Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6782933
-
Patent Number
6,782,933
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, October 23, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 31, 200419 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Aftergut; Jeff H.
- Musser; Barbara J.
Agents
- Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 156 205
- 156 209
- 156 210
- 156 470
- 156 471
- 156 472
- 156 473
- 414 911
- 072 238
- 072 239
- 072 196
- 425 186
- 425 194
- 425 367
- 425 369
- 425 336
- 264 286
- 264 287
- 493 463
-
International Classifications
- B21B3110
- B21B3112
- B31F128
-
Abstract
A corrugator single facer of the type utilizing a large diameter bonding roll and a small diameter corrugating roll provides quick roll change capability by mounting three large diameter bonding rolls on a rotatable turret and carrying corresponding small diameter corrugating rolls in a magazine positioned laterally offset from the machine. By driving the corrugating rolls indirectly through the pressure belt arrangement which supports the lower corrugating roll, roll change is significantly simplified.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a single facer apparatus for forming a single face web of corrugated paperboard. More particularly, the invention relates to a corrugating roll assembly comprising a large diameter corrugating roll (i.e. a bonding roll) and a small diameter corrugating roll in which alternate pairs of large and small corrugating rolls with different flute patterns may be rapidly changed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of corrugated paperboard, a single facer apparatus is used to corrugate the medium web, to apply glue to the flute tips on one face of the corrugated medium web, and to bring a liner web into contact with the glued flute tips of the medium web with the application of sufficient heat and pressure to provide an initial bond. For many years, conventional single facers have typically included a pair of fluted corrugating rolls and a pressure roll, which are aligned so that the axes of all three rolls are generally coplanar. The medium web is fed into a corrugating nip formed by the interengaging corrugating rolls. While the corrugated medium web is still on one of the corrugating rolls, adhesive is applied to the flute tips by a glue roll. The liner web is immediately thereafter brought into contact with the adhesive-coated flute tips and the composite web then passes through the nip formed by the corrugating roll and the pressure roll.
In the past, the fluted corrugating rolls have typically been generally the same size as each other. More recently, a significantly improved single facer apparatus has been developed in which the corrugating rolls comprise a large diameter bonding roll and a substantially smaller diameter roll, with the ratio of diameters being 3:1 or greater. Such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,628,865, 5,951,816, and 6,012,501, all which disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with these disclosures, the single facer typically includes a backing arrangement for the small diameter corrugating roll. One preferred backing arrangement includes a series of axially adjacent pairs of backing idler rollers, each pair having a backing pressure belt entrained therearound. Each of the pressure belts is positioned to bear directly against the fluted surface of the small diameter corrugating roll on the side of the small corrugating roll opposite the corrugating nip. Each pair of associated idler rolls and pressure belts is mounted on a linear actuator, and can thus engage the small diameter corrugating roll with a selectively adjustable force. The application of force against the small diameter corrugating roll, in turn, applies force along the corrugating nip between the small diameter roll and the large diameter roll and along the full length of the nip.
In my co-pending application, filed on Oct. 9, 2001 and entitled “Single Facer Drive Apparatus”, a single facer apparatus is disclosed in which the pressure belt arrangement for supporting the small diameter corrugating roll also provides rotatable drive to the small diameter roll from which driving rotation is transmitted through the nip to the large diameter corrugating roll.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to construct a single facer with interchangeable corrugating roll pairs so that a flute change can be made quickly and easily. Various types of apparatus have been designed for this purpose, including pairs of upper and lower corrugating rolls each mounted a rotatable spindle to change from one roll pair to another. Other constructions have provided means for simply lifting the rolls from operating position and replacing them with another pair.
With the introduction of the current state-of-the-art single facer using a large diameter bonding roll, roll replacement has become more difficult, even though the ability to rapidly change corrugating roll pairs remains just as important. It would, therefore, be most desirable and advantageous to provide for a quick corrugating roll pair change in a modern single facer of the type utilizing a large diameter bonding roll in cooperation with a much smaller corrugating roll.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, three matching pairs of large diameter and small diameter corrugating rolls may be easily interchanged. The interchangeable large diameter corrugating rolls are carried on a rotatable turret and the small diameter corrugating rolls are supplied from a storage magazine positioned laterally offset from the turret and the single facer machine.
More specifically, a single facer apparatus for producing a single face web from a corrugated medium web and a liner comprising a rotatable turret carrying at least two, but preferably three, independently rotatable large diameter fluted bonding rolls on parallel rotational axes, a positioning device that is operable to rotate the turret to place a bonding roll into an operative position, a magazine carrying at least two, but preferably three, small diameter fluted corrugating rolls in a storage position offset laterally from the turret and the bonding rolls, a transfer device that is operable to move a corrugating roll axially from the magazine into an operating position adjacent the bonding roll in the operative position, and a corrugating roll support device to rotatably support the corrugating roll in operative engagement with the bonding roll. In the preferred embodiment, the transfer design is operable to move a corrugating roll axially to and from the operating position in the single facer and the storage position in the magazine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side elevation view of a current state-of-the-art single facer incorporating a corrugating roll drive arrangement of a type especially suitable in a single facer of the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a side elevation view of the single facer of the present invention.
FIG. 3
is an isometric view of the apparatus shown in FIG.
2
.
FIG. 4
is a rear elevation view of the single facer shown in FIG.
2
and showing details of the corrugating roll drove arrangement.
FIG. 5
is an enlarged detail of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG.
4
.
FIGS. 6-8
are isometric views of the single facer of the present invention showing details of the construction and sequential function of the device for changing the lower small diameter corrugating roll.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring initially to
FIG. 1
, a single facer
10
includes a large diameter upper corrugating roll
11
(sometimes hereinafter referred to as bonding roll
11
) and a much smaller diameter lower corrugating roll
12
. Both rolls
11
and
12
may be made of steel or other suitable materials and are fluted and mounted for interengaging rotational movement on parallel axes, all in a manner well known in the art, as described in detail in the above identified patents and patent applications. A medium web
13
, which is typically pretreated by moistening and heating, is fed into a corrugating nip
14
formed by the interengaging corrugating rolls
11
and
12
. As the corrugated medium web
13
leaves the nip
14
, it remains on the surface of the large diameter bonding roll
11
. Immediately downstream from the nip
14
a glue roll
15
applies a liquid adhesive, typically starch, to the exposed flute tips of the corrugated medium web
13
. Immediately thereafter, a liner web
16
is brought into contact with the glued flute tips of the corrugated medium web by a liner delivery roll
17
, sometimes referred to as a generator roll. The resulting freshly glued single face web
18
continues around a portion of the outer circumference of the large diameter bonding roll
11
. The initial bond between the medium web
13
and liner web
16
may be assisted with a soft contact roll
19
located immediately downstream from the delivery roll
17
. The soft contact roll
19
presses the composite single face web
18
against the bonding roll
11
with a light and uniform force distributed across the full width of the web. Because the large diameter roll
11
also functions as a bonding roll, it is internally heated, for example with steam, to cause the starch adhesive to initially gelatinize and then enter the so-called “green bond” stage. By assuring that green bond is reached while the single face web
18
is still on the bonding roll
11
, integrity of the glue lines is better assured and downstream handling, including back wrapping around a wrap roll
21
, is not likely to disturb the bond. The extent of the wrap of the single face web
18
on the bonding roll and thus the circumferential residence time of the single face on the bonding roll may be varied by adjustably positioning the wrap roll along a positioning mechanism
20
. The vertical position of the wrap roll
21
with respect to the surface of the bonding roll
11
may be selectively adjusted depending on a number of variables, such as paper weight, web speed, bonding roll temperature, starch composition, and the like. Alternately, the position of the wrap roll may be fixed, particularly in the construction of the preferred embodiment described below with respect to
FIGS. 2-8
.
In the single facer shown in
FIG. 1
, the large diameter corrugating and bonding roll
11
typically has a diameter of about 39 inches (about 1,000 mm) and the smaller diameter lower corrugating roll
12
typically has a diameter of about 5 inches (about 130 mm). The prior art identified above and incorporated herein provides various backing arrangements for the small diameter roll
12
, one of which backing arrangements
23
is shown in the drawing. The backing arrangement
23
includes a series of axially adjacent pairs of backing rolls
24
, each of which pairs has a pressure belt
25
entrained therearound. Each of the pressure belts
25
is positioned to bear directly against the fluted outer surface of the small diameter corrugating roll
12
. Each pair of idler rolls
24
and its respective pressure belt
25
is mounted on an actuator
26
. By individually controlled operation of each actuator
26
, the pressure belts may be made to engage the small diameter corrugating roll
12
with a selectively adjustable force. In current state-of-the-art single facers, the large diameter bonding roll
11
is typically driven by the main drive motor. In accordance with the invention described in my co-pending application identified above, however, all of the axially aligned backing rolls
24
on one side of the lower corrugating roll
12
are converted from idler rolls to drive rolls
28
. The drive rolls
28
are mounted on a common drive shaft
30
, the lateral outer end of which is operatively connected to a main drive motor
27
. The drive rolls
28
are provided with a toothed outer surface to cooperate with a correspondingly toothed pressure belt
25
which may be conveniently in the form of a conventional reinforced rubber timing belt
31
. By driving the drive rolls
28
together and applying an appropriate backing force to the backing arrangement
23
with the actuators
26
, the lower corrugating roll
12
may be suitably driven due to approximately 90° or more of wrap of the pressure belts
25
around the roll
12
. The driving force is transmitted through the nip
14
to the bonding roll
11
.
Referring now to
FIGS. 2-5
, there is shown an improved single facer
32
of the present invention in which multiple corrugating roll pairs may be changed to provide different flute patterns. The corrugating roll pair interchange system of this invention is preferably used with the indirect corrugating roll drive described in detail in my co-pending application filed concurrently herewith.
The single facer
32
includes a large diameter bonding roll
33
in operative position and mounted on a rotatable turret
34
with two similar bonding rolls
33
. Rotation of the turret
34
on its axis
35
brings a selected one of the bonding rolls
33
into operative position to form a nip
37
with a small diameter corrugating roll
36
. Each of the large diameter bonding rolls
33
may be provided with a different flute pattern and, for the particular bonding roll chosen and rotated into operative position, the interengaging small diameter corrugating roll
36
must also be changed to one having a corresponding flute pattern.
In a manner similar to the single facer
10
shown in
FIG. 1
, a medium web
38
is fed into the corrugating nip
37
and, after corrugating, remains on the surface of the bonding roll
33
. A starch adhesive is applied to the exposed flute tips of the corrugated medium web
38
on the bonding roll by a glue roll
40
and, immediately thereafter, a liner web
41
is brought into contact with the glued tips of the corrugated medium web delivered by a generator roll
42
to form a single face web
43
. By retaining the freshly glued single face web
43
on the heated bonding roll
33
over a substantial extent of its circumference, an adequate green bond is formed in the glue lines such that, when the single face web
43
is taken off the bonding roll as by wrapping around an exit roll
44
, the green bond strength is adequate to assure that the bond between the medium web
38
and liner web
41
is not disturbed.
The small diameter corrugating roll
36
is supported to maintain an adequate nipping force and to prevent axial bending of the roll with a backing arrangement
45
that is similar to the backing arrangement
23
of the
FIG. 1
embodiment. Thus, pairs of backing rolls
46
are positioned on opposite sides of the small diameter corrugating roll
36
and pressure belts
47
are entrained around the rolls and support the small diameter roll from beneath. However, one axially aligned row of backing rolls is mounted on a drive shaft
48
that extends across and beyond the full width of the machine in the cross machine direction. The rolls are keyed or otherwise fixed to the drive shaft
48
and act as drive rolls
50
. Referring also to
FIGS. 4 and 5
, each drive roll
50
is provided with a toothed outer surface so that it may positively engage and drive pressure belts
47
also having a toothed construction in the manner of a timing belt. Each drive roll
50
is of extended axial length so that it can accommodate more than one pressure belt
47
. In the embodiment shown, the drive roll
50
has an axial length adequate to carry five adjacent pressure belts. Between each drive roll
50
and at the outer ends of the two outermost drive rolls, the drive shaft
48
is supported in bearings
51
conveniently mounted in split hanger brackets
52
to facilitate removal of the drive shaft and drive rolls to change the pressure belts
47
.
The opposite row of backing rolls
46
may be comprised of the same idler rolls
24
described with respect to the
FIG. 1
embodiment, each carrying a single pressure belt
47
. In other words, each drive roll
50
, carrying five pressure belts
47
, will be interconnected thereby with five backing rolls
46
.
The backing arrangement
45
of this embodiment also differs from the
FIG. 1
embodiment in the manner in which the backing force on the small diameter corrugating roll
36
is applied. Because it is necessary or at least highly desirable not to move the axis of the drive shaft
48
and drive rolls
50
, the backing arrangement
45
is arranged to mount each backing roll
46
on its own pivot arm
49
and to place the loading actuators
53
below each of the backing rolls
46
and in operative engagement with the pivot arms. The actuators
53
may comprise pneumatic cylinders, air bags, or any other suitable device. In operation, the actuators
53
are extended to pivot the arms
49
and backing rolls
46
upwardly around the common axis of the opposite ends of the arms
49
, causing the pressure belts
47
to load the small diameter corrugating roll
36
against the bonding roll
33
at the nip
37
. The main drive motor
54
is operatively connected to one outer end of the drive shaft
48
(see FIG.
2
), whereby the drive rolls
50
impart driving rotation to the backing rolls
46
and pressure belts
47
. Pressure belt movement imparts rotation to the small corrugating roll
36
which is transmitted through the nip to the bonding roll
33
causing it to rotate with the small corrugating roll.
As shown in its operative position in
FIG. 3
, the small diameter corrugating roll
36
is supported by the pressure belt arrangement
45
and is also supported for rotation on its axis on the stub shaft
55
of a spindle
56
. The spindle is mounted for angular pivotal movement on the drive shaft
48
and is also movable axially with respect to the small corrugating roll
36
so that the stub shaft
55
can be withdrawn from rotational support thereof. When it is desired to change the corrugating roll pair
33
and
36
, and referring also to
FIG. 6
, the glue roll
40
and its associated metering roll
39
are mounted on a separate carriage
57
which is moved laterally away from the corrugating rolls. The generator roll
42
is also swung away from the single facer (as best seen in FIG.
1
). On the other side of the machine, the exit roll
44
is also dropped down and away from the bonding roll
33
. All of the foregoing movements are to provide clearance for the movement of the bonding rolls and the turret
34
on which they are mounted. It should be noted that each bonding roll
33
on the turret carries with it a separate vacuum plenum
58
. The use of a vacuum plenum is well known in the art and it is positioned, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, in an operative position to apply a vacuum through a series of grooves and passages to the surface of the bonding roll to assist in maintaining the single face web in contact therewith.
To complete the preparation of the machine for corrugating roll exchange, the actuators
53
in operative contact with the backing idler rolls
46
are retracted to drop the rolls and the pressure belts. The stub shaft
55
is withdrawn axially from the end of the small corrugating roll
36
and the spindle
56
pivoted upwardly and out of the way. The small diameter corrugating roll
36
is then clear for withdrawal from the machine in the lateral or cross machine direction along its axis. The small diameter corrugating roll
36
is shown partially withdrawn in
FIG. 7
where the leading end of the roll is supported on a series of aligned support rolls
60
of a magazine
61
. The magazine includes sets of parallel support rolls
60
which support similar corrugating rolls (not shown) each having a flute pattern matching that of one of the bonding rolls
33
. When the small diameter roll
36
is fully withdrawn from the machine, the turret
34
is rotated to bring a new bonding roll
33
into position and the magazine
61
is indexed sideways to bring the small diameter corrugating roll
36
matching the new bonding roll
33
into loading position. The process just described for removing the small corrugating roll is reversed and the new roll brought into operative position above the pressure belts
47
and below the bonding roll
33
.
One type of apparatus for extracting the small diameter corrugating roll
36
from the machine, placing it in the magazine
61
, and moving the new small roll into position in the machine is an extractor mechanism that engages a lip
62
on the end of the roll
36
. By engaging the lip, the extractor mechanism can be used to pull the roll from its operative position in the single facer onto the magazine
61
, and to push the replacement small diameter corrugating roll
36
from the magazine into position between the pressure belts
47
and the newly selected bonding roll
33
. Alternately, a roll-supporting slide device could be utilized instead of the support rolls
60
. To assist the axial movement of the small diameter corrugating roll
36
from its operative position to the storage magazine
61
, a series of laterally spaced guides may be placed along the length of the small corrugating roll and between the pressure belts
47
. When the backing arrangement including the pressure belts is lowered for roll change, the spaced guides will extend above the pressure belts and support the small roll as it is pulled from its operative position by the extractor mechanism.
In the single facer
32
of the present invention, the ratio of diameters of the large diameter bonding roll
33
to the small diameter corrugating roll
36
is preferably smaller than in the present state-of-the-art machine
10
shown in FIG.
1
. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the large diameter bonding roll may have a diameter of about 22.5 inches (570 mm) and the small diameter roll a diameter of about 7.5 inches (190 mm), a ratio of 3:1. By utilizing the indirect corrugating roll drive described herein, direct mechanical driving connection to the large bonding roll
33
(or the small corrugating roll
36
) is eliminated, leaving only steam supply and condensate removal to be provided to the turret
34
. In most cases, it will be necessary to have a separate vacuum plenum
58
to be carried with each of the bonding rolls
33
because variations in flute patterns from one roll to another also typically result in changes in vacuum groove patterns as well. As indicated above, because the diameter of the large bonding roll
33
in the preferred embodiment of
FIG. 2
is substantially smaller than the diameter of the bonding roll
11
in the current state-of-the-art single facer shown in
FIG. 1
, it is preferable to fix the operating position of the exit roll
44
in the preferred embodiment at a point that maximizes the wrap of the single face web
43
on the bonding roll. Elimination of the exit roll positioning mechanism (
20
in
FIG. 1
) also simplifies the construction of the single facer. As may be seen in
FIG. 2
, the improved single facer of the present invention still provides the capability for more than 180° of circumferential wrap of the single face web on the bonding roll
33
.
It may also be desirable to utilize an alternate means for driving the corrugating rolls
33
and
36
from the drive disclosed herein which is the subject of my co-pending application entitled “Single Facer Drive Apparatus”. In such an alternate drive arrangement, the main drive motor
54
is provided with a driving connection directly to the small diameter corrugating roll
36
. Preferably, the drive connection is made at the axial opposite end of the roll from that shown in the drawings (in other words, at the roll end opposite the spindle
56
and roll supporting hub
55
). The drive connection to the small diameter corrugating roll
36
could be a drive cone, a splined stub shaft or any similar arrangement which would allow the roll to be withdrawn axially for roll change and a new roll to be easily connected to the drive.
Claims
- 1. A single facer apparatus for the production of a single face web from a corrugated medium web and a liner web, said apparatus comprising:a rotatable turret carrying at least two independently rotatable large diameter fluted bonding rolls on parallel rotational axes; a positioning device operable to rotate the turret to place one of the bonding rolls into an operative position; a storage device carrying at least two small diameter fluted corrugating rolls in a storage position offset laterally, from the turret and the bonding rolls; a transfer device operable to move a corrugating roll axially from the storage device into an operating position adjacent the bonding roll in the operative position; and, a corrugating roll support device to rotatably support the corrugating roll, said support device including a pair of stub shafts in engagement with the opposite ends of the operative small diameter corrugating roll on the axis thereof, at least one of said stub shafts being separable from and movable axially and radially out engagement with an end of the operative corrugating roll, and a pressure belt arrangement operative to hold the small diameter corrugating roll in nipping engagement with the operative large diameter roll; and, a drive arrangement operatively connected to said support device to transmit driving rotation to the operative corrugating roll.
- 2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transfer device is operable to move a corrugating roll axially from the operating position to the storage position.
- 3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive arrangement comprises one of said stub shafts adapted to drivingly engage the small diameter roll, and further including a drive motor operatively connected to said one stub shaft to drive said small diameter roll.
- 4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said turret carries three bonding rolls and said storage device carries three corrugating rolls.
- 5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein each bonding roll has associated with it a vacuum plenum device.
- 6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pressure belt arrangement comprises a plurality of backing roll arrangements in operative rotatable engagement with the small diameter corrugating roll, each backing roll arrangement including pairs of backing rolls mounted on a support assembly and a pressure belt entrained around each pair of backing rolls and, wherein said drive arrangement comprises a common drive connection to one roll of each backing roll pair; and, a source of motive power operatively connected to the drive connection to rotatably drive said commonly connected backing rolls.
- 7. A single facer apparatus for the production of a single face web from a corrugated medium web and a liner web, said apparatus comprising:a rotatable turret carrying at least two independently rotatable large diameter fluted bonding rolls on parallel rotational axes; a positioning device operable to rotate the turret to place one of the bonding rolls into an operative position; a storage device carrying at least two small diameter fluted corrugating rolls in a storage position offset laterally from the turret and the bonding rolls; a transfer device operable to move a corrugating roll axially from the storage device into an operating position adjacent the bonding roll in the operative position; and, a corrugating roll support device to rotatably support the corrugating roll, in operative engagement with the bonding roll; including a pair of stub shafts in engagement with the opposite ends of the operative corrugating roll on the axis thereof, at least one of said stub shafts being separable from and movable axially and radially out of engagement with an end of the operative corrugating roll; a drive arrangement operatively connected to said support device to transmit driving rotation to the operative corrugating roll; a pressure belt arrangement operative to hold the small diameter roll in nipping engagement with the large diameter roll; said pressure belt arrangement comprising a plurality of backing roll arrangements in operative rotatable engagement with the small diameter corrugating roll, each backing roll arrangement including pairs of backing rolls mounted on a support assembly and a pressure belt entrained around each pair of backing rolls and, wherein said drive arrangement comprises a common drive connection to one roll of each backing roll pair; and, a source of motive power operatively connected to the drive connection to rotatably drive said commonly connected backing rolls.
US Referenced Citations (12)