GB2128161A

GB2128161A - Conditioning and packing plant

Info

Publication number: GB2128161A
Application number: GB08325817A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reginald David Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-10-13
Filing date: 1983-09-27
Publication date: 1984-04-26
Also published as: GB8325817D0

Abstract

Plant for conditioning and packing textile or other materials or articles comprises a transportable container (11) that can be mounted on a trailer and can be stacked, for example, in a container base or on a container ship, housing a conditioning zone (12), air conditioning equipment (13) supplying conditioned air to the conditioning zone, and a packing zone (14) in which materials or articles conditioned in the packing zone are packed. The packing zone may also be air conditioned and include a compression or other packaging machine (15) and a work table (16) as well as storage space. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conditioning and packing plant This invention relates to conditioning and packing plant for conditioning and packing textile or other materials or articles.

It is known that preconditioning textile materials and garments prior to packing, primarily by reducing the moisture regain of the material, avoids permanent or hard-to-remove creasing during storage. Furthermore, garments can be vacuum packed after preconditioning without the development of such creasing. It has recently been discovered that garments can even be compression packed after suitable pre-conditioning, still without creases being rendered permanent or hard to remove.

Since vacuum packing and compression packing both result in considerably reduced volume and, in some instances, reduced weight, substantial savings in storage and transportation costs can be achieved.

Conditioning and packing plants have therefore been set up to which textile articles have been shipped for vacuum packaging. These plants comprise essentially long tunnels into which conditioned air is introduced. The tunnels contain conveyor means on which the articles-either on trays or on hangers-pass through the tunnels from one end to the other, taking typically a few hours to a day.

The tunnels open into packing rooms in which the conditioned articles are vacuum packed.

The plants are essentially run as "terminal operations" to which a number of manufacturers deliver unpacked goods to be conditioned and packed for onward transmission to a remote destination.

A disadvantage of such plants is that arti cles for conditioning and packing have first of all to be delivered to the plant from the manufacturer. Even in a short journey, garments can develop creases which, because they were developed with the garment in an unconditioned state, i.e. one with relatively high moisture regain, can become permanent or at least hard to remove. Also, such plants have to take a mix of products, of which some may comprise essentially polyester, say, which has a low moisture regain anyway, and needs a relatively short conditioning time, while others may comprise wool, which has a high regain and needs a substantially longer time under the same conditions. Yet in the tunnel, all items travel at the same speed, and this is wasteful of space, time, capital cost and energy.

The present invention provides a conditioning and packing plant not subject to these drawbacks.

The invention comprises conditioning and packing plant for conditioning and packing textile or other materials or articles comprising a transportable container housing a conditioning zone, air conditioning equipment supplying conditioned air to said conditioning zone, and a packing zone in which materials or articles conditioned in the conditioning zone are packed.

Said air conditioning equipment may also supply conditioned air to said packing zone.

Said packing zone may include a compression packaging machine.

Said transportable container may comprise a standard shipping container, which may be mounted on a vehicular trailer and may have no or only readily demountable projections, such for example as air intakes and outlets, outside the shell of the container to permit of stacking as for example in a container base or on a container ship.

Although the plant can also have an independent power source such for example as a diesel generator set, it may be more convenient just to adapt it for connection to an external electric power supply-in general, the plant will be used close to a manufacturing plant where an electric supply will be available.

The air conditioning equipment may be located between the conditioning zone and the packing zone, with a sealable door between the two zones, and the plant may also comprise sealable outer doors to the conditioning and packing zones.

Ducting from the air conditioning equipment to the conditioning zone may be adapted to direct air into the conditioning zone in such manner as to circulate the air throughout the zone avoiding stagnation in any part thereof.

The transportable container is preferably heat insulated.

Control means may be provided sensing when materials and/or articles in the conditioning zone are conditioned and effecting a warning signal or a control operation accordingly.

One embodiment of conditioning and packing plant according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 is a plan view, and Figure 3 is a view of the plant mounted on a trailer for transportation.

The conditioning and packing plant illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 comprises a standard 20 ft. (6.10 m) steel shipping container 11 housing a conditioning zone 12, air conditioning equipment 1 3 supplying conditioned air to said conditioning zone 12, and a packing zone 14 in which materials or articles conditioned in the conditioning machine are packed.

The air conditioning equipment 1 3 also supplies conditioned air to the packing zone 14, which zone includes a compression pack aging machine 1 5 and a work tabie 1 6 as well as storage space for packing materials such as plastic bags, articles to be packed and packed articles.

The conditioning zone 12 will include suitable shelving (not shown) to take the materials or articles to be conditioned.

An air intake/exhaust chimney 1 7 is demountabie located atop the container 11, this comprising essentially the only projection outside the shell of the container 11 and being readily demountable to permit transportation of the container.

The air conditioning equipment 1 3 is located between the conditioning zone 1 2 and the packing zone 14, there being a sealable door 1 8 between the two zones. Further sealable outer doors 19, 21 are provided to the conditioning and packing zones 12, 14 respectively.

Ducting 22 from the air conditioning equipment 1 3 to the conditioning zone 1 2 is adapted to direct air into the conditioning zone 1 2 in such manner as to circulate the air throughout the zone 1 2 avoiding stagnation in any part thereof. As shown, the ducting 22 delivers conditioned air via a lower grille 23 and extracts air for recirculation via a grille 24. The air conditioning equipment 1 3 delivers conditioned air into the packing zone 14 via a grille 25.

The container 11 is desirably heat insulated as by comprising a double shell with heat insulating material between the inner and outer shells.

A control panel 26 is provided for control means sensing, as by thermometers sensing air temperature and material or article temperature, the moisture regain of the material or articles in the conditioning zone 1 2 and effecting a warning signal or a control (e.g.

shut-down) operation when the materials or articles are conditioned.

Fig. 3 shows the container 11, with chimney 1 7 retracted or demounted, being transported on a vehicular trailer 31.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims

1. Conditioning and packing plant for conditioning and packing textile or other materials or articles comprising a transportable container housing a conditioning zone, air conditioning equipment supplying conditioned air to said conditioning zone, and a packing zone in which materials or articles conditioned in the conditioning zone are packed.

2. Plant according to claim 1, said air conditioning equipment also supplying conditioned air to said packing zone.

3. Plant according to claim 1 or claim 2, said packing zone including a compression packaging machine.

4. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3, said transportable container comprising a standard shipping container.

5. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 4, said transportable container being mountable on a vehicular trailer.

6. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 5, said transportable container having no or only readily demountable projections outside the shell of the container.

7. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 6, adapted for connection to an extended electric power supply.

8. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the air conditioning equipment is located between the conditioning zone and the packing zone, with a sealable door between the two zones.

9. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising sealable outer doors to the conditioning and packing zones.

10. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising ducting from the air conditioning equipment to the conditioning zone adapted to direct air into the conditioning zone in such manner as to circulate the air throughout the zone avoiding stagnation in any part thereof.

11. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in which the transportable container is heat insulated.

1 2. Plant according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising control means sensing when materials and/or articles in the conditioning zone are conditioned and effecting a warning signal or a control operation accordingly.