US 4,266,735 AGranted

Mandrel supports for automatic web rewinder

AssigneeMagna-Graphics Corporation

InventorsDale D. Leanna, Allen R. Jorgensen

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Abstract

In an automatic web rewinding machine having core supporting mandrels carried by an indexingly rotated turret, the chuck arm for supporting the free end of each mandrel is swung between a closed mandrel engaging position and an open position by a reversible pneumatic rotary actuator controlled by a two-position valve. Each actuator and its valve are constrained to rotate with the turret, and they receive pressure air through a hollow turret shaft. A cam follower plunger of the valve is biased to an extended condition at which the actuator tends to hold the chuck arm closed. When a mandrel is established at the unloading station at which wound cores are removed from it, a signal from a turret position sensor causes extension of a first movable cam segment at said station, retracting the plunger and thus opening the chuck arm. As the turret carries the mandrel to the core loading station the valve plunger engages a fixed cam segment, and then an extended second movable cam segment at the loading station, to keep the chuck arm open. A condition for retraction of the second movable cam segment, to effect chuck arm closing, is issuance by a core detector of an output signifying proper loading of a core onto the mandrel. A core loading wheel moves into engagement with the mandrel when it arrives at the loading station, to damp vibration of its free end, and also serves for loading a core onto the mandrel.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An automatic web rewinding machine comprising a turret rotatable about an axis, a core supporting mandrel having at one of its ends a rotatable connection with the turret that provides for cantilevered support of the mandrel in laterally spaced parallel relation to said axis, an indexing mechanism that imparts indexing rotation to the turret whereby the mandrel is carried to each in turn of a succession of fixed stations, at each of which the mandrel dwells for a time, one of said stations being a loading station whereat a tubular core is loaded onto the mandrel and another being an unloading station at which a wound core is removed from the mandrel and from which the mandrel moves to the loading station, and a chuck arm constrained to rotate with the turret but movable relative thereto between a closed position in which the chuck arm supportingly engages the other end of the mandrel and an open position in which the chuck arm is disengaged from the mandrel to permit cores to be moved axially onto and off of the mandrel, said web rewinding machine being characterized by:

A. chuck arm actuating means rotatable with the turret, said chuck arm actuating means being responsive to a closing input to cause the chuck arm to assume its closed position and being responsive to an opening input to cause the chuck arm to assume its open position;
B. unloading station input means comprising
(1) a position sensor responsive to position of the turret and
(2) a first input element at a location on the machine that is fixed in relation to said stations, said input element being operatively associated with said position sensor and being located and arranged to deliver an opening input to said chuck arm actuating means when the mandrel is established at the unloading station;
C. a core detector arranged to produce an output when a core is properly loaded onto a mandrel at the loading station;
and
D. a second input element operatively associated with said core detector and located in spaced relation to said first input element, said second input element being arranged to deliver a closing input to the chuck arm actuating means in response to an output from said core detector issued when the mandrel is at the loading station.

4 more elements

An automatic web rewinding machine comprising a turret rotatable about an axis, a core supporting mandrel having at one of its ends a rotatable connection with the turret that provides for cantilevered support of the mandrel in laterally spaced, parallel relation to said axis, an indexing mechanism that imparts indexing rotation to the turret whereby the mandrel is carried to each in turn of a succession of fixed stations, at each of which the mandrel dwells for a time, one of said stations being a loading station whereat a tubular core is loaded onto the mandrel and another being an unloading station at which a wound core is removed from the mandrel and from which the mandrel moves to the loading station, and a chuck arm constrained to rotate with the turret but movable relative thereto between a closed position in which the chuck arm supportingly engages the other end of the mandrel and an open position in which the chuck arm is disengaged from the mandrel to permit cores to be moved axially onto and off of the mandrel, said web rewinding machine being characterized by:

A. a reversible actuator for the chuck arm, constrained to rotate with the turret and by which the chuck arm can be alternatively and selectively moved to and maintained in each of said open and said closed positions;
B. a two-condition control element constrained to rotate with the turret and operatively associated with said actuator, said control element being responsive to an opening input to cause the actuator to move the chuck arm to its open position and being responsive to a closing input to cause the actuator to move the chuck arm to its closed position;
C. means for at all times communicating said actuator, through the control element, with a source of energization for the actuator that is outside the turret, the last mentioned means comprising a rotary connection coaxial with the turret;
D. first input means at a location fixed with respect to said stations and cooperable with said control element when the mandrel is in dwell at the unloading station for issuing an opening input to said control element;
and
E. second input means in spaced relation to said first input means and cooperable with said control element when the mandrel is in dwell at the loading station for issuing a closing input to said control element.

3 more elements

An automatic web rewinding machine comprising a turret rotatable about an axis, a core supporting mandrel having at one of its ends a rotatable connection with the turret that provides for cantilevered support of the mandrel in laterally spaced parallel relation to the turret axis, an indexing mechanism that imparts indexing rotation to the turret whereby the mandrel is carried to each of a succession of fixed stations, at each of which the mandrel dwells for a time, one of said stations being a loading station whereat a tubular core is loaded onto the mandrel and another being an unloading station at which a wound core is removed from the mandrel and from which the mandrel moves to the loading station, a chuck arm rotatable with the turret and movable relative to the turret to and from an operative position of supporting engagement with the other end of the mandrel, and an actuator for said chuck arm whereby the chuck arm is moved out of said operative position just before a wound core is removed from the mandrel and is moved back to said position after a core is loaded onto the mandrel at the loading station, said web rewinding machine being characterized by:

A. means for maintaining said chuck arm out of its operative position as the mandrel is carried from the unloading station to the loading station;
B. a core loading wheel having its periphery formed as a radially outwardly opening groove in which a core is partway receivable;
C. a carrier at the loading station by which said core loading wheel is carried.
(1) for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis transverse to the length of the mandrel and
(2) for bodily up and down motion to and from a position of supporting engagement with the mandrel near the other end thereof;
and
D. means for rotatably driving said core loading wheel so that a tubular core that is partially loaded onto the mandrel and is confined between the mandrel and said wheel can be driven axially all the way onto the mandrel by friction of the rotating wheel against the core.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.