EP1225129B1 - Method for making cigarette packages - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing cigarette packs when changing the packaging material - product change -, with the help of at least one packaging machine - packer - the cigarettes are supplied on the one hand and packaging material as a continuous material web on the other hand.

In the cigarette industry there is an increasing need to carry out a short-term change of the package contents, ie the cigarettes and / or the packaging material in the same production plant. This change of product or brand may refer to all product features of the packages, ie the cigarettes as well as the entire packaging material.

So far, one proceeds in such a way that with a product change the packing machine or the complete manufacturing plant (line) is stopped after the production of a certain mark is finished. The existing material in the system, including the previously driven cigarettes is removed by hand and disposed of as waste. Thereafter, the new material is installed and the packaging machine or line with the new cigarettes or the new packaging material started again.

The invention has for its object to perform the product or brand change in the production of cigarette packs so that only small production losses occur through the change.

1. a) bei Einleitung einer Betriebsphase "Produktwechsel" wird die noch zu verarbeitende Rest-Menge an bisherigem bahnförmigen Verpackungsmaterial - Alt-Bahn - ermittelt,
2. b) die Zufuhr der Alt-Bahn zur Verpackungsmaschine wird auf die noch zu verarbeitende Rest-Menge begrenzt,
3. c) eine Bobine, nämlich Neu-Bobine mit neuem zu verarbeitenden Verpackungsmaterial - Neu-Bahn - wird benachbart zu einer Bobine - Alt-Bobine - mit der Alt-Bahn bereitgehalten,
4. d) ein Anfang der Neu-Bahn wird bei laufender Verpackungsmaschine mit einem Ende der Alt-Bahn verbunden unter Bildung einer Bahnverbindung (Splice),
5. e) die Zigarettenpackung oder eine Gebindepackung, nämlich Zigarettenstange, mit mindestens einer Bahnverbindung wird identifiziert und ausgesondert.

To solve this problem, the method according to the invention is characterized by the following features:

1. a) upon initiation of an operating phase "product change", the remaining amount of previous web-shaped packaging material to be processed-old-web-is determined,
2. b) the supply of the old web to the packaging machine is limited to the remaining amount to be processed,
3. c) a bobbin, namely new bobbins with new to be processed packaging material - new train - is held next to a bobbin - old bobbins - with the old-train,
4. d) a beginning of the new train is connected to one end of the old train while the packaging machine is running, forming a rail connection (splice),
5. e) the cigarette pack or a bundle pack, namely cigarette rod, with at least one rail connection is identified and rejected.

A peculiarity of the invention is that continuous material of the cigarette packs currently manufactured is connected by a so-called splice when changing with the continuous material of the newly produced pack. In the method according to the invention, the procedure is such that the connection of the material webs to an identifiable and to be discarded cigarette packet, in particular to a container to be discarded, is assigned. This will avoid that Old material has to be taken out of the trajectories and the new material has to be elaborately threaded.

In the implementation of the invention, the procedure is such that the packaging machine or the plant is emptied so far as far as the old packs that a procedurally required rest of cigarette packs remains in individual units of the system. This remainder of old packs is known in terms of number. This makes it possible to determine the position of the rail connection (splice) so that in particular the last old pack has the connection point and in particular that the last container with the old packs contains all rail connections. This cigarette rod is then discarded.

Fig. 1

eine Anlage bzw. Linie zum Herstellen von Zigarettenpackungen in schematischer Draufsicht,

Fig. 2

eine Einzelheit der Einrichtung gemäß Fig. 1, nämlich eine Verpackungsmaschine - Packer - in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 3

einen Packungsspeicher, ebenfalls in schematischer Darstellung,

Fig. 4

eine weitere Verpackungsmaschine, nämlich einen Folienpacker, in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 5

einen Gebindepacker, nämlich Stangenpacker in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 6

einen Kartonpacker, ebenfalls in perspektivischer Darstellung.

Other features and features of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1

a plant or line for the manufacture of cigarette packs in a schematic plan view,

Fig. 2

a detail of the device according to FIG. 1, namely a packaging machine - packer - in a perspective view,

Fig. 3

a packing memory, also in a schematic representation,

Fig. 4

another packaging machine, namely a foil packer, in perspective,

Fig. 5

a container packer, namely a packer in perspective,

Fig. 6

a carton packer, also in perspective view.

In the drawings, a system for producing cigarettes and cigarette packets 10 until they are filled in (shipping) boxes 11 is shown. The example refers specifically to cigarette packs 10 of the type folding box or hinge-lid.

The (complete) system or line consists, according to FIG. 1, of a cigarette manufacturing machine, ie a maker 12, a filter attachment machine connected to it - tipper 13 - a packaging machine for producing the cigarette packs 10, ie a packer 14, a pack store 15 A packaging machine for attaching an outer wrapper to the cigarette packs 10 - foil packer 16 - a packer 17 and a carton packer 19 for making and filling the cartons 11. Of interest are other devices of the line, namely a cigarette storage 19 for receiving a supply of cigarettes in the area of the packer 14. The packer 14 is further assigned a material unit 20. This stores packaging material and makes the material available to the packer 14.

The cigarette packs 10 produced by the packer 14 are transported to the film packer 16 via a longer pack conveyor 21. The pack store 15 for providing a supply of cigarette packs 10 is positioned in the area of this pack conveyor 21. Between the film packer 16 and the rod packer 17 is a (double-lane) conveyor track 22 for two superimposed rows of cigarette packets 10 to form groups of packs 23 for each pack, namely a cigarette rod 24. These in turn are fed by a rod conveyor 25 to the carton packer 18.

The type of cigarette pack 10 which is selected by way of example here, namely a folding box, has a standard construction. A cigarette group is surrounded by an inner blank of paper or tin foil. The cigarette block thus formed is supplied with a likewise made of thin cardboard existing collar. The unit of cigarette block and collar is surrounded by an otherwise manufactured, namely punched blank made of (thin) cardboard. At this usually a (control) band is attached. The finished cigarette pack 10 is surrounded by an outer wrapper made of foil.

It is now about a product or brand change, which is assumed to be exemplary, that not only the contents of the package, but also the entire packaging material - old material - is to be replaced by new material - new material.

The peculiarity of the method is that the product or brand change is fluent, with the participation of the new packs and the new material. It is important that continuous material, ie webs of packaging material be interconnected, so new trains through Splice (train connection) with the respective old train. The formation and supply of this web connection is controlled so that a specific, identifiable package, in particular the last old pack, the web links and the last formed cigarette rod 24 contains the pack with the joints and beyond the joint for the wrapping of the cigarette rod 24th This cigarette rod 24 is discarded.

Before the "brand change" operating state is initiated, the required information is provided, in particular on the nature and extent of the change. The data can be transmitted from a central computer to the individual systems or packaging machines and displayed on a monitor.

First, the virgin material is provided to the required extent on the individual machines and assemblies. Web-shaped packaging material provided as reels is usually positioned on rotatable pins and withdrawn for processing by the rotationally driven reels. A material station usually has at least two pins, one of which serves to receive a replacement bob. During the change of material, a bobbin with new material is positioned on the spigot for the replacement bob while the current (old) material continues to be withdrawn from the bobbin on the active spigot.

If the time for the change of the web-shaped material is determined - on the basis of a certain, identifiable number of old packs -, the railway connection is initiated in the usual way, ie the previously expiring old train with the deducted from the new reel new Rail connected by a splice. The calculation of the remaining amount of still supplied Alt material is calculated so that the last old pack or the last cigarette group with old cigarettes has the railway connection.

The packaging or production plant is shut down if a defined in terms of number, known residual amount of (finished) cigarette packs in the system is available. At rest, the preparation of the new material is carried out. Thereafter, the system is restarted with new cigarettes and new packaging material in the area of the Packers 14, until the new packs connect to the remainder of the old packs. The production is then continued. During the Standstill of the system, a further supply of blanks by separating material webs by stopping a cutting unit for separating the blanks (knife block) is prevented.

Accordingly, re-bobbins 26 with tinfoil or paper are provided at the packer 14, a larger number in a bobbin supply. A single new reel 26 is held on a spigot 52 for a replacement bob for connecting a new reel 47 to the expiring old reel of the old reel 45.

In an analogous manner, a new collar bobbin 28 is held ready on a journal in the region of a collar unit for connection to the running collar web 29.

In the region of a folding turret 30 there are (two) blank magazines 31 with blanks 32 for the folding box. The produced cigarette packs 10 are fed into a first drying turret 33 and from this via a transverse packing web 34 to a second drying turret 35.

The emerging from the dry turret 35 cigarette packs 10 are transported in a row of seals on the package conveyor 21. At least a portion of the cigarette packs 10 enters the pack store 15 and is transferred to the film packer 16 as needed on the secondary pack conveyor 21. The packing conveyor 21 consists of conveyor belts without drivers or other spacers, so that the relative position of the cigarette packs 10 on the packing conveyor 21 is indefinite.

In the area of the foil packer 16, packaging material for the outer wrapper of the cigarette packs 10 must be kept ready. It is about a film web 36, are separated from the blanks for the outer sheath. This is done in the manner described, namely by connecting the withdrawn from an old bobbin 37 film web 36 (old train) with a new train, which comes from a positioned on a corresponding pin new reel 53.

The finished, provided with an outer wrap cigarette packs 10 arrive on a double conveyor track 22 to the rod packer 17, in a row of seals, wherein each two cigarette packs 10 are superimposed. By cross-cutting can so the pack groups 23 are formed from a total of ten cigarette packs 10 as content of a cigarette rod 24.

In the area of the bar packer 17 material is to be kept ready for the wrapping of the packing group 23. In the example shown, a (paper) web - old web 39 - is withdrawn from a bar bobbin - old bobbin 38 - for producing blanks for the cigarette rods 24 ,

The formed cigarette rods 24 are conveyed at the exit side of the rod packer 17 into a packing tower 40. In this, the cigarette rods 24 are stacked. At the top of the cigarette rods 24 are deported in the transverse direction and then transported in a single row of packages on the rod conveyor 25 to the carton packer 18.

The carton packer 18 is equipped with a carton magazine 41. This individual, prepared carton blanks 42 are removed, unfolded and filled by inserting the cigarette rods 24. A closure strip 43, namely an adhesive strip, is applied to the carton 11 in the region of bottom and end flaps.

When the production volume to be produced by the old packages is approaching, the Maker 12 is first shut down and finally shut down. The conveying members for the transport of the cigarettes to the tipper 13 and the packer 14 are emptied, possibly completely emptied manually. The new material is positioned on the individual units and machines for the connection with the old train.

The packer 14 is usually provided with a cigarette magazine 46, from which groups of cigarettes 49 are conveyed away for wrapping through the inner blank. If a certain minimum level of cigarettes is reached in the area of the cigarette magazine 46, a signal is triggered (eg via a light barrier) which performs the splice between the old train 39 and a new train 47 of a new reel 48. There is still a sufficient amount of old train available, so that the last cigarette group 49 is wrapped by a blank, which has the junction between old train 39 and new train 47. After the separation of this last blank, the transport of the material web, namely the new web 47, is stopped, by switching off a separating member (knife block) for producing the blanks.

When the last cigarette group 49 is pushed out of the cigarette magazine 46, the Ausschubstößel be stopped, preferably in accordance with US Pat. No. 6,062,000 ,

When changing the material for the production of the collar 27, a compound of the old collar web 29 is prepared or prepared with the new collar web, in such a way that the last group of cigarettes 49 with old cigarettes receives a collar of the previous material. Thereafter, either the drive for the collar web 29 is stopped or the splice for the connection of old train and new train not yet made. In any case, no new collars are fed.

The blank magazines 31 with blanks 32 (old blanks) are also filled so that the existing blanks 32 sufficient for the production of cigarette packs 10 (old packs).

The entire system is continuously emptied. This applies to the dry turrets 33 and 35, the packing web 34, the packing conveyor 21 and the pack store 15.

The entire system is emptied to the film packer 16, possibly with the help of manual removal of packages. The film packer 16 is automatically switched off when in the area of the package conveyor 21 in front of the film packer 16 only a residual stock (minimum degree of filling) of cigarette packs 10 is present, for example ten cigarette packs. The peculiarity is that in this shutdown process for the entire packaging system of existing in the plant inventory of packages (old packs) is known. The production of the web connection in the region of the film packer 16 and in the region of the rod packer 17 is set to this number of old packs, with the aim of allocating the still to be produced web connections of a (last) cigarette rod 24.

The splice or the web connection is placed in the region of the film packer 16 so that a sufficient number of cut lengths of the old material to the separation unit or knife block for the blanks is still present. The splice is initiated when there are still about 250 packs in front of the bar packer 17.

The completion of the last old packs and old bars is done by resuming the production of the (new) cigarettes and their packaging. The old material is - if necessary - taken out of the machines and units, in particular from the packer 14. Now, new packages are produced and fed through the packing conveyor 21 the film packer 16. There, the new packs meet the remainder of old packs, supplementing a continuous series of cigarette packs. As a result, the film packer 16 is automatically restarted, as is the packer 17. Old packs and new packs consequently pass seamlessly through the packer 16. As a result, one of the cigarette rods 24 has old packs and new packs. This cigarette rod 24 accordingly contains the cigarette pack 10 with the connection points of the inner envelope (Stanniol) and the outer envelope (foil). Furthermore, this cigarette rod 24 should contain the rail connection of the bar casing.

This incorrect cigarette rod 24 is discarded in the area of the packing tower 40. In this case, the procedure is expediently such that the last cigarette pack 10 (old pack) is particularly marked, such that the mark can be scanned electronically and a control signal can be derived therefrom. For example, this last cigarette packet 10 may have a metallic content (dummy). Furthermore, the last, namely the splice cigarette rod 24 is recognizably marked, namely provided with a visible mark that facilitates the discarding in the region of the pack tower 40.

A peculiarity consists in the alternative of not providing a number of pack groups corresponding to the contents of a cigarette rod with a bar wrap, but rather conveying them unpacked as a pack group, in particular to the pack tower 40. Here, the unpacked pack groups are readily available to the operator or appropriate watchdogs identify and discard. A total of four such uncovered cigarette rods are useful, namely two rods with old packs and two rods with new packs.

The procedure is that the system is stopped again, at least the foil packer 16 and rod packer 17. From the pack tower 40, a number of several, for example, five cigarette rods 24 taken out, including the marked, allegedly last Alt-rod. These cigarette rods 24 must be completely opened and checked. If the lower of the removed from the pack tower 40 cigarette rods 24 exclusively new packs or new material has, the brand change has expired correctly. The plant can then be restarted for the exclusive production of new packs.

The replacement of the material also includes blanks, in particular blanks 32 for folding boxes, but also (control) bands 50 which are attached to the cigarette packs 10. The respective blanks are located in a magazine, namely a blank magazine 31 on the one hand and a banderole magazine 51 on the other hand. During the material change, the old blanks are removed manually and replaced with new blanks.

The described brand change can also be carried out in an analogous manner for the production of other types of (cigarette) packs. The control of the individual organs can be improved by providing the last cigarette pack 10 (old pack) with a scannable sensor (instead of one or all of the cigarettes). When passing this sensor at certain measuring positions corresponding signals are given, in particular with regard to the production of a railway connection.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

cigarette pack

11

carton

12

Maker

13

Tipper

14

packer

15

pack store

16

film packer

17

rod packer

18

Case packer

19

cigarette store

20

material unit

21

pack conveyor

22

conveyor track

23

pack group

24

cigarette carton

25

bar conveyor

26

New reel

27

collar

28

Kragenbobine

29

collar Bahn

30

folding turret

31

blank magazine

32

cut

33

drying turret

34

packing sheet

35

drying turret

36

sheet

37

Old reel

38

Old reel

39

Old train

40

pack tower

41

carton magazine

42

carton blank

43

fastener strips

45

Old reel

46

cigarette magazine

47

New web

48

New reel

49

cigarette group

50

banderole

51

band magazine

52

spigot

53

New reel

Claims (5)

1. Process for producing cigarette packs (10) during a changeover of the pack contents and/or packaging material - product changeover - with the aid of at least one packaging machine - packer (14) - to which cigarettes and packaging material are fed as a continuous material web or/as blanks characterized by the following features:

   a) upon initiation of a "product changeover" operating phase, a determination is made of the residual quantity of previous web-like packaging material - old web - which is still to be processed,

   b) the feed of the old web to the packaging machine is limited to the residual quantity which is still to be processed,

   c) a reel, namely new reel (26) with new packaging material to be processed - new web (47) - is held ready at a position adjacent to a reel - old reel (45) - with the old web,

   d) while the packaging machine is still running, a start of a new web (47) is connected to an end of an old web to form a web connection (splice),

   e) the cigarette pack (10) or a multipack, namely cigarette multipack (24), with at least one web connection is identified and separated out.
2. Process according to Claim 1, characterized in that the web connections of all the webs of the packaging material are assigned to a cigarette pack (10) and/or a cigarette multipack (24) and, following completion, the latter is separated out, in particular in the region of an upright pack tower (40) for cigarette multipacks (24), with preferably the non-wrapped cigarette multipacks (24) to be separated out, that is to say merely the groups of cigarette packs (10) forming the cigarette multipack (24), being kept ready and separated out.
3. Process according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of cigarette multipacks (24) produced one after the other, including the cigarette multipack (24) having the web connection of the packaging material of the cigarette multipacks (24), are separated out and have their contents checked in order to establish the changeover between the old cigarette packs (10) and the new cigarette packs (10).
4. Process according to Claim 1 or one of the further Claims, characterized by the following features:

   a) the packer (14) and/or an entire production and packaging installation, for product changeover, is emptied to the extent where a residual stock of cigarette packs (10), namely old packs, known on account of predetermined operating states, is present in the installation,

   b) the previous packaging material, namely the old web, is assigned to the residual stock of cigarette packs present such that web connections between an old web and a new web are assigned specifically to the last old pack(s).
5. Process according to Claim 4, characterized by the following features:

   a) the packaging installation is emptied to a defined residual quantity of cigarette packs (10) in the region of a film packer (16) and of a following multipacker (17),

   b) once a defined residual quantity of cigarette packs (10) has been reached, the production of new cigarette packs is started up again, the new cigarette packs following the residual stock of cigarette packs (10) present in the region of a conveyor - pack conveyor (21).

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