WRAPPING APPARATUS WITH SHUTTLE CHANGE

• Main Authors: CLEINE, KENNETH D, VENTURIN, JOHN G
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 28.05.1993
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: CONVEYING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; STORING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

A wrapping apparatus applies a wrapping medium to an annular article such as a coin of a metal strip, to cover the inner surface as well as the outer surfaces thereof. The apparatus includes a rigid loop structure defining an endless T-sectioned track, and extends as a cantilever extending from a free standing columnar support. The support includes an elevator device for raising and lowering the loop structure. The loop structure includes a hinged gate portion that may be moved to an open position to enable the track to be linked with the annular article, and then reclosed. A self-propelled shuttle moves around the track and carries a dispensing device and a prestretching device that hold wrapping medium and enable the medium to be removed from the coil. A trolley with two power driven rollers continuously reorients the article as wrapping proceeds. A take-up accumulator device is disposed on the shuttle, and includes a plurality of fixedly positioned training rollers, a plurality of yieldably positioned training rollers, and a pneumatic loading device which resiliently loads the yieldably positioned rollers away from the fixedly positioned rollers, so as to maintain tension in the wrapping media. A wrapping apparatus whereby a wrapping medium (30) may be applied to an annular article, such as a coil of metal strip (46), so as to cover its inner surface as well as all its outer surfaces comprises a rigid loop structure that defines an endless T-sectioned track (16,17) and extends as a cantilever extending from a free standing columnar support (5,6). The columnar support (5,6) includes elevator means for raising and lowering the loop structure. The loop structure includes a hinged gate portion (9) that may be swung into an open position t enable the track (16,17) to be linked with the annular article and then reclosed. A self propelled shuttle (15) is able to ride around said track. The shuttle (15) carries dispensing means (28,31,32,33,36) and prestretching means (37,38) that are able to hold a coil (29) of a pliable wrapping medium and enable medium to be drawn from the coil. A work piece support means in the form of a trolley (44) carrying two power driven rollers (47) on which the article (46) may sit facilitates its emplacement in interlinkage with the track and continuously reorients the article as wrapping proceeds in consequence of the shuttle (15) travelling repeatedly around the track (16,17). The shuttle carries take-up accumulator means comprising a plurality of fixedly positioned training rollers (33,34,35), a plurality of yieldably positioned training rollers (39,40) and pneumatic loading means (42,41,43) resiliently loading the yieldably positioned rollers (39,40) away from the fixedly positioned rollers (33,34,35), so as to maintain tension in a variable length of wrapping media (30) extending in a tortuous path about the respective training rollers. This compensates for any mismatch between the length of the medium drawn from the shuttle during one part of its travel and the length required during an immediately following part of its travel. Figure 1.