WINDING MACHINE WITH AUTOMATIC INTRODUCTION OF REINFORCING SHEET

Abstract

A device is for automatically introducing a reinforcing sheet into a coreless coil applicable to a coreless winding machine. The winding machine includes such a device. In particular, a device is for introducing a reinforcing paper sheet into a coreless roll being wound with a continuous strip material by a coreless winding machine. The device includes a feeding tray for paper sheets, a feeder of the paper sheets taken from the feeding tray, and an introduction member of a paper sheet loaded into a roll being wound in the winding machine.

Claims

1. A device for introducing a reinforcing paper sheet into a coreless roll being wound with a continuous strip material by a coreless winding machine, comprising: a feeding tray for paper sheets; a feeder of the paper sheets taken from the feeding tray; an introduction member of a paper sheet loaded into a roll being wound in said winding machine.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the introduction member of the sheet comprises a first conveyor member and a second conveyor member placed in sequence along an inclined path, wherein the first conveyor member is inclined with a gradient less than a gradient of the second conveyor member.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein both the first and second conveyor members comprise conveyor belts wound about pulleys supported on shafts rotating by independent drives, wherein the drive of the second conveyor member is configured to operate at a speed to move the sheet homokinetically with respect to a winding speed of the roll.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first conveyor member comprises a series of idle rollers arranged at one end of respective arms hinged onto support bars to form gravity pressing means for the paper sheets.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the second conveyor member comprises a belt presser placed above the conveyor belts and comprising belts wound about pulleys supported idly on shafts.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein the second conveyor member comprises a proximal end with respect to the first conveyor member and a distal end, wherein said distal end is associated with a guide member for the sheet arranged in a substantially vertical position and comprising a shaft which supports idle pulleys, a drive belt being wound on said pulleys and on corresponding pulleys supported idly on a shaft arranged at the distal end of the second conveyor member.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding tray comprises containment edges and an open bottom placed above a proximal end of the feeder, wherein the containment edge placed straddling the feeder ends proximate a gripping surface of the feeder without coming into contact with the feeder, to allow the paper sheet to be singularized and taken from a stack of sheets from below.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises an ascending belt system running about motorized pulleys and idle pulleys, wherein the belt system changes the gradient thereof proximate a distal end of the feeder, forming a substantially horizontal segment.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of idle rollers is placed above the belt system, at one end of respective arms hinged onto support bars to form gravity pressing means for the paper sheets transiting on the feeder.

10. A coreless-type winding machine comprising a device according to claim 1, wherein said winding machine comprises: a coil-holder roller which rotationally supports a coil of continuous strip material; a first motorized drive roller and a second motorized drive roller, wherein the second drive roller is coupled to a pressing roller so that the continuous strip material passes between said two rollers; a plurality of motorized winding mandrels, placed on a revolver member, said revolver member being discontinuously rotatable, to present a different winding mandrel from time to time at the second drive roller; wherein the guide member of the second conveyor member of the device ends above a contact point between the second drive roller and the winding mandrel of the roll being wound; and wherein said winding mandrels have, along a cylindrical surface thereof, fixed circular arc sectors alternating with retractable circular arc sectors, which form a cylindrical surface during the step of winding to form the roll and retract radially during the step of extracting the roll.

11. A method of winding a coreless roll of a continuous strip material comprising the steps of: providing a winding machine for coreless rolls of said continuous strip material; winding on a mandrel of said winding machine a first set of turns of said continuous strip material; introducing a reinforcing paper sheet into said winding roll while winding a second set of turns; singularizing a roll formed.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising the step of providing a coreless winding machine comprising a device for introducing a paper sheet into a coreless roll being wound with a continuous strip material by a coreless winding machine, the device comprising: a feeding tray for paper sheets, a feeder of the paper sheets taken from the feeding tray, an introduction member of a paper sheet loaded into a roll being wound in said winding machine.

13. A coreless roll of a continuous strip material, comprising a central hole surrounded by a first set of turns of said continuous strip material and a second set of turns of said continuous strip material, wherein the first set of turns comprises a smaller number of turns than the second set of turns, and wherein a paper sheet is placed between the first set of turns and the second set of turns.

14. The roll according to claim 13, wherein the wound paper sheet protrudes from two axial ends of the roll.

15. The roll according to claim 13, wherein the paper sheet comprises information, including advertising lettering, recipes, or contest indications.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the introduction member of the sheet comprises a first conveyor member and a second conveyor member placed in sequence along an inclined path, wherein the first conveyor member is inclined with a gradient less than the second conveyor member, and wherein an angle formed by the plane of the second conveyor member with respect to a horizontal plane is greater than 45.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein the introduction member of the sheet comprises a first conveyor member and a second conveyor member placed in sequence along an inclined path, wherein the first conveyor member is inclined with a gradient less than the second conveyor member, and wherein an angle formed by the plane of the second conveyor member with respect to a horizontal plane is greater than or equal to 70.

18. A coreless roll of a continuous strip material, comprising food grade aluminum or alloys thereof or food grade paper, comprising a central hole surrounded by a first set of turns of said continuous strip material and a second set of turns of said continuous strip material, wherein the first set of turns comprises a smaller number of turns than the second set of turns and comprises between 1 and 9 turns, and wherein a paper sheet is placed between the first set of turns and the second set of turns.

19. The roll according to claim 13, wherein the wound paper sheet protrudes from two axial ends of the roll by 2-7 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0039] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a winding machine comprising the device for automatically introducing a reinforcing sheet according to the invention;

[0040] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the winding machine in FIG. 1 from a different point of view;

[0041] FIG. 3 depicts a top plan view of the winding machine in FIG. 1;

[0042] FIG. 4 depicts a longitudinal section side view of the winding machine in FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 4a depicts an enlarged perspective view of a detail in FIG. 4;

[0044] FIG. 5 depicts a rear view of the winding machine of the invention taken along direction A in FIG. 3;

[0045] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the device for automatically introducing a reinforcing sheet according to the invention;

[0046] FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of the detail in FIG. 6 from a different point of view;

[0047] FIG. 8 depicts a front view of an axial end of a roll of continuous strip material obtained with the machine of the invention;

[0048] FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of an axial end of the roll in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] With reference to the figures, the winding machine, indicated by reference numeral 1 as a whole, comprises a coreless-type rewinding unit 2, to which a device 3 for introducing a reinforcing sheet is applied.

[0050] The rewinding unit 1 shown in FIGS. 1-5 is to be considered as a preferred embodiment only. It should be understood that any coreless rewinding unit according to the prior art can equally be used in combination with the device 3 according to the invention. For example, other embodiments of coreless winding machines are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,394,503, JP 2004161478A or EP 2660173 A1.

[0051] The rewinding unit 1 shown in the figures will be described briefly below because it is not a subject of the present invention per se. For a more detailed description, reference should be made to patent EP 3810536 B1 to the same Applicant.

[0052] Such a rewinding unit 1 is housed in a containment structure 4 which allows separating the external environment from the moving parts of the machine, both for reasons of operator safety and to minimize noise. The containment structure preferably comprises transparent panels to allow the visual inspection of the machine during its operation. External structures 5a, 5b house the drives and the control panel.

[0053] The rewinding unit 1 comprises a coil-holder roller 6 which rotationally supports a coil of continuous strip material (not shown). The coil-holder roller 6 can be motorized or simply braked to prevent uncontrolled unwinding thereof.

[0054] Typically, such a continuous strip material will be aluminum or alloys thereof, e.g., food-grade aluminum, or paper. However, it cannot be ruled out that such a material also consists of a plastic film or composite material or any other continuous strip material which can be marketed in rolls.

[0055] Two deflection rollers 7a, 7b are arranged downstream of the motorized coil-holder roller 6 for the continuous strip material S to be rewound. Thus, the continuous strip S runs on a first drive roller 8 and then on a second drive roller 9, both motorized directly or by means of a transmission, e.g., a belt transmission from the first drive roller 8 to the second drive roller 9, or vice versa. The second drive roller 9 is coupled to a pressing roller 10, so that the continuous strip material S passes between the two rollers 9, 10.

[0056] The second drive roller 9 is rotatably placed at a motorized winding mandrel 11, which is placed on a revolver member 12. The revolver member 12 rotatably supports, along a peripheral circumference, a plurality of motorized winding mandrels 11 and is, in turn, rotatable discontinuously, so as to display a different winding mandrel 11 at the second drive roller 9 each time. Substantially, when a roll of continuous strip material S has been formed on a first winding mandrel 11, the revolver member rotates, bringing a new winding mandrel 11 to the second drive roller 9, while the first winding mandrel 11 with the roll passes in a cutting station 13, where the roll is singularized.

[0057] As described in greater detail in EP 3810536 B1, the winding mandrel 11 has, along the cylindrical surface thereof, fixed arc sectors alternating with retractable arc sectors, e.g., three fixed and three retractable sectors, which form a cylindrical surface during the step of winding to form the roll. When the roll is to be pulled out of the winding mandrel 11, downstream of the cutting station the retractable sectors are brought, by means of a cam, to a radially retracted position. This thus results in a loosening of pressure on the inner surface of the coreless roll, which promotes the extraction thereof.

[0058] The second drive roller 9 and the pressing roller 10 are constrained to two oscillating shoulders which, by rotating about the axis of the first drive roller 8, allow the rollers 9, 10 to adjust the position thereof to the diameter of the roll being rewound.

[0059] What has been briefly described so far is the known winding machine, in particular the machine described in EP 3810536 B1 (to which full reference is made for a better understanding of the structure and operation thereof), for the production of rolls of continuous material strip of the coreless type.

[0060] However, it has been seen that in some cases it can be convenient to impart reinforcement to the roll thus produced, but without having to revert to the use of a rigid cardboard core as in the traditional art.

[0061] The inventors of the present patent application have thus reached the solution which includes introducing a paper sheet, e.g., an A4, A3 or similar size sheet (according to the size of the roll to be produced), during the formation of the coreless roll and precisely after a number of turns of the continuous strip material S have already been wound. The introduction of the paper sheet will preferably occur after 0.1-0.8 meters of material has been wound onto the winding mandrel 11. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the roll 50 as formed comprising the paper sheet 51.

[0062] The paper sheet 51, by winding itself about the mandrel 11, will thus form a paper cylinder of sufficient rigidity to strengthen the roll 50.

[0063] More specifically, the coreless roll 50 of a continuous strip material S consists of a central hole 52 surrounded by a first set of turns 53 and a second set of turns 54 of the continuous strip material S, where the first set of turns 53 comprises a smaller number of turns than the second set of turns 54 and preferably between 1 and 9 turns, and where a paper sheet 51 is placed between the first set of turns 53 and the second set of turns 54.

[0064] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 9, the wound paper sheet 51 protrudes from two axial ends 50a of the roll 50, preferably by 2-7 mm. It thus works as a spacer thus acting as a side protection for the roll 50.

[0065] In some embodiments, the paper sheet 51 can be printed and exhibit advertising inscriptions, recipes, directions for contests or the like.

[0066] The device 3 for introducing the paper sheet 51 into the roll 50 being formed will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-7.

[0067] The device 3 for introducing a paper sheet 51 into the roll 50 being wound comprises: [0068] a feeding tray 31 for paper sheets 51, [0069] a feeder 32 of the paper sheets 51 taken from the feeding tray 31, [0070] an introduction member 33 of the paper sheet 51 into the roll 50 being formed.

[0071] The feeding tray 31 and the feeder 32 are of known type.

[0072] The feeding tray 31 comprises containment sides 34 and an open bottom 35 placed above a proximal end 32a of the feeder 32. The containment side 34 placed straddling the feeder 32 ends close to a gripping surface of the feeder 32 without coming into contact therewith, so as to allow the paper sheet to be singularized and picked from underneath from a stack of sheets present in the feeding tray 31. Such a mechanism is quite similar to that present, for example, in printers or copiers for household or professional use.

[0073] The feeder 32 comprises an ascending belt system 36 which runs about motorized pulleys 37 and idle pulleys 38. Close to the distal end 32b of the feeder 32, the belt system 36 changes gradient by means of the aid of appropriate deflection rollers 39 (FIG. 4), forming a substantially horizontal segment 32c.

[0074] A plurality of idle rollers 40 is placed above the belt system 36, at one end of respective arms 41 hinged onto support bars 42 to form (gravity) pressing means for the paper sheets transiting on the feeder 32.

[0075] The feeder 32, at the distal end 32b, is connected to the introduction member 33 of the sheet 51, e.g., by means of braces 43 (FIGS. 6 and 7).

[0076] The introduction member 33 of the sheet 51 comprises a first conveyor member 44 and a second conveyor member 45 placed sequentially along an inclined path, where the first conveyor member 44 is inclined with a smaller gradient than the second conveyor member 45. In other words, the angle formed by the plane of the first conveyor member 44 with respect to a horizontal plane is smaller than the angle formed by the plane of the second conveyor member 45 with respect to the same horizontal plane, the latter being greater than 45, preferably greater than or equal to 70.

[0077] Both the first and second conveyor member 44, 45 comprise conveyor belts 46 wound around pulleys 47 supported on shafts 48 rotating by independent drives 49. As will be better described below, the drives 49 are configured to operate discontinuously, and the drive 49 of the second conveyor member 45 is configured to operate at a speed such that it moves the sheet 51 homokinetically with respect to the winding speed of the roll 50 on the winding mandrel 11.

[0078] Like the feeder 32, the first conveyor member 44 comprises a series of idle rollers 55 arranged at one end of respective arms 56 hinged onto support bars 57 to form (gravity) pressing means for the paper sheets 51.

[0079] Instead, the second conveyor member 45 comprises a belt presser 58 placed above the conveyor belts 46 and comprising belts 59 wound about pulleys 60 supported idly on shafts 61. By virtue of the action of preloaded elastic means (not visible), the belt presser 58 keeps the sheet 51 adhered to the conveyor belts 46, both in stationary and dynamic phases of the conveyor member 45.

[0080] The second conveyor member 45 comprises an end proximal 45a to the first conveyor member 44 and a distal end 45b. Associated with the distal end 45b is a guide member 62 of the sheet 51 arranged in a substantially vertical position and comprising a shaft 63 supporting idle pulleys 64. Drive belts 65 are wound on the pulleys 64 and on corresponding pulleys supported idly on the shaft 61 arranged at the distal end 45b of the second conveyor member 45.

[0081] The belts 36, 46, 59, 65 intended to come in contact with sheet 51 are made of a material with a high friction index, e.g., natural rubber (thickness 1 mm).

[0082] The guide member 62 ends above the contact point between the second drive roller 9 of the winding machine and the winding mandrel 11 of the roll 50.

[0083] The introduction device 3 can be supported on appropriate actuators (e.g., hydraulic jacks) which allow it to be moved between a raised maintenance position and a lowered operating position (shown in the figures).

[0084] The operation of the introduction device 3 of the paper sheet 51 into the roll 50 being wound will now be described.

[0085] The paper sheets 51, taken from the feeding tray 31, are loaded sequentially by the feeder 32 onto the feeder member 33, so that a sheet 51 comes to rest on the second conveyor member 45. At the same time, the continuous strip material S is wound onto the respective winding mandrel 11 which is located at the second drive roller 9 of the winding machine. When a first set of turns 53 has been wound (see FIGS. 8-9), the second conveyor member 45 is activated, so that sheet 51 is inserted between second drive roller 9 and winding mandrel 11 in a homokinetic condition with the winding speed of the continuous strip material S.

[0086] At this point, a new sheet 51 will be loaded onto the second conveyor member to introduce it into the next roll 50, which will be wound on a different winding mandrel 11 in the manner described above.

[0087] The sheet 51, which, as mentioned, can be A4 or similar in size and thus generally have a rectangular shape, is placed with the long side transverse to the winding direction. In any case, regardless of its shape, the size thereof will preferably be such as to come out of the roll 50, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0088] Therefore, the invention further relates to a method of winding a coreless roll 50 of a continuous strip material S comprising the steps of: [0089] providing a winding machine for coreless rolls of the continuous strip material S, the winding machine being preferably that described above; [0090] winding on a mandrel of the winding machine a first set of turns 53 of the continuous strip material S; [0091] introducing a reinforcing paper sheet 51 into the roll 50 being wound while winding a second set of turns 54; [0092] singularizing the roll 50 thus formed.

[0093] Preferably, the paper sheet 51 is introduced so that portions of the sheet 51 protrude from the axial ends 50a of the roll 50.

[0094] Preferably, the paper sheet 51 comprises information such as an advertising inscription, a cooking recipe, or other, on at least one surface thereof.

[0095] Although the paper sheet 51 has been described so far, it is apparent that the sheet 51 could also be made of a different material, such as a plastic material of appropriate thickness to achieve a stiffening of the roll 50, for example.

[0096] The advantages of the present invention are apparent from the above description.

[0097] The coreless roll 50 of continuous strip material S, e.g., food-grade aluminum or alloys thereof or food-grade paper, is reinforced by the paper sheet 51, without requiring a cardboard core of excessive cost, weight or size.

[0098] The introduction device 3 coupled to the coreless winding machine makes such an operation quick and easy, increasing plant productivity.

[0099] It is apparent that only some particular embodiments of the present invention have been described, to which those skilled in the art will be able to make all those changes required to adapt it to particular applications, without however departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.