US 11,891,263 B2
Interfolding machine
Alessandro Morelli, Lucca (IT); Sergio Lombardi, Viareggio (IT); and Paolo Casotti, Lucca (IT)
Assigned to VALMET TISSUE CONVERTING S.R.L., Porcari (IT)
Appl. No. 17/762,176
Filed by VALMET TISSUE CONVERTING S.R.L., Porcari (IT)
PCT Filed Sep. 23, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/058900
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 21, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/059164, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 1, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 102019000017048 (IT), filed on Sep. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371853 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B65H 45/24 (2006.01); B65H 29/24 (2006.01); B65H 45/28 (2006.01)
CPC B65H 45/24 (2013.01) [B65H 29/243 (2013.01); B65H 45/28 (2013.01); B65H 2301/121 (2013.01); B65H 2301/17 (2013.01); B65H 2701/1924 (2013.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An interfolding machine for producing stacks of interfolded sheets from a web of paper, said machine comprising:
a feeding section configured to cause said web of paper to move along a predetermined feeding direction;
a cutting section comprising a cutting roller having an external surface, and a counter-cutting element configured to cooperate with each other in such a way to cut said web of paper in a plurality of sheets of predetermined length; and
a folding section comprising a first and a second folding rollers counter-rotating one with respect to the other, said first and second folding rollers being configured to fold, at a folding zone, said plurality of sheets in a plurality of panels and to form said stack of interfolded sheets according to a predetermined interfolding configuration;
wherein:
said cutting roller is configured to alternately distribute said plurality of sheets to said first folding roller forming a first plurality of sheets arranged to reach said folding zone through a first feeding path, and to a transfer roller provided in a transfer section forming a second plurality of sheets arranged to reach said folding zone through a second feeding path,
said transfer roller is configured to transfer said second plurality of sheets to said second folding roller,
said transfer roller is provided with third holding elements configured to hold said second plurality of sheets on the external surface of said transfer roller, and
said third holding elements are configured to alternatively move between:
an activation configuration in which said third holding elements are arranged to hold said second plurality of sheets on said external surface of said transfer roller, and
a deactivation configuration, in which said third holding elements are not arranged to hold said sheets of said second plurality and, therefore, all the sheets of said plurality are arranged to be transferred from said cutting roller to said first folding roller; and
said cutting roller is provided with:
first holding elements configured to hold said sheets on a first portion of said external surface of said cutting roller; and
second holding elements configured to hold said sheets on a second portion of said external surface positioned downstream of said first portion of said cutting roller, in such a way that, when said second holding elements are arranged to hold said sheets on said second portion, a sheet of said plurality is transferred from said cutting roller to said transfer roller, whilst, when said second holding elements are not arranged to hold said sheets on said second portion, a sheet is transferred from said cutting roller to said first folding roller.