Tool carrier group in a machine for machining semi-finished products made of sheet-shaped material

Abstract

Tool carrier group (7) in a machine for processing semi-finished products (2) made of sheet-shaped material, comprising a conveyor (3) for feeding the semi-finished products (2) in a transport plane (P) along a transport direction (T), wherein the group comprises the following: a pair of support structures (11a, 11b) suitable for being attached to the machine (1) on the sides of the conveyor (3), at least one rod (14) which runs horizontally and transversely with respect to the direction of transport (T), and is supported at its own ends (34, 36) by the support structures (11a, 11b), and at least one bracket (16) for connecting a tool (7) to the rod (14), and which is provided with a seat (17) adapted in such a way that it at least partially accommodates the said rod (14); characterized in that the rod (14) and the seat (17) are configured such that they form a positive fit which is free of play in the transport direction (T), wherein the rod (14) has a pair of surfaces (20, 21) which converge such that they form a V-shaped profile in cross-section, and the seat (17) has a corresponding V-shaped profile, wherein the pair of surfaces (20, 21) converges upwards, and the V-shaped profiles formed by the rod (14) and the seat (17) have the shape of an inverted V.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to machines for processing semi-finished products made of sheet material for the production of bags, envelopes, and other manufactured items that can be produced by folding and gluing. Such machines are generally referred to as folding and gluing machines.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a support group for holding one or more tools above a transport surface of the machine.

[0003] As is known, folding and gluing machines include a roller or belt conveyor designed to move the semi-finished product along a horizontal transport path. The machine also incorporates a variety of tools that are held above the transport plane, allowing them to interact with the semi-finished products as they move along the transport plane.

[0004] According to a solution known from documents EP 1 424 191 A2 and EP 1 886 765 A1, the tools are held by bars running transversely to the transport route, the ends of which are held on support structures that are attached to the machine, to the sides of the conveyor.

[0005] In the case of document EP 1 424 191 A2, the support structures consist of posts that are detachably held on the lateral shoulders of the conveyor, and each pole, together with the two posts that support it, forms a gate-like frame that can be removed and repositioned along the transport route.

[0006] In the case of document EP 1 886 765 A1, the support structures consist of fixed rails, one on each side of the machine, each attached to a shoulder of the conveyor. The rails are equipped with multiple seats for the ends of the bars, allowing them to be positioned at any point along the transport route.

[0007] The holding tools are attached to the poles using anchoring brackets. The bagels are equipped with seats designed to be coupled to the poles with a degree of play in a direction perpendicular to the poles (i.e., in the direction of transport). This play creates an uncertainty in the positioning of the tools in the direction of transport.

[0008] Furthermore, the rods tend to bend under their own weight and the weight of the tools, and therefore must be dimensioned accordingly to minimize this effect. Consequently, these rods are relatively heavy, making their relocation difficult whenever the type of work to be performed on the machine was changed.

[0009] CH 689 300 A describes a machine featuring a lower horizontal conveyor designed as a roller conveyor, which transports the cut cardboard sheets between folding and / or gluing units. The rollers of the lower conveyor have an identical circular cross-section and are positioned perpendicular to the direction of travel of the cardboard sheets during the folding and gluing process. The partially driven rollers are spaced along the conveyor and can be temporarily retracted from their working position to adjust the distance between them as needed. The lower conveyor belt consists of a series of frame modules, and the cylindrical surface of each roller is covered with a sleeve made of a material such as rubber, which provides an improved coefficient of friction between the rollers and the cardboard sheets.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a carrier group for tools of a machine for processing sheet-shaped semi-finished products, which does not have the disadvantages of the known groups mentioned above.

[0011] The aforementioned problem is solved by a group according to claim 1.

[0012] For a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred and non-limiting embodiment is described below as an example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: the Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a section through a folding and gluing machine which is equipped with a support group according to the invention; the Fig. 2 a perspective view of a detail of the carrier group after Fig. 1 represents; and the Fig. 3 a partially cut side height view of the detail after Fig. 2 represents.

[0013] With regard to the Fig. 1 is designated as the entirety of a folding and gluing machine for processing sheet-shaped semi-finished products 2.

[0014] The machine 1 includes a roller conveyor 3, which is suitable for moving the semi-finished products 2 along a horizontal transport plane P in a transport direction T.

[0015] The conveyor 3 comprises a pair of spaced-apart longitudinal beams 4, which run parallel to each other and to the transport direction T, and a plurality of motorized rollers 5, which are supported by the longitudinal beams 4 in the region of their ends. The rollers 5 have horizontal axes B that are perpendicular to the transport direction T, and the transport plane P is the horizontal plane that is tangent to the rollers 5 in the region of their upper section.

[0016] Machine 1 comprises a multitude of support groups 6 (only one of which is shown) that hold the respective tools 7, which are suitable for interacting with the semi-finished products 2 as they move along the transport plane P. In the example shown, the tool 7 consists of a roller guide suitable for keeping the semi-finished products 2 in contact with the rollers 5 of the conveyor 3 to enable their transport.

[0017] Other types of tools, not shown but known to those skilled in the art, include the screw (elica) for longitudinal folding, the tools for pocket-shaped transverse folding, the gluing devices, the devices for rotating the semi-finished products in the plane, and the optical presence sensors. In particular, tool 7 – which is known per se – comprises ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) a support 8 and a plurality of rollers 9, which are supported by corresponding arms 10 that are articulated to the support 8. The arms 10 are tensioned by corresponding springs 11, so that each roller 9 is kept in contact with a respective roller 5.

[0018] The support group 6 comprises a pair of lateral support structures 11a, 11b, which are rigidly attached to the respective longitudinal beams 4. In the described example, the support structures 11a, 11b consist of vertically extending posts suitable for attachment to the longitudinal beams 4 in a series of individual positions. For this purpose, the longitudinal beams 4 are expediently provided with a series of continuous holes 10, uniformly spaced apart from one another, the distance p between which corresponds to that of the axes B of the rollers 5, as described in document EP 1 424 191 A2.

[0019] The support group also includes a rod 14, which is supported at its ends by the posts 11a, 11b, so that it extends horizontally, transversely to the conveyor, forming a gate-like frame 15 with the posts 11a, 11b. The rod 14 is detachably bound to the posts 11a, 11b, as will be described in more detail below; therefore, a conversion can be carried out either by removing the rod 14 from the posts 11a, 11b or by removing the entire gate-like frame 15 from the conveyor 3.

[0020] The support group also includes a bagel 16, which carries the tool 7 and has a seat 17 suitable for being coupled to the rod 14 in order to suspend the tool 7 below the rod 14 itself. The bagel 16 can be an integral part of the support 8 of the tool 7 or an independent element that is rigidly attached to it.

[0021] According to the invention, the seat 17 and the rod 14 are configured such that they form a positive fit which is free of play in the transport direction.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the rod 14 is expediently formed from a profile having a square, hollow cross-section. The rod 14 is arranged such that its surfaces are inclined relative to the transport plane P, such that two upper surfaces 20, 21 of the same form an inverted V-profile 22 in cross-section, which can be coupled to a corresponding profile of the seat 17, as will be described in more detail below. A clamping element 23 holds the rod 14 in contact with the seat 17.

[0023] Preferably the surfaces of the rod 14 are inclined at 45° so that the diagonals of the cross-section of the rod 14 are both horizontal and vertical.

[0024] In the example shown, the bagel 16 essentially has the shape of a box open at the front in the transport direction T and comprises a horizontal, right-angled, top plate 24, two side walls 25, 26 and a rear wall 27.

[0025] The side walls 25, 26 are vertical, parallel to each other and to the transport direction T, are attached to two longitudinal sides of the upper plate 24 and extend vertically downwards from it. The rear wall 27 is parallel to the axes B of the rollers 5 and extends vertically downwards from a transverse side of the upper plate 24. One of the two side walls (26) is shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 omitted.

[0026] The seat 17 is defined by two identical, opposing incisions made at corresponding templated frontal edges 28 of the lateral walls 25, 26. Instead of from two separate walls 25, 26, the seat 17 could also be obtained from a single body having sufficient thickness in a direction parallel to the rod 14.

[0027] The seat 17 has a rectangular profile that corresponds essentially to half the cross-section of the rod 14. The seat 17 is symmetrical with respect to a direction d inclined at 45° to the transport plane P and is open in this direction; the seat 17 is bounded in width by two sides 29 and in depth by one side 30. The upper side 29 and the side 30 define an inverted V-shaped profile suitable for collaborating with the profile 22 of the rod 14 without any play in the transport direction T.

[0028] The width L of the seat 17 is such that it accommodates the bar with some play; therefore, the bracket 16 can easily be coupled to and decoupled from the bar 14 by a relative movement along direction d. To facilitate the coupling / decoupling of the bar 14, the lower side 29 of the seat can diverge from the upper side, with the side 30 diverging, for example, towards the vertical frontal opening of the seat.

[0029] The clamping element 23 expediently consists of a plate that is essentially hinged to the rear wall 27 in the region of a lower edge. The plate 23 is suitable for being clamped against a lower edge 31 of the rod 14 by means of a screw 32, which is axially fixed and freely mounted through the upper plate 24 in the direction of rotation. The screw 32 is provided with an actuating head 33 that extends above the upper plate 24 in such a way that it is easily accessible by a screwdriver or wrench.

[0030] The pole 14 ( Fig. 1) has an end 34 that is prismatically held in a sleeve 35, which is attached to an upper end of the post 11a, and is axially locked inside the sleeve 35. The locking can be effected, for example, by a pressure screw (not shown) that is screwed radially into the sleeve 35 and that engages a surface of the rod 14.

[0031] An opposite end 36 of the rod 14 stands with a vertical slot 37 in the other post 11b ( Fig. 1) in engagement and carries attached to it a closing, square flange 38, which is rotated by 45° relative to the rod 14 so that it has vertical and horizontal sides. The flange 38 is held on the post 11b by a quick-release clamping device 40 with lever actuation, of the type described in document EP 1 424 191 A2.

[0032] The functioning of carrier group 6, which is partly evident from the above, is as follows.

[0033] The tool 7 is connected to the rod 14 by engaging the seat 17 of the bracket 16 with the rod itself. Although the coupling between the seat 17 and the rod 14 is free, with a certain amount of play during assembly, the contact between the inclined surfaces 20, 21 of the rod 14 and the corresponding sides 29, 30 of the seat 17 ensures automatic centering between the bagel 16 and the rod 14, without any play in the transport direction T. Once the bracket 16 is mounted on the rod 14, it is sufficient to clamp the plate 23 against the lower edge 31 of the rod 14 by means of the screw 32 to eliminate any degree of freedom between the bagel 16 and the rod 14.

[0034] Furthermore, the inclined arrangement of the rod 14 increases the bending moment of inertia of the cross-section. With the same dimensions of the rod 14, and therefore with the same weight and cost, this results in greater stiffness.

[0035] It is clear that changes and variations can be made to the described embodiment, but these do not leave the scope of protection defined by the claims. In particular, the cross-section of the rod 14 and the seat 17 can be varied, as can the configuration of the support structures, which can consist in particular of longitudinal rails that can have uniformly spaced seats for the rods themselves.

Claims

[1] Tool carrier group (7) in a machine for processing semi-finished products (2) made of sheet-shaped material, comprising a conveyor (3) for feeding the semi-finished products (2) in a transport plane (P) along a transport direction (T), wherein the group comprises: a pair of support structures (11a, 11b) suitable for being attached to the machine (1) on the sides of the conveyor (3), at least one rod (14) which runs horizontally and transversely with respect to the direction of transport (T), and is supported at its own ends (34, 36) by the support structures (11a, 11b), and at least one bracket (16) for connecting a tool (7) to the rod (14), and which is provided with a seat (17) adapted in such a way that it at least partially accommodates the said rod (14); characterized by, that the rod (14) and the seat (17) are configured such that they form a positive fit which is free of play in the transport direction (T), wherein the rod (14) has a pair of surfaces (20, 21) which converge such that they form a V-shaped profile in cross-section, and the seat (17) has a corresponding V-shaped profile, wherein the pair of surfaces (20, 21) converges upwards, and the V-shaped profiles formed by said rod (14) and said seat (17) have the shape of an inverted V. [2] Group according to claim 1, characterized by , that the rod (14) has a square cross-section and is arranged such that its own surfaces (20, 21) are inclined relative to the transport plane. [3] Group according to claim 2, characterized by , that the rod (14) has a square cross-section. [4] Group according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by, that the surfaces (20, 21) are inclined at 45° to the transport plane (P). [5] group according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the said seat (17) is made on a frontal edge (28) of the said bracket (16). [6] Group according to claim 5, characterized by , that the said seat (17) has such a width that it can be freely coupled to the rod (14). [7] Group according to claim 6, characterized by , that the aforementioned seat (17) is rectangular. [8] group according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the centering between the bracket (16) and the rod (14) in the transport direction (T) is achieved by the contact of two upper surfaces (20, 21) of the said rod (14) and two corresponding sides (29, 30) of the said seat (17). [9] group according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the said rod (14) is fixed to one (11a) of the said support structures (11a, 11b) in a prismatic manner, and is fixed to the other (11b) of the said support structures (11a, 11b) by a quick-release device (40). [10] group according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the aforementioned support structures are posts (11a, 11b) which together with the pole (14) form a gate-like frame (15). [11] Group according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by , that the aforementioned support structures are longitudinally directed rails suitable for being attached to opposite sides of the conveyor (3) and define the seats for the aforementioned at least one rod (14).

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