GB2061234A - A web tail sealing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for sealing tails of convolutely wound webs including a pair of rolls (17, 18) for continuously rotating a web (A) to rewind a tail (T), a photoelectric assembly for sensing the tail (T), and an assembly (32, 34) for moving an adhesive-dispensing nozzle (35) across the moving tail (T) to apply a line of adhesive perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tail (T). Application of glue and speed of movement of nozzle (35) are controlled by further sensors (43, 44). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A web tail sealing apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for sealing the tail of convolutely wound rolls and, more particularly, rolls of web material such as toilet tissue and toweling.

For many years in the production of wound paper rolls such as toilet tissue it has been deemed necessary to secure the tail or the roll to the underlying convolution, particularly for handling during subsequent packaging. This has posed a dilemma because the more secure the adherence of the tail to the remainder of the roll (for purposes of ease of packaging), the more difficult it is for the ultimate customer to loosen the tail to unwind the roll.

Apparatus specifically designed for this purpose first came into existence in the early 1960's represented first by Ghisoni Patent 3,044,532 and subsequently by Tellier 3,393,105. Each of these made use of an air blast to partially unwind the roll (so as to provide tail), after which adhesive was applied to the tail and the roll rewound. Tellierwas an improvement on Ghisoni by virtue of applying the adhesive to the tail while the tail was in motion.

To seal tails of wound roll product before packaging, it is only practical to do so before a plurality of rolls is cut from each wound log, the logs being in the range of 65" to over 100" in length. To expose the tail for sealing, portions of the outer convolution (the tail) must by unfolded as the log moves in a direction parallel to its axis, or must be unwound if the log is rotated about its axis -- these approaches being well known and practiced in many different design variations. When the tail is exposed, any one of several well known methods of applying adhesive are used, with the most widely accepted practice being spray atomization of adhesive.The spray seal results in a commercially accepted sealed tail on one-ply product, or, if the adhesive has the proper penetrating characteristics, on a two-ply product, however, it is difficult to control adhesive consistency and take the proper degree so it will seal the tail but not seal two or three underlying convolutions.

As opposed to the spray, the inventive tail sealing system prouduces a thin pressure controlled line of adhesive which is applied close to the end of the tail, and having a tendency to penetrate the upper ply, causes more intimate bonding of the two plies before the tail is rewound and adhesively fastened to the log. This bonding between plies is very desirable to avoid unintentional unwinding of a single ply when the roll is first started. For aesthetic or other reasons, the thin line adhesive tail seal may also be preferred for one-ply wound roll product.

While an adhesive line seal has advantages in certain product applications, its application is limited to two approaches: first, unfolding a part of the outer convolution and applying the line of adhesive from a stationary dispensing means while the log is moving; or secondly, unwinding a portion of the outer convolution, and while the tail is stationary, traversing the web with a moving nozzle. This latter method is preferred because the end result is less wrinkling and closer control of the adhesive line relative to the end of the tail -- however, stopping web movement on each log is time consuming and production limiting.

The present invention proposes the application of laying down a thin, carefully controlled, line of adhesive across the tail while the web is moving in a rewinding direction thereby eliminating stoppage of the web, and resulting in increased production speeds for a tail sealing device.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the novel tail sealing apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan view to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a partially cut-away end view taken along line 3-3 in Figure 2.

The numeral 10 of Figure 1 designates generally the frame of the tail sealing apparatus. The frame 10 includes a pair of side members 11 and 12, an upper support bar 13, and a web support plate 14 --the supports 13 and 14 interconnecting the members 11 and 12.

A rocker arm or log kicker assembly 15, fully shown only in Figure 3, is horizontally mounted on a pivot shaft 16 between the side members 11 and 12.

Rocker arm 15 is partially shown in phantom in Figure 1. The rocker arm 15 pivots under the urging of a cylinderto kick or push a wound web onto a pair of cradle rolls 17 and 18 which are rotatably mounted by bearings 19 in the side members 11 and 12. The two rolls 17,18 support and rotate a wound web roll A by a suitable drive (not shown) as the shaft of the driven roll 17 extends through its right hand bearing 19 (see Figure 2). The drive mechanism causes the driven roll 17 to rotate in a clockwise direction about its axis (as viewed in Figure 3). When a wound web roll A is cradled between the pair of rolls 17 and 18, the clockwise rotation of the driven roll 17 causes a counterclockwise rotation of the wound web roll A which, in turn, causes a clockwise rotation of the idler roll 18.

An air blast manifold 20 is horizontally mounted by the side members 11 and 12 above and slightly to the right of the wound web A, as shown in Figure 3.

A number of slits 21 are defined across the face of the manifold 20 approximately at an angle of 45" to wound web A. The slots 21 permit pressurized air from the manifold 20 to blow the tail T of the wound web roll A to the left and onto the support plate 14, as shown at TE in phantom in Figure 3, while the wound web A is rotated about its axis. Subsequently, tail end is rewound as the web roll A continues to be rotated counterclockwise.

A photo-electric device 22 is mounted in the support plate 14 to detect the tail and "reset" control circuits as it is unwound. the photo-electric device 22 acts as a trigger once the rewinding end of the tail passes by the photoelectric device 22 and the image of the photoelectric device 22 is reflected by a mirror 23 which is suitably mounted on the frame 10.

A rail 24 extends between the side members 11 and 12 and has an inverted T-shape in cross-section, as shown particularly in Figure 3, and is positioned below and parallel to the support bar 13. A bracket 25 (see the left hand portion of Figure 1) is mounted within the side frame member 11 by bolts 26 and supports and connects the left ends of the support bar 13 and the rail 24 via bolts 27. Similarly, a bracket 28, mounted within the side frame member 12 by bolts 29, supports and connects the right hand ends ofthe support bar 13 and the rail 24 via bolts 30. In addition, the rail 24 is further stabilized and connected to the support bar 13 by connecting bolts 31.

Both the support bar 13 and the rail 24 are slightly skewed upstream from a perpendicular to the direction of tail travel as tail T is being rewound.

A carriage member 32 (see particularly the right hand side of Figure 2) is slidably attached to the T-shaped rail 24to move therealong a predetermined distance as between stops 33. One side of the carriage member 32 has a bracket 34 attached thereto. A spray nozzle 35 is vertically mounted on the bracket 34 to discharge downwardly. The nozzle 35 is connected to one end of a coiled adhesive supply hose 36. The other end of the hose 36 is connected to a valve 37 mounted on a V-shaped support assembly 38 which is attached to the support bar 13. The valve 37 is connected to an adhesive supply (not shown).Thus, as the carriage member 32 traverses the tail T from position 33A to 33B while the tail is rewinding in the direction of Tv, adhesive is allowed by the control valve 37 to flow, and a line of adhesive is laid down on the tail T by the nozzle 35, the line being parallel to tail end TE because of the skew arrangement of the rail 24.

For traversing the carriage member 32, a motor 39 is mounted in the side member 12 and is coupled to a horizontally positioned driven pulley 40. In the side member 11, an idler pulley 41 is horizontally mounted on the bracket 25. A belt cable 42 runs between the side members 11 and 12 and is entrained in the pulleys 40 and 41. The path of the belt cable 42 between the two side members 11, 12 is also slightly skewed upstream from a perpendicular to the direction of tail travel so as to be parallel to the support bar 13 and the rail 24. The cable 42 is attached to the bottom of the carriage member 32.

Thus, the carriage member 32 can travel along the rail 24 when the motor 39 is activated --as by photoelectric device 22.

Photoelectric devices 43 and 44 are mounted in brackets 45 and 46, respectively, and attached to the support bar 13 by bolts 47 and 48. The photoelectric devices 43 and 44 are mounted so as to be aligned with the longitudinal side edges of the tail Tand act to detect the passing of the carriage member 32.

Both photoelectric devices 43 and 44 as well as the photoelectric device 22 are electrically connected to digital circuitry (not shown) which operates the motor 39, and subsequently the tail sealing apparatus, in the following manner: In operation a wound web roll A is advanced on a conveyor belt apparatus B until it is aligned with the cradle rolls 17 and 18. Then the rocker arm 15 pivots about the pivot shaft 16 and pushes the wound web roll A onto the rolls 17 and 18. Thereafter, driven the roll 17 begins rotating in clockwise direction as shown in Figure 3, thereby causing a counterclockwise motion of the web A. When the tail T of the web roll A becomes exposed to the air stream provided by the air blast manifold 20, the tail T unwinds to the left through the various positions designated TA, Te, Tc and TD until it is stretched out over the support plate 14 as atT.A conventional mechanism for actuating the rocker arm 15 and air blast may be employed and is therefore omitted for clarity of illustration.

As the driven roll 17 continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction the tail T begins to be rewound (in direction Tv of Figure 2) onto the web roll A. When the tail end passes by photoelectric device 22, a reflection is detected by the mirror 23 to activate the motor 39. The initial position of the carriage member 32 and spray nozzle 34 is indicated in phantom in Figure 2 as at 32'. Once the motor 39 is activated, the driven pulley 40 begins turning to accelerate the carriage member 32 until a desired speed is attained -- this by the time the nozzle 35 is positioned over the right longitudinal edge of the tail T. This occurs when the carriage member 32 is detected by the photoelectric device 44. Thereafter, the carriage member 32 and the nozzle 35 travel across the tail Tat a constant speed.When the carriage member 32 passes the photoelectric device 44, the valve 37 is opened to enable a thin line of adhesive to be sprayed from the nozzle 35 as the carriage member 32 transverses the tail T. This continues until the carriage member 32 is detected by the other photoelectric device 43 positioned along the other longitudinal edge of the tail T and which delivers a signal closing the valve 37 to terminate spraying. Then the motor 39 acts to decelerate the speed of the carriage member 32 until the carriage member 32 comes to a complete stop.

Thereafter, the carriage member 32 and the nozzle 35 return to their original positions by traveling back across the rail 24. The direction of the rail 24 is slightly skewed so as to enable the sprayed line of adhesive to extend in a direction perpendicularto length of the web, i.e., transversely as the tail is completely rewound onto the web, the adhesive attaches to the previously wound layer thereby completing sealing of the web. The sealed wound web (log) is discharged from the tail sealing apparatus by introducing another wound web (log) onto the rolls 16 and 17. As the rocker arm 15 kicks the new wound web (log) onto the rails 16 and 17, the sealed web (log) is pushed onto the support plate 14 and thereafter removed.

In the foregoing illustration, the tail sealing system employed is described as an independent freestanding unit down-stream of the rewinding operation, and it receives fully rewound logs from the rewinder (as at position B) in order to complete the tail sealing function. It will be appreciated, that similar tail sealing means can be employed directly on the rewinderand mounted between the main rewinderframes, said means including air blast tubes, photoelectric sensing devices, at least one rotating roll which contacts the outside surface of the wound web (log) causes it to rotate in a direction that will rewind the extended tail, and the associated adhesive applying means including a skewed rail support to compensate for movement of the web while the adhesive nozzle traverses the web, and thus, results in a line of adhesive that is parallel to the tail end TE in the rewound tail sealed roll.

While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of a specific embodiment of the invention was set forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that many details given herein may be varied considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims (5)

1. An apparatus for sealing the tails of convolutely wound webs, the apparatus comprising a frame, means on said frame for rotating a log of convolutely wound material and for developing a moving tail therefrom, means on said frame for sensing said moving tail, means on said frame responsive to said sensing means for moving a lightweight adhesivedispensing nozzle across said web adjacent the moving tail thereof to apply a thin, carefullycontrolled line of adhesive perpendicular to the direction of movement of said tail, said moving means including a path providing member skewed at a minor acute angle to said perpendicular, said responsive means including mechanism for moving said nozzle according to the following program: accelerating said nozzle from a starting point on one side of said tail toward said tail, maintaining movement of said nozzle at a constant velocity across the width of said tail, decelerating said nozzle on the other side of said tail, and reversing the direction of movement to return said nozzle to said starting point.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said sensing means includes a photoelectric device assembly for detecting the tail as it is developed and subsequently for detecting the end of the tail as it is rewound.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 in which said means for moving said nozzle across said web includes an inverted T-shaped rail horizontally mounted between first and second side members of said frame, carriage means slidably attached to said rail for mounting said nozzle to discharge downwardly, driving means coupled to said carriage means for traversing said spray nozzle across said tail and returning said spray nozzle to its original position, means for starting said driving means when said photoelectric device assembly detects the end of the tail, and means for activating said adhesive-dispensing nozzle from one side of the tail portion to the other side thereof as said nozzle traverses said tail.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which said driving means includes motor means in combination with a pulley drive cable assembly positioned parallel to said rail wherein the cable of the pulley assembly is attached to said carriage means.

5. An apparatus for sealing the tails of convolutely wound webs constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.