. This guide surface 28 corresponds to substantially vertical sliding surfaces 29 which the front of the side carrier 17 are provided. In the illustrated The sliding surfaces are an embodiment of the invention 29 designed as vertical slide rails, at least during the downward movement of the pressing member slide 16 slide the guide surfaces 28 of the tong carriage 8 downwards can.

The piston rodless pneumatic cylinders with integrated Guide rails existing drives of the press slide are for example from the company Origa GmbH Pneumatik, Industriestrasse 8, D-70794 Filderstadt under the name P 230 series sold.

In the collection box 6 are successive sheets of paper or from sheets of similar material stack 3, so-called Giant, accumulated. It is between the stacked Sheets of paper typically trapped the air Configuration of the stack makes it unstable. To the stability of the Stacks for their transport and further processing to Example to increase their packaging, and their dimensional stability To improve, special measures are therefore necessary with which the air between the individual sheets or is pressed out of the stack between sheet layers. The For the sake of simplicity, the following process description only ever mentioned a stack, although usually more useful is worked and therefore side by side at the same time several stacks formed, with several pliers from the first Position transferred to the second position and for air squeezing be treated. So if in the following only ever if there is talk of a stack, this always applies accordingly also for the simultaneous treatment of several stacks side by side in a multi-user machine.

If a stack 3 is in the first position 2, the collection box 6, completely, the pliers 11 of the pliers carriage 8 take over this Stack by the grippers 12 and 13 of the pliers 11 to the stack grasp its front top and bottom like that in Figure 1 is shown. On the front guide surface 28 of the tong carriage, the vertical sliding surfaces 29 of the Press organ slide 16, which is in its upper position located on the guide rails 14. Now pulls off the Stack 3 of the tong carriage 8 in the direction of arrow 9 Moved to the right, the press slide 16 moves to the Guide rails 14 obliquely to the conveyor track 1 down until the Press roll 24 is placed on the surface of the stack 3. The Downward movement is supported by the pneumatic cylinders 19, down the slide on the guide rails 14 press and thereby secure contact between the Guide surface 28 of the tong carriage and the sliding surfaces 29 of the Press organ slide 16 maintained. Putting on the Press roll 24 is shown in Figure 2. The resilient stop 21 dampens the touchdown, so that a gentle touch of the Press roll 24 is carried out with the surface of the stack 3. By doing Area in which the press roller 24 is placed on the stack on the conveyor track 1, a compensation plate 31 is provided the difference in height between that on the lower gripper 12 overlying stack underside and the surface of the Compensating conveyor track 1.

As FIG. 2 makes clear, the press roll 24 always sets shortly before the upper gripper jaw 13 of the pliers on the stack 3 on. It is against the stack surface by the pneumatic cylinder 19 pressed and from the stack using the pliers 11 is pulled to the right, rotated. During the stack 3 from the pliers 11 further to the right is moved and thereby the guide surface 28 of the pliers carriage removed from the sliding surfaces 29 of the pressing member slide 16, the press roll 24 rolls under the pressure of the pneumatic cylinders 19 on the surface of the stack 3 and presses the Air contained in the stack. Figure 3 shows the end position in which the press roll 24 has the rear end the stack 3 has reached, from which the air is now largely is removed. From this position shown in Figure 3 drives the press organ slide 16 by switching the pneumatic cylinder 19 back to its upper starting position, in which it at the stops 22, which the impact energy of the sled dampen, is stopped. The Preßorganschlitten 16 with the Press roll 24 is now ready for another operation, which can begin as soon as the gun carriage 8 in its figure 1 position returned, in which its Guide surface 28 on the sliding surfaces 29 of the press organ slide again.

If stack 3 is to be treated with a different height, the Attachment of the shaft of the press roller 24 in the lateral Elongated holes 27 changed accordingly. That way achieved that the press roller 24 regardless of the stack height always at the same distance in front of the pliers on the stack touches down. This leads to reproducible work results.

Claims (10)

1. A device for removing entrapped air from stacks of paper, with a conveyor belt (1) for the stacks (3), a gripping jaw carriage (8) movable along the conveyor belt (1) with at least one gripping jaw (11) gripping a stack (3) in a first position and drawing it along the conveyor belt (1) into a second position, and with a separate compression member (24) lowerable on to the stack (3) which presses on to the stack (3) to expel the air while the said stack (3) is being drawn along the conveyor belt (1) relative to the compression member (24), characterised in that, during its downwards movement relative to the surface of the stack (3), the compression member (24) is moveable along at least one guiding member (14) converging in the direction of the gripping jaw carriage (8) obliquely to the conveyor belt (1), and guided by the gripping jaw carriage (8).
2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the compression member (24) is mounted on a slide block (16), in that the slide block (16) is moveable on the at least one guiding member (14) converging in the conveyance direction (9) of the stack (3) obliquely to the conveyor belt (1), and in that directing means (28, 29) are provided for directing at least the downward movement of the slide block (16) on the guiding member, depending on the position of the gripping jaw carriage (8) when drawing off a stack via the conveyor belt (1), the said directing means (28, 29) guiding the slide block (16) along a curve depending on the movement of the gripping jaw, from its raised position into a position on top of the stack (3).
3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the slide-block guiding member (14) and the directing means (28, 29) are constructed and arranged so as to place the compression member (24) directly behind the grippers (13) of the gripping jaw (11) resting on the stack (3).
4. A device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the compression-member slide block (16) has at least one contact device (29) on its front side facing the gripping jaw carriage (8), in that at least one substantially vertical guiding surface (28) is provided on the side of the gripping jaw carriage (8) facing the slide block (16), and in that during the downward movement of the slide block to position the compression member (24) on the stack (3), the contact device (29) of the said slide block rests against the guiding surface (28) of the gripping jaw carriage (8) so as to be driveable substantially vertically.
5. A device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the contact device (29) of the compression-member slide block (16) is constructed as a substantially vertical sliding surface.
6. A device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that a compression roller (24) is provided mounted freely rotatably on the slide block (16).
7. A device according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that a reversible slide-block drive (19) is associated with the compression-member slide block (16), in that the drive of the slide block (16) is constructed and arranged so as to push, during its downward movement, against the guiding surface (28) of the gripping jaw carriage (8), to press against the stack (3) following positioning of the compression member (23) and to travel up to its raised position after the stack (3) has been drawn through beneath the compression member (23).
8. A device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the conveyor belt (1) is constructed as a solid support for pressing on the compression member (23) positioned on to the stack (3).
9. A device according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that, in order to adjust to various stack heights, the compression member (23) is mounted so as to be correspondingly displaceable on the slide block (16).
10. A device according to one of Claims 7 to 9, characterised in that a piston rod-less pneumatic cylinder with integrated guide rail (14) is provided as a slide-block drive (19), the said pneumatic cylinder itself being a component of the slide block (16) and its guide rail simultaneously serving as a slide-block guide.

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