WO2011014997A1 - Material folding device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A material folding device (10) comprises a feeding device (300) which can reciprocate along the axial direction to provide a cylindrical material; a retracting device (100) which cooperates with the reciprocatory motion of the feeding device and makes the cylindrical material retract in the radial direction by reducing the internal pressure within the cylindrical material provided by the feeding device so as to fold the cylindrical material in the axial direction; and a buckling device (200) which is provided around the retracting device for fixing the folded cylindrical material. A material folding method is used for making an axially folded cylindrical material. According to the material folding device and method, the folded material folded symmetrically and orderly in the axial direction may be obtained.

Description

 Material folding equipment and method

 The present application relates to material folding apparatus and methods, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for axially folding a cylindrical material. The application also relates to an axially folded tubular material made by this method. Background technique

 An existing apparatus for making an axially folded cylindrical material is laminated by a press-fitting mechanism against a cylindrical material placed in an annular cavity of a mold to form an axially folded cylindrical material. The axial folding of the axially folded material thus obtained is uneven and irregular, and the accommodation space of the dedicated cartridge cannot be effectively utilized, and it is difficult to uniformly axially spread the cylindrical material from the dedicated casing, which is inconvenient to use.

 Moreover, existing equipment for making axially folded cylindrical materials includes complicated feeding devices, press devices, and the like for axially folding the cylindrical material, so that the cost, use, and maintenance cost of the device itself are high. Summary of the invention

 The present application proposes an apparatus and method for making an axially folded cylindrical material to overcome the above-discussed shortcomings of the prior art.

 According to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a material folding apparatus comprising: a feeding device capable of reciprocating axially to provide a cylindrical material in an axial direction; a retracting device cooperating with a reciprocating motion of the feeding device, by lowering The air pressure in the cylindrical material provided by the feeding device causes the cylindrical material to radially contract, thereby folding the cylindrical material in the axial direction; and a pressing device disposed around the shrinking device for Fix the cylindrical material that has been folded.

 According to an advantageous but non-mandatory aspect of the present application, such a material folding apparatus may comprise one or more of the following technical features:

 - the crimping device intermittently presses the folded cylindrical material.

The crimping device comprises: a crimping arm, one end of which comprises a buckle head and is pivotally connected to the buckle arm seat; the push rod is axially movable to push the buckle arm to pivot, thereby pressing the buckle The head abuts against the surface of the folded tubular material; a position spring connected to the pressing arm to rotate the pressing arm in a reverse direction when the pushing rod does not apply a pushing force to the pressing arm, so that the buckle head is separated from the folded cylinder The surface of the material.

 The shrinking device comprises: a liner having a radial flange at a lower end thereof; a central cylinder coaxially disposed within the liner; and a floating seat coaxially disposed below the liner and elastically The liner is supported, and a peripheral wall of the center cylinder and a peripheral wall of the liner are provided with an opening, and the center cylinder is in communication with an intake port of the air pump.

 - the feeding device comprises: a feeding cylinder reciprocable along its axial direction to supply the cylindrical material to the retracting device; and a driving device that drives the feeding cylinder to reciprocate in the axial direction.

 - The lower half of the outer peripheral surface of the feed cylinder is provided with rotatable guide sheets respectively corresponding to the buckle heads.

 - the outer surface of the guiding piece facing the ram has a concave shape.

 - The lower surface of the feed cylinder is provided with elastic sheets which are respectively elastically deformable corresponding to the buckle head.

 - The material folding apparatus further comprises a guide roller for guiding the cylindrical material to the feeding device.

 - The material folding apparatus further includes a static eliminating device for removing static electricity on the cylindrical material.

 - The electrostatic device at the location eliminates static electricity on the cylindrical material by supplying ionic gas into the cylindrical material.

 According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of folding a material, comprising: providing a cylindrical material; folding the cylindrical material in an axial direction of the cylindrical material; and folding each of the cylindrical materials once , partially fix the folded tubular material.

 According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of folding a material, characterized in that the folding of the cylindrical material is performed by reducing the air pressure in the cylindrical material to radially contract.

 According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a material folding method in a material folding apparatus as described above, comprising:

1) providing a cylindrical material by the feeding device, and starting the cylindrical material at the beginning Before the folding, the crimping device is fixed to the cylindrical material;

 2) when the feeding device moves downward in the axial direction of the cylindrical material, the pressing device is separated from the cylindrical material to perform folding operation on the cylindrical material;

 3) after completing the folding, moving the feeding device upward in the axial direction of the cylindrical material, and fixing the folded cylindrical material portion by the pressing device;

4) Cycle through steps 2) and 3).

 According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a material folding method, in which the inside of the cylindrical material is subjected to an air suction operation, and the air pressure in the cylindrical material is lower than the external air pressure to perform the folding operation. .

 According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a material folding method, wherein in the step 2), when the feeding device moves downward in an axial direction of the cylindrical material to a first predetermined position, the pressing device leaves A portion of the cylindrical material that is folded.

 According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a material folding method, wherein in the step 2), when the feeding device moves downward in an axial direction of the cylindrical material to a second predetermined position, stopping the suction Gas operation.

 According to another aspect of the present application, an axially folded tubular material made by the above method is provided.

 According to the above apparatus for producing an axially folded cylindrical material and a method of producing an axially folded cylindrical material, it is possible to produce an axially folded material which is uniformly folded and aligned in the axial direction. DRAWINGS

 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical material folding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cylindrical material folding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which exploded perspective views of the liner and the transmission system are respectively shown ;

 Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the transmission rod is connected to the feed cylinder, in which parts and structures of the apparatus are omitted

 4A and 4B are respectively perspective views of a pressurized state and a non-operating state of a floating seat of a retracting device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the crimping device in a buckled state in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a feed cylinder of a feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

 7 to 13 sequentially illustrate a working cycle of the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which part of the components and structure of the apparatus are omitted;

 14A and 14B respectively show the relative positions of two sets of sensing sheets and inductive switches during operation of the apparatus, with parts and structures of the apparatus omitted;

 Figure 15 is a front elevational view of a cylindrical material folding apparatus with a static eliminating device according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a part of the components and structure of the apparatus are omitted; a perspective view of the axially folded cylindrical material S produced by the method ;

 Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the axially folded cylindrical material S of Fig. 16 placed in the special cartridge C and unfolded from the special cartridge C, respectively. detailed description

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a cylindrical material folding apparatus 10. It will be appreciated that the combination of all of the shrinking device 100, the crimping device 200, the feeding device 300, and the support structure 500 can form various embodiments of the device 10.

 The feeding device 300 is for reciprocating in the axial direction, and conveys the cylindrical material (not shown) to be folded to the contracting device 100. The retracting device 100 is adapted to cooperate with the reciprocating motion of the feeding device 300 to fold the cylindrical material in the axial direction. A crimping device 200 is disposed around the retracting device 100 for securing a portion of the material that has been folded. The shrinking device 100, the crimping device 200, and the feeding device 300 are all mounted on the support structure 500.

 An example of the contraction device 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 4A and 4B. Apparatus 100 includes a liner 110, a float 120, a center barrel 130, a gas tube 140, and an air pump 150.

 The center cylinder 130 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper substrate 521 of the support structure 500. The center cylinder 130 has an equal-wall-shaped cylindrical shape with an upper and lower opening, and a plurality of through holes 131 are circumferentially disposed on the side wall in the axial direction. The through holes can be arranged at equal intervals. The center barrel 130 may be made of a metal such as aluminum.

The upper substrate 521 is mounted on the upper frame 511 of the support structure 500, and the upper substrate 521 The center is provided with a hole having a diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the center cylinder.

 The liner 110 is disposed coaxially about the central barrel 130. The village can 110 includes a liner cylinder 111 and a liner ring 112. The liner cylinder 111 has a radial flange at one end thereof, and the cylinder of the liner cylinder 111 is substantially in the shape of an upper and lower opening cylindrical having an equal wall thickness. The outer diameter of the liner ring 112 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the radial flange 1111 of the liner cylinder 111, and the inner diameter is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the village cylinder 111. The village ring 112 is axially fitted over the liner cylinder 111 and is coupled to the radial flange 1111 of the village cylinder 111. The inner circumferential surface of the liner cylinder 111 has a uniform circumferential gap between the outer circumferential surface of the central cylinder 130 coaxially located therein, and the circumferential side wall thereof extends axially upward from the lower portion of the liner cylinder 111 to the middle portion. A slot is provided to allow the liner cylinder 111 to be in gas communication at the inside and outside of the cylinder wall. The slots are axially extended, for example, at equal angular intervals of 15 degrees. Liner 110 and liner ring 112 may be made of plastic or metal.

 The liner 110 is removably coaxially assembled with the float base 120 by its radial flange 1111. The village tube 110 is elastically supported by the floating seat 120. When the village cylinder 110 is subjected to a downward axial force, the liner 110 and the floating seat 120 move together in the axial direction downward.

 The float base 120 includes a race 121, a plurality of (e.g., four) guide bars 122, and a number of guide springs 123 of the same number of guides, each of which passes through each of the corresponding helical support springs. The seat 121 may be made of a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, is substantially annular, and is coaxial with the liner 110, the outer diameter of which is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the liner 110. The cylindrical guide rods 122 may be made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, and are disposed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction outside the center cylinder. Referring to Figures 3A and 3B, one end of the guide rod 122 passes through a guide through hole at a corresponding position of the upper substrate 521 and is coupled to the lower surface of the seat 121. In the non-operating state, the lower end of the support spring 123 abuts against the upper surface of the upper substrate 521, and the upper end is pressed against the lower surface of the race 121. When the liner 110 is axially moved downward by the downward axial force, the race 121 pushes the guide rod 122 downward through the guide through hole of the upper substrate 521, thereby causing the support spring 123 to be supported by the race 121. The lower surface is compressed.

The separately disposed air pump 150 for generating a low air pressure is indirectly connected to the center cylinder 130 through a gas pipe 140 made of, for example, plastic. The main air passage is formed by the air tube 140, the cavity of the center barrel 130, the gap between the center barrel 130 and the liner 110, and the elongated slot in the side wall of the liner 110. Thereby, a gas connection is established between the air pump 150 and the outer circumferential surface of the liner 110 and between the feed cylinder 310 and the outer circumferential surface of the liner 110. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a plurality of (e.g., eight) crimping devices 200 are disposed on the upper surface of the upper substrate 521 around the village tube 110 and the floating seat 120. Each of the crimping devices 200 may include a buckle arm mechanism 210 and a pushing mechanism 220, and the plurality of crimping devices 200 may be disposed at equal intervals.

 The crimping arm mechanism 210 includes a pressing arm 211, a pressing arm seat 212, and a return spring 213. The pressing arm 211 includes a detachable pressing head 2111 at one end thereof, and the pressing head 2111 extends laterally perpendicular to the main body of the pressing arm 211, so that the pressing arm 211 is substantially L-shaped. The buckle head 2111 has a triangular profile on the side, and an outer surface is provided with an elastic material such as silica gel, so that the cylindrical material can be prevented from being damaged and cushioned when the buckle head 2111 is pressed against the cylindrical material. The other end of the crimping arm 211 is coupled to the crimping arm seat 212 via a pivot 2112 so as to be rotatable about the pivot 2112. The crimping arm seat 212 is detachably fixed to the upper surface of the upper substrate 521. The return spring 213 is coupled to the body of the buckle arm 211. The spring force of the return spring 213 causes the buckle arm 211 to rotate about the pivot 2112 away from the liner 110 and against the push head 2211 of the push rod 221 in the home position. Both the pressing arm 211 and the pressing arm holder 212 can be made of metal such as aluminum.

 The pushing mechanism 220 includes a push rod 221 and a pushing device 222. The push rod 221 includes a pusher head 2211 at one end and an axially movably mounted pusher device 222 at the other end. The pusher head may be made of a wear resistant non-metallic material, such as polyacetal, which may be formed in a hemispherical shape and abut against the body of the crimping arm 211 to urge the buckle head 2111 toward the material retraction device 110. The pushing device 222 can be actuated by an electromagnet, and the electromagnetic force generated by the electromagnet energizing can move the push rod 221 along its own axis B toward the liner 110.

 When the electromagnet of the pushing device 222 is energized, the push rod 221 moves from its original position along the axis B, and against the elastic force of the return spring 213, the pressing arm 211 is rotated about the pivot 2112 toward the liner 110, thereby causing the buckle head 2111 The end is pressed against the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the liner 110. At this time, the crimping device 200 is in a buckled state.

 When the electromagnet of the pushing device 222 is de-energized, the push rod 221 is returned to the original position, so that the pressing arm 211 is rotated about the pivot 2112 in a direction away from the liner 110 by the elastic force of the spring. Thus, the body of the pressing arm 211 is pressed against the pushing head 2211 of the push lever 221 in the home position. At this time, the crimping device 200 is in an open state.

The actions of the plurality of crimping devices can be substantially simultaneously synchronized. For example, synchronization control can be performed by a program set by a programmable logic controller. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 6, the feeder 300 includes a feed cylinder 310, a crank linkage system 320, a transmission system 330, and a motor 340.

 The feed cylinder 310 is coaxially disposed outside the liner 110. The feed cylinder 311 of the feed cylinder 310 may be made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum or made of plastic or the like, and has a cylindrical shape in which both upper and lower ends are open, and the inner diameter thereof remains unchanged in the axial direction.

 A plurality of grooves 3111 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer wall of the lower half of the feed cylinder 311. The groove 3111 extends axially from the top of the lower half of the feed cylinder 311 to the bottom surface of the lower half of the feed cylinder 311. The number and position of the IHJ slots correspond to the number of crimping units.

 Mounting blocks 312 are detachably mounted in each of the grooves, and the lower end of each of the mounting blocks 312 is rotatably mounted with a guide piece 313 via a pivot 3131. A plurality of elastic pieces 316 are circumferentially equally spaced between the lower surface of the feeding cylinder 311 and the pad 315 on the lower surface of the feeding cylinder 311, and each elastic piece 316 completely covers the corresponding IHJ groove 3111 in the feeding cylinder An opening formed on the lower surface of 311. The elastic sheet 316 may be made of a material having a certain elasticity, such as nylon.

 The outwardly facing surface of the guiding piece 313 has a concave curved shape, so that when the pressing head 2111 of the pressing arm 211 comes into contact with the guiding piece 313, the guiding piece 313 is at the pressing head of the pressing arm 211 as the feeding cylinder 311 moves upward. The pressing of the 2111 is rotated downward about the pivot 3131 to be slightly inwardly deflected, so that the pressing head 2111 continues to move downward against the curved surface of the guiding piece 313 until it is separated from the curved surface of the guiding piece 313, and then Pressed against the upper surface of the elastic piece 316. As the elastic piece 316 and the feed cylinder 311 continue to move upward, the elastic piece 316 is elastically deformed, whereby the buckle head 2111 is pressed against the upper surface of the liner ring 112.

 The upper end of the feed cylinder 311 is detachably fixed to a cover made of plastic or metal

317.

 Two positioning pins 318 are attached to the inner side of the feed cylinder 311 near the upper end for connection of the transmission rod 321 of the crank link system 320 and the feed cylinder 311 as described below. The two positioning pins 318 are parallel to each other and are symmetrical to the diameter of the circular cross section of the feed cylinder 311.

As shown in FIG. 2, a fixing pin 3212 is laterally mounted near one end of the transmission rod 321, and a block 3111 is coaxially mounted on the end surface of the end of the transmission rod. The block 3111 is rotatable relative to the transmission rod 321 about a common axis, and the thickness of the block 3111 is not greater than A gap between the two positioning pins 318.

 After assembly, as shown in FIG. 3, the two positioning pins 318 of the feeding cylinder 311 are placed between the block 3211 of the transmission rod 321 and the fixing pin 3212, and the block 3211 is rotated about the axis of the transmission rod 321. 90 degrees, so that the transmission rod 321 and the positioning pin 318 are relatively fixed. The other end of the transmission rod 321 is coupled to the reciprocating member 3222 of the crank mechanism 322. The crank mechanism 322 is driven by the motor (not shown) to axially reciprocate the transmission rod 321 under the driving of the crank mechanism 322, so that the feeding cylinder 311 is at its top dead center and bottom dead center. Reciprocating in the axial direction.

 The crank mechanism 322 is used to convert the unidirectional rotation input by the transmission system 330 described below into a reciprocating linear motion. In the present embodiment, the crank mechanism 322 includes a disc-shaped rotating member 3221 and an approximately semi-circular reciprocating member 3222. The output shaft of the motor 340 is movably coupled to the rotating member 3221 at its center by the center of the rotating member 3221. The protruding rod disposed on the rotating member 3221 is movably engaged with the elongated slot on the reciprocating member 3222. Under the rotational driving of the rotating member 3221, the reciprocating member 3222 reciprocates. The crank mechanism 322 can also be any suitable type of crank mechanism known in the art.

 The transmission system 330 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower substrate 522 of the support structure 500 for transmitting the rotation outputted by the motor 340 to the crank link system 320, which includes a transmission mechanism 331 and a differential mechanism 332. In the present embodiment, the transmission mechanism 331 includes two pulleys and a corresponding belt, and the differential mechanism 332 may be a bevel gear reduction box. The lower substrate 522 is connected to the lower surface of the upper substrate 521 through a plurality of cylindrical members 523.

 A guide roller 410 may be disposed above the delivery cylinder 310 for guiding a predetermined length of the cylindrical material S from above to the delivery cylinder 310, and the guide roller 410 is detachably mounted on the upper frame 511.

A working cycle of the apparatus 10 will now be described with reference to Figs. 7 through 13, wherein the arrows indicate the direction of movement of the feed cylinder 310. Referring to Fig. 7, the apparatus 10 is in an initial state, the lower end surface of the feed cylinder 310 is located at the bottom dead center P, and is pressed against the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the liner 110. The pushing mechanism 220 of the crimping device 200 is closed, and the crimping device 200 is in an open state. The air pump (not shown) is turned off. The cylindrical material S is passed over the feed cylinder 310 from the upper end of the feed cylinder 310, and the lower end of the cylindrical material S slightly exceeds the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the liner 110. Referring to Fig. 8, the starting device, motor 340 (not shown) starts to rotate, and the feed cylinder 310 is pushed upward by the transmission mechanism 332, the differential mechanism 331, the crank mechanism 322, and the push lever 321 . At the same time, the pushing mechanism 220 of the crimping device 200 is activated, the pushing rod 321 pushes the pressing arm 211 to rotate about the pivot 2112, and the pressing head 2111 of the pressing arm 211 abuts against the cylindrical material covering the guiding piece 313 of the side wall of the feeding cylinder 310. S. The guiding piece 313 is rotated about the pivot 3131 by the pressing force of the pressing head 2111 of the pressing arm 211 to be biased toward the center of the feeding cylinder 310, so that the pressing head 2111 of the pressing arm 211 is along the curved surface of the guiding piece 313 and abuts against The cylindrical material S covering the guide piece 313 continues to move downward until it is separated from the curved surface of the guide piece 313, and then pressed against the upper surface of the elastic piece 316. After the elastic piece 316 is elastically deformed, the ferrule 2111 is pressed against the cylindrical material S laminated on the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the liner 110. At this time, the crimping device 200 is in a pressed state, and the cylindrical material S laminated on the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the village tube 110 is fixed.

 Referring to Figure 9, the feed cylinder 310 continues to move upward, and when its lower end faces approach the top dead center Q, the air pump (not shown) is activated, passing through the main air passage in the drum covering the feed cylinder 310 and the liner 110. The inside of the shaped material S generates a lower air pressure, so that the higher air pressure outside the cylindrical material S presses the cylindrical material S covering the feed cylinder 310 and the liner 110 tightly against the outer peripheral surface of the liner 110 and feeds On the lower end surface of the barrel 310. At this time, the shape of the cylindrical material S covering the feed cylinder 310 and the liner 110 is substantially the same as the outer peripheral surface of the feed cylinder 310, the lower surface of the plurality of elastic pieces 316, and the cylinder of the liner 110 due to the suction. The outer peripheral surface of the 111 is coincident with the outer contour defined by the upper surface of the radial flange 112.

 The feed cylinder 310 moves upward until it reaches the top dead center Q and then moves downward. Referring to Fig. 10, since the cylindrical material S is pressed against the lower end surface of the feed cylinder 310, as the feed cylinder 310 moves downward, the portion of the cylindrical material S pressed against the lower end surface of the feed cylinder 310 starts to Moving down, the cylindrical material S begins to fold axially. When the lower end surface of the delivery cylinder 310 reaches the first predetermined position, the air pump (not shown) is closed, so that the difference in air pressure between the inner side and the outer side of the cylindrical material S disappears, facilitating the axial folding of the cylindrical material S.

Referring to Fig. 11, the feed cylinder 310 continues to move downward, and when it approaches the bottom dead center P (second predetermined position), the pushing device 222 of the crimping device 200 is closed. The pressing arm 211 is rotated about its pivot 2112 by the elastic force of the return spring 213 to cause the buckle head 212 to move away from the cylindrical material S until it abuts against the pushing head 2211 of the push rod 221 in the initial position. This At this time, the crimping device 200 is in an open state.

 Specifically, referring to Fig. 12, when the delivery cylinder 310 is moved down to the position P1, its lower end surface does not contact the buckle of the buckle arm 211 when the buckle arm 211 is rotated about its pivot 2112 to face away from the delivery cylinder 310. At this time, the pushing mechanism 220 of the crimping device 200 is closed. When the feed cylinder 310 continues to move downward until the bottom dead center P, the lower end surface of the feed cylinder 310 presses the portion of the cylindrical material S pressed against the lower end surface of the feed cylinder 310 against the liner ring 112 of the liner 110. On the upper surface of the cylindrical material S, an axial fold is completed.

 The above process is repeated until the predetermined length of the cylindrical material S is folded (see Fig. 13). During the repeated execution, the portion of the cylindrical material that has been axially folded is pressed tightly against the upper surface of the liner ring 112 of the liner 110 due to the elastic force of the support spring 123 of the floating seat 120.

 By placing sensors such as contact switches or inductive switches in position on the device 10, the respective opening and closing timings of the air pump 150 and the push mechanism 220 can be controlled.

 In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B, the first sensing piece 3223 and the second sensing piece 3224 are respectively disposed at appropriate positions of the rotating member 3221, and the first sensing switch 420 is disposed at an appropriate position near the crank mechanism 322. And the second sensing switch 430, the positions of the two sensing pieces 3223, 3224 and the two sensing switches 420, 430 are set such that the first sensing switch 420 senses only the first sensing piece 3223, and the second sensing switch 430 only The second sensing piece 3224 is sensed.

 The first sensing piece 3223 and the first sensing switch 420 are related to the opening and closing of the pushing mechanism 220. When the first sensing piece 3223 reaches the first sensing switch 420, the pushing mechanism 220 is turned off; when the first sensing piece 3223 leaves the first sensing switch At 420 hours, the pushing mechanism 220 is activated.

 The second sensing piece 3224 and the second sensing switch 430 are related to the opening and closing of the air pump. When the second sensing piece 3224 reaches the second sensing switch 430, the air pump is activated; when the second sensing piece 3224 leaves the second sensing switch 430, the air pump shut down.

During the operation of the device, when the rotating member 3221 of the crank mechanism 322 is in the first angular position, the first sensing piece 3223 leaves the first sensing switch 420, so that the pushing mechanism 220 is activated; when the rotating member 3221 continues to rotate, it is in the second position. In the angular position, when the second sensing piece 3224 reaches the second sensing switch 430, the air pump is started; when the rotating member 3221 continues to rotate and is in the third angular position, the lower end surface of the feeding cylinder 310 reaches the first predetermined position, The second sensing piece 3224 leaves the second sensing switch 430, so that the air pump is turned off; when the rotating member 3221 continues to rotate to be in the fourth angular position, while the lower end surface of the feeding cylinder 310 reaches the second predetermined position, the first sensing piece 3223 reaches the first position. The switch 420 is sensed such that the push mechanism 220 is closed.

 It is also possible to provide an encoder at the main shaft of the motor 340 to control the start and stop timings of the air pump 150 and the push mechanism 220 in accordance with the angular position of the motor main shaft.

 The action of the material folding apparatus 10 can be controlled using a programmable logic controller. In another embodiment of the present invention, the material folding apparatus 10 further includes, in addition to the above-described configuration, a static eliminating device 600 including an air guiding tube 610 and an ion gas source (not shown).

 Referring to Fig. 15, at the time of assembly, one end 611 of the air guiding tube 610 passes through the seat 121 from the bottom up, then passes axially through the center barrel 130, and then protrudes upward from the cover 317 through a hole provided in the cover 317. The other end 612 of the airway tube 610 is connected to an ion gas source. The ion gas source may be any device that generates an ion gas by ionizing the air and outputting the ion gas through a high pressure gas stream.

 In the process of axially folding the cylindrical material S, the ion gas source supplies ion gas to the inside of the cylindrical material S through the air guiding tube 610 to remove static electricity on the cylindrical material S.

 Figure 16 shows such an axially folded cylindrical material in an expanded and compressed state, respectively. With the axially folded cylindrical material obtained by the folding operation of the cylindrical material folding apparatus 10 having the above structure, the pitch of each folded portion is hooked and the radial circumference is aligned. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a more uniform and tidy axially folded cylindrical material than the prior art.

 As shown in Fig. 17, when such an axially folded cylindrical material in a compressed state is placed in the special case C, it is more convenient to be used in, for example, a diaper processor because its axial folding is more uniform and tidy. Uniform axial expansion.

 While the invention has been described by way of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

Rights request: 1. Material folding equipment, including:  a feeding device capable of reciprocating axially to provide a cylindrical material in an axial direction; a retracting device cooperating with a reciprocating motion of the feeding device to reduce the air pressure in the cylindrical material provided by the feeding device The cylindrical material is radially contracted to fold the cylindrical material in the axial direction; and  A crimping device is disposed around the retracting device for fixing the cylindrical material that has been folded. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said crimping means intermittently compresses said folded tubular material. 3. The device of claim 2, the crimping device comprising:  a crimping arm having a crimping head at one end thereof and pivotally connected to the crimping arm seat; a pushing rod axially movable to urge the crimping arm to pivot, thereby abutting the crimping head against the On the surface of the folded tubular material;  a return spring coupled to the buckle arm to reversely rotate the buckle arm about a pivot when the push lever does not apply a thrust to the buckle arm, thereby causing the buckle head to leave the folded tubular shape The surface of the material. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, the shrinking device comprising:  a liner having a radial flange at a lower end thereof;  a central cylinder coaxially disposed in the liner;  a floating seat coaxially disposed under the liner and elastically supporting the liner, the peripheral wall of the central cylinder and the peripheral wall of the liner being provided with an opening, and the central cylinder and the air pump are inhaled The mouth is connected. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, the feeding device comprising: a feed cylinder reciprocable along its axial direction to provide the cylinder to the retraction device Shaped material; and  The driving device drives the feeding cylinder to reciprocate in the axial direction. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein:  The lower half of the outer peripheral surface of the feed cylinder is provided with a rotatable guide piece corresponding to the buckle head, respectively. 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein:  The outer surface of the guide piece facing the ram has an inner shape of four. 8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:  The lower surface of the feeding cylinder is provided with elastic sheets respectively capable of elastic deformation corresponding to the buckle pressing head. 9. The device according to claim 8, further comprising:  A guide roller for guiding the cylindrical material to the feeding device. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a static eliminating device to remove static electricity on the cylindrical material. 11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said electrostatic device eliminates static electricity on said cylindrical material by supplying ionic gas into said cylindrical material. 12. Method of folding materials, including:  Providing a cylindrical material;  Folding the cylindrical material in the axial direction of the cylindrical material;  After each folding of the cylindrical material, the folded tubular material portion is fixed. 13. The method of folding a material according to claim 12, wherein said cylindrical material is radially contracted by reducing air pressure in said cylindrical material to perform said Folded. The material folding method of the material folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:  1) providing a cylindrical material by the feeding device, and fixing the tubular material to the crimping device before starting to fold the cylindrical material;  2) when the feeding device moves downward in the axial direction of the cylindrical material, the pressing device is separated from the cylindrical material to perform folding operation on the cylindrical material;  3) after completing the folding, moving the feeding device upward in the axial direction of the cylindrical material, and fixing the folded cylindrical material portion by the pressing device; 4) Cycle through steps 2) and 3). The method according to claim 14, wherein in the step 2), the inside of the cylindrical material is subjected to an air suction operation, and the air pressure in the cylindrical material is lower than the external air pressure to perform a folding operation. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein in step 2):  The crimping device leaves the portion of the folded tubular material as the feeding device moves down the axial direction of the cylindrical material to a first predetermined position. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein in step 2):  The suction operation is stopped when the feeding device is moved downward in the axial direction of the cylindrical material to the second predetermined position. 18. An axially folded tubular material made by the method of any of claims 12-17.