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
  • B65H19/00—Changing the web roll
  • B65H19/10—Changing the web roll in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations
  • B65H19/18—Attaching, e.g. pasting, the replacement web to the expiring web
  • B65H19/1805—Flying splicing, i.e. the expiring web moving during splicing contact
  • B65H19/1826—Flying splicing, i.e. the expiring web moving during splicing contact taking place at a distance from the replacement roll
  • B65H19/1836—Flying splicing, i.e. the expiring web moving during splicing contact taking place at a distance from the replacement roll the replacement web being accelerated or running prior to splicing contact
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H16/00—Unwinding, paying-out webs
  • B65H16/02—Supporting web roll
  • B65H16/06—Supporting web roll both-ends type
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H19/00—Changing the web roll
  • B65H19/10—Changing the web roll in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations
  • B65H19/12—Lifting, transporting, or inserting the web roll; Removing empty core
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
  • B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
  • B65H2301/41—Winding, unwinding
  • B65H2301/413—Supporting web roll
  • B65H2301/4136—Mounting arrangements not otherwise provided for
  • B65H2301/41361—Mounting arrangements not otherwise provided for sequentially used roll supports for the same web roll

Definitions

• the present invention concerns a device and a method for changing the reel in an unwinder, which may be used, in particular, for paper reels and other materials in web form.
• unwinders As is known, the function of unwinders is to unwind a web material from a reel to supply it to one or more machines located downstream in a determined work cycle .
• an unwinder comprises a bearing structure on which are arranged two conical supports intended to engage two corresponding mandrels inserted bilaterally in the central tubular nucleus of the paper reel, called also "core", in such a way that the reel is free to turn around the respective axis and the free unwinding of the respective web is allowed .
• a relatively important phase in the use of unwinders is the changing of the reel, that is the operation with which a nearly empty reel is replaced with a new reel . This operation, which must guarantee the continuity of the supply of web to the machines located downstream, is most frequently carried out in an almost exclusively manual way with both the reels stopped.
• the first reel which is nearly empty, is moved away from the support cones, between which an operator, with the aid of a mechanical lifter, then fits a new reel to be unwound; the operator must also manually slacken an end portion of the paper web supplied by the nearly empty reel and connect that portion of web to the portion at the start of the web on the new reel . Besides this, the operator must manually cut the finished web, in a point upstream from said connection . It is clear that the operation described above is closely linked with the skill of the operator and, in the event of failed, imprecise or faulty connection of the webs of the two reels involved, it leads to interruptions in the production cycle downstream from the unwinder, with economic damages due to the resulting production loss .
• the main aim of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned inconveniences , that is to optimise and simplify the reel changing operation .
• This result is achieved, in conformity with the present invention, by adopting the idea of realising a device and a method having the characteristics described in the independent claims .
• Other characteristics of the invention are the obj ect of the dependent claims .
• Thanks to the present invention it is possible to change the reel automatically, precisely and in complete safety, without having to assign this operation to particularly expert or qualified personnel .
• a device in conformity with the present invention is relatively simple and economic to make, and, in relation to its mechanical and functional simplicity, it is reliable even after a prolonged period of use .
• Figs .1-6 illustrate a possible embodiment of a device in conformity with the invention, represented in a schematic side view with transparent parts and others omitted for greater clarity, during successive operative phases of changing the reel;
• Figs .7-10 are enlarged details of Figs .4 , 5 and 6 ;
• ⁇ Figs .11-15 represent another possible embodiment of a device in conformity with the invention, represented in the same way as in figs .1-6 :
• Figs .16-18 are enlarged details of Fig .15;
• Fig .19 schematically represents the device for mechanically j oining the webs coming out of the unwinder illustrated in Figs .11-15 , seen on a plane at a right angle to the advancing direction of the webs ;
• ⁇ Fig . 20 is a simplified block diagram of the connections between some of the parts of the present unwinder .
• the numerical reference 1 indicates , on the whole, a possible embodiment of an unwinder according to the present invention .
• upstream and downstream refer to the direction of advance of the web (towards the right in the drawings ) .
• end portion or tail end defines that portion of the web of a reel that is finishing, obtained by cutting and intended to be j oined to the initial portion or "head portion or end” of the web of a reel intended to replace the one that is finishing .
• the unwinder 1 is provided with a pair of conical supports, of the same type as those used in conventional unwinders , suited to engage two mandrels 50 inserted from opposite sides in the core 3 of a reel 2 during the unwinding of the latter, so as to define a horizontal axis around which the reel itself is free to rotate .
• an unwinding station of the web supplied by the reel 2 this station being identified with Sl in the drawings .
• the unwinder 1 is shown in an operative condition corresponding to the initial phase of unwinding the reel 2.
• the unwinder 1 is shown in an operative condition corresponding to the practically complete unwinding of the reel 2.
• the web 4 unwound from the reel 2 and drawn downstream by the machines that use it (machines which are of a known type and therefore not described or illustrated in the drawings) , passes around a plurality of rollers 6 arranged in succession, coming out of the unwinder 1.
• the axes of said rollers 6, hereinafter called also exit rollers are parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel 2 , that is horizontal and situated transversely with respect to the web 4.
• the unwinding station Sl comprises a pair of arms 5 , usable, as further described below, to move away the reel 2 when it is finished .
• Each arm 5 is hinged, at one of its ends , on a respective side of the base frame 10 of the unwinder, and presents a shaped part 12 with the profile of an arc of a circle intended to exert a thrust on the mandrels 50 inserted in the core 3 of the reel 2 when it must be removed from the station Sl .
• Reference 7 indicates a pin which defines the respective hinging axis , which is parallel to the axis around which the reel 2 rotates .
• On the arm 5, on the side opposite the pin 7 is hinged the rod 9 of a cylinder 8.
• the skirt of the cylinder 8 is fixed to the corresponding side of the frame 10 by means of a pin 11.
• the activation of the cylinder 8 that is the extension of the respective rod 9, determines a rotation of the arm 5 around the pin 7 ( in a counterclockwise direction with reference to the drawings ) .
• Said rotation of the arm 5, determined by the activation of the cylinder 8 causes the reel 2 to be moved away from the unwinding station Sl towards a temporary parking station S2, which is at a lower height than the unwinding station Sl and is connected to the latter by means of an inclined plane 13.
• the portion 12 of the arm 5 exerts a thrust on the reel 2 , bringing the latter onto the inclined plane 13 where the reel moves, by gravity, until it arrives at the temporary parking station S2 (see arrow F in Fig .2 ) .
• the temporary parking station S2 is provided with idle rollers or bearings 29 with parallel axes 290 which interact with the mandrels 50 inserted in the core 3 making it free to rotate around the respective longitudinal axis 300 and allowing the reel 2 to freely rotate despite the transfer of the same reel 2 from the station Sl to the station S2.
• Said rollers or bearings 29 are installed at the end of the ramp defined by the inclined plane 13 , with the respective axes parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel 2, that is at a right angle to the sides of the aforesaid frame 10 and, therefore, transverse with respect to the web 4.
• two rollers 29 are fitted, the axes of which are at different heights to allow the most precise adaptation to the diameter of the core 3.
• the unwinder 1 is also provided with a device exhibiting two support arms 15, which are hinged onto an upper portion of the frame 10, by corresponding pins 16.
• each arm 15 is interlocked with a gear motor 17 which commands its rotation around the axis of the respective pin 16, from and towards the station Sl .
• the distal end 18 of each of the arms 15 supports a hook 21 shaped in such a way as to support the mandrels 50 inserted in the core 3 of a new reel 2' .
• the reel 2' is taken onto the hooks 21 by means of a bridge crane (already known and not represented in the drawings ) normally available in the plants where the unwinder is used.
• a means is applied for j oining the webs supplied by the reels 2 and 2 ' ; said means may consist, for example, of a piece of double-sided adhesive tape 14 extending along the whole width of the end "LT" , or of a predetermined amount of glue applied along an extent of the same length .
• the reel 2' is loaded onto the hooks 21 in such a way that said end "LT" is on the side of the reel 2 ' opposite the one facing the pins 16 of the arms 15 and inside a sector “XY" the proj ection of which on the plane 13 is between the stations Sl and S2.
• Each hook 21 is hinged onto the distal end 18 of the respective arm 15 and on it acts the rod 24 of a cylinder 22 , the skirt of which is hinged on the arm 15 in a point indicated with 23.
• said cylinder 22 is shown only in Fig .14.
• the activation of the gear motor 17 determines a rotation of the arms 15 around the pins 16. Said rotation corresponds to a lowering of the reel 2 ' supported by the hooks 21 , that is a shift towards the unwinding station Sl where the reel 2 ' is passed to the arms 5.
• the activation of the cylinder 22 with a retraction of its rod 24 , determines a rotation of the respective hook 21 (counter-clockwise in the drawings ) , allowing the release of the hook and the return of the arms 15 into the initial raised position .
• the aforesaid cones are open, that is released from the respective mandrels 50 , while they are arranged in a position to engage the mandrels 50 only after a reel has been definitively positioned in the station Sl .
• the unwinding station Sl is also provided, as in unwinders of the known type, with a pair of belts 25 , located at a predetermined distance and parallel to each other so as to interact with two corresponding edges of the reel during unwinding .
• the belts 25 are closed in a loop on respective rollers 27 and they are driven in a known way .
• a device 26 of a known type for taking up tension is also acting on them.
• a device 26 of a known type for taking up tension is also acting on them.
• the belts 25 are constantly stretched tight so as to present, on the part facing the unwinding station, that is in temporary contact with the reel placed in the station Sl , an extension corresponding to the arc of circumference temporarily defined by the reel being unwound.
• Fig. 3 shows a phase of the reel changing operation, in which the reel 2 is empty and is suitable freed from the cones after the belts 25 have been slackened on a command given by the control unit "C" described below.
• the reel 2 is pushed (towards the left in the figure ) by the arms 5 and arrives at the station S2 , while the new reel 2 ' to be unwound is supported by the hooks 21 on the arms 15.
• the web 4 of the reel 2 is represented as a straight line that connects the station S2 to the first of the output rollers 6.
• Said roller 6 is located opposite a pressing element 30 which presents a longitudinal extension corresponding to the width of the web 4. In other words, the presser 30 is situated and acts transversely with respect to the web 4.
• Fig . 4 shows the phase in which the new reel 2 ' has been placed in the unwinding station Sl (the belts 25 are stopped) .
• the positioning of the reel 2' in the station Sl determines the interaction of the same reel 2' with the web 4 that is going downstream.
• the reel 2 ' intercepts the web 4 coming from the reel 2 and the web 4 is automatically subj ect to loosening under the weight of the reel 2 ' , because the rollers or bearings 29 allow the free rotation of the reel 2 around its own axis in the station S2.
• the detail in Fig .7 shows the head portion "LT" of the web of the reel 2 ' which rests on the end portion of the web coming from the reel 2 located in the station S2.
• Said presser 30 may consist , for example, of a rubber roller fitted next to the first exit roller 6, with the axis parallel to and facing the axis of the latter, on a corresponding pair of arms 37 hinged on the aforesaid frame 10 and interlocked with an actuator 36 that commands their rotation around the axes of the respective hinges 38 so as to obtain, on command of the unit C mentioned below, the moving of the roller 30 towards the opposite exit roller 6 and, vice versa, its moving away.
• the unwinder 1 also comprises a cutting device 28 , the action of which is shown in Fig .5 and which is illustrated in greater detail in Fig . 8.
• the cutting device 28 cuts the web 4 of the reel 2 upstream from the point of j oining with the end "LT" of the web of the reel 2 ' , determining the formation of the tail end "LC" of the web supplied by the nearly empty reel 2.
• the cutting device 28 comprises , in the example shown in Fig .8 , a blade 32 supported by the distal end of an arm 31, the proximal end of which is radially fixed to a shaft 33 with axis parallel to the width of the web .
• the rotation of the shaft 33 determines the intervention of the blade 32 , which extends for such a length as to allow the cutting of the web 4 on its entire width .
• the control of the cutting means 28 may be programmed to cut the web of the finishing reel 2 in a stage in time after that of said overlap and also in a previous phase
• said overlap takes place while both the reels 2 and 2' are rotating about their respective axes .
• said overlap takes place while only the reel 2' is rotating, the reel 2 being stopped in the station S2 due to cutting of the respective web and, therefore, not being subj ect to any action that determines its rotation .
• the empty reel is then moved away using the bridge crane mentioned above .
• Figs .11-19 in the enclosed drawings concern a further embodiment of the present unwinder; in these figures , the elements the same as those in Figs .1-10 have the same alphanumeric references .
• a different mechanism is provided for j oining the tail end "LC” and the head end "LT" of the webs supplied by the reels 2 and 2 ' .
• the phases of replacing the empty reel 2 with a new reel 2' and of overlapping said ends "LC” and "LT” take place as described above with reference to Figs .1-10.
• said j oin is realised mechanically, rather than by gluing, by means of a ply-bonding unit 90 fitted in place of the presser 30.
• the wheels 91 of the unit 90 are interlocked with a corresponding actuator 92 which commands their movement from and towards the roller 6 below : when the aforesaid ends "LC” and "LT” are close to the unit 90 , this is activated by the actuator 92, bringing the wheels 91 close to the roller 6 below and it is deactivated after a predetermined time , once the mechanical union of the two ends has been realised, with detachment of the wheels 91 from the roller 6.
• a suction plane 95 which facilitates and guides the exit of the ends "LC” and "LT” to be j oined.
• Said plane 95 is fitted rotating on a corresponding horizontal axis 96, that is transverse to the web and parallel to the axes of rotation of the reels 2 and 2 ' , commanded by a corresponding actuator 97 anchored to the frame 10.
• the actuator 97 determines the rotation of the plane 95 around the axis 96 (clockwise rotation in the figure) to adapt its position to the diameter of the reel located in the station Sl as shown schematically in Fig .18.
• the suction plane 95 is at a tangent to the reel present in the station Sl , irrespective of its diameter, and it realises an efficient means for guiding the material in web form towards the ply-bonding unit 90.
• suction on the plane 95 is activated at the same time as the cutting means 28 and is maintained for a predetermined time .
• Said plane 95 is interlocked with a suction device 98 (shown only in the block diagram in Fig . 20 ) .
• the suction is of such an extent as to allow the adhesion of the material in web form on the plane 95 but without preventing its advance towards the ply-bonding unit 90.
• the movements and commands of the various elements may be managed automatically by means of a programmable electronic control unit C, of the type known to industrial automation technicians and, therefore, represented only schematically in Fig . 20.
• the control unit C is connected to a sensor 34 located in the unwinding station Sl and apt to detect the diameter of the reel in the same station .
• the sensor 34 it is possible to coordinate the movement of the various parts, such as, for example the cones that support the reel, identified with number 35 in Fig .20 , the cylinders 8 and 22 , the gear motor 17, the tensioning device 26 for the belt 25, the cutting device 28 , the ply-bonding unit 90 , the aforementioned suction unit 98 and the actuator 36 of the presser 30.
• the control unit “C” also commands the stopping and restarting phases of the machines interlocked with the unwinder, that is to say, the machines receiving the webs unwound from said reels .
• the machine described above allows a rapid and easy passage from the unwinding of one reel to that of the next reel, guaranteeing high safety and speed in the connection of the webs of the two reels and maximum safety for operators .

Landscapes

• Replacement Of Web Rolls (AREA)
• Controlling Rewinding, Feeding, Winding, Or Abnormalities Of Webs (AREA)
• Unwinding Webs (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=35744915

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2005
  • 2005-01-18 IT IT000010A patent/ITFI20050010A1/it unknown
  • 2005-11-03 DE DE602005027750T patent/DE602005027750D1/de active Active
  • 2005-11-03 AT AT05813637T patent/ATE507176T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-11-03 WO PCT/IT2005/000630 patent/WO2006077609A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2005-11-03 US US11/577,823 patent/US20090114757A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-11-03 EP EP09007002A patent/EP2090533A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-11-03 RU RU2007131449/11A patent/RU2380306C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-11-03 EP EP05813637A patent/EP1838603B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2005-11-03 CN CN2009101511215A patent/CN101613041B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-11-03 BR BRPI0518474-6A patent/BRPI0518474A2/pt active Search and Examination
  • 2005-11-03 CN CNA2005800400836A patent/CN101065305A/zh active Pending
  • 2005-11-03 ES ES05813637T patent/ES2364343T3/es active Active
  • 2005-11-03 JP JP2007550938A patent/JP4700067B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events