Drive device for stamping foil, unwinding module and stamping machine thus equipped

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656455-B2
Application number	US-201314390618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2013
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Drive device for unwinding a reel of foil in an unwinding module of a stamping machine, having an inactive position, and an active position in engagement with the reel, and comprising: a belt, having an inactive configuration, and an active configuration for contacting a portion of the reel and driven by a driver of the module so as to unwind the reel, rollers, maintaining the belt in the inactive and the active configuration, a translatable roller, which engages the belt and compensates for variations in length when the belt moves from the inactive to the active configuration, and a biasing arrangement, attached to the roller and thereby keeping the belt tensioned in both the inactive and the active configuration, and the biasing arrangement is actuated and disengaged from the belt, to move the belt from the inactive to the active configuration and vice versa.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Drive device for unwinding a reel of stamping foil in an unwinding module for a stamping machine, the module having a driver, said drive device having an inactive position disengaged from the driver and from the reel, and an active position in engagement with the driver and with the reel, said drive device comprising,
a belt on the drive device, having an inactive configuration in which it is disengaged from the driver and from the reel, and an active configuration for contacting a peripheral circumferential surface of the driver and of the reel, the belt being thereby driven by the driver of the module so as to unwind the reel,
a series of rollers, maintaining the belt in the inactive configuration and in the active configuration,
a translatable roller, which engages the belt and thereby compensates for variations in length when the belt moves from the inactive configuration to the active configuration, and
a biasing arrangement, attached to the translatable roller and thereby keeping the belt tensioned in both the inactive configuration and in the active configuration,
a joining element joining the drive device to a first rod of the module, comprising an arm which is pivotable about the first rod for pivoting the drive device from the inactive position to the active position and vice versa, the joining element including an actuator,
characterized in that the biasing arrangement is operable to be actuated by the actuator so as to keep the belt tensioned when the belt is pivoted from the inactive configuration to the active configuration and vice versa.

2. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the arm is pivotable between a low angle in the inactive position and a high angle in the active position and vice versa.

3. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the joining element comprises a gripping member which provides for joining the drive device by screwing it to the first rod.

4. Device according to claim 1 , further comprising a fastening element, provided so as to attach the drive device to a second rod of the module, to be displaced along the second rod and to be pivoted relative to the second rod in order to move from the inactive position to the active position and vice versa.

5. Device according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing arrangement comprises a cylinder.

6. Unwinding module for a stamping machine, wherein said module is provided with at least one drive device according to claim 1 .

7. Module according to claim 6 , where the module comprises several levels disposed one above the other, each level being provided to unwind at least one reel with at least one drive device.

8. Module according to claim 7 , wherein each level comprises a driver, a first rod, a second rod and a crossbar on which is attached at least one reel support carrying a reel.

9. Module according to claim 7 , wherein each level comprises a compressed air distribution channel connected to the biasing arrangement of at least one drive device, the biasing arrangement comprising a pneumatic cylinder.

10. Machine for stamping patterns on a sheet element, wherein said machine comprises an unwinding module according to claim 6 , disposed at the rear, and a station disposed for supplying and recovering said stamping foil to and from said drive device.

11. Machine for stamping patterns on a sheet element, wherein said machine comprises at least one drive device according to claim 1 , and a station disposed for supplying and recovering said stamping foil to and from said drive device.

Assignees

• Bobst Mex Sa

Inventors

• Sun Xiguang

Classifications

• B65H2801/81

  Packaging machines · CPC title

• B65H2403/25

  Arrangement for tensioning · CPC title

• B41F19/068 Primary

  motor-driven · CPC title

• B65H2301/4493

  intermittent · CPC title

• B65H20/06

  by friction band · CPC title