Patent ID: 11891263
Assignee: VALMET TISSUE CONVERTING S.R.L.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 23:
24. An interfolding machine for producing stacks of interfolded sheets starting from a web of paper, said machine comprising:
a feeding section configured to cause said web of paper to move along a predetermined feeding direction;
a cutting section comprising a cutting roller having an external surface, and a counter-cutting element configured to cooperate with each other in such a way to cut said web of paper in a plurality of sheets of predetermined length;
a folding section comprising a first and a second folding roller counter-rotating one with respect to the other, said first and second folding rollers being configured to fold, at a folding zone, said plurality of sheets in a plurality of panels and to form said stack of interfolded sheets according to a predetermined interfolding configuration; and
a transfer roller configured to alternatively move between:
a working configuration, in which said cutting roller is arranged to alternately distribute said plurality of sheets to said first folding roller forming a first plurality of sheets arranged to reach said folding zone through a first feeding path, and to said transfer roller forming a second plurality of sheets arranged to reach said folding zone through a second feeding path, said transfer roller being configured to transfer said second plurality of sheets to said second folding roller, and
a rest configuration, in which said transfer roller is not arranged to hold said sheets whereby all the sheets of said plurality of sheets are arranged to move from said cutting roller to said first folding roller and therefore to reach said folding zone through said first feeding path only; and

said transfer roller is provided with third holding elements configured to hold said sheets on a portion of the respective external surface of said transfer roller, said third holding elements being configured to move between:
an activation configuration, in which are arranged to hold said sheets whereby said transfer roller is arranged in said working configuration, and
a deactivation configuration, in which said third holding elements are not arranged to hold said sheets and, therefore, said transfer roller is arranged in said rest configuration.