Open roll machine

Abstract

Provided is an open roll machine that can save space while making it unnecessary for an operator to wind a kneaded material on a roll. This open roll machine 1 comprises a pair of rolls 2A, 2B and a conveyor device 4 disposed below the rolls 2A, 2B and kneads or rolls a material M to be kneaded by means of the rotation of the rolls 2A, 2B. The conveyor device 4 includes three pulleys 5a, 5b, 5c and a belt member 6 hung around the pulleys. Among the three pulleys 5a, 5b, 5c, a tip pulley 5a on the tip side in the conveyance direction is turned and displaced so as to be folded toward the roll 2A, the hung belt member 6 is disposed so as to be wound on the roll 2A, a kneaded material M that has passed through the gap between the pair of rolls 2A, 2B is conveyed toward the roll 2A side, and the kneaded material M is wound on the roll 2A.

Description

Open roll machine

[0001] The present invention relates to an open roll mill for kneading or rolling materials such as rubber, plastics, and ceramics.

[0002] Conventionally, open-roll mills have been known as devices for kneading or rolling various materials. In these open-roll mills, two horizontal rolls are arranged parallel to each other with a gap between them. After the material to be kneaded is introduced from above into the gap, the two rolls rotate to knead and roll the material. In the open-roll mill, the material to be kneaded is wound around the front roll (referred to as the front roll) of the two rolls to perform the kneading and rolling operations. As the wound material passes through the gap due to the rotation of the rolls, it is rolled to a constant thickness.

[0003] During rolling, the material is subjected to compressive, tensile, and shear forces, and as it deforms, it is crushed, distributed, dispersed, and homogenized. At the same time, internal stress is generated, which causes the polymer chains contained in the material to become entangled, changing their molecular weight and resulting in a kneading action. As the material rotates around the front roll, it is sent to a reservoir (also called a bank) above the material to be kneaded. In the bank, the rolled and circulating material is replaced in whole or in part with the remaining material, facilitating the homogenization and kneading action of the material. To facilitate the replacement of the material, workers may intervene, or a device called a stock blender may be used.

[0004] When the kneading process is completed, a homogenized sheet-like kneaded material of a uniform thickness is wound around the front roll. Then, multiple cutting knives or circular rotary blades are pressed against the sheet-like kneaded material to make cuts in the circumferential direction of the front roll. Another cutting tool is used to cut between the two cuts in the generatrix direction of the front roll, thereby cutting out the sheet-like kneaded material and obtaining the product.

[0005] Conventionally, when mixing and rolling materials using open rolls, an operator was required to manually pick up the mixed material, which was fed from above, rolled by two rolls, and discharged below, from a tray located below the rolls, guide it manually, and wind it around the front roll.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes an open roll mill in which repeated mixing operations are automated. This open roll mill includes a pair of mixing rolls, a delivery conveyor, and a re-mixing conveyor that form a circulation path for the material to be mixed. The delivery conveyor has a conveying surface that extends horizontally from below the mixing rolls and a conveying surface that can rotate vertically from the middle, and the re-mixing conveyor is disposed so as to extend from above the rotating part of the delivery conveyor to above the mixing rolls. The material to be mixed is repeatedly supplied to the pair of mixing rolls by these conveyors and mixed.

[0007] Patent No. 4802754

[0008] However, the open-roll mill described in Patent Document 1 is not a device that winds the kneaded material around a front roll, but rather is configured to discharge the kneaded material in a slab form by reversing the kneading conveyor when removing the kneaded material from the open-roll mill. Therefore, it cannot be applied to rolling or dividing the kneaded material wound around the roll to cut it into any width. Furthermore, with a device configuration that uses multiple conveyors to form a circulation path, as in the above-mentioned open-roll mill, it may be difficult to secure installation space.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an open roll machine that can save space and eliminate the need for an operator to wind the material to be kneaded around the rolls.

[0010] The open roll mill of the present invention is an open roll mill comprising a pair of rolls and a conveyor device disposed below the rolls, which kneads or rolls a material to be kneaded by rotation of the rolls, the conveyor device having at least three pulleys and a belt member stretched around these pulleys, the leading pulley of the three or more pulleys in the conveying direction being rotated and displaced so as to fold it toward one of the pair of rolls, the stretched belt member being disposed so as to be wound around the one roll, the material to be kneaded that has passed through the gap between the pair of rolls being conveyed toward the one roll, and the material to be kneaded is wound around the one roll. Note that in the present invention, kneading or rolling is a concept that encompasses aspects in which either kneading or rolling or both are performed.

[0011] Either the leading pulley or the trailing pulley at the trailing end in the conveying direction is a drive pulley connected to an electric motor, and a clutch is provided between the drive pulley and the electric motor.

[0012] The displaced tip pulley is characterized in that it is located at a position higher than a circumferential position of 60° when the circumferential position of the lowest point of the one roll is taken as 0°.

[0013] The pair of rolls rotate at different speeds, and the rotation speed of the slower roll is 80% or more but less than 100% of the rotation speed of the faster roll.

[0014] The open roll machine has a take-out device that takes out the mixed material wound around one of the rolls after mixing or rolling is completed, and the take-out device is configured to be positioned at an upper standby position where it does not interfere with the displaced tip pulley and belt member during mixing or rolling, and to be positioned at a position opposite the outer peripheral surface of one of the rolls from the standby position during removal.

[0015] The open roll mill of the present invention comprises a pair of rolls and a conveyor device, the conveyor device having at least three or more pulleys and a belt member stretched over these pulleys, the leading pulley of the three or more pulleys in the conveying direction being rotated and displaced so as to fold toward one of the rolls, the stretched belt member being arranged so as to be wound around one of the rolls, the material to be kneaded that has passed through the gap between the pair of rolls is conveyed toward the one of the rolls and the kneaded material is wound around one of the rolls, thereby saving space and eliminating the need for an operator to wind the material to be kneaded around the rolls. In this way, the winding of the material to be kneaded, which previously required manual work in kneading using open rolls, can be automated.

[0016] Either the front pulley or the rear pulley at the rear end in the conveying direction is a drive pulley connected to an electric motor, and a clutch is provided between the drive pulley and the electric motor, so that regenerative energy can be prevented from being generated when the drive pulley is rotated by being pulled by one of the rolls around which the kneaded material is wound.

[0017] When the circumferential position of the lowest point of one of the rolls is taken as 0°, the displaced tip pulley is positioned at a higher position than the circumferential position of 60°, which allows the kneaded material to be wound around the roll more smoothly.

[0018] In the open roll machine, the take-out device is positioned in an upper standby position where it does not interfere with the displaced tip pulley and belt member during kneading or rolling, and is configured to be positioned opposite the outer peripheral surface of one of the rolls from the standby position during take-out, thereby enabling automatic winding and dispensing onto the rolls while maintaining a compact device configuration.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the open roll mill of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the open roll mill of Fig. 1 during kneading. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a one-way clutch of a conveyor device. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the open roll mill of Fig. 1 when winding is completed. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the state when the material to be kneaded is removed.

[0020] The open-roll mixer of the present invention is a mixer that mixes materials such as rubber, plastics, and ceramics in an open system, and is distinguished from closed-type mixers. For example, rubber materials before vulcanization are pre-mixed in a closed-type mixer, and then mixed in an open-roll mixer until desired physical properties such as dispersion and viscosity are achieved.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an open roll mill of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the open roll mill 1 includes a pair of rolls 2A, 2B and a conveyor device 4 arranged below the rolls 2A, 2B. The pair of rolls 2A, 2B are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined gap (roll gap) between them. The material to be kneaded is kneaded and rolled by the rotation of the pair of rolls 2A, 2B.

[0022] In Fig. 1, a pair of rolls 2A and 2B are configured such that their respective rotation shafts are connected via meshing gears (not shown) and they rotate in opposite directions in a synchronized manner. In Fig. 1, roll 2A rotates clockwise, and roll 2B rotates counterclockwise. Roll 2A is a drive roll that is connected to and rotates with an electric motor 3, which serves as a driving means, and roll 2B is a driven roll that is rotated by the driving force of electric motor 3 transmitted via meshing gears. Electric motor 3 (as well as electric motor 7, described later) may be equipped with a speed reducer, and may be configured to reduce the rotational force generated from a drive source before outputting it.

[0023] In the open roll mill 1 shown in Fig. 1, the roll 2A of the pair of rolls 2A and 2B is the drive roll, but instead of this configuration, the roll 2B may be the drive roll. Also, the pair of rolls 2A and 2B may be independently driven by separate electric motors. In this case, meshing gears are not required.

[0024] In addition, in order to adjust the roll gap, one of the pair of rolls 2A, 2B is provided with an actuator (not shown). The roll gap can be adjusted by narrowing or widening the target roll by moving the target roll with the actuator. The roll gap is, for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm, and during kneading or rolling, the roll gap may be set to a constant value or may be changed during the process.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor device 4 includes three pulleys 5a to 5c and a belt member 6 stretched across these pulleys. The conveyor device 4 is disposed below the pair of rolls 2A and 2B so that the conveying surface 6a (the upper surface of the belt member 6) extends substantially horizontally. The three pulleys are arranged in order from downstream in the conveying direction (X direction): a leading pulley 5a, an intermediate pulley 5b, and a trailing pulley 5c. The leading pulley 5a is located at one end, and the trailing pulley 5c is located at the other end. The three pulleys are cylindrical and have the same diameter. The intermediate pulley 5b, located adjacent to the leading pulley 5a, is located downstream in the conveying direction from the roll 2A. The position of the intermediate pulley 5b is adjusted depending on the position of the leading pulley 5a after displacement (or the circumferential position Q in FIG. 2). Alternatively, the conveyor device 4 may include four or more pulleys, or multiple intermediate pulleys may be arranged. Furthermore, the diameters of the pulleys are not limited to being the same.

[0026] The belt member 6 is a hollow rotating body (endless belt). The material of the conveying surface 6a of the belt member 6 is rubber, resin, etc. In the state shown in Figure 1, the tension of the belt member 6 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it has some slack.

[0027] In the conveyor device 4, the rear end pulley 5c is connected to the electric motor 7 and constitutes a drive pulley that rotates independently. On the other hand, the front end pulley 5a and the intermediate pulley 5b constitute driven pulleys that rotate in accordance with the flow of the belt member 6. Note that the front end pulley 5a may be used as the drive pulley instead of the rear end pulley 5b, but since the front end pulley 5a is displaced as described below, it is preferable to connect the electric motor 7 to the rear end pulley 5c from the viewpoint of simplifying the connection.

[0028] The drive pulley may be rotated by transmitting power from an externally provided motor or the like via a chain or the like.

[0029] Conventionally, when mixing and rolling a material using an open roll machine, the material is rolled between a pair of rolls and discharged downward, and the worker must manually pick it up from a tray and wind it around one of the rolls. This is heavy work that involves danger and requires skill to utilize the force of the rolls, resulting in a heavy workload.

[0030] In contrast, the open roll mill 1 of the present invention automatically winds the kneading material around the roll 2A without manual intervention. Specifically, the tip pulley 5a of the conveyor device 4 is structured to be able to rotate in an arc, and the tip pulley 5a is rotated and displaced so as to fold toward the roll 2A with the conveying surface 6a facing inward, and the stretched belt member 6 is arranged to be wound around the roll 2A.

[0031] Figure 2 shows the state during kneading and rolling with the tip pulley 5a displaced. The dotted line in Figure 2 indicates the state before the tip pulley 5a is displaced. From the state before displacement, the tip pulley 5a is rotated clockwise by a driving means (not shown) while the positions of the intermediate pulley 5b and the rear end pulley 5c are fixed, and the belt member 6 is displaced so as to press against the roll 2A. Before the kneading material M is introduced, the conveying surface 6a of the belt member 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the roll 2A are in contact. The belt member 6 is in a more tensioned state after the tip pulley 5a is displaced than in the state before the tip pulley 5a is displaced (see Figure 1).

[0032] In Figure 2, the tip pulley 5a after displacement is set at a position higher than the 90° circumferential position when the circumferential position of the lowest point P of the roll 2A is 0°. Here, the position of the tip pulley 5a after displacement may be any position that allows the kneaded material M to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of the roll 2A. To achieve this winding, it is necessary to guide the conveying path of the kneaded material M formed between the conveying surface 6a of the belt member 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the roll 2A to the upper half of the roll 2A (position as shown in Figure 2). However, depending on conditions such as the material and thickness of the conveyed material M, even if it is only guided to the lower half, it may be possible to wind it up to the upper half due to the subsequent frictional force and adhesive force with the roll. The position of the tip pulley 5a after displacement can be set to, for example, a circumferential position of 30° to 120° (specifically, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 105°, 120°, etc.) when the circumferential position of the lowest point P of the roll 2A is 0°, depending on the conditions of the kneading material M. It is preferable to set it to a position higher than the circumferential position of 60°, as this can accommodate the conditions of a relatively large number of kneading materials and makes implementation easier.

[0033] 2, in the roll 2A, the circumferential position Q (the intersection of the line connecting the center of the tip pulley 5a and the center of the roll 2A with the outer circumferential surface of the roll 2A) where the roll 2A comes into contact with the tip pulley 5a via the belt member 6 is located higher than the circumferential position of 90° and lower than the circumferential position of 135° when the circumferential position of the lowest point P of the roll 2A is set to 0°. This position varies depending on the setting of the position of the tip pulley 5a after the above-mentioned displacement.

[0034] The angle θ formed by the plane passing through the center of the intermediate pulley 5b and the center of the front end pulley 5a with respect to the plane passing through the center of the intermediate pulley 5b and the center of the rear end pulley 5c (the horizontal plane in FIG. 2) is, for example, 30° to 80°, and may be 50° to 80°. This angle θ varies depending on the position of the front end pulley 5a after the displacement.

[0035] After the tip pulley 5a is arranged in this manner, the electric motor 3 is driven to rotate the pair of rolls 2A, 2B, and the electric motor 7 is driven to rotate the conveyor device 4. Next, when the material M to be kneaded is introduced from above the pair of rolls 2A, 2B, the material M is rolled into a sheet by the pair of kneading rolls 2A, 2B and discharged downward. The discharged material M is conveyed toward the roll 2A side and sent between the outer peripheral surface of the roll 2A and the conveying surface 6a of the belt member 6, where it is wound around the roll 2A. The material M wound around the roll 2A is again sent above the pair of rolls 2A, 2B. The material M to be kneaded accumulates above the pair of rolls 2A, 2B, and the rolled and circulating material is replaced in whole or in part with the remaining material, promoting homogenization of the material M and kneading action. In this manner, the material M to be kneaded is wound around the roll 2A and repeatedly supplied to the pair of rolls 2A and 2B, whereby kneading and rolling are carried out.

[0036] During kneading or rolling, the rotation speed V of the roll 2A Ａ and the rotation speed V of the roll 2B. Ｂ may be the same speed, or may be different speeds by making the number of teeth of the meshing gears different between them (V Ａ >V Ｂ or V Ａ <V Ｂ When the rotation speeds are different, it is preferable that the rotation speed of the slower roll is 80% or more and less than 100% of the rotation speed of the faster roll. For example, in a configuration in which separate electric motors are provided, the rotation speeds of the respective rolls can be adjusted independently.

[0037] Depending on the properties of the material to be kneaded, some materials tend to wind around the high-speed roll, while others tend to wind around the low-speed roll, so it is preferable to determine the speed ratio of the pair of rolls 2A and 2B depending on the properties of the material to be kneaded. Since the high-speed roll is considered to be more likely to pull the material toward itself, it is preferable to use the high-speed roll as the roll 2A on which the material to be kneaded is wound.

[0038] Furthermore, the roll 2A on the winding side preferably has a water passage therein through which cooling water is passed. By passing cooling water through the roll 2A, the surface temperature of the roll 2A is lowered, making it easier to wind the roll 2A. Furthermore, when the roll 2B is configured to have a water passage in addition to the roll 2A, for example, by making the water flow rate (L / min) through the roll 2A greater than the water flow rate (L / min) through the roll 2B, a difference in the surface temperatures of the rolls is created, making it easier to wind the roll 2A.

[0039] Here, during kneading, the rotation speed V of the roll 2A Ａ is the conveying speed V of the belt member 6 of the conveyor device 4. １ may be larger than (V Ａ >V １ In such a case, the belt member 6 is pulled by the roll 2A via the kneading material M, and as a result, the electric motor 7 is rotated by the roll 2A, generating regenerative energy. To avoid this, it is preferable to provide a clutch between the electric motor 7 and the rear end pulley 5c, and it is particularly preferable to provide a one-way clutch 8. The type of the one-way clutch 8 is not particularly limited, and a cam type, sprag type, or the like can be used. In FIG. 2, the input shaft through which the driving force of the electric motor 7 is input to the one-way clutch 8 is designated 8a, and the output shaft through which the driving force is output from the one-way clutch 8 to the rear end pulley 5c is designated 8b.

[0040] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a cam-type one-way clutch. The one-way clutch 8 includes an input shaft 8a as an input member, an output shaft 8b as an output member, multiple roller cams 8c, a cylindrical cage 8d that holds the roller cams 8c, and biasing means 8e, such as a spring, that biases each roller cam 8c in one circumferential direction (counterclockwise in Figure 3). In Figure 3, the input shaft 8a forms an outer ring, and multiple cam surfaces 8f are formed on its inner peripheral surface. Balls or cylindrical rollers can be used for the roller cams 8c.

[0041] FIG. 3(a) shows a case where the input shaft 8a rotates clockwise relative to the output shaft 8b (V Ａ <V １In this case, the roller cam 8c is biased by the spring force of the biasing means 8e, and is guided by the cam surface 8f and presses against the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 8b. As a result, the output shaft 8b rotates clockwise together with the input shaft 8a. On the other hand, FIG. 3(b) shows the V Ａ >V １ This shows the case where the input shaft 8a rotates counterclockwise relative to the output shaft 8b. In this case, the output shaft 8b rotates clockwise relative to the input shaft 8a, so the roller cam 8c moves clockwise within the cam surface 8f against the spring force of the biasing means 8e. As a result, no wedge action is obtained by the roller cam 8c between the cam surface 8f and the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 8b, and the input shaft 8a rotates freely relative to the output shaft 8b.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, by providing a one-way clutch 9 between the electric motor 7 and the rear end pulley 5c that can only transmit power from the electric motor side to the rear end pulley side, when the rear end pulley 5c is forcibly rotated by the high speed rotation of the roll 2A, the rotation of the output shaft 8b is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 8a, and the rotational force can be cut off. Ａ >V １ Even when the above relationship is satisfied, the generation of regenerative energy in the electric motor 7 can be suppressed.

[0043] Then, when the winding of the kneading material around the roll 2A is completed, the leading pulley 5a is rotated counterclockwise to release it. As shown in Figure 4, the conveyor device 4 is disposed so that the conveying surface 6a (the upper surface of the belt member 6) extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The wound kneading material is then dispensed.

[0044] The open roll mill of the present invention may have a take-out device that takes out the mixed material wound around one of the rolls after mixing or rolling is completed. This configuration will be explained using Figure 5. Figure 5 shows an outline of the process of taking out the mixed material after mixing or rolling is completed.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the open roll mill 1 has a take-out device 9 that takes out the kneading material M wound around the roll 2A. The take-out device 9 has an arm 9a, a cutting blade 9b attached to the end of the arm 9a, and a peeling wheel 9c as peeling means. During kneading or rolling, the take-out device 9 is arranged at an upper standby position R where it does not interfere with the displaced tip pulley 5a and belt member 6. In Figure 5, the take-out device 9 arranged at this standby position R is shown by a dotted line. At this standby position R, the arm 9a is arranged to extend horizontally, and the cutting blade 9b and other parts do not face the outer circumferential surface of the roll 2A.

[0046] After the displacement of the tip pulley 5a returns to its original position, when the wound kneading material M is to be removed, the take-out device 9 is configured to be moved from the standby position R to a position facing the outer circumferential surface of the roll 2A. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the arm 9a is rotated around the end of the arm 9a as a fulcrum, thereby displacing the take-out device 9 to a position facing the outer circumferential surface of the roll 2A. In this way, by providing the take-out device 9 so as to avoid interference with the tip pulley 5a of the conveyor device 4, it is possible to automate not only the winding onto the roll but also the cutting-out, while making the device configuration compact.

[0047] In FIG. 5, the take-out device 9 is displaced so as to rotate from the standby position R, but the take-out device 9 may be displaced by moving linearly (for example, from above to below), for example.

[0048] The cutting blade 9b of the take-out device 9 makes circumferential cuts in the kneaded material M wound around the roll 2A. The peeling wheel 9c is arranged parallel to the roll 2A, pressed against the kneaded material with the cuts made therein, and configured to rotate in the same direction as the roll 2A. Specifically, the device includes a friction roll (not shown) arranged coaxially with the peeling wheel 9c, and a transmission means (not shown) that reverses the rotation direction of the friction roll and transmits it to the peeling wheel. The friction roll is pressed against the kneaded material with the cuts made therein and rotates in the opposite direction to the other roll, and the rotational force is transmitted to the peeling wheel via the transmission means, causing the peeling wheel 9c to rotate in the same direction as the roll 2A.

[0049] When removing the material, the cutting blade 9b is pressed against the material M wound around the roll 2A to make a circumferential cut in the material M, and then the peeling wheel 9c is pressed against the material M, applying a tensile force to the material M, forming a tip of the cut tape starting from the edge of the peeling blade (not shown). The material tape peeled from the roll 2A is sent to the next process, such as a conveyor.

[0050] The open roll mill of the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

[0051] The open roll mill of the present invention can save space and eliminate the need for an operator to wind the material to be kneaded around the rolls, so that it can be widely used as an open roll mill.

[0052] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Open roll machine 2A, 2B Roll 3 Electric motor 4 Conveyor device 5a Leading pulley 5b Intermediate pulley 5c Rear end pulley 6 Belt member 6a Conveying surface 7 Electric motor 8 One-way clutch 8a Input shaft 8b Output shaft 9 Take-out device 9a Arm 9b Cutting blade 9c Peeling wheel

Claims

1. An open roll machine comprising a pair of rolls and a conveyor device disposed below the rolls, which mixes or rolls a material to be mixed by the rotation of the rolls, wherein the conveyor device has at least three pulleys and a belt member stretched over these pulleys, and among the three or more pulleys, the leading pulley at the leading end in the conveying direction is rotated and displaced so as to fold toward one of the pair of rolls, and the stretched belt member is arranged so as to be wound around the one roll, and the material to be mixed that has passed through the gap between the pair of rolls is transported toward the one roll, and the material to be mixed is wound around the one roll.

2. The open roll machine according to claim 1, characterized in that either the leading pulley or the trailing pulley at the trailing end in the conveying direction is a drive pulley connected to an electric motor, and a clutch is provided between the drive pulley and the electric motor.

3. An open roll machine as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the displaced tip pulley is located at a position higher than the circumferential position of 60° when the circumferential position of the lowest point of one of the rolls is 0°.

4. An open roll machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the pair of rolls rotate at different speeds, the rotational speed of the slower roll being 80% or more but less than 100% of the rotational speed of the faster roll.

5. The open roll machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the open roll machine has a take-out device that takes out the mixed material wound around one of the rolls after mixing or rolling is completed, and the take-out device is arranged in an upper standby position that does not interfere with the displaced tip pulley and belt member during mixing or rolling, and is arranged in a position facing the outer peripheral surface of one of the rolls from the standby position during removal.

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