TW202206247A - A cutting apparatus having a semi-automatically replaceable cutter rail and semi-automated method of replacing it - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention describes a cutting apparatus having a semi-automatically replaceable cutter rail (7) and semi-automated method of replacing it. The apparatus comprises a vertical frame (2) affixed to floor, a horizontal frame (3) affixed to said vertical frame (2) near its top end, a vertical guide rail (4) affixed to said vertical frame (2), a cutter rail carrier assembly (6) consisting of a cutter rail bracket (10) on which said cutter rail (7) is mounted, a geared motor (5) affixed to said vertical frame (2) to cause the up/down movement of said cutter rail carrier assembly (6), a set of guide roller (12) supported on a guide roller bracket (11) mounted on said horizontal frame (3) and capable of swivelling around a pivot (16). The cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is capable of moving up and down along said vertical guide rail (4) during replacement operation of said cutter rail (7).

Description

Cutting device with semi-automatic replaceable cutter guide and semi-automatic replacement method thereof

The present invention relates to a system and method for semi-automatic replacement of the entire cutting unit on a plastic slit film tape making extrusion system/machine. The present invention preferably discloses a cutting unit having at least one cutting blade station for longitudinally cutting a moving sheet-like flat structure plastic film/web into a plurality of strips or flat wires of essentially selectable and constant width.

In an extrusion slit film stretching line (often referred to as a raffia belt line), longitudinal cutting of the wide width flat film resulting from the continuous movement of the film forming section occurs at the cutting unit Cut film strips into multiple smaller widths. There are many known cutting systems for this purpose.

In one of the widely applicable cutting systems, longitudinal cutting of films is typically performed by passing a film/web over several cutting blades configured to fit the width of the belt and mounted above all cutter bars. As processing speed increases, there is higher wear of these cutting blades, which requires more frequent replacement. In order to reduce the frequency of changing cutter bars, so-called rotary cutter bars have been developed, such as that disclosed in DE 31 37 826 A1. In the system disclosed in this patent application, a cylindrical cutter bar is provided with six rows of cutting blades arranged at its isoperimeter, which are further rotatable from one row of cutting blades to the next row of cutting blades to allow the cutting device ( plant) to perform longitudinal cutting of the film. However, when the blades of all blade rows eventually become dull, the entire production system must be shut down to replace with new blades or to replace the full cylindrical cutter bar.

By using this rotary cutter bar, a longer run time of a system will be achieved. However, the replacement of the cutter bar or the complete rotary cutting unit is done manually. What's more, the replacement procedure is cumbersome and risky, involving longer downtime.

Furthermore, as the film/web width increases, the cutting system weight will increase significantly, making it significantly more difficult for one person to handle the same. Furthermore, the safe handling of the cutting unit is also an area of concern given the presence of sharp edges in cutting systems.

Furthermore, in some belt line configurations, the film/web longitudinal cutting unit is installed at a significant height above ground level, and the installation area is quite compact, factors that increase the risk to the person performing the replacement operation.

The cutting unit is a fixed object placed in the path of one of the film tape extrusion systems to advance the film. The cutter has a core on which is mounted a set of cutting blades (one blade corresponding to a single cut to be made in the film). Individual blades from a blade set are placed adjacent to each other at a distance equal to the width of the belt. The blades have a certain cutting length and all blades need to be fully utilized for cutting purposes. To achieve this, it is necessary to change the position of the blade relative to the plane of the advancing membrane, whereby the unused portion of the blade will come into contact with the membrane. Once a blade has dulled its entire length, the blade is no longer suitable for cutting purposes and the blade station needs to be replaced.

In order to minimize downtime, it is desirable to reduce the number of times the entire cutter needs to be replaced. In this regard, it is advantageous to have a plurality of cutting positions on the cutter rail. The location of each blade set is called a station. For example, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, a six-station cutter has six sets of blades. When the blades of a blade set become dull, the cutter guide is rotated so that a new blade set can be deployed to cut the advancing film. The cutter assembly is equipped with a facility to replace the blade station for cutting. In order to replace the cutter rail, the old cutter rail needs to be removed from the cutter rail carrier assembly and a new cutter rail needs to be placed in its proper place.

Knife rails are usually made of metal and depending on their size and the width of the film, their weight can be heavy. For example, for a film 1500 mm wide and for a cutter rail with six stations, the weight of the cutter rail can be as high as 150 kg. The machine operator must manually remove the cutter rails and replace them, etc. This activity is performed in a confined space and is very hazardous to the operator and also to the machine itself. In conventional systems, the cutter rail replacement operation is performed at a relatively high height, such as 6 to 8 feet above the ground, and involves extensive flexing of the operator's body part when handling the cutter. Therefore, there is a need to provide a system that allows for the replacement of the cutter without significant risk to the operator and the machine. The present invention discloses such a system.

The system of the present invention ensures an improved safety factor, reduces downtime and facilitates cutting guide rail replacement operations.

Invention goal:

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a cutting device with a replaceable cutting guide on a plastic cutting film tape production extrusion system/machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for replacing knife guides on a plastic slit film tape making extrusion system/machine.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce downtime for cutting unit replacement operations.

A further object of the present invention is to improve safety during replacement operations by semi-automation of the knife handling procedure.

A still further object of the present invention is to ensure a perfect cutting operation of the moving web with an improved blade life.

Yet another object of the present invention is to automate the replacement transfer procedure from one cutting station to an adjacent cutting station without interrupting the moving film process.

The present invention discloses a system and method for semi-automatic replacement of the entire cutting unit on a plastic slit film tape making extrusion system/machine.

The present invention provides a semi-automatic system in which the cutter guide is disengaged from the cutting activity and brought into it from its normal working position to make it easier for operators to replace the The height of one of the cutter rails.

In particular, the present invention describes a cutting device with a semi-automatic replaceable cutter guide (7) and a semi-automatic replacement method thereof. The device comprises: a vertical frame (2) attached to the floor; a horizontal frame (3) attached to the vertical frame (2) near the top of the vertical frame (2); a vertical rail (4) , which is attached to the vertical frame (2); a cutter rail carrier assembly (6), which consists of a cutter rail bracket (10) to which the cutter rail (7) is mounted ( 10); a gear motor (5) attached to the vertical frame (2) to cause the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to move up/down; a set of guide rollers (12), which etc. support It is mounted on a guide roller bracket (11) on the horizontal frame (3) and can rotate around a pivot (16). During the replacement operation of the cutter rail (7), the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) can move up and down along the vertical rail (4).

The present invention also discloses a semi-automated method of replacing a cutter guide (7) provided on a cutting device, using the method described in the preceding paragraph for cutting an advancing plastic film (1) into a slitting tape (1A) device. The method discloses how to make the cutter rail ( 7) Disengage from the advancing film, then raise the position of the cutter guide assembly (6) to its working position.

Figure 2 shows the device of the present invention comprising a vertical frame (2) and a horizontal frame (3), wherein the vertical frame (2) and the horizontal frame (3) are connected together by connecting members. The connecting members may be of any type, such as bolted, welded, or by any means known to those skilled in the art, such that they lie in the same plane.

Furthermore, the vertical frame (2) includes a vertical rail (4) mounted on the vertical frame (2) to form a single piece. The vertical rail (4) can be of any material, such as metal or non-metal or plastic, to provide a smooth vertical back and forth movement of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) over it, and can withstand the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) ) of the heavy weight.

In another embodiment, the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) slides over the vertical rail (4). The sliding movement can be achieved by any means such as a rod-sleeve arrangement, a roller bearing arrangement, a lead screw arrangement, a rack and pinion arrangement, or can be controlled and moved by any kind of hydraulic or pneumatic mechanism.

As shown in Figure 7, the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) includes a cutter rail (7), a cutter rail bracket (10) and a motor (8). The cutter guide rail (7) is installed above the cutter guide rail bracket (10) and connected with the motor (8), so that the motor (8) promotes the rotational movement of the cutter guide rail (7). The motor (8) can be selected from a group of electromagnetic drive systems such that it can be a servo motor or a stepper motor to provide discrete step motion to the knife guide (7). The motor (8) can be driven remotely without any manual intervention. This rotation is required to replace the blade set upon dulling so that a new blade set can be deployed for cutting the advancing film.

Furthermore, the cutter rail bracket (10) is engaged with the vertical rail (4). This engagement allows the cutter rail bracket (10) to slide over the vertical rail (4).

In a further embodiment, the friction between the vertical rail (4) and the cutter rail bracket (10) should be as small as possible so that smooth movement of the bracket (10) occurs over the vertical rail (4).

Again shown in Figure 7, the movement of the cutter carrier rail assembly (6) over the vertical rail (4) is facilitated by a gear motor (5). The cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is preferably moved back and forth in a vertical direction by any kind of motorized mechanism, such as a gear motor (5) or a stepper motor, or such that the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is achieved A discrete step motion allows the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to be positioned at various distances according to the position of the advancing film.

Furthermore, the cutter guide (7) comprises a cutting core (7A) on which a set of cutting blades (one blade (7B) corresponding to a single cut made in the film) is mounted. As shown in Figure 1, a plurality of blades (7B) are set side by side at an equidistant distance equal to the width of the belt to be achieved.

As shown in Figure 6, the horizontal frame (3) comprises a guide roller bracket (11) attached to the horizontal frame (3) at one end by a pivot (16) and at the other end by A cylinder (9) is connected. The guide roller carriage (11) carries at least one set of rollers or preferably guide rollers (12) over which the advancing film (1) is passed and thereby providing support to the advancing film (1). There is a stop ( 13 ) to limit the movement of the guide roller carriage ( 11 ) in the upward direction, which stop ( 13 ) can be manually set according to the contact made by the advancing film ( 1 ) with the blade ( 7B). One such predetermined stop (13) may be in the form of a linear structural member or a stud mounted on the horizontal frame (3). The air cylinder (9) facilitates the movement of the guide roller carriage (11) so that the guide roller (12) carrying the advancing film (1) around the pivot (16) while maintaining a certain amount of tension in the advancing film (1) can be brought to near the blade (7B) or touching the blade (7B). This rotational movement about the pivot (16) can be achieved by any means, such as a hydraulically actuated member or a linear guide which provides a linear movement to the guide roller carriage (11) by means of the pivot (16) ) into a rotational movement.

As shown in Figures 2 and 7, position sensors are present on the vertical frame (2) as well as on the horizontal frame (3). These position sensors determine the position of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6). The position of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) can also be determined by using proxy sensors, limit switches, potentiometers, laser beams, ultrasonics, infrared, sonar, lasers, and face displacement sensors. any known sensing method.

The working position sensor (15) is attached to the horizontal frame (3), while the top position sensor (17) and the maintenance position sensor (18) are attached to the vertical frame (2).

Once the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is in the vicinity of the work position sensor (15), a machine controller (not shown) commands the gear motor (5) to stop and ensures that the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is now in Working position (6C). Furthermore, once the cutter carrier assembly (6) is in the vicinity of the top position sensor (17), the gear motor (5) stops and ensures that the cutter carrier assembly (6) is in the top position (6A). Likewise, if the cutter carrier assembly (6) comes into the vicinity of the service position sensor (18), the gear motor (5) stops and ensures that the cutter carrier assembly (6) is in the service position (6B).

In another aspect of the present invention, the position of the service position sensor (18) can be changed to change the service position (6B) and stop the cutter carrier assembly (6) at the convenience of the operator (19).

In a further aspect of the present invention, the cutter carrier assembly (6) can be manually stopped at a desired height from the maintenance platform (14) by a stop command according to the height and convenience of the operator (19), Therein the service position sensor (18) can be bypassed. The method of replacing the cutting guide (7) involves the following steps: a. When the cutter guide rail (7) needs to be replaced, the advancing film (1) advances and stops. b. The cutter rail carrier assembly (6) together with the cutter rail (7) is moved up from its working position (6C) to its top position (6A) until it is in the top position (6A), thereby making it compatible with the advance Membrane (1) comes off. c. Once the cutter carrier rail assembly (6) is sensed by a top position sensor (17), it stops. The upward movement of the cutter guide carrier assembly (6) is achieved by a gear motor (5). d. The advancing film (1) is then manually removed from the vicinity of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6). e. Rotate the guide roller bracket (11) down about a pivot (16) to remove it from the vicinity of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6). f. The cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is moved down from its top position (6A) to a service position (6B). g. Once the cutter carrier rail assembly (6) is sensed by a service position sensor (18), it stops. The downward movement of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is achieved by a gear motor (5). h. The cutter rail (7) is then manually removed from the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) and placed on the service platform (14). i. Place the replacement cutter rail (7) in the cutter rail carrier assembly (6). j. After replacing the cutter rail (7), now move the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) back to its top position (6A). k. Once the cutter carrier rail assembly (6) is sensed by a top position sensor (17), it stops. The upward movement of the cutter guide carrier assembly is achieved by a gear motor (5). l. Rotate the guide roller bracket (11) back to its working position (6C). m. Next, pass the advancing film (1) over the guide roll (12). n. Lower the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to its own working position (6C) until it is sensed by the working position sensor (15) and stops. o. Now, the advance of film (1) starts to be output as all film (1A).

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the maintenance position-2 (6B) can be anywhere from the working position of the rail carrier assembly (6) to about 0.5 meters above ground level. In particular, it can be at one of the heights at which a pair of operators (19) find it easiest to remove the cutter rail (7) from the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) and replace it with a new cutter rail. Therefore, the maintenance location (6B) depends on the convenience of the operator (19). The system of the present invention can determine the actual maintenance position-2 (6B) to suit a particular operator (19) depending on the height of a particular operator (19) or other safety measures.

It will be apparent from the above description that the present invention has several embodiments.

In a preferred embodiment, it provides a cutting device having a semi-automatically replaceable cutter guide (7) for cutting an advancing plastic film (1) into a slitting tape (1A). A characterized aspect of the invention is that the device comprises: - a vertical frame (2) attached to the floor; and a horizontal frame (3) attached to the vertical frame (2) near the top of the vertical frame (2), - a vertical rail (4) attached to the vertical frame (2) - a cutter rail carrier assembly (6) consisting of a cutter rail bracket (10) on which the cutter rail (7) is mounted, - a gear motor (5) attached to the vertical frame (2) to cause the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to move up and down, the movement taking place along the vertical rail (4), - A set of guide rollers (12), which are supported on a guide roller bracket (11) mounted on the horizontal frame (3) and rotatable about a pivot (16).

During the replacement operation of the cutter rail (7), the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) can move up and down along the vertical rail (4).

In another embodiment, the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is positioned during its operation at a working position (6C) to cut the advancing film (1) into slit film tapes (1A).

In a further embodiment, the up and down movement of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is limited between the top position (6A) and the service position (6B). Here, the top position (6A) is the position along the vertical rail (4) to which the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is raised from its working position (6C) when it is disengaged from the cutting operation, And the maintenance position (6B) at a variable position from the ground is where the cutter rail assembly (6) is lowered from the top position (6A) for the manual replacement thereof by an operator (19). a location.

In yet a further embodiment, the cutting device has: a top position sensor (17) mounted on the vertical frame (2) to sense the cutter rail assembly (6) reaching the top position (6A); a A working position sensor (15), which is mounted on the horizontal frame (3) to sense that the cutter guide rail assembly (6) reaches the working position (6C); and a maintenance position sensor (18), which is mounted on the The vertical frame (2) senses that the cutter guide rail assembly (6) reaches the maintenance position (6B).

In another embodiment of the cutting device, the maintenance position ( 6B ) is where the operator ( 19 ) performs the replacement operation of the cutter guide ( 7 ) and is determined by the operator ( 19 ) 0.5 meters above the ground level one of the locations.

In one or more embodiments of the cutting device, the rotational movement of the carriage (11) about the pivot (16) is effected by an air cylinder (9) mounted on the horizontal frame (2).

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semi-automated method of replacing the cutter guide (7) provided on a cutting device uses the device as described in the preceding paragraph to cut an advancing plastic film (1) into slitting tapes (1A). A characterization aspect of the method includes the following steps: a. Stop the advancing membrane (1) and advance; b. The cutter rail (7) and the advancing film by moving the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) up to the top position (6A) and stopping the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) at this position break away, c. Manually removing the advancing film (1) from its operating path and out of the downward path of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6), d. Make the bracket (11) of the guide roller rotate downward around the pivot (16), e. Move the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) down from its top position (6A) to a service position (6B) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) there, f. Remove the blunt cutter rail (7) from the cutter rail carrier assembly (6), g. Move the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to the top position (6A) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) at this position, h. Rotate the guide roller bracket (11) up around the pivot (16) to its working position, i. Set the film back to its working position (6C) by passing the film over the guide rollers (12) and into the path of the cutter guide (7), j. Lower the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to its working position (6C) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) at this position to produce the slit film.

In one embodiment of the aforementioned method, the upward movement of steps b and g and the downward movement of step e of the cutter guide assembly (6) are performed by a gear motor (5).

In a further embodiment of the method, the rotational movement of the carriage (11) is performed by a piston attached to the cylinder (9).

In another embodiment of the method, stopping the cutter rail carrier assembly in steps b, e, g and j transmits according to the respective sensors that sense the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) reaching the respective position one of the signals to execute.

In yet another embodiment of the method, the maintenance location (6B) is one of the distances from the ground plane at which the operator (19) performs the replacement operation of the cutter rail (7) and which is determined by the operator (19). Location.

In yet another embodiment of the method, the service location (6B) is variable in its position above the ground.

While the above description contains numerous details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as exemplification of one of its preferred embodiments. It must be recognized that modifications and variations based on the disclosure given above are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by the illustrated embodiments, but by the scope of the appended invention claims and their legal equivalents.

1: Advance film 1A: Cut film 2: Vertical frame 3: Horizontal frame 4: Vertical rail 5: Gear motor 6: Cutter rail carrier assembly 6A: Top position 6B: Maintenance position 6C: Working position 7: Cutter guide (7) 7A: Cutter core 7B: Blade (7B) 8: Motor 9: Cylinder 10: Cutter rail bracket 11: Guide roller bracket 12: Guide roller 13: Stopper 14: Platform 15: Working position sensor 16: Pivot 17: Top position sensor 18: Repair position sensor 19: Operator

Figure 1 shows a conventional system for replacing the cutter assembly

Figure 2 shows the system of the present invention

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of one of the cutter guides

Figure 4 shows the different cutting positions and the direction of movement of the cutter guide for changing the blade

Figure 5 shows six different positions of the cutter

Figure 6 shows a partial view of the invention in which there is movement of the guide roller carriage

Figure 7 shows a partial view of the invention in which the cutter rail assembly is present and its movement.

6: Cutter rail carrier assembly

19: Operator

Claims (17)

A cutting device having a semi-automatically replaceable cutter guide rail (7) for cutting an advancing plastic film (1) into a film-cutting tape (1A), characterized in that the device comprises: a vertical frame (2) attached to the floor; and a horizontal frame (3) attached to the vertical frame (2) near the top of the vertical frame (2), A vertical rail (4) attached to the vertical frame (2) A cutter rail carrier assembly (6), which is composed of a cutter rail bracket (10), the cutter rail (7) is mounted on the cutter rail bracket (10), a gear motor (5) attached to the vertical frame (2) to cause the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to move up and down on the vertical rail (4), A set of guide rollers (12), which are supported on a guide roller bracket (11), which is mounted on the horizontal frame (3) and can be rotated about a pivot (16), Wherein the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) can move up and down along the vertical rail (4) during the replacement operation of the cutter rail (7). The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is positioned during its operation in a working position (6C) for cutting the advancing film (1) into slit film tapes (1A). The cutting device of claim 1, wherein the up and down movement of the cutter guide carrier assembly (6) is limited between a top position (6A) and a maintenance position (6B). The cutting rail assembly of claim 2, wherein the top position (6A) is a position along the vertical rail (4) from its operative position when the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) is disengaged from the cutting operation (6C) is raised to this position and the service position (6B) is to lower the cutter rail assembly (6) from the top position (6A) to a position in order to replace the cutter rail (7). The cutting rail assembly of claim 4, wherein the replacement of the cutter rail (7) is performed manually by an operator (19). The cutting device of claims 1 to 5, wherein the device has a position sensor to sense the position of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) during the up and down movement along the vertical rail (4). The cutting device of claims 3 to 5, wherein the maintenance position (6B) is variable in its position above the ground. The cutting device of claims 1 to 7, wherein a top position sensor (17) is mounted on the vertical frame (2) to sense that the cutter rail assembly (6) reaches the top position (6A), a A work position sensor (15) is mounted on the horizontal frame (3) to sense that the cutter guide rail assembly (6) reaches the work position (6C), and a maintenance position sensor (18) is mounted on the on the vertical frame (2) to sense that the cutter guide rail assembly (6) reaches the maintenance position (6B). The cutting device of claims 3 to 8, wherein the maintenance position (6B) is a distance from the operator (19) at which the replacement operation of the cutter guide (7) is performed and determined by the operator (19) one of the ground plane locations. The cutting device of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rotational movement of the carriage (11) about the pivot (16) is achieved by an air cylinder (9) mounted on the horizontal frame (2). The cutting device of claims 8 to 10, wherein the sensors (15, 17 and 18) are selected from the group consisting of proxy sensors, limit switches, potentiometer type, laser beam type, ultrasonic, infrared, acoustic Any of the types of nano, laser, face displacement sensors. A semi-automatic method for replacing a cutter guide (7) provided on a cutting device according to claims 1 to 12 for cutting an advancing plastic film (1) into a slitting tape (1A), characterized in that the method Include the following steps: a. Stop the advance of the advancing membrane (1); b. Bring the cutter rail (7) to the top position (6A) by moving the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) up and stopping the advancing membrane detachment, c. Manually remove the advancing film (1) from its operating path and out of the downward path of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6), d. Rotate the guide roller bracket (11) down around the pivot (16), e. Move the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) down from its top position (6A) to a service position (6B) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) there, f. The cutter rail (7) is removed from the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) by an operator (19), g. Move the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to the top position (6A) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) at this position, h. Rotate the guide roller bracket (11) to its working position, i. Set the film back to its working position (6C) by passing the film over the guide rollers (12) and into the path of the knife guide (7), j. Lower the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) to its working position (6C) and stop the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) there. The method of claim 12, wherein the upward movement of steps b and g and the downward movement of step e of the cutter rail assembly are performed by a gear motor (5). The method of claims 12 and 13, wherein the rotational movement of the carriage (11) is performed by a piston attached to the cylinder (9). The method of claim 12, wherein the stopping of the cutter rail carrier assembly in steps b, e, g and j is based on respective sensors that sense the respective positions of the cutter rail carrier assembly (6) reached Send a signal to execute. The method of claims 12 to 15, wherein the maintenance location (6B) is at a distance determined by the operator (19) from where the operator (19) performs the replacement operation of the cutter guide (7) one of the planes. The method of claims 12 to 16, wherein the maintenance location (6B) is variable in its position above the ground.

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