Patent Application
20090249928
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of processing large rolls of sheet material. More particularly, the invention relates to cutting such large rolls. More particularly yet, the invention relates to sub-dividing an industrial-size roll of sheet material into two or more individual rolls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Paper for the printing industry is provided on rolls of various widths. Often, it is necessary to re-size a roll from its original state, that is, to reduce the width of the roll, or to cut an end from a roll of paper that has been damaged. The conventional method of re-sizing such a roll is to run the paper through a rewinder. This process entails feeding the paper through a slitter that cuts the paper to the desired width with a blade, and rewinding the slit or cut material onto one or more rolls, as applicable. One of the largest industrial-size rolls of paper has a diameter of 72 inches and a paper width of 138 inches. Rolls this large are typically not re-sized on a rewinder, because the rewinder equipment for handling such large rolls would be extremely costly and space-consuming. Also, the rolls that require re-sizing are often not at a facility that has a rewinder. Because such rolls are extremely large, heavy, and difficult to handle and to transport, it is very costly and time-consuming to ship them to a facility that does have a rewinder. Thus, the rolls are generally re-sized on location, by cutting the rolls with a chain saw to the approximate size and then finishing the ends of the cut rolls in a finish or trim process. Because of the complexity and large number of components that are need in rewinding equipment, it is not feasible to construct a rewinder that is a mobile unit.
Special roll-cutting machinery is used to cut and re-finish industrial-size paper rolls. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,719 B1, Easton et al. discloses machinery that is used to cut a roll into a narrower roll. The Easton et al. machinery provides a horizontal bed that supports a roll of paper and a rotary arm unit that includes a circular saw. The saw is mounted in such a way that it can be positioned along the roll only a few inches in from the end of the roll. Furthermore, the radius of the saw blade is small, typically with a 10-inch radius and, thus, much smaller than the radius of an industrial-size roll. In order for the saw to be able to cut across the cutting plane in toward the center of the roll, the material that has been cut must be removed rather quickly from the roll. To facilitate removal of this material, radial slices are cut into the end of the roll with a chain saw or a handheld circular saw to the approximate depth of the desired cut before the cut is made. As the saw cuts in from the outer perimeter, strips of the trimmed waste paper drop off or are pulled off and are discarded as waste paper and/or recycled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,024 (Wallace; 1999) discloses apparatus that includes a roll cutter that is similar in purpose to that of the Easton et al. roll-cutting machine, but with the roll of paper supported in a vertical position on a rotating base. As with the Easton et al. machinery, the saw is small, relative to the diameter of the roll to be cut. A second, hand-operated circular saw may be used to cut radial cuts into the end of the roll to a depth of the desired trim cut, so that the paper may be quickly removed as the saw travels inward toward the core. In this case, because the roll is supported vertically, spacers are inserted into the cut as the saw moves in toward the core, to prevent the upper part of the roll from slipping down and binding the saw. And again, if a wide roll of paper is to be divided into two or more rolls, a chain saw is used to first cut through the original roll at the approximate locations of the desired cut or cuts and the ends of each roll are then trimmed in separate operations.
Both the Easton et al. and Wallace equipment are provided as mobile units. That is, the roll-cutting machinery is mounted on a transport vehicle and brought to the location of the rolls that are to be cut. Thus, the facility that processes such rolls collects and stores the rolls and, at intervals, calls upon the roll-cutting service. This, of course, requires space, roll-handling equipment, and administrative effort to store and keep track of the rolls, in order to determine when it is economically feasible to hire the roll-cutting service to come with the roll-cutting machinery and cut the rolls.
The conventional roll-cutting machinery and methods of cutting, whether the rewinder operation or the cutting operations described above, have disadvantages that make it a difficult or costly process to reduce the width of a roll. The rewinder method requires sophisticated equipment that makes this method not practicable as a mobile unit, so that the owner that processes such large industrial size rolls must either have the rewinder equipment permanently installed to slit, or must ship the rolls to a location that provides that service. This, again, is very costly because of the transportation costs. Furthermore, it is critical that the rewinding be done properly, as improperly wound paper can dramatically change the physics of the originally manufactured roll, making it unusable for its intended purposes.
It is known in other industries to use a large circular saw blade to cut through a large cylindrical form of material. Saw blades used in the lumber industry come to mind. None of the known blades is capable of cutting through a large, industrial-size roll of paper in a single-cut operation, leaving one or more rolls with smooth, finished, press-ready ends that require no further trimming or other operations to prepare them for subsequent processing.
What is needed, therefore, is machinery that efficiently cuts rolls in a single-cut operation and leaves a press-ready roll with a smooth, finished roll end that requires no further trimming or other end-finishing operations. What is further needed is such machinery that is capable of sub-dividing a roll into narrower rolls, with little or no waste. What is yet further needed is such machinery that accepts rolls in a wide range of widths and is adaptable to cut through a roll at virtually any location along the width of the roll.
For the reasons cited above, it is an object of the present invention to provide saw apparatus that efficiently cuts rolls in a single-cut operation, leaving a press-ready roll with a smooth and finished roll end. It is a further object to provide such apparatus that is adaptable to subdivide a roll into narrower rolls, generating little or no waste. It is a yet further object to provide such apparatus that is adaptable to accept rolls in a wide range of widths and to cut through a roll at any location along the width of the roll.
The objects of the invention are achieved by providing saw apparatus that is adapted to cut a roll to a particular size or to cut two or more rolls from a wide roll. Note that although the apparatus is described hereinafter as a saw for cutting a paper roll, the saw apparatus may be used for cutting rolls of various types of web or sheet material, such as plastic film, carpeting or flooring material, etc.
The saw apparatus according to the invention comprises a circular saw for cutting the roll, a load-bearing unit for holding the roll in position for cutting, and roll-placement means for placing the roll in the load-bearing unit. The circular saw has a radius sufficiently large to cut through an industrial-size paper roll, without having to remove cut material from the roll during the cutting operation, and is mounted on a saw frame that travels parallel to the load-bearing unit and is positionable for a cutting operation at any location along the width of a roll that is held in the load-bearing unit. Thus, the saw apparatus provides means for subdividing the roll into two or more rolls of virtually any desirable width.
For purposes of clarity in the subsequent descriptions, the footprint of the apparatus is defined as being substantially rectangular, with the narrow ends of the rectangle being referred to as a first end, which is a home position, and a second end, and with the sides of the rectangle being referred to as an entrance side and an exit side. The saw frame resides in the home position when not in use. The roll to be cut is brought to the apparatus on the entrance side, rotatably mounted in the load-bearing unit, and then discharged from the saw apparatus either to the entrance side or the exit side, depending on the particular roll-placement means incorporated into the apparatus. Generally, paper (or other sheet material) is wound around a hollow core to form the roll. The ends of the roll may be mounted directly on shaftless chucks in the load-bearing unit, or, a shaft, such as an air shaft with expandable lugs or buttons, may first be inserted into the hollow core of the roll and the shaft mounted in chucks. The end of the roll that is located toward the first end of the apparatus serves as a reference position for measuring an intended location of a cut.
The load-bearing unit comprises a rectangular load beam with two load arms that are mounted on one face of the beam. The load beam has a length that extends most of the distance between the first end and the second end of the apparatus, with a first load-beam end being near the home position, a second load-beam end near the second end of the apparatus, and a longitudinal axis of the load beam extending therebetween. One or both of the load arms are slidably mounted on an adjustment mechanism that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis. Depending on the particular installation of the saw apparatus, one of the load arms may instead be fixedly mounted at the first load beam end, with the second load arm being slidably mounted. The distance between the load arms is adjustable by selectively positioning the slidably-mounted load arm or arms on the adjustment mechanism at a distance that will accommodate the specific length of the roll to be cut. A chuck is mounted at the upper end of each load arm.
The roll-placement means is used to place the roll of paper to be cut in the load-bearing unit. The invention encompasses several roll-placement means. A first roll-placement means includes a positioning assembly that rotates the load beam into a roll pick-up position and back into a cutting position. The positioning arms are mounted on the load beam, and as the arm rotates, the load beam is also rotated about its longitudinal axis. Extending from each end of the load beam, essentially parallel and co-axial to the longitudinal axis of the load beam, is a load journal that is supported by support bearings. Each journal supports a positioning assembly, which comprises at least one positioning cylinder, a lever arm, and at least one positioning arm. The lever arm is fixedly keyed to the journal and pivotably linked to the positioning cylinder which is connected to the positioning arm. Extending or retracting the piston on the positioning cylinder causes the positioning arm to rotate about the journal, which forces the rectangular load beam to rotate about its longitudinal axis between the roll pick-up position, in which the load arms are in position for receiving and picking up the roll, and the cutting position, in which the load arms support the roll in position for cutting. Subsequent to the cutting operation, the roll-placement means is again actuated to rotate the load beam into the roll-pickup position, in order to release the cut rolls from the load-bearing unit.
A second roll-placement means includes a load table placed on the entrance side of the load-bearing unit, an exit table on the exit side, a height-adjustable support bed or cradle mounted above and parallel to the load beam, and kicking cylinders. With this embodiment of the roll-placement means, the load beam is fixedly, i.e., non-rotatably, mounted in the center of the rectangle of the saw apparatus, parallel to the entrance and exit sides. The load arms are height-adjustable, allowing the chucks at the ends of the load arms to be brought into position to receive rolls of different diameters. The support bed bears the weight of the paper roll while the load arms are brought into position to hold the ends of the rolls during cutting. The kicking cylinders are also height adjustable and are used to guide the roll from the load table onto the support bed and then onto the exit table.
The load arms serve to hold the roll in the proper longitudinal position for cutting, that is, they prevent the roll from shifting in a longitudinal direction. Large industrial-size paper rolls are extremely heavy and the support bed serves to relieve the load arms of the load and to maintain a horizontal alignment of the roll during the cutting process. Various means are suitable as the support bed. It is important that the roll rotate during the cutting operation; it is less critical whether the means of rotation are provided by the chucks or by rollers in the support bed. Ideally, the supports on the support bed are height-adjustable to guidingly support the roll of a particular diameter and to accommodate slight out-of-round conditions of the roll. The direction of rotation is generally in the same direction of rotation as that of the saw blade at the point of contact of the saw blade. Depending on the type of material wound on the roll and the configuration of the saw blade, it may be desirable to have the roll rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the saw at the point of contact.
The saw frame is mounted on the carriage rails and held in the home position until the saw blade is to be positioned at some intended location of cut between the home position and the second load-beam end. It is within the scope of the invention to provide the saw frame as a tower in which the saw blade is supported at a height greater than the expected greatest diameter of a roll to be handled by the saw apparatus, so that the saw blade, once positioned over the intended location of cut, is lowered into the roll. It is also within the scope of the invention to provide the saw frame as a floor frame in which the saw blade is supported laterally to the support bed, with the center of the blade parallel and at approximately the same height as the longitudinal axis of the roll shaft of the roll when held in the load arms. The saw blade is then moved in toward the core of the roll at the intended location of cut. Another configuration of the saw unit includes installing the saw frame in a pit beneath the area where the roll is supported in the cutting position, and raising the saw to cut through the roll. Still another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention provides a saw frame that is stationary and a load-bearing unit that is mounted on a carriage system and positions the roll to be cut at an operating location of the saw blade.
One danger of cutting material, particularly paper, is that the heat caused by the friction of the blade against the material is great enough to cause the material being removed to weld to the cutting surfaces of the saw blade or to the material being cut. The size of the saw blade used in the apparatus according to the invention is so great that the body of the saw blade serves as an effective heat sink, that is, heat of friction is rapidly absorbed away from the saw teeth into the body of the blade and, as a result, the saw blade remains cool. This reduces significantly the amount of heat that is transferred from the teeth to the material being cut, thereby reducing the likelihood that the material being removed will weld to the saw or to material on the roll. Nevertheless, depending on the type of material being cut, it may be desirable to provide a lubricant-coolant to the saw blade to cool the blade. A suitable coolant-lubricant is ACCU-LUBE™, manufactured by ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH. The lubricant is sprayed as a fine mist onto the teeth at the top of the saw blade. The lubricant dries as the blade spins so that, by the time the teeth coated with the lubricant reach the surface to be cut, the lubricant has already dried and, thus, does not stain or damage the material being cut.
It is also within the scope of the invention to provide saw apparatus that has a support means, such as a support bed, mounted directly on the floor, which allows the roll to rotate during the cutting operation, but does not have the load-bearing unit and the roll-placement means described above. Rolls that are large in diameter, but not very long, are manageable with a conventional roll-handling truck, typically referred to as a clamp truck, that is used to pick up and transport rolls for short distances. In this scaled-down version of the saw apparatus, the carriage system for the saw frame extends alongside a support bed that has several long rollers on which the roll is rotatably supportable. For example, in a support bed having four long rollers, one or two of the long rollers are driven rollers, while the remaining long rollers are follower rollers.
Operation of the apparatus according to the invention is as follows: To load the roll, it is placed alongside and parallel to the load beam on the entrance side of the saw apparatus. If the first roll-placement means is used, the roll is placed on the floor, in position to be picked up by the load arms. Depending on the type of chucks used, shaftless chucks or conventional chucks for receiving a shaft, the roll is either supported on the noses of the shaftless chucks or a roll shaft is inserted into the hollow core and the ends of the roll shaft clamped between the two chucks. The positioning assembly is then actuated to force the load beam to rotate about its longitudinal axis toward the entrance side, so as to bring the upper ends of the load arms down to a position that will allow the ends of the roll shaft to be secured in chucks provided in the load arms. The positioning assembly is then actuated to force the load beam to rotate in the opposite direction, toward the back side of the apparatus, in which the roll is positioned above the support bed. If the support bed is fitted with height-adjustable supports, these are adjusted to guidingly support the roll of a particular diameter. The weight of the roll is born by the support bed, while the load arms, although providing some support to the roll, primarily maintain proper alignment of the roll. The nose on the shaftless chucks or the air shaft are fitted with expandable lugs or buttons which, when inflated with air, prevent the roll from shifting radially and/or longitudinally, which is critical, as any deflection would cause the saw blade to bind during the cutting operation and would result in gouging cuts in the edge of the roll.
If the second roll-placement means is used, the roll is placed on the load table and rolled onto the support bed, which is in its raised position. The kicking cylinders prevent the roll from rolling onto the exit table. The kicking cylinders are then actuated to guide the roll onto the support bed. Depending on the size and weight of the roll, the support bed, which is supported by hydraulic cylinders, may be lowered to a position in which the cylinders are fully retracted and resting on bearing stops. The roll is fitted onto the load-bearing unit as described above.
Once the roll is in the support bed and ready for cutting, the saw frame is moved along a carriage system until the saw blade is positioned at the location of the desired roll cut. The saw blade is driven through the rotating roll, including through the core, to completely sever a section of the roll from the rest of the roll. The saw blade is large enough to cut through a roll of industrial-size paper in a single-cut operation, leaving press-ready rolls with smooth ends that generally require no further finishing. Because the saw blade is positionable all along the length of the load beam, a series of cuts may be made in the roll, thereby subdividing the roll into multiple rolls that are ready for use. Depending on the roll-placement means employed, the cut rolls are either kicked out to the exit table or the load beam is rotated back to the roll-pickup position, in order to release the cut rolls onto the floor.
In the scaled-down version of the saw apparatus, the roll is placed on the support bed by the roll-handling truck, and the saw frame driven along the carriage system to the desired location of cut on the roll. The roll is rotated on the support bed during the cutting operation.
The ends of the paper rolls cut with the saw apparatus according to the invention are very smooth and, in most cases, the roll is press-ready. In some paper processing operations, however, it may be desirable to have an extremely smooth finish on the ends of the cut paper rolls. In this case, a finishing station may be provided, either as a processing station that is integrated into the production line, or as a separate finishing station. The finishing station comprises a tower on which a sander unit is mounted. The lower half of the tower has a height-adjustable roll mounting assembly that includes a shaftless chuck for holding the cut paper roll. The sander unit is height-adjustably mounted in the upper half of the tower, and includes a sanding disc and a hydraulic motor. The cut roll is mounted on the chuck and raised off the floor, and the sander unit lowered so that the operative surface of the sanding disc is up against the face of the cut roll end. A depth adjustment means is provided on the sander unit, for adjusting the depth of material removal from the cut roll end.
The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
For purposes of clarity, the footprint of the first embodiment of the saw apparatus 10 is also illustrated in
Referring again to
The journal 74 for mounting the beam-positioning assembly 70 is shown in
The positioning assembly 40 will next be described, with reference to
The load-bearing unit 70 with the load arms 73 provides a support means for the roll 1. Because of the tremendous weight and/or the length of the roll 1, there is a danger that the roll shaft 2 may deflect under the force of the sawing operation. It may be advisable then to provide a floor-mounted support means to relieve the roll shaft 2 of the weight of the roll 1 as it is being cut. To this end, a support bed 130 is provided, as shown in
A second embodiment of a saw apparatus 100 according to the invention is shown in
The apparatus 100 may be equipped with auxiliary systems, such as a lubricating system for cooling the blade and a dust-collection system for collecting the waste particles freed by the sawing operation. In tests conducted by the Applicants, it was found that the ACCU LUBE™ lubricant, applied to the saw teeth by means of a spray system directed at the top of the blade, was already dry when the teeth at the top had rotated down to the cutting surface and that the blade was cool to the touch. The fact that the lubricant is dry before the treated teeth touch the material to be cut reduces the chances of the lubricant staining or damaging the material on the roll. Because the blade is so large, the rate of heat transfer away from the teeth into the body of the saw is extremely rapid, and, depending on the type of material being cut, lubricant may not be needed.
The key differences between the first embodiment of the saw apparatus 10 and the preferred embodiment of the saw apparatus 1000 lie in the loading/unloading means 400 and the roll-placement means 420, shown in
The roll-placement means 420 includes the support bed 130 with support rollers 424 and kicking cylinders 422, as best seen in
Most cut rolls are ready for use, without further processing. In some cases, however, extremely smooth ends are desired. It is within the scope of the invention to provide a finishing station 2000 that will sand the ends of cut paper rolls to the desired degree of smoothness.
As shown in
With continued reference to
The scope of the invention encompasses a paper roll processing system in which the saw apparatus 100 or 1000 and the finishing station 2000 are integrated into a paper roll processing line. The cut paper roll 1D, after being kicked out onto the exit table 406 is rolled into position before the roll-lifting assembly 2200, which is adjusted in height so that the nose 2212 is aligned with the core 3. The cut paper roll 1D is then mounted on the nose 2212 and the end of the roll sanded to the desired smoothness finish.
The detailed description of the invention includes descriptions of specific embodiments of the apparatus and the method of cutting a roll. It shall be understood, however, that a person skilled in the art is capable of implementing many variations and modifications of the invention without straying from the intended scope of the present invention as presented in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10861627 | Jun 2004 | US |
| Child | 12434164 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10454886 | Jun 2003 | US |
| Child | 10861627 | US |
