Apparatus for processing predominantly rigid material sheets or material webs, and method for changing the configuration of such an apparatus
AssigneeKolbus Group GmbH
InventorsVanessa Gruner, Randolf Voigtländer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for processing predominantly rigid sheets or webs, in particular of corrugated board, has a plurality of processing devices which are movable transversely with respect to a transport direction of the sheets or webs and which have different tools in variable arrangements. A plurality of such apparatuses are combined in a modifiable sequence to give a converting machine.
Claims12
An apparatus for processing predominantly rigid material sheets (30) or material webs, particularly for processing corrugated board sheets (30), comprising at least:
- a transport path (30), along which the material sheets (30) are transported successively or the material web is transported through the device in a linear transport direction (100),
- an electronic control (10), and
- a frame (6) with at least two essentially vertical supports (11), which are arranged to both sides outside the transport path (130), an essentially horizontal crossbeam (12) that connects the at least two supports (11) and a linear guide (13) arranged on the horizontal crossbeam (12), wherein the guiding direction of said linear guide is oriented transverse to the transport direction (100),
- comprising at least two processing devices (8, 9) that are mounted by means of the common linear guide (13), wherein each of these processing devices (8, 9) can be respectively moved transverse to the transport direction (100) separately by means of the linear guide (13) and comprises at least one tool (21, 81, 91) that acts upon the material sheet (30), and wherein the at least two processing devices (8, 9) are respectively connected to the control (10) of the apparatus with the aid of data transmission means (18, 19, 20, 22, 23).
A method for changing the configuration of a converting machine for processing corrugated board sheets (30) or corrugated board webs from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein the converting machine has a transport path (130) with a linear transport direction for the corrugated board (30) and multiple apparatuses (1, 2, 3, 4) that are arranged successively without gaps in the transport direction (100), wherein each of the apparatuses (1, 2, 3, 4) comprises a frame (6) that encloses the transport path (130) and has at least one linear guide (13) extending transverse to the transport direction (100), multiple processing devices (8, 9) that are arranged on the linear guide (13) and can be separately moved along this linear guide, as well as a control (10) that is connected to the processing devices (8, 9) with the aid of data transmission means (18, 19, 20), and wherein the apparatuses respectively have identical interfaces and are arranged so as to be movable essentially parallel to the transport direction (100) by means of a common linear guide (5), with said method comprising at least the steps of:
- moving at least a first apparatus (2, 3, 4) from a first position into a second position parallel to the transport direction (100), wherein the first apparatus (2, 3, 4) is in its first position arranged directly adjacent to another upstream and/or downstream apparatus (1, 2, 3, 4) and the first apparatus (2, 3, 4) is in its second position arranged at a distance from the same upstream and/or downstream apparatus (1, 2, 3, 4),
- separating the data link between the control (10) and at least the processing devices (8, 9) arranged in the first apparatus (2, 3, 4),
- removing (300) or adding an apparatus (2, 3, 4),
- connecting the data links between the control (10) and the processing devices (8, 9) arranged in the converting machine,
- closing (200) existing gaps between the apparatuses (1, 2, 3, 4) arranged within the converting machine by moving at least one of the apparatuses (1, 2, 3, 4) forming the gaps parallel to the transport direction, and
- adjusting the control (10) in accordance with the second configuration of the converting machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.