Apparatus and method for stripping a polymer product from a former

Abstract

An apparatus (100) for stripping a dipped polymer product (2) from a former (4) comprises a pair of stripping members (102) arranged to grip said polymer product and pull it from said former, a conveyor surface (106), and an air nozzle (104) arranged to direct a stream of air (108) between the stripping members and the conveyor surface. A direction of flow of the stream of air is generally parallel to a direction of movement of the conveyor surface. The stripping members are moveable into a first position to grip a part of said polymer product and into a second position to release the polymer product onto the conveyor surface. The stream of air is provided for a predetermined period of time and is stopped as the polymer product is released from the stripping members.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STRIPPING A POLYMER PRODUCT FROM A FORMER

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for stripping a dipped polymer product from a former. The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for stripping gloves from a former for subsequent stacking and packing. The present invention relates, in particular, to an apparatus and method for stripping disposable gloves from a former for placement on a conveyor belt for subsequent processing.

[0004] BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0005] Disposable gloves are used in many applications as a barrier to prevent a person’s hands coming into contact with substances such as chemicals, allergens or irritants, or to prevent contamination, either of the person’s hands or of an object being handled by the person.

[0006] Disposable gloves are generally made from an elastic polymeric material. The most common materials from which disposable gloves are made are latex, vinyl, nitrile and polyethylene.

[0007] Disposable gloves are manufactured using a dip forming process. In this process a hand-shaped former is dipped into a polymer solution to coat the former in a layer of the polymer material. The dipping process forms a hand portion (including fingers) and a wrist / cuff portion of the glove. Following dipping, a beading process forms a rolled cuff edge. Several further processes may cure, wash and dry the polymer glove on the former. Generally the dip forming process is a continuous process, with gloves being formed on a continuous line of identical formers.

[0008] The formed glove must then be stripped from each of the formers for subsequent stacking and packing into boxes or packets. In a first pre-release step the cuff edge of the glove may be rolled or pushed down the former towards the hand portion (fingers) of the former. In a second pre-release step the cuff portion of the glove is pulled over the hand portion of the former so that the cuff portion extends or hangs from the former. The finger portion of the glove remains in contact with and held by the fingers of the former.

[0009] The former is then preferably oriented so that fingers of the former extend in a generally downwards direction. The cuff portion therefore hangs downwardly from the former.

[0010] A glove removal system comprises a glove stripping apparatus and an apparatus for forming stacks of gloves. The glove stripping apparatus is arranged to pull the gloves from the formers and deposit the gloves onto or into the apparatus for forming stacks of gloves. In many prior art systems the glove stripping apparatus is designed to strip gloves from a plurality of formers at the same time. For example, the glove stripping apparatus may strip gloves from four or five formers at the same time. The glove stripping apparatus deposits the gloves in or on the apparatus for forming stacks of gloves. The stack forming apparatus may comprise a conveyor belt or a container, and the stack forming apparatus may be configured to form stacks of 10 or 20 gloves, for example.

[0011] A known glove stripping apparatus includes a ‘half moon’ stripping system, which comprises two removal rollers, each of the rollers having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shape. During the process of stripping a glove from its former the rollers are positioned either side of the cuff portion of the glove. The rollers are then rotated through 360° in opposite directions. As the rollers rotate a pinch point is created (usually a gap of about 0.5-1 mm is formed between the rollers) which causes the rollers to grip the cuff portion of the glove. As the rollers rotate the rollers pull the glove off the former. Continued rotation of the rollers results in the gap between the rollers increasing again such that the glove is then released from between the rollers. Traditionally, the gloves are stripped and laid directly onto a moving conveyor belt. The gloves are then accelerated away by the conveyor belt until they reach a position sensor. Triggering of the position sensor causes the conveyor belt to decelerate and the glove comes to a halt. The gloves are then grabbed and pulled onto stacks. As mentioned above, typically gloves are stripped from multiple formers at the same time and, as such, the system is designed to grab multiple gloves from the conveyor belt at the same time and deposit each of the gloves in a separate stack.

[0012] In known prior art systems, the formers are oriented so that the fingers of the former extend in a generally vertical direction to ease glove stripping; however, the conveyor belt generally moves in a substantially horizontal plane. It will therefore be appreciated that, if the glove is to lie flat on the conveyor belt, the orientation of the glove must change as it is deposited onto the conveyor belt. To achieve this the conveyor belt must run at sufficiently high speed to pull the glove into a horizontal orientation as the first part of the glove hits the surface of the conveyor belt.

[0013] One disadvantage of this known system is the high speeds at which it typically operates. As the dip forming process is relatively rapid and continuous, the removal rollers have to strip the gloves from the formers at a very high pace (typically 0.3 second cycle time). Accordingly, the conveyor belts arranged to receive the stripped gloves also have to run at a corresponding high speed (which equates to about 2.2 m / s or faster) in order to successfully change the direction of the glove from vertical to horizontal as described above. This means that the conveyor belt is also required to have a high rate of deceleration to enable the gloves to be grabbed and stacked. This results in the position of the gloves when the conveyor belts stops or pauses being inconsistent, which in turn causes inconsistent and untidy stacks of gloves.

[0014] It is an aim of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for stripping a dipped polymer product (e.g. disposable glove) from a former which overcomes a disadvantage of prior art systems and methods, whether referred to herein or otherwise. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A first aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for stripping a dipped polymer product from a former comprising: a pair of stripping members arranged to grip said polymer product and pull it from said former, the stripping members being moveable between a first position in which there is a first gap between the stripping members and a second position in which there is a second gap between the stripping members, the first gap being smaller than the second gap; a conveyor surface having a direction of movement; an air nozzle arranged to direct a stream of air between the stripping members and the conveyor surface, a direction of flow of the stream of air being generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface; and one or more control systems arranged to: move the stripping members into the first position to grip a part of said polymer product; provide a stream of air from the air nozzle for a predetermined period of time; and stop said stream of air as the stripping members are moved into the second position to release the polymer product onto the conveyor surface.

[0016] It has been found that this arrangement of the stripping members and air nozzle deposits the polymer product on the conveyor surface in a more uniform and flatter configuration than with prior art apparatuses. This then permits more consistent picking and stacking of the polymer products from the conveyor surface.

[0017] In preferred embodiments the pair of stripping members comprises a pair of rollers. Each roller has an axis of rotation, and preferably the axes of rotation of the rollers extend generally parallel to each other. The axes of rotation are preferably generally perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the conveyor surface and a normal to the conveyor surface.

[0018] In preferred embodiments a cross-sectional shape of each of the rollers, transverse to the axis of rotation, is a sector of a circle or a segment of a circle. In this way, each of the rollers preferably includes a curved, outer gripping surface. Each of the rollers may also include an insertion surface. The first gap may be defined between opposing parts of the gripping surfaces and the second gap may be defined between opposing parts of the insertion surfaces, as the rollers rotate about their rotational axes.

[0019] The air nozzle is preferably and advantageously in the form of an air knife having a slot through which the stream of air exits. The air knife preferably provides a laminar flow of air. The slot preferably extends in a direction generally perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the conveyor surface and a normal to the conveyor surface. In embodiments in which the stripping members are rollers, the slot preferably extends in a direction generally parallel to the rotational axes of the rollers.

[0020] In preferred embodiments the air nozzle is disposed adjacent one of the stripping members such that the stream of air is disposed closer to the stripping members than to the conveyor surface. The air nozzle is preferably disposed adjacent a first one of the stripping members and is oriented such that a region defined by the stream of air encompasses a tangent or an edge of a second one of the stripping members. The first stripping member may be disposed upstream of the second stripping member relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface.

[0021] The predetermined period of time for which the stream of air is emitted from the air nozzle may dependent on the speed at which the stripping members move from the first position to the second position. The control system may be arranged to initiate the flow of the stream of air after the stripping members are in the first position.

[0022] The conveyor surface may be provided by a conveyor belt.

[0023] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of stripping a dipped polymer product from a former comprising: moving stripping members into a first position to grip a part of the polymer product connected to the former; initiating the flow of a stream of air from an air nozzle; moving the stripping members into a second position so that the polymer product is released from the stripping members to fall onto a moving conveyor surface; and stopping the flow of the stream of air, wherein the stream of air is disposed between the stripping members and the conveyor surface, and the direction of flow of the stream of air is generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface.

[0024] In preferred embodiments the pair of stripping members comprises a pair of rollers, each roller having an axis of rotation. The steps of moving the stripping members into the first position and moving the stripping members into the second position preferably, therefore, each comprise rotating the rollers in opposite directions about their axes of rotation.

[0025] The air nozzle is preferably disposed adjacent a first one of the stripping members. Furthermore, in preferred embodiments the air nozzle is in the form of an air knife having a slot through which the stream of air exits. The air knife preferably provides a laminar flow of air. In these embodiments, the method preferably comprises initiating the flow of the stream of air from the air nozzle such that a region or volume defined by the stream of air or laminar flow of air encompasses a tangent or an edge of a second one of the stripping members.

[0026] The flow of the stream of air may be initiated after the stripping members are in the first position. The flow of the stream of air may be stopped before the stripping members are in the second position.

[0027] The conveyor surface may be provided by a conveyor belt.

[0028] The apparatus and method of the present invention are particularly relevant to polymer products in the form of disposable gloves. The disposable gloves are generally unsupported thin-gauge gloves. Disposable gloves may be used in household, industrial, medical environments. The disposable gloves may be made from latex, vinyl, nitrile or polyethylene. The apparatus and method of the present invention may also be utilised in the processing of other dip-formed polymer products such as bags, condoms, catheters and balloons.

[0029] Preferred and / or optional features of each aspect and embodiment described above may also be used, alone or in appropriate combination, in the other aspects and embodiments also.

[0030] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference signs are used for like features, and in which:

[0032] Figure 1 illustrates a known, prior art apparatus for stripping polymeric gloves from formers and forming stacks of gloves;

[0033] Figure 2 illustrates an apparatus for stripping gloves from formers according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing stripping members of the apparatus in a receiving position and a glove suspended from a former presented to the apparatus ready for stripping;

[0034] Figure 3 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the stripping members rotated into a gripping position in which the glove is gripped between the stripping members;

[0035] Figure 4 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the stripping members rotating to pull the glove off the former;

[0036] Figure 5 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the stripping members in a gripping position and an air nozzle of the apparatus emitting a stream of air to apply a force to a cuff end of the glove; Figure 6 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the stream of air from the air nozzle conforming the cuff region of the glove to a gripping surface of one of the stripping members;

[0037] Figure 7 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the glove being released from the stripping members and with the air nozzle no longer emitted a stream of air;

[0038] Figure 8 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the glove being deposited on a conveyor surface of the apparatus; and

[0039] Figure 9 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with the stripping members returned to the receiving position and the glove being transported away from the stripping members by the conveyor surface.

[0040] DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] A known machine 10 for stripping polymeric gloves 2 from formers 4 is illustrated in Figure 1. The machine 10 comprises a glove stripping apparatus 12 and an apparatus 14 for forming stacks of gloves. The glove stripping apparatus 12 is designed to strip a plurality of gloves 2 from a plurality of formers 4 concurrently and deposit them on a conveyor belt 16. The apparatus 14 for forming stacks of gloves comprises a glove picking device 18 that picks gloves 2 from the conveyor belt 16 and deposits the gloves 2 into stack recesses 20. The machine 10 comprises a plurality of stack recesses 20, and each of the gloves 2 is deposited into a respective one of the recesses 20 by the glove picking device 18.

[0042] The formers 4 are in the shape of a hand having a finger portion 22, a palm portion 24 and a wrist portion 26. The illustrated formers 4 form part of a continuous line of formers arranged side-by-side. The formers 4 move through the machine 10 in a direction parallel to the line of formers as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. When the formers 4 reach the stripping machine 10 a glove 2 is hanging from the finger portion 22 of each of the formers 4 so that a cuff of the glove 2 is lowermost. The glove stripping apparatus 12 comprises a pair of rollers 28. A rotational axis 30 of each of the rollers 28 extends generally parallel to the line of formers 4. A plurality of formers 4 are moved into a position such that the gloves 2 connected to the formers hang between the rollers 28. As the rollers 28 rotate, the rollers 28 grip the cuff of each glove 2 and draw the glove 2 off the former 4. The rollers 28 continue to rotate and deposit the gloves onto a part of the conveyor belt 16 disposed below the rollers 28. It will therefore be appreciated that the gloves 2 are deposited side- by-side on the conveyor belt 16.

[0043] A direction of movement of the conveyor belt 16 is generally perpendicular to the rotational axes 30 of the rollers 28. The conveyor belt 16 transports the gloves 2 away from the rollers 28 towards the glove picking device 18. The glove picking device 18 picks the gloves 2 from the conveyor belt 16 and deposits them in stacks in stack recesses 20 disposed at an end of the conveyor belt 16. The stack recesses 20 are disposed side-by-side. The number of stack recesses 20 is preferably equal to the number of gloves 2 deposited concurrently on the conveyor belt 16, and the stack recesses 20 are preferably aligned with the deposited gloves 2.

[0044] It will be appreciated that, in this prior art system, it is necessary to pause movement of the line of formers to enable the rollers 28 to remove the gloves from the formers 4. Furthermore, the conveyor belt 16 is preferably arranged to accelerate to transport the gloves 2 away from the rollers 28 and to decelerate to allow the glove picking device 18 to pick the gloves 2 from the conveyor belt 16. The result is a system that is relatively inefficient and which results in untidy and non-uniform stacks of gloves being formed in the stack recesses 20.

[0045] When the stacks of gloves are subsequently removed from the recesses 20 for packing, the stacks must either be packed into larger containers to take into account the untidy stacks, or the stacks must be further processed before being packed. Both of these options results in significant inefficiencies.

[0046] An apparatus and method for stripping polymer products, such as disposable gloves, from formers according to the present invention is illustrated in Figures 2 to 9. In the following description the apparatus and method is described in relation to its use to strip polymer disposable gloves from hand shaped formers. It will be understood, however, that the apparatus and method may also be applied to the stripping of other similar polymer products from formers. Examples of other polymer products that may be formed by dip coating a former are bags, condoms, catheters and balloons. Accordingly, references to gloves in the following description should be understood to apply equally to bags, condoms, catheters, balloons and other similar polymer products that are formed by dip coating a former.

[0047] The apparatus 100 comprises a pair of stripping members 102, an air nozzle 104 and a conveyor surface 106. In use, a former 4 from which a glove 2 is suspended is positioned between the two stripping members 102 of the pair of stripping members 102. The stripping members 102 are operated to pull the glove 2 off an end of the former 4 and to release the glove 2 so that it falls in a direction generally towards the conveyor surface 106, in a direction generally normal to the conveyor surface 106. The air nozzle 104 is disposed between the stripping members 102 and the conveyor surface 106 and directs a stream of air 108 in a direction generally parallel to a direction of movement of the conveyor surface 106. As the glove 2 is released from the stripping members 102, the glove 2 passes into or through the stream of air 108, which acts on the glove 2 to align the glove 2 with the conveyor surface 106.

[0048] In the illustrated example, and oriented as shown in particular in Figures 6 and 7, the stream of air 108 from the air nozzle 104 acts to turn the glove 2 from a generally vertical orientation to a generally horizontal orientation.

[0049] Accordingly, as the glove 2 falls onto the conveyor surface 106, the stream of air 108 acts to straighten or extend the glove 2 and align the glove 2 with the conveyor surface 106. This results in the glove 2 being deposited onto the conveyor surface 106 in a more consistent and flatter configuration.

[0050] In preferred embodiments the pair of stripping members 102 comprises a pair of rollers 110. The rollers 110 are each mounted on and rotate about an axle 112. An axis of each of the axles 112 defines a rotational axis of each of the rollers 110. The rotational axes preferably extend parallel to each other.

[0051] In this embodiment a cross-sectional shape of each of the rollers 110, transverse to its axis of rotation, is generally in the form of a sector or segment of a circle. Each of the rollers 110 includes an insertion surface 114 and a gripping surface 116. The insertion surface 114 may, at least in part, be generally planar. The axle 112 of the roller 110 may lie in a part of the insertion surface 114. The gripping surface 116 is preferably curved. The gripping surface 116 may have a convex curvature and may be in the form of a part cylindrical surface. Each of the gripping surfaces 116 extends between a leading edge 118 and a trailing edge 120.

[0052] At least the gripping surface 116 of the rollers 110 may be coated or covered with a rough or non-slip material. For example, the gripping surface 116 of the rollers 110 may be covered with a textile material, a rubber material, or another material having a relatively high coefficient of friction.

[0053] The rollers 110 are configured to rotate about their respective rotational axes in opposite directions. As illustrated in particular in Figure 4, a first one of the rollers 110 rotates in a clockwise direction and a second one of the rollers 110 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction. The directions of rotation are such that parts of the rollers 110 furthest from the conveyor surface 106 move in directions towards each other, and parts of the rollers 110 closest to the conveyor surface 106 move in directions away from each other.

[0054] The rollers 110 are arranged to move between a receiving position and at least one gripping position. In the receiving position, the insertion surfaces 114 of the rollers 110 face each other across a gap 122 between the rollers 110. In the gripping position, a part of each of the gripping surfaces 116 face each other, and the gap 122 between the rollers 110 is reduced. In the receiving position the gap 122 is defined by a first distance between the insertion surfaces 114, and in the gripping position the gap 122 is defined by a second distance between the gripping surfaces 116. The second distance is significantly smaller than the first distance. The second distance is preferably between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. The first distance may be 10 mm or greater.

[0055] In this example, each roller 110 has a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shape. As illustrated in the sequence of drawings in Figures 2 to 8, the rollers 110 move between the receiving position and a number of gripping positions as the rollers rotate through 360°. Starting from the receiving position (Figure 2), the rollers 110 initially rotate such that the leading edges 118 of the gripping surfaces 116 move towards each other. The rollers 110 rotate through about 90° before leading regions of the insertion surfaces 114 face each other (Figure 3) and the rollers 110 are in a first gripping position. The rollers 110 rotate through a further 90° before central regions of the insertion surfaces 114 face each other (Figure 5) and the rollers 110 are in a second gripping position. After a further 90° rotation trailing regions of the insertion surfaces 114 face each other (Figure 6) and the rollers 110 are in a third gripping position. A final 90° rotation, during which the trailing edges 120 move apart, returns the rollers 110 to the receiving position (Figure 8).

[0056] As the radius of curvature of the gripping surface 116 in this embodiment is constant, the gap 122 between the gripping surfaces 116 at each of the first, second and third gripping positions is constant, and is equal to the second distance.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, because the gripping surface 116 is an outermost surface of the roller 110, and the radius of curvature of the gripping surface 116 is constant, as the roller 110 rotates, the gripping surface 116 defines a circular boundary of the roller 110. An entry region of this circular boundary is defined furthest from the conveyor surface 106, and an exit region of the circular boundary is defined closest to the conveyor surface 106.

[0058] The rollers 110 are mounted at a distance away from (above) the conveyor surface 106. In this embodiment the conveyor surface 106 is provided by a conveyor belt 126. The conveyor surface 106 is a part of the conveyor belt 126 facing in a direction generally towards the rollers 110. In preferred embodiment the conveyor surface 106 faces in an upwards direction and the rollers 110 are disposed above the conveyor surface 106.

[0059] A plane defined by the conveyor surface 106 is preferably generally parallel to a plane containing the axles 112 of the rollers 110. A direction of movement of the conveyor surface 106 is generally transverse or perpendicular to the rotational axes of the rollers 110, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2. In embodiments in which the conveyor surface 106 is provided by a conveyor belt 126, the conveyor surface 106 moves in a direction from a first end 128 of the conveyor belt 126 to a second end 130 of the conveyor belt 126. A first one of the rollers 110A is disposed closer to the first end 128 of the conveyor belt 126 and a second one of the rollers 110B is disposed closer to the second end 130 of the conveyor belt 126. In other words, relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface 106, the first one of the rollers 110A is disposed upstream of the second one of the rollers 110B.

[0060] The air nozzle 104 is disposed between the rollers 110 and the conveyor surface 106. The air nozzle 104 preferably emits a stream of air 108 in which the flow of air is non-turbulent. The air nozzle 104 is preferably oriented such that the laminar flow of the stream of air 108 is generally in the same direction as the direction of movement of the conveyor surface 106. In preferred embodiments the air nozzle 104 is in the form of an air knife. The air knife includes a slot through which the stream of air exits in the laminar flow pattern. The slot preferably extends in a direction generally parallel to the rotational axes of the rollers 110 (and perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the conveyor surface 106 and a normal to the conveyor surface 106). In other embodiments the apparatus 100 may comprise a plurality of air nozzles arranged in a line extending in a direction generally parallel to the rotational axes of the rollers 110.

[0061] The air nozzle 104 is preferably disposed closer to the rollers 110 than to the conveyor surface 106. The purpose of the stream of air 108 emitted from the air nozzle 104 is to apply a force to a part of a glove as the glove exits the rollers 110 and falls towards the conveyor surface 106. As such, the air nozzle 104 is preferably disposed adjacent the first roller 110A and emits the stream of air 108 in a direction towards the second roller 110B. The air nozzle 104 is preferably oriented such that a region or volume defined by the stream of air encompasses a tangent to the exit region of the circular boundary of the second roller 110B. The stream of air 108 therefore flows across the gap 122 between the rollers 110 in a region of the gap 122 closest to the conveyor surface 106, and flows over the gripping surface 116 of the second roller 110B at least when the second roller 110B is in the second and third gripping positions, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

[0062] In use, the stream of air 108 acts to push a cuff region of the glove towards or against the gripping surface 116 of the second roller 110B as the cuff region is released by the rollers 110. The stream of air 108 therefore acts on the glove to change an orientation of the glove between the rollers 110 and the conveyor surface 106.

[0063] One or more control systems (not illustrated) may be connected to the rollers 110, the air nozzle 104 and / or the conveyor belt 126. The control system(s) may be configured to control a speed of the conveyor belt 126, initiation of emission of the stream of air from the air nozzle 104, halting of the emission of the stream of air from the air nozzle 104, initiation of rotation of the rollers 110, halting of rotation of the rollers 110, and / or a speed of rotation of the rollers 110.

[0064] A method of using the apparatus 100 to strip a disposable glove 2 from a former 4 will now be described. Initial method steps of dip forming the glove 2, a first prerelease step of rolling the cuff edge of the glove down the former, and a second prerelease step of pulling the cuff portion of the glove over the hand portion of the former so that the cuff portion extends or hangs from the former suspended from the fingers of the former, will not be described in detail and are known to persons of skill in the art.

[0065] As illustrated in Figure 2, a former 4 moves in a direction parallel to the rotational axes of the rollers 110 with the former 4 disposed above the rollers 110 (i.e. with the rollers 110 disposed between the former 4 and the conveyor surface 106). With the rollers 110 in the receiving position, the former 4 moves into a removal position in which the cuff portion of the glove 2 that is hanging from the former 4 is disposed in the gap 122 between the insertion surfaces 114.

[0066] Preferably the rollers 110 are stationary in their receiving position as the former 4 moves into the removal position. Detection of the cuff region of the glove 2 within the gap 122 by a control system may trigger rotation of the rollers 110. Alternatively, the control system may be configured to rotate the rollers 110 at pre-defined time intervals, dependent on a speed of movement of a line of formers 4.

[0067] As the rollers 110 rotate through an initial 90°, the leading edges and leading regions of the gripping surfaces 116 contact and grip the cuff portion of the glove 2, as illustrated in Figure 3. Continued rotation of the rollers 110 causes the glove 2 to be pulled from the former 4 in a direction towards the conveyor surface 106.

[0068] As the rollers 110 rotate the cuff portion of the glove 2 moves through the gap 122 between the rollers 110 in a direction towards the conveyor surface 106. The gripping surfaces 116 lose contact with the cuff portion of the glove 2 and make contact with the palm region of the glove 2, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

[0069] Upon release of the cuff portion from the grip of the gripping surfaces 116, the air nozzle 104 is preferably activated to emit a laminar stream of air 108. The flow of the stream of air may be activated when the cuff edge of the glove 2 is aligned with the air nozzle 104. In other embodiments the air nozzle 104 may be activated after the rollers 110 have rotated through a pre-determined angle.

[0070] The stream of air applies a force to the cuff portion of the glove 2 in a direction towards the second roller 110B. Preferably the pressure of the stream of air is high enough that the cuff portion of the glove 2 is pressed against the gripping surface 116 of the second roller 116 such that a direction of movement of the cuff portion of the glove 2 is changed from generally vertical (towards the conveyor surface 106) to generally horizontal (parallel to the conveyor surface 106), as illustrated in Figure 6. As the stream of air continues to push against the cuff portion of the glove 2, the trailing regions of the gripping surfaces 116 of the rollers 110 continue to grip and hold the finger portion of the glove 2. This means that, even with the change in direction of movement of the cuff portion of the glove 2, the glove 2 maintains an extended configuration. Furthermore, the direction of movement of the trailing region of the gripping surface 116 of the second roller 110B as the trailing region passes closest to the conveyor surface 106 is also generally parallel to the conveyor surface 106. Accordingly, rotation of the second roller 110B assists in guiding the finger portion of the glove 2 into a generally horizontal orientation as the finger portion of the glove 2 loses contact with the rollers 110, as illustrated in Figure 7.

[0071] The flow of the stream of air 108 from the air nozzle 104 is preferably halted as the grip on the finger portion of the glove 2 by the rollers 110 is released. This prevents the flow of air disrupting the deposition of the glove 2 onto the conveyor surface 106. The initiation and halting of the stream of air 108 may be controlled by a control system upon detection of a position of the glove 2 in the rollers 110. Alternatively, the initiation and halting of the stream of air 108 may be controlled by a control system based on the rotational position of the rollers 110. The halting of the stream of air 108 may occur after a pre-determined period of time based upon the speed of rotation of the rollers 110.

[0072] Once the rollers 110 have released their grip on the glove 2, the glove 2 falls towards the conveyor surface 106. The action of the stream of air 108 and the rotation of the gripping surface 116 of the second roller 110B orientate the glove 2 so that the glove 2 generally lies in a plane substantially parallel to the conveyor surface 106 as it falls. Preferably a plane defined by the cuff edge and the end of the finger portion of the glove 2 is at an angle of between 0° and 40°, and more preferably between 0° and 20°, to the conveyor surface 106. This means that the displacement vector of the glove 2 as it falls towards the conveyor surface 106 has a component parallel to the conveyor surface 106 and a component normal to the conveyor surface 106, and the component parallel to the conveyor surface 106 is preferably the same as or larger than the component normal to the conveyor surface 106. This results in the glove 2 being deposited on the conveyor surface 106 in a uniform, extended or straightened configuration, as illustrated in Figure 8.

[0073] After deposition of the glove 2 on the conveyor surface 106, the conveyor surface 106 transports the glove 2 away from the rollers 110 to be lifted from the conveyor surface 106 by another assembly or machine to be placed into a stack of gloves. Because, with this invention, the gloves 2 on the conveyor surface 106 are presented in a more uniform and generally flatter configuration than with prior art stripping apparatuses, the subsequent removal of the gloves from the conveyor surface is more consistent, resulting in neater more uniform stacks of gloves. This, in turn, improves the efficiency of the later packing of the stacks of gloves into boxes and the like.

[0074] After release of the glove 2 from the rollers 110, the rollers 110 continue to rotate back to the receiving position. The rollers 110 preferably pause their rotation for a period of time in the receiving position to give time for the line of formers 4 to move along to present the next glove 2 to the stripping apparatus 100. In these embodiments it will be appreciated that the rollers 110 must decelerate from their maximum rotational speed to zero at the receiving position. Accordingly, at the point at which the trailing regions of the gripping surfaces 116 lose contact with the finger portion of the glove 2 the rollers 110 may already be decelerating. This lower speed of rotation further improves the alignment or straightening of the glove 2 as it is released from the rollers 110 and falls onto the conveyor surface 106.

[0075] Although in the embodiments described above the rollers had a curved or part- cylindrical gripping surface, it will be understood that in other embodiments the gripping surface of each of the rollers may be facetted. The gripping surface of each of the rollers may comprise a plurality of planar panels such that the cross-sectional shape of the roller is generally polygonal. In yet further embodiments the gripping surface of each of the rollers may be lobed or ridged.

[0076] The stripping members may be in a form other than rollers. For example, the stripping members may comprise a plurality of bars or rods that move in directions towards each other to grip the glove, move downwardly towards the conveyor surface to pull the glove from the former, and then move in directions away from each other to release the glove.

[0077] Other modifications and variations not explicitly disclosed above may also be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus for stripping a dipped polymer product from a former comprising: a pair of stripping members arranged to grip said polymer product and pull it from said former, the stripping members being moveable between a first position in which there is a first gap between the stripping members and a second position in which there is a second gap between the stripping members, the first gap being smaller than the second gap; a conveyor surface having a direction of movement; an air nozzle arranged to direct a stream of air between the stripping members and the conveyor surface, a direction of flow of the stream of air being generally parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface; and one or more control systems arranged to: move the stripping members into the first position to grip a part of said polymer product; provide a stream of air from the air nozzle for a predetermined period of time; and stop said stream of air as the stripping members are moved into the second position to release the polymer product onto the conveyor surface.

2. An apparatus according to Claim 1 , in which the pair of stripping members comprises a pair of rollers, each roller having an axis of rotation, and the axes of rotation extending generally parallel to each other.

3. An apparatus according to Claim 2, in which a cross-sectional shape of each of the rollers transverse to the axis of rotation is a sector of a circle or a segment of a circle.

4. An apparatus according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which the axes of rotation are generally perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the conveyor surface and a normal to the conveyor surface.

5. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the air nozzle is in the form of an air knife having a slot through which the stream of air exits in a laminar flow pattern, and in which the slot extends in a direction generally perpendicular to both the direction of movement of the conveyor surface and a normal to the conveyor surface.

6. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the air nozzle is disposed adjacent one of the stripping members such that the stream of air is disposed closer to the stripping members than to the conveyor surface.

7. An apparatus according to Claim 6, in which the air nozzle is disposed adjacent a first one of the stripping members and is oriented such that a region defined by the stream of air encompasses a tangent or an edge of a second one of the stripping members.

8. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which the predetermined period of time is dependent on the speed at which the stripping members move from the first position to the second position.

9. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, in which the control system is arranged to initiate the stream of air after the stripping members are in the first position.

10. A method of stripping a dipped polymer product from a former comprising: moving stripping members into a first position to grip a part of the polymer product connected to the former; initiating the flow of a stream of air from an air nozzle; moving the stripping members into a second position so that the polymer product is released from the stripping members to fall onto a moving conveyor surface; and stopping the flow of the stream of air, wherein the stream of air is disposed between the stripping members and the conveyor surface, and the direction of flow of the stream of air is generally parallelto the direction of movement of the conveyor surface.

11. A method according to Claim 10, in which the pair of stripping members comprises a pair of rollers, each roller having an axis of rotation, and the steps of moving the stripping members into the first position and moving the stripping members into the second position each comprise rotating the rollers in opposite directions about their axes of rotation.

12. A method according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 , in which the air nozzle is disposed adjacent a first one of the stripping members and the air nozzle is in the form of an air knife having a slot through which the stream of air exits in a laminar flow pattern, and the method comprises initiating the flow of the stream of air from the air nozzle such that a region defined by the stream of air encompasses a tangent or an edge of a second one of the stripping members.

13. A method according to any one of Claims 10 to 12, in which the flow of the stream of air is initiated after the stripping members are in the first position.

14. A method according to any one of Claims 10 to 13, in which the flow of the stream of air is stopped before the stripping members are in the second position.

15. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 or a method according to any one of Claims 10 to 14, in which said polymer product is a glove.

16. An apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 or a method according to any one of Claims 10 to 14, in which said conveyor surface is a conveyor belt.

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