1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a corrugating machine for the manufacture of sheets of corrugated board.
2. Background Art
Corrugating machines for the manufacture of single-faced corrugated board or multi-layered corrugated board have been known for quite a while, for instance from U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,850. The output of a corrugating machine can be raised by increasing the velocity of the corrugated board. However, there are upper limits to this. If a further increase in production is intended, another separate corrugating machine must be made available.
It is an object of the invention to embody a corrugating machine of raised manufacturing capacity.
The object is attained in a corrugating machine for the manufacture of sheets of corrugated board, comprising a first manufacturing unit for the production of a first web of corrugated board; at least a second manufacturing unit for the production of an at least second web of corrugated board; a mounting unit, which is disposed downstream of said manufacturing units in a direction of working, for non-adhesively bringing together the first web of corrugated board and the at least second web of corrugated board; and at least one working unit, which is disposed downstream of the mounting unit, for jointly working the first web of corrugated board and the at least second web of corrugated board which lie on top of each other. The gist of the invention resides in that at least two webs of corrugated board are produced separately, which are then brought together and worked jointly.
Further details of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of two exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawing.
The following is a description of a first embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. A corrugating machine, which is diagrammatically outlined in
An unroll stand 12 for a liner web 13 is disposed downstream of the machine 1 in the working direction 11, the liner web 13 first being led upwards and deviated by a deflection roller 10 and then conveyed in the working direction 11. The corrugated medium 3, the backer 7 and the liner 13 are appropriately selected paper webs. Disposed downstream of the unroll stand 12 in the working direction 11 is a machine 14 for the production of a web of single-faced corrugated board 15, the machines 1 and 14 being identical in design.
The web of corrugated board 15 is discharged upwards from the machine 14, deviated by the deflection roller 10 and then conveyed in the working direction 11. An unroll stand 16 for a liner web 17 is disposed down-stream of the machine 14, the liner 17 being discharged in the working direction 11. A preheater 18 is disposed downstream of the unroll stand 16, having four heating rollers 19 one above the other. The web of corrugated board 9, the liner web 13, the web of corrugated board 15 and the liner web 17 run one above the other, partially contacting the respective heating rollers 19. Disposed downstream of the preheater 18 is an adhesive applicator unit 20 with two glue rollers 21 one above the other which are partially located in a glue pan 22. The corrugated mediums 3 of the webs of corrugated board 9 and 15 are in contact with the respective glue rollers 21.
Disposed downstream of the adhesive applicator unit 20 is a heater 23 which comprises a horizontal hot plate table 24 extending in the working direction 11. Provided above the table 24 is a heated, continuous hold-down belt 26 which is deflected by three rollers 25, with a nip 27 formed between the hold-down belt 26 and the table 24, where the web of corrugated board 9, the liner 13, the web of corrugated board 15 and the liner 17 are passed through and pressed together. A corresponding heater 23 is known from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/711 957.
Two three-layered webs of corrugated board 28 and 29 are formed in the heater 23, lying one above the other without being glued. The arrangement of the two webs of corrugated board 28, 29 is illustrated in detail in
The machine 1, the unroll stand 12, parts of the preheater 18 and of the adhesive applicator unit 20 as well as the part of the heater 23 necessary for adhesively mounting the web of corrugated board 9 to the liner 13 constitute a first manufacturing unit for the production of the web of corrugated board 28. The machine 14, the unroll stand 16, parts of the preheater 18 and of the adhesive applicator unit 20 as well as the part of the heater 23 necessary for adhesively mounting the web of corrugated board 15 to the liner 17 constitute the second manufacturing unit for the production of the web of corrugated board 29. The heater 23 is a mounting unit for non-adhesively bringing together the web of corrugated board 28 and the web of corrugated board 29.
Disposed downstream of the heater 23 is a lengthwise cutting/grooving unit 30, composed of two successive grooving stations 31 as well as two successive length-wise cutting stations 32. The grooving stations 31 have grooving tools 33 which are disposed in pairs above each other with the webs of corrugated board 28 and 29 being passed there-between. The lengthwise cutting stations 32 have rotatably drivable cutters 34 for engagement with the webs of corrugated board 28, 29 for them to be cut longitudinally. The detailed structure of the grooving station 31 and the length-wise cutting station 32 is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,222 as well as DE 101 31 833.2, which reference is made to for information on the detailed design.
Downstream of the unit 30 in the working direction 11, provision is made for a crosscutting unit 35 which has two rotatably drivable rollers 36 one above the other, each carrying a cutter bar 37 that extends radially outwards vertically of the direction 11, the cutter bars 37 cooperating for crosscutting the webs 28 and 29. Provided directly downstream of the crosscutting unit 35 is a conveyor belt 39 that is deflected around rotatably drivable rollers 38. Downstream of the conveyor belt 39, provision is made for a deposit 40 with a vertical stop 41 where the corrugated boards 42 are piled up on a stack 43.
The following is a description of the mode of operation of the corrugating machine according to the first embodiment. In the machine 1, a web of single-faced corrugated board 9 is produced and supplied to the preheater 18 in the working direction 11. Simultaneously, the liner 13 is spun off the unroll stand 12 and also supplied to the preheater 18 in the direction 11. The same takes place in the machine 14 and with the liner web 17. In the preheater 18, the four webs 9, 13, 15 and 17 are initially heated and then the corrugated bottom sides of the webs 9 and 15 are glued in the adhesive applicator unit 20. In the heater 23, the liner web 13 is held down on the web of corrugated board 9 for them to be united. Simultaneously, the liner web 17 is pressed against the web of corrugated board 15 for these two to be united. In this way the three-layered webs of corrugated board 28 and 29 originate. It is also the function of the heater 23 to bring the webs of corrugated board 28 and 29 together so that two webs of corrugated board lie one on top of the other in the working direction 11 without the webs of corrugated board 28 and 29 being joined, in particular glued, together. In the stations 31, 32 as well as the unit 35, the webs 28 and 29 that lie on top of each other are simultaneously worked by the grooving tools 33, the cutters 34 as well as the cutter bars 37. The advantage resides in that two webs of corrugated board 28, 29 that lie one on top of the other can be worked simultaneously by a lengthwise cutting/grooving unit 30 and a crosscutting unit 35, both of which are necessary for working a web of corrugated board. Consequently, twice the quantity of corrugated board can be worked while the number of working units 30, 35 and the velocity of the web of corrugated board remain the same. Downstream of the crosscutting unit 35, the corrugated boards 42 are imbricated on the conveyor belt 39 and stacked against the stop 41 on the deposit 40.
Even a higher number of webs of corrugated board can be brought together in the heater 23. It is conceivable to provide a third machine that is identical with the machine 1 as well as another unroll stand that is identical with the unroll stand 12 in order for three webs of corrugated board, which lie one on top of the other without being joined to each other, to be brought together in the heater 23, which is a factor three increase in output. It is also possible to bring together the webs of single-faced corrugated board 9 and 15 instead of the respective three-layered webs of corrugated board 28 and 29. In this case, there is no need of the liners 13 and 17 and the associated unroll stands 12 and 16. The heater 23 is not necessary for bringing together the webs of corrugated board 9 and 15. The webs of corrugated board 9 and 15 can be passed, and brought together, through a nip between two rollers that are disposed one above the other. The design of the mounting unit is a lot simpler in this case.
For the machine seen in
The following is a description of a second embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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101 43 633.5 | Sep 2001 | DE | national |
This is a continuation of copending parent application Ser. No. 10/235,941, filed Sep. 6, 2002.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10235941 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 11065041 | Feb 2005 | US |