Wrapping Web Assembly And Wrapping Method

Abstract

One exemplary embodiment of a method of forming a wrapping web assembly includes the steps of: providing a substantially continuous web of a wrapping material; providing an elongate tape stock comprising an adhesive tape portion having a release surface, and a double sided adhesive tape portion releasably adhered to said release surface; feeding said substantially continuous web of a wrapping material past a laminating station to an accumulator spool adapted to spool said web about an axis transverse its substantially continuous direction; feeding said elongate tape stock to said laminating station and cutting the elongate tape stock into discrete tape assemblies; adhering said discrete tape assemblies substantially transversely in spaced relation on one surface of said web; and spooling said web to said accumulator spool whereby an exposed adhesive layer of the tape assembly adheres in the spool to the other surface of the web.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of forming a wrapping web assembly, comprising the steps of: providing a continuous web of a wrapping material including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; applying a first adhesive surface of a tape assembly portion onto a portion of the first surface, the tape assembly portion including the first adhesive surface, a second adhesive surface opposite the first adhesive surface, a first release layer overlying the second adhesive surface, and a third adhesive surface overlying the first release layer; spooling the continuous web onto a spool whereby as the tape assembly portion is rotated around the spool, the third adhesive surface of the tape assembly portion is applied to a portion of the second surface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of applying a first adhesive surface of a second tape assembly portion onto a second portion of the first surface of the continuous web, the first portion of the continuous web spaced from the second portion of the continuous web.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second portion of the first surface of the continuous web is about 21 meters from the first portion of the continuous web.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuous web includes at least one perforation, wherein the portion of the first surface of the continuous web is adjacent to the perforation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, during the spooling step, the portion of the second surface, to which the third adhesive surface is applied, is on the opposite side of the perforation from the portion of the first surface to which the first adhesive surface is applied.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein during the providing step, the continuous web of wrapping material is provided on a source spool.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein during the applying step, the tape assembly portion is provided from a continuous tape assembly stock.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of separating the tape assembly portion from a continuous tape assembly stock.

10. A method of baling an agricultural product, comprising the steps of: obtaining a wrapping material, the wrapping material including a continuous web wound onto itself in the form of a roll, and a tape assembly portion positioned between a first surface of the continuous web and a second, opposite surface of the continuous web, the tape assembly portion including a first adhesive surface, a second adhesive surface opposite the first adhesive surface, a first release layer overlying the second adhesive surface, and a third adhesive surface overlying the first release layer, wherein, in this position, the first adhesive surface is applied to a particular portion of the first surface of the continuous web and the third adhesive surface is applied to a particular portion of the second surface of the continuous web; unwinding a leading end of the wrapping material to wrap the wrapping material around the product, wherein during the unwinding step, the first release layer of the tape assembly portion separates from the second adhesive surface to expose the second adhesive surface, and the first adhesive surface remains applied to the first surface of the continuous web and the third adhesive surface remains applied to the second surface of the continuous web; separating at least part of the unwound wrapping material from the remainder of the wrapping material to form a wrapping section of the wrapping material, wherein the wrapping section includes the exposed second adhesive surface of the tape assembly portion; and applying the second adhesive surface to the continuous web of the wrapping section of the wrapping material.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of applying the second adhesive surface secures the wrapping section around the agricultural product.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the agricultural product is cotton.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the continuous web of the wrapping material includes a plurality of perforations, and the separating step includes separating the wrapping section by tearing along one of the plurality of perforations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a tape assembly portion is positioned adjacent to each perforation such that a particular tape assembly portion is adjacent to one of the plurality of perforations and on a trailing end of a particular wrapping section, wherein the step of applying the second adhesive surface includes securing the trailing end of the wrapping section to the wrapping section to secure the wrapping section around the agricultural product.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein during the unwinding step, the third adhesive surface remains applied to a subsequent wrapping section.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third adhesive surface remains applied to a leading portion of the subsequent wrapping section.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein at least the unwinding, separating and applying steps are performed within a baling machine.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein at least the unwinding, separating and applying steps are performed within a cotton harvester.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein, in the obtaining step, the wrapping material is positioned on a spool, wherein during the unwinding step, the spool is rotated to unwind the wrapping material.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the tape assembly portion comprises more than one tape assembly portion, wherein the obtaining step further comprises more than one tape assembly portion positioned in spaced relation to one another along the rolled continuous web and between a first surface of the continuous web and a second, opposite surface of the continuous web.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each tape assembly portion is spaced about 21 meters from any subsequent or preceding tape assembly portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The invention will be described with reference to the following non-limiting embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings and wherein:

[0045] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the act of assembly of a wrapping web assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0046] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, after application of the tape laminate assembly and being rolled up to form the deployable form of the invention;

[0047] FIG. 3 is a detail view of the mode of tape portion separation of the wrapping web in use; and

[0048] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the deployment of FIG. 3, inverted for clarity, wherein the web assembly is being deployed for wrapping.

[0049] In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is illustrated the formation of a wrapping web assembly from a green polyethylene baling web 11. Adhered along the baling web 11 are transverse, 250 mm-wide elongate tape assemblies 12 on a 21-metre spacing and which have been released from a supply spool (not shown) by separation from a double sided release film 13 and cutting to length. The tape assemblies 12 comprise a double sided adhesive tape portion 14 adhered to the baling web 11 and an adhesive tape laminate portion 15 having a release surface overlying the double sided adhesive tape portion 14.

[0050] The adhesive tape portion 15 comprises a white polyethylene tape 16 having a siliconized release coating adjacent the double sided adhesive tape portion and a synthetic rubber adhesive layer 17. The release coating is not a layer per se but in instead a thin coating modifying the surface energy of the polyethylene tape 16.

[0051] The double sided adhesive tape portion 14 comprises a BiesSse® 221 BOPP carrier tape 19 having rubber-based adhesive layer 20 overlying said release coating and an exposed rubber-based adhesive layer 21.

[0052] The elongate tape assemblies 12 are laid up at the said about 21-metre spaced relation on the front surface 25 of the web 11 as it passes from a supply spool 22 to an accumulator spool 23. The spacing is selected having regard to what is being wrapped. In the present case the spacing is selected to poly bale cotton. The elongate tape assemblies are adjacent perforations 26 defining discrete tear-off locations, whereby there is little tendency for wind, dust, water penetration or the like tending to unbale the cotton.

[0053] The exposed adhesive layer 17 of the adhesive tape 15 means that, when the web 11 is rolled up after application of the elongate tape assemblies 12, the exposed adhesive layer 17 permanently adheres to the back surface 24 of the web 11. This is best understood with reference to FIG. 2. The rolled up wrapping web assembly 10 on its accumulator spool 23 may then be transhipped to the point of use, in this case to a cotton harvester having integrated field baling equipment.

[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the wrapping web assembly 10 is deployed by unwinding from the accumulator spool 23 directly into a baling assembly (not shown). The elongate tape assemblies 12 are permanently bonded to the outer 24 and inner 25 surfaces of the web 11 by the synthetic rubber adhesive layer 17 of the adhesive tape portion 14 and adhesive layer 21 of the double sided adhesive tape portion 15.

[0055] As the web 11 unspools from the accumulator spool 23, peel forces are applied to the tape assembly 12 at the point where the web 11 leaves the spool 23. This causes separation of the adhesive 14 and double sided adhesive 15 tape portions, with the release coating of the adhesive tape portion 14 peeling away from and exposing the rubber adhesive layer 20 of the double sided adhesive tape portion 15. The unspooling wrapping web assembly 10 feeds a conventional poly baling machine, with rollers adapted to allow the rubber adhesive layer 20 to pass. The baling machine cuts the trailing portion of the web 11, as the bale is secured by bonding of the exposed rubber adhesive layer 20 to the web 11, by tearing along perforations 26.

[0056] Apparatus in accordance with the foregoing embodiment has the advantage of being on a continuous web, avoiding the need to fabricate an assembly of discrete portions. Manufacture is cheaper and field deployment is more reliable.

[0057] It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is set forth in the claims appended hereto.