US3695538A - Means for unwinding reels of sheet material - Google Patents

Abstract

An unwind stand, for unwinding webs of sheet materials such as paper or thin board from large and heavy reels for subsequent processing, wherein a pair of shaftless heads are arranged to engage opposite ends of a reel, both heads being connected to a common alignment arm so as to be capable of swinging or pivoting about an axis transverse to the length of the alignment arm, for adjusting the reel to allow the web to run true. The alignment arm is supported as a cantilever from one end and is mounted on a transporter capable of moving in a direction parallel to the direction of web run-off between an unwind station and a reel preparation station. Two or more pairs of shaftless heads are mounted on the transporter so that a full set of prepared reels can be moved simultaneously into the unwind station.

Description

United States Patent [15] 3,695,538 Lindstaedt [451 Oct. 3, 1972 [54] MEANS FOR UNWINDING REELS OF 3,493,189 2/1970 Seay ...242/72 B SHEET 3,097,808 7/1963 Williams ..242/68.2 721 tzHrstKlLindstaedtLod,E-

[ 1 ,3 Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Milton S. Gerstein [73] Assignee: Masson Scott Thrlssell Engineering Attorney young gznompson Limited 22 Filed: July 2,1970 7] ABSTRACT [21] Appl, No; 51,838 An unwind stand, for unwinding webs of sheet materials such as paper or thin board from large and heavy reels for subsequent processing, wherein a pair of [30] Forelgn Apphcatmn Pnonty Data shaftless heads are arranged to engage opposite ends July 5, 1969 Great Britain ..33,985/69 of a reel, both heads being. connected to a common alignment arm so as to be capable of swinging or [52] US. Cl. ..242/58.6, 242/68.2, 242/72 pivoting about an axis transverse to the length of the [51] Int. Cl. ..B65h 19/30 alignment arm, for adjusting the reel to allow the web 0f 72, B, to run true 111 alignment am is; upported as a cantilever from one end and is mounted on a transporter [56] References Clted capable of moving in a direction parallel to the UNTED STATES PATENTS direction of web run-off between an unwind station and a reel preparation station. Two or more pairs of M0Ol: shaftless heads are mounted on the transporter so that 3,276,711 10/1966 Martin ..242/58.6 a full set f prepared reels can be moved simu|tane 3,552,672 1/1971 Grettve ..242/72 ously in) the unwind Station 3,355,121 11/1967 Wright ..242/68.2 3,432,112 3/1969 Hardy ..242/68.2 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTi-Z'Dnm m2 SHEET 1 OF 5 8w] R W m? INVENTOR #01657 K ne; Z/A/DSV'AEDT ATTORNEYS PATENTEnucrs I972 v 3.695. 538

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SHEET U 0F 5 IN VE NTOR Holes-r KARL A/MosrA E07 raw ATTORNEYS MEANS FOR UNWINDING REELS F SHEET MATERIAL This invention relates to unwind stands, as used for unwinding webs of sheet material such as paper or thin board for subsequent processing. The invention is particularly though not exclusively applicable to heavy duty multiple unwind stands as used in conjunction with a multiple cutter for cutting sheets simultaneously from four, six, eight, or more webs delivered continuously to the cutter.

Conventional paper reels as used in such processes are of varying sizes but may be of very considerable weight, possibly exceeding two tons. The conventional method of mounting the reels is by means of a central steel shaft approximately 3. inches in diameter, or square, the ends of the shaft being supported in an unwind stand on open-mouthed bearings into which the shafts are maneuvered by hand, with or without overhead lifting gear. This method is laborious and liable to be dangerous and since the steel shafts are subject to hard treatment and can be damaged or warped, and tend also to twist, deflect, or bend under the weight of the reel, the reels frequently do not run true. The reel core may be eccentrically positioned on the shaft as a result of a wedging action. When the reel is nearly exhausted and consequently very light, the shaft may commence to bounce, necessitating a reduction in speed if the web is not to be broken. Furthermore the reels as received from the winder are sometimes slightly tapered conically and if the web is drawnoff in a direction exactly perpendicular to the axis the web tension will differ across the web owing to the conical shape of the reel. To compensate for this lack of uniformity in the web tension it is conventional practice to use squaring rollers over which the web runs after leaving the reel, the axis of the squaring rollers being adjustable in relation to the axis of the reel to vary the path taken by the web and thus restore uniform tension. Such squaring rollers have certain disadvantages in that they require the web to be laced or threaded over the rollers before unwinding can start.

it is also known to employ so-called shaftless heads to replace the conventional shaft-type of reel support, this system comprising a pair of heads one at each side of the reel position, carrying spigots or stubs capable of being moved inwards to engage the opposite ends of the core of the reel so that the shaft can be omitted. Such shaftless heads may be power operated and are relatively expensive but avoid many of the problems associated with the use of shafts, and they allow the reel to run comparatively true. To avoid the need for squaring rollers it has been proposed to provide means for adjusting one shaftless head of each pair in a direction parallel to the web pull-off direction so as to adjust the inclination of the reel axis. With such arrangements, however, the two shaftless heads lose alignment (i.e., they are no longer coaxial) as one head is adjusted, and this can create damage at the ends of the reel core and may result in lack of true running causing uneven web tension, as well as damage to the ends of the core resulting in loss of grip and consequent loss of braking effect.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide an improved unwind stand which will at least partly mitigate or eliminate some of the problems and disadvantages which arise in existing equipment.

From one aspect the invention consists broadly in an unwind support for a reel of sheet material comprising a pair of shaftless supporting heads arranged to engage opposite ends of a reel, both heads being connected to a common alignment arm so as to be capable of swinging or pivoting about an axis transverse to the length of the alignment arm.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the alignment arm is positioned externally of the reel or core, and conveniently the arm is supported as a cantilever from one end.

The unwind support may also include means for moving both heads simultaneously towards or away from one another in the direction of the alignment arm, and preferably symmetrically on either side of a centerline.

According to another preferred feature of the invention the heads are mounted on a transporter capable of moving in a direction parallel to the web run off direction between unwind and preparation stations.

In any unwind system it is of course necessary to introduce fresh reels to the unwind position when the reels are empty, and to dispose of the finished reel cores and any incompletely unwound reels still left in position. The fresh reels must also be prepared ready for introduction to the unwind stand. A certain amount of preparatory work can be performed while the previous set of reels are being unwound but the time involved in the actual changeover and final preparation is crucial since this is added to the downtime or inoperative time of the whole machine system. For example in some existing unwind stands the downtime for changing eight reels may be from 30 to 45 minutes, whereas the time necessary to change the cutter is only about 5 minutes, resulting in a loss of at least 25 minutes on each changeover. it is another object of the present invention to provide an unwind stand or system which will reduce this downtime.

From anotheraspect the invention consists in a reel unwind stand for feeding multiple webs, having two or more pairs of shaftlessheads for supporting reels and a cantilever support for the heads, the support being movable in the direction of the web run-off to act as a transporter formoving a fresh set of reels into position.

The stand may comprise a plurality of pairs of shaftless heads at the same vertical level, and in some preferred constructions some of the pairs of heads and cantilever supports therefor are at different vertical levels.

Conveniently the cantilever supports all extend in the same direction and are supported along one side of the stand, the other side being relatively open and free for access, and the stand preferably includes one or more clearance platforms movable vertically for removal of reel cores or wound reels from the stand. The platforms may be supported in cantilever manner from the side of the stand opposite that from which the shaftless head cantilever supports project.

The apparatus may also include a preparation station in line with the unwind stand and having cantilever supports for fresh reels, the said supports being cantilevered from the opposite side to, and located at intermediate heights between, the supports of the shaftless heads.

The invention may be performed in various ways and one specific embodiment with a number of possible modifications will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the whole apparatus, with parts omitted for clarity,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, to a larger scale, of part of the loading section and preparation section, incorporating a separate weighing station,

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a subsequent part of the preparation section,

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the unwind section,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cantilever arm assembly forming part of the unwind section,

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the unwind section illustrating the removal of an empty core,

FIG. 7 is a cross-section, to a much larger scale, through one form of shaftless head, and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section through an alternative form of shaftless head.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the complete unwind stand system is in three sections; a loading section 10, a preparation section II and an unwind section 12. These sections are conveniently built as separate units and finally assembled to form one complete continuous assembly extending in an in-line manner parallel to the direction of web run-off to a subsequent automaticmultiple cutter (not shown) to the right of the assembly shown in FIG. 1. The cutter forms no part of the present invention and need not be described. It is, however, significant that the unwind assembly occupies little more lateral width, if any, than the cutter itself, so that a number of such assemblies can be arranged in parallel rows closely adjacent to one another, feeding a number of closely spaced cutting machines. The unwind assembly illustrated is designed to feed webs simultaneously from up to eight reels 14 having diameters up to 42 inches and varying widths between say 12 inches and 94 inches, arranged in two decks of four. The whole unwind assembly has continuous upper and lower levels to locate the reels at the two different heights.

The first, loading, section comprises upper and lower inclined platforms 15, 16 to receive fresh reels l4 delivered by a forklift loader, stacker truck or lift (not shown) at the loading end 17. The reels 14 run down the inclined platforms l5, l6 and are checked at the lower end by a double gate system of inclined chocks 18, or plates or bars, which stop the reels and deliver them one by one as required to the next section 11.

As delivered to the loading section 10, the reels l4 usually have torn or otherwise useless outer windings, due to damage caused by mechanical handling. They are therefore delivered first to a cleaning station 24 also having upper and lower levels. At each level, the cleaning station 24 has a turntable 26, whose diameter is equal to the width of the largest reel to be handled, recessed into a platform 28. The turntable 26 may have a diametral recess 261 or a pair of ridges one each side of a diameter, to locate the reel on it. In the modification illustrated in FIG. 2, the reels first arrive at a separate weighing station 20 having upper and lower levels, at each of which is a small platform 21 supported on a load cell 22. Each reel 14 in turn comes to rest on the platform 21 and its weight is registered by the load cell 22. It is then rolled over platform 28 to the cleaning station 241 which in this embodiment comprises at each level a pair of horizontal support rollers 25 mounted on a turntable 262 attached to the top of a vertical hydraulic jack 27. A fresh reel 14 is rolled manually in position over the two rollers 25 and the jack 27 is then elevated to the position shown in FIG. 2 to lift the reel above the level of the adjacent platforms 28, 29 so that the turntable 262 can be rotated through 90 and the reel 14 can be turned on the rollers 25.

The turntables 26 and 262 may be supported for rotation on their associated jack standards in the manner shown in US. Pat. No. I,570,730.

With the reel in this position, as shown on the upper level of FIG. 1, and the lower level of FIG. 2, as many of the outer windings of the paper as may have been damaged are removed, and this waste material is delivered directly downwards into a collection bin (not shown) below and alongside the turntable. Instead of having a separate weighing station 20, the turntable 26 of FIG. 1, or the turntable'262 or the jack 27 of FIG. 2, may include weighing mechanism such as load cells to determine the initial weight of the reel and the weight when finally cleaned so as to check the amount of waste. While supported on the turntable 26 or 262, the reel 14 can also be turned through l about the vertical axis of the turntable, manually or by any desired power means, as may be necessary to ensure that the web pull-off will occur in the desired direction. When the reel 14 is ready, it is pushed off the turntable on to the platform, manually or by any desired power means, the jack 27 being first lowered in the example of FIG. 2, and it then continues into the next part of the preparation section 11.

The next part of the preparation section 11 is an alignment station 30 which comprises two support platforms 31, 32 one at each level, each platform having four reel positions. At each reel position there is provided a pair of supporting horizontal rollers 34 (FIGS. 1 and 3) extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the assembly. The two rollers 34 are mounted on shafts 35 rotatably supported at both ends in a trans verse frame member 36. The frame member is movable vertically within an aperture 33 in theplatform 31 or 32 by means of a pair of screw jacks 37, 38, operated through a cross-shaft 39 and gearing 40 by an electric motor 41. When a reel 14 is received at one of the reel positions, an operator manipulates controls 42 to operate motor 41, and this elevates the pair of rollers 34 by means of the jacks 37, 38 to raise the reel center to the correct height for subsequent engagement with a pair of the shaftless heads, as described below. It will be appreciated that the diameters of the reels may vary so that the height of lift of the jacks must be variable. The operator can judge visually or can measure to determine when the reel center has reached the desired elevation whereupon he shuts off motor 41.

When all eight reels are correctly positioned in the alignment station 30, the leading ends of the paper webs are pulled off the reels and led to the front reels on the upper and lower platforms 31, 32 and secured to them ready for the subsequent changeover. No squaring rollers are provided and therefore no web threading operations are necessary.

The unwind section 12 comprises an open frame 45 easily accessible from both sides and from opposite ends. Within this frame, and extending also into the preparation section 1 l, are mounted two parallel horizontal longitudinal rails 46 (FIGS. 1 and 4) guiding a movable transporter 47 which also acts as an unwind stand. The transporter 47 comprises four parallel heavy rigid upright tubes 48 (FIG. 4) arranged in a longitudinal row and attached at their upper ends to a horizontal framework 49 having rollers 50 longitudinally spaced along both opposite sides, running on the longitudinal rails 46. The lower ends of the tubes 48 are attached to a lower horizontal beam 51 carrying heeling rollers 52 on vertical axes engaging a fixed heeling rail 53 mounted at the bottom of the main frame. Each vertical tube 48 supports two identical cantilever arm as semblies 54, 55 at heights corresponding respectively to the two levels at which the reels 14 are handled. Each cantilever arm assembly comprises a pivotal collar 56 closely located around the tube 48 and bearing on a fixed positioning collar 57 secured to the tube, so that the pivotal collar 56 is capable of pivotal movement about the tube axis. From each pivotal collar 56 project two parallel horizontal carrier tubes 58, and on these tubes two brackets 59, 60 are mounted by means of sleeves 61, 62 slidable on the carrier, tubes 58. Each bracket 59, 60 has a depending plate or lug 63, 64 carrying at its lower end an expanding type shaftless head 65, 66 for engaging one end of a reel core 72. The two brackets 59, 60 with the attached heads 65, 66 are movable towards and away from one another, symmetrically, by means of a lead screw 67 (FIG. 5) having threads of opposite hand enclosed within gaiters 68, 69 and engaging in the brackets 58, 60. The lead screw 67 is parallel with the carrier tubes 58 and is rotatable by means of an individual geared motor drive (not shown) to draw the brackets 59, 60 together or to move them apart.

Each expanding shaftless head 65, 66 includes a stub shaft 70, 71 projecting towards the opposite head and capable of entering into the respective open end of the reel core 72. As shown in FIG. 7, the stub shaft 70 there seen in section may carry a number of axially extending radially movable gripper strips 90 eachof which has a bottom flange 91 received in a channel 92. An inflatable tube 93 bears against the bottom face of the flange 91. The tubes 93 can be connected to a common source of pneumatic pressure to expand the gripper strips 90 outwards to grip a reel core 72.

In the alternative form of expanding shaftless head shown in FIG. 8, the head comprises a hexagonal section spigot or arbor 94, and three clamping segments 95 with corrugated outer surfaces 96, retained by rings 99, 100 secured to the arbor 94. The segmentsj95 each have two flat inner surfaces 97 at 120 so that the inner surfaces of the three segments 95 together form a hexagonal section surrounding the arbor 94. The segments 95 are drawn together by coil springs 98, but are forced apart by a camming action on rotation of the arbor 94 relative to the segments 95, so as to grip a reel core 72.

Each head 65, 66 also includes braking means 73, 74 (FIGS. 4 to 6) to control the run-off web tension. It may further include automatic core ejector or push-off devices (not shown) to ensure that a reel core 72 will be discharged from both ends when the two heads 65,

66 are separated at the finish of an unwind operation. Alternatively, means indicated diagrammatically at 86 in FIG. 6 may be provided for gripping the mid-portion of the reel core 72 when the heads 65, 66 are being separated. v

Each complete cantilever arm assembly 54, 55 including its two shaftless heads 65, 66 can be pivoted about the axis of the respective vertical tube 48 in order to adjust the reel axis in a horizontal plane in relation to the web run-off direction so as to compensate for conical tapering of the wound reel 14. This squaring adjustment may be achieved by a screwthreaded adjusting rod 75 (FIG. 5) pivotally attached at one end to a fixed anchor bracket 76 on the vertical tube 48 and engaging a screwthreaded collar 77 attached to one of the carrier tubes 58. The shaft 75 may be manually rotated in either direction by means of a hand-wheel 78to cause the cantilever arm assembly 54 or 55 to pivot through a limited angle about the vertical axis. It will be noted that the heads 65, 66 will remain aligned coaxially with one another during this pivotal adjustment.

Each cantilever arm assembly 54, 55 is designed to be capable of supporting the weight of a wound reel 14, i.e., 2 tons or more, but in the actual unwinding operation it may be desirable that the free end of the cantilever arm assembly should be additionally supported or clamped, if only to reduce vibration. For this purpose the outer bracket 59 at the free end of the assembly may have a roller 79 designed to run on a horizontal track (not shown) supported by another part of the main open frame 45 and braking means such as a friction clamping pad or a magneticbracket (not shown) may be provided to lock or clamp this outer end of the cantilever assembly.

It will be seen that this system provides the advantages 'of shaftless heads and also provides for socalled squaring adjustment while maintaining the axes of the two heads in alignment. Moreover the arrange ment of cantilever supports for the shaftless heads provides other advantages in association with the trans porter system for moving fresh reels into position, as will become apparent.

As explained above it is also important to provide means for rapidly removing empty reel cores 72, or partly unwound reels, and in such a manner that the cores or partly unwound reels will not cause damage or injury. Accordingly the open frame 45 at the unwind station 12 also includes means for supporting two clearing platforms 80, 81 (FIG. 4) in cantilever manner from the side thereof opposite that from which the cantilever arm assemblies 54, 55 extend from the vertical tubes 48 of the transporter 47. Each clearing platform 80, 81 extends the full length of the unwind station 12 and in their normal positions the platforms are positioned a short distance below the reels 14 in each level. The platforms are maintained in the horizontal position by rollers 82 engaging opposite sides of a vertical guide rail 83. Each platform 80, 81 is vertically movable by means of a power operated hoisting system shown diagrammatically in the case of platform as comprising a cable 84 passing over a pulley 85 and wound on a power-driven winch (not shown) in housing 86 for selective actuation by the operator. In this way, platforms 80 and 81 can be raised to meet and support any partly unwound reel to be removed from the unwind stand. This may occur, for example, if one reel has a defective web in which case it is normal to cut the web and continue winding from the remaining reels until the next changeover. The defective reel must, of course, be removed before a fresh reel can be inserted and the defective reel may weigh up to the full initial weight of a wound reel.

Since the clearing platforms 80, 81 are arranged as cantilevers projecting in the opposite direction from the cantilever arm assemblies 54, 55 supporting the shaftless heads on the transporter 47, the complete transporter can be moved longitudinally between the unwind station 12 and preparation station 11 without conflicting with the clearing platforms. Moreover, when the transporter 47 is out of the unwind station 12 the platforms 80, 81 can both be moved vertically. In use, at the end of an unwinding operation, the two platforms 80, 81 are raised to meet and support any partly unwound reels, the pairs of shaftless heads 65, 66 are moved apart by the lead screw 67 under remote control means to disengage from the reel cores 72 and to drop any empty core centers on to the platforms 80, 81, and the transporter 47 is then moved out of the unwind station 12 to pick up eight fresh reels 14 from the preparation station 11. When the transporter 47 is clear of the unwind station 12 the lower clearing platform 81 can be cleared of empty reel cores and any broken-out" reels. The upper clearing platform 80 is then lowered down on to the lower platform 81 and cleared in the same manner. The two platforms are then returned to their original positions before the transporter 47 returns to the unwind station 12 and interlocks are provided to prevent the return of the transporter until the platforms are correctly positioned.

At the preparation station 11 the two stationary platforms 31, 32 supporting the fresh reels 14 are similarly mounted in cantilever fashion on the same side as the clearing platforms 80, 81 so that the transporter 47 with its cantilever arm assemblies 54, 55 supporting the shaftless heads 65, 66 can interleave as it enters this area longitudinally. The fresh reels 14 have previously been aligned correctly as explained above so that each pair of shaftless heads 65, 66 can be engaged rapidly in the ends of each core center 72, whereupon the pairs of support rollers 34 at each reel station are retracted leaving the reels 14 supported entirely by the transporter 47. The transporter 47 is then returned rapidly to the unwind station 12 by suitable power operated mechanism (not shown). An operator then picks up the four gathered web ends fastened to the front reel at each level and introduces them to the automatic cutting machine. It is anticipated that the total changeover time may be of the order of minutes or less, i.e., of approximately the same duration as the time taken to reset the cutter machine itself, if such resetting is necessary. Unless difficulties are encountered in disposing of the reel cores and broken-out reels the excess downtime may be greatly reduced or completely eliminated. Moreover the disposal of the heavy defective reels can be performed rapidly and under complete control, almost entirely eliminating any dangerous manual operations. The system avoids the use of squaring rollers which can only be threaded when the reels are in the unwind area and which, therefore, tend to increase the downtime. Moreover, the system avoids the need for duplicate shaftless heads at the unwind and preparation stations, which would occur with a turntable arrangement, and thus considerably reduces the overall cost of the equipment. The whole assembly can be arranged in line with each cutting machine and occupies little or no greater width than the cutting machine itself so that a bank of cutting machines can be arranged closely adjacent one another, or the unwind stands may be provided in alignment with existing cutting machines positioned in this manner, without the need to re-site the machines. The loading arrangements are greatly simplified since loading is performed at one end only, e.g. by a forklift or stacker truck or by a lift, and thereafter the graded incline along the machine to the preparation station facilitates the maneuvering of the reels into position.

lclaim:

1. An unwind support for a reel of sheet material, comprising a pair of shaftless supporting heads arranged to engage opposite ends of a reel, a generally horizontal common alignment arm positioned externally of the reel and carrying said heads at a fixed height below said arm, a mounting for said arm whereby the arm is supportable as a cantilever from one end and is capable of swinging about a generally vertical axis through said one end, and means for moving both heads simultaneously towards or away from one another in the direction of the alignment arm.

2. An unwind support as claimed in claim 1, in which said mounting forms part of a transporter capable of moving horizontally in a direction parallel to the web run off direction.

3. A reel unwind stand for feeding multiple webs, having a plurality of supports each according to claim 4. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which a plurality of said pairs of shaftless heads are at the same vertical level.

5. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which some of the pairs of heads and supporting cantilever arms therefor are at different vertical levels.

6. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which the cantilever arms all extend in the same direction transverse to the transporter movement direction, said supports being at one side of the transporter, the other side being relatively open arid free for access.

7. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 6, including a clearance platform movable vertically for removal of reel cores or wound reels from the stand, and cantilever support means for the platform at the side opposite that from which the shaftless head cantilever support arms project.

Claims (7)

1. An unwind support for a reel of sheet material, comprising a pair of shaftless supporting heads arranged to engage opposite ends of a reel, a generally horizontal common alignment arm positioned externally of the reel and carrying said heads at a fixed height below said arm, a mounting for said arm whereby the arm is supportable as a cantilever from one end and is capable of swinging about a generally vertical axis through said one end, and means for moving both heads simultaneously towards or away from one another in the direction of the alignment arm.

2. An unwind support as claimed in claim 1, in which said mounting forms part of a transporter capable of moving horizontally in a direction parallel to the web run off direction.

3. A reel unwind stand for feeding multiple webs, having a plurality of supports each according to claim 2.

4. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which a plurality of said pairs of shaftless heads are at the same vertical level.

5. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which some of the pairs of heads and supporting cantilever arms therefor are at different vertical levels.

6. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 3, in which the cantilever arms all extend in the same direction transverse to the transporter movement direction, said supports being at one side of the transporter, the other side being relatively open and free for access.

7. An unwind stand as claimed in claim 6, including a clearance platform movable vertically for removal of reel cores or wound reels from the stand, and cantilever support means for the platform at the side opposite that from which the shaftless head cantilever support arms project.

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