US3454271A - Apparatus used in the production,for example,of blanks of board,plastics,or other sheet material - Google Patents

Description

T. D. BISHOP July 8, 1969 3,454,271

APPARATUS USED IN THE rnonucmon, FOR EXAMPLE. OF BLANKS OF BOARD, PLASTICS, OR OTHER SHEET MATERIAL Filed May 17, 1967 United States Patent '0 US. Cl. 27151 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present apparatus, used for driving board, comprises a pair of rolls, a rotatable eccentric ring associated with one of the rolls, and a driving ring rotatably mounted on the eccentric ring and having an external surface for cooperation with the second roll to form a nip between such surface and the second roll for driving board through the nip. The axis of rotation of the driving ring is eccentric to the axis of rotation of the eccentric ring to permit such nip to be adjusted by rotation of the eccentric ring. The driving ring is driven from the first roll by an Oldhamtype coupling.

Background of the invention This invention relates to apparatus for handling board in the production of blanks, for use, for example m making cardboard boxes, and principally to slotters but may be applicable to other cutting or creasing machines used in the production, for example of blanks of board or plastics, or other sheet material.

In the treatment of sheet like material which is passed through a roll pair, it is usually necessary to adjust the nip of the roll pair to correspond to the thickness of the material being passed therethrough. However, where the material is solid cardboard, for example, small variations in thickness my be accommodated without adjusting the nip by resilient deformation of the rings or strips of rubber or like material which form the driving surface of the rolls, but where the material is double-faced corrugated board the nip must be adjusted more accurately otherwise the board will slip relative to the rolls if the nip is too large, or be crushed if the nip is too small.

Nip adjustment is inconvenient because the two rolls need to be directly coupled for example by a pair of meshing gears and it will be appreciated that any variation in the nip involves variation in gear mesh with attendant difficulties. In the case of machines where nip variation is unavoidable, the machines are often provided with a train of four meshing gears, the centers of which are pivotally related, so that mesh is unaltered when nip is adjusted.

In the case of slotters and in other machines having knives which are to cut through the thickness of the material, there is an additional complication for normally the mesh of the male and female knives is not required to be altered even when the nip is varied, and this may involve the use of knives which are radially adjusted and then nip adjustment is complicated because first the nip is altered and then the knives have to be altered back to the original mesh.

When the board is not solid further complications and difiicuties are introduced, for example, with corrugated board which comprises either one or two layers of relatively thin card provided with a sinuously folded layer of possibly thinner or softer card on one face of the one layer or between the two layers as the case may be, because of the risk of crushing referred to above. In this case it is is difficult to avoid crushing the board if the ice roll nip is too small and this board is generally considered to be the most difiicult material to handle in conventional machines.

Summary of the invention The objects of the present invention are to provide means which enable both gear and knife mesh to be unaffected when nip adjustment is made.

In accordance with the present invention apparatus for handling board comprises a roll pair characterized by the provision of a driven band or blanket upon one roll which is adapted to be eccentrically located relative to that roll axis and to be driven with the roll pair and arranged so that the spacing of the axes of the roll and the blanket or band may be varied during running of the machine, whereby the board may be gripped in the nip, and the nip may be adjusted for difierent thicknesses of board without moving the actual shaft axis.

Brief description of the drawing The sole figure shows a cross-section of the rolls of a slotter in accordance with the invention.

Description of the preferred embodiment The slotter may be generally in accordance with the description and drawings of prior United States Patent No. 2,710,061 and may be provided with a pair of rolls, one having a plurality, for example five slotter heads mounted thereon and adapted for lateral movement along the roll axis by individual shafts 10, 11, 12, 13, .14 (the reference numerals used referring to the drawing accompanying the present specification and not to the prior patent unless otherwise indicated), which correspond to the shafts 37, 37a of FIGURE 2 of the prior patent, each being keyed to a pinion in a corresponding slotter head but being free to rotate relative to the pinions in the other slotter heads. Then each shaft 10-14 turns a corresponding one pinion, and via an annulus in that head rotates the nuts (not shown), reference 31, 31a in the 'prior patent on three threaded shafts 15-17, corresponding to the shafts 30, 30a in the prior patent. Hence when any one shaft 10'-14 is turned in either direction, the corresponding slotter head is moved laterally along the shaft, without affecting the other heads. The shafts 10 14 are selectively movable by the same type of structure as provided in said prior patent.

The angular relationship of all of the slotting knives of all of the heads is controlled by drive bars, 22 corresponding to the drive bar 16 in the prior patent, one of which (20) engages the slotter heads only and the other (22) also engages to drive the spiders hereinafter described.

The ninth shaft 25 has no correspondent in the prior patent and this auxiliary shaft carries a gear or gears 26 to mesh with a gear or gears 27a each of which is coaxial with a hub shaft 36 of the roll, and is carried by an eccentric ring 27 rotatably mounted on the hub shaft 36. This auxiliary shaft 25 is parallel to the hub shaft 36, and has an end extending beyond the end of the roll and carrying an additional gear 26. This additional gear 26 functions as an epicyclic gear in that it rolls around a normally fixed gear that is identical with the gear 271:. This epicyclic gear, in rolling around a normally fixed sun gear, holds each gear 27a and ring 27 stationary while the hub shaft 36 rotates, but permits the angular position of each of the eccentric rings 27 to be adjusted by adjusting the angular position of the normally fixed sun gear. In this way, each of the eccentric rings 27 remains in a normally fixed but angularly adjustable position while the roll rotates.

All of the shafts 10-14 and bars 20, 22 are supported in gears at the ends of the roll in the same way as in the prior patent.

Journalled upon the eccentric rings 27 by means of bearings 38 which are eccentric to the hub shaft 36 are a series of spiders 30 having spokes between which the shafts extend, and the spokes carry driving rings 32 which make pin and slot connection at 33 with board driving treads 34 which have external surfaces for cooperation with the second roll 39 to form a nip between such surfaces and the second roll for driving board 40' through the nip. The spiders 30 rotate with the main roll 41 but about an axis which is eccentric to the hub shaft 36 of the main roll 41. The board driving treads 34 are rubber or polyurethane (for example) faced and are located adjacent to the slotter heads and may slide along the hub shaft 36 with the spiders 30 when the slotter heads are laterally adjusted, the eccentric rings 27 carrying the bearings '38 and gears 27a being slidable as well as rotatable on the hub shaft 36. The driving rings 32 are driven by the drive bar 22 which provides an Oldham-type coupling between the driving rings 32 and the main roll 41.

It will be appreciated that the eccentric and spider arrangement is only necessary on one roll 41 of the roll pair.

It will be appreciated that nip adjustment is effected by rotation of the eccentric ring or rings 27 to shift the center of rotation of the driving ring or rings 32; the range of adjustment needed, i.e. the total eccentricity is relatively small, e.g. of the order of to accommodate all possible thicknesses of material.

It will be appreciated that the male and female knives on the respective rolls may remain in constant mesh, the roll pair may be driven by a single pair of gears in constant mesh but the nip can be adjusted so as to produce the ideal drive relation with board passing through the nip so as to avoid slip but equally avoid crushing the board.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for driving corrugated board comprising a pair of rolls, a rotatable eccentric ring associated with one of the rolls, a driving ring rotatably mounted on the eccentric ring and having an external surface for cooperation with the second roll to form a nip between such surface and the second roll for driving board through the nip, the axis of rotation of the driving ring being eccentric to the axis of rotation of the eccentric ring to permit such nip to be adjusted by rotation of the eccentric ring, and an Oldham-type coupling between the driving ring and the first roll.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first roll comp-rises a hub shaft on which the eccentric ring is rotatably mounted, and the driving ring is carried by a spider rotatably mounted on the eccentric ring.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, comprising an auxiliary shaft extending parallel to the hub shaft and between the arms of the spider, and a gear fixed on the auxiliary shaft and meshing with a gear that is carried by the eccentric ring and is coaxial with the hub shaft, for turning the eccentric ring on the hub shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 492,072 2/1893 Vaught. 519,739 5/1894 Sawyer 2715l X 2,900,839 8/1959 Mackintosh 71-571 EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 226176

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