Roller assembly for paperboard slitting apparatus

Abstract

A roller assembly for supporting a running web of corrugated paperboard in a slitting apparatus includes a pair of rollers which define therebetween a slot for receipt of a rotary slitting blade. The rollers are mounted on separate rotational axes which are angled slightly with respect to one another so that the axially inner edge portions of the rollers where the blade enters the slot therebetween actually engage the blade edge and the diametrically opposite edge portions of the rollers are maximally spaced to define between the adjacent roller faces a downwardly divergent slot. Roller contact with the blade faces helps prevent paperboard adhesive build up and the entry of scrap into the slot. The downwardly divergent shape of the slot allows scrap which does enter therein to be discharged readily with rotation of the rollers. The roller assembly is adapted to be carried with the slitting blade and automatically positioned with the mechanism used to drive and lock the slitting blade in operating position. Each roller assembly is rotatably mounted on its supporting bracket for movement between a maximum blade overlap utilized during repositioning and complete disengagement from the blade as for blade replacement. Spring biased rotational mounting of the roller assembly allows it to be rotated to optimal slitting position under the weight of the moving paperboard web.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.