JP2006240750A - Folding facility for sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a folding facility for sheets capable of folding up a thicker sheet accurately while the merit of an inter-folder embodied on the so-called multi-stand system allowing high-speed production is made use of. <P>SOLUTION: A number of folding machines each structured so that a continuous sheet is supplied onto a sheet bundle 30 transported being placed on a conveyor belt line and folded in such a relation that the sides of two sheets are enwrapped by another sheet approximately in C-shape, are installed at certain intervals in the line direction, in which the conveyor belt line has transporting force giving devices 40 to give a transporting force in such a way as pinching by an upper and a lower belt in a plurality of positions among bunches each consisting of a plurality of folding machines while no transporting force giving devices 40 are installed in other positions among the inter-bunch positions, wherein nip roll couples 50A and 50B to nip the sheet bundle 30 on the lower belt 22 together with the lower belt 22 are installed in the described positions where no transporting force giving devices 40 are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to folding equipment for sheets, particularly thick sheets.

  A continuous sheet folding facility manufactured by PCMC (Paper Converting Machine Company) is widely used as a manufacturing facility for boxed tissue paper.

  This facility example is based on the technique described in US Pat. No. 4,052,2048 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-1215: Prior Art Document 1), but has been improved, and its folding structure is in the form described later.

  Examples of general conventional examples include the following. That is, a thin paper is made in a paper making facility, and this is wound up to produce a primary roll (generally also referred to as a jumbo roll), and then this primary roll is set in a ply machine, and a plurality of primary rolls are produced. The primary continuous sheet fed from the roll is overlapped and wound, and is cut into a plurality of pieces (divided into a plurality in the width direction) to produce a secondary raw roll made of two plies.

  The secondary roll manufactured by the ply machine is taken out from the ply machine and then set in the inter folder. FIG. 3 shows one unit of the interfolder 1 of the folded plate type. In the figure, a secondary web roll R set on the web roll support 2 of the interfolder 1 is shown. The necessary number of secondary rolls R are set side by side in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. In this example, the secondary roll R is slit into the width of the product tissue paper by a ply machine (not shown) in advance. The roll roll R wound up in a plurality of times, for example, twice the width, is set.

  Secondary continuous sheets (hereinafter simply referred to as “sheets”) 3A and 3B fed from the secondary web roll R are fed into the folding mechanism section 20 through guide means such as guide rollers G1 and G1. In the folding mechanism section 20, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a necessary number of folded plates P, P... Are arranged side by side to form a folded plate group 21, and each folded plate P, P. Guide rollers G2 and G2 and guide bodies (round bars) G3 and G3 for guiding the pair of sheets 3A and 3B, respectively, are disposed at appropriate positions, and are folded and stacked below the folded plates P, P. A conveyor 22 that receives and conveys the sheet bundle 30 is disposed.

  A folding mechanism using this kind of folded plates P, P... Is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-1215, and is generally called a folded plate type. However, at present, as shown in FIG. 5, the form is slightly changed, and the two sheet side portions are folded so that the other sheets are wrapped in a substantially C-shape.

  This type of folding equipment (so-called multi-stand type interfolder) has high productivity (high processing speed).

  On the other hand, when a thick sheet such as a paper towel or kitchen paper is folded and commercialized, it is generally folded by a rotary type interfolder. When the rotary type interfolder is used, the folded edges of the sheet bundle are suitably aligned.

However, the rotary type interfolder has a drawback that the processing speed is slow.
US Patent No. 4052048 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-1215)

  Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide means capable of folding a thick sheet with high accuracy while taking advantage of a so-called multi-stand type interfolder capable of high-speed production.

The present invention that has solved the above problems is as follows.
<Invention of Claim 1>
There are many folding machines that feed continuous sheets onto a sheet bundle conveyed on a conveyor belt line, and fold the two sheets side-by-side with other sheets wrapped in a substantially C shape. Installed,
The conveyor belt line includes a transfer force applying device that applies a transfer force between upper and lower belts at a plurality of positions among a group of a plurality of folding machines, and applies the transfer force at a plurality of other positions. A sheet folding facility in which no device is installed,
A nip roll pair that nips the sheet bundle on the lower belt together with the lower belt is provided at the plurality of other positions where the transfer force applying device is not installed, and the upper roll of the nip roll pair has a circumferential speed substantially equal to the conveying speed. The sheet folding apparatus is characterized in that it is driven and rotated, and the lower roll is driven or rotated freely at a circumferential speed substantially equal to the conveying speed.

(Function and effect)
In the case of a thick paper sheet, the rigidity is naturally higher (stronger stiffness) than in the case of a thin tissue paper. When folding tissue paper with a multi-stand type interfolder, folds can be easily formed mainly with a folding plate (sailor), but the present inventors can fold thick paper sheets with a multi-stand type interfolder. As a result, it was found that it was difficult to make a crease. In particular, when the paper basis weight per ply is 17 g / m ² or more, whether it is 1 ply or 2 plies, the tendency becomes remarkable when the paper thickness is 100 μm or more. As shown in FIG. 13, if the crease is not sufficiently formed, not only the appearance as a single sheet is bad, but also when the sheet is bundled, only the side portions are swelled and stacked. The form is not stable and causes troubles such as taking out two sheets when taking out the sheet from the container.

  In addition, the multi-stand type interfolder includes a transfer force applying device that applies a transfer force between upper and lower belts. As the transfer force applying device, a so-called pull conveyor is usually employed. This transfer force applying device has a function of transferring the sheet bundle in synchronization with the conveyor belt. However, in reality, in the case of a thick paper sheet, it is considered that the rigidity is high (strong stiffness) and the elongation is small. However, sufficient transport force cannot be obtained, and the sheet bundle is transported smoothly. It may not be possible and a lateral shift may occur. When this lateral shift occurs, the positional relationship with the sheet supplied from the folding machine is shifted, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the side portions of the sheet bundle 30 are not aligned.

  However, in the present invention, since the nip roll pair that nips the sheet bundle on the lower belt together with the lower belt is provided at an appropriate position where the feeding force imparting device is not installed, the upper roll of the nip roll pair is set to the conveyance speed. When the drive rotation is performed at substantially the same peripheral speed, the transfer force due to the drive rotation of the nip roll pair is added to the transfer force by the transfer force applying device, so that the sheet bundle can be smoothly transferred, so that the lateral deviation from the desired conveyance line can be prevented. And the side portions of the sheet bundle can be aligned.

  Further, since the nip roll pair nips the sheet bundle, the fold pressure of the sheet can be clearly given by the nip pressure, and the irregularity of the sheet bundle as shown in FIG. 14 can be eliminated.

<Invention of Claim 2>
2. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower roll of the nip roll pair is biased against the lower belt.

(Function and effect)
Even if an unexpected convex portion appears in the sheet bundle, the lower roll escapes by the convex portion, so that the impact can be absorbed. Further, when an abnormality occurs during operation, the sheet bundle can be easily passed again by pushing down the lower roll against the urging force of the lower belt.

<Invention of Claim 3>
3. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of correcting rolls that nip with the lower belt and rotate at substantially the same peripheral speed as the conveying speed between the folding machines.

(Function and effect)
Since the correction roll pair nips the sheet bundle, the crease of the sheet can be clearly given by the nip pressure, and the clear crease can be formed together with the crease addition by the nip roll pair.

<Invention of Claim 4>
The sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an upper roll of the correction roll pair is movable up and down, and an angle formed by a central axis with respect to a conveyance direction is variable.

(Function and effect)
By making the angle formed by the center axis of the upper roll of the correction roll pair and the conveying direction variable, the lateral deviation of the sheet can be eliminated as will be described later. In addition, when the upper roll of the correction roll pair is movable up and down, the crease formation degree can be adjusted by moving the upper roll up and down.

<Invention of Claim 5>
The sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising means for regulating a position of a side edge of the conveyor belt.

(Function and effect)
Since the movement of the sheet bundle can be suppressed by means for regulating the position of the side edge of the conveyor belt, unevenness of the side edge of the sheet bundle can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a thick sheet can be folded with high accuracy while taking advantage of a so-called multi-stand type interfolder capable of high-speed production.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
1 and 2 show an outline of the multi-stand type interfolder in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle 30. FIG.

  For example, the continuous sheet 3A, 3B is fed out from the above-described secondary raw roll R, folded by folding machines X, X... Having the folding mechanism unit 20, and conveyed on the conveyor belt line. 30 is supplied.

  The folding plate P in each folding machine X folds the two overlapped sheet side portions so that the other sheets wrap in a substantially C shape.

  Many folding machines X (for example, 101 machines) are installed at intervals in the line direction according to the number of sheets stored in the package. The folding machine X includes a plurality of machines (for example, 13 machines) as one group unit, and this one group unit is referred to as a “bank”. This bank is combined with a transfer force applying device 40, which will be described later, in front of the transport direction, and is driven under the same one drive system.

  The conveyor belt line includes a transfer force applying device 40 that applies a transfer force by sandwiching the front and rear conveyors 22 between upper and lower conveyors 22 at a plurality of positions among a plurality of folding machines, that is, between banks. As shown in detail in FIG. 2, as the transfer force applying device 40, a belt 40 </ b> A (40 </ b> B) is wound between the main rolls 41, 41, and a large number of sub-rolls 42, 42. In this arrangement, the sheet bundle 30 is sandwiched between the upper belt 40A and the lower belt 40B and moved in the conveying direction to apply a transfer force. Such a transfer force applying device 40 is also called a “pull conveyor”.

  In the present invention, a thick paper sheet is targeted, and in order to give a larger transport force and a stable transport force in the case of tissue paper, the transport force imparting device 40 is not installed at a plurality of other positions. For example, nip roll pairs 50A and 50B are provided between the other banks to nip the sheet bundle 30 on the lower belt 22 together with the lower belt 22, and the upper roll 50A of the nip roll pair is driven and rotated at substantially the same peripheral speed as the conveying speed. The lower roll 50B is configured to be driven to rotate or freely rotate at a circumferential speed substantially the same as the conveying speed. In the present invention, it is desirable to provide a pair of nip rolls 50A and 50B between the banks where the transfer force applying device 40 is not provided. However, if necessary, installation at some positions can be omitted.

  When the upper roll 50A of the nip roll pair is driven and rotated at a circumferential speed that is substantially the same as the conveying speed, the transfer force by the drive rotation of the nip roll pairs 50A and 50B is added to the transfer force by the transfer force applying device 40. Can be transported smoothly, thereby preventing lateral deviation from the desired conveying line, and aligning the side portions of the sheet bundle. Further, since the nip roll pairs 50A and 50B nip the sheet bundle 30, the crease of the sheet can be clearly given by the nip pressure, and irregularities of the sheet bundle 30 as shown in FIG. 14 can be eliminated. FIG. 13 shows a form in which the crease of the sheet is not sufficient and the fold edge is expanded, and FIG. 14 shows an example in which the fold is properly formed without the fold edge of the sheet being expanded (however, the sheet bundle) 30 is a state in which the side edges are uneven.)

  A suitable example of the nip roll pair 50A, 50B is shown in FIG. That is, in this example, the lower roll 50B is rotatably supported on the gantry frame 51, and the gantry frame 51 is urged against the base 52 by the repulsive spring 53 toward the conveyor 22 side. It is.

  In order to form a fold clearly, it is more desirable to provide a pair of correcting rolls 60A and 60B that nip with the lower belt 22 and rotate at a circumferential speed substantially the same as the conveying speed between the folding machines X and X. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable that the upper roll 60 </ b> A of the correction roll pair can move up and down and the angle formed by the central axis and the transport direction is variable.

  As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a slide base 62 is engaged with a guide seat 61 with respect to a base 52, and the upper roll 60 </ b> A of the correction roll pair is supported by the slide base 62. The crease formation degree can be adjusted by adjusting the nip pressure by moving up and down along 61 and moving the upper roll 60A of the correction roll pair up and down. Moreover, as can be seen with reference to FIG. 4, the correction roll pairs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B have a function of pushing down the upper surface of the sheet bundle 30 before the next folded plate P. As a result, the sheet bundle 30 can be surely buried under the next folded plate P, and stable conveyance is possible.

  Further, it is desirable that the angle formed by the center axis of the upper roll 60A of the correction roll pair with the conveyance direction is variable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the support cylinder 63 of the upper roll 60 </ b> A is fitted to a support shaft (not shown) of a support body 64 that is integrated with the slide base 62, and rotated around the vertical axis. Examples of possible configurations can be given.

  The principle of adjusting the angle formed by the central axis of the upper roll 60A and the conveying direction to eliminate the lateral misalignment of the sheet as shown in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG. Now, as shown in (a), when the sheet tends to shift outward (downward in FIG. 12) with respect to the conveyance direction of the white arrow, the upper roll 60A is swung (changed in angle) like a virtual line. If the sheet tends to shift inward (upward in FIG. 12), the upper roll 60A can be shaken (changed in angle) like an imaginary line to correct in the normal conveyance direction. The principle of correcting the conveyance direction will be understood by those skilled in the art by analyzing the distribution of the frictional force with the sheet at each position of the upper roll 60A, and will not be described.

  The lateral displacement of the conveyor 22 causes the lateral displacement of the sheet bundle 30 and the mismatch between the side edges of the sheets. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, it is desirable to provide means 70 for regulating the position of the side edge of the conveyor 22, for example, a guide roller, with an appropriate position and number of the conveyor 22.

The adjustment of the nip pressure of the nip roll pair 50A, 50B and the nip pressure of the correction roll pair 60A, 60B can be automatically adjusted based on operation data as well as adjustment by an operator. Regarding the adjustment of the angle formed by the central axis of the upper roll 60A with respect to the transport direction, automatic adjustment is possible based on operation data and the like in addition to the adjustment by the operator. It is also possible to detect a shift of the side portion of the sheet or sheet bundle by, for example, an optical sensor and automatically correct this. It has been found that the nip pressure between the nip roll pairs 50A and 50B is preferably 4.2 to 5.0 kg / cm ^{2 in} the case of a thick paper sheet. The material of at least the upper roll 50A of the nip roll pair and the upper roll 60A of the correction roll pair is preferably a glossy metal roll rather than a material having a high frictional resistance that causes meandering such as a resin or rubber roll. It is also desirable from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of paper dust due to frictional resistance.

Sheets targeted by the present invention include (hygienic) thin paper such as tissue paper, but the paper basis weight per ply is 17 g / m ² or more, whether 1 ply or 2 plies, the paper thickness is 100 μm or more. In the case of a thick paper sheet, the advantages of the present invention are remarkably exhibited.

  Here, the relationship with the folding plate of the above-described folding mechanism will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. First, a pair of sheets 3A and 3B are guided with respect to each folded plate P. At this time, the sheets 3A and 3B are shifted in direction along the outer surface of the guide body G3 and shifted in positions so that the side ends overlap each other. While being guided. Here, assuming that the sheet whose side edge overlaps with the lower side when guided by the folded plate is the first sheet 3A, and the sheet that overlaps with the upper side is the second sheet 3B, these sheets 3A, 3B, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the side end e1 that does not overlap the second sheet in the first sheet 3A is folded back to the upper side of the second sheet 3B by the side plate P1 of the folded plate, As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the side end e2 of the second sheet 3B that does not overlap the first sheet 3A is folded downward so as to be drawn onto the folded plate from the slit P2 of the folded plate P. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the folded end e3 of the uppermost layer of the sheet 3A folded and stacked on the upstream folded plate P is moved from the slit P2 of the folded plate P to the second sheet 3B. Folded part It is guided to. Thus, each sheet 3A, 3B... Is folded in a Z-shape and the side edges of the adjacent sheets 3A, 3B are crossed. When the product is in use, the next sheet is pulled out when the uppermost paper sheet is pulled out. It becomes like this.

The Example of this invention is shown.
Basis weight is 48.11g / m ² in one ply paper towel paper thickness 157Myuemu (Sample 1), a basis weight of 2-ply at 24.54g / m ² paper thickness 183μm paper towel (Sample 2), basis weight 21 A paper towel (sample 3) having a thickness of 169 μm and a two-ply paper thickness of .47 g / m ² was manufactured by the multi-stand type interfolder described above. Table 1 shows the evaluation results of the amount of lateral misalignment between the folds and the sheet bundle.

  From this result, by installing a pair of nip rolls, it is possible to add creases to thick paper sheets, and it is possible to manufacture with a multi-stand type interfolder (also has an effect of preventing lateral misalignment), correction rolls It can be seen that the crease application is further improved by installing the pair, and the lateral displacement can be prevented by adjusting the angle of the correction roll pair.

It is a schematic diagram of a multi-stand type interfolder. It is the principal part expansion schematic diagram. It is a side view of the folder folding machine. It is a front view of a folding machine group. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a folding form. It is a principal part expansion perspective view of a folded-plate part. It is a principal part expansion perspective view which shows the folding method. It is a principal part expansion perspective view which shows the folding method. It is a principal part expansion perspective view which shows the folding method. It is a schematic diagram of an example of a correction roll pair. It is a schematic diagram of an example of a nip roll pair. It is explanatory drawing (plan view) of the correction method of the sheet | seat side part by a correction roll pair. It is explanatory drawing of the irregular example of a fold. It is explanatory drawing of the shift | offset | difference of the side part of a sheet bundle.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inter folder, 2 ... Original fabric roll support part, R ... Secondary raw fabric roll, 3, 3A, 3B ... Continuous sheet, 20 ... Folding mechanism part, 22 ... Conveyor, 30 ... Sheet bundle, 40 ... Transfer force Application device (pull conveyor), 50A, 50B ... Nip roll pair (upper roll, lower roll), 60A, 60B ... Correction roll pair (upper roll, lower roll), 70 ... Means for regulating the position of the conveyor side edge, X ... Folding machine, B ... Bank.

Claims (5)

There are many folding machines that feed continuous sheets onto a sheet bundle conveyed on a conveyor belt line, and fold the two sheets side-by-side with other sheets wrapped in a substantially C shape. Installed,
The conveyor belt line includes a transfer force applying device that applies a transfer force between upper and lower belts at a plurality of positions among a group of a plurality of folding machines, and applies the transfer force at a plurality of other positions. A sheet folding facility in which no device is installed,
A nip roll pair that nips the sheet bundle on the lower belt together with the lower belt is provided at the plurality of other positions where the transfer force applying device is not installed, and the upper roll of the nip roll pair has a circumferential speed substantially equal to the conveying speed. The sheet folding apparatus is characterized in that it is driven and rotated, and the lower roll is driven or rotated freely at a circumferential speed substantially equal to the conveying speed.   2. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower roll of the nip roll pair is biased against the lower belt.   3. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of correcting rolls that nip with the lower belt and rotate at substantially the same peripheral speed as the conveying speed between the folding machines.   The sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an upper roll of the correction roll pair is movable up and down, and an angle formed by a central axis with respect to a conveyance direction is variable.   The sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising means for regulating a position of a side edge of the conveyor belt.

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