SEPARATING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REGIONALLY SEPARATING A FILM WEB

Abstract

Separator for separating a film web region by region, having an anvil plate which has a working surface for laying out an end region of a film web, a conveyor which is mounted such that it can be moved linearly with respect to the anvil plate along a conveying axis and which is designed to carry out a laying-out movement for the end region of the film web, the laying-out movement being aligned parallel to the working surface, and a cutting unit which has at least one cutting edge for carrying out a separating operation for an end region of the film web received between the cutting edge and the working surface. The conveyor and the cutting alternately carry out the lay out movement and the separating operation for the end region of the film web.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A separator for separating a film web region by region, comprising: an anvil plate which has a working surface for laying out an end region of a film web, a conveyor linearly moveable with respect to the anvil plate along a conveying axis to carry out a laying-out movement for the end region of the film web, which laying-out movement is aligned parallel to the working surface, a cutting unit which has at least one cutting edge for carrying out a separating operation on the end region of the film web which is received between the cutting edge and the working surface, wherein the conveyor and the cutting unit carry out the lay out movement and the separating operation for the end region of the film web.

15. The separator according to claim 14, wherein the conveyor is moveable between a first conveying position with a first, minimum distance relative to a front edge of the anvil plate aligned transversely to the conveying axis and a second conveying position with a second, maximum distance relative to the front edge of the anvil plate, and wherein the cutting unit is moveable between a rest position with a third, maximum distance relative to the front edge and a working position with a fourth, minimum working distance relative to the front edge.

16. The separator according to claim 15, wherein the conveyor comprises a transport cylinder having a transport cylinder axis which is aligned transversely to the conveying axis and parallel to the working surface to carry out the conveying operation with a linear movement along the conveying axis and/or with a rotational movement about the transport cylinder axis.

17. The separator according to claim 16, wherein the cutting unit comprises a cutting cylinder having a cutting cylinder axis aligned transversely to the conveying axis and parallel to the working surface to carry out the separating operation with a superimposition of a linear movement along the conveying axis and a rotational movement about the cutting cylinder axis, the at least one cutting edge being attached to an outer surface of the cutting cylinder.

18. The separator according to claim 17, wherein the working surface has a planar bearing region for the end region of the film web and wherein bearing strips which adjoin the bearing region on both sides, extend along the conveying axis and project in a raised manner from the bearing region, and wherein the cutting cylinder rests with an outer surface on the bearing strips at least in regions when the movement between the rest position and the working position is carried out.

19. The separator according to claim 16, wherein the transport cylinder is assigned a sensor for detecting a front edge of the end region of the film web and/or wherein the cutting cylinder is assigned a sensor for detecting a position of the cutting edge, and/or wherein a sensor for detecting properties of the film web is arranged in the region of the front edge of the anvil plate.

20. The separator according to claim 14, wherein at least one mouth opening of a fluid channel is formed on the working surface and/or on an outer surface of the conveyor and/or on an outer surface of the cutting unit.

21. The separator according to claim 14, wherein the at least one cutting edge of the cutting unit and the working surface of the anvil plate allow a separating operation for the end region of the film web from the group: transverse cutting of the film web, cutting out of film cutouts from the film web, crush cutting, lifting punching, shear cutting.

22. The separator according to claim 14, wherein the cutting unit is a lifting punch for carrying out a lifting punching movement aligned transversely to the working surface of the anvil plate and is mounted so as to be linearly movable with respect to the anvil plate between a rest position at a distance which is greater than an extension of the conveyor transversely to the working surface and a working position at a disappearing distance from the working surface.

23. The separator according to claim 14, wherein a gripper is arranged on the anvil plate so as to be relatively movable for a removal of good parts into defined deposit position and/or for a removal of waste.

24. A separator for separating a film web region by region, comprising: an anvil plate with a working surface for laying out a film web, a conveyor for conveying the film web along a conveying axis which is aligned parallel to the working surface, a cutting cylinder which is movable parallel to the working surface and which has at least one cutting edge for carrying out a cutting operation for the film web received between the cutting edge and the working surface, wherein bearing strips are arranged at edges of the working surface, each of the bearing strips being aligned with a longest edge parallel to the conveying axis, which bearing strips have upper sides aligned parallel to one another and at an acute angle to the working surface, and wherein the cutting cylinder has two cone sections on an outer circumferential surface which are aligned at an acute angle to a cutting cylinder axis to rest on the upper sides of the bearing strips, wherein an adjusting unit for positioning the cutting cylinder along the cutting cylinder axis is located between the anvil plate and the cutting cylinder.

25. A method for cutting a film web region by region, comprising the steps: detecting an end region of a film web laid out on a working surface of an anvil plate with a transport cylinder, performing a first winding movement for the end region of the film web onto the transport cylinder during a first linear retracting movement of the transport cylinder, detecting an end edge of the end region of the film web, which end edge is arranged on the transport cylinder, with a sensor, and controlling a second rewinding movement for the transport cylinder at a first conveying position at which the transport cylinder has a first, minimum distance from a first end region of the anvil plate, performing a combination of an unwinding movement and a second linear advancing movement for the transport cylinder along the working surface of the anvil plate for depositing the end region of the film web on the working surface, and performing a second linear retracting movement of the transport cylinder to the first conveying position, performing a combination of an unwinding movement and a third linear advancing movement for a cutting cylinder along the working surface of the anvil plate between a rest position with maximum distance from the first end region of the anvil plate and a working position with minimum distance from the first end region of the anvil plate, wherein a cutting edge of the cutting cylinder performs a cutting operation for an end region of the film web received between the cutting edge and the working surface, and gripping and transporting away a portion of the end region of the film web cut from the cutting edge by means of a gripping device mounted movably on the anvil plate.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the end region of a film web is gripped by the transport cylinder to make a first linear feed movement for the transport cylinder along a working surface of the anvil plate for laying out the end region of the film web on the working surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] An advantageous embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing. Here shows:

[0046] FIG. 1 a side view of a separator with a conveyor, an anvil plate and a cutting unit,

[0047] FIG. 2 a sectional enlargement of the separator according to FIG. 1 with some detailed illustrations,

[0048] FIG. 3 a top view of a film web which has been processed with the separator according to FIGS. 1 and 2,

[0049] FIG. 4 a schematic representation of the conveyor and the cutting unit as well as the film web during a first working step,

[0050] FIG. 5 a second working step for the conveyor and the cutting unit,

[0051] FIG. 6 a third working step for the conveyor and the cutting unit,

[0052] FIG. 7 a fourth working step for the conveyor and the cutting unit,

[0053] FIG. 8 a fifth working step for the conveyor and the cutting unit,

[0054] FIG. 9 a sixth working step for the conveyor and the cutting unit, and

[0055] FIG. 10 a front view of the anvil plate provided with bearing strips and the cutting cylinder matched thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] A separator 1 shown only schematically and not to scale in FIG. 1 is used for processing a film web 2 which is to be separated into individual, purely exemplary rectangular cutouts, as shown schematically in FIG. 3.

[0057] Here, the separator 1 comprises a material roll 4, on which the film web 2 is wound, a feed device 5, which is designed to support an unwinding movement for the film web 2 from the material roll 4, an anvil plate 6 for supporting the film web 2, a conveyor 7 and a cutting unit 8.

[0058] The material roll 4, the feed device 5 and the anvil plate 6 are arranged, purely by way of example, on a common machine frame which is not shown. The conveyor 7 and the cutting unit 8 are likewise arranged on the machine frame in a manner not shown so as to be movable relative to the anvil plate 6, wherein drives not shown in greater detail, for example hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic motors, pneumatic motors, electric servomotors and combinations thereof, can be used for a relative movement of the conveyor 7 and the cutting unit 8 with respect to the anvil plate 6.

[0059] The material roll 4 is configured to provide the film web 2, wherein a length of the film web 2 wound on the material roll 4 is many times greater than a length of the anvil plate 6, so that a plurality of cutouts 3 can be cut out of the film web 2 before a change of the material roll 4 is required.

[0060] The feed device 5 arranged adjacent to the material selection 4 comprises, purely by way of example, a side edge control 9, a first deflection roller 10, a second deflection roller 11 and a pair of conveying rollers 12. The task of the side edge control 9, which scans a side edge of the film web 2 during a conveying movement of the film web 2 by means of a sensor not shown in more detail, is to ensure a central arrangement of the film web 2 on the first deflection roller 10. For this purpose, the side edge control 9 can influence the alignment of the film web 2 relative to the first deflection roller 10 via an actuator that is also not shown. After passing the first deflection roller 10 and the second deflection roller 11, the film web 2 is guided through between two conveying rollers 15, 16 of the pair of conveying rollers 12, wherein at least one of the two conveying rollers 15, 16 can be driven in order to support a movement of the film web 2 in the conveying direction 17 shown schematically, which can be regarded as a direction vector of a conveying axis.

[0061] As will be explained in more detail below, discontinuous conveying is provided for the film web 2, since the processing of the film web 2 on the anvil plate 6 is also performed discontinuously.

[0062] Exemplarily, it is provided that in an area between the pair of conveying rollers 12 and a leading edge 18 of the anvil plate 6, a first sensor 40 is arranged above the film web 2, which is used to scan the film web 2 and can detect properties of the film web such as a film type, preferably in a contactless manner. An electrical sensor signal of the first sensor 40 is provided to a controller and processed there. By way of example, it may be provided that the sensor signal of the first sensor 40 is used to adjust the conveying movements of the feed device 5.

[0063] The anvil plate 6 has a purely exemplary flat working surface which is aligned transversely to the plane of representation of FIG. 1 and on which the film web 2 is laid out for carrying out the processing steps described in more detail below. As can be seen from the illustration of FIG. 2, the anvil plate 6 comprises a dimensionally stable carrier plate which is designed, by way of example, as a plane-parallel plate and which can be connected, by way of example, to the machine frame, which is not shown, in a manner not shown in greater detail. A work plate 21, which is likewise designed purely exemplarily as a plane-parallel plate, is attached to the carrier plate 20 and, according to the detailed representation of FIG. 2, is partially penetrated by fluid channels 22. Mouth openings 23 of the fluid channels 22 open out at the working surface 19, whereby, when the fluid channels 22 are subjected to negative pressure via a channel system formed in the working plate 21, which is not shown and which is connected to a negative pressure supply, which is not shown and which is arranged away from the anvil plate 6, negative pressure adhesion of the film web 2 to the working surface 19 in the region of the fluid channels 22 can be effected.

[0064] Purely by way of example, it is provided that the working surface 19 is provided on both sides with bearing strips 24 which project in a raised manner above the working surface 19 and whose longest edge 25 is aligned parallel to a longest edge of the anvil plate 6. In a cross-sectional plane oriented transversely to the longest edge 25, the bearing strips 24 may have a rectangular cross-section or a cross-section in the form of a right-angled trapezoid with an upper side sloping in the direction of the respective opposite bearing strips 24. The task of the bearing strips 24 consists in particular in forming, with their upper side 27 facing away from the working surface 19, a supporting surface for the cutting unit 8 described in more detail below.

[0065] The conveyor 7 is designed purely exemplarily as a transport cylinder 30. A transport cylinder axis 31 extends transversely to the plane of representation of FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 4 to 9 and at the same time forms the axis of rotational symmetry for the transport cylinder 30, which has a circular cylindrical profile. The transport cylinder 30 is provided with an intake area 33, shown only schematically in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 9, which extends over an angle of 90 degrees over a circumferential surface 32 in a purely exemplary manner. The intake area 33 is formed by a plurality of bores 34 shown purely schematically in detail in FIG. 2, the bores 34 being connected to vacuum channels 35 aligned parallel to the transport cylinder axis 31. The vacuum channels 35 can be connected in fluidic communication with a vacuum supply, also not shown, via a rotary union not shown, so that a vacuum can be provided at mouth openings 36 of the bores 34 in order to suck in the film web 2.

[0066] The transport cylinder 30 can be moved in various ways relative to the anvil plate 6. For example, a drive for the transport cylinder 30 that is not shown comprises a combination of a linear drive for a linear movement of the transport cylinder in the conveying direction 17 and against the conveying direction 17 and a rotary drive for a rotation of the transport cylinder 30 about the transport cylinder axis 31. With such a drive, the transport cylinder 30 can perform a pure linear movement, a pure rotational movement or a superposition of a linear movement and a rotational movement. In this case, the transport cylinder 30 can be moved from the first conveying position shown in FIG. 2, in which there is a first, minimum distance 37 of the transport cylinder 30 from the front edge 18 of the anvil plate 6, to a second conveying position, in which there is a second, maximum distance of the transport cylinder 30 from the front edge 18 of the anvil plate 6. During a linear movement of the transport cylinder 30 from the first conveying position towards the second conveying position, as well as during a linear movement of the transport cylinder 30 from the second conveying position towards the first conveying position, a rotation of the transport cylinder 30 may optionally be performed or not. The transport cylinder 30 may also perform an exclusive rotational movement in any position between the first conveying position and the second conveying position, but particularly in the first conveying position.

[0067] In a purely exemplary manner, the cutting unit 8 is designed as a cutting cylinder 50 which is equipped with a first cutting edge 52 and a second cutting edge 53 on a circular cylindrical outer surface 51. The first cutting edge 52 extends over a total width of the cutting cylinder 50 and is used to make a cross-cut 54 on the film web 2, as shown schematically in FIG. 3. The second cutting edge 53 is a shaping cutting edge and serves to produce the cutouts 3 in the film web 2, as this is shown schematically in FIG. 3.

[0068] The cutting cylinder 50 is moved by a drive not shown between a rest position, in which the cutting cylinder 50 is at a third, maximum distance 55 from the front edge 18 of the anvil plate 6, and a working position, in which the cutting cylinder 50 is at a fourth, minimum distance 56 from the front edge 18. Purely exemplarily, it is provided that the drive is designed in such a way that there is always a forced coupling between a rotational movement about a cutting cylinder axis 57 and a translational movement parallel to the conveying direction 17 for the cutting cylinder 50. Preferably, it is provided that the drive and the cutting cylinder 50 are matched to each other in such a way that the cutting cylinder performs a slip-free rolling movement on the bearing strips 24 with its outer surface 51.

[0069] FIGS. 4 to 9 show, purely schematically, a sequence for processing an end region 14 of the film web 2. First of all, according to the illustration of FIG. 4, it is assumed that an end region 14 of the film web 2 rests on the anvil plate 6 at least over a certain length, which has been omitted in the illustrations of FIGS. 4 to 9 for reasons of clarity.

[0070] In a first step, the transport cylinder 30 is positioned by a superposition of a rotational movement and a translational movement in such a way that the suction area 33 is arranged above the end region 14. Purely exemplarily, the transport cylinder 30 is arranged in such a way that the suction area 33 ends with a front edge 44 of the end area 14 of the film web 2. As soon as the transport cylinder 30 assumes this position, an activation of the negative pressure supply can take place, so that a negative pressure is provided at the mouth openings 36 of the bores 34, with which a two-dimensional suction of the end region 14 to the circumferential surface 32 of the transport cylinder 30 takes place.

[0071] In a second step, as shown in FIG. 5, a rolling movement of the transport cylinder 30 onto the end region 14 of the film web 2 takes place with a counterclockwise direction of rotation in order to start a winding process for the end region 14 onto the transport cylinder 30. The rolling motion for the transport cylinder 30 is caused by a coordinated superposition motion between a rotation and a translation for the transport cylinder 30 by the drive means, reducing a distance of the transport cylinder 30 from the leading edge 18.

[0072] In a third step, as shown in FIG. 6, the transport cylinder 30 has reached the first conveying position and assumes the first, minimum distance 37 to the front edge 18. In this first conveying position, a scanning of the circumferential surface 32 of the transport cylinder 30 is performed by a second sensor 41, which is mounted in an unspecified manner on the machine frame of the separator 1 and which is designed to detect the leading edge 44 of the end region 14 of the film web 2. If the second sensor 41 is unable to detect the leading edge 44, a corresponding sensor signal is provided to the controller, which performs a control of the drive for the transport cylinder 30 in such a way that a purely rotational movement of the transport cylinder 30 is performed in the direction of the arrow according to the representation of FIG. 6, which is oriented counterclockwise purely by way of example, in order to effect a continuation of the winding process for the film web onto the transport cylinder 30. As soon as the second sensor 41 can detect the leading edge 44, it is assumed that a predetermined length of the film web 2 has been wound onto the transport cylinder 30, thus completing the third step.

[0073] In a fourth step, as shown in FIG. 7, a pure rolling movement of the transport cylinder 30 takes place for laying out the film web 2 on the working surface of the anvil plate, which is not shown. This rolling motion is a synchronized superposition of a rotational motion and a translational motion of the transport cylinder 30 by the drive.

[0074] In a fifth step, as shown in FIG. 8, the cutting cylinder is transferred from the rest position to the working position, whereby the distance of the cutting cylinder 50 relative to the front edge 18 is reduced. In this connection, it is provided that a slip-free unrolling movement of the outer surface 51 of the cutting cylinder 50 on the bearing strips 24 is effected by means of the drive for the cutting cylinder which is not shown, the cutting edges 52 and 53 effecting the desired cutting operations for the end region 14 of the film web 2. At the beginning of the execution of the unwinding movement, a third sensor 42 can be used to check whether the cutting edge 53 is arranged in the correct rotational position. Insofar as the third sensor 42 should provide a sensor signal to the controller, which is not shown, indicating that the cutting edge 53 is not correctly positioned, provision can be made, for example, for switching off the separator 1 and for issuing a warning message. Alternatively, if the drive for the cutting cylinder 50 is suitably designed, an adjustment operation may be provided by exclusively rotating the cutting cylinder 50 until the cutting edge 53 assumes the desired position.

[0075] In a sixth step, as shown in FIG. 9, the cutout 3, which has been separated from the film web 2 by the cutting cylinder 50, is picked up by a gripper 60, which can be designed in particular as a vacuum gripper and which can deposit the cutout 3 away from the separator 1 in a suitable magazine. The gripper 60 can be equipped with a fourth sensor 43, which is designed to perform a quality control for the cutout 3 and to qualify it as a good part or a bad part by applying predetermined criteria. An evaluation of a sensor signal from the third sensor 42 can be performed, for example, in an evaluation device, which then provides a control signal for the gripper 60 to either feed the cutout 3 to a downstream processing step or to dispose of the cutout 3 as a reject. The gripper 60 may include one or more fluid channels connected to a common vacuum supply, which may be controlled by a common valve means or by separate valve means. This may realize, for example, selective gripping and/or depositing or dropping of the cutout 3 and a waste grid with the gripper 60. Furthermore, a further gripper, not shown, can be provided which transports a residual piece of the end region 14 of the film web 2 remaining after removal of the cutout 3, which is also referred to as a waste grid, away from the separator 1.

[0076] The cutting cylinder 50 shown in FIG. 10, like the anvil plate 6, is shown only schematically and in no way to scale. Purely exemplarily, the first cutting edge 52 arranged on the outer surface 51 of the cutting cylinder 50 extends almost over the entire width of the cutting cylinder 50 and is purely exemplarily in cutting engagement with the end region 14 of the film web 2. The second cutting edge 53 is designed purely exemplarily as a closed circumferential cutting edge for cutting out a rectangular section 3 from the film web 2. Furthermore, bearing rings 58 are arranged on the outer surface 51 of the cutting cylinder 50 in each case in the form of conical sections, the conical surfaces 59 of which are aligned at an acute angle 64 to the working surface 19. During a relative movement of the cutting cylinder 50 along the anvil plate 6, the bearing rings 58 perform a slip-free rolling movement on the bearing strips 24, which are each arranged on both sides at the edge of the working surface 19 and which have a profiling in the manner of a right-angled trapezoid. The upper surfaces 27 of the bearing strips 24 assume the same acute angle 64 to the working surface 19 as the conical surfaces 59 of the bearing rings 58. Accordingly, a distance 63 between the cutting cylinder axis 57 and the work surface 19 can be adjusted by linear displacement of the cutting cylinder 50 along the cutting cylinder axis 57.

[0077] In an embodiment of the anvil plate and/or the cutting cylinder, recesses are arranged in the respective surfaces which are designed to temporarily receive components projecting from the film web in a raised manner, such as electronic components integrated in the film web, or that the recesses in the anvil plate 6 are arranged such that a cutting edge is formed in the anvil plate 6 itself which acts as a counter cutting edge to at least one of the cutting edges 52, 53 on the cutting cylinder 50.