Patent Application
20240051777
The present subject matter relates to winding apparatuses, systems, and related methods. In particular, the present subject matter in some aspects relates to apparatuses and systems that wind sheet material, such as bubble wrap, foam, or paper, into a roll without need of a core substrate on which the sheet material is to be wind.
Bubble wrap and foam wrap are often used to wrap precious items to prevent damage during shipment or other transit. Bubble wrap and foam wrap are generally manufactured and rolled onto large rolls. The large rolls are then cut and transferred to smaller rolls for sale and distribution in stores like Home Depot and Lowe's to sell to consumers for their packing their needs. Traditionally, these smaller rolls are formed on a cardboard core to hold the wrap. Similarly, other sheet material has also been manufactured and packaged in a similarly manner.
The only substantial purposes of the cardboard cores for such rolls are to provide a cylindrical surface on which a sheet material can be tightly wrapped to form a roll and, in some instances, to facilitate use of the sheet material by inserting a handling rod through the cardboard core for ease of rotation of the roll when removing the sheet material. To reduce waste and extra cost, there has been a trend to move to a coreless roll, which is a roll that is rolled upon itself without a cardboard core. However, the development of a system to provide a coreless roll of sheet material has proven to be problematic.
Previous coreless winding systems have trouble starting a roll because sheet materials tend to rotate out of the winding area before the roll can start. Further, without having a core roll on which to wind, once the roll is started, it is hard to maintain a proper tension in the roll as the roll is being wound. Without proper tension, the roll tends to become loose which can lead to the roll telescoping by allowing the inner portion of the roll to slide out of the middle of the roll. Once the roll telescopes, the roll can end up collapsing.
As such, a need exists for winding apparatuses, systems, and methods for winding sheet material into a roll that can more effectively start the winding the roll of sheet material and maintain a proper tension to create a tight roll that does not easily collapse on itself.
The present subject matter provides winding apparatuses, systems, and related methods for winding sheet material into a roll. In particular, the present subject matter, in some aspects, relates to apparatuses and systems that wind sheet material, such as bubble wrap, foam, or paper, into a roll without need of a core substrate on which the sheet material is to be wind. Methods related to the manufacture and use of the coreless winding apparatuses and systems as disclosed herein are also provided.
Thus, it is an object of the presently disclosed subject matter to provide winding apparatuses and winding systems for winding sheet material into a roll as well as methods related thereto. While one or more objects of the presently disclosed subject matter having been stated hereinabove, and which is achieved in whole or in part by the presently disclosed subject matter, other objects will become evident as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings as best described hereinbelow.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present subject matter including the best mode thereof to one of ordinary skill in the art is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the seam or analogous features or elements of the present subject matter.
Reference now will be made to the embodiments of the present subject matter, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Each example is provided by way of an explanation of the present subject matter, not as a limitation. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present subject matter without departing from the scope or spirit of the present subject matter. For instance, features illustrated or described as one embodiment can be used on another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present subject matter cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present subject matter, which broader aspects are embodied in exemplary constructions.
Although the terms first, second, right, left, front, back, top, bottom, etc. may be used herein to describe various features, elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these features, elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one feature, element, component, region, layer or section from another feature, element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first feature, element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second feature, element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the disclosure herein.
Similarly, when a feature or element is being described in the present disclosure as “on” or “over” another feature or element, it is to be understood that the features or elements can either be directly contacting each other or have another feature or element between them, unless expressly stated to the contrary. Thus, these terms are simply describing the relative position of the features or elements to each other and do not necessarily mean “on top of” since the relative position above or below depends upon the orientation of the device to the viewer.
Embodiments of the subject matter of the disclosure are described herein with reference to schematic illustrations of embodiments that may be idealized. As such, variations from the shapes and/or positions of features, elements or components within the illustrations as a result of, for example but not limited to, user preferences, manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are expected. Shapes, sizes and/or positions of features, elements or components illustrated in the figures may also be magnified, minimized, exaggerated, shifted or simplified to facilitate explanation of the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, the features, elements or components illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes and/or positions are not intended to illustrate the precise configuration of the subject matter and are not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein unless it specifically stated otherwise herein.
It is to be understood that the ranges and limits mentioned herein include all ranges located within the prescribed limits (i.e., subranges). For instance, a range from about 100 to about 200 also includes ranges from 110 to 150, 170 to 190, 153 to 162, and 145.3 to 149.6. Further, a limit of up to about 7 also includes a limit of up to about 5, up to 3, and up to about 4.5, as well as ranges within the limit, such as from about 1 to about 5, and from about 3.2 to about 6.5.
The term “thermoplastic” is used herein to mean any material formed from a polymer which softens and flows when heated; such a polymer may be heated and softened a number of times without suffering any basic alteration in characteristics, provided heating is below the decomposition temperature of the polymer. Examples of thermoplastic polymers include, by way of illustration only, polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, acrylic ester polymers and copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, etc. and copolymers thereof.
“Sheet material” as used herein means generally flat rollable material made from one or more layers of film, foam, and/or paper layers that can be transferred to rolls and can include, but are not limited to, bubble wrap, foam, paper, and thermoplastic film materials, alone or in combination, as well as other such material used in packaging and packaging material.
The present subject matter discloses winding apparatuses, including but not limited to, coreless winders, used to wind sheet material into a roll for handling and storage as well as related methods. Generally, the winding apparatus can comprise a set of winding rollers. For example, in some embodiments, the winding apparatus can have a set of front drive rollers and back drive rollers that can comprise at least one front drive roller and at least one back drive roller. In some embodiments, for instance, the winding apparatus can comprise upper and lower front drive rollers and upper and lower back drive rollers. Each drive roller of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers can comprise drive wheels spaced apart along the respective drive roll. The set of front drive rollers and back drive rollers form a winding zone between the front drive rollers and back drive rollers. The winding apparatus can also comprise a feed system positioned before the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers for moving sheet material along a travel path in a machine direction into the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers. In some embodiments, the feed system can comprise a conveyor and one or more feed nip rollers that can be positioned above the conveyor that are configured to press against the conveyor under a weight of the feed nip rollers so that the feed nip rollers rotate with the conveyor as the conveyor rotates. In some embodiments, the feed system can comprise one or more sets of opposing nip rollers with the bottom rollers being driven and the upper rollers being rotated as the bottom rollers rotate. The winding apparatus can have other various components that provided unique features.
For example, in some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise a tender perforator positioned before the front drive rollers for perforating the sheet material in a cross-machine direction when a roll of sheet material is finished being wound in the winding zone. The sheet material can be moved with the feed system and/or can be pulled by the winding process. In the embodiments where the feed system comprises a conveyor and nip rollers, the conveyor and nip rollers can aid in moving the sheet material into the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers by running the sheet material between the conveyor and the nip rollers. This movement of the sheet material in the feed system is useful in starting of the winding of a roll of sheet material. In some embodiments, the feed system can be run at the beginning to feed the sheet material into the winding zone to start the roll with the nip rollers being raised after the roll of the sheet material is started and growing and then lowered when the roll is in the final stages. The sheet material can be wound into a coreless roll in the winding zone as the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers rotate. The sheet material can be perforated in the cross-machine direction with the tender perforator to create a roll separation perforation in the sheet material. The conveyor can be rotated, which rotates the nip rollers to move the roll separation perforation in the sheet material into the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers. The movement of the feed system, such as the rotation of the conveyor and nip rollers, can be stopped once the perforation in the sheet material is in the winding zone while the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers continue to rotate causing the roll separation perforation in the sheet material to break to separate the roll of sheet material forming a terminal end of the roll of sheet material rolled in the winding zone and forming a starting end of a new roll of the sheet material that resides in the winding zone.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise a carriage on which the upper and lower back drive rollers are secured that can move away from and towards the upper and lower front drive rollers to move the upper and lower back drive rollers to widen the winding zone as the roll of sheet material grows. Instead of pivoting outward from a pivot point below the roll, the carriage moves linearly inward and outward to keep the back drive rollers in contact with the roll as it grows. The linear movement of the carriage can also keep the back drive rollers and the front drive rollers in the same opposing position on either side of the roll being wound as the roll grows.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus can additionally comprise a support cradle that can include a support roller that extends traverse to the travel path of the sheet material and about parallel to the set of front drive rollers and back drive rollers. The support cradle can be moved between a support position and a release position depending on the formation of the roll of sheet material. When in the support position, the support cradle is rotated outward such that support cradle can support a roll of sheet material being wound in the winding zone with the support roller. The support roller can be moved downward at a 45° angle to stay in contact with the roll of sheet material for support as the roll of sheet material grows. Once the roll of sheet material has reached a desired size, the support cradle can be rotated inward to a release position such that the support roller is removed from its supporting position and the roll of sheet material can be released from the winding zone.
In some embodiments, the front drive rollers, the back drive rollers, the carriage, and the feed system can each be controlled by separate servo-motors. In some embodiments, the support roller can also be controlled by a servo motor. Each of the servo motors can be controlled independently of the other servo motors to maintain tightness of the roll of sheet material as the roll of sheet material grows. For example, the servo motors can be controlled independently by a controller that allows each servo motor to operate independent of the other servo motors. The controller can be a computing device that has enough memory and random access memory and a capable processing unit to operate the winding apparatus, and can include, but is not limited to a computer, a mini-computer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), other central processing units, or the like.
By independently controlling the front and back drive rollers, the feed system and the carriage, the tightness of the rolls and tension at various points within the roll can be easily, and changeably, controlled. For large rolls, the tension in the middle becomes greater as the roll grows. By using the servo motors on the front drive rollers, back drive rollers, the conveyor and the carriage, each of these components can be independently adjusted to allow the tension to be easily changed at various points as the roll grows as desired. For example, by independently controlling the speed of the feed system, the speed of the front and back drive rollers, and the speed at which the carriage moves outward with the ability to adjust the speed of the movement of the carriage linearly outward as needed as the diameter of the roll grows, a constant tension throughout the winding process and the roll can be maintained to prevent different portions of the wound roll from being too tight or too loose.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise at least one notched circular slitter blade configured to rotate in the machine direction of the travel path to create a lengthwise perforation in the sheet material in the machine direction before the sheet material enters the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers. The at least one notched circular slitter blade can comprise a cutting edge surface around a circumference of the blade with one or more indentures in the cutting edge surface to form isthmuses of sheet material between the perforations formed by the cutting edge surface. Sheet material can be moved with the conveyor into the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers as the sheet material is perforated in the machine direction with at least one notched circular slitter blade to create product roll separation perforations in the sheet material. The sheet material can be wound into a master roll in the winding zone as the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers rotate and separate to widen the winding zone as the roll of sheet material enlarges such that the product roll separation perforations are about normal to an axis of the master roll of the sheet material. The master roll of sheet material can be released from the winding zone once the roll has reached a desired cylindrical circumference and the sheet material being fed to the roll is separated from the roll. Shear forces can be applied to the master roll of sheet material to break the master roll into product rolls of sheet material along the product roll perforations formed by the at least one notched circular slitter blade. Alternatively, in some embodiments, continuous slitter blades or other slitting apparatuses, such as knife blades, can be used to provide continuous slits in the machine direction before the sheet material is fed into the winding zone. In this manner, the individual product rolls will already be formed upon winding without need of breaking the larger wound roll.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise air tubes positioned periodically in the spaces between the drive wheels of the upper front drive rollers. The air tubes can be angled to blow air forward and downward into the winding zone to prevent the catching of a start end of the sheet material by the wheels of the upper front roll in a manner that would cause the start end to exit between the upper and lower front drive rollers during the beginning formation of the roll of sheet material. For example, a start end of sheet material can be moved with the feed system in the winding zone between the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers. The wheels on the front and back drive rollers contact the sheet material being fed into the winding zone causing the sheet material to rotate in on itself. Air can be blown into the winding zone to prevent the catching of a start end of the sheet material by the wheels of the upper front roll in a manner that would cause the start end to exit between the upper and lower front drive rollers during the beginning formation of the roll of sheet material. The sheet material can then be wound into the roll of sheet material in the winding zone as the set of the front drive rollers and the back drive rollers rotate and separate to widen the winding zone as the roll of sheet material grows.
The winding apparatus can further comprise fingers that can be positioned in the spaces between the drive wheels of the upper front drive rollers not occupied by the air tubes. The fingers can be angled to cause the start end of the sheet material to roll forward in the rotational direction in which the roll will rotate in the winding zone to form an axis of the roll of the sheet material. Similar to the air tubes, the fingers can aid in preventing the catching of the start end of the sheet material, the fingers can remove contact of the sheet material with the drive wheels of the upper front drive roller to aid in preventing the drive wheels from pulling the start end out of the winding zone. For example, the fingers can extend on an entry side of the drive wheels of the upper front drive rollers and extend in the spaces between the wheels on an underside of the wheels such that a portion of the fingers extend below the underside of the drive wheels. The fingers can be angled in a manner so that the ends of the fingers do not extend beyond a circumference of the drive wheels of the upper front drive rollers.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise a welder that can be positioned after the upper and lower back drive rollers. The welder can be inserted between the upper and lower back drive rollers to melt portions of the sheet material proximate to a terminal end of the sheet material to an interior portion of the roll of sheet material to form a weak, releasable weld. To accommodate the insertion of the welder, the upper back drive roller can be moved upward while staying in contact with the circumference of the roll of sheet material to create space between the upper back drive roller and the lower back drive roll. Similarly, in some embodiments, the winding apparatus can comprise a labeler that can be positioned in the same area as the welder after the upper and lower back drive rollers. Like the welder, the labeler can be inserted between the upper and lower back drive rollers to apply a label to a terminal end of the sheet material and a portion of the roll of sheet material to hold the terminal end to the roll of sheet material. As with the welder, the upper back drive roller can move upward while staying in contact with the circumference of the roll of sheet material to create space between the upper back drive roller and the lower back drive roller for insertion of the labeler and to hold the roll in place as the label is applied.
Referring to
The winding apparatus 10 can comprise a carriage, generally designated 20, as shown in
As stated above, the carriage 20 on which the one or more back drive rollers 14A, 14B can reside and that is movable inward and outward in linear directions AW and TW can provide more precise movement of the one or more back drive rollers 14A, 14B to the one or more front drive rollers 12A, 12B than traditional pivoting carriages that pivot from a pivot point in conventional winding apparatuses. This ability to provide a linearly movement of the carriage can provide better control of the tension of a roll R as it grows. The carriage 20 can be configured and driven in different manners. As shown in FIGS. 1A, 8A and 8B, in some embodiments, the carriage 20 can comprise a traversing portion 20D that can include linearly moveable carriage rails 20A and guide wheels 20B that can aid in guiding the carriage rails 20A and in ensure the rails 20A linear movement in the directions AW and TW. In the embodiments shown, the traversing portion 20D of the carriage 20 can have end rails and crossbeams for supports. The sets of guide wheels 20B are spaced apart and can engage carriage rails 20A while allowing the rails 20 to move to hold the rails 20A as the rails 20 move outward and inward. The carriage 20 can also comprise a roller frame 20C on which the one or more back drive rollers 14A, 14B and the drive system for the one or more back drive rollers 14A, 14B can be secured. In some embodiments, as shown, the traversing portion 20D of the carriage including the rails 20A can be positioned above the one or more front drive rollers 12A, 12B. In such embodiments, the roller frame 20C can extend downward from the traversing portion 20D such that the one or more back drive rollers 14A, 14B are aligned with the one or more front drive rollers 12A, 12B.
As shown in
As another example of a drive system that can be used with the carriage 20 as shown in
The winding apparatus 10 can comprise a feed system 30 positioned as shown in
Various types of feed systems can be used to move the sheet material into the winding zone. For example, in some embodiments as shown in
As shown, the feed system 30 can comprise a tractor drive conveyor 30A driven by the servo motor 32 that can comprise a belt 30B on which the sheet material SM resides when the winding apparatus 10 is forming a roll R and feed nip rollers 34, which can be floating nip rollers, that can aid in transferring the sheet material SM to the winding zone WZ between the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B, in particular, at the start of the winding of a new roll.
In some other embodiments, the feed system can comprise one or more sets of opposing nip rollers (not shown) that rotate to move the sheet material SM forward toward the winding zone WZ, for the example, at the beginning and end of the winding of the roll in some embodiments. For example, in such embodiments, the lower nip rollers can be driven, for example, by a servo motor. The upper nip rollers can rest against the lower driven rollers (indirectly when sheet material is running between the nip rollers) and will rotate as the lower nip rollers rotate. The upper nip rollers can float by having vertically moving axes that allow the upper nip rollers to move up and down under their own weight as the topography of the sheet material running underneath the upper rollers changes.
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus 10 can also comprise a tender perforator 36 positioned before the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the feed system 30 for perforating the sheet material SM in a cross-machine direction CD (see
Additionally, the winding apparatus 10 can comprise a support cradle 40 comprising a support roller 42 that extends transverse to the travel path TP of the sheet material SM and about parallel to the set of front drive rollers 12A, 12B and back drive rollers 14A, 14B. For example, the support roller 42 can extend about perpendicular to the travel path TP of the sheet material SM. In some embodiments, the movement of the support cradle 40 can be controlled by an air cylinder (not shown). The support cradle 40 can be moved between a support position, for example, as shown in
As shown in the schematic drawing of
More particularly, for some embodiments, to separate the finished roll from the sheet material, a winding apparatus 10 can be provided that comprises a set of front drive rollers 12A, 12B and back drive rollers 14A, 14B and a feed system 30 as set forth above for moving sheet material along a travel path TP in a machine direction MD into the winding zone WZ between the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B and rolling the sheet material SM into a roll R using the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and back drive rollers 14A, 14B.
As shown in
Referring to
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus 10 can comprise a welder 60 to weld the terminal end TE of the roll of sheet material R to the roll R as shown in
The upper back drive roller 14A can be controlled to raise and lower in different manners. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown, the roller movement system 90 can include a pulley and belt system 93 that can facilitate the lowering of the upper back drive roller 14B. The pulley and belt system 93 can comprise, a tensioner 94 that engages a belt 96 that is disposed about pulleys 98A, 98B, 98C. The pulley 98A can be secured to the upper back drive roller 14A and the pulley 98B can be secured to the lower back drive roller 14B. The tensioner 94 can engage the side of the belt 96 between either the lower back drive roller 14B or the upper back drive roller 14A to add tension to the belt. In some embodiments as shown, the tensioner 94 can comprise a driver 94D with a spring-loaded arm 94A that engages a rocker arm 94C on which a tension roller 94B resides that engages a side of the belt 96.
As shown in
In some such embodiments, after forming a terminal end TE of the roll of sheet material R, the roll of sheet material R can be rotated with the set of upper and lower front drive rollers 12A, 12B and upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B so that the terminal end TE of the roll of sheet material R is positioned below the lower back drive roller 14B below the position of the welder 60. In this manner, the welder can form the weld above the terminal end TE and proximal to the terminal end TE to hold the terminal end TE to the roll of sheet material R.
Often, the sheet material SM being wound into a roll has preformed product section perforations PP as shown in
In such embodiments, where the sheet material SM has preformed product section perforations PP, the roll separation perforation SP can be a weaker perforation in the cross-machine direction CD than preformed product section perforations PP in the sheet material SM.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the winding apparatus 10 can additionally comprise at least one notched circular slitter blade 26 that is configured to rotate in the machine direction MD of the travel path TP and ride against a hard roll 28 as shown in
Alternatively, in some embodiments, continuous slitter blades or other slitting apparatuses, such as knife blades, (not shown) can be used to provide continuous slits in the machine direction MD before the sheet material SM is fed into the winding zone WZ. In this manner, the individual product rolls will already be formed upon winding without need of breaking the larger wound roll.
In particular, the sheet material SM with the product roll separation perforations LP therein is wound into a master roll R in the winding zone WZ as the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B rotate and separate to widen the winding zone WZ as the master roll R enlarges such that the product roll separation perforations LP are about normal to an axis AR of the master roll R as shown in
Thereby, one or more notched circular slitter blades 26 can be configured to rotate in the machine direction MD in the travel path TP to create a lengthwise perforation LP in the sheet material SM in the machine direction MD before the sheet material SM enters the winding zone WZ between the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B. Each notched circular slitter blade 26 can comprising a cutting edge surface 26A around a circumference 26C of the blade 26 with one or more indentures 26B in the cutting edge surface 26A to form isthmuses, or connecting tabs, CT in sheet material SM between perforations LP formed by the cutting edge surface 26A that allow the roll of sheet material 26 wound in the winding zone WZ between set of front drive rollers 12A, 12B and back drive rollers 14A, 14B to be separated into smaller product rolls of the sheet material PR upon application of a force to the roll of sheet material R.
In some embodiments, the beginning of the formation of the roll R can be critical. Due to the fact that front drive rollers 12A, 12B need to be spaced apart to allow entry of the sheet material SM into the winding zone WZ, an issue of the start end SE of the sheet material SM rotating out of the winding zone WZ can occur. When the start end SE of the sheet material SM in the winding zone WZ starts to rotate as the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and back drive rollers 14A, 14B are rotating as shown in
In some embodiments, for instance, the fingers 52 can extend on an entry side 16A of the drive wheels 16 of the upper front drive rollers 12A as shown in
The air tubes 50 can receive air from an air supply 54, such as a pneumatic system that supplies air, as shown in
It is noted that the air tubes 50 and fingers 52 are shown and discussed in separate and/or alternating spaces SW between the wheels 16. In some embodiments, however, air tubes and fingers can be in the same space SW between wheels 16 as shown in
As stated above, the tender perforator 36 can perforate the sheet material SM in the cross-machine direction to create a roll separation perforation SP in the sheet material SM for the roll R of sheet material SM and breaking the roll separation perforation SP before releasing the roll R from the winding zone to form a terminal end TE of the roll R that has been formed in the winding zone WZ and a start end SE of a new roll to be formed in the winding zone WZ. By using the air tubes 50 and fingers 52 as described above along with forming the start end SE in the winding zone WZ, jamming of the winding apparatus 10, particularly in the winding zone WZ, can be reduced or eliminated. The handling of a start end SE of a roll is where a majority of jamming of a winding apparatus 10 occurs. By starting a roll with the start end SE sheet material SM already within the winding zone WZ, problems caused by getting the start end SE of the sheet material SM into the winding zone WZ are eliminated. Further, another major cause of jamming of a winding apparatus is the start end SE being pulled out of the winding zone WZ at the beginning of a roll. Through the use of the air tubes 50 and fingers 52, the start end SE of the sheet material SM can be kept in the winding zone at the beginning of the formation of a roll. Thereby, two of the major causes of jamming of a winding apparatus can be greatly reduced or eliminated.
In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to the welder 60, the winding apparatus 10 can also comprise a labeler 70 as shown in
In some embodiments, the labeler 70 can be positioned after the upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B for insertion between the upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B to apply a label to the terminal end TE of the sheet material SM and a portion of the roll of sheet material R. Alternatively, labeler 70 can be used to tape the terminal end TE of the sheet material SM to the terminal end TE to the roll R to hold the terminal end TE to the roll R without the use of the welder 60.
When using the labeler 70, the feed system 30 can move the sheet material SM into the winding zone WZ between the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B, where the sheet material SM can be wound into the roll R in the winding zone WZ as the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B rotate and separate to widen the winding zone WZ as the roll R grows. As with the welder 60, after the roll of sheet material R reaches a desired size, a terminal end TE of sheet material SM in the roll R can be formed as described above. For example, tender perforator can be used to create a separation perforation SP in the sheet material as described above. The rotation of the feed system 30 can be stopped once the separation perforation SP in the sheet material SM is in the winding zone WZ, while the set of the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B continue to rotate causing the roll separation perforation SP in the sheet material SM to break to separate the roll of sheet material R from the sheet material SM in the winding zone.
The terminal end TE of the sheet material SM in the roll R can then be rotated in the winding zone WZ by rotating the front drive rollers 12A, 12B and the back drive rollers 14A, 14B to position the terminal end TE proximal to the back drive rollers 14A, 14B. For example, the terminal end TE can be rotated to a position proximate to and below the lower back drive rollers 14B. The upper back drive rollers 14A can be raised upward while keeping the upper back drive roller 14A in contact with a circumference CR of the roll of sheet material R to create space between the upper back drive rollers 14A and the lower back drive rollers 14B. The labeler 70 can be inserted between the upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B to apply a label to a terminal end TE of the sheet material SM and a portion of the roll of sheet material R to hold the terminal end TE to the roll R. In some embodiments, to properly align the terminal end TE with the labeler 70, the roll of sheet material R can be rotated with the set of upper and lower front drive rollers 12A, 12B and upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B so that the terminal end TE of the roll of sheet material R is positioned below the lower back drive roller 14B. At this position, the terminal end TE is aligned with the position of the labeler 70, such that the labeler 70 can partially apply a label to the circumference CR of the roll R above the terminal end TE. As the roll R is at least partially rotated after the label is partially adhered to the circumference CR of the roll R, the upper back drive roller 14A can press the rest of the label not yet applied over the terminal end TE to hold the terminal end TE to the roll of sheet material R.
Thereby, a labeler 70 can be provided in place of a welder 60 that can be positioned after the upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B. The labeler 70 can be inserted between the upper and lower back drive rollers 14A, 14B to apply a label to a terminal end TE of the sheet material SM and a portion of the roll of sheet material R to hold the terminal end TE to the roll of sheet material SM. To permit the insertion of the labeler 70, the upper back drive roller 14A can be moved upward while staying in contact with the circumference CR of the roll of sheet material R to create space between the upper back drive roller 14A and the lower back drive roller 14B for insertion of the labeler 70.
Referring to
Additionally, in some embodiments, by moving downward at about a 45° angle as the roll grows, the support roller 42 can stay in a position underneath the axis AR of the roll of the sheet material R to provide the extra support. While the support roller 42 may be in contact with the roll of sheet material R at positions other than directly beneath the axis AR of the roll of the sheet material R to provide support, by keeping the support roller 42 beneath the axis AR of the roll of the sheet material R, then support may be provided with less compression of the roll of sheet material R. As stated above, the support cradle 40 can be controlled by an air cylinder, while a support roller servo motor 44 can be provided to control the movement of the support roller 42. For example, the support roller servo motor 44 can control the movement of the support roller 42 so that the support roller 42 comes in contact with the roll of sheet material R and moves downward at about a 45° angle to stay in contact with the roll of sheet material R for support as the roll of sheet material R grows.
These and other modifications and variations to the present subject matter may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter, which is more particularly set forth herein above and any appending claims. In addition, it should be understood the aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the present subject matter. Any reference signs incorporated in the claims are solely to ease their understanding, and do not limit the scope of the claims.
This application is a divisional patent application which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/061,260, filed Oct. 1, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17061260 | Oct 2020 | US |
| Child | 18493373 | US |
