Method and Apparatus for Recycling Metal Banding

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for refurbishing used metal banding of the type used to strap together bundles of items such as lumber. The method includes passing the used metal banding through a roller mill designed to guide and straighten the banding and to remove kinks formed where the banding previously was wrapped around corners or other protrusions of the bundle, recovering the straightened banding, and reusing the banding to strap other bundles of items. The apparatus includes a base containing an electric motor and a housing that encloses at least three rollers of the roller mill and special components that direct the banding in and out of the roller mill and expel it to be collected for reuse. The broad concept of the invention is the recovery, refurbishing, and reuse of used metal banding to band bundles of items for shipping.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Priority is hereby claimed to the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/322,957 filed on 12 Apr. 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to banding and more specifically to metal banding used to bind bundles of heavier items such as lumber.

BACKGROUND

Banding has long been used to bind or strap together a plurality of items such as pallets, boxes, cartons, bundles, bales, and other transport packaging into a bundle for shipping. Plastic banding, for example, is often used to bind lighter items or to secure boxes and packages for shipping. For heavier items such as lumber to be bundled and shipped, plastic banding generally has insufficient strength to hold the bundle together reliably. For such items, metal banding is generally used. Metal banding typically consists of narrow strips of metal, which can be a low quality or grade of metal, that are wrapped around a bundle of lumber or other heavy items, tensioned with a special purpose strapping tool, and secured tightly by crimping, punching, or with ancillary clips or seals.

At a destination, the metal bands of a metal banded bundle of wood, for instance, are cut off to free the bundle for use. Because of the very high tension imparted to the metal bands during strapping, the removed bands usually have sharp kinks at locations wherein they extended around a corner or other protrusion of the bundle. This generally makes the removed bands unwieldy to handle and, more importantly, unusable for strapping another bundle of items together. Accordingly, removed metal bands are generally considered scrap that must be handled. One way of handling scrap bands is to cut them up into small pieces to be loaded onto a truck for transport to a metal recycling location. It has been found, however, that this process can cost a company thousands of dollars per year in employee salaries to cut up the banding and in maintaining the necessary machinery to carry out the process. In addition, many additional thousands of dollars can be expended on new banding for companies that both receive banded bundles of raw materials and ship out banded bundles of finished product.

Accordingly, a need exists for a method and an apparatus for recycling and reusing metal banding that is removed from bundles of heavy materials such a lumber.

It is to the provision of such a method and apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/322,957, to which priority is claimed above, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Briefly described, a method of recycling metal banding removed from bundles comprises straightening the banding and removing the kinks formed where, for example, the banding wrapped around corners and projections of the bundle. The straightened banding then can be used just as new banding to strap other items, such as, for instance, finished goods, into bundles for shipping out. An apparatus for carrying out the method comprises a housing having an inlet chute on one side and an outlet chute on the opposite side. Within the housing are three hardened metal rollers consisting of two lower rollers and an upper roller that is slightly spaced from the lower rollers by a distance less than the thickness of metal banding. The upper roller is driven by an electric motor. A guide block is disposed between the two lower rollers to guide metal banding from one roller across to the other and to prevent the banding from curling or snaking its way down between the lower rollers.

In use, used metal banding cut from bundles is fed into the inlet chute until it encounters the space between the first lower roller and the upper roller. The banding is then grasped between the two rollers and pulled into the machine, across the guide block, between the upper roller and the second lower roller, and guided out of the device through the outlet chute. Due to the pressures applied by the rollers, the banding emerges from the device straight with all of the kinks that previously existed in the used banding having been removed. The straightened banding can then be re-used in a subsequent banding operation to strap bundles of other items or like items together. In one application, used banding from bundles of raw material such as lumber is straightened and re-used to strap bundles of finished product such as milled lumber to be shipped out to customers.

Thus, a method and apparatus for recycling and reusing metal banding is now provided that addresses the problems related to cutting up and discarding used banding as has been the practice in the past. The employment costs associated with personnel needed to cut up and load used banding are virtually eliminated (although remnant pieces of banding must still be discarded), and much less if any new banding need be purchased to bundle together additional items such as finished product for shipment. It has been found that thousands of dollars per year can be saved. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the method and apparatus will be better understood upon review of the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for recycling metal banding according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from another angle of the apparatus of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a plan perspective view of the interior of the housing of the apparatus showing the roller mill mechanism for straightening and recycling metal banding.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rollers showing an end portion of the guide block that extends between the lower rollers.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the guide block illustrated in FIG. 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Broadly described, the present invention encompasses the concept of recycling metal banding cut from bundles of product and then reusing the recycled banding to strap different bundles of product rather than using new virgin banding. A more specific aspect of the invention includes a method of recycling metal banding for reuse, and an apparatus for carrying out the method. For the sake of clarity, the context within which the invention will be described here is a commercial fabrication plant where raw wooden boards are received in bundles strapped with metal banding. The metal banding is cut from the bundles and the wooden boards are milled and fabricated into finished product. The used banding is straightened according to the present invention and reused to strap bundles of the finished product to be shipped out to distributors, customers, or users. It will be understood, however, that the invention is in no way limited to this context or scenario and may be applied in any situation where there is a need to recycle or reuse metal banding. In fact, the invention does not require reusing the banding at the facility where it is straightened but includes, for instance, straightening used metal banding for resale to and reuse by other users as an income stream producer.

With this in mind, reference is now made to the drawing figures, which illustrate an apparatus for straightening used metal banding according to the invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a used bandying recycling machine 11 includes a base 12 that houses and an electric motor (not shown). A housing 14 is disposed and supported atop the base 12 and includes an inlet chute 16 and an outlet shroud 17. The housing 14 encloses functional components of the machine 11, to be described in more detail below, but which include an upper roller 40 (FIG. 3) having a roller shaft 18 rotatably journaled within the bearing 20 of a bearing block 19. The upper roller 40 is rotated by the electric motor within the base 12 through a belt and pulley (not shown), which is enclosed within a protective cowl 23. A switch 13 is mounted on the base 12 for activating the recycling machine 11. Used metal banding 28 is shown in FIG. 1 being fed into the inlet chute 16 in direction 31. The used metal banding is seen to have kinks 29 resulting from its having been strapped around a bundle of lumber. The used banding also may be distorted and or bent in other ways as a result of handling it has endured. After passing through the housing 14, the metal banding 28 is straightened and emerges from beneath the outlet shroud 17 as a straight, un-kinked, and unbent length of banding ready for reuse.

FIG. 2 illustrates the recycling machine 11 as seen from another perspective and showing more clearly the outlet shroud 17. The bearing block 22 on the opposite side of the housing 14 is visible in this view as is the other end 21 of the upper roller shaft 18, which extends into the protective cowl 23, where it is coupled through a pulley and belt to the electric motor, housed within the base 12. Thus, activation of the electric motor turns the shaft 18 and thus rotates the upper roller (not shown) within the housing 14 as described in more detail below.

In FIG. 3, the top plate of housing 14 has been removed to reveal the working components within the housing. The upper roller 40 is seen to have shaft 18 rotatably journaled within the bearing of bearing block 19 as described above. The upper roller is driven by the electric motor in the direction indicated by the arrow when the motor is activated. A gas powered motor may be substituted if portability is needed. Disposed beneath the upper roller 40 is a pair of lower rollers 38 and 39, which, in the preferred embodiment, are freewheeling and not driven. The inlet chute 16 terminates within the housing in an inlet guide 41 that functions to guide the ends of lengths of used banding toward the intersection of or narrow space between the lower roller 38 and the upper roller 40. An outlet guide 42 is disposed at the opposite or outlet side of the housing 14 just beyond the intersection of or narrow space between the upper roller 40 and the lower roller 39. This outlet guide 42 functions to intercept metal banding as it emerges from between the rollers and direct the banding out of the housing 14 and beneath the outlet shroud 17, where it can be collected and moved to a storage location for re-use. It will thus be recognized that the three rollers 40, 38, and 39 form a rolling mill within the housing. Bent and kinked used metal banding is straightened and refurbished as it moves between the rollers of the rolling mill, whereupon it emerges from the recycling machine straight and ready for storage or reuse.

FIG. 4 shows the end portions of the upper roller 40 and the two lower rollers 38 and 39 within the housing 14. The upper roller is mounted on shaft 18 and, as mentioned above, is rotated in the direction indicated by arrows 47. Lower rollers 38 and 39 are not directly driven, but rotate in the directions indicated by arrows 48 and 49 (FIG. 5) as a result of the friction resulting from strips of metal banding being pulled between the lower rollers and the upper roller. A guide block 46 is disposed between the lower rollers 38 and 39 and is welded in place at its ends to the walls of the housing 14 as illustrated. The guide block fills the region between the lower rollers 38 and 39 and functions to deflect metal banding upward as it moves beyond the first lower roller 38 and thereby to prevent the metal banding from snaking downwardly between the lower rollers. The guide block also helps to direct the end of a strip of metal banding upwardly toward the intersection of or narrow space between the second lower roller 39 and the upper roller 38 for completion of the straightening process, thereby automatically “threading” the machine when a band is inserted.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the upper roller 40 and the two lower rollers 38 and 39, which rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows. The guide block 46 is seen located between the lower rollers 38 and 39 and, in the illustrated embodiment, is trapezoidal in shape. The guide block might, however, take on other shapes such as triangular, curved or arched, humped, or otherwise as needed to prevent the end of a length of banding from straying and to direct it toward the intersection of or narrow space between the upper roller 40 and the second lower roller 39. Used metal banding 28 is seen being drawn or pulled into the space between rollers 40 and 38, engaging and being deflected by the guide block 46, and being directed out between the upper roller 40 and second lower roller 39 as straightened metal banding 32.

The narrow space between the upper roller 40 and the lower rollers may vary, but preferably is slightly smaller than the thickness of metal banding to be straightened. In this way, the metal banding is tightly captured between the upper and lower rollers as it traverses the roller mill to remove kinks completely and effectively. The spacing between rollers is preferably adjustable by, for example, adjusting the locations of the bearing blocks to accommodate banding having different thicknesses. Alternatively, upper and lower rollers may be tensioned with an appropriate spring or other tensioning device into engagement with each other. In such an embodiment, the rollers are urged slightly apart against the bias of the tensioning device in response to banding moving between the rollers. Such an embodiment may have the advantage of accommodating banding with non-uniform thickness and/or automatically compensating for different size bandings with different thicknesses.

The invention has been described herein in terms of preferred embodiments and methodologies considered by the inventor to represent the best mode of carrying out the invention. It will be understood by those of skill in the art, however, that a wide variety of additions, deletions, and modifications might well be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, more than three rollers might be used and the rollers might be arranged differently such as having the driven roller on the bottom and the idler rollers disposed atop the driven roller. The rollers may be narrower or wider than those of the preferred embodiment and may be made of a variety of materials, although metal is preferred. In some instances, it may be desirable to include more than three rollers to provide a desired degree of straightening or to produce a rolled straightened banding for storage. These and other obvious modifications to the embodiments illustrated herein should all be considered to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a bundle of items strapped together with metal banding;

(b) cutting the metal banding from the bundle to free the items;

(c) straightening the metal banding cut from the bundle and removing kinks from the metal banding; and

(d) making the straightened and un-kinked metal banding available for re-use.

2. The method of claim 1 and wherein step (c) comprises moving the metal banding between rollers of a roller mill.

3. The method of claim 2 and wherein step (c) further comprises moving the metal banding between a first pair of rollers and subsequently moving the metal banding between a second pair of rollers.

4. The method of claim 3 and wherein at least one of the first pair of rollers is also one of the second pair of rollers.

5. The method of claim 2 and wherein the step of moving the metal banding comprises presenting the metal banding to an intersection between the first pair of rollers and rotating at least one of the first pair of rollers to draw the metal banding between the rollers.

6. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the step of engaging the metal banding with a guide block to deflect the banding toward the second pair of rollers after having passed between the first pair of rollers.

7. The method of claim 6 and wherein the step of engaging the metal banding further comprises locating the guide block between the first pair of rollers and the second pair of rollers.

8. The method of claim 7 and wherein one of the first pair of rollers is also one of the second pair of rollers.

9. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the step of engaging the metal banding as it moves beyond the second pair of rollers to direct the straightened and un-kinked banding in a desired direction.

10. The method of claim 1 and wherein step (d) comprises re-using the straightened banding.

11. The method of claim 1 and wherein step (d) comprises providing the straightened banding to another for reuse.

12. The method of claim 11 and wherein the step of providing the straightened banding comprises selling the straightened banding to another.

13. An apparatus for straightening and removing kinks from metal banding, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a first roller disposed and mounted for rotation in the housing;

a second roller disposed and mounted for rotation in the housing;

a third roller disposed and mounted for rotation in the housing;

the first roller and the second roller extending substantially parallel to each other to define a first pair of rollers;

the first roller and the third roller extending substantially parallel to each other to define a second pair of rollers;

a guide block between the first pair of rollers and the second pair of rollers positioned to direct metal banding between the second pair of rollers after the metal banding moves between the first pair of rollers;

an inlet chute on the housing for receiving metal banding and directing it between the first pair of rollers; and

an outlet shroud on the housing for receiving metal banding from between the second pair of rollers and directing it away from the housing.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 and wherein the first and second rollers are spaced apart from each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 and wherein the first and second rollers are spaced apart a distance less than a thickness of metal banding to be directed between the first pair of rollers.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 and wherein the first and third rollers are spaced apart from each other.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 and wherein the first and third rollers are spaced apart a distance less than a thickness of metal banding to be directed between the second pair of rollers.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 and wherein the axes of the first, second, and third rollers substantially define a triangle.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 and wherein the guide block is disposed between the second and third rollers.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 and wherein the guide block is substantially trapezoidal in shape.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 and wherein the guide block has a surface positioned to engage metal banding as it moves beyond the first pair of rollers, the surface being shaped and oriented to direct the metal banding toward the second pair of rollers.

22. A method of doing business comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving bundles of material banded together with metal banding;

(b) removing the metal banding from the received bundles;

(c) refurbishing the metal banding; and

(d) making the refurbished metal banding available for re-use to band bundles of material together.

23. The method of claim 22 and wherein step (c) comprises removing kinks from the metal banding.

24. The method of claim 23 and wherein step (c) comprises straightening the metal banding.

25. The method of claim 22 and wherein step (d) comprises re-using the metal banding.

26. The method of claim 22 and wherein step (d) comprises selling the metal banding for re-use by others.