Device for continuously feeding a web of material from a stock roll

Abstract: In a device for continuously feeding a web of material from a stock roll, the conveyor means for conveying the unwinding roll and the remnant roll through the device comprise two parallel essentially U-shaped guide tracks (2) for the rolls. The legs of the U extend in lengthwise direction of the device, such that both loading of a new roll (11, 11′) and picking up and discharging of a remnant roll can take place at the front side of the device. For controlling the speed of an unwinding roll two driving belt units (5, 6) are provided which can cooperate with the periphery of the unwinding roll one after another. For running a new roll (11, 11′) up to the required peripheral speed for making a splice with an unwinding web and keeping said roll at that speed until the splice is made a core drive is provided which acts upon the shape of the new roll, and which can work independently of the driving belt units (5, 6). A new roll (11, 11′) can thus be prepared with ad adhesive strip over the whole width of the roll, which will result in an uninterrupted splice. The device is further provided with a new web splicing unit (8).

Description: The invention relates to a device for continuously feeding a web of material from a stock roll, comprising a frame, means for rotatably supporting an unwinding stock roll which is present in the device and off which the web of material is coming, means for rotatably supporting a new stock roll placed in the device, means for controlling the peripheral speed of the unwinding roll, means for driving the new roll, splicing and severing means for adhering the leading end of the web on the new roll to the unwinding web coming off the unwinding roll and severing the unwinding web after the splicing point, and conveyor means comprising a substantially horizontal first section for conveying the unwinding roll during unwinding from the front of the device towards the rear thereof, said splicing and severing means being located near the new stock roll and above said conveyor means. Such a device is known from EP-A-0 005 021. In the known device there is a conveyor track running from front to back through the device for conveying the unwinding roll and the new roll through the device. There is, however, only one driving belt unit, which is situated below the conveyor track for the rolls. The driving belt unit has a flat driving belt running round a drive roller and an idler roller. The driving belt unit slopes upwards in the direction of movement of the conveyor belt of the conveyor track and can thereby swing about an axis of rotation which coincides with the axis of the drive roller, which is situated on the low side of the driving belt unit, and is itself adjustable in height. When the unwinding roll is being unwound, a new roll can be placed at the beginning of the conveyor belt. During the unwinding of the unwinding roll the conveyor belt of the conveyor track moves towards the back. As the diameter of the unwinding roll becomes smaller, the belt of the driving belt unit resting against the periphery of the unwinding roll moves upwards. At a particular diameter of the unwinding roll, the driving belt comes into contact with the new roll lying on the conveyor track, and said roll thereby runs up to speed and reaches the same peripheral speed as the unwinding roll. At a particular minimum diameter of the unwinding roll a splice is made between the leading end of the web on the new roll and the unwinding web, and the unwinding web is severed. The new roll has now become the unwinding roll. The conveyor belt of the conveyor track now moves further towards the back, so that the remaining roll can be discharged at the rear of the device. The new unwinding roll also moves towards the back, the periphery of this roll always remaining in contact with the driving belt. At a particular position of the new unwinding roll a new roll can be placed again at the beginning of the conveyor track, and the entire cycle can be repeated. The above-described known device has the following disadvantage. The remaining roll is deposited at the rear side of the device, so that there is little room for picking up and removing the deposited remaining roll. The remaining roll therefore has to be removed from the side. It is the object of the present invention to provide a device of the above-mentioned type which does not have the disadvantage of the known device. According to the invention, the conveyor means further comprises a substantially horizontal second section situated below the first section for conveying the remaining roll, i.e. the remaining part of the unwinding roll which is left after the web coming from said roll is severed, from the rear of the device to the front thereof and depositing it into a seat from which said remaining roll can be picked up, said seat being located substantially in a vertical plane in which lies also the axis of the new stock roll in the initial resting position, the vertical distance between the first section and the second section being a slightly larger than half the maximum diameter of a new roll, so that a remaining roll on the second section can pass under a new roll with maximum diameter on the first section. Through this design, it is possible both for the new roll to be placed and for the remaining roll to be discharged at the front of the device. This leads to a much simpler operation of the device and provides the possibility for automation of the placing of new rolls and the discharge of remaining rolls. Research Disclosure March 1976 No. 14360 discloses an automatic loading unwind stand for cutting and splicing webs from several rolls. This device comprises an endless conveyor for supporting and forwarding in succession several rolls. The conveyor comprises a horizontal upper part for conveying a new roll to its position during the cutting and splicing operation, and a horizontal lower part running in opposite direction to the upper part, a portion of the lower part serves for conveying an empty mandrel out of the device. The cutting and splicing devices are situated below the level of the lower side of a new roll on the upper part of the conveyor and above the level of the lower part of the conveyor, the vertical distance between the upper and lower parts of the conveyor being approximately equal to the diameter of a new roll, so that the height of the device is considerable. During unwinding of a roll and during the cutting and splicing operation the conveyor does not move and during the cutting and splicing operation the new roll does not rotate. The device disclosed in Research Disclosure is not a device for continuously feeding a web from a stock roll, such as the device according to the invention, in which the conveyor means are continuously moving and the unwinding roll is also rotating during the splicing and cutting operation. Further features and details of a device according to the invention are laid down in the dependent Claims. The invention will be explained in greater detail by means of the description below of a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention with reference to the appended drawings. Figure 1 is a side view of a particular preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention; Figure 1a shows a detail IA of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale; Figure 2a shows a detail IIA of Figure 2 on an enlarged scale; Figure 2b shows a possible embodiment of a shaft for a roll, on an enlarged scale, with rotatably mounted bushes at the ends; Figure 3 shows a guide track for a shaft bearing an end of a roll, in a view along the line III-III in Figure 4; Figure 4 is a top view of the guide tracks, one of which is shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a view in cross section along the line V-V in Figure 3; Figure 6 shows the drive of a carrier for a shaft carrying a roll, in a view along the line VI-VI in Figure 7; Figure 7 is a top view of the drive of the carriers for a shaft; Figure 8 shows the drive for the transverse adjustment of the shafts of the unwinding roll and the new roll, in a view along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 9; Figure 9 is a top view of the drive of the transverse adjustment of the shafts of the unwinding roll and the new roll; The device shown in Figures 1 and 2 for feeding a web of material continuously from a stock roll comprises the following main parts: a frame, which is indicated in general by reference number 1, a guide device for guiding the ends of the shafts of an unwinding roll and a remaining roll through the device, said guide device being indicated in general by reference number 2, a drive device, indicated in general by reference number 3, for driving a carrier 4 for carrying along a shaft 4a bearing a roll, a control device for controlling the peripheral speed of an unwinding roll, which comprises a first driving belt unit 5, a second driving belt unit 6, and a common control element 7 for controlling the peripheral speed of the driving belts of the two driving belt units 5, 6, a web splicing unit indicated in general by reference number 8, a tensioning device 9 for keeping the unwinding web tensioned, and a device indicated in general by reference number 10 for adjusting the shafts of an unwinding roll and the new roll in the crosswise direction. Figure 1 also shows the periphery of a new roll 11 with maximum diameter and the periphery of a new roll 11' with minimum diameter. In addition, the periphery of an unwinding roll with minimum diameter is indicated by 11a and the unwinding web by 11b. The frame 1 consists essentially of two vertical mounting plates 12 and 13, placed at a distance from each other, and between which and on which the various parts of the device are mounted. The shaft 4a for a roll can be provided at its end with rotatably mounted bushes 4b and 4c (Figure 2b). The guide device 2 comprises a set of parallel guide tracks 14 and 15, fixed to the mounting plates 12 and 13 on either side of the device (see Figures 3 to 5). Figure 3 shows the guide track 14 mounted on the mounting plate 12. The guide track is essentially U-shaped in side view, and consists of an essentially horizontal top part 16, an intermediate part 17 connecting to the top part 16 and extending essentially in the vertical direction, and a bottom part 18 connecting to the intermediate part 17 and extending essentially in the horizontal direction. The top part 16 of the guide track 14 serves to guide the shaft 4a of an unwinding roll from an initial position indicated by 19 to an end position indicated by 20. The intermediate part 17 and the bottom part 18 connected thereto serve to guide the shaft of a remaining roll from the position indicated by 20 to the position indicated by 21 at the end of the bottom part 18 of the guide track. The top part 16 of the guide track is provided at the beginning, at the position indicated by 19, with a seat 22 to receive one end of the shaft of a new roll. The bottom part 18 is provided at the end, at the position indicated by 21, with a seat 23 to receive one end of the shaft of a remaining roll. Elongated friction elements 24, 25, running parallel to the intermediate part 17 and the bottom part 18, are present at the intermediate part 17 and the bottom part 18 of the guide track 14. Said friction elements can cooperate with the shaft of a remaining roll in such a way that the remaining roll will rotate, causing the loose end part of the severed web to be wound onto the remaining roll. The position of the friction elements 24 and 25 can be set by means of the setting elements 26, 27 and 28, 29 and 30 respectively. Springs 31, 32 and 33 ensure that the friction element 25 is pressed with a specific force against the shaft of the remaining roll. Such springs are also present for the friction element 24 (not shown in Figure 3). The guide track 15 is designed in the same way as the guide track 14. The drive device 3 shown in Figures 6 and 7 for driving carrying elements 4 which carry the shaft of an unwinding roll and the shaft of a remaining roll through the guide tracks 14 and 15 comprise a set of endless conveyor chains 34 and 35 running along the two guide tracks 14 and 15. Figure 6 shows the conveyor chain 34 running along the guide track 14. The conveyor chain is guided over sprocket wheels 36, 37, 38 and 39. The sprocket wheel 36 is the driving sprocket wheel, which in turn is driven by a motor with transmission, indicated together by 40. The sprocket wheels 37, 38 and 39 serve as idler sprocket wheels, the sprocket wheel 38 being adjustable for the purpose of tensioning the chain 34. A carrier 4 is fitted on each chain 34, 35. The sprocket wheel 36 is fixed on a driving shaft 41 driven by the motor 40. The sprocket wheels 37, 38 and 39 are rotatably fixed on the mounting plate 12. The chaindrive next to the guide track 15 is of the same design as the chain drive next to the guide track 14. Figures 8 and 9 show the device 10 for shifting across the frame 1 a shaft of an unwinding roll guided along the top part 16 of the guide tracks 14 and 15 and a shaft of a new roll lying in the seat 22 of the guide tracks 14 and 15. This device comprises two side guides 81 and 82 which are provided on either side of the shafts, and which can be moved across the frame at the same time and in the same direction. This movement is achieved by turning lead screws 83, 84, 85 and 86 which are screwed into the guides at the ends of the guides 81 and 82, and which are rotatably mounted in the mounting plates 12 and 13. The turning of the lead screws 84 to 86 is brought about by means of chains 91 and 92 running around sprocket wheels 87, 88, 89 and 90 mounted on the lead screws. The chains 91 and 92 also run over sprocket wheels 83 an 94 which are driven via a shaft 95 by a motor 96. Through the running of the motor 96, the lead screws 83 to 86 are turned at the same time,so that the two side guides 81 an d 82 move simultaneously in the same direction. A tensioning device 97, 98 is fitted for each chain 91, 92. It will be clear that the above-described device is also provided with means for controlling the movements of the various parts. A microprocessor can be advantageously used for the control. The device for the continuous feed of a web of material from the stock roll according to the invention has the following advantages, amongst others, over the known device: simple placing of a new roll and removal of remnant roll possible, possibility of automation, uninterrupted splice between two successive webs over width of the web.

Claims: Device for continuously feeding a web of material from a stock roll, comprising a frame (1), means (2) for rotatably supporting an unwinding stock roll which is present in the device and off which the web of material (11b) is coming, means (22) for rotatably supporting a new stock roll (11, 11') placed in the device, means (5, 6; 42, 43) for controlling the peripheral speed of the unwinding roll, means for driving the new roll (11, 11'), splicing and severing means (8) for adhering the leading end of the web on the new roll (11, 11') to the unwinding web (11b) coming off the unwinding roll and severing the unwinding web (11b) after the splicing point, and conveyor means (14, 15, 4 34, 35) comprising a substantially horizontal first section (16) for conveying the unwinding roll during unwinding from the front of the device towards the rear thereof, said splicing and severing means (8) being located near the new stock roll and above said conveyor means, characterized in that the conveyor means further comprises a substantially horizontal second section (18) situated below the first section for conveying the remaining roll, i.e. the remaining part of the unwinding roll which is left after the web coming from said roll is severed, from the rear of the device to the front thereof and depositing it into a seat (23) from which said remaining roll can be picked up, said seat (23) being located substantially in a vertical plane in which lies also the axis of the new stock roll in the initial resting position, the vertical distance between the first section (16) and the second section (18) being a slightly larger than half the maximum diameter of a new roll (11), so that a remaining roll on the second section can pass under a new roll with maximum diameter on the first section (16). Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor means consist at least of two guide track assemblies (14, 15) parallel to each other and each disposed on one of the two long sides of the frame, for guiding the ends of a shaft (4a) bearing a roll, and flexible endless conveyor elements (34, 35) running along each of the two guide track assemblies (14, 15), having on each conveyor element at least one carrier element (4) for carrying one end of the shaft (4a) of a roll along a guide track assembly, each guide track assembly comprising a first guide track part (16) extending at least in the lengthwise direction of the device, for guiding the ends of the shaft (4a) of the unwinding roll during the unwinding, and a second guide track part (17, 18) extending at least in the lengthwise direction of the device, for guiding the ends of the shaft of the remaining roll. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the two first guide track parts (16) for guiding the ends of the shaft of the unwinding roll near the free end at the front of the device are provided with a seat (22) for receiving the ends of the shaft (4a) of the new roll (11, 11'). Device according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each guide track assembly consists of an essentially U-shaped guide track (14, 15), viewed from the side of the device, comprising a top part (16) extending essentially horizontally, for guiding the ends of the shaft of the unwinding roll during unwinding, an intermediate part (17) connecting to the top part (16) and extending essentially in the vertical direction, and an essentially horizontal bottom part (18) connecting thereto, the last two parts (17, 18) serving to guide the shaft of the remaining roll. Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that in the region of the intermediate part (17) and/or the bottom part (18) of the guide tracks and running parallel thereto there are provided elongated friction elements (24, 25) which can cooperate with the shaft of the remaining roll to make this remaining roll rotate for the purpose of rolling the loose end part of the severed web onto the remaining roll.

Inventors: JACOBS THOMAS GERARDUS MARIA, JACOBS, THOMAS GERARDUS MARIA
Applicants: STORK CONTIWEB, STORK CONTIWEB B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65H19
IPC codes: B65H19