Case study

LENGTH REWINDER WITH PIVOTING SHAFT

Customer business sector: Gardening equipment.

Presentation

Customer

Project 124 was developed for SARL Debussy, a company specialising in the supply of gardening equipment.

Needs

Their main requirement was to be able to rewind predefined lengths of material, presented on free unwinding carousels. Initially, rewinding was done manually, which posed a problem in terms of efficiency.

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

In proposing a solution, we were faced with a number of issues. The first was the need to change rolls frequently during the winding process, which resulted in a loss of time and efficiency. The second was the need to move the machine frequently. Finally, the third problem concerned the winding zones, which were widely spaced throughout the warehouse.

CNM’S SOLUTION

CNM’s solution is a cut-to-length rewinder composed of : a junction table, a line encoder, a motorised rewinder and a stretch film unwinder.

The machine has been specially designed to facilitate roll changes and to be easy to move.

The machine’s rewinding shaft has been designed with a pivoting opening, making it easy to change rolls without removing the shaft – a significant time-saver. Adjustments have been made, such as adding a take-up arm and limiting the opening of the pivoting axis to ensure the machine’s stability. In addition, the winding shaft can be expanded to quickly lock the mandrel onto the axis. The machine, which is frequently moved, incorporates a compressor to avoid having to connect it pneumatically to an external source to inflate the expandable shaft.

The junction table is equipped with automatic pressors to hold the material during cutting and roll changeover, preventing the material to slide out the machine. The stretch film unwinder is designed to quickly wrap the rolls as they leave the machine, making it suitable for frequent changeovers.

The main challenge was to create a machine that could be easily moved around to serve four separate winding zones in the warehouse, while being optimised for frequent roll changes. The initial idea of placing it on rails was abandoned, as the winding zones are scattered throughout the warehouse. The chosen solution was to place the machine on wheels and include a quick indexing system to stabilise it during the process.