Method for cutting and stacking metal foil and apparatus for cutting and stacking metal foil

Abstract

Provided is a metallic foil cutting / loading method that can be automated, and that can shorten the tact time of a series of operations from cutting to loading of a metallic foil, reduce positional deviation of metallic foil pieces during loading, and reduce flaws of the metallic foil pieces. The method comprises: (a) a step for unwinding a metallic foil from a metallic foil roll onto a pedestal; (b) a step for holding a portion of the unwound metallic foil at a first position by means of a chuck mechanism; (c) a step for cutting the metallic foil on the pedestal while holding the metallic foil with the chuck mechanism to yield an individualized metallic foil piece; (d) a step for moving the chuck mechanism to a second position so as to convey the metallic foil piece held by the chuck mechanism to a loading part separated from the pedestal; (e) a step for releasing the metallic foil piece from the chuck mechanism at the second position, and thereby loading the metallic foil piece on the loading part; and (f) a step for moving the chuck mechanism back to the first position. The steps from (a) to (f) are carried out automatically by at least one device, and are repeated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for cutting and stacking metal foil and a metal foil cutting and stacking device.

Background Art

[0002] Since metal foil is manufactured in a roll-to-roll manner, it is in a roll form immediately after manufacturing. In some cases, this metal foil roll may be shipped as it is, or it may be packaged and shipped in the form of sheet pieces cut to a predetermined size.In recent years, the demand for metal foil in the form of sheet pieces has been increasing, and the cases of shipping metal foil in the form of sheet pieces are on the rise.

[0003] A metal foil cutting device for cutting the metal foil unwound from a metal foil roll is known. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-1591) discloses a device including a pair of pinch rollers for sandwiching the metal foil unwound from a roll, a cutter for cutting the metal foil, and a suction conveying device capable of holding the metal foil by suction.According to this device, since the metal foil can be cut while the vicinity of the end of the metal foil unwound from the roll is held by suction, the cutting efficiency of the metal foil is said to be improved.

[0004] Devices having a function of stacking the cut metal foil sheets in addition to the function of cutting the metal foil have also been proposed. For example, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-20900) discloses a device including a feed roll for conveying the metal foil from a metal foil roll, a cutter for cutting the metal foil, a belt conveyor including a suction belt for conveying the cut metal foil sheet, and a feeder for sucking and conveying the metal foil sheet on the suction belt and stacking it at a predetermined location.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] Currently, when metal foil unwound from a metal foil roll is cut into sheets of a predetermined size using an automatic cutting machine, the process of moving the cut metal foil pieces to a predetermined position and stacking them up to a predetermined number is performed manually by humans. Therefore, it would be advantageous if these series of operations could be automated. To automate the process from cutting to stacking, it is desirable to shorten the cycle time, reduce misalignment of the metal foil pieces during stacking, and reduce scratches that occur on the metal foil pieces during stacking. Patent document 2 discloses a cutting device that also has a stacking function, but because it includes a configuration that sucks and transports the metal foil pieces, the cycle time associated with transport and stacking becomes long, and there is a problem that misalignment of the metal foil pieces during stacking is likely to occur.

[0007] The inventors have now discovered that by using a chuck mechanism to hold the metal foil while cutting and transporting it, and then releasing the metal foil piece from the chuck mechanism at the loading position, the entire process from cutting to loading of the metal foil can be automated while shortening the cycle time, reducing misalignment of the metal foil piece during loading, and reducing damage to the metal foil piece.

[0008] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to automate a series of operations from cutting to loading of metal foil while shortening the cycle time, reducing misalignment of metal foil pieces during loading, and reducing scratches on the metal foil pieces.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for cutting and stacking metal foil, (a) A process of unwinding metal foil from a metal foil roll onto a base, (b) A step of clamping a portion of the unwound metal foil at a first position with a chuck mechanism, (c) A step of cutting the metal foil on the base while holding the metal foil with the chuck mechanism to obtain individual metal foil pieces, (d) A step of moving the chuck mechanism to a second position, thereby transporting the metal foil piece held by the chuck mechanism to a loading section away from the base, (e) The step of releasing the metal foil piece from the chuck mechanism at the second position and thereby loading the metal foil piece onto the loading section, (f) A step of moving the chuck mechanism back to the first position, A method for cutting and stacking metal foil is provided, wherein each of the steps from (a) to (f) is performed automatically by at least one apparatus and is repeated.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus used in the metal foil cutting and stacking method, A supply roll for unwinding metal foil from a metal foil roll, A base on which the unrolled metal foil is placed, A chuck mechanism capable of clamping the unwound metal foil at the first position, A cutter for cutting the metal foil on the base to form individual metal foil pieces, A loading section for stacking the aforementioned metal foil pieces, A moving mechanism for reciprocating the chuck mechanism between the first position and the second position, At least one control unit controls the supply roll, the chuck mechanism, the cutter, and the moving mechanism so that each of the steps (a) to (f) above is performed automatically, A metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus is provided, which is equipped with the following features. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1A] This is a flowchart showing the first half of the metal foil cutting and stacking method according to the present invention. [Figure 1B] This flowchart shows the latter half of the process following Figure 1A of the metal foil cutting and stacking method according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line P2-P2 to illustrate the state in which the metal foil is held by the chuck mechanism in the metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The metal foil cutting and stacking method according to the present invention includes the steps of (a) unwinding the metal foil, (b) gripping the metal foil with a chuck mechanism, (c) cutting the metal foil, (d) transporting the metal foil pieces, (e) loading the metal foil pieces by releasing them from the chuck mechanism, and (f) moving the chuck mechanism. Each of the steps from (a) to (f) is automatically performed by at least one device and is repeated. With this method, the metal foil is cut and transported while being gripped by the chuck mechanism, and the metal foil pieces are released from the chuck mechanism at the loading position, thereby automating the series of operations from cutting to loading of the metal foil while shortening the cycle time, reducing misalignment of the metal foil pieces during loading, and reducing scratches on the metal foil pieces. In other words, conventionally, the work of transporting metal foil pieces cut by an automatic cutting machine to a predetermined position and stacking them up to a predetermined number was performed manually by humans, but with the method of the present invention, these series of operations can be automated. Furthermore, it is possible to shorten the cycle time, reduce misalignment of the metal foil pieces during loading, and reduce scratches on the metal foil pieces.

[0013] Figures 1A and 1B conceptually illustrate a series of steps in the metal foil cutting and stacking method according to the present invention. Figure 2 shows a metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus 10 used in such a metal foil cutting and stacking method. The metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus 10 comprises a supply roll 14, a base 16, a chuck mechanism 18, a cutter 20, a stacking section 22, a moving mechanism 24, and a control unit (not shown). Note that Figures 1A and 1B are depicted with different component positions and orientations from the specific metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus 10 shown in Figure 2, in order to clearly illustrate the concept of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, each step from steps (a) to (f) and each component of the metal foil cutting and loading device 10 will be described while referring to these figures. As described above, each step from (a) to (f) is automatically performed by at least one device and is repeated.

[0015] (a) Unwinding of the metal foil As shown in FIG. 1A(i), the metal foil 12 is unwound from the metal foil roll onto the pedestal 16 (step (a)). The unwinding of the metal foil 12 from the metal foil roll may be performed by the rotation of the supply roll 14. The pedestal 16 is not particularly limited as long as it is a structure such as a stage having a flat surface on which the unwound metal foil 12 is placed. Preferably, the pedestal 16 is made of metal. When the pedestal 16 is made of metal, it is less likely to generate static electricity (or the generated static electricity can be dissipated), so that the metal foil 12 can be prevented from sticking to the pedestal 16 due to static electricity, and the subsequent operations from steps (b) to (e) can be performed more smoothly. In addition, suppression of static electricity generation also leads to reduction of positional deviation of the metal foil piece 12a during loading of the metal foil piece 12a.

[0016] The material of the metal foil 12 is not particularly limited. Examples of the metal foil 12 include aluminum foil, copper foil, stainless steel foil, nickel foil, etc., and preferably copper foil. The copper foil may be either rolled copper foil or electrolytic copper foil.

[0017] (b) Clamping of the metal foil by the chuck mechanism As shown in FIG. 1A(ii), a part of the unwound metal foil 12 (for example, an end portion in the width direction) is clamped by a chuck mechanism 18 at the first position P1 (step (b)). By clamping the metal foil 12 before cutting, the metal foil 12 or the metal foil piece 12a can be clamped at the same position each time, leading to the prevention of misalignment. The chuck mechanism 18 is not particularly limited as long as it can clamp the unwound metal foil 12 at the first position P1, and a known configuration may be adopted. For example, the chuck mechanism 18 includes a pair of plate-like members that sandwich the metal foil 12 from above and below, and a movable part that moves the pair of plate-like members to clamp and release the metal foil 12. The surface of the portion of the chuck mechanism 18 that clamps the metal foil 12 is preferably made of a material that has elasticity and is unlikely to cause electrostatic interference, so as to be less likely to damage the surface of the metal foil 12. Preferred examples of such materials include resin, fiber, etc. Preferred examples of the resin include urethane rubber, silicone resin, etc., and preferred examples of the fiber include felt, etc.

[0018] The first position P1 is located on the downstream side of the cutter 20 in the unwinding direction of the metal foil 12. Thereby, the chuck mechanism 18 can hold the metal foil 12 during cutting and convey the metal foil piece 12a to the loading part 22 while holding it after cutting. From this perspective, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it is preferable that at least two portions of the metal foil piece 12a are clamped by the chuck mechanism 18 in that the metal foil piece 12a can be stably held. More preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, at least two portions are located on two parallel sides that constitute the outer periphery of the metal foil 12, and the two parallel sides are parallel to the moving direction M of the chuck mechanism 18.

[0019] It is preferable that a space is provided for gripping the metal foil by the chuck mechanism 18. For example, a slit (notch) is provided in the base 16, and the metal foil piece 12a is gripped from above and below the slit before being transported. This reduces misalignment. Alternatively, a portion of the unwound metal foil 12 may protrude from the base 16, and this protruding end may be gripped by the chuck mechanism 18. In this case, a simple configuration is possible, and the metal foil piece 12a can be transported to the loading section 22 while being held after cutting.

[0020] (c) Cutting metal foil As shown in Figure 1A(iii), the metal foil 12 is held in place by the chuck mechanism 18 and cut on the base 16 to form individual metal foil pieces 12a (step (c)). This fixes the position of the metal foil 12 in the chuck mechanism 18, thereby reducing misalignment of the metal foil pieces 12a during loading. It also enables the cutting of the metal foil 12 at a precisely positioned location each time.

[0021] The metal foil 12 may be cut while in contact with the base 16, or it may be cut while blowing air from the opening of the base 16 toward the underside of the metal foil 12 to lift part or all of the metal foil 12 away from the base 16. By keeping the metal foil 12 in contact with the base 16, continuous and stable cutting can be performed. On the other hand, by lifting the metal foil 12, the generation of static electricity during cutting can be suppressed, and positional displacement when forming the metal foil pieces 12a can be reduced.

[0022] The cutter 20 is not particularly limited as long as it can cut the metal foil 12 on the base 16 to form individual metal foil pieces 12a. Examples of cutters 20 include rotary cutters and guillotine cutters. Alternatively, it may be a cutter of the type that presses the metal foil 12 against the base 16 with a single blade, or a cutter of the type that sandwiches and cuts the metal foil 12 from above and below with two blades, an upper blade and a lower blade. In the case of a cutter with two blades, an upper blade and a lower blade, a slit can be provided in the base 16 so that the lower blade can contact the metal foil 12 from below the slit, thereby sandwiching and cutting the metal foil 12 together with the upper blade that contacts the metal foil 12 from above.

[0023] The size of the metal foil piece 12a is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 200mm × 200mm to 1500mm × 1500mm, more preferably from 300mm × 300mm to 1000mm × 1000mm, and most preferably from 400mm × 400mm to 700mm × 700mm.

[0024] (d) Conveying metal foil pieces As shown in Figure 1B(iv), the chuck mechanism 18 is moved to a second position P2, thereby transporting the metal foil piece 12a held by the chuck mechanism 18 to a loading section 22 away from the base 16 (step (d)). Since the metal foil piece 12a is transported while being held by the chuck mechanism 18, additional steps such as suction of the metal foil piece 12a (as disclosed in Patent Document 2) are unnecessary, thus shortening the cycle time. In addition, the metal foil piece 12a can be transported without displacement due to being held by the chuck mechanism 18, and as a result, displacement of the metal foil piece 12a during loading in the subsequent step (e) can be reduced. The loading section 22 is not particularly limited as long as it provides a place for the metal foil piece 12a to be loaded, but it is preferable that it has a flat surface so that the metal foil piece 12a can be loaded flat.

[0025] Therefore, the second position P2 is a position corresponding to the loading section 22, so that when the chuck mechanism 18 releases the metal foil piece 12a in the subsequent process (e), the metal foil piece 12a can be accurately loaded into the predetermined position of the loading section 22 without misalignment. As shown in Figure 2, it is preferable that the direction of movement M of the chuck mechanism 18 (i.e., the direction of transport of the metal foil piece 12a) be parallel to the unwinding direction of the metal foil 12 (the longitudinal direction of the metal foil roll). Therefore, it is preferable that the second position P2 is a position obtained by moving the first position P1 a predetermined distance in the unwinding direction (downstream direction) of the metal foil 12. In this case, it is desirable that the distance between the first position P1 and the second position P2 be longer than the length of the metal foil piece 12a.

[0026] The chuck mechanism 18 is moved by a moving mechanism 24. The moving mechanism 24 is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism for moving the chuck mechanism 18 back and forth between a first position P1 and a second position P2. For example, the moving mechanism 24 preferably comprises a rail and a motor for driving the chuck mechanism 18 which is slidably mounted along the rail. The rail is preferably mounted parallel to the unwinding direction of the metal foil 12. More preferably, there are two rails, one on each side in the width direction of the metal foil piece 12a, so that the chuck mechanism 18 can move while gripping both ends of the metal foil piece 12a in the width direction.

[0027] When transporting the metal foil pieces 12a, it is preferable to blow air from the opening of the base 16 toward the underside of the metal foil pieces 12a to lift the metal foil pieces 12a away from the base 16. This reduces friction between the metal foil pieces 12a and the surface of the base 16, thus reducing the likelihood of scratches on the metal foil pieces 12a. Therefore, it is preferable that the metal foil cutting and stacking device 10 further includes an air injector for blowing air toward the underside of the metal foil pieces 12a. In this case, it is preferable that the base 16 has an opening, and that the air injector is positioned below the opening of the base 16.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1B(v), after the metal foil piece 12a is transported to the stacking section 22, it is preferable to press down on a portion of the metal foil piece 12a from above with the pressing member 26 until the metal foil piece 12a is released from the chuck mechanism 18. That is, it is preferable that the metal foil cutting and stacking device 10 further includes a pressing member 26 positioned above the stacking section 22 to press down on a portion of the metal foil piece 12a. By pressing down on the metal foil piece 12a before it is released from the chuck mechanism 18, the movement of the metal foil piece 12a when it is released can be suppressed, and the misalignment of the metal foil piece 12a during stacking can be more effectively reduced.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the metal foil cutting and stacking device 10 may also be provided with a waste section 28 in addition to the stacking section 22. In this case, the cut metal foil pieces 12a are checked for defects such as scratches or folds by visual inspection or inspection means such as sensors, and any metal foil pieces 12a determined to be defective are transported by the moving mechanism 24 to a third position P3 corresponding to the waste section 28 (for example, by passing through the stacking section 22) instead of the stacking section 22, and the metal foil pieces 12a are released. In this case, the operation of the moving mechanism 24 can be the same as the operation in the stacking section 22, except that it moves to the third position P3 instead of the second position P2 (and then returns to the first position P1), and the operation of the chuck mechanism 18 to release the metal foil pieces 12a can also be the same as the operation in the stacking section 22.

[0030] (e) Loading of metal foil pieces by releasing them from the chuck mechanism As shown in Figure 1B(v), the metal foil piece 12a is released from the chuck mechanism 18 at the second position P2, thereby loading the metal foil piece 12a onto the loading section 22 (step (e)). Upon release from the chuck mechanism 18, the metal foil piece 12a naturally falls to the desired position and is placed on the surface of the loading section 22 or on metal foil pieces 12a that have already been loaded. Therefore, it can be loaded without rubbing against the surface of the loading section 22 or on metal foil pieces 12a that have already been loaded, thus reducing the likelihood of scratches on the metal foil piece 12a. Moreover, the metal foil piece 12a can be loaded at the second position P2, which is precisely positioned by the chuck mechanism 18. Positioning guides may be provided at the ends of the loading section 22 as needed. Providing positioning guides allows for more accurate loading of the metal foil piece 12a. On the other hand, positioning guides are not required, in which case damage due to contact between the metal foil piece 12a and the positioning guides can be reduced. Therefore, the appropriate configuration should be selected according to the quality requirements for the metal foil being handled. This loading method contributes to reducing misalignment of the metal foil pieces 12a during loading and reducing scratches on the metal foil pieces 12a. When a portion of the metal foil piece 12a is pressed down from above by the pressing member 26, the pressing member 26 rises and returns to its initial position when the metal foil piece 12a is released from the chuck mechanism 18, thereby releasing the pressure on the metal foil piece 12a.

[0031] (f) Movement of the chuck mechanism As shown in Figure 1B(vi), after loading the metal foil pieces 12a, the chuck mechanism 18 is moved back to the first position P1 (step (f)). This allows the process to return to step (a), as shown in Figure 1B(vii) (which is the same figure as Figure 1A(i)). By repeating each step from (a) to (f), the desired number of metal foil pieces 12a can be sequentially loaded onto the loading section 22. In this way, the metal foil roll can be processed into a load of multiple metal foil pieces 12a suitable for shipment.

[0032] (g) Other As described above, each of the processes from (a) to (f) is automatically performed by at least one device and is repeated. To achieve this, the metal foil cutting and stacking device 10 is equipped with a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the supply roll 14, chuck mechanism 18, cutter 20, moving mechanism 24, and (if present) pressing member 26 to automatically perform the operations of each of the processes from (a) to (f). Therefore, there may be multiple control units. For example, after cutting the metal foil 12 in process (c), the control unit may issue a cutting completion signal when the upper blade of the cutter 20 returns to its original position, and the moving mechanism 24 may start transporting the foil upon receiving this signal.

[0033] Preferably, the metal foil cutting and stacking device 10 may be equipped with an operation panel and / or a touch panel, and may be configured to allow operation, instruction, and monitoring by an operator. For example, in the configuration having the aforementioned waste section 28, if it is determined that there is a defect in the cut metal foil piece 12a, the operator may press a predetermined button, which will instruct the moving mechanism 24 via the control unit to transport the metal foil piece 12a to the waste section 28 (instead of the stacking section 22).

Claims

1. A method for cutting and stacking metal foil, (a) The process of unwinding metal foil from a metal foil roll onto a base, (b) A step of clamping a portion of the unwound metal foil at a first position with a chuck mechanism, (c) A step of cutting the metal foil on the base while holding the metal foil with the chuck mechanism to obtain individual metal foil pieces, (d) A step of moving the chuck mechanism to a second position to transport the metal foil piece held by the chuck mechanism to a loading section away from the base, wherein at least two locations of the metal foil piece are held by the chuck mechanism, the at least two locations are located on two mutually parallel sides that constitute the outer circumference of the metal foil, and the two mutually parallel sides are parallel to the direction of movement of the chuck mechanism. (e) The step of releasing the metal foil piece from the chuck mechanism at the second position, thereby loading the metal foil piece onto the loading section, (f) A step of moving the chuck mechanism back to the first position, A method for cutting and stacking metal foil, comprising the steps (a) to (f) above, wherein each step is performed automatically by at least one apparatus and is repeated.

2. The method for cutting and stacking metal foil according to claim 1, wherein the base is made of metal.

3. The method for cutting and stacking metal foil according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising blowing air from an opening in the base toward the lower surface of the metal foil piece to lift the metal foil piece away from the base when transporting the metal foil piece.

4. The method for cutting and stacking metal foil according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface of the portion of the chuck mechanism that grips the metal foil is made of resin or fiber.

5. A method for cutting and stacking metal foil according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising pressing down on a portion of the metal foil piece with a retaining member from above until the metal foil piece is released from the chuck mechanism after it has been transported to the stacking section.

6. A metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus used in the metal foil cutting and stacking method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, A supply roll for unwinding metal foil from a metal foil roll, A base on which the unrolled metal foil is placed, A chuck mechanism capable of gripping the unwound metal foil at at least two locations in the first position, A cutter for cutting the metal foil on the base to form individual metal foil pieces, A loading section for stacking the aforementioned metal foil pieces, A moving mechanism for reciprocating the chuck mechanism between the first position and the second position, At least one control unit controls the supply roll, the chuck mechanism, the cutter, and the moving mechanism to automatically perform the operations of each of the steps (a) to (f) described above, A metal foil cutting and stacking device comprising, wherein at least two of the locations are situated on two mutually parallel sides that constitute the outer circumference of the metal foil, and the two mutually parallel sides are parallel to the direction of movement of the chuck mechanism.

7. The base has an opening, The metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an air injector positioned below the opening of the base for blowing air toward the lower surface of the metal foil piece.

8. The metal foil cutting and stacking apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a pressing member positioned above the stacking section for pressing down on a portion of the metal foil pieces.

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