CN114590540A

CN114590540A - Container treatment method

Info

Publication number: CN114590540A
Application number: CN202111456836.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马蒂亚斯·瓦尔
Original assignee: Krones AG
Current assignee: Krones AG
Priority date: 2020-12-03
Filing date: 2021-12-01
Publication date: 2022-06-07
Also published as: DE102020132130A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for handling containers, wherein the containers are transported by container receptacles of a continuously rotatable turret of a container handling machine, characterized in that the containers are transferred from the container receptacles to a fixed-orientation handling station for handling, are handled in the handling station and are subsequently transferred to the container receptacles in the turret for further transport. The invention also relates to a container treatment machine for carrying out the method.

Description

Container treatment method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for handling containers, such as bottles, and to a corresponding container handling machine.

Background

Two types of container treatment machines are known in principle from the prior art. One is a continuously operating machine, such as a direct printing press. The continuously operating machine receives containers on a continuously moving driver, for example a rotating turret, with container receivers which can simultaneously serve as processing stations. In this case, the containers are processed while being wound around the turntable and then transferred to a corresponding transfer device. The available processing time for the containers is limited by the surrounding speed and the provided surrounding angle of the container processing machine. Thus, complex process steps requiring relatively much time are either accompanied by a reduction in the throughput of the machine, since the rotation speed of the turntable must be small, or they require very large turners, which can be difficult to implement structurally and are particularly costly.

A second variant is a machine that operates in rhythm. The containers are received by a linear conveyor or a rotary table from the respective transport section. The transport device conveys individual or groups of containers to a respective processing station, for example a filling station. The transport device is stopped at the processing station during the processing of the containers, in particular during filling. The further transport of containers and the treatment of further containers can only be effected after the end of the treatment in the treatment station, so that the container throughput is limited here also by the treatment time. In order to be able to process as many containers as possible, therefore, either a very large number of processing stations are required in which a plurality of containers can be processed simultaneously, or a plurality of parallel processing sections must be set up.

Both methods and corresponding machines for container treatment lack flexibility with regard to the variation in container treatment parameters and increase throughput is only possible with significant cost outlay for container treatment.

EP 2100815B 1 discloses a variant which is an intermediate solution for both systems. The power that can be achieved is also very limited here.

Disclosure of Invention

The object to be solved on the basis of the prior art is to specify a flexible and inexpensive method for processing containers and a container processing machine suitable for the method.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method for handling containers according to claim 1 and a container handling machine according to claim 8. Advantageous developments of the invention are contained in the dependent claims.

The method according to the invention for processing containers, for example bottles, is characterized in that the containers are transferred from the rotating container carriers to the fixed-orientation processing stations for processing, are processed in these processing stations and are then transferred to the container carriers for further transport. Since the containers are transferred to the separate, fixed-orientation treatment station and the turret is simultaneously still continuously moved, the limitation of throughput due to the length of the treatment time is avoided, since the turret provides for the transport of the containers even while they are being treated in the separate treatment station. Likewise, the method allows containers to be processed with the same machine at different processing times in different processing stations.

In an embodiment of the invention, the container is held in the processing station by a centering device comprising a rotating disc and a centering bell. Thus ensuring correct orientation of the container.

In a development, the containers are received by the centering device from the container receptacles in a first plane, processed in the processing station at a second height and transferred to the container receptacles at a third height. This embodiment of the method can be advantageously used, for example, when printing or labeling containers and reduces the overall size of the processing station in the direction of rotation of the turntable. The number of processing stations can also be reduced.

Further, the method may further comprise: the containers are transferred from the feed-in rotary ring of the transport ring to the container receptacles at a first height and are received from the container receptacles by the feed-out rotary ring of the transport ring at a third height, wherein the feed-in rotary ring and the feed-out rotary ring rotate parallel to one another about a common axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the turntable. Thus, the available angular range, which allows the processing stations to be arranged circularly around the turntable, can be increased.

In one embodiment, the method according to the invention is characterized in that a first processing step of the containers is performed with a first number of processing stations and a second processing step of the containers is performed with a second number of processing stations, wherein the containers are transported from one of the first processing stations into one of the second processing stations by the container receptacles. This embodiment of the utilization method further increases the flexibility of the container handling.

Advantageously, the rotational speed of the turntable is controlled in dependence on at least one parameter indicative of the treatment of the containers. Thus, the rotation speed of the turntable is changed depending on, for example, the processing time period. However, according to the invention, since the treatment duration has a relatively weak influence on the throughput of containers, it is also possible, for example, to adjust the rotational speed of the turntable as a function of the throughput of containers to be treated.

Furthermore, it is provided that the containers are at least printed, inspected, cleaned, the container surface is cured, the containers are pretreated or post-treated in the treatment station. The advantages of the method according to the invention are therefore also applicable to a wide variety of processing possibilities for containers.

The container treatment machine according to the invention for treating containers, such as bottles, is characterized in that a fixed-orientation treatment station is arranged on the stationary part, wherein the container receiver is configured to transfer containers to and receive containers from the treatment station. With which the method according to the invention can be carried out.

In an advantageous embodiment of the container treatment machine according to the invention, the container receiver comprises a gripper and/or a neck operating gripper and/or a body gripper. These devices have proven to be suitable when transporting containers and allow flexible transfer to processing stations.

Furthermore, the processing station comprises a centering device with a rotary disk and a centering clock. Thus, the correct orientation of the containers in the processing station can be ensured.

In a development of this embodiment, the container treatment machine is characterized in that the centering device of the treatment station can receive a container from the container receiver at a first height, can be moved into the treatment plane at a second height and can be transferred to the container receiver at a third height, wherein the container receiver is designed for transferring containers at the first height and receiving containers at the third height. This embodiment allows to perform a plurality of processing steps at different heights in the same processing station, so that the number of processing stations and the extent of the processing stations along the turntable can be reduced.

In this case, a transport ring can be assigned to the container treatment machine, which transport ring comprises an infeed rotary ring at a first level and an outfeed rotary ring at a third level, wherein the infeed rotary ring and the outfeed rotary ring are arranged parallel to one another and can be rotated about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotatable turret. This embodiment enables the largest possible angular range for arranging the treatment stations.

In a further embodiment, it is provided that a first number of processing stations are provided for carrying out the first processing step and that a second number of processing stations are provided for carrying out the second processing step.

It can also be provided that the processing station comprises at least one printing module, inspection module, curing module, cleaning module, pre-processing module or post-processing module. In the container treatment machine according to the invention, therefore, completely different treatment methods can be carried out.

It can also be provided that the processing stations each comprise different processing steps. In this case, at least one of the treatment stations can be designed with an orientation unit. The orientation unit may comprise a camera, a sensor or the like.

It may also be provided that at least one processing station for multicolor printing is provided, which improves the printing accuracy in the case of containers which are only clamped. The treatment stations can be designed with at least one printing module having print heads of the same and/or different printing colors (e.g. CMYK, precoat or clear). Likewise, the printing module may also comprise a pre-treatment and/or drying unit. The drying unit may comprise units for splicing and for curing.

In a further embodiment, the container treatment machine is characterized in that the turret is configured to rotate permanently, wherein the transfer of a container to the treatment station can be effected by a first container receiver and the reception from the treatment station can be effected by a second container receiver different from the first container receiver or by the same container receiver. Thus, depending on the time required for processing the containers in the processing station, a suitable container receiver can be selected in order to receive the containers again from the processing station.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a container treatment machine.

Fig. 2a to 2d show schematic views of the handover and reception of containers in a processing station.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of the treatment station.

Fig. 4a to 4c show schematic views of a handover and reception container according to further embodiments.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of a container treatment machine.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a schematic top view of a container treatment machine 100 according to the invention. The container processing machine comprises a turntable 101 on which a plurality of container receivers 130 for receiving containers 140 can be arranged. The turntable can be assigned a conveying device 111 and an output device 112. These

devices

111 and 112 can, for example, be designed in the form of a rotary star wheel, as shown. These devices have holders with which they hold the containers and can transfer the containers to the container receptacles of the turntable 101 of the container treatment machine at the respective transfer points. The container receiver 130 can be designed in a wide variety of ways. The container receiver may, for example, comprise a neck manipulation by means of a body clamp, but may also comprise a centering device with a setting disk and a centering bell. Due to the high conveying speed, it is provided that the container holders are designed such that they can receive containers as quickly as possible from the device 111 and transfer them to the device 112, and can transfer them quickly to and from the processing stations.

Furthermore, the container processing machine comprises one or more processing stations 121 to 126. These container processing stations, in turn, include one or more processing modules 150 that can perform processing of the containers. Here, a processing module is all conventional modules for processing containers. For example, the processing module may be a printing module or comprise an inspection device like a camera. Furthermore, the treatment station may comprise a module for cleaning the containers. It is also conceivable that the curing of the material applied to the surface of the container takes place in the treatment station or in at least one treatment station. This can be achieved, for example, by means of UV curing or heating lamps in the treatment stations. In addition, in particular a pretreatment unit or a post-treatment unit for treating the surface and a labeling device are also possible.

According to the present invention, the same processing modules need not always be provided in the processing stations 121 to 126. Thus, some of the processing modules may be adapted for applying printing ink, while other processing modules may be configured for inspecting the applied printing pattern. Likewise, a plurality of processing steps can also be carried out in each processing station, wherein the respective processing module is then arranged in the processing station.

The treatment stations are arranged azimuthally fixed relative to the stationary part of the container treatment machine. Thus, the processing stations may be arranged, for example, at the frame of the container processing machine 100 or distributed along the periphery of a rotating turntable. It is provided that the processing stations 121 to 126 are distributed over the circumference of the turntable in such a way that not only a transfer of containers to the processing stations but also a reception of containers from the processing stations is made possible by the container receivers. No direct reception or forwarding of the containers is required here. In this case, direct receiving or forwarding means that the container receptacles are directly forwarded to or received from the processing station without further intermediate steps or intermediate conveyance. According to the invention, a further transport unit can also be arranged between the container receivers and the actual processing station, which first receives the containers from the container receivers and then transports them to the processing station or transfers the containers processed in the processing station to the container receivers. Here, reference is made, by way of example, to a rotary star wheel which is arranged between the container holders and the processing stations. The direction of rotation is preferably opposite to the direction of rotation of the turntable. The rotating star wheel can have at least two holders, so that the rotating star wheel can receive one container from the container receiver 130 and one container from the processing station and each transfer it to another device.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the transfer of the container to the processing station is effected by a first container receiver, and the re-reception of the container from the processing station is effected by a further container receiver. In this case, the further container receiver can be the container receiver that also transfers the container to the treatment station, wherein the container receiver has traveled at least one turn around the entire turret during the treatment of the container in the treatment station.

Fig. 2a to 2d schematically show the process of transferring and receiving containers. In fig. 2a, the container is carried by the first container receiver 231. The first container receptacle is shown here by way of example as a body clip, but can also be designed differently as already described above. In the situation shown in fig. 2a, the turntable is rotated in the direction of the given arrow, as shown in fig. 1. The containers 140 are thus moved by the container receivers 231 in the direction of the processing station 121. The processing station includes a facility commonly referred to as a centering device 260. The centering device is adapted to receive the container and secure it in a determined orientation. The positioning may be completely changeable. Thus, the container can be rotated or moved up and down, for example, in the centering device 260. Other movements in the illustrated drawing are also conceivable. The containers in the centering device 260 can therefore be moved, in particular, close to the turntable or away from the turntable, which can be advantageous precisely when transferring or receiving the containers.

In fig. 2b, the turret has been moved away with the container receiver 231 so that the container 140 has been transferred to the processing station 121. The containers are processed in this method step by a schematically illustrated processing module of the processing station 121. As already mentioned, the containers can be rotated or moved up and down on the positioning plate for this purpose, but can also be moved back and forth in the plane shown.

In fig. 2c, the processing of the container is completed. In the method step shown, the further container receiver 232 of the turret 101 is now positioned in such a way that it can receive a container from the processing station 121 and transport it along the turret, for example toward a further processing station or toward an output device as shown in fig. 1.

In fig. 2d, a subsequent container receiver 232 has already received a container 140 from the processing station 120 and is currently transporting it further.

As already mentioned above, it is arbitrary according to the invention which container receiver in turn receives a container 140 from the processing station. Although container receivers directly adjacent to each other are shown in fig. 2a to 2 d. However, this is for intuitive reasons only. In fact, the container receiver 232 shown in the following can be any container receiver of the rotary table 101. In particular, it may even be the same container receiver 231. Which container receiver actually receives a container after processing in the processing station 121 depends decisively on the rotational speed of the turntable and on the processing duration in the processing station and the number and spacing of the container receivers on the turntable. If the containers are processed in the processing station for such a length of time that the turret has travelled one revolution during this time, the containers are received from the processing station by the same container receiver that also transferred the container to the processing station 121, subsequently transported further and finally transferred to the output device. If the containers are processed in the processing station for a period of time which is a fraction of the time required for one revolution of the turntable about the axis of rotation R or any non-integer multiple of this time, the reception of the containers will be effected by the other container receivers.

When the container receiver is configured such that it can only receive or forward a single container (which means that one container receiver can only forward or receive one container at a time), the revolving speed of the turntable must be so great that not all container receivers are taken from the conveying device. For this purpose, for example, the rotational speed of the turntable can be selected such that every second container receiver receives a container from the conveying device. Therefore, the number of treatment stations should also be chosen such that sufficient containers can be treated simultaneously and that no blockages occur. A blocking in this case means that all processing stations are occupied, but the turret is still transporting containers, which are not transported out of the respective plurality of processing stations by the turret.

Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of the processing station 121. The processing station 121 in this embodiment includes a frame 370. The frame may be made up of one or more assembled parts such as sheets or comprise a plurality of rods. One or

more process modules

371 and 372 may be disposed on the frame. A centering device is connected to the frame or at least associated with the frame. In the embodiment shown, the centering means consist of a centering bell 361 and a setting or rotating disc 362. One or more drive units, in particular servo motors, can be assigned to the centering device, which drive units make it possible to move the centering device as a whole in the direction of at least one of the arrows shown. It may thus be provided that the centering device is movable upwards and downwards or parallel to the axis of rotation of the turntable. It is particularly advantageous in this embodiment if a plurality of

processing modules

371 and 372 are arranged one above the other, so that the containers can be processed by a plurality of processing modules in the same processing station during a movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the turntable. Here, the same process is not necessarily required. Thus, for example, printing or labeling may be performed at a first height and the applied print pattern or applied label may be verified at a second height. In this case, the pretreatment and the post-treatment can also be carried out at different heights between the actual main treatment steps (for example printing).

It is particularly advantageous if the treatment station is adapted to have a first height h₁Receiving the container and then at a second height h₂Into the treatment plane or in the treatment area. If the treatment should be carried out with a plurality of treatment modules, the entire treatment of the containers provided in the treatment station will be carried out with a height which also extends over the height section. The container is then moved either back to a height h at which the container is transferred to a processing station₁Or at a third height h₃The container is transferred to the container receiver of the turntable. Of course in this case it is desirable that the container receiver can be at the first height h₁The container is transferred and may have a third height h₃A container is received. For this purpose, it can be provided that the container holder can be at a height h₁And h₃To move in between. However, it is also possible for each container receptacle to comprise two receptacle areas in which the container receptacle can receive or dispense a container, and for corresponding holding means, such as clips or a positioning disk and a centering bell, to be provided in the receptacle areas. This embodiment is advantageous because the containers can thus be received simultaneously from the processing station by the same container receiverAnd another container is handed over to the processing station. This significantly increases the throughput of treated containers that can be achieved with the container treatment machine according to the invention.

Since the rotational speed of the turntable can be several meters per second, it must be ensured when transferring containers into and receiving containers from the processing station: on the one hand, no damage occurs in the event of a sudden stop of the container when it is handed over to the processing station and, on the other hand, no damage of the processed container occurs in the event of a reception of the container from the processing station.

For this purpose, it is provided according to an embodiment of the invention that either the container receiver or the centering device in the processing station or both are movable, so that the relative movement between the processing station, which is stationary itself, and the turntable can be at least partially compensated. Thus, according to an embodiment, it is provided that: the container receptacles, as shown in fig. 4a, are first clamped at an angle α to the outer boundary of the turntable 101₁While the container receiver transports the container in the direction of the centering device 260 of the processing station 121. At this point in time, the centering device 260 is still approximately at the center M of the processing station 121. Advantageously, the centering device 260 can also be moved in the direction of rotation of the turntable 101, which is indicated by the arrow, so that the relative speed between the turntable and thus the container receiver and the centering device 260 of the stationary processing station 121 is at least slightly less than the rotational speed of the turntable relative to a fixed reference point. In fig. 4b, the angle α between the container receiver and the turntable is increased against the direction of rotation of the turntable as a result of the container receiver having been rotated about the point of rotation₂. If the container holder is not designed as an arm with a gripper, a translational movement against the direction of rotation of the turntable can also be carried out instead of a rotary movement. Thus, the container 140 carried by the container receiver has moved at a relatively low speed in the rotational direction of the turntable. Furthermore, the centering device 260 has now been moved away from the center point of the container receiver in the direction of rotation of the turntable at a certain speed, so that the differential speed between the container and the centering device 260 is at least smaller than the rotational speed of the turntable itself. Preferably, either through the containerThe movement of the receiving means, either by the movement of the centering device or both, allows a complete compensation of the rotational speed of the turntable. This means that: when the container is transferred to the centering device, the relative speed between the container and the centering device is 0 m/s.

However, a smaller compensation of the relative velocity may also be advantageous. The relative speed between the container receiver and the centering device is therefore preferably reduced to v<1ms^-1Particularly preferably v<0.5ms^-1。

In the situation shown in fig. 4c, the angle between the container receiver 410 and the periphery of the turntable 101 is still further increased to α₃. Although the container has been transferred to the centering device, the sudden release and pulling away or continued movement of the container receiver may still result in the container slipping or tipping over in the centering device. This risk can be minimized by this continued movement against the direction of rotation of the turntable. Furthermore, the connection to the container can be released at a point at which the container itself does not inadvertently slip along when the connection is released. This point or area corresponds to the area of the container shown in the direction of rotation of the turntable. In the situation shown here according to fig. 4c, this corresponds to the upper half of the container. After successful transfer of the container to the processing station, the centering device can be moved back, if necessary, again in the direction of the center or the point provided for the processing of the container to be carried out. Since, in principle, a large amount of time is available for the treatment of the containers on the basis of the fact that the turntable continues to move while the containers are being treated, it can be provided, for example, that a time of 0.5s or 1s or 2s is available for the return movement of the centering device.

It is understood that the reception from the processing station into the container receiver takes place according to the same criteria.

Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment which has already been described with reference to fig. 3. In this embodiment, the turntable 501 of the container treatment machine 500 is designed in such a way that the container receptacles each have two receiving devices. These receiving means are shown here at 511 to 514. Can be at a first height h₁By receiving means, e.g. fromThe rotating star/transport ring 520 receives the containers. At the turntable about the axis of rotation R₁In the case of further rotation, the transfer of the container to the processing station 530, which is at a height h by means of a corresponding centering device (which can also be understood as a neck-operated clamp or a body clamp and is here designated 531), can be effected at the same height₁A container is received. The containers are then parallel to the axis of rotation R in the processing station 530, corresponding to the direction of the arrows shown₁The ground motion is processed here by one or more processing modules 533. The movement, as described above, does not necessarily have to extend only parallel to the axis of rotation of the turntable, but can also extend in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turntable. Rotation is likewise conceivable. And then may be at a third height h₃To effect the transfer of the containers from the processing station 530 to the receiving unit 514 of the turntable 501. It is entirely possible here to provide that the height h in the treatment station is equal to the height h₁And a height h₃In between the first centering device 531, which has received the containers from the turret, and the second centering device 532, which transfers the containers to the turret, an alternation is achieved in the transport of the containers. Thus, for example, the height h can be set₁The containers are received from the turntable by means of the body gripper or neck-operated gripper and then transferred to a positioning disk and a corresponding centering bell, which ensure transport to the height h₃. It is thus possible for the body gripper to be used for receiving the next container, wherein the positioning plate is ready for receiving a further container again after the container has been transferred to the receiving means 514 of the turntable 501 and can be moved to the corresponding height.

In this embodiment, it is particularly advantageous if the feed-in and feed-out device in the form of a rotating ring can be designed as a rotating ring having a height h₁And h₃The holding portion of (1). The rotating ring is a rotating ring that is at a first height h₁Including introducing a rotating ring and at a third height h₃Including leading out the rotating ring. The lead-in rotary ring is arranged for transferring containers to the turntable, while the lead-out rotary ring is arranged for receiving containers from the turntable. Rotating ring (guiding in rotating)Rotating ring and lead-out rotating ring) arranged parallel to each other and able to rotate about a rotation axis R₂And (4) rotating. Thus, more space is provided for processing stations at the periphery of the turntable. With reference to fig. 1 for this purpose, it can be seen in fig. 1 that a "dead space" exists between the rotary rings 111 and 112, in which no treatment stations are arranged, since no containers penetrate into this space during normal transport. However, with the rotational speeds of the existing turntables, this dead zone directly results in less time being used for processing the containers, since the entire available angular range, at which the containers can be handed over to or received from the processing station, is smaller. Thus, the possible throughput of the container can be significantly increased with the embodiment shown in fig. 5. It will be appreciated that the height h can also be varied₃To effect hand-over to a processing station and can be at a height h₁To effect transfer to the container receiver.

Claims

1. Method for handling containers (140), such as bottles, wherein the containers are transported by container receivers (130) of a continuously rotatable turret (101) of a container handling machine (100), characterized in that the containers are handed over from the container receivers (130) to a fixed-orientation handling station (121) for handling, in which the containers are handled and subsequently handed over to the container receivers (130) in the turret for further transport, wherein the containers are held in the handling station (121) by a centering device (260) comprising a rotary disc and a centering clock, and wherein the containers are received by the centering device (260) at a first height from the container receivers, are handled in the handling station at a second height and are handed over to the container receivers at a third height.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the containers are handed over from a lead-in rotary ring of the transport ring (520) to a container receiver (511) at the first level and are received from a container receiver (512) by a lead-out rotary ring of the transport ring (520) at the third level, wherein the lead-in rotary ring and the lead-out rotary ring rotate parallel to each other about a common axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the turret.

3. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein a first treatment step of the containers is performed with a first number of treatment stations and a second treatment step of the containers is performed with a second number of treatment stations, wherein the containers are transported from one of the first treatment stations into one of the second treatment stations by the container receiver.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotational speed of the turntable is controlled in dependence on at least one parameter indicative of the processing of containers.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the containers are at least printed, inspected, cleaned, the surface of the containers is cured, the containers are pre-treated or post-treated in the treatment station.

6. Container handling machine (100) for handling containers (140), such as bottles, comprising a stationary part and a rotatable turntable (101) with a plurality of container receivers (130) which can receive and transport the containers (140), characterized in that an azimuthally fixed handling station (121) is arranged on the stationary part, wherein the container receivers (130) are configured to transfer the containers to the handling station (121) and to receive the containers from the handling station (121) 126), wherein the handling station comprises a centering device (260) with a rotating disk (361) and a centering bell (362), and wherein the centering device of the handling station can receive the containers from the container receivers at a first height, can move into a handling plane at a second height and can transfer to the container receivers at a third height, wherein the container receiver is configured to hand over a container at the first height and to receive a container at the third height.

7. The container processing machine (100) according to claim 6, wherein the container receiver (130) comprises a gripper and/or a neck-operated clamp and/or a body clamp.

8. The container processing machine (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that a transport ring (520) is assigned to the container processing machine, which transport ring comprises a lead-in rotation ring at a first level and a lead-out rotation ring at a third level, wherein the lead-in rotation ring and the lead-out rotation ring are arranged parallel to one another and are rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotatable turret.

9. The container processing machine (100) according to one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that a first number of processing stations are configured to perform a first processing step and a second number of processing stations are configured to perform a second processing step.

10. The container processing machine (100) according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the processing stations comprise at least one printing module, inspection module, curing module, cleaning module, pre-processing module or post-processing module.

11. The container processing machine (100) according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the turntable is configured to rotate permanently, wherein the transfer of a container to a processing station is effected by a first container receiver (231) and the reception from the processing station can be effected by a second container receiver (232) different from the first container receiver or by the same container receiver (231).