Methods and apparatus for forming disposable products at high speeds with small machine footprint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9907706-B2
Application number	US-201715429674-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2017
Priority date	Feb 25, 2011
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides machinery used to create products (for instance disposable products). The machinery is operated at high speed, with the machine occupying a small footprint. Materials can be fed into the manufacturing process vertically (from above or below), using assembly stations to feed completed components into the system at appropriate stations. Additionally, restocking of raw components can be accomplished by robotic means of transferring the raw material from staging areas into infeeding or splicing stations, without the need for human operators.

First claim

We claim:

1. A multi-level machine for manufacturing disposable products, the machine comprising:
a first floor surface carrying machinery for manufacturing a disposable product;
a second floor surface vertically spaced apart from said first floor surface, said second floor surface carrying a plurality of auto-fed material unwinding systems;
said auto-fed material unwinding systems comprising a plurality of turret systems, said turret systems carrying an expiring roll of material and a standby roll of material positioned at a standby location and selectively coupled to said expiring roll of material;
said auto-fed material unwinding systems feeding materials from said expiring roll of material vertically through openings in the second floor to said machinery for manufacturing a disposable product on the first floor surface
a plurality of waiting new material rolls staged at material addresses corresponding to at least one of said turret systems;
a demand and replacement system initiating a material replacement sequence of acquiring and transporting one of said waiting new material rolls from one of said material addresses to said standby location.

2. A multi-level machine for manufacturing disposable products, the machine comprising:
a first floor surface carrying machinery for manufacturing a disposable product comprising a plurality of infeeds of material components;
a second floor surface vertically spaced apart from said first floor surface, said second floor surface carrying a plurality of material supply rolls carried by a plurality of turret systems;
said plurality of material supply rolls positioned vertically proximally to said plurality of infeeds of material components;
said plurality of turret systems feeding said plurality of material supply rolls to said machinery for manufacturing a disposable product on the first floor surface vertically through openings in the second floor surface.

Assignees

• Joa Curt G Inc

Inventors

• Andrews Robert E
• Fritz Jeffrey W
• Hohm Gottfried Jason
• Denoble Adam D
• Pagel Tyler W
• Schwartz Christopher A
• Nelson Christopher J
• Horness Darren R
• Rabe Alan J
• Follen Sean P
• Jankuski Brian G

Classifications

• B65H19/1836

  the replacement web being accelerated or running prior to splicing contact · CPC title

• A61F13/15764 Primary

  Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives · CPC title

• A61F13/15723

  Partitioning batts; Cutting · CPC title

• A61F13/15577

  Apparatus or processes for manufacturing · CPC title

• A61F13/15699

  Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs · CPC title