Folding apparatus for a continuous web
AssigneeGDM S.p.A.
InventorsAldo Fusar Poli, Marco Rosani, Matteo Piantoni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A folding apparatus for a continuous web being fed in a plant for the production of hygienic absorbent articles and intended to be folded into a “V” or “U” shape in a first and in a second longitudinal portion according to a longitudinal folding line parallel to a feeding line of the continuous web comprises a folding section including a first and a second power-driven, movable suction belt and an adjusting system for adjusting a relative position of the longitudinal edges of the continuous web once it has been folded; the adjusting system is configured to adjust the position of the first belt and/or of the second belt depending on at least a first information sent by the first sensor to the computerised control unit.
Claims16
A folding apparatus for folding a continuous web, being fed in a plant for production of hygienic absorbent articles, into a “V” or “U” shape in a first longitudinal portion and in a second longitudinal portion according to a longitudinal folding line parallel to a feeding line of the continuous web, said folding apparatus comprising:
- a folding section comprising:
- an infeed section, at which the continuous web is not folded, and an outfeed section, positioned downstream of the infeed section according to a web feeding direction, at which the continuous web is folded into the “V” or “U” shape and has the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion set at an angle to each other;
- a first suction belt for feeding the continuous web comprising at least one first stretch movable in a first feeding direction for feeding a first edge of the continuous web and dragging the first longitudinal portion of the continuous web;
- a second suction belt for feeding the continuous web comprising at least one second stretch movable in a second feeding direction for feeding a second edge and dragging the second longitudinal portion of the continuous web, said first and second suction belts having belt positions on opposite sides of a lying plane of the folding line orthogonal to a lying plane of the continuous web upstream of the folding section;
- an adjusting system configured for adjusting relative edge positions of the longitudinal edges of the continuous web once the continuous web has been folded, said adjusting system comprising:
- a first sensor positioned downstream of the folding section and configured for checking the relative edge positions once the continuous web has been folded,
- a first actuator operatively connected to said first suction belt and/or said second suction belt, and
- a computerized control unit in communication with the first sensor and with the first actuator;
- wherein the belt positions of said first suction belt and/or said second suction belt are adjustable and said adjusting system is configured to adjust, using feedback and via the first actuator, at least one of the belt positions of said first suction belt and/or of said second suction belt depending on a first information sent by the first sensor to the computerized control unit.
A folding method for folding a continuous web, being fed in a plant for production of hygienic absorbent articles, into a “V” or “U” shape in a first longitudinal portion and in a second longitudinal portion according to a longitudinal folding line parallel to a feeding line of the continuous web, the method comprising, in sequence, the steps of:
- preparing a folding section comprising an infeed section, where the continuous web is not folded, an outfeed section, positioned downstream of the infeed section according to a continuous web feeding direction, where the continuous web is folded into the “V” or “U” shape and has the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion set at an angle to each other;
- said section also comprising at least one first suction belt and one second suction belt, both with adjustable belt positions and configured for feeding, respectively, the first longitudinal portion and the second longitudinal portion of the continuous web;
- feeding said continuous web along the feeding line according to the feeding direction of the continuous web;
- first detecting edge positions of a first edge and of a second edge of the unfolded continuous web upstream of the folding section according to the feeding direction of the continuous web;
- folding the continuous web through the folding section;
- second detecting the edge positions of the first edge and of the second edge of the folded continuous web downstream of the folding section according to the feeding direction of the continuous web;
- adjusting, using feedback, the belt positions of the first suction belt and of the second suction belt depending on results of said first detecting and said second detecting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.