Patent Application
20160273141
The present invention pertains to a nonwoven-laying device especially cross-laying device, for folding down and depositing a fed fibrous web into a multilayer nonwoven, wherein the nonwoven-laying device has a plurality of linearly movably guided carriages driven by a carriage drive and a plurality of conveyor belts guided via the carriages and an operating method therefor.
Such a nonwoven-laying device is known from EP 1 828 453 B1. It is configured as a cross-laying device and has two linearly movable main carriages and two auxiliary carriages, which are designed as tensioning carriages and are likewise movable linearly. Furthermore, two endless conveyor belts are present, which are guided at the aforementioned carriages via deflection rollers. The main carriages are provided each with a carriage drive of their own and can move relative to one another. These carriage drives comprise, in practice, a rotary drive motor and a toothed belt or cable transmission for transmitting the rotation of the motor to the respective main carriage and to convert the driving rotation into a linear travel motion. The tensioning carriages are connected to a respective main carriage via towing cables.
EP 1 010 785 A2 shows a similar nonwoven-laying device, which has a greater laying width and a larger number of auxiliary carriages. One or more auxiliary carriages may be designed as support carriages for a horizontally extending lower run or carrying run of a conveyor belt.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved nonwoven-laying device along with an operating method.
Providing one or more carriage drives of the nonwoven-laying device with an electric linear motor has various advantages. On the one hand, the dynamics, especially the speed of travel and the ability of the carriage drive and of the carriage connected thereto to accelerate are improved. In addition, inertias and vibrations can be reduced.
An electric linear motor is characterized by a linear stator and a slider mounted and guided thereon, especially a slide. The stator may have a finite and freely variable length, which can be adapted to the dimensions of the particular nonwoven-laying device. It is preferably mounted stationarily in the frame of the nonwoven-laying device, and this mounting may be performed especially at the front ends of the stator. It advantageously extends in the direction of motion of the driven nonwoven-laying device carriage. The electric linear motor and its stator may form a carrying part of the frame. The slider, especially the slide, may be connected to the driven carriage. It may especially be integrated in the carriage, especially in the carriage frame thereof.
A carriage of the nonwoven-laying device can be driven by an electric linear motor directly and in its intended direction of motion. A transmission inserted between the carriage and the carriage drive for transmitting the drive, especially a cable, belt or chain drive or the like, may be eliminated.
The hitherto known lateral edge and edge thickening problems of the laid nonwoven can be significantly reduced in a nonwoven-laying device. These were due hitherto to inertia problems of the laying carriage and its carriage drive during deceleration, stopping and repeated accelerations at the ends of its path of motion or the laying width. An electric linear motor markedly shortens the deceleration and acceleration paths and reduces the thickening effect, which develops due to differences between the speed of the laying carriage and the velocity at which the fibrous web runs out.
On the other hand, very high positioning and repetition accuracy is achieved. In addition, the control and regulation characteristics of the carriage drive or linear motor provided with a control of its own or connected to a higher-level control are improved. An electric linear motor responds to control commands more rapidly and sensitively than the prior-art drive.
Furthermore, other and improved possibilities arise for arranging and mounting the driven carriages. The hitherto necessary independent carriage guide on the frame of the nonwoven-laying device may be eliminated. An electric linear motor may be used to guide, mount and support a carriage. Special advantages arise concerning the reduction of friction and inertia in case of a linear motor, which has an electromagnetic and contactless guide means between its slider and its stator. Such a guiding and mounting technique is also advantageous concerning the reduction of friction. In addition, advantages arise in terms of a reduction of wear and a markedly reduced risk of contamination for the fibrous web and nonwoven material.
A carriage may be connected to and also guided and supported on only one electric linear motor or on a plurality of electric linear motors. The electric linear motors are connected to one another for control in a suitable manner in case of such a multiple arrangement. This may be a coupling and a synchronization. It is, however, also possible to set kinematic differences deliberately if needed, if a certain carriage behavior, e.g., a deliberate oblique positioning of one or more deflecting devices arranged at a carriage for a conveyor belt, is desired during the operation of the nonwoven-laying device.
The use of electric linear motors has, furthermore, advantages for the guiding and the holding of the fibrous web at the deflecting devices, especially deflection rollers, of the carriages. Electrostatic adhesion can be achieved here especially by generating an electric field. The electric field may be supplied by the electric linear motor. This aspect of the present invention is of independent significance and can also be achieved in other types of carriage drives, especially other linear direct drives. These may also be other types of electric drives.
A carriage drive with one or more electric linear motors may be provided as original equipment in a brand new nonwoven-laying device. As an alternative, it may be used to retrofit an existing nonwoven-laying device.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached figures. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings, the present invention pertains to a nonwoven-laying device (1) and to a method for operating same.
The fibrous web (3) may be a one-layer or multilayer web. It is made available by a formed fabric generator (not shown) arranged upstream, which is configured, e.g., as a carding engine. Furthermore, one or more auxiliary devices, e.g., a formed fabric storage device, a profiling device, especially a drawing frame, for the fibrous web (3) arriving from the formed fabric generator or the like, may be arranged upstream of the nonwoven-laying device (1).
The discharge conveyor (5) is, in turn, connected to a device for further conveying or further processing the multilayer nonwoven (32). This may be, e.g., a nonwoven strengthening device, especially a needling machine, a water jet strengthening device, a thermobonding device or the like. As an alternative, the nonwoven (32) may be subjected to further processing in another manner by being, e.g., rolled up and/or provided with additional fibers, e.g., melt-blown fibers. The feeding conveyor (4) and/or the discharge conveyor (5) may be designed as conveyor belts, which have, e.g., an endlessly circulatingly guided and driven conveyor belt.
The nonwoven-laying device (1) has a frame (2) and a plurality of carriages (10-16) intended for transporting the fibrous web (3) as well as a plurality of fibrous web conveying means (7, 8) guided via the carriages (10-16), e.g., conveyor belts. At least some of the carriages (10-16) are guided linearly movably and are driven by a carriage drive (18). The number, design, arrangement and function of the carriages (10-16) in a nonwoven-laying device (1) may differ.
Different examples will be described below.
The carriage drive (18) has an electric linear motor (19). It may also have a plurality of electric linear motors (19). These may be connected, e.g., in parallel and drive the carriage (10-16) together. Such a linear motor (19) may also be used to guide and support a carriage (10-16). The carriage drives (18) and their electric linear motors (19) of a plurality of carriages may be coupled and coordinated with one another for control.
The one or more electric linear motors (19) form a direct drive for the carriage (10-16) in question. The carriage (10-16) is connected directly, preferably integrally to a movable driven part, especially a slider (22), an electric linear motor (19).
The conveyor belts (7, 8) are designed as endless flexurally elastic belts driven circulatingly by belt drives (not shown), which are guided at the carriages (10-16) and optionally in the frame (2) via deflecting devices (36, 37, 38), e.g., freely rotatable deflection rollers. The conveyor belts (7, 8) are guided in the nonwoven-laying device variants being shown via a plurality of carriages (10-16) each and they connect these. A coupling may likewise be present for control between the belt drives and the carriage drives (18) and their linear motors (19).
In the exemplary embodiments according to
In the exemplary embodiments shown, a main carriage (10) is configured as an upper carriage with a belt intake (9) and a main carriage (11) as a laying carriage with a belt outlet (9′). Both main carriages (10, 11) move above the discharge conveyor (5) at right angles or obliquely to the direction of conveying thereof, reversing to and fro, the fibrous web (3) exiting at the belt outlet (9) of the laying carriage (11) and being deposited on the discharge conveyor (5) and folded over in the process. For this, the laying carriage (11) moves to and fro over the laying width (6) and in a parallel plane above the discharge conveyor (5).
The two conveyor belts (7, 8) are brought together at the belt intake (9) of the main carriage or upper carriage (10) and take up the fibrous web (3) between them. One conveyor belt (7) adjoins the feeding conveyor (4) or contains same, and the fibrous web (3) is delivered and fed on the conveyor belt (7) from the feed side to the belt intake (9). The conveyor belts (7, 8) run parallel in close proximity in the area between the main carriages (10, 11) and clamp the fibrous web (3) between them.
The conveyor belts (7, 8) are deflected by a total of 180° at the two main carriages (10, 11). The conveyor belts (7, 8) again move away from one another at the belt outlet (9′) and are led back to the upper carriage (10) and to the belt intake (9) via deflecting devices arranged on both sides of the discharge conveyor (5) at the frame (2), especially via deflection rollers. The fibrous web (3) is deflected by 180° at the upper carriage (10) and by 90° at the laying carriage (11). The conveyor belts (7, 8) moving apart from each other at the belt outlet (9′) and extending in opposite directions are aligned with their belt runs located there essentially parallel to the upper side of the discharge conveyor (5) and can cover the laid nonwoven (32).
In the exemplary embodiments being shown, the nonwoven-laying devices (1) are designed as synchronous layers, in which the main carriages (10, 11) perform parallel travel motions in the same direction of travel and at different speeds as well as with different path lengths. The parallel conveyor belt sections and the fibrous web (3) received and especially clamped in between them are guided from the upper main carriage or upper carriage (10) directly to the lower main carriage or laying carriage (11). A so-called short fibrous web run is formed. The main carriages (10, 11) always move one after another in the same arrangement, and the distance between the carriages changes depending on the position of the carriages over the laying width (6).
In another embodiment, not shown, the nonwoven-laying device (1) may be designed as a laying device having opposite direction of motions, in which the parallel sections of the conveyor belt exiting at the upper carriage (10) with the fibrous web (3) received between them are guided via a stationary deflection roller arrangement in the frame (2) and reach the laying carriage (11) only thereafter. Such a laying device having opposite direction of motions may have a design corresponding to EP 0 315 930 A2 in terms of its carriage and belt arrangement as well as the above-mentioned carriage kinematics.
The main carriages (10, 11) are mechanically uncoupled from one another and independently movable in the exemplary embodiments shown. They have each a controlled or regulated carriage drive (18) of their own with at least one electric linear motor (19). The carriage drives (18) of the main carriages (10, 11) are coupled and coordinated with one another for control. They perform predefined and exactly defined travel motions.
The nonwoven-laying device (1) may have a higher-level control (40) for this. All carriage drives (18) and their electric linear motors (19) as well as other drives, e.g., the belt drives for the circulating motion of the conveyor belts (7, 8), may be connected to these. The control (40) itself may be connected to a higher-level system control or with the controls of devices arranged upstream or downstream, especially a profile-forming device and/or a strengthening device.
The support carriage (12) shown moves, coordinated with the travel motions of one or both main carriages (10, 11), to and fro above the discharge conveyor (5). In the preferred embodiment, the support carriage (12) has a belt drive (18) of its own, which has one or more, especially two electric linear motors (19) (not shown). This carriage drive is coupled for control with a main carriage (10, 11), e.g., the upper carriage (10), and the carriage drive (18) thereof. The carriage drive (18) of the support carriage (12) is preferably likewise connected to the control (40). The support carriage (12) may move synchronously with the upper carriage (10), and it performs half paths at half the velocity compared to the laying carriage (11). The support carriage (12) is arranged between the laying carriage (11) and the opposite part of the frame (2).
In addition to the above-described support carriage (12), which is movable on its own, as well as the support carriage or support device (13) coupled with the upper carriage (10), an upper support carriage (16) is provided for a carrying run of one conveyor belt (8). The support carriage (16) is arranged above the main carriage (10, 11) and is located between the upper carriage (10) and an upper auxiliary carriage (14), which is configured as a tensioning carriage. The support carriage (16) or its carriage drive (18) is likewise coupled with the upper carriage (10) for control.
The auxiliary carriages (14, 15) are designed as tensioning carriages for a respective conveyor belt (7, 8). They tension the variable-length belt loop, which is formed during independent travel motions of the mutually uncoupled main carriage (10, 11). The kinematics of the upper tensioning carriage (14) for the conveyor belt (8) is coordinated with the travel motions of the laying carriage (11) and moves in opposite direction relative to this. The carriage drives (18) are correspondingly coupled with one another and coordinated with one another for control and are connected to the control (40). The kinematics of the other, lower tensioning carriage (15) for the conveyor belt (7) is coordinated with the travel motions of the upper carriage (10) and moves in the opposite direction relative to this. There is a coupling of the carriage drives (18) for control and a common connection to the control (40) in this case as well.
In the drawings of
In a variation of the exemplary embodiments according to
The carriage drives (18) and their electric linear motors (19) can be controlled or regulated. Suitable measuring devices (39), which detect the position and/or the path and/or the velocity of the corresponding carriage (10-16) or of a part of the carriage drive (18) connected thereto preferably with contactless sensors, are present for regulation. The measuring device(s) (39) is (are) schematically shown in
In a cut-away view,
The electric linear motor (19) has a linear stator (25) and a slider (22) movably guided thereon by means of a guide (27). The stator (25) has a finite and selectable length. It extends along the path of travel and at least over the path length of the corresponding carriage (10-16). It may also be longer than the travel path. The stator (25) is supported at the frame (2). It may optionally also assume a carrying frame function. For example, the stator (25) extends in this case beyond the discharge conveyor (5) to the frame parts (12) arranged on both sides of the discharge conveyor (5) and is supported and fastened there with its ends.
The guide (27) is configured, e.g., as a guide rail and is mounted at the stator (25). The slider (22) may be designed as a slide, which is mounted at the guide (27). The mounting may be designed as a mechanical roller or slide bearing. As an alternative, it may be designed as a contactless bearing with magnetic or electromagnetic fields. The slider or slide (22) may extend in some areas or fully around the stator (25), as this is shown as an example in
The slider (22) is connected to the associated carriage (10-16) in a suitable manner, e.g., by means of a connection (26). This may be a fixed or movable connection. A carriage (10-16) may be connected, e.g., by its carriage frame (41) directly to the slider (22), in which case the connection (26) is configured, e.g., as a screw-on surface. As an alternative, the connection (26) may be designed as a spacer. The fastening may be rigid or movable within certain limits, e.g., spring-loaded. In another variant, a part of the carriage frame (41) may be designed as a slider (22), especially as a slide.
The slider (22) forms the primary part (20) with the coil array (21) and the stator (25) the secondary part (23) with the magnet array (24) in the examples being shown. The association may also be reversed, as an alternative.
The carriages (10-16) have a carriage guide (17) each. This may have a conventional design and be formed by guides, e.g., bars or rails at the frame (2), on which the carriages (10-16) act with rollers on a plurality of sides and are guided in the axial direction of motion.
As an alternative or in addition, the carriages (10-16) may be guided and supported via the respective carriage drive (18) and the electric linear motor(s) (19) thereof. The stator (25) is used as a support, and the guide (27) forms the carriage guide (17). The carriages (10-16) are supported and guided now at the stator (25) via the connected slider (22).
The field voltage supply may be effected by the electric linear motor (19). The holding device (44) may be supplied with electric voltage via an electric linear motor (19) and especially via the slider (22) thereof. This voltage supply may be controllable in order to make it possible to set the particular field intensity needed in adaptation to the existing operating parameters, especially the velocity of travel, deflection angle, the quality of the fibrous web, etc. The holding device (44) may likewise be connected to the control (40).
The holding device (44) for guiding and holding a fibrous web (3) with an electric, especially electrostatic field is of independent inventive significance. It may also be used with other types of direct or indirect carriage drives of a nonwoven-laying device (1) according to the preamble of claim 1, especially with linear direct drives for a carriage (10 through 16). These may be especially other types of direct electric drives, fluid drives with cylinders or the like. Said holding device (44) may, in addition, be arranged at or associated with a deflecting device in the frame (2) of the nonwoven-laying device (1).
Various variants of the embodiments shown and described are possible. In particular, the features of the various exemplary embodiments may be combined with one another as desired and possibly also replaced with one another.
As an alternative, the nonwoven-laying device (1) may be designed as a carriage laying device, wherein at least the main carriages have a respective circulating conveyor belt of their own and are mounted movably in relation to one another and driven with the above-described carriage drives (18). Such a carriage laying device may be designed, for example, according to DE 31 25 946 A1. Furthermore, a nonwoven-laying device (1) may be designed as a vertical laying device or so-called camelback laying device. This may have, e.g., a design corresponding to DE 102 50 089.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2013 105 029.6 | Nov 2013 | DE | national |
This application is a United States National Phase Application of International Application PCT/EP2014/073951 filed Nov. 6, 2014 and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Application 20 2013 105 029.6 filed Nov. 8, 2013 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/073951 | 11/6/2014 | WO | 00 |
