Process and equipment for manufacturing individual stacks consisting of a length of material folded in zig zag form
AssigneeJos. Hunkeler Ltd.
InventorWilli Felix
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for producing individual stacks of zigzag-folded material from a continuously fed length of material containing cross perforations. A target cross perforation is sensed and halted ahead of the stack being formed. By gripping the material downstream of the target point and reversing the direction of travel of the material, separation at the target point is achieved, after which the completed stack is removed automatically. Continuous feed of material even during stack separation and removal is maintained by provision of an intermediate buffer storage which is drawn down as each stack is being formed.
Claims25
Process for the production of individual zigzag folded stacks from a continuous length of material containing sections defined by cross perforations, comprising the steps of:
- a. continuously feeding the length of material to a buffer;
- b. withdrawing from the buffer a quantity of said length of material sufficient to form an individual stack;
- c. feeding said quantity to a zigzag folder and stacker;
- d. folding and stacking said quantity;
- e. separating said quantity from the remainder of said length of material at a selected cross perforation intended to be the end of said quantity by simultaneously
- (i) gripping the section of said quantity preceding said selected cross perforation before it is folded, and
- (ii) driving in an upstream direction the portion of the remainder of said length of material following said selected cross perforation;
- f. releasing the last section of said quantity to complete said individual stack;
- g. removing the finished stack from the zigzag folder and stacker;
- and
- h. resuming forward flow from the buffer of a next quantity of said length of material sufficient to form a next individual stack according to steps c through g.
Apparatus for the production of individual zigzag folded stacks from a continuous length of material containing sections defined by cross perforations, comprising:
- a. zigzag folding and stacking means for preparing stacks folded at said cross perforations;
- b. forward feeding means for feeding said length of material to said folding and stacking means;
- c. conveying means for removing finished stacks from said folding and stacking means;
- d. gripping means positioned upstream of said folding and stacking means for gripping and holding fast said length of material;
- e. reverse driving means, located upstream of said gripping means, for driving said length of material in an upstream direction;
- f. control means for
- i. energizing said forward feeding means and said zigzag folding and stacking means to produce a first individual stack,
- ii. deenergizing said forward feeding means and said zigzag folding and stacking means after a selected cross perforation intended to be the end of a first quantity of said length of material in said first individual stack has passed the reverse feeding means;
- iii. energizing said reverse driving means;
- iv. energizing said gripping means to engage the length of material when said selected cross perforation is between the gripping means and the reverse driving means;
- v. deenergizing said reverse driving means and said gripping means after a short interval, sufficient to separate said length of material at said selected cross perforation, with both energized;
- and
- vi. reenergizing said forward feeding means and said folding and stacking means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.