EP1687091A1

EP1687091A1 - Device for comminuting empty containers

Info

Publication number: EP1687091A1
Application number: EP04797851A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hermann Schwelling
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-13
Filing date: 2004-11-12
Publication date: 2006-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2024-11-12
Also published as: NO20062764L; US20070080251A1; EP1687091B1; JP5199577B2; PL1687091T3; NO331122B1; DE10353188A1; DE10353188B4; JP2007511341A; WO2005046876A1; US7556213B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for comminuting empty containers, particularly beverage bottles or cans made of plastic, particularly of PET or of tinplate, comprising a housing provided with a filling opening and with a discharge opening, and comprising a cutting unit mounted inside the housing and means for driving and controlling the cutting unit. Said cutting unit contains at least two cutting rollers, which are mounted at a distance from one another with regard to their rotation axes, and the cutting mechanism containing the cutting rollers is a document shredder cutting mechanism.

Description

Device for shredding empty containers

The invention relates to a device for crushing empty containers, in particular drinks bottles or cans u. Ä. Waste plastic or thin-walled sheet metal, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such devices are used to empty containers, especially those from the food industry, such as beverage bottles, cans u. Ä. Containers for the transport to the recycling plants or for the recycling process itself in the volume to reduce or prepare for their further processing.

Are known on the one hand devices that work on the principle of plate pressing and on the other hand, those whose press unit / -en rollers. These devices are optimized for either the treatment of plastic containers or tinplate containers / cans. Since said waste can contain not insignificant number of sealed containers, the / the pressing device / s of these devices is often preceded by a perforator, z. B. a perforator according to DE 43 38 561 A1 or US 5,642,661 A.

In order that the technical complexity of these devices can be reduced, devices are also known in which means for perforating are provided on pressed parts of the pressing device / s, e.g. in an apparatus for compacting empty beverage containers according to DE 100 55 201 A1. This device has a substantially funnel-shaped tapered conveyor line, in which enter the beverage containers and are compacted successively under the action of the conveying path laterally limiting means for conveying and compressing. In addition, there is provided that the rollers are provided with distributed on its circumference, blade-shaped elevations extending over the length of the rollers, ie parallel to the axis of rotation thereof. Furthermore and in particular, the means for conveying and compressing the beverage containers in this device consist of rollers driven by drum motors.

This device is expensive and maintenance-intensive, above all because of the latter assemblies. Devices are also known in which the distance between the pairs of rollers, in particular those with the smallest axis distance, with respect to their distance and the position of the longitudinal cutting edges are adjustable so that a separation of the guided material in the manner of breaking , Tearing or shearing, so that each of a bottle or can of several smaller pieces arise.

What type of volume reduction of said emptied container - compressing or crushing - is applied to the collection point of the waste, resulting from the / the task / -en the downstream recycling stages, the transport to the recycling company and the recycling process itself Shredding said waste can therefore be placed at the collection point or at the recycling company.

Known devices for crushing said waste have, inter alia, the disadvantage that the crushing, tearing or shearing edges are frayed on the small and small pieces produced on the one hand and / or in these pieces - the so-called flakes - so-called white fractures available. These frays or white fractures ask a quality defect in the classification of recycled material for further processing.

Another disadvantage of known devices for crushing said waste material also consists in the fact that the individual pieces produced under certain circumstances still with sections of said containers, z. As PET bottles, designated label (coding for the

Returnable bottle return system) and thus abuse can not be excluded.

Based on this prior art, the skilled man is asked the task of a device for Zerkl an empty container, especially beverage bottles or beverage cans made of plastic, especially PET bottles or tinplate to make such that the crushing reliable and is guaranteed in high quality and the manufacturing cost and maintenance for this Vorri rect compared to known devices are low.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a Vorri rect for crushing empty containers with the features of claim 1; advantageous developments and refinements of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. The essence of the invention is that in the new device for crushing with only one pair of cutting rollers said waste is cut, being used as a cutting unit used in shredders for shredding Pap ier or cardboard cutting unit in the inventive device for crushing. This cutting unit consists of a cutting unit with two cutting rollers whose axes of rotation are arranged parallel to each other. This cutting unit also includes a gearbox, a drive and a control unit. Each of the two cutting rollers has a plurality of cutting discs, which, viewed in the axial direction, are arranged spaced from one another by a respective puncture (gap). The distance between the axes of rotation is selected so that the cutting discs of each opposing cutting roller dive into the gap of the other cutting roller. The axial distance from cutting disc to cutting disc on a cutting roller, so the width of the gap (the puncture) is greater than the width of a cutting disc of the opposite cutting roller. This ensures that between the mutually facing side edges of concern the overlapping (combing)

Cutting discs a gap of small width is present, the so-called cutting game. By appropriate adjustment, axial displacement environment, the cutting game is adjustable so that on the one side d the relevant cutting disc no or a very narrow gap is present and on the other side of the cutting disc, the cutting clearance between the two facing side edges is larger. The size / width of the respective cutting clearance between two mutually facing side edges of two adjacent cutting discs is selected according to the intended application. So, this cutting game is different for PET containers than for tinplate containers. The wall thickness of the container can be considered for the adjustment of the cutting game, as well as the use of a device for waste material of various materials. A development of the device thus provides that at least one cutting roller is arranged adjustable and lockable in the axial direction.

The new device for crushing empty containers, in particular of beverage bottles or cans made of plastic or tinplate consists of a filling opening and an outlet opening (outlet opening) having housing / frame and arranged in the housing, above gena Nnte cutting unit. Furthermore, as far as provided, means for actuating and controlling one or more closure elements for the filling opening and / or the outlet opening are arranged on and / or in the device. In speci ellen is provided on the cutting unit that at least one of the cutting rollers, but preferably on both Sch enidwalzen, in the peripheral surface of the cutting discs at least one, preferably a plurality of recesses (Nu th), in particular four or a multiple of two, are incorporated. These recesses break through at least one of the two cutting disk flanks of the cutting disks, preferably both cutting disk flanks.

The diameter of the cutting rollers is in the range of 50 to 200 mrn, preferably it is 80 mm +/- 10%. After another n execution, the diameter of the two cutting rollers are different.

[0013] A further embodiment provides that scrapers are arranged between the cutting disks, with preferably standard scrapers of cutting units of

Find document shredders application.

The so-called interleaved game between adjacent slices preferably has a value between 0.005 mm and 2 m m. The overlap of adjacent and opposite discs is chosen between 0.5 mm and 15 mm. The cutting rollers of the device are preferably made of the material 42CrMoS4. The cutting discs of the cutting rollers are hardened, in a preferred embodiment, only the body edge area is cured.

According to a specific development of the circumferential surface of the cutting disc or cutting discs arranged in the circumferential direction trailing groove flank forms with the peripheral surface a pointing in the direction of spi tzwinkligen cutting tooth, wherein the beginning of the tip groove edge, at least in sections, a linear and opposite the roll rotation direction has course and the adjoining transition region to the groove bottom and / or lying in the circumferential direction, ahead hurrying groove flank, arc-shaped. Preferably, the two groove flanks extend parallel or divergent to one another. The tip angle of each cutting tooth is preferably selected between 45 ° and 80 °.

Furthermore, it is advantageously provided that the cutting rollers rotate in a speed range of 30 to 150 U / min. The drive of the cutting unit preferably has a power of 1, 5 to 2 kilowatts. It is also provided that the start pulse for the cutting rollers, for example via a light barrier and a follow-up time is provided. Further advantageous construction details in the new device are used from the outside in the bearing plates bearing for the cutting rollers. This is advantageous because it is not excluded that supplied containers are closed and also contain liquid, which in turn can ferment, so that in the bottle pressure is built up and in the first perforation this liquid in the cutting unit uncontrollably splashed around. Because of the latter, nozzles are provided in the housing of the device for acting on the cutting rollers and / or the inlet and the outlet opening with disinfectant.

The outer dimensions of the device are such that a coupling to bottle and / or Dosenrücknahmeautomaten or systems can take place. The device is designed in particular for containers with a volume of 0.2 to 3 liters.

In addition, i st provided in the new device that the cutting unit in the region of the filling opening, which comprises a reservoir with funnel-like shape in a preferred embodiment, a separator is arranged upstream. Rotate about a rotation axis wings, preferably three or four wings, the waste material arranged in the conveying direction of the cutting and at the same time, at least until the detection of the Press the container through the cutting discs, pushing it into the feed slot of the cutting unit. Above the cutting unit and behind the separator, one of the walls of the funnel is itergeführt or a plate-like part arranged to limit the storage space and as a guide surface for the Rückfüh tion of possibly under the wings or mitgeschleiften containers to the storage room.

Another special development provides that the grooves in de n cutting discs each cutting roller, seen in the axial direction, helically extending are arranged. In addition, the peripheral cross-section of the cutting discs on one side a b beveled or V-shaped or curved designed to extend inward of the body. Furthermore, here the helical grooves are incorporated deeper than the depth of the inwardly directed bevels or grooves. This configuration, on the one hand, causes the waste material to be better grasped and drawn in by the cutting rollers and, on the other hand, that the cut edge n on the small parts produced (flakes) are smooth. This design also has a positive effect on the required power of the drive during the cutting process. Because of the smooth and clean cut edges and hooking of the flakes or their towering towers is substantially prevented. In the following description part of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to an advantageous embodiment shown schematically in drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a device according to the invention in side view with the side surface open and looking at the cutting unit;

2 is a schematic view from above of the meshing cutting rollers, without bearing plates and without drive,

FIG. 3 shows a detail of a cutting disk,

Figure 4 shows the Sch enidwalzen in side view with one side removed bearing plate and Figures 5 and 6 variants of the wings of the dosing and And jerk shown in Figure 1.

The new apparatus for crushing empty containers is shown schematically in Fig. 1 in side view with partially open side surface and view of the cutting unit. The device 20 comprises a housing 1, with a Filling opening 2 in the upper side / surface 1.1 and an outlet opening 3, also called outlet opening, in the lower side 1.3. and a cutting unit 4 arranged in the housing 1 and means for driving 7 and for the control 8 of the cutting unit 4. The front side 1.2 and the rear side 1 .4 of the housing 1 are closed here in the exemplary embodiment.

The cutting unit 4 includes two with respect to their axes of rotation spaced-apart cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2. Each cutting roller 4.1 and 4.2 has, viewed in the longitudinal direction of its axis of rotation A1 and A2, at least two cutting discs 5, these cutting discs 5 are each spaced by a radially inwardly directed, reaching to a core diameter 4.3 recess E - see Fig. 2 -. With B2, the width of each puncture E E is designated. This width B2 is greater than the width B of the cutting discs 5. Thus, between the intermeshing sections of the cutting discs 5, so between the there mutually facing cutting disc edges 5.2 is given a so-called cutting game 16. Preferably, the value for this cutting game 16 is selected in a range between 0.005 mm and 2 mm. In this embodiment, it is provided in a special embodiment that the cutting roller 4.2 is displaceably mounted and lockable in the axial direction. The resulting advantages have already been mentioned in the front part of the description. The overlap of adjacent and opposite cutting discs 5 is selectable in a value range between 0.5 mm and 15 mm and in the exemplary embodiment is preferably 6 to 8 mm.

In the peripheral surface 5.1 of each cutting disc 5 is at least one groove 6 - recess - provided in the exemplary embodiment preferably six grooves 6. The grooves 6 in the respective opposite cutting roller 4.1 and 4.2 are arranged in mirror image to those in the other cutting roller.

In the upper surface 1.1, a filling opening 2 is provided which, including the walls 9 and 13, a reservoir 2 'forms. This storage container 2 'leads to the draw-in gap formed by the cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2. A separator / selector 10 is arranged in the vicinity of this draw-in gap in the storage container 2 ", and wings 12 are supplied by rotation of these wings 12. Feeders (waste 19) are fed to the draw-in gap of the cutting mechanism The cutting unit is supplied to one or more containers 19. The distance between the axis of rotation 1 1 and the cutting rollers and the length and shape of the blades 12 are selected such that said containers 19 are pressed into the nip of the cutting mechanism by the end portions of the blades 12 nevertheless, contrary to expectation, a container will slide under a wing or not from the cutting rollers the rear wall of the storage container 2 ", the wall 13, is arranged such that such containers are again conveyed into the storage container 2 ' the cutting gap is drawn in and cut by the cutting discs into so-called particles 15. The small parts produced are then discharged through the outlet opening 3. Under this outlet opening, a collecting container can be arranged or the cut material falls onto a conveyor belt and is conveyed to a collecting container / Frame 1 of the device roller is dimensioned so that it can be coupled to a bottle and / or can take-back machine or integrated into the same.

The cutting discs 5 of the cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2 are preferably surface hardened. The left in Figure 2 end portion of the cutting roller 4.2 is formed as a bearing pin 4.4 and the right end portion of the cutting roller 4.1 as bearing and drive pin 4.5.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, 2 and 4, the bearings of the cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2 are used from the outside in the housing arranged bearing plates 14. Also, the benefits in the front part of the description are already mentioned. The diameter D of the cutting discs 5 is in this Ausführungsbe ispiel, a device for crushing PET bottles with a volume of 0.25 to 3 liters, preferably 79 mm.

The speed of the cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2 of

Cutting unit 4 is here preferably 50 to 90 U / min. The starting pulse for the cutting rollers 4.1 and 4.2 is preferably via a light barrier, which is not shown here; In addition, a follow-up time is provided.

In Fig. 4 is still shown that scrapers 4.6 are arranged in this embodiment between the cutting discs, with standard scrapers of shredders Anwe ndition find.

Not shown are arranged in the housing 1 nozzles for applying de r cutting rollers 1.4 and 1.2 and / or the filling 2 and the outlet port 3 with disinfection and / or Reinigungsm ittel, so favored by liquid residues and ambient atmosphere

Odor formation (bacteria formation) can be prevented.

In the figure 3, the detailed design of the groove 6 in the cutting disc 5 is shown. According to Fig. 3, each trailing in the direction of rotation R 'edge 6.3 forms in the

Peripheral surface 5.1 of the cutting discs 5 of the cutting roller 4.2 arranged grooves 6 with the U mfangsfläche 5.1 a pointing in the circumferential direction acute-angled cutting tooth 6.3, the beginning of the tip groove edge 6.3 has a linear and against the Schneidwalzendrehsinn R "directional course and the anschan connecting transition area 6.4 for groove bottom 6.2 and / or in Preferably, the two groove flanks 6.1 and 6.3 extend parallel or divergent to one another The tip angle W of the cutting teeth 5.3 is preferably selected between 45 ° and 80 °, in the exemplary embodiment shown it is preferably 60 ° is an inclination angle, which is formed between the vertical S of the imaginary axbox extending through the axis of rotation A2 and the vertical standing on the bottom of the groove 6.2, which is also defined by the axis of rotation A2, where L denotes the length of the groove 6. Preferably corresponds to this length L, in this version tion, about 40% of the length of the circular arc, which is defined by a groove 6 and an adjoining thereto section of the peripheral surface 5.1 a cutting disc 5.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show further variants of the blades of the separator shown in FIG. 1. Starting from the

Center, the axis of rotation 11, si nd these wings to their free ends in a polygonal 17 or arcuate 18 shaped. Of the Circumference circle described by the ends of the moving wings is denoted by Dk. These designs ensure that containers with a volume of 0.25 to 3 liters receive optimum pressure in the direction of the feed nip of the cutting unit. As is still apparent from the two figures, the E ndbereiche the wings 17 and 18 are occupied with lancing elements 21. The tip of these piercing elements pointing in the direction of rotation, ie in the working direction. By this measure, the holding and feeding the container to the intake nip of the cutting mechanism is still improved. In particular, in the case of very thin-walled and very flexible containers, under certain circumstances it may happen that the blade ends could slip over such a container. These lancing elements counteract such efforts.

All mentioned in the foregoing description as well as the removable only alone from the Ze ichennungen features are further components of the invention, even if not particularly highlighted and in particular not mentioned in the claims.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described, but in the context of the disclosure often variable. So it is within the scope of the invention, the filling opening 2 instead of in the upper surface 1.1 in e of the side walls of the housing first to position. Due to the intended use of a cutting mechanism of a shredder, which is available in a compact design, the aforementioned change in the position of the insertion opening can be realized without great technical overhead.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 housing

1 .1 upper side (surface) 1 .2 front side

1 .3 lower side 1 .4 rear side

2 filling opening 2 'storage tank

3 outlet opening (outlet opening)

4 cutting unit

4.1 first cutting roller (front) 4.2 second roller (rear)

4.3 Core diameter 4.4 Bearing pin 4.5 Bearing and drive pin 4.6 Wiper 5 Cutting discs 5.1 Circumferential surfaces 5.2 Cutting edge flank n

5.3 Cutting teeth 6 grooves

6.1 leading groove flank 6.2 groove bottom 6.3 lagging groove flank 6.4 transition zone drive control unit wall from pos. 2 '1 0 separator

1 1 Rotary axis of Pos. 1 0 12 Wing 13 Wall of Pos. 2 '(limitation to the rear)

14 bearing plate

15 cut container 16 cutting game 1 7 wings, polygonal 18 wings, arcuate

1 9 Waste (container, vessel) 20 Device

21 lancing elements (pointed screws, nails etc.)

A1 Rotary axis of the cutting roller 4.1 A2 Rotary axis of the cutting roller 4.2

B width of pos. 5

B2 width of the punctures

D Diameter of Pos. 5

Dk circumferential circle of the wings of Pos. 10 E punctures

L length of Pos. 6

N tilt angle

W point angle

S Vertical on pos. A2 R Rotation direction

R 'rotation direction

Claims

claims

1. An apparatus for crushing empty containers, in particular beverage bottles or plastic cans, in particular made of PET, or tinplate, comprising • a housing / frame (1), with a filling opening (2) and an outlet opening (3), and

• in the housing (1) arranged cutting unit (4) and

• means for driving and for controlling the cutting unit (4), wherein • the cutting unit (4) at least two, with respect to their axes of rotation spaced apart cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2), as characterized by gekennzeic et hn that the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2) containing cutting is a shredder cutting unit.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, as hnet by gekennzeic that the cutting unit is a particle-cutting unit.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by geken n draw e t that the cutting a separator / selector (10) is arranged upstream.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by marked et et se, that the separator / selector (10) is a wing shaft, which preferably has three or four wings (12), the free wing ends in the direction of rotation (R ¹ ) lagging seen.

5. Device according to claim 4, since you do not think that the in the center, i. attached to the axis of rotation wings to their free ends are designed polygonal (17) or arcuate (18).

6. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the separator / discriminator (10) consists of two, seen in side (front) view, star-shaped waves.

7. The device according to claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, as indicated by geken nzeichn et, that at the supplied containers temporarily contacting surface portions of the separator (10) in the direction of rotation (R ') pointing lancing elements (21) are arranged

8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the so-called cutting clearance (16) between adjacent cutting disks (5) of the cutting mechanism has a value between 0.005 mm and 2 mm.

9. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as by geken n draws net, that the overlap of adjacent and opposite cutting discs (5) has a value between 0.5 mm and 15 mm.

10. Device according to at least one of the preceding

Claims, as indicated by e e t e that the cutting rollers are preferably made of the material 42CrMoS4.

11. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as characterized by gekennz eichn e t, that the cutting discs (5) of the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2) are cured.

12. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as by eichn eke et nets that the bearings of the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2) are inserted from the outside in the bearing plates (8).

13. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the diameter (D) of the cutting discs (5) is in the range of 50 to 200 mm, preferably 80 mm +/- 10%.

14. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as by g eke n n draw e t that the drive (7) of the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2) is preferably designed for speeds in the range of 30 to 150 U / min.

15. Device according to at least one of the preceding

Claims, as by w eke nz eichn et that between the cutting discs (5) scrapers (4.6) are arranged, with standard scrapers of shredders apply.

16. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as by geken nzeichn e t that in the region of the filling opening (2) a light barrier is arranged to generate a start pulse for the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2).

17. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, as by drawing n drawing et that in the housing (1) nozzles are arranged to act on the cutting rollers (4.1 and 4.2) and / or the filling (2) and the outlet opening (3 ) with disinfectant.

18. Device according to at least one of the preceding

Claims, dkeu rch geken nzeichn et that the cutting discs (5) in its peripheral surface (5.1) incorporated grooves (6) whose in the direction of rotation (R, R ') trailing edge (6.3) with the peripheral surface (5.1) in a circumferential direction pointing acute-angled cutting tooth (5.3), wherein the beginning of the tip groove flank (6.3) has a linear and against the Walzendrehsinn (R, R ') directed course and the adjoining transition region (6.4) to the groove bottom (6.2) and / or the in the circumferential direction lying groove flank (6.1) is formed arcuate.

19. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that the two groove flanks (6.1 and 6.3) extend parallel or divergent to one another.

20. Device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the point angle (W) of a cutting tooth (5.3) is preferably between 45 ° and 80 °.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, 19 or 20, as by geken nzeich net that by a groove (6) and one of selbige (6) adjoining portion of the peripheral surface (5.1) of a cutting disc (5) defined circular arc in length preferably 40% of the groove (6) is determined.

22. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims da ch chennzeichn e t that the device to

Bottles and / or can return machines can be coupled or integrated into the same.