DESCRIPTION

Technical field

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of wire conveyors, in particular for the transportation of leather to be coated, and it particularly relates to an apparatus for cleaning wires of a wire conveyor and a system comprising such apparatus.

Definitions

In the present document, the expression "hide" or "leather" is used to indicate any layer, whether it be grain, crust or sub-crust, of the leather of an animal, in particular of a bovine, but also of sheep/goats, exotic, fur, wild animals or others, or an at least partially synthetic leather.

In particular, "a leather" or "the leather" is used to indicate at least one part of the leather of a single animal, which may therefore be of any shape. For example, the leather may be whole leather, half leather, shoulders, hunch, back, hips, rear or front parts of the body.

In the present document, the expression "diffuse coating" is used to indicate deposition of one or more layers of dye coating in a diffused and homogeneous manner on the leather, by spraying using appropriate guns or using roller machines, spreading machines or buffer machines.

In the present document, the expression "at" referring to the position of an apparatus or a part thereof with respect to a different apparatus or part thereof or of a processing station or part thereof, is used to indicate the fact that they are in a position proximal to each other, or at a distance such to allow operative continuity between them.

State of the Art

Apparatus for cleaning wire conveyors used in systems for treatments for coating leather which tend to dirty the wires creating voluminous layers are known.

Therefore, there arises the need for frequent cleaning of the latter so as not to dirty the leather during the subsequent coating treatments.

For example, there are known wire conveyors designed to transport leather from a coating station to a station for curing the coat, for example a desiccation furnace. As a result, there is a large deposition of coat residues in the curing station, due to the ventilation and vibrations which distinguish such systems.

Typically, the wires are cleaned through mechanical treatment downstream of the curing station through appropriate blades so as to remove the waste from the dry wires exiting from the curing station.

However, such action entails the introduction of dust and coat residues into the latter and along the entire advancement line, with ensuing subsequent waste of time for cleaning the system with a consistent production downtime and ensuing economic impact.

On the other hand, there are known systems in which the conveyor passing through the coating station is then deviated, after the leather has been deposited on a different conveyor to advance towards the curing station.

In this case, the deviated wires are washed in vats, brushed and dried. The vats are positioned downstream of the coating station, with an ensuing considerable use of water, typically in the order of 8 - 15 m ³ per day.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to at least partly overcome the drawbacks illustrated above by providing a particularly efficient apparatus for cleaning wires.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning wires that is highly functional and cost-effective.

Another object of the invention is to provide a particularly compact apparatus for cleaning wires.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system that is highly functional and cost- effective.

These and other objects which will be more apparent hereinafter, are attained by an apparatus and/or a system as described, illustrated and/or claimed herein.

The dependent claims define advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent in light of the detailed description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: FIGS. 1A and IB are schematic views of two different lateral views of an apparatus 1;

FIG. 2A is an exploded schematic view of the apparatus 1, regarding which FIG. 2B is the enlargement of a detail;

FIG.3A is a lateral schematic view of a system 200;

FIG.3B is an axial sectional schematic view of a system 200.

Detailed description of some preferred embodiments

With reference to the attached figures, herein described is an apparatus 1 for cleaning wires F of a closed loop wire conveyor T, that is defining a closed path along which the conveyor T may move cyclically.

Specifically, the wires F of the conveyor T may be extended flat or cylindrical-shaped elements.

In particular, the conveyor T may be designed to transport animal leather or leather of animal origin or at least partially synthetic leather to be treated.

Such conveyor T may include a portion T1 for supporting the leather which may pass from the inlet ISV to the outlet USV of a diffused coating station SV.

At the outlet USV, the leather may also be moved toward a station for curing the coat SA, passing through the inlet ISA thereof and the outlet USA thereof, as explained in greater detail below.

Furthermore, the conveyor T may include a return portion T2 extending externally to the coating station SV.

Preferably, the apparatus 1 may be interposed between the coating station SV and the curing station SA.

In particular, the apparatus 1 may be configured to clean a progressive portion of the conveyor T.

This will allow to clean the wires F after the coating, whenever deemed necessary.

To this end, there may be provided for deviating means 20, for example a deviating roller 21, so as to deviate the wires F of the conveyor T along the portion T2.

This means that the deviating means 20 may be positioned at the outlet USV of the coating station SV.

In particular, the portion T2 may be spaced from a path LA3 for moving the leather toward the station for curing the coat SA.

In particular, the path LA3 may extend from the outlet USV to the outlet USA.

To this end, the apparatus 1 may include means 40 for advancing the leather, movable along the path LA3.

For example, the advancement means 40 may include means for unloading and/or loading the leather 42 so as to pick up the latter from the wire conveyor T.

The unloading and/or loading means 42 may be one or more rollers, for example three rollers as shown in FIG. 2A, arranged at the outlet USV of the coating station SV, so as to pick up the leather coated and transported on the conveyor T and load it, for example, on a subsequent conveyor 41.

According to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, the advancement means 40 may actually include one or more conveyors 41 in series.

Such conveyors may for example be conveyors of the slat type, multi-belt type or any other appropriate technology, known in the industry.

Suitably, the apparatus 1 may include a dry cleaning device 10 which may act on the wires F of the portion T2 at a cleaning branch LAI.

It is therefore clear that the wires F may pass through the device 10 once deviated by the deviating means 20 along the portion T2.

Preferably, the cleaning branch LAI and the advancement means 40 may be spaced apart so that the coat residues removed from the wires F along the path LAI are not carried along the path LA3.

Such dry cleaning device 10 may act without using water or chemical cleaning agents, so as to ensure the purely mechanical cleaning of the wires F of the conveyor T.

As a result, the wires F upstream of the device 10 may be dirty, while they will be clean downstream of the device 10.

Specifically, the device 10 may include a plurality of blades 11 which may interact, for example by contact, with the wires F to clean them mechanically, as particularly shown in FIG. 2B.

For example, the wires F may intercept the blades 11 so as to remove the coat residues that accumulated during the coating. To this end, the blades 11 may rotate around an axis X perpendicular to the advancement direction d of the wires F at the cleaning branch LAI as shown in FIG. 3A.

Furthermore, the blades 11 may have a succession of U or V-shaped portions 111, for example consecutive but not continuous as shown in FIG. 2B, at which the wires F may pass to allow their cleaning.

Preferably, the apparatus 1 may include a box-like support structure 100, or guard, with two by two opposite lateral faces 100' and 100" and an upper face 101 as shown in FIG. 2A.

For example, the faces 100' may be parallel to the axis X, while the faces 100" may be perpendicular to the latter.

Suitably, the structure 100 may contain the cleaning device 10, while the conveyor 41 of the advancement means 40 may lie on the face 101.

In this manner, the cleaning branch LAI and the coated leather may be spaced apart.

Suitably, the support structure 100 may include collection means 30 facing the device 10, so as to collect - by gravity - the coat residues obtained from the cleaning of the wires F.

For example, the collection means 30 may be in proximity of the base of the apparatus 1 so that the devicelO is arranged above.

Such collection means 30 may be a tray which can be removed after the cleaning of the conveyor T or a convey 32 which may convey the waste collected outside the support structure 100.

To this end, for example, a face 100" may include an opening 31 connected with the conveyor 32 so that the waste exits from the structure 100 through the aforementioned opening 31.

More particularly, at the opening 31 there may be positioned a container for collecting the coat waste.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there may be provided for a system 200 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, which includes - in succession - a coating station SV, an apparatus 1 as described above and a station for curing the coat SA.

However, it is clear that there may be provided for a line consisting of a plurality of systems 200 arranged in series with respect to each other so as to allow different treatments of the leather.

For example, there may be arranged in series a system 200 for the bottom, a system 200 for the refitting and a system 200 for the fixing.

This will allow to change the cleaning frequency of each system 200 depending on the level of enlargement of the wires F, for example more impacting when operating the bottom.

As a result, the time required to clean the aforementioned line may be reduced extremely.

According to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, the apparatus 1 and the coating station SV may be connected in a per se known manner, so that the portion T1 of the conveyor T passes across the space between the inlet ISV and the outlet USV of the station SV, while the portion T2 of the conveyor T returns to the inlet ISV, defining a closed path along which the conveyor T may move cyclically.

For example, the portion T2 may cover a path sufficiently large to allow the drying of the wires F through natural drying, that is without using drying means, so as to avoid staining the leather during the subsequent coating operations.

On the other hand, the wires F of the portion T2 may pass through the station for curing the coat SA.

Specifically, the curing station SA may include a support structure 50, for example a tunnel with two working areas 51 and 52.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3A, each working area 51 and 52 may be provided with respective heating means 501 and 502.

For example, the heating means 501 and 502 may be of any type and they may be of the per se known type. For example, they may be in the form of one or more infrared lamps (IR rays), electric resistors and/or steam or gas heat exchangers positioned inside the tunnel.

In this manner, the working area 51 may be designed to carry out the curing of the coat, while the working area 52 may be designed to carry out the drying of the cleaned wires F of the portion T2 of the conveyor T.

In particular, the drying of the wires F may be carried out at a drying branch LA2 arranged along the portion T2.

Specifically, the drying branch LA2 may coincide with the area of the portion T2 passing through the working area 52 when cyclically moving the conveyor T.

However, it is clear, as shown in FIG. 3B, that the working area 52 may not be provided with the heating means 502 and the wires F of the portion T2 may or may not passes through the working area 52 without being dried using appropriate heating means, without departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

Preferably, the working areas 51 and 52 may be separated, for example using partitioning means 54, such as a partitioning element fixed to the support structure 50, so as to prevent possible coat residues from dirtying the working area 51 as well as the leather in the latter.

This will allow to further reduce the times for cleaning the station SA.

Suitably, the system 200 may include a conveyor 53 in series with the one or more conveyors 41 and passing through the working area 51.

According to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, the system 200 may include a treatment area PSA interposed between the coating station SV and the curing station SA.

For example, such treatment area PSA may be designed to carry out a partial drying of the coated leather upon exiting from the outlet USV.

Preferably, the treatment area PSA may include infrared lamps (IR rays) at the conveyor 41 and a pressing machine in series with respect to the latter.

Subsequently, the leather may therefore be moved towards the inlet ISA of the curing station SA using the conveyor 53 which may also pass through the latter.

According to a preferred but not exclusive example, such processes may be carried out on coated leather intended for manufacturing bags or the like.

It is clear that there may be provided for several treatment areas PSA without departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there may be provided for a method for providing a system for coating at least one animal leather or leather of animal origin or synthetic leather starting from an existing coating system.

Specifically, this may be carried out using an apparatus 1 as described above.

Preferably, the existing system may include - in series - at least one coating station SV and at least one curing station SA. The coating station SV may include a closed loop wire conveyor T having a first portion T1 passing through it and a second portion T2 passing outside it.

Therefore, the path of the wire conveyor T may be changed, that is it will be necessary to position the advancement means 40 described above at the outlet USV of the coating station SV to promote the advancement of the coated leather exiting from the latter towards the inlet ISA of the curing station SA.

At the same time or previously or subsequently, the wires F of the conveyor T may be deviated along the portion T2 introducing the aforementioned deviating means 20 into the outlet USV of the coating station SV so that the advancement means 40, in particular the unloading and/or loading means 42 and the deviating means 20 are arranged adjacent to each other.

In particular, the leather may be moved using unloading and/or loading means 42, while the wires F may be spaced from the leather.

Therefore, the cleaning device 10 described above may be positioned along the portion T2 to define the cleaning branch LAI spaced apart from the advancement means 40, so as to clean the wires F passing through the device 10 without spilling coat residues on the leather moved by the advancement means 40.

However, it is clear that should the existing system already provide for the presence of advancement means 40 at the outlet USV of the coating station SV so as to promote the advancement of the coated leather exiting from the latter towards the inlet ISA of the curing station SA, just like should it already provide for deviating the wires F along the portion T2 using deviating means 20, it will be sufficient to position cleaning device 10 along the deviated portion T2.

The present invention may include various parts and/or similar or identical elements. Unless otherwise specified, similar or identical parts and/or elements will be indicated using a single reference number, it being clear that the described technical characteristics are common to all similar or identical parts and/or elements.

The invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all falling within the scope of protection of the attached claims. All details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials can be different depending on the needs, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.