Apparatus for fixing and releasing the end of a roll of wrapping film

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new method and apparatus for fixing the end of a roll of wrapping film web to and releasing the end of the roll of wrapping film end from a circular guide wrapping machine when a new roll of wrapping film web is installed or when the wrapping film web has torn apart.

Claims

1. A fixing device to which an end of a wrapping film web in a wrapping machine may be removably attached, the fixing device comprising: a body defining a groove therethrough, wherein the groove is sized to receive the end of the wrapping film web; a releaser supported by the body, wherein the releaser is movable relative to the body between a first position and a second position, wherein the releaser covers substantially all of the groove when the releaser is in the second position; and an actuator supported by the body and configured to move the releaser from the first position to the second position to discharge the end of the wrapping film web from the groove.

2. The fixing device of claim 1, which includes a connector attached to the body, the connector supporting the actuator.

3. The fixing device of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a pneumatic cylinder.

4. The fixing device of claim 1, wherein the releaser is slidable along the body between the first position and the second position.

5. The fixing device of claim 1, wherein the releaser covers less than all of the groove when the releaser is in the first position.

6. The fixing device of claim 1, wherein the releaser covers substantially all of the groove when the releaser is in the second position such that the groove cannot receive the end of the wrapping film web.

7. The fixing device of claim 6, wherein the groove has an entrance, and wherein the releaser blocks the entrance when the releaser is in the second position such that the groove cannot receive the end of the wrapping film web.

8. A wrapping machine comprising: a circular guide along which a roll of wrapping film web is movable; a cutting and holding device configured to cut the wrapping film web and hold an end of the wrapping film web; and a fixing device separate from the cutting and holding device, the fixing device defining a groove sized to receive the end of the wrapping film web, the fixing device comprising a releaser movable from a first position to a second position to discharge the end of the wrapping film web from the groove after the wrapping machine has wrapped the wrapping film web around an object at least once, wherein the groove has an entrance, wherein the releaser blocks the entrance when in the second position such that the groove cannot receive the end of the wrapping film web.

9. The wrapping machine of claim 8, wherein the fixing device includes: a body defining the groove therethrough; and an actuator supported by the body and configured to move the releaser between the first position and the second position.

10. The wrapping machine of claim 9, wherein the fixing device includes a connector attached to the body, the connector supporting the actuator.

11. The wrapping machine of claim 9, wherein the actuator includes a pneumatic cylinder.

12. The wrapping machine of claim 9, wherein the releaser covers substantially all of the groove when the releaser is in the second position.

13. The wrapping machine of claim 9, wherein the releaser covers less than all of the groove when the releaser is in the first position.

14. The wrapping machine of claim 8, wherein the releaser is slidable along the body from the first position to the second position.

15. A fixing device for a wrapping machine, the fixing device comprising: a body defining a groove therethrough that is sized to receive an end of a wrapping film web; a releaser supported by the body; and an actuator supported by the body and operably connected to the releaser to move the releaser from a first position to a second position to, when the end of the wrapping film web is received in the groove, push the end of the wrapping film web from the groove to detach the wrapping film web from the body.

16. The fixing device of claim 15, wherein the releaser covers substantially all of the groove when the releaser is in the second position.

17. The fixing device of claim 16, wherein the groove has an entrance, and wherein the releaser blocks the entrance when the releaser is in the second position such that the groove cannot receive the end of the wrapping film web.

18. The fixing device of claim 16, wherein the releaser covers less than all of the groove when the releaser is in the first position.

19. The fixing device of claim 15, wherein the actuator includes a pneumatic cylinder.

20. The fixing device of claim 15, wherein the releaser is slidable along the body from the first position to the second position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the fixing device of the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the wrapping machine of the present disclosure including the fixing device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a fixing device 1 of the present disclosure for attaching an end of a wrapping film web in a wrapping machine. The fixing device 1 includes: (a) a body part or body 2; (b) an actuator, such as a pneumatic cylinder 3; (c) a releasing part or releaser 4; (d) a groove 5; (e) a shaft 6; and (f) a connection part or connector 7.

(4) The body part 2 is formed from a thick metal plate, and forms a suitable fixing surface for the fixing device 1 to be connected to a wrapping machine. The vertically-extending groove 5 is formed in the body part 2 near a lower portion of the body part 2 (with respect to the orientation shown in FIG. 1, which also corresponds to the orientation of the fixing device 1 once connected to the wrapping machine). The groove 5 extends through the body part 2 in the horizontal direction.

(5) The releasing part 4 is located below the bottom of the groove 5 and surrounds the lower portion of the body part 2 in a horizontal plane. The releasing part 4 is connected to the pneumatic cylinder 3 with the shaft 6. The pneumatic cylinder 3 is connected to the body part 2 with the connection part 7.

(6) The releasing part 4 is movable in the vertical direction along the surfaces of the lower portion of the body part 2 between a lower position, which is shown in FIG. 1, and an upper position, not shown, with the pneumatic cylinder 3 through the shaft 6. When the releasing part 4 is in the upper position, the upper surface of the releasing part 4 is substantially in the area where the groove 5 starts, such that when the releasing part 4 is in the upper position the releasing part 4 substantially covers the whole area of the groove 5.

(7) When the fixing device 1 connected to a wrapping machine, in operation, a knot is first tied in the end of the wrapping film web. Then, while the fixing device 1 is in the position shown in FIG. 1, the end of the wrapping film web is set in the groove 5 such that the tied knot is set against one of the side surfaces of the body part 2 connected with the groove 5. From the opposite side surface of the body part 2, the wrapping film web continues to a carriage of a roll of the wrapping film web. The knot tied in the end of the wrapping web prevents the wrapping web from prematurely escaping from the fixing device 1.

(8) Next, the wrapping process is started with the operating system of the wrapping machine. The control system of the wrapping machine also controls the pneumatic cylinder 3 of the fixing device 1 such that when the first round of the wrapping film web is wrapped around a load to be wrapped after the wrapping process is started or restarted, the pneumatic cylinder 3 moves the releasing part 4 upwards. This causes the upper surface of the releasing part 4 to push the end of the wrapping film web together with the tied knot from the groove 5, thus releasing the end of the wrapping film web from the fixing device 1. After being released from the fixing device 1, the end of the wrapping film web falls against the load to be wrapped and is covered with following wrapping rounds of the wrapping film web.

(9) FIG. 2 shows illustrates one embodiment of a wrapping machine 10 of the present disclosure including the fixing device 1. The wrapping machine 10 includes a circular guide 11 along which a wrapping film web roll carrier 12 is circulated for wrapping a load located in a wrapping area of the wrapping machine 10. The wrapping area of the wrapping machine 10 is the area inside the circular guide 11. During the wrapping process, the circular guide 11 together with the carrier 12 are moved in the vertical direction in order to cover the height of the load to be wrapped.

(10) A portal beam 13 is located above the circular guide 11. A cutting and holding device 14 is connected to a bottom surface of the cutting and holding device 14. The cutting and holding device 14 is used at the end of the wrapping process such that, before the last round of wrapping material is wrapped, the cutting and holding device 14 is moved next to the wrapped load by moving the portal beam 13 towards the load. The last wrapping round is then wrapped such that the wrapping film web covers part of the cutting and holding device 14, which enables the cutting and holding device 14 to get hold of the wrapping film web. As a final step of the wrapping process, the cutting and holding device 14 cuts the wrapping film web, attaches the wrapped end of the wrapping film web to the wrapped load, and holds the other end of the wrapping film web ready for another wrapping process.

(11) FIG. 2 illustrates the situation in which a roll of wrapping film web needs to be changed, such as when a new roll of wrapping film web needs to be installed to the carrier 12. The actual setting of a new wrapping film roll to the carrier 12 is a relatively simple procedure but, as described above, the burdensome part in prior art wrapping machines is attaching the end of the wrapping film web from the new roll to the cutting and holding device so that wrapping procedure may be continued. Specifically, attaching of the end of the new roll of wrapping film web to the cutting and holding device 14 is difficult since the carrier 12 is blocking some access to the cutting and holding device 14, since there is a load in the wrapping area of the wrapping machine 10, and since the parts of the cutting and holding device 14 need to be pried open. In this embodiment, the wrapping machine 10 is only accessible from one side, since the other sides of the wrapping machine are blocked with safety fences, further decreasing accessibility.

(12) To overcome the problems with attaching the end of the new roll of wrapping film web to the cutting and holding device, the separate fixing device 1 is connected to the lower surface of the portal beam 13 at a place shown with a dot in FIG. 2. To properly operate and be usable in the wrapping process, the fixing device 1 needs to be within wrapping area of the wrapping machine 10, i.e. inside the circular guide 11.

(13) As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1, the end of the new roll of wrapping film web can be easily inserted in the fixing device 1, and thus the wrapping process continued quickly.

(14) It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the present embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.