GB2054530A

GB2054530A - Collecting cylinder for forming stacks from flat workpieces

Info

Publication number: GB2054530A
Application number: GB8020031A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Windmoeller and Hoelscher KG
Current assignee: Windmoeller and Hoelscher KG
Priority date: 1979-06-22
Filing date: 1980-06-19
Publication date: 1981-02-18
Also published as: FR2459777A1; DE2925376C2; GB2054530B; BE883928A; DE2925376A1; FR2459777B1

Abstract

In a stacking apparatus for sheet articles such as bag sections and comprising a collecting cylinder on which the articles are successively spiked on a row of projecting needles (4) on a carrier, and a stripper plate (6) through which the needles pass and which serves to remove a stack of articles therefrom, the needle carrier and stripper plate (6) are mounted on respective pivot shafts intercoupled by gear segments (10, 11) so that, when the stripper plate (6) is swung under the action of cam means (15, 16) to strip the articles from the needles (4), the carrier shaft is turned in the opposite direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Collecting cylinder for forming stacks from flat workpieces The invention relates to a collecting cylinderfor forming stacks from flat workpieces individually fed substantially tangentially thereto, comprising a needle carrier near the cylinder wall, of which the needles project beyond the cylinder wall along a line on the surface and are inclined in the direction of cylinder rotation, a counterbearing for the needles that is disposed on the opposite side of each workpiece to be spiked and is moved with the needles through their spiking position, and a stripper plate which passes through the rows of needles is disposed in a gap in the cylinder wall and can be swung out beyond the interrupted cylinder surface by control means after a stack of a predetermined number of pieces has been spiked so as to strip the stack therefrom.

If in a collecting cylinder of this kind known from DE-OS 2500 964 the stripper is actuated, the stack spiked on the row of needles will be stripped therefrom substantially radially of the collecting cylinder. However, since the individual needles are inclined in the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder, that is to say they include an acute angle with a diametral line of the cylinder, the needles will tear slots into the workpieces of the stripped stack.

Whereas needle holes of a limited size can generally be accepted, slots that are torn in can be disadvantageous in the subsequent processing of the workpieces or in the finished product, for example a flattened bag.

It is therefore the problem of the invention to improve a collecting cylinder of the aforementiond kind so that the needle holes are not extended through tearing when the stack is stripped off.

According to the invention, this problem is solved in that the needle carrier is pivoted in the cylinder and is operatively connected to the shaft of the stripper plate by gearing which rotates the shaft of the needle carrier oppositely to the direction of rotation of the shaft of the stripper plate when the stripper plate is being swung out. In the collecting cylinder according to the invention, the needles are inclined in the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder whilst the individual workpieces are being spiked thereon at their leading marginal zones, whereby the needles can pierce the workpieces cleanly and effectively spike them.However, when the stripper plate is actuated after a stack has been formed, the row of needles is swung in the opposite sense, i.e. against the direction of rotation of the collecting cylinder towards the diametral line thereof so that, during stripping, the needles will be substantially aligned with the pierced channels formed in the stack of bags and the stack can be pushed off the needles almost axially, whereby tearing of the workpieces is avoided.

Desirably, the gearing comprises intermeshing gear segments secured to the shafts of the stripper plate and needle carrier.

A lever connected to the shaft of the stripper plate or the needle carrier may be connected at its end to a cam roller which, for actuating the stripper plate runs onto a control cam which is pushed into the end of the cylinder in sequence with formation of the stack, and a spring is provided for holding the lever or the shafts in the spiking position.

One example ofthe invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing, wherein:- Figure 1 is a cross-section through the collecting cylinder, and Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal section through the collecting cylinder of Figure 1 developed into a single plane and therefore pulled apart.

The carrier 3 for the needles 4 arranged in a row and the carrier 5 for the stripper plate 6 are mounted in the end walls of the collecting cylinder 1, of which only the end wall 2 is visibie in Figure 2. The carrier 3 for the needles 4 terminates in stub axles 7 mounted in suitable bores in the end walls by ball bearings 8.

The end of the carrier 5 for the stripper plate 6 is likewise provided with stub axles mounted in the end walls by roller bearings. On the right-hand side of the illustrated collecting cylinder 1, the stub axle 7 and the stub axle 9 of the carrier 5 pass through the end wall 4, the intermeshing gear segments 10, 11 being secured on the ends of the stub axles projecting beyond the end wall 2. The gear segment 11 is clamped on the stub axle 9 by a clamping screw 12 to enable the mutual rotary position of the carriers 3, 5 to be adjusted. The lever 14 on which the cam roller 15 is freely rotatably mounted is clamped to the outer end of the stub axle 9 of the carrier 5 for the stripper plate 6 by the clamping screw 13.To actuate the stripper plate 6, the cam roller 15 runs onto the control cam 16 which is intermittently pushed into the end of the collecting cylinder by guide means (not shown) in sequence with the formation of the stack so that it is disposed in the circular path described by the cam roller 15.

A hook 17 for the spring 18 is secured to the free end of the lever 14, the other end of the spring being secured to a screw 19 which is screwed into the end wall 2. The spring 18 holds the stripper plate 6 in its retracted position and the needles 4 in their spiking position.

The stripper plate 6 is secured to the rectangular carrier 5 by screws 20. It is provided with parallel longitudinal slots 21 through which the needles 4 disposed in their spiking position pass.

To locate the flat workpieces, preferably bags, which have been collected and stacked through spiking, on the periphery of the collecting cylinder 1, and to prevent them from being folded backwardly, a belt 22 passes over part of the collecting cylinder circumference and is guided over direction-changing rollers.

Beneath Figure 1, there is a representation of the carriers 3, 5, which are operatively interconnected by the gear segments 10, 11, while the stripper plate 6 is being swung out and during rotation in the opposite direction of the needles 4 in a position where the stripper plate 6 has been half swung out and in a fully swung out position.

Claims

1. A collection cylinder for forming stacks from flat workpieces individually fed substantiallytangen- tially thereto, comprising a needle carrier near the cylinder wall, of which the needles project beyond the cylinder wall along a line on the surface and are inclined in the direction of cylinder rotation, a counter-bearing for the needles that is disposed on the opposite side of each workpiece to be spiked and is moved with the needles through their spiking position, and a stripper plate which passes through the row of needles, is disposed in a gap in the cylinder wall and can be swung out beyond the interrupted cylinder surface by control means after a stack of a predetermined number of pieces has been spiked so as to strip the stack therefrom, characterised in that the needle carrier (3) is pivoted in the cylinder (1) and is operatively connected to the shaft (5, 9) of the stripper plate (6) by gearing (10,11) which rotates the shaft (7) of the needle carrier (3) oppositely to the direction of rotation of the shaft of the stripper plate when the stripper plate (6) is being swung out.

2. A collecting cylinder according to claim 1, characterised in that the gearing comprises inter meshing gear segments (10, 11) secured to the shafts (7, 9) of the stripper plate (6) and needle carrier (3).

3. A collecting cylinder according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that a lever (14) connected to the shaft (9) of the stripper plate (6) or the needle carrier (3) is connected at its end to a cam roller (15) which, for actuating the stripper plate (6), runs onto a control cam (16) which is pushed into the end of the cylinder (1) in sequence with formation of the stack, and that a spring (18) is provided for holding the lever (14) or the shafts in the spiking position.

4. Acollecting cylinderforforming stacks of flat workpieces constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.