EP1656298A1

EP1656298A1 - Method and device for packing tubes

Info

Publication number: EP1656298A1
Application number: EP04738142A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gottlieb Benz
Original assignee: TEXA AG
Current assignee: TEXA AG
Priority date: 2003-08-20
Filing date: 2004-08-12
Publication date: 2006-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 2024-08-12
Also published as: WO2005019035A1; US7308779B2; US20060191238A1; ATE356026T1; EP1656298B1; DE502004003163D1

Abstract

Tubes (T), coming from a production line, are supplied by means of a grouping unit ( 1 ). The grouping unit comprises a conveyor belt ( 10 ), with product holders ( 11 ) and the tubes are supplied in groups by means of a stepping motor ( 12 ). A slider ( 13 ) pushes the tubes (T) into the correct position on a mandrel support ( 20 ) of a packaging unit ( 2 ). The mandrel support ( 20 ) comprises a plate ( 21 ), which may be moved back and forth by means of a piston/cylinder unit ( 22 ) and which may be pivoted from the horizontal holding position into the vertical dispensing position. The tubes are pushed onto mandrels ( 25 ) which are mounted on the plate ( 21 ), by means of the slider ( 13 ), The tubes are thus held in exact alignment and can be filled into the carton (B) without a relative displacement or tilting of the tubes.

Description

Method and device for packing tubes

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for packaging tubes which come continuously from a production line and are arranged by means of a grouping unit in groups of adjacent tubes with a predeterminable unit number of tubes that a layer of tubes to be deposited in a box correspond.

Methods and apparatus that serve to group and pack production units into cartons are known in many embodiments. The procedure according to the method as well as a corresponding device for carrying out such a method are highly dependent on the type of production units. For example, US-A-5, 732, 536 shows a device by means of adhesive tapes in boxes are packaged, the German patent application DE-A-22 '00' 390 a device for packaging, for example, household rolls of paper, or the 'EP-A 350'910 a device for packing flower pots. The handling of various products requires accordingly different methods and Devices, and even seemingly similar products, depending on the size or design, different problems may arise, which accordingly also require differently adapted methods and devices.

The present invention is concerned with the packaging of tubes. This is based on a known device for the formation of product groups, as it is known for example from EP-B-1 '114' 784. In particular, this device is used to form groups of elongate cylindrical product units, such as tube sleeves or cans, which are continuously coming from a production line and used to form product groups with a preselectable number of units. The product groups formed are placed on a conveying conveyor belt in a Abschiebeposition and slid from there in layers in a box. Devices of this type have proven extraordinarily successful in the market and work with exceptionally high cycle times. ^• These machines were also used for packing tubes. If the tubes are made of metal, the tube body is relatively heavy in relation to the tube head, and accordingly the filling into the boxes takes place without problems. More difficult is the situation with tubes made of plastic or laminates. Depending on the size of the tube, the ratio of the weight of the tube head changes to the weight of the tube body. This is especially true for medium to small tube sizes. The ratio is additionally affected unfavorably, since the plastic tubes are already supplied by the production lines with attached tube cap, since these tubes are delivered in the form supplied after packing the appropriate companies for filling the tubes. Correspondingly, the heads of the tubes thus supplied are almost always heavier than the tube-shaped tube body.

For all machines available on the market today, the tubes are pushed in layers into a corresponding box, said box standing or lying on a side wall and correspondingly the tubes are inserted into the box in a substantially horizontal direction. Now, if the tube heads are heavier than the sleeves, the tubes already stored in the box tend to tilt, so that the open sleeves directed to the grouping unit project slightly upwards over the actual plane that corresponds to the corresponding position. As a result, subsequent layers will abut when pushing on such protruding tubes, and accordingly creates a mess, which leads to an immediate interruption of the process. This is extremely annoying because these packaging machines are usually directly at the end of the corresponding production lines and thus a break in packaging leads to a production interruption. As already mentioned, this problem is still aggravated by the fact that on the tube heads corresponding closures are already placed, and these closures also have a smaller diameter than the sleeve itself. This promotes the tilting movement described above.

Another problem is that such plastic tubes and in particular plastic tubes of smaller dimensions often serve for the packaging of pharmaceutical products in which there are very high purity regulations. Accordingly, the packaging machines described here are just like the production machines themselves in appropriate clean rooms. This requires that the tubes must either be packed in plastic boxes or appropriate cardboard boxes are used, which must be lined with a bag-like plastic film. Both plastic tubes themselves and plastic boxes or the baggy plastic film liners all tend to become statically charged, which may even result in forces without the described tipping action due to the static charges, which can lead to distortions of the grouped units.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method, with the particular tubes made of plastic or laminates in plastic boxes or in cardboard boxes with a bag-like plastic lining are fillable without the problems mentioned above can occur.

A method that solves this problem, is apparent from the patent claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the method are described in the dependent claims 2 to 4. According to claim 5, the invention also provides a device by means of which in particular plastic tubes or tubes made of laminates and in particular also tubes which are top-heavy can be packed in boxes made of cardboard or plastic, or in cardboard boxes with a bag-like plastic film insert, without the problems described above occur. Further advantageous embodiments of the device will become apparent from the dependent claims 6-10.

In the accompanying drawings, the essential features of the inventive device are shown, and these as well as the method will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

Figure 1 is a schematic arrangement of the device in the field of transfer of the tubes from a grouping unit in a box; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a mandrel carrier in the acquisition of the tubes of the grouping unit, and

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the delivery of the tubes from the mandrel carrier into a box;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a single mandrel in side view, and

Figure 6 the same in section, as well

Figure 7 shows a single mandrel with attached tube in view perpendicular to the mandrel.

In the method and device to be described below, tubes T are to be packaged by a grouping unit 1 by means of a packaging unit 2 in boxes B, which are preferably provided with a bag-like plastic film lining. In the figure 1, this situation is shown schematically. With regard to the more precise embodiment of the grouping unit 1, reference is made in particular to EP-B-1114'784. In the simplified illustration according to FIG. 1, only the parts of the grouping unit of interest are shown. The continuous from a production line, not shown here delivered tubes are placed on a conveyor belt 10, which consists of a plurality of product receptacles 11 in the form of half-shells. By means of a drive 12, preferably a stepper motor, the tubes T to be packaged are delivered in groups and transferred from the conveyor belt 10 to the packaging unit 2 by means of a slide 13, which can be actuated by means of a piston-cylinder unit 14.

The packaging unit 2 has as the most essential element a mandrel carrier 20, which comprises a plate 21 which is movable by means of a piston-cylinder unit 22 in the direction of the grouping unit 1 to and from it. The piston-cylinder unit 22 with the mandrel support 20 is pivotable in total into the vertical position by a pivoting member 23 at 90 ° from the horizontal position, as shown in FIG. At the same time the pivoting member 23 is movable together with the piston-cylinder unit 22 and the mandrel support 20 up and down, which is symbolically represented by a rod 24 to ^' all the previously described parts of the packaging unit 2 are movable up and down. With regard to the more specific embodiment of the mandrel carrier 20 with the plate 21 and the thorns mounted thereon, reference is made to the statements in connection with the following figures.

The method according to the invention will now be explained again below with reference to FIG. The pack up Tubes T, which come continuously from a production line, not shown here, are located in the product receptacles 11 on the conveyor belt 10 and are transported by means of this to a Abschiebposition. The unit number of adjacent tubes can be specified and the number corresponds exactly to the amount corresponding to a layer of tubes to be delivered to a box B. If the group of tubes T on the conveyor belt 10 is in the correct position, the slider 13 is activated by means of the piston-cylinder unit 14 and the entire row of tubes T is simultaneously pushed onto a top row of spikes which are arranged on a mandrel holder 20 , For this purpose, the plate 21 of the mandrel carrier 20 has been moved by means of the piston-cylinder unit 22 first in the direction of arrow I on the grouping unit 1 and then lowered in the direction of arrow II to the appropriate level, so that the group of available tubes by means of the slide 13 all can be pushed simultaneously on the top row of thorns of the mandrel carrier 20. Thereafter, the mandrel holder 20 is raised in the direction of the arrow III and moved away in the direction of the arrow IV again a distance from the grouping unit 1.

Next, in turn, a new group of tubes T is moved by means of the conveyor belt 10 in the Abstossposition, whereupon the mandrel holder 20 is again moved in the direction of arrow I to the grouping unit 1, then in Direction of the arrow II is lowered again and the slider 13, the next layer of tubes on the second row of thorns, ie the second uppermost row of thorns, is postponed. Here, the downward movement in the direction of arrow II is driven only so far down until the already deferred position of tubes rests on the rear free end of the tubes to be pushed, so that these tubes are guided between the already deferred tubes and the product receptacles 11 during the movement. Accordingly, no tilting movement can take place during pushing on. This sequence of movements is repeated until the mandrel holder 20 is completely filled with tubes. After the last row of tubes has been pushed on, the mandrel holder 20 again moves upward in the direction of the arrow III and points away from the grouping unit 1, as indicated by arrow IV, whereupon a rotary movement corresponding to the arrow V takes place, so that now all the tubes T pushed on are held in the vertical direction with the tube head down on the mandrel holder 2, whereupon this is lowered in the direction of the arrow VI and all tubes are simultaneously inserted into the ready-standing box B. By means of a Abschiebmechanismus' to be described, the tubes located in the box B T are all simultaneously deported from the mandrel holder 20 and this moves back to its original starting position, whereupon a new cycle begins. In order to achieve the most dense packing of the tubes in the box, it is preferable to arrange the spikes on the mandrel support 20 with respect to 2 adjacent rows lying one above the other by a half diameter in each case. Accordingly, according to the method, the conveyor belt 10 will be staggered by half the diameter of the tubes so that the tubes are in turn aligned exactly with the mandrels. Thus, the densest possible arrangement of the tubes in the box B can be achieved.

Since in particular such plastic tubes or tubes made of laminate with plastic coating both in the pharmaceutical industry and in the food industry are often used, correspondingly high demands are made in terms of cleanliness. Since cardboard boxes always contain a certain amount of paper dust, it is increasingly required that the boxes B are either made of plastic themselves or are provided with a bag-like foil lining S. These sack-like foil liners S are usually inserted by hand and the edges slipped over the laterally bent flaps of the carton. A completely correct design of the box with this film lining is hardly possible. This has repeatedly led to problems with the filling of the tubes in such lined boxes. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, such film linings always have a certain static charge and this increases in the Introduction of the tubes in the box. On the other hand, however, the boxes to be filled have always been erected upright at the side and the tubes have been pushed laterally from the grouping unit 1 into the open box. However, since the film lining has virtually no inherent rigidity, the film always depends on the upper side wall down. This leads to corresponding problems in the introduction of the last position of the tubes. This practically always the film lining is partially zusammengeknautscht and it can then hardly close. If you want to pull the zusammengeknautschte slide smooth, so the tubes fall out. In the inventive solution, the tubes are held on the thorns in immovable position. Accordingly, the bag-like foil lining can push directly into the correct end position into the box. Also is in the novel process, the box on their soil and accordingly ^■ baggy foil lining depends relatively accurate in the box. The existing forces of static charge play no role at all. Essential for the correct packaging of the tubes into the box B is their exact and sufficiently strong support on the mandrels of the mandrel carrier 20. For this purpose. Reference is made to the following description parts. in the figure 2, the mandrel support 20 is shown in perspective on a larger scale. Again, you recognize a part the grouping unit 1 consisting of the conveyor belt 10 with the product receptacles 11 in the form of half-shells. Partially, one recognizes the angle-like slide 13. Although in the drawing shown here, the upper three rows of thorns 25 would already be equipped, they have been omitted for the sake of clarity. One recognizes the supplied group of tubes T, which are arranged exactly in the AufSchiebeposition. The three upper rows of thorns, which would already be equipped with tubes, would therefore rest in the position shown here on the group of tubes that are available here. In the next step, the slider 13 would then be moved in the direction of the plate 21 and would postpone the ready group of tubes on the fourth row of thorns from above. This corresponds to the exactly opposite load sequence as in previously known tube packing machines. In each case, the boxes are filled from top to bottom and consequently the first group of tubes would form the bottom layer in the box. Here, however, the mandrels are operated from top to bottom with groups of tubes.

The actual, spine-carrying plate 21 is held movable. Accordingly, a chassis plate 30 is present, which is penetrated by piston rods of piston-cylinder units 24 and which hold the movable spine-carrying plate 21. The mandrel-carrying plate 21 is provided with corresponding holes, through the corresponding Screws reach through which engage in the back end of the spines 25. On the chassis plate 30 side carrier strips 27 are arranged along the vertical side edge. On this side support rails 27 Abstossstabe 26 are mounted. Between each two adjacent Abstossstäben 26 a spacer 28 is arranged on both sides in each case. Accordingly, the Abstossstabe 26 parallel and at a distance from each two adjacent rows of thorns 25th

Are all mandrels 25 equipped with tubes T, the chassis plate 30 is removed with the mandrel-carrying plate 21 and the piston-cylinder units 29 of the grouping unit, moved up and swept by the pivot member 33 by 90 °. Now, as mentioned above, the entire mandrel holder 20 is lowered and the tubes are moved into the box and in this position, the plate 21 is now attracted by means of the piston-cylinder units 29 to the chassis plate 30, wherein at the same time at a fixed distance. the lateral support rails 27 resting Abstossstabe come into operation and pull the tubes from the spines. Thereafter, the mandrel carrier 20 is driven back to the initial starting position. Schematically, this situation is shown again in FIG. Again, standing on its bottom surface box B with the bag-like film lining S can be seen here. Schematically are some filled tubes with their attached Closures V shown filled in the box and at the same time the mandrel holder 20 is shown in the already stripped position in which the mandrel-carrying plate 21 is already advanced back to its filling position, so that the spikes 25 are loaded again

Although not shown in the figures, it is preferable to arrange the spikes 25 in the horizontal direction by half a diameter of the tubes to be loaded, respectively, so as to reach the densest possible packing, thereby ensuring that the tubes in the box are immovable at their position remain.

The mandrels 25 are shown in detail ^' in Figures 5 to 7. FIG. 5 shows a side view, while FIG. 6 shows an axial longitudinal section in the plane E as shown in FIG. Each mandrel has a substantially rectangular cross-section. The end 250 directed towards the mandrel-carrying plate 21 is ground flat. The opposite, free end 251 is cut conically. The longitudinal edges 252 are rounded corresponding to the inner diameter of the male tubes. Overall, the mandrels 25 are ground with a small conicity, so that the cross-sectional area at the end 250 is slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the mandrel below the conically ground portion. This will ensure that the tubes are slightly deformed when pushing on and thus hold elastically on the spines.

Each mandrel 25 is penetrated by a central axial bore. The diameter of this axial bore varies. The end 250 directed to the axial bore portion 255 has a smaller diameter. This diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the fastening screw which engages through the plate 21 into this bore portion 255 inside. At the free end 251 in the direction of the planar end 250, a bore section 256 with a larger diameter is present. This diameter is designed so that a screw nut 257 can be pressed therein. This can be pressed down to paragraph 258, which is generated by the change in diameter. The fastening screw with which the mandrel 25 is fastened to the plate 21 engages in this nut 257.

In the figure 7, this mandrel is visible in the view from above, in which case, however, already a tube T is shown with the attached closure V attached. The mandrel shown here is arranged between two parallel, adjacent Abstossstäben 26. The lower open end of the tube extends to practically at least approximately on the upper edges of the Abstossstabe 26. Dashed lines, the adjacent tubes are located. It can be seen that on the same Abstossstab 26 both the tubes of the same row rest, as well as the adjacent tubes of the next row. This is possible because the tubes, as already mentioned, are each offset by half a diameter. As already mentioned, but not shown in the drawing, the mandrels of adjacent rows are arranged offset by the corresponding distance to each other accordingly.

First experiments with a test arrangement have already shown that thanks to the inventive method and the corresponding device over the known methods not only can be operated much safer, but that in addition also an increase in productivity can be achieved. This requires, however, that the mandrel holder 20 with the plate 21 and the chassis plate 30 in duplicate

Execution is present. This can easily be achieved by arranging both mandrel carriers side by side along the conveyor belt 10 of the grouping unit 1 and the

Conveyor belt accordingly controls so that alternately only a first Dornentrager is completely filled and then the second Dornentrager. Of course, other arrangements of two mandrel carriers come into question. List of reference numbers

B box

T tubes

S baggy foil lining

V closures

1 grouping unit

2 packing unit

10 conveyor belt

11 product receptions in the form of half-shells

12 drive, stepper motor

13 slides

14 piston-cylinder unit

15 pulley

20 thorn carrier

21 plate

22 piston-cylinder unit

23 pivoting member

24 pole

25 spines

26 penalty

27 lateral carrier rails

28 spacers

29 piston cylinder unit30 chassis plate

33 pivoting member

250 plan end

251 free end

252 longitudinal edges

255 axial bore section

256 bore section with larger diameter

257 nut

258 paragraph

Claims

claims

1. A method for packing tubes (T), the. come continuously from a production line and are arranged by means of a grouping unit (1) in groups of adjacent tubes with a predeterminable unit number of tubes corresponding to a layer of tubes (T) to be deposited in a box (B), characterized in that a first Group of tubes (T) on a first top row of mandrels (25) is slid onto a plate-shaped mandrel support (20) with the dimensions of the clear opening of the box to be filled (B), whereupon the mandrel holder raised (III) and moved away from the grouping unit (IV), whereupon a next group of tubes (T) is formed, whereupon the mandrel holder (20) is again moved to the grouping unit (1), wherein the tubes already pushed on a first row of mandrels are moved by means of the mandrel holder (20 ) lowered so far (II) that the first row of tubes rests on the newly formed group of tubes, and now this second group of T is pushed on a second row of mandrels, and this procedure is repeated until all pins (25) of the mandrel carrier (20) are filled with tubes, whereupon the mandrel holder is pivoted (V) and enters an open box (B) (IV) and on it all the tubes all thorns are simultaneously deported into the box, whereupon the Dornentrager moves back to its original position and is ready for the next load.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that one uses two Dornentrager (20) and these loaded alternately with tubes, wherein in the time in which a loaded Dornentrager the tubes in a box (B) emits, the second Dornentrager with tubes is loaded.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the thorns of two adjacent rows of thorns are arranged offset on a mandrel holder in each case by half a diameter of the tubes, and the grouping unit (1) alternately offset by half the distance of the tube diameter in front of the mandrel carriers (20) stops and the tubes (T) are pushed onto the mandrels (25) of the mandrel carrier.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the boxes to be filled a bag-like foil lining (5) is inserted, and the edges of which are slipped around the box walls, the mandrel holder with the tubes during insertion of the tubes push the bag-like foil lining (5) completely onto the bottom of the box.

5. Apparatus for taking over tubes (T) which come continuously from a production line and can be formed by a grouping unit (1) into groups of adjacent tubes of a predeterminable number and from the grouping unit (1) into a box (B), characterized in that the device comprises a mandrel support (20) on which mandrels (25) are arranged corresponding to the internal dimensions of the box of tubes to be packed therein, the mandrel support (20) being substantially a plate (21) thorns (25) arranged thereon, in the arrangement in which the tubes are to be dispensed in a box, and in that the plate (21) corresponds to the dimensions of the clear width of the box (B) to be filled, and in that a scraper member is present, by means of which all tubes (T) at the same time from the thorns (25) are pushed off.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mandrels (25) have the shape of rectangular in cross-section pins which are fixed to the plate (21) and their free ends (251) rounded conical taper to a blunt point.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the mandrels are rounded in the region of rectangular cross section at the longitudinal edges (252).

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the mandrels (25) in the diagonal dimension from the plate-side planar ends (250) to the free ends (251) are designed to be decreasing.

9. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the mandrels (25) are made of plastic and have an axial longitudinal bore (255, 256) whose diameter (255) is smaller on the mounting-side planar end (250) and for receiving a screw threaded pin 15 is used, while the diameter (256) from the free end (251) forth larger and designed to accommodate a matching with the threaded stud nut (257) is designed.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, characterized in that the wiper member is a grid of flat Abstossstäben (26) which are arranged parallel to each between two adjacent rows of thorns (25), and wherein the grate relative to the plate

^'25 of the mandrel support (20) is movable.

1. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that between each two adjacent Abstossstäben (26) each spacer (28) are arranged, which are held on the side of the plate (21) on lateral carrier strips (27), wherein the carrier strips (27) a chassis plate (30) rest while the plate (21) relative to the chassis plate (30) is displaceable, whereby all the tubes (T) are simultaneously repeleable from the spikes (25).