DE29616138U1 - Lid support and closing device - Google Patents

Description

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Dipl.-lng. Harald Ostriga"'*···.·'.."..· Telex S591274os _P ad

Dipl.-lng. Bernd Sonnet*

Dipl.-lng. Jochen-Peter Wirths &ngr;****™^·.

* - &igr; u ■ &tgr;* - &igr; Stresemann sir. 6-8

Authorized by the European Patent Office _{42275 Wuppertal} . _Barmen

Ostriga, Sonnel & Wirths · PO Box 20 16 53 ■ D-42216 Wuppertal

O/os

Applicant: HAMBA-Maschinenfabrik

Hans A. Müller GmbH & Co KG
Wertherhof 8

42275 Wuppertal

15 Designation

of the invention: Lid placement and

Closing device

The invention relates to a lid placing and closing device, which has become known in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 through DE 43 15 111 A1,

According to DE 43 15 111 A1, each screw cap conveyed diagonally from above to the cap feed point is gripped from under and behind by the container mouth area located downstream in relation to the conveying direction and is thus dragged onto the container mouth of the container moving in the conveying direction. Immediately afterwards, the lid rests with its inner surface completely on the container mouth. The lid placed on the container mouth moves under a small vertical distance from an up and down moving friction plate of a single or double closing tool. When the friction plate is lowered, the container, a screw-top jar, is set in a rotating movement relative to the lid and the lid is screwed on.

Postgiro office Credit- und Volksbank eCmbH CommerzbLink AG VAT ID No. Eat Wuppertal-Barmen Wuppertai-Barmen VAT No. (Bank code 360 100 43)445 04-431 (Bank code 330 600 98) 301 891 024 (ELZ 330 400 01)4 034 823 DE 121068676

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Based on the subject matter of DE 43 15 111 A1, the invention is based on the task of making the respective positioning of the lid on the container mouth even more precise by means of a modified lid guide and, if necessary, using the modified lid guide to influence the interior of the container filled with the filling material.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a magnetic guide track that is arranged parallel to the lid feed point in the conveying direction above each container mouth in the working area of the closing tool and by means that detach the lid from the magnetic guide track downwards towards the container mouth and are assigned to the closing tool.

According to DE 43 15 111 A1 (see column 4, lines 11-18), a wedge-shaped opening is created at the lid feed point between the inner surface of the lid and the container mouth, but this immediately closes as soon as the lid rests completely on the container mouth. In contrast to this, the invention provides a magnetic guide track that adjoins the lid feed point in the conveying direction and is arranged at a parallel distance above each container mouth in the working area of the closing tool. This magnetic guide track holds the lid at a significant height above the lid mouth, so that there is a ring opening between the inner surface of the lid and the container mouth area. Since the height distance is less than the height of the screw cap, the lid is ensured to be carried along by the container mouth of the containers moving in the conveying direction.

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Since, according to the invention, the lid is held by means of the magnetic guide track at a parallel distance above each container mouth, a precise pre-centering and horizontal alignment of the lid is achieved in the working area of the closing tool. As a result, each lid is screwed onto the container without any errors and without any tilting as soon as means assigned to the closing tool have detached the lid from the magnetic guide track and guided it downwards towards the container mouth.

Thanks to the modified lid guide through the use of the magnetic guide track, it is possible, in contrast to the subject matter of DE 43 15 111 Al (cf. op. cit., page 4, lines 11-18), to influence the interior of the container via the annular gap between the inner surface of the lid and the container mouth area as long as the respective lid adheres to the magnetic guide track.

In a further embodiment of the invention, this therefore provides for the magnetic guideway between the lid feed point and the closing tool to be designed as an additional length range. Depending on the feed speed of the container filling machine, the extent of the additional length range therefore also determines the length of time it can act on the interior of the container via the open annular gap.

The magnetic guideway can have different characteristics. In a first variant, the magnetic guideway is electromagnetic.

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In the case of an electromagnetic guideway, an advantageous embodiment according to the invention consists in that the magnetic field strength of the electromagnetic guideway is variable.
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According to the invention, a simple and reliable design of the magnetic guideway consists in that the magnetic guideway is permanently magnetic.

According to other features of the invention, a stripper is provided in the area of the closing tool to release the cover from the magnetic guide track.

The magnetic guideway is expediently formed by a guide bar which, in a special design, has a flat rectangular cross-section whose long axis extends parallel to the lid base.

According to the invention, a precise and low-friction lid guide is achieved in that the guide bar has at least one rib that protrudes towards the lids and extends along the conveying direction.

The aforementioned scraper is suitably designed in accordance with the invention in such a way that it has an approximately Ω-shaped cross-section, the closed area of which is arranged above the guide bar, overlapping it, and the central open area of which is delimited by two outer side bars and is penetrated by the longitudinal rib protruding from the middle of the guide bar, the flat rib surface of which faces the cover base and is parallel to the latter, when the scraper is raised, the

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facing and parallel lower surfaces of the two lateral strips with a slight projection.

This arrangement described above is particularly advantageous because the downwardly projecting magnetic longitudinal rib, which is seamlessly flush with the upstream magnetic guideway, distances the outer surface of the lid base from the adjacent lower surfaces of the two side strips with a certain height clearance. The lower surfaces of the two side strips cannot therefore prevent the lids from moving further even if, in a further embodiment of the invention, the stripper is integrated into the closing tool by providing the lower surfaces of the side strips with an adhesive friction coating. In this way, the stripper simultaneously forms the lid presser of the closing tool, which holds the lid in place and presses it down with friction during the rotary screw movement of the container.

When the scraper moves downwards, the lid loses direct contact with the magnetic central longitudinal rib, but the magnetic attraction exerted by the longitudinal rib on the lid is so great that it holds the outer surface of the lid base precisely against the lower surfaces of the two side strips during the entire lowering movement of the scraper, so that the lid is placed extremely precisely on the container mouth.

As already mentioned, according to the invention there is an annular gap between the mouth area of the container and the inner surface of the lid as long as the lid adheres to the magnetic guide track, so that the possibility is given

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is to influence the interior of the container. This is done in a special embodiment of the invention in that at least one nozzle that supplies a substance, such as a supply nozzle for steam or for an inert gas (e.g. nitrogen), is arranged along the magnetic guide track, the nozzle mouth of which is aimed at the downwardly open annular gap between the lid adhering to the magnetic guide track and the mouth area of the container.

A low consumption of material, e.g. a low consumption of steam, is achieved according to the invention in that the conveyor run for each container track in the area of the magnetic guide track is designed in a tunnel-like manner and in that the tunnel lining is penetrated by at least one nozzle.

The tunnel lining is expediently formed at least partially by lining parts attached to the fixed guide rail. The amount of material to be fed through the nozzle is further reduced by the fact that the clear tunnel cross-section is adapted to the cross-section of the containers.

It should also be mentioned that the hot steam introduced into the interior of the container via one or more nozzles creates a vacuum effect once the lid has been closed.

The invention is not limited to screw caps. Rather, the invention also allows the use of such caps whose apron-like edge is

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Closing head is pressed approximately radially inwards against an annular bead on the container side and is thereby formed.

In the drawings, preferred embodiments according to the invention are shown in more detail, it shows,

Fig. 1 a cyclically operated container filling device, which also contains a screw cap placing and closing device,
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Fig. 2 an enlarged detail, partly in longitudinal section, approximately corresponding to the circle marked with dashed line II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 a half longitudinal section through two container tracks of a filling device with the addition of a nozzle device operated with hot steam, approximately corresponding to the section line III-III in Fig. 2 and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view approximately along section line IV-IV in Fig. 2.

A container filling device according to Fig. 1 is designated overall by 10.
25

The container filling device 10 contains a main conveyor chain 11, which is guided circumferentially through an upper run O and a lower run U and furthermore consists of several individual conveyor chains 12 carrying carrier webs 13.
30

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The conveyor chains 12 are guided via chain stars 14, 15, 16 and 17. The main conveyor chain 11 can be driven entirely via the chain stars 14.

The screw containers 18 made of glass are fed to a cleaning and rinsing device 19 (shown only in outline) via a connecting conveyor means designated as a whole by 20, which passes the screw containers 18 on to the carrier chains 21 shown in Fig. 2-4, in particular inserting the screw containers 18 into the cup holders A between the carrier webs 13.

The open screw containers 18 are then guided through a sterile agent area 22 and then through a drying area 23 with laminarly supplied sterile drying air, whereupon the cups are provided with filling material by means of the doser 24.

The screw containers 18 pass under the screw lid feed station 25, in which the lids 26 made of sheet steel, i.e. painted tinplate, are fed along essentially vertical lateral sliding feed rails 27 from top to bottom into an arched sliding feed rail area 28. At the lower end of the sliding feed rail area 28, i.e. at the lid feed point 29, the lids 26, which arrive slightly obliquely to the horizontal plane, are dragged up by the container mouth area 31, which is located downstream in the conveying direction x. The container mouth itself is designated 30.

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The container bottom 33 is supported by a fixed support surface 34 which is provided with a suitable plastic coating having low coefficients of static and sliding friction.
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The container filling device 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a so-called double-step machine, in which two rows of containers running transversely to the conveying direction &khgr; are always cycled to the next treatment station during a feed cycle. Each lane of the cups arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction &khgr; is generally referred to as a cup lane.

Each treatment station therefore has two individual closing tools 42 per cup track, just like the double closing tool shown in Fig. 2 and designated as 35 in total.

Each work station 42 of the double closing tool 35 has a drive-movable rotary plate 37, each of which supports a screw container 18 on the bottom side. The plate surface facing the screw container bottom 33 is provided with a replaceable friction lining 36 made of a suitable elastomer.
25

The rotary table 37 includes a vertically extending drive shaft 38 that can be rotated in accordance with the circumferential rotation arrow UD and is connected at its drive end to a clutch whose transmittable torque can be adjusted in a similar way to, for example, a slip or safety clutch. Such a clutch that is adjustable in terms of its transmittable torque serves to

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to be able to set the screwing torque required for each screw cap type individually.

From Fig. 2 it can be seen particularly clearly that a magnetic guide track 40 extends from the lid feed point 29 in the conveying direction x, arranged at a parallel distance above each container mouth 30, which is formed by a guide strip 39. The guide strip 39 itself consists of a magnetizable material, in particular of a magnetizable metal, into which individual pot-shaped permanent magnets M are embedded.

Adjacent to the lid feed area 29, the magnetic track 40 forms a smoothly curved transition area 41, which helps to transfer the screw caps 18 from their initial inclined position at the lid feed point 29 into a horizontal position parallel to the container mouth 30.
20

The vertical distance of the magnetic track 40 from the container mouths 30 is so large that, as shown in Fig. 4 (left half of the image), there is a vertical overlap L between the lid edge RD and the container edge RB. This overlap L ensures that the screw lids 18 are moved smoothly along the magnetic guide track 40 together with the screw containers 18 moving in the conveying direction &khgr;.

The magnet M arranged near the curved transition area 41 is closer to the magnetic track 40 than

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the remaining permanent magnets M arranged along the guide rail 39.

Two containers 18 arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction &khgr; are always moved further in the conveying direction &khgr; in a double step. In this case, two containers 18 always reach the working area of the double closing tool 35, as can be seen from Figs. 2 and 4.

In the representation according to Fig. 2, the observer looks at a bucket track from the side, while in the representation according to Fig. 4 he sees part of a row of buckets extending transversely to the conveying direction x or sees two bucket tracks arranged next to each other from the front.

Each cup conveyor has a double closing tool 35 designed as a double station, which therefore contains two individual closing tools 42.

Above the guide bar 39, each individual closing tool 42 contains a lifting rod 44 that can be moved up and down in accordance with the double arrow y, to which a stripper 43 is attached on the underside in a height-adjustable manner by means of a screw arrangement 45.

All lifting rods 44 move in synchronism. The different heights of the lifting rods 44 shown in Fig. 2 and 4 were only chosen to better illustrate the functional sequence when removing each screw cap 26 from the magnetic track 40.

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In the area of the guide bar 39 located upstream of the double closing tools 35 (see Fig. 3), the guide bar 39 has three longitudinal ribs 46, 46, 47.

The two longitudinal ribs 46 are outer longitudinal ribs, while the longitudinal rib 47 is arranged centrally and is only present alone in the area of the double closing tools 35 and has a larger rib width.

The downward-facing flat surfaces of the ribs 46, 47 each form the magnetic track 40, which extends parallel to the outer surface 48 of the lid base 49 of each screw lid 26.

According to Fig. 4, the scraper 43 shown on the left is in its fully raised position, while the scraper 43 shown on the right in Fig. 4 is in its lowest position.

Each scraper has an approximately Ω-shaped cross-section, the closed area 50 of which is arranged above the guide bar 39, overlapping it. The central open area 52, delimited by two outer side bars 51, is penetrated by the longitudinal rib 47 which protrudes centrally from the guide bar 39 and forms the magnetic track 40.

According to the illustration on the left in Fig. 4, the longitudinal rib 47 extends through the open area 5 2 in such a way that it protrudes with a slight projection V from the two adjacent lower surfaces 53 of the two side strips 51. The middle longitudinal rib 47 therefore distances the outer surface of the lid.

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48 of the two lower surfaces 53, which are formed by a static friction lining 32 made of a suitable elastomer.

Due to the arrangement described above, the further transport of the screw caps 26 together with the screw containers 18 (glass containers) is not impaired by an increased friction effect of the static friction surface 32.

According to the illustration on the left in Fig. 4, the screw cap 26 is located above the container mouth 30 in accordance with the overlap L. The cap 26 adheres directly to the magnetic guide track 40 of the central longitudinal rib 47.

According to the illustration on the right in Fig. 4, the scraper with its static friction lining 32 has moved downwards. During this downward movement of the scraper 43, the magnetic attraction force acting on the lid 26, emanating from the central longitudinal rib 47, is still so great that the outer surface 48 of the lid lies exactly against the lower surfaces 43 of the two side strips 51. Thanks to this arrangement, the screw lid 26 is placed horizontally and parallel to the mouth 30 on the mouth area 31. As a result, a precise engagement of the threaded screw lid 26 with the threads 54 of the container mouth area 31 is guaranteed.

During transport the containers 18 together with the

by the lids 26 that are dragged along and adhere to the magnetic guide track 40, an annular gap R is formed between the container edge RB and the lid edge RD, against which a steam supply nozzle 56 is directed. Instead of the steam supply

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A feed nozzle for an inert gas (e.g. nitrogen) can also be provided.

Each conveyor strand corresponding to the container tracks shown in Fig. 3 and 4 is designed in a tunnel-like manner in the area of the magnetic guide track 40. The respective steam feed nozzle 56 passes through a tunnel casing 55. The steam feed nozzle 56 is arranged in a fixed position, just like the tunnel casing 55. The tunnel casing 55 is attached to the guide rail 39.

A part of the tunnel cladding 55 continues downwards and is attached to a floor rail 57 forming the support surface 34. Together with a lateral guide rail 58, the floor rail 57 forms an approximately L-shaped cross-section, which together with the tunnel cladding 55 represents the approximately tunnel-like conveyor strand T.

Since the tunnel cladding 55 is designed such that the cross-section of the tunnel-like conveyor strand T is adapted to the cross-section of the container 18, a low hot steam consumption is ensured in the arrangement shown in conjunction with the steam supply nozzle 56.

The additional length of the guide bar 39, which has a flat rectangular cross-section, arranged between the lid feed point 29 and the double closing tool 35, is designated 59.

Claims (15)

HAMBA-Machine Factory.«.*!· .·*..". .**,,** Claims 1. Lid placing and closing device for containers (18) which can be closed in a form-fitting manner by means of a sheet steel lid (26), in particular containers which can be closed with a twist lock, such as screw jars or the like, with a lid feed track (27, 28) which feeds the mouths (30) of the containers (18) obliquely from above with lids (26), wherein at the lid feed point (29) each lid (26) can be gripped under and behind on its inner surface by means of the respective container mouth area (31) located downstream with respect to the conveying direction (x), and the lid (26) can then be transported to the closing tool (35), such as a screw tool or the like, by means of the container (18) moving downstream in the conveying direction (x) on the container track (at 34), characterized by a lid feed point (29) adjoining the lid feed point (29) in the conveying direction (x) and arranged at a parallel distance above each container mouth (30) magnetic guide track (40) arranged in the working area of the closing tool (35) and means (43) assigned to the closing tool (35) which detach from the magnetic guide track (40) downwards towards the container mouth (30) by means of the cover (26). 2. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the magnetic guide track (40) forms an additional length region (59) between the lid feed point (29) and the closing tool. 3. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the magnetic guide track (40) is electromagnetic. HAMBA-Maschinenfabri.il. »7. .**..·% .*'..** 4. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the magnetic field strength of the electromagnetic guide track (40) is variable. 5. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in _that the magnetic guide track (40) is permanently magnetic. 6. Lid placing and closing device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the region of the closing tool (35, 42) a stripper (43) is provided which releases the lid (26) from the magnetic guide track (40). 7. Lid placing and closing device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the magnetic guide track (40) is formed by a guide strip (39). 8. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 7, characterized _in that the guide bar (39) has a flat rectangular cross-section, the long axis of which extends parallel to the lid base (49). 9. Lid placing and closing device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in _that the guide strip (39) has at least one rib (46, 47) projecting towards the lids (26) and extending along the conveying direction (x). HAMBA-Machine factory:..,*.*. .**,.". .**.♦»* 10. Lid placing and closing device according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the stripper (43) has an approximately Ω-shaped cross-section, the closed region (50) of which is arranged above the guide strip (39), overlapping it, and the central open region (52) of which is delimited by two outer lateral strips (51) is penetrated by the longitudinal rib (47) projecting centrally from the guide strip (39), the flat rib surface (at 40) of which faces the lid base (49) and is parallel to the latter, when the stripper (43) is raised, projects by a slight projection (V) over the lower surfaces (53) of the two lateral strips (51) facing the lid base (49) and parallel to the latter. 11. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 10, characterized in _that the undersurfaces (53) of the lateral strips (51) are formed by an adhesive friction lining (32). 12. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one nozzle supplying a substance, such as a steam supply nozzle (56), is arranged along the magnetic guide track (40), the nozzle mouth of which is aimed at a downwardly open annular gap (R) between the lid (26) adhering to the magnetic guide track (40) and the mouth region (31) of the container (18). 13. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 12, characterized in _that the conveyor run (T) for each container track in the region of the magnetic guide track (40) is designed approximately like a tunnel and that a tunnel HAMBA machine factory'&.jV; · ·■ · nel casing (55) through which at least one nozzle (56) passes. 14. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 13, characterized in _that the tunnel lining (55) is at least partially formed by cladding parts fastened to the fixed guide rail (39). 15. Lid placing and closing device according to claim 14, characterized in that the clear tunnel cross-section (at T) is adapted to the cross-section of the containers (18).