EP2225160B1 - Transportssystem with box carriers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a box carrier having a contact surface for transporting flat cutouts, or sleeves, and folding boxes produced from the same. According to the invention at least one suction opening, which can be connected to a vacuum source, is disposed in the contact surface.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a system according to the preamble of Änspruchs first

State of the art

Conventional carton transport systems are usually based on box carriers with mechanical clamping of the cartons. The carriers can each transport a box format or a packing style, and the conversion to new formats is associated with a considerable amount of time. In addition, format-specific parts of the mechanical box holders often have to be replaced. These interventions mean a loss of production due to the stoppage of the machine and have the potential for mistakes in setting up or adjusting, which is problematic especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The setup time for variants with exchangeable box carriers is particularly high, while mere adjustments require less time, but involve a high potential for error. Another disadvantage of mechanically holding boxes by clamping is the unavoidable deformation of the box, which makes it difficult to close the box while it is being held by the box carrier.

As a universally applicable alternative to the box carriers with mechanical Clamping Vacuum bands are known which can handle different box formats without conversion. Vacuum bands, however, are characterized by low accuracy and holding forces and can not reliably prevent unintentional movement of the box during transport. They are therefore not suitable in particular for use in the pharmaceutical sector.

A box carrier of the type mentioned is in DE 10 2006 008 646 A1 disclosed.

Presentation of the invention

The invention has for its object to provide a box carrier of the type mentioned, which does not have the aforementioned disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton carrier for transporting cartons for packaging, in particular, pharmaceutical products in a packaging machine.

For solving the problem according to the invention, a box carrier carries the features of claim 1.

• Es sind keine Formatumstellungen bei unterschiedlichen Schachtelformaten erforderlich.
• Der Träger ist für Hülsen und für Flachzuschnitte gleichermassen geeignet.
• Sichererer Halt durch hohe Haltekräfte und sichere Positionierung der Schachteln, da kein Verschieben im Träger möglich.
• Keine Deformation der Schachteln durch Haltekräfte.
• Gute Zugänglichkeit, die Schachtel wird im wesentlichen nur von einer Seite gehalten, während die anderen Seiten im wesentlichen frei zugänglich sind.
• Die Schachtel kann verschlossen werden, während sie sich im Schachtelträger befindet, da sie nicht deformiert wird.
• Die gute Zugänglichkeit erleichtert das Bedrucken / Codieren der Schachtel und vergleichbare Operationen.
• Hohe Sicherheit, da nicht anfällig für Fehlmanipulationen.

The arrangement of suction openings in the contact surface offers the following advantages:

• There are no format changes required for different box formats.
• The carrier is equally suitable for sleeves and flat blanks.
• Safer hold due to high holding forces and secure positioning of the boxes, as no movement in the carrier is possible.
• No deformation of the boxes due to holding forces.
• Good accessibility, the box is held substantially only from one side, while the other sides are essentially freely accessible.
• The box can be closed while it is in the box carrier because it is not deformed.
• Good accessibility facilitates box printing / coding and similar operations.
• High security, as not susceptible to mistreatment.

The suction of the boxes by means of vacuum has significant advantages in terms of ergonomics and format adaptation. The good ergonomics and ease of use are the main advantages of using the inventive solution. The standstill time of the format conversion machine is shortened and possible sources of error are reduced to a minimum. It is also essential that no special knowledge of the operator for the format change is necessary.

A highly flexible and universally applicable transport system is available, which makes it possible to package different products on one and the same machine without much effort when changing the format. In particular, all format areas are covered, no format parts are necessary, and the box carrier have a low weight. In addition, there is a virtually automatic format change, an erection of the box in the cup is possible, and there is virtually no compression or deformation of the box.

Due to the absence of compressions and deformations, the boxes can already be closed in the box holder, additional processing steps such as labeling and coding of the box are also well possible due to the high accessibility on all sides.

The box carriers may have a position stop. A one-sided stop defines the position of the boxes.

The contact surface of the box carrier preferably has a multiplicity of suction openings. Expediently, there are suction openings equipped with a valve, in particular a feeler valve. By using contact valves, which only open when the box is in place, it is also possible to hold blanks that do not cover all the suction openings, without the uncovered suction openings sucking in air. This ensures that the negative pressure in the box carrier is not dissipated by inflowing air. The size and the spacing of the suction openings are chosen so that no only partially covered suction openings can occur in the box formats to be processed.

Each box carrier is equipped with its own vacuum accumulator connected to the suction openings.

Pods, i. Boxes with in relation to the bottom surface high side walls are held on a side wall, the stop surface with the suction openings is thus perpendicular to the orbital plane of the means of transport.

Flat blanks with a low side wall height in relation to the bottom surface are supported by the horizontally oriented contact surface when the box carrier is lying, and are therefore held from below. The box carrier is expediently designed so that a change from sleeves to flat blanks can be made by a simple rotation of the carton carrier by 90 °.

Box carriers with their own vacuum reservoir are preferably equipped with a tactile check valve for venting and venting the vacuum accumulator at a venting and aeration station. This can be dispensed with a great effort feeding the required vacuum or vacuum on the circulating box carrier. The provided with Vakuumspeichem box carrier are provided only for this purpose Setting the concentricity with vacuum. The box carrier is then uncoupled and automatically holds the vacuum using its vacuum reservoir.

Short description of the drawing

Fig. 1

eine Schrägsicht auf einen Teil einer Rundlaufmaschine mit umlau- fenden Schachtelträgern;

Fig. 2

eine Schrägsicht auf die Vorderseite eines Schachtelträgers von Fig. 1 für Hülsen mit zwei Saugöffnungen mit integrierten Tastven- tilen;

Fig. 3

eine Schrägsicht auf die Rückseite des Schachtelträgers von Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

eine Explosionsdarstellung des Schachtelträgers von Fig. 2;

Fig. 5

eine Schrägsicht auf das Tast-Rückschlagventil von Fig. 4 in vergrösserter Darstellung;

Fig. 6

eine Schrägsicht auf einen Schachtelträger für Flachzuschnitte mit vier Saugöffnungen mit integrierten Tastventilen;

Fig. 7

eine Schrägsicht auf eine Vorknickstation und eine Schliessstation für Hülsen;

Fig. 8

eine geschnittene Seitenansicht der Anordnung von Fig. 8 in Blick- richtung s;

Fig. 9

eine Schrägsicht auf die oben offene Schliessstation von Fig. 7.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and from the drawing; this shows schematically in

Fig. 1

an oblique view of one part of a rotary machine with circulating box carriers;

Fig. 2

an oblique view of the front of a box carrier of Fig. 1 for sleeves with two suction openings with integrated tactile valves;

Fig. 3

an oblique view of the back of the box carrier of Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4

an exploded view of the box carrier of Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 5

an oblique view of the tactile check valve of Fig. 4 in an enlarged view;

Fig. 6

an oblique view of a box carrier for flat blanks with four suction openings with integrated Tastventilen;

Fig. 7

an oblique view of a Vorknickstation and a closing station for sleeves;

Fig. 8

a sectional side view of the arrangement of Fig. 8 in view direction s;

Fig. 9

an oblique view of the open top closing station of Fig. 7 ,

Description of exemplary embodiments

An in Fig. 1 only partially reproduced concentricity system 10 of a packaging machine not shown in the drawing has a plurality of arranged on a continuously rotating in a horizontal plane conveyor chain 12 box carriers 14 with a front forming contact surface 16 with two suction ports 18 and a position stop 20 for a carton. At the back of the box carrier 14, a vacuum storage 22 is arranged with an integrated tactile check valve 24.

The concentricity system 10 has five deaeration stations 26 with lifting suckers for simultaneously evacuating the vacuum reservoir 22 from five box carriers 14. For venting the vacuum accumulator 22 dock at the ventilation positions the lifting suction of the vent stations 26 via a suction line 28 on the back of the box carrier 14 on the output of Tast-check valve 24, with a arranged at the free end of the suction line 28 suction cup 30 at the rear wall of the Vacuum accumulator 22 sucks. At the same time opens due to the flow of air, the tactile check valve 24 and the air is sucked. If the lifting sucker to release again from the box carrier 14, so a short Abblasimpuls is given, which again presses a ball in the Tast-check valve 24 on their seat due to the flow direction reversal. The box carrier 14 is now a vacuum.

At the machine outlet 26 five pneumatic cylinders 32 are arranged according to the number of ventilation stations so that they face the vacuum chambers 22 for simultaneous venting of five box carriers 14. Upon actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 32 pushes a cylinder rod 34 in Axial direction y from the rear wall side of the vacuum chamber 22 to the tactile check valve 24 and presses this in the axial direction y by about 3 mm. In this process, an O-ring inserted as a sealing ring separates from the inner wall of the vacuum accumulator 22, so that air flows from the outside into the vacuum chamber 22. As a result of this venting of the vacuum accumulator 22, the cartons lying against the abutment surfaces 16 and held by a vacuum on the carton carriers 14 are released from the carton carriers 14.

One in the FIGS. 2 and 3 shown box carrier 14 for sleeves has two suction openings 18. In each suction opening 18, a Tastventil 36 is arranged with a projecting from the vertical plane of the contact surface 16 stylus 38. When creating a sleeve or carton to the contact surface 16 and at the right angles from the contact surface 16 projecting position stop 20 only those styli 38 are pressed and thereby the tactile valves 36 are opened, which are covered by the adjacent carton. With a large number of different formats, it may prove expedient to arrange a larger number of suction openings 18 on the contact surface 16 regularly.

The exploded view of Fig. 4 shows the structure of the in the FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrated box carrier 14 with two suction ports 18, each with a feeler valve 36 with stylus 38 in a screwed to a box base plate 42 box carrier panel 40. Formed as a plate position stop 20 is laterally bolted to the box base plate 42. A box-shaped rear wall part 44 is screwed to the base plate 42 via a flat seal 46 and forms the vacuum reservoir 22. Within the vacuum accumulator 22, the tactile check valve 24 is displaceably mounted at one of its ends in a valve holder 48 in the axial direction y and presses with an O-ring seal 50 at its other end against the inner wall of the provided with an opening 52 rear wall portion 44. For attachment of the box carrier 14 to the rotating conveyor chain 12 protrudes a screwed with the transport chain 12 bracket 54 from the base plate 42 down from.

The Tast-check valve 24 is according Fig. 5 held in a valve seat 56 carrying the O-ring seal 50 and used for sliding storage in the axial direction y in the valve holder 48. Between the valve seat 56 and provided for engagement with the valve holder 48 spring steel plate 58, a compression spring 60 is arranged.

Fig. 6 shows a box carrier 14 with horizontally stationary contact surface 16 with four suction openings 18th

The in the Fig. 7 to 9 shown devices serve the closing of the bottom of the toploader not shown in the drawing to the carton carrier 14 handed over cartons or sleeves 62 before filling. The box carriers 14 with the folding boxes 62 mounted on the transport chain 12 are guided one after the other at a precutting station 64 and at a closing station 70 for closing the box bottom.

In the Vorknickstation 64, the floor is on a bar 66 and a buckling 68 kinks the tab. Subsequently, the chain transport brings the box carrier 14 into the closing station 70. Here, first a dust flap breaker 72 extends and folds tabs. Then, a pivoting rake 74 closes the floor from behind. At the same time, the dust flap breaker 72 retracts, and the bottom is completely closed by a guide plate with the pivoting rake 74. Subsequently, the pivoting rake 74 moves back again.

• Das System ist geeignet für Schachteln aus Hülse und/oder Flachzuschnitt.
• Reproduzierbarer und schneller Formatwechsel (±0,5mm) mit möglichst wenig Verstellmöglichkeit durch die Bedienperson.
• Hohe Flexibilität bezüglich Layout (Material Zu- und Abfluss).
• Hohe Schachtelleistung (bis 300 Stück/min).

With the embodiments set forth above, the following requirements are met:

• The system is suitable for boxes made of sleeve and / or flat blank.
• Reproducible and fast format change (± 0.5mm) with as little adjustment as possible by the operator.
• High flexibility regarding layout (material inflow and outflow).
• High box performance (up to 300 pieces / min).

Claims (6)

1. System for transporting flat blanks or sleeves and folding boxes produced therefrom, having box carriers (14) with an abutment surface (16), wherein each abutment surface (16) contains at least one suction opening (18) which can be connected to a vacuum source,
   characterized in that
   the suction opening/s (18) is/are connected to a dedicated vacuum accumulator (22) arranged in each box carrier (14).
2. System according to Claim 1, characterized in that the abutment surface (16) has a multiplicity of suction openings (18).
3. System according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the suction openings (18) have a valve (36), in particular a sensing valve.
4. System according to Claim 3, characterized in that the vacuum accumulator (22), for the extraction and admission of air at an air-extracting and air-admission station, is provided with a sensing nonreturn valve (24).
5. System according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by the provision of a position stop (20).
6. Method of closing a folding box (62) transported by a system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the folding box (62), while retained by the box carrier (14), is closed by a closing device (64, 70).

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