EP1132205A1 - Device for feeding objects to an object carrier, especially for a printing machine, and printing machine equipped with such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The tube feed mechanism has a to and fro moving finger (11) designed to push directly each tube (10) towards a support. The finger (11) is fitted on a carriage (12) which slides along a chassis (13) with a to and fro movement. The finger is fixed to the chassis so that it occupies two positions, an operational position pushing the tubes and a retarded position in which it avoids contact with a tube. The finger is also acted on by a spring (14) which pushes the finger to its retracted position. A lock (15) temporarily maintains the finger in the operational position against the action of the spring. The finger is fixed to a shaft (16) which rotates on the carriage, the spring is wound around the shaft. The lock is a draw which slides along a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis of the finger. In the position of the drawer in which the shaft is locked with respect to the carriage, the drawers external surface cooperates with a flat part of the shaft. The draw has a throat, which, in its shaft unlocking position is to the right of the shaft's flat part. The finger is displaced during its movement between two stops carried on the chassis.

Description

The present invention relates generally to machines for process objects, such as printing machines of the genre comprising a turret, which is rotatably mounted about its axis, and which carries, radially, at its periphery, a plurality of object carriers by means of supports themselves rotatably mounted on this turret, and a plurality of stations of work, which are distributed circularly around the turret, at the right of the path object holders, some of which are printing stations while others are treatment stations, such as, for example, drying, varnishing, flaming, dusting or others.

These printing machines are for example used for the printing of objects of revolution, such as for example flexible tubes, in synthetic or other material, intended to receive successively several different color prints; in this case, the slides are cylindrical mandrels on which the objects are to be threaded.

Of course, supply devices are provided for supplying objects the object holders.

So far, these feeders have included a finger, generally cylindrical in shape, moving back and forth according to its axis and intended to push each object directly towards an object holder.

If these devices work well, they have the disadvantage that to access the next object to push, the finger must perform a backward displacement of a length at least equal to that of the object, and this it is only after this displacement, which frees the location for the next object, that it can take place.

The present invention relates to a supply device in which the next object to be pushed takes place before the finger has completed its travel recoil, allowing a higher feed rate.

According to the invention, a supply device for supplying objects with objects holders for a machine for treating objects, in particular a machine said device comprising a finger moving back and forth and intended to push each object directly towards an object holder to placing the object on said object holder, is characterized in that said finger is carried by a carriage mounted sliding on a chassis and animated with said back and forth movement, which finger is rotatably mounted on said carriage in so that it can occupy at least two positions, a so-called operational position in which it is likely by being moved to push an object, and a so-called retracted position in which it is susceptible, being moved, to avoid an object.

Advantageously, said finger is also subjected to the action of a means elastic which urges it towards its retracted position, a locking means being provided for temporarily holding the finger in its position operational against the action of elastic means.

Preferably, the finger is integral with a shaft rotatably mounted on the carriage, the elastic means being a spiral spring wound around said shaft.

Advantageously, the locking means is a slide-out drawer in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the finger.

Preferably, in the position of the drawer for which the shaft is locked relative to the carriage, the external surface of the drawer cooperates with a flat spared on the tree.

Advantageously, the drawer has at its periphery a groove which, in its unlocking position of the shaft, is in line with said flat.

Preferably, in its back and forth movement, the carriage moves between two stops carried by the chassis.

Advantageously, the drawer is adapted to cooperate with each of the two stops, one in its locking position, the other in its locking position unlocking, the carriage being, in each of these positions, in line with said stops.

Preferably, the finger has a positioning ramp operational adapted to cooperate with a fixed roller carried by the chassis.

The invention also relates to a machine, in particular printer, comprising object holders and a feeding device for supply the object carriers with objects, the feed device of said machine being as above.

Advantageously, the objects are carried by an inclined table.

Preferably, the objects are retained by a rim of the table, which rim extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the finger.

Advantageously, said finger has a general shape in C and spans said flange.

To better understand the object of the invention, we will describe now, by way of example, purely illustrative and not limiting, a mode of realization shown in the accompanying drawings.

• la figure 1 est une vue partielle en élévation d'une machine équipée d'un dispositif d'alimentation selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue partielle de la figure 1 montrant en coupe le chariot portant le doigt ;
• la figure 3 est une vue partielle de dessous par rapport à la figure 1 montrant la bielle d'entraínement du chariot ;
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle selon la flèche IV de la figure 1;
• les figures 5 à 10 sont des vues analogues à la figure 4 montrant les différentes étapes de fonctionnement du dispositif d'alimentation.

In these drawings:

• Figure 1 is a partial elevational view of a machine equipped with a feed device according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a partial view of Figure 1 showing in section the carriage carrying the finger;
• Figure 3 is a partial view from below relative to Figure 1 showing the drive rod of the carriage;
• Figure 4 is a partial view along arrow IV of Figure 1;
• Figures 5 to 10 are views similar to Figure 4 showing the different stages of operation of the supply device.

These figures illustrate, by way of example, the application of the invention to the case where, for example, the objects to be printed are flexible tubes, which, intended for contain a more or less pasty product, such as cream or other, contain a body and background. The body is generally cylindrical, and its cross section is substantially circular.

The printing machine used for printing such objects, very partially represented in the figures, is for example of the type of that described in French patent application FR-A-2 782 292 and comprises, overall, in a manner known per se, a turret, which is rotatably mounted, around its axis, in this case a vertical axis, on a frame, and which carries, radially, at its periphery, a plurality of object holders each respectively rotatably mounted on this turret by means of a support, around axes which, in this case, are orthogonal to the axis of the turret, and which are so horizontal.

As we know, the turret is generally a simple tray of circular outline, and it is rotatably mounted on a table belonging to the frame.

In known manner, this turret is rotated, not not, by a motor with which an indexer is associated.

The objects to be printed being flexible tubes, the object holders are cylindrical mandrels on which the objects are simply to be threaded.

The corresponding provisions being well known in themselves, they will not be described in more detail here.

In a manner known per se, also, the printing machine comprises a plurality of workstations which are distributed circularly around the turret, to the right of the path of the carriers, and some of which are posts others are processing stations.

The whole is completed by a loading and unloading, and, for a preliminary treatment of the objects before their printing, by suitable work stations, namely, for example, a workstation flaming and dusting, and a varnishing station followed by a drying.

To supply objects to objects, the machine includes a feeding device illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4.

The cylindrical objects extend perpendicular to the plane of the Figures 1 and 2 and are placed on an inclined table 23; they are by gravity against the others, the first object 10A being in abutment against a rim 24 transverse presented by the inclined table 23.

A feed finger 11 is carried by a carriage 12 slidably mounted on a frame 13; the carriage 12 is driven back and forth; for this do, it is secured by arms 26 to a sled 27 itself mounted sliding on a rail 28; the sled 27 is coupled to a connecting rod 29 which is itself linked to a crank 30, Figure 3, integral with the shaft 31 of a motor that includes the machine.

Thus, when the shaft 31 rotates, the sled 27 moves on the rail 28 in a back and forth movement which is transmitted by the arms 26 to the carriage 12.

The finger 11, made of cut and folded sheet metal, comprises a flat body 31 and a beak 32, also plane but extending in a plane here perpendicular to the planar body 31; the spout 32 and the body 31 have a general configuration in shape of C so that the body 31 and the spout 32 can be arranged on the side and on the other side of the edge 24 of the inclined table 23; the body 31 extends parallel to the rim 24 and the spout 32 transversely to the objects 10.

The carriage 12 has a bore 33 in which is mounted rotating a shaft 16 secured to the planar body 31, here extending perpendicular to said shaft body 31, and therefore secured to finger 11.

The shaft 16 has a notch, the bottom of which defines a flat 17, FIG. 2, parallel to the axis of the shaft 16.

The shaft 16 is surrounded by a spiral spring 14, one end of which is carried by the flat body 31 of the finger 11 and the other end of which is integral with the carriage 12; thus, by resting on the carriage 12, the spiral spring 14 urges the finger 11 rotating in the direction for which the spout 32 is raised, as explained below.

The carriage 12 is pierced with a transverse passage, here cylindrical, the axis of which is orthogonal to the axis of bore 33 and tangent to said bore 33; in said passage is slidably mounted a drawer 15; so that drawer 15 plays the role of a locking member to immobilize the shaft 16 relative to the carriage 12, in bore 33, its diameter is such that it is tangent to the flat 17 of tree 16; to unlock the shaft 16, the drawer has a groove 18, FIG. 2, whose depth is such that when said groove 18 is in line with the flat 17, the drawer 15 having been moved to do this, the shaft 16 is free to rotate in bore 33.

In its back-and-forth movement, the carriage 12 moves between two stops 21 and 22, carried by the frame 13, here by a spacer 25; one of stops, the stop 21, is constituted by the internal face of a plate 42 fixed in end of the spacer 25, and the other stop, the stop 22, is the inner face of a wing a L-shaped bracket 42 fixed on the upper face of the spacer 25.

Here, the spacer 25 is parallel to the rail 28 and inclined at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the table 23, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, but, of course, it could be otherwise.

The drawer 15 has a length greater than that of the through passage of the carriage 12 in which it is housed, so that at each extreme position of the carriage 12, in line with each stop 21 or 22, the drawer 15 is adapted to cooperate with each of them and to be moved one way or the other; after cooperation with the stop 21, Figure 4, the drawer 15 is in its position unlocking of the shaft 16, the groove 18 being in line with the flat 17, and, after cooperation with the stop 22, Figure 8, the drawer 15 is in its position locking the shaft 16, the groove 18 no longer being in line with the flat 17.

The operation of the supply device according to the invention is the next.

In FIG. 4, the finger 11 is at the end of the operational stroke and the spout 32 finger 11 has fitted the hollow cylindrical object 10A onto the object-holder mandrel not shown; the drawer 15 has cooperated with the abutment 21, called the unlocking stop, and the shaft 16 can rotate in the carriage 12 under the action of the spiral spring 14; here, it is preferred that the finger 11 remains momentarily in this position, a heel 34 of finger 11 cooperating with a roller 35, further from the stop 21 than is the axis of rotation of the shaft 16, said roller 35 being carried by a support 44 attached to end plate 41.

During its return movement, FIG. 5, the finger 11 rotates around its axis by gradually freeing the passage for the coming into position of the next object 10B; about halfway through its return run, Figure 6, the heel 34 has left the roller 35 and the back of the finger 11 is in abutment on a roller 20 disposed at the end of a bracket 43 carried by the square 42 in L.

Note that, in this position, the next object 10B is ready to be fitted on the object-holder while the finger 11, that is to say the carriage 12, is not only halfway.

The return movement of the carriage 12 continuing, a ramp 19 that carries the finger 11 cooperates with the roller 20 to replace, Figure 7, the finger 11 in its operational position, against the action of the spring 14.

After cooperation of the drawer 15 with the locking stop 22, FIG. 8, the shaft 16, and therefore the finger 11, is locked in this position which it keeps until grasping object 10B, figure 9; the operational displacement of the carriage 12 continuing, the drawer 15 comes into contact with the stop 21, FIG. 10, then unlocks the shaft 16 while the object 10B is fitted on the object holder : we then find ourselves in the position of figure 4 and a new cycle start.

Claims (13)

Feeding device for supplying objects to object holders of a machine for treating objects, in particular a printing machine, said machine device comprising a finger (11) moving back and forth and intended to push each object (10) directly towards an object holder for placing in place of the object (10) on said object holder, characterized in that said finger (11) is carried by a carriage (12) slidably mounted on a chassis (13) and animated of said reciprocating movement, which finger (11) is rotatably mounted on said carriage (12) so that it can occupy at least two positions, a so-called position operational in which it is likely by being moved to push a object (10), and a so-called retracted position in which it is susceptible to being moved to avoid an object (10). Feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that that said finger (11) is also subjected to the action of an elastic means (14) which biases it towards its retracted position, a locking means (15) being provided to temporarily hold the finger (11) in its operational position against the action of the elastic means (14). Feeding device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the finger (11) is integral with a shaft (16) mounted at rotation on the carriage (12), the elastic means (14) being a spiral spring wrapped around said shaft (16). Feeding device according to claim 3, characterized in that that the locking means (15) is a drawer mounted to slide in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the finger (11). Feeding device according to claim 4, characterized in that that in the position of the drawer (15) for which the shaft (16) is locked by relative to the carriage (12), the external surface of the drawer (15) cooperates with a flat (17) formed on the shaft (16). Feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that that the drawer (15) has at its periphery a groove (18) which, in its position unlocking the shaft (16), is in line with said flat (17). Feeding device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, in its reciprocating movement, the carriage (12) is moves between two stops (21,22) carried by the chassis (13). Feeding device according to claims 6 and 7 sockets jointly, characterized in that the drawer (15) is adapted to cooperate with each of the two stops (21, 22), one (22) in its locked position, the other (21) in its unlocked position, the carriage (12) being, in each of these positions, in line with said stops (21,22). Feeding device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the finger (11) has a ramp (19) for setting operational position adapted to cooperate with a fixed roller (20) carried by the chassis (13). Machine, in particular for printing, comprising object holders and a feeding device for feeding the object holders with objects, characterized by the fact that the supply device is according to one of claims 1 to 9. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the objects are carried by an inclined table (23). Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the objects (10) are retained by a rim (24) of the table (23), which rim (24) extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the finger (11). Machine according to claim 12, characterized in that the said finger (11) has a general C shape and spans said rim (24).

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