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
  • B65H45/08—Folding webs longitudinally
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
  • A61F13/15577—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing
  • A61F13/15707—Mechanical treatment, e.g. notching, twisting, compressing, shaping
  • A61F13/15747—Folding; Pleating; Coiling; Stacking; Packaging
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2403/00—Power transmission; Driving means
  • B65H2403/20—Belt drives

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to the techniques for folding web materials.
• the disclosure has been developed with particular attention paid to its possible application to the folding of web materials used in the production of sanitary articles.
• flow-pack or “ffs”, acronym for “form-fill-seal”
• ffs film winding material gives rise to a closed tubular semifinished product obtained by sealing together, so as to form a so-called longitudinal "fin", the edges of the web material after it has been closed on itself in a device commonly referred to as "former”.
• former An example of such a former is described in the document No. US-A-4 761 937.
• folding devices substantially constituted by a sort of plough share over which a web that is advancing is run and folded in a V-shape, without any interruption of its movement of advance.
• Such a device is illustrated, for instance, in the document No. US-A-3 066 932.
• folding devices of a conventional type end up being mostly unusable in the case where the web material is, for instance, a web material W of the type schematically illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, i.e., a material having a profile that varies according to a general configuration that can be defined as "sawtooth" and hence comprising a continuous core part Wl from which a regular sequence of "teeth" W2 extends, where the material W is to be by folded to form a V according to a line W3 that extends approximately half way up the "teeth” W2.
• a web material W of the type schematically illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 i.e., a material having a profile that varies according to a general configuration that can be defined as "sawtooth" and hence comprising a continuous core part Wl from which a regular sequence of "teeth" W2 extends, where the material W is to be by folded to form a V according to a line W3 that extends approximately half way up the "tee
• a situation of the type illustrated may be found, for example, during execution of operations of folding of so-called side panels of sanitary articles that can be worn as a pair of pants.
• Making the fold of a material W, as schematically illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, with a conventional folding or shaping device (of a folding-blade type or the like) proves practically impossible: the aforesaid folding blade (or equivalent folding element) tends in fact to jam in the voids between successive teeth W2.
• the folding operation can become critical even when the web material has a regular and constant profile, presenting as a normal web.
• the interaction of the folding blade or other active element of the folding device with a very delicate material runs the risk of leading to undesirable damage of the material itself, also taking into account the fact that in sectors like the ones considered involve extremely high automatic production rates, indeed, increasingly high production rates, to which there corresponds a constant increase in the speed of advance of the webs that are to undergo the folding operation.
• the object of the present invention is to provide an answer to said need.
• an embodiment or “one embodiment” in the framework of the present description is intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment.
• phrases such as “in an embodiment” or “in one embodiment” that may be present in different points of the present description do not necessarily refer to one and the same embodiment.
• particular conformations, structures, or characteristics can be adequately combined in one or more embodiments.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the behaviour of a rectangular lamina T (in practice, a length of belt) when said lamina is subjected to helical twisting about a median axis XT thereof .
• the crest parts of the teeth W2 which are initially set in a horizontal plane, co-planar and projecting from the core part Wl, are gradually turned over upwards into a vertical position and then are definitively folded to form a V up against the core part Wl .
• the folding function represented schematically in Figure 4 can be obtained also on a web material that has a profile altogether different, including a normal profile with constant section of a normal web, ensuring a regular advance of the material W also when this presents a markedly irregular profile (see, for example, Figures 1 and 2) and/or is particularly delicate and sensitive (being constituted for instance, by a very thin nonwoven fabric, of low substance) .
• Figure 5 shows a possible embodiment of the folding mechanism represented ideally by the sequence of Figures 3 and 4.
• the reference 10 designates a plate that is to constitute a surface of sliding (from left to right, as viewed in Figure 5) for the core part Wl of the web W.
• the plate 10 has a side edge 100 that is to identify, as will be more clearly seen in what follows, the line W3 at which the action of folding of the web W is exerted.
• the reference number 20 designates, instead, a belt conveyor set alongside the plate 10 so as to be practically coextensive with the edge 100.
• the conveyor 20 can be of the type commonly used in the automatic- packaging industry and also in the sector of the production of sanitary articles. It may, for instance, be a strong belt made of flexible plastic material (possibly provided with a textile reinforcement: the corresponding technological solutions are extremely numerous) forming an endless loop by running over two mutually parallel end rollers 30 and 40, where at least one of them (for example, the roller 40) is assumed as being moved by a power drive 80, of a known type. When the power drive 80 is active, the top branch of the belt travels upwards along its path running over the roller 30 (which is assumed as here turning in a clockwise direction) and then advances towards the roller 40.
• the condition of mounting of the rollers 30 and 40 is such that, in the passage from the roller 30 to the roller 40 situated at the opposite end of the conveyor, the belt 20 is subject to a helical movement of torsion through 180° around a median axis X20 thereof, substantially aligned with the edge 100 of the plate 10.
• the belt conveyor 20 arrives in the proximity of the roller 40 (see cross-sectional view of Figure 8), it is completely turned over above the plate 10, so that what was originally the top conveying branch of the belt conveyor 20 has become the bottom branch, which moves over the plate 10 at a slight distance therefrom, the belt conveyor 20 maintaining (and drawing along with it) the web W with the crest parts of the teeth W2 folded to form a V up against the core part Wl along the line W3 (side 100 of the plate 10) .
• the device illustrated makes it possible to form, in a web element W that is advancing, a fold along a line of fold W3 oriented in the direction of advance of the belt, which brings a first portion (e.g., Wl) and a second portion (e.g., W2) of the web element W, which are initially situated on opposite sides of the line of fold W3 (see Figure 1), to assume a folded configuration of the type represented in Figure 2, in which the second portion W2 is turned over on the first portion Wl .
• a first portion e.g., Wl
• W2 second portion of the web element W
• the surface of feed 10 can be defined by one of the two branches of a belt conveyor of the type commonly used in the automatic-packaging industry and also in the sector of production of sanitary articles.
• the reference 50 designates an array of holes, which may be provided, according to criteria in themselves known, in the portion of the conveyor belt 20 that is to co-operate with the crest parts W2 subjected to folding.
• the array o holes 50 may concern only the area on which the crest parts W2 of the web come to rest.
• the array of holes or openings 50 is to co-operate with a suction box 60 set within the belt conveyor 20 in a condition of intermediate extension between the two branches of delivery and return of the conveyor itself.
• the suction box 60 is provided with suction mouths 61 and can be set in communication with a source of subatmospheric pressure 70 (a so-called "vacuum pump”) .
• the source 70 has the function of inducing a flow of aeriform from the external environment towards the inside of the suction box 60, said flow passing through the openings 50 of the belt and the suction mouths 61 from the suction box 60.
• the so-called “vacuum cleaner effect” thus induced means that the air recalled from the surrounding environment into the suction box 60 performs an action of recall such as to withhold against the conveyor belt 20 the crest parts W2 of the web material W preventing detachment thereof from the conveyor belt and their undesirable "fluttering" during execution of the folding operation.
• Figure 5 and the complex of the cross-sectional views of Figures 6 to 8 exemplify the fact that in various embodiments the suction box 60 has a helical configuration twisted about an axis substantially corresponding to the axis X20. Said configuration does not hinder regular operation either of the conveyor 20 or of the suction box 60.
• the suction box 60 can comprise a single suction chamber. In various embodiments, the suction box can comprise distinct chambers, each connected to a respective line for application of a subatmospheric pressure (vacuum line) .
• the suction box 60 can occupy only approximately half of the development of the internal space of the belt conveyor 20, where the array of holes 50 is present.
• the transverse dimensions of said belt conveyor could be smaller than in the example of embodiment illustrated, for example, envisaging that the conveyor belt has a width only a little larger than the width of the suction box 60, which is set sandwiched between the two branches of the belt.
• the belt 20 has, however, a greater extension, as represented in the drawings. In various embodiments, this enables the action of grip of the belt on the web material W subjected to folding to be rendered more regular and continuous, preventing any possible of uncovered areas from accidentally arising.
• the structure described herein is suited also to being produced in a paired or "twin" form using two devices of the type illustrated in Figures 5 and 8 set alongside one another and specularly symmetrical so as to produce simultaneously the V-shaped fold of two webs W that advance parallel to one another.
• the two devices thus paired can possibly share the plate 10, which in this case will have two opposite parallel sides, each facing a respective belt conveyor, with the two conveyors presenting helical twisting paths that are opposite and mutually convergent (one in a clockwise direction, the other in a counterclockwise direction) .
• the two webs W that advance parallel to one another can even be united in just one web, upon which a C-shaped folding profile can be imparted by folding the two opposite edges of the web itself to form a V.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Advancing Webs (AREA)
• Absorbent Articles And Supports Therefor (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (2)

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Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2010
  • 2010-02-26 IT ITTO2010A000143A patent/IT1398421B1/it active
• 2011
  • 2011-02-08 WO PCT/IB2011/050527 patent/WO2011104647A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2011-02-08 BR BR112012020632A patent/BR112012020632A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2011-02-08 ES ES11707484T patent/ES2784494T3/es active Active
  • 2011-02-08 JP JP2012554453A patent/JP2013520378A/ja active Pending
  • 2011-02-08 EP EP11707484.9A patent/EP2539261B1/en active Active
  • 2011-02-08 US US13/580,307 patent/US20120316047A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2011-02-08 CN CN201180010892.8A patent/CN102770362B/zh active Active

Patent Citations (4)

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