Method and apparatus for making unexpanded honeycomb material

Apparatus for making a stack of unexpanded honeycomb core sheets from a continuous web comprising:

• a printing means including a gravure roll having an odd number of gravure lines spaced equally around the circumference of said roll for applying transversely extending lines of adhesive at linearly spaced intervals along the length of said web on one side thereof;
• a cutting means downstream from said printing means including a cutting roll with a transversely extending cutting blade thereon, said cutting roll having a cutting circumference equal to the length of the sheets to be cut from said web, such circumference also being equal to a given number plus one-half of the circumference of said gravure roll;
• a web pulling means between said printing means and said cutting means for pulling said web past such gravure roll and controlling the advance of said web past said cutting means;
• and a drive means linking said cutting means with such printing means for rotating said cutting roll once for each of a given number plus one-half revolutions of said gravure roll to cut said web transversely along the linear center of a line of said adhesive on said web during one revolution of said cutting roll and along the linear center of a space between said lines of adhesive on a succeeding revolution of said cutting roll.

Apparatus for making a stack of unexpanded honeycomb core sheets from a continuous web comprising:

• a printing means for applying transversely extending lines of adhesive at linearly spaced intervals along the length and on one side of a web of material moving through said printing means including:
• a rotably driven gravure roll having an odd number of transversely extending gravure lines equally space around the circumference of said roll adapted to apply lines of adhesive on said web;
• and a rotably driven backup roll on the side of said web opposite said gravure roll for pressing said web against said gravure roll to assure adhesion of adhesive thereon from said gravure roll and for controlling the advance of said web between said rolls;
• a cutting means downstream from said printing means for cutting said web into discrete sheets of equal predetermined length, said cutting means including:
• a rotably driven cutting roll having a circumference equal to the desired length of the sheet to be cut from said web and having a cutting blade thereon adapted to co-act with a cutting anvil for cutting said web into discrete sheets, the rotation of said cutting roll being arranged to rotate once for a given number plus one-half revolutions of said gravure roll resulting in one cut being made along the linear center of a line of adhesive and the next succeeding cut being made along the linear center of a space between the said lines of adhesive whereby alternate sheets cut from said web have adhesive lines thereon spaced equally between the adhesive lines on the others of said sheets so that when said sheets are stacked evenly in edge relationship, said adhesive lines are evenly staggered between alternate sheets;
• and a driven gripping means between said printing means and said cutting means for pulling said web between said gravure roll and said backup roll and for guiding said web into said cutting means to achieve accurately cut lengths of said sheets.