Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Material treated by electromagnetic energy – Infrared energy
Patent
1996-04-03
1997-06-10
Sollecito, John M.
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Material treated by electromagnetic energy
Infrared energy
34273, 34111, 34115, 226 97, F26B 334
Patent
active
056364504
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the US national phase of PCT application PCT/FR94/01165 filed 5 October 1994 with a claim to the priority of French application 93/12095 filed 6 October 1993.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a contact-free diverting device for sheet material, this device being of the type using an air cushion around a generally cylindrical surface located where the sheet material being treated "on the fly" should be diverted. These diverting devices are known for example from British patent document 2,126,974 and European patent document 0,507,218.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a technical field of fabrication, conversion, and treatment of sheet material as a strip or web such as paper, cardboard, textile, plastic film, etc. which moves in an industrial machine or installation where the sheet, strip, or web is subjected to a certain number of changes of direction along the path that it follows past succeeding treatment stations; the contact-free diversion, thanks to the air cushion, preventing friction or marking.
The machines or installations of this type often are provided with heaters constituted as emitters of infrared rays and are used mainly for drying, for example drying of ink in the case of printing machines, or the elimination of water in paper-making installations, this type of emitter allowing for rapid temperature increases with excellent all-around applicability (no thermal inertia). The dryers using infrared radiation are normally provided at straight sections along the path of the sheet material, between two succeeding diverting rollers of the contact or contact-free type (see for example EP 0,346,081, WO 8,795,644, and French 2,247,687 as well as above-cited European 0,507,218). The result is that the machines or installations in question are in fact very bulky, the deflecting rollers form large elements that do nothing to the sheet material, strip, or web being treated "on the fly."
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to avoid this disadvantage with a technical solution making the contact-free diverting elements active so as to reduce the size of the machines or installations incorporating them and increasing production speed while improving or increasing the efficiency of the infrared-ray heating/drying units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end the object of the invention is a contact-free diversion device for sheet material of the type described in the introduction and provided on or underneath the cylindrical surface, in addition to the blowing means creating the air cushion for contact-free diversion, with infrared emitters whose radiation is directed radially outward of said cylindrical surface toward that portion of the sheet material being diverted around this cylindrical surface, the pressurized air flow cooling the infrared emitters while forming the air cushion.
Thus the device according to the present invention ensures that within the same space the sheet material is diverted and also treated thermally, that is heated with infrared radiation. Putting the two functions in the same place produces a considerable saving of space for the machines and installations in question which can thus be built to be much more compact.
In addition by combining the blowing means with the infrared-radiation emitters the instant invention improved the operation of these emitters and increases their service lives since the air passing over them cools these infrared emitters while forming the air cushion. In addition in the case where the infrared emitters are being used for drying, the air flow itself contributes to the drying of the sheet material so that this drying is improved without increasing the overall energy requirements.
In a particular embodiment the diverting device according to the invention has a multiplicity of infrared emitters arrayed in rows and/or columns over said cylindrical surface, apertures for the pressurized air being formed between the infrared em
REFERENCES:
patent: 3722105 (1973-03-01), Marteny
patent: 4218833 (1980-08-01), Coar
patent: 4513516 (1985-04-01), Bjornberg
patent: 4854052 (1989-08-01), Korpela
patent: 4882852 (1989-11-01), Kautto
patent: 4918828 (1990-04-01), Ruotto et al.
patent: 4942675 (1990-07-01), Sundovist
patent: 5092059 (1992-03-01), Wimberger et al.
patent: 5199623 (1993-04-01), Rajala et al.
Dubno Herbert
Gravini Steve
Infra Rouge System
Sollecito John M.
Wilford Andrew
LandOfFree
Contact-free diverting device for sheet material does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Contact-free diverting device for sheet material, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Contact-free diverting device for sheet material will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-757432