EP2093146B1 - Device for the manufacture of flip pack cigarette packets - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Devices of the type mentioned are from the practice and from the EP 0 492 123 A1 known. A disadvantage is that the known devices are very much adapted to the production of standardized cigarette packs of the Hinge-Lid type. If cigarette packages are to be produced on such devices, the structure of which differs from the standard, this is often difficult or even impossible, in particular because of the compact design of the devices, because corresponding adjustments can not be made.

Furthermore, it is known to change the packages during transport with respect to the relative position. Such turning devices are for example made EP 0 741 081 A2 or US 4,086,744 known.

On this basis, the invention is based on the object to further develop devices of the type mentioned, in particular with regard to a simple adaptability of the device to the cigarette pack to be produced.

To achieve this object, the device according to the invention has the measures of claim 1.

With the help of the turning devices, a rotation of the package by 90 °, 180 ° or 270 ° is possible. In principle, conceivable rotation of the package to other angles would be conceivable, for example, adapted to the conveying path of the packs. Further developments of the device according to the invention can be found in the dependent claims and the description, moreover.

An advantage of the device according to the invention can be seen in the fact that it is possible to introduce the cigarette pack in a different relative position in a dry turret than these come out of the folding device and later turn again, according to the further transport. This is particularly advantageous when cigarette packs are to be produced, which has folding tabs in the region of an upper end face, which have to be held in an overlapping position for the production of the end face until the glue has set between the folding tabs. The preparation of such cigarette packs was not possible on the usual devices.

In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, it is provided that the finished folded packs are fed to a further drying device following the (second) turning station. Alternatively, the finished folded packs can be fed to the further drying device, bypassing the (second) turning device.

With the help of the turning devices, a rotation of the package by 90 °, 180 ° or 270 ° is possible. In principle, conceivable rotation of the package to other angles would be conceivable, for example, adapted to the conveying path of the packs.

Preferably, the partially folded blanks are movable by means of a Einschieborgans in the recording, wherein the Einschieborgan along a flat movement curve is movable by a transmission. The deflection roller can be arranged below the feed opening for the partially folded blanks such that the partially folded blanks can be inserted into the receptacle by the insertion member. The Einschieborgan can be adapted to the peripheral radius of the deflection roller, namely formed to be correspondingly curved.

Further developments of the device according to the invention can be found in the dependent claims and the description, moreover.

Fig. 1

einen Teil einer Vorrichtung zum Herstellen von Packungen für Zigaretten in schematischer räumlicher Darstellung,

Fig. 2

einen Vertikalschnitt durch die Vorrichtung entlang Schnittlinie II-II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

einen Vertikalschnitt entlang Schnittlinie III-III in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4

einen Vertikalschnitt entlang Schnittlinie IV-IV in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5

einen Horizontalschnitt entlang Schnittlinie V-V in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6

eine Darstellung gemäß Fig. 4 zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt beim Aufschieben einer Zigarettenpackung, und

Fig. 7

eine Einzelheit der Vorrichtung gemäß der Fig. 1 in vergrößertem Maßstab.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawing. In this shows:

Fig. 1

a part of a device for producing packages for cigarettes in a schematic spatial representation,

Fig. 2

a vertical section through the device along section line II-II in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3

a vertical section along section line III-III in Fig. 2 .

Fig. 4

a vertical section along section line IV-IV in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 5

a horizontal section along section line VV in Fig. 4 .

Fig. 6

a representation according to Fig. 4 at a later date when pushing a cigarette packet, and

Fig. 7

a detail of the device according to the Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

The invention is concerned with the production of parallelepipedic packs 10 for cigarettes. Preferably, packages of the hinge-lid type are produced. In this case blanks 11 are folded from paper or thin cardboard into a package 10.

The finished folded package 10 consists essentially of a box part and a lid part, wherein the lid part is pivotally connected via line joint with the box part. A lid front wall and a box front wall together form a large-area front side of the pack 10. Opposite the front is a large-area rear side of the pack 10, which consists of a lid rear wall and a box rear wall. Furthermore, the package 10 has two narrow sides, which are also formed opposite to each other on the package 10 and adjacent to the front and back of the pack 10. Both narrow sides in turn consist of a box side wall and a lid side wall. Two further opposite side surfaces of the pack 10 are an end wall in the region of the cover part and a bottom wall in the region of the box part. The end wall is bounded by the lid front wall, lid back wall and lid side walls, whereas the bottom wall is bounded by the box front wall, box back wall and box side walls. Another component of the pack 10 may be a collar that protrudes to stabilize the closed position of the lid from the box part.

The blanks 11 are usually kept ready in stacks and fed to a folding device 12. The folding device 12 in the present case is a folding turret known per se. The folding device 12 has distributed over the circumference of the same arranged pockets 13 for receiving a blank 11. During the transport of the blanks 11 on the folding device 12, a series of folding steps are performed. In addition, in a push-in station of the folding device 12, a package contents 17 are introduced into the partially folded blank 11 or the partially folded package 10.

The terms partially folded blank 11, partially folded package 10 and partially finished package 10 are used interchangeably below.

In the present case, the folding of the package 10 on the folding device 12 is not completely completed. The partially completed (i.e., partially finished) package 10 leaves the folder 12 with an unfolded side flap to form one of the narrow sides. The unfolded side flap extends in the same plane as the large-area front side of the package 10.

The partially finished pack 10 is transported in this configuration coming from the folding device 12 along a conveying path 14, in the region thereof the folding of the pack 10 is completed. It is about the gluing and folding of the protruding side flap with a corresponding unit 15, which is arranged along the conveying path 14. With the help of the aggregate glue is attached to the underside of the side flap and this then connected to another side flap to a side wall in the narrow side of the pack 10.

It is understood that the conveying path 17 may also be formed by a plurality of belt conveyors 23 or other conveying means, wherein the conveying path 17 may also be angled, for example by angled or transversely to each other running subsidies.

Subsequent to the unit, the packs 10 completed so far are fed to a drying device 16 for drying glue connections of the pack 10.

The drying device 16 is formed in the present case by a dry turret.

A special feature of the device shown is a (first) turning device 18, which is arranged following the folding device 12 in the region of the conveying path 14 and serves to change the relative position of the partially folded packs 10.

By means of the turning device 18, the partially folded packages 10 can be rotated so that they point forward during the subsequent transport along the conveying path 14 with another side surface in the transporting direction.

In the present case, the partially manufactured packs 10 are conveyed out of the folding device 12 with the end wall pointing in the direction of transport and rotated by 180 ° with the aid of the turning device 18, so that the partially folded packs 10 following the turning device 18 point with the bottom wall in the conveying direction be transported further.

Of course, the turning device 18 can also rotate the package 10 by other angles, for example 90 ° or 270 °. In this way, the package can be rotated so that, for example, has a side wall in the conveying direction.

Since the partially folded packs 10 are laid flat out of the folding device 12 and conveyed in this relative position along the straight-line conveying path 14, the turning device 18 is designed or arranged such that a rotation of the packs 10 about an upright axis takes place perpendicularly is directed to the plane of the conveying path 14. It is understood that the position of the axis of rotation of the turning device 18 can be adapted to the respective application.

The turning device 18 has a receptacle 19 for partially folded packs 10. In the present case, the receptacle 19 is designed in the manner of a pocket and offers space for a single partially folded pack 10. The cross section of the receptacle is adapted to the partially folded pack 10 such in that it is held in the partially folded position. For this purpose, the free cross section of the receptacle is bounded laterally, above and below by walls.

The receptacle 19 is mounted on an upright shaft 20 which can be rotated by means of a drive belt 21 in rotation to change the relative position of the receptacle 19 located in the partially folded package 10.

In the present case, the receptacle 19 is rotated in each case partially folded package 10 by 180 ° in the same direction. Alternatively, the direction of rotation of the shaft 20 can also be reversed from pack 10 to pack 10, resulting in an alternating direction of rotation.

In order to enable a continuous rotation of the receptacle 19, the receptacle 19 is provided in cross-section on both sides with a slot 22 in which alternately enters a side flap of a partially folded package 10. Furthermore, the slot 22 also allows the handling of partially folded packages 10, in which another side tab projects or partially folded packages 10, which are fed in a different relative position.

The transport of the partially folded packages 10 along the conveying path 14 takes place with the aid of a belt conveyor 23. The belt conveyor 23 is guided over deflection rollers 24. On the outside, the belt conveyor 23 has radially projecting drivers 25. The partially folded packages 10 or partially finished packages 10 are transported in the region of an upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 between the folding device 12 and the drying device 16.

The drivers 25 of the belt conveyor 23 serve to each detect a pack 10 in the conveying direction on the back and to transport along the conveying path 14. In order to be able to detect the partially folded packs 10 in the area of the turning device 18, a bottom wall of the receptacle 19 has a slot 26 directed along the conveying path 14, through which the drivers 25 protrude into the receptacle 19 in order to respectively capture a pack 10 and to be transported out of the turning device 18 out.

Preferably, the belt conveyor 23 is driven continuously, so that the distance between the consecutive drivers 25 must be adapted to the transport speed of the belt conveyor 23 and the rotational speed of the turning device 18 that the rotation of a pack 10 is completed before the next driver 25th enters the receptacle 19.

After the packages 10 have been transported out of the receptacle 19, they rest on the upper run of the belt conveyor 23 and are fed to the unit 15 and subsequently to the drying device 16.

Another special feature relates to the arrangement of the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 with respect to the turning device 18. The lateral extent of the upper run of the belt conveyor 23 is predetermined in the direction of the conveying path 14 by upper deflection rollers 24. The special feature is that in the region of the turning device 18, the corresponding deflection roller 24 is arranged directly below a feed opening 27 of the receptacle 19.

Coming from the folding device 12, the partially folded packages 10 are conveyed by means of a slide-in member 28 into the receptacle 19. The insertion member 28 is connected via a not shown gear along a Fig. 2 indicated movement path 29 out. In this way, it is ensured that the packs 10 in the pocket 13 of the folding device 12 are detected on the back and inserted in the plane of the conveying path 14 in the horizontal direction in the receptacle 19 of the turning device 18. Thereafter, the insertion member 28 is moved back opposite lowering it and subsequent increase in the starting position. This allows unimpeded rotation of the folding device 12 during the return of the insertion member 28th

A special feature continues to be that the insertion member 28 is adapted in shape to the outer diameter of the upper guide roller 24 in the region of the upper run of the belt conveyor 23, so that the insertion of the partially folded packages 10 is not disturbed by this guide roller 24.

The finished folded packages 10 are fed to the unit 15 of the drying device 16, which is formed in the present embodiment as a rotationally driven drying turret. The dry turret has pockets 30 which are arranged side by side at the periphery of the dry turret and are designed to receive a respective pack 10. The cross section of the pockets 30 is limited by walls 31. As usual, the dry turret serves to hold folding flaps of the package 10 in an overlapping position until the glue between the folding flaps has set sufficiently.

The dry turret is designed such that the packs 10 have to be pushed into the pockets 30 counter to the original conveying direction. The packs 10 coming from the unit 15 are first conveyed to the drying turret with the bottom wall pointing in the conveying direction and then inserted against the original conveying direction in the region of a push-in station in a pocket 30 of the drying turret by means of a packing slide 32 only slightly. As a result of this reversal of the direction of movement, the pack 10 with the front wall in the new conveying direction is pushed into the pocket 30 until the end wall bears against a corresponding wall 31 of the pocket 30, so that the folding tabs 33, 34 form the end wall in this case , in the in Fig. 5 shown overlapping position are held until the glue 35 is set to connect the folding tabs 33, 34.

A special feature is that the dry turret is coupled to the back of a central drive of the device, ie on the side remote from the folding device 12 of the dry turret. On this page is usually located within a housing of the central drive of the device or a corresponding transmission.

After the glue 35 has set, for which a circulation of the pack 10 on the dry turret is generally sufficient, the packs 10 are returned in the original conveying direction by a second packing pusher 36 in the region of a discharge station pushed out of the dry turret, ie pointing with the bottom wall in the conveying direction.

The wall 31 of the pockets 30 against which the packs 10 with the end wall is not completely closed, but has an opening on 49. The opening 49 is used to engage a portion of the packing slide 36 in the pocket 30. For this purpose, corresponds to the cross section of Opening 49 substantially the corresponding dimensions of the penetrating into the bag 30 pack slide 36. However, the cross-section of the opening 49 is smaller than the cross section of the pocket 30 so that a sufficient contact surface is present to the folding flaps of the pack 10 in the end wall properly in Overlap.

The packs 10 are pushed out of the dry turret between parallel conveying runs 37, 38 of two belt conveyors 39, 40 and transported away at an angle, in particular transversely, to the original transport direction.

From the drawing it can be seen that the pockets 30 are arranged in the region of the Ausschubstation by an angle to the plane of the conveyor belt 37, 38 twisted. The packs 10 can therefore not be pushed easily between the conveyor belt 37, 38. In order to compensate for the rotation of the packages 10, the packages 10 are first supplied from the pockets 30 of the dry turret to a transfer device 48. The transfer device 48 is pivotable, such that the packs 10 are positioned between the delivery lanes 37, 38 and can be slid in a horizontal plane therebetween. The transfer device 48 is formed by a receptacle with two angled legs on which the packs 10 rest during the pivoting or turning operation.

During transport on the belt conveyors 39, 40, the packs 10, which are initially conveyed at a distance from one another, are dammed into a pack group 41 and subsequently transferred into a further turning device 42. With the aid of the second turning device, the packs 10 or the pack group 41 are rotated by 180 °, so that the packs 10 are rotated back into the original relative position. Even with this rotation in the turning device 42, other rotation angle can be realized, according to the desired relative position for further transport.

The turning device 42 is designed in the present case as a turning wheel, with receptacles 43 for each one pack group 41st

After rotation of the turning device 42 by 180 °, the packing groups 41 are transferred via a bridge 44 to a further drying device 45, in the region of which the drying of the packs 10 is completed. To transfer the packing groups 41 from the turning device 43 to the drying device 45, a reciprocating slide 46 is used.

Alternatively, the pack groups 41 may be introduced into the dry turret 45 without rotation. For this purpose, the packing groups 41 are conveyed through the fixed turning device 42 and pushed away by means of another slide 47 transversely to the bridge 44, from which the packing group 41 is then in turn transferred by means of the slide 46 into the drying turret 45.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

pack

11

cut

12

folding

13

bag

14

conveying

15

aggregate

16

drying device

17

package contents

18

turning device

19

admission

20

wave

21

Antriebgurt

22

slot

23

Belt conveyors

24

idler pulley

25

takeaway

26

slot

27

feed

28

Einschieborgan

29

trajectory

30

Bags

31

wall

32

pack slide

33

folding tabs

34

folding tabs

35

glue

36

pack slide

37

conveying

38

conveying

39

Belt conveyors

40

Belt conveyors

41

pack group

42

turning device

43

admission

44

bridge

45

drying device

46

pusher

47

pusher

48

Transfer device

49

opening

Claims (4)

1. Apparatus for producing packs (10) for cigarettes of the hinge-lid-box type, having a folding device (12), in particular a folding turret, for partially folding a blank (11) for the pack, and having means for completing the operation of folding the pack following the folding device (12), and having a drying device (16), in particular a drying turret, for drying glue connections between folding flaps of the blank (11), characterized in that a first turning device (18), for rotating the pack (10), is arranged along a conveying path (14) of the partially folded blanks (11), or of the packs (10) which have been folded to completion, in the region between the folding device (12) and the drying device (16), and in that a second turning device (42), for rotating the packs (10) anew, is provided further along the conveying path (14), following the drying device (16), wherein the first turning device (18) has a holder (19), in particular a pocket, for a partially folded blank (11), into which the partially folded blanks (11) can be conveyed one after the other, and in that the pocket is mounted in a rotatable manner, for rotating an individual pack (10) in each case correspondingly, wherein the partially folded blanks (11), in the region of the holder (19) of the turning device (18), can be transported along the conveying path (14) by means of a belt conveyor (23) such that radially projecting drivers (25) of the belt conveyor (23) at least partially engage in the holder (19), and wherein the holder has a lower, base wall, on which rests the partially folded blank (11) in the region of the turning device (18), and in that the base wall has a slot-like aperture (26), which runs along the conveying path (14) and through which the drivers (25) project at least partially into the holder (19), and wherein the belt conveyor (23) is guided over a deflecting roller (24), which is arranged beneath the holder (19), wherein the deflecting roller (24) is arranged beneath a feed opening (27) of the holder (19) for partially folded blanks (11).
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the partially folded blanks (11) can be moved into the holder (19) by means of a pushing-in mechanism (28), wherein the pushing-in mechanism (28) can be moved along a flat movement curve by a gear mechanism.
3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the deflecting roller (24) is arranged beneath the feed opening (27) for the partially folded blanks (11) such that the partially folded blanks (11) can be pushed into the holder by the pushing-in mechanism (28).
4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, characterized in that the pushing-in mechanism (28) is adapted to the circumferential radius of the deflecting roller (24), that is to say it is curved correspondingly.

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