GB2269369A

GB2269369A - Feeding lengths of web material to appropriate stores

Info

Publication number: GB2269369A
Application number: GB9215170A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jack Ernest Hoar
Original assignee: Cobden Chadwick
Current assignee: Cobden Chadwick
Priority date: 1992-07-16
Filing date: 1992-07-16
Publication date: 1994-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-16
Also published as: GB9215170D0; GB2269369B

Abstract

Web material is normally fed from a supply 12 (eg a printer) via an accumulator 22-26 and tensioning rollers 27-31 to a storage reel 11, but when a defective length (eg caused by printer inks running out) is supplied, the web is cut adjacent the beginning of the defective length and spliced at 17-21 to web passing to defective or waste roll 13. After feeding the defective length, the web is cut adjacent the end of this length and the web is spliced to the web passing to reel 11 again. <IMAGE>

Description

MATERIAL PROCESSING APPARATUS This invention relates to material processing apparatus and more particularly to paper processing apparatus having a splicing mechanism which permits splicing of paper whilst the apparatus is in use.

In paper processing machines, and in particular machineswhich include printers to print onto the paper, it can happen that faults occur in the printing due to, for example, inks running out and in this case it is usual for lengths of the paper over which these errors have been made (waste material) to be marked for subsequent removal.

The manual removal of the waste material from a continuous length of paper is time consuming and cannot be performed while the machine is in operation.

It is increasingly becoming necessary for machines of this type to operate on a continous operation basis and accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which enables waste material to be removed from a length of material whilst the apparatus is in use.

Thus, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided material processing apparatus comprising material supply means, material storage means to receive material from said supply means and waste material storage means to receive waste material, said apparatus further including splicing means operable to selectively splice material passing through the apparatus either to material from the waste material storage means or to material from the material storage means, thereby allowing waste material to be removed whilst the apparatus is in continuous operation.

With this arrangement it is possible to provide apparatus which allows the removal of waste material by splicing whilst the apparatus is maintained in continuous operation.

Preferably the apparatus also includes accumulator means which is operable to take up material from the supply means whilst splicing is taking place. The accumulator arrangement may comprise an arrangement of rollers, one roller of which may be movable relative to at least one of the other rollers.

In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of processing material comprising feeding material from a material supply to a material storage means, on detection of waste material in said material causing splicing of said waste material from said material from said supply to a waste material storage means from a position proximate the start of the waste material and splicing said material to said material from said supply from a position proximate the end of the waste material.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, the single Figure of which shows a schematic side view of one form of handling apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown material handling apparatus 10 which operates in accordance with the method of the present invention.

The apparatus comprises a material storage reel 11, a material supply 12, a waste storage reel 13 and a splicing arrangement 14. The apparatus also includes an accumulator arrangement 16 which acts to take up material whilst spicing is carried out as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The splicing arrangement 14 comprises two clamps 17, 18 which are disposed above two pairs of nip rollers 19, 21. One of each pair of nip rollers is fixed and the other of each pair is movable towards and away from the fixed roller so as to enable each movable roller to be moved between a clamping position in which material is clamped between each pair of rollers and an open position in which material can pass freely between the each pair of rollers. A cutting mechanism (not shown) is associated with each of the two clamps 17, 18 to effect the splicing of the material passing through the spicing arrangement 14.

The accumulator arrangement 16 comprises a series of four upper rollers 22 to 24, 26 arranged in a zig-zag configuration, although it will be appreciated that the rollers can be arranged in any configuration which enables material to pass round the rollers in such a manner that a length of material can be taken up between these rollers. Five lower rollers 27 to 31 are provided beneath the upper rollers 22 to 24, 26 also in a zig-zag or staggered type of configuration which act to maintain the material at a constant tension as it passes through the apparatus.

In use, material is fed from the material supply 12 around first accumulator roller 22, around second accumulator roller 23, around third accumulator roller 24 and fourth accumulator roller 26 and passes into the region of the tensioning rollers 27 to 31. It will be appreciated that by passing around the accumulator rollers 22 to 24, 26 in the manner described, a relative long length of material is taken up between these rollers. The material then passes around the tensioning rollers 27 to 31 as shown in the Figure into the region of the two opposed spaced clamps 17, 18. The material passes between the clamps 17, 18, between the fixed and movable nip roller of one pair of nip rollers 19 and around further fixed rollers 32 to 34 to the material storage reel 11. The material storage reel 11 is a driven reel and may be a rewinding reel as described in co-pending U.K.Patent Application No. 9121692.9.

Accordingly, material passes through the machine and the finished material is wound onto the material storage reel 11.

When a fault is detected in the material, this can be removed whilst the machine is in operation in the following manner: An operator would have previously prepared a free end of the material from the waste material reel 13 and this would be secured to clamp 18. Double-sided splice tape would be placed on this free end of the material to join the wasmaterial to the material to which it is to be spliced.

The clamp 18 is moved to a splicing position in which the free end of the material from the waste material storage reel 13 is held in a position suitable for splicing and accordingly is held securely and in an accurate manner to ensure a precise splice. Whilst the clamp 17 is performing this movement, the material storage reel 11 is halted, although a mechanism (not shown) is provided to maintain tention in the material. The other clamp 17 moves towards the material and the clamp 18 and clamps the material between the two clamps 17, 18. As the clamp 17 meets the clamp 18, with the material therebetween, the knife associated with the clamp 17 cuts the material from the material storage reel 11 at a point just outside the double-sided spliced tape leaving no tail on the material.The end of the material from the supply 12 is secured to the prepared end of the material from the waste storage reel. Once the material from the supply has been spliced to material from the waste material storage reel 13, the clamp 18 moves away from clamp 17 releasing the material from the waste storage reel, and the waste storage reel 13 is accelerated by its drive up to the operating speed of the apparatus.

Clamp 17 is then moved away from clamp 18 thereby releasing the cut end of the material from the material storage reel. At this stage material from the supply is being wound onto the waste storage reel 13. The clamps 17 and 18 are now ready for the next splicing sequence and the operator would prepare the free end of the material from thematerial storage reel in the manner described above.

It will of course be appreciated that to re-splice material from the supply to the material from the material storage reel 11 is generally akin to that described above but with the operation of the clamps 17, 18 reversed and the waste material storage reel 13 replaced by the material storage reel 11.

Whilst the splicing of the material from one reel to another taking place, it will be appreciated that material is still being supplied by the paper supply and there is no take up of material on either of the storage reels 11, 13. Accordingly it has been arranged that the material fed into the apparatus from the supply 12 during splicing will be taken up by the accumulator arrangement 16. Once splicing has taken place, of course, the material held in the accumulator 16 is quickly used up and the accumulator returns to its normal state. In order to allow this to take place, one of the rollers, for example roller 24, of the accumulator may be movable so as to increase the distance between itself and at least one of the other rollers, for example roller 23 to allow the excess material to be taken up in the arrangement, the roller 24 being movable upon initiation of splicing. Alternatively, any other form of arrangement for this purpose can be used as desired or as appropriate.

With this arrangement it is possible to allow removal of waste material whilst the apparatus is in continuous operation thereby avoiding interruption of the process.

It is of course, to be understood, that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMS--

1. Material processing apparatus comprising material supply means, material storage means to receive material from said supply means and waste material storage means to receive waste material, said apparatus further including splicing means operable to selectively splice material passing through the apparatus either to material from the waste material storage means or to material from the material storage means, thereby allowing waste material to be removed whilst the apparatus is in continuous operation.

2. Material processing apparatus according to claim 1 further including an accumulator arrangement which is operable to take up material from the supply means whilst splicing is taking place.

3. Material processing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the accumulator arrangement comprises an arrangement of rollers, one roller of which may be movable relative to at least one of the other rollers.

4. Material processing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said accumulator arrangement comprises two pairs of rollers mounted one above the other, one of each pair of rollers being movable relative to the other roller in said pair.

5. Material processing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a cutting mechanism is provided which effects the splicing of material passing through the splicing arrangement.

6. A method of processing material comprising feeding material from a material supply to a material storage means, on detection of waste material in said material causing splicing of said waste material from said material from said supply to a waste material storage means from a position proximate the start of the waste material and splicing said material to said material from said supply from a position proximate the end of the waste material.

7. A method according to claim 6 including feeding material around an accumulator arrangement prior to feeding the same to the material storage means.

8. A method according to claim 7 further including feeding the material through a tensioning arrangement subsequent to the material passing through the accumulator arrangement.

9. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 8 wherein the material is clamped by a clamping arrangement prior to splicing and released after splicing.

10. Material processing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

11. A method of processing material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.