ES2239434T3 - PACKING AND STACKING DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The component consists of a plastics panel (2) with a reinforcing member (3) along at least one end. The reinforcing member is made from end flaps, e.g. five in number, on the panel which are rolled inwards, with one of the flaps welded to the panel.

Description

Packaging and stacking device.

The present invention relates to an element of plastic packaging, which comprises at least one wall and at least one reinforcing stringer integral with this wall.

Within the field of packaging (see document US-A-3 499 597) tends to be used more and more plastic materials instead of cardboard.

Indeed, plastic materials present numerous advantages over cardboard, including its duration of useful life, its resistance to physical or chemical aggressions, its mechanical strength and rigidity, its imputrible quality and the absence of dust particles emission. In addition, the subjects Plastics allow to manufacture light, reusable objects, Recyclable and reduced cost.

For the realization with plastic material of a Packaging element as defined above, is used usually to injection, thermoforming, molding or assembly, relatively complicated and expensive operations and / or that They lead to relatively heavy packaging elements.

The invention aims to solve these problems, providing such packaging element, light, rigid and relatively simple and economical manufacturing.

For this purpose, the invention aims at a packaging element according to claim 1.

According to particular embodiments, the element can comprise one or more of the characteristics following, taken in isolation or according to all combinations technically possible:

- said flap is fixed to the panel by welding, by specular effect;

- the element comprises a coating, in particular of polyurethane, inside said stringer;

- the element comprises two stringers provided at the level of opposite edges, particularly longitudinal, of the wall;

- the element comprises several stringers that surround the wall;

- the element comprises at least two adjacent beams joined together, in particular by welding by specular effect;

- the element is made of polypropylene, in particular alveolar;

- the element constitutes a container;

- the element constitutes an interleaving element stacking whose wall is intended to be arranged between items to stack.

- the element comprises at least two stringers adapted for another interleaving element to rest on the same without leaning on an article placed on said wall when stacking items.

The object of the invention is also the use of an element as defined above for stack fragile or soft items, particularly together to Doors of motor vehicles.

The invention will be better understood by reading of the description that follows, given only by way of example, and made with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic view, in perspective, of an interleaving element of grouping according to the invention,

- Figure 2 is a schematic view, in perspective, of a preliminary, flat piece that allows the interleaving element of figure 1,

- Figure 3 is a schematic view, in elevation, which illustrates a use of the interleaving element of the Figure 1,

- Figure 4 is a schematic view, from above, of a variant of the interleaving element of grouping of Figures 1 to 3,

- Figure 5 is a schematic view, in perspective, of a preliminary, flat piece that allows the interleaving element of figure 4,

- Figure 6 is a schematic view from above, of another variant of the interlayer stacking element of Figures 1 to 3,

- Figure 7 is a schematic, partial and in perspective of a container box, according to the invention, and

- Figure 8 is a schematic section, partial and on a larger scale, illustrating a stringer of a variant of the interleaving element of figures 1 to 3.

Figure 1 represents an interleaving element of stacking 1 made of plastic material, comprising a wall flat 2 rectangular central, and two straight stringers rigid cross-sections 3 arranged along both sides opposite minors of the flat wall 2.

The stringers 3, integral with the plate 2, are of noticeably square and hollow sections.

The interleaving element 1 is made from of a flat preliminary piece, previously trimmed and grooved for allow folding, such as the one in figure 2. The blank 4 of Figure 2 comprises an extended rectangular central panel 5 at the level of each of its minor sides by four flaps successive rectangular 6 to 9.

To perform the interleaving element 1 of stacking from preliminary piece 4, fold back to each side of panel 5 the flaps 6 to 9 spirally wound them, like appears schematized by arrows in figure 2, and then fix each last flap 9 on the panel 5. This fixing can be secured by welding, in particular using nozzles hot air supply or having a heated plate between the facing faces of the flap 9 and panel 5 to make melt the polypropylene locally, and then apply the flap 9 against panel 5. This last type of welding will be called welding by specular effect.

This technique ensures the fixation of the flap 9 on panel 5 over a large length and therefore resist well the effect of the elasticity of the plastic part preliminary that would tend to separate the flap 9 from panel 5. They can be however use other welding techniques, for example the ultrasonic welding. In this case, several holes are provided 10 (in mixed lines in Figure 2) on each flap 7 for introduce a welding tool and weld in several places flaps 9 on panel 5.

The spiral wound structure is thus obtained of the stringers 3 (figure 1). The manufacture of such elements Interleaves can be fully automated. The operations of folding and welding can be secured directly after the trimming and grooving the blank 4.

Figure 3 illustrates the use of such interleaving elements 1 for stacking joints 12 for doors motor vehicles Each joint 12 is arranged on a wall 2 of an interleaving element 1, between its stringers 3. When carried out such stacking, the stringers 3 of an interleaving element 1 they support the interleaving element 1 located just above, of so that the corresponding seal 12 is not compressed between the two walls 2 of these adjacent intercalar elements 1. So therefore, these intercalar elements 1 carriers allow the satisfactory stacking of soft, deformable or fragile, for example pharmaceutical ampoules or bleach containers, and more generally non-carrier items that until now could not benefit from the use of intercalar elements of grouping without the use of additional carrier straps.

The spirally wound structure of the stringers 3 (figure 1) gives the interlayer 1 stiffness relatively important, taking advantage of the elasticity of the piece Preliminary plastic material used.

In addition, the rolled structure of the stringers 3 allows the interleaving element 1 to be made in one way relatively simple and economical.

More generally, preliminary piece 4 is equipped of cold or hot grooves, or cut lines marked by points to allow its fold and the realization of intercalar elements 1 of general polygonal shape.

According to a variant illustrated by Figure 4, the interleaving element 1 comprises a third longitudinal stringer rigid 14 along one of the major sides of the wall 2. This crossbar 14 is also integral with wall 2 and is attached to the two stringers 3, as we will describe below.

This interleaving element 1 can be made to from the preliminary piece of figure 5 that differs from the of figure 2 as follows. Four successive flaps rectangular 16 to 19 extend the central panel 5 to the level of one of its major sides.

A double folding flap 20 extends the flap 16 at the level of each of its minor sides.

Stringer 14 is made analogously to that of the stringers 3, by winding the flaps 16 to 19, as outlined by the arrow in figure 5, and by rear fixing of flap 19 on panel 5.

Then the crossbar 14 is attached to the stringers 3 by means of the double folding flaps 20 which fold and are fixed, for example by welding, on the flaps 6 of the stringers 3. On the other hand, reliefs can be arranged or a cavity 200 of tension in certain stringers 3 and / or 14 or on the wall of the interleaving element as depicted in mixed strokes in figure 4.

According to a second variant illustrated by the Figure 6, the interleaving element 1 comprises a second crossbar rigid longitudinal 14 arranged in front of the first stringer 14. The four stringers 3 and 14 are joined together by doubles folding flaps 20 such as those described above. These four stringers 3 and 14 form a peripheral frame surrounding the wall 2.

Thus, the interleaving element 1 of Figure 6 constitutes a container or retention container that can be made waterproof, in particular by the presence of welds at angle 201 made between adjacent ends of stringers 3 and 14 by example by welding by specular effect. This interleave element can therefore be used for storage and stacking and Extraction of items capable of escaping by sliding and / or thus allows to respond to confinement and retention charges imposed for the storage of certain items.

In addition, the presence of stringers 3 and 14 on all the edges of the wall 2 allows to increase the rigidity of the insert element 1.

Figure 7 represents the corner of another packaging element 1 according to the invention, which is a package whose adjacent side walls 21 and 22 are bordered respectively at the level of its upper edge by a rigid stringer 23 and by a rigid beam 24.

Walls 21 and 22 and stringers 23 and 24 they are formed from the same preliminary flat piece, folded The stringers 23 and 24 are formed by winding flaps that respectively extend panels that form walls 21 and 22, as we have described above, so that the crossbar 23 is integral with the wall 21 and that the crossbar 24 is wall joint 22. Fittings 25 are planned, for example made with hard polyurethane foam, inside the stringers 23 and 24.

The presence of the coatings 25 allows increase the stiffness of the stringers, and therefore that of the element of packaging to which they correspond, and consequently, stack items heavier or items with more important heights.

The stringers 23 and 24 are joined together to the level of its ends facing front, by welding 26 oriented at 45º with respect to the geometric axes of the beams 23 and 24 and obtained by welding by specular effect. According to some variants, welding 23 is obtained, for example, by hot air or by contribution of matter.

It should be noted that the orientation of this welding 26 may be different, for example parallel to the axis geometric of one of these stringers 23 and 24.

Figure 8 illustrates a variant of the element interleave stacking 1 of figures 1 to 3, where each stringer 3 is formed by spiral winding of five flaps of the preliminary piece.

Thus, as it has been represented with respect to one of the stringers 3 by figure 8, each stringer 3 comprises, in addition to the four flaps 6 to 9, a fifth flap 30 that extends the fourth flap 9. The fifth flap 30 or terminal flap is joined by a fold line 31 to the fourth flap 9 and is extends obliquely inside the stringer 3 considered to the fold line 32 that joins the second flap 7 and the third flap 8.

The fifth flap 30 rests against the angle of the stringer 3 formed at the level of the fold line 32. This fifth flap 30 thus maintains the fourth flap 9 applied against the panel 5.

The fifth flaps 30 reinforce the stringers 3.

This structure of the stringers 3 can also be applied to stringers 14 of figures 4 to 6.

More generally, we will say that the stringers they can be formed by winding the edges several times over themselves of a preliminary piece to form stringers noticeably massive and even more rigid.

As will be understood, walls can be used provided with stringers made according to the invention for numerous Applications within the field of packaging. All can be used the plastic materials for carrying out the invention and in particularly solid or cellular polyolefins.

Claims (13)

1. Plastic packaging element (1), comprising at least one wall (2; 21, 22) and at least one reinforcing crossbar (3, 14; 23, 24) integral with this wall, being made the beam and the wall from the same folded preliminary piece (4), the beam (3, 14) being rigid and comprising flaps (6 to 9, 16 to 19, 30) of the remaining piece (6) remaining spirally wound and extending a panel (5) of the preliminary piece that forms said wall (2), characterized in that one of said flaps (9, 19) is welded to said panel. 2. Element according to claim 1, characterized in that said flap (9, 19) is fixed to the panel (5) by welding by specular effect. 3. Element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stringer (3, 14) comprises at least one reinforcement flap (30) extending obliquely inside the said stringer (3, 14). Element according to claim 3, characterized in that the stringer (3) comprises at least five successive flaps (6 to 9, 30) of the preliminary piece which are spirally wound, which extend a panel (5) of the preliminary piece which forms said wall (2), and whose terminal flap (30) forms said reinforcement flap. 5. Packaging element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a lining (25), in particular polyurethane, inside said stringer (23, 24). 6. Element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises two stringers (3, 14) provided at the level of opposite, particularly longitudinal, edges of the wall (2). 7. Element according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises several stringers (3, 14) surrounding the wall (2). Element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least two adjacent stringers (3, 14; 21, 22) joined together, in particular by welding by specular effect. 9. Element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is made of polyolefin, in particular honeycomb. 10. Element according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it constitutes a container. 11. Element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it constitutes an intercalating grouping element whose wall (2) is intended to be arranged between articles (12) intended to be stacked. 12. Element according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises at least two stringers (3, 14) adapted so that another interleaving element (1) rests on them without resting on an article (12) located on said wall (2) ) when items (12) are stacked (figure 3). 13. Use of an interleaving element (1) according to claim 11 or 12 for stacking fragile items or soft, particularly seals for vehicle doors cars