Calender stack and method for producing a film from thermoplastics

Abstract

A calender stack including at least two rollers between which a nip can be formed. The ends of the rollers are supported in rotary fashion in bearings and one of the rollers is stationary and at least one other roller is embodied as an advancing roller and has a first adjusting system by which it is possible to move the bearings of the advancing roller, thus changing the nip. The advancing roller has a respective adjusting system on each of its two bearings and associated with each first adjusting system, a second adjusting system is provided, by which it is possible to adjust an axial offset of the advancing roller relative to the stationary roller.

Claims

1. A calender stack (1) for producing a film of thermoplastic materials, including at least two rollers (2, 3, 15) between which a nip (4, 4) is provided to form the film; ends of the rollers (2, 3, 15) supported in rotary fashion in bearings (5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19) and one of the rollers (3) stationary and at least one other roller (2, 15) being an advancing roller and having a first adjusting system (9) by which it is possible to move the bearings (5, 6, 18, 19) of the advancing roller, thus changing the nip (4, 4), and a film thickness measuring apparatus adapted to determine a thickness profile across a width of the film; the calender stack comprising the advancing roller having a respective first adjusting system (9) at each of its two bearings (5, 6, 18, 19) and associated with each first adjusting system (9), a second adjusting system (9a) by which it is possible to adjust an axial offset of the advancing roller relative to the stationary roller (3), and a control device in combination with the first adjusting system (9) and the second adjusting system (9a), wherein the control device determines correlation values for the axial offset from measurement values of the film thickness measuring apparatus and drives the second adjustment system (9a) as a function of the correlation values; wherein the first and/or the second adjusting system (9, 9a) has a rack (10) and a pinion (11) with pinion teeth engaging with rack teeth of the rack and can be driven to rotate by a motor (12), and it is possible to change a distance between the pinion (11) and the rack (10) by changing a tooth engagement depth between them.

2. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the second adjusting system (9a) is offset by 90 relative to the first adjusting system (9).

3. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the pinion (11) and the rack (10) is changed by a cam mechanism acting on the pinion (11).

4. The calender stack (1) according to claim 3, wherein the distance between the pinion (11) and the rack (10) is releasably fixable.

5. The calender stack (1) according to claim 4, wherein the first and/or the second adjusting systems (9, 9a) of the advancing roller are centrally controllable.

6. The calender stack (1) according to claim 5, wherein a transmission (14) is provided between the pinion (11) and the motor (12) of the first and/or the second adjusting system (9, 9a).

7. The calender stack (1) according to claim 6, wherein the transmission (14) is embodied as a planetary gear.

8. The calender stack (1) according to claim 7, wherein the motor (12) is a servomotor.

9. The calender stack (1) according to claim 8, wherein three rollers (2, 3, 15) are provided, of which two rollers (2, 15) are embodied as advancing rollers.

10. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the pinion (11) and the rack (10) is releasably fixable.

11. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second adjusting systems (9, 9a) of the advancing roller are centrally controllable.

12. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein a transmission (14) is provided between the pinion (11) and the motor (12) of the first and/or the second adjusting system (9, 9a).

13. The calender stack (1) according to claim 12, wherein the transmission (14) is embodied as a planetary gear.

14. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the motor (12) is a servomotor.

15. The calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein three rollers (2, 3, 15) are provided, of which two rollers (2, 15) are embodied as advancing rollers.

16. A method for producing a film from a thermoplastic molten mass with the calender stack (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two rotating rollers (2, 3, 15) are adjustable in a spacing distance from each other in a first plane (E1), between which the nip (4, 4) is formed that can be adjusted as a function of the spacing distance of the rollers, and the molten mass is conveyed through the nip (4, 4) and as a result, is shaped into the film and cooled, the method including measuring a thickness of the film obtained across the width and a thickness measurement profile of the film is established, which is compared to a predetermined setpoint value and depending on the measured deviation of the thickness measurement profile from the setpoint value, one of the rollers (15) is offset with regard to a first rotation axis (R2) relative to a second rotation axis (R3) of the opposite other roller (3) in the nip (4) in a second plane (E2) that extends perpendicular to the first plane (E1).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein at their ends, the rollers (2, 3, 15) are supported in rotary fashion in bearings (5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19) and as the roller (15) is offset, its bearings (18, 19) are moved from a home position in which the first and the second rotation axes (R2, R3) of the roller (15) and the other roller (3) extend parallel to each other in opposite directions from each other in the second plane (E2).

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein a travel path of 30 mm is provided for each of the bearings (18, 19).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) This invention is explained in greater detail below in view of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a calender stack according to this invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the calender stack shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a view of a part of the calender stack according to this invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the principal according to this invention for reducing tooth flank play;

(6) FIG. 5a shows an alternative embodiment of the calender stack according to this invention, in a view similar to that according to FIG. 3;

(7) FIG. 5b shows the side view of the device according to FIG. 5a;

(8) FIG. 6 schematically shows the roller arrangement of the calender stack according to this invention;

(9) FIG. 7 shows an axial offset of the advancing roller according to FIG. 6; and

(10) FIG. 8 shows a thickness profile of a film that is produced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a roller frame of a calender stack, labeled as a whole with the element numeral 1, of a calender stack, which includes three parallel rollers 2, 3, 15 that are mounted in a frame 16. All three rollers 2, 3, 15 are mounted to the frame 16 at their ends by respective bearings 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19 in which they are supported in rotary fashion. Each of the three rollers 2, 3, 15 has its own drive motor 17 by which it can be set into rotation.

(12) The roller 3 located in the middle is a stationary roller while the two rollers 2, 15 are embodied in the form of or as advancing rollers. The two advancing rollers each has or is equipped with a respective adjusting system 9 at each end, with which the respective bearings 5, 6, 18, 19, together with the rollers 2, 15 mounted in them, can be moved along the frame 16 in linear fashion.

(13) By moving the bearings 5, 6, 18, 19, it is possible to adjust a nip 4 between the rollers 2 and 3 and a nip 20 between the rollers 3 and 15.

(14) The following description of the design and function of the adjusting system 9 is limited to the adjusting system 9 for moving the bearing 5 of the roller 2 shown at the bottom left in FIG. 1. Due to the symmetry of the design of the roller frame, this same description also applies in corresponding fashion to the adjusting system 9 located at the other end of roller 2 and for the two adjusting systems 9 that control the position of the roller 15.

(15) The adjusting system 9 has a rack 10 and a pinion 11 cooperating with this rack. The rack 10 engages with the bearing 5. With a servomotor 12 and an interposed planetary gear 14, the pinion 11 can be driven into rotation, thus causing the rack 10 and together with it, the bearing 5 to be moved in linear fashion and guided by the support structure 16. Depending on the rotation direction of the servomotor 12, the movement travels toward or away from the stationary roller 3. Through the use of a servomotor, it is thus possible to approach a desired position with a high degree of precision.

(16) In order to be able to move and position the roller 2 so that it is exactly parallel to the stationary roller 3, the adjusting systems 9 for producing the advancing motion of the two bearings 5 and 6 are driven synchronously.

(17) As soon the advancing rollers 2, 15 have executed the desired travel path in response to the above-explained actuation of the adjusting system 9, and the nip in relation to the stationary roller 3 has been set to the desired dimension, in order to ensure the most constant possible product quality, each of the adjustable rollers must be supported in as play-free a fashion as possible in order to maintain the nip at the desired dimension even when there is contact pressure between the rollers.

(18) For this purpose, the servomotor 12 with its planetary gear 14 and the pinion 11 rotary driven by it, as shown in FIG. 3, are supported in a cam mechanism comprising an annular cam 90 with external gearing and a pinion 91 that engages in the external gearing and which, for example through engagement of a rotating tool (not shown) or suitable drive motor with the pin 92, can be turned around its own axis and as a result of the tooth engagement, then causes the cam 90 to rotate, so to speak.

(19) As shown by the schematic view in FIG. 4, when the cam 90 is actuated in the one or the other rotation direction, this produces a movement of the pinion 11 that engages with the rack 10, into or away from the tooth root surface 100 of the rack 10, which movement is indicated by the arrow S in FIG. 4.

(20) Consequently, when the actuation of the cam 90 causes the pinion 11 to be moved toward the right in the direction of arrow S, the tooth engagement depth of the pinion teeth 111 of the pinion 11 in the rack 10 increases, thus correspondingly reducing the distance T between the pinion 11 and the rack 10. The tooth flank play between the pinion 11 and the rack 10 also decreases correspondingly so that an almost complete freedom from play can be set between the pinion 11 and the rack 10.

(21) If it becomes necessary to actuate the adjusting system 9 again in order to change the nip between the advancing roller 2, 15 and the stationary roller 3, then first the cam 90 is rotated by the pinion 91 so that a movement of the pinion 11 toward the left in the direction S according to the depiction in FIG. 4 is produced, as a result of which the increasing distance T between the pinion 11 and the rack 10 reduces the tooth engagement depth between the pinion 11 and the rack 10 until there is once again a sufficient amount of tooth flank play to permit easy rotation of the pinion 11 in the direction of the arrow R and as a reaction, a traveling movement in direction V. As soon as the new desired nip has been adjusted in this way, the cam 90 is once again actuated in order to once more reduce the tooth engagement depth to the minimum possible.

(22) Alternatively, the tooth flank play can also be long-lastingly adjusted to a minimum and kept there since even then, it is still possible for the pinion 11 to move in the rack 10. The low set rack play, however, permits a highly precise adjustment of the nip.

(23) When manufacturing calender stack sheets, a flow of molten mass produced in a plasticizing unit and emerging from a sheet die is guided into a calender stack according to FIG. 1 and in it, is first guided around the roller, then threaded through the nip 4, then guided under the roller 3, through the nip 4, and around the roller 2. The calender stack is usually followed by a winder, in which the finished sheet is rolled up. The rollers 2, 3, 15 of the calender stack are cooled in order to cool the flow of molten mass.

(24) In the situation or embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the nip 4 is opened wide, which facilitates the initial threading of a flow of molten mass to be calendered. As soon as the flow of molten mass has been guided around the rollers 2, 3, 15 and threaded through the nips 4, 20, the nips 4, 4 can be reduced by moving the bearings 5, 6, 18, 19 in the above-described way, except for a preset dimension required for the respective calendering process. Such a narrow setting of the calender nip is demonstrated by the example of the nip 4 in FIG. 1. In the side view in FIG. 2, roller 2, which is embodied as an advancing roller, is shown in two positions situated apart from each other, resulting from corresponding movements.

(25) With a roller frame according to this invention, equipped with or having a servomotor and a planetary gear, depending on the roller type used, holding forces of up to 500,000 N and movement forces of up to 100,000 N, can be exerted. The travel paths that can be produced in this way typically lie between 150 mm and 200 mm, with a positioning precision of between 5 m and 1 m.

(26) One advantage of the roller frame according to this invention, equipped with the electromechanical adjusting system, lies primarily in the exact controllability and simpler operation as compared to a hydraulic system. In addition, the electromechanical system has a more compact design and experiences a lower amount of wear. Because of the precise positionability of the advancing rollers enabled by the system according to this invention, it is in particular possible to dispense with additional measuring and adjusting devices for readjusting the nip so that the use of the electromechanical system also brings economic advantages.

(27) In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the motor 12 that drives the pinion 11 is mounted on the housing 16 with the interposition of a replaceable spacer plate 120. The thickness of the spacer plate 120 defines the distance between the pinion 11 and the rack 10 and thus the tooth engagement depth at which the pinion teeth of the pinion 11 engage in the rack 10.

(28) If the thickness of the spacer plate 120 is then changed, such as by replacing and/or machining it, then the distance between the pinion 11 and the rack 10 and thus the amount of flank play change. The thinner the spacer plate 120 is, the smaller is this corresponding play. It is thus possible to adjust the tooth flank play to the most optimum possible minimum.

(29) Also, it is clear from FIG. 5b that in the exemplary embodiment shown, the two advancing rollers 2, 15 are each equipped with an adjusting system 9, but the advancing roller 15 is also equipped with a second adjusting system 9a that is rotated by 90 relative to the adjusting system 9 and can be used to adjust an axial crosswise orientation for the stationary roller 3 in order to compensate for the deflection of the roller.

(30) In the context of producing a film from thermoplastics, as schematically shown in FIG. 6, the molten mass emerging from a sheet die that is not shown here first travels into the nip 4 between the advancing roller 15 and the stationary roller 3 before it is conveyed via the stationary roller 3 to the second nip 4 between the additional advancing roller 2 and the stationary roller 3 and from there, exits the calender stack according to FIG. 6 once more.

(31) Due to the inevitable deflection of the rollers 15, 3, which cooperate to form the nip 4, a thickness profile across the width of the obtained film is produced, which is shown in FIG. 8.

(32) Based on the intrinsically desired predetermined thickness value, which is only achieved at the edge of the film and which is labeled S.sub.R, a parabolic curve of the film thickness toward the center is produced, which reaches a maximum value S.sub.M exactly in the region of the middle, which value corresponds to the desired thickness value plus the sum of the values of the prevailing roller deflections:
S.sub.M=S.sub.R+2f,

(33) where f=the deflection of a calender roller when identical calender rollers are being used.

(34) In order to counteract this problem in connection with the device shown in the drawings, the thickness profile according to FIG. 8 is continuously measured across the width of the film by a thickness measuring device, which is not shown here, but is commercially available and also known in this regard, for example, when the film exits the calender stack once again and a thickness profile is produced based on the measurement data obtained.

(35) A control unit, which is supplied with the determined measurement values of the thickness measurement profile, then calculates a correction value S.sub.D based on the values for S.sub.M and S.sub.R according to the following formula:

(36) $S_D=\frac{S_M-S_R}{2}$

(37) By the second adjusting systems 9a, which have already been explained above, in the region of the bearing of the adjusting roller 15, it is then possible to determine an axial offset of the rotation axis R2 of the adjusting roller 15 relative to the rotation axis R3 of the stationary roller 3 in a second plane E2 that is shown in FIG. 6 and that extends perpendicularly to a first plane E1 in which the adjustment of the nip 4 between the stationary roller 3 and the advancing roller 15 is produced. In this connection, as is clear from FIG. 7, the axial offsetting of the advancing roller 15 is achieved if one of the bearings is moved by a correction value .sub.Y in the one direction within the plane E2, in this case downward, and at the end bearing at the opposite end, is moved by the same value +.sub.Y in the opposite direction, in the upward direction in this case.

(38) The magnitude of the travel distance used .sub.Y can be calculated based on the following formula:
.sub.Y={square root over (S.sub.D(dwS.sub.D))},
where dw indicates the diameter of the calender roller 15.

(39) Correspondingly, the second adjusting drives 9a, which are visible in FIG. 5b and are situated so that they are rotated by 90 relative to the first adjusting systems 9 that adjust the nip, are correspondingly controlled in order to adapt the movement of the bearings at one end by the correction values .sub.Y in accordance with FIG. 7.

(40) Because of the axial offsetting of the advancing roller relative to the stationary roller executed in this way, the previously inevitable disruption of the thickness profile of the produced film that was induced by the roller deflection can be almost completely eliminated, making it possible to achieve a considerable savings of raw materials and correspondingly improved thickness tolerance in the film that is obtained. An extremely uniform thickness profile is produced, specifically even in large web widths, with a considerably lower rejection rate and significant reduction in waste.

(41) Because the thickness profile is significantly more uniform, it is possible to achieve a greater precision in adjusting the nip and particularly in the transmission of calendering forces between the rollers 2, 3, and 15, thus also significantly reducing the setup and changeover times when performing product changeovers.