IES66577B2 - A paper recycling process - Google Patents

Abstract

Waste paper reels are sorted and selectively conveyed to either a transverse web cutting station or a longitudinal web cutting station. At the transverse web cutting station shown, web is led from a rotatably supported reel 10 to a de-curling device 16 including a number of relatively adjustable web guides 18,19,20 around which the web is bent to remove the curvature resulting from the web being wound on the reel . Downstream of the de-curling device 16, the flattened web is led to a cutting station 40 for cutting the web transversely into sheets 45 of a desired length. The sheets are collected and stacked by a stacker 52. At the longitudinal web cutting station (not shown), a waste paper web is led from a reel and cut longitudinally into separate webs which are reeled up on separate cores. Immediately after cutting, the webs are moved apart by a tapered separating roller to prevent entanglement of the cut webs. A chain saw may be used to cut through a wound reel.

Description

The invention relates to a paper recycling process, and in particular to the manufacture of paper products from reels of waste paper.

The term paper as used in this patent specification is intended to include stiff paper and thin card.

Reels of paper web are widely used for example in the packaging industry. A considerable amount of waste is generated due to damaged reels and due to left-over portions of paper web on the reel after use. This waste paper web could be recycled in a pulp mill. However, it is an object of this invention to maximise the value of the waste paper by manufacturing paper products from the reels of waste paper in an efficient manner.

According to the invention, there is provided a paper recycling process for manufacturing paper products from reels of waste paper, comprising the steps: sorting waste paper reels and selectively conveying each reel to either a transverse web cutting station or a longitudinal web cutting station; at the transverse web cutting station, rotatably mounting a reel on a reel support; leading a paper web from the reel and feeding the web through a de-curling device; at the de-curling device, bending the web around an associated set of spaced-apart guides, adjusting the relative spacing of the guides for controlling the bending of the web for flattening the web; - 2 Sco577 leading the web to a cutting station, at the cutting station transversely cutting the web to form sheets of a preset desired length from a leading end of the web; conveying cut sheets away from the cutting station on a discharge conveyor; and stacking the cut sheets.

In a preferred embodiment the set of guides in the decurling device comprises a central fixed roller rotatably mounted on a support frame, a movable roller rotatably mounted on the support frame upstream of the fixed roller and slidably mounted on the support frame for substantially horizontal movement on the support frame towards and away from the fixed roller, and a rubbing bar mounted on the support frame downstream of the fixed roller, the rubbing bar vertically movable on the support frame, the process including the step of adjusting the relative orientation of the rollers and rubbing bar for regulating the bending applied to the web.

In another embodiment the set of guides in the de-curling device comprises a pair of rollers rotatably mounted and vertically spaced-apart on a support frame, each roller being movable substantially horizontally along the support frame, the process including the step of adjusting the relative orientation of the rollers for regulating the bending applied to the web.

In a further embodiment the process includes the step of cutting through the reel before delivering the reel to the cutting station, the reel being mounted on a pair of spaced-apart drive rollers, rotating the drive rollers for rotating the reel, moving a chain-saw along a plane - 3 substantially perpendicular to the reel axis from a retracted disengaged position to an extended reel engaging position for cutting the reel, cutting blades of the chain-saw travelling in an opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the reel.

In another embodiment the process includes the step of transversely cutting the web by feeding the web between a pair of cutters, namely, a fixed cutter and a complementary rotary cutter having a radial blade for cooperation with the fixed cutter as it moves past the fixed cutter for cutting the web therebetween.

In a further embodiment the process includes the step of stacking the cut sheets by overlapping the sheets by dropping the sheets from the discharge conveyor onto a stacker feed conveyor which is moving at a slower speed than the discharge conveyor; delivering the overlapped sheets to a stacker at an outlet end of the stacker feed conveyor; and stacking sheets on a pallet by discharging the sheets from the stacker feed conveyor between a pair of sheet side guides against a back stop, raising the guides and back stop as a stack of sheets is being built up on the pallet.

In another embodiment the process includes the steps; rotatably mounting the reel on a reel support; leading a paper web from the reel; feeding the web around a number of spaced-apart guide rollers and delivering the web to a cutter; - 4 at the cutter feeding the web over an anvil roller and engaging the web with one or more rotatable cutting disks for cutting the web longitudinally, each cutting disk mounted on a support shaft rotating about an axis parallel to the anvil roller axis; separating cut web portions by engaging the web at each cut with a double tapered separating roller, the outer circumference of which narrows between a centre of the roller and each end of the roller, the centre of the roller engaging the cut and urging adjacent web pieces apart; and leading cut web pieces from the cutter to a reeling station and reeling cut web pieces on separate cores at the reeling station.

In another aspect, the invention provides paper products whenever produced according to the process.

In a further aspect the invention provides apparatus for carrying out the process substantially as herein described.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of reel handling apparatus used in the process; Fig. 2 is a plan schematic view of a paper web as it travels through the apparatus; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a paper web decurling device forming portion of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the web decurling apparatus; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet stacker forming portion of the apparatus; Fig. 6 is a side elevational view showing an alternative web de-curling device; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of the web de-curling device of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the web de-curling device of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a reel cutting apparatus used in the process; Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the reel cutting apparatus of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a schematic side elevational view of a reel dividing apparatus used in the process; Fig. 12a & Fig. 12b illustrate the division of a single reel into a number of smaller reels on the apparatus of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing reeling up of a number of the smaller reels on the apparatus of Fig. 11; and Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view showing a web separator device incorporated in the apparatus of Fig. 11.

Referring to the drawings, a process and apparatus for manufacturing paper products from reels of waste paper will be described.

Waste paper reels are sorted and selectively conveyed to either a transverse web cutting station, indicated generally by the reference number 1 in Fig. 1, or a longitudinal web cutting station, indicated generally by the reference numeral 2 in Fig. 11. Prior to delivery to the cutting stations 1, 2 reels may if necessary be cut at a reel cutting station, indicated generally by the reference numeral 3 in Fig. 9, to remove unusable waste or divide the reel into a pair of smaller reels of a desired size.

Referring initially to Figs. 1 to 5, at the transverse web cutting station 1, a paper web reel 10 is rotatably mounted on a support comprising a pair of spaced-apart arms 12 with engagement heads 11 for gripping each end of a core of the reel 10 so that it is rotatable between the arms 12. The arms 12 are pivotably mounted on a support frame 13 for movement between a lowered loading position and a raised unreeling position as shown in Fig. 1.

A paper web 15 is led from the reel 10 through a decurling device 16 which bends the web 15 around a set of web guides to remove the curvature of the web 15 imparted to the web 15 due to the winding of the web 15 on the reel 10. The de-curling device 16 comprises a support frame 17 on which are mounted a set of spaced-apart web guides. In this case, the web guides include a central fixed roller 18, a movable roller 19 located upstream of the fixed - 7 roller 18 and a rubbing bar 20 located downstream of the central fixed roller 18. In the de-curling device 16, the web 15 is led around and between the rollers 18, 19 and then under the rubbing bar 20. The rollers 18, 19 are rotatably mounted on the support frame 17. The movable roller 19 is horizontally movable on the frame 17 towards and away from the fixed roller 18. Outer ends 22 of the movable roller 19 are rotatably mounted in slide blocks 24 which are slidably mounted in associated slots 25 in the frame 17. The blocks 24 are movable by means of a screw bar 26 operated by a handle 27. The rubbing bar 20 is vertically movable on the frame 16 being carried on slide blocks 30 which are vertically slidable within associated guide slots 31 on the frame 17. A drive linkage 33 interconnects screws 34 associated with each block 30 for synchronous vertical movement of the blocks 30 and hence the rubbing bar 20 upon rotation of a drive shaft 35 of the drive linkage 33 extending between upper ends of the screws 34. Thus advantageously the relative spacing of the rollers 18, 19 and rubbing bar 20 can be readily easily adjusted to accommodate paper web of varying thicknesses and curvature led from the reel 10. Control of the reverse curvature applied to the web 15 is particularly critical when handling varnished or smooth surfaced webs to prevent cracking of the web surface.

Downstream of the de-curling device 16, the web 15 is led to a cutting station 40 having a fixed cutting blade 41 and a complementary rotary cutter 42 having a radial blade for cooperation with the fixed cutting blade 41 as it moves passed the fixed cutting blade 41 for cutting the web 15 therebetween. By regulating the web feed speed and the rotational speed of the cutter 42 sheets 45 of any desired length can be cut from a leading end of the web 15. The sheets 45 are led away from the cutting station on a discharge conveyer 46.

The sheets 45 are overlapped by dropping the sheets 45 from the discharge conveyer 46 onto a stacker feed conveyer 48 which is moving at a slower speed than the discharge conveyer 46. The feed conveyer 48 feeds the sheets 45 onto a pallet 50 on which they are stacked by means of a stacker 52. The stacker 52 is mounted on a support frame 55 by a carriage 56, the carriage 56 being vertically movable on the support frame 55. Sheets discharged from the feed conveyer 4 8 pass between a pair of sheet side guides 58 against a backstop 59. The side guides 58 are slidably mounted on a support bar 60 for adjustment of the spacing between the side guides 58. The backstop 59 is carried on support arms 62 and is slidable along the support arms 62 for adjustment. As the sheets 45 are discharged onto the pallet 50 they are stacked, the sheets being guided between the side guides 58 against the backstop 59. As the stack of sheets 45 builds up on the pallet 50 the carriage 56 is moved vertically upward on the frame 55 until a desired stack height has been achieved.

The stacked sheets can then be packaged directly, for example, with a shrink wrap cover applied to secure the sheets to the pallet. Alternatively, the sheets 45 may be delivered for further processing to form a number of different products. For example, stacks of sheets may be cut in a guillotine into sheets of smaller size prior to packaging. In some cases, a particular design or pattern may be stamped out of each sheet, for example, for making blanks for forming cake boxes or the like.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 8 an alternative web decurling device is shown. In this case the de-curling device has a support frame 60 carrying an upper roller 61 which is rotatably mounted in support blocks 62. The support blocks 62 are slidably mounted in associated slots 63 in the frame 60 for horizontal sliding movement on the frame 60. Mounted below the upper roller 61 is a lower roller 65 rotatably mounted at each end in support blocks 66 which are slidably mounted in associated housings 67 on the frame 60 for horizontal movement of the roller 65 by associated screw shafts 68 with an operating handle 69. The screw shafts 68 are linked by a chain 70 for simultaneous movement of the screw shafts 68 and hence both ends of the lower roller 65. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the web 15 is led over the upper roller 61, between the rollers 61, 65 and under the lower roller 65. The relative orientation of the rollers 61, 65 can be readily easily adjusted by sliding the rollers 61, 65 on the frame 60 for regulating the bending applied to the web 15.

Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10 reel cutting apparatus 80 at the reel cutting station 3 is shown. The reel cutting apparatus 80 comprises a ground engaging frame 81 on which a pair of spaced-apart rotatable rollers 82 are mounted, the rollers 82 being driven by a motor 83. A plurality of spaced-apart ribs 84 are provided on an outer surface of each roller 82 for engaging a reel 85 mounted on the rollers 82 for cutting. The reel 85 has a core 86 around which a web is wound. Mounted adjacent the rollers 82 is a cutter 88 for cutting a reel 85 mounted on the rollers 82. The cutter 88 comprises a chain-saw 89 with associated drive motor 90 slidably mounted on a support bar 91. The chain-saw 89 can be pivoted by means of a handle 92 for engagement and cutting of the reel 85. Hand grips 93 are provided for sliding the chain-saw 89 along the bar 91. It will be noted that in operation the reel 85 is rotated by the rollers 82 in a direction opposite to the travel of the chain with cutting blades of the chain-saw 89 and this greatly facilitates cutting of the reel 85 with the chain-saw 89. If the reel 85 is not - 10 rotated the chain-saw 89 will either catch in the reel 85 or will burn the paper web as it moves through the reel 85. Movement of both the reel and chain of the chain-saw enable efficient smooth cutting of the reel 85.

Referring now to Figs. 11 to 14 there is shown a reel dividing apparatus 100 at the longitudinal reel cutting station 2 for dividing a reel 10 into a number of smaller reels lOa-lOd or for simply trimming side edges of the reel 10. The web 15 is led from the reel 10 over a number of guide rollers 102 to a cutter 103. At the cutter 103 rotating disc cutting blades 105 are mounted spaced-apart on a support shaft 106 to cut and divide the web 15, the cutter blades 105 co-operating with an associated anvil roller 104. Downstream of each cutter blade 105 a separating roller 109 engages the web and separates adjacent web parts 15a and 15b. The roller 109 has a double taper, the outer circumference of the roller narrowing between a centre of the roller 109 and each end of the roller 109. The roller 109 thus engages and urges the web pieces 15a, 15b apart preventing snagging of adjacent web pieces 15a, 15b. The web pieces can then be reeled up on a spooling bar 110.

The invention provides a process and apparatus for efficiently manufacturing high quality paper products from waste paper to maximise the value of the waste paper. At the transverse web cutting station, a paper web is converted to flat sheets of a desired size, any curvature in the web being corrected in the de-curling device prior to cutting the web. The de-curling device is readily easily adjustable to accommodate different grades of web material, web feed speeds and web curvatures while carefully handling the web to prevent damage to the web.

Further, in the longitudinal web cutter, a reel can be sub-divided into a number of reels of smaller width in an efficient and trouble-free manner. The separating roller mounted downstream of the cutter prevents any snagging of adjacent web pieces after cutting.

The reel cutter allows reels to be divided in a relatively easy fashion while minimising any damage to the reel by the cutter.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in construction and detail.

Claims (5)

1. A paper recycling process for manufacturing paper products from reels of waste paper, comprising the steps : sorting waste paper reels and selectively conveying each reel to either a transverse web cutting station or a longitudinal web cutting station; at the transverse web cutting station, rotatably mounting a reel on a reel support; leading a paper web from the reel and feeding the web through a de-curling device; at the de-curling device, bending the web around an associated set of spaced-apart guides, adjusting the relative spacing of the guides for controlling the bending of the web for flattening the web; leading the web to a cutting station, at the cutting station transversely cutting the web to form sheets of a preset desired length from a leading end of the web; conveying cut sheets away from the cutting station on a discharge conveyor; and stacking the cut sheets.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 which includes the step of transversely cutting the web by feeding the web between a pair of cutters, namely, a fixed cutter and a complementary rotary cutter having a radial blade for cooperation with the fixed cutter as it moves past the fixed cutter for cutting the web therebetween, the process preferably including the step of stacking the cut sheets by overlapping the sheets by dropping the sheets from the discharge conveyor onto a stacker feed conveyor which is moving at a slower speed than the discharge conveyor; delivering the overlapped sheets to a stacker at an outlet end of the stacker feed conveyor; and stacking sheets on a pallet by discharging the sheets from the stacker feed conveyor between a pair of sheet side guides against a back stop, raising the guides and back stop as a stack of sheets is being built up on the pallet.

3. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at the longitudinal web cutting station, the process includes the steps: rotatably mounting the reel on a reel support; leading a paper web from the reel; feeding the web around a number of spaced-apart guide rollers and delivering the web to a cutter; at the cutter feeding the web over an anvil roller and engaging the web with one or more rotatable cutting disks for cutting the web longitudinally, each cutting disk mounted on a support shaft rotating about an axis parallel to the anvil roller axis; separating cut web portions by engaging the web at each cut with a double tapered separating roller, the outer circumference of which narrows between a centre of the roller and each end of the roller, the centre of the roller engaging the cut and urging adjacent web pieces apart; and 5 leading cut web pieces from the cutter to a reeling station and reeling cut web pieces on separate cores at the reeling station.

4. A paper recycling process substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the 10 accompanying drawings.

5. Paper products whenever produced from reels of waste paper according to the process as claimed in any preceding claim.