Method and apparatus for horizontally severing a mineral wool web

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for horizontally slicing a mineral wool web, the apparatus comprising a conveyor having a first direction of travel adapted to receive a hardened mineral wool web and advance it in the first direction, at least one dividing device provided to longitudinally divide the hardened mineral wool web into at least two partial webs as the hardened mineral wool web advances and passes through the at least one dividing device, at least one lifting mechanism downstream of the dividing device, whereby a section of the conveyor is adapted to lift the partial webs, and at least one horizontal cutting device provided to horizontally cut the partial webs while they are being lifted in the conveyor section.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for horizontally severing a mineral wool web comprising a conveyor having a first direction of advancement, the conveyor being adapted to receive a cured mineral wool web and advance it in said first direction. [Background technology]

[0002] (background) Such a type of method and device is known from EP-A-0336912. It is known from this disclosure to horizontally sever a hardened mineral wool web into an upper and lower layer while the web is advanced on a conveyor. After severing, a vacuum cleaner is introduced between the upper and lower layers, after which the debris generated by the horizontal cutting action is removed.

[0003] Another device for horizontally severing a cured mineral wool web is known from US 2007 / 0264465 A1. According to this disclosure, an advancing mineral wool fiber web is cut horizontally, after which the web is separated downstream from this horizontal cut into two webs arranged side by side and then passed on to further processing.

[0004] In current high capacity production lines, horizontal cutting is often performed for webs with widths of 2 meters or more by using a band saw that typically spans the entire production width. However, when the cured mineral wool web is cut horizontally, the cutting action creates waste. With large widths, such as widths of more than 2 meters, the band saw leaves a relatively large amount of waste on the dividing surface between the upper and lower layers. For some products, this is not acceptable and the surface must be cleaned before the mineral wool web is packaged. As mentioned above, this problem has been addressed in EP-A-0336912. However, such cleaning is time consuming and adds extra costs to production. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (overview) The problem is that band saws cannot remove all of the debris created during long horizontal cuts. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple and cost-effective method and apparatus for horizontally cutting hardened mineral wool webs with large widths.

[0006] This object is achieved by a method for horizontally severing a mineral wool web, the method comprising the steps of providing a hardened mineral wool web on a conveyor, the conveyor having a first direction of progression, longitudinally dividing the hardened mineral wool web into at least two partial webs, thereafter lifting the partial web by lifting a section of the conveyor, and horizontally cutting the lifted partial web (while it is lifted).

[0007] The invention further relates to an apparatus for horizontally severing a hardened mineral wool web, the apparatus comprising a conveyor having a first direction of travel adapted to receive the hardened mineral wool web and advance it in the first direction, at least one dividing device is provided which divides the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into at least two partial webs as the hardened mineral wool web is advanced and passed through the at least one dividing device, at least one lifting mechanism is provided downstream of the dividing device (e.g. in the downstream direction of travel from the dividing device), whereby a section of the conveyor is adapted to lift the partial webs, and at least one horizontal cutting device is provided which horizontally cuts the partial webs while they are being lifted in the conveyor section. In one embodiment, exactly one dividing device (i.e. only one dividing device) is provided for horizontally dividing the hardened mineral wool web into two partial webs.

[0008] It has been found advantageously by the present invention that by dividing the hardened mineral wool web into two or more adjacent partial webs and then cutting each of these partial webs horizontally, the band saw does not perform a large width end-to-end cut and is then able to remove the dust created during the horizontal cut. Thus, each band saw does not produce more sawdust that can be removed and it has been shown that the dividing surface is substantially free of sawdust. Thereby, the residual sawdust is kept away from the dividing surface and time-consuming and costly cleaning operations before packaging or further processing of the mineral wool product can be avoided.

[0009] In practice, the band saw is positioned above the production line, so that if the cured mineral wool web is not to be split horizontally, it simply passes underneath the band saw. However, when the cured mineral wool web has to be split horizontally, the rollers or conveyors underneath each longitudinal partial web are raised upwards, so that each partial web engages a separate band saw without the other partial webs.

[0010] Thus, the individual lifting of each of the partial webs is carried out successively in the downstream direction of travel, whereby the lifted sections of each of the partial webs occur at different positions in the conveyor direction of travel, whereby the horizontal cuts of the partial webs are carried out separately.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the horizontal cuts are performed by a band saw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel.

[0012] It is recognized by the present invention that the simultaneous cutting can be performed on at least two partial webs, the number of which naturally depends on the width of the final mineral wool product produced relative to the width of the hardened mineral wool web, so that in the simplest embodiment, the hardened mineral wool web is divided into two partial webs.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the band saws run in opposite directions, preferably so that each active pass of the band saw runs towards the outer edge of the hardened mineral wool web, so that the band saws remove sawdust to the outer surface of the production line where it is easily removable and where accumulation of sawdust on adjacent partial webs is avoided.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a device is provided for horizontally cutting the mineral wool web, and a lifting mechanism is provided for each of the partial webs, following in the downstream direction of travel, so that the lifted sections of each partial web occur at different positions in the conveyor direction of travel, whereby the horizontal cutting of the partial webs is carried out separately.

[0015] Preferably, the conveyor is a roller conveyor. The roller conveyor is preferably provided with a part line of rollers corresponding to each part web, and the associated lifting mechanism is adapted to be able to lift the part web in a section. The rollers of each part line of rollers are independently height adjustable, so that the part webs are conveyed thereover and can be lifted individually towards the designated band saw for that particular part web line.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, a horizontal cutting device is provided above each lifting section, each lifting section adapted to horizontally cut each of the partial webs while it is being lifted in the respective lifting section. This is advantageous because a bandsaw is provided, whereby when the partial web is not being lifted, it passes directly under the bandsaw, and only when the partial web is lifted, it is engaged by the lower active cutting path of the bandsaw. Thus, the horizontal cutting device comprises a bandsaw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel. The present invention provides, for example, the following: (Item 1) 1. A method for horizontally severing a cured mineral wool web, the method comprising: providing the cured mineral wool web on a conveyor, the conveyor having a first direction of travel; longitudinally dividing the cured mineral wool web into at least two partial webs; thereafter, lifting the partial web by lifting a section of the conveyor; cutting the lifted partial web horizontally; A method comprising: (Item 2) 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lifting of each of the partial webs individually is performed successively in the downstream direction of the advance, whereby the lifted sections of each of the partial webs occur at different positions in the conveyor direction of advance, whereby the horizontal cuts of the partial webs are performed separately. (Item 3) 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the horizontal cut is performed by a band saw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel. (Item 4) 4. The method according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein simultaneous cutting is performed on the at least two partial webs. (Item 5) 5. The method according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the hardened mineral wool web is divided into two part webs. (Item 6) 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the bandsaws advance in opposite directions, preferably whereby the active path of each of the bandsaws advances towards an outer edge of the hardened mineral wool web. (Item 7) 1. An apparatus for horizontally severing a cured mineral wool web, comprising: The apparatus includes a conveyor having a first direction of travel, the conveyor adapted to receive a cured mineral wool web and advance the cured mineral wool web in the first direction; At least one dividing device is provided, which divides the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into at least two partial webs as the hardened mineral wool web is advanced and passed through the at least one dividing device; At least one lifting mechanism is provided downstream of the dividing device, whereby a section of the conveyor is adapted to lift the partial web, and at least one horizontal cutting device is provided for horizontally cutting the partial web while it is being lifted in the conveyor section. (Item 8) 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein a lifting mechanism is provided for each of the partial webs following in the downstream direction of the advance, whereby the lifted sections of each of the partial webs occur at different positions on the conveyor direction of advance, whereby the horizontal cuts of the partial webs are made separately. (Item 9) 9. The apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the conveyor is a roller conveyor. (Item 10) 10. The apparatus according to item 9, wherein the roller conveyor is provided with a partial line of rollers corresponding to each partial web, and the associated lifting mechanism is adapted to be able to lift the partial web in a section. (Item 11) 11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the horizontal cutting device is provided above each lifting section, each lifting section being adapted to horizontally cut each of the partial webs while it is being lifted in the respective lifting section. (Item 12) 12. The apparatus of any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the at least one horizontal cutting device comprises a band saw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, the active cutting path and the upper return path both being substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel. (Item 13) Item 13. The apparatus according to any one of items 7 to 12, wherein one dividing device is provided for dividing the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into two partial webs. (Item 14) Item 14. The apparatus according to item 13, wherein the bandsaws are arranged to run in opposite directions, preferably whereby the active path of each of the bandsaws runs towards an outer edge of the initial web. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] Description of the drawings The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the production of a cured mineral wool web of insulation from mineral fibers.

[0019] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a cutting station for carrying out the method of vertical division and horizontal severing of a mineral wool web according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] (Detailed Description) Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an example of a production line for the production of hardened webs of insulation with mineral fibres, in particular stone fibres. The production line comprises a furnace 1 in which a mineral material, such as stone, is melted to form a mineral melt. In the shown example, the mineral melt is fed via a melt outlet 2 to a cascade spinner 3 with four rapidly rotating spinning wheels 4.

[0021] The melt is fed onto the outer surface of a spinning wheel 4 and a strong gas stream is passed across the face of the spinning wheel in the axial direction, thereby causing the formation of fibres 5, which are collected on an endless perforated collector belt 6 supported by three rollers 7, one of which is driven by a drive means (not shown). Before the fibres 5 reach the collector belt 6, an uncured binder is sprayed onto the fibres 5. As a result, a primary fibre web 8 is formed, which is introduced into the space between the two pendulum belts 10, 11 by means of a further endless conveyor belt.

[0022] The lower ends of the pendulums 10, 11 are positioned to pivot in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of a further endless conveyor belt 12 supported by two rollers 13, one of which is driven by a drive means (not shown).

[0023] The amplitude of the swing of the lower part of the pendulum belts 10, 11 corresponds to the width of the conveyor belt 12, so that a double fibrous web 14 of overlapping fibrous layers 8 is formed on the belt 12. This fibrous web 14 is called a secondary fibrous web.

[0024] The secondary fibrous web 14 is then introduced into a height compression section consisting of three sets of cooperating rollers 15, 16 and 17, the spacing between the rollers in the sets decreasing in the longitudinal direction of the fibrous web. The secondary fibrous web 14 is then introduced into a longitudinal compression section also consisting of three sets of rollers 18, 19 and 20, the rollers of the latter set of rollers rotating at the same speed, which is lower than that of the sets of rollers 15, 16 and 17. For height and length compression, conveyor belts can be applied instead of rollers.

[0025] The as yet uncured secondary fiber web is then introduced into a curing oven 21 where it is heated to a temperature high enough to cure the binder and secure the fibers relative to one another. The result is a cured mineral wool web 14' with the desired density and thickness, which is then cut into desired products.

[0026] It should be mentioned that hardened mineral fiber webs can also be the result of other production methods, such as the spinning of a glass melt by so-called internal centrifugation using a spinning cup provided with small orifices through which the melt forms fibers. If the primary web already has the desired thickness and density, the mutual superposition process by pendulum can be omitted.

[0027] The present invention relates to a relatively thin product produced by horizontally splitting a cured mineral wool web. A cutting station for such a horizontal cut is shown in FIG.

[0028] In connection with the cutting operation, the hardened mineral wool web 14' is transported on a conveyor 23. The conveyor 23 comprises two adjacent lines of rollers 23a, 23b configured to support and transport two partial webs 25a, 25b produced by vertically severing the hardened mineral wool web 14' by means of the vertical cutter 22.

[0029] The partial webs 25a, 25b are conveyed on adjacent lines of conveyor rollers 23a, 23b downstream of the cutting action of the vertical cutter 22 and are lifted by lifting sections 26a, 26b on each of the lines of conveyor rollers 23a, 23b provided at different positions downstream of the vertical cutter 22. Associated band saws 24a, 24b adapted to perform a horizontal cut in each of the partial webs 25a, 25b are provided above the lifting sections 26a, 26b.

[0030] The bandsaws 24a, 24b which perform horizontal cuts each include an endless saw band (which is the actual depicted component of the bandsaw in FIG. 2) with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel.

[0031] As shown by the arrows adjacent to the bandsaws 24a, 24b, the two bandsaws 24a, 24b proceed in opposite directions, whereby the active path of each of the bandsaws 24a, 24b proceeds towards the outer edge of the hardened mineral wool web 14', whereby the bandsaws 24a, 24b remove sawdust to the outer surface of the production line, whereby the sawdust is easily collectable and removable, and whereby sawdust deposition in the longitudinal vertical cuts of the hardened mineral wool web 14' and thus sawdust terminating on the adjacent partial webs 25a, 25b is avoided.

[0032] A lifting mechanism is provided for each of the partial webs 25a, 25b following in the downstream direction of travel, whereby the lifted sections 26a, 26b of each of the partial webs 25a, 25b arise at different positions in the conveyor direction of travel, ensuring that the horizontal cuts of the partial webs 25a, 25b are made separately.

[0033] As mentioned above, the roller conveyor 23 is preferably provided with a partial line of rollers 23a, 23b corresponding to each partial web 25a, 25b, and an associated lifting mechanism 26a, 26b adapted to lift the partial web 25a, 25b in a section. The rollers of each partial line of rollers 23a, 23b are independently height adjustable, so that the partial webs 25a, 25b can be conveyed over them and lifted individually towards the designated band saw 24a, 24b for that particular partial web line. Band saws 24a, 24b are provided, so that the partial webs 25a, 25b pass directly under the band saws 24a, 24b when the partial webs 23a, 23b are not lifted, and the partial webs 25a, 25b are engaged by the lower active cutting path of the band saws 24a, 24b only when the partial webs 25a, 25b are lifted.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the roller conveyor 23 includes rollers spanning the entire width of the production line instead of providing separate partial lines 23a, 23b of rollers to support each partial web 25a, 25b. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanisms 26a, 26b include additional rollers disposed between the rollers of the roller conveyor 23, which are height adjustable to individually lift each partial web 25a, 25b upwardly from the roller conveyor 23.

[0035] In modern high capacity production lines, the width of the cured mineral wool web is typically around 2 meters. It can be as small as 1.8 meters, but often as large as 2.4 meters or more. The density of the cured mineral wool web is often in the range of 25-190 kg / m3 depending on the end use of the product. The thickness of the cured mineral wool web before horizontal severing is often 50-100 mm, providing a product with a thickness of 25-50 mm after horizontal cutting. The line speed can be as low as 2 m / s (for high density products) or as high as 18 m / s (for low density products). The cutting speed of the band saws 24a, 24b can be 10-18 m / s, or even 10-25 m / s. The cutting speed can be adjusted according to the line speed, the density of the cured mineral wool web, and the like.

[0036] As mentioned above, the two bandsaws 24a, 24b run in opposite directions. The bandsaws may run at the same cutting speed (if appropriate) or at different cutting speeds. The bandsaws may be of the same type or of different types, depending on what is most appropriate.

[0037] The present invention has been described above with reference to some currently preferred embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2, each partial web 25a, 25b can be lifted at a longitudinal distance in lifting sections 26a, 26b. Of course, depending on the dimensions of the final product, there can be more than two (such as three or four) longitudinal partial webs 25a, 25b. In that case, further band saws 24a, 24b must also be provided. Other variations can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for horizontally severing a cured mineral wool web, the method comprising: providing the cured mineral wool web on a conveyor, the conveyor having a first direction of travel; longitudinally dividing the hardened mineral wool web into at least two partial webs; thereafter, lifting the partial web by lifting a section of the conveyor; cutting the lifted partial web horizontally; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lifting of each of the partial webs individually is performed successively in the downstream direction of the advancement, whereby the lifted sections of each of the partial webs occur at a plurality of different positions in the conveyor direction of advancement, whereby the horizontal cuts of the partial webs are performed separately.

3. A method as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein horizontal cuts on the lifted partial web are performed simultaneously on each of the at least two partial webs.

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal cut is performed by a band saw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cured mineral wool web is divided into two part webs.

6. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the hardened mineral wool web is divided into two partial webs and the band saws proceed in opposite directions, preferably with the active cutting path of each of the band saws proceeding towards the outer edge of the hardened mineral wool web.

7. 1. An apparatus for horizontally severing a cured mineral wool web, comprising: the apparatus comprises a conveyor having a first direction of advancement, the conveyor adapted to receive a cured mineral wool web and advance the cured mineral wool web in the first direction; At least one dividing device is provided, which divides the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into at least two partial webs as the hardened mineral wool web is advanced and passed through the at least one dividing device; At least one lifting mechanism is provided downstream of the dividing device, a section of the conveyor is adapted to lift a partial web, and at least one horizontal cutting device is provided to horizontally cut the partial web while it is being lifted in the conveyor section.

8. 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein a lifting mechanism is provided following each of the partial webs in the downstream direction of the advance, so that the lifted sections of each of the partial webs occur at a plurality of different positions in the conveyor direction of advance, so that the horizontal cuts of the partial webs are performed separately.

9. 9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the conveyor is a roller conveyor.

10. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the roller conveyor is provided with a partial line of rollers corresponding to each partial web, and the associated lifting mechanism is adapted to be able to lift the partial web in a section.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the horizontal cutting device is provided above each lifting section, each lifting section being adapted to horizontally cut each of the partial webs while it is being lifted in the respective lifting section.

12. 12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the at least one horizontal cutting device comprises a band saw having an endless saw band with a horizontal lower active cutting path and an upper return path, both of which are substantially perpendicular to the first direction of travel.

13. Apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein a dividing device is provided for dividing the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into two partial webs.

14. Apparatus as described in claim 12, further comprising a dividing device for dividing the hardened mineral wool web longitudinally into two partial webs, the band saws being arranged to proceed in opposite directions, preferably with the active cutting path of each of the band saws proceeding towards the outer edge of the hardened mineral wool web.

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