Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With supply coil replenishment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-03
2001-04-10
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding
With supply coil replenishment
C242S559100, C242S533400, C242S533500, C414S911000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213423
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a machine for unwinding material from a previously wound roll and, more particularly, to an improved machine onto which rolls of material can be loaded in preparation for unwinding and then quickly and easily rotated into an unwinding position when a previous roll has been unwound.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many products are manufactured from elongated sheet or stock material that is shipped and stored in the form of a roll or coil. Continuous strips or webs of thin, flexible material are commonly provided on storage rolls that are subsequently unwound for production of items made from these materials. Examples of these materials are plastic film, metal foil, and paper. Other materials such as cable or wire are also wound onto rolls.
During the manufacture of paper products such as napkins, newspapers, and magazines, for example, very large storage rolls of paper are used to provide the stock material from which the paper items are produced. The storage rolls are then unwound for further processing such as cutting, folding, or printing.
When a coiled roll is being unwound so that the material can be further processed, it is desirable to quickly change to a new roll once the previous roll is spent. However, the large and heavy storage rolls of stock material are difficult to handle. Also, the manufacturing process must be stopped so that the spent roll can be removed and replaced by a new roll. The time spent unloading and reloading the machine results in decreased production of the final product.
A machine that can accept subsequent or stand-by rolls of stock material that are ready to be moved quickly into an unwinding position is highly desirable because of the savings in time that such a machine would provide. The stand-by roll can be quickly moved into place, and the unwinding and subsequent processes can proceed with minimal interruption.
The placement of a roll of material onto a shaft or spindle which is then mounted onto a machine for unwinding of the roll is another time-consuming manufacturing step. The added steps of inserting the shaft into the core of the roll and then removing it when the roll is unwound result in additional time spent setting up the machine which also decreases production. A machine that can hold and unwind a roll of material without using a shaft or spindle would be advantageous.
Thus, there continues to be a need for a method and apparatus for unwinding material from a roll that allows the loading of subsequent rolls of material which are then quickly rotated into position for unwinding. Also, there is a need for a method and apparatus that will increase the speed of the unwinding process by eliminating time-consuming steps, thus increasing productivity. The present invention meets these desires.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A roll unwinding machine embodying the present invention performs lifting and turning operations on a roll of material in order to unwind the material from the roll.
The material on the roll may be a thin flexible web of material such as foil, plastic film, fabric, or paper. Alternatively, the material may be an elongated strip or length of material such as, for example, wire, cable, string, or rope. For simplicity of explanation, references herein to paper as the material on the roll should be construed to include any material capable of being wound onto a roll and subsequently unwound.
The unwinding machine of the present invention comprises a base with a turret shaft extending vertically from the base. A turret bearing ring is coaxially and rotatably disposed around the turret shaft. In the preferred embodiment described herein, more than one turret bearing ring can be provided.
A lift arm assembly is provided for lifting and rotatably holding the roll of material. The lift arm assembly is pivotally connected to the turret bearing ring and is movable around the turret shaft in conjunction with the turret bearing ring. In the preferred embodiment described herein, the lift arm assembly moves between first and second positions around the turret shaft.
In the preferred embodiment, the loading and unwinding operations take place at first and second positions, respectively, around the turret shaft. The first and second positions, however, are interchangeable with respect to the operation performed at each position. The terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes herein in reference to the relative positions of the lift arm assembly as it rotates around the turret shaft.
More than one lift arm assembly may be provided in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. When additional lift arm assemblies are provided, a subsequent roll (or rolls) can be loaded onto the machine in advance of being unwound. While a roll is in the process of being unwound, a subsequent roll can be loaded onto the machine and held at a waiting position until the previous roll is fully unwound. The subsequent roll is then moved into the unwinding position after the core of the previously unwound roll is moved out of the unwinding position.
The lift arm assembly includes two generally parallel lift arms which accept and support the roll of material during loading and unwinding operations, respectively. Each lift arm of the lift arm assembly has a first end for supporting the roll and a pilot bearing at the first end. Each lift arm also includes a second end that is operably associated with a lift arm track. The lift arms are horizontally movable relative to each other along the lift arm track. In operation, the lift arms move away from each other to accept the roll during loading of the roll onto the machine. The lift arms then move toward each other to releasably and rotatably hold the roll between the pilot bearings. The lift arms support the roll during turning of the roll to unwind the material.
A guide cam is located around the turret shaft. The guide cam includes an outer rim around its periphery for supporting the lift arm assembly while the lift arm assembly moves around the turret shaft between first and second positions.
A support beam extends from the lift arm track toward the guide cam. The support beam has a distal end with a cam yoke roller at the distal end. The cam yoke roller cooperates with the outer rim to support the lift arm assembly during its movement around the turret shaft.
A lifting mechanism is provided in the preferred embodiment. The lifting mechanism is operably associated with the cam yoke roller to raise and lower the lift arm assembly between an up position and a down position. The roll is loaded onto the machine when the lift arm assembly is in the down position. The roll is then raised to the up position, moved around the turret shaft into the unwinding position and then unwound, as described below.
The preferred embodiment described herein further comprises a drive tower extending upwardly from the turret shaft. The drive tower includes the mechanism for turning the roll to unwind the material therefrom once it has been loaded and moved into the unwinding position. A tower frame, a turning belt, a drive for rotating the turning belt, a belt frame, a belt frame axle, an upper roller, and a lower roller are the components of the drive tower that are employed during the turning of the roll of material.
The tower frame has generally vertical first and second side walls, an upper portion, and a lower portion. The lower portion includes a bracket that extends between the first and second side walls and provides a mount for the tower frame to the turret shaft. The belt frame axle extends through the first and second side walls of the tower frame adjacent to the upper portion.
The belt frame includes a first member, a second member, a free end, and an axle end. The first and second members are located between the first and second sides of the tower frame. The axle end of the belt frame is pivotally attached to the belt frame axle, and the free end of the belt frame is adjacent to the lower portion of the tower frame. The free end of the b
St. Germain Patrick C.
Wickman Vernon C.
Nguyen John Q.
Olson & Hierl Ltd.
Specialty Systems Advanced Machinery, Inc.
LandOfFree
Self-lifting shaftless unwind stand does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Self-lifting shaftless unwind stand, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Self-lifting shaftless unwind stand will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2463797