Slitter and method for changing cutter arrangement in slitter

Abstract

To efficiently change arrangement of a cutter.SOLUTION: A slitter 10 includes a plurality of cutters 21, moving means 24 moving the cutter 21, and position detection means 26 for detecting a position of the cutter 21. The slitter 10 includes control means 28 which determines an order of moving the plurality of cutters 21 on the basis of a relation in a moving direction from a current position of the cutter 21 to a target position, and controls the moving means 24 so that the cutter 21 is arranged at the target position in the determined order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a slitter having a repositionable cutter and a method for repositioning the cutter in a slitter. [Background technology]

[0002] The slitter is equipped with a cutting mechanism that cuts the web with a cutter (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the cutting mechanism of Patent Document 1, a blade support unit having a slitting blade is attached through a slide shaft and moves laterally along the slide shaft, allowing its position to be changed according to a predetermined slit width. To change the position of the slitting blade, the slitting blade fixing handle is loosened to make the blade support unit movable, and a positioning scale attached to the slide shaft or near the slide shaft is used to measure and set the movement distance by visually checking the scale, and the slitting blade fixing handle is then tightened to fix it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-174484 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The cutting mechanism of Patent Document 1 requires consideration of the order in which the slit blades are rearranged so that they do not interfere with each other, which is time-consuming.

[0005] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems associated with the conventional technology in order to solve them in an optimal manner, and aims to provide a slitter that can efficiently change the position of the cutter and a method for changing the cutter arrangement in a slitter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the slitter of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises: Multiple cutters and a moving means for moving the cutter; a position detection means for detecting the position of the cutter; The gist of the present invention is that it comprises a control means for determining the order in which the plurality of cutters are to be moved based on the relationship of the movement directions from the current positions of the cutters to the target positions, and for controlling the movement means so that the cutters are positioned at the target positions in that order. According to the invention of claim 1, by moving the cutters in an order based on the relationship of the movement direction from the current position of the cutter to the target position, multiple cutters can be efficiently positioned at the target position.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, when the cutters moving in different directions are adjacent to each other when setting the target position, the cutter farthest from the cutter used as the basis for determining the order is moved preferentially. According to the invention of claim 2, by moving the cutters in a priority order based on the switching of the movement direction of adjacent cutters, it is possible to efficiently arrange a plurality of cutters at target positions.

[0008] In the invention according to claim 3, when the cutters moving in a direction approaching the cutter used as a reference for determining the order are adjacent to each other when the cutters are set as the target positions, the cutter closer to the cutter used as a reference for determining the order is moved preferentially; The gist of this method is that when the cutters that are moving away from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when setting the target position are adjacent to each other, the cutter that is farthest from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is moved preferentially. According to the invention of claim 3, by moving the cutters in a priority order based on the movement direction of adjacent cutters, it is possible to efficiently arrange a plurality of cutters at target positions.

[0009] In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended purpose, the method for changing the arrangement of cutters in a slitter according to the invention of claim 1 of the present application comprises: setting target positions of a plurality of cutters in a control means; The control means determines an order in which the plurality of cutters are moved based on the relationship of the movement directions from the current positions of the cutters to the target positions; The gist is that the cutters are placed at the target positions in the order mentioned above by a moving means controlled by the control means. According to the invention of claim 4, by moving the cutters in an order based on the relationship of the movement direction from the current position of the cutter to the target position, it is possible to efficiently arrange multiple cutters at the target positions.

[0010] The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, when the cutters that move in different directions when setting the target position are adjacent to each other, the cutter that is farther from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is moved preferentially. According to the invention of claim 5, by moving the cutters in a priority order based on the switching of the movement directions of adjacent cutters, it is possible to efficiently arrange a plurality of cutters at target positions.

[0011] In the invention according to claim 6, when the cutters moving in a direction approaching the cutter used as a reference for determining the order are adjacent to each other when the cutters are set as the target positions, the cutter closer to the cutter used as a reference for determining the order is moved preferentially; The gist of this method is that when the cutters that are moving away from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when setting the target position are adjacent to each other, the cutter that is farthest from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is moved preferentially. According to the invention of claim 6, by moving the cutters in a priority order based on the movement direction of adjacent cutters, it is possible to efficiently arrange a plurality of cutters at target positions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the slitter of the present invention, the position of the cutter can be changed efficiently. According to the method for changing the arrangement of cutters in a slitter of the present invention, the positions of the cutters can be changed efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a slitter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a cutting mechanism of the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the cutting mechanism of the embodiment, illustrating a state in which the cutter is being rearranged. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the slitter according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing a flow of changing the arrangement of cutters in the slitter of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of changing the arrangement of cutters. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Next, a slitter and a method for changing the arrangement of cutters in a slitter according to the present invention will be described below by way of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0015] (Slitter Overview) The slitter 10 according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 cuts a web 12 to a required width and winds it into a roll. Examples of the web 12 include synthetic resin film, paper, and metal foil such as aluminum, and a roll of the web 12 wound around a core is called a roll. For special distinction, the roll from which the web 12 is unwound before processing is called a "raw roll 14," and the roll formed by winding the web 12 after predetermined processing is called a "processed roll 16."

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1 , a slitter 10 according to the embodiment includes an unwinding section 18 that supports a raw web roll 14, a cutting mechanism section 20 equipped with a plurality of cutters 21 that cut the web 12 to a predetermined width, and a winding section 22 that winds up the web 12 cut to the predetermined width into a processed roll 16. The slitter 10 has a pass line along which the web 12 travels from the unwinding section 18 to the winding section 22, with a plurality of main rollers R installed between the unwinding section 18 and the winding section 22. The slitter 10 is configured such that the web 12 unwound from the raw web roll 14 supported by the unwinding section 18 is cut in the flow direction of the web 12 by the cutters 21 of the cutting mechanism section 20 along the pass line, and the web 12 cut to the predetermined width is divided into multiple sections in the winding section 22 and wound onto respective cores, thereby obtaining a processed roll 16 on which the web 12 of the predetermined width is wound.

[0017] In the following description, the side of the slitter 10 where the unwinding section 18 is provided is referred to as the front side, and the side where the rewinding section 22 is provided is referred to as the rear side, and the front-to-rear direction is referred to. Therefore, in the embodiment, the front side of the unwinding section 18 where an operator accesses the unwinding section 18 is the front of the slitter 10, and the front side of the rewinding section 22 where an operator accesses the rewinding section 22 is the rear of the slitter 10. In addition, in the slitter 10, the horizontal direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction is referred to as the left-to-right direction. The raw web roll 14 and the processed roll 16 are supported so that the left-to-right direction corresponds to the axial direction of the core, and the width direction of the web 12 corresponds to the left-to-right direction. The running direction of the web 12 from the unwinding section 18 through the pass line toward the rewinding section 22 is referred to as the flow direction of the web 12, and as shown in FIG. 1 , the flow direction of the web 12 changes direction as it is guided by the main roller R.

[0018] (cutting mechanism) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cutting mechanism 20 has a plurality of cutters 21 (12 in this embodiment) arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, and the slit width of the web 12 can be changed appropriately depending on the position of the cutters 21. In this embodiment, the first to twelfth cutters 21 are lined up from right to left in Figure 2. The cutting mechanism 20 has a moving means 24 (Figure 4) that moves the cutters 21, and the moving means 24 can move each cutter 21 independently of one another. The slitter 10 also has a position detecting means 26 that detects the position of the cutter 21 and a control means 28 that controls the moving means 24.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cutting mechanism 20 includes multiple rails 30 (six in this embodiment) spaced apart in the flow direction, and multiple holders 32 (twelve in this embodiment) supported by the rails 30 extending in the left-right direction and movable in the left-right direction along the rails 30. A cutter 21 can be attached and detached to each holder 32, and the cutter 21 moves left and right as the holder 32 moves left and right. In this embodiment, the holders 32 are supported by two rails 30, 30 spaced apart in the flow direction. Adjacent holders 32, 32 are supported by different rails 30, which reduces interference between adjacent holders 32 and allows the distance between adjacent cutters 21 to be set small. In this embodiment, the holders 32 corresponding to the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth cutters 21 are supported by the third and sixth rails 30. The holders 32 corresponding to the second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh cutters 21 are supported by the second and fourth rails 30. The holders 32 corresponding to the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth cutters 21 are supported by the first and third rails 300.

[0020] (Transportation) 2 and 3, the moving means 24 of this embodiment includes a motor 36 that rotates a ball screw 34, and a cylinder 38 that is supported by the ball screw 34 and moves left and right as the ball screw 34 rotates. The cylinder 38 includes an arm 40 that moves back and forth relative to the holder 32, and the position of the cutter 21 can be changed by moving the cylinder 38 left and right while the holder 32 is held by the arm 40. The moving means 24 includes an encoder 42 that detects information such as the amount of rotation of the motor 36. The information from the encoder 42 is input to the control means 28, and the control means 28 controls the driving of the motor 36 based on the information from the encoder 42.

[0021] The cutting mechanism 21 may include a fixing means (not shown) that restricts left-right movement of the holder 32. An example of the fixing means is a configuration in which a pin biased by a spring fits into the rail 30 to restrict movement of the holder 32, and when the arm 40 holds the holder 32, the pin comes off the rail 30 to allow movement of the holder 32.

[0022] (Position detection means) 2 and 3, the position detection means 26 of the embodiment is configured to move left and right together with the cylinder 38. As the position detection means 26, for example, a means that detects the position of the cutter 21 (or holder 32) using a laser or the like may be used. Position information of the cutter 21 detected by the position detection means 26 is input to the control means 28.

[0023] (Control means) When changing the position of the cutter 21, the target position of the cutter 21 is input to the control means 28 by the input means 44. The control means 28 determines the order in which the multiple cutters 21 are moved based on the relationship between the movement direction from the current position of the cutter 21 to the target position. Here, the current position of the cutter 21 can be the previously input target position, the position detected by the position detection means 26, or information from the encoder 42. A known value can basically be used except for the first time of repositioning. The control means 28 can also control the movement means 24 to place the cutters 21 at the target positions in the determined order. Here, when cutters 21 moving in different directions are adjacent to each other when changing to the target position, the control means 28 controls the cutter 21 farthest from the first cutter 21A, which is used as the basis for determining the order, to be moved preferentially.

[0024] When the direction in which cutter 21 is moved to the maximum adjustable position is defined as the positive direction and the direction in which cutter 21 is moved to the minimum adjustable position is defined as the negative direction, when adjacent cutters 21 are moving in the positive direction (the direction toward first cutter 21A, which is the basis for determining the order) toward the target position, control means 28 controls so that the cutter 21 closer to first cutter 21A is given priority in movement. Also, when adjacent cutters 21 are moving in the negative direction (the direction away from first cutter 21A, which is the basis for determining the order) toward the target position, control means 28 controls so that the cutter 21 farthest from first cutter 21A is given priority in movement.

[0025] A more specific description will be given of a case where the position of the cutter 21 is changed as shown in Figure 6. In this specific example, the first cutter 21A located at the far right (one end of the multiple cutters) in Figure 2 is used as the basis for determining the order, and the first cutter 21A to the twelfth cutter 21L are lined up from right to left. First, when changing the slit width due to a product change or the like, the target value of each cutter 21 is input using the input means 44. The control means 28 calculates the movement direction of each cutter 21A to 21L from the relationship between the current position of each cutter 21A to 21L, which is determined by detection by the position detection means 26 or the like, and the target value of each cutter 21A to 21L (step S1).

[0026] In the specific example, the direction toward the maximum adjustable position (to the right in FIG. 2) is defined as the positive direction, and the direction toward the minimum adjustable position (to the left in FIG. 2) is defined as the negative direction. Here, the first cutter 21A in the specific example must move toward the minimum adjustable position to change from the current position to the target position, so the negative direction is used. Next, a first direction switching value is calculated for the second cutter 21B, which is adjacent to the reference first cutter 21A in the negative direction. In this way, the first direction switching value is calculated in the order of the second cutter 21B to the twelfth cutter 21L (from one end (positive side) of the multiple cutters 21 to the other end (negative side)), depending on whether the movement direction of the cutter 21 changes with respect to the movement direction of the cutter 21 adjacent to it in the positive direction (step S2).

[0027] In the specific example, because the movement direction of fourth cutter 21D switches with that of third cutter 21C, "+100" is added to the first direction switching value of third cutter 21C to calculate the first direction switching value of fourth cutter 21D (step S3). Similarly, because the movement direction of eleventh cutter 21K switches with that of tenth cutter 21J, "+100" is added to the first direction switching value of tenth cutter 21J, "100", to calculate the first direction switching value of eleventh cutter 21K (step S3).

[0028] Here, if the movement direction of the cutter 21 being calculated does not switch with that of an adjacent cutter 21 in the positive direction, the first direction switching value is set to the same as the first direction switching value of the adjacent cutter 21 in the positive direction (step S4). For example, the second cutter 21B and the third cutter 21C do not switch with the first cutter 21A in movement direction, so the same first direction switching value as the first cutter 21A is set. The fifth cutter 21E to the tenth cutter 21J do not switch with the fourth cutter 21D in movement direction, so the same first direction switching value as the fourth cutter 21D is set. The twelfth cutter 21L does not switch with the eleventh cutter 21K in movement direction, so the same first direction switching value as the eleventh cutter 21K is set. In this way, the cutters 21 are roughly grouped by their first direction switching value depending on the movement direction when changing their position. The groups that are farther from the group that includes the first cutter 21A as a reference are weighted so that they have a higher priority when moving the cutter 21.

[0029] Next, within each group divided by the first direction switching value, the priority order for moving the cutters 21 is calculated. The twelfth cutter on the opposite side of the first cutter 21A used as a reference is set to "0." If the movement direction of the cutter 21 is the same as that of the adjacent cutter 21 in the negative direction (step S5: NO), the second direction switching value is added (step S6). On the other hand, if the movement direction of the cutter 21 is switched to that of the adjacent cutter 21 in the negative direction (step S5: YES), the second direction switching value is reset to "0" (step S7). The second direction switching value is calculated by adding "+1" to the second direction switching value of the adjacent cutter 21 in the negative direction if the cutter 21 is moving in the positive direction. Furthermore, the second direction switching value is calculated by adding "-1" to the second direction switching value of the adjacent cutter 21 in the negative direction if the cutter 21 is moving in the negative direction.

[0030] In the specific example, the movement direction of tenth cutter 21J switches with that of eleventh cutter 21K, so the second direction switching value of tenth cutter 21J becomes "0." Similarly, the movement direction of third cutter 21C switches with that of fourth cutter 21D, so the second direction switching value of third cutter 21C becomes "0." The movement direction of eleventh cutter 21K, which moves in the negative direction, does not switch with that of twelfth cutter 21L, so a second direction switching value obtained by adding "-1" to the second direction switching value of twelfth cutter 21L is set. The movement direction of fourth cutter 21E to ninth cutter 21I, which move in the positive direction, does not switch with that of tenth cutter 21J, so a second direction switching value obtained by adding "+1" to the second direction switching value of the cutter 21 adjacent in the negative direction is set. Since the first cutter 21A and second cutter 21B, which move in the negative direction, do not switch their movement direction with the third cutter 21C, a second direction switching value is set that is the second direction switching value of the cutter 21 adjacent in the negative direction plus "-1". In this way, in the case of a group of cutters 21 moving in the positive direction toward the target position, the cutter 21 closer to the first cutter 21A, which is used as the basis for determining the order, is weighted so that it has a higher priority when moving the cutter 21. In the case of a group of cutters 21 moving in the negative direction toward the target position, the cutter 21 farther from the first cutter 21A, which is used as the basis for determining the order, is weighted so that it has a higher priority when moving the cutter 21.

[0031] Next, the placement order of the cutters 21 is calculated from the first direction switching value and the second direction switching value (step S8). In a specific example, the first direction switching value and the second direction switching value are added together for each cutter 21 to calculate a placement order value, and the cutter 21 with a larger placement order value is set earlier.

[0032] Next, the movement means 24 moves the multiple cutters 21 in the calculated placement order, and each cutter 21 is placed at its target position (step S9). For example, in the case of the first, twelfth cutter 21L, the motor 36 is driven to move the cylinder 38 in alignment with the twelfth cutter 21L, and then the cylinder 38 is driven to fit the arm 40 into the holder 32 that supports the twelfth cutter 21L. In this state, the motor 36 is driven to move the cylinder 38 in the minus direction, thereby placing the twelfth cutter 21L at its target position. By performing the above-described placement operation for the first to eleventh cutters 21A to 21L based on the placement order, adjacent cutters 21 are placed at their target positions without interfering with each other.

[0033] As described above, by moving the cutters 21 in an order based on the relationship between the movement direction of the cutters 21 from their current positions to the target positions, collisions between the cutters 21 can be avoided and multiple cutters 21 can be efficiently positioned at the target positions. Furthermore, after multiple cutters 21 are moved to reference positions such as the minimum adjustment position or the maximum adjustment position, there is no need to move the cutters 21 starting from the end cutters 21. Furthermore, the repositioning of the cutters 21 can be automated, significantly reducing the effort required for repositioning multiple cutters 21. In this way, the repositioning of the cutters 21 due to product changes, etc., can be efficiently and quickly performed, thereby improving the product processing efficiency of the slitter 10. The repositioning order is based solely on the relationship between the movement direction of the cutters 21 from their current positions to the target positions, without using the distance from the current position to the target position. In this way, the repositioning process for multiple cutters 21 requires fewer parameters, and the repositioning order of the cutters 21 can be easily calculated.

[0034] When adjacent cutters 21 move in different directions when being positioned at the target position, the cutter 21 farthest from the first cutter 21A, which is the basis for determining the order, is moved preferentially, thereby making it possible to efficiently position the multiple cutters 21 at the target position without causing interference between the adjacent cutters 21.

[0035] In the case of a group moving in the same direction, by moving the cutters 21 in a priority order based on the relationship between the first cutter 21A, which is the basis for determining the order, and the direction of movement of the group, multiple cutters 21 can be efficiently positioned at the target position without adjacent cutters 21 interfering with each other.

[0036] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned items, and may be, for example, as follows: Note that the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions of the examples and the following modified examples. (1) In the embodiment, the moving means is configured by combining a motor and a cylinder, but this is not limiting, and any actuator capable of moving the cutter can be used alone or in combination. (2) The criteria for determining the placement order are not limited to the first cutter, but may be set to the twelfth cutter or other cutters. (3) The first direction switching value and the second direction switching value are not limited to the values ​​described above. It is preferable that the first direction switching value, which weights the arrangement order between groups, is larger than the second direction switching value, which weights the arrangement order within a group. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 21(21A~21L) Cutter 24 Transportation 26 Position detection means 28 Control Means

Claims

1. Multiple cutters and a moving means for moving the cutter; a position detection means for detecting the position of the cutter; a control means for determining an order in which the cutters are to be moved based on the relationship of the movement directions from the current positions of the cutters to the target positions, and for controlling the movement means so that the cutters are placed at the target positions in the order; The control means When the plurality of cutters are divided into groups each including one or more of the cutters, the group farther from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is given a higher priority so that when two adjacent cutters move to the target position in different directions, the two cutters are grouped into different groups, and when the two adjacent cutters move to the target position in the same direction, the two cutters are grouped into the same group; A slitter characterized in that, regarding the priority order within the group, in the group of cutters that move in a direction approaching the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when moving to the target position, the priority order of the cutter that is closer to the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is higher, and in the group of cutters that move in a direction away from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when moving to the target position, the priority order of the cutter that is farther from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is higher.

2. setting target positions of a plurality of cutters in a control means; The control means determines an order in which the plurality of cutters are moved based on the relationship of the movement directions from the current positions of the cutters to the target positions; and disposing the cutters at the target positions in the order by a moving means controlled by the control means; determining the order When the plurality of cutters are divided into groups each including one or more of the cutters, the priority of the group farther from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order is increased so that when two adjacent cutters move to the target position in different directions, the two cutters are grouped into different groups, and when the two cutters move to the target position in the same direction, the two cutters are grouped into the same group; A method for changing the arrangement of cutters in a slitter, comprising: regarding priority within the group, in the group of cutters that move in a direction approaching the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when moving to the target position, giving a higher priority to the cutter that is closer to the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order; and in the group of cutters that move in a direction away from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order when moving to the target position, giving a higher priority to the cutter that is farther from the cutter that is used as the basis for determining the order.

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