Gypsum board with perforated cover sheet and system and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11225046-B2
Application number	US-201715473303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and a method for manufacturing a gypsum board can be used to produce a gypsum board having at least one perforated cover sheet via a cover sheet perforator system. The cover sheet perforator system can include a perforator roller is disposed downstream of a forming station along a machine direction, a roller support frame for rotatably supporting the perforator roller such that its rotational axis extends along the cross-machine direction, and a motor arranged with the perforator roller to rotate the perforator roller about the rotational axis. The drive motor can be adapted to rotate the perforator roller with a tangential speed substantially equal to the line speed to produce a series of perforation holes in an upwardly-facing cover sheet as the gypsum board moves past the perforator roller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for manufacturing a gypsum board, the gypsum board having a gypsum core, a first cover sheet, and a second cover sheet, the gypsum core being interposed between the first and second cover sheets, the system comprising:
a forming station, the forming station adapted to form the gypsum board such that the gypsum board is within a predetermined thickness range;
a conveyor, the conveyor adapted to convey the gypsum board at a line speed along a machine direction away from the forming station, the conveyor configured to support the gypsum board such that the first cover sheet of the gypsum board is resting upon the conveyor, the conveyor extending along the machine direction and along a cross-machine direction, the cross-machine direction being perpendicular to the machine direction;
a cutting station, the cutting station disposed downstream of the forming station along the machine direction, the cutting station arranged with respect to the conveyor such that the conveyor carries the gypsum board past the cutting station, the cutting station including a knife configured to periodically cut the gypsum board along the cross-machine direction to define a series of board segments as the gypsum board moves along the machine direction past the cutting station;
a cover sheet perforator system, the cover sheet perforator system including a perforator roller, a roller support frame, and a drive motor:
the perforator roller disposed along the machine direction between the forming station and the cutting station, the perforator roller including a shaft and a plurality of perforation pins projecting from the shaft, the shaft being rotatably mounted to the roller support frame such that the perforator roller is rotatable about a rotational axis, the perforator roller having an outer circumference defined by the perforation pins,
the roller support frame supporting the shaft of the perforator roller such that the rotational axis extends along the cross-machine direction, and the roller support frame adapted to place the pins of the perforator roller in contacting relationship with the second cover sheet of the gypsum board conveyed by the conveyor, the roller support frame including a roller bracket, the shaft of the perforator roller being journaled to the roller bracket for rotation about the rotational axis, and the roller bracket being pivotally movable such that the perforator roller is movable over a range of travel between an engaged position and a stowed position, the perforator roller being positioned when in the engaged position to be in contacting relationship with the gypsum board being conveyed by the conveyor, and the perforator roller being positioned when in the stowed position to be in non-contacting relationship with the gypsum board being conveyed by the conveyor, and
the drive motor being mounted to the shaft of the perforator roller to rotate the perforator roller about the rotational axis, the drive motor being adapted to rotate the perforator roller to produce a series of perforation holes in the second cover sheet as the gypsum board moves past the perforator roller, the drive motor being adapted to rotate the perforator roller (i) in a direction with the gypsum board at a point of contact between the outer circumference of the perforator roller and the second cover sheet and (ii) such that the outer circumference of the perforator roller has a tangential speed, the tangential speed being substantially equal to the line speed.

2. The system for manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the roller support frame is adapted to adjustably support the perforator roller over the conveyor such that an offset distance measured between the perforator roller and the conveyor is variable to selectively adjust a depth of penetration of the perforator roller into the second cover sheet of the gypsum board, the offset distance being measured along a normal axis which is perpendicular to both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

3. The system for manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the cover sheet perforator system includes an actuator assembly, the actuator assembly being adapted to selectively move the roller bracket over the range of travel between the engaged position and the stowed position.

4. The system for manufacturing according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator assembly includes a linear actuator and a linear actuator power source, the linear actuator being mounted to at least the roller bracket of the support frame, the linear actuator power source being configured to selectively operate the linear actuator such that the linear actuator moves the roller bracket over the range of travel.

5. The system for manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the roller support frame includes a positioning element and a bracket stop, the positioning element being mounted to the roller bracket, and the bracket stop being mounted to the conveyor such that the bracket stop is in interfering relationship with positioning element to limit the rotational movement of the roller bracket in a direction toward the conveyor to define the engaged position.

6. The system for manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the positioning element is adjustably mounted to the roller bracket such that a distal end of the positioning element is positioned a variable distance from the roller bracket such that an offset distance measured between the perforator roller and the conveyor when the roller bracket is in the engaged position is variable to selectively adjust a depth of penetration of the perforator roller into the second cover sheet of the gypsum board, the offset distance being measured along a normal axis which is perpendicular to both the machine direction and the cross-machine direction.

7. The system for manufacturing according to claim 6 , wherein the support frame includes a stop pad, the stop pad having a pad thickness, the stop pad being adapted to be interposed between the positioning element and the bracket stop to incrementally adjust the position of the engaged position in an amount correlated to the pad thickness.

8. The system for manufacturing according to claim 6 , wherein the positioning element includes a threaded rod that is threadingly engaged with a mounting body secured to the roller bracket, and wherein the distal end of the positioning element comprises a hemispherical contact button that is mounted to the threaded rod.

9. The system for manufacturing according to claim 8 , wherein, the bracket stop comprises a post having a support end positioned such that the distal end of the positioning element comes to rest upon the support end to establish the engaged position of the roller bracket.

10. The system for manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the roller support frame includes first and second side frame assemblies disposed in spaced relationship to each other along the cross-machine direction such that the conveyor is interposed therebetween and a transverse support rail extending along the cross-machine direction over the conveyor between the first and second side frame assemblies, the roller bracket pivotally connected to the first and second frame assemblies.

11. The system for manufacturing according to claim 10 , wherein the cover sheet perforator system includes an actuator assembly, the actuator assembly being adapted to selectively move the roller bracket over the range of travel between the engaged position and the stowed position, and the actuator assembly being mounted to both the roller support frame and the roller bracket.

12. The system for manufacturing according to claim 11 , wherein the actuator assembly

Assignees

• United States Gypsum Co

Inventors

• Shubert Dale M
• Schenck Ronald E
• Rowland Thomas Gregory
• WILLI John Matthew

Classifications

• B26D1/125 Primary

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title

• B26D7/2628

  Means for adjusting the position of the cutting member · CPC title

• B32B13/04

  comprising such {water setting} substance as the main or only constituent of a layer, {which is} next to another layer of {the same or of} a {different material (next to a glass layer B32B17/06)} · CPC title

• B32B3/266 Primary

  characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12 · CPC title

• B32B2250/03

  3 layers · CPC title