GB1567790A - Calender having three rollers - Google Patents

Description

(54) CALENDER HAVING THREE ROLLERS (71) We CONr1NENTAL GUMMI- WERKE A ENGESELLSCHAFT of Continen,tal4Iaus/ Postfach 169, 3000 Hannover, Germany; (Fed Rep); a German body corporate do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to calenders having three rollers arranged in an L- or inverted. L-arrangement.

In rubber and plastics material processing plants, calenders are used to produce contmucous webs or plates of mixtures of materials, for covering o.r impregnating fabrics and other materials with mixtures and also for assembling multi-ply laminated materials made wholly of partially from elastomeric mixtures.

It is an object of the present invention to increase the performance of conventional three roller calenders and to make their utilisation as overall installation economical and universal in connection with existing factory installations.

According to the present invention there is provided a calender having three rollers arranged in an L- or inverted L-arrangement, in which the third roller corresponding to the shank d the L is drivable in both directions of rotation and is mounted so as to be displaceable alternately opposite to the first or second roller together forming the base of the L, to form a nip with the respective first or second roller.

In a preferred embodiment, the three rollers are of a common diameter and wherein the first and second rollers are horizontally arranged and the third roller is displaceable over a distance corresponding to one roller diameter below the first and second rollers. The distance between the displaceable roller and each roller opposite thereto is adjustable at an angle to its direction of displacement.

Suprisingly, the invention opens numerous new possibilities for use for three roller calenders especially for superposing rubber or plastics material webs of considerable lengths on one another, for coating and/or impregnating fabric webs with rubber or plastics material mixtures and for producing other laminated materials. The displaceable mounting of one roller permits adjustments in the basic arrangement of the three rollers to be effected relative to one another and with the varied roller pairings, to shift the roller nip. This suggests shifting the material in some kind of reverse operation whereby the material may follow alternately, between the calender rollers, one of two passages mutually arranged so that they form the mirror image of one another. If, for example, the last roller in the direction Df passage is displaceably mounted, then the finished fabric web delivered from the calendar may be supplied to one outlet via a subsequently arranged conveyor device of a winding station and, when full may be diverted, via an identical conveyor device, to the other outlet of a second winding station. Apart from the interruption necessary for adjusting the displaceable roller, this arrangement permits a substantially continuous operation of the entire manufacturing plant, which otherwise would only be possible to attain with the comparatively uneconomical use of a four roller calender.

Conversely, fabric material may alternately be drawn off from the winding stations and supplied and charged, via conveyor devices, into the suitably adjusted calender of each feeding device. The invention permits a p]urality of different processes achieving optimum results and thus increases the efficiency and profitability of the devices used especially for preparation and manufacture of materials and intermediates to an unforseen extent.

The present invention will be further illustrated by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single Figure schematically shows, in side view, a three roller calender having coveyors and winding devices associated therewith on both sides thereof.

Calender 1 comprises three driva;ble rollers 1f1, 12 and 13 arranged in the shape of an inverted L in a roller framework which is not shown. The roller pair 11 and 12 form a first roller nip, the width of which may be varied in known manner by radial adjustment of, for example, roller 12. In the same manner, the width of a second roller nip between the roller pair 11 and 13 may be varied by radial adjustement of roller 13.

In the arrangement shown in full lines, two fabric webs 2a and 2b are fed from above to the calender 1 in the direction of the arrows in order, with passage through the first roller nip, to be joined together into a single web whereupon, after partial rotation around the fixed roller 11 and when passing through the second roller nip, the webs 2a and 2b are superposed onto a further web (not shown). The laminated web 2 emerging from between the rollers 11 and 13 is collected by a conveyor belt 3 and fed, in the direction of the arrow II, to a winding station 4 and wound into a roll.

In accordance with the invention, the lower roller 13 is supported in the roller framework such that it is movable horizontally in the direction of arrow Ill over a distance corresponding to its diameter. The roller 13 can be moved from the position shown into a postion opposite roller 12, as shown by dotted lines, and vice-versa.

This makes it possible to pass pre-united fabric webs 2a and 2b around the roller 12 and superpose them onto a further web in the nip formed between roller 12 and roller 13 rotating in an opposite direction of rotation, the further web may be supplied from winding station 4. The laminated web 2 emanting from the calender is picked up by the second conveyor belt 3 located on this side and again supplied to a second winding station 4. The vertical adjustability of the lower roller 13 remains unaffected by its displaceability in a horizontal direction and acts to the same degree relative to roller 11 as well as to roller 12.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A calender having three rollers arranged in an L- or inverted L-arrangement, in which the third roller corresponding to the shank of the L is drivable in both directions of rotation and is mounted so as to be displaceable alternately opposite to the first or second roller together forming the base of the L to form a nip with the respective first or second roller.

2. A calender as claimed in claim 1 in which the three rollers are of a common diameter and wherein the first and second rollers are horizontally arranged and the third roller is displaceable over a distance corresponding to one roller diameter below the first and second rollers.

3. A calender as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the distance between the displaceable third roller and the first or second roller opposite thereto is adjustable at an angle to its direction of displacement.

4. A calender as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the displaceable third roller is last in the direction of passage therethrough.

5. A calender as claimed in claim 4, in which identical conveyor and/or winding devices are subsequently arranged on both sides of the displaceable third roller.

16. A calender, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (1)

1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

   is not shown. The roller pair 11 and 12 form a first roller nip, the width of which may be varied in known manner by radial adjustment of, for example, roller 12. In the same manner, the width of a second roller nip between the roller pair 11 and 13 may be varied by radial adjustement of roller 13.

   In the arrangement shown in full lines, two fabric webs 2a and 2b are fed from above to the calender 1 in the direction of the arrows in order, with passage through the first roller nip, to be joined together into a single web whereupon, after partial rotation around the fixed roller 11 and when passing through the second roller nip, the webs 2a and 2b are superposed onto a further web (not shown). The laminated web 2 emerging from between the rollers 11 and 13 is collected by a conveyor belt 3 and fed, in the direction of the arrow II, to a winding station 4 and wound into a roll.

   In accordance with the invention, the lower roller 13 is supported in the roller framework such that it is movable horizontally in the direction of arrow Ill over a distance corresponding to its diameter. The roller 13 can be moved from the position shown into a postion opposite roller 12, as shown by dotted lines, and vice-versa.

   This makes it possible to pass pre-united fabric webs 2a and 2b around the roller 12 and superpose them onto a further web in the nip formed between roller 12 and roller 13 rotating in an opposite direction of rotation, the further web may be supplied from winding station 4. The laminated web 2 emanting from the calender is picked up by the second conveyor belt 3 located on this side and again supplied to a second winding station 4. The vertical adjustability of the lower roller 13 remains unaffected by its displaceability in a horizontal direction and acts to the same degree relative to roller 11 as well as to roller 12.

   WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

   1. A calender having three rollers arranged in an L- or inverted L-arrangement, in which the third roller corresponding to the shank of the L is drivable in both directions of rotation and is mounted so as to be displaceable alternately opposite to the first or second roller together forming the base of the L to form a nip with the respective first or second roller.

   2. A calender as claimed in claim 1 in which the three rollers are of a common diameter and wherein the first and second rollers are horizontally arranged and the third roller is displaceable over a distance corresponding to one roller diameter below the first and second rollers.

   3. A calender as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the distance between the displaceable third roller and the first or second roller opposite thereto is adjustable at an angle to its direction of displacement.

   4. A calender as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the displaceable third roller is last in the direction of passage therethrough.

   5. A calender as claimed in claim 4, in which identical conveyor and/or winding devices are subsequently arranged on both sides of the displaceable third roller.

   16. A calender, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.