Method and apparatus for producing a strapless bale of compressed fiber

• US 5,694,742 A
• Filed: 10/21/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alex Hollingsworth, Curles C. Thomas, David P. Zachary, Kenneth W. Elliott, Michel D. Vaniman, Thomas C. Sisk
• Original Assignee: Alex Hollingsworth, Curles C. Thomas, David P. Zachary, Kenneth W. Elliott, Michel D. Vaniman, Thomas C. Sisk
• Inventors: Hollingsworth, Alex, Curles, C. Thomas, Vaniman, Michel D., Sisk, Thomas C., Zachary, David P., Elliott, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Larson, Lowell A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, EUGENE LEE
• Application Number:
  US08/734,674
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 53/436, 53/438, 53/523, 53/525, 100/189, 100/218, 100/237, 100/42
• US Class Current: 53/436
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/301 Feed means
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/3014 Ejection means
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 9/3078 with precompression means
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/24 by mechanical compression
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 63/02 for compressing or compacting articles or materials prior to wrapping or insertion in containers or receptacles

Abstract

An apparatus and method for producing strapless bales of highly compressible textile fibers is disclosed, wherein a compressed block of the fibers is ejected and expanded into a flexible bag. The apparatus includes a supply chamber for supplying loose fibers to a tramping chamber which is stationary. A ram assembly repeatedly tramps the fibers to form a compacted fiber mass which is then formed into a compressed fiber block within a stationary compression chamber disposed in fiber transfer relation to the stationary tramping chamber. The compressed fiber block is ejected transverse to the compression chamber through an ejection sleeve about which an oversized flexible bag is fitted. Due to the fact that the bag is of a greater size than the cross section of the ejection sleeve and due to the stretch and flexibility of the bag, the compressible fibers in the compressed fiber block undergo an expansion process wherein the flexible bag is filled with the compressible fibers to form a strapless bale.

Claims

1. A method for producing a strapless bale of compressible fibers comprising:

providing a baler having a tramping chamber in which loose fibers are tramped into a compacted fiber mass, a compression chamber, having a compression section an ejection section having an unobstructed ejection opening adjacent said tramping chamber in which said compacted fiber mass is compressed into a compressed fiber block, and a transfer opening between said tramping chamber and said compression chamber through which said compacted fiber mass is transferred into said compression chamber;

supplying loose compressible fibers into said tramping chamber in a generally uncompressed, non-layered state;

tramping said loose fibers to create said compacted fiber mass of loosely compacted fibers;

retaining said compacted fibers within a tramping chamber while successive deposits of said loose fibers are supplied and compacted in said compacted fiber mass to produce a compacted fiber mass containing a prescribed amount of fibers during a tramping cycle;

transferring said compacted fiber mass from said tramping chamber through said transfer opening directly into said compression section of said compression chamber;

compressing said compacted fiber mass within said compression section in the same direction said fiber mass in tramped to create said compressed fiber block during a compression cycle;

moving said fiber block within said compression chamber from said compression section into said ejection section and ejecting said compressed fiber block through said ejection opening into and through an ejection sleeve having a rectangular cross-section to define an expansion area; and

ejecting said compressed fiber block into said flexible bag.

2. The method of claim 1 including compressing said compacted fiber mass using a moveable main platen and a moveable secondary platen, and compressing said compacted fiber mass between said main platen and said bottom platen within said compression section.

3. The method of claim 2 including locating said compression section above said ejection sleeve.

4. The method of claim 3 including providing said compression section with a cross-section generally equal to or less than that of said ejection sleeve.

5. The method of claim 4 including moving said compressed fiber block within said compression chamber into said ejection section by moving said main platen and secondary platen in unison aligning said compressed fiber block with said ejector opening of said ejection section.

6. The method of claim 2 including supplying and tramping said loose fibers in said tramping chamber while said main platen is extended to form a side wall of said tramping chamber during said tramping cycle.

7. The method of claim 2 including supplying said loose fibers to a supply chamber which is laterally off-set from said tramping chamber, and pushing said loose fibers into said tramping chamber from said supply chamber.

8. A method for producing a strapless bale of compressible fibers comprising:

providing a baler having a tramping chamber in which loose fibers are tramped into a compacted fiber mass, a compression chamber having a compression section and an ejection section adjacent said tramping chamber and in which said compacted fiber mass is compressed into a compressed fiber block, a transfer opening between said tramping chamber and said compression chamber through which said compacted fiber mass is transferred into said compression chamber and an unobstructed ejection opening through which said fiber block is removed from said compression chamber;

supplying loose fibers into said tramping chamber;

tramping said loose fibers in said tramping chamber to create said compacted fiber mass of a predetermined amount of loosely compacted fibers during a tramping cycle;

transferring said compacted fiber mass through said transfer opening to said compression section of said compression chamber;

compressing said fiber mass in said compression section in the same direction said fiber bale is tramped to create a compressed fiber block during a compression cycle;

compressing said compacted fiber mass into said fiber block in said compression section using a moveable main platen and a moveable secondary platen by moving said platens first in opposite directions and then in the same direction;

moving said fiber block into said ejection section and ejecting said compressed fiber block through said ejection opening and through an ejection sleeve each having a rectangular cross-section during and ejection cycle;

providing a flexible bag, and ejecting said compressed fiber block into said bag during said ejection cycle to produce a strapless fiber bale.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said compression chamber includes an opening separating said compression section and said ejection section, the method includes closing said opening with a moveable shelf during the ejection of said compressed fiber block preventing loose fibers entry behind said ejector platen during said ejection cycle.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said compressed fiber block is ejected through said ejection sleeve using a moveable ejector platen which forms a wall of said compression chamber during compression of said compacted fiber mass.

11. The method of claim 8 including transferring said compacted fiber mass into said laterally off-set compression chamber using at least one transfer plate which forms a wall of said compression chamber.

12. The method of claim 8 including confining said compressed fiber block between said main platen and said secondary platen;

and moving to said ejection section said compressed fiber block by moving said main platen and said secondary platen in unison and aligning said compressed fiber block with said ejection opening of said ejection section.

13. The method of claim 12 including forming said compressed fiber block in a compression section of said compression chamber above said ejection section having a cross-section generally equal to or less than that of said ejection sleeve.

14. Apparatus for producing a strapless bale of compressible fibers comprising:

a tramping chamber for receiving a supply of loose compressible fibers;

a reciprocating platen disposed within said tramping chamber for repeatedly tramping successive deposits of said loose fibers to create a compacted fiber mass during a tramping cycle;

a controller for actuating said reciprocating platen repeatedly during said tramping cycle until a compacted fiber mass is formed containing a prescribed amount of fibers;

a compression chamber receiving said compacted fiber mass which includes a compression section in which said compacted fiber mass is compressed in the same direction in which said loose fibers are compacted to produce a compressed fiber block during a compression cycle and an unobstructed ejection section having an ejection opening from which said compressed fiber block is ejected during an ejecting cycle;

a moveable main platen reciprocally carried in said compression chamber and a moveable secondary platen arranged in alignment with said main platen within said compression chamber, said main platen and said secondary platen compressing said compacted fiber mass within said compression section of said compression chamber to form said compressed fiber block, said main platen and said secondary platen then moving said compressed fiber block from said compression section into said ejection section of said compression chamber and into alignment with said ejection opening; and

an ejector platen associated with said ejection section of said compression chamber for ejecting said compressed fiber block through said ejection opening from said compression chamber in a direction transverse to the direction of compression.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said tramping chamber and compression chamber are disposed in axial alignment with each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said tramping chamber and said compression chamber are axially aligned in a vertical direction.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 including at least one reciprocating transfer plate for transferring said compacted fiber mass from said tramping chamber to said compression chamber.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 where in said transfer plate forms a wall of said compression chamber during said compression cycle.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a compression section is defined between said main platen and secondary platen when located at said compression positions during said compression cycle.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said compression section is defined in a portion of said compression chamber off-set from said ejection sleeve.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said compression section has a cross-section generally equal to or less than a cross-section of said ejection sleeve.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said main platen and secondary platen have a transfer position in which said compressed fiber block is transferred from said compression section to an ejection section and in alignment with said ejection opening.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said main platen forms a wall of said tramping chamber at said compression position during said ejection cycle so that said tramping cycle may continue during said ejection cycle.

24. Apparatus for producing a strapless bale of compressed fibers comprising:

a fiber supply of loose fibers;

a stationary tramping chamber for receiving said loose fibers;

a reciprocating tramping platen disposed within said tramping chamber for repeatedly tramping deposits of loose fibers to create a compacted fiber mass during a tramping cycle containing a prescribed amount of fibers;

a plurality of retaining elements operatively associated with said tramping chamber of retaining said compacted fibers within said tramping chamber while said successive deposits of said loose fibers are compacted to produce said compacted fiber mass;

a compression chamber having a compression section and an ejection section in which said compacted fiber mass is compressed in the same direction in which said loose fibers are compacted to produce a compressed fiber block during a compression cycle;

a reciprocating main platen for compressing said fibers in said compression section;

said tramping chamber and said compression chamber being generally parallel and laterally next adjacent each other, and a fiber transfer opening being defined between said adjacent tramping chamber and compression chamber for direct transfer of said compacted fiber mass;

at least one reciprocating transfer plate for transferring said compacted fiber mass from said tramping chamber to said compression chamber;

an ejector platen associated with said ejector section for ejecting said compressed fiber block from said compression chamber; and

an unobstructed ejection opening including an ejection sleeve through which said compressed fiber block is ejected by said ejector platen, and said ejector sleeve carrying a flexible bag into which said compressed fiber block is ejected from said ejector sleeve during an ejection cycle.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 where in said reciprocating main platen forms a wall of said compression chamber during said ejection cycle.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein a compression section is defined between said main platen and secondary platen at said compression positions in which said fiber mass is compressed during said compression cycle.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said main and secondary platens are arranged along a vertical axis, and said compression section is defined in a portion of said compression chamber above said ejection sleeve.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said main and secondary platens are arranged along a vertical axis, and said compression section is defined in a portion of said compression chamber above said ejection section.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said main platen and secondary platen move in unison to transfer said compressed fiber block into said ejection section generally in alignment with said ejection opening.