Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
  • B65B25/06—Packaging slices or specially-shaped pieces of meat, cheese, or other plastic or tacky products
  • B65B25/10—Forming sector-shaped packages of cheese or like plastic products
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
  • B65B61/18—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements
  • B65B61/182—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements by applying tear-strips or tear-tapes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2301/00—Details of blanks
  • B65D2301/10—Blanks mutually positioned to minimise waste material upon cutting out the individual blank from a continuous or large sheet

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a packaging method and machine for packaging extrudible soft or doughy products, such as pieces of processed cheese, according to the preambles of the independent claims 1 and 8, respectively.
• soft or doughy and extrudible products such as molten cheese, butter, margarine, soup cubes, jams and the like
• packaging said products in aluminum, synthetic material, paper, twin paper foils and the like and, more specifically with any desired geometrical configurations, such as in the form of cubes (soup cubes), parallelepiped shapes (soup cubes, butter margarine, jams), discs and triangular circle sectors (cheese, in which the individual disc packages are housed in a cylindrical can-like box, whilst the triangular cheese pieces are at first collected to form a cheese piece circle including, for example, eight cheese pieces, and then being arranged in circular boxes) and so on.
• the packaging foils or sheets are at first drawn to form the extrudible product vessels and then being closed on themselves, or receiving at first a die-cut cover thereon the free edge of the die-cut product will be then perimetrically folded.
• This latter case is specifically related to triangular cheese pieces.
• the triangular cheese pieces as a representative product, in which the adapted to be drawn die-cut element to provide the cheese piece vessel will be called the "shell".
• the two strips being arranged in the shell in the form of a X.
• said tearing small strips are not directly applied on the shell die-cut products or elements, but on the packaging strip as the latter is fed according to set feeding pitches for shearing the shells therefrom.
• a pair of die-cut elements which are provided in an adjoining relationship and arranged with their longitudinal axes parallel and mutually offset from the production strip longitudinal axis, the die-cut elements of said pair of die-cut elements, after shearing, being spaced from one another to allow following processing steps to be performed, such as a drawing step, a filling-in step in which said shells will be filled-in with cheese, and so on.
• Prior packaging methods as performed by prior existing packaging machines, for example for packaging triangular cheese pieces, substantially provide a synchronization of the different operating cycles by pitches, as related, for example, to the making and feeding operating cycle for the shell die-cut elements, the making and feeding cycle for the cover die-cut elements, the conveying cycle for conveying said shells for drawing them, the filling-in, closing, withdrawing, collecting and end box-packaging cycles, wherein intermediate processing steps can also be provided, such as, for example, an application of an outer label on the shell bottoms and so on.
• a supporting and pitch translation central wheel therewith a plurality of satellitar supporting wheels cooperate, for performing different processing cycles such as, for example, feeding of the shells, filling-in, cover feeding operations, folding, glueing and closing operations, packaged cheese piece withdrawing operations, cheese piece collecting operations, and so on.
• processing cycles such as, for example, feeding of the shells, filling-in, cover feeding operations, folding, glueing and closing operations, packaged cheese piece withdrawing operations, cheese piece collecting operations, and so on.
• the aim of the present invention is that of improving the packaging method, and the packaging machine for performing said method, thereby allowing the packaging machine yield to be enhanced, as well as to be greatly simplified construction-wise, by greatly reducing the number of its components.
• the above mentioned aim is achieved by a packaging method having the features of claim 1, and a packaging machine having the features of claim 8, respectively.
• the dependent claims define further improvements of advantageous embodiments of the invention.
• the packaging method and machine according to the invention provide the following important advantages.
• shell and cover die-cut elements having their longitudinal axes cross-arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the aluminium packaging strip allows, for the shells, an easy application from the top of the tearing opening strips, having ends which laterally project from the packaging strip, the shearing contour of the shell die-cut elements extending only inside the aluminum strip, thereby the tearing strip projecting ends are not affected by the shearing or cutting operation, and this without using means and components as those provided in the prior art.
• the alternating arrangement of the die-cut element contours allows to hold the same waste rate as that of prior strips with a row arrangement of longitudinally adjoining die-cut element.
• the arrangement of the die-cut elements contours according to the present invention allows to locate the shearing or cutting station directly above a processing station including a pair of supports for receiving and locking the die-cut elements immediately after their shearing, which supports are movable on the shell feeding wheel.
• the shell feeding wheel comprises a plurality of supports for receiving and locking the shell die-cut elements, for example in a number of four, which allows to easily perform a bottom label application step for applying a bottom label on the shell die-cut elements.
• the locking of the shell die-cut element pair directly after their shearing on the related transfer support allows to provide the further advantage of assuring a proper and reliable location of the shell die-cut elements in all their transfers up to the drawing station, since any possible offset of the die-cut elements, which are of a very light and "floating" nature, as well as of their locking supports, is actually eliminated.
• Yet another important advantage is that, by eliminating prior die-cut element reciprocating driving means, for reciprocating said die-cut elements from the shearing or cutting station therefor onto the pneumatic locking and transfer supports, it is possible, from a side, to simplify construction-wise the packaging machine and, from the other side, to drastically reduce the passive time related to the mentioned transfer.
• the teachings of the invention related to the shell die-cut elements can also be likewise adopted for the cover die-cut elements.
• the cover die-cut elements provide the above mentioned locking and transfer advantages of said cover die-cut elements, from their shearing to the fitting thereof into the shells already filled-in by the cheese pieces.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional triangular piece of processed cheese, as packaged in an aluminium sheet or foil, with a shell and cover and including one or more tearing opening strip/s
• Figure 2 shows the two shells and cover die-cut elements in a spaced relationship, said shell die-cut element being already drawn into its configuration for receiving the molten or fused cheese
• Figure 3 further shows the shell die-cut element including the tearing opening strips, before its drawings
• Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the shell die- cut element already filled-in by cheese, and including the cover and already folded perimetrical closure edges, i.e.
• FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing the production strip, for example made of an aluminium material, in which the solid line shows the shell die-cut elements to be sheared by pairs and the dashed line shows the bottom or section of the triangular cheese piece, the waste region for each pair of shell die-cut elements being shown in dashed configuration;
• Figure 6 is a further top plan view showing a production strip, for example of an aluminium material, for making shell die-cut elements according to the invention, where, likewise to figure 5, the solid line shows the contours of the shell die-cut element to be sheared, the dashed line shows the bottom or section of the triangular cheese piece, and the dashed pattern likewise showing the waste region;
• Figure 7 is a schematic top plan view showing a preferred embodiment of the packaging machine according to the invention;
• Figure 8 shows an enlarged detail of the rotary wheel for respectively receiving-locking and transferring a pair of shell die-cut elements of the packaging machine of figure 7, further
• FIG 1 a triangular piece of processed cheese 1 is packaged in an aluminium foil package 2, constituted by a holder die-cut element or "shell” 3 and a cover die-cut element 4, as shown in figure 2.
• the reference number 6 shows prior tearing opening small strips, which can comprise a single strip element or two strip elements arranged substantially in a X-conflguration.
• This individual or double opening tearing strips have a respective end 7, which projects at first from the tapering end 3 a of the die-cut element 3 and then from the pointed tip of the cheese piece 1 for opening by tearing the cheese package 1.
• said die-cut elements 3 are so arranged as to form the wheel or shell for receiving the fused cheese piece by a known drawing operation and by a corresponding shape punch and folding operation, as illustrated in figures 2 and 9.
• the top perimetrical edge 3B of the shell is inward folded by progressive folding steps (figures 4 and 8).
• thermosealing step is performed ⁇ for which the aluminium strip is arranged -- for sealing the shell folded edge, on the cover, and then being performed, in a per se and known shown manner, the operating steps for taking, collecting and transferring to the packaging box, finished cheese pieces 1.
• two shell die-cut elements 3 are simultaneously sheared or cut (figure 5), said shell die-cut elements 3 having their longitudinal axis A parallel to the longitudinal axes B of the production strip 8, the two die-cut elements 3 of the respectively sheared pair being mutually longitudinally offset to provide a waste as minimum as possible of the production strip or tape 8.
• Figure 6 shows moreover that the shearing or cutting of respectively two adjoining die-cut elements is performed, preferably, with an alternating arrangement of the contours of said die-cut elements, i.e. with the side of the tapering end 3A alternately facing one and the other longitudinal edge 5 of the production strip 8.
• the waste amount will substantially correspond to that of prior strips allowing a simultaneously cutting of two adjoining die-cut elements with a longitudinal axis A parallel to the longitudinal axis B of the strip, but, however, with the advantage of allowing an arrangement of the tearing strips 6 having the ends 7 projecting from the longitudinal edges 5 of the production strip 8, i.e. in a region which is not affected by the shearing or cutting operation, see figure 6.
• the application of the tearing strips 6 having their ends 7 laterally projecting from the production strip 8 according to the present invention can be performed at any points of the packaging machine upstream of the shearing station 11 and, more specifically, without the need of providing any lifting device for lifting said projecting ends 7 before the shearing operation.
• the application station for applying the tearing strips on both sides of the production strip 8 have been indicated at 30 and 31 in figure 7.
• Said stations can be arranged at any desired point along the feeding path of the production strip 8.
• Said strip 8, in coiled form, is intermittently fed by any suitable feeding device, for example by a step-by-step motor.
• the new procedure for shearing the die-cut elements allows to perform the shearing or cutting operation directly on the die-cut element receiving and locking movable supports, which can successively be driven at will, and with a mutual spacing from the slightly spaced shearing position to assume the processing pitch, without the risk of being affected by displacements from the related support, which would result in a defective location of the die-cut elements in the drawing stations, for the shell die-cut elements, and of the application of the application of the covers, for the cover die- cut elements, said defective locations being susceptible to result in defective packages to be possible rejected.
• the shearing station 11 for shearing the shell die-cut elements 3 can be advantageously arranged in-line with the production strip 8 supply and, preferably, in cooperation with the drawing station 13, figures 7, 8 and 9, it will allow to arrange a plurality, for example four, of pairs of movable supports 16 and 17 in a transfer rotary wheel 12, provided for turning by pitches by straddling successively a prior application station 15 for optionally applying a label, not shown, on the bottom side of the die-cut elements 3 and on the drawing station 13, in which the die- cut elements 3 are drawn and conveyed to the underlying processing wheel 14 which can be driven by pitches to the different processing stations as provided and formed, in the shown example, by a fill-in station 20 for filling-in the shells 3, an application station 21 for applying the covers 4, a first folding station 22 for folding the rounded edge 3B of the shell, a second folding station 23 for folding the edges 3A of the straight sides of the shell, a thermosealing station 24 for thermosealing the folded edges of
• the production strip 8 is supplied to the shearing station 11 by causing it to be fed by pitches of respectively a strip portion respectively corresponding to two shell die-cut elements 3, figure 9, in which station 1 1 the two die-cut elements 3 are cut and arranged on a respective pair of movable supports 16 and 17 providing a further locking operation, for example of a pneumatic type.
• said movable supports 16 and 17 are clamped to a respective arm 16A and 17A, of which the arm 17A can turn about a rotary point 19 which is arranged in a fixed position, whereas the arm 16A can turn about a rotary point 18 which is movable along a curved path 29 to alternatively provide a spacing of the movable supports 16 and 17 from one another to assume the above mentioned "processing pitch" S, figure 8, in the downstream processing stations, and an approaching to one another of said movable supports 16 and 17.
• said downstream stations comprise a label application station 15, for applying an outer label, not shown on the bottoms of the shell die-cut elements 3 and a following drawing station 13, figures 7 and 8.
• the pair of movable supports 16 and 17 can cyclically translated in the wheel 12 respectively by pitches or steps of 90° between the shearing station 11, the following bottom label application station 15, a "dead or passive" station 28 for moving the movable supports 16 and 17 closer to one another, the drawing station 13, for returning then to the shearing station for repeating the rotary cycle.
• Figure 8 shows moreover that the curved path portions from the rotary point 18 of the arm 16A of the movable support 16 to the different rotary pitches or steps through 90° of the wheel 12 provide respectively an elliptical curve portion 29, to perform the above mentioned following moving away and approaching movements of the supports 16 and 17, and that the station 28, in the shown exemplary embodiment, is not an operating station but is exclusively provided to allow the movable supports 16 and 17 to be intermediately moved toward one another between the processing stations 15 and 13.
• the rotary directions of the wheels 12, 14, 21 and 25 being indicated by the respective arrows.
• Figure 8 does not show the pneumatic circuit for locking the shell die-cut elements 3 on the supports 16 and 17, since it is known per se, and can be made without any difficulties by one skilled in the art.
• the bearing system for supporting the movable supports 17 and 16 of which the first performs a simple rotary movement and the second a composite rotary and displacement movement with respect to the first during a rotary through 360° forms a mechanically simple and greatly reliable approach allowing to obtain high processing speeds.
• the above disclosure related to the packaging aluminium strip and the shearing thereof is likewise true for the cover die-cut elements, where the spacing system for spacing the cover die-cut elements, as sheared, by the close position to the "processing pitch or step" S for engaging the covers into the shells, can be simplified, since no interemdiate approaching step for approaching the movable support is necessary.
• the operating step for applying or glueing the tearing opening strips 6 on the production strip 8 is performed substantially transversely of the production strip, thereby the projecting ends 7 will laterally 5 project from an edge 5 of the production strip 8 which will form the tapering end 3 A of the die-cut element 3 made without cutting, the production strip or tape 8 being supplied by a pitch corresponding to two adjoining die-cut elements having longitudinal axes A transverse of the longitudinal axis of the production strip 8, and l o preferably mutually turned through 180°.
• the shearing of the die-cut elements 3 in the shearing station is performed by immediately locking them, for example pneumatically, on a respective movable support and by
• a label application station for applying a label on the outer face of the shell die-cut elements 3 being preferably provided.
• the latter will perform an operating cycle with a spacing step, for performing a processing operation, for example for applying a bottom label, an approaching step or operation and a following spacing step for a further processing step, for example the drawing of the shells and, finally, a novel operating step, for approaching and returning to a close position in the shearing station, where said spacing-approaching steps are performed by a rotary movement through 90°.
• the packaging machine as shown in its illustrated preferred embodiment, and the different operating steps of the packaging method according to the invention can be easily deduced from the above constructional and functional disclosure, which, moreover, clearly shows that the packaging method and machine according to the invention efficiently solve the invention aim and provide the mentioned advantages.
• the great simplicity and reliability of the proposed mechanisms and the great simplification of the packaging machine and the enhancing of its production rate owing to the elimination of the dead times of prior packaging machines and due, inter alia, to an intermediate transfer of the shell die-cut elements from the shearing station are to be pointed out.
• the packaging machine has a reduced size, and very simple components for synchronizing the operating steps and cycles, with a consequent reduction of the making cost.
• those skilled in the art can provide several modifications related, for example, to the shapes of the packaged products, the sheared die-cut element holding means, for example in the form of grippers, pressing elements or the like, as well as related to the different possible materials of the production or feeding strip and so on, with optional integrating steps depending on the packaged product and its shape, without departing from the scope of the invention as shown and claimed.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
• Dairy Products (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
• Wrappers (AREA)
• Bakery Products And Manufacturing Methods Therefor (AREA)

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• 2003
  • 2003-12-11 IT IT002425A patent/ITMI20032425A1/it unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-12-03 EP EP04803478A patent/EP1706319B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2004-12-03 WO PCT/EP2004/013750 patent/WO2005058701A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2004-12-03 DE DE602004007300T patent/DE602004007300T2/de active Active
  • 2004-12-03 AT AT04803478T patent/ATE365679T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

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