EP1847335A1 - Seaming apparatus for closing circular and non-circular metal packagings - Google Patents

Abstract

Machine comprises elements (10, 20, 30) rotating relative to each other about a common axle. The relative movement is converted into a movement of a closing mechanism (26, 36).

Description

The invention relates to a sealing machine for round and non-circular metal packaging.

Capping machines for round cylindrical metal packaging are known in many forms, for example from the EP 0 290 874 B1 , Round cylindrical metal packages are commonly referred to as cans. These have a jacket or can body and substantially flat end or cover plates perpendicular to the cylinder axis.

Closing machines for metal packaging serve to connect the flat tops and bottoms (lid) of the cans with the can body and crimp. For this purpose, the flat cover plates and the can bodies are each supplied to the capping machine, aligned and then crimped over rollers and springs biased lever and folded.

Additional problems occur when closing machines and non-circular metal packaging to be closed. So these are for example square or elliptical doses (correct cylindrical cans with square or elliptical cross-section). They also have a shell and two substantially flat, but not circular, but square, elliptical etc. cover sheets.

Known capping machines for non-circular metal packaging are capable of closing up to 40 cans per minute in the machine, and perhaps a few more for high-performance machines. This requires a complicated system of levers and springs controlled by closing and forming curves. This complicated system must be redesigned for each specific can shape. Namely, it is required that the metallic rollers run around a square or elliptical edge along a locking piece and press the metal portions folded and flanged around this edge correctly.

After the cans have passed through this first mechanism and closed on one side, they are then turned through 180 ° and fed to another machine, in which case the bottom of the cans is also closed from above. The cans are empty during this process. The above methods are used to produce empty cans, in which then later via a special filling mechanism into prepared openings into appropriate content is filled, in particular dangerous goods liquids such as gasoline, oil and more.

A particular problem arises when even minor changes to the shape of the non-circular cans or metal packaging should be made, for example, if in a square box the area of the corners should be rounded or pointed or if elliptical doses even slightly changed Shape or orientation of the ellipse should be made. Completely new mechanisms for crimping, pressing and closing must then be built and provided for retrofitting, with retrofitting being tedious and often taking more than a day. During this time, the entire system is down and can not be used.

The considerable changeover times and the necessary design of ever new systems with levers, springs, closing and form curves is very expensive.

The object of the invention is in contrast to propose a closing machine for non-circular metal packaging, which is easier to convert.

This object is achieved by a closing machine for closing metal packaging with a round or non-circular cross-section and with a perpendicular to the cross-section center axis, with feed mechanisms for metal packaging hulls and metal packaging lids, with a plurality of relatively rotatable about a common axis elements whose relative rotation in a movement of a Closing mechanism from and to the implemented common axis of the rotatable elements and is thus used in a movement for precise control of the metal packaging hulls in the lid area.

With this invention, it is not only possible to significantly simplify the retrofitting of plants and thus greatly reduce the downtime of complete plants.

It also becomes possible to provide a much higher throughput than 40 or 60 cans per minute. In first embodiments of the invention, this throughput could be more than doubled to virtually 120 cans per minute.

For this purpose, instead of the known drive of the closing mechanism 'over complicated levers, springs, runways and the same clearly different structures are used. Movements are focused on relative movements of elements that rotate about a common axis, albeit at different speeds.

As a drive of these elements for their rotation servomotors are used in particular. These allow a particularly sensitive and precise control of the relative speeds of the elements to each other.

The construction of the sealing machine in a preferred embodiment is characterized by a shaft, on the center line of the central axis of the metal packaging hulls is aligned for closing, by a plurality of coaxially arranged on the rotating and rotatable sleeve members, each with a drive, with each one of Sleeve member is drivable at a controllably variable rotational speed for rotation about the center line of the shaft, by a lever carrier, which rotates with one of the sleeve members, by a lever assembly which rotates with another of the sleeve members and is supported by the lever carrier such that the relative rotational speed the sleeve members to a rotation of the lever assembly to the Axis of the lever carrier leads, and by closing elements on the lever assemblies which are pressed by the movement of the lever assembly against the metal packaging hulls for closing the same with the metal packaging cover plates.

The capping machine now works with a shaft on which in particular three sleeve elements (in some cases more, but three are usually optimal) run.

These three sleeve elements are each preferably equipped on two axially spaced portions with radially encircling teeth. Each sleeve member thus has quasi two integrated gears, which are rotatable together but thus synchronous with each other around the center line of the shaft, but firmly connected. One of these gears is used to drive the sleeve member for its rotational movement about the shaft. Here, a servomotor engages via a corresponding toothed wheel that meshes with this first toothed wheel of the sleeve element. The other of these gears serves as an output and thus the movement of another provided with a meshing gear wheel element.

Three sleeve elements are so very precisely drivable with three servomotors so that each rotates at the same or the same speed around the same shaft. The three provided as output gears thus provide relative speeds to each other.

The gears may therefore have a different rotational speed, this bypass speed is also controlled.

At the heart of the whole in a first practical embodiment is a first sleeve member having a first upper gear which is driven by a first servomotor and the sleeve member is set in a precisely known rotational speed. This first sleeve element runs around with, for example, constant speed and provides a similar speed at its second provided for the output gear available.

This ensures the movement of all elements of the closing mechanism around the stationary box. If only this sleeve element were present, then all the elements would always be at the same distance from the center line of the shaft and thus the central axis of the non-circular metal packaging, but these stationary metal packaging would constantly circle around.

Concentric within this sleeve member with the first two gears is a second sleeve member, also with a first, upper gear. To form this, this second sleeve member is axially slightly longer than the first, outer sleeve member formed. The gearwheel is designed on the outside practically the same as the first one, but can be driven completely independently by it in its speed. As a result, the second sleeve element has a relative speed to the first, which can constantly change or change during the rotation. This then applies accordingly for a corresponding second gear on the axially lower side of the sleeve member.

This gear is used for hiring a lever that carries the crimping rollers. As already mentioned, the crimping rollers themselves are already rotated around the metal packaging by the first sleeve element. The lever is brought closer to or removed from the central center by the second sleeve element and its lower gear, depending on the concrete, desired distance of the crimping roller according to the concrete shape of the square or elliptical packaging and their distance from the center at this specific location edge.

The circumvention of the can contour and the delivery of the closing rollers or flanging rollers is now carried out by the differential speeds of the drives to each other.

The lever is preferably supported by a lever carrier, which is a part of the construction driven by the first sleeve element. The relative speeds of the two sleeve elements are comparatively small; Thus, they only cause a swing back and forth of the lever to the lever carrier.

A third, under the first and second sleeve member or between the shaft and the second sleeve member concentrically arranged sleeve member is again longer in the axial direction than the two aforementioned sleeve elements and also has a gear, which in turn is in turn connected to a third servo motor. Again, an output is provided on the axially other side. This provides for a corresponding position of another lever, which carries a post-processing role that is used in the crimping process. The function is the same as that for the crimping rollers.

The reworking roller and the first crimping roller are arranged at 90 ° with respect to the central shaft, two further crimping and reworking rollers are opposite the first two rollers by 180 ° and at the same time carry out the crimping processes on the opposite side and their reworking. These can be supplied by the respective second or third sleeve element and thus the second or third synchronous motor or other drive due to their parallel action and the usually symmetrical cross-sectional area of the metal packaging.

Theoretically conceivable is instead of an arrangement of such rolls at 90 ° and an arrangement of 6 rolls in each 60 ° distance or 8 rolls at 45 ° distance, which would be in terms of space but only for large metal packaging or cans into consideration. It is then to be noted, however, that under certain circumstances further sleeve elements, drives and gears are needed because the can symmetry in many cases, although a mirror symmetry, but none for 60 ° turns.

When looking at the running machine shows that the initially very complicated appearing flow is very easy to see because only three sleeve elements rotate differently, albeit quickly about the same axis and two of the gears simply a toothed wedge, or lever during swing relatively back and forth as it rotates around the shaft.

The rotational speed of the sleeve elements and thus of the gears can be adjusted very finely and alternately by a belt drive and the servomotors running on the belt drive,

By a slightly changed software in the control of the servomotors, the sleeve elements and thus the output gears move immediately different, so that the lever assembly performs a different process around the metal packaging, which can be relatively easily foreseen, taken into account and adjusted. A change in the can shape can be done practically alone by switching within the software, so by choosing a different program. Of course, the closing part must be replaced, but this is relatively simple and allows a change and a conversion of the system within an hour or two. In addition, a conversion to much more diverse doses is possible. Even more frequent changes with smaller total quantities can be made so profitable, if the appropriate locking parts are kept.

The use of the machine is thus much more versatile. It is characterized by a high degree of flexibility. A change in the can diameter or the can format is achieved by a simple, for example menu guided input of dimensions or other data by the user on the control panel, with only a few format change parts are needed. Form curves and Verschließkurven together with Abtastrollen as in the prior art are no longer needed. Also, the number of revolutions for the closing βen a particular metal packaging can be changed almost arbitrarily. Furthermore, a sequence correction in partial areas on the circumference of the box can be done.

Since the servomotors and the entire system has become much easier and no longer on the spring travel and return times must be taken into account, the machine can run much faster, with tests have already resulted in cycle times of 140 and even nearly 150 cans per minute.

As a result, now the step of turning the cans to close them on the bottom has already become a delaying moment. As it has been shown, it is possible by installing a second system upside down due to the technically much more accurate to be positioned can bodies and Can lids pieces to close the cans from below, the waves and levers from the bottom attack on the can , This means that the intermediate step of turning around can be eliminated, and the turning mechanism, which in turn can cost € 50,000, is no longer needed, which then reduces the cost of the machine again somewhat.

In the following an embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Figur 1

eine schematische Darstellung, teilweise im Schnitt, einer erfindungsgemäßen Verschließmaschine;

Figur 2

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Bereiches unmittelbar oberhalb der zu verschließenden Metallverpackung;

Figur 3 bis 10

8 verschiedene schematische Ansichten von oben auf die zu verschließende unrunde Metallverpackung.

Show it:

FIG. 1

a schematic representation, partially in section, of a closing machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2

an enlarged view of the area immediately above the metal packaging to be closed;

FIGS. 3 to 10

8 different schematic views from above on the non-round metal packaging to be closed.

The closing machine shown in FIG. 1 serves to close non-round metal packaging. It can be seen right below a can body 1. This can body can be elliptical or square, which is not visible in the side view. Above the can body or metal packaging hull 1 there is a metal packaging cover plate 2. In the illustrated situation, these two elements have already been supplied from the side to the closing machine. You are on a mechanism with a device 3 for feeding and aligning the metal packaging. This has - indicated by an arrow - the metal packaging hull 1 and the metal packaging cover plate 2 already placed on each other and both lifted directly below the other elements. All of this is done at high speed with one metal wrap after the other.

In particular, the closing machine itself has a basic structure or holder 4. This can be seen in FIG. 1, in particular, by a vertical stand which carries the various other movable and immovable parts.

An essential part of the closing machine in this embodiment is a shaft 5. In the illustrated embodiment, this shaft 5 is vertical, fixed and non-rotating. Therefore, the metal packaging supplying and aligning apparatus 3 has already aligned the metal packaging body 1 and the metal packaging lid sheet 2 on the shaft so that the center axis of the metal packaging body 1, the metal packaging lid sheet 2 and the shaft 5 all fall on each other.

Around the shaft 5, three sleeve elements 10, 20 and 30 are arranged concentrically. These three sleeve elements can rotate about the shaft 5, but they are not axially displaceable to it. There may be embodiments in which a rotatability of the shaft 5 and an axial displaceability of the sleeve members 10, 20, 30 come into consideration, but usually this is not required and is therefore not provided in the illustrated embodiment.

For each of the sleeve members 10, 20, 30, a drive 11, 21, 31 is provided in each case. Shown in the drawing is only a first drive 11, in the form of a servo motor. This servomotor drives via a belt drive above above the holder 4 of the capping machine to a drive shaft which is vertical and thus parallel to the shaft 5 and ends in particular below in a gear. This gear meshes with a gear 12. This gear 12 is a part of the sleeve member 10, which can be seen as the utmost of the three sleeve members 10, 20, 30.

The three sleeve members 10, 20, 30 have a different axial length, so that they can be arranged coaxially with each other about the shaft 5, but each extending axially further and thus accessible from the outside. For the first outer sleeve element 10, this leads to it being accessible from the outside in the middle region of the shaft 5, so that the gearwheel 12 for driving the first sleeve element 10 can also be seen there as part of the sleeve element. Since you only see it from the side, the teeth of this gear is only hinted at.

From the second, central sleeve member 20 and the third, inner sleeve member 30 are also the gears 22 and 32 can be seen. Here is not shown that the drives 21 and 31 engage in a similar form as the drive 11 in these gears of the sleeve members.

The speed with which the three sleeve elements 10, 20, 30 rotate about the shaft 5 is controlled differently, since they are driven by different drives 11, 21, 31. However, the speeds are not very different, so that the relative speed of the sleeve elements can be finely adjusted. Overall, however, the speed causes the further recognizable and hereinafter described elements 15, 25, 26, 35 and 36 are in a circle around the area in which the metal packaging cover plate 2 is to be crimped onto the metal packaging body 1.

The first, outer sleeve member 10 has on its lower, the metal packaging cover plate 2 and the metal packaging body 1 closer side of a gear 13 for the output, with a lever carrier 15 is supported.

The second, middle sleeve member 20 carries a gear 23 for the output. With this gear, a lever assembly 25 is rotated. This lever assembly 25 is seated on the lever carrier 15. Now turns the gear 23 for the output faster than the gear 13 for the output of the first, outer sleeve member, this leads to the fact that the lever assembly 25 is rotated about the lever carrier 15 more or less slightly becomes.

This in turn causes the closer to the metal packaging body 1 and the metal packaging cover plate 2 to be pivoted away or away from it. In this way, a delivery of the crimping roller 26 to the crimping rollers can be carried out very sensitively.

In the same way, the third, inner sleeve member 30 operates with a gear 33 for its output, which on the other side a lever assembly 35 and a Nachbearbeitungsrolle 36 also delivers. When crimping and closing of metal packaging, it is regularly expedient to first work with a crimping roller 26 and then with a reworking roller 36 the same passage of the elements to be connected of metal packaging hull 1 and metal packaging cover plate 2.

If now the shape of the metal packaging to be closed is changed, only the relative velocities with which the sleeve elements 10. 20 30 are driven by the drives 11, 21, 31 need to be changed. This can be prepared for any conceivable form by a corresponding software program that performs the control of the servo motors.

In Figure 2 , the same mechanism is shown, this time for enlargement, however, without the drive 11 to better recognize the individual elements.

Figures 3 to 8 show successively seen from above how the crimping roller 26 and the Nachbearbeitungsrolle 36 behave relative to the lever carrier 15.

It is thus a view approximately parallel to the shaft 5 from above, the entire mechanism is omitted,

It can therefore be seen that, in the successive sequence of images in FIGS. 3 to 8, the lever carrier 15 circles around the approximately rectangular metal packaging body 1 in a circular shape. It should be noted that here several lever carrier 15 is provided, as well as several roles must be delivered in each case.

The levers 15 each carry the lever assemblies 25 and 35, respectively, with the crimping and reworking rollers 26, 36. Therefore, these rollers 26, 36 essentially orbit the metal packaging body 1 in the same shape, but upon closer inspection, change their distance from the central axis of the shaft 5 and the metal packaging hull 1 and fit so exactly the shape of the metal packaging hull 1. It is stated in each case that, of course, an approximation and then also a removal from the metal packaging body must be provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Metal packaging Hull

2

Metal packaging cover sheet

3

Device for feeding and aligning the metal packaging

4

Holder and basic structure of the capping machine

5

Wave, fixed here and not turning

10

first, outer sleeve member

11

first drive or first servomotor

12

Gear for driving the first sleeve element

13

Gear for the output

15

lever support

20

second, middle sleeve element

21

second drive or second servomotor

22

Gear for driving the second sleeve element

23

Gear for the output

25

lever assembly

26

flanging

30

third, inner sleeve element

31

third drive or third servomotor

32

Gear for driving the third sleeve element

33

Gear for the output

35

lever assembly

36

post-roll

Claims (7)

Sealing machine for closing metal packaging with a round or non-circular cross section and with a central axis perpendicular to the cross section,
with feeding mechanisms (3) for metal packaging hulls (1) and metal packaging lids (2).
characterized by a plurality of elements (10, 20, 30) rotatable relative to one another about a common axis (5), whose relative rotation results in a movement of a closing mechanism (26, 36) from and to the common axis (5) of the rotatable elements (10, 20 , 30) and thus used for a movement for precise control of the metal packaging hulls (1) in the lid area. Closing machine according to claim 1,
characterized by a shaft (5), on the center line of which the center axis of the metal packaging bodies (1) is aligned for closure,
by a plurality of sleeve elements (10, 20, 30) arranged coaxially on the shaft (5) and rotatable about the shaft (5),
by a respective drive (11, 21, 31) with which one of the sleeve elements (10, 20, 30) can be driven at a controllably variable rotational speed for rotation about the center line of the shaft (5),
by a lever carrier (15) which rotates with one of the sleeve elements (10),
by a lever arrangement (25, 35) which rotates with another of the sleeve elements (20, 30) and is supported by the lever carrier (15) in such a way that the relative speed of rotation of the sleeve elements (10, 20, 30) causes the lever arrangement (FIG. 25, 35) about the axis of the lever carrier (15) leads, and
by closing elements (26, 36) on the lever arrangements (25, 35) which can be pressed by the movement of the lever arrangement (25, 35) against the metal packaging bodies (1) for closing them with the metal packaging cover plates (2). Sealing machine according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized,
in that respective servomotors (11, 21, 31) are used as a drive for the elements or the sleeve elements (10, 20, 30) rotatable about the common axis. Closing machine according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that three sleeve elements (10, 20, 30) with three independent drives (11, 21, 31) are provided. Closing machine according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that each sleeve element (10, 20, 30) is equipped with a toothed wheel (13, 23, 33) which meshes with another toothed wheel (13, 23, 33) driven by one of the drives (11, 21, 31). Closing machine according to claim 5,
characterized,
in that each sleeve element (10, 20, 30) is equipped with a second toothed wheel (23) serving as an output. Closing machine according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized,
in that each sleeve element (10, 20, 30) is connected to one of the drives (11, 21, 31) via a belt drive.

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