Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
  • B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
  • B65G47/12—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles
  • B65G47/14—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding
  • B65G47/1407—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl
  • B65G47/1478—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of pick-up devices, the container remaining immobile
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C45/14—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C45/14—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles
  • B29C45/14008—Inserting articles into the mould
  • B29C45/14032—Transferring the inserts from a storage space inside the mould to the mould cavity
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
  • B65G15/30—Belts or like endless load-carriers
  • B65G15/32—Belts or like endless load-carriers made of rubber or plastics
  • B65G15/42—Belts or like endless load-carriers made of rubber or plastics having ribs, ridges, or other surface projections
  • B65G15/44—Belts or like endless load-carriers made of rubber or plastics having ribs, ridges, or other surface projections for impelling the loads
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
  • B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
  • B65G47/12—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles
  • B65G47/14—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding
  • B65G47/1407—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl
  • B65G47/1442—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of movement of the bottom or a part of the wall of the container
  • B65G47/1471—Movement in one direction, substantially outwards
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
  • B65G47/82—Rotary or reciprocating members for direct action on articles or materials, e.g. pushers, rakes, shovels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67B—APPLYING CLOSURE MEMBERS TO BOTTLES JARS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; OPENING CLOSED CONTAINERS
  • B67B3/00—Closing bottles, jars or similar containers by applying caps
  • B67B3/02—Closing bottles, jars or similar containers by applying caps by applying flanged caps, e.g. crown caps, and securing by deformation of flanges
  • B67B3/06—Feeding caps to capping heads
  • B67B3/064—Feeding caps to capping heads from a hopper
  • B67B3/0645—Feeding caps to capping heads from a hopper with means for orientating the caps to a position ready to be applied to the container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2705/00—Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
  • B29K2705/08—Transition metals
  • B29K2705/12—Iron
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G2207/00—Indexing codes relating to constructional details, configuration and additional features of a handling device, e.g. Conveyors
  • B65G2207/48—Wear protection or indication features

Definitions

• the present invention comes into the field of supplying sorted closure elements, with a view to supplying a downstream workstation within a production line.
• closure elements consist of stoppers or caps intended to close containers, in particular flasks or bottles, made of plastic, glass or metal, in particular aluminum.
• Said closure elements can be made of any type of material, in particular plastic or metal.
• a container comprises an opening, in the form of a mouthpiece, generally located in the upper part of a neck.
• a closure element such as a cap or a stopper.
• a closure element generally has a flattened tubular shape, resembling a hollowed disc.
• the stopper element is closed by a concave bottom in order to receive internally a seal ensuring the seal once positioned in contact with the drink.
• the supply of plugging elements, in the form of plugs, is effected by means of a sorting module, commonly called a “cap-feeder”.
• a sorting module receives as input said plugs discharged in bulk into a tank, such as a hopper.
• This module ensures, on the one hand, the sorting of these stoppers in order to arrange them in a suitable positioning with a view, on the other hand, of continuously supplying sorted stoppers, a work station located downstream on the line. of production.
• the main role of such a downstream workstation is to affix and / or close the containers by means of sorted caps.
• said downstream workstation may consist of a bottling module provided with a unit for capping the containers, or else a unit for sterilizing said capping elements.
• a sorting module makes it possible to take caps initially jumbled together and to correctly orient all these caps, according to a regular and continuous flow supplying at least the downstream workstation whose function is to close each container. by means of a stopper.
• a sorting module makes it possible to check the conformity of the closure elements, in particular the dimensions, one or more colors, the integrity, the possible presence of a tamper-evident ring, etc.
• An existing sorting module comprises in the lower part a reservoir receiving the bulk plugging elements and, immersing within said reservoir, an elevation conveyor generally formed of an endless belt oriented vertically and driven so as to extract and ensure the elevation of said plugs.
• said carpet comprises on an outer face a succession of cleats juxtaposed along its length.
• Said cleats are in the form of flat bars, of generally rectangular parallelepiped shape.
• Such cleats are spaced apart to provide housings extending transversely, from one edge to the other of said belt, the spacing between two cleats corresponding approximately to the diameters of said stoppers to be taken from within the reservoir.
• the inclination of the belt, the configuration as well as the dimensions of said cleats ensure a determined positioning of the plugs removed.
• a plug which is positioned within a housing according to a configuration other than that desired, for example upside down or staggered, is found unbalanced, tilts from its housing and falls naturally under the effect of gravity. , as and when said conveyor moves vertically.
• This sorting technique is commonly referred to as “waterfall” or “waterfall”.
• each housing arriving at the upper part of the device are sent by train to a supply station.
• ejection means can be provided pneumatically, in the form of a jet of compressed air oriented in the same way, thus propelling the plugs towards the extraction end.
• the ejection means can be provided mechanically, in the form of at least one pusher or “ejection finger” mounted to move in longitudinal translation along and inside each housing, from one end to the end. extraction opposites, pushing each train of plugs towards that exit end.
• the invention relates most particularly to such a mechanical ejection.
• An example of mechanical ejection means is known in particular from document WO 2016/108026, describing ejection fingers mounted on a belt, forming an endless belt, motorized synchronously with the upward movement of the belt, so as to induce a movement of each finger along a housing that has arrived at the top of the elevation conveyor.
• each ejection finger comprises a body provided with a base and on the opposite side of a distal end.
• the latter has a front zone intended to come into contact with the last blocking element of a train to be ejected.
• the body is generally made of a single piece, made of a composite material, in particular of plastic.
• the finger must have a certain elasticity so as not to damage the plugs when it comes into contact with them, or when it pushes them along the housing.
• the finger in the event of blockage at the time of ejection of the plugs present in a housing, the finger must be able to deform, by bending sometimes even breaking, in order to avoid damaging other components of the ejection means. or the delivery device.
• the finger being an attached part for attachment to the belt, it is easier, faster and above all less expensive to replace it, rather than other components of the device.
• the mass of the plastic material of an ejection finger also limits the centrifugal force which it undergoes during each passage around the return pulleys of said belt.
• a problem lies in the wear of the ejection fingers, in particular due to the abrasion to which the zone before contact with the closure elements is subjected. This abrasion is all the more pronounced when the closure elements are made of a metallic material, as in the case of capsules, for example of the “crown” type.
• the aim of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art by proposing to improve the abrasion resistance of the front zone of an ejection finger, while maintaining the elasticity of its body, required for the correct functioning of the supply device and avoiding any risk of deterioration in the event of a malfunction.
• the invention envisages adding an insert at the level of the distal end, provided with a front surface coming at least partially to cover the front contact zone of said finger.
• the material of said insert is expected to be more resistant, limiting abrasion and increasing the vacuum duration of such a finger.
• such an ejection finger comprises a plugging element ejection finger, comprising:
• - a body provided with a base and on the opposite side, a distal end;
• Such an ejection finger is characterized in that at least the distal end comprises a insert provided with at least one front surface dimensioned to at least partially cover said front zone.
• such a finger may comprise a means for fixing at least said front zone with the front surface, said fixing means comprising a core extending at least partly internally within said distal end.
• Said core may include at least one orifice located inside said distal end.
• Said orifice may be through.
• Said insert may comprise a rear surface, said front surface and said rear surface being connected by said core.
• Said insert can include at least one rounded edge.
• Said finger may comprise at least one chamfer entering from said base towards said distal end.
• Said body may be of composite material, in particular of plastic material, while said insert may be of metallic material, in particular of stainless steel.
• the invention also relates to a device for supplying sorted closure elements provided with such an ejection finger.
• said supply device comprises:
• an elevation conveyor in the form of a belt provided with an ascending strand penetrating said storage volume
• - Said elevation conveyor comprising on the outside face a plurality of cleats oriented transversely with respect to said belt and spaced so as to determine a housing between two adjacent cleats, each housing taking several of said closure elements during its passage within said volume of storage;
• said ejection means comprise at least one ejection finger according to any one of the preceding claims.
• said device may comprise means for moving said ejection means, said moving means comprising a belt supporting the base of said at least one finger.
• the invention also relates to a method of manufacturing by molding or by adding material to such an ejection finger. Further such a manufacturing process can be carried out by molding and in that:
• An overmolding of said insert is carried out by injection of a composite or plastic material within said mold.
• FIG. 1 schematically represents a perspective view of an embodiment of a device for supplying sorted closure elements, showing in particular the lifting means with a plurality of cleats forming housings taking out the closure elements during the passage through a storage volume located in the lower part;
• FIG. 2 schematically represents a perspective view of a specific embodiment of ejection means of a supply device, showing in particular ejection fingers mounted under a belt driving said fingers along a housing arrived in the top part ;
• FIG. 3 schematically represents a perspective view of an embodiment of an ejection finger, showing in particular a distal end provided with an insert with a front surface;
• FIG. 4 schematically represents a partially transparent view of a detail of FIG. 3, showing in particular the core of the insert provided with two non-through orifices in alignment;
• FIG. 5 schematically represents a view in vertical section of FIG. 4, showing in particular the front surface of the insert integrated within the front contact zone of the body through a re-entrant chamfer;
• Figure 6 schematically shows a horizontal sectional view of Figure 5 along the axis A-A ';
• FIG. 7 schematically represents a view in vertical section of an alternative embodiment, without a chamfer
• FIG. 8 schematically represents a perspective view of another embodiment of an ejection finger, showing in particular a distal end provided with an insert with a front surface and an opposite rear surface;
• FIG. 9 schematically represents a partially transparent view of a detail of FIG. 8, showing in particular the core of the insert connecting the front and rear surfaces, rounded chamfers at the front and at the rear, as well as 'a soul with an orifice crossing;
• Figure 10 schematically shows a vertical sectional view of Figure 9; and Figure 11 schematically shows a horizontal sectional view of Figure 10 along the axis B-B '.
• the present invention relates to the ejection of closure elements 1.
• closure elements 1 may consist of stoppers or caps intended to close containers, in particular flasks or bottles, made of plastic, glass or metal, in particular aluminum. Said closure elements can be made of any type of material, in particular plastic or metal.
• FIG. 2 shows in particular the plugs, aligned in a train ready to be ejected. Such an ejection makes it possible to supply the plugs in a flow, in particular continuous and oriented, towards at least one station located downstream.
• the supply of plugging elements is carried out by means of a specific sorting module, commonly called a “cap-feeder”.
• a sorting module receives said plugs in bulk at the input and ensures, on the one hand, the sorting of these plugs in order to dispose them in a suitable positioning with a view, on the other hand, to supply the sorted plugs to the station.
• downstream work on the production line The main roles of such a downstream workstation are to fill the containers and then to close them by means of the sorted caps.
• said downstream workstation may consist of a bottling module provided with a unit for capping the containers, or else a unit for sterilizing said capping elements.
• the invention relates to a device 2 for supplying sorted plugging elements 1.
• Such a device 2 comprises a bulk storage volume 20 of said closure elements 1.
• a storage volume 20 may be in the form of a hopper, into which the caps are poured.
• the device 2 also comprises an elevation conveyor 21.
• a conveyor is in the form of a belt provided with an ascending strand penetrating said storage volume 20.
• Such a belt is preferably provided with an endless belt, wound around return rollers, at least one of which is motorized.
• the conveyor 21 extends vertically or substantially vertically, ensuring the movement in a generally vertical direction of the caps.
• said elevation conveyor 21 comprises on the outer face a plurality of cleats 22 oriented transversely with respect to said belt. These cleats 22 are spaced so as to determine a housing 23 between two adjacent cleats 22, so that each housing 23 takes several of said closure elements 1 during its passage through said storage volume 20.
• a plurality of cleats 22 are oriented horizontally or substantially horizontally and spaced so as to determine the housing 23 between the upper edge of a lower cleat and the lower edge of an upper cleat, the spacing between the bottom of the top cleat and the top of the bottom cleat being determined as a function of the plugs to be treated by the device 2. Therefore, when the carpet passes through volume 20, plugs are inserted into each housing 23 and are moved along the ascending strand.
• the device 2 may comprise a means 24 for sorting by imbalance of the caps present within their housing 23, said sorting means cooperating with the movement of said elevating conveyor 21, so as to drop the caps that are incorrectly oriented. present in their housing 23.
• a first sorting of the plugs is carried out, naturally due to the dimensioning of the housings 23 and the inclination of the conveyor 21.
• the incorrectly oriented stoppers in particular positioned upside down, are unbalanced and come out of their housing 23, falling under the effect of gravity in the storage volume 20.
• Such sorting can be accentuated by a punctual change of inclination of the conveyor 21, for example in the form of a hump located at a height of the conveyor 21, similar to a "speed bump".
• Such a sorting means 24 on a speed bump is in particular visible in FIG.
• Such sorting can also be carried out by other means, such as by vibrations transmitted to the belt or to the cleats 21, or even by means of air pulsed or blown towards the housings 23.
• the device 2 also comprises means 25 for ejecting the stopper elements 1 present in each housing 23 arriving at the upper part of said elevation conveyor 21.
• the ejection means 25 are mechanical. To do this, said ejection means 25 comprise at least one ejection finger 3. Said ejection means 25 may comprise several fingers 3, in particular at least two ejection fingers 3.
• said ejection means 25 comprise a single finger 3.
• the device 2 comprises means 26 for moving said ejection means 25.
• Such displacement means 26 in particular ensure the mobility of each finger 3 along and inside each housing 23, when it arrives at the upper part of the device 2.
• the actuation of the displacement means 26 is carried out synchronously with the upward displacement of the elevation conveyor 21.
• the movement of a finger 3 inside the housing is therefore effected transversely or substantially transversely, namely that it generally follows a horizontal path with a vertical component following the upward movement of said elevation conveyor 21, so as to transversely follow the interior of the housing located vis-à-vis the ejection means 25.
• each finger 3 during its movement inside a housing 23 comes into contact with the nearest stopper present and push the entire train of corks contained in said housing 23, by touch-and-key of the caps one by one. the others in the direction of said movement of said finger 3, until all the plugs of said train are ejected from the opposite side of said finger 3.
• each train of stoppers is carried out in particular through a dedicated opening present at this location, in the upper part of the device 2.
• said device 2 can comprise dedicated modules downstream, making it possible in particular to reference the flow of ejected caps, in order to send a regular flow of caps, in particular continuous, to the downstream workstation.
• said displacement means 26 comprise a belt 260 supporting at least one finger 3, in particular a base 30 of said at least one finger 3.
• Said belt 260 receives in removable attachment a finger 3 or at regular intervals several fingers 3.
• said belt 260 can receive two fingers 3, then placed in opposition, as visible in Figure 2.
• said belt 260 can be provided without end.
• Said belt 260 is wound around roller or pinion 261, of which at least one roller 261 is motorized and ensures the drive of said belt 260 and, thus, the displacement of the finger or fingers 3.
• the invention relates most particularly to the finger 3 for ejecting stopper elements 1.
• Such an ejection finger 3 comprises a body 31.
• Said body 31 may have any shape, in particular elongated, with a section in particular polygonal, preferably square.
• the body 31 has at least one front face, located on the downstream side with respect to the direction of movement, namely the front face is oriented towards the plugs to be ejected.
• the body 31 has at least one rear face, located in opposition to the front face.
• said body 31 is provided with a base 30.
• such a base 30 can serve as a fixing element for the finger 3 with the displacement means 26, in particular via holes 300 intended to cooperate with fixing elements (not shown).
• Such a base 30 may have any shape or section, extending essentially orthogonally with respect to the rest of the body 31.
• FIG. 3 An exemplary embodiment of a base 30 is very particularly visible in Figures 3 and 8.
• the body 31 may include on the front face a surplus 32 of material, having the particular function of stiffening the finger 3, reducing its elasticity and avoiding the risk of breakage in the event of strong torsion.
• a surplus 32 can be of any shape.
• An example of surplus 32 is shown in particular in Figures 3 and 8.
• At least said body 31 of finger 3 can be made of a composite material, resin or plastic, offering flexibility but also rigidity required to, on the one hand, ensure the thrust of a train of plugs and, on the other hand, retract by deforming, or even breaking, in the event of blockage of the caps at the time of their ejection, in order to avoid risks of deterioration of other components of the device 2, such as for example the belt 260 or the cleats 22, or even one of the motorizations of the device 2.
• the elasticity of the body 31 also ensures flexible contact against the first stopper of the train to be ejected, preventing it from being damaged.
• said finger 3 comprises a distal end 33. It is this distal end 33 which pushes the closest stopper at the time of ejection.
• said distal end 33 comprising a zone 34 before contact with one of said stopper elements 1 to be ejected, namely with the stopper element 1 present in a housing 23 and located closest to the finger 3.
• front zone 34 is understood in relation to the direction of movement of said finger 3.
• the invention in order to improve the resistance of said front zone 34, in particular against abrasion in contact with the plugs, provides for reinforcing at least part of the distal end 33 at the level of said front zone 34.
• the distal end 33 comprises an insert 4.
• the insert 4 is therefore included in the finger 3.
• Such an insert 4 is therefore preferably made of a more resistant material than the material constituting the rest of the body 31 of the finger 3.
• said body 31 may be of composite material, in particular of plastic material, while said insert 4 is of metallic material, in particular of stainless steel, or even of surgical-type steel.
• the insert 4 is provided with at least one front surface 40 dimensioned to at least partially cover said front zone 34.
• said front surface 40 comprises dimensions determined to come over the front face 34 of the distal end 33, in particular at least at the level of a portion located at the level of the point or points of contact with the first stopper of the train to be ejected.
• said insert 4 only comprises a front surface 40.
• a front surface 40 can be in the form of a plate 40.
• This plate can generally have a rectangular or square parallelepiped shape.
• Said plate 40 can be dimensioned according to the dimensions of the distal end 33 of the body 3, in particular having the same width, as in particular visible in FIG. 6.
• said insert 4 comprises a front surface 40 and a rear surface 42.
• Said rear surface 42 is located in opposition to said front surface 40, on the rear face of the finger 3 and makes it possible in particular to balance the insert 4.
• the symmetrical shape of the front surface 40 and rear surface 42 makes it possible to compensate a part. of the centrifugal force undergone by the insert 4 during the passage between the outward and return strands in the case of a belt drive 260, with regard to an imbalance for an insert 4 provided only with a front surface 40.
• Said rear surface 42 may be dimensioned approximately like the front surface 40, or else be larger or smaller, or even more or less thick.
• the front surface 40 is attached to the body 31.
• the finger 3 can comprise a means for fixing at least said front zone 34 with the front surface 40.
• Such a fixing of one and / or the other of the front surface 40 and rear surface 42 can be carried out by gluing or heat sealing, by means of an adhesive or a suitable resin.
• said fixing means comprises a core 43 extending at least partly internally within said distal end 33.
• the core 43 is included in the interior of the body 31 of the finger 3. It can extend over part of its width, as shown in particular in the embodiments of Figures 5 to 7.
• the core 43 extends over the entire width of the distal end 33 of the body 30 of the finger 3. Therefore, the core 43 connects said surface 40 front and said rear surface 42. In short, the core 43 passes right through the distal end 33.
• the core 43 makes it possible to improve the retention of the insert 4 within the material of said finger 3, in particular the fixing of the inclusion of the insert 4 at the time of manufacture of said finger 3.
• said core 43 may comprise at least one orifice 44, located inside said distal end 33.
• said at least one orifice 44 is located on a portion of the core 43 which is surrounded by the material of the distal end 33. Further, said at least one orifice 44 is filled with the material constituting said distal end 33.
• An orifice 44 can have any section, polygonal, parallelepiped, rectangle or square, or even rounded, in particular circular.
• An orifice 44 may be a blind hole, as can be seen in particular in the embodiment of FIG. 6.
• the core 43 may also include several orifices 44, arranged at different levels of said core 43.
• two orifices 44 may be located aligned, in opposition, namely that they have the same longitudinal median axis, as visible in particular on the embodiment of Figure 6.
• said at least one orifice 44 is through, namely that it extends transversely and opens out on either side of the core 43.
• a through orifice 44 is in particular visible in FIGS. 9 and 11.
• said at least one orifice 44 can extend in any direction with respect to the core 43, transversely with respect to its median axis, in particular preferably horizontally and / or orthogonally with respect to said median axis of said web. 43.
• said insert 4 can comprise sharp and projecting edges, but preferably comprises at least one rounded edge, in particular several. Said at least one rounded edge may be located at any part of said insert 4, in particular at the level of the orifice 44, of the core 43, or even of the plate 41 of one and / or the other of the front surface 40 and rear surface 42.
• the finger 3 can comprise at least one chamfer 5 entering from said base 31 towards said distal end 33.
• a chamfer 5 is therefore located under or else at the junction with said front zone 34, as in particular visible in FIGS. 4 and 5 or even in FIGS. 9 and 10.
• Said at least one chamfer 5 is provided re-entrant, namely that ' it penetrates towards the interior of the material of said finger 3, in particular of the distal end 33.
• the finger 3 comprises a single chamfer 5 at the level of the front face, to receive said plate 41 from the front surface 40 of the insert 4.
• the finger 3 comprises two chamfers 5 located on the front face and the rear face of said finger 3, respectively receiving the plates 41 of the front surface 40 and of the rear surface 42.
• Said at least one chamfer 5 makes it possible in particular to position the plate 40 of the front surface 40 and / or of the rear surface 42, at least partially inside the body 31, relative to its front or rear face.
• said at least one chamfer 5 is dimensioned to position the front surface 40 and / or the rear surface 42 flush with the front and rear faces of said finger 3, respectively.
• FIG. 7 shows in particular an embodiment of a finger 3 without a chamfer 5.
• the plate 41 of the front face 40 then comes to rest directly on the front face of the front area 34.
• said at least one chamfer 5 comprises a bevel slightly inclined, towards the distal end 33.
• said at least one chamfer 5 comprises a bevel extending orthogonally with respect to the front face of the body 31 of the finger 3.
• said at least one chamfer 5 is curved.
• the invention also relates to a method of manufacturing an ejection finger 3 as described above.
• Such a manufacturing process can be carried out by adding material.
• all or part of the ejection finger 3 can be produced by depositing material, in particular by successive layers or strata. Such a deposit can be made by a three-dimensional printing operation (called “3D printing”).
• the deposited layers may be of the same material or of several different materials, such as a composite, resin or plastic, or even metallic material.
• the body 31 of the ejection finger 3 can be produced by depositing layers of composite or plastic material, while the insert 4 can be in one piece or include several elements or parts joined together.
• the insert 4 can be manufactured and / or assembled beforehand.
• said insert 4 consists of a single piece machined or obtained by molding, then positioned during manufacture by supplying material from said body 31, so that said insert 4 is at least partially included in said body 31.
• the core 43 of said insert 4, in particular said at least one orifice 44 is found incorporated within the layers successively deposited during the manufacture of said body 31.
• Another technique for manufacturing the ejection finger 3 may consist of a manufacturing process by molding.
• the insert 4 is manufactured beforehand then attached so as to be incorporated into the material of said body 31 during its manufacture.
• said insert 4 is loaded into a mold, then said insert 4 is overmolded by injection of a composite or plastic material within said mold.
• the mold therefore determines the final shape of the body 31, which will integrate the insert 4 placed before the injection of the material to be molded, in particular by injection.
• the body 31 then consists of a single piece, incorporating the insert 4, in particular its core 43, sealing it very particularly through the material taken in said at least one orifice 44.
• This manufacturing technique by molding improves the resistance of the insert 4 relative to the body 31, as well as the homogeneity of the material of said body 31, so as to obtain the required mechanical characteristics, in particular the resilience, elasticity and resistance to breaking of the finger 3 thus produced.
• the materials used during manufacture for the finger 3, in particular for the insert 4, are preferably compatible with food or agro-food use.
• the invention may also relate to an ejection finger 3 for a device for supplying sorted closure elements 1, as described above.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Injection Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Belt Conveyors (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=69190840

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2019
  • 2019-07-16 FR FR1908001A patent/FR3098805B1/fr active Active
• 2020
  • 2020-07-15 MX MX2022000655A patent/MX2022000655A/es unknown
  • 2020-07-15 WO PCT/EP2020/069940 patent/WO2021009196A1/fr unknown
  • 2020-07-15 US US17/626,693 patent/US20220380136A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-07-15 BR BR112022000744A patent/BR112022000744A2/pt unknown
  • 2020-07-15 EP EP20740000.3A patent/EP3999451A1/de active Pending
  • 2020-07-15 CA CA3144825A patent/CA3144825A1/fr active Pending
  • 2020-07-15 CN CN202080050495.2A patent/CN114096477A/zh active Pending

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