GB2228690A

GB2228690A - Scrap plastics clipper

Info

Publication number: GB2228690A
Application number: GB8904616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wei Shu-Chin Hsu
Original assignee: HSU WEI SHU CHIN
Current assignee: HSU WEI SHU CHIN
Priority date: 1989-03-01
Filing date: 1989-03-01
Publication date: 1990-09-05
Also published as: GB8904616D0

Abstract

A scrap plastics chipper provided for breaking scrap plastics into chips includes a frame means 2, a bed means 20 mounted on the frame 2 and having a chopping space, a first chipping means 4 having a rotary chopper rotatably mounted across the chopping space of the bed means 20, a first hopper 31 mounted on the bed means 20 and having a chamber 311 downwardly communicating the chopping space, a second chipping means 5 having a chipping chamber 505 and a rotary cutter 50 mounted in the chipping chamber, mounted on the frame 2 below the first chipping means 4, a second hopper mounted between the first chipping means 4 and the second chipping means 5 and having a chamber 321 interconnecting the chopping space and the chipping chamber 505, and a drive means drivably connected to the rotary cutter 50 of the second chipping means 5 and the rotary chopper 40 of the first chipping means 4 for rotating the cutter 50 and the chopper 50 in a manner to chip the scrap plastics into chips therethrough. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Scrap Plastics Chipper DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a chipper, especially to a scrap plastics chipping machine.

A known chipper for chopping scrap plastics into chips typically comprises, as shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, first and second rotary choppers having longitudinal shafts 11, 10 rotatably mounted in parallel on bearing members or the like which are rigidly fitted in holes formed in opposed side walls of a vessel, respectively, and a plurality of chopping blades 12, each of which has three chopping apexes 13 circumferentially spaced at 120 degree intervals, mounted on the shafts at even intervals with respect to each other. The two ends of the shaft 11 of the first rotary chopper protrude from the holes of the vessel.

One end of the shaft 11 is firmly mounted with a sprocket wheel connected by a chain to a sprocket wheel on the output shaft of a drive motor so that this rotary chopper can be rotated by the motor. The other end of the shaft 11 is firmly mounted with a geared wheel which is normally engaged with a geared wheel of same size mounted on a protruding end of the shaft 10 of the second rotary chopper so that the second rotary chopper can be rotated in a direction opposite to that of the first rotary chopper through the engaged wheels.

The two series of chopping blades 12 on the first shaft 11 and second shaft 10 are staggered and close enough so that most of the chopping apexes 13 of the rotary choppers may mutually intrude open spaces defined by adjacent blades. Scrap plastics can be fed into the chipper through an inlet hopper (not shown) mounted over the choppers so that material can be chopped into chips by means of the rotary choppers.

The defects of the known chipper are as follows: (1) Only one chopping process is provided for scrap plastics that results in rough chopping treatment.

(2) High speed rotations of the rotary choppers may dull the chopping apexes and cause working noises while, on the contrary, low speed rotations of the rotary choppers may result in rough chopping treatment.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved scrap plastics chipper which can diminish the disadvantages of the conventional chipper.

According to the present invention, a scrap plastics chipper comprises a frame means, a bed means mounted on the frame means and having a chopping space, a first chipping means having a rotary chopper rotatably mounted across the chopping space of the bed means, a first hopper mounted on the bed means and having a chamber downwardly communicating with the chopping space of the bed means, a second chipping means having a chipping chamber and a rotary cutter rotatably mounted in the chipping chamber, mounted on the frame means below the first chipping means, a second hopper mounted between the first and the second chipping means and having a chamber interconnecting the chopping space and the chipping chamber, a drive means drivably connected to the rotary cutter and the rotary chopper for rotating the cutter and the chopper in a manner to chip scrap plastics therethrough, a grid means positioned at a lower portion or outlet end of the chipping chamber of the second chipping means, and a receptacle positioned under the grid means.

The present invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective and exploded view illustrating a known chipper; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment according to this invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an upper chipping mechanism of this invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a rotary chopper of the upper chipping mechanism shown in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a lower chipping mechanism of this invention.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings there is shown a scrap plastics chipper of this invention, wherein a rigid frame 2 has a series of aligned vertical standards 25 and a series of aligned upper horizontal beams 26 and lower horizontal beams 28 rigidly connected to the standards 25. A bed unit 20 has generally horizontal, outwardly extended flanges 201, 202 secured to the horizontal beams 26 by means of nut and bolt assemblies 27. In addition, the nut and bolt assemblies 27 fasten a pair of bearing assemblies 22, 23 of the flanges 201, 202.

An upper chipping mechanism generally indicated at 4 has a rotary chopper 40 with a longitudinal shaft 44 rotatably mounted on the bearing assemblies 22, 23. A first (upper) hopper 31 mounted on and connected to the bed unit 20 by means of hinge members 35, as shown in Figure 4, has a chamber 311 downwardly communicating with the upper chipping mechanism 4. A second (lower) funnel-shaped hopper 32 having a chamber 321 upwardly communicating with the chipping chamber 311 of the upper hopper 31 through the upper chipping mechanism 4 and downwardly communicating with a second (lower) chipping mechamism 5 supported on the lower horizontal beams 28 is supported by the bed unit 20.The lower chipping mechanism 5 has a rotary cutter 50 with a longitudinal shaft 501 rotatably mounted on a pair of bearing assemblies 52, 53 secured to opposed side wall 521, 531 of a casing 51 of the mechanism 5. Two ends of the shaft 501 protrude from the side walls 521, 531 with one end rigidly mounted with a V-belt pully 62 and inserted with a key 54 inbetween and the other end rigidly mounted with a sprocket wheel 64 through a gear box 63. The V-belt pully 62 is connected by belts 66 to a pully 61 on the output shaft of a drive motor 60 so that the rotary cutter 50 can be rotated by the motor 60.The sprocket wheel 64 is connected by a chain 67 to a sprocket wheel 65 rigidly mounted on a protruding end of the shaft 44 of the upper chipping mechanism 4 so that the rotary chopper 40 can be rotated by the motor 60 through the transmission of the shaft 501 at a rotating speed reduced by the gear box 63. A chipping chamber 505 of the lower chipping mechanism 5, which upwardly communicates the chamber 321 of the lower hopper 32, is defined by the opposed side walls 521, 531 of the casing 51 and a grid member 59 which has a plurality of perforations 590 allowing fine chips to pass through and drop into a receptacle C.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, the bed unit 20 has a side plate 203 and a concave curved side wall 204 beside the side plate 203 disposed, respectively, between the flanges 201, 202 so that the chopping portion of the rotary chopper 40 of the upper chipping mechanism 4 is fitted between the side plate 203 and the side wall 204. The side plate 203 has a plurality of transverse grooves 205 for tightly receiving and fitting rear portions of a plurality of side-by-side jaws 21 by means of nut and bolt assemblies. The jaws 21 extend toward and perpendicular to the shaft 44.The rotary chopper 40 has a plurality of hook-like choppers 41 in sets which are divided into a first series A of choppers circumferentially and longitudinally oriented about the first half of the shaft 40 and a second series B of choppers circumferentially and longitudinally oriented about the second half of the shaft 44.

Each set of the choppers 41 has three choppers 41 similarly bent and located in alignment at one hundred twenty degrees apart, circumferentially. The leading ends of the choppers 41 are sharpened into points 411.

The sets of choppers 41 are oriented about the shaft 44 sequentially lagging 15 degrees in circumference with respect to an adjacent set close to a starting end of the shaft 44 as shown by the arrow. The sets of choppers 41 are oriented about the shaft 44 with equal distances with respect to each other. The protruding end of each jaw 21 intrudes into respective open spaces defined by the adjacent sets of the choppers and the shaft 44.

Referring to Figure 6, the chipping chamber 505 of the lower chipping mechanism 5 is of cylindrical shape mainly defined by the concave curved grid member 59 and an arcuate side wall 510 of the casing 51 and communicates upwardly the funnel-shaped hopper 32 through a passage 506. The rotary cutter 50 has a series of hexagonal hubs 55, 55', 55", correspondingly mounted on the shaft 501. The hexagonal hub 55, for example, has three inclined flat sections 550, 550', 550" for securing three blades 56, 56', 56" thereto by means of nuts wherein the sharpened leading edges are resided in a circular path 500 at one hundred twenty degrees apart.

A pair of side blades 57, 58 are secured to opposite sides of the bottom of the casing 51 by means of nuts wherein the sharpened edges 570, 580 of the blades 57, 58 protrude into the chipping chamber 505 next to the circular path 500.

The scrap plastics entering through the passage 506 is cut by the blades 56, 56', 56" coacting with the side blades 57, 58. In addition, the blades 56, 56', 56" function as ploughs to turn up plastics remaining on the grid member 59 for further cutting.

In operation, the scrap plastics is chopped by the rotary chopper 40 of the upper chipping mechanism 4 coacting with the jaws 21 through the upper hopper 31 at a rotation speed, preferably of 13 r.p.m. after speed reduction of the gear box 63. The scrap plastics after chopping treatment is then cut by the rotary cutter 50 coacting with the side blades 57, 58 of the lower chipping mechanism through the lower funnel-shaped hopper 32 at a rotation speed, preferably, of 350 r.p.m. Fine chips of the plastics will drop into the receptacle C through the perforations 590 of the grid member 59.

Claims

1. A chipper comprising a first chipping means comprising a rotary chopper, a second chipping means comprising a rotary cutter, and means communicating between said first and second chipping means.

2. A chipper comprising a frame means, a bed means mounted on the frame means and having a chopping space, a first chipping means having a rotary chopper rotatably mounted across the chopping space of the bed means, a first hopper mounted on the bed means and having a chamber downwardly communicating the chopping space of the bed means, a second chipping means having a chipping chamber and a rotary cutter rotatably fitted in the chipping chamber, mounted on the frame means below the first chipping means, a second hopper fastened between the first and the second chipping means and having a chamber interconnecting the chopping space and the chipping chamber, a drive means drivably connected to the rotary cutter of the second chipping means and the rotary chopper of the first chipping means for rotating the cutter and the chopper in a manner to chip the scrap plastics therethrough, a grid means disposed at a lower portion or outlet end of the chipping chamber of the second chipping means, and a receptacle positioned under the grid means.

3. A chipper as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rotary chopper of the first chipping means has a plurality of hook-like choppers in sets circumferentially and longitudinally oriented about a shaft.

4. A chipper as claimed in claim 3 wherein each set of choppers of the rotary chopper has three choppers similarly bent and located in alignment on the shaft at one hundred twenty degrees apart circumferentially.

5. A chipper as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein the leading ends of the choppers of the rotary chopper are sharpened into points.

6. A chipper as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein sets of the choppers are longitudinally distributed with same distances on the shaft and sequentially lagged fifteen degrees circumferentially.

7. A chipper as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein a plurality of jaws rigidly mounted on the bed means protrude between adjacent sets of choppers of the rotary chopper and perpendicular to the shaft.

8. A chipper as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the rotary cutter of the second chipping means has a series of hubs correspondingly mounted on a shaft thereof.

9. A chipper as claimed in claim 8 wherein each hub of the rotary cutter has three inclined flat sections for rigidly securing three blades having sharpened leading edges resided in a circular path at one hundred twenty degrees apart.

10. A chipper as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 9 wherein the rotation speed of the rotary chopper of the first chipping means is reduced to about 1/30 of the rotation speed of the rotary cutter of the second chipping means through a gear box mechanism between the drive means and the first chipping means.

11. A chipper substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.