EP0451667B1 - Blank separating device in a machine to work plate or sheet elements to produce packings - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns the upper tool of a station for separating blanks in a machine for the production of packings. The upper tool is constituted by a rectangular plate (2) squared with traversing sockets (21). On the lower surface of the plate (2) is fixed a large number of punches (P1) intended to push the blanks through the corresponding openings of the lower tool of the station. The fixing of each punch (P1) to the plate (2) is carried out by means of a self-locking pin (B) whose shaft (81) is engaged with a socket (21). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device for the separation of the poses in a working machine of plate or sheet elements for the production of packaging.

• impression sur une feuille d'un grand nombre de motifs (ou figures) dont chacun est relatif à un seul emballage;
• découpage de la feuille en différentes poses (ou flans) dont chacune comprend un seul motif imprimé; et
• pliage-collage de chaque pose en vue de former un emballage à l'état plié.

The production of packaging goes through three successive stages:

• printing on a sheet of a large number of patterns (or figures) each of which relates to a single package;
• cutting the sheet into different poses (or blanks) each of which comprises a single printed pattern; and
• folding and gluing each pose to form a package in the folded state.

After cutting, so that the whole cut sheet can be transferred (in principle by means of a gripper bar mounted on a chain of chains) to the following waste ejection stations (consisting of areas of the sheet located between each laying and excluded from the final packaging) and receiving the sheet, all the poses of the same sheet are still held together by means of small attachment points which correspond to very small notches (not cutting) made in the press cutting nets.

• soit de former une pile de feuilles composées chacune de toutes ses poses réunies entre elles par les points d'attache;
• soit de former simultanément plusieurs piles de poses qui ont été séparées entre elles par rupture des points d'attache dans une station antérieure dite de séparation des poses.

At the receiving station, as required, it should be possible:

• either to form a pile of sheets each made up of all its poses joined together by the attachment points;
• or to simultaneously form several stacks of poses which have been separated from one another by breaking the attachment points in an anterior station known as the separation of the poses.

A device is already known in which the upper tool is constituted by a horizontal board or plate gridded with holes, each punch being provided with an upper face intended to be put elastically in pressure contact with the lower face of the board by the 'Intermediate of at least one quick-fixing element, a first end of which engages the punch and a second end with a hole in the board. Such a device is described in US-A-2,413,999 to which reference may be made for more details.

It is also known to use, in the blanking station, a movable upper tool and a fixed lower tool. The upper tool is constituted by a set of punches, and the lower tool by a matrix with openings, the movable upper punches forcing the poses through the openings in the lower matrix by causing the rupture of the various attachment points which connected either each of the poses between them, or the marginal poses to a peripheral waste of the leaf. The separation tools must therefore be adapted to the shape and arrangement of the poses of each new series of sheets to be worked. In general, the punches are mounted, in registration with respect to the cutting lines of the press, on a base plate fixed to an upper mobile tool-carrying frame of the station separation station. Below and opposite each punch, there is a corresponding opening or mesh of the lower matrix made up of bars. Bars are arranged so as to overlap to form a grid or matrix whose meshes have approximately the dimensions of the poses to be separated.

To avoid the need to manufacture new tools for separating the poses for each new series of sheets, it has been proposed, in patent CH-A-617886, to mount the punches horizontally displaceable along bars fixed on a vertically movable frame, each punch being in the form of a cleat connected to its neighbor by means of interlocking one with the other. The fixed lower matrix is composed of cross bars which can be moved so as to form a grid, the meshes of which are of adjustable dimensions.

The object of the present invention is therefore to produce a device for separating the blanks which, on the one hand, eliminates the drawbacks mentioned above and, on the other hand, allows a significant saving of time for the production of the upper matrix by using standard elements adaptable to the configuration of the installation (or cutting). Means must also be provided on the tool for easily mounting therein a punch specific to the front waste of the sheet.

This object is achieved by means of a blanking device according to claim 1.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'un outil supérieur de séparation,
• la figure 1A est une vue en coupe selon A - A de la figure 1,
• la figure 1B est une vue en coupe selon B - B de la figure 1,
• la figure 1C montre une vue partielle de l'avant selon C de la figure 1,
• les figures 2 et 3 sont des vues en coupe d'un mode de fixation d'un poinçon de séparation de pose,
• les figures 2D et 3E sont une vue de dessous selon respectivement D et E des figures 2 et 3,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon F - F de la figure 1C.

In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, an embodiment of the device for separating poses is now described with reference to the appended drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 is a top view of an upper separation tool,
• FIG. 1A is a sectional view along A - A of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 1B is a sectional view along B - B of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 1C shows a partial view of the front along C of FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of a method of fixing a pose separation punch,
• Figures 2D and 3E are a bottom view along D and E respectively of Figures 2 and 3,
• Figure 4 is a sectional view along F - F of Figure 1C.

The movable upper bone separation tool shown in Figure 1 comprises two rectangular wooden boards or plates 1, 2 flattened and centered horizontally against each other. The function of the upper board 1 is to increase the rigidity of the bone tool and to mount the latter on a mobile frame 200 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the blanking station, while the lower board 2 is used to support punches P₁, P₂ of separation of the poses. The two boards 1, 2, held together by gluing or other suitable means, can also be made of aluminum, synthetic material or other light materials.

The lower plate 2 is pierced, for example by laser, with a multitude of holes 20 crisscrossing its entire surface. Inside each hole 20 is driven a socket 21 of metal or plastic whose length is approximately equal to the thickness of the lower board 2. Each socket 21 is also provided with a stop shoulder 21a bearing on the upper face of the lower board 2. The upper board 1 is also gridded with a large number of rectangular openings 10 aligned in both directions with the holes 20 of the lower board 2. The size of the openings 10 is such that each includes several (for example 49) holes 20 in the lower board 2. The upper board 1 is also provided with holes 12 in correspondence with the other holes 20 in the lower board 2 not encompassed by an opening 10.

Figures 2 and 2D show how a first punch P₁ of relatively small size is fixed against the underside of the bottom board 2. The punch P₁ is presented in the form of a slightly elongated rectangular block 5, open at the bottom and closed at the top. Block 5 consists of four vertical plates 51-54, joined together at the ends by bonding and closed above by a fifth bonded plate 55. The upper face of the connecting plate or closure 55, intended to come into contact with the lower board 2 is provided with a non-slip coating 56. The lower edge of each plate 51-55, intended to come into contact with a pose, is covered with foam 67.

Inside the punch P₁ is freely introduced a rectangular block 6 for fixing the punch P₁ to the lower board 2. Two short cylindrical rods 69 are fixed in a corresponding hole in the block 6. These two rods 69 also pass through an elongated opening 69a of two opposite plates 52, 54 of the punch P₁. The width of the two elongated openings 69a is also greater than the diameter of the rods 69. The rods 69 have the function of preventing the block 6 and the punch P₁ from being able to separate, while allowing their relative horizontal and vertical displacement necessary for the positioning of the punch P₁. The upper face of the fixing block 6 can come into contact with the lower face of the connection plate 55 of the punch P₁ _, said two faces each being provided with a non-slip coating 61, respectively 57.

The fixing block 6 is connected to the lower board 2 by means of two self-locking pins B. Thereafter, only one pin B will be described, it being understood that the other is identical to it. The spindle B comprises, in known manner, a head 80, a hollow rod 81 at the end of which are radially projection two balls 82, and a sliding central rod 83, the pin B can only be unlocked by pressing on the central rod 83. In the fixing block 6 is made a bore in which is fixed, by means of a washer 64e and a circlip 64c, a hollow socket 62. The socket 62 is closed at the upper end by a first washer 63 held in place by a circlip 64a. Inside the sleeve 62 can freely slide a second washer 65. Each of the two washers 63, 65 is provided with an opening for letting the rod 81 of the spindle B pass, a shoulder 68 of its head 80 bearing against the second washer 65. A compression spring 66 is interposed between the two washers 63, 65. A cylindrical part of the head 80 can penetrate inside the socket 62. The head 80 and the balls 82 prevent the pin B can escape from the socket 62, that is to say from the block 6. The upper plate 55 is also provided with a rectangular opening 55a of relatively large dimension to allow the rod 81 to pass. In FIG. 1, it it is possible to see that, to set up the punch P₁, it suffices to place the latter near the desired location of the lower board 2, and to introduce the two rods 81 through a socket 21, being understood that the distance between the axes of the two pins B is equal to that of the two sockets 21. The assembly is thus designed so that the balls 82 of each spindle B abut against the shoulder 21a of the socket 21 so as to prevent a downward movement of the spindle B. By against, thanks to the spring 66, it is possible to move the punch P₁ vertically downwards then, the non-slip coating 56 having thus been put out of effect, to reposition the punch P₁ relative to the lower board 2. In the case, on the other hand, where it is desired to remove the pin B, it suffices pressing on the central axis 83 of each pin B and sliding the rods 81 out of the sockets 21.

In FIG. 2, it is also possible to see that the upper board 1 is provided with auxiliary openings 12 situated opposite the holes 20 of the lower board 2 which are not located inside the large rectangular openings 10, of so that you can also install a pin B at these locations.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the punch P₂ is identical in shape to that P₁ in Figure 2, but of larger dimension. The block 6 'is, on the other hand, of smaller dimension and comprises a single pin B. In addition, the punch P₂ does not have an upper plate (like that 55 of the punch P₁) but only the non-slip coating plate 56' provided orifices 56'a for the passage of the rod 81 of the spindle B. Each block 6 'is fixed to the punch P₂ so as to allow a certain vertical and horizontal movement of one relative to the other. For the rest, the operation of the punch P₂ is similar to that of P₁. However, for some of the punches P₂, it is also possible to envisage that the blocks 6 'are fixed relative to the punch P₂, or even form an integral part of it.

Of course, many other variations as to the size and shape of the punches P₁, P₂ can be easily envisaged.

At the front of the lower board 2 is provided a metal bar 9 intended for fixing two special punches 90 for the separation of the poses directly linked to the front waste. Several screws 91, each passing through the bar 9 and the lower board 2 and engaging with a threaded sleeve 92 crimped in the upper board 1, are used to fix the bar 9 (see FIG. 1B) against the board lower 2. Each special punch 90 is fixed to the lower board 2 by means of two vertical supports 93. Each support 93 comprises a body 96, a rod 99 passing through the body 96, and a nut 95 engaged with an external thread corresponding to the body 96. The rod 99 is surmounted by a head 94 bearing against the upper face of the bar 9. For the establishment of the head 94, several notches 9a are produced along an edge of the bar 9. The rod 99 also comprises a lower thread 97 in engagement with corresponding threads of the body 96 and of a socket 98 crimped in the special punch 90. A pin 97a locks in rotation the body 96 on the rod 99. By rotation of nut 95, l he special punch 90 is permanently fixed relative to the lower board 2.

On the upper face of the front edge of the upper board 1 is fixed a first plate 14 by means of two threaded bushings 15, a second plate 16 located on the other face of the board 1, and two screws 17. The first plate 14 is used to center the upper tool Os on the movable frame 200 of the station separation station.

The upper tool Os described above can be used with almost all the lower tools with adjustable dimensions known to date, for example that described in patent CH-A-617886 mentioned above.

Claims (9)

1. Device for separating blanks in a machine processing plate or sheetlike workpieces into packages, comprising an upper vertically movable tool (Os) provided with several punches (P₁; P₂) with adjustable position and dimension, and a lower fixed tool provided with several apertures also with adjustable position and dimension, the punches (P₁; P₂) being destined to push the blanks through the said apertures, the upper tool (Os) comprising a board or horizontal plate (2) with patterned holes (20), each punch (P₁; P₂) being provided with an upper side (56; 56') designed for being pressed under elastic load against the lower side of the board (2) by means of at least a quick-lock piece (B) of which the first end is engaged with the punch (P₁; P₂) and the second one with a hole (20) of the board (2), characterized by the fact that the said quick-lock piece is a self-locking pin (B), the interlocking being ensured by two balls (82) situated at the said second end, the said balls being destined to engage within the hole (20) and to be set free under the effect of pressure exerted on a central rod (83), an auxiliary fastening block (6) being fitted so as to be able to slide along the pin (B), a spring (66) being arranged between a supporting point (68) of the pin (B) and a supporting point (63) of the fastening block (6) so that with the pin (B) being in locked position, a side (61) of the fastening block (6) will be able to obtain a support on the corresponding surface (57) of the punch (P₁; P₂) so as to elastically press the latter punch against the board (2), the fastening block (6) and the punch (P₁; P₂) being fitted together by the means (69, 69a) which are to allow the said relative shifts.
2. Separating device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the link between the punches (P₁; P₂) and the quick-lock piece (B) allows among them horizontal positioning of the punch (P₁; P₂) with regard to the board (2).
3. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that a piece with high rubbing coefficiency (56, 56') such as a non-slipping or similar coating is arranged between the lower surface of the board (2) and the said upper surface of the punch (P₁; P₂).
4. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the fastening block (6) is provided with a bore which is to take up a bushing (62) closed at its upper end by a first fixed washer (63) and, at its lower end, by a second sliding washer (65), and by the fact that the spring (66) finds a support against these two washers (63, 65), the pin (B) having a head (80) with a shoulder (68) to be used as a supporting point against which the second washer (65) will find a rest.
5. Device according to one of the claims 1 or 4, characterized by the fact that a piece with high rubbing coefficiency (61, 67) is arranged between the fastening block (6) and the punch (P₁).
6. Device according to one of the aforesaid claims, characterized by the fact that the punch (P₁; P₂) consistd of several vertical plates assembled butt to butt so as to form a polygonal enclosure through which at least one quick-lock piece (B) is arranged crosswise, the enclosure being closed in its upper part by a closing element (55, 56') serving as a resting point for the fastening block (6).
7. Device according to the aforesaid claims, characterized by the fact that the board (2) provided with holes (20) and more specifically called lower board id fitted by gluing or similar process on the lower side of an upper board (1) patterned with a great number of apertures (10) encompassing several holes (20) of the lower board (2) and of holes (12) aligned with the non-encompassed holes (20) of the lower board (2).
8. Device according to one of the aforesaid claims, characterized by the fact that it includes means (93) for fastening at least a special punch (90) for separating the blanks from the sheet front waste.
9. Device according to the aforesaid claims, characterized by the fact that the lower surface of the punch (P₁; P₂) designed for getting into contact with the blank is provided with a foam coverage (67).

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