FEED SHEET HAVING DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The teachings herein relate to a corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement and a method for providing a corrugated cardboard product reusing remainder sheets .

BACKGROUND

When producing various products from sheets of corrugated cardboard, cardboard, packaging board, corrugated fiberboard or such, the blanks used for folding and/or j oining are formed from larger sheets , whereby side runs (or remainders ) are cut of the sheet to provide a blank of a desired size . Such side runs are usually transported to be reused by being ground and again formed into sheets . However, such r4euse may only be repeated a limited number of times before the quality of the sheets become degraded . It is thus a need for alternative reuse of side runs or other remainders .

SUMMARY

The teachings herein provide for a solution as how to reuse rest or remainder sheets , such as side runs , efficiently . The sheets may be a corrugated cardboard sheet or other products based on paper pulp . The sheets are in one embodiment remainders or surplus sheets from an earlier process that are being reused . The solution is provided through a corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement comprising a controller, wherein the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement is arranged to: receive a feed sheet (Al) having a first width (AX) and a first length (AY) ; join the feed sheet to a remainder (AOR) into a joined sheet (A1+A0R) ; cut the joined sheet (A1+A0R) in a first direction to a desired length (BY) ; join the joined sheet (A1+A0R) to an intermediate sheet (SI) to form a combined intermediate sheet (A1+A0R+SI) ; and cut the combined intermediate sheet (A1+A0R+SI) in a second direction to a desired width (BX) , thereby providing a sheet (B) having the desired width (BX) and the desired length (BY) , wherein the first width (AX) is different from the desired width (BX) and/or the first length (AY) is different from the desired length (BY) .

The solution is also or alternatively provided through a method for providing a corrugated cardboard product sheet (B) having a desired width (BX) and a desired length (BY) , the method comprising: receiving a feed sheet (Al) having a first width (AX) and a first length (AY) ; joining the feed sheet to a remainder (AOR) into a joined sheet (A1+A0R) ; cutting the joined sheet (A1+A0R) in a first direction to the desired length (BY) ; joining the joined sheet (A1+A0R) to an intermediate sheet (SI) to form a combined intermediate sheet (A1+A0R+SI) ; and cutting the combined intermediate sheet (A1+A0R+SI ) in a second direction to the desired width ( BX) , thereby providing the product sheet (B) having the desired width ( BX) and the desired length ( BY ) , wherein the first width (AX) is different from the desired width ( BX) and/or the first length (AY) is different from the desired length (BXY) .

This enables for providing a product sheet ( B) having dimensions (BX, BY) from for example side run sheets (A) having different dimensions (AX, AY ) .

Further embodiments and benefits of the present teachings will be apparent from the following description .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The solution will be disclosed with simultaneous reference to figures 1A - 1R, each showing a schematic view of various embodiments of a corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 according to herein, and figure 2 showing a flow chart for a general method for various embodiments of the teachings herein .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The teachings herein will be disclosed with simultaneous reference to figures 1A-1R each showing examples of embodiments and figure 2 showing a flowchart for a general method . As will be discussed, a corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 comprises various stations of which some stations are arranged with rollers or traction belts for moving or feeding any sheets received in the station . As should be noted, a skilled person would know how to implement such means for moving a sheet as such moving means are well- known . Some stations are arranged to j oin two or more sheets . The j oining is preferably performed side to side by gluing or using other adhesive . As should also be noted, a skilled person would know how to implement such j oining as such j oining is well-known . As a skilled person would understand, the j oining may also or alternatively be performed overlapping, optionally also using gluing or other adhesive . As a skilled person would further understand, the examples given below are with reference to side-by-side gluing, but may easily be modified to be used with overlapping j oining as such j oining is well-known . In overlapping j oining, as a skilled person would understand, account has to be taken for the overlapping portion . The width of the overlapping portion will of course depend on many dif ferent (well-known ) factors , such as width or length of sheets to be j oined and requirements of the resulting sheet . To account for the overlap, one or both sheets that are to be j oined will be made larger by the same amount , but shared between the two sheets . I f the width is denoted W, the additional width of one sheet is xW and the additional width of the other sheet is ( l-x) W, where x is the shared ratio , where x ranges from 0 to 1.

And, some stations are arranged to cut a sheet . The cutting is preferably performed by a knife or other cutter . As should also be noted, a skilled person would know how to implement such cutting as cutting is well-known . It should specifically be noted that although the description shows various separate stations , it should be noted that some functionalities may be performed by combined stations , one station in an implementation thus being able to perform more than one station' s ' functions - or parts thereof . The corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 also comprises a controller 101 and a computer-readable memory 102 . The controller 101 is in some embodiments one ( or more ) central processing unit , a programmable logic circuit ( PLC ) or other electronic control unit ( ECU ) which is arranged to receive computer-readable instructions and to execute them thereby controlling the overall operation of the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 as well as specific aspects of the operation of the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 . As a skilled person would understand, the controller 101 may be one controller 101 or may comprise several controllers each assigned one or more tasks . The controller 101 is configured to control various actuators and to receive data from various sensors . Such actuators and sensors are not explicitly shown in the figures as there are so many alternatives how such actuators and sensors could be implemented but would all be known to the s killed person . The controller 101 is thus configured to cause various devices , such as j oining , cutting and moving devices to perform their intended tasks .

The memory 102 is arranged to store data and instructions that are used by the controller 101 for controlling the operation of the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 . Examples of data stored are dimensions (width X, length Y) of incoming sheets , desired dimensions (width X, length Y ) of produced sheets a well as minimum handling measurements (MHM) . The minimum handling measurements indicate a smallest size of a sheet that can be handled . Sheets being smaller than the MHMs are usually discarded and reused by being ground down and again turned into sheets . In the context of this application a sheet is considered to exceed the minimum handling measurements if the width and length of the sheet exceeds an indicated minimum width and an indicated minimum length . It thus suf fices to determine that only one of the two (width ) , length) does not exceed the corresponding minimum width or length to determine that a sheet is too small to be handled . In some embodiments the minimum width is 150 , 200 , 250 , 300 or 350 mm . In some embodiments the minimum length is 150 , 200 , 250 , 300 or 350 mm . In some embodiments the minimum width is the same as the minimum length .

The controller 101 and thus the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 is configured to receive measurements for a sheet to be produced B . These measurements are hereafter referred to as desired measurements comprising a desired width BX and a desired length BY . The desired measurements may be received from the memory 102 and/or from an operator .

As a skilled person would understand from the use of the terminology " sheet" , all sheets discussed herein are of a rectangular ( including possibly square ) shape .

In the example of Fig 1A a sheet Al is fed (possibly from a sheet stack SA that in some embodiments resides on a stack station 110 ) to a feeding station 120 and the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement thereby receives 210 a feed sheet Al .

It should be noted that , in some embodiments , the sheet ( s ) Al may not be fed from a stack of sheets SA. In some such embodiments the sheets are fed one-by-one . In some alternative such embodiments , the sheets are fed from another corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement ( in such embodiments referenced 110 ) , whereby side runs may be handled directly in a process .

The sheets may be corrugated cardboard sheets , or other products based on paper pulp .

The sheet Al has an original sheet width AX and an original sheet length AY . In some embodiments all sheets in the stack of sheets SA have the same measurements . In some embodiments and as will be discussed in the below, some sheets in the stack of sheets have varying dimensions .

In the example of Fig IB it is shown how the sheet Al is being moved and j oined 220 to a remainder sheet AOR in a j oining station 130 by a first j oining device 125. In some embodiments , the j oining device 125 (as well as possibly the second cutting device 145 ) is arranged with a cutter or arranged in cooperative order with a cutter ( taken herein to be part or comprised in the j oining device ) for clean-cutting one or more of the edges to be j oined .

If the remainder is not wide enough ( exceeding the minimum handling measurements ) after the clean-cutting, the remainder may, in some embodiments , be discarded .

As can be seen this provides a j oined sheet A1+A0R that has a length longer than the sheet length Y . It should be noted that in some cases there is no remainder sheet AOR in which case , the sheet Al is simply moved forwards in the process as the j oined sheet . Such cases may be when a remainder sheet has been deemed too small (not exceeding the minimum handling measurements ) as discussed in the above . In some embodiments the feeding of sheet (s) Al and joining to remainder sheets is repeated at least until the length of the joined sheet A1Y+A0RY is sufficient, i.e. exceeds the desired length BY. In some embodiments the joining is repeated until the length of the joined sheet A1Y+A0RY is sufficient when it exceeds the desired length BY by at least the minimum handling length (measurement) . This ensures that the remainder will be large enough to be handled and need not be discarded.

In the example of Fig 1C it is shown how the joined sheet A1+A0R is moved to second joining station 140 and cut 230 in a first direction (relative the sheet A1+A0R) by a first cutting device 135 giving a sheet A1+A0R with the desired length BY.

As is shown in the example of Fig ID this cutting operation provides a (new) remainder sheet AIR that can be joined to a further sheet. It should be understood that the remainder sheet AOR is formed in this manner.

As is also shown in the example of Fig ID the cut joined sheet A1+A0R is moved to an intermediate sheet SI and joined 240 to the intermediate sheet SI by second joining device 145 forming a combined intermediate sheet A1+A0R+SI having a width SIX (indicated in figure IE) . It should be noted that the intermediate sheet has a length Y equal to the desired length BY. The feeding of sheet (s) Al, joining to remainder sheets and joining to the intermediate sheet is repeated at least until the width SIX of the intermediate sheet SI is sufficient, i.e. exceeds the desired width BX. In some embodiments the joining is repeated until the width SIX of the intermediate sheet SI is sufficient when it exceeds the desired width BX by at least the minimum handling width. This ensures that the remainder from the intermediate sheet will be large enough to be handled and need not be discarded .

As is shown in the example of Fig IE the intermediate sheet SI is moved (when its width is sufficient ) to a cutting station 150 where it is cut 250 by a second cutting device 155 in a second direction ( relative the sheet SI ) thereby providing a sheet B having a desired sheet width BX as well as the desired sheet length BY . It should be noted that the cutting may be performed as part of the second j oining station 140 and that the cutting station 150 is - in some embodiments - only shown for clarification and illustrative purposes .

As is shown in the examples of Fig IF a new desired sheet B is thereby formed having the desired width BX and the desired length DY . In some embodiments , and as shown in figure 1G, the produced sheet B is fed onto a stack SB in a receiving station 160 . However, the sheet B may in some embodiments be fed onto a further process for further processing such as providing fold lines and/or folding the sheet into a finished or intermediate product . A sheet B having the desired width BX and length BY is thereby provided 260 utilizing feed sheets that may be side runs or other remainders .

As is also shown in the examples of Fig 1G a new or further intermediate sheet SI is thereby formed A1R+SIR+A0R for being j oined to further j oined sheets A1+A0R .

As mentioned in the above, the feed sheets Al may be of varying widths , both within a batch and/or between batches . The feed sheet Al may thus have a width AX that is dif ferent from the width A0RX of the remainder sheet A0R . In some embodiments , the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 is configured to discard the remainder . However , in some embodiments the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 is further configured to handle such dif ferences in widths .

The corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 thus operates by first establishing a sheet ( the j oined sheet ) having a suff icient length and then establishing a sheet ( the combined intermediate ) sheet having a sufficient width by j oining and cutting feed sheets being reused remainders . Of course , the feed sheets need not be reused sheets , but the teachings herein can also be applied to any process using sheets of one dimension to provide a product of a second different dimension .

Fig 1H shows an example where the feed sheet Al has a width A1X which is smaller than the width AOR of the remainder sheet AOR . This can be the case when a stack is finished and a new stack is fed to the arrangement , where the sheets in new stack have different dimensions compared to the first stack . This could also be the case when the feed sheets are provided from a second arrangement where sheets of varying dimensions are provided or as the second arrangement changes operation . As is shown in Fig I I this will provide an uneven j oined sheet A1+A0R as the two sheets are j oined . However , by utilizing a further ( or third) cutting device 156, the uneven part may be cut off by a second cut in the second direction ( relative the sheet ) . It should be noted that the resulting j oined sheet has a width being having a width being the smaller of the width (AX) of the feed sheet (Al ) and the width (AORX) of the remainder (AOR) . It should also be noted that the j oined sheet may be cut prior to or after having been j oined to the intermediate sheet (SI) . In the latter case, the third cutting device may be (or be comprised in) the second cutting device.

It should be noted that the example discussed in the figures illustrate the case when the remainder is wider than the feed sheet, whereby a portion of the remainder is cut off. However, as a skilled person would understand after having taken part of the teachings herein, the opposite is also possible. In the case where the feed sheet is wider than the remainder, a portion of the feed sheet may be cut off from the resulting sheet (after the feed sheet has been joined to the remainder and the joined sheet has been cut by the cutting station 135) . This would be the case corresponding to the case in figure 1J.

Fig 1J shows the resulting sheets after the joined sheet has been cut in both the first direction (to establish the desired length BY) and the second direction (to establish the desired width BX) . As is shown this leave two remainders: the sheet D and the sheet Al-1. In some embodiments it is determined if either of the two sheets is sufficient as regards length and/or width (i.e. exceeds the minimum handling measurements) and any sheet found to not be sufficient is discarded.

In some embodiments as is shown in Fig IK, the remainder referenced D (i.e. the remainder of the previous remainder AOR) is discarded which simplifies the process and handling of the remainders.

In some embodiments as is shown in Fig IL, the remainder referenced D (i.e. the remainder of the previous remainder AOR) is joined to the remainder referenced Al-1 (i.e. the remainder of the previous feed sheet Al) ) . To produce a new combined remainder consisting of the old remainder and the remainder referenced D, which is cut by the cutting station 135 to provide a rectangular sheet . And the remainder referenced d is discarded . This reduces the waste of material and enables for further reuse of material .

The embodiments discussed in relation to Fig 1H to Fig IL thus enables for handling sheets of different widths .

Fig IM shows some alternative embodiments where a corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 is enabled to be fed with a first feed sheet Al as well as a second feed sheet Cl . In such embodiments there are possibly two stacks SA, SC of sheets A, C, that feeds respective sheets A and C to a corresponding feed station 120-1 and 120-2 . In the example illustrated in FiglM the first feed sheet A has a first width Ax ( and a first length AY) and the second feed sheet C has a second width CX ( and a second length CY ) . This allows for handling of sheets of varying dimensions .

As is also sown the respective sheets are j oined to each a remainder ( if any) in each a first j oining station 130-1 and 130-2 and moved to be j oined to the intermediate sheet SI in the j oining station 140 . The j oining of either sheet A, C may be done in any manner as discussed in the above and as is illustrated in figures 1N-1R, where all , some or any of the steps discussed in relation to a single feed sheet are performed in parallel or one after the other to the respective sheets .

In some embodiments the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 is configured to j oin a j oined sheet from the first feed sheets A to the intermediate sheet SI and to j oin a j oined sheet from the second feed sheets C to the intermediate sheet SI intermittently, such as every other time , every third time or so on . This enables for providing finished sheets B with irregular spacing between j oining lines which can provide for a more robust product , depending on the dimensions of the incoming feed sheet ( s ) A, C and the dimensions of the desire product . In some embodiments , and as shown in figures 1N-1R, the sheets from SA and from SC are j oined to the intermediate sheet together .

As would be understood, the method may comprise any or some operations as discussed herein with reference to the corrugated cardboard assembly arrangement 100 even though not shown explicitly in figure 2 , wherein such additional operations are included in the operations shown .