Slitter rewinder machine for producing reels of weblike material and associated method

The machine comprises: a pair of winding rolls (1, 3) defining a winding cradle (5); feed means (13) for feeding a weblike material (N) toward said cradle (5); slitter means (14) for slitting said weblike material (N) lengthwise; insertion means (55) for inserting a plurality of axially aligned tubular winding cores (A) into said winding cradle (5); and a slitting station (49, 51) situated upstream of said winding rolls (1, 3), with a plurality of tools (67) for dividing, at right angles to its axis, a tube (T) of great length into tabular cores (A) of limited length. The slitting station (49, 51) contains a mandrel (71) with means for inserting said mandrel (71) into said tube (T) and for withdrawing the mandrel from the tubular cores obtained by dividing up said tube.

DESCRIPTION 
1. Technical Field 
This invention relates to a machine for producing reels of wound weblike 
material, for example paper, tissue paper, nonwovens and similar products. 
More specifically, this invention relates to a machine for simultaneously 
producing a plurality of reels on a corresponding plurality of tubular 
winding cores arranged in axial alignment in a winding cradle formed by 
rotating cylinders. 
The invention also relates to a method for producing a plurality of reels 
of weblike material wound on tubular cores. 
2. Background Art 
In the paper converting industry it is frequently necessary to produce 
relatively large diameter reels of paper wound on tubular winding cores. 
This requirement occurs, for example, when manufacturing reels of toilet 
paper, paper towels and the like for industrial use or public facilities, 
that is to say where there is a need for reels containing a large quantity 
of wound paper. 
Many different types of machine, in which one or more tubular winding cores 
are laid in a cradle formed by two rotating winding rolls, have been 
designed for the production of these reels. GB-A-2,050,317 discloses a 
machine that produces one reel at a time on a tubular core. The core is 
placed in a lateral jaw which, at the start of the winding cycle, places 
the core (to which a band of adhesive has already been applied) in the 
winding cradle. 
A similar machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,190. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,854 discloses a machine in which the winding cores are 
inserted in sequence in the winding cradle by a chain hoist and a pivoting 
insertion means. 
In some cases two or more cores are laid in the winding cradle in axial 
alignment. The weblike material is then slit lengthwise on its way to the 
winding rolls. The result is simultaneous winding of two or more reels in 
parallel. This makes it possible to wind reels of considerable diameter 
and with an axial dimension equal to the final dimension which it is 
desired to produce, thereby avoiding the necessity of cutting the reels 
after winding. Such a machine is produced by the company Jagenberg 
Aktiengesellschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany, and is known by the name 
"Vari-Dur". 
Other examples of machines in which winding takes place simultaneously on 
two or more axially aligned tubular cores are disclosed in Japanese 
Utility Model Application JP 54-4806 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,794. 
In these machines the tubular cores are supplied already in the axial 
dimension on which winding is carried out. 
A production machine belonging to the present proprietor, by the name 
"Rodumat", also has a slitting station in which a tube of board or other 
suitable material is slit into a plurality of tubular cores of reduced 
length, which are then inserted into the winding cradle. In this machine a 
mandrel is inserted into the tube in the slitting station to serve as a 
backing for the slitting tools, after which the mandrel, now inside the 
tubular cores generated by the slitting of the tube is inserted into the 
winding zone for the formation of the reels of weblike material. After 
winding, the mandrel is withdrawn and sent via a recycling path to the 
slitting station. With these machines it is therefore necessary to have a 
large number of mandrels, two systems for inserting and withdrawing the 
mandrel at two different points of the machine and a mandrel recycling 
path. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of this invention to provide a rewinder machine for 
simultaneously producing a plurality of reels on axially aligned cores 
that is highly compact and efficient. 
It is also an object of the invention to provide a rewinder machine that 
also comprises, in line with the feed means of the weblike material, means 
for the precise and efficient slitting of tubes to produce tubular cores 
of the desired length for winding. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a machine in which it 
is possible quickly and flexibly to modify the length of the individual 
tubular cores to suit production needs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These and other objects and advantages, which will be clear to those 
skilled in the art upon reading the following text, are achieved with a 
rewinder machine for producing reels of weblike material, of the type 
comprising a pair of winding rolls defining a winding cradle, feed means 
for feeding a weblike material toward said cradle, slitter means for 
slitting said weblike material lengthwise, insertion means for inserting a 
plurality of axially aligned tubular winding cores into said winding 
cradle, and a slitting station situated upstream of said winding rolls, 
with a plurality of tools for dividing, at right angles to its axis, a 
tube of great length into a plurality of tubular cores of limited length. 
Characteristically, according to the invention, the slitting station 
contains a mandrel and means of insertion of the mandrel into the tube to 
be slit and of withdrawal of the mandrel from the tubular cores obtained 
by dividing up said tube before the cores are removed from the slitting 
station. 
The result is a machine with all the advantages of rewinders in which the 
tube is slit, with the assistance of a mandrel inserted axially into it, 
immediately upstream of the winding zone. However, the disadvantages of 
having to withdraw the mandrel at the end of the winding process and 
recycle the withdrawn mandrels from the reel ejection station to the 
slitting station, are eliminated. 
Hereinbelow, for the sake of clarity, the term "tube" will be used to 
denote the tubular core before it is divided at right angles to its axis, 
while the term "tubular core" will denote the core obtained by the 
division of the tube. 
It should be understood in addition that the slitting of the tube in the 
slitting station may be such as to generate physically separate tubular 
cores or else simply a slit in the form of perforations, giving the tube a 
series of annular perforations or incisions in planes at right angles to 
the axis where the individual tubular cores will be separated later, 
possibly after the material has first been wound onto them. In this way a 
tube is transferred from the slitting station to the winding cradle with a 
series of incisions or perforations that divide it up into lengths, each 
length giving rise, subsequently, to a corresponding tubular core when the 
incision or perforation is broken. In the following text the term "slit" 
will denote in a general way any action tending to divide the tube into a 
series of lengths that give rise, at any stage in the production process, 
to a series of tubular cores. The term "tubular cores" is used to indicate 
all of the lengths into which the tube is divided, even if these lengths 
have not yet been separated from each other but are simply defined by 
lines of incisions or perforations. 
Other advantageous features of the machine and method according to the 
invention are indicated in the accompanying claims and will be described 
in greater detail with reference to an example of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Referring initially to FIG. 1, the machine comprises a pair of winding 
rolls 1 and 3 on parallel axes and positioned alongside each other to form 
a winding cradle 5. Arranged above the winding cradle is a third roll 9 
that can move vertically as shown by the arrow f9. The three rolls 1, 3, 9 
form a winding space in which the reels of weblike material are formed 
around the tubular cores A, which are inserted when required into the 
winding cradle 5 in the manner described later. 
The weblike material N is fed from below through the gap 11 defined between 
the two winding rolls 1, 3. Along the path of the weblike material are a 
spreader roll 13 and a series of cutters 14 that act in combination with 
annular grooves formed in the winding roll 1 in order to slit the weblike 
material N into strips that are narrower than the total width of the 
weblike material N. To the side of the rolls 1, 3 is an ejection apron 15 
onto which the completed reels are unloaded. 
In FIG. 1 a series of completed reels, axially aligned and ready for 
ejection, are indicated at R1. The reels R1 are moved off the cradle 5 
onto the ejection apron 15 by a pivoting arm 17 hinged at 19 to the 
structure of the machine, its pivoting movement being controlled by a 
piston/cylinder actuator 18. The pivoting arm 17 carries an idle roller 21 
at its free end to act on the surface of the reels R1 and eject them. 
The ejection apron 15 slopes away slightly and at its lower end are two 
cylinders 23, 25 side by side. The cylinder 25 is on a fixed axis while 
the axis of the cylinder 23 can pivot about the axis of the cylinder 25 
and its pivoting movement is controlled by a piston/cylinder actuator 27. 
The cylinder 23 can adopt three different positions relative to the 
cylinder 25, one of which is indicated in solid lines in FIG. 1, while the 
other two are drawn in broken lines and labeled 23X and 23Y. One or both 
of the cylinders 23, 25 is/are motorized. The function of the pair of 
rolls 23, 25 will be explained later in further detail. 
In the ejection apron 15 is a transverse slit along which travels a 
carriage 31 that can traverse the ejection apron 15 in an substantially 
perpendicular direction to the direction in which the reels roll over the 
apron 15. 
The carriage 31 carries a first nozzle 33 and a second nozzle 35 for 
applying a suitable adhesive to the weblike material and to the tubular 
winding cores in the manner described below. The carriage 31 also carries 
a cutter 37 that slits the weblike material when winding is complete. 
At the opposite side of the machine from the ejection apron 15 are means 
for feeding and slitting the tubes and inserting the tubular winding 
cores. These means comprise a magazine 41 containing a plurality of tubes 
T (made of board, for example) that can be fed directly from a tube 
machine in which they are made, or from a larger store. At the lower end 
of the magazine 41 a pivoting distributor 43 controlled by an actuator 45 
takes the tubes T one by one from the magazine 41 and unloads then onto a 
ramp 47. At the end of the ramp 47 is a pair of cylinders 49, 51 side by 
side and on parallel axes. The cylinder 51 is on a fixed axis while the 
cylinder 49 can pivot with its axis about the axis of the cylinder 51. 
This pivoting movement is controlled by a piston/cylinder actuator 53. One 
or both of the cylinders 49, 51 are motorized and carry out the slitting 
of the tubes T so as to form tubular cores of the required lengths, in the 
manner described later in greater detail. 
Downstream of the pair of cylinders 49, 51 is an insertion means 55 that 
pivots about the axis of the winding roll 3, the pivoting movement being 
controlled by a piston/cylinder actuator 57. 
Situated above the pair of cylinders 49, 51 is a beam 61 with a dovetail 
track 63 running crosswise relative to the weblike material N. Sliders 65 
are positioned and locked at points along the track 63 and each carries 
its own slitting tool 67, in the form of a slitting disk, that can be 
raised and lowered as shown by the double arrow f67. Each slitting disk is 
mounted idly on its own spindle. 
The machine as described thus far works in the following manner: the 
distributor 43 takes a tube T from the magazine 41 and unloads it onto the 
ramp 47; the tube T positions itself in the cradle between the cylinders 
49 and 51, and in this position a cylindrical mandrel 71 (see also FIG. 2) 
is inserted into the tube T by an actuator 73. The mandrel 71 has a 
diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the tube T so as 
to enable it to be inserted and withdrawn with ease. 
Once the mandrel 71 has been inserted into the tube T, the tools 67 are 
lowered and pushed against the tube so as to penetrate into the thickness 
of the board (or other suitable material, such as plastic for example) 
forming the tube T. The cylinders 49, 51 are rotated so as to turn the 
tube T and the mandrel inside it, which for this purpose is supported 
cantilever-fashion on support bearings allowing it to rotate easily about 
its own axis. 
The tubes T are thus slit by the tools 67, which act in combination with 
the mandrel 71, into a plurality of tubular cores A of shorter length, 
corresponding to the axial length of the reels which it is desired to 
produce. The presence of the mandrel inside the tube T enables a rapid and 
precise slit to be made without deforming the tubular material. 
As mentioned earlier, the tools 67 may carry out annular perforations, 
rather than a complete slit, at the lines of breakage of the tube T. The 
perforations divide the tube into tubular cores which, however, remain 
attached to each other at the perforations and are separated once the 
weblike material has been wound onto them. 
In addition to the abovementioned slitting, the tools 67 also carry out two 
lateral slits to eliminate trimmings from the head and tail of the tube. 
The trimmings are then removed, e.g. by suction means (not shown). 
Once the tube T has been divided up into a series of tubular cores A 
(separated from each other or joined together by lines of perforations 
produced by the tools 67), the mandrel 71 is withdrawn axially by the 
actuator 73 to allow unloading of the tubular cores A. These are unloaded 
onto the insertion means 55 which is in the position indicated in solid 
lines in FIG. 1. The unloading of the cores A onto the insertion means 55 
is effected by pivoting the cylinder 49, by means of the actuator 57, 
about the axis of the cylinder 51. 
Once the slit tubular cores have reached the position indicated at A1 on 
the insertion means 55, the latter is pivoted in turn by the actuator 57 
toward the position indicated in broken lines and marked 55X, where the 
tubular cores A are unloaded into the cradle 5 between the rolls 1, 3 in 
position A2. During this stage the rolls 1 and 3 are temporarily 
stationary and the roll 9 is in the raised position indicated at 9X in 
broken lines in FIG. 1. The weblike material N winds part of the way 
around the circumference of the winding roll I and therefore the tubular 
cores A come into contact with the weblike material when unloaded into the 
cradle 5. 
The position of the cutters 14 and of the slitting tools 67 is such that 
each tubular core A will correspond to one of the strips produced by the 
slitting of the weblike material N by the cutters 14. 
When the tubular cores A have assumed the position A2, they are given a 
line of adhesive sprayed by the nozzle 35 mounted on the carriage 31, 
which for this purpose traverses along the slot in the rolling apron 15. A 
series of nozzles 16 in the ejection apron 15 emit a jet of air that wraps 
the resulting edge of material around the tubular cores in position A2. 
The roll 9 is then lowered into contact with the surface of these tubular 
cores, which are thus in contact with the three rolls 1, 3, 9. When the 
three rolls 1, 3, 9 begin to rotate in the same direction as each other, 
the tubular cores A are rotated and consequently the adhesive applied to 
them comes into contact with the weblike material, which thus begins to 
wind itself onto them. 
As the rotation of the winding rolls 1, 3, 9 continues, a series of reels 
R1 is formed, each on its own individual tubular winding core A. While the 
reels are being formed on the cores A in the winding cradle 5, a fresh 
tube T is unloaded onto the cylinders 49, 51 to be divided into a new 
series of tubular cores A which will be inserted into the cradle 5 in the 
next winding cycle. 
On completion of winding, the rolls 1, 3 and 9 are stopped and the pivoting 
arm 17 is pivoted clockwise, as indicated by arrow f17, by the actuator 18 
in order to eject the series of reels R1 onto the ejection apron 15. The 
reels R1 roll over the apron 15 and stop at the edge of the latter when 
they encounter the cylinders 25, 23, the latter being for this purpose in 
position 23Y. R2 identifies the position of the reels R when they finish 
rolling over the ejection apron 15. 
When this position has been reached, the weblike material N is still 
connected to the reels R2 and must be cut so that winding can be commenced 
on the next series of tubular cores A, which are brought into the winding 
cradle 5 in the manner described earlier. 
To this end the carriage 31 effects a crosswise stroke in such as way as to 
carry out three actions simultaneously: 
1. to apply, by means of the nozzle 33, a line of adhesive to an area of 
the weblike material situated between the path of the carriage 31 and the 
reels in position R2, 
2. to cut the weblike material crosswise by means of the cutter 37, and 
3. to apply a line of adhesive by means of the nozzle 35 to the new tubular 
cores which in the meantime have been placed in the cradle 5 in position 
A2, in the manner described earlier. 
After the weblike material has been cut by the cutter 37, the reels R2 are 
rotated so as also to wind the tail end of weblike material produced by 
the cutting action of the cutter 37. Because the tail end carries the 
adhesive applied by the nozzle 33, the rotation of the reels R2 also 
causes the tail end of these reels to be stuck down and closed. 
For this purpose the cylinder 23 is moved into position 23X, in which the 
axes of the cylinders 23, 25 are substantially leveled up in a horizontal 
plane. The reels R2 are thus supported by the cylinders 23, 25 alone and 
not by the ejection apron 15, which means that rotating the cylinders 23, 
25 anticlockwise will close the free end of the reels R2. 
The reels, now completed and stuck down, are then unloaded onto a conveyor 
belt or other suitable device (not shown) by moving the cylinder 23 to the 
position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1. Alternatively, unloading may be 
by pushing the reel axially with a pusher that traverses between the 
cylinders 23, 25 parallel to their axes, in which case the distance 
between the cylinders 23, 25 may be slightly greater. 
Given the relatively long winding times required to form the large-diameter 
reels R, the operations of winding the free ends of the reels in position 
R2 and slitting the tubes T takes place out of the way of the winding of 
the reels in the cradle 5. 
It should be understood that the drawing shows only an example purely by 
way of a practical demonstration of the invention, which latter can be 
varied in its shapes and arrangements without thereby departing from the 
scope of the concept on which the invention is based. The presence of any 
reference numerals in the appended claims is for the purpose of 
facilitating the reading of the claims with reference to the description 
and drawing and does not limit the scope of protection represented by the 
claims.