EP0054284B1 - Machine for forming, filling and sealing packages - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP81/00194 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 17, 1982 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 17, 1982 PCT Filed Dec. 12, 1981 PCT Pub. No. WO82/02032 PCT Pub. Date Jun. 24, 1982.Blanks are produced from a continuous sheet (3) of material comprised of plastic-coated paper. Said blanks are conveyed on an expanding mandrel carousel (13) to a bottom weld flap forming station (17) and then transferred to a filling carousel (19). The packages which have been formed from the blanks are filled at a filling station (20) and sealed at a top seam welding station (23). A top weld flap forming station (26) and a top weld flap sealing station (29) are disposed on a top forming carousel which adjoins the filling carousel (19). The finished packages are discharged at a discharge station (30), to a discharge turntable (31). The machine may be used for manufacturing packages for liquids, e.g. milk or juices.

Description

The invention relates to a machine for producing, filling and closing packs, in which packing sleeves formed and welded from a flexible material web are filled and closed, with an expanding mandrel carousel with a bottom flap forming station and with at least one downstream filling carousel with a filling station and a head seam welding station.

Such machines are used in most cases for the production of liquid packs, for example for milk, juice and the like. The material web, for example plastic-coated paper, is drawn off from a supply roll. The individual packaging casings are made from this by cutting and welding. For this purpose, the packing sleeves are each taken up on expanding mandrels of an expanding mandrel carousel.

When cuboid packs are produced, two tabs are created on the bottom and on the top of the pack. So that these bottom flaps or top flaps do not interfere with the subsequent inclusion of the filled packs in a packaging, for example a cardboard box, these flaps must either be laid flat on the outside of the pack or cut off. The tabs can only be cut off if the packing sleeve is welded at this point in such a way that no opening is created by cutting off the tabs. Such an additional welding process is relatively complex. Simply pressing the bottom flaps and top flaps is not enough to bring these flaps into the position suitable for subsequent packaging.

In a known machine of the type mentioned at the beginning (BE-A-656 359), the bottom closure of the pack is carried out on a first carousel and the filling of the pack and the closing of the top flaps are carried out on a second carousel. It is not specified how the bottom of the packaging sleeves is shaped and how the top flaps are closed. Two successive welding processes are required in the manufacture of the head flap closure, because the head flaps must also be welded and cut off after the head welding seam has been produced. The work required for this is relatively high, so that the working speed of the machine, which has only a few work stations in each carousel, is relatively low.

In another known filling and sealing carousel (FR-A-1 262 203), a large number of work stations are provided on the carousel to increase the working speed. This not only requires a very large construction effort, but also requires very large dimensions of the machine. The packs are made from individual preformed blanks. In this case too, an additional welding process is required after welding a head seam in order to weld the two head flaps. After the package has left the filling and sealing carousel, these top flaps are placed on the side wall of the package in a separate work station.

The object of the invention is therefore to design a machine of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a way that the shaping of the bottom flaps and the welding of the head seam are to be made possible with the least possible design outlay at high working speed, with an additional welding process being avoided in particular after the head seam has been produced should; the required work stations should be carried out in the most space-saving manner possible.

This object is achieved in that the base plate forming station has two transversely movable stamp plates, at the lower end of which a plate flap is pivotally articulated, and in that a vertically movable control body has two control surfaces which each move a stamp plate and two which engage with a plate flap and pivot them Control curves has that the head seam welding station has a welding head which can be moved vertically by means of a pressure medium cylinder and which consists of a fixed and an articulated, pivotable, heatable welding jaw, which extend over the entire length of the head seam, that a pressure medium cylinder acts on the pivoting welding jaw, and that Filling carousel is a head carousel downstream, which has a head flap molding station and a head flap sealing station.

The bottom flaps are preformed in the bottom flap forming station in such a way that they can be easily sealed on the outside of the package in the subsequent sealing station by means of pressure and heat. Due to the deformation, the forces occurring at the sealing point are kept very small; this means that there is no danger that the sealing connection will come loose again; on the other hand, the strength requirements for the sealed connection are low as a result.

All of the movement sequences required for forming the base plate are derived in a single station from the straight-line movement of a single control body.

The head seam is completely closed with a single welding process; it reaches into the head flaps. An additional welding process is therefore not necessary. The space requirement is also low in this workstation.

The larger number of processing stations is structurally very simple and space economically created by the fact that the stations for forming and sealing the head flaps were moved to a separate head carousel. Compared to the possibility of providing a larger carousel with more processing stations, this solution has the advantage of better use of space. In terms of design, the solution is particularly simple because the same components can be used to a substantial extent for the head-shaped carousel as for the filling carousel.

Advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are the subject of dependent claims.

• Fig. 1 eine vereinfachte Draufsicht auf eine Maschine zum Herstellen, Füllen und Verschließen von Packungen,
• Fig. 2 in einem vergrößerten Teilschnitt längs der Linie 11-11 in Fig. 1 die Bodenlaschenformstation in der Ausgangsstellung,
• Fig. 3 in einem Teilschnitt entsprechend der Fig. 2 die Bodenlaschenformstation in der Endstellung,
• Fig. 4 in einem vergrößerten Teilschnitt längs der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 1 eine Kopfnahtschweißstation in der Schweißstellung, wobei die Ausgangsstellung des Schweißkopfes mit strichpunktierten Linien dargestellt ist,
• Fig. 5 in einem vergrößerten Teilschnitt längs der Linie V-V in Fig. 1 eine Kopflaschenformstation in der Ausgangsstellung,
• Fig. 6 die Kopflaschenformation nach Fig. 5 in der Endstellung,
• Fig. 7 in einem Teilschnitt längs der Linie VII-VII in Fig. 1 eine Kopflaschenheizstation,
• Fig. 8 in einem vergrößerten Teilschnitt längs der Linie VIII-VIII in Fig. 1 eine Kopflaschensiegelstation in der Ausgangsstellung und
• Fig. 9 die Kopflaschensiegelstation nach Fig. 8 in der Endstellung.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in the drawing. It shows

• 1 is a simplified top view of a machine for producing, filling and closing packs,
• 2 is an enlarged partial section along the line 11-11 in Fig. 1, the bottom plate forming station in the starting position,
• 3 is a partial section corresponding to FIG. 2, the bottom tab forming station in the end position,
• 4 shows an enlarged partial section along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1, a head seam welding station in the welding position, the starting position of the welding head being represented by dash-dotted lines,
• 5 is an enlarged partial section along the line VV in Fig. 1, a top tab forming station in the starting position,
• 6 shows the top flap formation according to FIG. 5 in the end position,
• 7 is a partial section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 1, a head flap heating station,
• Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial section along the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 1, a top tab sealing station in the starting position and
• Fig. 9, the head flap sealing station according to Fig. 8 in the end position.

The machine shown in FIG. 1 for producing, filling and closing packs carries a supply roll 2, which is mounted in a machine frame 1, from which a flexible material web 3 is pulled off, which consists, for example, of plastic-coated paper. In an initially run creasing station 4, the material web 3 is provided with a longitudinal creasing and then folded together. In this form, the material web 3 passes through a printing device 5, in which the material web which has already been printed beforehand is provided with a date imprint.

Subsequently, the material web 3 passes through an embossing station 6, a longitudinal seam welding station 7, a pressing and feeding station 8, in which the longitudinal seam is pressed and which also causes the web advance. In a cutting station 10, the blanks are cut off for each packaging sleeve and in a slide-on station 11 are pushed onto one of the expanding mandrels 12 of an expanding mandrel carousel 13, which is only indicated in the figure.

In a clockwise direction, the pack arrives at a folding station 14, at which the two side seams are formed. The fold formed when the material web is folded lies on the bottom of the package. In the station 14, the base flaps 16 of the package 15 formed when the package is pushed onto the expanding mandrel 12 are heated in order to be subsequently sealed in the base flap sealing station 17 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

The packing envelope 15 prepared in this way for the filling process, hereinafter simply referred to as “packing”, is transferred in a transfer station 18 from the expanding mandrel body 13 to a filling carousel 19 and is thereby stripped from the expanding mandrel. The pack 15 is filled in a filling station 20; in a head seam spreading station 21, the head seam of the pack 15 is pulled apart by means of spreading fingers and preformed in a subsequent head seam forming station 22 such that the continuous head seam can be welded in a head seam welding station 23 (FIG. 4). The sealed package 15 is then transferred to a head shaping carousel 25 in a transfer station 24 and arrives there in a head flap shaping station 26 (FIGS. 5 and 6) in which the top flaps 27 of the package 15 that are still protruding are folded down and thereby preformed. In a subsequent head flap heating station 28 (FIG. 7), the underside of the head flaps 27 and the outside of the pack is heated, so that in a subsequent head flap sealing station 29 (FIGS. 8 and 9) the head flaps 27 can be sealed on the outside of the pack.

In an ejection station 30, the finished packs 15 arrive at a delivery plate 31, from which they are removed for further packaging.

The base plate forming station 17 (FIG. 2) has two transversely movable stamp plates 40, which are each connected to guide rollers 41. A pressure medium cylinder 42 carries on its piston rod 43 a vertically movable control body 44, on which lateral arms 45 are attached, each of which ends in an oblique control surface 46, which is in engagement with the guide rollers 41.

At the lower end of the stamp plates 40, a tab flap 48 is pivotally mounted in a joint 47. Both flap-shaped flaps 48 each carry a guide roller 49, which are in engagement with curved control surfaces of the control body 44.

When the control body 44 is moved upwards by the pressure medium cylinder 42, the stamp plates 40 move laterally against the pack 15; at the same time the tab flaps 48 are pivoted into the end position shown in FIG. 3.

In Fig. 2 is indicated by dash-dotted lines arranged in the folding station 14 bottom flap heating device 51 through which the Bo denlaschen 16 and the bottom outer surface of the pack 15 were heated. When these heated surfaces are then pressed together in the base plate forming station 17, as shown in FIG. 3, the base plates 16 are sealed in this position. The stamp plates 40 abutting the side surfaces of the package prevent the side surfaces of the package 15 from bulging out when the pressure required for the sealing is applied to the package base.

Provided in the head seam welding station 23 (FIG. 4) is a welding head 61 which can be moved vertically by means of a pressure medium cylinder 60 and which has a fixed welding jaw 62 and a pivotable welding jaw 63 articulated thereon. Both welding jaws 62, 63 can be heated. A pressure medium cylinder 64 engages on the pivotable welding jaw 63.

When the pack 15, the head seam 65 of which has already been preformed in the station 22, reaches the head seam welding station 23, the welding head 61 is initially in the upper, opened position shown in FIG. 4 with dash-dotted lines. The pressure medium cylinder 60 moves the welding head 61 downwards; then the pressure medium cylinder 64 closes the welding head and exerts the required welding pressure under the action of heat on the head seam 65. The length of the welding jaws 62, 63 is dimensioned such that it extends over the entire length of the head seam 65, so that the head seam is completely closed in a single welding operation. The head seam therefore extends into the head flaps 27.

The transfer station 24, not shown in detail, is constructed similarly to the head seam welding station 23, but the jaws 62 and 63 are not heated but cooled. The head seam 65 is pressed here and consolidated. The device shown in its basic structure in FIG. 4, which holds the package 15 at the head seam 65 in the transfer station 24, is arranged such that it can be moved transversely and transports the package 15 from the filling carousel 19 to the head-shaped carousel 25.

The head forming station 26 (FIGS. 5 and 6) has a shaped body 71 which can be moved vertically by means of a pressure medium cylinder 70, the plate-shaped middle piece of which at its ends bears head flap shaped jaws 72 which are angled downwards. When the molded body 71 is lowered onto the package 15 (FIG. 6), the head flap mold jaws 72 press the head flaps 27 downward so that they are preformed.

In the subsequent head flap heating station 28 (FIG. 7), hot air blowers 73 reach with their heating nozzles 74 under the head flaps 27 and heat the underside of the head flaps 27 and the opposite surfaces of the pack side walls. Guides 75 hold the head straps 27 in position.

The surfaces heated in this way are pressed in the subsequent top flap sealing station 29 (FIGS. 8 and 9) by means of flap sealing jaws 80 that can be pressed on from the side against the side walls of the pack and sealed there. Here, too, the head flaps 27 are held in position by guide rods 81 before they are sealed.

The lateral tab sealing jaws 80 are connected to one another at a joint 82 and to a vertically movable head support plate 83. A pressure medium cylinder 84 is articulated to the tab sealing jaws 80 via its piston rod 85 and link 86. If the piston rod 85 is extended, the head support plate 83 is first placed on the top of the pack 15; then the tab sealing jaws 80 press laterally against the head flaps 27. The head support plate prevents the top of the pack 15 from bulging upwards under the action of the pressure of the tab sealing jaws 80.

Claims (4)

1. A machine for producing, filling and closing packages, wherein package wrappers (15), which are formed from a flexible web of material (3) and are welded, are filled and sealed and which is provided with an expanding mandrel carousel (13) comprising a bottom-strap forming station (17) and with at least one filling carousel (19) which is arranged downstream of the former and comprises a filling station (20) and a head-seam welding station (23), characterised in that the bottom-strap forming station (17) has two tranversely movable core plates (40), at the lower ends of which there has been pivotally hinged respectively one strap forming flap (48), and in that a vertically movable control element (44) has two control surfaces (46), which transversely displace respectively one core plate (40), and two control cams (50), which engage in respectively one strap forming flap and swivel it, and in that the head-seam welding station (23) has a welding head (61), which can be moved vertically by means of a pressure-medium cylinder (60) and which consists of a stationary welding die and a heatable welding die (62 and 63), which is hinged thereto and can be swivelled, which dies extend over the entire length of the head seam (65), and in that a pressure-medium cylinder (64) acts on the pivotable welding die (63), and in that downstream of the filling carousel (19) there is arranged a head forming carousel (25), which has a head-strap forming station (26) and a head-strap sealing station (29).

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that at the transfer point between the filling carousel (19) and the head forming carousel (25) there is provided a transfer station (24) which has a mobile transfer gripper, which has a gripping head which can be moved vertically by means of a pressure-medium cylinder and consists of a stationary gripping jaw and a pivotable gripping jaw which is hinged thereto, and in that a pressure-medium cylinder acts on the pivotable gripping jaw.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the head-strap forming station (26) has a vertically movable forming element (71) with downwardly angled head-strap forming dies (72).

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the head-strap sealing station (29) has a vertically movable head supporting plate (83) and two lateral strap sealing dies (80) which are hinged thereto.

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