EP0058670B1

EP0058670B1 - Method and apparatus for packing goods

Info

Publication number: EP0058670B1
Application number: EP19810901330
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jari Mattila
Original assignee: MATTILA Jari
Current assignee: Yrityspalvelu Maxim Te Poikko Finland Oy
Priority date: 1980-05-13
Filing date: 1981-05-13
Publication date: 1985-01-16
Also published as: EP0058670A1; DK154410B; FI60681C; DK154410C; FI60681B; JPS57500604A; DK8882A; WO1981003316A1

Abstract

Packing method and apparatus for packing consumer packings (1) directly onto a pallet (10). First the packings are arranged to form a load layer (6) onto a support plate (8), which plate is supported at its sides by means of a support frame (9). Then the support frame is removed, so that the load layer is immediately slid onto the empty pallet located below the support plate, or on top of the previous load layer located on the pallet. Now the pallet, together with its load layer, is lowered down the height of one load layer, so that the load layers are supported on all sides and, as new packings emerge from below the support frame, they are simultaneously wrappped in the final wrapping material (13). The method can be modified so that after the load layer (6) supported by the support frame (9) is formed on the support plate (8), the support plate (8) is lowered and removed, so that the load layer (6) is slid onto the pallet located at a standard height below the support plate (8), or on top of the previous load layer on the pallet. Thereafter the support frame (9) is lifted up the height of one load layer, and simultaneously the packings are wrapped as before.

Description

The object of the present invention is a packing method for packing consumer packings or equivalent directly onto a pallet. Another object of the invention is an apparatus for applying the aforementioned method.
In the previous art are known packing methods where relatively small consumer packings are packed into so-called group packings, and the group packings further onto pallets. The group packings contain generally 10-20 consumer packings.
Recently, however, the need has arisen to pack consumer packings directly onto pallets, which can as such be placed in supermarkets. In this case the use of group packings is not possible. Moreover, nowadays smaller sizes of pallets have become popular, for example 600x800 mm; the pallets of these sizes are small enough to fit in and out of doors and are generally easy to handle.
The piling of consumer packings or other similar small packings directly onto a pallet is, however, problematical. Normally it is not possible to pile a full load layer of small consumer packings onto a pallet and only thereafter wrap the whole pallet, together with the packings, with for example shrink-wrap. The small packings tend to fall off the pallet, and therefore it is necessary to form the separate load layers so that they are piled in a mutually supporting fashion. But the need to vary the piling forms sets up considerable requirements for the packing machine.
From GB-A-1 307 900 is known an apparatus for packing articles in a container. The apparatus comprises a conveyor adapted to forward the articles to be packed and a pusher means for feeding a row of articles from the conveyor laterally onto a support plate for forming there a load layer, within a guiding frame surrounding the support plate. The support plate is mounted for movement into said container and, when removing it, for sliding the load layer onto the previous load layer. The container is arranged for being lowered down the height of one load layer. But no wrapping of the articles after piling has been provided.
The purpose of the present invention is to realize a packing method and an apparatus for applying the method where a pallet full of consumer packings can be wrapped irrespective of the piling form without causing any disorder among the packings.
In order to achieve this the method according to the invention is characterized by the features presented in the patent claims 1 and 3. As regards the characteristic features of the apparatus according to the invention, they are presented in the patent claims 2 and 4.
In the following the invention is explained in detail with reference to the appended drawing, which is a schematical illustration of one applicable packing method and apparatus according to the invention.
According to the illustration, the consumer packings 1 are transported forward (direction A) by the conveyor 2, and by means of the guiding plates 3 they are arranged to form the packing line 4. By means of the thrusting apparatus 5 (direction B) the packing line 4 is row by row arranged to form the load layer 6. The thrusting apparatus 5 is run by the pneumatic cylinder 7. The load layer 6 is formed on top of a platform or a support plate 8. The load layer is surrounded on all sides by the fixedly adjusted guiding frame 9, the form of which conforms exactly to that of the load layer 6 to be formed. The height of the guiding frame 9 is about twice the height of the load layer 6.
Below the support plate 8 there is located the pallet 10. In the beginning phase of the loading, while the pallet is empty, it is located immediately below the support plate 8. Afer the first load layer has been formed, the support plate 8 is drawn out by means of the pneumatic cylinder 7. Now the load layer remains resting on the pallet 10. Thereafter the pallet 10 is lowered (direction C) by a distance equal to the height of one load layer, and the support plate 8 is again slid to its place in order to form a new load layer.
While the pallet 10 is lowered, the packings belonging to the layer in question remain exactly in their places, because they are surrounded by the guiding frame 9. It is only in the next lowering phase that the load layer 6a emerges from below the lower edge of the guiding frame 9. Now the wrapping device 11 starts operation. The wrapping machine consists of a roller 12 arranged to rotate around a slightly inclined or almost vertical axis (direction D). Round the roller 12 is located the supply of the wrapping material, which is for example elastic plastic band 13. The band is wrapped around the packings at the same pace as new load layers appear from below the guiding frame 9. The wrapping material 13 is spread so quickly that a whole load layer 6a has not totally appeared from below the guiding frame before it has already been wrapped in plastic. Thus it is possible to ensure that not one single consumer package falls off the pallet and that the layer does not get into disorder before the wrapping.
The loading can also be carried out so that the pallet 10 is located at the same standard height throughout the packing operation. In this case the height of the guiding frame is the total height of the desired load layers, i.e. the height of a plurality of layers, for instance 10 load layers. The load layer 6 is preferably formed at the height of the uppermost possible load layer, onto the support plate 8. After this load layer has been completed, the support plate 8 is lowered onto the pallet 10 or onto the uppermost load layer resting on it. The support plate 8 is drawn out, and the load layer 6 is shifted to its place.
Thereafter the guiding frame 9 is lifted the height of one load layer and the support plate 8 is lifted in order to form a new load layer 6. The wrapping device starts operation as the load layer emerges from below the lower edge of the guiding frame 9. The above described phases of operation are repeated until the desired amount of load layers, or such amount as is possible when employing the guiding frame in question, is achieved.
It is pointed out that the height of the conveyor 2 can be adjusted according to the needs of the situation, as well as the height of the thrusting apparatus 5-and consequently the height at which the forming of the load layer takes place.
The wrapping of the packings in both of the above described embodiments of the packing method can be carried out so that the guiding frame 9 and the pallet 10 rotate around their axes (direction E), whereas the wrapping device 11 is fixedly mounted on its place.
The invention has above been explained with reference to preferred embodiments. It is naturally clear that the invention is not limited exclusively to these examples, but can be modified in many different ways without deviatinq from the scope of the following patent claims. For example, the forming of the load layers can be carried out in other ways. Furthermore, the wrapping material can be dosed for instance from rollers rotating around horizontal axes, and heat-seamed at the edges. The wrapping material can also be for example shrink-wrap plastic.

Claims

1. A packing method for packing consumer packings (1) or equivalent directly onto a pallet (10) in which the packings are arranged onto a support plate (8) to form a load layer (6), which load layer is supported on all sides by means of a specific guiding frame (9) and wherein the support plate (8) is removed, so that the load layer (6) is immediately slid onto the empty pallet located below the support plate, or onto the previous load layer (6a) located on the pallet (10) and the pallet (10), together with its load layers, being lowered down the height of one load layer, characterized in that the packings are wrapped with a final wrapping material (13) simultaneously as new packings emerge from below the guiding frame (9) and that the wrapping material (13) is spread so quickly that a whole load layer (6a) has not totally appeared from below the guiding frame before it has been wrapped.

2. An apparatus for applying the method of claim 1, the said apparatus consisting of a conveyor (2) or equivalent for transporting the packings (1), means (5) for forming the load layer, means for supporting and gradually lowering the pallet (10), a guiding frame (9), the form of which conforms to that of the load layers (6) formed by the packings to be loaded onto the pallet, and a support plate (8) located within the said guiding frame (9), onto which support plate the load layer is formed or shifted, and which plate (8), after the load layer is formed, can be shifted aside so that the new load layer slides on top of the pallet or the previous layer, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means (11, 12) for continually spreading a wrapping material (13) on the outer surface of a load layer (6a) before the top edge of said layer has totally emerged from below the guiding frame (9) while the pallet is lowered down.

3. A packing method for packing consumer packings (1) or equivalent directly onto a pallet (10), which packings are arranged onto a support plate (8) to form a load layer (6), which load layer is supported on all sides by means of a specific guiding frame (9) and wherein the support plate (8) is lowered and drawn aside, so that the load layer (6) slides onto the empty pallet (10) placed at a standard height below the support plate (8) or on top of the previous load layer (6a) located on the pallet, characterized in that the guiding frame (9) is lifted up the height of one load layer and simultaneously, as new packings emerge from below the support frame (9), the packings are wrapped in a final wrapping material (13), and that the wrapping material (13) is spread so quickly that a whole load layer (6a) has not totally appeared from below the guiding frame before it has been wrapped.

4. An apparatus for applying the method of claim 3, the said apparatus consisting of a conveyor (2) or equivalent for transporting the packings (1), means (5) for forming the load layer (6), means for supporting the pallet, a guiding frame (9), the form of which conforms to that of the load layers formed by the packings to be loaded onto the pallet, and a support plate (8) located within the said guiding frame, onto which support plate the load layer (6) is formed or shifted and which support plate (8), after each load layer has been formed, can be lowered and shifted aside so that the load layer slides onto the empty pallet below or on top of the previous layer located on the pallet, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means (11, 12) for continually spreading a wrapping material (13) on the outer surface of a load layer (6a) before the top edge of said layer has totally emerged from below the guiding frame (9) while it is lifted up.

5. The apparatus of claims 2 or 4, characterized in that the means for spreading the wrapping material (13) comprises at least one roller (12) rotating around one roughly vertical axis, on which roller (12) the wrapping material is stored in the form of a band, and which roller can be rolled around the support frame (9).

6. The apparatus of claims 2 or 4, characterized in that the means for spreading the wrapping material (13) comprises at least one fixedly mounted roller (12) rotating around a roughly vertical axis, on which roller (12) the wrapping material is stored in the form of a band, and wherein the guiding frame (9) and the pallet (10) can be rotated around their axes.