DE19955494A1 - Volume reduction method for a plastic or metal barrel by cutting and removing sections, calibrating remaining sections and rejoining - Google Patents

Abstract

The barrel body(21) is separated into three or more sections and one or more sections(30b, 30d,30f) corresponding to the volume by which the barrel is to be reduced are removed. Remaining sections(30a,30c, 30e,30g) are reassembled and joined together. An Independent claim is made for the process equipment including a cutting unit(31) for cutting the barrel body into three or more sections(30a-30g), a device for removing one or more sections and a joining unit for connecting the remaining sections.

Description

The invention relates to a method for downsizing Barrels, in particular made of metal or plastic, which a barrel jacket, a barrel bottom and a barrel lid exhibit. The invention further relates to a device to shrink such barrels.

Beer is used by breweries for sale Restaurants and other bulk buyers in aluminum barrels, so-called KEG barrels, or also in plastic drums bottled. The most common filling quantity of these barrels is 50 liters. Accordingly, the number of 50-liter Barrels very high compared to other barrel sizes. Younger In the past, however, there is an increasing need for barrels with 30 liter capacity. On the one hand, this is the fact that women are increasingly active in gastronomy  are that the 50 liter barrels can hardly handle. Furthermore, the serving of non-alcoholic beer is also increasing from barrels in the recent past. Non-alcoholic beer does not have that long Shelf life of alcoholic beer. From this too There is an increasing need for smaller barrels. The need for 50 liter drums is decreasing while the need for 30 liter drums is increasing. Of the Breweries would therefore increasingly need 30-liter barrels be procured while 50-liter drums are scrapped could become. It is therefore advisable to use the 50 liter Convert barrels into 30 liter barrels.

Proceeding from this, the invention has the problem based on a method and an apparatus for Propose shrinking barrels.

The inventive method for solving this problem has the features of claim 1 and the Device according to the invention has the features of claim 7 on.

With the inventive method and Device according to the invention can be larger drums can be easily and mechanically reduced in size so that it is a have less capacity. It can be large barrels in small barrels rework without procuring new, smaller barrels and old, larger barrels would have to be scrapped. This The procedure saves costs and protects the environment.

After further training of the procedure, the Barrel jacket by a laser beam or plasma burning severed. This allows the barrel jacket to be clean without excessive heat input into the barrel jacket, which too Changes in length leads, severed.  

To a clean connection of the neighboring It is to enable jacket sections against each other also useful, adjacent jacket sections with regard to the axis position to calibrate before the Jacket sections are connected to each other. To the It is advisable to connect the jacket sections to these to weld. In particular, there is one Laser welding on, since here again a minimal Heat input and a clean weld seam guaranteed is. This presupposes that the barrels to be reduced consist of a weldable metal or plastic. According to a further embodiment of the method separating the barrel jacket, calibrating the later for the reduced barrel remaining jacket sections and finally joining the jacket sections in three separate stations, namely a separation station, a calibration station and a welding station. The barrel jacket or the jacket sections are preferably about its longitudinal central axis relative to the Cutting devices or the calibration devices or the welding equipment rotates.

After a constructive design of the device is used as a cutting device for separating the barrel casing a laser welding nozzle and for connecting the A laser welding head is used for the jacket sections. Preferably there are two for each cut or weld diametrically opposed laser cutting nozzles or Laser welding heads used. Especially when cutting this ensures that the jacket sections with each other until the last moment by two diametrically opposed webs connected to each other that are finally severed almost simultaneously. The ones that can be removed to shrink the barrel Sheath sections are thus on until the last moment the two opposite rest webs with the clamped jacket sections connected and fall completely cut down cleanly,  without bending the cut edges. Furthermore is by this measure both when separating and when Welding ensures uniform heat input.

To adjacent jacket sections that are used to manufacture the reduced barrel, to be calibrated with regard to their axis position preferably a calibration device is provided. This includes a calibration ring with several, on the circumference distributed outer calibration roles and inner Calibration rolls on both ends of the calibration ring. It is advantageous if the outer calibration rollers and / or the inner calibration rollers at an angle to Longitudinal central axis of the jacket sections are made.

After a first constructive design of the Invention are the jacket sections by a gripper held while the cutter or the Calibration device or the joining device around the Jacket sections are rotatable. An alternative constructive design are the cutting device or the calibration device or the joining device arranged stationary while the jacket sections by means of a tensioning device about its longitudinal central axis are rotatable.

Further features of the invention relate to constructive designs of the tensioning device.

The invention is based on Embodiments with reference to drawings explained in more detail. Show it:

Fig. 1 shows a first variant of a scaled-down barrel,

Fig. 2 shows a further variant of a scaled-down barrel,

Fig. 3 shows a device with the features of the invention in a schematic front view,

Fig. 4 shows the device according to Fig. 3 in top view,

Fig. 5 is a calibration station for the apparatus of Fig. 3 in front view,

Fig. 6, the calibration station according to Fig. 5 in top view,

Fig. 7 is a separating station for the apparatus of Fig. 3,

Fig. 8 is a welding station for the apparatus of Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 shows a modified clamping device for barrels for the apparatus of Fig. 3 in front view,

Fig. 10 shows a detail of the clamping device according to FIG. 9 in a sectional view.

Fig. 1 shows a first variant of a barrel 20 made by shrinking a 50 liter barrel with a capacity of now 30 liters. The barrel 20 has a barrel jacket 21 which is provided with a collar 22 , 23 at its upper and lower ends. The barrel 20 also has a barrel cover 24 and a barrel bottom 25 . The barrel 20 according to FIG. 2 is formed analogously, so that the same is provided with the same reference numbers here. The barrels 20 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 differ only in that the barrel according to FIG. 1 has two beads 26 in the barrel jacket 21 , while the barrel according to FIG. 2 has only one bead 26 in the barrel jacket 21 .

A device for reducing large barrels to the size of the barrels 20 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 3 to 8. The device has a separation station 27 , a calibration station 28 and a welding station 29 . The barrel jacket 21 is divided in the separation station 27 . FIGS. 3, 4 and 7 on the one hand while on the other hand show two differing variants. In Fig. 4, the barrel jacket 21 is divided into three jacket sections 30 a, 30 b and 30 c. Fig. 7 shows a variant in which the barrel jacket 21 is divided into seven jacket sections 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f and 30 g.

In the illustration in Fig. 3, the average shell portion 30 b is removed and the two outer shell portions 30 a and 30 c with the drum cover 24 and the barrel bottom 25 are conveyed further into the calibration 28th The width of the jacket section 30 b, which is removed, corresponds exactly to the volume by which the barrel 20 is to be reduced. In the present case, the jacket section 30 b also has one of the two beads 26 which are usually present in drums 20 , so that a smaller barrel 20 with only one bead 26 according to FIG. 2 is produced in this procedure.

In order to obtain a reduced barrel 20 with the usual two beads 26 , three jacket sections 30 b, 30 d and 30 f are removed, as shown in FIG. 7, which together correspond to the volume by which the barrel 20 is reduced shall be. This leaves four jacket sections 30 a, 30 c, 30 e and 30 g, which are conveyed further into the calibration station 28 . The two middle, remaining jacket sections 30 c and 30 e each have a bead 26 . The reduced barrel 20 according to FIG. 1 is produced.

In the separation station 27 , the barrel jacket 21 can be divided into the jacket sections 30 by different methods. For example, it can be cut or split by a cutting torch. However, the cuts are preferably made by means of a laser beam. Each of the necessary cuts is assigned its own laser cutting nozzle 31 . Accordingly, two laser cutting nozzles 31 are provided in FIG. 4, while six laser cutting nozzles 31 are provided in FIG. 7. The laser cutting nozzles 31 in FIG. 7 are only indicated by arrows. To separate the barrel jacket 21 into the jacket sections 30 , the laser cutting nozzles 31 and the barrel 20 are rotated relative to one another about the longitudinal central axis of the barrel.

In the calibration station 28 , the individual jacket sections 30 are aligned with one another in such a way that their longitudinal central axis and, accordingly, their jacket surfaces are aligned. In addition, any dents in the area of the later seams are compensated for, so that all of the jacket sections 30 have the same diameter, at least in the area of the later seams. A separate calibration device 32 is provided in the calibration station 28 for each of the later interfaces.

Each calibration device 32 has a calibration ring 33 , which projects into the cut barrel 20 between two jacket sections 30 . The calibration ring 33 carries two outer calibration rollers 34 and two inner calibration rollers 35 . A plurality of outer calibration rollers 34 and a plurality of inner calibration rollers 35 are arranged distributed over the circumference of the calibration ring 33 . A set of outer calibration rollers 34 and inner calibration rollers 35 is assigned to each jacket section 30 on each cut edge. Each calibration ring 33 thus carries outer calibration rollers 34 and inner calibration rollers 35 on its two end faces. An outer calibration roller 34 and an inner calibration roller 35 each act as a pair as counterpressure elements.

As can be clearly seen in FIG. 6, the inner calibration rollers 35 are set slightly obliquely inwards. The jacket sections 30 can thus be inserted well between the outer calibration rollers 34 and the inner calibration rollers 35 . At the same time, the jacket sections 30 are calibrated to one another by insertion between the calibration rollers 34 and 35 . For calibration, the jacket sections 30 and the calibration ring 33 are rotated relative to one another about the longitudinal central axis of the barrel 20 .

After the individual jacket sections 30 have been calibrated with respect to one another, they are jointly conveyed further into the welding station 29 . Here the individual jacket sections 30 are joined to one another by axial displacement and then welded to one another. Different welding methods are also conceivable here. Laser welding is preferably used. A separate laser welding head 36 is assigned to each interface. The individual jacket sections 30 are welded to one another by in turn rotating the laser welding head 36 and the jacket sections 30 relative to one another about the longitudinal central axis of the barrel 20 .

Two diametrically opposed laser welding heads 36 can also be provided per weld 37 , as shown in FIG. 8. Analogously, two diametrically opposed laser cutting nozzles 31 can be provided in the cutting station 27 for each cut.

In the illustration according to Fig. 4 of the laser welding head 36 is provided in each case a roller ring 77 to both sides. On the rolling ring 77 , pressure rollers are arranged in pairs next to one another or in the circumferential direction of the barrel jacket 21 one behind the other, which press the barrel jacket 21 in the area of the laser welding head 36 in a slightly elastic manner into an approximately flat extension. The exact design of the rolling rings 77 will be described further below.

To the laser cutter 31 and the sizing device 32 and the laser welding heads 36 on the one hand and the barrel casing 21 and the coats portions 30 on the other hand to rotate in the aforementioned stations 27, 28, 29 relative to each other, either the cover portions 30 of the one part or the cutting laser 31 may or on the other hand, the calibration devices 32 and the laser welding heads 36 are driven in rotation. Of course, it is also conceivable to drive the jacket sections 30 and the laser cutting nozzles 31 or the calibration devices 32 or the laser welding heads 36 in opposite directions to one another.

In the variant of the device shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the jacket sections 30 are held in place, while the cutting lasers 31 or the calibration devices 32 or the laser welding heads 36 and the rolling rings 77 are rotated. The jacket sections 30 are held by a gripper 38 . A separate gripper 38 is assigned to each jacket section 30 that is to be conveyed further into the calibration station 28 . The jacket sections 30 , which are removed for volume reduction, fall downwards out of the separation station 27 after the separation.

The gripper 38 has two gripping arms 39 which are pivotably attached to a carrier 40 . The gripping arms 39 are also connected to one another by gears by gears 41 also attached to the swivel axis, so that they are opened and closed together.

The gripping arms 39 are designed here as two-armed levers. At its end opposite the barrel 20 , an actuating cylinder 42 , in particular a hydraulic cylinder, is arranged between the gripping arms 39 , by means of which the gripping arms 39 are opened and closed.

In order to be able to carry out the infeed movements required for calibrating and joining the jacket sections 30 , the gripper 38 is mounted displaceably in the direction of the longitudinal central axis of the barrel 20 . Specifically, the carrier 40 for the gripper arms 39 is slidably mounted on a slide pin 45 . The sliding pin 45 is in turn attached to a support arm 43 . The gripper 38 can be moved on the sliding bolt 45 by means of a cylinder 44 .

The support arm 43 is in turn pivotally mounted on a bearing block 46 and can be pivoted via a motor 47 in order to convey the gripper 38 and thus the jacket sections 30 into the different stations 27 , 28 and 29 . At its end opposite the gripper 38 , the support arm 43 also has a counterweight 48 which is intended to compensate for the weight of the gripper 38 . In the case shown in FIGS . 3 and 4, each gripper 38 is assigned its own support arm 43 . The two support arms 43 are connected here by the counterweight 48 . In addition, the two support arms 43 are connected to one another by a cross member 49 and are mounted on the bearing blocks 46 on a common pivot axis 50 .

To rotate the laser cutting nozzles 31 around the barrel jacket 21 , the laser cutting nozzles 31 are held on a support ring 51 . The support rings 51 of the individual laser cutting nozzles 31 are mounted, for example, via connecting bolts 52 on a drive pinion 53 which can be driven in rotation by an electric motor (not shown).

An analog device is also used for the laser welding heads 36 . As shown in FIG. 4, the laser welding head 36 is fastened to a carrier 69 which is attached to a drive wheel 71 via a connecting bolt 70 . The drive wheel 71 has an external toothing which meshes with a drive pinion 72 . The drive pinion 72 is driven by an electric motor 73 .

To rotate the calibration device 32 around the jacket sections 30 , the calibration ring 33 has external teeth 54 . The calibration ring 33 is held by three pinions 55 which mesh with the external teeth 54 of the calibration ring 33 . For this purpose, the pinions 55 are biased against the calibration ring 33 in the axial direction. At least one of the pinions 55 is driven by a motor to rotate the calibration ring 33 .

An alternative variant, in which the individual jacket sections 30 are driven in rotation, consists in that instead of the gripper 38, a tensioning device 56 , shown in more detail in FIG. 9, is used. The tensioning device 56 has a support ring 57 with external teeth 58 . The support ring 57 is supported by three pinions 59 . The pinions 59 in turn are rotatably attached to a bearing block 60 . The support ring 57 is driven by a drive pinion 74 which is driven by an electric motor 76 via a gear 75 . Alternatively, at least one of the pinions 59 can also be driven in direct rotation by a motor. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the pinions 59 are distributed in a star shape on the circumference of the support ring 57 . Six clamping arms 61 are rotatably mounted on the support ring 57 . At its free end, the tensioning arms 61 have a fixed tensioning roller 62 or a tensioning jaw which can be pressed against the jacket sections 30 for tensioning the jacket sections 30 . At the end with which the clamping arms 61 are attached to the support ring 57 , they have an actuating pinion 63 . The actuating pinions 63 mesh with a ring gear 64 , which in turn is rotatably supported on the support ring 57 by bearing rollers 65 .

By turning the ring gear 64 relative to the support ring 57 , the clamping arms 61 are opened or closed. As shown in Fig. 5 of the ring gear so the fixed clamping rollers 62 are opened 64 relative to the supporting ring 57 in the clockwise direction, the clamping arms 61 by rotating, raised. By turning the ring gear 64 in relation to the support ring 57 in the counterclockwise direction, the tensioning arms 61 are closed, that is to say the fixed tensioning rollers 62 are set downward against the jacket sections 30 .

An actuating web 66 is attached to the ring gear 64 . This is connected to an eccentric 68 via a turnbuckle 67 . By rotating the eccentric 68 , the ring gear 64 is rotated relative to the support ring 57 via the turnbuckle 67 and the actuating web 66 . The turnbuckle 67 is used to adjust the fixed tensioning rollers 62 or the tensioning arms 61 to different barrel diameters. The turnbuckle 67 is operated by hand for this purpose. As an alternative, a motorized adjustment is also conceivable here, which can optionally also be used to open and close the tensioning arms 61 .

The tensioning device 56 shown in FIG. 9 is attached to the support arms 43 analogously to the gripper 38 . Each casing section 30 to be conveyed further into the calibration station 28 or into the welding station 29 is in turn assigned its own clamping device 56 .

Alternatively, the clamping device 56 can also be provided stationary, in which case the laser cutting nozzles 31 or the calibration device 32 or the laser welding heads 36 are brought up to the barrel jacket 21 or the jacket sections 30 . In this case, there are no longer three locally separated separation stations 27 , calibration stations 28 and welding stations 29 . Rather, they are united in one place. Furthermore, the ring gear 64 of the tensioning device 56 can also be actuated by pressure medium cylinders.

The roller rings 77 according to FIG. 4 can be designed analogously to the tensioning device 56 when the barrel 20 is stationary, the fixed tensioning rollers 62 being rotatably attached to the tensioning arms 61 as pressure rollers. As also shown in FIG. 9 for the tensioning device 56 , the tensioning arms 61 and thus the pressure rollers are each provided in pairs.

In the case of the fixed laser welding heads 36 according to FIG. 7, seen in the circumferential direction of the barrel jacket 20 , a pressure roller is provided in front of and behind a laser welding head 36 , which also take over the role of the roller ring 77 . Because of the somewhat narrower spatial conditions, common pressure rollers are provided here for adjacent jacket sections 30 .

Reference list

20th

Barrel

21

Barrel jacket

22

collar

23

collar

24th

Drum lid

25th

Barrel bottom

26

Surround

27

Separation station

28

Calibration station

29

Welding station

30th

Jacket section

31

Laser cutting nozzle

32

Calibration device

33

Calibration ring

34

Calibration roll

35

Calibration roll

36

Laser welding head

37

Weld

38

Gripper

39

Gripper arms

40

carrier

41

Gears

42

Actuating cylinder

43

Beam

44

cylinder

45

Sliding bolt

46

Bearing block

47

engine

48

Counterweight

49

traverse

50

Swivel axis

51

Support ring

52

Connecting bolt

53

pinion

54

External teeth

55

Gears

56

Clamping device

57

Support ring

58

External teeth

59

pinion

60

Bearing block

61

Arm

62

Idler pulley

63

Actuating pinion

64

Ring gear

65

Storage rollers

66

Actuating bridge

67

Turnbuckle

68

eccentric

69

carrier

70

Connecting bolt

71

drive wheel

72

pinion

73

Electric motor

74

pinion

75

transmission

76

Electric motor

77

Rolling ring

Claims (19)

1. A method for reducing the size of barrels ( 20 ), in particular made of metal or plastic, which have a barrel jacket ( 21 ), a barrel bottom ( 25 ) and a barrel lid ( 24 ), with the following method steps:

• a) the barrel jacket ( 21 ) is separated into at least three jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g),
• b) at least one jacket section ( 30 b, 30 d, 30 f), which corresponds to the volume by which the barrel ( 20 ) is to be reduced, is removed,
• c) the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) are joined together and connected to one another.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrel jacket ( 21 ) is cut by means of a laser beam or plasma burning. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) each to an adjacent jacket section ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) with respect to the axial position be calibrated before the jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) are connected to each other. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) are welded together, in particular laser-welded. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the barrel jacket ( 21 ) is separated in a separation station ( 27 ) in the jacket sections ( 30 a... 30 g) in which the at least one jacket section ( 30 b, 30 d, 30 f), which corresponds to the volume by which the barrel ( 20 ) is to be reduced, is removed, the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) conveyed further into a calibration station ( 28 ) and there they are calibrated with regard to their axial position and finally conveyed further into a welding station ( 29 ) for welding the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g). 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the barrel jacket ( 21 ) or the jacket sections ( 30 ) about their longitudinal central axis relative to a cutting device ( 31 ) or a calibration device ( 32 ) or to a welding device ( 36 ) can be rotated. 7. Device for reducing the size of drums ( 20 ), in particular made of metal or plastic, which have a drum casing ( 21 ), a drum bottom ( 25 ) and a drum cover ( 24 ), with a cutting device ( 31 ) for cutting the drum casing ( 21 ) in at least three jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, 30 e, 30 f, 30 g), a device for removing at least one jacket section ( 30 b, 30 d, 30 f), which corresponds to the volume, around which the barrel ( 20 ) is to be reduced in size, and a joining device ( 36 ) for connecting the remaining jacket sections ( 30 a, 30 c, 30 e, 30 g) to one another. 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the cutting device is a laser welding nozzle ( 31 ). 9. The device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the joining device is a laser welding head ( 36 ). 10. Apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that two diametrically opposed laser cutting nozzles ( 31 ) or laser welding heads ( 36 ) are provided for each cut or weld seam ( 37 ). 11. The device according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that a calibration device ( 32 ) for calibrating adjacent jacket sections ( 30 ) with respect to their axial position, a calibration ring ( 33 ) with a plurality of outer calibration rollers ( 34 ) and inner calibration rollers distributed around the circumference ( 35 ) on both ends of the calibration ring ( 33 ). 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the outer calibration rollers ( 34 ) and / or the inner calibration rollers ( 35 ) are placed obliquely to the longitudinal central axis of the jacket sections ( 30 ). 13. Device according to one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the jacket sections ( 30 ) are held by a gripper ( 38 ), while the cutting device ( 31 ) or the calibration device ( 32 ) or the joining device ( 36 ) around the jacket sections ( 30 ) are rotatable. 14. Device according to one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the cutting device ( 31 ) or the calibration device ( 32 ) or the joining device ( 36 ) are arranged stationary, while the jacket sections ( 30 ) by means of a clamping device ( 56 ) are rotatable about their longitudinal central axis. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the clamping device ( 56 ) has a plurality of circumferentially distributed clamping arms ( 61 ) which can be pivoted against the jacket sections ( 30 ) for tensioning the jacket sections ( 30 ). 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the clamping arms ( 61 ) have at their free end a tension roller ( 62 ) which presses against the jacket sections ( 30 ). 17. The apparatus of claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the clamping arms (61) are pivotally mounted at one end to a support ring (57) and a concentric with the pivot axis actuating pinion (63) for pivoting of the clamping arms (61). 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the actuating pinion (63) meshes with a ring gear (64), in particular all the operating pinion (63) mesh with a clamping device (56) with a common ring gear (64). 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the ring gear ( 64 ) for tensioning the jacket sections ( 30 ) and / or for adjusting the clamping arms ( 61 ) to different diameters of the jacket sections ( 30 ) is rotatable.