WO2003010079A1 - Method and device for the automatic removal/insertion of coils in a coil-forming/-transforming machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for the automatic removal/insertion of coils in a coil-forming/-transforming machine comprising a unit (4) for winding strip material on a mandrel (2a, 2b) which is fixed to a coil-supporting shaft (7, 12). The coil-supporting shaft is supported in the unit (4) at the ends thereof by means of coupling elements (8). The shaft (7, 12) supporting a mandrel (2b) with a full coil (1) is replaced by a coil-supporting shaft (7, 12) with an empty mandrel (2a), said method consisting in: unfastening the coupling elements (8) of the coil-supporting shaft (7, 12) in the winding unit (4), raising and supporting the full coil (1) and removing said coil-supporting shaft (7, 12) with the full coil (1) to an external area; supporting the coil-supporting shaft (7, 12) using one of the ends thereof (7a, 12a) while the mandrel (2a) with the full coil (1) is replaced by the empty mandrel (2b) by means of axial insertion/removal movements; and returning the coil-supporting shaft (7, 12) with the empty mandrel (2a) which is supported by the aforementioned end (7a, 7b) in the coupling elements (8) of the winding unit (4).

Description

 EVACUATION / INTRODUCTION PROCEDURE AND DEVICE

AUTOMATIC COILS IN A MACHINE

TRAINER / TRANSFORMER OF THE SAME

Technical field

The present invention concerns an automatic winding evacuation process, applicable to machines of the type comprising a winding unit in which a material in the form of a continuous band is wound in a hollow cylindrical core or core which is fixed on a Bobbin holder shaft by means of a fluid dynamic fixing device, in which procedure an axis carrying a mandrel on which a complete coil is wound is replaced by an axis carrying an empty mandrel.

The present invention also concerns a device for carrying out said process. Both the device and the procedure are equally applicable to machines where the reverse operation is performed, that is, the replacement of an axle carrying an empty mandrel by an axis carrying a mandrel with a full coil.

Technical background

Machines are known from the state of the art comprising a winding or unwinding unit of a continuous sheet material in which a replacement operation of a complete coil by an empty coil core is performed regularly, or vice versa. Generally, the core of the coil is a hollow cylindrical body, of a lightweight material, such as cardboard or plastic, commonly called "mandrel" in the sector technique, strung and fixed on a bobbin holder shaft suitable for operation in the winding unit or unwound. The mandrel is fixed to the shaft by means associated with the latter, whose means usually comprise an inflatable member that operates retractable supports distributed regularly along the cylindrical surface of the bobbin holder shaft. The swelling and deflation of said member is carried out through a hole, coaxially located at one end of the shaft, provided with a check valve. In active arrangement, the bobbin holder shaft protrudes at both ends of the mandrel and comprises final configurations suitable for being received in respective couplings associated with rotary drive means of the winding or unwinding unit. In a conventional embodiment, said couplings are capable of being partially opened to allow the placement or removal of the bobbin holder shaft in a radial direction thereto or of being closed to effect the support, guidance and actuation of the shaft rotation during a work cycle.

The aforementioned replacement of a complete coil with an empty mandrel implies, as a general rule, to remove from the winding station the whole assembly formed by the shaft, the mandrel fixed thereto and the complete coil wound on said mandrel; remove the shaft inside the mandrel on which the coil is formed having previously deflated the pneumatic fixing means, place an empty mandrel on the shaft, now free; fixing said mandrel by swelling said fixing means; and place the shaft carrying the empty mandrel again in the winding unit. Obviously, in the case of a rewind unit, the process would be the reverse.

To minimize the downtime necessary to carry out the evacuation or introduction of coils in the winding or unwinding unit, two or more interchangeable bobbin carrier shafts are advantageously used. During the time that the unit is winding the sheet material on a mandrel fixed to a first axis an empty mandrel is prepared on a second axis. When the coil has been completed, the machine is stopped and the said first axis is removed from the winding unit, which is the carrier of the mandrel on which the complete coil is wound, and the second axis is immediately placed in said unit The empty mandrel, prepared in advance. Then, while the unit is winding the sheet material on the mandrel fixed to the second axis, the operation of extracting the first axis of the mandrel with complete coil is carried out and prepared with an empty mandrel fixed on it for the next replacement operation , and so on. Also known in the state of the art are machines equipped with two shafts for changing coils, in which the winding or unwinding unit comprises a rotating shaft exchanger device provided of two sets of brackets or couplings, one for each of said two axes. These two sets of couplings are arranged so that the device can cyclically permute the positions of said shafts between a working position in the winding or unwinding unit and a position suitable for replacement operations. This device has means for transversely cutting the sheet material at the end of the complete coil and fixing the free end generated to the empty mandrel to start the formation of a new coil at the same time as it performs the permutation of the axes positions without stopping the gear, which completely eliminates the dead time required for evacuation or introduction of coils.

However, in the state-of-the-art machines, the aforementioned operations of evacuation or introduction of coils, either with momentary stop of the unit or without downtime in the same, are carried out completely manually or, taking into account the great weight that can reach the bobbin holder axles and complete coils, with the help of cranes, forklifts, shifters, etc. This way of operating generally requires the intervention of more than one operator and a space attached to the machine enabled to comfortably allow the axial extraction of the bobbin holder shaft inside the coil, etc., which translates into a high economic cost. In addition, the use of cranes and moving cars in combination with manual operations by operators carries a risk of accidents for them.

BRIEF EXPOSURE OF THE INVENTION The objective of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for automatic coil replacement, applicable to machines of the type described above, in which all the above operations are performed automatically and without the intervention of an operator

This objective is achieved, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a method applied to a winding unit in which a bobbin holder shaft is replaced by carrying a mandrel with a complete coil formed on it by a bobbin holder shaft carrying an empty mandrel. The procedure includes performing the following cyclically and automatically sequence of steps. First, said bobbin holder shaft is uncoupled by carrying a mandrel with full coil of the winding unit couplings and the assembly is moved, by means of translation means that support the coil supported below, to a discharge station located outside the operation area of the winding unit. Then, in said unloading station the bobbin holder shaft is secured by one of its ends by means of fastening means, so that said axis is capable of being kept in cantilever. Then the pneumatic device for fixing the mandrel to the shaft is deactivated and the complete coil wound on the corresponding mandrel is axially removed, by the free shaft end, opposite the clamping. The empty bobbin holder axis is then positioned, while being held in a cantilever by said fastening means, in a loading station where an empty mandrel is axially skewered on said axis, by said free end, and the mandrel fixing device is activated to the axis. Finally, the bobbin holder shaft carrying an empty mandrel is positioned, while still being held in overhang by said fastening means, in the winding unit couplings, said couplings are closed by coupling said shaft with empty mandrel and said means are released and removed. subjection. Preferably, in order to minimize downtime in the winding or unwinding unit, first and second interchangeable bobbin axes are used, capable of being held by said fastening means at different moments of the sequence, and the steps are they realize that said first axis carrying an empty mandrel is reinstalled in the couplings of the winding unit as soon as they are free after having said second axis carrying a mandrel with full coil, then making the said replacement of mandrels on said second axis while the sheet material is wound on the mandrel of the first bobbin holder axis in the winding unit, or vice versa. Thus, the first and second reel axes alternate their positions and functions in successive cycles and the winding unit only remains idle for the minimum time necessary to perform such replacement. Preferably, the winding unit includes said device Shaft exchanger to quickly swap the two bobbin holder shafts between the winding position and a position suitable for coil replacement operations.

For the operation of loading mandrels to the bobbin holder axis, the method comprises loading an empty mandrel from an empty mandrel delivery station to a mobile support provided with at least one axial displacement aligned with the bobbin holder axis, while it is held in cantilever by the clamping means in the loading station, to skew said empty mandrel by the free end of the shaft to the clamping and release the mandrel in a predetermined position. Then, said fixing device is activated by coupling an injection nozzle to an axial hole located at said end of the bobbin holder axis while it is held by said fastening means in said charging station, whose nozzle injects a fluid, preferably air, inside said inflatable member associated with the shaft and forming part of said fixing device. Then said injection nozzle is removed, and a quantity of fluid is retained under pressure inside said inflatable member thanks to a check valve.

Conversely, for the operation of deactivating said fixing device in the unloading station, a emptying nozzle is coupled to said axial hole located at the end of said bobbin holder axis while it is held by said clamping means. This drain nozzle deactivates said check valve allowing the emptying of the fluid retained inside the inflatable member through it. Once the inflatable member has been deflated, said emptying nozzle is removed to allow the sequence of steps to continue.

The method of the invention includes, in the case of replacement of coils in a winding unit, and before decoupling the bobbin holder shaft carrying the full-coil mandrel of the winding unit couplings, the additional steps of moving said means of translation to a position close to the entire coil, preferably below it, rotate the said complete coil together with its corresponding axis, by means of an auxiliary device associated with said means of translation, until the ends of said axis reach a predetermined release position, and adhere the free end of said continuous web of the coil to the immediately lower layer by said auxiliary device.

In accordance with the present invention a device is also provided for carrying out the automatic coil replacement procedure set forth above. The device, applied to a machine with a winding unit, essentially comprises translation means capable of being placed under a complete coil wound on a mandrel fixed to a bobbin holder axis in said winding unit, raising the entire coil by means of associated lifting means to said translation means for decoupling the ends of the bobbin holder shaft from the couplings of the winding station, being in an open situation, and moving the entire coil to a discharge station, and fastening means capable of holding said bobbin holder shaft in cantilever, in a substantially horizontal position, gripping it by one of its ends, while displacement means associated with said clamping means act to move the bobbin holder shaft and keep it successively in different locations of the device where other means are arranged to perform different operations on said axis . In the first place, said fastening and displacement means are capable of maintaining the cantilever shaft in said unloading station where transfer means are arranged to transfer, once deactivated the corresponding fixing device of the mandrel to the axis, said complete coil wound on the mandrel from its position on said translation means located in this discharge station to adjacent exit conveyor means, making an axial displacement of the coil along the axis. Next, the clamping and displacement means are capable of holding the cantilever shaft in a loading station, where driven loading means are arranged to take an empty mandrel from an empty mandrel delivery station, insert it axially in said axis bobbin holder and release it on it in a predetermined position, in which activation means activate the corresponding device for fixing the mandrel to the shaft. Finally, the fastening and displacement means are capable of positioning the bobbin holder axis, while being held in a cantilever with the empty mandrel fixed thereto, in the open couplings of said winding unit, and of releasing said axis in said couplings.

It should be noted that, although in general the placement of an empty mandrel or the removal of a mandrel with a full coil is mentioned, the device of the present invention is adapted, for example in those cases in which the machine has an apparatus for longitudinally cutting the sheet material at the entrance of the winding unit in order to simultaneously form several adjacent partial coils, for the placement of several partial mandrels, one after the other in the axial direction, on the same axis of the bobbin holder in order of providing an individual mandrel for each of said partial coils. The device handles both the several empty partial mandrels and the several complete partial coils as if they were a single mandrel and a single complete coil respectively. In an exemplary embodiment, the mandrel loading means includes individualized clamping means for each partial mandrel, thanks to which they are also able to place the various adjacent partial mandrels on the bobbin holder axis by making small displacements after each separate release one of them to leave a preselected separation distance between them.

A device according to the present invention applied to introducing complete coils into an unwinding unit comprises essentially the same means for performing the same functions, although they act in reverse and carrying out the steps of the procedure set out above in reverse order. . For example, the clamping means remove a shaft with an empty mandrel from the unwinding unit and the translation means immediately place a complete coil on it, instead of removing, the translation means, a complete coil from the winding unit and place, the fastening means, an axis with empty mandrel in it, etc. The device of the present invention has the advantage that all coil evacuation / introduction operations are carried out in a fully automatic manner, without labor intervention, governed by centralized and programmable control means in accordance with the operations of the machine to which the device is associated. In addition, the device of the invention carries out the aforementioned evacuation / introduction operations of coils in a small and protected space, which makes the risk of accidents for the operators practically nil. On the other hand, the device is easily adaptable to the majority of existing machines in which the change of coils is carried out completely manually or manually assisted by mechanical elements.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, which is provided for illustrative purposes only and not limitation, the description of which includes references to attached drawings, in which: Figs. 1A-1 F are three-dimensional diagrams illustrating the steps of the process of the present invention applied to a winding unit provided with bobbin shaft exchanger; Figs. 2A-2B are three-dimensional diagrams illustrating a variant of the process of the present invention applied to a winding unit devoid of bobbin shaft exchanger; Figs. 3A-3D are two-dimensional schemes that illustrate the steps of the process of the present invention applied to a winding unit devoid of bobbin case exchanger and using a double arm as a means of clamping and displacement of the axes; Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views taken from reverse angles respectively showing the area of a winding unit of a machine to which the device according to the present invention is applied and the area of the loading and unloading units of the device; Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of detail VI of Fig. 5, showing the axle clamping means and the displacement means associated therewith; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation view showing the loading means of empty mandrels to the bobbin holder shaft. Detailed description of a preferred embodiment

The following description, as well as the figures to which it refers, refers to the device of the invention applied to the replacement of axles with complete coils by axes with empty mandrel in a machine provided with a winding unit, although, as has been noted above, such a device would be equally applicable to the replacement of shafts with empty chucks with shafts with complete coils in a machine provided with a rewind unit, only with small changes or adaptations and, of course, with a different programming of the means of central control contemplating the steps of the procedure in reverse.

Also, the following description designates a mandrel in general with the numerical reference 2, an empty mandrel with the numerical reference 2a and a mandrel on which a complete coil with the numerical reference 2b is formed, although physically there is no difference between the same. Two bobbin-holder axes are also designated with numerical references 7 and 12, respectively, although they are physically identical and their situations and functions in the device cyclically permute, so that the designated axis, for example, as axis 7 in a given position is replaced later along axis 12 in the same position. In Figs. 1A-1 F illustrates the steps of the reel replacement procedure of the present invention applied to a winding unit of a machine working with a flexible laminar material 1a in the form of a continuous band, such as, for example, a flexographic printing machine or similar.

In Fig. 1A a coil is shown in an advanced state of formation, being wound on a mandrel 2 fixed to a first bobbin holder shaft 7 placed in a first position 28 of a conventional bobbin case exchanger device, in whose first position 28 the axis 7 it is aligned with the axis of rotation of a winding unit 4. A second bobbin holder shaft 12, on which an empty mandrel 2a is fixed, is placed in a second position 29 of the bobbin shaft exchanger device by means of fixing and moving means 9 of axes 7, 12, whose second position 29 is suitable for replacing coils themselves. This axle exchange device, known per se, is capable of exchanging the axes 7 and 12 between said first and second positions 28, 29 performing at the same time an automatic cross-cutting operation of the sheet material 1 a and fixing the free edge generated to the empty mandrel 2a to start the formation of the next coil without stopping the operation of machine. In Fig. 1 B the bobbin axle exchange device has made a 180 ° rotation and has exchanged the positions of axes 7 and 12, that is, the first axis 7, bearing the mandrel 2b with the complete coil 1 has passed to the second position 29 while the second axis 12, carrying the mandrel 2a, empty, has passed to the first position 28, where the leading edge of the material in the form of a continuous band, generated by a transverse cut of the same when the coil 1, has been turned on in the mandrel 2a and the material has begun to wind over the mandrel 2, initially empty, by virtue of the rotation of the second axis 12 in the winding station 4. Next, the evacuation procedure of coils of the present invention with the steps of raising supports associated with translation means 3, 5 until supporting the complete coil 1 below and decoupling said first bobbin holder shaft 7, which carries the mandrel 2b with complete coil 1, of corresponding couplings 8 that are in said second position 29 of the exchange device. Fig. 1 C illustrates the step of moving the complete coil assembly, mandrel 2b and shaft 7 by said means of translation 3, 5 to a discharge station 23 outside the operating area of the winding unit 4 and exchanger device

Then, as shown in Fig. 1 D, the steps of securing said bobbin holder shaft 7 by one of its ends 7a are carried out by means of fastening means 9 in said discharge station 23, deactivating a conventional device for fixing the mandrel to the shaft (not shown) and axially removing the complete coil 1, together with the mandrel 2b on which it was formed, by the free end 7b of the shaft 7 The following steps, illustrated in Fig. 1 E, they comprise positioning said fastening means 9, which keep the bobbin holder shaft 7 empty in a cantilever, in a loading station 24, axially skewering an empty mandrel 2a on said axis 7 by said free end 7b and finally activating said fixing device of the mandrel to the shaft, whereby the bobbin holder shaft 7 is prepared by carrying an empty mandrel 2a, as shown in Fig. 1 F.

The sequence of steps ends as started, so that after the situation illustrated in Fig. 1 F, similar steps are performed again as illustrated in Fig. 1A, that is, to position the bobbin holder shaft 7, which is held in a cantilever bearing the empty mandrel 2a by said fastening means 9, in the second position 29 of the axle exchange device, coupling said axis 7 with empty mandrel 2a by means of said couplings 8 and releasing and removing said fastening means 9 However, unlike Fig. 1A, now the bobbin holder shaft of the empty mandrel 2a is the first axis 7 instead of the second axis 12, which is now the holder of the mandrel 2b with the complete coil 1 wound on the same.

As will be observed, the first and second axes 7, 12 cyclically permutate their positions in the device and in the winding unit 4 so that when the coil is formed on one of them the other is manipulated by the device of the invention to effect the replacement of the complete coil 1, together with the mandrel 2b on which it has been formed, by an empty mandrel 2a. It is evident that one works with a plurality of initially empty mandrels, which are supplied to a mandrel delivery station and subsequently split together with the complete coils.

In the previous Figs. 1A-1 F, the method and device of the present invention replaces the complete coil 1 wound on a mandrel 2b fixed to a shaft 7 with a shaft 12 carrying an empty mandrel 2a in said second position 29 of the heat exchanger device axes As will be apparent to a person who is minimally skilled in the art, this axle exchanger is not strictly necessary for the method and device of the present invention, and is not part of it, although it is useful for eliminating any downtime from the unit. of winding 4 during the change of coils, by which most existing machines incorporate it.

In Figs. 2A-2B shows the device of the invention applied to a machine devoid of such a coil exchanger, where the unit of winding 4 stops momentarily when a coil has been completed, and the axis 7 carrying the mandrel 2b on which the complete coil 1 is wound is replaced by an axis 12 carrying an empty mandrel 2a directly in the working position of the unit of winding 4. In Fig. 2A, a coil in an advanced state of formation is being wound on a mandrel 2 fixed to a first bobbin holder shaft 7 in the working position of a winding unit 4. A second bobbin case shaft 12, on which is fixed an empty mandrel 2a, is supported in cantilever by means of fixing and displacement 9 of the axes 7, 12, waiting to be placed in said working position of the winding unit as soon as said first axis bobbin holder 7 carrier of the complete coil 1 and corresponding mandrel 2b has been removed by the translation means 3, 5 once the coil is completed. In Fig. 2B, the translation means 3, 5 have already removed the first bobbin holder shaft 7 bearing the mandrel 2b with the complete coil of the working position of the winding unit 4 and the clamping and displacement means 9 have placed the second axis 12 with an empty mandrel 2a in place. Next, the same steps as the process of the invention performs on the second position 29 in the example of Figs. 1A-1 F would serve to illustrate the steps that the process of the invention performs directly on the working position of the winding unit 4 in the example of Figs. 2A-2B.

In Figs. 3A-3D shows the steps of a variant of the process of the invention carried out by means of a device provided with a double arm 14 forming part of the clamping and displacement means 9 of the axes 7, 12, whose variant is described applied to a winding unit 4 devoid of an axle exchanger although, as has been said repeatedly, it could be applied with equal efficiency to a winding unit 4 with an axle exchanger.

In Fig. 3A, a complete coil 1, wound on a mandrel 2 fixed to a first bobbin holder shaft 7, is in the working position of a winding unit 4 momentarily stopped to proceed to evacuate said complete coil 1. A second bobbin holder axis 12, on which an empty mandrel 2a is fixed, is supported in cantilever by one of the arms of the double arm 14 of the clamping and displacement means 9 of the axes 7, 12, waiting to be placed in said working position of the winding unit 4.

In Fig. 3B, the translation means 3, 5 remove the complete coil 1 formed on the mandrel 2b fixed to the first bobbin holder shaft 7 of the working position of the winding unit 4 and the clamping and displacement means 9 have placed the second axis 12 with an empty mandrel 2a in place by a 90 ° rotation and translational displacements of the double arm 14, both in the vertical and transverse direction, in a plane perpendicular to the axis. These translational displacements of the clamping and displacement means 9, 10, 14 are common to all the modalities of the process of the invention (although for clarity of the drawing they have not been represented in Figs. 1A-1 F and 2A-2B ) and serve to effect both the grip of the shafts and their placement in the couplings 8 in a vertical radial direction, and to precisely center the shafts on the different units and stations of the device.

In Fig. 3C, the clamping and displacement means 9, 14 release the second axis 12 with empty mandrel 2a in the winding unit 4 and, by means of a translational displacement, are positioned so that the other arm of the double arm 14 grab the end 7a of the first shaft 7 at the unloading station 23. With the first shaft 7 supported in a cantilever at the unloading station 23, the complete coil 1 formed on the corresponding mandrel 2b is removed.

In Fig. 3D, the clamping and displacement means 9, 14 position the first cantilever-supported shaft 7 in the loading station 24, where an empty mandrel 2a will be axially placed. Meanwhile, the winding unit 4 is forming a new coil by winding the sheet material 1a on the mandrel 2 fixed to the second axis 12, and so on cyclically alternating the axes 7 and 12 their positions in the device. They are detailed below, with reference to Figs. 4 to 7, the means provided by the device of the present invention to carry out the procedure described above in relation to Figs. 1A-1 F, that is, machine applied with a winding unit provided with a device shaft exchanger However, said means would be, with small variations, equally valid for the variants of the procedure illustrated in Figs. 2A-2B and 3A-3D.

Thus, in Fig. 4 an axis exchange device is shown that is part of a winding unit 4 integrated or associated with a machine (for example, a flexographic printer, not shown) where a flexible sheet material 1 is in the form of A continuous band is wound in a hollow cylindrical core 2, which is fixed on a bobbin holder shaft 7 by means of a fluid-dynamic fixing device known per se, and is therefore not illustrated. This conventional fixing device comprises an inflatable member that drives retractable supports distributed regularly along the cylindrical surface of the bobbin holder axis 7. The swelling and deflation of said member is carried out through a hole, coaxially located at one end of the axis 7, whose hole communicates with the inflatable member through a check valve.

When a mandrel 2 is fixed to an axis 7 by means of the fixation device in active situation, ends 7a, 7b of the bobbin holder shaft protrude at both ends of the mandrel 2. These ends 7a, 7b of the axis have a configuration suitable for being received in respective couplings 8 of the axle exchanger of the winding unit 4, which includes rotary drive means of said bobbin holder shaft 7 connected to said couplings 8. These couplings 8 comprise assemblies capable of opening automatically to allow placement or extraction of the bobbin holder shaft in a radial vertical direction thereto, or of closing to constitute the support, guidance and actuation of the rotation of the axis 7 during a work cycle.

The aforementioned axle exchange device of the winding unit 4 of the illustrated machine is of a conventional type, and acts to permute the positions of two bobbin holder axes 7, 12 between a first position 28, aligned with the axis of rotation of the unit of winding 4, and a second position 29, in an accessible place to carry out the evacuation of the coil. This device is formed by a pair of arms 26, facing each other, mounted on a rotating shaft 27. At each end of each of said arms 26 one of said couplings 8 is fixed and each arm 26 is connected to said rotating shaft 27 at its middle part, equidistant from the corresponding couplings 8, so that two pairs of couplings 8 are mutually facing and aligned symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotating shaft 27. This axle exchange device is arranged so that one of said pairs of aligned couplings 8, bearing one of the bobbin case axes, is in said first position 28, aligned with the axis of rotation of the winding unit 4, while the other couple of aligned couplings 8 is in said second position 29, suitable for the other of the bobbin holder axes to be operated by the device of the invention to effect the replacement of the mandrel 2b with complete coil 1 with an empty mandrel 2a about it. Thus, when the coil that is being formed on the mandrel 2 fixed on the axis that is in the first position 28 has been completed, the rotating shaft 27 performs a 180 ° rotation to exchange the positions between the axis 7 carrying the mandrel 2b with the complete coil and the shaft 12 with the empty mandrel 2a, previously placed in the pair of couplings 8 located in the second position 29. This exchange of positions is carried out, together with the cross-section of the continuous band and edge fixing Free front on the empty mandrel 2a, automatically and without stopping the machine.

It should be noted that the device of the present invention would be able to act using a single bobbin holder shaft, that is, the mandrel bearing shaft 2b with full coil 1 that is removed from the winding unit 4 and the shaft with empty mandrel 2a which is put in place could be the same bobbin holder axis from which the mandrel 2b with the complete coil 1 is removed and to which an empty mandrel 2a is fixed before being repositioned in the winding unit 4. However, with In order to minimize the dead time in the winding unit 4, it is preferable to have two identical, interchangeable axes 7, 12, which cyclically alternate their positions in the device. Referring now to Fig. 5, the device of the present invention comprises translation means 3, 5 capable of taking, lifting and moving the entire coil 1, wound on the mandrel 2b fixed to the bobbin holder shaft 7, from the couplings 8 located in the second position 29 to a unloading station 23. The device also comprises clamping means 9 capable of holding the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 by one of its ends 7a, 12a and displacement means 10, associated with said clamping means 9, to move the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 and keep it in cantilever successively at different locations of the device, in each of which a stage of the reel replacement procedure of the present invention is performed.

Said translation means 3, 5 comprise a mobile carriage 3 driven and guided to move horizontally through guides 45 between a site below the couplings 8 in said second position 29 and the unloading station 23. On said mobile carriage 3 a platform 5 carrying some supports 6, in the form of free-rotating rollers, which determine a cradle prepared to support the complete coil 1 wound on the mandrel 2b fixed to the bobbin holder axis 7, 12. The said platform 5 is capable of moving it vertically in both directions, driven, for example, by fluid dynamic cylinders (not shown), to lift the entire coil 1 and extract the ends 7a, 7b; 12a, 12b of axis 7, 12 of the corresponding couplings 8 in an open situation.

Note that Figs. 4 and 5, in addition to being viewed from inverse angles, correspond to different moments in the sequence of operations. Thus, in Fig. 4 the complete coil 1 is shown in dashed lines resting on the translation means 3, 5 in the discharge unit 23, while in Fig. 5 the axis 7 shown in broken lines is shown in the second position 29 of the axle exchange device. In Fig. 6 the aforementioned fastening and displacement means are shown in greater detail, which comprise a jaw 9 formed by a pair of jaws 13 driven by two linear actuators, such as fluid dynamic cylinders 30. This jaw assembly 9 is mounted at one end of an arm 10, which is actuated to pivot, in a plane transverse to the axis of rotation of the winding unit 4, with respect to an axis 31 located at its other end. This axis of rotation 31 is mounted on a mobile support 25 actuated to make displacements in both directions on a horizontal guide 32, which in turn is actuated to make displacements in both directions on another vertical guide 33 fixed in the frame of the device, said displacements being, both in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction, normal to the axis of rotation 31 of the arm 10.

These movements of rotation and translation of the arm 10 allow the jaw 9, open, to the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 to be approximated in a radial direction thereto until it is hugged, to close, in this position, the jaw 9, to hold and move the shaft 7, 12 cantilever at the aforementioned locations of the device and place and release the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 in the open jaws 8 located in said second position 29. It must be taken into account that to place or extract the ends of the jaw axis 8 is It is necessary to make a path in a vertical direction radial to the axis. The locations where said fastening means 9 successively maintain the cantilever shaft 7 are best seen in the previous Figs. 4 and 5 and are the following.

First, in said discharge station 23, where the clamping means 9 (Fig. 5) grab the end 7a of the bobbin holder shaft 7 protruding from the mandrel 2b on which the entire coil 1 is wound, while it rests on the supports 6 of the translation means 3, 5. In this discharge station 23 a drain nozzle 16 is arranged, which is actuated to engage the aforementioned axial access hole to the inflatable member of the chuck fixing means 2b to the shaft 7, 12 whose hole is located at said end 7a, 12a of said bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 and includes a check valve. This coupling of the drain nozzle 16 is carried out while the shaft 7 is held by said clamping means 9, whereby said check valve is deactivated and this allows emptying of the fluid retained inside the inflatable member of the fixing device . Once the fixing device has been released, the drain nozzle 16 is removed.

In the unloading station 23, transfer means 17, associated with said translation means 3, 5, are also arranged to transfer said complete coil 1 wound on the mandrel 2b, after deactivating the corresponding fixing device to the shaft from said unloading station to adjacent exit conveyor means 11. Preferably, said transfer means comprise a dynamic fluid cylinder without rod 17, disposed between the supports 6 of the mobile carriage 3, whose dynamic fluid cylinder 17 drives a fingernail 34 that moves in contact with one end of the complete coil 1 to effect an axial displacement thereof on the rollers of the supports 6 and up to some rollers of said output conveyor means 11, the shaft 7, 12 being supported in a cantilever by the jaw 9. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), these transfer means comprise motorized rollers performing the functions of the supports 6.

The clamping and displacement means 9, 10 are capable of placing the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12, bare and supported in a cantilever, in a loading station 24, better shown in Fig. 5, where loading means 21 are arranged, 22 actuated to take an empty mandrel 2a from a delivery station 20 of empty mandrels 2a, insert it axially into said bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 and release it thereon in a predetermined position. In said charging station 24 an injection nozzle 18 is located, which is connected to a supply source of a pressurized fluid, typically compressed air, and actuated to engage said axial hole of the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 while the same it is held by said fastening means 9, and once the empty mandrel 2a is located in said predetermined position on the axis 7, 12. The said injection nozzle 18 injects said fluid into said inflatable member associated with the axis 7, 12 through the corresponding check valve, and then decoupled leaving a sufficient amount of said fluid retained under pressure by said check valve inside said inflatable member, whereby the empty mandrel 2a is fixed to the axis 7, 12 .

In Fig. 6, said delivery station 20 of empty mandrels 2a is shown, which comprises an inclined plane with a slope towards a sliding carriage 21, whose plane is determined, for example, by parallel rods 35, held in a frame 39 which is articulated by one of its edges with respect to the frame of the device and supported by its opposite edge by adjustable straps 42, for example cables provided with two tensioners 46, by which a desired inclination can be set. On said inclined plane empty mandrels 2 are deposited to which they descend, by gravity, towards the lower edge of said inclined plane, where there is a retaining device 43 provided with a pivoting element, properly actuated, provided with two retaining arms 44 arranged so that, by an alternate rotation of said retention device 43, allow the passage of the empty mandrels 2a, one at a time, rolling by gravity from said inclined plane to parallel rollers 36 that form the base of said displacement carriage 21.

The shifting carriage 21 is mounted on a carriage 47 driven and guided to effect both a displacement on an upright 48, in an axial direction with respect to the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12 while it is held in a cantilever at said loading station 24, as a radial displacement with respect to axis 7, 12. Said axial displacement is made between a position in front of said delivery station 20 of empty mandrels 2a and said predetermined position on axis 7, 12, while the radial displacement is carried out with the in order to center the mandrel 2a with the bobbin holder axis during the introduction and to prevent the parallel rollers 36 from rubbing the mandrel or mandrels 2a during the return of the shifting carriage to its position in front of the delivery station 20. The shifting carriage 21 includes vertical guides 38 and a linear actuator, for example an electric gearmotor 40 and a spindle 41 (Fig. 5), to effect said displacement in radial direction to the axis.

The shifting carriage 21 comprises a base support, which is formed, in the example illustrated, by a pair of parallel rollers 36 separated from each other a suitable distance to provide a suitable cradle for the empty mandrel 2a, and a ram 22 in in the form of an angular profile disposed with its concavity in the lower part, and actuated by linear actuators, such as fluid dynamic cylinders 37, to effect a vertical displacement between a lower clamping position of the mandrel 2a and an upper releasing position thereof . As noted above, the device of the present invention is adapted for the placement of several empty mandrels 2a, one after the other, on the same axis of bobbin holder, in those cases in which the machine has an apparatus for cut the material lengthwise laminate 1st to the entrance of the winding unit. For this, the inclined plane of the delivery station 20 includes (although not illustrated) some separations for said partial chucks and the tamper is formed by independent segments, actuated separately, each tamper segment corresponding to one of the multiple aligned mandrels on the shaft. Thus, by proper coordination of the axial displacement of the displacer carriage 21 with a successive release of the mandrels on the axis 7, 12, it is possible to place the mandrels on the axis all together or leaving predetermined spaces between them. Finally (again Fig. 4), the clamping and displacement means 9,

10 place the bobbin holder shaft 7, 12, held in a cantilever position with the empty mandrel 2a fixed thereto, in said second position 29 of the couplings 8 of said axle exchanger device. During this operation, the couplings 8 arranged in second position 29 are openly superior, whereby the arm 10, by virtue of its movable support 25 and of the rotation axis 31, makes suitable rotational and translational movements to approximate the axis 7 , 12, with the empty mandrel 2a attached thereto, to said couplings 8 in a radial vertical direction thereto, and deposit and release the shaft 7, 12 in said couplings 8, which are then automatically closed, said shaft 7 remaining with empty mandrel 2a ready to replace shaft 7 with mandrel 2b with full coil 1 in said first position, in the winding unit 4, by a 180 ° rotation of the axle exchange device.

Having sufficiently described the invention so that one skilled in the art can carry it out, it should be noted that the described embodiment only has an illustrative and non-limiting nature, considering all those variations that fall within the scope of the attached claims.

Claims

1.- Procedure of automatic evacuation / introduction of coils in a forming / transforming machine thereof, whose machine is of the type comprising a winding unit (4) where a material in the form of a continuous band is wound on a mandrel or hollow cylindrical core (2a, 2b) fixed on a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by means of a fluid dynamic fixing device, said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) being supported at its ends by means of couplings (8) in said winding unit ( 4), where a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil (1) formed on it is replaced by a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a), characterized in that it comprises: uncoupling the couplings (8) of the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) in the winding unit (4), raising and supporting the entire coil (1) below and removing said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying said mandrel ( 2b) with full coil (1) up to u n area (23, 24) outside the operating area of the winding unit (4); holding said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by one of its ends (7a, 12a) in said area (23, 24) outside the operating area of the winding unit (4) while performing automatic substitution operations of the mandrel (2a) with full coil (1) by the empty mandrel (2b) by axial movements of insertion / extraction thereof by a free end (7b, 12b) of the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12); and reinstalling the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying said empty mandrel (2a) held by said end (7a, 7b) in the couplings (8) of the winding unit (4). 2. Method according to claim 1, applied to a winding unit (4) in which a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) is replaced carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil (1) formed on the same by a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a), characterized in that it comprises cyclically performing the following sequence of steps: decoupling said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying a mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) of the couplings (8) of the winding unit (4) and moving the assembly by means of translation means (3, 5) to a discharge station (23) outside the operating area of the winding unit (4); cantilever said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by one of its ends (7a, 12a) by means of fastening means (9) in said discharge station (23), deactivate said fixing device and axially remove the mandrel (2b ) with coil (1) at the opposite free end (7b, 12b); then positioning said fastening means (9) keeping the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) void overhang in a loading station (24), axially skewering an empty mandrel (2a) on said shaft (7, 12) by said end free (7b, 12b) and activate the fixing device; and finally positioning said fastening means (9) keeping the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a) cantilever in the winding unit (4), coupling said shaft (7, 12) with empty mandrel (2a ) to said couplings (8) and release and remove said fastening means (9). 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said sequence of steps is performed using interchangeable first and second axes (7, 12), capable of being held by said fastening means (9) at different times of the sequence, said first axis (7) being reinstalled carrying an empty mandrel (2a) in the couplings (8) of the winding unit (4) as soon as they are free after said second axis (12) has been removed ) carrying a mandrel (2b) with full coil (1), the aforementioned replacement of mandrels (2a, 2b) being carried out on said second axis (12) while the sheet material (1a) is wound on the mandrel (2a) of the first bobbin holder shaft (7) in the winding unit (4), alternating said first and second bobbin case shafts (7, 12) their positions and functions in successive cycles. 4. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes, before uncoupling the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) bearing the mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) of the couplings (8) of the winding unit (4), the additional steps of: move the translation means (3, 5) to a position close to the entire coil (1); rotate said complete coil (1) together with its corresponding axis (7, 12) by means of an auxiliary device associated with said means of translation (3, 5) until the ends (7a, 12a) of said axis (7, 12) reach a predetermined unlock position; and adhering the free end of said continuous web of the coil (1) to the immediately lower layer by said auxiliary device. 5. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said operation of axially skewering an empty mandrel (2a) on the shaft (7, 12) held in overhang by the clamping means (9) in the loading station (24) comprises loading at least one empty mandrel (2a) from a delivery station (20) of empty mandrels (2a) to a mobile support (21) capable of performing at least one axial displacement aligned with the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) to thread the empty mandrel (2a) by the free end of the shaft (7b, 12b) and release it in a predetermined position. 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises loading several empty mandrels (2a), aligned one after the other, on said mobile support (21) to skewer them by the free end of the shaft (7b, 12b) and selectively release each empty mandrel (2a) in a predetermined position on the shaft (7, 12). 7.- Procedure of automatic evacuation / introduction of coils in a forming / transforming machine thereof, whose machine is of the type comprising a rewind unit where a material in the form of a continuous band is developed from a hollow cylindrical core or core. (2a, 2b) fixed on a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by means of a fluid dynamic fixing device, said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) being supported by its ends by means of couplings (8) in said unwind unit, where an axis bobbin holder (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a) is replaced by a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil (1) formed on it, characterized in that it comprises: holding said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying said empty mandrel (2a) by one of its ends (7a, 12a) in the unwinding unit and removing said axis to an area (23, 24) outside the operating area of the unwinding unit; holding said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by one of its ends (7a, 12a) in said area (23, 24) outside the operating area of the unwinding unit while performing automatic replacement operations of the empty mandrel ( 2b) by the mandrel (2a) carrying a complete coil (1) by axial movements of introduction / extraction thereof by a free end (7b, 12b) of the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12); and reinstall the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying said mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) in the couplings (8) of the winding unit supporting the coil (1) below. 8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises cyclically performing the following sequence of steps: securing said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by carrying an empty mandrel (2a) by one of its ends (7a, 12a) in the unwind unit, decouple the shaft couplings (8) and move the assembly to a discharge station outside the operating area of the unwind unit; keeping said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) in said unloading station, deactivating said fixing device and axially removing the empty mandrel (2a) by the free end (7b, 12b) of the shaft; then positioning said fastening means (9) in a loading station keeping the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) empty in cantilever, axially skewer a mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) on said shaft (7, 12) by said free end (7b, 12b) and activating the fixing device; and releasing the fastening means (9) by depositing the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by carrying a mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) on translation means (3, 5), moving the assembly by means of said translation means ( 3, 5) to the unwind unit, and link said couplings (8) to the ends of the shaft (7, 12). 9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that said sequence of steps is performed using interchangeable first and second axes (7, 12), capable of being held by said fastening means (9) at different moments in the sequence, said first axis (7) being reinstalled carrying a mandrel (2b) with full coil (1) in the couplings (8) of the unwind unit (4) as soon as they remain free after said second axis (12) has been removed, carrying an empty mandrel (2a) thereof, the aforementioned replacement of mandrels (2a, 2b) being carried out on said second axis (12) while the sheet material (1a) ) the mandrel (2b) of the first bobbin holder shaft (7) in the unwind unit (4) is unwound, alternating the first and second reel carrier shafts (7, 12) their positions and functions in successive cycles. 10. Method according to claim 2 or 8, characterized in that the operation of activating said fixing device comprises coupling an injection nozzle (18) to an axial hole located at said end (7a, 12a) of the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) while it is held by said fastening means (9) in said charging station, to inject a fluid into an inflatable member associated with the shaft (7, 12) that is part of said fixing device , and removing said injection nozzle (18) leaving said fluid retained under pressure inside said inflatable member by a check valve. 1. Method according to claim 2 or 8, characterized in that the operation of deactivating said fixing device comprises coupling a drain nozzle (16) to an axial hole located at said end (7a, 12a) of said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) while it is held by said clamping means (9) in said discharge station, to deactivate a check valve of a fluid retained inside an inflatable member of the fixing device and allow the emptying it, and removing said emptying nozzle (16) after deflating the inflatable member. 12. Method according to claim 3 or 9, characterized in that said substitution of a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil (1) formed on it by a bobbin holder shaft ( 7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a), or vice versa, is made being said couplings (8) located in a second position (29) of a axis exchanger device integrated in the winding / unwinding unit (4), whose exchanger device is dedicated to rapidly swapping the two bobbin holder shafts (7, 12) between a first position (28), or winding / unwinding position, and said second position (29), or substitution position, without stopping the winding / unwinding process. 13.- Automatic coil evacuation / insertion device in a forming / transforming machine thereof, whose machine is of the type comprising a winding unit (4) where a material in the form of a continuous band is wound on a mandrel or hollow cylindrical core (2a, 2b) fixed on a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) by means of a fluid dynamic fixing device, said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) being supported at its ends by means of couplings (8) in said winding unit ( 4), where a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil (1) formed on it is replaced by a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a), characterized in that understands: - translation means (3, 5) capable of taking, lifting and moving a complete coil (1) wound on a mandrel (2b) fixed to a bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) from the couplings (8) in an open position of said winding unit (4) to a discharge station (23); - fastening means (9) capable of holding said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) in cantilever by one of its ends (7a, 12a) and displacement means (10, 14) associated with said fastening means (9) to move the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) and keep it in cantilever successively: at a discharge station (23), where transfer means (17) associated with said translation means (3, 5) are arranged to transfer said a complete coil (1) wound on the mandrel (2b), once the corresponding axle fixing device (7, 12) has been deactivated, from said discharge station to associated output conveyor means (11) by means of an axial displacement of the same; in a charging station (24), where loading means (21, 22) are actuated to take an empty mandrel (2a) of a delivery station (20) of empty mandrels (2a), axially inserting it into said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) and releasing it on it in a predetermined position; and in said winding unit (4), where said clamping means (9) release said shaft (7, 12) with the empty mandrel (2a) fixed thereto in said couplings (8) being the same open. 14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that it further comprises: - a drain nozzle (16) actuated to engage an axial bore located at said end (7a, 12a) of said bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) while it is held by said clamping means (9) in said station discharge (23), to deactivate a check valve of a fluid retained inside an inflatable member of the fixing device and allow the emptying thereof, and withdraw once the inflatable member is deflated; and - an injection nozzle (18) connected to a source of a pressurized fluid and actuated to engage said axial bore of the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12) while it is held by said fastening means (9) in said loading station (24), injecting said fluid into said inflatable member associated with the shaft (7, 12) and then decoupling leaving a sufficient amount of the said fluid retained under pressure by said check valve inside said inflatable member. 15. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said translation means (3, 5) comprise a mobile carriage (3) on which a platform (5) is mounted, actuated to move vertically in both directions carrying some supports (6) determining a cradle prepared to support a complete coil (1) wound on the mandrel (2b) fixed to the bobbin holder shaft (7, 12), said mobile carriage (3) being operated to move horizontally between a position below of the winding unit (4) and said unloading station (23). 16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that said supports (6) are free-rotating or motorized rollers that are part of said transfer means (17) associated with said means of translation (3, 5) . 17. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said fastening means (9) and said displacement means (10, 14) comprise a clamp (9) in the form of a clamp mounted on the end of an arm (10 ) pivoting in a plane transverse to the axis of the winding unit (4), whose arm (10) is mounted on a mobile support (25) actuated to selectively make displacements both in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction normal to the axis of the unit of winding (4), by means of whose displacements the open jaw (9) approaches the axis (7, 12) in a radial direction to the same until it is embraced and the ends (7a, 7b) of the axis are introduced or removed from the couplings (8) in a vertical radial direction. 18. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said fastening means (9) and said displacement means (10, 14) comprise two clamp jaws (9) mounted on the ends of a double arm ( 14) pivoting in a plane transverse to the axis of the winding unit (4) with respect to a central point of said double arm (14) equidistant from both jaws (9), whose double arm (14) is mounted on a movable support ( 25) actuated to selectively carry out displacements both in the vertical direction and in the normal horizontal direction to the axis of the winding unit (4), by means of which displacements the open jaws (9) approach the axis (7, 12) in one direction radial to it until it is embraced and the ends (7a, 7b) of the shaft are introduced or removed from the couplings (8) in a radial direction. 19. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said loading means (21, 22) comprise a moving carriage (21) that includes a base support (36) and a ram (22) actuated to effect a displacement vertical between a lower position of holding the mandrel (2a) against said base (36) and an upper position of releasing it, whose sliding carriage (21) also includes drive and guide means (38, 40, 41) for effecting displacements of the displacer carriage (21) both radially and axially with respect to the axis (7, 12) between a position in front of a delivery station (20) of empty mandrels (2a) and said predetermined position on the axis (7 , 12). 20. Device according to claim 19, characterized in that said delivery station (20) of empty chucks (2a) comprises an inclined plane with slope towards said displacement carriage (21), provided with means (42) for regulating the degree of said inclination, on whose inclined plane the empty mandrels (2a) are deposited which descend, rolling by gravity, towards the lower edge of said inclined plane, where there is a retention device (43, 44) provided with a pivoting element that allows the passage of the empty mandrels (2a), one by one, by gravity, from the said inclined plane to the base (36) of said moving carriage (21). 21. Device according to claim 20, characterized in that said tamper (22) is formed by independent segments actuated separately, each segment of tamper corresponding to each of a group of empty mandrels (2a), short, mutually aligned , the moving carriage (21) being able to take at the same time a group of said empty chucks (2a) from said delivery station (20) and to be released successively on the axis (7, 12) leaving predetermined spaces between the same. 22. Device, according to any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that it includes interchangeable first and second axes (7, 12) that are handled by the clamping means (9) and the translation means (3 , 5) to successively alternate their positions in the winding unit (4), in the unloading station (23) and in the loading station (24). 23. Device according to claim 22, characterized in that said winding / unwinding unit (4) comprises an axis exchange device for quickly swapping the positions of the first and second reel carrier axes (7, 12) between a first position (28), or winding / unwinding position, and a second position (28) in which the aforementioned substitution operations of one of said bobbin holder shafts (7, 12) are carried out carrying a mandrel (2b) with a complete coil ( 1) formed on it by the other one of said bobbin holder axis (7, 12) carrying an empty mandrel (2a), or vice versa.