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US 4,496,417 AGranted
Control stretch laminating device
AssigneeAdolph Coors Company
InventorsJoseph R. Haake, Tracy J. Fowler, James W. Jensen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laminating apparatus for laminating extensible plastic film material to a paper backing material to form a laminated composite. The apparatus comprises mechanical stretch control means for controlling the stretch or relaxation of the film material prior to lamination with the paper material. The apparatus also comprises means for monitoring the amount of film stretch in the laminated composite and providing data therefrom to a data processing unit which provides control signals to operate the mechanical stretch controlling means.
Claims29
An apparatus for laminating extensible film material to a paper material to form a laminated composite said apparatus having a continuous sheet of extensible film advancing therethrough comprising:
- (a) support means for supporting various rotational elements of said apparatus;
- (b) film supply means for supplying a continuous sheet of film to be laminated mounted on said support means;
- (c) paper supply means for supplying a continuous sheet of paper to be laminated mounted on said support means;
- (d) first S-wrap roll means operably mounted on said support means for advancing a portion of the film wrapped about the surface thereof;
- (e) second s-wrap roll means operably mounted on said support means in parallel alignment with said first S-wrap roll, for advancing a portion of the film wrapped about the surface thereof said sheet of film being wrapped about said first and second S-wrap roll means in nonslipping frictional contact therewith in an S-shaped configuration whereby said film sheet is advanced by the rotation of said S-wrap rolls;
- (f) S-wrap drive means linkingly attached to said first and second S-wrap roll means for rotating said S-wrap roll means in opposite directions;
- (g) main roll means operably mounted on said support means for advancing a portion of the laminated composite wrapped about the surface thereof;
- (h) main roll drive means linkingly attached to said main roll means for drivingly rotating said main roll means;
- (i) compression roll means operably mounted in said support means in parallel alignment with said main roll means for rollingly compressing said sheet of film and said sheet of paper between said main roll means and said compression roll means whereby the film and paper are simultaneously laminated and advanced at a rate equal to the surface speed of said main roll means;
- (j) composite take up means for collecting the composite formed from lamination of said film and paper, said take up means comprising a tension means for maintaining tension in said composite;
- (k) stretch detection means for detecting the spacing between preprinted marks on said film;
- (l) data processing means for receiving input from said stretch detection means and computing the stretch or relaxation in said film therefrom;
- (m) speed control means for controlling the speed of said S-wrap drive means, said speed control means receiving control commands from said data processing means, said control commands being dependent on input from said stretch detection means;
- wherein said first and second S-wrap rolls are positioned downstream of said film supply means, said main roll and said compression roll are positioned downstream of said first and second S-wrap rolls and said composite take up means is positioned downstream of said main roll and said compression roll with respect to the direction of said film advance;
- and
- wherein the rate of rotation of said S-wrap rolls is selectably variable with respect to the rate of rotation of said main roll and compression roll during composite formation whereby the portion of said sheet of film positioned therebetween may be stretched or relaxed.
13 more elements
An apparatus for laminating a moving web of plastic film material to a moving web of paper material to form a moving web of laminated composite, the film material passing through the apparatus in a continuous longitudinally extending web having an upstream portion entering the apparatus and a downstream portion exiting the apparatus;
- the film material normally being extensibly deformable such that the longitudinal distance between any two reference points on the film web may vary significantly during lamination;
- the apparatus comprising:
- (a) support means for supporting various components of the apparatus;
- (b) paper supply means operably mounted on said support means for providing a continuous supply of paper to be laminated;
- (c) film supply means operably mounted on said support means for providing a continuous supply of film to be laminated;
- (d) first motive means operably mounted on said support means positioned downstream said film supply means for advancing a first portion of film web passing therethrough at a first film web speed;
- (e) second motive means operably mounted on said support means positioned downstream said first motive means for advancing a second portion of film web passing therethrough a second film web speed;
- (f) motive means speed varying means for varying said first film web speed with respect to said second film web speed for selectively stretching or relaxing the portion of said film web positioned between said first motive means and said second motive means;
- (g) laminating means operably mounted on said support means for bondingly compressing said film web to said paper web to form a laminated composite continuous with said film web;
- (h) film length monitoring means for measuring the length of predetermined portions of said film web at a position downstream said second motive means and for providing a monitor signal to a data processing means;
- (i) data processing means for comparing said monitor signal to a predetermined length value and providing command signals responsive thereto to said motive means speed varying means for adjusting said first film web speed relative said second film web speed for imparting a predetermined amount of stretch or relaxation to said film web whereby predetermined portions of said film web are continuously extensibly adjusted to a predetermined length.
8 more elements
A system for continuously laminating a continuous length of stretchable film material having repreated uniform length indicia thereon to a continuous length of paper material, and comprising:
- film material unwind reel means for supporting a continuous length roll of the plastic film material;
- paper material unwind means for supporting a continuous length of the paper material;
- laminating means having a pair of laminator roll means mounted in closely spaced juxtaposition to one another to define a nip area therebetween through which the plastic film material andthe paper material are continuously drawn from said film unwind means and said paper unwind means and fed in adjoining relationship, and having an adhesive applying means for applying adhesive material between the plastic film material and the paper material in the nip area for forming a continuous length laminate material with the uniform length indicia on the plastic film material being visible on one side of the laminate material;
- said laminating roll means providing feed means for causing continuous movement of the film material and the paper material from said film material unwind means and said paper material unwind means to the nip area and through said laminator roll means;
- tension roller means mounted between said film material unwind means and said laminator roller means for applying tension to the film material therebetween;
- film tension control means operatively associated with said tension roller means for controlling the amount of film tension between said tension roller means and said laminator means whereby the amount of stretch of the film material therebetween is maintained within predetermined limits so as to maintain uniformity of length of the repreated indicia thereon in the laminate material downstream of said laminator means;
- indicia length measuring means operatively associated with said film tension control means and located downstream of said laminator means for measuring the length of the repeated indicia of the laminate material and actuating said film tensin control means to adjust the film tension and maintain the amount of stretch of the film material within the predetermined limits of uniformity of length of the repeated indicia thereon in the laminate material.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.