Other

Seratek, LLC

Serater LLC

Seratec, LLC

Ronald W Sweet

Gary R Larsen

Frank C Corrado

James W Fischer

Ronald G Egan

Brian Giardino

James W Fisher

Cary R Larsen

A system for oscillating a roller driven by rolling contact with a moving substrate. An oscillating assembly comprises first and second opposed gudgeons rotatably mounted on a shaft, the gudgeons being connected by either a plurality of rods or the roller. An oscillation mechanism comprises a reduction transmission assembly having differently toothed input and output pulleys. A cam groove in an oscillation cam is engaged by one or more oscillation pin(s) connected to the gudgeons. An input drive pulley turns with the gudgeons, and an output pulley turns with the oscillation cam. An intermediate double-pulley has second and third pulleys on a common hub. First and second timing belts connect, respectively, the input pulley to the second hub pulley, and the third hub pulley to the output pulley. A currently preferred step-down ratio between the input pulley and the output pulley is about 391:1.

System for oscillating a roller

An apparatus for forming a wound roll of discrete overlapping sheets of web from a supply of continuous web. The web preferably is passed around a nip roller that steers the web onto the surface of a take-up core. A knife assembly including a knife blade extended from a knife holder is driven by a traversing mechanism across the width of the web to cut the wound web on the core into discrete sheets, the extended height of the knife blade being preferably the exact thickness of the web. In transverse cutting by the knife of the web wound on the take-up core, the knife holder travels on the outer surface of the web, thus assuring that the knife blade extends just to the outer surface of the next inner convolution of web, thereby cutting the continuous web into sheets without damaging previously wound web convolutions.

Method and apparatus for forming a sheeted roll of material

A web-chopping and sheet-winding apparatus comprising an unwinder for unwinding a supply roll of continuous flexible web which may be adhesive on at least one side. A knife roller including at least one fixed transverse knife blade extending from the surface is in nipped relationship with an anvil roller, the height of the knife blade being greater than the thickness of the web. The anvil and knife roller spacing is such that the knife blade extends just to the surface of the anvil roller, thereby chopping the continuous web into sheets as the anvil and knife rollers turn synchronously with the web passing therebetween. A tape core roller in nipped relationship receives the chopped sheets sequentially, the leading edge of each sheet being lifted from the anvil roller by any of a plurality of novel means.

A system for cleaning a moving substrate includes a rail mounted adjacent to the substrate surface and substantially transverse to the direction of movement thereof. A carriage for supporting a contact cleaning roller (CCR) is deployed on the rail for allowing axial translation of the CCR transversely of the substrate while in rolling contact therewith. Two renewal stations for cleaning the CCR are mounted adjacent the rail, one outboard of each substrate edge. The CCR is at least twice as long as the width of the substrate and is axially oscillable for a distance sufficient that all portions of the CCR surface may be cleaned by the renewal stations during one oscillation cycle of the CCR while the CCR maintains continuous contact with the substrate across the full width thereof. The CCR mounted on the carriage may be a primary CCR and the substrate may be a continuous web or sheet, or the CCR mounted on the carriage may be a secondary CCR and the substrate may be a primary CCR or other process roller.

Traversing contact cleaning roller system

A system for cleaning first and second surfaces of a moving web substrate. First and second turret subsystems are disposed sequentially along the web path. Each turret is rotatable about an axis transverse to the direction of web conveyance but there is no axial cross-shaft. Each turret includes at least two contact cleaning rollers spaced apart in the turret on opposite sides of the turret axis. The web path proceeds through each pair of rollers such that in each turret the first roller of the pair is adjacent a first surface of the web and the second roller of the pair is adjacent a second surface of the web. When the turrets are rotated to a null position, none of the rollers is in contact with the web. When the turrets are rotated to a web cleaning position, the web is engaged with the rollers on both sides of the web and follows a serpentine path through the turrets. In a preferred embodiment, each turret is provided with four rollers such that any pair of rollers in either turret may be cleaned at any time without breaking continuity of cleaning of the web surfaces by two rollers on each web surface.

System for cleaning a web substrate

A system for cleaning a moving substrate includes a rail mounted adjacent to the substrate surface and substantially transverse to the direction of movement thereof. A carriage for supporting a polymer-covered contact cleaning roller (CCR) is deployed on the rail for allowing axial translation of the CCR transversely of the substrate while in rolling contact therewith. The rail extends beyond at least one longitudinal edge of the substrate by a distance at least equal to the length of the CCR such that the CCR may be translated sufficiently to be brought out of contact with the moving substrate surface, from which position the CCR may be readily and safely renewed by an operator or automatically by any convenient means. The CCR mounted on the carriage may be a primary CCR and the substrate may be an object to be cleaned by the system, or the CCR mounted on the carriage may be a secondary CCR and the substrate may be a primary CCR. The extension of the rail beyond the edge of the substrate defines a renewal station for the rail-borne CCR, either primary or secondary, at which the CCR may be renewed automatically or manually by an operator, as by washing, replacement, or removal of a tape convolution. Separation of the renewal station from the CCR-cleaning portion of the rail permits the renewal station, if so desired, to be located outside the primary CCR cleaning area, the rail passing through a light lock, for example, if the substrate must be cleaned in the dark, or an air lock if the substrate must be cleaned in a toxic or otherwise unhealthy atmosphere.

Traversing contact cleaning roller cleaner

A system for cleaning a web surface including an axially oscillable contact cleaning roller (CCR) positionable to be in contact with the web surface on a free-span of the web. The CCR, which may be mounted in a frame, enjoys a wrap angle greater than 0.degree. and may also be positionable to be out of contact with the web for renewal of the CCR surface. The increased CCR wrap angle can improve the efficiency of particle removal relative to a nipped CCR installation. Either the frame or the roller itself is oscillable such that the CCR may be moved transversely of the web while in rolling contact with the web surface to distribute particles associated with the edges of the web over a broader area of the CCR. Preferably, the ratio of oscillation velocity to web velocity is less than about 0.01 and preferably the web tension is greater than about 0.5 pounds per inch of web width. Plastic and paper webs having a thickness as low as about 0.001 inch may be readily cleaned without wrinkling. Existing CCR web cleaning installations having backing rollers may be readily modified and simplified to provide free-span CCR cleaning in accordance with the present invention.

Apparatus and method for cleaning a web substrate

A contact cleaning roller (CCR) system includes a shell having an electrostatically active outer surface and being supported by a close-fitting rotatable shaft. The shaft within the shell is provided with a cam groove extending from a first axial location to a second axial location disposed 180.degree. from the first axial location, and then back to the first axial location. A cam follower attached to the inner surface of the shell rides in the cam groove, causing the shell to oscillate axially of the shaft at a frequency of oscillation which is the numerical difference between the rotational frequencies of the shell and shaft. In a preferred embodiment, the CCR shell is nipped against a backing roller, which may be an idle roller or a driven roller, the web passing therebetween in contact with the working surfaces of both rollers. Outboard of the working surfaces, the shaft of the backing roller has a first drive roller having a first diameter, and the shaft of the barrel cam has a second drive roller nipped against the first drive roller and having a second diameter slightly different from the first diameter. Thus, the CCR shell turns at a rotational frequency imposed by the linear velocity of the web whereas the CCR shaft turns at a different frequency as imposed by the relative diameters of the two speed-controlling drive surfaces, the frequency differential being equal to the oscillation frequency of the CCR shell along the barrel cam.

Contact cleaning roller oscillated by a barrel cam

A system for conveying sheets of thin substrate having low sheet stiffness while controlling and limiting the angle of wrap of the substrate on the roller, and a sheet cleaning apparatus employing the wrap-limiting system. A substrate conveyance roller is provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves spaced along the roller. Into each groove is disposed a substrate guide in near-tangential relationship with the surface of the roller at the point on the roller where stripping of the substrate from the roller surface is desired. In a preferred embodiment of a wrap-limiting system in accordance with the invention, one or more substrate guides are provided which extend through the grooves both upstream and downstream of the roller along the substrate conveyance path. The points at which the guide enters and leaves the groove define and limit the wrap angle assumable by the substrate on the roller. The invention is useful in conveying thin substrates on grooved conventional rollers as well as in cleaning thin substrates by contact cleaning rollers. A substrate cleaning system employing the invention includes first and second contact cleaning rollers, each preferably opposed by a backing roller, the substrate to be cleaned passing through the nip. Each CCR is provided with grooves and guides which are axially offset between the two rollers so that no portion of the substrate passes uncleaned.

Wrap-limiting sheet cleaner for thin substrates

A roller cleaning system includes a pad disposable against a roller for cleaning the surface of the roller when the roller is rotated. The pad is supported in a frame which may be stationary or mounted for translation so that the pad may traverse a length of the roller while cleaning the roller surface. The pad may be further provided with an actuator for urging a portion of the pad against the roller at an additional force. The frame has a first portion disposed at a fixed distance from the surface of the roller and a second portion carrying the cleaning pad, the second portion being pivotable from the first portion about an axis parallel to the axis of the roller. Means are included for measuring torque exerted on the pivot, which torque is indicative of frictional drag on the cleaning pad. In a preferred embodiment, a piezo-electric strain gauge disposed between the frame portions is connected in a feedback loop with a controller and the pad actuator. As the roller turns against the pad, the resulting drag exerts a torque about the frame pivot, which produces an output signal to the controller. Under steady-state conditions, the output signal is constant and the controller takes no action. If the frictional drag begins to increase, the torque also begins to increase, and the controller then reduces the force exerted by the actuator against the pad to reduce the frictional drag.

Apparatus and method for cleaning a roller

A cleaning system for removing contaminants from the surface of a roller. A stationary cleaning pad is forced at a first urging force against a roller to be cleaned, and the roller is driven in rubbing contact with the pad. Preferably, the pad is supplied continuously with a cleaning liquid. An actuator disposed against a portion of the back of the pad urges that portion against the roller at a second, greater urging force to accelerate the rate of cleaning. A control loop between the roller motor drive and the actuator responds to a signal from the drive indicative of the magnitude of frictional resistance between the roller and the pad and increases or decreases the second force furnished by the actuator to provide a predetermined constant frictional resistance during cleaning. If flow of cleaning liquid to the pad is lost, friction can build up quickly and the roller surface can become damaged. The system safeguards the roller surface by reducing the actuator force to counter frictional increase and by terminating the cleaning cycle and alarming the condition when the limit of controller action is reached.

A system for axially reciprocating a tacky roller (contact cleaning roller, or CCR) across a substrate being cleaned by the roller, to spread particles which are non-uniformly distributed on the substrate surface over a broader area of the tacky roller collecting surface, thereby decreasing the rate of decay of collecting efficiency, improving the average cleanliness of the treated substrate, and extending the operating lifetime of the tacky roller between renewals. The roller may or may not be in contact with the substrate surface during reciprocation of the roller. The system includes a second CCR to alternate with the first CCR, such that at least one roller is cleaning the substrate while another roller is being renewed. The system can be configured to provide full-width CCRs which overlap both edges of a surface at all times during reciprocation. It also can include shorter CCRs for cleaning only a portion of a surface, such as along only one edge, and can also include CCRs substantially shorter than the width of the substrate which can be programmed to reciprocate periodically across the entire substrate width. The system is useful for cleaning workpiece substrates, such as webs and sheets, and also process hardware elements such as calender rollers, coating rollers, conveyance rollers, and other CCRs having surfaces of lower tackiness.

System for cleaning particles from a surface

A contact cleaner roll cleaning system includes a frame supporting the system relative to a moving web, a contact cleaner roll turret on the frame, and a roll cleaner on the frame. The turret supports two or more rotatable contact cleaner rolls, an active roll in rolling contact with the web, and an idle roll out of contact with the web for cleaning. The idle roll is kept rotating while it is idle and being cleaned. The turret is rotatable to sequentially put the cleaner rolls into and out of contact with the web. The roll cleaner includes an absorbent cleaning material mounted adjacent to the idle roll for placement against it and movement lengthwise along it to wipe it clean. Spindles advance the cleaning material between wipings of the idle roll, and a liquid delivery system keeps the cleaning material wet.

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Conesus, NY, United States of America

Ronald W Sweet