System and process for removing debris from plastic sheets
AssigneeSignode India Ltd.
InventorsSanjoy Ghosh, Vijay Krishnan, Vishnuchitam Acharyulu Podicheti, Nizamuddin MD
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a multi-stage system and process for removing debris from plastic sheets (such as tier sheets or any other suitable sheets formed from any suitable material). Certain embodiments of the sheet-cleaning system (10) include a drive assembly comprising a drive roller (211, 212) driven by a drive actuator, an electrostatic-discharge device (220) operable to discharge static electricity, and a cleaning roller assembly (230) comprising a cleaning roller (231, 232) driven by a cleaning roller actuator, the cleaning roller (231, 232) comprising a cleaning implement on at least part of its outer surface.
Claims15
A sheet-cleaning system comprising:
- a drive assembly comprising a drive roller driven by a drive actuator;
- a sheet support, having an upper surface and an opposing lower surface, wherein the upper surface is configured to support a sheet;
- an electrostatic-discharge device operable to discharge static electricity;
- a driven cleaning roller comprising a cleaning implement on at least part of an outer surface of the cleaning roller, wherein the cleaning roller is downstream of the electrostatic-discharge device;
- a vacuum housing, having an inlet downstream of the cleaning roller and facing the upper surface of the sheet support;
- a debris collector in fluid communication with the vacuum housing and configured to draw air through the inlet and into the vacuum housing;
- an upstream cleaning implement upstream of the inlet of the vacuum housing and downstream of the cleaning roller and positioned to engage a sheet on the upper surface of the sheet support;
- and
- a downstream cleaning implement immediately downstream of the inlet of the vacuum housing and positioned to engage the sheet on the upper surface of the sheet support.
A sheet-cleaning process for removing debris from a sheet, the process comprising:
- operating a debris collector to draw air through an inlet of a vacuum housing and into the vacuum housing, wherein the inlet faces an upper surface of a sheet support;
- receiving the sheet on the upper surface of the sheet support;
- moving the sheet past an electrostatic-discharge device;
- as the sheet moves past the electrostatic-discharge device, discharging static electricity from the sheet via the electrostatic-discharge device;
- moving the sheet past a cleaning roller downstream of the electrostatic-discharge device and upstream of the inlet of the vacuum housing;
- as the sheet moves past the cleaning roller, engaging an upper surface of the sheet with a cleaning implement of the cleaning roller to loosen debris on the upper surface of the sheet;
- moving the sheet past the inlet of the vacuum housing such that the debris collector draws the loosened debris through the inlet and into the vacuum housing;
- moving the sheet past an upstream cleaning implement positioned downstream of the cleaning roller and upstream of the inlet of the vacuum housing;
- and as the sheet moves past the upstream cleaning implement, engaging the upper surface of the sheet with the upstream cleaning implement to loosen debris on the upper surface of the sheet;
- and
- moving the sheet past a downstream cleaning implement positioned downstream of the inlet of the vacuum housing, and as the sheet moves past the downstream cleaning implement, engaging the upper surface of the sheet with the downstream cleaning implement to loosen debris on the upper surface of the sheet.
The sheet-cleaning process of wherein the cleaning roller comprises a first-stage cleaning roller, wherein the cleaning implement of the first-stage cleaning roller comprises a first cleaning implement, the sheet-cleaning process further comprising:
- moving the sheet past a second-stage cleaning roller downstream of the first-stage cleaning roller;
- and
- as the sheet moves past the second-stage cleaning roller, engaging the upper surface of the sheet with the upstream cleaning implement located on the second-stage cleaning roller to loosen debris on the upper surface of the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.