A tape cutting process

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of adhesive tape cutting processes, comprising the following steps: S1: the adhesive tape to be cut in roll is installed on unwinding roller;S2: by unwinding roller make the base material layer of adhesive tape upward, release paper layer downward, and be sent to pre-cutting station along predetermined path;S3: when unwinding adhesive tape reaches pre-cutting station, first cutting device is not cut to the adhesive tape positioned at this time;S5: under the action of unwinding roller, the adhesive tape segment that has completed pre-cutting is sent to stretch separation station.Compared with prior art, the application uses first cutting device to cut incompletely by pre-cutting, then stretch separation uses stretch separation mechanism to break adhesive tape by tension, at the same time, due to release paper layer as support, adhesive layer will not be deformed or adhere to tool during cutting, the whole process avoids traditional one-time cutting-through process, cutting resistance is smaller, reduces plastic deformation and fiber pull-out, and also avoids the generation of burr.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tape cutting technology, specifically a tape cutting process. Background Technology

[0002] Tape cutting is the process of cutting tape materials according to specific requirements. It is widely used in packaging, industrial manufacturing, electronics, medical and other fields. As a material widely used in industry and daily life, the cutting process of tape is crucial in the production process. Common cutting methods include manual measurement and cutting, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and has inconsistent skill levels. There are also corresponding assembly lines that use mechanical tools such as round blades and flat blades for cutting. This method is suitable for most types of tape. Compared with traditional manual cutting, the whole process is more labor-saving, more efficient in material handling, and easier to control the product yield.

[0003] However, existing technologies still have significant shortcomings, such as: For tapes with soft plastic substrates, such as PE foam tape, the pulling action of the blade during a single cut can cause the polymer chains to be pulled out rather than cut. This can easily lead to burrs and adhesive threads. At the same time, during a single cut, the highly viscous adhesive will stick to the blade, which not only contaminates the tool but also affects the quality of subsequent cuts. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a tape cutting process to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A tape cutting process includes the following steps: S1: Install the rolled tape to be cut onto the unwinding roller; S2: The unwinding roller makes the substrate layer of the tape face upward and the release paper layer face downward, and conveys it to the pre-cutting station along a predetermined path; S3: When the unwound tape reaches the pre-cutting station, the first cutting device performs an incomplete cut on the positioned tape. The depth of the incomplete cut is precisely controlled to completely cut through the substrate layer and the adhesive layer below the tape, but without damaging the release paper layer or protective layer below, thereby forming a continuous pre-cutting line with a consistent depth on the tape. The pre-cutting line is the stress concentration guide line for subsequent separation. S4: Along the conveyor belt direction, a pre-cutting line depth detection device is set behind the first cutting device, and a backup cutting device is set behind the depth detection device. When the depth detection device detects that the pre-cutting line depth is insufficient, the system starts the backup cutting device to make supplementary cuts on the pre-cutting line with insufficient depth. The cutting depth setting of the backup cutting device is the same as that of the first cutting device. S5: Under the action of the unwinding roller, the pre-cut tape segment is sent to the stretching and separating station. After arriving at the stretching and separating station, a stretching and separating mechanism applies a tensile tension to the tape. The tensile tension is perpendicular to the transport direction. The tensile tension causes stress concentration at the cross-section of the tape with the cutting line, causing the tape to break at the pre-cut line position. S6: The tape is completely separated into individual cut pieces at the pre-cut line. The separated tape pieces are collected by a robot, and the complete release paper is wound up and recycled by the subsequent winding roller.

[0006] Preferably, a micro-peeling station is provided after the stretching and separating station. The micro-peeling station is where a high-pressure air nozzle at the turning point of the release paper uses the tension of its natural bending to make one corner of the tape segment curl up, making it easier for the subsequent robotic arm to grasp.

[0007] Preferably, both the first cutting device and the backup cutting device are circular cutting blades, and the circular cutting blades are coated with a non-stick coating.

[0008] Preferably, the non-stick coating is a Teflon coating.

[0009] Preferably, the stretch separation mechanism includes a pair of clamping components that can move in opposite directions, clamping on both sides of the pre-cut line when stretch separation is required.

[0010] Prioritize the installation of photoelectric sensors at the workstations to detect the length of the conveyor belt traveled.

[0011] Preferably, the depth detection device is a laser measurement sensor.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. Incomplete cutting is performed using a first cutting device through pre-cutting, cutting only the substrate layer and the upper adhesive layer without damaging the release paper layer. Then, the tape is broken by tension using a stretching separation mechanism. Since the release paper is not cut, the adhesive is sealed between the substrate and the release paper and will not be exposed to directly contact the blade or in large quantities. This ensures that the blade will not be affected by the high-viscosity adhesive adhering to the blade, thus preventing it from being used in subsequent applications. At the same time, since the release paper layer acts as a support, the adhesive layer will not deform excessively or adhere to the blade during cutting. 2. The depth of the pre-cutting line cut by the first cutting device is judged by the laser measurement sensor. When the cutting depth of the first cutting device is insufficient, the backup cutting device will make supplementary cutting at the pre-cutting line. 3. The entire process avoids the traditional one-time through-cutting process. Instead, the pre-cutting only cuts through part of the layer, resulting in less cutting resistance. The blade can cut the substrate and adhesive more cleanly, reducing plastic deformation and fiber pull-out, while also avoiding the generation of burrs. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram of a tape cutting process according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the tape of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] Please see Figure 1 The present invention provides a technical solution: A tape cutting process includes the following steps: S1: Install the rolled tape to be cut onto the unwinding roller; The tape roll is mounted on the unwinding roller and then fixed. Driven by a servo motor, the transport roller pulls the tape at a constant speed for conveying. The unwinding roller is connected to a tension control system to ensure that the tape maintains a constant tension during the unwinding process. The unwinding roller, transport roller, and tension control system in this embodiment are all devices well known to those skilled in the art. When the equipment is started, the unwinding roller rotates and conveys the tape forward along a predetermined horizontal path. During this process, guided by multiple guide rollers, it is ensured that the tape always runs with the substrate layer facing up and the release paper layer facing down.

[0016] S2: The unwinding roller makes the substrate layer of the tape face upward and the release paper layer face downward, and conveys it to the pre-cutting station along a predetermined path. A photoelectric sensor is set at the station to detect the length of the tape traveled. Under the action of the conveyor roller, the driven tape runs to the pre-cutting station. In this embodiment, the tape running length is detected by a photoelectric sensor. Of course, during use, the tape conveying length can also be recorded in real time by an encoder. When the tape conveying length reaches the preset length, the control system controls the conveyor roller to stop the tape conveying. At this time, the tape of the predetermined cutting length stops at the cutting station, that is, the predetermined cutting line position is located below the cutting circular blade of the first cutting device. It should be noted that at this time, the substrate layer of the tape is facing upward and the release paper layer is facing downward.

[0017] S3: When the unwound tape reaches the pre-cutting station, the first cutting device performs an incomplete cut on the positioned tape. Both the first cutting device and the standby cutting device are circular cutting blades coated with a non-adhesive coating, which is a Teflon coating. The depth of the incomplete cut is precisely controlled to completely cut through the substrate layer and the adhesive layer below the tape, but without damaging the release paper layer or protective layer below, thereby forming a continuous pre-cutting line with a consistent depth on the tape. The pre-cutting line serves as a stress concentration guide line for subsequent separation. When the tape reaches the predetermined length and travels below the first cutting device, a high-precision servo motor and linear module control the cutting blade to make an incomplete cut, achieving the partial cut described in this embodiment. The precision is controlled to completely penetrate the substrate layer and adhesive layer, but the blade edge contacts but does not penetrate the release paper layer or protective layer. The specific cutting depth can be set according to different tape materials. Pre-cutting only penetrates the substrate layer and adhesive layer, but the release paper layer remains completely undamaged. The release paper, acting as an anti-sticking layer, seals the adhesive between the substrate and the release paper, preventing... The adhesive is directly exposed and in contact with the cutting tool. Even if the tool comes into contact with the adhesive during cutting, the adhesive will not adhere to the tool excessively due to the isolation provided by the substrate layer, thus affecting the subsequent use of the tool. The tool does come into contact with the adhesive layer, but due to the precise control of the cutting depth, the tool may not adhere to too much adhesive. This is because the release paper layer acts as a support, preventing the adhesive layer from deforming excessively and sticking to both sides of the circular blade. At the same time, the sides of the circular blade in this process are coated with a Teflon coating, which further prevents the adhesive from sticking to both sides of the blade.

[0018] Meanwhile, this process involves incomplete cutting. The circular blade, or cutting tool, does not completely penetrate the entire tape during cutting, thus reducing the pulling force of the cutting blade on the soft substrate. This is especially important for soft substrates like PE foam. Cutting through all layers at once can easily cause the polymer chains of the substrate to be pulled out rather than cut, resulting in burrs and adhesive threads. In this process, the cutting only partially penetrates the layers, resulting in less cutting resistance. The cutting tool can cut the substrate layers more cleanly, reducing the overall plastic deformation of the tape and thus ensuring the quality of the cut.

[0019] At the same time, by reducing the number of layers cut by the blade, it is also possible to reduce blade wear and extend its service life.

[0020] S4: Along the conveyor belt direction, a pre-cutting line depth detection device is set behind the first cutting device. The depth detection device is a laser measurement sensor. At the same time, a backup cutting device is set behind the depth detection device. When the depth detection device detects that the pre-cutting line depth is insufficient, the system starts the backup cutting device to make supplementary cuts on the pre-cutting line with insufficient depth. The cutting depth setting of the backup cutting device is the same as that of the first cutting device. Along the conveying direction of the tape, a laser measurement sensor is installed behind the first cutting device to detect the depth of the pre-cut line. This sensor can measure the depth of the pre-cut line, measure the residual thickness in real time, and upload the data to the central control system. At the same time, a backup cutting device identical to the first cutting device is installed behind the depth detection device. If the cutting depth of a certain section of the pre-cut line is insufficient, the system will immediately start the backup cutting device to perform supplementary cutting on that section, ensuring the depth of the cutting line and ensuring the effect of subsequent stretching and separation.

[0021] S5: Under the action of the unwinding roller, the pre-cut tape segment is sent to the stretching and separating station. After arriving at the stretching and separating station, a stretching and separating mechanism applies a tensile tension to the tape. The tensile tension is perpendicular to the transport direction. The tensile tension causes stress concentration at the cross-section of the tape with the cutting line, causing the tape to break at the pre-cut line. The stretching and separating machine mechanism includes a pair of clamping components that can move in opposite directions. When stretching and separating is required, they are clamped on both sides of the pre-cut line. Once the tape reaches the predetermined position, the two clamping components move simultaneously, firmly clamping the tape on both sides of the pre-cut line. Subsequently, the drive mechanism controls the two clamping components to move in opposite directions perpendicular to the tape conveying direction, applying a tensile tension to the tape. Due to the presence of the pre-cut line, this tension generates extremely high stress concentration at the root of the pre-cut line, causing the tape to tensilely break at the pre-cut line, thus achieving separation. In this tensile separation step, tension is applied to the tape, but the release paper remains intact. The release paper has a certain degree of toughness, and under the action of tensile tension, it will deform to some extent. After the tension disappears, it can recover under its own toughness without breaking. Furthermore, the previous incomplete cut did not have a cutting blade or release paper layer, so the release paper will not be torn and will remain intact.

[0022] S6: The tape is completely separated into independent cut segments at the pre-cut line. The separated tape pieces are collected by the robot arm, and the complete release paper is wound up and recycled by the subsequent winding roller. A micro-peeling station is set after the stretching and separating station. The micro-peeling station is a high-pressure air nozzle at the turning point of the release paper. Using the tension of its natural bending, the tension of the release paper makes one corner of the tape segment curl up, making it easier for the robot arm to grasp it.

[0023] After the stretching and separation station, the release paper will pass around a smaller diameter turning roller. At this turning point, the release paper generates natural tension due to bending. In this process, one or more high-pressure air nozzles are set at this position. The nozzles are aimed at the corner of the tape segment that is about to leave the turning roller. At the turning point, air is sprayed onto the tape through the high-pressure nozzles. Under the airflow and its natural bending tension, one corner of the tape segment is slightly blown up, creating a small gap between it and the release paper. This raised corner is then grasped by the robot arm.

[0024] Finally, the robotic arm uses a vacuum suction cup or gripper to easily pick up and extract tape fragments from the slightly raised corners and transfer them to the product mounting position, while the intact release paper from which the tape fragments have been peeled off is collected and recycled by the subsequent winding roller.

[0025] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tape cutting process, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Install the rolled tape to be cut onto the unwinding roller; S2: The unwinding roller makes the substrate layer of the tape face upward and the release paper layer face downward, and conveys it to the pre-cutting station along a predetermined path; S3: When the unwound tape reaches the pre-cutting station, the first cutting device performs an incomplete cut on the positioned tape. The depth of the incomplete cut is precisely controlled to completely cut through the substrate layer and the adhesive layer below the tape, but without damaging the release paper layer or protective layer below, thereby forming a continuous pre-cutting line with a consistent depth on the tape. The pre-cutting line is the stress concentration guide line for subsequent separation. S4: Along the conveyor belt direction, a pre-cutting line depth detection device is set behind the first cutting device, and a backup cutting device is set behind the depth detection device. When the depth detection device detects that the pre-cutting line depth is insufficient, the system starts the backup cutting device to make supplementary cuts on the pre-cutting line with insufficient depth. The cutting depth setting of the backup cutting device is the same as that of the first cutting device. S5: Under the action of the unwinding roller, the pre-cut tape segment is sent to the stretching and separating station. After arriving at the stretching and separating station, a stretching and separating mechanism applies a tensile tension to the tape. The tensile tension is perpendicular to the transport direction. The tensile tension causes stress concentration at the cross-section of the tape with the cutting line, causing the tape to break at the pre-cut line position. S6: The tape is completely separated into individual cut pieces at the pre-cut line. The separated tape pieces are collected by a robot, and the complete release paper is wound up and recycled by the subsequent winding roller.

2. The tape cutting process according to claim 1, characterized in that: A micro-peeling station is set after the stretching and separating station. The micro-peeling station is where a high-pressure air nozzle at the turning point of the release paper uses the tension of its natural bending to make one corner of the tape segment curl up, making it easier for the subsequent robotic arm to grasp.

3. The tape cutting process according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first cutting device and the backup cutting device are circular cutting blades, and the circular cutting blades are coated with a non-stick coating.

4. The tape cutting process according to claim 3, characterized in that: The non-stick coating is a Teflon coating.

5. The tape cutting process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stretching and separating machine mechanism includes a pair of clamping components that can move in opposite directions, clamping them on both sides of the pre-cut line when stretching and separating is required.

6. The tape cutting process according to claim 1, characterized in that: Photoelectric sensors are installed at the workstation to detect the length of the tape traveled.

7. The tape cutting process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The depth detection device is a laser measurement sensor.

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