The present invention relates to devices for cutting and splicing polymeric films and the like, and more particularly to such a device that accomplished both of these operations in a single stroke.
In many industries long, continuous and multi-roll volumes of polymeric films are handled, treated or processed for a wide variety of purposes including coating, use in packaging equipment as interleaving etc. In all of these applications of polymer films the handling of the polymer films requires that to maintain continuity of operation, rolls of polymeric film be spliced “on the fly” as one supply roll is consumed and another is brought on line without slowing the particular production operation in which they are involved.
While a wide variety of methods, systems and devices have been developed for splicing such materials in such applications such as transverse roll traversing apparatus, laser welding etc. all such prior art systems tend to be relatively slow, often involving accumulators or the like, or if high speed relatively expensive due to the technology that is required to implement them.
Thus, there remains a need for a relatively simple yet high speed system or device for splicing polymeric film materials.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a splicing device that is mechanically based, simple to operate and maintain yet sufficiently high speed to meet the requirements of most polymer film handling systems.
According to the present invention, there is provided a splicing device comprising: an elongated anvil having an elongated slot therein; an elongated splicing head having a pair of spaced apart tips extending therefrom and having a longitudinal aperture therein; a heating element in the longitudinal aperture; and an actuator mechanism for driving one of the tips toward and into the elongated slot and the other of the tips into cutting contact with a polymeric film from a spent roll of film. According to various preferred embodiments, the splicing device further includes a pair of retaining members on either side of the anvil that serve to retain films to be spliced in taut contact with the anvil during splicing, and a turret portion for rotating full and spent rolls of polymeric film into position for continued operation and reloading.
Referring now to
The novel portion of the splicing device of the present invention, depicted most clearly in
Splicing device head 32 comprises an elongated aperture 38 running the length thereof that contains a heating element 40 similarly running the length of aperture 38 and a pair of spaced apart tips 34 and 36. Heating element 40 serves to heat both tips 34 and 36 to a temperature appropriate for splicing and cutting polymer film fed from rolls 20 and 22 as described below. Heating element 40 that may be of any suitable material and configuration well known in the art including various resistance type heaters etc. provides the heat necessary to accomplish cutting and splicing of polymeric films, as described below. As depicted in the various Figures, aperture 38 and contained heating element 40 are located in tip 36 that is remote from anvil 26 and slot 28 in the welding/cutting operation, since, as described below, tip 36 is that which will provide the cutting of polymer film 44 from spent roll 22 during the splicing operation and hence desirably is perhaps at a slightly elevated temperature from the temperature of tip 34. However, with the proper fabrication of splicing device head 30 and more specifically tips 34 and 36 from an appropriate high heat conductivity material such as aluminum or copper and alloys thereof, both tips 34 and 36 will be at relatively the same temperature, thus, aperture 38 could also be located in tip 34 or both tips 34 and 36 could contain apertures 38 and heating elements 40. Also depicted in
Referring now more specifically to
As shown in
Referring now to
As will be apparent to the skilled artisan, actuator 24 may comprise any of a well known number of actuating mechanisms such as pneumatic, hydraulic and servo based actuators. Spicing head support 56, although not essential to the operation of the device of the present invention is provided as additional attachments between actuator 24 and splicing head 30. Additionally, splicing head support 56, at its opposing extremities provides mounting points for brackets 58 that contact guide rails 60 as described below. As also shown in the accompanying Figures are auxiliary elements of splicing device 10 that significantly enhance its functioning in the particular application shown. These include brackets 58 that include recesses 62 that ride on guide rails 60 mounted to upright portions of frame 23A to provide stability and positional accuracy as polymer films 44 and 50 are being cut or welded to each other in the one stroke operation just described.
While tips 34 and 36 and anvil 28 can be fabricated from a wide variety of materials, the use of a high heat conductivity material such as aluminum or copper and alloys thereof has been found most desirable for fabrication of tips 34 and 36, while the use of a heat resistant foam such as one fabricated from a silicone polymer has been found most effective for anvil 26. Operating temperatures for tips 34 and 36 will, of course, vary with the material being welded/cut as well as the speed of operation, but are readily determinable by those skilled the polymer fusing/cutting arts.
There has thus been described a very simple yet highly effective high speed cutting and welding device for cutting and splicing a pair of overlying polymer sheets.
As the invention has been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same may be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
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