GB2237268A

GB2237268A - Web roll unwinding apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2237268A
Application number: GB9021986A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Friedrich Bernd Bielfeldt; Viktor Grimmer
Original assignee: Dieffenbacher GmbH Maschinen und Anlagenbau
Current assignee: Dieffenbacher GmbH Maschinen und Anlagenbau
Priority date: 1989-10-16
Filing date: 1990-10-10
Publication date: 1991-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-10
Also published as: GB9021986D0; DE3934470A1; GB2237268B; ES2026337A6; FR2653107A1

Abstract

Two web roll unwinding units are movable from a respective or common roll changing station (A, B) to a common web supply station, each unit having means for separating protective spacer layers from a product layer, e.g. callendars (23) and winding rollers (13, 14), and grippers (15) for gripping the product layer, eg. upstream of a processing apparatus (16, 3, 20). <IMAGE>

Description

1 1 1 -I- COIL UNWINDING APPARATUS 2 3 -7:2. Ez, 'S The invention relates

to coil unwinding apparatus for unwinding coils of a product layer (e.g. prefabricated duroplastic fleece or a glass fibre reinforced polyester resin mat) rolled up between one or more spacer layers such as films.

The purpose of such coil unwinding apparatus is to feed into processing apparatus fleeces or glass fibre reinforced polyester resin mats (prepregs) which have been rolled up i. nto coils.

In the known plants, after the fleece has been unwound, the empty coil is removed from the unwinding apparatus and a full one is fitted. In the case of quickly curing polyester masses, a coil change is necessary approximately every 30 minutes. This manual coil changing is thus a major factor in increasing the cost of the end product.

According to the present invention there is provided coil unwinding apparatus for unwinding coils of a product layer rolled up between at least one spacer layer, comprising: two coil unwinding units each movable between a common unwound product layer supply position and a respective or common coil exchange position; each coil unwinding unit having means for rotatably supporting and rotating a coil to unwind the product and spacer layers, means for separating the spacer layer(s) from the product layer and first gripping means for gripping the product layer downstream of the separating means.

The invention enables the coil changing time to be shortened or carried out more rapidly.

By having two coil unwinding units, it is possible to have an almost continuous unwinding process, because the two coil unwinding units can be exchanged for each other in the minimum of time, i.e. while one of the coil unwinding units is in operation, the second can be replenished with a full coil. Another advantage is that the product layer (e.g. fleece) can be threaded through the coil unwinding unit whilst it is still at the coil exchange position so that, when the unit is moved to the-unwound product layer supply position, the product layer, stripped of the spacer layer(s), is immediately available for use.

The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a coil processing apparatus with twin coil unwinding units according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the coil processing apparatus of Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the coil processing apparatus is shown from the unwinding position to a conveyor belt 20 which carries the unwound fleece/resin mat for onwards transport to a shaping press. In order to keep the coil changing time as short as possible, two coil unwinding units are provided. At the coil changing stations A and 6, various feeding aids unwind a new web of material 21 from a coil 24 and thread it through the reserve coil unwinding unit 1 and the spacer/protective layers in the form of polyethylene films are fixed by means of adhesive strips to two film winding rollers 13 and 14 (top and bottom). Firstly, the web 21 of material is passed via a feeding aid 5 through a calender 6 which is driven while the material is being changed, and then through two lateral edge trimmers 18 and 19 for trimming the edges of the fleece and of the polyethylene films and which operate on the left and right of the calender 6. The web 21 then passes through a second calender 12 and is fed into a storage means 17, the calender 12 being driven solely in order to create a stock of material. The stored material web 21 is fed by means of a lifting gear 10 and a retractable feeding aid 11 into a transfer calender 23 which delivers the polyethylene films to the film winding rollers 13 and 14 and the material web 21 to a transfer gripper 15.

After a coil has been unwound, the coil unwinding unit which i in operation automatically runs to the empty coil changing station A or B, using 2 shifting table 4 running on an undercarriage 7. At the same time, the previously threaded-up coil unwinding unit 1 runs to the central unwinding position. There, the free end 22 of the material web is clamped by a tranfer gripper 16 of the stationary processing apparatus and is fed by a drive to a cutting and weighing unit 3. The cut material is lifted by an overhead crane unit 25 onto the conveyer belt 20.

Cutting waste 2 occurring in the coil unwinding unit 1 due to the edge trimming process is transported by small conveyor belts 8 and 9 directly to the rear and into a container.

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Claims

1. Coil unwinding apparatus for unwinding coils of a product layer rolled up between at least one spacer layer, comprising:

two coil unwinding units each movable between a common unwound product layer supply position and a respective or common coil exchange position; each coil unwinding unit having means for rotatably supporting and rotating a coil to unwind the product and spacer layers, means for separating the spacer layer(s) from the product layer and first gripping means for gripping the product layer downstream of the separating means.

2. Coil unwinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separating means comprises at least one roller for winding thereonto the spacer layer(s).

3. Coil unwinding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each coil unwinding unit further comprises a plurality of guide calenders and feeding means for transferring the product and spacer layers from the wound up coil to the separating means.

4. Coil unwinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each coil unwinding unit further comprises means upstream of the separating means for trimming to a predetermined width the unwound product and spacer layers.

5. Coil unwinding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each call unwinding unit further comprises conveyor means for removing the trimmings producted by the trimming means.

6. Coil unwinding apparatus according to claim 4or 5, wherein the trimming means is arranged to trim both sides of the product and spacer layers.

7. Coil unwinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each coil unwinding unit further comprises guide means movable between (i) a first position arranged to guide the free end of the unwound product and spacer layers into the separating means and (ii) a second position beneath the first position and arranged to permit the temporary storage of a variable drooping length of the unwound product and spacer layers prior to entry into the separating means.

8. Coil unwinding apparatus according to at least claims 3, 4 and 7, wherein the arrangement in each coil unwinding unit is such that the product and spacer layers, after being unwound from the coil, pass over a first one of the feeding means, through a first driven one of the guide calenders, through the trimming means, through a second driven one of the guide calenders, over the guide means, into the separating means and into the first gripping means.

9. Coil unwinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the coil unwinding units are movable along a linear track, the two coil exchange positions being spaced apart along the track with the common unwound product layer supply position therebetween.

10. Coil processing apparatus comprising coil unwinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and product layer processing apparatus having second gripping means for receiving the product layer from the first gripping means of the coil unwinding unit at the common unwound product layer supply position.

11. Coil processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the product layer processing apparatus further comprises a unit for cutting and weighing the product layer after it has passed through the second gripping means.

12. Coil unwinding apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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13. Coil processing apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 199 1 at 7he Patent Office. State House. 66171 High Holborn, London WC 1 R 47P. Further copies my be obtained from