Method and a system for moving and labelling reels of a web material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535473-B2
Application number	US-202017639101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2020
Priority date	Oct 16, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for moving and labelling reels (R1, R2, R3, R4, . . . Rn) of a web material such as paper or nonwoven in which each reel has a central core piece (3) which is hollow and around which the web material is wound. A robot arm (6) is inserted into the central core piece (3) of at least one reel (R1) and is then used to move the (R1) from a first position (P1) to a second position (P2) and to fix an inner label (15) onto the central core piece (3). According to the invention, the inner label (15) is placed on the robot arm (6) before the robot arm (6) is inserted into the central core piece (3) and the robot arm (6) is used both to fix the inner label (15) to the central core piece (3) and to move the at least one reel (R1).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of moving and labelling reels (R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , . . . R n ) of a web material such as paper or nonwoven, each reel (R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , . . . R n ) having a central core piece ( 3 ) which is hollow and the web material being wound around the central core piece ( 3 ), the method comprising the steps of:
inserting a robot arm ( 6 ) into the central core piece ( 3 ) of at least one reel (R 1 );
using the robot arm ( 6 ) to move the at least one reel (R 1 ) from a first position (P 1 ) to a second position (P 2 ); and
fixing an inner label ( 15 ) onto the central core piece ( 3 ),
wherein:
the inner label ( 15 ) is placed on the robot arm ( 6 ) before the robot arm ( 6 ) is inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ); and
the robot arm ( 6 ) is used both to fix the inner label ( 15 ) to the central core piece ( 3 ) and to move the at least one reel (R 1 ).

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the inner label ( 15 ) is fixed onto the central core piece ( 3 ) before the robot arm ( 6 ) is used to move the at least one reel (R 1 ).

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises fixing an outer label ( 16 ) onto an exterior surface ( 19 ) of the at least one reel (R 1 ).

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises fixing an outer label ( 16 ) onto an exterior surface ( 19 ) of the at least one reel (R 1 ).

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the inner label ( 15 ) is fixed onto the central core piece ( 3 ) while the at least one reel (R 1 ) is moved from the first position (P 1 ) to the second position (P 2 ).

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the robot arm ( 6 ) is used to move at least two reels (R 1 , R 2 ) simultaneously and fix an inner label ( 15 ) onto the central core piece ( 3 ) of each of the at least two reels (R 1 , R 2 ).

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein an adhesive is applied to a first side ( 20 ) of the inner label ( 15 ), wherein suction is applied from the robot arm ( 6 ) against the second ( 21 ) side of the inner label ( 15 ) such that the robot arm ( 6 ) will hold the inner label ( 15 ) by suction when the robot arm ( 6 ) is inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ), wherein the suction is interrupted when the inner label ( 15 ) is to be fixed to the central core piece ( 3 ) and wherein pressurized air or gas is used to blow the inner label ( 15 ) away from the robot arm ( 6 ) toward the central core piece ( 3 ) such that the side ( 20 ) of the inner label ( 15 ) that is provided with an adhesive will come into contact with the central core piece ( 3 ).

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a part ( 7 ) of the robot arm ( 6 ) that is inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ) is caused to expand and press against the central core piece ( 3 ) of the at least one reel (R 1 ) such that the at least one reel (R 1 ) is held by the robot arm ( 6 ) while the at least one reel (R 1 ) is still in the first position (P 1 ) and in that the robot arm ( 6 ) moves the at least one reel (R 1 ) which is now held by the robot arm ( 6 ) and releases the at least one reel (R 1 ) at the second position (P 2 ).

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the robot arm ( 6 ) stacks several reels (R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , . . . R n ) on top of each other at the second position (P 2 ).

10. A system ( 1 ) for moving and labelling reels (R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , . . . R n ) of a web material such as paper or nonwoven, each reel (R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , . . . R n ) having a central core piece ( 3 ) which is hollow and the web material being wound around the central core piece ( 3 ), the system ( 1 ) comprising:
at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ); and
at least one industrial robot ( 4 ) with a moveable robot arm ( 6 ) that can be inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ) of at least one reel (R 1 ) and move the at least one reel (R 1 ) from a first position (P 1 ) to a second position (P 2 ),
wherein the robot arm ( 6 ) has an inner conduit ( 8 ) which at one end ( 9 ) communicates with at least one opening ( 11 ) in the robot arm ( 6 ) and which conduit ( 8 ) is connected to a pressure control arrangement ( 12 ) capable of creating an under-pressure at the at least one opening ( 11 ) in the robot arm ( 6 ) for holding by suction a label ( 15 ) placed over the at least one opening ( 11 ).

11. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 10 , wherein the pressure control arrangement ( 12 ) is capable of blowing pressurized air or gas through the conduit ( 8 ) in the robot arm ( 6 ) for blowing away from the robot arm ( 6 ) a label ( 15 ) which has been held on the robot arm ( 6 ) by suction.

12. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 11 , wherein a part of the robot arm ( 6 ) is a gripping part ( 7 ) that is designed to be capable of radial expansion such that the gripping part ( 7 ) of the robot arm ( 6 ) can be inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ) of at least one reel (R 1 ) and grip the at least one reel (R 1 ) when the gripping part ( 7 ) is radially expanded.

13. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 10 , wherein a part of the robot arm ( 6 ) is a gripping part ( 7 ) that is designed to be capable of radial expansion such that the gripping part ( 7 ) of the robot arm ( 6 ) can be inserted into the central core piece ( 3 ) of at least one reel (R 1 ) and grip the at least one reel (R 1 ) when the gripping part ( 7 ) is radially expanded.

14. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 13 , wherein the gripping ( 7 ) part is located adjacent the at least one opening ( 11 ) in the robot arm ( 6 ).

15. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 10 , wherein the industrial robot ( 4 ) comprises software with an instruction to cause the robot arm ( 6 ) to move to the at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ); to pick up at least one label ( 15 ) and hold it by means of suction; to move to the at least one reel (R 1 ) and into the central core piece ( 3 ) such that the label ( 15 ) picked up from the at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ) will be inside the central core piece ( 3 ); and blow pressurized air or gas through the conduit ( 8 ) such that the label ( 15 ) picked up from the at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ) is blown against the central core piece ( 3 ).

16. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 15 , wherein the software of the industrial robot ( 4 ) further comprises an instruction to cause radial expansion of a gripping part ( 7 ) after the label ( 15 ) picked up from the at least one machine for printed labels has been blown against the central core piece ( 3 ) such that the at least one reel (R 1 ) is gripped by the robot arm ( 6 ) and an instruction to move from a first position (P 1 ) and release the at least one reel (R 1 ) on a second position (P 2 ).

17. A system ( 1 ) according to claim 15 , wherein the software of the industrial robot ( 5 ) further comprises an instruction to cause radial expansion of a gripping part ( 7 ) before the label ( 15 ) picked up from the at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ) has been blown against the central core piece ( 3 ) such that the at least one reel (R 1 ) is gripped by the robot arm ( 6 ) and an instruction to move from a first position (P 1 ) and release the at least one reel (R 1 ) on a second position (P 2 ) and to simultaneously blow pressurized air or gas through the conduit ( 8 ) such that the label ( 15 ) picked up from the at least one machine for printed labels ( 17 , 18 ) is blown against the central core piece ( 3 ).

Assignees

• Valmet Oy

Inventors

• Capitani Marco

Classifications

• B65H2301/54

  for managing processing of handled material · CPC title

• B65H2406/34

  Suction grippers · CPC title

• B65H19/30 Primary

  Lifting, transporting, or removing the web roll; Inserting core · CPC title

• B65C9/06

  Devices for presenting articles in predetermined attitude or position at labelling station · CPC title

• B65H2801/75

  Labelling machines · CPC title