Method and apparatus for controlling the speed of a continuous sheet of material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10073443-B2
Application number	US-201615130319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A system and method of controlling the input and output speed of a continuous sheet of stock material is provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method used to perform an operation on a continuous sheet of stock material in a high speed manufacturing system. The continuous sheet of stock material may subsequently be received by a second system that performs a different operation on the stock material. In one embodiment, the second system forms the stock material into tabs for container end closures. The system includes an infeed accumulation device and an outfeed accumulation device. The infeed and outfeed accumulation devices enable the system to operate at a variable rate and out of phase with a high speed, coil fed manufacturing system to which the system may be removably integrated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling the input and output speed of a continuous sheet of tab stock while providing indicia in a predetermined location, comprising:
an infeed accumulation device operable to receive the continuous sheet of tab stock;
an infeed loop sensor to determine an amount of the continuous sheet of tab stock in the infeed accumulation device;
a marking apparatus operable to form an indicia on a surface of the continuous sheet of tab stock at a marking area;
a servo feed unit operable to move a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of tab stock into the marking area at a predetermined rate, wherein the servo feed unit is operable to alter the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of tab stock moved into the marking area;
an outfeed accumulation device operable to receive the continuous sheet of tab stock after the marking apparatus has formed the indicia on the continuous sheet of tab stock; and
an outfeed loop sensor to determine an amount of the continuous sheet of tab stock in the outfeed accumulation device, wherein the continuous sheet of tab stock is subsequently formed into tabs adapted for interconnection to a container end closure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the marking apparatus is a laser unit adapted to form the indicia on the surface of the continuous sheet of tab stock.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the laser unit comprises a first laser unit to form an indicia on a first surface of the continuous sheet of tab stock and a second laser unit to form an indicia on a second surface of the continuous sheet of tab stock.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined rate of the servo feed unit can be altered to adjust the amount of the continuous sheet of tab stock in one or more of the infeed and outfeed accumulation devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the infeed loop sensor measures a distance to a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of tab stock in the infeed accumulation device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined portion comprises at least one of:
a lowermost portion of the continuous sheet of tab stock; and
a transition point between a generally linear portion of the continuous sheet of tab stock and a trough of the continuous sheet of tab stock.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the infeed loop sensor comprises a first sensor in a first portion of the infeed accumulation device and a second sensor in a second portion of the infeed accumulation device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first sensor is aligned with a position of an insufficient amount of the continuous sheet of tab stock and the second sensor is aligned with a position of an excessive amount of the continuous sheet of tab stock.

9. A first apparatus that performs a first operation on a continuous sheet of material, comprising:
an apparatus that performs the first operation on at least a portion of the continuous sheet of material in a predetermined period of time;
a servo unit that moves a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material into the apparatus at a predetermined rate, wherein the servo unit is operable to alter the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material moved into the apparatus;
an outfeed device that accumulates the continuous sheet of material after the first operation is performed; and
an outfeed sensor that measures a length of the continuous sheet of material in the outfeed device, wherein a rate of the first operation is adjustable to provide a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material in the outfeed device.

10. The first apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
an infeed device that accumulates the continuous sheet of material before the first operation is performed; and
an infeed sensor that measures a length of the continuous sheet of material in the infeed device, wherein the rate of the first operation is adjustable to accumulate a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material in the infeed device.

11. The first apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a second apparatus that performs a second operation at a second rate receives the continuous sheet of material from the outfeed device.

12. The first apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a control system that adjusts the rate of the first operation in response to a change in the second rate of the second apparatus.

13. The first apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus comprises a laser unit that forms an indicia on a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of material.

14. The first apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the continuous sheet of material comprises aluminum tab stock, wherein the aluminum tab stock is subsequently formed into tabs for end closures by a conversion press that receives the aluminum tab stock from the outfeed device.

15. The first apparatus of claim 9 , wherein measuring the length comprises measuring a change in a distance between the outfeed sensor and a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of material in the outfeed device.

16. The first apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the outfeed sensor comprises a first outfeed sensor and a second outfeed sensor, and wherein measuring the length comprises determining that a predetermined portion of the continuous sheet of material is between the first outfeed sensor and the second outfeed sensor.

17. A method of controlling an input rate and an output rate on a continuous sheet of material, comprising:
accumulating a first length of slack in the continuous sheet of material before a first apparatus performs a first operation;
moving a predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material into the first apparatus by a servo unit;
performing the first operation with the first apparatus on the continuous sheet of material, wherein the first apparatus can perform the first operation at a rate that is variable, and wherein the servo unit is operable to alter the predetermined length of the continuous sheet of material moved into the first apparatus;
accumulating a second length of slack in the continuous sheet of material after the first apparatus performs the first operation;
monitoring the first length of slack and the second length of slack; and
adjusting the rate of the first operation performed by the first apparatus to alter at least one of the first length of slack and the second length of slack.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a laser unit forms a mark on the continuous sheet of material during the first operation.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein a second apparatus that performs a second operation on the continuous sheet of material receives the continuous sheet of material from the second length of slack.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second apparatus performs the second operation at a second different rate that is not impaired by the rate of the first operation performed with the first apparatus.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second apparatus comprises a conversion press that forms the continuous sheet of material into tabs adapted for interconnection to container end closures.

Assignees

• Ball Corp

Inventors

• Gorsuch Jason E
• Anderson Kenneth D
• Crisman Alex V
• Stokes Thomas J

Classifications

• G05B2219/37129

  Mark, engrave workpiece at specific surface point for measurement, calibration · CPC title

• B65H20/32

  by making loops · CPC title

• B65H2553/41

  Photoelectric detectors · CPC title

• B65H20/00

  Advancing webs · CPC title

• B21D43/022

  Loop-control · CPC title