Extrudate Transport Apparatus Having A Free Floating Roller Assembly
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorJohn Christian Duroe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An extrudate transport apparatus comprises a free floating roller assembly, wherein the roller assembly controls a rotational pitch of a cylindrical green ceramic extrudate as the green ceramic extrudate moves longitudinally from a first location to a second location within the extrudate transport apparatus. The free floating roller assembly has a predetermined effective weight and comprises a contact roller having a deformable outer surface for frictionally contacting an outer surface of the green ceramic extrudate in motion adjacent thereto, while maintaining a constant contact force upon said green ceramic extrudate.
Claims20
A roller assembly for controlling a green ceramic extrudate in longitudinal motion along a predetermined extrudate axis of an extrudate support channel, comprising:
- a contact roller in contact with the green ceramic extrudate, the contact roller having a deformable outer surface and rotatably mounted on the roller assembly;
- a bearing sub-assembly attached along the extrudate support channel and holding the contact roller adjacent thereto, the bearing sub-assembly having a bearing configured to allow the contact roller to adjust relatively freely with respect to the green ceramic extrudate;
- and
- the roller assembly having a predetermined effective weight exerts a constant contact force on the green ceramic extrudate.
An extrudate transport apparatus for longitudinally transporting a green ceramic extrudate from an extrusion apparatus to a drying apparatus, comprising:
- a marking assembly for applying an orientation reference mark to the green ceramic extrudate as the green ceramic extrudate exits the extrusion apparatus;
- an extrudate support channel for supporting the green ceramic extrudate, the extrudate support channel having a predetermined extrudate axis;
- at least one green extrudate alignment system attached along the extrudate support channel in operable communication with an alignment system camera for confirming a location of the orientation reference-mark;
- at least one free floating roller assembly operably attached to the at least one green ceramic extrudate alignment system for controlling the green ceramic extrudate;
- and
- a grab and drag system for transferring the green ceramic extrudate from the extrudate support channel to the drying apparatus.
A method for orienting sections of a green ceramic extrudate, comprising:
- applying a reference mark to a green ceramic extrudate as the extrudate exits an extrusion apparatus onto an extrudate support channel;
- contacting a surface of the green ceramic extrudate with a contact roller comprising a contact roller axis substantially perpendicular to a predetermined extrudate axis along the extrudate support channel, wherein the contact roller is rotatably mounted to a free floating roller assembly having a predetermined effective weight, wherein the free floating roller assembly exerts a constant contact force to the surface of the green ceramic extrudate;
- selectively reorienting the contact roller angularly with respect to the predetermined extrudate axis while maintaining the constant contact force;
- cutting the extrudate to form an extrudate segment;
- floatingly supporting the extrudate segment on an air bearing;
- taking an optical reading of the reference mark on the cut section of the floatingly supported extrudate;
- transferring the extrudate segment from the extrudate support channel via frictional force to a dryer tray;
- and
- imaging an end of the extrudate segment on the dryer tray and comparing the image with a target range for alignment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.