DE2522551A1 - METHOD OF FORMING A PALLETIZED PACKAGING AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING IT - Google Patents

Description

KRAUS & WEiSERT

FATE NATIONAL LAWYERS

DR. WALTER KRAUS DIPLOMA CHEMIST DR.-ING. ANNEKSTE WEISERT DIPL.-ING. SPECIALIZATION CHEMISTRY D-8 MÜNCHEN 19 · FLÜGGENSTRASSE 17 ■ TELEFON 089/177061

Case 1113

Marius Leopold Albert Hippolyte Berghgracht, F-60 Vineuil St. Firmin / France

Method for forming a palletized package and device for its implementation

The invention relates to palletized packages, and in particular to a method for forming such packages and a device for carrying out the method.

Palletization is a technique that is widely used in mechanical treatment is used and it is a very suitable method for loading, sorting and transporting of shipments of a variety of goods. Conventional palletization involves the use of a wooden pallet, which forms a base or carrier for the goods and

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is constructed so that the forks of a forklift can reach under the goods, so that the load thereby can be lifted. A disadvantage of conventional wooden pallets is that they are relatively heavy and are relatively expensive, and as a result they are usually charged with a deposit so that they can be passed on to the supplier of the goods are returnable. Various attempts have been made in the past to find alternative species of pallets, including pallets that are inexpensive enough to be discarded can, but these attempts have not resulted in sufficiently inexpensive pallets which have been commercially acceptable would be.

Another difficulty that arises from palletizing The result is that the goods are adequately protected during storage and transport. have to. In many branches of industry it is necessary to keep stocks of goods at different times of the year, for example in cement production, and it can be very expensive when it is necessary to have such goods under a cover to store.

The invention aims to eliminate the above difficulties, i.e. a palletizing system in which the pallet base is disposable or is a disposable item, and by that palletized packaging will continue to be made available that has its own weather protection.

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With the invention, a method for forming a palletized packaging is created which has the following method steps has: A flexible thermoplastic membrane is held on a holding or carrier part, preformed rigid inserts are arranged in correspondingly shaped cavities in the holding or carrier part, so that the membrane between the inserts and the Haltebzw. Support part lies and a base for the eventual Packaging forms, goods are stacked on the resulting arrangement, the stacked goods become in one wrapped in waterproof film or thin sheet material, and this material is sealing with the periphery of the thermoplastic Membrane connected.

In a preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic Provide the membrane with cavities which correspond to the shape of the inserts before the membrane is arranged on the holding or carrier part. Such cavities are advantageously formed in the thermoplastic membrane a vacuum forming process previously formed, in which the heated or heated plastic - or. Plastic membrane sucked or blown into a shape of the desired shape. If desired, other suitable plastics or plastics can be used. Plastic molding operations can be used. The thermoplastic The membrane is advantageously formed from a polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or it is formed from a plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Other thermoplastic materials are not excluded, but it is desirable that the plastic material coincide with the waterproof envelope can be welded, since such welding is the most advantageous method of training a seal between the base and the water

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tight wrapping is. The thermoplastic membrane preferably has sufficient rigidity so that it is able to maintain the shape of the cavities formed by molding, although this thermoplastic membrane is normally is flexible to the extent that if it is of standard pallet size, it is supported on one side becomes, bends downwards. A sheet or thin sheet of relatively thick, low-density polyethylene, for example about 0.508 mm (about 500 microns) has been found to be very satisfactory.

The rigid inserts and, as a result, the cavities in the base, τ-elche made of the thermoplastic membrane can be of any desired shape or dimension that enables the forks of a forklift truck can reach through between them when the holding or carrier part is or is removed. Preferably however, the inserts are generally flat-bottomed and tapered downward to provide the general Have the shape of a trough of trapezoidal cross-section or the shape of a truncated cone. Truncated cones, in particular those having a circular base are preferred.

The function of the inserts is to act as a carrier for the palletized Load to serve when the holding or carrier part is removed, and these inserts can be made of any suitable material provided that they are able to account for their share of the weight of the palletized To bear the burden. Although massive stakes can be used, it has been found that this is and will be unnecessary therefore preferably hollow inserts are used, which are made of rigid plastic or plastic material, as on these

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This saves material and reduces weight.

Examples of suitable materials for molding or forming inserts are high-impact polystyrene, acrylonitrile butatiene styrene. Nylon as well as glass fiber reinforced epoxy and polyester resins. Materials that are not plastics, can also be used, including the use of metal, wood, and even plaster of paris, but these Materials are not preferable.

Preferred steps in forming a palletized package according to the invention are the following:

1) Arrangement of a preformed base of flexible thermoplastic Material on a holding or carrier part and insertion of preformed frustoconical inserts into appropriately shaped cavities in the base. Preferably the conical inserts are flat Lip or flat flange that is coplanar with the top surface of the base (which in turn relieves stress or can be recessed to accommodate the flanges of the conical inserts).

2) Z-I ^ vferen will be on the resulting upper surface dea. Base stacked, using the normal techniques for the Can be used to build a palletized load.

3) A cover or hood made of waterproof material is pulled over the stacked goods and sealed at the base attached. The seal can be achieved through the use of an adhesive, but preferably one is used such a cover or hood is selected, which with the thermo-

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plastic base of the pallet is weldable. Usually the waterproof cover is made of heat-shrinkable material Material.

4) After the waterproof cover has been sealingly attached to the thermoplastic base, the obtained one is palletized Load brought to a heat shrink oven where the watertight envelope is shrunk around the load so that a palletized load is obtained -, which can be moved using standard forklift equipment and which is fully weatherproof.

The achieved stiffness of the pclettized charge results from the combination of the flexible thermoplastic base, the rigid inserts, the interlocking (if present) of the goods that are stacked on the pallet base as well as due to the shock effect: 1 hood or shell, surprisingly it was found that the combination of these effects is generally sufficient, so that a di- palletized packaging forms sufficient unit to be handled in the normal manner using a forklift truck.

however, an additional stiffness required 1s * g ₅ then köi'ifr which are else achieved economically V / characterized in that o a stiffening plate such as a board, a '· board, carton, or the like. on the pallet base after the insertion of the rigid inserts »Such a stiffening board can consist of a thin sheet of cardboard, chipboard material, plywood or plastic or plastic material, and it can be bonded to the pallet base by welding or - by means of an adhesive - or with the latter ., Ss v / urd ^, however found that

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it is sufficient to place the stiffening panel on the pallet base only, and this can be achieved by making protrusions in the thermoplastic membrane forming the base. Such projections can consist of ribs, edges, There are ridges or the like or depressions that protrude above the general upper surface of the base. Consequently the stiffening panel becomes slightly smaller than the total area of the base membrane and placed in position by protrusions formed in the top surface the base are formed. This method of placement has been found to be sufficient around the stiffener panel in their correct order. In addition, if desired, a similar one can be used Panel to be placed on top of the pallet load before the waterproof cover or hood is attached so that in this way the top layer of the goods in the load is protected when two or more pallets one on top of the other to be stacked.

The invention also provides a device for carrying out the palletizing process described above, which has a turntable which has a plurality of holding or carrier parts in the form of a carriage or carriage that can be moved up and down the turntable Can carry a plurality of stations arranged around the turntable.

Preferably at least four stations are provided around the turntable, namely a first station in which the preformed base is deposited on the carriage having a support member, and in the rigid inserts are inserted into cavities in the base; »

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and a second station in which goods are loaded onto the base; a third station in which a waterproof The sleeve is placed over the goods and sealingly attached to the base; and a fourth station, in which the shell is subjected to heat shrinkage on the goods and the complete palletized packaging is removed.

In the following, the invention will be particularly preferred with the aid of some which are shown in principle in FIGS. 1 to 6 of the drawing Embodiments explained in more detail; show it:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a thermoplastic membrane which has been subjected to vacuum forming and has cavities for receiving the inserts;

2 shows a sectional view of a palletized packaging, made according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional view of the in Fig. 2 in partial area indicated by dashed lines, on a larger scale compared to FIG. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of a device having six stations for carrying out the method according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a section along the line X-Y of Fig. 4; and

6 is a plan view of the frame of the device shown in FIGS.

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Reference should first be made to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawing, FIG. 1 being a plan view of a film or thin plate 1 of thermoplastic material, for example low density polyethylene, shows. The thin plate has a rectangular shape and is provided with nine spaced cavities 2, which are in the shape of truncated cones have a circular base. The thin sheet of polyethylene is a material that can withstand relatively heavy use withstands, for example, a material 0.508 mm (about 500 microns) thick.

Reference is now made to Figures 2 and 3, from which it can be seen that each cavity 2 receives an insert 3, the outer shape of which is closely matched to the inner shape of the cavities 2 in the thin plate 1. Also are the inserts 3 are provided with a flat flange part 4 and a flat base 5, and these parts can be rounded or have sharp corners. Furthermore, the rigid or stiff inserts 3> which are preferably formed from plastic material or plastic material, with a Provided indentation or recess 6, which receives the sprue formed during the injection molding process has been. The depth of the indentation 6 is such that the sprue i.iclit protrudes beyond the lower surface of the insert 6 “-These features, namely the flanges 4, the flat base and the insert or recess for the sprue are intended to prevent damage to either the Pallet stacked goods or from other pallets in the case of stacking the palletized packaging reduce to a minimum. As can be seen from Fig. 3, holes 7 are formed in the base of the inserts to to prevent air from being trapped between the membrane 1 and the inserts 3. If desired, a

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additional strength in the insert can be achieved by longitudinally extending stiffening ribs 8 (see Fig. 3) " but such ribs are not normally required.

Furthermore, it can be seen from Fig. 3 that the membrane 1 is shaped so that it has a crimped or recessed ring 9 which receives the flange 4 of the respective insert 3, and furthermore the membrane is shaped so that it is tight on its peripheral edge localization ribs or otherwise shaped projections 10 are present, which the correct arrangement or the localization of a stiffening panel 11 facilitate.

As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, goods 12 are stacked on base 1 in a conventional manner. A waterproof case or Hood 14 is then pulled over the stacked goods and, if necessary, a protective panel is placed in front of this process 15 placed on top of the stacked goods. The shell or hood 14 is long enough so that its lowest Edge extends down over the upper surface of the base 1, and the shell or hood is attached to its lower Edge IG by heat sealing on a lower edge part 13 » which is preferably bent downwards from the base 10. It should be noted that a reliable Welding between the hood and the edge 13 depends on the fact that between the hood and the edge part 13 a There is no substantial fold or wrinkle in contact. It has been found that the use of a beveled extending edge part 13 and the rounding of the corners of the base 1 during their formation a satisfactory sealing connection between the hood and the edge of the base. In addition, a satisfactory welding of the hood is achieved

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14 with the edge 13 supported by the fact that one in the thermoplastic Base inserts carbon black or printer black pigment. The actual welding technique is not critical, and electrical Heated rollers, pressure rollers, ultrasonic welding or flame welding can all be used in this context will. The hood is preferably made of a plastic or. Plastic material produced during its Education has been stretched so that it shrinks when heated or heated and so the external shape of the pallet load adapts. During the heat shrinkage process step, the edge 13 is inwardly and upwardly in Direction of arrow A in Fig. 3 pressed.

During the manufacture of the palletized load in accordance with the invention, the base is placed on a Haltebzw. Support part held or supported by this part which holds the upper surface of the base 1 horizontally while the goods are stacked and the various operations described above are carried out. As can be seen in Fig. 5, the holding or. Support part according to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is in the form of a carriage or slide which can be moved up and down from the turntable at stations that are arranged around the circumference of the turntable. The turntable is explained in detail in connection with FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ze-igeh, the rotary table 20 has a generally circular frame 21 which, o carriers by means of beams. The like. 22 with an x ¹ uiittigen hub 23 is connected. The circular frame 21 of the turntable 20 is advantageously formed from a number of sections 210-, these sections being of equal lengths and being countersunk inverted U-shaped steel parts;

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these sections are connected to one another by a suitably angled steel bracket 211, as shown in FIG. U-shaped by forming the frame 21 of modular or equal parts of cross-section which can be screwed together with standard ironing or molded parts is facilitated transport and _v the assembly of the rotary tables. The struts 22 can also be formed by screwing steel sections of suitable cross-sections together. It should be understood that the modular U-shaped section can be of any suitable standard height and width.

The frame 21 made by screwing together U-shaped sections is formed is carried by rollers 24. For screwing the rollers at a suitable height to the Frame is a sufficient distance between the floor and the lowest part of the wheel required. This distance is determined by the length of the carrier for the rollers 24 and their Diameter determined. It is not necessary that swivel castors be used, and the holders of the castors can be bolted to the base of the U-section of the frame 21 so that the plane of each caster 24 ^ forms a right angle with the radius of the turntable. LwV Boden, on which the turntable is mounted, can be a normal concrete floor that can carry a sufficient load, and no guide for the castors is necessary.

On the turntable six carriages 25 are attached, which have a holding or carrier part 26 in a suitable manner is shaped to hold a pallet base 1 or to carry. Each carriage 25 is provided with wheels 27 which are held in rails 28 and guided, which in turn are attached to the frame of the turntable. If it appears necessary,

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then reinforcing brackets or other parts 29 can be placed between the rails 27 and the U-shaped sections on the frame 21 are attached.

Each carriage 26 has sufficient recesses 301 so that it can receive the conical formations in the thin plate 1, which correspond to the cavities 2 (in the present case nine cavities). In the base of the holder or carrier 26 is under each recess 301 a piston part 302 is arranged, which at the same time one Forms part of the base of the recess. The piston parts can be hydraulic or pneumatic Cylinder 303 are actuated, and with simultaneous actuation of these piston parts, the latter can the loaded base lift sufficiently above the base of the bracket 26 so that the forks of a forklift will reach under the base 1 can. The cylinders 303 are all connected to a common hydraulic or pneumatic source which is local may be attached to the cart, for example a pump driven by an electric motor.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4, t> e "chs are stations arranged around the turntable 20, and that they are with the reference numerals N, NE, SE, S, SW and NW corresponding to Points of the compass. At each station a platform 13 is mounted on the ground near the turntable, on which a carriage can be moved from the turntable. The platform 30 has a support structure and rails 31, which are aligned with the rails 28 on the turntable, and they allow a carriage 25 from the turntable to a Drive platform. In Fig. 4 only one platform is shown, but it should be noted that at each of the six stations a platform is arranged. In Fig. 4, a carriage 25 is in dashed lines in a position on the

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Platform illustrated in station SE.

A process of the palletizing process is carried out at each of the six stations executed. So, assuming that station SE is the first station, the process begins with the Trolley or conveyor 25 on platform 30 in station SE (the southeast station). A thin base plate 1 and the conical inserts are placed on the holder (together with the stiffening panel, if necessary), and the carriage is then mechanically or manually pushed onto the rails 28 mounted on the turntable. The turntable is then rotated one sixth of a turn in the direction of arrow B so that the carriage is in the station S arrives. In station S, the car is then pushed by the turntable onto a platform that is similar or similar how the platform is in station SE, and half of the goods are loaded onto base 1. The car will then pushed back onto the rails 28 on the turntable, and the turntable is rotated a further sixth of a turn, so that the car arrives at station SW, where the operation carried out in station S by loading the second half JL_r goods is repeated. When the cart on the turntable -ui 'is brought back, then the latter will add another

Twisted into the station NW, in which one is placed on top of the goods (if desired or required), and in which the watertight hood or envelope is placed over the cargo will. The hood is then sealingly attached to the edge of the base in this station and the loaded cart is back on brought the turntable. Another sixth of a turn brings the cart to station N, where the palletized load is lifted up by operating the piston parts 302 and the cylinder. The car is then moved onto a platform

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that is in a shrink-wrap oven. the The resulting palletized and shrink-wrapped load or load is then returned to the turntable in station N, and due to a further sixth of a turn it reaches station NE, where the palletized packaging is removed from the The turntable is pushed down and lifted off the cart using a forklift is discharged. After lowering the piston parts 203, the empty carriage is returned to the turntable so that the Cycle can be repeated.

It should be noted that all six stations are operating at the same time and the turntable is only rotated when all six carts have been returned to the turntable. The rotation of the wheel or the turntable is timed so that that it is in accordance with the slowest process, and normally that process is the shrink-wrapping process. Although this can be done manually, it is preferably some form of mechanical or electrical Synchronization control or control process provided, to ensure that the turntable can only be operated when all six carriages have reached the wheel or Turntable have been returned. Stacking the goods on the turntable in two states or stages is advantageous, since the loading, if it is done manually, is easier and cheaper at this speed at one speed can be maintained in accordance with the operation of the shrink-wrap oven. If a mechanical Palletizing is used, then it has proven to be advantageous to use two palletizing devices operate, one at each of the loading stations. The materials can be fed to the turntable by means of conveyors, in particular conveyor belts, and

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the turntable can be driven by any suitable device, e.g. electric motors, internal combustion engines, hydraulic or pneumatic motors.

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Claims (1)

Claims l.) Process for the formation of a palletized packaging, characterized in that a flexible thermoplastic membrane is placed on a holding or Carrier part holds or deposits; that one preformed rigid or stiff inserts in appropriately shaped cavities arranged in the holding or carrier part so that the membrane lies between the inserts and the holding or carrier part and forms a base for the eventual packaging; that goods are stacked on the resulting arrangement; that the stacked goods are wrapped in a waterproof material of a film or a thin plate and this Material of the film or thin plate with the circumference of the thermoplastic membrane sealingly connects or attached to this scope in a sealing manner. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized by ch that the thermoplastic membrane is preformed with cavities from the inserts of the corresponding shape will. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inserts in general have the shape of truncated cones or cones. 4. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the inserts are hollow and be molded from a rigid plastic material. 609809/0307 5 »Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a stiffening panel or plate is placed on top of the base consisting of the thermoplastic membrane after the rigid or stiff inserts have been inserted. 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that that the thermoplastic membrane is provided with projections, which a localization of the stiffening panel within the perimeter of the base formed by the thermoplastic membrane facilitate or enable. 7. Procedure for creating a palletized packaging, in particular according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a preformed base of flexible thermoplastic material on a Haltebzw. Applies carrier part so that it is held by this or is worn; that one preformed inserts, which are truncated cones or cones, in appropriately shaped Brings cavities in the base, se that the lips or provided on the cone or conical stumps Flanges lie substantially in the same plane as the top surface of the base; that one goods stacks on the upper surface of the base and forms a waterproof cover over the stacked goods as well as sealingly connects the cover to the bnsis or attached to the base in a sealing manner. 609809/0307 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that that a stiffening plate or panel on the top surface of the base prior to stacking the Goods on the latter is arranged. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that that the waterproof envelope by welding with a downwardly protruding The peripheral edge portion of the base is sealingly attached to the base. 10. The method according to claim 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that the waterproof envelope consists of a heat-shrinkable plastic or plastic material and the palletized packaging for shrinking the envelope onto the goods in one Oven is heated. 11. Palletized packaging that is sealed, characterized in that it is after a method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is produced. "Device for performing the method according to one of the Claims 1 to 10, characterized by a turntable (20) which has a plurality of holding or Träfe ^ i ■ share (25, 26) hold or carry in the form of wagons can, with these carriages on the turntable at a plurality of stations arranged around the turntable are movable up and down from the turntable. 609809/0307 13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the turntable at least has four stations (SE, NE, N, NV, SV, S), namely a first station in which the preformed base (1) is deposited or deposited on a trolley (25), which has a holding or carrier part (26), and in which rigid or rigid inserts (3) in cavities (2) deployed in the base; a second station where goods are loaded onto the base; a third Station in which a watertight enclosure (14) is placed over the goods and welded to the base; and a fourth station in which the wrapping is heat-shrunk onto the goods and completed palletized packaging is unloaded. 14. Device according to claim 12 or 13 ,. characterized in that the turntable (20) in timed or coordinated intervals is rotatable, which in turn is the speed of the lowest Operation correspond or are adapted. 609809/0307