US 7,458,927 B2Granted

Interfolder with pre-forming transfer roll

AssigneeC.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., Inc.

InventorsGreg Kauppila, Chad Ryczek, Dennis Couturier

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Abstract

An interfolding apparatus including a knife roll, a first interfolding roll, a second interfolding roll, and a transfer roll. The knife roll cuts sheets from a stream of web material issuing from a source in a downstream direction. The first interfolding roll is positioned downstream of the knife roll and receives the sheets. The first interfolding roll rotates in a first direction and the second interfolding roll rotates in a second direction. The first and second interfolding rolls interfold the sheets with additional sheets received by the second interfolding roll. A transfer roll is positioned between the knife roll and the first interfolding roll. The transfer roll has a non-uniform surface configuration and rotates in the second direction and receives the sheets from the knife roll, forms a bend in each of the sheets, and transfers the formed sheets to the first interfolding roll.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An interfolding apparatus for interfolding first sheets of a first web of sheet material moving in a downstream direction along a first web path with second sheets from a second web of sheet material moving in a downstream direction along a second web path, with each of the first sheets having a leading edge and a trailing edge substantially spaced an unfolded length of the first sheets from one another along the web path and a middle portion disposed along the web path substantially halfway along the unfolded length of the first sheets between the leading and trailing edges of the first sheets, the apparatus comprising:

a knife roll for cutting the first sheets from the first web of sheet material, first and second interfolding rolls for interfolding the first and second sheets with one another, and a transfer roll for transferring the first sheets from the knife roll to the first interfolding roll and forming a pre-bend in the middle portion of the first sheets in cooperation with the knife roll;
the knife roll being rotatable about a first axis in a first direction, the transfer roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction about a second axis extending substantially parallel to the first axis, the first interfolding roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in the first direction about a third axis extending substantially parallel to the first and second axes, and the second interfolding roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in the second direction about a fourth axis extending substantially parallel to the first, second and third axes;
the knife roll and transfer roll having respective peripheries thereof with portions of their respective peripheries defining respectively a knife-roll-portion of the web path and a transfer-roll-portion of the web path cooperatively disposed and rotationally timed such that the first sheets travel sequentially from the knife-roll-portion to the transfer-roll-portion of the web path with their respective leading edges disposed downstream from their respective trailing edges at substantially the unfolded length from their respective trailing edges along the knife roll;
the periphery of the knife roll having a pre-forming groove therein and the transfer roll having a corresponding pre-forming blade thereof configured and operatively connected to the knife roll in timed rotation therewith for pressing the middle portion of each first sheet into the pre-forming groove in the knife roll, to thereby pre-form a bend into the middle portion of each sheet;
the first interfolding roll including a gripper therein for grasping each first sheet along the pre-formed bend and forming an interfold along the pre-formed bend in each first sheet, whereby the pre-formed bend facilitates interfolding of the first and second sheets.

2 more elements

A method of interfolding, first sheets of a first web of sheet material moving in a downstream direction along a first web path with second sheets from a second web of sheet material moving in a downstream direction along a second web path, with each of the first sheets having a leading edge and a trailing edge substantially spaced an unfolded length of the first sheets from one another along the web path and a middle portion disposed along the web path substantially halfway along the unfolded length of the first sheets between the leading and tailing edges of the first sheets, using an interfolding apparatus having a knife roll for cutting the first sheets from the first web of sheet material, first and second interfolding rolls for interfolding the first and second sheets with one another, and a transfer roll for transferring the first sheets from the knife roll to the first interfolding roll and forming a pre-bend in the middle portion of the first sheets in cooperation with the knife roll;

with the knife roll being rotatable about a first axis in a first direction, the transfer roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction about a second axis extending substantially parallel to the first axis, the first interfolding roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in the first direction about a third axis extending substantially parallel to the first and second axes, and the second interfolding roll being operatively connected to be rotatable in the second direction about a fourth axis extending substantially parallel to the first, second and third axes;
with the knife roll and transfer roll also having respective peripheries thereof with portions of their respective peripheries defining respectively a knife-roll-portion of the web path and a transfer-roll-portion of the web path cooperatively disposed and rotationally timed such that the first sheets travel sequentially from the knife-roll-portion to the transfer-roll-portion of the web path with their respective leading edges disposed downstream from their respective trailing edges at substantially the unfolded length from their respective trailing edges along the knife roll;
the periphery of the knife roll having a pre-forming groove therein and the transfer roll having a corresponding pre-forming blade thereof configured and operatively connected to the knife roll in timed rotation therewith for pressing the middle portion of each first sheet into the pre-forming groove in the knife roll, to thereby pre-form a bend into the middle portion of each sheet;
the first interfolding roll including a gripper therein for grasping each first sheet along the pre-formed bend and forming an interfold along the pre-formed bend in each first sheet, whereby the pre-formed bend facilitates interfolding of the first and second sheets;
the method comprising:
issuing a stream of first web material in the downstream direction along the first web path from a source;
cutting the stream of the first web material with the knife roll into the first sheets;
transferring each sheet from the knife roll to the transfer roll;
pre-forming with the transfer roll a bend in the middle portion of each first sheet;
transferring each pre-formed first sheet to the first interfolding roll;
and
interfolding the pre-formed first sheet on the first interfolding roll with at least one second sheet from the second interfolding roll.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.