WEB SPREADER ROLLERS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING WRINKLES IN WEB MATERIAL USING SUCH WEB SPREADER ROLLERS
Web spreader rollers and methods for reducing wrinkles in web material using such web spreader rollers are provided. In one embodiment, a web spreader roller includes a body having a first end including a plurality of slits about a perimeter of the first end. Each of the plurality of slits is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body and define an adjustable taper portion of the first end of the body. The web spreader roller also includes a plug positioned within the first end. The plug is movable relative to the first end to move the adjustable taper portion from a first tapered position to a second tapered position.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/933,439, filed on Jan. 30, 2014. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure generally relates to web material handling, and more particularly relates to web spreader rollers and methods for reducing wrinkles in web material using such web spreader rollers.
BACKGROUNDCertain web materials, such as films, nonwoven materials, textiles, papers, foils and other thin materials, are manufactured or converted using web lines. In these web lines, the web materials are transported or fed on rolls. Currently, a spreader roller may be provided in the web line before a critical process, such as prior to lamination, to remove wrinkles in the web material so that wrinkles are not found in the end product.
Generally, spreader rollers have fixed diameters and fixed tapers. The fixed shape of these spreader rollers make each spreader roller applicable for a specific set of conditions associated with the web materials. For example, a spreader roller might have a fixed taper, which is able to remove wrinkles from a particular web material when the web material is fed through the web line at a particular speed. Any changes to the web material or feed rate, however, and the spreader roller is no longer effective to prevent wrinkles in the web material.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide web spreader rollers that are adjustable to a variety of web materials fed at a variety of feed rates. In addition, it is desirable to provide methods for reducing wrinkles in web material using such web spreader rollers. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
SUMMARYWeb spreader rollers and methods for reducing wrinkles in web material using such web spreader rollers are provided. In one embodiment, a web spreader roller includes a body having a first end including a plurality of slits about a perimeter of the first end. Each of the plurality of slits is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body and define an adjustable taper portion of the first end of the body. The web spreader roller also includes a plug positioned within the first end. The plug is movable relative to the first end to move the adjustable taper portion from a first tapered position to a second tapered position.
In one embodiment, a method for reducing wrinkles in a web material is provided. The method includes feeding a web material to a web spreader roller, the web spreader roller including a first end with a shaft and a plug movable relative to the shaft. The first end includes a plurality of slits defined about a perimeter of the first end extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. The method includes moving the plug relative to the shaft in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the web spreader roller to adjust a taper of the first end.
In one embodiment, a web spreader roller is provided. The web spreader roller includes a hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a first end opposite a second end. The web spreader roller includes a shaft coupled to each of the first end and the second end such that the shaft is at least partially received within the hollow body at the first end and the second end. The shaft extends along the longitudinal axis of the hollow body. The web spreader roller includes a first plug movably coupled to the shaft of the first end. The first plug is positioned within the first end. The web spreader roller includes a second plug movably coupled to the shaft of the second end. The second plug is positioned within the second end. The first plug and the second plug are movable relative to the shaft in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis to adjust a taper associated with a respective one of the first end and the second end.
The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure or the application and uses of the present teachings. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description. As used herein, the term module refers to any hardware, software, firmware, electronic control component, processing logic, and/or processor device, individually or in any combination, including without limitation: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
With reference to
In one example, the spreader roller 10 includes one or more shafts 14 and a hollow body 16. As the spreader roller 10 comprises a substantially identical mirror image about an axis A, the same reference numerals will be used to denote the same or similar components. With continued reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Referring to
With reference to
With continued reference to
With reference back to
With the spreader roller 10 assembled, the adjustable taper portion 20 is in a first position with the plug 26 at the distalmost end 16a, as illustrated in
Generally, the spreader roller 10 is effective as a crown roller when the air entrapment height is greater than a threshold and there is little or no traction between the web material and the spreader roller 10 or the web material has slack in the center, which results in a good spreading effect. In one example, the following equation is used to determine when to adjust the adjustable taper portion 20 of the spreader roller 10:
In the above equation, h is the air entrapment height between the web material and the spreader roller 10, D is a diameter of the spreader roller 10, η is the air viscosity, W is a width of the web material, Vweb is a velocity of the web material, Vroll is a speed of the spreader roller 10 and T is a tension on the web material. Generally, if h is greater than three times an average surface roughness (Ra) of the spreader roller 10, then the web material is likely to slip on the spreader roller 10 and the adjustable taper portion 20 can be adjusted to a crown roller to improve the traction between the web material and the spreader roller 10.
In order to change or adjust the first tapered surface 30 of the adjustable taper portions 20, a force is imparted to the handles 24 to move or rotate the threads 40 of the plug 26 on the threads 18 of the shaft 14 until the first tapered surface 30 has reached a desired slope. Generally, the plug 26 is moved in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the spreader roller 10. For example, with reference to
As a further example, with reference to
In the third position, the end 10b has a third diameter, which is greater than the first diameter associated with the first position and the second diameter associated with the second position. The slits 22 enable the expansion of the end 10b to the third diameter in the third position. In addition, in this example, the body 16 of the spreader roller 10 flexes or bends at a point near the end plate 28 to enable the movement of the adjustable taper portion 20 to the third position. Thus, in the third position, or when the plug 26 is in a position between the second position (
In addition, it should be noted that the plugs 26 associated with the respective adjustable taper portions 20 need not be adjusted to the same or substantially the same position. In this regard, with reference to
With reference to
According to various embodiments, the spreader roller 100 includes one or more shafts 14 and a body 110. The body 110 includes at least one adjustable taper portion 20 and a control system 120. In this example, the spreader roller 10 includes two adjustable taper portions 20, which are substantially identical about the axis A. It should be noted, that the spreader roller 10 can include a single adjustable taper portion 20, and further, the adjustable taper portions 20 need not be symmetrical about the axis A, if desired. Each of the adjustable taper portions 20 are coupled to the control system 120.
The control system 120 includes a motor 130, a control module 140 and a user input device 150. The motor 130 includes an output shaft coupled to one or more of each of the handles 24 of the adjustable taper portions 20 through a suitable coupling or linkage as known to one skilled in the art. It should be noted that while a single motor 130 is illustrated herein to control each of the adjustable taper portions 20, two motors can be used with a respective one of the motors coupled to respective ones of the handles 24 of the adjustable taper portions 20. In addition, the output shaft of the motor 130 can be directly coupled to the plug 26 of each of the adjustable taper portions 20. Generally, the motor 130 is operable to move or adjust the first tapered surface 30 of the spreader roller 10 by moving the plug 26 relative to the shaft 14. In one example, the motor 130 comprises a stepper motor, however, any suitable driving mechanism can be employed. The motor 130 is in communication with the control module 140 to receive one or more control signals to adjust a position of each of the plugs 26.
In one example, the control module 140 receives user input from the user input device 150. The user input device 150 includes, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a microphone, a touchscreen layer associated with a display, or other suitable device to receive data and/or commands from the user. Based on the user input from the user input device 150, the control module 140 generates one or more control signals for the motor 130 to move or adjust the position of one or more of the plugs 26 relative to the shafts 14, thereby adjusting the first tapered surface 30 of the spreader roller 100.
In one embodiment, with reference to
Thus, the adjustable taper portions 20 of the spreader roller 10, 100 enable the first tapered surface 30 associated with the ends 10a, 10b, 100a, 100b of the spreader roller 10, 100 to be adjustable to a variety of positions. The variable adjustment of the first tapered surface 30 enables the spreader roller 10, 100 to be used with a variety of web materials at a variety of feed rates, without requiring the use of a different spreader roller.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A web spreader roller comprising:
- a body having a first end including a plurality of slits about a perimeter of the first end, each of the plurality of slits substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body and defining an adjustable taper portion of the first end of the body; and
- a plug positioned within the first end and movable relative to the first end to move the adjustable taper portion from a first tapered position to a second tapered position.
2. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein the body is hollow, and the web spreader roller further comprises a shaft including an end plate received within the body and coupled to the first end.
3. The web spreader roller of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of slits are defined from a distalmost end of the first end to a position adjacent to the end plate.
4. The web spreader roller of claim 2, wherein the plug is movable relative to the shaft.
5. The web spreader roller of claim 4, wherein the plug includes a central bore defining a first plurality of threads and the shaft includes a portion defining a second plurality of threads, and the plug moves relative to the shaft via the engagement between the first plurality of threads and the second plurality of threads.
6. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein in the first tapered position, the adjustable taper portion has a negative slope, and in the second tapered position, the adjustable taper portion has a slope of about zero.
7. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein the plug is movable relative to the first end to a third tapered position.
8. The web spreader roller of claim 7, wherein in the third tapered position, the adjustable tapered portion has a positive slope.
9. The web spreader roller of claim 5, wherein the plug includes a handle for moving the plug relative to the shaft.
10. The web spreader roller of claim 1, further comprising a motor coupled to the plug that moves the plug relative to the shaft.
11. The web spreader roller of claim 10, further comprising:
- a user input device that receives user input; and
- a control module in communication with the motor that outputs one or more control signals to the motor to move the plug relative to the shaft based on the user input.
12. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein the body has a second end, and a second adjustable taper portion is coupled to the second end.
13. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein the first end of the body further comprises a covering sleeve positionable over the adjustable taper portion.
14. The web spreader roller of claim 1, wherein in the first tapered position, the first end has a first diameter, and in the second tapered position, the first end has a second diameter, with the second diameter different than the first diameter.
15. A method for reducing wrinkles in a web material, the method comprising the steps of:
- feeding a web material to a web spreader roller, the web spreader roller including a first end with a shaft and a plug movable relative to the shaft, the first end including a plurality of slits defined about a perimeter of the first end extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body; and
- moving the plug relative to the shaft in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the web spreader roller to adjust a taper of the first end.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plug includes a central bore having a plurality of threads that engage a plurality of threads formed on the shaft, and the method further comprises:
- threadably advancing the plug on the shaft from a first position, in which the first end has a first taper, to a second position, in which the first end has a second taper, the second taper different from the first taper.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plug is threadably advanced by a motor.
18. A web spreader roller, comprising:
- a hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis and having a first end opposite a second end;
- a shaft coupled to each of the first end and the second end such that the shaft is at least partially received within the hollow body at the first end and the second end, the shaft extending along the longitudinal axis of the hollow body;
- a first plug movably coupled to the shaft of the first end, the first plug positioned within the first end; and
- a second plug movably coupled to the shaft of the second end, the second plug positioned within the second end,
- wherein the first plug and the second plug are movable relative to the shaft in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis to adjust a taper associated with a respective one of the first end and the second end.
19. The web spreader roller of claim 18, wherein the body has an exterior surface and an interior surface, with a tapered surface formed on the interior surface, and the plug moves along the tapered surface to adjust the taper.
20. The web spreader roller of claim 18, wherein each of the first end and the second end includes a plurality of slits about a perimeter of the first end and the second end, and each of the plurality of slits are defined substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body to enable the movement of the plug relative to the shaft.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 28, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 30, 2015
Inventor: Jay Zhou (Shanghai)
Application Number: 14/526,244