초록 ▼

Banding apparatus in various embodiments include accelerator members for accelerating plastic bands downstream along a floating mandrel for propelling them at high speed with significant kinetic energy in being ejected off from an end of the mandrel toward and around articles to be banded. In one ap

Banding apparatus in various embodiments include accelerator members for accelerating plastic bands downstream along a floating mandrel for propelling them at high speed with significant kinetic energy in being ejected off from an end of the mandrel toward and around articles to be banded. In one apparatus belts accelerate elongated label bands to more than 1,000 feet per minute. The peripheries of tear-off rollers turn continuously at a first speed for tearing successive bands off from perforated plastic tubing which may be pre-perforated label tubing. Alternatively, plastic tubing may be perforated during operation by continuously feeding flattened tubing between perforator and anvil rollers positioned upstream from the mandrel. Accelerator members shown as rollers or as revolving belts have repetitive first and second peripheral speeds alternating with each other in cycles. The first speed matches peripheral speed of the tear-off rollers during a portion of each cycle when both the tear-off rollers and the accelerator members are engaging a band. The second speed is suitably higher than the first speed for propelling bands downstream at high speed along the mandrel, for example being at least 2.2 times faster in one embodiment and at least 3.7 times faster in another. In a different embodiment, elongated pusher elements on four belts project into four longitudinal channels in a mandrel for pushing bands downstream at high speed along the mandrel and then ejecting them from the mandrel with a final acceleration kick.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for banding articles with plastic bands torn off from plastic tubing having transverse perforations at predetermined intervals, said banding apparatus comprising:means for supplying flattened plastic tubing having transverse perforations extending across the tubing at pre

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for banding articles with plastic bands torn off from plastic tubing having transverse perforations at predetermined intervals, said banding apparatus comprising:means for supplying flattened plastic tubing having transverse perforations extending across the tubing at predetermined intervals uniformly spaced at distances L along the tubing;a floating mandrel sized to fit slidably inside of the tubing for entering the flattened perforated tubing for opening it into opened tubing and for holding open the perforated tubing;continuously rotating feed rollers for engaging the opened perforated tubing adjacent to the mandrel for continuously feeding the perforated tubing downstream around the mandrel;said continuously rotating feed rollers having axes, said axes of the feed rollers both lying in a first transverse plane extending transversely with respect to the mandrel;sets of freely-rotatable upper and lower suspension rollers mounted inside of the mandrel, the upper and lower suspension rollers in each set being spaced above and below said first transverse plane, with a set of said suspension rollers being in opposed relation to each of said feed rollers for suspending the floating mandrel;said feed rollers in cooperation with their respective sets of upper and lower suspension rollers serving dual functions of suspending the mandrel and also of continuously feeding the perforated tubing downwardly around the mandrel;continuously rotating tear-off rollers positioned downstream from said continuously rotating feed rollers for imparting continuously moving downstream-directed tear-off motion to the opened perforated tubing as the opened perforated tubing continuously moves downstream around the mandrel;said downstream-directed tear-off motion being sufficiently faster than the feed rollers continuously move the opened perforated tubing downstream around the mandrel for accelerating and tearing off successive lengths L of opened perforated tubing at said transverse perforations for forming successive bands of length L spaced one from another along the mandrel and continuously moving downstream around the mandrel at predetermined higher speed than the opened perforated tubing continuously moves;said continuously rotating tear-off rollers having axes lying in a second transverse plane extending transversely with respect to the mandrel;each tear-off roller having an opposed freely-rotatable companion roller mounted inside of the mandrel;said companion rollers having their axes positioned in said second transverse plane for providing aligned rolling contact of said companion rollers and said tear-off rollers against inner and outer surfaces of each band which is torn off from the opened perforated tubing;continuously revolving push-off means engaging successive bands at at least two positions around the mandrel for pushing successive bands downstream along the mandrel at higher speed along the mandrel than said perforated tubing continuously moves and then for propelling them off from an end of the mandrel,thereby advantageously accomplishing these steps all with continuous motion: (i) opening flattened perforated tubing by the mandrel and (ii) feeding perforated tubing downstream along the mandrel and (iii) tearing successive bands off from continuously moving perforated tubing and (iv) pushing successive bands downstream along the mandrel and (v) propelling the bands off from the mandrel.