Apparatus for wrapping or producing cylindrical articles and method for same

A method for wrapping a cylindrical article comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of articles to be wrapped;
• (b) sequentially feeding articles on demand to a wrapping station to provide abutting relationship between adjacent articles at the wrapping station;
• (c) supplying wrapping material at an angular relationship to said articles at said wrapping station;
• (d) imparting a rotary and forwarding motion to a series of previously wrapped articles to draw wrapping material in spiral fashion about a further of said articles;
• (e) securing said wrapping material to said articles;
• and
• (f) forwarding said series of wrapped articles to a moveable carriage in a first position, engaging a rotatable bearing surface with a forward wrapped article and moving said carriage therewith;
• (g) actuating cutting means at a predetermined time during carriage movement to sever said forward wrapped article while said article is in engagement with said bearing surface;
• (h) deactuating said cutting means and retracting said bearing surface axially out of contact with said forward article after said forward article has been severed from said series whereby said severed article drops from said carriage;
• and
• (i) returning said carriage to said first position.

A wrapping machine for cylindrical articles comprising:

• (a) means for supplying cylindrical articles to be wrapped and segregating upon demand at least one article from a group of same;
• (b) article transport means located adjacent said supply means for receiving segregated articles and transporting same to a wrapping means, said articles being in alignment and in abutting engagement with the next adjacent prior article at the wrapping means;
• (c) wrapping means for continuously supplying a spiral wrapping around a series of abutting articles transported thereto;
• (d) contact heater means located downstream of said wrapping means for securing said spiral wrapping to said articles, said heater means being pivotal into and out of contact with wrapped articles and being adapted for self aligning contact with said wrapped articles;
• (e) belt drive means located downstream from said heater means and passing in contact with said wrapped articles to impart a rotary and forwarding motion thereto, whereby the next adjacent unwrapped articles at said wrapping means is rotated and wrapping is drawn therearound in spiral fashion, said wrapping means and said drive means being mounted on a common, adjustable support whereby angular adjustment of said support simultaneously adjusts the angle of wrapping and the angle of the belt drive means with respect to the wrapped articles;
• (f) article severing means located downstream of said drive means, said article severing means comprising a carriage occupying a first position and being moveable in a direction away from said drive means, said carriage having guide means thereon to receive a forward wrapped article of said series in proper alignment, cutter means adjacent said guide means and being actuatable to sever said forward wrapped article from said series of same, means to move said cutter means to and from a cutting position, a rotatable bearing surface received on said carriage and being spaced apart from and in alignment with said guide means, said bearing surface being axially adjustable to vary the distance between said cutter means and said bearing surface, said bearing surface being contactable by said forward wrapped article whereby said carriage is moved away from said drive means by movement of said wrapped series of articles, retractor means associated with said bearing surface to move said surface axially away from said forward wrapped article, first actuator means located at a predetermined position along a path of travel of said carriage to actuate said movement means whereby said cutter means are moved to a cutting position, second actuator means located at a predetermined position along said path of travel of said carriage to deactuate said movement means whereby said cutting means are returned to a non-cutting position, and to actuate said retractor means whereby said bearing surface is moved axially away from said end of said severed forward wrapped article, and said forward wrapped article falls from said carriage, and means to return said carriage to said first position.