Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi – With scrap material separation or removal
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-14
2003-10-21
Rada, Rinaldi I. (Department: 3721)
Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi
With scrap material separation or removal
C493S082000, C493S083000, C225S093000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06635004
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to absorbent garment and textile manufacturing. In particular, it relates to an apparatus and method for using a vacuum source combined with a vacuum inlet to remove die cutout waste material from a continuously moving web.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fabrics, such as textiles, woven materials and nonwoven materials constructed from natural or synthetic fibers, may be processed into garments or other assemblies by feeding them through processing lines. These processing lines may operate non-stop or with few interruptions. In many instances when a product being made in the processing line includes fabric or other sheet-like material, these materials are stored in roll form and fed into the line as a continuously moving web of material. When the roll runs out of fabric, a substitute roll may be inserted into the line with or without interrupting the activity of the line. The web may be processed in any number of ways, such as by folding, pinching, bonding, gluing, compressing, sewing, cutting, and the like. In many cases it is preferred that these operations be performed in the machine direction, that is, done in the direction that the material is moving without interrupting the constant flow of fabric along the line.
In many cases, fabric web may be cut to remove excess material. For example, holes may be cut in the web, or the sides of the web may be trimmed. In continuously moving manufacturing processes, cutting is often performed by running the web through a cutting assembly having a cutting die and a cutting anvil. The cutting die is typically a rotating drum that has raised ridges having sharp edges that sever the fabric of the web in a predetermined pattern and at predetermined intervals. The cutting anvil is typically a relatively smooth rotating drum that is located so that the fabric passes between the cutting die and the cutting anvil. The cutting anvil may also be a belt or other surface that moves in unison with the cutting die. When the web passes between the die and the cutting anvil, the fabric is pinched between the raised ridges of the die and the cutting anvil and severed by the sharp edges. Other cutting assemblies are also widely used in the various industries that employ processing lines, such as laser cutters, hydraulic jet cutters, ultrasonic cutters, fixed blade cutters, cutting stamps, and so on.
One problem that may be encountered when cutting material from a web is that the cutouts (i.e., the material removed from the fabric by the cutting device) may become entangled in, or otherwise foul, the machinery of the line. Consequently, a great degree of care is often taken to ensure that the cutouts are completely removed from the proximity of the line. The problems associated with cutout removal may be exacerbated when the line operates at relatively high speeds, in which case the unremoved cutouts must be removed very quickly, and may progress some distance along the line if not removed, causing problems in various other parts of the line.
If the cutouts are not fully removed, they may clog the line, become entangled in the product being assembled by the line, or cause other problems. In addition, if the cutting die fails to completely sever the cutout from the web, the cutout may remain connected to the web by strands of uncut fabric, causing clogging and other problems. It is also likely that a partially severed cutout will pull away from the fabric in such a manner that the remaining fabric of the web is torn or otherwise damaged. In any case, the productivity of the line may be reduced when it must be stopped for servicing, and the cost to the manufacturer may increase. In some applications, the down-time caused by partially severed or otherwise improperly removed cutouts may be one of the greatest inefficiencies of a processing line.
One conventional device that has been employed to remove cutouts is a vacuum. The vacuum pulls the cutouts away from the line before they become entangled or clogged. Conventional cutout vacuums have a roughly rectangular or slot-like opening located near the web to remove the cutouts. Such vacuums are typically unable to remove poorly severed cutouts. One attempted solution has been to increase the amount of vacuum, however, when the vacuum level is increased, the web tends to be pulled into the vacuum opening, causing damage to the web. In addition, when a cutout is incompletely severed from the web, higher vacuum levels may tear or otherwise damage the web as the cutout is pulled away from the web. High-pressure air jets have been used in conjunction with conventional vacuums to propel the cutouts into the vacuum inlet, however such devices are typically ineffective or unreliable. In response to the inability of low vacuum systems to remove partially-severed cutouts, and the damage caused to the web when it is pulled in to the vacuum inlet by high vacuum systems, efforts have focused on improving the quality of the cuts made by the cutting devices in order to minimize the number of partially-severed cutouts, rather than improving the manner in which the cutouts are removed.
Conventionally, in order to reduce the likelihood that cutouts are not fully severed from the web, manufacturers have employed cutting dies having relatively sharp edges to help ensure that the cutouts are fully severed. Such cutting dies may also be pressed against the cutting anvil with a greater amount of force. These solutions, however, may reduce the longevity of the cutting dies, as the sharper edges may tend to become dull at a relatively high rate to the point where they no longer provide optimal operation. In addition, such cutting dies may be relatively expensive to build, refinish, and service. Again, this problem is exacerbated in relatively high-speed lines, in which case the cutting dies may experience a relatively high frequency of use cycles.
These and other devices have been used in the particular context of the absorbent garment manufacturing industry. Absorbent garments, such as diapers, adult incontinence products, feminine care products, and the like, are often manufactured from continuous webs of nonwoven and film material. It is often desirable to produce these garments at as great a rate as possible, and as with other industries, when a processing line has to be stopped to deal with improperly cut or removed cutouts, the absorbent garment manufacturer often suffers a financial loss.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for cutting and removing cutouts. It would be desirable for such a method and system to remove relatively poorly severed cutouts without damaging the web. It would also be desirable to increase the service life of the cutting device, and to increase the speed at which the processing line can operate. It would also be desirable to provide such a method and system at minimal cost. The present invention may be employed to provide these and other benefits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The features of the invention generally may be achieved by an apparatus and method for removing cutout material from a web moving in a machine direction. The apparatus has a vacuum passage for conveying a vacuum to which is attached a vacuum inlet plate, which may be a substantially flat plate. The vacuum inlet plate has an inlet edge that forms at least part of an opening into the vacuum passage. The inlet edge has first and second angled edge portions that converge at first and second angles relative to the machine direction, respectively, to meet at a vertex portion. The vertex portion forms the rearmost portion of the inlet edge relative to the machine direction.
In one embodiment, the cutout material has a surface area of between about 100 square centimeters and about 1000 square centimeters. In another embodiment, the web and cutout are made of a fabric web of nonwoven materials. In another embodiment, the web may be moving in the machine direction at a speed of between about 50 meters per minute and about 500 meters per minute.
In another e
Hunton & Williams
Paragon Trade Brands, Inc.
Rada Rinaldi I.
Tran Louis
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