Claims
- 1. A process for stretch wrapping a bundle with a film web dispensed from a film web dispenser comprising:
- moving the bundle into an applicator mandrel having a noncircular cross-section;
- revolving the film web dispenser relative to the applicator mandrel;
- dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a substantially constant supply speed by preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from increasing and preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from decreasing;
- stretching the film web in the direction in which it is dispensed;
- wrapping the stretched film web onto the applicator mandrel;
- transporting the film web wrapped around the applicator mandrel beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel;
- continuing moving the bundle beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel; and
- applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle so as to provide a containment force in the film web after it is applied onto the bundle.
- 2. A process as claimed in claim 1 including revolving the film web dispenser around the applicator mandrel.
- 3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the revolving step includes revolving the film web dispenser about the applicator mandrel and the bundle at a rate of at least about 30 revolutions per minute.
- 4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the revolving step includes revolving the film web dispenser about the applicator mandrel and the bundle at a rate in a range of about 40 to 60 revolutions per minute.
- 5. A process as claimed in claim 1, including controlling the supply speed of the film web with a motor and a motor controller having regenerative capabilities.
- 6. A process as claimed in claim 1, including moving a bundle having a non-circular cross-section into an applicator mandrel.
- 7. A process as claimed in claim 1, including preventing the film web from substantial pre-stretching prior to dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser onto the applicator mandrel.
- 8. A process as claimed in claim 1, including positioning a substantially oblong cross-sectioned bundle in the applicator mandrel and preventing the film web from substantial pre-stretching prior to dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser onto the applicator mandrel.
- 9. A process as claimed in claim 1, including substantially pre-stretching the film web in the film web dispenser prior to dispensing the film web.
- 10. A process as claimed in claim 9, including pre-stretching the film web at a constant pre-stretch ratio in a range of about 2:1 to 3:1.
- 11. A process as claimed in claim 1, including pre-stretching the film web in the film web dispenser prior to dispensing the film web when wrapping a bundle having a substantially square cross-section.
- 12. A process as claimed in claim 1, including restraining and retarding the film web being dispensed by the film web dispenser.
- 13. A process as claimed in claim 1 including dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a rate independent of the force on the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 14. A process as claimed in claim 1, including dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a dispenser supply speed less than the lowest demand speed at the applicator mandrel.
- 15. A process as claimed in claim 1, including stretching the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 16. A process as claimed in claim 1 including maintaining the film web within a stress-strain variation range wherein film web stress undergoes minimal variation while film web strain undergoes comparatively greater variation throughout the revolution of the film dispenser while the film web is positioned between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 17. A process as claimed in claim 1, including prestretching the film web in the film web dispenser at a sufficient pre-stretch force and mechanical advantage so that it is beyond its pre-stretch yield point, and subsequently further elongating the film web by post-stretching the film web between the film web dispenser and applicator mandrel beyond its post-stretch yield point at a post-stretch force which is less than the pre-stretch force and greater than the pre-stretch force reduced by the mechanical advantage of the pre-stretch system.
- 18. A process as claimed in claim 17, including maintaining the film web beyond its post-stretch yield point throughout the revolution of the film dispenser while the film web is positioned between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 19. A process as claimed in claim 1, including stretching the film web beyond its yield point to plastically deform the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 20. A process as claimed in claim 1, including prestretching the film web beyond its pre-stretch yield point to plastically deform the film web in the film web dispenser, and subsequently post-stretching the film web beyond its post-stretch yield point to further plastically deform the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 21. A process as claimed in claim 19, wherein the stretching step includes plastically deforming the film web throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser.
- 22. A process as claimed in claim 20, wherein the post-stretching step includes plastically deforming the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser.
- 23. A process as claimed in claim 20, including maintaining the film web during the post-stretching step so that it is a force lower than the force on the film web during the pre-stretching step.
- 24. A process as claimed in claim 19, including maintaining the film web beyond its yield point throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser while the film web is between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 25. A process as claimed in claim 20, including maintaining the film web beyond its post-stretch yield point throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser while the film web is positioned between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 26. A process as claimed in claim 19, including maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range beyond the yield point throughout the revolution of the film dispenser.
- 27. A process as claimed in claim 20, including maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range beyond the post-stretch yield point throughout the revolution of the film dispenser.
- 28. A process as claimed in claim 1, including positioning a bundle having a plurality of bundle units in the applicator mandrel.
- 29. A process as claimed in claim 28, including positioning the plurality of bundle units to form a bundle having as square a cross-section as possible.
- 30. A process as claimed in claim 1 including wrapping a bundle of a sufficiently small size that it can be grasped and carried by a person and can constitute a unit of a pallet load.
- 31. A process as claimed in claim 1 including wrapping a bundle of a sufficiently small size that its greatest cross-sectional measurement is not substantially greater than two feet square.
- 32. A process as claimed in claim 1 including preventing the application of substantial point loads to the film web from the applicator mandrel and the bundle while dispensing the film web onto the applicator mandrel.
- 33. A process as claimed in claim 1 including applying a substantially uniform force across the full width of the film web while dispensing the film web onto the applicator mandrel.
- 34. A process as claimed in claim 1 including positioning an oblong cross-sectioned bundle having a wider side and a narrower side in the applicator mandrel and supporting the film web on the applicator mandrel so that the cross-section of the supported film web is less oblong and more square than the bundle cross-section.
- 35. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recovering step includes recovering the film web against opposed bundle sides simultaneously.
- 36. A process as claimed in claim 1 including wrapping the film web on an oblong cross-sectioned applicator mandrel to lock in different forces on the film web on different sides of the applicator mandrel and substantially reducing the difference between locked in forces on the film web while applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle.
- 37. A process as claimed in claim 1, including applying at least a portion of wrap force to said applicator mandrel.
- 38. A process as claimed in claim 1, including applying a wrap force to the film web between the film web dispenser and the application mandrel which if applied to the bundle would crush the bundle, and applying a substantial portion of the wrap force to the applicator mandrel to prevent the bundle from otherwise being crushed during the dispensing step.
- 39. A process as claimed in claim 1 including preventing the film web from being wrapped on the edges of the bundle by supporting the film web on the applicator mandrel.
- 40. A process as claimed in claim 1 including applying a sufficiently high wrap force to the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel, which if applied to the bundle, absent the applicator mandrel, would dislodge the bundle from its position, and applying a substantial portion of the wrap force to the applicator mandrel to prevent the bundle from otherwise being dislodged from its position during the dispensing step.
- 41. A process as claimed in claim 1 including positioning a bundle having a plurality of stacked units in the applicator mandrel applying a sufficiently high wrap force to the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel, which if applied to the bundle, absent the applicator mandrel, would dislodge at least one of the stacked units from its position, and applying a substantial portion of the wrap force to the applicator mandrel to prevent the bundle units from otherwise being dislodged from their positions during the dispensing step.
- 42. A process as claimed in claim 1, including positioning the applicator mandrel to center each bundle on the revolution axis of the film web dispenser.
- 43. A process as claimed in claim 1, including positioning the bundle between at least two film web transporters on the applicator mandrel.
- 44. A process as claimed in claim 43, including positioning the widest surfaces of said bundle adjacent to film web transporters on the applicator mandrel.
- 45. A process as claimed in claim 44, including supporting one of the widest surfaces of the bundle on a horizontal conveyor and transporting the film web with the film web transporters above the top surface of the bundle and beneath the horizontal conveyor.
- 46. A process as claimed in claim 45, including positioning the film web transporter adjacent the top surface of the bundle so that it extends across the entire width of the top surface of said bundle.
- 47. A process as claimed in claim 44, including positioning a bundle having a plurality of bundle units stacked across the bundle within the applicator mandrel and positioning the film web transporter adjacent the top surface of the bundle so that it extends across the top surface of the bundle at least to within approximately one half of a bundle unit width of the lengthwise topmost edges of said bundle.
- 48. A process as claimed in claim 44, including positioning the film web transporter so that it extends across the top surface of the bundle and so that the distance between the center of revolution of the film web dispenser and the topmost lengthwise edges of said film transporter is no greater than the distance from the center of revolution of the film web dispenser and the topmost lengthwise edges of said bundle.
- 49. A process as claimed in claim 44, including positioning the widest surfaces of the bundle adjacent vertically positioned film web transporters and on a conveyor beneath the bundle transporting the bundle in a downstream direction.
- 50. A process as claimed in claim 49, including positioning a bundle having a plurality of bundle units stacked to the height of the bundle in the applicator mandrel and positioning film web transporters adjacent opposed vertical sides of the bundle so that they extend across opposed vertical sides of the bundle adjacent at least the bottom half of the top most bundle units of the vertical sides of the bundle.
- 51. A process as claimed in claim 1, including positioning an oblong cross-sectional bundle having a wider side and a narrower side in the applicator mandrel and supporting the film web on the applicator mandrel at a greater distance away from the wider side of the bundle than the narrower side of the bundle.
- 52. A process as claimed in claim 51, including supporting the wider side of the bundle on a horizontal conveyor.
- 53. A process as claimed in claim 51, including supporting a centered width of film web away from the wider side of the bundle, the width of film web substantially equal to the width of the wider side of the bundle.
- 54. A process as claimed in claim 51, including positioning a bundle having a plurality of bundle units stacked across the wider side of the bundle in the applicator mandrel and supporting a centered width of film web away from the wider side of the bundle, the width of film web approximately one bundle unit width less than the width of the wider side of the bundle.
- 55. A process as claimed in claim 51, including supporting a centered width of film web away from the wider side of the bundle so that the distance between the center of revolution of the film web dispenser and the edges of the width of film web is no greater than the distance from the center of revolution of the film web dispenser and the edges of the width of the bundle.
- 56. A process as claimed in claim 51, including supporting the narrower side of the bundle on a horizontal conveyor running through the applicator mandrel.
- 57. Process as claimed in claim 56, including positioning a bundle having a plurality of units stacked to the height of the bundle in the applicator mandrel and supporting a width of film web away from the wider side of the bundle so that the top edge of the width is approximately at least as high as the bottom half of the top most bundle units.
- 58. A process for continuously stretch wrapping bundles of uniform cross-section with film web dispensed from a film web dispenser comprising:
- moving the bundles into an applicator mandrel having a noncircular cross-section;
- dispensing a first film web in a first helical direction having a first circular component and a second film web in a second helical direction having a second circular component opposite to the first circular component, the film web being dispensed from the film web dispenser at a substantially constant supply speed by preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from decreasing and preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from increasing;
- stretching the film web in the direction in which it is dispensed;
- wrapping the stretched film web onto the applicator mandrel;
- transporting the film web wrapped around the applicator mandrel beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel;
- continuing moving the bundle beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel; and
- applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle so as to provide a containment force in the film after it is applied onto the bundle.
- 59. A process as claimed in claim 58 including applying a sufficiently high wrap force to each of the two film webs between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel, each of which, if applied to the bundle, absent the applicator mandrel, would spirally deform the bundle, and applying both film webs from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle simultaneously to prevent spiral deformation of the bundle.
- 60. A process for stretch wrapping a bundle with a film web dispensed from a film web dispenser comprising:
- moving the bundle into an applicator mandrel having a noncircular cross-section;
- revolving the film web dispenser relative to the applicator mandrel at a rate of at least about 30 revolutions per minute;
- dispensing the film web from the film dispenser at a substantially constant supply speed by preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from increasing and preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from decreasing, wrapping the stretched film web onto the applicator mandrel, restraining and retarding the film web being dispensed by the film dispenser, the dispenser supply speed being less than the lowest demand speed at the applicator mandrel, stretching the film web beyond its yield point to plastically deform the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel throughout the revolution if the film dispenser, and maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser;
- transporting the film web wrapped around the applicator mandrel beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel;
- continuing moving the bundle beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel; and
- applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle so as to provide a containment force in the film web after it has been applied onto the bundle.
- 61. A process as claimed in claim 60, including substantially pre-stretching the film web in the film dispenser prior to dispensing the film web.
- 62. A process for stretch wrapping a bundle with a film web dispensed from a film web dispenser comprising:
- moving the bundle into an applicator mandrel having a noncircular cross-section;
- revolving the film web dispenser relative to the applicator mandrel;
- substantially pre-stretching the film web in the film web dispenser prior to dispensing the film web;
- dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a substantially constant supply speed by preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from increasing and preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from decreasing;
- wrapping the stretched film web onto the applicator mandrel;
- restraining and retarding the film web being dispensed by the film web dispenser;
- transporting the film web wrapped around the applicator mandrel beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel;
- continuing moving the bundle beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel; and
- applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle so as to provide a containment force in the film web after it is applied onto the bundle.
- 63. A process as claimed in claim 62, including dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a supply speed less than the lowest demand speed at the applicator mandrel.
- 64. A process as claimed in claim 62, including stretching the film web beyond its yield point to plastically deform the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 65. A process as claimed in claim 62, including prestretching the film web beyond its pre-stretch yield point to plastically deform the film web in the film web dispenser, and subsequently post-stretching the film web beyond its post-stretch yield point to further plastically deform the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel.
- 66. A process as claimed in claim 63, where the post-stretching step includes plastically deforming the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser.
- 67. A process as claimed in claim 64, including maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range beyond the post-stretch yield point throughout the revolution of the film dispenser.
- 68. A process as claimed in claim 65, including maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range beyond the post-stretch yield point throughout the revolution of the film dispenser.
- 69. A process for stretch wrapping a bundle with a film web dispensed from a film web dispenser comprising:
- moving the bundle into an applicator mandrel having a noncircular cross-section;
- revolving the film web dispenser relative to the applicator mandrel;
- dispensing the film web from the film web dispenser at a substantially constant supply speed by preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from increasing and preventing the supply speed of the film web at the film web dispenser from decreasing;
- stretching the film web and wrapping the film web onto the applicator mandrel while plastically deforming the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser;
- transporting the film web wrapped around the applicator mandrel beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel;
- continuing moving the bundle beyond the downstream end of the applicator mandrel; and
- applying the film web from the applicator mandrel onto the bundle so as to provide a containment force in the film web after it is applied onto the bundle.
- 70. A process as claimed in claim 69, including maintaining the film web between the film web dispenser and the applicator mandrel in the linear stress-strain range throughout the revolution of the film web dispenser.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 804,542, filed Dec. 4, 1985 now abandoned which is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 582,779 filed Feb. 23, 1984, now abandoned which is incorporated by reference into this application.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0096635 |
Dec 1983 |
EPX |
144266 |
Jun 1985 |
EPX |
0152959 |
Aug 1985 |
EPX |
3338038 |
May 1985 |
DEX |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
804542 |
Dec 1985 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
582779 |
Feb 1984 |
|