A novel drum for wrapping machines

Abstract

A drum (1) for a wrapping machine used to wrap packaging material around the items, which is used to wrap the packaging material coming from packaging material roll around the item to be wrapped, which is moving on the infeed conveyor and outfeed conveyor, and which is rotated by the rotation movement coming from a motor, by pressing the support wheels (4), characterized in that said drum (1) consists of a first ring (2a) and a second ring (2b) obtained by cutting from metal sheet and having the same thickness (k), width (g) and radius properties, and a third ring (2c) sandwiched between these and made of a hard plastic, composite material or wood with a lower density than metal.

Description

[0001] A NOVEL DRUM FOR WRAPPING MACHINES

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a novel drum for wrapping machines.

[0004] Prior Art

[0005] Wrapping Machines or Horizontal Wrapping Machines are predominantly used in the furniture sector to package products such as doors, kitchens, and office items. Additionally, they are suitable for packaging door, window, exterior facade, or joinery products made from aluminum and PVC materials. Specifically, manufacturers of aluminum tubes and PVC doors and windows can easily package products on a horizontal conveyor. Here, materials such as stretch film, paper, tape, and various other substances can be used for packaging the products.

[0006] Moreover, this method is ideal for packaging in cardboard boxes, large sandwich panel packaging, and packaging long, voluminous products coming off the line onto pallets.

[0007] State of the Art in the Design and Manufacturing of the Drum for Wrapping Machines

[0008] Considering the current technology, the inner drums of wrapping machines are among the most critical components. It is important for the drum to rotate smoothly and without imbalance, and not to be too heavy, both for healthy operation and wrapping, and also in terms of maintenance periods for the carrier rotary system and, if used, the belt system. The aforementioned drum may also be directly driven by a motor.

[0009] Currently, drums are manufactured in two ways. The first method involves creating a mold for the drum, casting the desired drum in the mold using aluminum casting, and then balancing it using a special turning technique on large lathe machines. Although this is a widely used and effective production method, it brings some disadvantages. Molds have a limited life span and need to be replaced after a certain number of castings. Initially, mold production is quite costly in terms of investment. Subsequently, the required turning process can only be performed on special lathes. Particularly as the drum diameter increases, this process becomes more difficult. Finally, since the entire drum is made of aluminum, its total weight is quite high. These rotating systems require a high amount of energy to start (inertia) and stop the motion with each product wrapping, meaning the system can only operate with large motors and motor brakes. Additionally, due to the weight, wear and tear occur more easily. Wear in rotating mechanical parts happens faster. Consequently, the life of the belt is shortened. The machine becomes more cumbersome and heavier. The second production method involves manufacturing the drum by bending NPU and box- rectangular profiles into a ring shape and welding the ends together. In such a production, perfect circularity cannot be achieved. It is nearly impossible to obtain a perfect circle by passing a straight rail-type NPU profile through a pipe bending machine. Therefore, the rotations of the drum are not smooth, and especially on the carrier wheels, a good rotation cannot be achieved. The wrapping speed is low. In some cases, there might even be bouncing. Since the material is steel, the weight-related issues present in the first method also apply to this method. The system is entirely heavy.

[0010] The aim of the present invention is to introduce a drum for stretch wrapping machines that is different and new compared to the drums produced by the two methods mentioned above.

[0011] Summary of The Invention

[0012] This invention relates to a drum for a wrapping machine used to wrap packaging material around the items, which is used to wrap the packaging material coming from packaging material roll around the item to be wrapped, which is moving on the infeed conveyor and outfeed conveyor, and which is rotated by the rotation movement coming from a motor, by pressing the support wheels, and said drum consists of a first ring and a second ring obtained by cutting from metal sheet and having the same thickness, width and radius properties, and a third ring sandwiched between these and made of a hard plastic, composite material or wood with a lower density than metal.

[0013] Description of Figures

[0014] Figure 1 shows the wrapping unit into which the drum of the wrapping machine according to the present invention is mounted,

[0015] Figure 2a shows the assembled state of the drum of the wrapping machine according to the present invention,

[0016] Figure 2b shows an exploded view that presents the three separate parts of the drum of the wrapping machine according to the present invention,

[0017] Figure 2c shows a close view of the thickness and width features of the drum according to the present invention,

[0018] Figure 3 shows the general operating arrangement of the wrapping machine into which the drum according to the present invention is mounted. References

[0019] I Drum

[0020] 2a First ring

[0021] 2b Second ring

[0022] 2c Third ring

[0023] 3 Mounting holes

[0024] 4 Support wheels

[0025] 5 Body inner frame

[0026] 6 Body surface

[0027] 7 Main winding unit

[0028] 8 Cartridge roll

[0029] 9 Infeed conveyor

[0030] 10 Outfeed conveyor

[0031] I I Drive motor

[0032] 12 Drive pulley

[0033] 13 Outer cover of winding unit k thickness g width

[0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] This invention relates to a drum (1) for a wrapping machine used to wrap packaging material around the items, which is used to wrap the packaging material coming from packaging material roll around the item to be wrapped, which is moving on the infeed conveyor and outfeed conveyor, and which is rotated by the rotation movement coming from a motor, by pressing the support wheels (4), and said drum (1) consists of a first ring (2a) and a second ring (2b) obtained by cutting from metal sheet and having the same thickness (k), width (g) and radius properties, and a third ring (2c) sandwiched between these and made of a hard plastic, composite material or wood with a lower density than metal.

[0036] The first ring (2a), second ring (2b), and third ring (2c) that compose the said drum (1) are fastened to each other through mounting holes (3) with pins and bolt nuts.

[0037] Figure 1 shows the wrapping unit of a horizontal stretch wrapping machine. The drum (1) according to the present invention rotates on six support wheels (4) depicted in the drawing, wrapping the stretch material or any other packaging material from a roll around the item to be wrapped. The frame referred to as the body inner frame (5) is where this main winding unit (7) is mounted. In the main winding unit (7), the body surface (6) is positioned around the drum (1).

[0038] Figure 2a depicts the assembled state of the drum (1) of the packaging material wrapping machine according to the present invention. Figure 2b illustrates an exploded view showing the three separate parts of the drum (1) of the wrapping machine according to the present invention, where the first ring (2a), the second ring (2b), and the third ring (2c) connected by mounting holes (3) are visible. Figure 2c shows a close view of the thickness (k) and width (g) features of the drum (1) according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 shows a general view of the horizontal stretch wrapping machine. On the left, the outer cover of the winding unit (13) is positioned on top of the main winding unit (7). To the right of the main winding unit (7) is the infeed conveyor (9), and to the left is the outfeed conveyor (10). The product to be wrapped with stretch film or another packaging material is placed on the infeed conveyor (9). The product to be wrapped moves forward on the infeed conveyor (9) to the outfeed conveyor (10). At this time, as the drum (1) rotates, the stretch film or other packaging material is wrapped around the product. On the right, a drive motor (11) and drive pulley (12) that provide the rotational movement to the drum (1) are visible, as well as a cartridge roll (8) on the left of the main winding unit (7). The support wheels (4) that support the rotation of the drum (1) are also positioned around the drum (1).

[0040] Production Method for the Drum According to the Present Invention

[0041] The production method for the drum in the present invention is completely different from the production methods described in the known state of the art, namely 1- production by casting in a mold and 2- production by bending NPU profiles into a ring shape and welding the ends.

[0042] In the production technique for the drum (1) according to the present invention, a circular frame cut is made from two 6mm thick sheet metal plates by laser cutting. These two steel sheets are cut exactly the same as each other as shown in the drawing. Then, a filler material made of composite, polyamide, kestamid, or wood with a thickness between 18 mm and 30 mm is also precisely cut in a laser cutting machine. The filler material is sandwiched in the middle, and the sheet metal plates are placed outside, connected by fasteners to form a sandwich drum (1). Here, special pins and bolt nuts that pass through holes cut with precise tolerance by the laser are used as fasteners. This method of production ensures the drum is of the desired circularity because it is cut with low tolerance in a CNC laser cutting machine.

[0043] Bolts and nuts are fixed, tightened, and torqued with special bolt-locking adhesives to not be affected by vibrations.

[0044] In this production, since circular cuts can be made without any investment in sheet metal, we can produce drums of any desired size. The second advantage is that the circularity of the cut is near perfect. The third advantage is that, unlike the first method, there is no need for special lathe equipment to balance it. These advantages make it both easy to produce and very cost-effective. As we are not tied to a specific mold, it is very quick and cost-effective to meet the production demand of different diameters from customers, even for a single machine. Finally, the bulk density of the filler material, which is 18 to 30 mm thick, is much lower than aluminum, steel, or any other metal that could be used. Accordingly, our total weight is only a fifth of a drum produced by conventional methods. This allows for operation with a much smaller motor at a lower current, suitable for a system that continuously operates and stops. Machines produced with the new method use less than half the electricity of other machines. They consume less energy, are more environmentally friendly, and have high energy efficiency.

Claims

CLAIMS1) A drum (1) for a wrapping machine used to wrap packaging material around the items, which is used to wrap the packaging material coming from packaging material roll around the item to be wrapped, which is moving on the infeed conveyor and outfeed conveyor, and which is rotated by the rotation movement coming from a motor, by pressing the support wheels (4), characterized in that said drum (1) consists of a first ring (2a) and a second ring (2b) obtained by cutting from metal sheet and having the same thickness (k), width (g) and radius properties, and a third ring (2c) sandwiched between these and made of a hard plastic, composite material or wood with a lower density than metal. 2) A drum (1) for wrapping machines according to Claim 1, characterized in that a first ring(2a), a second ring (2b), and a third ring (2c) are fastened to each other through mounting holes (3) with pins and bolt nuts.

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