EP2921416B1

EP2921416B1 - Support unit for rolls of a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles

Info

Publication number: EP2921416B1
Application number: EP15159739.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefano Tosi; Diego Anselmi
Original assignee: Sidel SpA
Current assignee: Sidel SpA
Priority date: 2014-03-18
Filing date: 2015-03-18
Publication date: 2018-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-18
Also published as: EP2921416A1

Description

The present invention relates to a support unit for rolls of a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles, according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a support unit is known from document WO-2013/037474-A1 .
The support unit comprises a support surface for a roll; a central pin, which extends through the roll, and has a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the support surface; and a locking ring fitted on the central pin for axially locking the roll against the support surface itself.
The locking ring is delimited by an inner threaded surface, and is screwed on an outer threaded surface of the central pin.
The replacement of the roll involves the unscrewing of the locking ring, the removal of the exhausted roll, the insertion of a new roll on the central pin, and the new screwing of the locking ring.
The known support unit for rolls of the type described above has several drawbacks, mainly deriving from that, when the roll has a height, relatively reduced, measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the central pin, the locking ring must be screwed and unscrewed for a relatively long segment of the central pin. Consequently, the replacement of the rolls involves relatively long equipping time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a support unit for rolls of a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles, which is free from the drawbacks described above and which is simple and cheap to implement.
According to the present invention a support unit for rolls of a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles, as claimed in the appended claims is provided.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic longitudinal section of a preferred embodiment of the support unit of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal section of a detail of the support unit of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the detail of Figure 2.

With reference to figure 1, with 1 is shown, as a whole, a support unit for rolls 2 of a labelling machine (not illustrated) for containers (not illustrated), in particular bottles.
The support unit 1 comprises an horizontal plate 3 defining a support surface P for a cylindrical roll 2, and a central pin 4, which has a longitudinal axis 5 vertical and perpendicular to the surface P, which extends through the roll 2, and is delimited by an outer threaded surface 6 coaxial with the axis 5 itself.
The roll 2 is axially locked against the surface P by a locking ring 7 mounted on the pin 4 coaxially with the axis 5.
The ring 7 comprises a sleeve 8, which is mounted coaxially with the axis 5, and is axially delimited by an upper surface 9 substantially flat and perpendicular to the axis 5 and a lower surface 10 that substantially has the shape of a truncated cone.
The ring 7 comprises, furthermore, an upper handwheel 11, which is mounted above the sleeve 8 in contact with the upper surface 9, and is axially locked against the sleeve 8 by way of a plurality of clamping screws 12 parallel to the axis 5.
According to a variant not shown, the sleeve 8 and the handwheel 11 are made in one piece and the screws 12 are removed.
The sleeve 8 is radially delimited by a substantially cylindrical inner surface 13, which has a diameter approximating by excess a diameter of the outer surface 6, and allows the sleeve 8 to couple in a sliding manner with the pin 4 in a vertical direction 14 parallel to the axis 5.
The sleeve 8 has two cavities 15, which are uniformly distributed around the axis 5, and have substantially the shape of a cylindrical segment.
The two cavities 15 open radially outwards at the inner surface 13, open axially outwards at the upper surface 9, and are closed downwards in the direction 14.
Each cavity 15 is engaged by a coupling block 16, which has substantially the shape of the cavity 15, and is coupled in a sliding manner to the cavity 15 to perform, with respect to the sleeve 8, rectilinear displacements in a horizontal direction 17 transverse to the direction 14.
Each block 16 is delimited by an inner threaded surface 18, and is mobile in the direction 17 between an extracted operating position, wherein the block 16 projects inside the inner surface 13 and the inner surface 18 is coupled with the outer surface 6, and a retracted rest position, wherein the block 16 disengages the pin 4 and is entirely contained in the respective cavity 15.
Each cavity 15 is tangentially delimited by two lateral sides 19, which converge towards the axis 5 to stop the respective block 16 in its operating position.
The blocks 16 are moved, and normally maintained, in their operating positions by two annular springs 20, which are interposed between the sleeve 8 and the blocks 16, are housed in corresponding annular grooves 21 formed on the inner surface 13 coaxially with the axis 5, and are aligned with each other in the direction 14.
The two springs 20 extend around the blocks 16 and around two centering pins 22, which project downwards from the handwheel 11, and extend through the upper surface 9 and the grooves 21 in the direction 14.
Each block 16 is moved from its operating position in its rest position against the action of the springs 20 by a respective operating device 23.
The device 23 comprises a tie rod 24, which extends through the block 16 and the sleeve 8 parallel to the direction 17, has a head 25 for fastening to the block 16, and is coupled in a sliding manner to the sleeve 8.
The tie rod 24 has, moreover, a free end 26, which is opposite to the head 25, and is screwed through a pin 27, which extends transversely to the tie rod 24, is mounted within a slot 28 formed through an operating crank 29, and has a diameter substantially equal to a width of the slot 28 measured parallel to the direction 17.
The crank 29 is hinged to the sleeve 8 to rotate, with respect to the sleeve 8 itself, about a fulcrum axis 30 perpendicular to the directions 14 and 17 and extends upwardly within an opening 31 formed through the handwheel 11 in the direction 14 to allow the operations personnel to operate the crank 29 itself.
The slot 28 has a height, measured parallel to the direction 14, such as to allow the crank 29 to rotate with respect to the pin 27 and the pin 27 to move along the slot 28 in the direction 14 itself.
Following the displacement of the blocks 16 in their rest position, the springs 20 engage, moreover, corresponding grooves 32 formed on the bottom wall of the cavities 15 and connected with the grooves 21.
In use, the blocks 16 are moved in their rest positions by means of the two cranks 29 to allow the operator to move the ring 7 along the pin 4 in a relatively simple and rapid manner.
After replacing the roll 2 and lowered the ring 7 on the new roll 2, the blocks 16 are moved by the springs 20 in their operating positions and the ring 7 is screwed onto the pin 4 by way of the handwheel 11 with a relatively short clamping stroke.
The replacement of the rolls 2 therefore involves relatively short equipping times of the support unit 1.

Claims

A support unit for rolls (2) of a labelling machine for containers, in particular bottles, the support unit comprising a support surface (P) for a roll (2); a central pin (4), which projects from the support surface (P) so as to receive the roll (2); and a locking ring (7), which is fitted on the central pin (4) so as to axially lock the roll (2) against the support surface (P); and comprises a sleeve (8), which is coupled to the central pin (4) in a sliding manner, and at least two coupling blocks (16), which are mobile, relative to the sleeve (8), between an extracted operating position, in which the coupling blocks (16) are fastened to the central pin (4), and a retracted rest position, in which the coupling blocks (16) disengage the central pin (4) itself; the coupling blocks (16) being coupled to the sleeve (8) in a sliding manner so as to move transversely to a longitudinal axis (5) of the central pin (4) between said operating and rest positions; wherein the sleeve (8) has an inner diameter that approximates by excess an outer diameter of the central pin (4), characterized in that the sleeve (8) has, for each coupling block (16), a respective limit stop device (19) to stop the coupling block (16) itself in its operating position; and wherein each coupling block (16) substantially has the shape of a cylindrical segment and the sleeve (8) has, for each coupling block (16), a respective cavity (15), which is delimited by two lateral sides (19), which converge towards a longitudinal axis (5) of the central pin (4) so as to define the limit stop device (19).
A support unit according to claim 1 and comprising, furthermore, an operating device (20, 23) to move the coupling blocks (16) between said operating and rest positions.
A support unit according to claim 2, wherein the operating device (20, 23) comprises first actuating means (23) to move the coupling blocks (16) from their operating position to their rest position and second actuating means (20) to move the coupling blocks (16) from their rest position to their operating position.
A support unit according to claim 3, wherein the second actuating means (20) comprise elastic thrust means, which are suited to move the coupling blocks (16) to their operating position and normally keep them there.
A support unit according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second actuating means (20) comprises at least one annular spring (20), which is mounted around the coupling blocks (16) coaxial to a longitudinal axis (5) of the central pin (4).
A support unit according to claim 5 and comprising, furthermore, a pair of centring pins (22), each of which is mounted between the two coupling blocks (16); each annular spring (20) extending around the centring pins (22).
A support unit according to any of the claims from 3 to 6, wherein the first actuating means (23) comprise, for each coupling block (16), a respective tie rod (24), which is fastened to the coupling block (16) itself and is coupled to the sleeve (8) in a sliding manner.
A support unit according to claim 7, wherein the first actuating means (23) comprise, furthermore, for each tie rod (24), a respective operating crank (29), which is hinged to the sleeve (8) and is coupled to the tie rod (24) itself in a rotary manner.
A support unit according to any of the previous claims, wherein the central pin (4) is delimited by an outer threaded surface (6), and wherein the coupling blocks (16) are delimited by respective inner threaded surfaces (18), which are suited to be coupled to the outer threaded surface (6) of the central pin (4) after a movement of the coupling blocks (16) to their operating position.
A support unit according to any of the previous claims, wherein the sleeve (8) is axially delimited by a lower surface (10) that substantially has the shape of a truncated cone.