ES2369690T3 - CONTAINER, APPARATUS AND METHOD TO PRODUCE A CONTAINER. - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for packaging at least initially fluid products, comprises drawing forming means (2) arranged for drawing a first web (11) of sheet material and a second web (13) of said sheet material, said sheet material being deformable by drawing, heat-welding means (4), arranged downstream of said forming means (2), for welding said first web (11) to said second web (13), supplying means (3) being arranged between said forming means (2) and said heat- welding means (4), for supplying said heat -welding means (4) with a central web (32) interposed between said first web (11) and said second web (13).

Description

Container, apparatus and method for producing a container

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing a container, specifically, for packaging food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products. Machines for packing fluid products or products that solidify after being packaged are known, in which a first band and a second band, produced by stretching a deformable material, are welded so that cavities formed by stretching the first band are arranged in additional cavities formed by stretching the second band in order to define a cavity in which the material to be packaged is subsequently dispensed.

Therefore, the cavity defines a container of the product to be packaged.

WO 2004069658 describes an apparatus for forming containers from sheet material. The sheet materials that can be used can be multilayer, specifically, the presence of a layer of metallic material associated with one or more layers of plastic is possible. A sheet material from a first coil and a sheet material from a second coil 4 are unwound and cut longitudinally, respectively, to obtain four bands, thereby obtaining two opposite rows of containers that allow the productivity of the apparatus to be doubled. The bands are supplied to a preheating station and then to a first functional station, a forming station and a second functional station.

29. US 6883295 describes an apparatus and method according to the preambles of claims 1 and 7, and describes a plant for manufacturing a double pocket container of a thermally conformable and thermally weldable material, the plant comprising a supply station that supplies two external tapes connected at the bottom to a supply station that supplies a tape arranged centrally. Next, the two external tapes and the central belt are supplied to a preheating station to preheat the external tapes and to a soldering station to weld the two external tapes and the central belt together. After welding, the forming station houses the tapes welded in mold halves that have the same shape as the final containers for the introduction of a forming fluid and for the expansion of the two external tapes made of plastic material to obtain said containers

An object of the invention is to improve known machines for packaging fluid products or products that solidify after they have been packaged.

Another object of the invention is to produce more versatile containers that, for example, may contain different types of fluid products or products that solidify after being packaged.

In a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus according to claim 1 is disclosed.

In a second aspect of the invention, a method according to claim 7 is disclosed.

Therefore, thanks to the invention, it is possible to produce containers in which the first cavity and the second cavity formed by the forming means in the first band and in the second band, respectively, are separated by the central wall.

In this way, the containers produced can contain, within a first chamber defined by the first cavity and inside a second chamber defined by the second cavity, several doses of the same material or different materials.

The containers are produced thanks to an apparatus that can process strips of sheet material that are deformable by stretching, for example, made of a material comprising an aluminum film.

In this way, the containers produced allow to obtain a great protection against the light of the contained products and prevent the passage of gas through the external walls.

Additionally, the central wall is made in order to prevent the passage of gas or material between the first and second chambers.

The containers produced by the apparatus and the method according to the invention can be used to package a wide range of products.

For example, the containers can be used advantageously in cases where it is necessary to arrange several compartments in a container to dispense doses of the same product at different times.

The containers can also be used advantageously to contain different products arranged to interact at the time of dispensing, for example, two components of a medical product.

The containers can also be used to contain doses of various products that will be used at different stages of the same treatment, for example, an aesthetic treatment in which the container contains a shampoo and a conditioner.

If the container contains different products, the first and second chambers may be made in order to have a different capacity.

The understanding and implementation of the invention will be improved by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which some embodiments of the invention are shown by way of non-limiting example, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a part of an embodiment of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial flat section of the forming means of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a band at the end of a first stage of a stretch forming process;

Figure 5 is a perspective view like that of Figure 4 at the end of a second stage of the stretch forming process;

Figure 6 is a cross section of a continuous side band used according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 is a cross-section of a central band used to obtain a central wall of a container according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a side view of a band of containers produced according to the invention;

Figure 9 is a cross section of the container of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a side view of the container produced by the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figures 1 and 2 refer to an apparatus 1 for packaging fluid products or products that solidify after being packaged according to an embodiment of the invention and comprising forming means 2, supply means 3, thermal welding means 4, filling means 5, sealing means 6 and cutting means 7.

The forming means 2 comprise a first forming station 8 and a second forming station 9 next to each other and arranged to form, by stretching, first cavities 10 in a first continuous band 11 and second cavities 12 in a second continuous band 13, respectively.

The first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13 are displaced to the first forming station 8 and the second forming station 9, respectively, by means of movable means, not shown, for example, movable clamps along one direction Forward F, shown in Figure 1, and arranged downstream with respect to the first forming station 8 and with respect to the second forming station 9.

The mobile media allow the continuous bands 11 and 13 to be indexed synchronously.

The first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13 are unwound, during stages of movement, by additional supply means, not shown, for example, by a first coil and by a second coil, respectively, and are moved towards the means 2 of conformation.

The first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13 are made of a material that is conformable by stretching.

The first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13 comprise superimposed films made of different materials, for example, as shown in Figure 6, a first film 60 that is not stretchable, made of aluminum, and a second film 61 made of thermally weldable plastic.

The mobile means are configured to place in each movement stage a first part 14 of the first continuous band 9 and a second part 15 of the second continuous band 11 that have not yet been formed between male means 16 and means 17 of the cavity of conformation of the respective forming station 8, 9. Figures 3, 4 and 5 refer to a forming stage during which the first continuous band 11 is formed by stretching inside the first forming station 8.

The forming stage extends between a stage in which the continuous band 11 is displaced and a subsequent stage in which the continuous band 11 is displaced.

During the forming stage, the male means 16 approach the forming cavity means 17 and the zones of the continuous bands 11 are pushed by mobile reserve shaping blades 18 in a Z direction, shown in Figure 3 , inside the first corresponding shaping cavities 19 to form reserves 20 of material inside the latter.

The material reserves 20 formed in this way in the first continuous band 11, which can be seen in Figure 4, have a concave profile.

Next, males 21 of said male means 16 interact with second forming cavities 22, which alternate with the first forming cavities 19 in the forming cavity means 17, to form the first cavities 10 in the first continuous band eleven.

A first part 25 of the material pushed by the reserve forming blades 18 to form the material reserves 20, shown in Figure 5, leaves the first forming cavities 19 and is moved towards stretching zones 26 in which the males 21 interact with the first continuous band 11, as shown by the arrows R of Figure 5.

A second part 27 of the material pushed by the reserve forming blades 18 to form the material reserves 20 is not displaced towards the stretching zones 26, since it is too far from the latter, and also maintains the concave profile at the end of the stretching stage.

Therefore, the cavities 10 are formed without subjecting the continuous band 11 to tensions that could alter the characteristics of the continuous band 11 or damage the continuous band 11.

Specifically, by doing this, it is avoided to stretch the continuous band 11 during the stretching stage and damage the continuous band 11.

Simultaneously, during a similar forming stage, in the second forming station 9, the second cavities 12 of the second continuous band 13 are formed by stretching according to methods similar to those described above.

During subsequent movement stages, the first continuous shaped band 11 and the second continuous shaped band 13 are indexed to the thermal welding means 4 by the mobile means.

Before arriving next to the thermal welding means 4, the trajectory of the bands 11 and 13 is diverted by means 28 of deviation in order to bring the first continuous band 11 to the second continuous band 13 and so that the first cavities 10 they are arranged next to the second cavities 12.

The diversion means 28 are made for the purpose of deflecting the bands 11 and 13 without altering the shape of the cavities 10, 12. The diversion means 28 comprise a pair of free rollers 29 and a pair of cylindrical elements 30 in which wind up parts of the continuous bands 11 and 13.

The continuous bands 11, 13 come into contact with the rollers 29 along a surface 62 located on one side of the continuous bands 11, 13 opposite the face on which the cavities 10 and 12 are formed, together with zones 38 that have not been stretched by males 21.

Advantageously, in order to avoid deforming the cavities 10, 12 excessively, the rollers 29 have a large diameter compared to the dimensions of the cavities 10, 12, considered in the forward direction F.

In order to avoid the presence of a rigid surface of each cylindrical element 30 that deforms the cavities 10, 12 while the continuous bands 11, 13 are deflected, the cylindrical elements 30 are provided with end wheels 31 made of spongy material, by means of which contact with the continuous bands 11, 13 occurs in areas sufficiently distant from the cavities 10, 12.

In addition, the end wheels 31 have a larger diameter compared to the dimension of the cavities 10, 12.

To decrease the parts of the continuous bands that are wound on the rollers 29 and the extreme wheels 31 and, therefore, the deformation to which the bands are subjected to deflect their trajectory, each roller 29 is placed at a sufficient distance of the corresponding cylindrical element 30 attached to the same continuous band 11,

13.

Between the forming means 2 and the thermal welding means 4 are provided supply means 3 configured to supply a central continuous band 32 to the thermal welding means. The supply means 3 are configured to place the central continuous band 32 in a position disposed between the first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13.

The supply means 3 comprise a coil, not shown, from which the central continuous band 32 is unwound, and roller means, not shown, suitable for keeping the latter tensioned when unwinding it from the coil and inserting it between the two continuous bands 11 and 13.

The supply means 3 further comprise an inclined fixed axis 33, shown in Figures 1 and 2, disposed between the continuous bands 11 and 13 to deflect the central continuous band 32 arriving from the roller means, and which directs the band 32 continues central along a direction substantially parallel to the forward direction F, in order to introduce the central continuous band 32 between the two continuous bands 11 and 13 upstream with respect to the thermal welding means 4.

The cylindrical elements 30 are arranged to bring the first continuous band 11 and the second continuous band 13 to the central continuous band 32, upstream with respect to the thermal welding means 4.

The central continuous band 32 may be a plastic band or a band which, as shown in Figure 7, comprises a central film 34 made of metallic material, for example aluminum, covered by two side films 35, made of plastic thermally weldable, arranged to allow the central continuous band 32 to be welded to the continuous bands 11 and 13 during a thermal welding stage.

The thermal welding means 4 are arranged to weld the first band 11 and the second band 13 to a first lateral surface 36 and a second lateral surface 37 of the central continuous band 32, respectively.

The thermal welding means 4 comprise a pair of mold halves arranged to close, heating the zones 38 of the continuous bands 11 and 13 that were not deformed during the stretching stage and the corresponding zones of the first lateral surface 36 and of the second lateral surface 37 facing each other, thus compacting the continuous bands 11 and 13 and the central continuous band 32.

In this way, the second film made of thermally weldable plastic of the first continuous band 11 and of the second continuous band 13 is welded to the central continuous band 32, regardless of whether the latter is made entirely of plastic or has side films 35.

During the thermal welding stage, between the first continuous continuous band 11 and the central continuous band 32 and between the second continuous continuous band 13 and the central continuous band 32, first elongate elements 39 and second elongate elements 40, respectively, shown in the Figure 2, which prevents the formation of welds along additional zones 41 that extend from a peripheral zone of the continuous bands 11, 13 to the first cavities 10 and the second cavities 12, respectively. Along said additional zones, ducts 42, shown in Figures 8 and 9, are defined at the end of the thermal welding stage, the ducts 42 communicating the cavities 10 and 12 with the external environment.

To facilitate the introduction of the elongate elements 39 and 40 between the central continuous band 32 and the continuous continuous bands 11 and 13, it is possible to use a central continuous band 32 having a width that is larger than that of the continuous bands 11 and 13 and providing the supply means 3 so that an excess of material 43 with respect to the width of the continuous bands 11 and 13 is disposed at one end of the central continuous band 32, said end being configured to interact with the elongate elements 39 and 40.

The first continuous band 11, the second continuous band 13 and the central continuous band 32 define a band 44 of containers, after being welded by the thermal welding means.

Additional mobile means, not shown, for example, additional mobile clamps along the forward direction F, index the band 44 of containers towards the filling means 5 in a synchronized manner with the mobile means.

The filling means 5 are arranged to fill the first cavities 10 and the second cavities 12 with the fluid products or with the products that solidify after being packaged.

The filling means 5 comprise a plurality of mobile nozzles arranged to be introduced into the ducts 42 and to dispense in the cavities 10 and 12 products to be packaged, for example, the fluid products or the products that solidify after being packaged.

Next, the band 44 of containers is moved by the additional mobile means to sealing means 6 arranged to close the conduit 42 by an additional thermal welding stage, in order to seal the cavities 10 and 12.

The band 44 of containers is then moved by the additional mobile means to cutting means arranged to cut the latter, in order to separate single containers 45.

Each container 45 is provided with a first chamber 48 defined by the first cavity 10 and a second chamber 49 defined by the second cavity 12, and contains, depending on the products to be packaged dispensed by the filling means 5, several doses thereof material or different materials. The cutting means 7 can cut the band in order to obtain container shapes 45 that can be used advantageously by the user. For example, zone 38 can be cut to form a grip area for the user and to simplify the opening operation of the container 45.

Figure 10 shows a container 45 provided with an edge 46 that surrounds the first chamber 48 and the second chamber 49.

5 The edge 46 is provided with a grip area 51 having a width larger than the edge 46, said grip area 51 being located in a lower part of the container 45 and being configured to be manipulated by the user.

Specifically, in the grip zone 51 a V-shaped notch 47 is configured which allows the container 45 to be easily opened when it is desired to dispense the products contained therein.

10 The first chamber 48 and the second chamber 49 may be made so that one has dimensions other than the other, for example, to contain other quantities of product, or so that one has a different shape from the other, for the purpose of allow to open a chamber every time when the containers are produced ready to dispense the products contained at different times.

In this case, it is possible to arrange several notches properly positioned in areas of the edge 46, arranged 15 to allow opening one chamber at a time.

Advantageously, the central continuous web 32 arranged to form a separating wall between the first chamber 48 and the second chamber 49 may comprise a central film 34 made of aluminum.

In this way, when the container 45 contains two doses of the same product to be dispensed at different times, the second dose that remains inside the container 45 for longer is more protected.

20 and isolated from the external environment, since aluminum has excellent barrier properties.

In addition, when the container 45 contains two products that are different from each other, the presence of the film made of aluminum optimally prevents interaction between the two products.

Claims (14)

An apparatus for packaging fluid products at least initially, comprising stretching forming means (2) arranged to stretch a first web (11) of sheet material and a second web (13) of said sheet material, said sheet material being deformable by stretching and comprising a film that is not very stretchable, specifically, a film made of aluminum, thermal welding means (4) arranged downstream with respect to said forming means (2) for welding said first band (11) to said second band (13), characterized in that said forming means (2) comprise a first station (8) forming and a second forming station (9) next to each other and arranged to form, by stretching, first cavities (10) and second cavities (12) in said first band (11) and in said second band (13), respectively, and because, between said forming means (2) and said thermal welding means (4), supply means (3) arranged to provide said thermal welding means (4) with a central band (32) disposed between said first band (11) and said second band (13), said supply means (3) comprising an inclined axis (33) to deflect the trajectory of said central band (32) in order to arrange said band central (32) between said first band (11) and said second band (13).

2.

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supply means (3) comprise a coil arranged to supply said central band (32) and roller means arranged to keep said central band (32) tensioned inside said means (3 ) of supply.

3.

Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said thermal welding means (4) are formed so as to form a first chamber (48) between said central band (32) and said first band

(11) and a second chamber (49) between said central band (32) and said second band (13). 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said thermal welding means (4) comprise first means (39) of elongated element and second means (40) of elongated element, arranged to be introduced between said first band (11) and said central band (32) and between said second band (13) and said central band (32), respectively, to allow forming duct means (42) to connect said first chamber (48) and said second chamber (49), respectively, to an external environment.

5.

Apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, and further comprising filling means (5) arranged to fill said first chamber (48) and said second chamber (49) with said products, said filling means (5) comprising movable nozzle means arranged to be introduced into said conduit means (42) for dispensing said products.

6.

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said mobile nozzle means comprise nozzles arranged to dispense first products and second products in said first chamber (48) and in said second chamber (49), respectively.

7.

Method for packaging fluid products at least initially, which comprises stretching a first band (11) of sheet material and a second band (13) of said sheet material, said sheet material being deformable by stretching and comprising a film that is not stretchable, of specifically, a film made of aluminum, heat welding said first band (11) and said second band (13) after said stretching, characterized in that said stretching comprises forming first cavities (10) and second cavities (12) in said first band (11) and in said second band (13) in a first forming station (8) and in a second forming station (9), respectively, which are arranged next to each other, and because, between said forming and said welding, a central band (32) is supplied between said first band (11) and said second band (13), and wherein said supply comprises deflecting the di cha central band (32) by means of deflection means (33) to arrange said central band (32) between said first band (11) and said second band (13).

8.

Method according to claim 7, wherein said supply comprises unwinding said central band (32) of coil means and tensioning said central band (32) by roller means during said supply.

9.

Method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein said welding comprises forming first chambers (48) between said central band (32) and said first band (11) and second chambers (49) between said central band (32) and said second band (13).

10.

Method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein said welding comprises introducing first means (39) of elongated element and second means (40) of elongated element between said first band (11) and said central band (32) and between said second band (13) and said central band (32), respectively, to form conduit means (42) arranged to connect said first chamber (48) and said second chamber (49), respectively, to an external environment.

eleven.

Method according to claim 9 or 10, and comprising filling with said products said first chamber (48) and said second chamber (49) by means of filling (5), said filling comprising introducing means of

mobile nozzle in said conduit means (42) for dispensing said products.

12.

Method according to claim 11, wherein said dispensing of said products comprises dispensing first products and second products of said products in said first chamber (48) and in said second chamber (49), respectively, by means of nozzles.

13.

Method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, and comprising cutting, by means of cutting, said first band (11), said second band (13) and said third band (32) after said welding, in order to obtain a container (45) provided with said first chamber (48) and said second chamber (49).

14.

Method according to claim 13, wherein said cut comprises forming an edge (46) of said container

(45) in order to define a cut (47) arranged to facilitate the opening of said container (45).