Adjusting mechanism for slotting assembly

Dec. 11, 1962

H. D. WARD, JR

3,067,643

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR SLOTTING ASSEMBLY

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Dec. 11, 1962

H. D. WARD, JR

3,067,643

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR SLOTTING ASSEMBLY

Filed May 19, 1960

Sheets-Sheet 2

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United States Patent Office _{Patented Dec}³’®®⁷’®

3,067,643 ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR SLOTTING ASSEMBLY

Henry D. Ward, Jr., Timonium, Md., assignor io Hoppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware

Filed May 19, 1960, Ser. No. 30,217

Claims. (Cl. 83—332)

This invention relates to the cutting and more particularly to the slotting of paper and paperboard and similar material and has particular reference to the rotary type of cutter or slotter heads employed for slotting of paperboard blanks used in forming cartons or crates.

In the cutting and slotting of paperboard carton blanks, there is conventionally employed a slotting mechanism comprising a pair of parallel, spaced rotatable shafts on which there are mounted lengthwise spaced pairs of coacting slotting heads between which the paperboard is fed. The upper one of the pairs of slotting heads is usually provided with two radial spaced cutting blades and the lower head is formed with a peripheral groove which receives the cutting edge of the blades.

One blade cuts a slot in the leading edge and the otherblade cuts an equal length slot in trailing edges of the blank. These slots define the flaps which are later folded over and form the top and bottom of the container. When the box size or the rate of feed is varied it is necessary to alter the central angle of the circular sector of the blade-carrying head between the blades in order to obtain the desired equal length of the slots. Heretofore, the blade carrying head has been constructed such that one blade is fixed thereon and the other blade is angularly adjustable relative to the fixed blade by varying the central angle of the circular sector of the bladecarrying head between the fixed and movable blades. In this manner the slot lengths in the leading and trailing edges are adjusted to the desired and selective lengths.

The usual slotting mechanism includes five pairs of heads of which the three intermediate pairs are employed to form the slots defining the flaps. Accordingly, the relative blade angle (circular sector) between the fixed and movable blades of the three upper heads must be maintained equal on each of the heads such that all three slots cut in the leading edge or in the trailing edge of the paperboard blank will be of equal length. Heretofore, when the feed or blank size change is made, the adjustment of the blade angle has been made on each of the heads individually. Such individual adjustment, because of human error, often times resulted in heads having different blade angles such that different length slots were formed in the blank. Furthermore, the individual adjustment required that the machine be shut down before it could be made.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for adjusting the central angle of the circular sector between the blades on each of the heads simultaneously and an equal amount such that there is no variance in the circumferential spacing between the blades of each of the heads.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel means for adjusting the blade angle between the fixed and movable blades on the blade head so as to change the length of the slots formed thereby on the leading and trailing edges of the paperboard without slowing down or stopping the machine.

The invention comprises generally a rotatable shaft, a plurality of blade heads mounted on said shaft, each of said heads including a blade fixed thereto and a blade adjustably mounted on said head and angularly spaced from said fixed blade relative to the center of the blade head, and means for simultaneously moving each of said adjustably mounted blades relative to said fixed blade so, as to selectively vary the circumferential spacing between: said fixed blade and said adjustably mounted blade.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will 5 be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the description hereinafter contained which taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred form of apparatus constructed to operate in accordance with the invention. The disclosure, however, 10 should be considered merely as illustrative of the principles of the invention in its broadest aspects.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view of a slotting mechanism embodying the invention with certain of the parts 15 shown in cross section.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view, partially in cross section, of the movable blade registering device shown on the right side of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the blade head taken 20 substantially along the lines III—III of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a cross section view of the blade shaft running register.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken substantially along the lines V—V of FIGURE 2 showing the floating disc driving 25 structure of the movable blade registering device.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown a slotting mechanism 10 embodying the present invention for varying the angularity between the blades on the cutter heads.

The slotting mechanism 10 comprises a plurality of 30 coating cutting or slotting heads including cutting or blade heads 11 which are mounted for rotation on a shaft 13 suitably journaled adjacent each end in frame members 15. Blades 17 and 19 carried on the blade heads 11 coact with aligned lower female heads 21 35 rotatable with a rotatable lower shaft (.not shown) parallel to the shaft 13. The slotting shafts are driven by a main drive geartrain of which the gear 12 for driving the shaft 13 is shown. The female heads are formed with a peripheral groove 23 which receives the end of the ⁴⁰ blades 17 and 19 such that when the paperboard blank passes therebetween one of the blades is operative to slot the leading edge of the blank and the other of the blades is operative to slot the trailing edge of the blank.

In the formation of a blank for forming cartons or boxes it is conventional to employ three of such slotting heads, of which two are shown in FIGURE 1. The heads are spaced longitudinally along the length of their respective shafts in accordance with the dimensions of the box to be formed. As heretofore discussed, the slots in the leading and trailing edges of blank are equal length and the length is determined by the size box to be formed; The slots define the flaps forming the top and bottom of the container. When it is desired to change the size of the box or the speed of the machine the relative angu⁵⁸ lar positions of the blades (central angle of the circular sector therebetween) must be varied. Usually, this may be accomplished by varying the relative angular positions of the blades 17 and 19 on the head 11.

In accordance with the present invention it is proposed to make such blade changes on each of the heads simultaneously and preferably while the machine is running, i.e., that is without stopping the machine. To this end one of the blades 17 is held fixed with respect to the g_g shaft while the other blades 19 are rotatable relative to the shaft so that the angularity between the blades 17 and 19 blade may be varied in accordance with the length of slot desired.

As shown in FIGURES 1-3 this is accomplished by 7Q forming each of the blade heads 11 with a hub 24 having intermediate the ends thereof an upstanding peripheral flange 25. The hub is suitably held for rotation with the

3,067,643 ³shaft 13 by a key (not shown) and against lengthwise movement by a set screw 27. The blade 17 is mounted on one face of the flange 25 as by screws 29. In this manner the blade 17 is fixed for rotation with respect to the shaft 13.

Turnably journaled on the hub 24 is a gear 31 formed of a plurality of arcuate segments 33 which are joined together by splicing plates 35. The face 36 is formed with an axial cut out 37 which receives the peripheral flange 25 such that the face 36 lies in the same plane as the outer side of the flange. Fixed to the face 36 as by screws 38 is the movably mounted blade 19.

Holding the gear 31 stationary on the hub 25 and thereby the movably mounted blade 19 fixed relative to the blade 17 is a gear 39 fixed as by set screw 41 to a freely rotatable adjusting shaft 43 which is suitably journaled in the frame members 15. Mounted on one end of the shaft is a device generally designated as 45 for changing the angular position of the adjusting shaft 43 with respect to the slotting mechanism shaft 13. Changing of the angular position of the adjusting shaft 43 with respect to the shaft 13 also turns the gear 39 fixed to the former a corresponding amount. Such turning of the gear 39 causes the blade carrying gear 31 meshing therewith to turn about the hub 24 fixed to the shaft 13 and carrying the fixed blade 17. In this manner the angular relationship between movable blade 19 and the fixed blade 17 is changed.

In the preferred form as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 a device commonly known in the art as a running register is employed to shift the angularity of the adjustment shaft 43. The running register 45 comprises a sleeve 47 turnably supported adjacent the terminal end of the adjustment shaft 43. The sleeve 47 is seated on the outer face of bearings 49 fixed on the shaft 43. Suitable means such as snap rings or the like may be employed to hold the sleeve against axial movement. One end 51 of the sleeve is formed concentric with the shaft 43 and the other end 53 is formed eccentric thereto.

Mounted on bearings 55 held fast on the concentric portion 51 is a supporting disc 57 on the face of which there is fixed as bj' screws an annular internal gear 59 having external gear teeth 61 meshing with a drive gear 63 fastened to the end of the blade shaft 13.

Supported on bearings 64 fixed on the eccentric portion 53 and meshing with the internal teeth 65 of the annular gear 59 is a spur 67 having fewer teeth (FIGURE 5) than the number of teeth on the internal gear 65. With this relationship of the number of teeth existing between the internal gear 65 and spur gear 67 the relative angular position of meshing engagement of teeth may be altered by changing the angle of eccentricity of the eccentric portion 53 with respect to the adjusting shaft 43 as more fully to be explained below. The alteration of the angularity of the meshing engagement will hereinafter be ret ferred to as the phase shift.

As above described the phase shift of the spur gear 67 with respect to the internal gear 59 is made by angular adjustments on the eccentricity of the eccentric portion 53 of the sleeve 47. Such adjustment may be made while the machine is running or stopped.

To change the eccentricity there is provided a hand wheel 69 fixed to one end of a shaft 71 which is suitably journaled in the frame member 15 and an enclosure bell 73. Fast on the shaft 71 is a pinion 74 meshing with a spur gear 75 fastened as by screws to the end of the sleeve 47. Upon turning of the hand wheel 69, the pinion gear 74 turns spur gear 75 and thereby the sleeve 47 which as previously described is turnably supported on the shaft 43. In this .manner the angle of eccentricity of the eccentric portion 53 with respect to the shaft 43 is varied and a corresponding phase shift of the spur gear 67 relative to the internal gear 65 results.

This phase shift is transmitted to the adjusting shaft 43 and the gears 39 fixed thereto by way of a coupling mechanism (FIGURES 2. and 5) comprising a floating disc 77 having open-ended slots 79 receiving driving studs 81 carried by the spur gear 67. Fixed to the shaft as by a set screw is a driving disc 83 having fixed thereto inwardly projecting studs 85 engaging within open-ended slots 87 which are 90 degrees out of phase with the slots 79.

From the foregoing, it should be readily apparent that when it is desired to change the angular relationship between the movably mounted blades 19 and the fixed blades 17 the hand wheel 69 is turned to increase or decrease the circumferential blade spacing. The turning of hand wheel 69 turns the sleeve 47 by way of gears 74 and 75 such that the degree of eccentricity of the eccentric portion 53 relative to the adjusting shaft 43 is changed. This change in the degree of eccentricity reflects itself in a phase shift between the spur gear 67 and the internal gear 65. The phase shift is transmitted by way of the coupling mechanism 72 to the adjusting shaft 43 and the gears 39 fixed thereon. This movement of the adjusting shaft 43 and gears 39 effects a relative turning thereof in respect of the rotation of the blade head shaft 13. Hence, the adjusting gears 39 meshing with the movable head gears 31 turns about the hubs an amount corresponding to the phase shift. In this manner the blades 19 carried on the gears 31 are rotated relative to the blades 17 mounted on the hubs 24 which are fixed to the blade carrying shaft 13 for rotation therewith.

While the above arrangement for changing the relative angularity between the blades on the blade head has been described as employing a running register, it should be apparent that other means may be employed. For example a hand wheel may be connected directly to the adjusting shaft for varying the angularity between it and the blade carrying shaft. Under such circumstances, however, it may be necessary to provide releasable means for holding the gear member 31 in a selective position with respect to hub 24. Such holding means would be capable of being loosened when it is desired to change the blade angle.

It may also be desirable to provide means for varying the angularity of the fixed blades 17 with respect to the machine driving gear 12. To this end there may be provided on the blade carrying shaft 13 a running register 86 (FIGURE 4) of the type more completely described in my copending application Serial No. 838,330, filed September 4, 1959, and now issued as Patent No. 2,986,952, to which reference is made for a more detailed description.

The blade shaft running register is similar to that described above in connection with the adjusting shaft register 45 and comprises a turnable sleeve 87 having a concentric portion 89 on which there is rotatably mounted an annular internal driven gear 91 having external gear 93 which meshes with drive gear 12 of main gear train. Rotatably mounted on an eccentric portion 95 is a spur gear 97 having a lesser number of teeth than the internal gear such that a phase shift may be made upon turning of the sleeve 87.

The sleeve is turned so as to vary the degree of eccentricity and thereby the phase shift by a hand wheel 99 fixed to one end of the shaft 101 on the other end of which there is fastened a gear 103 meshing with an idler gear 105 which meshes with a gear 107 fast to the sleeve 87.

The phase shift between the annular gear 91 and the spur gear 97 is transmitted by way of a coupling device 109 comprising a floating disc 111 driven by way of studs 112 projecting from the annular gear 97 and a hub 113 keyed to the shaft 13. Driving the hub 113 and thereby the shaft 13 are pins 115 (not shown) which seat within the open-ended slots of the floating disc 111.

In operation if it is found the fixed blade on the head is not properly registering with the other operating parts of the machine, i.e. the fixed blade is not forming the desired length slot, the angle of eccentricity of the ec3,067,643 centric 95 supporting the spur gear 97 is altered by adjustment of the hand wheel 99. This adjustment results in a phase shift between the spur gear 97 and driving gear 91 and a corresponding phase shift with respect to the driving gear 12. Hence the blades 17 which are fixed relative to the rotating blade shaft 13 are also shifted thereby to vary the length of the slot.

In this connection it is to be noted that a phase shift of the fixed blade 17 also results in a corresponding phase shift in the movable blade 19. This occurs because of the direct driving relationship between the blade gears 31 and adjusting gears 39 on the adjusting shaft 43. Should, however, such a corresponding shift of the movable blades 19 result in a difference in lengths between the leading and trailing edge slots, the angle between the movable blades 19 and the fixed blades 17 may change as heretofore described to correct for this difference.