US3135151A

US3135151A - Paper slitter with dust removal vacuum device

Info

Publication number: US3135151A
Application number: US93690A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter J Link; Harvey F Metzig
Original assignee: Kimberly Clark Corp
Current assignee: Kimberly Clark Corp
Priority date: 1961-03-06
Filing date: 1961-03-06
Publication date: 1964-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-02

Description

June 2, 1964 P. J. LINK ETAL 3,135,151

PAPER SLITTER WITH nus? RBMQVAL VACUUM DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1961 TEL/ 3,135,151 PAPER SLITTER WITH DUST REMOVAL VACUUM DEVICE Filed March 6; 1961 June 2, 1964 P. J. LINK ETAL 3 Sheets5heet 2 June 2, 1964 p |NK ETAL 3,135,151

PAPER SLITTER WITH DUST REMOVAL VACUUM DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 6, 1961 United States Patent 3,135,151 PAPER SLITTER WITH DUST REMOVAL VACUUM DEVICE Peter J. Link, Neenah, and Harvey F. Metzig, Appleton, Wis, assignors to Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 93,690 7 Claims. (Cl. 83168) Our invention relates to machines for slitting or cutting webs, particularly paper webs.

Slitters comprising a pair of opposite rotating wheels in shearing contact with each other are in common usage. When these slitter wheels are used with common printing or writing paper that is coated with the usual mineral or clay coating, it has been found that flecks and duct of this coating are formed by the slitter, and such debris is extremely deleterious for subsequent usage, such as for printing. Some of this debris is thrown upwardly while some of it adheres to the cut webs, and it is an object of the present invention to provide improved dust removal mechanism for removing both the dust thrown into the air as well as the dust that adheres to the paper.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dust removing hood that is effective directly on the cut webs with a relatively high vacuum and low rate of air flow and which is effective on one of the slitter wheels with a relatively low vacuum and a high rate of air flow.

In a preferred form, the hood, according to the invention, has a portion embracing one of the slitter wheels and a perforate shoe that is in contact with the web adjacent the slit provided by the slitter wheels. Due to internal partitioning of the hood according to the invention, a relatively high vacuum from a vacuum conduit is effective on the shoe and thus on the Web while a relatively low vacuum, with a corresponding high air flow, is effective around one of the slitter wheels.

The invention consists of the novel constructions, ar-

,rangements, devices and methods to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form of the invention, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a slitter for paper webs including a dust removing hood which incorporates the principles of the invention and which includes a dust removing shoe for slidingly contacting the paper web in the vicinity of the slit;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the slitter; FIG. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

.several views.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated slitting device may be seen to comprise a top slitter blade or wheel and a bottom slitter cylinder or wheel 11. The

wheel 10 and cylinder 11 are beveled on their edges as shown in FIG. 3 to havea shearing action between them when they are rotatively driven. The slitter cylinder 11 is mounted on suitable framing (not shown) and is driven 3,135,151 Patented June 2, 1964 by an electric motor 12 also mounted on the framing. The top slitter blade is rotatably mounted through intermediate connecting mechanism with respect to a stationary support which is in the form of a shaft 13.

The slitter blade 10 is carried by an arm 14 that is fixed on a shaft 15. The shaft '15 extends through a yoke 16 that is in turn carried by another, larger, yoke 17 that embraces the shaft 13. The shaft 15 is threaded on its upper end, and an adjusting nut 18 positions the shaft 15, arm 14 and slitter blade 10 in desired vertical positions. A clamp screw 19 extends through ears 20 provided on the two ends of the yoke 16 for tightening the shaft 15 within the yoke 16 in properly vertically adjusted position; and a clamp screw 21 extends through two ears 22 provided on the ends of the yoke 17 for fixing the yoke 17, shaft 15, arm 14 and slitter wheel 10 in proper rotative positions about the support shaft 13. With the parts in their preferred adjusted positions as illustrated, the shaft 15 extends approximately vertically, and the arm 14 is so located vertically that the slitter blade 10 overlaps the slitter cylinder 11 to a slight extent.

A dust collecting hood 23 is disposed about the slitter wheel 10. The hood 23 is swingably mounted with respect to the shaft 15 by means of a bolt 24 that extends through parts of a clamp 25 that embraces the shaft 15. A bracket 26 is fixed to the clamp 25 and shields the side of the wheel 10 opposite the hood 23. Swinging movement of the hood 23 with respect to the shaft 15 is limited by means of abutting

projections

27 and 28 fixed with respect to the bracket 25 and hood 23 respectively.

The hood 23 embraces the wheel 10 and has side portions or

flanges

29 and 30 extending parallel to and alongside the Wheel 10 on opposite sides of the wheel. The side portions or

flanges

29 and 30 are joined by means of a rounded rim portion 31. A tubular conduit 32 is connected to the inner cavity of the hood 23, and a partition 33 is provided within the hood having its end lying approximately on the longitudinal center line of the conduit 32.

The hood 23 is provided with a downwardly extending conduit 34 connected with the conduit 32 and disposed partially below the upper end of the partition 33. The conduit 34 enlarges on its lower end to a relatively broad conduit 35, and a shoe 36 fits .in the conduit 35. The shoe 36 has a longitudinally extending groove or slot 37 extending through it which connects with the

conduits

35 and 34 and is provided on its bottom surface with tongues '38 separated by grooves 39 which extend slantwise with respect to both the transverse and longitudinal axes of the shoe.

A pair of

brushes

40 and 41 are provided on opposite sides of the conduit 35. Each of the brushes is fixed within a brush holder 42. Each of the holders 42 has slots 43 through it, and a cap screw 44 extends through each of slots 43 and into the. shoe 36 for fixing the shoe 36 and

brushes

40 and 41 with respect to the sides of the conduit 35. A slide piece 45 embraces a part of the shoe 36. The slide piece 45 has inturned flanges 46 fitting in side slots 47 in the shoe, and the slide piece 45 is provided with

end lugs

48 and 49, as shown. The slide piece 45 may be moved longitudinally of the shoe 36 simply by sliding the fianges 46 in the slots 47 to more or less cover the bottom surface of the shoe 36 and more or less cover the slot 37 on the bottom surface of the shoe 36.

The conduit 32 is connected through a flexible hose 5i) to a suitable source of vacuum 51.

In operation, a paper web 52 is moved between the slitter wheels 10 and 11, being suitably supported prior to and after passing between the wheels 10 and 11 by any suitable rolls or other supports (not shown). The motor 12 drives the slitter wheel 11, and the two wheels 10 and 11 have a shearing action, shearing strips of the web 52 apart, such as to remove an edge strip 52a from the remainder of the web 52 (see FIG. 4). The shearing action is particularly by virtue of the tapered cutting edges on the wheels and 11 previously mentioned. The wheel 11 is preferably driven by the motor 12 to have a slightly faster speed at its periphery than the speed at which the paper 52 is passed between the wheels 10 and 11, such differential of speed being, for example, about 10 percent. The wheel 10 is driven due to friction with the wheel 11, and it thus has about the same speed as the wheel 11. Although the web 52 can be of any suitable paper, the invention is particularly concerned with paper that is coated with the usual conventional mineral or clay coatings, such paper being particularly useful as printing or writing paper. Coating flecks and dust are caused by the shearing action of the wheels 10 and 11 on such coated paper, and unless this residue is removed, it can well cause difficulties in subsequent usage of the paper such as in printing operations. Some of this dust is thrown upwardly from the paper and would be distributed over quite a wide area of the paper while the rest of the dust would accumulate along the slit 52b in the paper and would adhere to the paper due to static electricity. The hood 23 connected to the source of vacuum has the function of collecting the dust and residue from the slitting operation and removing it from the paper.

The

sides

29 and 30 and peripheral rim portion 31 embrace the upper Wheel 10, and the hood 23 thus collects the dust that is thrown upwardly by the slitting operation. This dust is drawn through the conduit 32 and hose 50 to the vacuum source 51. The shoe 36 has the function of removing the dust that adheres along the slit 525 from the paper. The side flange 48 of the piece 45 is so positioned, assuming that the edge portion 52a is being removed as scrap from the main portion of the paper by the slitting operation, so that the slit 52b lies along the outer edge of the flange 48. It is desired that the shoe 36 shall be effective to provide a vacuum action on only the useable part of the paper 52, and the shoe 45 in its illustrated position thus closes off the slot 37 in the part of the shoe 36 embraced by the slide piece 45. There thus is no large air flow or loss of vacuum in that part of the shoe 36 that does not cover a part of the paper 52.

The main portion of the web 52 to the left of the flange 48 as seen in FIG. 4, passes under the bottom surface of the shoe 36, and air flows through the slantwise extending grooves 39 between the ribs 38 and into the slot 37 of the shoe, drawing the dust on the main portion of the Web 52 at its edge along the slit 52b into the shoe and thus into the conduit 32 and hose 50 to the vacuum source 51. The

brushes

40 and 41 are effective on the sheet 52 before and after the shoe 36 along the slit 525 as the sheet passes beneath the shoe for assisting in dislodging flecks of dust that adhere to the web due to static electricity, and the slantwise extending ribs 38 also have this dust dislodging function. Although the web 52 is shown as having an edge portion 52a slit from it by the illustrated slitting mechanism, it will be understood that a paper web may be split along a median line to provide webs of substantial Width. In this case, the slide 45 would not be used and would be disassociated from the shoe 36 so that about one-half of the shoe 36 on one side of the slitter wheel 10 would be effective on one of the resulting webs and the other side of the shoe on the other side of the wheel 10 would be effective on the other web. There would be no necessity for blocking off a portion of the bottom surface of the shoe 36 in this case, since one of the split webs would perform the function of closing off the right portion of the shoe (as seen in FIG. 4), and, in fact, the function of the shoe in cleaning both of the split webs would be desired.

It is contemplated that the paper web may contact the bottom surface of the shoe 36 due only to the force of the vacuum applied to the web through the branch conduit 34 and shoe 36. No support for the paper web beneath the shoe 36 is necessary.

It has been found very desirable that the vacuum applied to the shoe 36 through the branch conduit 34 shall be higher than the vacuum applied to the hood 23 as a whole between the

side flanges

29 and 30. The partition 33 has been provided for this effect. The partition 33 extends approximately to the center line of the conduit 32, so that the vacuum effect in the lower half of the conduit 32 is effective substantially solely on the branch conduit 34 and thus on the shoe 36. Since the bottom of the shoe 36 is substantially closed by either the two split Webs provided by the slitter wheels or alternately by a single web 52, together with the slide 45, there is a relatively small flow of air upwardly through the branch conduit 34, and due to such restriction in the flow of air through the shoe 36 and due also to the partition 33, the vacuum within the branch conduit 34 and in the shoe 36 remains relatively high. Since there is little restriction to the flow of air around the slitter wheel 10 and into the hood 23 between the

side flanges

29 and 30, there is a relatively large flow of air between the

side flanges

29 and 30 and into the conduit 32 above the partition 33. The relatively high vacuum effective on the shoe 36 and the relatively low vacuum with a large rate of air flow around the slitter wheel 10 and between the

side flanges

29 and 30 have been found to provide effective removal of the dust thrown upwardly as well as effective removal of the dust that adheres tothe paper in the vicinity of the slit particularly due to static electricity.

If it is desired to change the particular slitter wheel 10 that is being used, the hood 23 may be moved upwardly to permit ready removal of the wheel 10 from its arbor. In order to accomplish this, the stud 24 is loosened and the hood 23 may then be swung upwardly about the stud 24. The

lugs

27 and 28, as has been previously mentioned, limit the downward swinging movement of the hood to a proper position as illustrated when the hood is returned to embrace a slitter wheel 10.

Most of the dusting problem in the illustrated slitter is, of course, on the upper surface of the paper 52, since the dust tends to settle by gravity. There can be, of course, a minor accumulation of dust on the lower surface of the sheet 52 and, if desired, a hood 23 can also be located about the bottom slitter wheel 11. The shoe 36 of the lower hood 23 would be positioned approximately below the shoe 36 for the upper hood 23, and the lower hood 23 could be fixed with its clamp 25 embracing a lower vertical shaft 53 suitably fixed with respect to the framing of the slitter by any suitable means (not shown).

We wish it to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, except only insofar as the claims may be so limited, as it will be understood to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. In particular, it will be understood that although the slitter mechanism has been described in particular for use in connection with paper Webs, the slitter mechanism may also be used on a sheet material other than paper, such as in connection with plastics, non-woven fabrics, plywood, board, etc. Insofar as the drive for the cylinder 11 is concerned; obviously, in lieu of the electric motor 12, the cylinder 11 may be mechanically driven such as by an air motor, or by means of a belt connected with a suitable prime mover, etc.

Although the hood 23 has been described in connection with the shearing wheels 10 and 11, it will be understood that such a hood may also be useful in connection with other types of slitters, such as those using fixed upstanding slitter blades, for example. The partition 33 has been disclosed to provide the relatively high vacuum in the shoe 36 and the relatively low vacuum about the wheel 10; however, it will be understood that actually two different prime sources of vacuum, such as two different vacuum pumps, may be used instead, one being connected to draw air from about the wheel and the other being connected to the shoe 36, and the claims are not to be limited to the partition 33 or the like except insofar as they may be specifically so limited. It will also be obvious that, although the shaft is illustrated as being vertical in connection with a horizontally movable web 52, if the Web is arranged to travel other than horizontally, likewise the shaft 15 will be moved from its vertical position to accommodate the changed direction of travel of the web.

We claim:

1. In sheet cutting mechanism, means for severing sheet material along a line of cut into a plurality of parts including a rotatable cutting wheel having its edge passing through the sheet material and forming the line of cut, means for providing a relatively low vacuum about said wheel for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, and means for providing a relatively high vacuum along the line of out between the parts of the sheet material for drawing oif cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut.

2. In sheet cutting mechanism, means for severing sheet material along a line of cut into a plurality of parts including a rotatable cutting wheel having its edge passing through the sheet material and forming the line of cut, a hood partially embracing said wheel and including a conduit for connecting the hood with a source of vacuum for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, said hood being provided with a portion including a perforate shoe for contacting the sheet material along the line of cut for drawing off cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut, and a partition in said hood for partially isolating said shoe with respect to the remainder of the hood embracing the wheel and providing a direct connection of said shoe to said conduit so that a higher vacuum is effective on said shoe than about said cutting wheel.

3. In sheet cutting mechanism, means for severing sheet material along a line of cut into a plurality of parts including a rotatable cutting wheel having its edge passing through the sheet material and forming a line of cut, a hood partially embracing said cutting wheel and connected by means of a conduit with a source of vacuum for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, a branch conduit connecting with said first named conduit, a perforate shoe in said branch conduit and adapted to contact the sheet material along the line of cut for drawing off cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut, a partition within said hood for partially isolating said branch conduit with respect to the remainder of the hood embracing the wheel and to provide a substantially direct connection between the shoe and said first named conduit so that the vacuum applied to the said material by the shoe is greater than the vacuum about said wheel provided by the hood and, a brush mounted on said branch conduit for brushing the sheet material passing in contact with said shoe for dislodging dust along the line of cut.

4. In a method of drawing oif cutting dust in the vicinity of a rotatable cutting wheel having its edge passing through sheet material for forming a line of cut in the sheet material, providing a relatively low vacuum about the wheel for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, and providing a relatively high vacuum along the line of cut for drawing off cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut.

5. A hood for a rotatable cutting wheel which wheel is adapted to have its edge pass through sheet material for forming a line of cut in the sheet material, said hood comprising a yoke shaped portion for partially embracing the cutting wheel and connected to a vacuum conduit for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, said hood being provided with a perforate shoe connected with said conduit adapted to contact the sheet material as the cutting wheel severs the sheet material, and a partition within said hood for partially isolating said shoe with respect to the part of the hood embracing the cut-- ting wheel and for providing a direct connection between said shoe and conduit so that a higher vacuum is eifective on the shoe than within the part of the hood embracing the cutting Wheel.

6. In sheet cutting mechanism, a cutting wheel, a rotatable shaft on which the cutting wheel is mounted for driving the wheel so that its edge passes through the sheet material for forming a line of cut as the sheet material moves relative to the wheel from one side of said shaft 7 to the other, and a hood connected with a source of vacuum and embracing said wheel on One side of said shaft for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, said hood having a hollow part connected with said vacuum source through the hooded and depending from the hood on the same side of said shaft as the hood, said hollow part having a flat surface with an orifice therethrough under which the sheet material along said out line passes for drawing oif cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut.

7. In sheet cutting mechanism, a cutting wheel, a rotatable shaft on which the cutting wheel is mounted for driving the wheel so that its edge passes through the sheet material for forming a line of cut as the sheet material moves relative to the wheel from one side of said shaft to the other, a hood connected with a source of vacuum and embracing said wheel on one side of said shaft for drawing off air carried cutting dust from about the wheel, and a perforate shoe positioned on the same side of said shaft as the hood and depending from said hood so as to be connected thereby to said source of vacuum and so as to contact the sheet material along said line of cut for drawing oif cutting dust carried by the sheet material along the line of cut.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,359,718 McGuire Nov. 23, 1920 1,637,060 Simons July 26, 1927 1,819,131 Spanel Aug. 18, 1931 1,876,337 Mead Sept. 6, 1932 1,883,327 Becker Oct. 18, 1932 1,939,925 Schwartz Dec. 19, 1933 1,986,726 Grozier Jan. 1, 1935 2,585,186 Taylor Feb. 12, 1952 2,675,575 Dow Apr. 20, 1954 2,807,086 Watkins Sept. 24, 1957

Claims

5. A HOOD FOR A ROTATABLE CUTTING WHEEL WHICH WHEEL IS ADAPTED TO HAVE ITS EDGE PASS THROUGH SHEET MATERIAL FOR FORMING A LINE OF CUT IN THE SHEET MATERIAL, SAID HOOD COMPRISING A YOKE SHAPED PORTION FOR PARTIALLY EMBRACING THE CUTTING WHEEL AND CONNECTED TO A VACUUM CONDUIT FOR DRAWING OFF AIR CARRIED CUTTING DUST FROM ABOUT THE WHEEL, SAID HOOD BEING PROVIDED WITH A PERFORATE SHOE CONNECTED WITH SAID CONDUIT ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE SHEET MATERIAL AS THE CUTTING WHEEL SEVERS THE SHEET MATERIAL, AND A PARTITION WITHIN SAID HOOD FOR PARTIALLY ISOLATING SAID SHOE WITH RESPECT TO THE PART OF THE HOOD EMBRACING THE CUTTING WHEEL AND FOR PROVIDING A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID SHOE AND CONDUIT SO THAT A HIGHER VACUUM IS EFFECTIVE ON THE SHOE THAN WITHIN THE PART OF THE HOOD EMBRACING THE CUTTING WHEEL.