JP7689554B2 - Sheet cutting device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an apparatus for cutting sheets of various dimensions from a long sheet material.

In the logistics industry, cardboard packaging is done by preparing multiple standard cardboard sheets, packing them according to the products they contain, and then shipping them. When packaging a wide variety of products and quantities of products, packaging with pre-prepared standard cardboard sheets can result in unnecessary air spaces around the products, reducing transportation efficiency and incurring costs for extra cushioning materials.

When cutting out a cardboard sheet from a sheet material, the following five steps (1) to (5) are performed. Note that the order of the following steps is an example, and the order of some steps can be changed.
(1) Sheet cutting: The sheet material is cut to the required length to obtain cardboard sheets.
(2) Vertical scoring: A vertical score (crease) is formed on the cardboard sheet.
(3) Width direction scoring: A score line (crease) is formed in the width direction of the cardboard sheet.
(4) Slot forming machine: This machine forms slots, which are the gaps between the flaps in the cardboard sheet.
(5) Trimming: Cut off and remove excess material on both sides in the width direction.

Patent Document 1 provides a system (apparatus) for cutting out and producing box templates (corrugated cardboard sheets) of various dimensions from a sheet material. The apparatus in Patent Document 1 has three rotatable tool rollers arranged adjacent to each other on the sheet material, and is provided with a support roller corresponding to each of the three tool rollers. Each of the three tool rollers is provided with a tool such as a cutter or knife that has the function required to produce a box template. Specifically, based on the conveying direction of the sheet material, the upstream tool roller is provided with tools for cutting and horizontal creasing, the middle tool roller is provided with tools for vertical creasing and trimming, and the downstream tool roller is provided with tools for slot formation and seam formation.

In the system of Patent Document 1, the intermediate tool rollers are capable of changing the spacing between a pair of tools for vertical creases (VL) and for trimming. The downstream tool rollers are also capable of changing the spacing between a pair of tools for slot formation and seam formation. The system of Patent Document 1 can produce cardboard sheets of different dimensions by changing the spacing between the tools in the intermediate tool rollers and downstream tool rollers.

Special Publication No. 2022-524082

In the system of US Pat. No. 5,999,633, an intermediate tool roller is provided with two tools on the same axis: a tool for longitudinal crease (VL) and a tool for trimming.
Therefore, in the system of Patent Document 1, the tool for the vertical crease (VL) and the tool for trimming interfere with each other in the axial direction, making it impossible to change the desired spacing, which requires replacement of either or both of the tool roller and the tool when there is a large difference in the dimensions of the cardboard sheets being handled.
Furthermore, in the system of Patent Document 1, which has two coaxial tools, the tools must be replaced in order to accommodate sheet materials of different thicknesses.

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a device that can efficiently cut out sheets from cardboard sheets with widely varying dimensions and sheet materials of different thicknesses.

The sheet cutting device according to the present disclosure comprises:
a sheet cutter that cuts the sheet material in a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction to divide the sheet;
a vertical creasing machine for forming vertical creasing lines on a sheet in a vertical direction parallel to a conveying direction;
a slot forming machine for forming slots in the sheet having the longitudinal lines;
and a trimming machine that cuts and trims both lateral sides of the sheet in which the slots are formed in the longitudinal direction.
The vertical creasing machine is
A pair of vertical creasing rollers are provided at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction and are independently movable in the horizontal direction;
The slot forming machine is
A pair of slot rollers are provided laterally spaced apart from each other and are independently movable laterally;
The trimming machine is
and a pair of trimming knives spaced apart in the laterally direction and each of which is independently movable in the laterally direction.

According to the cutting device disclosed herein, the rollers including the tools that can move laterally can move independently, so there is no restriction on the movement of each other. Therefore, even cardboard sheets with large differences in dimensions can be efficiently cut out from the sheet material. In addition, because the necessary tools can be moved independently in the vertical direction, it is easy to accommodate changes in the thickness of the sheet material.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cutting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the cutting device according to the embodiment. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a process of cutting out a sheet material using the cutting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the next step in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the next step in FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the steps of FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 collectively. 4 is a timing chart showing an operation of the extraction device according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a development view and a cardboard box, respectively;

Hereinafter, a sheet cutting device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The sheet cutting device 1 has independent components corresponding to five processes required to cut out the sheet S2 from the long sheet material S1. In particular, the spacing between the components, each of which has a pair of tools spaced apart in the lateral direction (W), can be changed independently.

[Configuration of the sheet cutting device 1: see FIGS. 1 and 2]
The sheet cutting device 1 includes a processing unit 10 that cuts out a sheet S2 from a sheet material S1, and a control unit 100 that controls the operation of the processing unit 10.
1 and 2, in the sheet cutting device 1, the side where the sheet material S1 is carried in is defined as the upstream (U), and the side where the cut-out sheet S2 is carried out is defined as the downstream (D). Also, the direction parallel to the conveying direction (TD) of the sheet materials S1 and S2 processed in the sheet cutting device 1 is defined as the vertical direction (L), and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (L) is defined as the horizontal direction (W). In Fig. 2, the sheet materials S1 and S2 are conveyed along a sheet conveying path SL indicated by a dashed line.

[Processing section 10: see Figures 1 and 2]
The processing unit 10 includes a sheet slitter 20, a vertical scorer 30, a horizontal scorer 40, a slotter 50, and a trimmer 60, which are arranged in this order from the upstream (U) side to the downstream (D) side. The sheet slitter 20, the vertical scorer 30, the horizontal scorer 40, the slotter 50, and the trimmer 60 are fixed in position in the vertical direction (L), i.e., in the conveying direction (TD).
The long sheet material S1 is waiting in a folded state upstream (U) of the sheet cutting device 1, and is successively pulled out from there and conveyed toward the sheet cutting machine 20. In this embodiment, the long sheet material is referred to as the sheet material (S1), and each piece cut out from the sheet material (S1) is referred to as a sheet (S2). The sheet material (S1) and the sheet (S2) are typically cardboard sheet material and cardboard sheets.

[Sheet cutting machine 20]
The sheet cutter 20 includes a cutting roller 21 that cuts the sheet material S1 parallel to the width direction (W), and a support roller 23 that is disposed opposite the cutting roller 21 in the vertical direction (V).
The cutting roller 21 includes a cylindrical roller body 21A and a cutting tool 21B fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body 21A. The cutting tool 21B has a straight shape parallel to or inclined at a small angle to the central axis C21 of the cutting roller 21, and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the cutting tool 21B.
When the sheet material S1 is cut by the cutting tool 21B, the support roller 23 supports the sheet material S1 from below in the vertical direction (V) to support the cutting of the sheet material S1 by the cutting tool 21B.
The sheet cutting machine 20 has a width (W) dimension capable of cutting the sheet material S1 having the maximum width (W) dimension including the cutting tool 21B. The same applies to the vertical creasing machine 30, the horizontal creasing machine 40, the slot forming machine 50 and the trimming machine 60 described below.

The cutting roller 21 and the support roller 23 are supported rotatably about their respective central axes C21 and C23, sandwiching the sheet material S1 conveyed from the upstream (U) between them and cutting the sheet material S1 at a predetermined position. The cutting roller 21 is made rotatable by the rotational driving force of an electric motor (not shown). By controlling the rotation of this electric motor, the sheet material S1 can be cut at a desired position. The support roller 23 preferably rotates on its own axis, but may also rotate in response to an external force, i.e., rotate freely.
The cutting roller 21 and the support roller 23 are preferably configured to be movable up and down in the vertical direction (V), and the gap between them can be adjusted. This position change includes at least a change between a processing position where the sheet material S1 is cut and a standby position where the sheet material S1 is not cut. The gap adjustment is effective for processing sheet materials S1 of different thicknesses. The gap adjustment is similarly applied to the vertical creasing machine 30, the horizontal creasing machine 40, the slot forming machine 50 and the trimming machine 60.

The sheet cutter 20 shown here has the cutting roller 21 above the sheet material S1 and the support roller 23 below the sheet material S1, but the vertical positional relationship between the cutting roller 21 and the support roller 23 can be reversed. The same is true for the vertical creasing machine 30, horizontal creasing machine 40, slot forming machine 50, and trimming machine 60 described below.

[Vertical creasing machine 30]
The vertical creasing machine 30 includes upper creasing rollers 31A and 31B disposed above the sheet material S1, and lower creasing rollers 33A and 33B disposed below the sheet material S1. The upper creasing roller 31A and the lower creasing roller 33A are disposed opposite each other in the vertical direction (V), and the upper creasing roller 31B and the lower creasing roller 33B are disposed opposite each other in the vertical direction (V). The vertical creasing machine 30 sandwiches the sheet S2 cut by the sheet cutting machine 20 between the upper creasing rollers 31A and 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A and 33B to form a creasing line (vertical creasing line (VL), score) in the vertical direction (L).

The upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B can be moved independently in the horizontal direction (W), as shown by the double-headed arrows in FIG. 1. The upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B are moved in the horizontal direction (W) so as to maintain symmetry with respect to the center in the horizontal direction (W). This is to change the horizontal (W) position of the sheet S2 on which the vertical lines (VL) are to be formed, and to form the vertical lines (VL) at different positions on sheets S2 of different dimensions. When forming the vertical lines (VL), the upper creasing roller 31A and the lower creasing roller 33A are positioned so that their horizontal (W) positions match, and the upper creasing roller 31B and the lower creasing roller 33B are positioned so that their horizontal (W) positions match.

The upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (V), and the spacing between them can be adjusted.

The vertical creasing machine 30 may form vertical lines (VL) on only one of the front and back surfaces of the sheet S2, or may form vertical lines (VL) on both the front and back surfaces of the sheet S2.
When vertical lines (VL) are formed on only one of the front and back surfaces, the outer periphery of the steel upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B is provided with a convex shape capable of forming the vertical lines (VL). As an example, the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B have a passive rotational motion, whereas the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B have an active rotational motion. Since the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B receive the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B, it is sufficient for them to be fixed to the conveying line at a position that holds the lower surface of the sheet S2.
When vertical lines (VL) are to be formed on both the front and back surfaces, the outer peripheries of the upper scoring rollers 31A, 31B and the lower scoring rollers 33A, 33B are provided with an uneven shape capable of forming the vertical lines (VL).

[Horizontal Crease Machine 40]
The horizontal creasing machine 40 forms horizontal lines (horizontal lines) in the sheet S2 on which the vertical creasing machine 30 has formed vertical lines (VL).
The horizontal creasing machine 40 includes a horizontal creasing roller 41 that forms horizontal lines (HL) on the sheet S2, and a support roller 43 that is disposed opposite the horizontal creasing roller 41 in the vertical direction (V).
The horizontal scoring roller 41 includes a cylindrical roller body 41A and a scoring tool 41B fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body 41A. The scoring tool 41B has a straight shape parallel to the central axis C41 of the horizontal scoring roller 41 and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the support roller 43.
When forming horizontal lines (HL) on sheet S2 with line tool 41B, support roller 43 supports sheet S2 from below in the vertical direction (V), thereby supporting the formation of horizontal lines (HL) on sheet S2 by line tool 41B.

The horizontal creasing roller 41 and the support roller 43 are supported rotatably about their respective central axes C41 and C43, and sandwich the sheet S2 conveyed from the upstream (U) between them to form a horizontal creasing line (HL) on the sheet S2. The horizontal creasing roller 41 can rotate on its own axis due to the rotational driving force of an electric motor (not shown). By controlling the rotation of this electric motor, the horizontal creasing line (HL) can be formed at a desired position on the sheet S2. The support roller 43 preferably rotates on its own axis, but may also rotate in response to an external force, i.e., rotate freely.
The spacing between the horizontal creasing roller 41 and the support roller 43 in the vertical direction (V) is preferably adjustable.

[Slot forming machine 50]
The slot forming machine 50 forms slots (SL) in the sheet S2 on which the vertical lines (VL) and horizontal lines (HL) are formed. The slots (SL) are grooved portions between the flaps of a cardboard box.
The slot forming machine 50 includes a pair of slot rollers 51, 51 arranged in the horizontal direction (W) to form a slot (SL) in the sheet S2, and a support roller 53 arranged opposite the slot rollers 51, 51 in the vertical direction (V).
Each slot roller 51 includes a cylindrical roller body 51A and a slot tool 51B fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body 51A. The slot tool 51B has the same shape as the slot to be formed, parallel to the central axis C41 of the slot roller 51 or inclined at a small angle, and is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body 51A.
When the slot tool 51B forms a slot (SL) in the sheet S2, the support roller 53 supports the sheet S2 from below in the vertical direction (V), thereby supporting the slot tool 51B in forming the slot in the sheet S2.

The slot forming machine 50 has a lateral (W) dimension that can form the required slot (SL) for the sheet S2, which has the largest lateral (W) dimension, including the slot tool 51B.

The slot roller 51 and the support roller 53 are supported rotatably around their respective central axes C51 and C53, and sandwich the sheet S2 transported from the upstream (U) between them to form a slot (SL) at a predetermined position on the sheet S2. The slot roller 51 is capable of rotating on its own axis due to the rotational driving force of an electric motor (not shown). It is preferable that the support roller 23 rotate on its own axis, but it may also rotate in response to an external force, i.e., rotate freely.

The slot roller 51 and the support roller 53 are preferably adjustable in the vertical (V) distance. This position change includes at least a change between a processing position where a slot is formed in the sheet S2 and a standby position where a slot is not formed in the sheet S2.

The pair of slot rollers 51, 51 can move in the lateral direction (W) according to the size of the sheet S2. One slot roller 51 forms a slot (SL) on one side of the lateral direction (W) of the sheet S2, and the other slot roller 51 forms a slot (SL) on the other side of the lateral direction (W) of the sheet S2.
In contrast to the above, the support roller 53 is formed as an integral member having a dimension in the lateral direction (W) capable of supporting the pair of slot rollers 51, 51 that are furthest apart in the lateral direction (W).

Although only the formation of a slot (SL) in the sheet S2 has been mentioned above, the slot forming machine 50 can also be provided with a function for forming a seam. This is achieved by providing the slot roller 51 with a tool for forming a seam.

[Trimming machine 60]
The trimming machine 60 cuts and removes excess portions on both sides in the lateral direction (W) of the sheet S2 on which the vertical lines (VL), horizontal lines (HL) and slots (SL) are formed.
The trimming machine 60 includes upper trimming knives 61A, 61B disposed above the sheet S2, and lower trimming knives 63A, 63B disposed below the sheet material S1. The upper trimming knife 61A and the lower trimming knife 63A are disposed opposite each other in the vertical direction (V), and the upper trimming knife 61B and the lower trimming knife 63B are disposed opposite each other in the vertical direction (V). When the sheet S2 passes between the upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the lower trimming knives 63A, 63B, the trimming machine 60 cuts off both ends of the sheet S2 to form a predetermined sheet width.

The upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the lower trimming knives 63A, 63B are each capable of moving their horizontal (W) positions independently. This is so that their horizontal (W) positions can be changed according to the dimensions of the sheet S2 to be trimmed. When forming a specified sheet width, the upper trimming knife 61A and the lower trimming knife 63A are positioned so that their horizontal (W) positions match, and the upper trimming knife 61B and the lower trimming knife 63B are positioned so that their horizontal (W) positions match.

[Transport mechanism: 70]
The processing section 10 is provided with a transport mechanism 70 that transports the sheet material S1 and the sheet S2 from the sheet cutting machine 20 to the trimming machine 60.
The conveying mechanism 70 is equipped with a plurality of pinch rollers. Specifically, they are as follows. A pinch roller is a roller that conveys an object while pressing it with a constant pressure in the thickness direction, and can accurately control the conveying position. Each pinch roller is preferably rotated by an electric motor (not shown), particularly a servo motor, so that the rotation speed and rotation position are accurately controlled.
Upstream (U) of the sheet cutter 20: pinch rollers 71, 72
Between the sheet cutter 20 and the vertical creasing machine 30: pinch rollers 73, 74
Between the vertical creasing machine 30 and the horizontal creasing machine 40: pinch rollers 75, 76
Between the horizontal scoring machine 40 and the slot forming machine 50: pinch rollers 77, 78
Between the slot former 50 and the trimmer 60: pinch rollers 79, 80

[Control unit 100]
The control unit 100 controls the operation of each element of the processing unit 10 described above.
In particular, in order to produce sheets S21, S22, etc. of different sizes, the control unit 100 holds various dimensional data regarding sheets S21, S22, etc., and the control unit 100 controls the operation of each element of the processing unit 10 based on the held dimensional data.

[Operation of the sheet cutting device 1: see FIGS. 3 to 6]
The following describes a procedure for producing a sheet S2 in which vertical lines (VL), horizontal lines (HL) and slots (SL) are formed from a sheet material S1 and excess portions are trimmed using the sheet cutting device 1. Here, as an example, the following describes a procedure for producing a large-sized sheet S21 by cutting out the sheet material S1, followed by producing a small-sized sheet S22, and then producing a large-sized sheet S23.

[Cutting of the sheet S21: S1, S2 in Figs. 3 and 6]
The processing unit 10 is prepared for producing the sheet S21 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 100. In particular, the interval between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B of the vertical creasing machine 30, the interval between the slot rollers 51, 51 of the slot forming machine 50, and the interval between the upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the upper trimming knives 63A, 63B of the trimming machine 60 are set to D30L, D50L, and D60L in accordance with the large-sized sheet S21.

When the conveyed sheet material S1 passes through the sheet cutter 20 and is conveyed to a predetermined position in the vertical direction (L), the conveyance of the sheet material S1 is stopped and the sheet material S1 is cut in the horizontal direction (W) by the sheet cutter 20 to produce a sheet S21 (Fig. 3 S1). The conveyance and stopping of the sheet material S1, sheet S21, etc. are caused by the driving and stopping of the driving of the corresponding pinch rollers. The stopping of conveyance here is caused by the stopping of the driving of the pinch rollers 71, 72 that had been driven up until that point for the sheet material S1, and the stopping of the driving of the pinch rollers 73 to 80 that had been driven up until that point for the sheet S21.

In addition to passing through the sheet cutter 20, part of the sheet S21 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30 and the horizontal creasing machine 40. Therefore, vertical lines (VL) and horizontal lines (HL) are formed in the part that has passed through.

When the sheet material S1 is cut to produce the sheet S21, the conveyance of the sheet material S1 is temporarily stopped, but the sheet S21 continues to be conveyed downstream (D) (FIG. 3, S2). In addition to the vertical lines (VL) and horizontal lines (HL) being formed in the sheet S21, the slot forming machine 50 forms slots (SL) in the sheet S21.
Here, when sheet S21 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30 (FIG. 3, S2), the horizontal (W) distance between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B of the vertical creasing machine 30 is narrowed to D30S to match the next sheet S22 with a smaller dimension. This completes preparations for producing sheet S22 in the vertical creasing machine 30. This change in distance is made by instructions from the control unit 100. The dimensions D50L and D60L remain the same as before.

[Cutting of the sheet S22: S3 and S4 in Figs. 4 and 6]
After the lateral distance (W) between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B is changed to D30S, the conveyance of the sheet material S1 is resumed (FIG. 4, S3). When the sheet material S1 is conveyed to a predetermined position, it is cut by the sheet cutter 20 to obtain the sheet S22.
At this stage, the sheet S21 is further conveyed downstream (D), passes through the horizontal creasing machine 40 and the slot forming machine 50, and part of the sheet passes through the trimming machine 60. Thus, the sheet S21 has vertical creasing lines (VL), horizontal creasing lines (HL), slots (SL) and seams SM formed therein, and is also partially trimmed.
When the sheet S21 passes through the slot former 50, the widthwise (W) distance between the slot rollers 51, 51 of the slot former 50 is narrowed from D50L to D50S to accommodate the sheet S22. This completes preparations for the production of the sheet S22 in the slot former 50. This change in distance is made in response to an instruction from the control unit 100.

After the spacing between the slot rollers 51, 51 of the slot forming machine 50 is narrowed, the sheet S22 reaches the slot rollers 51, 51. The sheet S22 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30 and reaches the slot forming machine 50 (FIGS. 4 and 6, S4). When the sheet S22 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30, the horizontal (W) spacing between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B of the vertical creasing machine 30 is widened to D30L to match the sheet S23. The vertical creasing machine 30 is now ready to produce the sheet S23. This spacing change is in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 100.

The sheet S21 passes through the trimming machine 60, whereby the excess portions on both sides in the lateral direction (W) are cut and removed. After being cut by the sheet cutting machine 20, the sheet S21 passes through the trimming machine 60 without being stopped. The sheet S21 is conveyed out of the processing unit 10.
When the sheet S21 passes through the trimming machine 60, the upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the upper trimming knives 63A, 63B of the trimming machine 60 are narrowed from D60L to D60S to accommodate the next sheet S22. This change in the interval is made between when the sheet S21 passes through the trimming machine 60 and when the next sheet S22 to be trimmed reaches the trimming machine 60. The sheet S21 can be transported at the same speed from when it is carried into the sheet cutting machine 20 until it passes through the trimming machine 60.

[Cutting of sheet S23: S5, S6 in Figs. 5 and 6]
After the distance in the lateral direction (W) between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B is changed to D30L, the conveyance of the sheet material S1 is resumed (FIG. 5, S5). When the sheet material S1 is conveyed to a predetermined position, it is cut by the sheet cutter 20 to obtain the sheet S23.
At this stage, the sheet S22 is further conveyed downstream (D), passes through the horizontal creasing machine 40 and the slot forming machine 50, and part of the sheet passes through the trimming machine 60. Thus, the sheet S21 has vertical lines (VL), horizontal lines (HL) and slots (SL) formed therein, and is also partially trimmed.
When the sheet S22 passes through the slot former 50, the widthwise (W) distance between the slot rollers 51, 51 of the slot former 50 is changed from D50S to D50L to accommodate the sheet S23. The slot former 50 is now ready to produce the sheet S23. This change in distance is made in response to an instruction from the control unit 100.

After the spacing between the slot rollers 51, 51 of the slot forming machine 50 has been changed to be wider, the sheet S23 reaches the slot rollers 51, 51. The sheet S23 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30 and reaches the slot forming machine 50 (FIGS. 5 and 6, S6). When the sheet S22 passes through the vertical creasing machine 30, the horizontal (W) spacing between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B of the vertical creasing machine 30 is changed to be narrower, D30S, to match the spacing between the sheet S23. The vertical creasing machine 30 is now ready to produce the sheet S24. This spacing change is in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 100.

The sheet S22 passes through the trimming machine 60, whereby the excess portions on both sides in the lateral direction (W) are cut and removed. After being cut by the sheet cutting machine 20, the sheet S22 passes through the trimming machine 60 without being stopped. The sheet S22 is conveyed out of the processing unit 10.
When sheet S22 passes through the trimming machine 60, the upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the upper trimming knives 63A, 63B of the trimming machine 60 are changed from D60S to D60L to accommodate the next sheet S23. This change in spacing occurs after sheet S23 passes through the trimming machine 60 and before the next sheet S24 to be trimmed reaches the trimming machine 60.

[Summary of Operation of Sheet Cutting Device 1]
The operation of the sheet cutting device 1 described above is summarized as follows. In the following description, the cardboard sheet (S21) that is cut out first is referred to as the "preceding sheet," and the cardboard sheet (S22) that is cut out following the "preceding sheet" is referred to as the "subsequent sheet." Note that the "subsequent sheet" is the "preceding sheet" with respect to the cardboard sheet (S23) that is cut out next.

<Pre-release seat>
The first preceding sheet (S21) cut while being conveyed by the sheet cutter 20 continues to be conveyed as is. This conveying speed can be made constant. That is, for the preceding sheet (S21), operations from making vertical lines (VL) by the vertical creasing machine 30 to trimming by the trimming machine 60 are continuously performed while being conveyed.

<Subsequent sheets>
After the preceding sheet (S22) is cut by the sheet cutting machine 20, the conveyance of the sheet material S1 for producing the succeeding sheet (S22) is temporarily stopped, but the conveyance of the sheet material S1 is resumed when the horizontal interval (W) of the vertical creasing machine 30 is changed. After the conveyance is resumed, the operations from cutting by the sheet cutting machine 20 to trimming by the trimming machine 60 are continuously performed while the sheet material S1 is being conveyed.

<Spacing change>
In the cutting device 1, the vertical creasing machine 30, the slot forming machine 50, and the trimming machine 60 are the machines that change the spacing. In other words, the elements that require a change in spacing are independent, so the distances for which the spacing is changed are not restricted by each other. Moreover, when the sheet S2 passes through each of the vertical creasing machine 30 to the trimming machine 60, the spacing is changed without waiting for the spacing of the other elements to be changed. In this way, the vertical creasing machine 30 to the trimming machine 60 change the spacing in stages with a time lag.

[Timing chart: see FIG. 7]
The above operations are summarized in the timing chart shown in FIG.
In the timing chart shown in Fig. 7, the operations of the sheet cutting machine 20 to the trimming machine 60 are shown, the horizontal axis is the elapsed time T, and the hatched convex parts of the lines of each operation indicate that the operation is being performed. Also, in Fig. 7, for example, the white convex parts of the lines indicate that the interval is being changed. Furthermore, the conveying operations of the sheet material S1 and the sheet S2 are different on the boundary between the sheet cutting machine 20 and the vertical creasing machine 30. That is, on the upstream side (U) of the sheet cutting machine 20, when the sheet material S1 is cut into the sheet S2 by the sheet cutting machine 20, the conveying operation on the upstream side (U) of the sheet cutting machine 20 is temporarily stopped, but on the downstream side (D) of the sheet cutting machine 20, the conveying operation is continuously performed without being stopped.

As shown in FIG. 7, except for a stop in transport upstream (U), the sheet material S1 and sheet S2 are continuously processed through the sheet cutter 20, vertical creasing machine 30, horizontal creasing machine 40, slot former 50 and trimming machine 60.
In the vertical creasing machine 30, the slot forming machine 50 and the trimming machine 60, which have the function of changing the intervals, the intervals are changed immediately after the vertical creasing (VL), slot forming and trimming operations are performed. After the intervals are changed for each, the next sheet S2 is processed. For example, after forming the vertical creasing (VL) for the No. 1 sheet S2, the intervals are changed so as to fit the size of the No. 2 sheet S2 to be processed next. After forming the vertical creasing (VL) for the No. 2 sheet S2, the intervals are changed so as to fit the size of the No. 3 sheet S2 to be processed next. Thereafter, the same vertical creasing (VL) and interval changes are alternately repeated. Also, the slot forming machine 50 alternates between slot formation and interval changes, and the trimming machine 60 alternates between trimming and interval changes. In this way, sheets S2 of different dimensions can be efficiently produced.

[Effects of the sheet cutting device 1]
<First Effect>
The sheet cutting device 1 is provided with a vertical creasing machine 30 and a trimming machine 60, which are independent of each other and change the spacing in the horizontal direction (W). Therefore, the change in the spacing between the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B and the lower creasing rollers 33A, 33B in the vertical creasing machine 30 does not restrict the change in the spacing between the upper trimming knives 61A, 61B and the lower trimming knives 63A, 63B. Therefore, according to the sheet cutting device 1, even if the sheets S2 have greatly different dimensions, it is not necessary to replace tools such as the upper creasing rollers 31A, 31B.

For example, if two tools (vertical crease and trimming) are provided on the same axis as in Patent Document 1, mechanical interference occurs when the tools move in the axial direction, and as a result, there is a limit to how close the vertical crease and trimming positions can be brought. Referring to Figure 9, mechanical interference places a restriction on the minimum dimension of the flap width H2, and there is a limit to reducing the dimension B1 (B2) in the figure. In other words, since H2 = B1 (B2) / 2, if there is a limit on the flap width H2, it becomes impossible to produce a cardboard box with a small dimension B.

Moreover, according to the sheet cutting device 1, after the sheet S2 is cut by the sheet cutting machine 20, the conveyance of the sheet S2 continues at the same speed until it is trimmed by the trimming machine 60. Therefore, sheets S2 of different dimensions can be produced in a short cycle time. In addition, because the conveyance can be performed at a constant speed, there is no need for sudden acceleration or deceleration in each process in the vertical creasing machine 30, horizontal creasing machine 40, slot forming machine 50, and trimming machine 60, and high processing accuracy can be obtained.

<Second Effect>
The sheet cutting device 1 is provided with the vertical creasing machine 30, the slot forming machine 50, and the trimming machine 60 independently, and when the sheet S2 passes through, the intervals can be changed in turn in each machine. Therefore, according to the sheet cutting device 1, the intervals can be changed without waiting for the intervals of the other machines to be changed, so that the device is quickly ready to receive the succeeding sheets.

<Third Effect>
The sheet cutting device 20 to the trimming device 60 constituting the sheet cutting device 1 are fixed in position in the vertical direction (L). Therefore, according to the sheet cutting device 1, the dimension in the vertical direction (L) can be reduced.

<Fourth Effect>
The sheet cutting machine 20 to the slot forming machine 50 that constitute the sheet cutting device 1 can be raised and lowered independently in the vertical direction (V). Therefore, by simply switching and supplying sheet materials S1 having different thickness directions, it is possible to cut out sheets S2 having different thicknesses.
In contrast, if two tools are provided coaxially as in Patent Document 1, it is not easy to handle sheets S2 of different thicknesses. One tool has conflicting characteristics: the vertical (V) position of one tool needs to be adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet S2, whereas the vertical (V) position of the other tool is preferably kept constant.
On the other hand, with regard to the tool for making the creases (vertical and horizontal), if the vertical position (V) of the tool is not adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet S2, the creases necessary for folding may not be made, or conversely, the creases may be made too deep, causing the sheet S2 to tear along the creases.
The other tool is, for example, a cutting tool, which cuts the sheet S2 by cutting the sheet S2 by inserting a knife into the support roller. It is preferable that the amount of the knife's insertion is constant even if the thickness of the sheet S2 varies. If the amount of insertion is large, the support roller will wear out quickly, and if the amount of insertion is small, poor cutting of the sheet S2 may occur.
Therefore, if two tools having opposing characteristics are provided coaxially, it is necessary to exchange the tools with different specifications, and it is not easy to deal with sheets S2 having different thicknesses.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select and discard the configurations given in the above embodiment, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate.
For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which sheets S21 to S23 all have different dimensions, but in the present disclosure, when continuously cutting out and processing sheets S2 of the same dimensions, the next sheet S2 is accepted while maintaining the intervals between the vertical creasing machine (30), the slot forming machine 50, and the trimming machine 60.

Furthermore, the order of the sheet cutting machine 20 to the trimming machine 60 is not limited to that shown in FIG.
For example, the order of the horizontal scoring machine 40 and the vertical scoring machine 30 can be interchanged as shown on the left side of FIG. 8, and the order of the trimming machine 60 and the slot forming machine 50 can be interchanged as shown on the right side of the same figure.

<Additional Notes>
The present disclosure can be understood as follows.
[Appendix 1]
The sheet cutting device (1) comprises:
a sheet cutter (20) for cutting the sheet material (S1) in a lateral direction (W) perpendicular to a conveying direction (TD) to divide the sheet (S2);
a vertical creasing machine (30) for forming vertical creasing lines (VL) on the sheet (S2) in a vertical direction (L) parallel to a conveying direction (TD);
A slot forming machine (50) for forming slots (SL) in a sheet (S2) on which vertical lines (VL) are formed;
a trimming machine (60) for cutting and trimming both sides of the sheet (S2) in the width direction (W) in the length direction (L);
The vertical creasing machine (30)
The press machine includes a pair of vertical creasing rollers (31A, 31B) spaced apart in the horizontal direction (W) and each of which is independently movable in the horizontal direction (W).
The slot former (50) comprises:
The apparatus includes a pair of slot rollers (51, 51) spaced apart in a lateral direction (W) and each of which is independently movable in the lateral direction (W),
The trimming machine (60)
The trimming knife cutting apparatus is provided with a pair of trimming knives (61A, 61B) spaced apart in the lateral direction (W) and each of which is independently movable in the lateral direction (W).
[Appendix 2]
In the vertical creasing machine (30) of Appendix 1, preferably,
After the pair of vertical creasing rollers (31A, 31B) form a pair of vertical creasing lines (VL) on the sheet (S2), the distance between the pair of vertical creasing rollers (31A, 31B) is changed or maintained.
[Appendix 3]
In the slot former (50) of claim 1 or 2, preferably
After forming a plurality of slots (SL) in the sheet (S2) by a pair of slot rollers (51, 51),
The gap between the pair of slot rollers (51, 51) is changed or maintained.
[Appendix 4]
In the trimming machine (60) according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3, preferably,
After trimming with a pair of trimming knives (61A, 61B),
The distance between the pair of trimming knives (61A, 61B) is changed or maintained.
[Appendix 5]
The sheet (S2) after being cut by the sheet cutter (20) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4 is preferably
The sheet passes through the vertical scoring machine (30), the slot forming machine (50) and the trimming machine (60) without stopping, and the processes of forming vertical scores (VL), forming slots (SL) and trimming are carried out in that order.
[Appendix 6]
In any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 5, preferably,
The conveyance of the sheet material (S1) from which the sheet (S2) has been cut by the sheet cutter (20) is temporarily stopped,
In the vertical creasing machine (30),
After the interval between the pair of vertical creasing rollers (31A, 31B) is changed,
The conveyance of the sheet material (S1) is resumed, and the sheet material (S1) is cut by the sheet cutter (20).
[Appendix 7]
In any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 6, preferably,
Between the sheet cutter (20) and the longitudinal scorer (30), or
Between the longitudinal scoring machine (30) and the slot forming machine (50),
A horizontal creasing machine (40) is provided for forming horizontal lines (HL) in the horizontal direction (W) of the sheet (S2).
[Appendix 8]
In any of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 7, preferably, the sheet cutting machine (20), the vertical scoring machine (30), the horizontal scoring machine (40), the slotting machine (50) and the trimming machine (60) have fixed positions in the transport direction (TD).
[Appendix 9]
In any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 8, preferably, a pair of vertical creasing rollers (31A, 31B),
A pair of slot rollers (51, 51), and
The pair of trimming knives (61A, 61B) can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (V).

1 Sheet cutting device 10 Processing unit 20 Sheet cutting machine 21 Cutting roller 21A Roller body 21B Cutting tool 23 Support roller 30 Vertical creasing machine 31A, 31B Upper creasing roller 33A, 33B Lower creasing roller 40 Horizontal creasing machine 41 Horizontal creasing roller 41A Roller body 41B Crease tool 43 Support roller 50 Slot forming machine 51 Slot roller 51A Roller body 51B Slot tool 53 Support roller 60 Trimming machine 61A, 61B Upper trimming knife 63A, 63B Lower trimming knife 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 Pinch roller 100 Control unit

Claims (8)

a sheet cutter including a cutting roller for cutting the sheet material in a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction to divide the sheet;
a vertical creasing machine for forming vertical creasing lines in the vertical direction parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet;
a slot forming machine for forming slots in the sheet having the longitudinal creases;
a trimming machine that cuts and trims both sides of the sheet in the lateral direction in the longitudinal direction,
The vertical creasing machine is
a pair of vertical creasing rollers spaced apart in the horizontal direction and each of which can move independently in the horizontal direction;
The slot forming machine comprises :
a pair of slot rollers spaced apart in the lateral direction and each of which is independently movable in the lateral direction;
The trimming machine includes:
a pair of trimming knives spaced apart in the lateral direction and independently movable in the lateral direction;
The pair of slot rollers include
The slot is formed on both sides of the sheet material in the lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
The sheet after being cut by the sheet cutter is
The vertical creasing machine, the slot forming machine, and the trimming machine are passed through without stopping, and the processes of forming the vertical creasing lines, forming the slots, and trimming are performed in order.
Sheet cutting device.
In the vertical creasing machine,
After the pair of vertical creasing rollers form the pair of vertical creasing lines on the sheet, the distance between the pair of vertical creasing rollers is changed or maintained.
The sheet cutting device according to claim 1 .
In the slot forming machine,
After forming the plurality of slots in the sheet by the pair of slot rollers,
The spacing between the pair of slot rollers is changed or maintained.
The sheet cutting device according to claim 1 .
In the trimming machine,
After the trimming is performed by the pair of trimming knives,
The spacing between the pair of trimming knives is changed or maintained.
The sheet cutting device according to claim 1 .
The conveyance of the sheet material from which the sheet has been cut by the sheet cutter is temporarily stopped,
In the vertical creasing machine,
After the interval between the pair of vertical creasing rollers is changed,
The conveyance of the sheet material is resumed, and the sheet material is cut by the sheet cutter.
5. The sheet cutting device according to claim 4.
Between the sheet cutter and the longitudinal creasing machine, or
Between the vertical creasing machine and the slot forming machine,
The sheet cutting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a horizontal creasing machine for forming horizontal lines in the horizontal direction of the sheet.
The sheet cutting machine, the vertical creasing machine, the horizontal creasing machine, the slot forming machine and the trimming machine are
The position in the conveying direction is fixed.
The sheet cutting device according to claim 6.
A pair of the vertical creasing rollers,
A pair of the slot rollers, and
A horizontal creasing roller constituting a horizontal creasing machine that forms horizontal creasing lines in the horizontal direction of the sheet is capable of being raised and lowered in a vertical direction.
The sheet cutting device according to claim 1 .

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