EP0451568A1 - Apparatus to work plate or sheet elements, equipped with a front waste removing device, to produce packings - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a machine for working sheets for the production of packaging. The machine comprises an introduction station, a cutting and upsetting station equipped with a press with an upper (Ss) and lower (Si) frame, a waste ejection station, a receiving station (R) and means of evacuation (Tr, 100) of the front waste (Df). A closed loop chain train (C) fitted with gripper bars (B) transfers the sheets (F) from one station to another. The front waste evacuation means (Df) are located above the upper base (Ss) of the cutting station.

Description

The present invention relates to a machine intended for working sheet or sheet elements for the production of packaging, as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

• une station d'introduction I dans laquelle se trouve un paquet d'entrée Pe de feuilles F;
• une station de découpage, refoulage et/ou gaufrage P dans laquelle la feuille inférieure F du paquet d'entrée Pe est amenée entre le sommier supérieur fixe Ss et le sommier inférieur mobile Si d'une presse;
• une station d'éjection E dans laquelle des découpes De, réalisées sur une feuille F par des organes coupeurs montés sur un outil O fixé sur le sommier supérieur Ss de la presse, sont séparées de la feuille F et éjectées vers le bas dans un récipient de déchets D;
• une station de réception R dans laquelle les feuilles découpées - ou poses, flancs - sont placées sur un système de transport T pour former un paquet de sortie Ps qui, lorsqu'il est complet, sera transporté hors de la machine.

Such a machine according to the prior art is shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing which is a longitudinal schematic view showing the driver side of the machine. Such a machine successively comprises, that is to say in the direction of travel of a sheet to be worked:

• an introduction station I in which there is an input package Pe of sheets F;
• a cutting, upsetting and / or embossing station P in which the lower sheet F of the input package Pe is brought between the fixed upper bed base Ss and the movable lower bed base Si of a press;
• an ejection station E in which cutouts De, produced on a sheet F by cutting members mounted on a tool O fixed on the upper bed base Ss of the press, are separated from the sheet F and ejected downwards into a container waste D;
• a receiving station R in which the cut sheets - or poses, sides - are placed on a transport system T to form an output packet Ps which, when complete, will be transported out of the machine.

During all the operations described above, the F sheets are transported individually from one station to another using a system of gripper bars B moved by a train of chains C, the circuit of which forms a closed loop with return from above. For this, at each longitudinal end of the machine are provided two return systems Rm and Ra (for example pulleys) of the chain train C. A first return system Rm is located upstream (relative to the direction of travel of the sheets), that is to say between the upper bed Ss of the plate press and the introduction station I. The second return system Ra is located downstream of the machine, that is to say say on the downstream side of the ejection station E. In addition, it is at the introduction station I that the downstream edge of the bottom sheet F1 of the input pack Pe is engaged with the gripper bar B using an opening system (not shown) of clamps B1. Generally, in such a machine, the sheets are worked according to the principle known as "with frontal waste", that is to say that each sheet F is cut, in the cutting station P, in such a way that part, or the whole, of its front edge - or downstream - also forms a waste Df which must then be separated from the sheet; however, the separation of this front waste Df in the ejection station E is not possible since this same downstream edge, or front waste, is and must remain in engagement with the gripper bar B in order to be able to transfer the sheet F to the reception station R.

• un système d'ouverture des pinces B1;
• un dispositif qui pousse chaque déchet frontal Df hors des pinces B1;
• un tapis roulant Tr sur lequel tombent les déchets frontaux Df et qui les évacue hors de la machine en direction du côté opposé au conducteur.

It being understood that, generally, such a machine is not used individually but is part of a train of several machines, a train whose length is such that it very often poses problems of space when it is installed, means for removing the front waste Df from the gripper bar B and transporting it out of the machine have, to date, been placed above the receiving station R when the gripper bar B returns to the 'upstream. For this purpose are provided at this location:

• a system for opening the clamps B1;
• a device which pushes each front waste Df out of the clamps B1;
• a conveyor belt Tr onto which fall the front waste Df and which discharges it out of the machine in the direction of the side opposite to the driver.

In principle, the treadmill Tr is driven by an electric motor different from that of the main motor since there is no need to synchronize its movement perfectly with that of other elements of the various workstations P, E, and R described above. This is not the case with regard to the gripper opening system B1 provided at the place where the front waste Df must be removed from the gripper bar B. Such a gripper opening system B1 comprises at at least one element movable between a first position in which it is outside the space provided for the passage of the clamp bars B and a second position in which it is, when the clamp bars B are at rest, at the inside said passage to act on one of the elements forming each clamp B1 in order to open it. It is obvious that such a gripper opening system B1 must be perfectly synchronized with the successive alternating movements of the chain train C bringing the gripper bars B, and therefore the sheets F, from a work station to the other. To date, this synchronization has been obtained by driving the opening system of the clamps B1 in motion. directly from the main engine of the machine, that is to say the engine which drives in motion on the one hand, by means of an endless screw and a system of connecting rods-cranks K, the movable lower bed base If from the press in the cutting station and, on the other hand, a drive pulley for the chain train C provided in the upstream return system Rm. For this, a chain G connects, for example, a drive pulley of the clamp opening system to another pulley provided in the upstream return system Rm (this is shown in Figure 1 in broken lines because the chain G is on the side opposite the conductor). From FIG. 1, it is possible to see that the chain G must extend over a great distance, a distance which is further extended by the fact that its course is not straight but describes a path first horizontal, then vertical , so as not to obstruct access and visibility to the different workstations. However, given the current market requirements which impose ever higher production rates, such a long chain length poses difficult operating problems. Indeed, in order to carry out the opening control of the clamps B1, the linear speed of movement of the chain can be very high. It is clear that a chain which works in such operating conditions runs the risk of causing breakdowns due to ruptured elements, noise, vibrations, etc. Added to this is also the fact that it is very disadvantageous to have to use such a long chain length, associated, of course, with numerous elements and other guide pulleys, to perform an operation, know that of the opening of the clamps B1, which ultimately is disproportionate, compared to the whole machine, with the means involved for its realization.

In addition, the fact of having to locate the treadmill Tr in the upper part of the reception station R prevents having easy access and sufficient visibility to this station, this especially on the side opposite to the driver, that is to say say at the rear or below the exit end of the treadmill Tr where slides are generally arranged to guide the front waste Df towards the waste container D placed at the bottom of the ejection station E. This lack of visibility and access and also of available space are particularly troublesome when the reception station R is associated with the operation known as separation of the poses - or sides - by means of two mobile frames, one of which is located below and the other above the chain train C. Finally, in certain machines where the reception station R is of a relatively simplified design and for which access or visibility above the chain train s C is not absolutely necessary, the fact of locating the discharge of the front waste Df precisely at this location results in a relatively large longitudinal elongation of the machine for an operation which, as already mentioned, is of importance still secondary. The same conclusion is also necessary in the case of a machine comprising only two work stations, namely the introduction station I and the cutting station P provided with the press. In this case too, it is possible to understand, by analogy to the case represented in FIG. 1, that a space sufficient must be provided between the upper bed base Ss of the press and the downstream return system Ra of the chain train C only to carry out the evacuation of front-end waste Df.

The considerations above, according to which the cutting station can be associated with the choice either with the only reception station (and introduction of course) or with the ejection stations E and reception R, also show that significant modifications of construction must be planned at the outset to locate and adapt in each case the mounting of the treadmill Tr and the other elements intended for the evacuation of frontal waste Df.

• à ne pas exiger des moyens de transmission de mouvement par chaîne ou similaire s'étendant sur une longue distance;
• à ne pas gêner la visibilité et l'accès aux différentes stations de travail de la machine;
• à ne pas prolonger par eux-mêmes l'encombrement longitudinal de la machine;
• à faciliter l'installation des cadres de séparation des poses - ou flancs - dans la station de réception; et
• à ne pas devoir être déplacés quel que soit le nombre de stations de travail de la machine.

Consequently, the aim of the present invention is to produce a machine in which the means provided for evacuating the frontal waste Df are located and designed so:

• not to require means of transmission of movement by chain or the like extending over a long distance;
• not to obstruct the visibility and access to the various work stations of the machine;
• not to extend the longitudinal dimensions of the machine by themselves;
• to facilitate the installation of the separation frames for the blanks - or sidewalls - in the reception station; and
• not to have to be moved regardless of the number of workstations on the machine.

Such an object is achieved by a machine according to claim 1.

• la figure 1 montre une vue d'une machine selon l'art antérieur;
• la figure 2 montre une vue partielle en coupe d'une machine selon l'invention;
• la figure 3 montre une vue en détail en coupe d'une partie de la machine selon la figure 2;
• la figure 4 est une vue de dessus en coupe partielle de la figure 3.

In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawing in which:

• Figure 1 shows a view of a machine according to the prior art;
• Figure 2 shows a partial sectional view of a machine according to the invention;
• Figure 3 shows a detailed sectional view of part of the machine according to Figure 2;
• FIG. 4 is a top view in partial section of FIG. 3.

• la partie supérieure de la station de réception R devenant totalement libre, l'accès et la visibilité à cette dernière sont rendus très aisés;
• dans la station de réception R subsiste suffisamment de place pour facilement monter des cadres de séparation des poses quand cela est souhaité;
• dans le cas d'une station de réception R simplifiée, il est possible de placer le système aval de renvoi Ra du train de chaînes C dans la partie supérieure de la station de réception de manière à diminuer la longueur d'ensemble de la machine;
• dans le cas d'une machine sans station d'éjection E, il est possible de placer le système de renvoi aval Ra tout près du sommier supérieur Ss de la presse à platines, de manière aussi à économiser l'encombrement longitudinal;
• la longueur des moyens de transmission de mouvement entre l'entraînement principal de la machine (constitué d'un grand carter rempli d'huile occupant toute la face arrière, c'est-à-dire opposé au conducteur, de la station de découpage P) et les dispositifs destinés à enlever des pinces B1 les déchets frontaux Df est fortement réduite par rapport à l'art antérieur. En réalité, comme on le verra par la suite, une simple barre sous forme de tirette remplace la longue chaîne utilisée jusqu'ici.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of a machine according to the invention in which only the cutting station equipped with a press and, partially, the introduction station are shown. Since, in FIG. 2, the machine is also seen from the driver's side, it is possible to see that the machine according to the invention differs from that according to the prior art represented in FIG. 1 essentially by the fact that the 'the set of elements intended for the evacuation of frontal waste Df is located exactly above the upper bed Ss of the plate press. It immediately appears, taking into account the considerations developed above, that the fact of placing the frontal waste evacuation system above the upper plate Ss makes it possible to eliminate all the disadvantages mentioned above and relating to a machine. according to the prior art. In fact, from FIG. 2, it follows immediately that:

• the upper part of the receiving station R becoming completely free, access to and visibility to the latter are made very easy;
• in the reception station R there remains sufficient space to easily mount the frame for separating the poses when desired;
• in the case of a simplified reception station R, it is possible to place the downstream return system Ra of the chain train C in the upper part of the reception station so as to reduce the overall length of the machine;
• in the case of a machine without an ejection station E, it is possible to place the downstream return system Ra very close to the upper bed Ss of the plate press, so as also to save the longitudinal bulk;
• the length of the movement transmission means between the main drive of the machine (consisting of a large oil-filled casing occupying the entire rear face, that is to say opposite the conductor, of the cutting station P ) and the devices intended for removing from the clamps B1 the frontal waste Df is greatly reduced compared to the prior art. In reality, as we will see later, a simple bar in the form of a pull bar replaces the long chain used so far.

Consequently, even if the place chosen to carry out the evacuation of frontal waste Df may, at first sight, appear surprising - indeed, no one to date has had the idea of carrying out this evacuation in this space very small located between the return of the chain train C and the upper bed Ss of the press (for this purpose, it is certainly necessary to slightly raise the return height of the chain train C, but this does not cause really bad consequences) - the solution ultimately brings many benefits.

In FIG. 2, the chain of chains C is represented at an instant of rest where the various operations at each work station are carried out and where also a frontal waste will be removed from the gripper bar B and fall on the conveyor belt Tr circulating between two side walls 100 forming a horizontal channel for guiding the waste Df which will be evacuated on the side opposite to the conductor. From FIG. 2, it is possible to see that each front waste Df is removed from the clamp at the place where the chain train C begins to descend downwards in the direction of the upstream return pulley Rm. This place has been chosen because it allows to make the most of the space available by a judicious arrangement of the elements intended for the disposal of frontal waste.

To be able to move the waste Df away from the gripper bar B, it is first necessary to open the grippers themselves. Such a clamp bar B generally consists of a hollow section B4 on which are mounted, transversely offset, several clamps each consisting of an elastic blade B2 and a fixed clamp B3. The opening of each clamp is carried out by pushing down the blade B2 by means of a pusher 10 in the form of a punch, the end of which is provided with an adyprene element 11 to reduce noise and wear. Each pusher 10 passes through a corresponding opening of the counter-clamp B3 and is fixed to a first profile 12 extending parallel to the clamp bar B. Each longitudinal end of the profile 12 is fixed to the first end of a first tilting lever 13, the other end of which is fixed to a shaft 14 mounted at its ends on the frame of the machine and which can be driven in rotation.

The device intended to move the front waste Df away from the clamps B2, B3 also consists of a second profile 20, one side of which, seen in profile, is provided with an extension 21 bent downwards. Seen from the front, this extension 21 has the shape of a rake between the teeth from which the clamps B2, B3 can take place. The interior of each end of the second section 20 is engaged with a block 22 mounted in free rotation on the first end of a second rocking lever 23 whose other end is locked on a drive shaft 24. So that the rake 21 can really fulfill its role which consists in pushing the waste Df out of the space between each clamp B2 and counter-clamp B3, it is necessary to give to the free end 210 of the rake which comes into contact with the waste Df, a rotational movement. To obtain this movement, it appeared advantageous to associate the rotation of the second profile 20, relative to the second lever 23, with the tilting of the first lever 13. For this purpose, each block 22 of the second profile 20 is linked by a link 30 to the first tilting lever 13. By a judicious choice of the dimensions of the different levers 13, 23 and rods 30 and of the positioning of the different shafts 14, 24, it is possible to obtain the desired displacement of the end 210 of the rake 21. Two tensioned springs 300, one end of each of which is fixed to the frame of the machine and the other end to a rocking lever 13 tend to bring these two levers 13 into a position such that the rake 21 and the pushers 10 are out of the way of the clamp bars B.

• l'entraînement en rotation des deux arbres 14 et 24 par un jeu de deux tirettes 140, 240 et de quatre leviers 141, 142, 241, 242 (représentés en traits discontinus parce que situés à l'intérieur du carter rempli d'huile mentionné plus haut);
• et aussi la commande, à l'aide d'un jeu de leviers 301, du système d'ouverture 300 des pinces à la station d'introduction, système d'ouverture en quelque sorte similaire à celui décrit ci-dessus pour l'éjection du déchet frontal.

In FIG. 2, it can be seen that from a drive shaft 500 situated at the bottom of the platen press, it is possible to obtain:

• driving the two shafts 14 and 24 in rotation by a set of two pullers 140, 240 and four levers 141, 142, 241, 242 (shown in broken lines because located inside the oil-filled casing mentioned upper);
• and also the control, using a set of levers 301, of the opening system 300 of the grippers at the introduction station, opening system somewhat similar to that described above for ejection frontal waste.

Such a location for the means for discharging the frontal waste is, of course, also possible in a press with a movable upper bed base and a fixed lower bed base. In this case, the evacuation means will be fixed directly to the side frames of the machine.

Claims (7)

Machine intended for working sheet or sheet elements for the production of packaging, comprising: - at least one introduction station (I) and one cutting, upsetting and / or embossing station (P) provided with a press with a fixed upper bed base (Ss) and a movable lower bed base (Si); - a chain of chains (C) with closed loop and provided with clamp bars (B) intended for transferring the sheets (F) from one work station to another; - Means (Tr, 10, 21) for evacuating the front waste (Df) from the sheet, situated on the return path, from the top, of the chain train (C); characterized in that the means of evacuation (Tr, 10, 21) of the front waste (Df) are located above the upper bed (Ss) of the press. Machine according to claim 1, comprising a conveyor belt (Tr) discharging the front waste (Df) towards the side opposite the conductor, the cutting station (P) being provided, on the side opposite the conductor, with a casing filled with oil, characterized in that the treadmill (Tr) is mounted on the upper bed (Ss) and discharges the front waste (Df) in a location above the oil pan. Machine according to claim 1 or 2, of which said evacuation means comprise a system (10, 12, 13, 14) for opening gripper bars (B) consisting of at least one pusher (10) rocking between a first position in which it is out of the path traveled by the gripper bars (B) and a second position in which it opens the grippers (B2), characterized in that each pusher (10) has the shape of a punch provided at its end with an adyprene tip (11) intended to reduce noise and wear when in contact with the clamp ( B2). Machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which said means for discharging front waste comprises a rake-like element (21) which can tilt between a first position in which it is outside the path of the gripper bars (B) and a second position in which it comes into contact with the front waste (Df) to push it out of the space between each clamp (B2) and counter clamp (B3), characterized in that, while the end (210) of the teeth of the rake (21) is in contact with the front waste (Df), said end describes a path extending essentially in the plane and in a direction opposite to that of the chain train (C) at this location . Machine according to claim 4, in which the pushers (10) and the rake (21) are mounted on the first end respectively of a first (13) and a second tilting lever (23) whose other end is fixed on a shaft (14, respectively 24) driven in rotation by a set of levers and pull tab (241, 240, 242, respectively 141, 140, 142) connected, inside a crankcase filled with oil located in the cutting station (P) on the side opposite the conductor, to a drive shaft (500) located at the bottom of said station (P), and also used to drive a bar opening system (300) with clamps (B) in the introduction station (I). Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the rake (21) is mounted on a second profile (20) mounted in free longitudinal pivoting on the two second lateral tilting levers (23), the pushers (10) are retractably mounted on a first profile (12) fixed on the two corresponding first tilting levers (13), at least one link (30) being interposed between a first tilting lever (13) and the second profile (20) so as to combine the tilting of the first (13) and second (23) levers so that the end (210) of the rake (21) describes said path. Machine according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cutting ejection station (E) and / or a receiving station (R).

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