COMPRESSED BALE PACKAGING APPARATUS WITH CROWNED DISCHARGE MANDREL
A system for transferring and containing a bale of compressible material includes a conveyor, a transfer device to transfer the bale of compressible material from the conveyor and a bagger. The bagger includes an entrance, a discharge station and a bag mandrel. The bale is received in the entrance from the transfer device and is discharged from the bagger by the discharge station into a bag positioned on the mandrel. The mandrel has a plurality of walls, at least one of the walls having a crowned profile.
1 . A system for transferring and containing a bale of compressible material comprising:
a conveyor;
a transfer device to transfer the bale of compressible material from the conveyor; and
a bagger, the bagger including an entrance, a discharge station and a bag mandrel, the mandrel having a plurality of walls, at least one of the walls having a crowned profile,
wherein the bale is received in the entrance from the transfer device and is discharged from the bagger by the discharge station into a bag positioned on the mandrel.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the mandrel includes four wall and wherein the at least two walls have a crowned profile.
3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the mandrel includes four wall and wherein the at least two walls oppose one another.
4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the at least two walls are a top wall and a bottom wall.
5 . The system of claim 4 wherein sides extending between the top wall and the bottom wall are planar.
6 . The system of claim 1 wherein a cross-sectional area of the mandrel is substantially constant along a length thereof.
7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the crowned profile is formed by a substantially constant radius.
8 . The system of claim 4 wherein a distance measured at a peak-to-peak location of the crowned profile between the top wall and the bottom wall is at least about 108 percent of a least most distance measured between the top wall and the bottom wall.
9 . A bag mandrel for use on a device for compressing and containing a bale of compressible material, comprising:
four walls defining an open discharge region for conveyance of the bale, two of the walls opposing one another having a crowned profile.
10 . The bag mandrel of claim 9 wherein the walls extending between the crowned profile walls are planar.
11 . The bag mandrel of claim 9 wherein a cross-sectional area of the mandrel is substantially constant along a length thereof.
12 . The bag mandrel of claim 9 wherein the crowned profile is formed by a substantially constant radius.
13 . The bag mandrel of claim 9 wherein a distance measured at a peak-to-peak location of the crowned profile between the top wall and the bottom wall is at least about 108 percent of a least most distance measured between the top wall and the bottom wall.
14 . A method for transferring and containing a bale of compressible material comprising:
transferring the bale of compressible material to an entrance of a bagger;
moving the bale of compressible from the entrance of the bagger to a mandrel, the mandrel having at least one wall having a crowned profile so as to define an air space between the bale of compressible material and the at least one wall, the air space having an arcuate profile; and
urging the bale of compressible material out of the mandrel and into a bag positioned on an end of the mandrel.
15 . The method of claim 14 wherein at least two walls have a crowned profile.
16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the at least two walls are a top wall and a bottom wall.
17 . The method of claim 14 wherein the top wall has a crowned profile and wherein the bale is urged through the mandrel and a topmost center of the bale remains spaced from a center of the top wall.