MULT THREADER WITH SEPARATOR SHAFT ASSEMBLY AND CLAMP BAR

Abstract

A mult threader assembly has a mult threader frame, a movable carriage that is slidably disposed on the frame, a fixed clamping member, a separator shaft mounted on the movable carriage, and a movable clamping member mounted on the movable carriage.

Claims

1. A mult threader assembly comprising: a mult threader frame; a movable carriage that is slidably disposed on said frame; a fixed clamping member; a separator shaft mounted on said movable carriage; and a movable clamping member mounted on said movable carriage.

2. The mult threader of claim 1, wherein said movable clamping member is moved by one or more hydraulic cylinders.

3. The mult threader of claim 1, further comprising one or more separator discs mounted on said separator shaft.

4. The mult threader of claim 3, wherein a gap is formed between adjacent separator discs to accommodate a width of a mult threaded between said adjacent separator discs.

5. The mult threader of claim 4, wherein said mult threader frame is attached to a fixed frame via a pivot point.

6. The mult threader of claim 5, further comprising a hydraulic cylinder mounted at said pivot point to move said mult threader frame relative to said fixed frame.

7. The mult threader assembly of claim 1, further comprising a recoiler mandrel having a gripping slot for receiving mults threaded onto said recoiler mandrel.

8. The mult threader assembly of claim 1, further comprising a slitter for slitting a strip of metal.

9. The mult threader assembly of claim 6, wherein a leading edge of said mult passes over said separator discs of said separator shaft.

10. The mult threader assembly of claim 9, wherein said leading edge of a mult passes through said mult threader.

11. The mult threader assembly of claim 10, wherein said mult aligns with said separator discs.

12. The mult threader assembly of claim 11, wherein said movable carriage is moved by said hydraulic cylinder until said mult is clamped between said fixed clamp bar and said movable clamp bar.

13. The mult threader assembly of claim 12, wherein said recoiler mandrel is positioned until said gripping slot receives said leading end of said mult.

14. The mult threader assembly of claim 13, wherein said mult threader frame is retracted from said recoiler mandrel and a recoiler separator shaft moves toward said recoiler mandrel to engage said mult.

15. The mult threader assembly of claim 14, wherein said recoiler separator shaft engages a surface of said mult wound on said recoiler mandrel.

16. The mult threader assembly of claim 14, wherein said mult threader frame is positioned to loop said mult in an upward direction thus allowing said mult to align with separator discs of said recoiler separator shaft.

17. A method of threading mults, comprising: providing a mult threader frame; slidably disposing a movable carriage on said frame; providing a fixed clamp member; mounting a separator shaft on said movable carriage; and mounting a movable clamping member on said movable carriage.

18. The method of claim 17, further including moving said movable clamping member via one or more hydraulic cylinders.

19. The method of claim 18, further including mounting separator discs on said separator shaft.

20. The method of claim 19, further including forming a gap between adjacent separator discs to accommodate a width of a mult threaded between said adjacent separator discs.

21. The method of claim 20, further including attaching said mult threader frame to a fixed frame via a pivot point.

22. The method of claim 21, further including mounting a hydraulic cylinder at said pivot point to move said mult threader frame relative to said fixed frame.

23. The method of claim 22, further including providing a recoiler mandrel having a gripping slot for receiving said mutt threaded to said recoiler mandrel.

24. The method of claim 23, further including passing a leading edge of said mutt over said separator discs of said separator shaft.

25. The method of claim 24, further including said mutt aligns with separator discs of said separator shaft.

26. The method of claim 24, further including moving said movable carriage by said hydraulic cylinder until said mult is clamped between said fixed clamp bar and said movable clamp bar.

27. The method of claim 26, further including positioning said recoiler mandrel until said gripping slot receives a leading end of said mult.

28. The method of claim 27, further including retracting said mutt threader frame from said recoiler mandrel and a recoiler separator shaft moves toward said recoiler mandrel to engage said mutt.

29. The method of claim 28, further including engaging said recoiler separating shaft with a surface of said mult wound on said recoiler mandrel.

30. The method of claim 29, further including positioning said mult threader frame to loop said mult in an upward direction thus allowing said mult to align with separator discs of said recoiler separator shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical existing slitting line with a direction arrow identifying the direction of the strip being processed;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the exit end of the slitting line with the mult threader shown in the line run position;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the mult threader in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the exit end of the slitting line, with the mult threader of FIG. 3 shown in the deployed position;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mult threader and the recoiler in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the mult threader and recoiler with the movable carriage pivoting towards said recoiler;

[0033] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mult threader with the mults engaged with the recoiler gripping slot;

[0034] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the recoiler overarm separator shaft engaging the mults; and,

[0035] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the recoiler overarm separator shaft separating the mults.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 1-9, a mult threader in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the disclosure will be described and shown.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a mult threader 10 includes a separator shaft 12 on which separator discs 14 are mounted. The gap between adjacent separator discs 14 is equivalent to the width of a mult 15 (see, e.g., FIG. 6) that will be threaded between that pair of separator discs 14. It is not necessary for all the mults to be of the same width. Consequently, the spacing between adjacent separator discs 14 can vary or be the same, across the width of the separator shaft 12.

[0038] Mult threader 10 has a fixed clamp bar 16 and a moveable mating clamp bar 18. Both separator shaft 12 and moveable clamp bar 18 are mounted on a moveable carriage 20 that is slidably disposed and guided on mult threader frame 22 (see FIG. 4). Moveable clamp bar 18 is operated by hydraulic cylinders 24. When cylinders 24 are retracted, clamp bar 18 is in a wide-open position.

[0039] Mult threader frame 22 is attached to a fixed frame 26 (see FIG. 4) through a pivot point 28. Hydraulic cylinder 30 is attached to mult threader frame 22 at pivot point 32 and at pivot point 34 (FIGS. 3 and 4). When cylinder 30 is retracted, mult threader 10 is in a near vertical position which represents the mult threader's line run position which also serves as the mult threader 10 position for threading the line.

[0040] Fixed frame 26 may or may not have other equipment such as a deflector roll 36, a threading table 38 or any other line equipment.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, recoiler 40 includes a recoiler mandrel 42, a recoiler overarm separator shaft 44, as well as other equipment that can be used with this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the recoiler mandrel has a mult receiving gripping slot 46. Recoiler mandrel gripping slot 46 is in an open position when the mults 15 are threaded to the recoiler mandrel 42. Recoiler overarm separator shaft 44 is in its fully raised position when the mults 15 are threaded to the recoiler mandrel gripping slot 46.

[0042] For an existing slitting line depicted in FIG. 1, ahead of slitter 50, there is a notching machine 52. After a looping pit, there is a separator shaft assembly 56, and an exit crop shear 58. Notching machine 52 is used to keep the leading edge of the strip from being cut into mults; typically, this is approximately the first twelve (12) inches of the leading end of the strip. The notching shear 52 is not a prerequisite for the mult threader.

[0043] The mult threader is preferentially positioned just after deflector roll 36 and just before recoiler mandrel 42. Prior to threading the slitting line, the slitting knives are positioned and spaced on slitter 50 arbors.

[0044] Separator shaft assemblies 56, 12 and 44 have separator discs 14, 45 that are spaced, and located on their shafts, such that the spacing and location of the separator discs is relative to the spacing and location of the slitting/cutting planes set-up at the slitter 50.

[0045] After the strip is slit, the leading edge is conveyed on tables 54 across the looping pit.

[0046] The leading end of the strip progresses to crop shear 58, and the unslit leading edge is cut off by crop shear 58.

[0047] The leading end of the mults progresses to and passes slightly through mult threader 10. Cylinders 24 are operated to extend which advances moveable carriage 20 towards fixed clamp bar 16 (see, e.g., FIG. 5). The individual mults 15 fall between adjacent separator discs 14; one mult 15 in each gap between adjacent separator discs 14. On occasion, the mults are guided by the operator to fall between separator discs 14. A pivotable platform may be added which allows the operator to stand on the platform to guide the mults as they move over the discs and fall. Moveable carriage 20 is momentarily stopped for this action to take place.

[0048] Cylinders 24 then advance moveable carriage 20 until the mults are clamped between fixed clamp bar 16 and moveable mating clamp bar 18. Separator shaft assembly 12 is mounted on moveable carriage 20. This allows the mults to stay between the separator discs 14, while the clamping action takes place.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 6, recoiler mandrel 42 is rotated until the recoiler mandrel gripping slot 46 is positioned to receive a leading end 17 of the mults 15. Cylinder 34 is operated to extend which results in the mult threader frame 22 pivoting towards recoiler mandrel gripping slot 46. This action continues until the leading ends of the mults are received in recoiler gripping slot 46. This may require some interaction between the position of the recoiler mandrel 42 and the position of the mult threader frame 22.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 7, once the leading end of the mults is in the mandrel gripping slot 46, the mandrel gripper is closed resulting in clamping of the mults 15. At this point, the mult threader is partially opened by cylinder 24. That is, carriage 20 is partially lowered by cylinder 24 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3 and 4). The recoiler mandrel 42 is rotated to start winding of the mults. Simultaneously mult threader frame 22 is partially retracted away from mandrel 42, and simultaneously recoiler overarm separator shaft 44 is commanded to lower towards the recoiler mandrel 42. These actions are interactive and positionally commanded by the operator such that by the time the recoiler overarm separator shaft 44 is engaged on the surface of the wound mults (see FIGS. 8 and 9), mult threader frame 22 is positioned to loop the mults upwards, thus allowing the mults to align with the separator discs 45 on the recoiler overarm separator shaft 44.

[0051] When recoiler overarm separator shaft 44 is on the surface of the wound mults 15, mult threader frame 22 is further retracted away from recoiler mandrel 42 (see FIG. 9), and mult threader moveable carriage 20 is fully opened. This places mult frame 22 in a near vertical position, and mult threader separator discs 14 are disengaged from the mults and positioned well below the passline of the mults while the line is running.

[0052] The slitting line is now ready to run and process the strip.

[0053] Mult threader separator shaft assembly 12 is mounted in a way that makes it easy to remove the separator shaft and retool for a different slitting/cut schedule for the slitting line.

[0054] Mult threader clamp bars 16, and 18 are mounted in a way that makes it easy to maintain the clamp bar pads, and easy to adjust the clamped position of the mults relative to the separator discs 14.

[0055] Mult threader 10 is not ited to usage in a slitting line that utilizes the notching machine. For other configuration slitting lines there may be more separator shaft assemblies than in the example line, but the function and placement of the mult threader remains the same.

[0056] There can be various degrees of automation associated with the sequence described above. Some slitting lines can be configured to be essential self-threading with little or no intervention by the operator. Other slitting lines can be configured for the operator to have full control over some or all the steps in the sequence. The level of automation is a user preference and does not change the essence of the design.

[0057] The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims and disclosure or the equivalents thereof.