Method and Apparatus for Splicing of Veneer Sheets

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for splicing veneer sheets to each other by means of strands that carry a thermoplastic adhesive or a hot-melt adhesive.

It has already been proposed to apply strands carrying or impregnated with the above-mentioned adhesives on the surfaces of veneer sheets for the purpose of increasing the bonding strength of veneer sheets, in lieu of using a gummed tape an adhesive-backed tape.

With this method, it has been found that although an increased bonding strength between the veneer sheets is attained in the feeding direction of the veneer sheets due to the tensile strength of the strands applied thereon, the spliced veneer sheets will easily separate from each other due to a concentrated external force applied thereto when the spliced portions of the veneer sheets are subjected to a shearing or bending force.

This shortcoming is due to the fact that the surface area covered by strands bonded on the veneer sheets is so limited that it is difficult to maintain a sufficient bond between the veneer sheets. This has been the greatest disadvantage of the veneer sheet splicing apparatus of this kind.

In order to overcome this drawback, it has been attempted to apply a number of strands, conventionally, on one or both sides of the veneer sheets to maintain the bonding strength between each veneer sheet to be spliced.

This method, however, not only leads to economical disadvantages because an increased number of strands or quantity of adhesives must be used but, also, to the degradation of final products caused by the adverse effects of the thermoplastic adhesives being excessively mixed with the thermosetting adhesive which is used during the manufacturing process of plywood.

It is the object of present invention, therefore, to provide a method and an apparatus for splicing veneer sheets which provides an increased bonding strength between each veneer sheet in the transverse direction.

Essentially, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of splicing veneer sheets fed with appropriate spacings therebetween in a predetermined direction and then brought into substantially tight end-to-end abutment against each other, by cold pressing at least one strand supplied from above said fed veneer sheets and carrying with a thermoplastic adhesive onto the surface of a preceding veneer sheet by means of a cooling roll rotatably supported above said preceding veneer sheet at a first position, comprising the steps of: stopping the feed of a preceding veneer sheet at the moment the rear end of said preceding veneer sheet arrives at a second position on the infeed side of and spaced from said first position by a predetermined distance; feeding a succeeding veneer sheet until the front-end of said succeeding veneer sheet arrives at said second position; applying a thermoplastic adhesive bead in a molten state onto said strand at a localized portion thereof on the infeed side of the cooling roll, the length the strand between said first position and the localized portion of the strand is equal to the distance between said first and second positions, feeding a train of said preceding veneer sheet and said succeeding veneer sheet in said predetermined direction to make said thermoplastic adhesive bead pass said first position whereby said thermoplastic adhesive bead is cold pressed and applied onto the abutting end-portions of said preceding veneer sheet and said succeeding veneer sheet in the form of an adhesive film containing part of said strand therein, said adhesive film having a substantial area and spanning the preceding and succeeding veneer sheets.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, with infeed conveyor belts and outfeed conveyor belts omitted,

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of the bottom portion of a tank, viewed from below, for an adhesive used in this invention, showing a notched portion formed thereon,

FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are perspective views of a hollow cylinder-shaped control valve body designed to be slidably engaged in said notched portion of the bottom portion shown in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are perspective illustrations of the tank viewed from below, showing the respective circumferential positions of the hollow cylinder-shaped control valve body engaged in the notched portion,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention,

FIGS. 7a through 7f are illustrations of the operational sequence of a further embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is provided an infeed conveyor comprising infeed conveyor belts 2 and 2a, each being trained about a wheel rotatably supported on a frame (not shown). There is also provided an outfeed conveyor comprising outfeed conveyor belts 3 and 3a, on the outfeed side of said infeed conveyor belts 2 and 2a, each being trained about a wheel rotatably supported on said frame. Said infeed conveyor belts 2 and 2a are adapted to hold a veneer sheet therebetween for feeding the veneer sheet in a predetermined direction at a fixed and uniform speed while said outfeed conveyor belts 3 and 3a are adapted to hold a veneer sheet therebetween for feeding the veneer sheet in said predetermined direction at said fixed and uniform speed. The rear-end portions of said outfeed conveyor face the front-end portions of said infeed conveyor to feed a veneer sheet from the infeed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor in said predetermined direction. Above the outfeed conveyor, there is provided a cooling roll 14 adapted to press against a veneer sheet at a first position. Said outfeed conveyor is driven at a fixed and uniform speed, but intermittently, by a driving gear using an electro-clutch brake, etc. (not shown). On the other hand, said infeed conveyor is driven at said fixed and uniform speed and continuously by a motor (not shown) in order to bring the front-end of a succeeding veneer sheet 1b into substantially tight abutment against the rear-end of a preceding veneer sheet 1c at a second position. In the vicinity of the rear-end portion of the outfeed conveyor there is provided a sensor 4a using a photoelectric tube to sense the arrival of the rear-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c at said second position, and to transmit a signal to stop said intermittent driving gear immediately. Similarly, in the vicinity of the front-end portion of the infeed conveyor there is provided a sensor 4 using a photoelectric tube to sense the arrival of the front-end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b in the vicinity of the front-end portion of the infeed conveyor and transmit a signal to actuate said intermittent driving gear after a predetermined period of time, to wit, the moment the front-end of said succeeding veneer sheet is brought into substantially tight abutment against the rear-end of said preceding veneer sheet 1c at said second position and to actuate an actuator 12 which will be explained later.

Above said outfeed conveyor belts 3 and 3a there are provided a plurality of tanks 6 aligned in the transverse direction and supported by a heating pipe 7 that passes through said tanks, is rotatable therein and is journaled by the frame. Steam is supplied from outside to pass through the inside of said heating pipe 7.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b, a circulating system 6' is formed inside each of said tanks 6 and said tanks are filled with a thermoplastic adhesive 5 or a hot-melt adhesive. Said circulating system 6' includes an outlet conduit 8 and an inlet conduit 8a. Said heating pipe 7 also passes through said circulating system 6', as depicted, to maintain the thermoplastic adhesive in the tank 6 in a molten state and is adapted to rotate in the direction of the arrow so that the adhesive 5 in a tank 6 is made to flow from the inlet conduit 8a through the outlet conduit 8, thence through a controlling opening 10b which will be explained later, to the inside of a control valve body 10 which will be explained later, and thence through a controlling opening 10a which will be explained later and back to the inlet 8a due to its viscosity owing to the rotation of the heating pipe 7. The bottom portion of said tank 6 has a notch 9 so shaped as to receive the cylinder-shaped valve body as shown in FIG. 3. On the inside wall of the notch 9 there are provided an outlet 8' leading to said outlet conduit 8 and an inlet 8a' leading to said inlet conduit 8a. The position of said outlet 8' and the position of said inlet 8a' are staggered or offset from each other in the circumferential direction. In said notch 9, there is disposed a hollow cylinder-shaped control valve body 10 that is rotatable on its longitudinal axis. Said hollow cylinder-shaped control valve body 10 has a small controlling opening 10a and a large controlling opening 10b. The axial position of said controlling opening 10a is the same as that of the inlet 8a' and so that said controlling opening 10a is connected to or disconnected from the inlet 8a' as the control valve body 10 rotates on its axis within a predetermined angle. The circumferential position of said controlling opening 10b is adapted to include that of the inlet 8' so that said controlling opening 10b may be adapted to communicate with both of the inlet conduit 8 through the inlet 8' and the outside of the tank all the time, to wit, throughout the circumferential rotation of the control valve body. The tank 6 is provided with a hole 8" through which is led a strand 13 from the outside. Said hole 8" communicates with the circulating system 6' of the tank 6. Therefore, the strand 13 comes in the outside and passes through said hole 8", the circulation system 6, the inlet 8' and the controlling opening 10b, and is led to the outside. Said strand 13 is further held between said roll 14 and a veneer sheet at said first position as shown in FIG. 2 while being cold pressed by the roll 14 onto the veneer sheet. An end of said control valve body 10 to extends outside of the tank 6. An actuator 12 comprising a piston and cylinder is rotatably connected to the frame (not shown). Said end of the control valve body 10 is rigidly connected to one end of an arm 11 and the other end of said arm 11 is, in turn, rotatably connected to the piston rod of said actuator 12. Said actuator is adapted to function in response to a signal transmitted when the front-end of a succeeding veneer sheet 1b is sensed by the sensor 4.

Above the outfeed conveyor, there is provided a cooling roll 14 preferably made of a metal. Said cooling roll 14 is adapted to cold press the strand 13 supplied from above through the tank 6 onto the preceding veneer sheet at said first position. Said cooling roll is provided with a cooling pipe 14a through which cooling water flows.

Referring to FIG. 5a, only a small portion of said controlling opening 10b appears from the edge of notch 9 in the illustrated position of the valve 10.

Referring to FIG. 5b, in the illustrated position of the valve 10, a substantial portion of said controlling opening 10b appears from an edge of the notch 9 whereby to apply a thermoplastic adhesive bead in a molten state onto said strand at a localized portion thereof on the infeed side of said first position. The length of the strand between said localized portion and said first position is equal to the distance between said first position (i.e., the rear edge of sheet 1c) and said second position.

In operation, said preceding veneer sheet is fed the predetermined direction at said fixed and uniform speed and transferred from the infeed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor. When the rearend of the preceding veneer sheet 1c arrives at said second position and is sensed by the sensor 4a, said sensor 4a transmits a signal to the intermittent driving gear of the outfeed conveyor to stop the feed of said preceding veneer sheet. Then, the front-end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b, which is continuously fed by the infeed conveyor, is sensed by the sensor 4 to transmit a signal for energizing the actuator 12 to rotate the control valve body 10 on its axis. By this action the controlling opening 10a of control valve body 10, which has so far communicated with the inlet conduit 8a of the circulating system 6' by way of the inlet 8a', is brought out of communication from the inlet conduit 8a due to the circumferential movement of the controlling opening 10a caused by rotation of valve body 10. On the other hand, the controlling opening 10b not only stays in communication with the inlet conduit 8 of the circulating system 6', but also appears from the edge of notch 9 as shown in FIG. 5b. As a result, a comparatively large quantity of the adhesive 5 is applied on strand 13, in a bead form, at a localized portion thereof on the infeed side of said first position in such a way that the length of strand between said first position and the localized portion of the strand is equal to the distance between said first and second positions.

Similarly, when the front end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b is sensed by the sensor 4 on its arrival in the vicinity of said second position a signal is transmitted for energizing the outfeed conveyor at the moment said front-end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b comes into substantially tight abutment against said rear end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c at said second position. Consequently, a train of the preceding veneer sheet and the succeeding veneer sheet is fed in a predetermined direction at said fixed and uniform speed. During its feed, the strand 13 is cold pressed and applied onto said preceding veneer sheet by means of the cooling roll 14. As a result, the thermoplastic adhesive bead 5a passes the first position and is cold pressed and applied by the cooling roll 14 onto the abutting end portions of the preceding veneer sheet 1c and the succeeding veneer sheet 1b and an adhesive film, containing part of said strand 13 therein, extending over a substantial area and spanning the veneer sheets, is formed over the abutting end portions of the veneer sheets. Said train of veneer sheets is further fed in the predetermined direction at said fixed and uniform speed. Also during its feed, the strand 13 is cold pressed and applied onto the succeeding veneer sheet by means of the cooling roll 14 and the preceding and succeeding veneer sheets 1c and 1b are firmly spliced to each and other.

When all veneer sheets fed for splicing have a fixed length, the sensor 4a may be adapted to sense the arrival of the front-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c at said second position and to transmit a signal to de-energize the outfeed conveyor after a predetermined period of a time, to wit, the moment the rear-end of said preceding veneer sheet 1c arrives at said second position.

In case the veneer sheets are fed at substantially short intervals, there is no possibility of the thermoplastic adhesive bead being set before it is cold pressed and applied onto the abutting end portions. In such a case the sensor 4a may be adapted, instead of sensor 4, to sense the arrival of the rear-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c and transmit a signal to energize actuator 12 so that the thermoplastic adhesive bead 5a is applied on the localized portion of strand 13 on the arrival of the rear-end of preceding veneer sheet 1c at said second position.

In lieu of photoelectric tubes, limit switches may be used as sensors.

Referring to FIG. 6, it is possible to remove the sensor 4a from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5b. In this case, the function of the sensor 4a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5b, to wit, the sensing of the rear-end of preceding veneer sheet 1c, and the stopping of intermittent driving gear are done by the sensor 4. Illustratively stated, the sensor 4 is adapted to sense the arrival of the rear-end of preceding veneer sheet 1c in the vicinity of said second position and to transmit a signal for de-energizing the intermittent driving gear for the outfeed conveyor after a predetermined period of time, to wit, the moment said rear-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c arrives at said second position.

A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 7a through FIG. 7f. Between the infeed conveyor 2 and the outfeed conveyor 3 that feed a veneer sheet in a predetermined direction at a fixed and uniform speed in a horizontal direction there is provided a roll 16 which is adapted to rotate intermittently. On the outfeed side of said infeed conveyor 2 and above said roll 16 there is provided a sensor 4' to sense the thickness of the veneer sheet and to transmit a signal when there is detected a portion which does not have a sufficient thickness. Further, on the outfeed side of said sensor 4', there is provided a cutter 17 adapted to cut the preceding veneer sheet at its cutting point, and at a second position to clip off the front portion which does not have a sufficient thickness in response to said signal. The roll 16 is also adapted to be stopped in response to said signal after a predetermined period of a time, to wit, the moment said cutting point of the preceding veneer sheet arrives at said second position and to resume rotation immediately after the cutting operation to feed the preceding veneer sheet 1c. On the outfeed side of said second position, there is pivotally provided a veneer sheet sorting bar 15 which is adapted to be raised and lowered. Above said veneer sheet sorting bar 15, there is provided a cooling roll 14 adapted to be raised and lowered along with the veneer sheet sorting bar 15 with a space therebetween sufficient enough to permit entry of a veneer sheet. Above the cooling roll 14, there is provided a tank 6 containing a thermoplastic adhesive and a strand 13 applied or impregnated with a thermoplastic adhesive. Said cooling roll 14, tank 6 and strand 13 are provided in the same manner as the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 6 except in that the cooling roll is allowed to be raised and lowered along with the veneer sheet sorting bar 15.

Illustratively stated, the cooling roll 14 is adapted to cold press and apply strand 13, at first position, onto said veneer sheet 1c. The cutter 17 is adapted to cut the preceding veneer sheet at its cutting point, at said second position, to clip off the rear and the front-end portions which do not have a sufficient thickness in response to a signal transmitted from sensor 4'. Said tank 6 is provided with a control valve body (not shown) adapted to apply a thermoplastic adhesive bead 5a in a molten state onto the strand 13 at localized portion thereof when the succeeding veneer sheet is cut at said second portion. The length of the strand between said first position and the localized portion of the strand is equal to the distance between said first and second positions.

In operation, a preceding veneer sheet 1c is fed by the infeed conveyor belt 2 in a horizontal direction at a fixed and uniform speed. When a front side of the preceding veneer sheet 1c which does not have enough thickness is sensed by the sensor and said cutting point thereof arrives at said second position, the rotation of roll 16 is stopped and the feed of said preceding veneer sheet 1c is simultaneously stopped. The cutter 17 is lowered to cut the preceding veneer sheet at its cutting point at said second position and the front portion 1c' thereof is clipped off (FIG. 7b). After the clipping, the rotation of roll 16 is resumed and the veneer sheet is again fed in a horizontal direction at said fixed and uniform speed and the veneer scrap 1c' will drop because of gravity. Immediately after removal of the veneer scrap 1c' the veneer sheet sorting bar 15 which has so far been kept in a raised position is lowered to lead the preceding cut veneer sheet 1c to a horizontal direction (FIG. 7c). During further feed of veneer sheet 1c, the strand 13 is cold pressed and applied at said first position onto said preceding veneer sheet 1c. When the rear portion of preceding veneer sheet 1c which does not have a sufficient thickness is sensed by the sensor 4', veneer sheet 1c is cut at another cutting point thereof at said second position by the cutter 17, which is lowered in response to the signal received from sensor 4' (FIG. 7c). After the clipping off, the veneer sheet sorting bar 15 is raised to allow the rear portion 1c' to drop because of the gravity, coasting down the roll 16 (FIG. 7d). Further, the succeeding veneer sheet 1b (FIG. 7e) is fed into a direction toward said second position and the front portion 1b' which does not have a sufficient thickness is clipped off in the same manner as that of the preceding veneer sheet 1c. The veneer scrap 1b' drops because of the gravity, after clipping-off operation, coasting down the roll 16. Immediately after removal of the veneer scrap 1b', the veneer sheet sorting bar 15 is lowered back to horizontal level to bring the cut rear-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c into substantially tight abutment against the cut front-end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b (FIG. 7f). During the clipping operation of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b, a thermoplastic adhesive bead in a molten state is applied onto the strand 13 at a localized portion on the infeed side of said first position in such a way that the length of strand between said localized portion and said first position, which is equal to the distance between said first position to said second position.

After the cut rear-end of the preceding veneer sheet 1c has been brought into substantially tight abutment with the front end of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b, the feeding of the train of veneer sheets is resumed in the a predetermined direction at a fixed and uniform speed horizontally so that the strand 13 is cold pressed by means of a cooling roll 14 onto the preceding veneer sheet 1c and the thermoplastic adhesive bead 5a passes said first position and is cold pressed and applied onto the abutting end portions of said preceeding veneer sheet 1c and of the succeeding veneer sheet 1b to cover said abutting end portions with an adhesive film containing part of said strand therein and extending over a substantial area and spanning said veneer sheets. The feed of the train of veneer sheets is further continued into the horizontal direction at said fixed and uniform speed while being cold pressed and applying the strand 13 onto the succeeding veneer sheet 1b by means of said cooling roll 14. In this way, the preceding veneer sheet 1c and the succeeding veneer sheet 1b are spliced to each other.

As mentioned at above, according to the present invention, the veneer sheets may be easily spliced together with an increased speed and bonding strength in the transverse direction in comparison with known conventional methods and apparatus.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of above teaching. These modifications and variations shall not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.