WO2013174908A2

WO2013174908A2 - Roll drum for roller winding device with elastomeric cover

Info

Publication number: WO2013174908A2
Application number: PCT/EP2013/060587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stéphane MARIÉ; Jean-Noel PESCHEUX; Philippe Alves; Erwan HUIBAN; Mohamed GRIOUI; Jérôme MORICE; François RABE; Dirk Vidts
Original assignee: Hannecard France Sa
Priority date: 2012-05-24
Filing date: 2013-05-23
Publication date: 2013-11-28
Also published as: WO2013174908A3

Abstract

The current invention concerns a roll drum for a roll winding device, whereby at least one of said roll drums comprises a functional cover radially on the outside, characterized in that the cover comprises a foam structure obtained by a mixture of an elastomeric material and polymeric micro-spheres filled with a low volatile solvent. In a second aspect, the current invention concerns a method for producing a functional cover comprising a foam structure, suitable for use on a roll drum of a roller winding device.

Description

ROLL DRUM FOR ROLLER WINDING DEVICE WITH ELASTOMERIC COVER TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to the technical field of winding or rewinding, more particularly to a winding machine for winding a web of material, for instance a paper, cardboard web, plastic film and foil into a finished roll. BACKGROUND

A paper-winding machine or roller winding device for making up individual rolls of web material such as paper, cardboard web, plastic film or foil ranging. Typically a very large roller of web material is unwound, slit into a plurality of strips, and wound up onto individual rolls. To do this the individual strips exit from the slitter and are wound partly around at least one support drum against which press two sets of windup rolls. Each set of windup rolls includes a plurality of coaxial winding stations adapted to hold respective core sleeves on which the strips are wound to form the finished rolls. Normally the strips alternate which set they are wound up on.

Conventionally, roller drums in a roller winding device are made of steel. This leads to problems as the hard steel surface can lead to slip with the web material, an uneven torque transmission, an uneven contact with the paper over the width of the rollers, difficult paper pick up, etc. In an attempt to solve the latter and to provide a larger support area for the increasingly heavy wound web material on the rollers, it has been contemplated to cover the rollers or support drums with an elastomeric material, such as rubber. US 3 503 567 for instance describes a roller for rewinding pressure sensitive web material, the roller being covered by a layer of sponge rubber or foam synthetic material. US 5 582 361 describes a roller being covered by a nitrile or polyurethane rubber. These covers have however some inherent flaws. The mechanical properties are quite poor, resulting in the cover being easily damaged and eventually destroyed. Moreover, it is not easy to obtain a homogeneous structure on large volumes, nor do these materials adhere well to a metal surface. Currently, the existing covers all comprise several, separate blocks which are adhered to the surface of the roller in order to form one large coating. The cover therefore comprises grooves or junctions, which are prone to collecting dust and dirt. This will eventually inherently lead to damages in the web material.

It was proposed by some to try and overcome some of these problems by providing a micro-porous structure for the drum cover. JP 61 243 836 for instance describes a porous silicone rubber whereby microspheres are intermixed with the rubber. The mixture is provided in a mold and heated to crosslink the silicone material as well as to cause expansion of the microspheres within the silicone rubber. JP 59 196 328 discloses a cover produced by rubber comprising microspheres. The cover is produced by mixing the microspheres in the rubber compositions, and subsequently heating the obtained mixture in order to vulcanize or crosslink the latter. JP 2000 230 541 discloses a rubber coated roller whereby said rubber layer contains organic microcapsules. These microcapsules are injected into the gap between the rubber layer and the base material inside metal mold and vulcanizing it to form the rubber layer (Bl) containing organic microballoons. Thus a rubber coated roller with roller base material (A) and heat resistant resin outer layer (C) is obtained.

US 2004 132 890 discloses a silicone rubber composition comprising hollow resin particles. The latter all describe the use of rubbers whereby the microparticles are intermixed with the rubber in unexpanded state. The latter was proven to be difficult in manufacturing and did not give satisfying results with regards to homogeneity of the cover. Hence, such covers still results in wrinkles, roll bursts and cracks.

There remains a need in the art for improved monolithic foam roller covers to be casted on the rollers of paper winders, whereby the cover has a high degree of homogeneity and adherence to the rollers and gives excellent results in non-slip torque transmission, absorption of cross direction thickness variances and vibration absorption. Moreover, it is essential that the winding occurs without causing any wrinkles, roll bursts, cracks, dishing or telescoping. Therefore it is essential that the amount of grooves or junctions caused by the amount of subparts of the cover is minimized, even omitted . The cover should therefor preferential exist of one solid block, without sub-parts.

It is the object of the current invention to at least comply with several of the listed needs above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is believed that the problems, deficiencies and inefficiencies associated to prior art types of winder drums having elastomeric covers have been obviated by the current invention.

The present invention hereto provides a roll drum for a roll winding device, having a functional cover as disclosed by claim 1.

The specific composition of the material chosen for the production of the functional cover ensures that the resulting cover has a good coherent and adherent force when applied to the rolls, with few chances of the cover losing its quality or showing ruptures or decays during extensive usage of the roller winding device, especially in the nipping line. The current functional cover is specifically produced for big rollers, which are usually difficult to coat with a cover as their covers show a high tendency of being torn from the rollers during the winding process. Moreover, the cover ensures that the winding process of web material runs smoothly, with no loss of quality or damages to the winded material. More specifically, the presence of the micro-spheres as foaming agent and specifically, their chosen characteristics as described in the preferred embodiments of the current invention, will result in a functional cover material which is highly stress resilient and dimensionally stable. Addition of the micro-spheres increases the homogeneity of the foam, as well as ensures good adhesive and cohesive characteristics of the foam when applied on the rollers. The foam is easy to cast on metal cores, preferably as one block or piece. The functional cover obtained by the foam is strong, shows no deterioration due to fouling or absorption of fibers or dusts by the cover. Generally, the product combines the properties of foam material (adsorption of thickness variation in the paper sheet, good contact over the whole width of the winder, resilience of the cover, low stress in the nip zone of the cover, non-slip between the cover and the paper, low heat generation at high speeds, ...) with excellent surface characteristics on macro- and microscopic level. On a macroscopic level, the surface shows no flaws and is made as a monolithic material. There are no junctions that deteriorate over time or that trap dirt (paper fibers, dust...) which will create marking on the winded paper. On a microscopic level, the surface roughness is thus designed to allow winding fine papers without deteriorating the paper and without accumulation of fibers on the surface.

In a second aspect, the current invention concerns a method for producing a functional cover comprising a foam structure according to claim 8. The microspheres are mixed with the elastomeric material, in such a way that optimal viscosity is obtained, without destruction of the micro-spheres. The micro-spheres present in the material for the functional cover will act as mini ball bearings, enabling the resin to more easily infiltrate complex mold geometries, resulting in faster cycle times. Further, successful infiltration can occur at lower mold temperatures and injection pressures when compared to other resin compositions without micro-spheres. Moreover, during the manufacturing process, the spheres will help shorten mold heating and cooling cycles. Because of the hollow characteristic of the spheres, less mass should be heated or cooled, which leads to a faster overall throughput.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure 1 is a side view, in schematic form, of a two-drum winder where at least one of the roll drums comprises a functional cover according to a preferred embodiment of the current invention.

Figure 2 is a side view, in schematic form, of a duplex winder where at least one of the roll drums comprises a functional cover according to a preferred embodiment of the current invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of support drum or a rider roll, comprising a functional cover according to a preferred embodiment of current invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic and enlarged view of the micro-spheres used for producing a preferred embodiment of the functional cover according to a preferred embodiment of current invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a roller winding device having roll drums which are provided with a functional cover. The functional cover has good adhesive and cohesive properties and has advantageous effects on the quality of the winding process.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in disclosing the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. By means of further guidance, term definitions are included to better appreciate the teaching of the present invention.

As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings:

"A", "an", and "the" as used herein refers to both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. By way of example, "a compartment" refers to one or more than one compartment. "About" as used herein referring to a measurable value such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of +/-20% or less, preferably +/-10% or less, more preferably +/-5% or less, even more preferably +/-1% or less, and still more preferably +/-0.1% or less of and from the specified value, in so far such variations are appropriate to perform in the disclosed invention. However, it is to be understood that the value to which the modifier "about" refers is itself also specifically disclosed.

"Comprise," "comprising," and "comprises" and "comprised of" as used herein are synonymous with "include", "including", "includes" or "contain", "containing", "contains" and are inclusive or open-ended terms that specifies the presence of what follows e.g. component and do not exclude or preclude the presence of additional, non-recited components, features, element, members, steps, known in the art or disclosed therein.

The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers and fractions subsumed within that range, as well as the recited endpoints.

The expression "% by weight" (weight percent), here and throughout the description unless otherwise defined, refers to the relative weight of the respective component based on the overall weight of the formulation.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a roll drum for a roller winding device, whereby said roll drum comprises a solid core and a functional cover radially on the outside of said core, characterized in that the cover comprises a foam structure obtained by a mixture of an elastomeric material and microspheres filled with a low volatile solvent.

The nature and design of the functional cover will prevent the occurrence of frequent problems during the winding process, problems being for instance wrinkling, roll bursting, cracking, dishing or telescoping. Moreover, the functional cover is accordingly designed that it will have a good adherence and cohesive force when applied on the roll drums. Figure 1 and 2 show examples of two variants of roller winding devices, whereby at least one of the roll drums is foreseen of a functional cover according to the current invention. The two drum winder of figure 1 and the duplex winder of figure 2 both comprise similar components, but arranged differently to accommodate the desired winding principles. Typically, a roller winding device is foreseen of roll drums, which exhibit different functional aspects during the winding process.

Figure 1 shows a roller winding device 1 comprising two support rollers 2, 3 together with a winding roll 4. A rider roll 5 is disposed for substantial vertical movement, while maintaining nipping contact with the winding roll 4. The rider roll 5 will generate a specific winding hardness. If the support rollers 2, 3 rotate, then the winding roll 4 is equally rotated due to friction and nipping contact between respectively the support rollers 2, 3 and the winding roll 4, resulting in the drawing of web material, for example paper. Each of the rollers, i.e. the two support rollers 2, 3 and the rider roll 5 can be foreseen by a functional cover or coating according to the current invention.

Figure 2 shows another roller winding device 6 which is designed as a so-called duplex winder, comprising one central support roller 7 and winding rolls 8 and 9, which are held centrally. The winding rollers 8, 9 lie in the two upper quadrants of the central support roller 7. Central support roller 7 can be provided by a functional coating according to the current invention. Figure 3 depicts a cross- sectional view of a roller 10 of a roller winding device, supplied by such a functional cover 11 according to the current invention.

In the current invention, the term functional cover is to be understood as a coating layer, preferably comprising of a polymer, which is applied to one or more components of an apparatus, said apparatus being a roller winding device, in order to improve the function of said apparatus.

In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, the functional cover 11 is comprised of a mixture of an elastomeric material and polymeric micro-spheres. Said micro-spheres are used as a foaming agent.

The term "micro-spheres" refers to essentially spherical capsules with a diameter less than 500 μιη, more preferably less than 100 μιη. In a preferred embodiment, said micro-spheres comprise an outer shell and an inner core, filled with a low volatile solvent such as a liquid hydrocarbon blowing agent. The outer-shell of the micro-spheres is usually very thin and preferably produced from glass, such as soda-lime-borosilicate or perlite, or alternatively from a thermoplastic material such as, but not limiting to polyethylene, polystyrene or copolymers such as vinylidene chloride, acrylo-nitrile or methyl methacrylate. The inner core of the micro-spheres is filled with a liquid hydrocarbon blowing agent such as, but not limiting to isobutene, cyclopentane or isopentane. Commercial available microspheres which can be used for the current invention are readily known in the state of the art and are for example Phenoset® micro-spheres or EXPANCEL®. Figure 4 depicts the micro-spheres according to the current invention. In a preferred embodiment, said micro-spheres 12 will have a diameter D of between 0.1 and 150 pm, preferably between 10 and 100 pm, more preferably between 10 m and 80 pm, even more preferably between 10 and 60 μιτι, more preferably between 10 and 40 μιτι, even more preferably between 20 and 40 m and a shell 14 with shell thickness d between 0.1 and 3 pm, preferably between 0.5 and 2.5 pm, more preferably 2 pm. The inner core of the microspheres is filled with a solvent 13. Preferably, said microspheres according to the current invention comprise a density between 20 and 1200 kg/m³. Preferably, the micro-spheres used in the current invention comprise a thermoplastic outer shell.

Preferably, the micro-spheres used in the current invention are thermo- expandable due to expansion of the inner liquid and the outer shell that can be softened at the onset of the expansion temperature and solidified at a higher temperature. Upon exposure to heat, the micro-spheres will expand due to gasification of the liquid hydrocarbon in the inner core. The expansion temperature ranges from 50°C to 190°C, depending on the nature (e.g. material of outer shell, nature of liquid hydrocarbon) of the micro-spheres. Exposure to these expansion temperatures can result in a volume expansion from 5 to 50 times the original volume in unexpanded condition. In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, said micro-spheres are pre-expanded prior to adding to the elastomeric material. In another preferred embodiment, said microspheres are added to the elastomeric material in unexpanded condition. Due to their specific characteristics, use of the micros-spheres according to a preferred embodiment of the current invention will result in a light-weight but yet strong functional cover material as stress applied on the material will be more evenly distributed due to the presence of the micro-spheres.

The term "elastomeric material" refers to a material, preferably a polymer, which has a viscoelastic property, and a low Young's modulus and high yield strength when compared to rigid materials. In a preferred embodiment, said elastomeric material is selected from the group of materials which include polyurethane or a polyurethane mixture, isoprene isobutylene copolymer, nitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene, EPDM, chloro-sulphonated rubbers, silicones and fluorocarbon elastomer, more preferably said elastomeric material is polyurethane. It was found by the inventors that elastomeric material based on polyurethane or polyurethane mixtures has the most interesting and advantageous capacities when it comes to the execution of the current invention. When intermixed with a rubber based elastomeric material, the microspheres tended to break during the process. This was mainly because the mixing step required a considerate speed and high rpm. The latter was not required when working with polyurethane based materials, resulting in a higher quality cover. The functional cover will be casted or extruded on at least one of the roll drums of the roller winding device, preferably extending as far as the drum surface.

Preferably, said functional cover extends as far as the lateral surface of the drum. The functional cover has a preferred radial thickness T in the range from 1 to 60 mm, more preferably between 10 to 50 mm, more preferably from 20 to 40 mm, more preferably from 20 to 30 mm, most preferably 30 mm. The thickness of the cover is thus chosen for optimal performance. Outside this range, this optimal performance cannot be guaranteed. In a preferred embodiment, the obtained functional cover shall have a microscopic surface roughness Ra in a range of 0.1 to 1000 μιη, preferably in a range of 1 to 500 μιη, more in a range of 1 to 150 μιη, more preferably in a range of 1 to 50 μιτι, more preferably in a range of 1 to 10 μιτι, most preferably in a range of 5 to 10 m (Ra). Said microscopic surface roughness Ra is measured according to ISO 6123-2, ISO 4287-1 which are considered to be incorporated in the description by reference. Hence, the functional cover combines all the properties of foam material (adsorption of thickness variation in the paper sheet, good contact over the whole width of the winder, resilience of the cover, low stress in the nip zone of the cover, non-slip between the cover and the paper, low heat generation at high speeds, ...) with the advantage of having a very low surface roughness. This will provide a functional cover which allows winding fine web material without deteriorating the material and without accumulation of dust or dirt on the surface.

Preferably, the density of the functional foam cover is comprised between 0.1 and 1.5 g/cm³, more preferably said density is comprised between 0.25 and 1 g/cm³, most preferably said density is comprised between 0.4 and 0.8 g/cm³.

The hardness of said functional cover lies between 15 and 65 Shore A, preferably between 25 and 50 Shore A, ideally between 30 and 40 Shore A. Preferably, said hardness is measured according to ISO 6123-1, which is deemed to be incorporated in the description by reference. The resilience of the functional cover lies preferably between 25 and 60%, more preferably between 30 and 50 %, most preferably between 40 to 45%.

In an embodiment of the current invention, the compression modulus lies between 0.3 and 20 Mpa, more preferably between 1 and 10 Mpa.

These parameters were all meticulously optimized in order to come to a cover with the desired characteristics as mentioned above. In a second aspect, the current invention provides for a method for producing a functional cover comprising a foam structure for use on a roll drum of a roller winding device, comprising mixing an elastomeric material with micro-spheres filled with a low volatile solvent. Said low volatile solvent may be a liquid hydrocarbon blowing agent.

The microspheres are mixed with the elastomeric material, for instance by a low shear mixing method, in order not to destroy the microspheres and to obtain a homogenous mixture with low viscosity. Too high viscosity will result in process problems when filling the mold designed for manufacturing the functional cover.

In a preferred embodiment, the microspheres are applied in a range 1 to 50 phr (parts per hundred rubber), more preferably in a range of 1 to 25 phr, even more preferable in a range of 1 to 10 phr, most preferably in a range of 2 to 5 phr. When more is added, the cover material becomes too porous, leading again to a non-optimal performance during winding.

The micro-spheres can be added in unexpanded state. In a more preferred embodiment, said micro-spheres are added in pre-expanded state. It was found by the inventors that addition of non-expanded microspheres often resulted in an uneven distribution of the microspheres. In some occasions, this even resulted in curing of the microspheres at the surface of the drum. By addition of pre- expanded microspheres the latter was avoided and an optimal cover with optimal characteristics was obtained. In an embodiment expansion of the micro-spheres occurs at a temperature range of 50°C to 150°C, more preferably between 70°C and 120°C, and in a time span of 1 to 60 seconds, more preferably of 1 to 40 seconds. The elastomeric composition formulation may furthermore be supplemented with additives, such as, but not limited to water, hydrolytic stabilizers, plasticizers, accelerators, blowing agents, vulcanization agents, chain extenders, catalysts, surfactants, surface-active agents and emulsifiers, cell openers...

In one embodiment, when adding a plastifier to the formulation, said plastifier will preferably be added in a range of 2 to 60% percentage of weight of the formulation, more preferably in a range of 5 to 40% percentage of weight of the formulation.

In another embodiment, when adding a crosslinker, said crosslinker may be present in a percentage of weight between 0.1 and 10%, preferably in a percentage of weight between 0.5 and 5%. Multiple crosslinkers may be present in the formulation, whereby each crosslinker may be present in percentage of weight range of between 0.1 and 10%, preferably between 0.5 and 5%.

In one embodiment, said formulation may comprise the following composition :

- 40 to 99% of prepolymer;

- 2 to 60% of plastifier;

- 0.1 to 10% of crosslinker A;

- optionally, 0.1 to 10% of crosslinker B.

The possible nature of these addititves are all readily known by a person skilled in the art.

The functional cover is preferably obtained by extrusion, molding, injection molding, or casting on the drum surface, preferably followed by vulcanization or cross-linking.

The invention is further described by the following non-limiting examples which further illustrate the invention, and are not intended to, nor should they be interpreted to, limit the scope of the invention.

Examples

A. Rubber compounds

Example 1 : nitrile compound base A compound was prepared in an internal mixer using a classical nitrile rubber base, using a blend of 2 different rubbers (e.G. krynac 3345SF from Lanxess, Nipol DN200W45 from Zeon, krynac 33110F from Lanxess). This compound was sulfur cured with MBTS accelerator. A blowing agent, for instance Azodicarbonamide Cellcom CF754KI from Sorac, was added. The expansion occurs during the vulcanization in the autoclave. This lead to a foam with 0.79g/cm3 density and a 40 shores A hardness.

Example 2 : neoprene compound base

A compound was prepared in an internal mixer using a 50/50 mix of 2 different neoprene rubbers (e.g. Baypren 211 from Lanxess, Showa Denko CR MW1 from Nordmann Rassman, Baypren 230ML115 from Lanxess or Denka M 120 from Mitsui). Classical vulcanization agents such as ETU, zinc oxide and/or magnesium oxide were added. At the end of the mixing in the internal mixer, pre-expanded microspheres were added, in a concentration between 5 and 15 phr. This avoided the collapse of the microspheres during the mixing process. The used microspheres had a particle size distribution comprised between 6 and 158 μιη with an average diameter at 80 μιη. The obtained foam has a density of 0.99g/cm3 and a 37 shores A hardness. The surface roughness Ra was between 4,5 and 7.

B. Polyurethane compounds

Example 1 : soft urethane 30 shores A

The used base is a classical polyester/TDI urethane. To decrease the hardness, a plasticizer, more preferably a benzoate plasticizer was added. A chain extender (e.g. TMP from Bayer or an equivalent of the Simulsol range from Air Products) was added. The obtained PU is a soft compact urethane 30 shores A with a density of 1.2g/cm3. The surface roughness Ra was between 1,2 and 1,6 μιτι.

Example 2 : PU with blowing agent

Same prepolymer as in the example 1. Chain extenders were added. Water was added in order to react with the isocyanates groups to form the foam by forming of CO gas during the reaction. A 60 shore A foam with a density of 0.6 g/cm3 was obtained.

Example 3 : PU with pre-expanded micro spheres Same prepolymer as in example 1. Trimethylolpropane (TMP) is used as a chain extender. Between 30 and 45 phr (Parts per Hundred Rubber) of pre-expanded microspheres were used. These microspheres have a particle size distribution comprised between 6 and 158 μιη with an average diameter at 80 μιτι. A18 shore A foam with a density of 0.22 g/cm3 was obtained. The surface roughness Ra was between 4,5 and 6 μιτι.

Example 4: PU with pre-expanded micro spheres

Same procedure as in example 3, but with addition of 10 to 15 phr of pre- expanded microspheres. We obtained a 22 shore A foam with a density of 0.33 g/cm³. The surface roughness Ra is between 4,5 and 6 μιτι.

Example 5 : PU with pre-expanded micro spheres

Same prepolymer as before. To decrease the hardness a plasticizer (e.g. benzoflex 9-88SG from Eastman or Santicizer 9100 from Ferro) was used . A chain extender was added (e.g. TIPA or Simulsol from Air Product). 3.7 phr of pre-expanded microspheres were used. A 35 shore A foam with a density of 0.63 g/cm³ was obtained. Microscopic surface roughness was between 6 and 7 μιτι. Example 6: PU with unexpanded micro spheres

Same procedure as in example 4. In this compound the microsphere used is an unexpanded one with an average diameter of 120 μιη. Between 10 and 15 phr microspheres were added. Expansion occurred during the curing. A 55 shore A foam with density of 0.85 g/cm³ was obtained.

Claims

I . A roll drum for a roller winding device, whereby said roll drum comprises a solid core and a functional cover radially on the outside of said core, characterized in that the cover comprises a foam structure obtained by a mixture of an elastomeric material selected from the group of polyurethane or polyurethane mixtures, isoprene isobutylene copolymer, chloroprene, EPDM and fluorocarbon elastomer and micro-spheres filled with a low volatile solvent chosen from the group of liquid hydrocarbon blowing agents.

2. Roll drum according to claim 1, characterized in that the microscopic surface roughness of said cover lies between 1 and 150 μιη.

3. Roll drum according to claim 2, characterized in that said elastomeric material is polyurethane.

4. Roll drum according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the hardness of said functional cover lies between 15 and 65 Shore A.

5. Roll drum according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said functional cover has a radial thickness in the range of 1 to 60 mm.

6. Roll drum according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said functional cover extends as far as the roll drum surface.

7. A roller winding device, having one or more roll drums, whereby at least one of said roll drums is a roll drum according to any of the claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for producing a functional cover comprising a foam structure, for use on a roll drum of a roller winding device, comprising a step of mixing an elastomeric material with micro-spheres filled with a low volatile solvent, characterized in that said microspheres are added in pre-expanded state.

9. Method for producing a functional cover comprising a foam structure according to claim 8, characterized in that said micro-spheres are applied to said elastomeric material by low shear mixing.

10. Method for producing a functional cover according to any of the claims 8 or 9, characterized in that said microspheres are applied in a range of 1 to 25 phr to said elastomeric material.

I I . Method for producing a functional cover according to any of the claims 8 to 10, characterized in that said elastomeric material is selected from the group of materials which include polyurethane, isoprene isobutylene copolymer, nitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene, EPDM, chloro-sulphonated rubbers, silicones and fluorocarbon elastomer.

12. Method for producing a functional cover according to any of the claims 8 to 11, characterized in that said functional cover is obtained by extrusion, injection molding, molding or casting.

13. Method for producing a functional cover according to any of the claims 8 to 12, characterized in that said functional cover is casted on the roll drum surface by extrusion, casting or molding, followed by vulcanization or cross-linking operation.