The present invention relates to a method tor releasing goods that are enclosed within a sleeve of plastic film and/or netting from the wrapping material, in conjunction with which the bale in question is caused to move relative to a sleeve parting means acting beneath it, and the sleeve of the bale is further parted by means of a moving sleeve parting means. Problems are encountered in keeping goods free from wrapping material which consists of a protective sleeve of polyester film or some other suitable plastic film and/or a net made of plastic or other fibre material, yet without the wrapping material accompanying the goods after they are released and becoming mixed with them, or without goods remaining in the ends of the wrapping material. This is particularly true of the cylindrical bales which primarily contain waste, but may also contain other materials capable of being pressed in a so-called round bale press, which are then ready for rational handling such as transport and storage for subsequent division at the appropriate time. This may be, for example, in conjunction with the incineration of refuse that has been stored until its energy is required for the combustion process. Recyclable materials, such as paper materials, can also be compressed, and it is desirable for any plastic wrappers not to become mixed in at the time of dividing the bales.

The principal object of the present invention is thus, in the first instance, to invent a method whereby goods are permitted to be released effectively from the wrapping material.

The aforementioned object is achieved by a method in accordance with the present invention, which is characterized essentially in that the bale is supported on pairs of moving base components capable of interacting in pairs in a direction away from one another, and in that the

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26

parted sleeve is gripped and removed from the goods by means of moving clamping devices capable of acting relative to one another in pairs.

A further object of the present invention is to make available an arrangement tor use in conjunction with releasing goods which are enclosed within a sleeve of plastic film and/or netting from the wrapping material by means of a sleeve parting means situated in the vicinity of the bottom of a passing bale, in that a moving sleeve parting means is driven m such a way that it is capable of moving in a vertical direction, in that a bale moving device is provided for moving the bale in a horizontal direction towards an opening bottom situated at its front, and in that gripping devices are provided for gripping the sleeve. The aforementioned further purpose is achieved by means of an arrangement in accordance witn tne present invention, which is characterized essentially in that the opening bottom is formed by pairs of pivotally mounted bottom components facing away from one another, which have lateral support m order effectively to retain the bale and to prevent it from tipping to one side before the goods contained in it have been emptied from the sleeve, and in that the gripping device is formed by pairs of clamping devices capable of movement relative to one another. The invention is described below as a number of preferred illustrative embodiments, in conjunction with which reference is made to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a parting means to release goods from a wrapping material; Figs. 2-4 show different stages in the parting piocebb;

Figs, b- / show details of a gripping device and the complete gripping device in its working position;

Fig. 8 shows a further embodiment of a mobile parting means;

Fig. 9 shows a pressure component in this further parting means;

Fig. 10 shows a draw eye m this further mobile parting means 5 Figs. 11-14 show a further illustrative embodiment of a parting means; and

Figs. 12-14 show different stages during the parting process.

When it is wished to part, for example, compressed 0 waste products or other goods 1 which are enclosed within a protective sleeve 2 consisting of plastic film 3 and/or an enclosing net 4 made of fibre material surrounding the goods, in so doing releasing the goods 1 from the aforementioned wrapping material, the following procedure should be adopted: 5 The bale 5 in question is caused to move relative to a sleeve parting means 7 acting beneath ό tne Dale in question during parting of the wrapping material 3, 4. The sleeve 2 of the bale is also parted along the front part 5A of the bale and along the rear end 5ϋ of the bale by means of 0 a moving sleeve parting means B. During parting of the sleeve 2 along the front part bA of the bale, the bale b is supported on a frame 48 above the fixed sleeve parting means 7, and during parting of the rear end bD of the bale, the bale 5 is supported on an opening base 9. The parted sleeve 2 b is gripped by means of a gripping device 10 from above in the area of the upper part bB of the bale and is removed from the goods 1 without any of the goods remaining in the sleeve 2 and accompanying it.

For the purpose of parting the bale b from below, 0 pressure is applied by means of a piston device 11, or the bale b is transported in some other way past a stationary underlying sleeve parting means /.

For other parting, primarily of the front part bA of the bale, the moving sleeve parting means 8 is caused to b move along the vertical centre-line of the bale in a vertical direction 12, preferably from below, on its aforementioned

front part bA. The bale b is then caused to move, preferably also with the help of the pressure piston device 11, past the aforementioned moving bale parting means 8, which is in a raised position in the area above the upper part bB of the b bale, until the bale b has reached the desired position for parting its rear end bD, and similarly along the horizontal centre-line of the bale.

Photocells, for example, or other sensors can be so arranged as to sense the position of the bale and to cause 0 the pressure piston device 11 to interrupt feeding of the bale b once the correct position tor rear end parting has been reached. Parting of the rear end bD of the bale appropriately takes place by causing the rotating sleeve parting means 8, which resembles a slitting wheel, also to b move in a vertical direction, preferably from the top downwards; see Fig. 4.

When parting the sleeve 2 in accordance with the procedure described above, it is sufficient to part the sleeve at least tor the entire thickness of the sleeve, so 0 that the sleeve 2 can be removed easily from the goods and can be deposited in a suitable location. The sleeve 2 is gripped for this purpose by means of moving clamping devices 12, 13 acting in pairs relative to one another, which devices form a gripping device 10, around the sleeve 2 at the top 5 part 5B of the bale.

In order for the goods 1 contained in the sleeve 2 of the bale b to be capable of falling down freely after release of the sleeve 2, the bale b is appropriately supported on moving base elements 9A, 9B acting in pairs in a 0 direction 14, lb away from one another.

An arrangement 16 m accordance with the present

releasing goods 1 contained in a sleeve 2 of plastic film 3, for example polyester film, and/or a net 4 from the b aforementioned wrapping material, comprises a stationary wrapper parting means 7, preferably in the form of an angled

b

knife / angled in such a way that its cutting edge 7A successively increases in height when viewed from the rear part 16A of the arrangement. The aforementioned bottom sleeve parting means 7 is situated along the longitudinal centre- b line 17 of the arrangement in the vicinity of the bottom bC of a passing bale.

Also provided is a moving sleeve parting means 8 which is driven in such a way as to be capable of moving in a vertical direction Y and is preferably in the form of a

10 rotating driven slitting wheel 8. The aforementioned slitting wheel 8 can be supported by a shaft 47 and by piston cylinders 18, which endeavour to move the aforementioned slitting wheel ft m a vertical direction Y, preferably from the bottom upwards, along the front side bA of a bale along lb its centre-line, as shown in Fig. 3.

Also proviαed is a bale moving device 11, preferably a pressure cylinder with a sufficiently long stroke to be capable of feeding a bale b fully from a tipping position A, in which the bale is tipped down from a feeding

2U conveyor belt 19, to a lower level ahead of the aforementioned pressure piston 11, which pushes the bale b onwards horizontally past the stationary knife 7 in the direction of the arrow 20, so that the sleeve 2 of the bale is split at its bottom bC. b The aforementioned pressure piston 11 or some other bale movement device is also so arranged as to advance one bale b at a time into position on an opening base 9. Photocells or other position-sensing devices can be so arranged as to sense the correct position of the bale in 0 order to be capable of performing bale end parting of the bale b, once the bale has reached the aforementioned position; see Fig. 4. The aforementioned moving slitting wheel 8 is lowered from its raised position in a vertical direction Y along the rear end bD of the bale, in conjunction b with which the slitting wheel 8 cuts through the sleeve 2 from the outside and into the goods in the bale b along the

common vertical parting plane 21 with the fixed stationary knife 7, etc. Once the slitting wheel 8 has reached the bottom cutting position, the sleeve 2 will have been cut open along the common parting plane 21 on three sides of the bale, b i.e. the front side bA, the bottom bC and the rear end bD. The sleeve remains intact only along the top side bB of the bale.

The arrangement 16 has the opening bottom 9 situated on the front 16B of the arrangement, which bottom 9

10 is preferably formed by pairs of bottom components 9A, 9B pivotally mounted relative to one another on pivots 22, 23, which bottom components have lateral supports 24, 2b m order effectively to retain the bale b and to prevent it from tipping to one side before the goods 1 that it contains have lb been emptied from the sleeve 2.

Finally, the arrangement lb comprises a gripping device 10 so arranged as to grip the sleeve 2 during the parting process. The gripping device 10 comprises pairs of clamping devices 12, 13 capable of moving relative to one

20 another, which, in the connected position, tor example as shown in Fig. 7, are capable ot causing downward-projecting, angled, tipped teeth 26 situated on one clamping device 12 on its lower part 12A and straight vertical pins 27 on the lower part 13A of the other clamping device 13 to interact with one

2b another, i.e. tooth-to-pm 26, 2 1 . One clamping device 12 has inclined grooves 28, along which pins 29 on the other clamping device 13 are accommodated and are guided in such a way that they are free to move. A drive piston 30 acting between the clamping devices 12, 13 produces the clamping

30 movement of the clamping device between the clamping elements 26, 27, in conjunction with the lateral displacement X of one moving clamping device 12 relative to the other abutting clamping device 13, so that it does not clamp the sleeve 2 until it has been pressed in through the sleeve 2 resting

3b thereon and effectively retains it during the parting process.

Because there are two halves of the parted sleeve 2, although these are preferably held together along the upper side bB of the bale, two gripping devices 10 are provided which are supported by a swinging arm 31 and are b pivotally mounted around a pivot pin 32 and are joined together via a piston cylinder 33 in such a way as to be capable of being caused to move respectively towards and away from one another.

The moving slitting wheel 8 is guided along 10 vertical uprights 34, 3b and is driven by means of a motor

36, and the opening bottom 9 is driven by piston cylinders

37, 38. The clamping device 10 is caused to pivot about an articulation 39 by the activation of a piston cylinder 40 and drive transmission via a mechanism 41, in order to be capable lb of depositing the wrapper in a suitable location.

Figs. 1-4 in tne drawings show a moving parting means 16 suitable for transport by lorry resembling a load alternation platform having a lifting hook 42 at one end 16A and a ground roller device 43 at its other end 16B enabling

20 it to roll on a base 44, whereby the parting means 16 is easily transported to the desired parting site for bale parting, for example an incineration plant, cereal grain store or recycling plant, etc. The parting means can also be executed as a stationary model. b Figs. 8-10 show a parting means 16 capable of being trailed over the ground, which has a towing eye 4b at one end 16A for hitching it to a towing vehicle and wheels 46 at the other end 16B. A bale conveyor 47 is present between the aforementioned eye 4b and the wheels 46. The bottom bC of a 0 bale b is the expression used to denote the one cylindrical side of a round bale, the front side bA of a round bale is used to denote the one plane lateral surface of a round bale, and the top side bB of a round bale is used to denote the other cylindrical side of a round bale. Other lateral b surfaces of the bale are denoted in the case of bales of different form.

The sleeve parting device illustrated in Figs. 11- 14 in the drawings resembles the arrangement already described above. One difference, however, is its sleeve parting means, which in this case comprises a single such 5 parting means, namely a rotating disc-shaped slitting wheel 15U that can be caused to move. The front end 105A of a bale 105 is not parted by means of this slitting wheel 150 until the aforementioned sleeve parting means 150 is driven so as to rotate and is caused to move in a vertical direction CY, 0 preferably from the top downwards, once the bale 105 has been pushed forwards by the pressure piston 111 against the aforementioned sleeve parting means 150; see Figs. 12-13. A continued pressing effect of the pressure piston 111 on the bale 105 causes it to be pushed in the direction of an b opening base 109 resting on a supporting frame 148. The bale 105 is parted at the same time along its bottom iObC by tne aforementioned rotating bale parting means lbϋ that is capable of moving in a vertical direction as the bale 10b and the parting means lbϋ move relative to one another when the 0 parting means lbO is m a position to operate beneath the bale 105.

Finally, once the bale 10b has reached the point at which it can be accommodated in the base 109 with its front part 105A and its bottom lOMC parted, the bale 105 is gripped b by its upper part lObB by means of similar gripping devices 110 to those described above, and the rear end lObD of the bale 10b is parted by means of the aforementioned sleeve parting means lbO when this is caused by means of a piston cylinder 118 to move m an upward direction CY; Fig. 14. The 0 bale is then opened along the longitudinal centre axis of the arrangement and the bale, after which the goods 101 that it contains drop down, and the gripping device 110 pivots so as to release the gripped wrapper material 103, 104, which formed the sleeve 102 of the bale, after it has been b separated from the goods 101 contained in it, in accordance with the foregoing.

This arrangement 116 is also executed in a similar fashion to a load alternation platform.

The invention should be appreciated from the foregoing with regard to both its function and its construction with reference to the drawings and is not restricted to the examples illustrated and described here, but may be varied freely within the context of the Patent Claims without departing from the idea of invention. For example, a different arrangement may be used for parting the sleeve, and other sides of bales or packs other than those referred to may be parted.