US3430542A

US3430542A - Material processing apparatus with relatively movable processing components

Info

Publication number: US3430542A
Application number: US529818A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert J Sarka
Original assignee: Harris Intertype Corp
Current assignee: Harris Graphics Corp
Priority date: 1966-02-24
Filing date: 1966-02-24
Publication date: 1969-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-04

Description

March 4, 1969 A. .J. SARKA 3,

MATERIAL PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH HELATIVELY MOVABLE PROCESSING COMPONENTS Sheet of 2 Filed Feb. 24. 1966 IN VENT ALBERT J- SARKA A T TORNE Y8 March 4, 1969 A. J. SARKA 3,430,542

MATERIAL PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH RELATIVELY MOVABLE PROCESSING COMPONENTS Filed Feb. 24, 1966 Sheet 2 of 2 INYENTOR AL BERT J. SARKA A TTORNEYS United States Patent F 3,430,542 MATERIAL PROCESSING APPARATUS WITH RELATIVELY MOVABLE PROC- ESSING COMPONENTS Albert J. Sarka, Fairview Park, Ohio, assignor to Harris- Intertype Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 509,754, Nov. 26, 1965. This application Feb. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 529, 818 US. Cl. 9336 7 Claims Int. Cl. B31!) 1/18 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of cylinders define a cutting nip. The cylinders have material engaging portions of plates which are secured to the cylinders and which portions effect cutting of the material into waste and articles. A stripper mechanism receives the material from the cutting nip and is operable to separate the waste and the articles. The strip per mechanism and the rotary cylinders are supported for relative bodily movement to provide for operator access to the cylinders for removing and replacing the plates on the cylinders.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 509,754 filed Nov. 26, 1965.

The present invention relates to a material processing apparatus and particularly to a sheet material processing apparatus for use in the formation of box blanks.

In material processing apparatuses and particularly material processing apparatuses for use in the formation of box blanks, numerous successive operations are performed on sheet-like material. The successive operations Which are performed on the material are performed by separate mechanisms located so as to receive the material from the preceding mechanism which has operated on the material and to deliver the material into the succeeding mechanism. Thus the various mechanisms which operate on the material are located in an in-line relation immediately adjacent to the other mechanisms. This creates problems in the adjustment of the various mechanisms from job to job due to the limited access to the individual mechanisms. This is particularly a problem in the formation of box blanks as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 509,754, filed Nov. 26, 1965, wherein sheet material is fed to a cutting and/or creasing unit in which the material is creased and/or cut into waste and a plurality of box blanks. The material is then fed to a stripper unit which separates the waste and box blanks and the box blanks are then conveyed to a skewing conveyor unit for laterally separating the box blanks and then to a stacking and shingling unit which effects a stacking of the box blanks. The cutting and/0r creasing of the material is effected by die plates having a cutting and/ or creasing pattern corresponding to the box blank being formed and which are carried on rotary cylinders. These plates are replaced upon a changing of the particular formation of box blank to be cut. Moreover, the stripping is effected by rotary cylinders having plates mounted thereon which also must be changed from job to job. Furthermore, the skewing conveyor unit must also be adjusted to provide for the proper lateral separation of the box blanks.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved material processing apparatus in which material is cut and/or creased and including a cutting and/ or creasing unit which receives the material from a feeding unit and which includes a pair of rotary cylinders carrying removable 3,439,542 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 ICC plates which effect the cutting and/or creasing and a mechanism for receiving the material from the cutting and/or creasing unit, and wherein the mechanism which receives the material and the cutting and/or creasing unit are bodily relatively movable so as to permit ready access to the portions thereof which are adjacent during operation to provide for ready adjustment thereof including easy removal and changing of the plates.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved material forming apparatus for forming sheet material into box blanks and wherein the sheet material is cut into box blanks by cooperating plates carried on rotary cylinders which cut the material into waste and box blanks, and wherein the waste and box blanks are separated in a stripping unit which receives the the material from the cutting unit and includes removable plates mounted on cylinders and which must be changed from job to job, and wherein the cutting unit and the stripping unit are relatively movable so as to provide for ready access to the units for adjustment thereof and changing of the plates thereon.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved material processing apparatus for forming box blanks from sheet material and which includes a cutting unit for cutting sheet material into waste and box blanks, a stripping unit which receives the material from the cutting unit and separates the waste and box blanks, a skewing conveyor unit for receiving the box blanks from the stripping unit, and a stacking unit which receives the box blanks from the skewing conveyor unit, and wherein the units are relatively movable in the direction of material feed so as to efiect a separation between units to provide for access to each of the units.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a material processing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of the material processing apparatus of FIG. 1 and showing units thereof in different positions;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary views illustrating different portions of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the material processed by the apparatus of FIG. 1.

The present invention provides an improved material processing apparatus. In general, the apparatus is operable to handle material in sheet form and to cut the material into laterally adjacent articles and Waste. After the material is cut into the waste and adjacent articles, the waste and articles are separated. The articles are then laterally separated and fed to a location where they are stacked. The apparatus may be used in the formation of various different articles; however, the preferred embodiment of the present invention to be described hereinbelow is especially adapted for use in the formation of carton or box blanks from sheet material.

As representing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a material processing apparatus 10 for use in forming and handling carton blanks. The material processing apparatus 10 includes, in general, a cutting unit 11 at which sheet material is cut into carton blanks and waste. The material cut into the carton blanks and waste is delivered from the material cutting unit 11 into a separator unit 12. The separator unit 12 is operable to separate the carton blanks and Waste and deliver the carton blanks to a skewing conveyor unit 13.

The skewing conveyor unit 13 is operable to laterally separate the carton blanks which are cut from the mate rial and to deliver the carton blanks to a shingling and stacking unit 14 which is operable to shingle the carton blanks and stack the carton blanks for removal from the apparatus.

Preferably, the sheet material which is processed by the processing apparatus is cardboard sheet material having the outline of a plurality of carton blanks printed thereon in closely spaced relation and lying in rows on the material with each row extending transverse to the feed of the material. The sheet material is thus cut providing a plurality of carton blanks spaced immediately adjacent to each other and in a row and are fed through the apparatus in this manner. The sheet material is so dimensioned that a plurality of rows of carton blanks are cut from the sheet.

A portion of a sheet which is to be processed by the apparatus 10 is shown in FIG. 5. The arrow 15 shown in FIG. 5 indicates the direction of feed of the material. The sheet is provided with two rows, designated 16, 17, of printed carton blank images, designated 18. The printed images 18 are arranged in the

rows

16, 17 in the desired number, and only two carton blanks are shown in each of the

rows

16, 17. The printed images 18 are arranged on the sheet material in a so-called reverse nested arrangement, that is, where projections 19 of the images in row 16 coextend with similar projections 20 of the images in the row 17. This coextension of these projections is provided by reversing the direction that the images in the row 17 face from those in row 16.

Each of the printed images 18 contains an area, designated A, which may be termed an internal area and which will become waste material. The portions A may be termed internal waste and are illustrated by way of example only. Depending upon the type of carton blank and its configuration, such internal waste may constitute a variety of waste portions, as will be discussed hereinbelow. The portion 21 of the sheet material which surrounds the printed images 18 constitutes waste material as well and may be termed external waste.

As noted hereina'bove, the material processing apparatus 10 is operable to cut the images 18 which constitute carton blanks from the sheet and to separate the carton blanks from the internal and external waste. The processing apparatus is also operable to feed the carton blanks forming the row 16 along one feed path for stacking purposes and the carton blanks in the row 17 along a ditferent path for stacking thereof separately from the carton blanks forming the row 16, all of which will be t apparent from the description hereinbelow.

As noted hereinabove, the sheet material is cut into waste material and carton blanks in the cutting unit 11. In the preferred embodiment, the sheet material is delivered in a registered relation to the cutting unit 11 by a suitable feed arrangement, designated generally by the reference numeral 25. The cutting unit 11 includes a pair of

rotary cylinders

26, 27 which have their peripheral surfaces rotating adjacent to each other to define a cutting nip 28 therebetween. The sheet material is cut as it is advanced through the cutting nip 28.

The

cylinders

26, 27 carry projecting members which engage the material so as to effect the cutting thereof, as well as creasing thereof, as desired. In the preferred embodiment, the cutting and creasing is effected by a plurality of projecting lands 30 which are carried by flexible plates or dies 31, 32 secured to the

cylinders

26, 27. The plates 31, 32 are removably secured to the

cylinders

26, 27 by releasable plate clamps 31a, 32a located in gaps in the cylinders. Certain of the projecting lands on the dies cooperate to effect a cutting of the material, while other projecting lands cooperate to effect a creasing of the material. The cutting lands, of course, are provided so as to properly cut the material at the desired location in registered relationship with the printed image 18 on the sheet material. The material is also creased in the desired location so that the carton blanks may be folded so as to form the desired carton. In the event that the type of carton to be formed is changed, the plates 31, 32 are changed by releasing the clamps 31a, 32a and placing other plates on the cylinders. The specific construction of the flexible plates or dies 31, 32 and the specific cutting and creasing modes are known and disclosed in the United States patent to Downie, No. 3,142,233, and thus will not be described in detail herein.

The leading edge of the sheet material, after it is advanced through the cutting nip 28 defined by the

cylinders

26, 27, is advanced and guided into the stripper unit 12. The particular guiding mechanism may take any form, but is shown in the drawings as including a tape conveyor mechanism, generally designated 33, and which includes upper and lower conveyor runs which engage the op posite sides of the material along the width of the material so as to guide and assist in conveying the material from the cutting unit 11 into the stripper unit 12.

The stripper unit 12, as noted above, receives the sheet material from the cutting and creasing unit 11 and is operable to separate the cut articles, namely, the carton blanks, and the waste. The stripper unit 12 includes a pair of

rotary cylinders

35, 36 which cooperate to effect a separation of the carton blanks and waste delivered thereto. The

cylinders

35, 36 rotate adjacent each other and define therebetween a stripping nip 37 The material which is guided from the cutting unit 11 by the guide and conveyor means 33 is received in the stripping unit 12 and the leading edge of the material is guided into the stripping nip 37.

The upper cylinder 35, as shown in the drawings, may be termed a carton blank cylinder, and the lower cylinder 36 may be termed a broke cylinder. The upper cylinder 35 is operable to engage and carry the articles or carton blanks which have been cut from the sheet material and is operable to carry those carton blanks in a path around the periphery of the cylinder away from the stripping nip 37. The carton blanks are then released from the cylinder 35 and delivered into conveying means for conveying the carton blanks away from the stripper unit 12 and into the skewing conveyor unit 13. The cylinder 35 is operable to deliver the cartons in each

row

16, 17 into a different path for delivery from the stripper unit 12 and into the skewing conveyor unit 13. The broke cylinder 36 is operable to remove the waste of the sheet material from the stripping nip 37. Thus, the

cylinders

35, 36 cooperate to separate the carton blanks from the waste by moving the carton blanks in one direction away from the stripping nip 37 and by moving the waste material in another direction away from the stripping nip 37.

As noted hereinabove, the carton cylinder 35 is operable to engage each of the carton blanks and convey the carton blanks away from the stripping nip 37 and to release the carton blanks for delivery from the stripper unit 12. The carton cylinder 35 includes a plurality of sucker members 40 which are operable to engage the carton blanks which are advanced into the stripping nip 37 and grip the carton blanks to convey the carton blanks in a path around the periphery of the cylinder 35 upon rotation of the cylinder 35. The sucker members release the carton blanks in one row to be received by a conveyor 61, While the carton blanks in the other row are released and received by a conveyor unit 63.

The sucker members 40 are arranged in sets and each set includes a plurality of sucker members spaced axially of the cylinder and carried on a supporting member or bar, not shown. Any number of such bars may be provided and ten bars are provided in the preferred embodiment, thus providing ten sets of suckers spaced axially of the cylinder. 'Each bar may be moved circumferentially of the cylinder in order to position the bar in any circumferential position.

The cylinder 35 also includes a surrounding sheath 42 which comprises a flexible sheet of metal which is bent to the circumference of the cylinder and is secured at its opposite ends by fastening means 43, 44, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1. The inner surface of the sheath 42 engages the sucker members 40 and provides a sealing connection therewith so that any vacuum drawn into the sucker members is sealed. Thus, the sheath member 42 actually functions as a seal for preselected sucker members and renders such preselected sucker members inoperative.

Certain of the sucker members 40 are effective to engage the carton blanks so as to carry the carton blanks therewith. The sucker members which are operative project through suitable openings 45 in the sheath 42. Thus, only those sucker members 40 which have openings 45 adjacent thereto will be operative to engage the carton blanks. The particular sucker members 40 which are effective to engage the carton blanks are those which are positioned and located on the cylinders such that they will engage the carton blanks in a surface area thereof so as to secure the carton blank thereto. Those sucker members which are located so as to engage the carton blank at a out line or so as to engage the waste material are not rendered operative and no openings are provided in the sheath 42 adjacent those sucker members so that such sucker members remain inoperative. However, for a job where the carton blank shape and size are difierent, a dilferent sheath 42 is provided having different openings 45 in the outer periphery thereof, thereby rendering different sucker members 40 operative. Thus, by varying the sheath 42 different suckers are rendered operative for different jobs. The sheath 42 is replaced by releasing the fastening means 43, 44 and positioning another sheath in position on the cylinder.

The cylinder 36 of the stripper unit 12, as noted hereinabove, is ettective to move the waste material from the stripping nip 37, and may be referred to as the broke cylinder. The broke cylinder 36 is operable to remove the external waste, as well as the internal waste, of the sheet material from the stripping nip 37. The external waste, as noted above, may be referred to as the waste which extends around the carton blanks which have been cut from the sheet material and is designated 21, while the internal waste consists of those cutout areas, such as the area designated A in FIG. 5, and any other such areas which have been completely cut from the main body of the surrounding material. The broke cylinder 36, while operable to remove both the internal broke or waste and the external waste, operates in different manners to remove the internal and external waste.

The broke cylinder 36 includes a means for engaging the external waste 21 at the leading edge of the sheet material and carries the leading edge of the external waste around the periphery of the cylinder upon rotation of the cylinder and away from the stripping nip 37. The means for engaging the external broke or waste comprises a plurality of pins '90 which are movable radially of the cylinder 36 into engagement with the leading edge of the sheet material and penetrate the leading edge of the sheet material in the waste area, as shown in FIG. 4, and then convey the leading edge of the waste downwardly, as viewed in the drawings, and away from the stripping nip 37.

As noted above, the cylinder 36 is also operable to remove the internal waste from the stripping nip 37. The cylinder 36 is a hollow cylinder which defines a hollow suction chamber 50 therein. The chamber 50 is defined by a circular sheath 51 which extends circumferentially and comprises the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. The sheath 51 is secured to the cylinder by suitable clamps 55, 56 carried by the cylinder. The sheath 51 is similar to the sheath 42 described hereinabove in that it is a flexible metal sheet which is bent to the circumference of the cylinder 35 and held in such a condition by the clamps 55, 56.

The sheath 51 is provided with a plurality of openings 57 therein which communicate with the interior chamber 50. The openings 57 are positioned so as to be in register with the areas of the sheet material which constitute internal waste when the cylinder is rotating and the material is being advanced through the stripping nip. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the openings 57 are positioned so as to correspond and overlap with the areas A of the sheet material. The areas A which constitute internal waste are thus drawn into the interior of the cylinder and are then moved axially of the cylinder to a suitable waste receiving location. It should be apparent from the above that in the event that a dilferent job is being performed, the sheath 51 must be removed from the cylinder and replaced by another sheath having openings which correspond with the portions of the material which are to constitute internal waste for the new job.

As noted hereinabove, the carton blanks which are cut from the sheet material are located immediately adjacent to each other in a side-by-side relation and in the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the carton blanks have a common cut line 19a which extends parallel to the direction of travel of the carton blanks, and thus the carton blanks are substantially laterally abutting. As should be apparent from the description hereinabove, there is no lateral separation of the carton blanks due to the operation of the stripper unit 12 and the carton blanks are then received from the stripper unit 12 by the skewing conveyor unit 13 in a Very close, laterally spaced relation. The skewing conveyor unit 13 is operable to separate the carton blanks laterally so that the carton blanks may be readily and easily shingled and stacked without interference between adjacent carton blanks.

The skewing conveyor unit 13 includes an upper tier of conveyors 60 for receiving carton blanks from the upper conveyor unit 61 of the stripper unit. The skewing conveyor unit 13 also includes a lower tier of conveyors 62 which receive the carton blanks from the conveyor unit 63. Each of the tiers of conveyors 60, 62 includes a plurality of tape conveyors which engage the upper side of the carton blanks delivered thereto and a plurality of tape conveyors which engage the underside of the carton blanks conveyed thereto. The tape conveyors are supported in a fan-like angular relation to each other so as to laterally separate the carton blanks as they are conveyed. Moreover, the tapes are adjustable at their ends so as to vary the angular relationship between the tapes.

The shingling and stacking unit 14 is operable to receive the carton blanks from the skewing conveyor unit 13 and to shingle the carton blanks and stack the carton blanks for removal from the apparatus. The shingling and stacking unit 14 includes upper and lower conveyor tiers 70, 71, respectively, for receiving carton blanks from the conveyor tiers 60, 62 of the skewing conveyor unit 13. The conveyor tiers 70, 71 operate at speeds slower than the conveyors of the skewing conveyor unit and as a result, the box blanks are shingled as they are fed thereto. Moreover, stacking trays 73 located at the ends of the shingling and stacking unit 14 receive the box blanks and elfect stacking thereof.

From the above description, it should be apparent that the units 11, 12 and 13 are adjusted and modified in order to change from job to job. To facilitate adjustment thereof and provide for access to these various units when they are to be modified, the units are supported for bodily relative movement. The units are supported for bodily relative movement in the direction of material feed so that an operator may readily work on the units.

The stripper unit 12 includes support frame members having wheels running on spaced tracks 100, best shown in FIG. 1, and may be moved along the tracks in a direction corresponding to the direction of carton blank feed away from the cutting unit 11. The skewing conveyor unit 13 and the shingling unit 14 also include support frame members having wheels running on tracks 101 for movement away from each other in the direction of carton blank feed. When the stripper unit 12 has been so moved, an operator may work upon the cutting unit 11 and/or replace the die plates 31, 32 on the

cylinders

26, 27 and make any other adjustments desired. The operator likewise may operate upon the skewing conveyor unit 13 so as to make the desired adjustments thereto when it has been so moved. Moreover, the stripper unit 12 likewise may be worked upon by the operator so as to replace the sheaths 42, 51 on the

cylinders

35, 36, respectively, and make any other adjustments which are necessary. When the shingling and stacking unit 14 is moved away from the skewing conveyor unit 13, an operator may then make the desired adjustments on the output end of the skewing conveyor unit 13, as well, and modifications on the input end of the shingling and stacking unit 14. Thus, in this manner, the various units are associated so as to be readily accessible for adjustment purposes.

It should be apparent from the description hereinabove that applicant has provided a highly improved material processing apparatus. The preferred embodiment thereof has been described in great detail, and it should also be apparent that certain modifications, changes, and adaptations may be made in the preferred embodiment, and it is intended to cover all such modifications, changes, and adaptations which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An apparatus for processing material comprising a pair of rotary cylinders defining a cutting nip, said pair of cylinders having material engaging portions for engaging the material and cutting the material into waste and articles as the material is advanced through said nip, said material engaging portions comprising portions of first and second plates on said pair of rotary cylinders respectively, means for securing said first and second plates to each of said pair of rotary cylinders respectively and releasable to release said plates from said cylinders, a stripper mechanism for receiving material from said cutting nip and operable to separate the waste and articles, and means supporting said pair of rotary cylinders and said stripper mechanism for relative bodily movement toward and away from each other so as to provide for operator access to said cylinders for removing and placing plates on said cylinders.

2. An apparatus for processing sheet material as defined in claim 1 wherein said stripper mechanism comprises a second pair of cooperating rotary cylinders defining a material stripping nip therebetween and coperable to separate the waste and articles, separate first and second support means for supporting said first and second pair of rotary cylinders respectively, and means for supporting said first and second support means for said relative bodily movement.

3. An apparatus for processing sheet material as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said second pair of cooperating rotary cylinders carries a removable plate member, and means for releasably securing said removable plate member to said respective second pair of rotary cylinders.

4. An apparatus for processing sheet material as defined in claim 2 further including conveyor means for receiving the articles from said material stripping unit, frame means for supporting said conveyor means, and means supporting said frame means for movement toward and away from said second pair of cooperating rotary cylinders so as to provide for operator access therebetween.

5. An apparatus for processing sheet material as defined in claim 3 further including conveyor means for receiving the articles from said material stripping unit, frame means for supporting said conveyor means, and means supporting said frame means for movement toward and away from said second pair of cooperating rotary cylinders so as to provide for operator access therebetween.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said first and second support means comprises frame members and said means for supporting said first and second support means for bodily movement comprises wheels which engage and run on tracks and support said frame members.

7. An apparatus for processing sheet material as defined in claim 5 further including a shingling and stacking unit for receiving material from said stripping unit, and means supporting said shingling and stacking unit for movement toward and away from said conveyor unit to provide for access therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,160,412 12/1964 Zernou et al. 271-64 709,789 9/ 1902 Meek.

2,300,713 11/1942 Staude 93-58 X 2,677,994 5/ 1954 Schneider.

2,682,208 6/1954 Monroe et al. 83-103 X 2,881,836 4/1959 Thiem et al.

3,117,499 1/1964 Golding 83-100 X 3,270,602 9/1966 Kirby et a1 83-102 3,338,124 8/1967 Palle 83-152 3,348,456 10/1967 Marconet et al. 83-103 X WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.