MULTI-FOLD INTERFOLDING MACHINE STRUCTURE

• US 20090289407A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mtc-Macchine Trasformazione Carta SRL
• Original Assignee: Mtc-Macchine Trasformazione Carta SRL
• Inventors: DE MATTEIS, Alessandro
• Granted Patent: US 8,123,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 270/39.70
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/405 for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/425 for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/04 by fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/10 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/6609 forming an overlapping stream by separation of articles from a pile B65H5/24
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/68 Reducing the speed of articles as they advance
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/08 from or with revolving, e.g. cylinder, cutters or perforators
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/24 Interfolding sheets, e.g. cigarette or toilet papers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/28 Folding in combination with cutting cutting machines B26D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/664 Roller

Abstract

Interfolding machine of sheet material for making a stack of interfolded sheets (1) equipped with cutting and transferring means, including, for example, a cutting roller 2 that operates the division of the web (10) into sheets (11) of determined length. The cut sheets (11), all having the same length, are carried along the machine up to a transfer roller (3) that transfers them to an “overlap” roller (4). In particular the cutting roller (2) has peripherally a first series of cutting blades (21a)-(21d) arranged at a first angular distance equal to 90° and a second plurality of cutting blades (21′a)-(21′c) arranged at a second angular distance equal to 120°. The length of sheets 11 is therefore achieved by the angular distance existing between the blades (21). In order to adjust the length of the sheets, or cut-off length, one selects the blades on the cutting roller (2) located at an angular distance corresponding to the desired sheet length.

Claims

1. Interfolding machine to obtain an interfolded product starting from a web of paper, or similar material, comprising:

feeding means adapted to feed at least one web of paper;

cutting and transferring means of said web of paper adapted to cut said web of paper into sheets of determined length and to transfer them along a conveying path;

actuating means of said cutting and transferring means so that said web of paper and said sheets proceed at a first speed V1;

overlapping means adapted to pick up said sheets from said conveying path and to overlap them in turn by a predetermined sheet portion;

actuating means of said overlapping means adapted to convey said sheets at a second speed V2 less than V1, said speed difference being imposed for overlapping partially two consecutive sheets according to said sheet portion;

folding means of the consecutive overlapped sheets into panels in order to provide a stack of interfolded sheets;

whose main feature is that

said cutting and transferring means comprises a first cutting, transferring and overlapping means for sheets of a first length and at least a second cutting, transferring and overlapping means for sheets of a second length.

2. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for selecting alternatively one among said first cutting, transferring and overlapping means for sheets of a first length and said second cutting, transferring and overlapping means for sheets of a second length.

3. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means cut the web of paper in combination with counter support means acting opposite to said web of paper with respect to said cutting and transferring means to provide said division into said sheets of said first or said second length.

4. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means comprises at least one cutting and transferring roller, and said first cutting, transferring and overlapping means for said sheets of a first length comprises a first plurality of blades arranged peripherally on said cutting and transferring roller at a first angular distance and said second cutting, transferring and overlapping means for said sheets of a second length provides a second plurality of blades arranged peripherally on said cutting and transferring roller at a second angular distance, said first and said second plurality of blades being selectively operated for cutting said web into sheets of said first and of said second length, respectively.

5. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means comprises gripping means of each sheet at least at a respective sheet head that has been formed after cutting.

6. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means comprises, furthermore, gripping means of each sheet at least at a portion comprising a respective sheet tail formed after cutting, such that a successive sheet that moves along said conveying path overlaps by said measured portion under a previous sheet whose head has been already gripped by said overlapping means.

7. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means comprises:

a cutting roller having a first plurality of blades arranged peripherally on said cutting roller at a first angular distance and a second plurality of blades arranged peripherally on said cutting roller at a second angular distance, said first and said second plurality of blades being selectively operated for cutting said web into sheets of said first and of said second length, respectively,;

wherein said cutting roller comprises, at each of said blades, gripping means for the cut adapted to keep each sheet at least at a respective sheet head that has been formed after cutting.

8. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein

said cutting and transferring means comprises a transfer roller having a first plurality of sheet head gripping means, which is arranged peripherally at a first angular distance and that is adapted to transfer to said sheet overlapping roller said sheets of said first length, and a second plurality of sheet head gripping means, which is arranged peripherally at a second angular distance and that is adapted to transfer to said sheet overlapping roller said sheets of said second length;

and

said transfer roller comprises furthermore, means for gripping and overlapping each sheet at least at a respective sheet tail such that a successive sheet that moves along said conveying path overlaps by said measured portion under a previous sheet whose head has been already gripped by said sheet overlapping roller and whose tail has been held by said means for gripping and overlapping.

9. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and transferring means comprises:

a transfer roller having a plurality of sheet head gripping means arranged peripherally at an angular distance that defines an arch equal to the length of a sheet and that is adapted to transfer to said sheet overlapping roller said sheets of said first and second length of said transfer roller comprising, furthermore, means for gripping and overlapping each sheet at least at a respective sheet tail such that a successive sheet that moves along said conveying path overlaps by said measured portion under a previous sheet whose head has been already gripped by said sheet overlapping roller and whose tail has been held by said means for gripping and overlapping.

10. Interfolding machine according to claim 6, wherein said means for gripping and overlapping the sheets at the respective sheet tail acts only in a determined arch of the transfer roller.

11. Interfolding machine according to claim 7, wherein said first plurality of blades and said second plurality of blades can be mounted at respective housings in a way movable selectively between a cutting position, in which said blades protrude from said cutting roller, and a rest position, in which said blades are withdrawn with respect to said cutting roller.

12. Interfolding machine according to claim 7, wherein means are provided for actuating said blades between said cutting position and said rest position, selected from the group comprised of:

an actuator, for example a pneumatic actuator, having a stem with an end connected to the blade and the other end that is movable in an actuating chamber, said blade being pivotally constrained to said roller at a pivot point, said end of said actuator sliding in said actuating chamber for causing the rotation of said blade about said pivot point to obtain a movement of said blade from said cutting position to said rest position, or vice-versa.

a carriage integral to each blade sliding on a guide, said carriage withdrawing/protruding with respect to the boundary of said roller along said guide for bringing said blade from said cutting position to said rest position, or vice-versa.

a first plurality of blade holders arranged peripherally on said roller at said first angular distance and a second plurality of blade holders arranged peripherally on said roller at said second angular distance, such that said blades can be mounted on said roller at said first or at said second plurality of blade holders to make said sheets of said first, or of said second length, respectively.

13. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting said actuating means of said cutting and transferring means and of said overlapping means, said means for adjusting being adapted to change at least one parameter selected from the group comprised of:

speed V1;

speed V2;

the ratio between speed V1 and V2;

a phase shift between the cutting and transferring means and said overlapping means;

a combination thereof.

14. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein, where the sheets are folded by folding means according to panels of a same length, so that each sheet has a length that is multiple to the number of panels, being L1 said first length and N1 the number of panels of the sheets of said first length, and being L2 said second length and N2 the number of panels of the sheets of said second length, and being L the length of the panels, so that L1=L*N1, and L2=L*N2, the circumference of the cutting roller and of the transfer roller is identical or multiple to the minimum common multiple between N1 and N2 multiplied by the respective length of the panels, and the first and second cutting, transferring and overlapping means are arranged along the circumference in positions multiple both to N1 and to N2.

15. Interfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein a sheet overlapping roller is provided having holes adapted to grip the head of each sheet, wherein the distance in a circumferential direction between the holes is selected from the group comprised of:

one, two, three or four panels.