Tail Free Transfer Winder
Transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a new core is effected by cutting the web to form a downstream web end portion and an adjacent upstream web end portion; splicing the cut web with a tape; moving the spliced web to a position adjacent to the new core; and adhering the downstream web end portion to the new core with the tape.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/123,361, filed Apr. 8, 2008, titled Tail Free Transfer Winder, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDMany of today's products are made by processing a web of material. This processing, typically referred to as Web Converting, allows enhancements, such as printing, coating, laminating and texturing, to be made to a base material such as paper, polymer films, foils and fabrics. The processing of these materials usually occurs when a roll (or rolls) of material is unwound, moved through a machine and rewound when the processing is completed.
To increase productivity and throughput of an operation, as well as to allow for the processing to occur under constant conditions, many techniques have been developed to allow rolls of material to be fed to and removed from the converting machine on a continuous basis, without interrupting the process. These techniques allow for splicing of rolls together while unwinding, and for transferring of webs from full to new rolls while winding.
At the winder, when a roll of material is completed (having reached its desired size), the web needs to be cut and a new roll started. Typically the new roll is started by attaching the web to a hollow tube, commonly referred to as a “core” and usually made of cardboard, steel or aluminum. The core is held in the winder and interconnected with a motor which spins it, allowing the web to be wound around it. Tape or adhesive is commonly applied to the core prior to the web being introduced, allowing the web to adhere to it.
The cutting and transferring of the web to the new core can be done either manually, through direct operator intervention, or automatically. When done automatically, it is common practice for a “bump and cut” system to be used. In this system a running web is brought in contact with a core (which is running at the same surface speed and already has tape or adhesive applied to it) by a roll (referred to as a “bump roll”) and a knife is fired into the web (after, or downstream of, the core contact point), severing it. As a result, the web sticks to the core and begins to wind around it. Typically a turret type winder is used, having two or more positions for holding rolls and cores and designed to rotate about a center axis to allow for the proper orientation of the rolls with respect to the running web.
A drawback of the “bump and cut” system is the length of web between the location of the “bump”, where the web is taped to the core, and the location of the cut. This length, commonly referred to as the “tail”, is free to fall in any orientation and typically folds over on the core. Not only is this section of web wasted, but on certain products the upset that is caused by the fold can ruin successive wraps of the material.
Several devices have been invented to address the tail issue. These units are designed to apply the web to the new core without any tail or fold.
In the attached drawings:
The present invention relates to a transfer mechanism for transferring a moving web to a new core. The invention is applicable to transfer mechanisms of differing constructions. As representative of the invention,
A transfer mechanism of the invention may take different forms. In the one embodiment that is illustrated, the transfer mechanism 10 (
The vacuum pull roll/anvil roll 20 (
The cut-off roll 22 (
The two tape rolls 24 are independently mounted in pneumatically or motor positioned arms located about the periphery of the vacuum pull roll/anvil roll 20. The tape rolls 24 are motor driven complete with speed/position controls. The drive can be accomplished either by independent motors/controls or a common arrangement. The tape rolls 24 are designed to be easily accessed by an operator. Each tape roll 24 (
The transfer mechanism 10 utilizes the splice tape 50, which is positioned on the selected tape roll 24 at the beginning of the transfer process as described below. The splice tape 50 is preferably a double sided tape, or double faced tape, having an adhesive first side surface 52 (
The tension sensing/control roll(s) 26 (
While the web 14 is being processed (
When a transfer is to be performed (
The new core 16 (
At some time before transfer, the winder turret 12 is indexed, bringing the new core 16 into its transfer position as shown in
Immediately before transfer, the tape roll 24 and the cut-off roll 22 move into close proximity (
The cut-off roll 22 is fired (
As the vacuum roll/anvil roll 20 continues to rotate, the tape roll 24 (
The web 14 continues to move, with the splice 90 leaving the vacuum roll 20, traveling around the tension sensing/control roll 26 (which may be coated with a special release surface such as plasma so that the tape will not stick to it) and heading toward the bump/pack/gap roll 28. Some time during the transfer sequence, prior to the splice 90 reaching the bump/pack/gap roll 28, the bump/pack/gap roll is pneumatically positioned (
The splice 90 is transported through space (i.e., not along a surface) to a position spaced apart from the vacuum pull roll/anvil roll 20 and adjacent to the new core 16. As the splice 90 reaches the core 16 (
When this happens, the upstream web end portion 84, which is the end of the length of web 14 that is on the building roll 15, pulls away from the leading half 56 of the splice tape 50, and does not stick to the core 16. This result occurs for several reasons, including the relative strength of adhesion of the splice tape 50 to the core 16 as compared to the strength of adhesion of the splice tape to the web 14, and the magnitude of the pulling force being applied to the web from the building roll 15. Thus, the upstream web end portion 84 peels off the splice tape 50, rather than sticking to it and being wound on the new core 16. The upstream web end portion 84 travels to the building roll 15 to complete it.
The downstream web end portion 82 (the portion immediately after the cut 80) continues to stick to the trailing half 58 of the tape 50, resulting in the downstream web end portion being transferred to the core 16. Since the downstream web end portion 82 is the “leading edge” of the web 14 that is being supplied from the unwind, and since this web portion 82 adheres to the tape 50, it also adheres to the core 16. As a result, the moving web 14 coming from the unwind commences to be wound on the new core 16. There is no tail formed, and the transfer to the new core 16 is completed with no fold-over and no tail.
At this point, the drive controlling the motor attached to the core 16 can be switched from speed control to tension control, taking an input signal from the tension sensing/control roll 26. The bump/pack/gap roll 28 may be positioned either in pack mode (in contact with the new roll of material that is being wound), gap mode (staying in close proximity to the new roll of material that is being wound) or retracted mode.
In the illustrated embodiment, a single layer of splice tape 50 is used. Conditions may be present that would call for varying or different tape configurations or characteristics. These conditions might include the adhesion characteristics of the web material itself, and/or the adhesion characteristics of the new core, for example. In such varying circumstances, the splice tape may be provided with different adhesive characteristics or configurations. Specifically, the splice tape may have different adhesive strengths on its two faces. Or, a splice tape may be provided as a film with two separate layers of adhesive on its opposite faces. Still further, an auxiliary (additional) piece of tape may be provided for engagement with one or the other of the two web end portions, having adhesive characteristics different from those of the main tape. All these factors and variations can be implemented in keeping with the invention.
As one alternative, a transfer to the new core 16 can be made without contact between it and the bump/pack/gap roll 28.
As another alternative (
Claims
1. A method of transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a rotating new core, the method comprising the steps of:
- cutting the moving web to form a downstream web end portion and an adjacent upstream web end portion;
- splicing the moving cut web with a tape;
- moving the spliced web to a position adjacent to the rotating new core; and
- adhering the downstream web end portion while moving to the rotating new core with an adhesive.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tape is a double faced tape, the cut web is spliced with an adhesive that is on a first face of the double faced tape, and the downstream web end portion is adhered to the new core with an adhesive that is on a second face of the double faced tape.
3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the splicing step includes applying the double faced tape to the cut web so that a first portion of the double faced tape overlies the downstream end portion of the web and a second portion of the double faced tape overlies the upstream end portion of the web, each one of the first and second tape portions having an exposed adhesive surface.
4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tape is a single faced tape, the cut web is spliced with an adhesive that is on the single faced tape, and the downstream web end portion is adhered to the new core with an adhesive that is on the new core.
5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cutting step includes the step of wrapping the moving web about a pull roll having a surface portion that is configured as a cutting surface for receiving a knife to cut the web.
6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of adhering the downstream web end portion to the new core includes the step of positioning a bump/pack/gap roll to position the splice on the moving web against the new core to cause the downstream end portion of the web to adhere to the new core.
7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the bump/pack/gap roll is positioned in a nip position with the new core.
8. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the bump/pack/gap roll is not positioned in a nip position with the new core.
9. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:
- the tape is a double faced tape, the cut web is spliced with an adhesive that is on a first face of the double faced tape, and the downstream web end portion is adhered to the new core with an adhesive that is on a second face of the double faced tape; and
- the splicing step includes applying the double faced tape to the cut web so that a first portion of the double faced tape overlies the downstream end portion of the web and a second portion of the double faced tape overlies the upstream end portion of the web, each one of the first and second tape portions having an exposed adhesive surface; and
- the cutting step includes the step of wrapping the moving web about a pull roll having a surface portion that is configured as a cutting surface for receiving a knife to cut the web; and
- the step of adhering the downstream web end portion to the new core includes the step of positioning a bump/pack/gap roll to position the splice on the moving web against the new core to cause the downstream end portion of the web to adhere to the new core.
10. A method of transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a rotating new core, the method comprising the steps of:
- cutting the moving web on a first roll to form a downstream web end portion and an adjacent upstream web end portion;
- transporting the web end portions from the first roll to a position that is spaced apart from the first roll and adjacent to a rotating new core;
- maintaining the downstream web end portion adjacent to the upstream web end portion during the transporting step; and
- adhering the moving downstream web end portion to the rotating new core without forming a tail.
11. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the maintaining step includes applying a tape to the web end portions after cutting the web to maintain the web end portions adjacent to each other during the transporting step.
12. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the tape is a double sided tape having a first layer of adhesive that maintains the web end portions adjacent to each other during the transporting step and a second layer of adhesive that adheres the downstream web end portion to the new core.
13. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the transporting step includes moving the web end portions through space between the first roll and the new core.
14. Apparatus for transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a rotating new core, the apparatus comprising:
- a pull roll on which the moving web is wrapped;
- a knife roll that is movable and cuts the web while the moving web is wrapped on the pull roll;
- a tape roll on which a tape is adhered and which is movable relative to the pull roll to apply the tape to the moving cut web while the moving cut web is wrapped on the pull roll to splice the cut web; and
- a bump/pack/gap roll that causes the moving spliced web to engage the rotating new core so that the cut web adheres to the new core.
15. Apparatus for transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a rotating new core, the apparatus comprising:
- means for cutting the moving web to form an upstream web end portion and a downstream web end portion;
- means for applying an adhesive layer to the moving cut web to hold the web end portions in a spatial relationship; and
- means for moving the downstream web end portion into contact with the rotating new core to adhere the downstream web end portion to the new core.
16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the means for applying includes a tape roll on which is disposed a double faced tape, the tape roll being movable into a nip position with the moving web to apply the double faced tape to the cut web.
17. Apparatus for transferring a moving web from a winding roll to a rotating new core, the apparatus comprising:
- a first mechanism that cuts the moving web;
- a second mechanism that splices the moving cut web with a tape; and
- a third mechanism that transports the spliced web to the rotating new core to adhere the tape to the rotating new core.
18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the first mechanism includes a pull roll on which the moving web is wrapped prior to being cut.
19. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the pull roll is a vacuum pull/anvil roll.
20. Apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the second mechanism includes a tape roll on which the tape is adhered before being applied to the cut web, the tape roll forming a nip with the pull roll to cause the tape to adhere to the cut web on both sides of the cut.
21. Apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the first mechanism cuts the web to form a downstream end portion of the web and an adjacent upstream end portion of the web, the tape adhering the downstream web end portion to the new core while the upstream web end portion peels away from the tape.
22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the second mechanism is operative to apply the tape to the cut web so that a first portion of the tape overlies a downstream end portion of the web and a second portion of the tape overlies an upstream end portion of the web, each one of the first and second tape portions having an exposed adhesive surface presented away from the web.
23. Apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the third mechanism includes a bump/pack/gap bump roll.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 5, 2008
Publication Date: Oct 8, 2009
Inventor: Robert A. Pasquale (Hawthorne, NJ)
Application Number: 12/133,412
International Classification: B65H 35/06 (20060101); B65H 35/00 (20060101);