Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H45/00—Folding thin material
  • B65H45/02—Folding limp material without application of pressure to define or form crease lines
  • B65H45/06—Folding webs
  • B65H45/10—Folding webs transversely
  • B65H45/101—Folding webs transversely in combination with laying, i.e. forming a zig-zag pile

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a device for assembling in at least one package unit a high-bulk paper tape or paper strip, preferably forming a sanitary product for the absorption of body liquids.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device of the type above referred to with elimina- tion of the above-mentioned problems.
• the characteristics of the invention are set out in the annexed claims.
• the invention there is no longer necessary to perform frequent exchanges of reels with high-bulk paper tapes or paper strips because those are, instead of being rolled, assembled by so-called taffling involving that the strip is delivered in a zig-zag pattern as a flat spiral with a pitch preferably corresponding to the width of the strip.
• the strip can be fixed in position both with the aid of vacuum and/or with depression bands. Further, incoming and outgoing strip ends are located in such a manner that they can easily be joined to a previously assembled strip stack in a package unit.
• the taffling preferably takes place on a support surface in the shape of a bottom plate and, in order to maintain the delivered strips in position during the taffling, a moving vacuum will act along both lateral sides of the taffled stack.
• This can be combined with tapes attached external to the package unit, whereby during the reciprocating traversing of the strip delivery device over the bottom plate the bands will press down and keep in place the underlying layers of the zig-zag strip.
• the vacuum used at the delivery is especially intended to act upon the strip end fold to keep it by suction pressed against a grid always with level with the top layer of the stack.
• the distributor device proper consists of two endless cog- belts, each having a length substantially corresponding to twice the strip delivery length. Further, each of said cog-belts are provided with a gripping member and with an insertion knife used in connection with the gripping member keeping the strip fixed. Upon completed taffling of the package units the strip ends are located in such a pattern that a number of taffled package units inlined after each other can at their input strip ends be joined with the output strip ends of the succeeding package unit so that a continuous strip web can be established without the need of any stops for reel exchange and joining.
• the running time for a unit is increased from 45 seconds to 540 seconds with a further advantage that joining with the succeeding unit can be carried out already before the unit in the process of being emptied has been completely consumed.
• Fig. 1 is a side-view illustrating how incoming and outgoing strips are located along opposite sides at an angle to the bottom forming the support surface so that the package unit can be formed by a plurality of layers. Thereafter a top-plate has been placed thereon to help compress the stack formed, which is then banded and surrounded with a plastic protection cover,
• Fig. 2 shows an end-side of the stack illustrated in Fig. 1 having the outgoing or incoming strip end conveniently available
• Fig. 3 shows the stack illustrated in Figs 1 and 2 seen from above, the lateral walls of the stack being shown in dash lines, whereby the incoming and outgoing strip ends, respectively, are placed opposite to each other to facilitate connection with a succeeding package unit
• Fig. 4 does diagrammatically show how the distributor device can traverse over the stack formed simultaneously with depression of previously delivered strips by means of a tape passing over the distributor device and intended, in cooperation or in combination with vacuum, to keep the underlying zig-zag strip layers in position with simultaneous downward displacement of the underlying stack after the formation of each strip layer,
• Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical lateral view of a distributor device according to the present invention and shows how the strip is captured by gripping members in the distributor in connection with the delivery of the strip on the underlying stack,
• Fig. 6 is a top-view of the distributor device shown in Fig. 5 and here diagrammatically indicated by a black dot field with the underlying stack,
• Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic partial lateral view of a gripping member forming part of the cog-belts in the distributor device
• Fig. 8 shows the gripping member illustrated in Fig. 7 while passing a direction-changing roll causing the gripper to open up automatically.
• a high-bulk paper tape or paper strip 2 being assembled in a package unit 1, preferably in the form of a sanitary product for absorption of body liquids.
• the assembling has taken place by so-called taffling, involving that the strip 2 is positioned in a zig-zag pattern as a flat spiral with a pitch or overlapping preferably corresponding to the width of the strip 2 and, more precisely, being equal to or greater than the strip width.
• Fig. 1 shows how an input strip 2 passes along one lateral side 3 towards a bottom plate 6 forming a support surface 5 and thereafter builds up the package unit 1 in a plurality of layers.
• a top-plate 7 is placed on the formed stack 8, which is thereafter compressed, and provided with bands and with plastic protection cover.
• Fig. 2 shows the package unit 1 in Fig. 1 as seen in a lateral view and illustrating how the input 9 and output 10, respectively, strip end becomes conveniently available at the stack sides 3 and 4.
• Fig. 3 shows how the incoming and outgoing strip end 9, 10, respectively, are positioned, preferably opposite to each other in order to facilitate the connection with a preceding and a succeeding package unit l.
• the strip 2 When the strip 2 is taffled over the stack 8 by means of a delivery device in the shape of a strip distributor 14, it may be suitable in addition to vacuum also to use fixation and depression bands 11 to achieve position fixation of the delivered strip 2 and in the process there are consequently fixed previously delivered strip sections 16 both laterally and in the underlying layers.
• the end edges of the bands 11 are secured in points 12, 13 external to the package unit 1 and bands 11 roll around the circumference of the distributor device 14 with the aid of small rollers 15 as shown in Fig. 4.
• the distributor 14 can reciprocate over the support surface 5 with bands 11 simultaneously extending transversely to the delivered strip sections 16.
• the bands 11 depress the uppermost strip sections 16 during the taffling, the package unit 1 with an underlying, completed stack 8 of zig-zag strip sections 16 being at the same time continuously displaced in the downward direction.
• Fig. 5 does diagrammatically show a distributor device 14 according to the present invention, comprising two opposed endless feeding means in the shape of cog-belts 17, 18, between which the strip 2 to be assembled is fed down towards the support surface 5.
• the length of each of the cog-belts 17 and 18 substantially corresponds to twice the strip delivery length and each of the cog-belts 17 and 18 includes at least one gripping member 19; 20 and an insertion knife 21; 22 projecting from the opposite cog-belt and cooperating with the gripping member 19; 20 for temporarily gripping the strip during the reciprocating distri- bution movement along the length of the support surface.
• the distributor 14 In order to match the speed of the gripping members to that of the cog-belts they can be given a length amounting to about 90% of the belt loop deposited. In order to place the strip 2 in a zig-zag pattern when deposited over the support surface 5 the distributor 14 is laterally movable across the delivery length and by a predetermined distance for each strip delivery length until all of the support surface 5 has become covered.
• each cog- belt 17, 18 is changed by three rollers 23, 24, 25; 26, 27, 28 and a guide member 29; 30 constituted by a curved bow, over which the belts can pass without opening up the gripping members 19, 20.
• the radius of curvature of this bow must be mentioned in relation to the opening function of the gripping members in combination with the tension of the cog-belts.
• this curved bow may also include a number of direction-changing rollers.
• the tension in the cog-belts 17, 18, respectively, is according to the embodiment here shown maintained by means of two tensions wheels 31 and 32.
• each cog-belt 17, 18, respectively does on its external side have a gripping member 19, 20 and an insertion knife 21, 22, the relative positioning of which is selected so that the knife 22 on the one cog-belt 18 always agrees with the gripping member 19 on the other belt 17.
• the cog-belts pass over two direction-changing rollers 23 and
• rollers 23, 26 mounted at the strip inlet spot 33 are driving. Above them there are two feeder rolls 40, 41, which feed the paper strip from a storage reel not shown in the drawing.
• the cog-belts 17, 18 are bent over the driving cog-belt wheels so that the insertion knife 22 on the one cog-belt
• Fig. 6 illustrates how the strip-distributor 14 is movable over the stack 8 below the deposit surface. Also shown is the location of the vacuum nozzles 36, 37 in relation to the strip-distributor 14. This vacuum from the nozzles 36, 37 has its greatest value when the gripping members release the extracted strip in connection with the folding at the lateral surfaces 3, 4. Accordingly, this release of the strip 2 takes place when the cog-belt is bent over the outer rollers 24, 22 adjacent the nozzles 36, 37 at the upper shorter sides of the stack.
• the strip end fixation vacuum should through their vacuum nozzles act along an effective length approximately corresponding three times the width of the strip.
• Fig. 6 does also show the presence of a grid or a perforated post 42, 43 located at the lateral surfaces 3, 4.
• the strip ends 38, 39 rest against that grid or post or are sucked towards it by the vacuum nozzles moving immediately outside.
• the air stream towards the vacuum nozzle will jerk the released strip end towards the nozzle. This occurs during the traversing movement of the strip distributor 14 above the deposit surface in the direction C-C.
• the vacuum nozzles 36, 37 have such a width and height that the previously delivered strip sections 16 will be sucked together the result is a very stable unit.
• Another result is the formation of a straight correctly shaped stack of taffled strips. Since the taffling equipment is moved laterally by a distance corresponding to about the strip width for two taffling lengths, i.e. is reciprocating, the taffled strip 2 in an underlying layer will be locked in position by the next layer. These locking forces are increased when the taffling in one strip layer is reversed or directed trans- versely in relation to the next layer. As a matter of principle two such layers form a firmly integrated, X- shaped bond.
• the assembling of the high-bulk paper tape or paper strip takes place in the following way.
• the strip-distributor 14 With the aid of the strip-distributor 14 according to the invention the assembling occurs by so-called taffling, the strip being deposited in a zig-zag pattern as a flat spiral with a pitch preferably corresponding to the width of the strip.
• the taffling is initiated when the strip has been fed down through the strip-distributor 14 and between the two cog-belts 17 , 18 so that the incoming strip is fixed in the left-hand or right-hand corner of the support surface 5 concerned.
• Feeder wheels 40, 41 then continue the downwardly directing feeding of the strip 2 at the same speed as that of the cog-belts with their gripping members which, aided by the insertion knives, grip the strip 2 and feed it at the same speed.
• the gripping member leaves its roller and the insertion knife 21, 22 is retracted therefrom, the gripping member holds the strip and guides it along the curve-shaped bow to the lateral side of the support surface.
• the strip is released there when the cog-belt is broken over the lowermost roller 24; 27, the vacuum at that side simultaneously keeping the strip fixed in position during its folding.
• the opposite end of the strip section is again ceased by a gripping member 20 on the opposite cog-belt 18 at the driving cog-belt wheels 23, 26, this gripping member 20 dragging the strip in the opposite direction to the lower roller 27, which is located at the opposite side of the support surface 5, whereupon all of the length of the strip section 16 is extended.
• This procedure is repeated and carried out simultaneously with the strip-distributor 14 moving transversely to the distribution direction until all of the stack 8 is completed.
• the transverse bands 11 are used to press down the delivered strip material in connection with the delivery of the strip 2.
• the support surface 5 for the stack 8 is formed on a bottom plate 6 of a suitable material and, since it must be possible to compress, band and plastic- seal the taffled stack 8, the plate 6 should tolerate the strains, to which it will be exposed, e.g. during transport.
• the plate does also act as a protective layer upwards and downwards and also as a lateral protection.
• Figs 7 and 8 show the appearance of the gripping members 19; 20 on the respective cog-belts 17; 18 in a closed or locking position and in an open position when the cog-belt 17; 18 passes over a roller 24; 27.

Landscapes

• Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)
• Forming Counted Batches (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20406372

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (4)

• 1997
  • 1997-03-27 SE SE9701165A patent/SE508481C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1998
  • 1998-03-26 EP EP98912866A patent/EP0970014A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-03-26 CA CA002288018A patent/CA2288018A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-26 WO PCT/SE1998/000559 patent/WO1998043907A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-03-26 AU AU67554/98A patent/AU6755498A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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