Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PATENT APPLICATION
REEL WEB TURN-UP DEVICE
The present invention relates to paper winders in general and in
particular to apparatus and methods for transferring a continuously formed web
from a forming reel to a new spool.
From the earliest days of the development of the Fourdrinier process for
papermaking, the economical manufacture of paper has depended on forming
the paper as a continuous web. The final step of winding the paper web onto a
reef involves starting the formation of a new reel and stopping the winding of
a
reel which has reached a finished size. In a modern papermaking machine the
web is often formed at speeds of up to 1200-1850 meters per minute (4,000-
6,000 feet per minute) or more. At the same time the speed at which the paper
is made has been increased, the width of the paper web formed has been
increased to up to 10 meters (400 inches). The size and speed of reel
production has led to a need for improved ways of changing spools.
A number of processes for changing over between a completed reel of
paper and the new spool upon which the next reel of paper will start have been
developed. One method employs a tape which rips across the paper web and
directs it onto a new spool. Such a system is shown in U.S. Patent No.
2,461,246 to Weyenberg.
For some, usually very thin, grades of paper, including board grades,
the forming reel is slowed down allowing a bubble of excess loose web to form
which is then caught in the nip between the new roll and the drive roll. Thus
caught, the web is tom free from the already formed roll.
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Another method employs a slasher/gooseneck where a tail or leader of
paper is ripped from the edge or center of the web. This tail or leader is
then
directed onto the new spool. The tail was often torn and formed or directed by
jets of air. These systems relied on the mechanical properties of a typical
paper web wherein a tear in a sheet will tend to propagate in the cross-
machine direction to the edge of the web, thus completely severing it.
Slasher/gooseneck turn-up systems lack effectiveness for certain
grades of paper where the web will not readily and rapidly tear from the tail
or
lead to the edges of the sheet. Also, on heavy grades, the slasher cannot
penetrate the sheet to initiate the tear.
All the foregoing systems, the slasher, the bubble, or the tape, can result
in an uneven thickness of paper being wound on the spool as a reel of paper is
started. fn the past, non-uniformity of the wound paper web caused by the
paper building up on one edge or the middle of the spool has resulted in the
paper close to the spool developing defects which require the central portion
of
the paper reel be scrapped. This scrapping of paper represents a cost or
inefficiency and is contrary to the modern ideal of zero-defect manufacturing.
To overcome the resistance of some modern papers to tearing in the
cross-machine direction and to insure a more uniform and speedy separation
of the web, knives, as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,445,646, or water jets, as
shown in EP App. 0 543 788 A1, have been used to rapidly sever the web
thus forming a tail or leader which is used to start a new reel.
In the past, water jets, when used to cut the paper web, have been
positioned away from the winder drum which has resulted in an open draw
where the tail or leader is unsupported. This lack of support has necessitated
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air showers to attempt to keep the web in place until it is wound around the
new spool. This type of system is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,314,132 to
Masatoshi et al.
What is needed is an apparatus and method for rapidly severing a paper
web and directing the paper web to positively engage with a new spool so the
spool starts out with a uniform tight wrap.
SUMMARY OF TH INVFNTIC~N
The web turn-up device of this invention employs two water jets or water
knives which cut a paper web as it is led over a winder roll. Water jets are
angled with respect to the cut so the water used in the cutting action is
entirely
directed onto the portion of the web which is severed and does not wet the
paper being wrapped onto the newly formed roll. An adhesive material, either
an automatically applied tape or a sprayed-on glue, can be introduced between
the upper surface of the web and the spool of the new forming roll or reel of
paper. The use of an adhesive means the paper leader or tail is instantly
engaged with the spool, thus assuring a tight, uniform and consistent
initiation
of the web wrapped onto the new spool. If an adhesive is employed, it may be
sprayed immediately upstream in the machine direction of the water knives
used to sever the web. If tape is used, an automatic tape applicator, similar
to
that used for taping cardboard boxes, may be used to insert a double-sided
sticky tape onto the spool, the web, or into the nip formed between the spool
and the winder drum.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a winder which
produces rolls of more uniform wrap in order to reduce spoilage.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus for
rapidly severing a broad range of paper webs so that a new reel of paper may
be started.
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It is a further feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus for
adhesively bonding a paper web to a spool.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus
which can produce one or more reels of paper suitable for use by end users.
It is still a further feature of the present invention to provide an
apparatus and method for using a water knife to sever a paper web wherein
the trailing end created is substantially free of wetting from the water
knives.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction
with
the accompanying drawings.
j3RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
F1G. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the web cutting and reel
turn-up apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of an alternative embodiment
of the web cutting and reel turn-up apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of another alternative
embodiment of the web cutting and reel turn-up apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view of a further alternative
embodiment of the web cutting and reel turn-up apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a water knife used with the web
cutting and reel turn-up apparatus of FIGS. 1-4.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cutting path created by the water knives
employed in the apparatus of FIGS. 1-4.
F1G. 7 is a plan view of another cutting path created by the water knives
employed in the apparatus of FIGS. 1-4.
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FIG. 8 is a plan view of a further cutting path created by the water knives
employed in the apparatus of FIGS. 1-4.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view partly cut away of the tape application wheel
of the tape applicator of FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1- 9 wherein like numbers refer to
similar parts, a web turn-up apparatus 20 is shown in F1G. 1. The apparatus
20 employs a tape dispenser 22 which applies doubled-side adhesive tape 24
to a paper web 26. The web 26 is formed on a papermaking machine and the
apparatus 20 is employed to wind the web 26 onto spools 28 to form reels 32.
Papermaking is a continuous process which cannot be readily started and
stopped without incurring considerable expense. Hence the reefs of paper
which are formed must be started and cut off of the continuously formed web
26 without interrupting the continuous production of paper.
There are two important steps which must be accomplished in order to
start a new reel of paper forming. First, the web must be severed from the
completed reel 32, such as shown in FIG. 2. Second, the severed web must
be wound on a new spool 28.
The web turn-up apparatus 20 forms part of a paper winder 34 shown
schematically in FIGS. 1-4. The winder 34 has a winder roll 36 onto which the
paper web 26 is fed from a support roll 38 on the papermaking machine. In a
typical winder, an arm or other mechanism, not shown in FIGS. 1-4 for clarity,
positions a spool 28 over the top 40 of the winder roll 36 where the web 26 is
caused to begin to wind around the spool 28. The spool 28 is then guided in
contact with the surface 42 of the winder roll 36 to a position downstream in
the
machine direction from the winder roll 36 as shown in F1G. 2.
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The turn-up apparatus 20 employs two water knives 44, 46 to cut the
web 26 against the winder roll 36 surface 42. As shown in FIG. 5, the water
knife 44 is positioned on a cross beam 48 which extends across the web 26 in
the cross machine direction. The water knife has a nozzle 50 normally
constructed of a hardened jewel such as a diamond, ruby or emerald through
which water is forced at very high pressure, a typical maximum being 4200
kilograms per square centimeter (60,000 psi). The water knife 44 has a
relatively low flow rate of about .3785 liters per minute (one tenth of a
gallon
per minute). Wafer knives for cutting paper webs are well known. In the past,
however, the typical application of wafer knives has not cut the web against
the
winder roll. Instead the web has been cut either against a prewinder support
roll or during the open draw between the support roll and the winder roll. The
typical application of water knives in a turnup device has usually resulted in
the
cut web being unsupported during part of its travel on the way to a new spool.
In prior art devices the water knives have been directed normal to the surtace
of the web being cut. If the web is cut against a roll surface the water from
the
knife will wet both the paper forming the finished reel as well as the tail
which is
formed for threading the web onto a spool. Wetting the end of the completed
reel is not a problem because only a small amount of paper is damaged by the
water. However water on the tail can affect the integrity of the reel formed.
The uniform structural integrity of the formed paper reel is critical to
avoiding defects in the paper wound into the reel. Recent studies of the
causes of paper breaks in printing presses and rewinders has shown that as
much as 80 percent of paper breaks are caused by paper which was originally
wound closest to the spool on which the reel was formed. The paper which is
first wound onto the spool is most susceptible to damage from an improperly
farmed roll.
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The two water jets or water knives 44, 46 of the apparatus 20 are angled
to 30 degrees away from the paper web tail being formed. The angling of
the water knives 46, 44 is in the cross machine direction towards the edges 58
of the paper web so that the water from the water knives will spray onto the
paper that is being wound into the forming reel not onto the tail 52, 54, 56
that
is the start of a new reel. The water knives also can be angled in the down
machine direction or a combination of the down machine direction and towards
the edges of the paper web.
There are several configurations of the apparatus of this invention. The
apparatus shown in FIG. 1 applies an adhesive tape to the web against a
support roll 98 ahead of the water knives. The apparatus of FIG. 2 applies the
adhesive tape to the rotating surface 106 of the spool, such that the tape
adheres to the tail which is applied thereover. The apparatus of FIG. 3
applies
the adhesive tape to the stationary spoof 28 prior to its moving into
engagement with the winder roll. The apparatus of FIG. 4 applies the adhesive
tape to the web as it travels over the winder roll between the water knives
and
the spool.
The water jets from the water knives will erode the surface 42 of the
winder roll 36 if they are not kept in motion with respect to the surface 42.
A
single water knife 44 is shown in FIG. 5. The knife 44 is mounted on a lateral
transport means such as a pneumatic piston 60 for motion in the cross-
machine direction. High pressure cables or hoses can be contained in a
flexible cable tray 62. Because of the rigidity of the high pressure water
supply
line 64 a cable tray may not be required in all circumstances.
Because the paper web 26 is advanced beneath the water knives 44,
46, if the waters knives are held stationary they will cut a straight fine 66
as
shown in FIGS. 6-8. The combination of the web movement and the
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substantially linear movement of the water knives in the cross machine
direction causes the water knives to make diagonal curved cuts 68 across the
web 26 as shown in FIGS. 6-8. The pneumatic drive 60 can move the water
knife 44 at about 10 meters per second (400 inches per second). Two knives
moved from the center can thus cut the web in about a quarter of a second for
a 5 meters (200 inch) wide web or one half second for a 10 meters (400-inch
web).
As shown in FIG. 1, the water knives 44 and 46 are spaced apart in the
machine direction so they do not interfere with each others motion. As shown
in FIG. 6, a somewhat triangular shaped leading edge tail 72 is formed when
the water knives, which start out parallel, cross.
As shown in FIG. 7, the water knives 44, 46 may begin on a common
machine direction Line 76 and then diverge such that a somewhat triangular
shaped tail 78 is formed.
As shown in FIG. 8, water knives 44, 46 may begin spaced apart and
never cross to thereby form a thin rectangular tail 82 joined to a larger
somewhat triangular shaped tail 84. While the diagonal curved cuts 68 shown
in figures 6-8 are created as a result of the combination of the web movement
and the substantially linear movement of the water knives in the cross machine
direction, it should be understood that various other cuts can be created by
moving the water knives in a nonlinear, e.g., curved, manner, in the cross
machine direction. Nevertheless, while the water knives can be used to make
other cuts, the cuts illustrated in figures 6-8 are probably the most
practical.
Once the web 26 has been severed from the completed reel, the turn-up
apparatus 20 must direct the severed web onto a new spool 28 to begin a new
reel. In the past this has been accomplished by directing the tail onto the
spool
28 with a gooseneck and an air jet. In some cases the spool has been
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precoated with an adhesive material. Precoating the spools 28 with adhesive
can result in difficulties in handling and shipping the spools. On the other
hand, failure of the web to be positively held on the spool 28 can result in a
loose web at the start of reel, which leads to a structurally weak reel with
resultant defects in the wound web. The turn-up apparatus 20 employs the
tape dispenser 22 which dispenses double-sided adhesive tape 24.
Tape dispensers have typically bean developed by adhesive tape
suppliers for use in specialty applications such as assembling cardboard
boxes, for example see U.S. Patents Nos. 4,255,218 and 5,312,501 which are
assigned to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company ("3M") of St. Paul,
Minnesota.
A tape dispenser 22 useful for the present invention feeds a quantity of
two-sided adhesive tape onto a vacuum wheel 23, as shown in F1G. 2. The
tape as wound on the tape reel 25 has a release finer 27 illustrated in FIG.
9.
The release liner 27 prevents the tape from sticking to itself when wound in
the
tape reel. The tape 29 is dispensed onto the vacuum wheel 23 so that the
release finer is held against the perforated surface 31 of the vacuum wheel
23.
The tape dispenser 22 cuts off a piece of tape which covers substantially 360
degrees of the surface 31 of the vacuum wheel 23. The tape dispenser 22
then uses a servomotor (not shown) to bring the tape on the vacuum wheel 23
up to a selected speed. Where the tape is to be applied to a spool 28 the
vacuum application wheel is driven so its surface speed is the same as the
surface speed of the spinning spool 28. The surface speed of the spool will be
substantially the same as the speed of formation of the web 26.
Application of the double-sided tape to the spoof 28 is shown in F1G. 9.
The applicator apparatus 89 is an improvement to the general design for a tape
dispenser as shown in FIG. 2. The applicator apparatus 89 simplifies the
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means by which the vacuum wheel 23 is driven so as to have a surface
velocity identical to the surface velocity of the spool 28.
A traction wheel 33 with a traction surface 31 is placed in frictional
engagement with the spool 28 and is driven by the spool so that the surface 35
of the traction wheel 33 has the same direction and velocity as the spool. The
traction wheel 33 drives the vacuum wheel 23 through a mechanical drive 37
which is configured to cause the surface 31 of the vacuum wheel 23 to match
the velocity and direction of the surface of the spool 28. The mechanical
drive
37 is also configured to allow the vacuum wheel 23 to rotate into and out of
engagement with the spool. Thus, to apply adhesive tape to the spool 28 a
quantity of tape is loaded onto the vacuum wheel 23, and positioned so the
release finer is held by the vacuum which is drawn through the surface of the
vacuum wheel 23.
Once a length of tape is dispensed to the vacuum wheel 23 with the
adhesive side facing up, the tape dispenser 89 is rotated down so the traction
wheel 33 engages the spool surface and is thereby driven to match speeds
with the spool surface. The traction wheel 33, through the mechanical drive
37,
brings the tape of the vacuum wheel 23 up to the velocity of the spool 28. The
mechanical drive 37 is shown as three gears: a first gear 39 is axially
mounted
to the drive wheel 33, a second gear 41 is mounted axially to the vacuum
wheel 23, and a transfer gear 45 transmits the rotation velocity of the drive
wheel 33 to the vacuum wheel 23. The gears 39, 41, 45 are chosen so that
the surface velocity of the drive wheel 33 and the vacuum wheel 23 are the
same. Other drive mechanisms could be used including two pulleys mounted
on the vacuum wheel and the drive wheel with a belt connecting them; two '
sprockets connected by a chain; or a more complicated gear drive. ,
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Preferably an angular sensor will be mounted on the vacuum wheel 23
so that the leading edge 47 of the tape 29 can engage the spool first. A
pneumatic cylinder or similar hydraulic or mechanical actuator moves a lever
arm 49 which brings the vacuum wheel 23 into engagement with the spool 28.
The pneumatic cylinder (not shown) is actuated so that the leading edge 47 of
the tape engages the spoof first and the vacuum wheel 23 is only engaged with
the spool 28 during a single revolution of the vacuum wheel 23. The force of
the vacuum on the release liner is greater than the peel strength of the tape
on
the release liner, hence when the vacuum wheel 23 engages the web or the
spool 28 the tape 29 is peeled off the release liner, and the release liner
remains on the vacuum wheel. The tape as applied to the web thus presents
an adhesive surface exposed to the fresh spool. The tape 29 is applied so that
when the web 26 is cut by the water knives 44, 46 it is picked up and wrapped
around the spool 28.
FIGS. 6-8 show the placement of a strip of tape 100 and its position on
the paper web tails 52, 54, 56. The tape 24 is applied in the machine
direction
and one or more tape dispensers 22 may be used. 1f multiple tape dispensers
are employed they will be spaced across the web in the cross machine
direction.
As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 48 and the pneumatic piston 60, in
addition to supporting and moving the water knife nozzles 50, also support and
move the adhesive dispensing nozzles 102 which are spaced from the water
knife nozzles 50 in the up machine direction. The adhesive dispensed from the
nozzles 102 forms adhesive regions 104 on the paper tails 52, 54, 56, as
shown in FIGS. 6-8, respectively. When the adhesive regions 104 make
contact with the spool 28 they bind the web 26 to the spool 28--assuring a
uniform tight start on the reel 32 which results in a reel of structural
uniformity
with low defects. The adhesive regions 104 can be used independently from
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the strip of tape 100 or in conjunction with the strip of tape 100.
Furthermore,
the adhesive regions 104 can be used in place of the strip of tape 100.
The adhesive must be fast acting in order to function in the extremely
short time between the moment when the adhesive is applied and when it
passes through the nip 40 between the winder roll surface 42 and the spool 28.
Contact adhesives or two part adhesives could be used but hot melt adhesives
are preferred. The rapid quenching of the hot melt adhesive as it enters the
nip and is spread out results in the needed rapid bond between the tails 52,
54,
56 and the spool 28. An exemplary adhesive applicator machine is a Series
3100 applicator supplied by Nordson Corporation, 28610 Clemens Road,
Westlake, Ohio 44145, which can be used with H201 modular hot melt guns.
In one test, high-tack glue obtained from Findley Adhesives of Wauwatosa,
Wisconsin, part #H2187-01 was applied from centrally positioned nozzles for
one-half second just prior to traversing the water jets towards the sheet
edges.
Another glue which was tested and is available from Findley Adhesives is part
#H1231. For the relatively narrow test web a single centrally located
application of glue was effective. For production papermaking machines where
the width of the paper may be 10 meters (400 inches), it may be necessary to
continuously apply hot melt glue behind the wafer knives as they move toward
the edges of the web.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tape 24 is applied against a support roll 98 in
front of the winder roll 36. FIG. 2 shows the tape dispenser 22 positioned
about a reel spool 28 for applying double sided adhesive tape 24 to the spool
surface 106. Thus when the web tail 52, 54, 56 passes beneath the spool 28 it
becomes adhesively bound to the spool 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the tape
dispenser 22 is only required at the start of a new reel, and may be retracted
after it has applied tape to the spool 28 thus avoiding any mechanical
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interference between the tape dispenser 22 and the mechanism controlling the
formation of the reel 32.
Timing of the application of the double sided adhesive tape 24 is critical
in the turn-up apparatus 20 of FIG. 1, the turn-up apparatus 120 of FIG. 2 and
the turn-up apparatus 320 of FIG. 4. The tape 24 as shown in FIG. 1 must be
applied so that it is positioned on the tail of the web 26 as illustrated in
FIGS. 6-
8. The tape 24 as applied to the spool 28 in FIG. 2 must be timed so that the
tape 24 is applied to the spool surface 106 so that it comes in contact with
the
tail 52, 54, 56 and not the uncut web 26.
The tape 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 must be applied at a machine
speed typically in the range of 600-1850 meters per minute (2,000 to 6,000
feet
per minute). The alternative embodiment turn-up apparatus 220 shown in FIG.
3 applies the double sided adhesive tape to the spool 28 before the spool is
brought into contact with the winder roll 36. In the turn-up apparatus 220
timing of the application of the tape is not critical and the tape can be
applied
before the spool 28 is spun up to the velocity of the paper web 26. Motion of
the spool 28 into contact with the web 26 on the winder roll 36 controls when
the adhesive tape 24 makes contact with the tails shown in FIGS. 6-8.
The tape 24 can also be applied on an alternative embodiment turn-up
apparatus 320, shown in FIG. 4. In the apparatus 320, the tape is applied
where the web passes over the winder roll 336. The tape applicator 22
positions a tape wheel 396 between the spool 338 and the water knives 44, 46.
The turn-up apparatus 320 positions the tape applicator 22 directly ahead of
the spool 338.
It should be understood that tape dispensers or applicators of various
design and manufactured by various companies could be used, and that a
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readily available source of tape applicators are those used in the fabrication
of
cardboard boxes.
It should also be understood that the double sided adhesive tape can be
used together with a spray adhesive applicator or by itself.
It should be understood that the turn-up apparatus 20 when employed
with multiple tape applicators can be used to facilitate the formation of
multiple
splits so that a single web 26 may be wound into a multiplicity of reels for
removal from the papermaking machine.
it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular
construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but
embraces such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the
following claims.
