BROKE CUTTER
The present invention relates to a device for processing broke or the like, comprising means for unwinding a paper web.
For processing broke, a device is known which pulls a paper web off a roll, one layer after another, and feeds the unwound web into a pulper. A problem with this device is that the web must be fed in its full width into the pulper, wherein the web is e.g. slow to wet and to defibrate.
The device according to the invention is characterized in that the means for unwinding a broke web is combined with means for cutting the broke web.
The device according to the invention is intended for the processing of broke or the like. The broke may be, for example, uncoated or coated paper or wet-strength paper. A material corresponding to the broke may be, for example, rejected paperboard to be pulped. Everything that is taught in this application about broke will also apply to other corre- sponding materials.
The device according to the invention can be particularly used for processing paper which has already been dried and which is more difficult to defibrate for recycling than wet paper. The paper can be un- wound layer by layer from cores, shafts or rolls, and the paper web can be cut so that it can be easily fed into the pulper or baled, to be transferred elsewhere for recycling. The cores, shafts and rolls remain intact in the unwinding process. After the broke has been processed by the device according to the invention, it is defibrated to a useful raw mate- rial more easily and faster; in particular, the processing is advantageous in connection with wet-strength and plastic-coated grades. In connection with wet-strength grades, fast defibration is advantageous in that the binding agents do not have time to cross-link completely before pulping. In connection with unwinding from rolls, particularly reel spools, the device according to the invention is significant, because the unwinding can be automated. Furthermore, the defibration can be
started at once, when necessary. The device can be constructed to have a high level of industrial safety.
The function of the device according to the invention can be combined with the functions of a pulper or a baling press. The device can feed the broke, for example, into a pulper so that the supply of the broke can be automatically adjusted to the capacity of the pulper to receive the broke. When the broke has already been cut into strips before feeding into the pulper, energy is saved during pulping.
The operating principle of the device is such that it is arranged simultaneously both to unwind the rejected paper web to be pulped and to cut the paper into narrow strips in the longitudinal direction of the paper web. The means for unwinding the paper web and the means for cut- ting the paper web are combined in the same step; in other words, the unwinding means is arranged in the same assembly as the cutting means. When the actuators are set in this way, the device is reliable in its operation, because all the functions, i.e. pulling, feeding the web and cutting, take place simultaneously. For example, there is no need to perform threading between actuators for different functions in the device.
In one advantageous embodiment, the device comprises a pulling nip formed between two parallel rolls, a first and a second roll. The rolls are arranged to rotate at the same speed, for example, by means of a pair of cogged wheels. The rolls are driven by an electrical motor. The speed is adjusted by an inverter. Other possible drives include pneumatic or hydraulic drives.
The rolls are preferably formed of pincher rolls which are annular parts installed next to each other around the roll frame and which can be replaced one by one, if necessary. If the device is intended for processing relatively narrow webs, it is advantageous that the rolls are uniform; in other words, there are no separate pincher rolls but the necessary edges are installed around the roll. It is also possible to provide several
rolls, with the cutting edges installed around them, adjacent to each other in the width direction of the machine.
The pincher rolls on both sides of the nip may be made of the same material or different materials. The hardness of the pincher rolls in relation to each other may be the same or different. The pincher rolls of the first and second rolls may have a resilient surface, for example a polymer surface, or they may have a hard surface made of, for example, steel. The material of the pincher rolls with a polymer surface may be polyurethane. The surface of the pincher rolls may also be embossed in such a way that the surface level is not equal everywhere. For example, the surface of the pincher rolls may have bulges protruding from the surface level to promote gripping of the web to be fed into the nip.
The cutting blades are installed concentrically with the pincher rolls on the roll frames, between the pincher rolls, at suitable distances from each other. Naturally, the suitable distance is defined by the width of the strip to be produced by the device. The cutting blade is preferably a circular disc whose outer edge is bevelled to an angle; for example, the angle of 2° is sufficient for providing a cutting effect.
Advantageously, the cutting blades of the first roll and the cutting blades of the second roll cooperate, wherein the blades installed on the different rolls are adjacent to each other. The adjacent blades with bevelled edges are used to achieve a scissors-like cutting action. The blades on opposite rolls may be partly overlapping. In the same way as the pincher rolls, the blades can also be replaced one by one. The diameter of the blades is normally larger than that of the pincher rolls.
As to the blades, there are also other possibilities than that mentioned above. For example, the blade on the first roll may sink into a recess in a blade on the second roll, wherein the web is cut. One advantageous cutting blade is a blade installed around the roll and having a serrated cutting section. The blade may be installed to form a circle, in a slanted way across the shell of the roll so that when the roll rotates, the blade hits a different point on a backing roll, wherein, for example, no
grooves can be formed by wearing of the backing roll. Between the blades, the surface of the roll may consist of a resilient material, for example rubber, wherein the surface of the resilient material is approximately on the same level as the outer periphery of the blade. In this way, the web can be well pulled into the device, but the cutting edges protrude as the rubber yields during the pulling. The resilient material does not necessarily cover the whole area between the blades but it may be, for example, a narrow band next to the blade; advantageously, there are two bands, one on each side of the blade.
The cutting blade of the first roll may be resilient and the cutting blade of the second roll may be stationary, or vice versa. It is also possible that both blades are stationary. The nip between the rolls can be adjusted, for example, by an adjusting screw to affect hydraulic controlling actuators, wherein it is possible to affect the pulling force of the pulling nip and the cutting force of the cutting blades. In one alternative, there are cutting blades on the side of one roll only, wherein the blades cut against the backing roll.
In addition to the blades for cutting the web in the longitudinal direction, the device may also comprise blades for cutting the web in the width direction or diagonally, or blades for weakening the web. When the paper web is not cut entirely but is only weakened in the width direction, it has the advantage that the rejected broke can be processed as a continu- ous material but the weakenings have the effect that the material is de- fibrated relatively easily when plunged into a liquid. The above- mentioned blades are normally coupled to the pincher rolls, or they are connected to a uniform roll. In practice, the weakening of the web may be implemented by a blade with two parts, wherein a part which is not cut is left between the blades.
When the device comprises blades which cut the web in the width direction or diagonally, or blades which weaken the web, the diameters of the pincher rolls and the blades may be different on the first roll and on the second roll, to prevent wearing of the blades. In the case of unequal diameters, the blade hits a different location on different
rotations, and the wearing is levelled out. Another possibility to affect the wear is to keep the diameters of the pincher rolls and the blades equal but to synchronize the blades on the different rolls so that they only meet once in a rotation.
The operating rate of the device can be proportioned to the operating rate of the paper machine and/or pulper. The device can be controlled by an automatic function, for example so that the receiving capacity of the pulper is monitored and the operation of the broke cutter is adjusted accordingly.
The device can have any width according to the maximum width of the webs to be processed.
In the following, the invention will be described by means of the appended drawings, in which,
Fig. 1a shows a device according to the invention in a front view, and
Fig. 1b shows the device according to the invention in a side view.
Figure 1a shows the device according to the invention in a front view. A first roll 1 and a second roll 2 are mounted at each end on bearings 5, 6 to the frame 7 of the device. The frame 7 is made of steel.
Annular pincher rolls 3 with a resilient surface are mounted on the roll frame of the first roll 1. The resilient surface may be of, for example, polyurethane. Cutting blades 4 are placed between the pincher rolls 3.
Annular pincher rolls 8 with a hard surface are mounted on the roll frame of the second roll 2. Cutting blades 9 are provided between the pincher rolls 8.
A diagonally cutting blade 10 is provided in connection with the pincher rolls 3 and 8.
The nip between the first roll 1 and the second roll 2 can be adjusted with adjusting screws 11 , wherein the pulling and the cutting of the web can be adjusted to be suitable for the respective paper grade to be cut. The device is driven by an electrical motor 12.
Figure 1b shows a device according to the invention in a side view. A paper web W is fed into the nip between the first roll 1 and the second roll 2. The rolls pull the web W through the nip, wherein it is cut in its longitudinal direction by cutting blades 4 and 9 (shown in Fig. 1a). The diagonal cutting is effected by blades 10.
By means of the device, the web can be cut into pieces of suitable size; for example, the size A4 is often suitable for the purpose of pulping.
The invention is not limited to the description above. The blade arrangements may also be different from those described above. The main idea of the invention is that the means for unwinding a rejected broke web are combined with the means for cutting the rejected broke web. In this way, a reliable and cost-effective arrangement is achieved for the processing of broke or the like.