US20180194583A1 - Mineral wool packager - Google Patents
Mineral wool packager Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20180194583A1 US20180194583A1 US15/742,189 US201615742189A US2018194583A1 US 20180194583 A1 US20180194583 A1 US 20180194583A1 US 201615742189 A US201615742189 A US 201615742189A US 2018194583 A1 US2018194583 A1 US 2018194583A1
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- Prior art keywords
- belt
- roll
- pathway
- segment
- along
- Prior art date
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- 239000011490 mineral wool Substances 0.000 title description 20
- 230000037361 pathway Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 58
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 39
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 claims description 14
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 210000002268 wool Anatomy 0.000 description 69
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000012774 insulation material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002985 plastic film Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920006255 plastic film Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000002829 reductive effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004575 stone Substances 0.000 description 2
- 241000310247 Amyna axis Species 0.000 description 1
- 206010021118 Hypotonia Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006978 adaptation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 208000017561 flaccidity Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011491 glass wool Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001737 promoting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002441 reversible effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 1
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- 230000003068 static effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H18/00—Winding webs
- B65H18/08—Web-winding mechanisms
- B65H18/14—Mechanisms in which power is applied to web roll, e.g. to effect continuous advancement of web
- B65H18/22—Mechanisms in which power is applied to web roll, e.g. to effect continuous advancement of web by friction band
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H23/00—Registering, tensioning, smoothing or guiding webs
- B65H23/04—Registering, tensioning, smoothing or guiding webs longitudinally
- B65H23/18—Registering, tensioning, smoothing or guiding webs longitudinally by controlling or regulating the web-advancing mechanism, e.g. mechanism acting on the running web
- B65H23/195—Registering, tensioning, smoothing or guiding webs longitudinally by controlling or regulating the web-advancing mechanism, e.g. mechanism acting on the running web in winding mechanisms or in connection with winding operations
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/17—Nature of material
- B65H2701/177—Fibrous or compressible material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/19—Specific article or web
- B65H2701/1922—Specific article or web for covering surfaces such as carpets, roads, roofs or walls
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for rolling and packaging compressed flexible material such as mineral wool.
- Insulation wool is used for insulating e.g. houses in order to reduce energy loss.
- Insulation wool is a material comprising a lot of air and in order to save space both when transporting, storing and handling the material, it is an advantage to compress the material before packaging. Obviously, this is not only an advantage when it comes to insulation wool, but also other material comprising air, such as foam used in inter alia furniture, e.g. in mattresses, could be compressed to save space.
- the first part of the wool length may be over-compressed, resulting in plastic deformation of the wool, whereby it does not regain its full size when unpacked, and thereby does not regain its proper isolative properties.
- Another problem is that in the known methods of rolling, the first rounds of rolling cannot be optimally controlled, which often results in the first roll rotations being quite random thus bending the material in various directions.
- compressed flexible material any material having a substantial elastic compression range, or in other words, that the material is able to fully recover from considerable compression, such as 30% or 90% compression, regaining substantially its original volume and dimensions.
- Mineral wool is a typical type of such a materials, such as glass wool, slag wool or stone wool.
- this elastic compressibility is obtained at least in part by a high air content, possibly with open cells, where air is free to travel in and out of the material.
- wool is understood this flexible material in either compressed or uncompressed form.
- a roll-up belt is used, which is usefully flaccid and stretched in different regions over time.
- a loosened belt is understood a portion of a belt where the distance it covers is less than the distance coverable by the same belt portion without damaging the belt, or, in other words, a flaccid belt or a slack belt.
- the belt is never completely flaccid, slack or loose, but comparatively so, relative to other portions and at other times.
- the flaccidness may be understood as a descriptor of regions able to supply excess belt.
- an automatic rolling of flexible material is obtained solving the above-mentioned problems by letting the adaptably expanding meeting loop cavity ensure that the rolling is initiated in a controlled manner, and furthermore, that one machine may be fitted to roll flexible material of various dimensions and characteristics.
- it relates to a method wherein at least two of said rollers are active and wherein gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity comprises controlling the rotation speed of at least one of said at least two active rollers along said belt pathway.
- the speed is adaptable during operation.
- one of the active rollers may drive the belt instead at a reference speed and its speed may not be controllable.
- another active roller then adaptably controls the meeting loop cavity expansion.
- both are controllable. The expansion of the meeting loop cavity can be precisely controlled by using the two active rollers at different speeds.
- the compression of the wool is obtained by moving the wool between an upper feed belt and a lower feed belt, and wherein the feed belts are inclined relative to each other, whereby the distance between their transport surfaces decreases in their transport direction. Thereby, the compression of the insulation material moving along the surface of the lower compression belt is gradually increased.
- said belt pathway comprises a first pathway segment defining a route between said two active rollers and a second pathway segment defining another route between said two active rollers, wherein said moveable roller is located along said first pathway segment and said meeting loop cavity is located along said second pathway segment.
- an apparatus comprising at least one limiter unit, where said at least one limiter unit is adapted to reduce the speed of said belt along said belt pathway, and where said limiter unit is positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction.
- the limiter unit is a passive roller or an active roller.
- the limiter unit may be an active roller providing a reduction of speed by actively rotating at lower speeds than the oncoming belt, or it may be a passive roller fitted to supply a static or dynamic speed reduction.
- said limiter unit is the first roller positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction.
- a method whereby gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity comprises decreasing the pull onto said belt inside said meeting loop cavity from downstream said meeting loop cavity.
- brakes may be employed, whereby the effectiveness of the expansion of the cavity may be easily seen and optimized to different materials and speeds, while allowing the system to operate at optimum efficiency ranges.
- it pertains to an apparatus adapted to perform this function by decreasing the speed of the downstream belt with a limiter unit.
- the limiter unit may be a brake or it may be a motor adapted to be able to brake or any other unit able to slow down the belt.
- an upper inlet roller is the limiter unit. By using an upper inlet roller as limiter unit, travel time between the meeting loop cavity and the limiter unit is minimized, allowing quick feedback and thus control of the rate of expansion of the meeting loop cavity.
- the pressure of said flexible material onto said belt as it meets the belt inside said meeting loop cavity is enough to gradually increase the length of the segment of said roll-up belt by drawing belt into said meeting loop cavity.
- it pertains to an apparatus adapted to perform this method. This is normally not possible because inertia in the belt along its path necessitates releasing substantially more belt and slacking the belt considerably before the resistance has decreased enough for expanding the cavity in this way. Another problem produced by this is that the rate of expansion of the cavity is then not controlled.
- the sensitivity of the belt in the meeting loop cavity may be adjusted to a fitting level.
- the mineral wool packager may be fitted to compress and pack wools of different materials and thicknesses.
- the neck of the meeting loop cavity is narrowed as the cavity is expanded and the roll size increased.
- narrowing the neck is meant that the opening of the cavity is made smaller. This allows ⁇ the wool to touch, thus promoting rolling and not allowing it to leave the cavity along the belt, even for different thicknesses of wools.
- it relates to an apparatus adapted to narrow the neck.
- the invention pertains to an apparatus where said loop cavity is retained by fingers, said fingers protruding onto said belt inside said meeting loop cavity. These fingers do not protrude deeply enough to obstruct the path of the flexible material. Thereby, feeding belt to the cavity has the predictable effect of expanding the cavity inwards. Without any guidance, the belt making up the cavity might hang out and so feeding belt would simply increase the protrusion of the belt outwards.
- the fingers By the fingers not extending fully inwards onto the belt, they are adapted to not obstruct the path of the wool, making their use considerably simpler.
- the fingers are mechanically removable, which allows for them to be withdrawn to roll materials in the cavity with broader profiles without obstruction, such as plastic packaging, which is often broader than the wools they are fitted to package.
- FIG. 1 is a side view of the mineral wool packager at a time prior to formation of a wool roll.
- FIG. 2 is a side view of the mineral wool packager at the beginning of formation of a wool roll.
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the mineral wool packager almost finished rolling the wool.
- FIG. 4 is a side view of the mineral wool packager as it has released the finished roll.
- FIGS. 1-4 illustrates the process of making rolls of flexible, compressed material according to the present invention.
- FIG. 1 illustrates the mineral wool packager 1 prepared to form a roll of wool 4 . Furthermore, it also illustrates the wool being compressed 41 between two feed-belts 2 , 3 adapted to receive the wool between the two belts.
- Each belt is a conventional transporting belt, where a belt rotates around rollers and the rotating direction and also the transport direction are illustrated by the arrows 5 .
- the upper compression belt 3 is mounted in an inclined manner relative to the lower compression belt 2 , whereby the distance decreases between the two belts in the transport direction of the transporting belt. This decrease in distance compresses the insulation material between the belt as the insulation is moved along the transport belts.
- One or both of the feed-belts 2 , 3 are at least vertically moveable, thus affording control over the degree of compression 41 , achieving an appropriate thickness of compressed wool 42 . This allows multiple thicknesses and types of wool to be inserted into the mineral wool packager at their effective compressions, such as appropriately compressing stone wool with a thickness of ten and thirty centimetres respectively.
- the embodiment of the mineral wool packager according to FIG. 1 consists of a roll-up belt fitted onto a number of passive rollers 12 , 12 ′, 17 , 19 , 181 as well as two active rollers 11 , 16 , driving the movement of the belt by rotating, this rotation provided by drive motors.
- Most of the passive rollers 12 , 19 have as function to define the belt pathway, while other passive rollers 12 ′, 17 , 181 have further functions as well, as described in the following.
- the mineral wool packager has a controllably moveable roller 17 , whose displacement along axis A shortens or lengthens the belt pathway, thereby either slacking or tightening the belt. In FIG. 1 this displacement is vertical, but in other embodiments, the displacement may be horizontal or any other angle.
- a motor controls the movement along axis A.
- a counterweight is attached to the moveable roller 17 , whereby the gravity of the counterweight substantially equals the upwards pull by the belt being tight, which allows the motor attached to moveable roller 17 to operate with less frequency and with less power.
- an expandable meeting loop cavity 14 is located, so that compressed wool 42 encountering the belt 10 enters this cavity.
- this cavity is illustrated in its initial, contracted position.
- the belt pathway is kept expanded into the cavity-shape by two fingers 13 in the contracted position. Because the belt 10 is broader than compressed wool 42 , the fingers 13 holds the belt in the cavity, but adapted to not protrude deeply onto the belt, whereby they do not obstruct the path of the wool as it enters the cavity. Thereby, the fingers hold the belt in a minimal cavity size but does not obstruct the wool from pressing against the cavity.
- the fingers 13 are mechanically removable during operation, allowing broader profiles of for example plastic film to roll unobstructed into the cavity at a convenient time, for example allowing packaging the wool in an outer packaging layer.
- the belt 10 is rotated by at least one active roller 11 .
- This active roller is controllable, by which is understood that it has a controllably variable speed. This speed is adapted based on the need for loose belt in the meeting loop cavity.
- belt feed to the cavity can be precisely controlled, whereby wool of varying materials and thicknesses can be rolled in the mineral wool packager according to the invention.
- the mineral wool packager according to the invention is thus adapted to supply a tightly fitting cavity and a precisely paced expansion, even as the machine becomes older and tolerances creep.
- the roller 16 is an active roller. According to the invention, the roller 16 might also be a passive roller.
- two active rollers 11 , 16 are provided, where the direction of the rotation of these is seen by rotational arrows 5 .
- Counter-rollers 111 , 161 are used to ensure the grip of the active rollers onto the belt to ensure a high degree of power transfer as well as a controlled belt displacement.
- the belt When the moveable roller 17 is moved upwards, the belt initially becomes loose.
- the geometry of the belt pathway will determine where the flaccidity expresses itself the most. If the active rollers operates normally following the belt becoming flaccid, the flaccidness will travel along the belt pathway and will likely result in a concave line immediately before the first active roller 11 as well as a slightly more flaccid pathway upstream of the first active roller all the way to the second active roller.
- the first active roller is not a passive roller; however, the flaccidness is substantially kept at a first belt-segment 101 corresponding to upstream relative to the first active roller, and between the two active rollers, while the flaccidness cannot enter a second belt-segment 102 corresponding to downstream from the first active roller and between the two active rollers.
- the two active rollers displace the belt at the same speeds, flaccidness on one belt-segment 101 or 102 cannot travel to the other segment. Substantially, only by operating the active rollers at different speeds the flaccidness may travel between belt segments.
- the amount of flaccid belt fed to the meeting loop cavity is precisely controlled. Furthermore, because the first active roller is placed substantially immediately upstream of the meeting loop cavity, the wool pressing against the belt inside the meeting loop cavity does not need to overcome the forces inherent in drawing belt from a concave belt line under the mineral wool packager to expand the cavity, but instead the first active roller actively feeds flaccid belt at a rate matching the rate of inserted wool, accounting for wool thickness and type. In one embodiment of the invention, the first active roller is adapted to respond to the wool pressing against the belt, feeding belt according to forces sensed from the belt.
- FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, where the compressed wool 42 is beginning to be formed into a roll inside the meeting loop cavity 14 .
- the moveable roller 17 is moved upwards, shortening the belt pathway, allowing the first active roller 11 to feed flaccid belt to the cavity 14 , which is then expanded by the compressed wool 42 .
- Edge rollers 12 , 12 ′ define the outer edges of the meeting loop cavity, and in one embodiment, one or both of them are moveable, allowing the meeting loop cavity to substantially close as the roll of wool is being formed. This ensures that the wool cannot leave the meeting loop cavity, as the height between the edge rollers 12 , 12 ′ may be adjusted to less than two times the height of the compressed wool.
- the wool traveling along the roof of the cavity may by its own weight fall onto the wool traveling along the floor of the cavity. However, if this does not happen by itself as may be the case for thicker wools especially, the gap between inlet rollers 12 , 12 ′ being less than two times the height of the compressed wool, ensures contact between the upper and the lower layer. Friction between the two layers ensure a bend at the tip of the wool traveling at the roof, whereby the formation of the roll is initiated with no or minimal plastic deformation of the wool.
- the geometry of the cavity precisely, such as by controllably feeding loose belt to the cavity.
- This may for example be according to the rate of insertion of wool, as well as the type and thickness of wool used.
- the cavity can be so small as to force the upper layer of wool to travel along the lower layer for the entire length of the cavity (not shown), thereby creating friction, which initiates the rolling.
- a larger cavity can be created, allowing the upper layer to fall onto the incoming layer by way of gravity, as seen in FIG. 2 .
- the amount of flaccid belt fed may vary.
- the belt feed during roll initiation may be non-linear or stop entirely or even reverse momentarily.
- An example may be quickly feeding a large amount of belt to the cavity, whereby a large cavity is created, ensuring that the wool has relatively far to travel along the roof of the cavity.
- the cavity may then for example be contracted again, ensuring a tight fit and so retaining the compression.
- the moveable roller is further displaced along axis A, allowing the meeting loop cavity 14 to attain a desired size for a wool roll 43 .
- an outer layer for example of plastic film, is fed conveniently along the upper feed-belt 3 and into the meeting loop cavity, thereby encapsulating the wool roll. This allows the roll to retain its compression even after removal from the mineral wool packager.
- the bottom of the mineral wool packager is rotated substantially sideways around a roller 181 , allowing the packaged wool roll out of the meeting loop cavity.
- Machine section 18 is rotated around roller 181 , whereby the wool roll is expelled, ready for further processing, storage and/or transportation.
- the roller 17 is displaced to accommodate any changed belt pathway distance between rollers 12 and 12 ′, corresponding to the meeting loop cavity of FIGS. 1-3 .
- the mineral wool packager is returned to a position corresponding to the one depicted in FIG. 1 .
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- Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method where rolling a length of compressed flexible material into a roll use a flexible roll-up belt moving along a belt pathway, said pathway defined by a number of rollers, wherein at least one of said rollers is active where its rotation is driven by a drive motor and drives the belt along said belt pathway, the roll-up belt can be tightened or loosened along said belt pathway by changing the position of at least one moveable roller and thereby changing the length of the pathway, wherein said method comprises feeding said compressed flexible material into a meeting loop cavity shaped by a segment of said roll-up belt along said roll-up belt pathway, whereby material follows the inner surface of the loop and the rolling of the flexible material is initiated, gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity to ensure that that the roll-up belt segment in said meeting loop cavity gradually and continuously follows the increasing size of the roll and supports the outer contour of the roll, wherein said gradual increase of the segment comprises the steps of gradually loosening the roll-up belt by changing the position of said at least one moveable roller and simultaneously controlling the rotation speed of said at least one active roller to control the length of said belt segment in said meeting loop cavity.
Thereby, an automatic rolling of flexible material is obtained, which adaptably expands a meeting loop cavity to ensure that the rolling is initiated in a controlled manner, and furthermore, that one apparatus performing the method according to the present invention may be used to roll flexible material of various dimensions and characteristics.
Description
- The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for rolling and packaging compressed flexible material such as mineral wool.
- Insulation wool is used for insulating e.g. houses in order to reduce energy loss. Insulation wool is a material comprising a lot of air and in order to save space both when transporting, storing and handling the material, it is an advantage to compress the material before packaging. Obviously, this is not only an advantage when it comes to insulation wool, but also other material comprising air, such as foam used in inter alia furniture, e.g. in mattresses, could be compressed to save space.
- It is known to stack and compress compressible products, such as insulation wool, in the same process. Another method of compressing and packaging wool is to compress and roll the wool in wool rolls. Using rolls can be advantageous in situations where large segments are to be covered by wool, which can be done much faster by just rolling out the roll instead of having to position a number of product pieces next to each other.
- When rolling wool rolls, it is of interest to maintain the optimum compression while rolling and further especially when initiating the rolling, the first part of the wool length may be over-compressed, resulting in plastic deformation of the wool, whereby it does not regain its full size when unpacked, and thereby does not regain its proper isolative properties. Another problem is that in the known methods of rolling, the first rounds of rolling cannot be optimally controlled, which often results in the first roll rotations being quite random thus bending the material in various directions.
- It is an object of the present invention to solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems.
- This is obtained by a method where rolling a length of compressed flexible material into a roll use a flexible roll-up belt moving along a belt pathway, said pathway defined by a number of rollers, wherein at least one of said rollers is active where its rotation is driven by a drive motor and drives the belt along said belt pathway, said roll-up belt can be tightened or loosened along said belt pathway by changing the position of at least one moveable roller and thereby changing the length of the pathway, wherein said method comprises feeding said compressed flexible material into a meeting loop cavity shaped by a segment of said roll-up belt along said roll-up belt pathway, whereby material follows the inner surface of the loop and the rolling of the flexible material is initiated, gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity to ensure that that the roll-up belt segment in said meeting loop cavity gradually and continuously follows the increasing size of the roll and supports the outer contour of the roll, wherein said gradual increase of the segment comprises the steps of gradually loosening the roll-up belt by changing the position of said at least one moveable roller and simultaneously controlling the rotation speed of said at least one active roller to control the length of said belt segment in said meeting loop cavity.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus adapted to perform this method.
- By compressed flexible material is understood any material having a substantial elastic compression range, or in other words, that the material is able to fully recover from considerable compression, such as 30% or 90% compression, regaining substantially its original volume and dimensions. Mineral wool is a typical type of such a materials, such as glass wool, slag wool or stone wool. Typically, this elastic compressibility is obtained at least in part by a high air content, possibly with open cells, where air is free to travel in and out of the material. By wool is understood this flexible material in either compressed or uncompressed form.
- In the present invention, a roll-up belt is used, which is usefully flaccid and stretched in different regions over time. By a loosened belt is understood a portion of a belt where the distance it covers is less than the distance coverable by the same belt portion without damaging the belt, or, in other words, a flaccid belt or a slack belt. In reality, the belt is never completely flaccid, slack or loose, but comparatively so, relative to other portions and at other times. The flaccidness may be understood as a descriptor of regions able to supply excess belt.
- By the method described, an automatic rolling of flexible material is obtained solving the above-mentioned problems by letting the adaptably expanding meeting loop cavity ensure that the rolling is initiated in a controlled manner, and furthermore, that one machine may be fitted to roll flexible material of various dimensions and characteristics.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to a method wherein at least two of said rollers are active and wherein gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity comprises controlling the rotation speed of at least one of said at least two active rollers along said belt pathway.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus adapted to perform this method.
- By controllably is understood that the speed is adaptable during operation. Conveniently, one of the active rollers may drive the belt instead at a reference speed and its speed may not be controllable. In this embodiment, another active roller then adaptably controls the meeting loop cavity expansion. In another embodiment of the invention, both are controllable. The expansion of the meeting loop cavity can be precisely controlled by using the two active rollers at different speeds.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to a method, wherein the compression of the wool is obtained by moving the wool between an upper feed belt and a lower feed belt, and wherein the feed belts are inclined relative to each other, whereby the distance between their transport surfaces decreases in their transport direction. Thereby, the compression of the insulation material moving along the surface of the lower compression belt is gradually increased.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus, wherein said belt pathway comprises a first pathway segment defining a route between said two active rollers and a second pathway segment defining another route between said two active rollers, wherein said moveable roller is located along said first pathway segment and said meeting loop cavity is located along said second pathway segment. By disallowing free travel from the moveable roller to the meeting loop cavity and instead leading the belt along active rollers, the belt feed to the meeting loop cavity can be precisely controlled.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus comprising at least one limiter unit, where said at least one limiter unit is adapted to reduce the speed of said belt along said belt pathway, and where said limiter unit is positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction. By using a limiter unit, control over belt movement may be achieved. By positioning the limiter unit downstream of the meeting loop cavity and activating the limiter unit while keeping active rollers at an unaltered speed, the belt portion inside the meeting loop cavity is increased.
- In an embodiment, the limiter unit is a passive roller or an active roller. By having the limiter unit be a roller, friction and wear on the belt is reduced. The limiter unit may be an active roller providing a reduction of speed by actively rotating at lower speeds than the oncoming belt, or it may be a passive roller fitted to supply a static or dynamic speed reduction.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus, wherein said limiter unit is the first roller positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction. By positioning the limiter unit immediately after the meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction, or in other words downstream relative to the meeting loop cavity, control over meeting loop cavity expansion is maximized relative to other positions of the limiter unit. In addition, feedback delay is avoided or reduced.
- In an embodiment of the invention, a method whereby gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity comprises decreasing the pull onto said belt inside said meeting loop cavity from downstream said meeting loop cavity. For example, brakes may be employed, whereby the effectiveness of the expansion of the cavity may be easily seen and optimized to different materials and speeds, while allowing the system to operate at optimum efficiency ranges. In an embodiment of the invention, it pertains to an apparatus adapted to perform this function by decreasing the speed of the downstream belt with a limiter unit. The limiter unit may be a brake or it may be a motor adapted to be able to brake or any other unit able to slow down the belt. In one embodiment, an upper inlet roller is the limiter unit. By using an upper inlet roller as limiter unit, travel time between the meeting loop cavity and the limiter unit is minimized, allowing quick feedback and thus control of the rate of expansion of the meeting loop cavity.
- In an embodiment of the invention, the pressure of said flexible material onto said belt as it meets the belt inside said meeting loop cavity is enough to gradually increase the length of the segment of said roll-up belt by drawing belt into said meeting loop cavity. In another embodiment of the invention, it pertains to an apparatus adapted to perform this method. This is normally not possible because inertia in the belt along its path necessitates releasing substantially more belt and slacking the belt considerably before the resistance has decreased enough for expanding the cavity in this way. Another problem produced by this is that the rate of expansion of the cavity is then not controlled. By matching the inertia of the belt with a first upstream active roller feeding flaccid belt, a situation may be produced where a push onto the side of the belt at the meeting loop cavity draws belt from the upstream active roller, expanding the cavity. By having the first active roller substantially immediately upstream relative to the meeting loop cavity, unnecessary intermediate pathway is avoided, which would act as a buffer for feeding belt and so increase belt inertia. Another complimentary route to achieve this effect is to use as few passive rollers as possible between the first active roller and the cavity, since passive rollers increase inertia. Yet another way to achieve the same effect is to decrease or eliminate horizontal pathways between the first active roller and the cavity, as these are affected substantially by gravity to increase belt inertia.
- Depending on the degree of matching of these forces, the sensitivity of the belt in the meeting loop cavity may be adjusted to a fitting level. By this adjustment, the mineral wool packager may be fitted to compress and pack wools of different materials and thicknesses.
- In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to a method, wherein the neck of the meeting loop cavity is narrowed as the cavity is expanded and the roll size increased. By narrowing the neck is meant that the opening of the cavity is made smaller. This allows⋅the wool to touch, thus promoting rolling and not allowing it to leave the cavity along the belt, even for different thicknesses of wools. In an embodiment of the invention, it relates to an apparatus adapted to narrow the neck.
- In an embodiment of the invention it pertains to an apparatus where said loop cavity is retained by fingers, said fingers protruding onto said belt inside said meeting loop cavity. These fingers do not protrude deeply enough to obstruct the path of the flexible material. Thereby, feeding belt to the cavity has the predictable effect of expanding the cavity inwards. Without any guidance, the belt making up the cavity might hang out and so feeding belt would simply increase the protrusion of the belt outwards. By the fingers not extending fully inwards onto the belt, they are adapted to not obstruct the path of the wool, making their use considerably simpler. In an embodiment of the invention, the fingers are mechanically removable, which allows for them to be withdrawn to roll materials in the cavity with broader profiles without obstruction, such as plastic packaging, which is often broader than the wools they are fitted to package.
-
FIG. 1 is a side view of the mineral wool packager at a time prior to formation of a wool roll. -
FIG. 2 is a side view of the mineral wool packager at the beginning of formation of a wool roll. -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the mineral wool packager almost finished rolling the wool. -
FIG. 4 is a side view of the mineral wool packager as it has released the finished roll. -
FIGS. 1-4 illustrates the process of making rolls of flexible, compressed material according to the present invention. -
FIG. 1 illustrates themineral wool packager 1 prepared to form a roll of wool 4. Furthermore, it also illustrates the wool being compressed 41 between two feed-belts arrows 5. - The
upper compression belt 3 is mounted in an inclined manner relative to thelower compression belt 2, whereby the distance decreases between the two belts in the transport direction of the transporting belt. This decrease in distance compresses the insulation material between the belt as the insulation is moved along the transport belts. One or both of the feed-belts compression 41, achieving an appropriate thickness of compressedwool 42. This allows multiple thicknesses and types of wool to be inserted into the mineral wool packager at their effective compressions, such as appropriately compressing stone wool with a thickness of ten and thirty centimetres respectively. - The embodiment of the mineral wool packager according to
FIG. 1 consists of a roll-up belt fitted onto a number ofpassive rollers active rollers passive rollers passive rollers 12′, 17, 181 have further functions as well, as described in the following. The mineral wool packager has a controllablymoveable roller 17, whose displacement along axis A shortens or lengthens the belt pathway, thereby either slacking or tightening the belt. InFIG. 1 this displacement is vertical, but in other embodiments, the displacement may be horizontal or any other angle. - In one embodiment, a motor controls the movement along axis A. In one embodiment where axis A is at least substantially vertical, a counterweight is attached to the
moveable roller 17, whereby the gravity of the counterweight substantially equals the upwards pull by the belt being tight, which allows the motor attached tomoveable roller 17 to operate with less frequency and with less power. - Furthermore, along the roll-up belt pathway, an expandable
meeting loop cavity 14 is located, so that compressedwool 42 encountering thebelt 10 enters this cavity. InFIG. 1 , this cavity is illustrated in its initial, contracted position. In an embodiment of the invention, the belt pathway is kept expanded into the cavity-shape by twofingers 13 in the contracted position. Because thebelt 10 is broader thancompressed wool 42, thefingers 13 holds the belt in the cavity, but adapted to not protrude deeply onto the belt, whereby they do not obstruct the path of the wool as it enters the cavity. Thereby, the fingers hold the belt in a minimal cavity size but does not obstruct the wool from pressing against the cavity. In an embodiment, thefingers 13 are mechanically removable during operation, allowing broader profiles of for example plastic film to roll unobstructed into the cavity at a convenient time, for example allowing packaging the wool in an outer packaging layer. - The
belt 10 is rotated by at least oneactive roller 11. This active roller is controllable, by which is understood that it has a controllably variable speed. This speed is adapted based on the need for loose belt in the meeting loop cavity. By having a controllably variable speed, belt feed to the cavity can be precisely controlled, whereby wool of varying materials and thicknesses can be rolled in the mineral wool packager according to the invention. In addition, the mineral wool packager according to the invention is thus adapted to supply a tightly fitting cavity and a precisely paced expansion, even as the machine becomes older and tolerances creep. - In the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 1-4 , theroller 16 is an active roller. According to the invention, theroller 16 might also be a passive roller. - In the embodiment shown, two
active rollers rotational arrows 5.Counter-rollers active rollers belt 10 and a mechanically controlledmoveable roller 17, the exact amount of belt fed to the meeting loop cavity can be controlled. - When the
moveable roller 17 is moved upwards, the belt initially becomes loose. The geometry of the belt pathway will determine where the flaccidity expresses itself the most. If the active rollers operates normally following the belt becoming flaccid, the flaccidness will travel along the belt pathway and will likely result in a concave line immediately before the firstactive roller 11 as well as a slightly more flaccid pathway upstream of the first active roller all the way to the second active roller. - The first active roller is not a passive roller; however, the flaccidness is substantially kept at a first belt-
segment 101 corresponding to upstream relative to the first active roller, and between the two active rollers, while the flaccidness cannot enter a second belt-segment 102 corresponding to downstream from the first active roller and between the two active rollers. In other words, while the two active rollers displace the belt at the same speeds, flaccidness on one belt-segment - Thereby, the amount of flaccid belt fed to the meeting loop cavity is precisely controlled. Furthermore, because the first active roller is placed substantially immediately upstream of the meeting loop cavity, the wool pressing against the belt inside the meeting loop cavity does not need to overcome the forces inherent in drawing belt from a concave belt line under the mineral wool packager to expand the cavity, but instead the first active roller actively feeds flaccid belt at a rate matching the rate of inserted wool, accounting for wool thickness and type. In one embodiment of the invention, the first active roller is adapted to respond to the wool pressing against the belt, feeding belt according to forces sensed from the belt.
-
FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, where the compressedwool 42 is beginning to be formed into a roll inside themeeting loop cavity 14. Themoveable roller 17 is moved upwards, shortening the belt pathway, allowing the firstactive roller 11 to feed flaccid belt to thecavity 14, which is then expanded by the compressedwool 42.Edge rollers edge rollers inlet rollers - To improve this function and reduce plastic deformation of the wool, especially in the beginning of the roll formation, it is useful to control the geometry of the cavity precisely, such as by controllably feeding loose belt to the cavity. This may for example be according to the rate of insertion of wool, as well as the type and thickness of wool used. By this adaptation, the cavity can be so small as to force the upper layer of wool to travel along the lower layer for the entire length of the cavity (not shown), thereby creating friction, which initiates the rolling. Alternatively, a larger cavity can be created, allowing the upper layer to fall onto the incoming layer by way of gravity, as seen in
FIG. 2 . Depending on wool characteristics such as thickness, stiffness and friction, the amount of flaccid belt fed may vary. In one embodiment, the belt feed during roll initiation may be non-linear or stop entirely or even reverse momentarily. An example may be quickly feeding a large amount of belt to the cavity, whereby a large cavity is created, ensuring that the wool has relatively far to travel along the roof of the cavity. When the wool bends and falls down and initiates rolling, the cavity may then for example be contracted again, ensuring a tight fit and so retaining the compression. - Since the
fingers 13 do not protrude deeply enough onto the belt to touch the compressed wool, it does not hinder the movement of the wool, and the wool thus passes between the fingers, illustrated inFIG. 2 andFIG. 3 with the compressedwool 42 andfingers 13 overlapping. - In
FIG. 3 , the moveable roller is further displaced along axis A, allowing themeeting loop cavity 14 to attain a desired size for awool roll 43. After the roll has attained the desired size, an outer layer, for example of plastic film, is fed conveniently along the upper feed-belt 3 and into the meeting loop cavity, thereby encapsulating the wool roll. This allows the roll to retain its compression even after removal from the mineral wool packager. - In
FIG. 4 , the bottom of the mineral wool packager is rotated substantially sideways around aroller 181, allowing the packaged wool roll out of the meeting loop cavity.Machine section 18 is rotated aroundroller 181, whereby the wool roll is expelled, ready for further processing, storage and/or transportation. Theroller 17 is displaced to accommodate any changed belt pathway distance betweenrollers FIGS. 1-3 . - By subsequent reversing the rotation of
machine section 18 aroundroller 181 and correspondingly tightening the belt pathway byroller 17 to ensure a tight fit aroundfingers 13, the mineral wool packager is returned to a position corresponding to the one depicted inFIG. 1 . -
- 1. Mineral wool packager
- 10. roll-up belt
- 101. first belt section
- 102. second belt section
- 11. first active roller
- 111. counter-roller of first active roller
- 12. lower edge roller
- 12′. upper edge roller
- 13. fingers
- 14. meeting loop cavity
- 16. second active roller
- 161. counter-roller of second active roller
- 17. moveable roller
- 18. machine section
- 181. passive roller
- 19. passive roller
- 2. first feed-belt
- 3. second feed-belt
- 4. wool
- 41. wool being compressed
- 42. compressed wool
- 43. wool roll
- 5. rotational movement
- A. axis
Claims (8)
1. A method of rolling a length of compressed flexible material into a roll using a flexible roll-up belt (10) moving along a belt pathway, said pathway defined by a number of rollers (11, 111, 12, 12′, 16, 161, 17, 181) wherein at least two of said rollers (11, 16) are active where their rotation is driven by a drive motor and drives the belt along said belt pathway, said roll-up belt can be tightened or loosened along said belt pathway by changing the position of at least one moveable roller (17) and thereby changing the length of the pathway, characterised in that said belt pathway comprises a first pathway segment (101) defining a route between said two active rollers and a second pathway segment (102) defining another route between said two active rollers, wherein said moveable roller (17) is located along said first pathway segment (101) and a meeting loop cavity (14) is located along said second pathway segment (102), wherein said method comprises
feeding said compressed flexible material (4) into said meeting loop cavity shaped by a segment of said roll-up belt along said roll-up belt pathway, whereby material follows the inner surface of the loop and the rolling of the flexible material is initiated,
gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity to ensure that that the roll-up belt segment in said cavity gradually and continuously follows the increasing size of the roll and supports the outer contour of the roll,
wherein said gradual increase of the segment comprises the steps of gradually loosening the roll-up belt by changing the position of said at least one moveable roller and simultaneously controlling the rotation speed of said at least two active rollers to control the length of said belt segment in said meeting loop cavity.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of said rollers are active and wherein gradually increasing the length of the segment of said roll-up belt in said meeting loop cavity comprises controlling the rotation speed of at least one of said at least two active rollers along said belt pathway.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression (41) of said flexible material is obtained by moving the flexible material (4) between an upper feed belt (3) and a lower feed belt (2), and wherein the feed belts are inclined relative to each other, whereby the distance between their transport surfaces decreases in their transport direction.
4. An apparatus for rolling a length of compressed flexible material into a roll, said apparatus comprising
a flexible roll-up belt (10) moving along a belt pathway being defined by a number of rollers (11, 111, 12, 12′, 16, 161, 17, 181),
at least two active rollers (11, 16) where their rotation is driven by a drive motor and where said active rollers drives the belt along said belt pathway,
a moveable roller (17), where the roll-up belt can be tightened or loosened along said belt pathway by changing the position of said moveable roller and thereby changing the length of the pathway,
a meeting loop cavity (14) shaped by a segment of said roll-up belt along said roll-up belt pathway, for receiving said length of compressed flexible material (4) to be rolled,
means for gradually increasing the segment by gradually loosening the roll-up belt by changing the position of said at least one moveable roller and simultaneously controlling the rotation speed of said at least one active roller to control the length of said belt segment in said meeting loop cavity,
characterised in that
said belt pathway comprises a first pathway segment (101) defining a route between said two active rollers and a second pathway segment (102) defining another route between said two active rollers, wherein said moveable roller (17) is located along said first pathway segment (101) and said meeting loop cavity (14) is located along said second pathway segment (102).
5. An apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising at least one limiter unit (16), where
said at least one limiter unit is adapted to reduce the speed of said belt along said belt pathway, and where said limiter unit is positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said limiter unit is a passive roller or an active roller.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said limiter unit is the first roller positioned along said belt pathway after said meeting loop cavity in the belt moving direction.
8. An apparatus according to claim 4 , where said loop cavity is retained by fingers (13), said fingers protruding onto said belt (10) inside said meeting loop cavity (14)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP15175443.9A EP3115324A1 (en) | 2015-07-06 | 2015-07-06 | A method and apparatus for making rolls from flexible material, such as mineral wool |
EP15175443.9 | 2015-07-06 | ||
PCT/EP2016/065949 WO2017005776A1 (en) | 2015-07-06 | 2016-07-06 | Mineral wool packager |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20180194583A1 true US20180194583A1 (en) | 2018-07-12 |
Family
ID=53546128
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/742,189 Abandoned US20180194583A1 (en) | 2015-07-06 | 2016-07-06 | Mineral wool packager |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20180194583A1 (en) |
EP (2) | EP3115324A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2990760A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017005776A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10344410B2 (en) * | 2013-01-11 | 2019-07-09 | Saint-Gobain Isover | Thermal insulation product based on mineral wool and method of fabrication of the product |
EP3741691A1 (en) * | 2019-05-21 | 2020-11-25 | L&P Swiss Holding GmbH | Machine and method for roll-packing of mattresses |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102017113532A1 (en) | 2017-06-20 | 2018-12-20 | Storopack Hans Reichenecker Gmbh | Apparatus for providing a coil-shaped padding product for packaging purposes |
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US4114530A (en) * | 1977-06-23 | 1978-09-19 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Apparatus for packaging compressible strips |
US4164177A (en) * | 1978-09-07 | 1979-08-14 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Methods and apparatus for rolling material into a package |
US4602471A (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1986-07-29 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Roll-up method and apparatus for mineral fiber pack |
US6321507B1 (en) * | 1999-10-29 | 2001-11-27 | Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc. | Apparatus for packaging insulation material |
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US3911641A (en) * | 1973-11-02 | 1975-10-14 | Owens Corning Fiberglass Corp | Roll-up compressive packaging apparatus |
FR2616137B1 (en) * | 1987-06-03 | 1990-08-03 | Saint Gobain Isover | IMPROVEMENTS ON COMPRESSION WINDING MACHINES OF COMPRESSIBLE MATERIALS |
FR2685904A1 (en) * | 1992-01-07 | 1993-07-09 | Saint Gobain Isover | COMPRESSED FIBROUS MATTRESS ROLL, METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OBTAINING THE SAME. |
US5305963A (en) * | 1992-12-03 | 1994-04-26 | Schuller International, Inc. | Method and apparatus for forming rolls from strips of compressible material |
DE29604901U1 (en) * | 1996-03-16 | 1996-05-15 | Kaibel & Sieber Gmbh | Device for winding a web of compressible material |
DE29923197U1 (en) * | 1999-02-03 | 2000-07-06 | Rockwool Mineralwolle | Device for winding a nonwoven fabric |
-
2015
- 2015-07-06 EP EP15175443.9A patent/EP3115324A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2016
- 2016-07-06 EP EP16736121.1A patent/EP3319890A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2016-07-06 CA CA2990760A patent/CA2990760A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2016-07-06 US US15/742,189 patent/US20180194583A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2016-07-06 WO PCT/EP2016/065949 patent/WO2017005776A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US4114530A (en) * | 1977-06-23 | 1978-09-19 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Apparatus for packaging compressible strips |
US4164177A (en) * | 1978-09-07 | 1979-08-14 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Methods and apparatus for rolling material into a package |
US4602471A (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1986-07-29 | Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation | Roll-up method and apparatus for mineral fiber pack |
US6321507B1 (en) * | 1999-10-29 | 2001-11-27 | Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc. | Apparatus for packaging insulation material |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10344410B2 (en) * | 2013-01-11 | 2019-07-09 | Saint-Gobain Isover | Thermal insulation product based on mineral wool and method of fabrication of the product |
US11035062B2 (en) | 2013-01-11 | 2021-06-15 | Saint-Gobain Isover | Thermal insulation product based on mineral wool and method of fabrication of the product |
EP3741691A1 (en) * | 2019-05-21 | 2020-11-25 | L&P Swiss Holding GmbH | Machine and method for roll-packing of mattresses |
WO2020233970A1 (en) * | 2019-05-21 | 2020-11-26 | L&P Swiss Holding Gmbh | Machine and method for roll-packing of mattresses |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP3115324A1 (en) | 2017-01-11 |
EP3319890A1 (en) | 2018-05-16 |
CA2990760A1 (en) | 2017-01-12 |
WO2017005776A1 (en) | 2017-01-12 |
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