GB2254843A

GB2254843A - Inserting sheets between slices of a product

Info

Publication number: GB2254843A
Application number: GB9208431A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franz Hartmann; Roland Zeuschner
Original assignee: Natec Reich Summer GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Natec Reich Summer GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1991-04-16
Filing date: 1992-04-16
Publication date: 1992-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2012-04-16
Also published as: JPH07137925A; FR2675420B1; ITUD920060A1; JP2782297B2; FR2675420A1; IT1259720B; ITUD920060A0; GB2254843B; GB9208431D0

Abstract

An insertion device 9 is used to introduce material in sheet or leaf form, in particular paper, plastics or foil segments, between the slices (e.g. of food) cut by a cutting machine 7. A web (not shown) is unwound from a roll 11 and is carried into the cutting range of the circular knife 4 of the cutting machine through an intermittently driven feed device. The insertion device of the cutting machine is arranged on the machine frame 1 so that it can be moved and secured to facilitate cleaning of the insertion device and also to make the corresponding intake area of the cutting machine readily accessible. One end of the insertion device is supported on rollers 36 and the other end is movable and selectively securable along a guide 33. <IMAGE>

Description

2 2.5) 4 U' 4 3 1 - $1 INSERTION DEVICE FOR INTRODUCING SHEET MATERIAL

BETWEEN SLICES CUT BY A CUTTING MACHINE The present innovation concerns an insertion device for introducing material in sheet or leaf form, such as paper or synthetic sheets, between slices cut by a cutting machine. Such an insertion device serves to introduce paper, plastics or foil sheets, from a web unwound from a roll, at exact and preset intervals into the intake area of a cutting machine so that these paper or foil sheets are positioned exactly between two adjacent slices cut by the cutting machine, which typically has a circular knife. In other words. the purpose of the paper or foil sheet fed into the area of the cutting machine by the insertion device is to prevent the adherence of two slices placed above one another. Such slices are produced primarily when cutting cheese, sausage or other foods. It is customary to transport either paper, plastics or foil sheets into the cutting machine through the insertion device.

An insertion device of the type mentioned above is disclosed in DE 32 49 925 C2. At a relatively low speed of 500 sheets per minute. it introduces appropriate paper sheets into the area of the cutting machine and ensures that these paper sheets wind up exactly between two successively cut slices. The disadvantage of this known insertion device however was that it was relatively bulky and that in addition it did not operate autonomously with regard to the main gear of the cutting machine. Indeed, the familiar insertion device had the disadvantage that it required two drive lines as drive for the paper roll and as advance drive for the corresponding feed mechanism, whereby both drive lines were coupled mechanically to the main gear of the cutting machine.

The resulting disadvantage was that the insertion device was fixed to the cutting machine frame and could not be removed for cleaning purposes. In fact, any removal was possible only at great mechanical expense.

In addition, the familiar insertion device made it necessary to activate pneumatically various drive and control elements, which required great expense due to the separate pneumatic lines. In addition, there was the disadvantage that due to the fully mechanical drive of the familiar insertion, derived from the main gear of the cutting machine, and due to the necessity of a few pneumatic drive and control elements, the familiar insertion device operated relatively slowly, and, as mentioned earlier, required a great deal of space.

Also, the precision of the familiar insertion device left a great deal to be desired because the return accuracy was not exactly adjustable due to the supply of the control elements with air.

The present invention consists in an insertion device for introducing material, in sheet or leaf form, between slices cut by a cutting machine, wherein a web of sheet material is unwound from a paper roll and is carried along a path into the cutting range of a knife of the cutting machine through an intermittently driven feed device, wherein the insertion device is arranged on a machine frame of the cutting machine so that it can be moved and secured thereon.

An insertion device of the aforementioned type can thus be provided with a compact housing and high speed while being readily removable from the cutting machine.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the insertion device is no longer coupled mechanically to the cutting machine but features a corresponding autonomous drive so that it can be readily moved and secured -to the machine frame of the cutting machine. As a result, the corresponding mechanical drive lines between the insertion device and the cutting machine become superfluous and are replaced by at least one autonomous drive assigned to the insertion device.

In terms.of the functioning of the present innovation, reference is made to DE 32 49 925 C2.

With the arrangement of at least one autonomous drive for the insertion device there is the advantage that the unit becomes significantly more compact and requires less space, and in addition that it is arranged movable and lockable at the cutting machine so that such an insertion device can be readily moved or even removed when the cutting machine is to be cleaned or is to be made accessible for repair on the intake side.

In addition, in accordance with the present innovation, a corresponding pneumatic drive for the drive and control units also becomes superfluous thus also reducing the design and manufacturing effort.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention a feed belt is arranged on the insertion device so that it can be rotated in order to allow the insertion device to move with regard to the cutting machine. Normally (in operation), the feed belt extends into the operation area of the cutting machine. If the insertion device is to be moved, the feed belt must be swung out of this operation area. The insertion device can then be moved on the machine frame of the cutting machine.

The modular design described above signifies that the insertion device operates as an independent unit and has its own drive so that this unit is easily exchangeable. In many appli cations paper or foil intake when the cutting machine is in operation is not required. For this application. it is possible to simply remove the entire insertion device from the machine frame of the cutting machine. Another significant feature of the present innovation is that a single motor can be used for driving all elements in the insertion device. Over a corresponding ratchet belt, the motor drives the intake roller as well as the first roller of the feed belt. As a result, the paper or foil roller is driven by this motor only indirectly when the intake roller 16 feeds the paper which is unwound through the corresponding pull of the paper or foil roller.

The use of a single drive motor also offers the advantage of a compact housing, which eliminates high manufacturing costs from this perspective as well.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a perspective lateral view of the insertion device in its operating position on a cutting machine.

Figure 2 shows the lateral view of the insertion device.

Figure 3 shows the top view of the insertion device in accordance with Figure 2.

The insertion device 9 is arranged on the machine frame 1 of a cutting machine 7 so that it is movable. on a horizontal surface of the machine frame 1 a linear guide 35 consists essentially of a flat track which is secured to the machine frame 1 and which carries a guide rail 33 incorporated in a guide housing.4 of the insertion device 9. The guide housing 34 carries ball bearings not shown and can therefore be moved along the guide rail 33 in the direction of arrows 38. 39.

The front of the housing 10 of the insertion device 9 is movable on the machine frame 1 in that each side of the housing 10 has a rotating tracksupporting roller 36 which is held in a bearing block 37.

The fixation device is not shown in greater detail and is arranged between the housing 10 of the insertion device 9 and the assigned guide rail 33. This fixation device could consist df a locking pin engaging corresponding index bores of the guide rail 33.

In another variant of the present invention the fixation device may consist of a clamping bolt screwed into a threaded nut in the housing 10 and which with its boltside end can be pressed onto the guide rail 33.

In essence the insertion device 9 consists of a receptacle 12 which accommodates a rotating paper roller 11. It has been mentioned already that a foil roller may be used instead of a paper rolldr 11. For clarity sake, it is assumed below that a paper roller 11 is used.

In accordance with Figure 2,, the paper path 27 is wound over a first guide roller 28 before reaching a jumping roller 26. The jumping roller 26 can be rotated and is arranged on a carriage 30 which in turn can be moved along a guide rail 31. Through spring tension in the direction of the arrow 32. the carriage 30 is prestressed in the direction of the arrow 32 so that the paper paths 27 are always prestressed in the direction of the arrow 32.

After looping of the Jumping roller 26 the paper path 27 runs over another guide roller 29 over an axis 15, and after looping of this axis 15 the paper path 27 runs into the roller clearance between an intake roller 16 and an opposite pressure roller 13.

A The paper path then reaches a feed belt 18 which features a series of parallel cord belts guided over a roller 19 on the feed side and a roller 20 on the exit side.

The entire feed belt IS can be moved in the direction of the arrows 40. Its rotatability is due to the fact that in the distance to the center of rotation of the feed belt on the housing 10 of the insertion device there is a supporting rod 22 at the feed 18 which can be adjusted in the direction of the arrow 24 and is held in a locking bolt 23 at the housing 10 of the insertion device 9.

In other ords, the supporting rod 22 can be adjusted in its length in the direction of the arrows 24 by loosening and securing the locking bolt 23.

In accordance with Figure 3,, the drive of the drive elements of the insertion device 9 occurs over a single motor 46, which through its drive shaft and a corresponding drive gear drives a ratchet, belt 47 which in turn drives the intake roller 16 and the feed-side roller 19 of the feed belt 18 through corresponding drive gears.

Figure 3 does not. show that there is an additional tension roller for the ratchet belt 47 in order to guarantee a force-locking and form- locking drive of the intake roller 16 and the succeeding roller 19.

The roller 19 is driven in the direction of Arrow 21 just like in the same direction the intake roller 16 is driven in the direction of the arrow 17.

The pressure on the paper path.27 in the roller clearance between the intake roller 16 and the pressure roller 13 can be set because the pressure roller 13 is arranged on the free, rotatable portion of a lever pair 14 which can be rotated and is arranged on the axis 15.

Pressure of the lever pair 14 and thus of the pressure roller 13 on the intake rolle2 16 is the result of the fact that in a housing-locked point of rotation 43 a lever 42 can be rotated which features a grip 41 on its free front end.

In the point of rotation 43 an eccentric shaft 44 is connected to the lever 42 whereby the outer perimeter of the eccentric shaft 44 bears upon the pressure roller 13 through a spring pressure bolt 45.

In other words, in the operating position as shown in Figure 2 the spring pressure bolt 45 puts consistent pressure on the pressure roller 13.

In order to introduce the paper into the roller clearance between rollers 13,, 16, the grip 41 is rotated 1800 by hand whereby the pressure of the eccentric shaft 44 on the spring pressure bolt 45 disappears and whereby a larger roller clearance is created between the rollers 13, 16.

The paper path 27 can now easily be introduced into this enlarged roller clearance. The lever 42 with the grip 41 is then returned to the position shown'in Figure 2.

The s et-up of the insertion device 9 on the cutting machine 7 can easily be changed. In essence the cutting machine 7 consists of a support 8 in whose intermediate area the circular knife 4 operates. Across from the circular knife 4 is a fixed knife bar 3 whereby product is fed over the insertion device 9 and whereby a support 2 supports the product supply mechanism.

The circular knife 4 operates in the direction of the arrow 5,, and underneath the knife bar 3 is a recess 6 in the machine frame 1 of the cutting machine 7 into which the insertion device 9 threads its paper path 27.

In order to bring sensitive parts of the insertion device 9 outside the cutting range of the cutting machine 7 (otherwise cutting waste could wind up into the insertion device 9), there is a feed belt 18, which could be deleted in other variants. i - It is important that the entire housing 10 of the insertion device 9 can now be moved in a simple manner along the machine frame 1 in the di3ection of the arrows 38, 39. Now that it has its own autonomous drive no longer derived from the drive of the cutting machine 7, moving is accomplished by simply rotating the feed belt 18 downward in the direction of the arrow 40 and to loosen the corresponding fixation device whereby now the entire housing 10 can be moved to the right in the direction of the arrow 39. As a result, the recess 6 on the cutting machine 7 is now readily accessible and can easily be cleaned and serviced.

A single motor which intermittently drives the intake roller 16 and the feed-side roller 19 of the feed belt 18 in exact set intervals produces an accurate guidance of the paper path with exactly and intermittently fed paper segments which are then cut by the circular knife 4.

Electronic control of the motor 46 through corresponding digital control ensures consistently the same paper length and the entire insertion device is able to operate with significantly higher speeds of for example 600 to 800 sheets per minute.

In addition, a very short overall length is achieved in part because there is only a single tip mechanism consisting of the lever pair 14 and the pressure roller 13 while familiar insertion devices require two such tip mechanisms.

-g- 4- A greater processing speed is also. achieved due to the f act that because of a single motor oniy a relatively small mass must be moved intermittently. Known insertion devices required two drive lines, and larger masses needed to be moved.

j

Claims

1. An insertion device for introducing material, in sheet or leaf form, between slices cut by a cutting machine, wherein a web of sheet material is unwound from a paper roll and is carried along a path into the cutting range of a knife of the cutting machine through an intermittently driven feed device, wherein the insertion device is arranged on a machine frame of the cutting machine so that it can be moved and secured thereon.

2. An insertion device in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the movement of the insertion device on the cutting machine is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the paper path.

3. An insertion device in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the insertion device has a housing on one side of which a linear guide is arranged which comprises a guide rail movable and securable in a guide housing attached to the housing.

4. An insertion device in accordance with Claim 3 whereby on the other side of the housing two support rollers are arranged with mutual spacing between them and oriented in the direction of travel.

5. An insertion device in accordance with any preceding claim wherein the insertion device has an autonomous drive which is independent of the drive of the cutting machine.

6. An insertion device in accordance with Claim 5 whereby the said autonomous drive drives an intake roller and a feed-side roller of the feed belt.

1 k

7. An insertion device in accordance with any preceding claim wherein a feed belt, rotatably mounted on the insertion dev ice, extends into the feed range of the cutting machine.

8. An insertion device for introducing material in shee or leaf form between slices cut by a cutting machine, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.