Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING UNWINDER
The present invention relates to a ~ontlnuously
running unwinder-supercalendar.
Machines of this type are used, for instance, for
feeding a web of paper from a reel-up drum into a
supercalendar.
Inventions known in prior art are based on a
continuously running unwinder unit, situated as a separate
block, which makes the unwinder expensive as well as rather
space-consuming especially in the horizontal direction.
The aim of the invention is to overcome the
aforementioned drawbacks and to provide flying splicing at the
reel-up drum.
Another object of the invention is to provide lift
actuators attached to the supercalendar frame, by means of
which an expiring reel-up drum can be elevated from an
unwinder block. According to one preferred embodiment of the
invention, the unwinder comprises an unwinder unit, two
carriages, and guides which are mounted to the frame of the
supercalendar and along which the carriages move driven by
hydraulic cylinder-operated chains. The expiring reel-up drum
is elevated by means of the carriages from the unwinder block
of the unwinder unit, and a new reel-up drum with a fresh roll
is rolled into the unwinder block. The speed of the fresh
roll is synchronized with the speed of the web before the web
is pressed against a double-sided adhesive tape strip on the
surface of the fresh roll. The expiring web is severed and
the empty reel-up drum is stopped.
More specifically, the invention provides a
continuously running unwinder-supercalendar apparatus
comprising: an unwinder unit including: a base; guide rails
mounted on said base for supporting a first roll mounted on a
first reel-up drum, said guide rails having a roll loading end
and a roll delivery end; an unwinder block positioned adjacent
said delivery end of said guide rails and mounted on said
base; means for transferring a roll from said roll loading end
to said roll delivery end of said guide rails; and means for
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drivlng said first roli mounted on said unwinder block and
synchronizing the peripheral speed of said first roll with the
speed of a web unwinding from an expiring second roll mounted
on a second reel-up drum which is supported by the unwinder-
supercalendar apparatus; a supercalendar unit positionedadjacent said unwinder unit at said unwlnder block, said
supercalendar unit including: a supercalendar unit frame; lift
actuator means mounted on said supercalendar unit frame for
lifting the expiring roll mounted on said second reel-up drum
substantially vertically from said unwinder block; and means
for splicing the web of said first roll with the web unwinding
from said explring second roll.
An advantage of the invention is a reduction of the
space needed. The continuously running unwinder in accordance
with the present invention can be located even in confined
spaces. Savings in construction material, too, are
appreciable as compared to conventional unwinders, hecause the
frame of the lift actuators is part of the supercalendar
itself. The construction in accordance with the invention
holds the splicing head assembly always perpendicular to the
surface of the reel-up drum irrespective of the reel-up drum
diameter, consequently disposing with a conventional expensive
splicing roller of large dimensions to obtain a satisfactory
splice.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described
in accordance with the attached drawings.
Figure 1 shows a partially diagrammatic side view of
a continuously running unwinder before severing the web and
splicing with a fresh roll.
~igure 2 shows the unwinder of Figure 1 in a front
view and partially in phantom.
Figure 3 shows unwinder of Figure 1 in a top view
and partially in phantom.
Figure 4 shows in a side view of another embodiment
in accordance with the invention.
The unwinder-supercalendar apparatus of the present
invention comprises an unwinder unit 1 as shown in Figure 1.
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The unwinder unit includes a base 11 supporting guide rails 13
and unwinder block 3. A lever 14 is actuated for moving a
roll 20 mounted on reel-up drum 8 from a roll load position on
rails 13 to a roll delivery position at whlch is located the
S unwinder block 3. A conventional roll drive and synchronizing
means synchronizes the peripheral speed of a fresh roll
mounted on the unwinder block 3 with the speed of the web of
expiring roll 21 for splicing the free end 25 of fresh roll 20
when it is mounted on unwinder block 3. The supercalendar
unit 5 is positioned adjacent the unwinder unit 1. Carriages
4 adapted to lift up reel-up drum 2 on which expiring roll 21
is mounted are movably mounted on guides 22 (Figure 3) of
frame 23 of supercalendar unit 5. The carriages are moved by
hydraulic cylinders 24 as shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows
another embodiment of the present invention having plvoted
levers 10 actuated by hydraulic cylinders 15 for lifting the
expiring roll 21. Both of the embodiments shown in Figures 1
and 2 include a splicing means having a brush 9 for pressing
the web unwinding from expiring roll 21 into engagement with
the surface of fresh roll 20 which has previously been
provided with a double-sided adhesive strip for accomplishing
splicing of the rolls. The brush in the embodiment of Figure
1 is mounted to the frame of the supercalendar unit 5 and to
the pivoted levers 10 in the embodiment shown in Figure 2.
The unwinder in accordance with Figures 1-3 operates
as follows: A paper web 12 is fed from an unwinding roll on
reel-up drum 2 via several hard rolls 16 and soft rolls 17 of
the supercalendar 5 ~o a rewinder (not shown). While the
unwinding roll is expiring on reel-up drum 2, supported by
carriages 4, a fresh roll on reel-up drum 8 is rolled with a
lever 14 along rails 13 into an unwinder block 3, provided in
a base ll under the expiring reel-up drum and situated in the
unwinder unit l. The speed of the fresh roll on reel-up drum
8 is synchronized with the paper web 12, which web 12 is then
pressed against a double-sided adhesive tape strip on the
surface of the fresh roll by a brush of a splicing head
assembly 9. The expiring web is severed and the empty reel-
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up drum 2 is stopped and lifted away. During the unwinding ofthe fresh roll, its reel-up drum 8 is elevated by hydraulic
cylinder-operated chains 7 acting on and moving carriages 4
along vertical guides 6, mounted on the frame of the
supercalendar 5, upwardly in order to provicle space for the
next fresh roll.
The elevation of the reel-up drum of the expiring
roll can also be performed using a screw jack or, in
accordance with Figure 4, by pivoted levers lO and hydraulic
cylinders 15 mounted on the frame of the supercalendar 5.
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