EP3915886A1 - Adaptable wrapping machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A banding machine with an adjustable belt drive is suitable for banding an object with different bands that differ in their width and thickness and can preferably be thinner than 300 μm. The belt drive comprises a belt channel and at least one drive roller. The drive roller is suitable for driving the different belts in the area of the belt channel. The belt channel is at least partially exchangeable and is selected to match the width and thickness of one of the different belts. As a result, the belt drive is designed to be adaptable to the different belts.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a banding machine which can use bands of different widths and thicknesses.

State of the art

Banding machines are used to package and label objects such as food packaging. You put a flexible tape, typically made of a plastic or paper that can be printed, around the object, pull it taut, seal it and separate it from the tape supply. The closure is usually carried out by means of gluing or welding, with ultrasonic welding and heat welding being particularly suitable as closure methods.

Strapping machines have a similar effect: With these, a significantly stiffer and thicker strap is placed around objects and connected. The aim is primarily to bundle objects for storage and transport. The straps are not designed for jewelry characteristics, but for stability. Strapping tapes are usually narrower, thicker and less flexible than the tapes that are processed in banding machines. In addition, straps are tightened and closed in a particularly stable manner.

Banding machines within the meaning of the invention should in particular be able to process bands with a thickness of less than 300 μm.

Banding machines should work quickly and be able to process strips that are as thin and wide as possible. Thin, wide tapes offer plenty of space for labeling, protect the object when banding and minimize the amount of packaging. The exact Dimensions in individual cases, i.e. width and thickness of the tape, depend on the object to be banded and the desired design of the tape. Thin, wide and flexible tapes have the tendency during processing to slip into gaps, get caught in guides and thus cause tape jams.

The present invention relates in particular to a sheet banding machine: in this, the tape is guided around the object in a guide arc before it comes into contact with the surface of the object when it is pulled taut.

In order to avoid that a user needs several machines to process straps of different widths, there have been various attempts to make strapping machines adaptable to strap widths: The DE 100 26 197 A1 discloses a strapping machine which has a strap stop in the area of the locking mechanism which is adjustable to the strap width. the U.S. 4,502,911 uses a channel whose width can be adjusted with a screw in the area of the drive of a strapping machine. Both techniques, however, only work with the comparatively stiff strapping tape: Banderoles kink when they are to be pushed into a predetermined position from the side by a tape guide and jam in the gaps, the channels as they are U.S. 4,502,911 proposes to exhibit.

For banding machines that beats DE 20 2017 004 069 U1 the exchange of the guide arch in order to be able to use different tapes. The video available at https://youtu.be/JqqfP-kqeKk , which introduces the "Proband V 1000" machine, shows that it can be adapted by exchanging a guide coil.

Strapping machines can be adapted with these known solutions, but the solutions for the banding machines are unsatisfactory because they have to be operated more slowly in order to avoid errors, jamming and tape jams. When the tape is tightened and withdrawn, the guide reel of the test subject V 1000 is arranged behind the drive unit and can therefore not influence the course of the tape inside this unit.

Banding tapes are wide and thin. They like to stick to the inside of guide channels. Thanks to their flexibility, they quickly fold when there is somewhat increased local friction, which presses the tape more strongly against the tape channel and further increases the friction. The folds overlap until the tape jams and the tape channel clogs. Likewise, a lateral jamming in a gap in the band channel is also increased.

Small deviations from the optimal tape guide are self-reinforcing and this problem becomes more serious the thinner, the more flexible and the faster the tape is.

Presentation of the invention

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a banding machine that can be adapted to different bands and at the same time works reliably at high cycle rates.

The solution to the problem is defined by the features of claim 1. According to the invention, the banding machine comprises an adaptable belt drive.

The banding machine is suitable for banding an object with different bands that differ in their width and thickness and can preferably be thinner than 300 µm. The belt drive comprises a belt channel and at least one drive roller. The drive roller is suitable for driving the different belts in the area of the belt channel. The band channel is at least partially exchangeable. It can be selected to match the width and thickness of one of the different tapes. As a result, the belt drive is designed to be adaptable to the different belts.

The invention therefore guides the tape in the tape channel, and thus at the point at which it is accelerated. Since virtually every section of the tape is taken on the right path independently, guiding errors at another point, for example in the guiding curve, can be absorbed and compensated by the preceding and following band sections: the error does not rock, but weakens. In addition, the tape channel is not only adapted to the width, but also to the thickness of the tape. This prevents the tape from wrinkling: the tape lacks the space for it.

Thus, by adapting the tape channel to the width and thickness of the tape, adapting the tape drive and adapting the tape drive also adapt the banding machine.

The band channel is preferably designed in such a way that its outside is essentially the same in all adaptation variants and only the cavity for the band running in its interior is adapted to the respective band. The inner cross-section of this cavity is preferably somewhat larger than the cross-section of the belt for which it is intended, so that the belt is guided safely, but at the same time does not rub excessively against the channel walls.

In the context of this application, interchangeable is intended to mean interchangeability for a user of the machine, that is to say a technical layperson. In particular, it should be possible to carry out the necessary actions without or with only a few customary tools, such as a single socket wrench, and the parts and attachment points should be easily accessible and tangible.

The drive roller preferably remains mounted and in its operating position while the belt channel is at least partially replaced.

In one embodiment, the belt channel has recesses through which the drive roller can act on a belt guided in the interior of the belt channel.

In particular, an input drive roller which can act on the belt is arranged at the inlet of the belt channel.

Particularly preferably, both the drive roller and the input drive roller are each assigned a counter-pressure roller. So the belt between the drive roller and the counterpressure roller assigned to it and between the input drive roller and the their associated counter-pressure roller are clamped and accelerated and / or decelerated by driving the rollers.

The belt drive is preferably equipped with an encoder that measures the length of the belt placed around the object. The encoder records the movements of an encoder wheel in order to determine which tape length has been inserted and / or withdrawn. This encoder determines the revolutions of an encoder wheel with a known diameter. Since the tape should not slip over the wheel for the measurement, but should actually set it in motion, a counter-pressure wheel is preferably assigned to the encoder wheel. This reduces the slip and the associated measurement errors. The belt channel preferably has recesses for the encoder wheel and, if necessary, for the counter-pressure wheel. The end encoder wheel is preferably arranged between the input drive roller and the drive roller.

If the drive roller drives the belt inside the belt channel, placing the belt on the drive roller is simplified: Once it is in the channel, it is also correct with regard to the drive. In addition, the guidance of the tape is particularly precise and independent of direction: the tape is guided in front of and after the point of application of the drive roller both when shooting in and when pulling back and tightening.

An input drive roller has several advantages. On the one hand, it makes threading the tape easier: if it is on the easily accessible input drive roller, it pushes it precisely and evenly into the channel. The user is spared having to push the tape in further by hand. On the other hand, the use of the two drive rollers, i.e. the drive roller and the input drive roller, prevents a tape jam, since the tape between them is always pushed from one side and pulled from the other. Since the drive roller and the input drive roller are preferably synchronized, a band that is locally stuck in the band channel is quickly tensioned again. Ultimately, in this way, the power transmission is also distributed over a larger area of the belt. Since the belt has to be strongly accelerated and decelerated again for a high number of cycles, a distributed power transmission protects the belt and, if necessary, its printing.

The use of counter-pressure rollers also helps to protect the belt and improve power transmission: Without these, the belt is pressed against a duct wall by the drive roller and pulled over it. In addition, an elastic coating of the counter-pressure roller can compensate for fluctuations in the strip thickness and reduce the slippage of the strip.

So that the drive roller and, if necessary, the input drive roller and the counterpressure rollers grip both independently of the belt thickness, the counterpressure rollers can for example be spring-loaded or equipped with an elastic running surface, for example made of rubber. With such solutions, the user of the machine does not need to make any adjustments to the rollers and their bearings. In another embodiment, however, the counter-pressure rollers are also exchangeable. They can then be attached to the exchangeable part of the belt channel or be exchangeable independently of the exchangeable part of the belt channel and their diameter can be adapted to the belt thickness. The materials of the running surfaces and of the belt can also be selected to be adapted to one another, so that on the one hand the belt has little slip and on the other hand the belt material and its printing are not attacked.

In a preferred embodiment, the band channel has an essentially rectangular internal cross section. The inner cross section preferably has a width which corresponds to the sum of the width of the band and a width tolerance of preferably less than 5% of the band width. This width is determined by the channel side walls. The inner cross section preferably has a height which corresponds to the sum of the thickness of the tape and a height tolerance of preferably more than 0.2 mm and less than 10 times the tape thickness. This height is determined by a canal floor and a canal ceiling. In this embodiment, the channel side walls are uninterrupted along their height.

The height and width of the channel should be chosen so that the tape is guided safely, but does not rub against the channel walls.

Preferred banding tapes have a width between 25 mm and 100 mm and a thickness between 50 and 250 μm.

In the case of these tapes, it has proven useful to make the tape channel less than 5% wider than the respective tape, but particularly preferably about 1 mm wider than the tape width.

It has also been found that the tape can be guided particularly well if it has about 0.2 mm more space in the tape channel in height than the tape is thick. However, if the tape channel is higher than about 10 times the tape thickness, the reliability decreases.

So that the tapes do not get stuck on the channel side walls or get jammed in gaps, the channel side walls are uninterrupted along their height. So there are no gaps that extend in the running direction of the tape. On the other hand, it is entirely possible and also preferred in the area of the drive roller or a counter-pressure roller that the channel side walls do not extend over the entire height of the channel or are even completely absent. With such shortened or missing channel side walls, a wide drive roller or a wide counter-pressure roller can also be used to drive narrow belts.

One possibility to produce channel side walls uninterrupted in height is to manufacture the strip channel as a whole from one workpiece.

In a preferred banding machine, the channel side walls and preferably the channel cover are implemented by one or more side components. A channel floor is realized by a floor component. In this case, all of the side components are in contact with the base component below the channel base.

In another preferred embodiment, the channel side walls and preferably the channel bottom are implemented by one or more side components and a ceiling component forms the channel ceiling. All side components are in contact with the ceiling component above the duct ceiling.

In a further embodiment, the channel side walls are implemented by side components, the channel floor by a floor component and the channel ceiling by a ceiling component and the side components are above the channel ceiling on the ceiling component and below the channel floor on the floor component.

The ligament channel should be manufactured very precisely. This is simplified by the multi-part shape. In order to still achieve uninterrupted channel side walls, the walls start above and / or below the inner cross-section of the belt channel. The attachment area of the side components is therefore not accessible for the guided band and the risk of the band becoming trapped is reduced.

In one embodiment, the banding machine comprises a housing with a band insertion opening. The belt drive is arranged inside the housing. In the operating state, the tape is preferably fed from a supply roll or a tape storage device through the tape insertion opening to the tape drive located inside the housing. At least part of the tape channel can be exchanged in this embodiment in that it can be pulled out through the tape insertion opening and put back into its operating position.

The embodiment therefore uses an existing opening in the housing to enable interchangeability. The user therefore has little contact with the inner workings of the machine. The probability of incorrect operation decreases and the comfort for the user increases.

In one embodiment, all of the actions required to adjust the tape drive can be done from a single side or through the tape insertion opening. In this embodiment, the drive roller and, if applicable, the input drive roller and the drives for the drive roller and the input drive roller remain unchanged in their operating position while the adjustment is being carried out. The counter-pressure roller of the drive roller is preferably coupled to the drive roller and is thus also driven synchronously. Any counterpressure roller of the input drive roller and / or the counterpressure wheel of the encoder, however, preferably run with it. The coupling of the drive roller and its counter-pressure roller is particularly preferably implemented by means of gear wheels mounted on the axes of the drive roller and its counter-pressure roller.

This embodiment has the advantage that the adjustment of the belt drive can be carried out easily and the user neither has to change his position nor reach deep into the machine.

If the drive roller and the counter-pressure roller are both driven in a synchronized manner, the belt is accelerated particularly gently and precisely. Since the belt channel preferably runs both in front of and behind the drive roller and is preferably adaptable to the belt on both sides of the drive roller, the drive roller and / or its counter-pressure roller represents an obstacle to interchangeability. A simple and robust solution is the counter-pressure roller for remove the exchange from its operating position, for example by removing it, lifting it or moving it. A simple way of coupling the counter-pressure roller and the drive roller in the operating position, without tools or adjustment, is to equip both rollers with gear wheels which mesh with one another in the operating position. Thus, the motor can drive the drive roller and, if necessary, the input drive roller directly and the drive roller in turn can drive its counter-pressure roller. All rollers directly driven by the motor can thus be arranged on one side of the belt duct and remain firmly mounted there during replacement and connected to the motor.

In a preferred embodiment, only part of the belt channel is exchangeable. A belt drive that can only be adapted by exchanging a part of the belt channel is referred to below as a belt drive of the first type.

In a preferred embodiment of a band channel of the first type, the channel side walls and the channel ceiling are implemented by side components. In this embodiment, all side components are exchangeable, while the base component, which realizes the channel base, remains installed in the banding machine.

The relative position of the floor component and the drive roller remains unaffected by the adaptation in this embodiment. The user can hardly make mistakes, so that the tape drive of the first type is particularly reliable. In addition, a belt drive of the first type hardly requires more space in the machine than a conventional belt drive. A belt drive of the first type can thus be retrofitted in some existing machines by replacing the conventional belt drive with a belt drive of the first type by a person skilled in the art.

In one embodiment of a band channel of the first type, the band channel is formed by precisely one front and one rear side component and one base component. The front side component completes the tape channel in front of the drive roller in the tape feed direction and the rear side component completes the tape channel behind the drive roller.

The two-part construction of the side component is particularly helpful when a counter-pressure roller is assigned to the drive roller: the rear side component can be pushed from behind to the point where the drive roller and counter-pressure roller are closest and the front side component from the front. The rollers do not necessarily have to be removed. However, it can simplify the exchange if the counter-pressure roller is removed before it is pushed in. Since the counter-pressure roller can simply be attached to its axis, it can simply be removed and re-attached. The counter-pressure roller is preferably secured against slipping on its axis. This safety device can, however, be detachable without tools or with a simple socket wrench, for example in the form of a screw with a widened head or as a locking system.

In one embodiment of a band channel of the first type, the base component is equipped with a plurality of pairs of notches. These notches are arranged symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the channel and extend parallel to the longitudinal axis over the entire length of the channel. The mutually facing edges of a pair of notches each have a distance from one another which is adapted to the width of one of the different bands. In this embodiment there is a front and a rear side member for each of the bands. Sections of the side components which form the channel side walls can engage in the corresponding pair of notches in the base component, so that the base component, front and rear side component complement one another to form a band channel with an inner cross-section with a width and a height that corresponds to the width and thickness of one of the different bands are adjusted.

The notches thus fulfill two functions: On the one hand, they have the effect that the side components underneath the channel base lie against the base component. on the other hand they guide the side components and thus allow the necessary, precise positioning in a simple manner.

In one embodiment of a belt channel of the first type, the front side component is equipped with the counter-pressure roller for the input drive roller and preferably with a counter-pressure wheel for an encoder wheel.

The encoder is preferably arranged between the input drive roller and the drive roller. The band channel therefore preferably has recesses, also for the encoder wheel and the counterpressure wheel, and in particular in the area of the front side component.

The band channel of the first type can be used particularly well when the side components can simply be pushed on or put on without other components of the banding machine having to be moved or dismantled. It is therefore a simple solution to mount the passively driven wheels and rollers directly at the corresponding point on the side component. This also has the advantage that the diameter of the counter-pressure wheel and counter-pressure roller to the input drive roller can be selected to be adapted to the desired strip thickness and, if desired, to the strip material.

In one embodiment of a tape channel of the first type, the front side component can be pushed in and pulled out through the tape insertion opening, while the rear side component is particularly preferably equipped with a laterally protruding handle with which it can be removed from the base component and rearranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the operational tape channel .

In this way, the exchange of the side components is particularly convenient and the risk of incorrect operation is reduced.

The side components of a band channel of the first type can preferably be fastened to the base component with clips that can be detached and attached without tools.

Admittedly, the inclusion of the side components in the notches of the bottom component prevents the side components from slipping sideways, but prevents displacement in the direction of the In this simplest form, the side components are not secured against the longitudinal axis of the channel and against lifting off. If there is neither a counter-pressure wheel nor a counter-pressure roller on the side component, the forces that act on it are rather small. Nevertheless, a backup helps to increase the reliability of the banding machine. This safeguard can be achieved with the preferred brackets. If both the side components and the base component are equipped with grooves or other devices designed to receive U-shaped clips, they can be secured in a particularly reliable manner by pushing on such clips. The clamps can in turn be secured against slipping with a spring-loaded pin or a screw that can be tightened by hand.

There are preferably exactly three brackets. Of these, a first engages between the input drive roller and the encoder wheel, a second between the encoder wheel and the drive roller, and a third is arranged on the other side of the drive roller.

The third bracket of this embodiment is the only one that secures the rear side member.

In this embodiment, the first and second clamps are arranged in front of and behind the encoder wheel and thus allow the counter-pressure wheel to press the tape against the encoder wheel with the desired pressure.

In this way, a fastening that is optimal for correct functioning can be implemented with the smallest possible number of simply shaped, thus inexpensive to manufacture and easy to replace clips.

In a further embodiment of a banding machine, the band channel can be exchanged as a whole.

A belt drive that can only be adapted as a whole by replacing the belt channel is referred to below as a belt drive of the second type.

Since the band channel is not put together by the user but is present in its entirety, it can be manufactured more precisely. The exchange can also be further simplified.

In a preferred embodiment of a belt drive of the second type, the belt channel is designed in one piece. The base component of the belt channel has a large number of parallel recesses in the area of the drive roller and the input drive roller. The base component preferably has a further recess for an encoder wheel.

In this embodiment, the surfaces of the drive roller and input drive roller are structured in such a way that, in the operating state, parts of the surfaces protrude through the recesses in the floor component and can come into contact with a belt guided in the belt channel. The counter-pressure rollers preferably have an essentially unstructured surface.

A one-piece design is to be understood here as a component that is supplied by the manufacturer in one piece and should not be taken apart by the user. It can, however, consist of different materials and be composed of different components in its manufacture.

Since the band channel is to be exchanged as a whole, it preferably has a certain inherent stability. In order to achieve this and also to enable the greatest possible contact between the drive roller or the input drive roller and the belt, the use of a large number of recesses is particularly suitable. So that the action of the rollers is not hindered by the webs that separate the recesses from one another, the running surfaces of the rollers are preferably structured themselves. On the top of the channel, on the other hand, it is advisable to use a large recess that corresponds to the width of the counter-pressure rollers: a further increase in stability has turned out to be unnecessary in practical use, while the size of the recess allows for the insertion of the tape and maintenance of the tape channel simplified.

In one embodiment, both the floor component and the ceiling component are provided with several recesses lying parallel to one another, which are located in the area of the drive roller and its counter-pressure roller and preferably the input drive roller and its counter-pressure roller. Both the drive roller and theirs are here Back pressure roller and preferably the input drive roller and its back pressure roller structured.

In another embodiment, the top component of the belt channel has the plurality of recesses and the counter-pressure rollers are structured, while the bottom component has only a single, wide recess through which the unstructured drive rollers can act on the belt.

The structuring of the rollers is in particular a plurality of parallel and circumferential grooves, the width of which is only slightly greater than the webs that separate the recesses in the floor component or in the ceiling component from one another. The plane spanned by one of the grooves is preferably perpendicular to the axis of the roller.

In a preferred embodiment of a belt drive of the second type, the counter-pressure rollers for the drive roller and, if necessary, for the input drive roller and the counter-pressure wheel for the encoder wheel are mounted on a lever mechanism. The lever mechanism allows the counter-pressure rollers and, if necessary, the counter-pressure wheel to be raised somewhat in order to enable the tape channel to be pulled out or pushed in, preferably through the tape insertion opening.

Since the entire belt channel is exchangeable with a belt drive of the second type, a bracket that is permanently mounted in the machine helps to keep the belt channel in the operating position. The tape channel is then used in such a holder during replacement. This holder should preferably ensure that the belt channel is in the correct position relative to the drive roller in the operating position. Furthermore, the bracket can also support the input drive roller and the encoder wheel. Such a holder represents, as it were, an interface between the active parts of the belt drive, which are equipped with motors and sensors and consequently connected to the power supply and the control, and the replaceable, preferably passive, parts.

The drive rollers accelerate and brake the belt by pressing it against a resistance. This is preferably a counter-pressure roller, but it can also be a wall of the belt channel.

If counterpressure rollers and possibly a counterpressure wheel are attached to the belt duct or if the belt duct itself serves as a counterpressure surface, the holder should preferably press the belt duct against the drive rollers so that it can exert this counterpressure function.

Alternatively, the holder can also hold counter-pressure rollers and, if necessary, the counter-pressure wheel, and the belt channel can only be used to guide the belt. Since the band channel is greater than the thickness of the band and thus also greater than the distance between the counter-pressure roller and the drive roller in the operating state, the distance between the rollers for the insertion of the band channel can preferably be increased. A preferred lever mechanism allows the counterpressure rollers and possibly the counterpressure wheel to be raised in this way comfortably and with just one hand. This leaves the user with his second hand to push in or pull out the tape channel.

If the lever mechanism is pre-tensioned in a particularly preferred embodiment, the counter-pressure roller and optionally the counter-pressure wheel can be pressed with a desired pressure against the drive roller and optionally the input drive roller and the encoder wheel when the lever is not actuated. This means that this part of the drive automatically adapts to the belt thickness.

In a preferred embodiment of a belt drive of the second type, the belt channel is secured in its operating position with a clamp that can be detached and attached without tools in its position relative to the drive roller.

It is particularly preferably secured with a single clamp.

With a single clamp, which is preferably U-shaped and is pushed onto the tape channel directly behind the bracket and secured there with a screw or a pretensioned pin, the tape channel can be prevented from sliding out of the banding machine in the opposite direction to the tape pull-in direction. Too far Slipping is usually prevented by gravity. In addition, however, the band channel can preferably also be provided with a stop which prevents it from being pushed in too deeply through contact with the holder.

In a preferred embodiment, the lever mechanism of the holder carries a pin which engages in a corresponding recess on the edge of the tape channel and in this way secures the tape channel against slipping.

In a preferred embodiment, a belt drive of the first type is provided with a lever mechanism that lifts either pressure surfaces or counterpressure rollers and possibly a counterpressure wheel relative to the base component and enables one or more side components to be inserted and then fixes the side components relative to the base component.

In a preferred embodiment of a belt drive of the second type, its one channel side wall, channel cover and channel bottom are essentially interrupted in the area of the drive roller, so that the belt channel can be pushed into the holder from the side.

Further advantageous embodiments and combinations of features of the invention emerge from the following detailed description and the entirety of the patent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

Skizze einer Banderoliermaschine

Fig. 2

Schematischer Aufbau eines Bandantriebes

Fig. 3

Bandantrieb erster Art

Fig. 4a,b,c

Seitenbauteile eines Bandantriebes erster Art für ein schmales Band

Fig. 5 a,b,c

Seitenbauteile eines Bandantriebes erster Art für ein breites Band

Fig. 6 a,b,c

Bodenbauteil eines Bandantriebes erster Art

Fig. 7a,b

Querschnitt durch den Bandkanal eines Bandantriebes erster Art für ein schmales und ein breites Band

Fig.8

Banderoliermaschine mit einem Bandantrieb zweiter Art

Fig.9a

Halterung eines Bandantriebs zweiter Art

Fig. 9b

Bandkanal eines Bandantriebs zweiter Art

Fig. 10a,b

Querschnitt durch Bandkanäle von Bandantrieben zweiter Art für ein schmales und ein breites Band.

The drawings used to explain the exemplary embodiment show:

Fig. 1

Sketch of a banding machine

Fig. 2

Schematic structure of a belt drive

Fig. 3

Belt drive of the first kind

Figures 4a, b, c

Side components of a belt drive of the first type for a narrow belt

Fig. 5 a, b, c

Side components of a belt drive of the first type for a wide belt

Fig. 6 a, b, c

Floor component of a belt drive of the first type

Figures 7a, b

Cross section through the belt channel of a belt drive of the first type for a narrow and a wide belt

Fig. 8

Banding machine with a belt drive of the second type

Fig.9a

Bracket for a belt drive of the second kind

Figure 9b

Belt channel of a belt drive of the second kind

Figures 10a, b

Cross-section through belt channels of belt drives of the second type for a narrow and a wide belt.

In principle, the same parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

Ways of Carrying Out the Invention

Figure 1 shows a sketch of a banding machine 1 with a guide bow 104, with the aid of which a band 100 is placed around an object 105. The guide bow 104 is mounted on a housing 102. In the housing 102 there is a belt drive 2 with the aid of which the belt 100 is shot into the guide curve 104. The tape 100 is shot in so far that it ultimately overlaps with itself. The beginning of the tape is recorded in this overlap area, which is located below the object 105 in the sketch. The belt drive 2 then runs backwards, pulling the belt back and tightening it. The band leaves the guide curve 104 and wraps itself around the object 105. Once a desired length or a desired tension has been reached, the band 100 is connected to itself, for example by means of an ultrasonic welding process. The tape 100 is cut off and the tape 100 located in the tape drive 2 is again inserted into the guide sheet 1004 for banding the next object. The tape 100 is removed from a supply roll 101 and guided through a tape insertion opening 103 to the tape drive 2 located inside the housing 102.

The belt drive 2 comprises, on the one hand, a belt channel 3 which guides the belt 100 and, on the other hand, a drive roller 4a which accelerates the belt 100. As a rule, the shooting in and the retraction of the tape 100 take place with the aid of the same drive roller 4a. But it is also possible to use two rollers, each of which can be driven in one direction and run freely in the opposite direction.

Figure 2 shows the schematic structure of a belt drive 2. The belt channel 3 here consists of two parts: a front part 3b and a rear part 3a. The belt 100 runs in this belt channel 3. The drive roller 4a is arranged between the front part 3b and the rear part 3a of the belt channel 3. In the example shown, the drive roller 4a presses the belt against a counter-pressure roller 4b. The drive roller 4a and the counter-pressure roller 4b each run on an axis which each also carries a gearwheel 40a, 40b. The gears 40a, 40b mesh with one another in the operating state. The drive roller 4a is driven by a motor not shown. The counterpressure roller 4b is coupled to the drive roller 4a by the gears 40a, 40b and is thus also driven. The belt 100 is clamped between the two rollers and can thus be accelerated. It has been found to be advantageous to manufacture the drive roller 4a from aluminum and to coat the counterpressure roller 4b with rubber. In this way, a good transmission of force to the belt 100 can take place and the machine can be easily serviced.

In order to simplify the threading of the tape 100 at the start of operation and to reduce the risk of a tape jam in the tape channel 3, the tape drive can have an input drive roller 5a. This can be driven by the same motor as the drive roller 4a. Here, too, the band 100 is pressed on with the aid of a counter-pressure roller 5b. The combination of a driven aluminum roller as the input drive roller 5a and a counter-pressure roller 5b made of rubber has also proven itself here. A coupling of the counter-pressure roller 5b and the input drive roller 5a is possible in principle, but was not implemented here.

In order to determine the length of the inserted and withdrawn tape, an encoder wheel 6a is used in the example shown. For a reliable measurement it should There should be as little slip as possible between belt 100 and encoder wheel 6a. This is achieved by using a counter pressure wheel 6b.

In the example of the Figure 2 the belt channel 3 is interrupted in the area of the drive roller 4a and does not begin until after the input drive roller 5a. For the encoder wheel 6a and the counterpressure wheel 6b, the belt duct 3 has a recess in the floor component and the ceiling component.

Figure 3 shows the belt channel 3 of a belt drive of the first type. A front and a rear side component, 8a and 8b, form the channel cover and the channel side walls. The channel floor is formed by a floor component 7. The belt channel 3 has a recess in the area of the drive roller and its counterpressure roller, both of which are not shown, both in the channel floor and in the channel ceiling. At this point the front and rear side components 8a and 8b come into contact with one another. Both side members 8a, 8b in the vicinity of the drive roller are flattened in order to guide the belt as far as possible into the space between the two rollers.

On the front side component 8a, the counter-pressure wheel 6b for the encoder wheel is mounted in a recess in the duct ceiling. At the front end of the front side member 8a, the counter-pressure roller 5b for the input drive roller 5a is also mounted. The counterpressure roller 5b is a rubber roller which is structured in such a way that it has two parallel running surfaces which are separated by a central groove.

A laterally protruding handle 80 is located on the rear side component 8b.

The side components 8a and 8b are held on the base component 7 with three clamps 11a, 11b and 11c. The brackets 11a, 11b, 11c are U-shaped and are pushed laterally into grooves on the top of the side components 8a and 8b and into a guide of the base component 7 and secured with screws that can be tightened by hand.

In order to adapt the belt drive of the first type to the width and thickness of a belt, the locking screws of the clamps 11a, 11b, 11c are first loosened and the clamps removed. Then the front side member 8a can be pulled out to the front through the tape insertion opening. On the handle 80 can then the rear Side member 8b raised a little and then pulled out to the side. Then the side components 8a and 8b adapted to the tape are inserted in reverse order and secured with the aid of the clamps 11a, 11b and 11c.

the Figures 4a, b and c show the side components of the belt drive according to Figure 3 for a narrow band. Figure 4a shows the front side component 8a from below. The counter-pressure roller 5b is mounted at the front end. The essentially flat underside of the side component 8a then extends. The underside has the shape of a rectangle with a width which corresponds to the width of the bottom component 7 and a length which corresponds to the distance between the input drive roller 5a and the drive roller. To the right and left of the place where the counter-pressure roller of the drive roller is to engage, the underside continues a little. The front side component 8a is provided with a recess at a point in which the counterpressure wheel 6b is mounted.

The flat surface of the underside is structured as follows: A first projection with a first height runs along the outer, long edges. The first height corresponds to the height of the desired inner cross-section of the belt channel. On the inside of this first projection and likewise extending over the entire length, there are second projections with a second height. Third projections, which form the sections 9 forming the channel side walls, run parallel to these second projections and also along the entire length. You have a third height. The mutually facing sides of the sections 9 forming the channel side walls are arranged at a distance from one another which corresponds to the width of the desired inner cross section of the belt channel. The section of the flat surface of the underside between the two sections 9 forming the duct side walls forms the duct ceiling in the assembled state.

The second and the third height and the width of the projections are selected in such a way that they can engage in corresponding notches in the floor component 7 and in particular so that the first projection can rest on the floor component 7.

Figure 4b shows the rear side component 8b, which is connected to the front side component 8a of FIG Figure 4a heard. The bottom is also shown. This subpage is also one Essentially flat surface with first, second and third projections which correspond in arrangement, height and width to those of the front side component 8a. The underside of the rear side component 8b is also essentially rectangular with a width that corresponds to the width of the floor component 7 and a length that corresponds to the distance between the drive roller and the rear end of the floor component 7. On the side facing the drive roller, the rear side component 8b extends a little further in a central area, so that when the rear side component 8b and the front side component 8a are arranged in their operating position on the base component 7, a piece of the rear side component 8b is on the right and is surrounded on the left by sections of the front side component 8a and a recess remains between the two side components 8a and 8b, into which the counter-pressure roller for the drive roller can engage.

Figure 4c shows a cross section through a side component 8 according to one of the Figures 4a or 4b : First, second and third projections pointing downwards are attached to a rectangular basic shape. The first projections are outside on the right and left and have a first height which is smaller than the second and the third height of the second and third projections. The second projections are arranged directly adjacent to the first projections. The third projections represent sections 9 of the side component 8 that form the channel side walls.

the Figures 5a to c show the side members 8 of the belt drive according to FIG Figure 3 for a broad band. They resemble the Figures 4a to c with the exception that there are no third projections, but rather the second projections represent the sections 9 of the side component 8 that form the channel side walls. The mutually facing sides of the sections 9 forming the channel side walls are arranged at a distance from one another which corresponds to the width of the desired inner cross section of the belt channel. The width is obviously greater than that of the side members according to the Figures 4a to c.

In order to adapt the height of the inner cross-section of the band channel, the height of the projections is selected to be adapted accordingly. In order not to have to replace brackets and possibly other fastening elements when adapting to the thickness of a tape, the basic rectangular shape, which is shown in the Figures 4c and 5c is shown so be adjusted so that the sum of the height of the first protrusions and the height of the basic shape is the same for all side components.

Figure 6a and b show the bottom component 7 of the belt drive according to FIG Figure 3 . In Figure 6a a plan view of the floor component 7 is shown. The floor component 7 also has an essentially flat, rectangular shape. In this embodiment, the input drive roller 5b is mounted at the front end. There are also recesses for the encoder wheel and the drive roller. The plane of the floor component 7 is provided with two pairs of notches 10a and 10b, which are arranged symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the floor component 7 and extend over the entire length. The distance between the inner sides, which each belong to a pair of notches 10a or 10b, corresponds in each case to the width of the inner cross-section of the band channel desired for a specific band width. The pair of notches 10b can define the sections 9 of the side component which form the channel side walls according to FIGS Figures 4a-c and the pair of notches 10a can accommodate the sections 9 of the side component which form the channel side walls according to FIGS Figures 5a-c take up.

Figure 6b shows a cross section through the floor component 7 according to FIG Figure 6a with the two pairs of notches 10a and 10b.

In the Figures 7a and 7b the cross-sections through the band channel are shown once the side members 8 for narrow bands according to FIG Figures 4a-c and once the side members 8 for wide bands according to FIG Figures 5a-c can be used: Thanks to the notches and projections, the transition between the base component and the side components is always below the duct floor. In this way, the guided tape does not run along a gap between components and can hardly jam. The notches and projections also correctly align the band channel, so that the necessary precision of the order of 0.1 mm is achieved without measuring and adjusting when the side components 8 are replaced. If necessary, further pairs of notches and corresponding side components can be designed analogously to the examples shown. An adaptation to different strip thicknesses is created by a corresponding choice of the height of the board members.

Figure 8 shows a banding machine with a belt drive of the second type. As already in Figure 1 described, this banding machine also has a guide bow 104 in which a band 100 can be guided around an object (not shown). Figure 8 now also shows the locking unit 106 in which the beginning of the tape is held after it has been closed and the tape 100 is welded after it has been withdrawn.

In the case of a belt drive of the second type, the entire belt channel is exchanged in order to adapt the banding machine to the desired belt thickness and / or width. In order to make this possible, the banding machine shown has a holder 12 which can hold the band channel on the one hand and hold the drive roller 4a, the counterpressure roller 4b of the drive roller 4a and the input drive roller 5a and its counterpressure roller 5b on the other hand. The drive roller 4a and the input drive roller 5a are belt-coupled to a motor which drives them. The drive roller 4a and its counterpressure roller 4b are coupled by gears. The gear 40b of the pressure roller 4b is in Figure 8 visible.

The two counter-pressure rollers 4b and 5b are movably supported with respect to the drive rollers 4a and 5a via a lever mechanism and can thus be raised.

The tape channel is in Figure 8 hardly recognizable since it is largely covered by the holder 12. What is visible, however, is a clip 11 which is attached to the tape channel above the holder 12 and prevents the tape channel from slipping down through the tape insertion opening 103.

Figure 9a shows the holder 12 removed and in a view obliquely from above. In this view, the structured drive roller 4a and the counterpressure roller 4b at the rear end of the holder and the structured input drive roller 5a and its counterpressure roller 5b at the front end are visible. A lever is mounted on an axle between the two counter pressure rollers. The holder of the counter-pressure roller 4b of the drive roller is also mounted on the same axis, so that it is raised when the lever is pressed down from its rest position. When the lever is pressed, the lever itself presses on a shoulder which belongs to a rocker, the other end of which carries the counter-pressure roller 5b of the input drive roller 5a. Pressing the lever pushes the paragraph down and thus the counter-pressure roller 5b of the input drive roller 5a upwards. Thus, with the lever pressure, both counter pressure rollers 4b and 5b are raised and space is created for inserting or withdrawing the band channel.

The bracket can also carry an encoder wheel and a counterpressure wheel for the encoder wheel. The counter-pressure wheel is preferably also attached to the lever mechanism in such a way that it is lifted by the pressure of the lever in order to allow the tape channel to be pushed in or pulled out.

The two drive rollers 4a and 5a are each structured by three grooves running parallel to one another in such a way that four roller-shaped sections appear on the running surface of the drive rollers 4a, 5a. The drive rollers 4a, 5a are preferably made of aluminum. The counterpressure rollers 4b, 5b are preferably rubber rollers and are unstructured. Your tread is smooth.

Figure 9b shows a tape channel 13 for a narrow tape. The channel bottom of the band channel is largely continuous, the channel side walls are essentially the same over the entire length and the channel ceiling is closed in a rear section, while in the front section it has a wide recess that extends over the entire length of the front section. In the area of the counter-pressure rollers which delimit the front section, the recess in the duct ceiling is as wide as the running surface of the counter-pressure rollers 4b, 5b. The channel floor has a large number of recesses. There are four recesses 14 in the area of the drive roller and four recesses 15 in the area of the input drive roller. The recesses 14 in the area of the drive roller are parallel to one another and are only separated from one another by narrow webs. The arrangement and width of the webs correspond to the grooves in the drive roller. The same applies to the recesses 15 in the area of the input drive roller. A single recess between the area of the drive roller and the area of the input drive roller is used for the contact of the belt with the encoder wheel.

the Figures 10a and 10b each show a cross section through the front and the rear section of a tape channel 13. The tape channel 13 of FIG Figure 10a is for a narrower band suitable than the band channel 13 of the Figure 10b . The thickness of the bands for which the two channels shown are adapted is the same.

In both figures, the front and rear sections have the base component 7 in common: This is formed by a plate, along the outer edges of which a recess runs in each case. The width of these depressions is determined by the width of the tape for which the respective tape channel is adapted: The distance between the inner edges of the depression corresponds to the desired width. The side components 8, the foot of which has a width that corresponds to that of the recess of the base component 7, are inserted into this recess.

In the rear section, the side components 8 are strips with a rectangular cross-section, the height of which corresponds to the sum of the desired height of the inner cross-section of the belt channel and the depths of the depressions in the floor component 7 and the ceiling component 17. The ceiling component 17 is also realized by a plate which has depressions along its outer edges, analogous to the floor component 7.

In the front section, the side components 8 are shaped somewhat differently: their cross-section has the shape of a 90 ° angle, the first leg of which is as wide as the depression in the base component 7. These first legs are inserted into the depressions in the base component 7. The facing, free sides of the first legs form the channel side walls. The second legs are in one plane. Their sides facing the channel floor form the channel ceiling in the front section.

In the example shown, the tape channels are made from several parts, but are then already assembled by the manufacturer and it is not intended that the tape channels are disassembled by the user. So it is a one-piece band ducts.

In order to adapt a banding machine with a band drive of the second type to a band, the clamp 11 is first loosened and pulled off. Then the lever is pressed and the tape channel 3 is pulled out through the tape insertion opening. The adapted tape channel 3 is then pushed through the tape insertion opening into the holder while the lever is kept pressed. If the new tape channel 3 is in the operating position, it is secured there with the clamp 11.

Banding tapes typically have a width between 25 and 100 mm and a thickness of 50-250 µm. The desired interior width, i.e. the width of the duct, is for a 25 mm tape, 26 mm and for a 100 mm, for example 101 mm. The interior height, that is to say the height of the channel, for a 50 μm thick strip can be 0.3 mm, for example, and the interior height, that is the height of the channel, for a 210 μm thick strip, 0.5 mm.

In summary, it can be stated that the encoder wheel and the input drive roller can also be dispensed with. In addition, the band channel can according to Figure 9 also be designed in several parts. For example, different side components could be mounted on the same floor component so that the height of the inner cross section of the belt channel can be varied. Likewise, a band channel according to Figure 3 into a holder similar to the one out Figure 9 be inserted. The lever system that is used in Figure 9 shown could then be simplified, since the back pressure roller of the input drive roller is carried by the belt channel and not by the bracket.

Claims (15)

Banding machine (1) with adjustable belt drive (2), which is suitable for banding an object with different bands that differ in their width and thickness and can preferably be thinner than 300 µm,
wherein the belt drive (2) comprises a belt channel (3) and at least one drive roller (4a) and
wherein the drive roller (4a) is suitable for driving the different belts in the area of the belt channel (3),
characterized in that
the band channel (3) is at least partially exchangeable and can be selected to match the width and thickness of one of the different bands,
whereby the belt drive (2) is designed to be adaptable to the different belts. Banding machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein
the belt channel (3) has recesses (14) through which the drive roller (4a) can act on a belt guided in the interior of the belt channel (3), and
in particular at the inlet of the belt channel (3) an input drive roller (5a) is arranged which can act on the belt and wherein
Particularly preferably, both the drive roller (4a) and the input drive roller (5a) are each assigned a counterpressure roller (4b, 5b), so that the belt is between the drive roller (4a) and the counterpressure roller (4b) assigned to it and between the input drive roller (5a) and the counterpressure roller (5b) assigned to it can be clamped and can be accelerated and / or decelerated by driving the rollers (4a, 4b, 5a, 5b). Banding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the band channel (3) has an essentially rectangular inner cross-section with a width which corresponds to the sum of the width of the band and a width tolerance of preferably less than 5% of the band width and this width is determined by channel side walls and
with a height which corresponds to the sum of the thickness of the tape and a height tolerance of preferably more than 0.2 mm and less than 10 times the tape thickness, and this height is determined by a duct floor and a duct ceiling, and
the channel side walls being uninterrupted along their height. Banding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the channel side walls and preferably the channel ceiling are realized by one or more side components (8) and a floor component (7) realizes the channel floor and all side components (8) bear against the base component (7) below the channel base
or the channel side walls and preferably the channel bottom are implemented by one or more side components (8) and a ceiling component realizes the sewer ceiling and all side components (8) are in contact with the ceiling component above the duct ceiling. Banding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the banding machine (1) comprises a housing (102) with a band insertion opening (103) and the band drive (2) is arranged inside the housing (102), wherein the tape in the operating state coming from a supply roll (101) or a tape storage device is guided through the tape insertion opening (103) to the tape drive (2) located inside the housing (102),
and at least a part of the tape channel (3) can be exchanged by pulling it out through the tape insertion opening (103) and putting it back into its operating position. Banding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein all the actions required to adapt the tape drive (2) take place from a single side or through the tape insertion opening (103) and the drive roller (4a) and optionally the input drive roller (5a) and the drives the drive roller (4a) and the input drive roller (5a) remain unchanged in their operating position and the counterpressure roller of the drive roller (4b) is preferably coupled to the drive roller (4a) and is thus driven synchronously while the counterpressure roller of the input drive roller (5b) and / or the counterpressure wheel (6b) of the encoder run with it and the coupling of the drive roller (4a) and its counterpressure roller (4b) is particularly preferably implemented by gears (40a, b) mounted on the axes of the drive roller and its counterpressure roller. Banding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the channel sides and the channel cover are realized by side components (8) and
all side components (8) are exchangeable, while the base component (7) remains installed in the banding machine (1). Banding machine (1) according to claim 7, wherein the band channel (3) is formed by exactly one front and one rear side component (8a, 8b) and one bottom component (7), and wherein the front side component (8a) in the band channel (3) The tape feed direction is completed in front of the drive roller (4a) and the rear side component (8b) completes the tape channel (3) behind the drive roller (4a). Banding machine (1) according to one of claims 7 to 8,
wherein the base component (7) is equipped with several pairs of notches (10a, 10b) which are arranged symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the belt channel (3) and which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis over the entire length of the channel,
wherein the mutually facing edges of a pair of notches (10a, 10b) each have a distance from one another which is adapted to the width of one of the different bands,
and wherein there is a front and a rear side component (8a, 8b) for each of the bands, the sections (9) of which form the channel side walls can engage in the corresponding pair of notches (10a, 10b) of the base component (7),
so that the bottom component (7), front and rear side components (8a, 8b) result in a band channel (3) with an inner cross-section with a width and a height which are adapted to the width and thickness of one of the different bands. Banding machine (1) according to one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the front side component (8a) is equipped with the counterpressure roller (5b) for the input drive roller and preferably with a counterpressure wheel (6b) for an encoder wheel and the front side component (8a) preferably extends through the tape insertion opening (103) can be pushed in and pulled out, while the rear side component (8b) is particularly preferably equipped with a laterally protruding handle (80) with which it can be removed from the base component (7) transversely to the longitudinal direction of the operational tape channel (3) and can be rearranged. Banding machine (1) according to one of Claims 7 to 10, the side components (8a, 8b) being attachable to the base component (7) with clips (11a, b, c) which can be detached and attached without tools. Banding machine (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, the band channel (3) being exchangeable. Banding machine (1) according to claim 12, wherein the band channel (3) is in one piece and wherein the base component (7) has a plurality of parallel recesses (14, 15) in the area of the drive roller (4a) and the input drive roller (5a) and preferably a further recess (16) for an encoder wheel (6a),
The surfaces of the drive roller (4a) and input drive roller (5a) are structured in such a way that, in the operating state, parts of the surfaces protrude through the recesses (14, 15) in the base component (7) and come into contact with a belt guided in the belt channel (3) can
and the counterpressure rollers (4b, 5b) preferably have an essentially unstructured surface. Banding machine (1) according to one of claims 12 to 13, wherein the counter-pressure rollers to the drive roller (4b) and optionally to the input drive roller (5b) and the counter-pressure wheel to the encoder wheel (6b) are mounted on a lever mechanism which allows the counter-pressure rollers (4b, 5b) ) and, if necessary, to raise the counterpressure wheel (6b) somewhat in order to enable the tape channel (3) to be pulled out or pushed in, preferably through the tape insertion opening (103). Banding machine (1) according to one of Claims 12 to 14, the band channel (3) in its operating position being secured in its position relative to the drive roller (4a) with a clamp (11) which can be detached and attached without tools.

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