GB2196943A

GB2196943A - Bag stacking machine

Info

Publication number: GB2196943A
Application number: GB08723570A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rene Francois Debin; William Van Der Gucht
Original assignee: FMC Corp
Current assignee: FMC Corp
Priority date: 1986-11-03
Filing date: 1987-10-07
Publication date: 1988-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 2007-10-07
Also published as: AU593685B2; DE3732437A1; JPS63117820A; AU7884487A; IT8722350A0; BR8705688A; JPH0460895B2; FR2605999A1; CA1291771C; GB2196943B; GB8723570D0; FR2605999B1; DE3732437C2; IT1231906B; BE1003065A5; ES2008308A6

Description

1 GB 2 196 943A 1

SPECIFICATION

Zero cycle interrupt wicket stacker In the manufacture of articles, for instance plastic bags or web segments that are further processed to produce bags it is known to use a wicket stacking article accumulator that allows the articles to be uniformly stacked.

Such a wicket stacking apparatus is shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,573,955 to Mory, et a]. The typical wicket stacking apparatus uses radially extending circumferentially spaced arms for transporting the articles from the forming machine to the stacking station which includes upwardly projecting pins or posts connected to the supporting plate. Supporting plates are attached to a take away mechanism such as a chain conveyor that takes away a full stack of articles and positions an empty supporting plate, with empty upstanding wickets, in position under the spared arms to collect a stack of articles on the newly placed supporting plate.

The normal wicket stacking machine is well known and would be the basic environment for the improvement provided by the apparatus of this invention.

One difficulty with conventional wicket stackers is that it is difficult to maximize production of the bag making machine due to the time constraint placed on the bag machine while the stacking apparatus serves an empty wicket containing stacking plate to the output of the bag making machine. In the past it has been necessary to interrupt the output of the machine for at least several cycles while an empty stacking plate is positioned. Another method of accomodating the dwell time necessary to position an empty stacking plate 105 has been to run the bag or article making machine at less than maximum bag making capacity thus accomodating the stacking station canabilitv. Neither of these two solutions are effective machine utilizations.. The instant invention presents a method of temporarily accumulating articles on a stacking means while an empty production stacking means is placed into position to receive articles in a conventional manner. Accordingly there is provided article stacking apparatus for use in the manufacture of plastic bags, cornprising a plurality of stacking means which can be indexed through a stacking station, an article serving means serving stackable articles to a stacking means at the stacking station, characterised in that there is provided interrupt support means moveable into position between a stacking means at the stacking station and the article serving means to temporarily accommodate said articles whilst another stacking means is indexed into position at the stacking station.

Preferably each stacking means comprises at least one upstanding wicket supported on a wicket stand, and the interrupt means cornprises an interrupt stacking plate located on one side of said stand and an interrupt support located on the other side of said stand which are mounted for reciprocal movement into said position between a stacking means and said article serving means, whereby the interrupt means is moved into said position on a predetermined production frequency basis.

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the following specification when read in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a conventional bag making ma- chine incorporating interrupt support means in accordance with the invention. Figure 2 is a schematic depiction of a production wicket stand having bags being stacked thereon; 85 Figure 3 is a schematic depiction of a temporary accumulator in operating position; Figure 4 is a schematic depiction of a full temporary accumulator. Fig. 1 is presented to show the general em- bodiment of the invention. That is generally a bag making machine representatively shown as 10 having a sealing and cutting head 12 and a take away apparatus 14 which will serve the articles being made, for instance bags, to a transfer means, generally 16, having radially extending circumferentially spaced apart arms such as 18 which will be vacuum arms that will hold both ends of the bag or article to the arms after the article is picked up from the take away apparatus 14. The articles will be held by the arms until the articles are impinged on the wickets such as 20 in a conventional manner. The wickets are carried by stands such as 22 on an endless conveyor 24, Articles are off loaded from the wicket stands at some point between the arms 18 and the wicket stand drive generally 26.

The zero cycle interrupt means generally 28 is installed at the loading station of the first production stand 30 location and will be operative to accumulate articles being delivered to the first production stand location 30. The cycle interrupt means 28 can be driven by well known conventional means including, gears and belts to be indexed into position after a given number of articles have been delivered to the first production stand by the transfer means 16.

Fig. 2 through 4 best show the concept of the zero cycle interrupt means generally 28. These figures are schematic representations of apparatus that could be of diverse design such as a cam drive, timing belt drive, gear drive or other conventional drive means.

The zero cycle interrupt means generally 28 is positioned at the first production stand location 30 where the wicket stand 22A is being loaded with articles being delivered from the transfer means general 16 and specifically the arms 18. The article 32 is, for instance, a 2 GB 2 196 943A 2 bag that has been provided with an aperture or a set of apertures at one end thereof, the left end in Figs. 2-4. The bag is held to the arms 18 by vacuum as the arms deliver the bag to the wickets 20 on the wicket stands such as 22A. In Fig. 2 a plurality of bags 32 have accumulated on the wicket stand 22A and when a predetermined number of bags have accumulated thereon the zero cycle inter rupt generally 28 will be indexed into position 75 to accumulate bags while the full wicket stand 22A is moved by the continuous conveyor to a non production location downstream of the production stacking station.

In Fig. 3 the zero cycle interrupt has been moved into position to accept the next bag 32 being delivered by the arms 18. The interrupt stacking plate 34 is provided with a wicket portion 36 and across arm portion 38.

The wicket portion 36 acts like the wicket 20 on the production stand 22 and will be indexed through the aperture of the bag 32 when the interrupt stacking plate 34 is raised by its linkage into position above the wicket 20 of the production stacking plate. The cross arm portion 38 of the interrupt stacking plate 34 supports the portions of the bag 32 outboard of the aperture or handle of the bag when the bags are impaled on the wicket 36.

An interrupt support 40 which may be a tubular element, is moved simultaneously with the interrupt stacking plate 34 into position inboard of the proximate arm 18 but outboard of the stand 22.

The bag 32 is then supported by the interrupt stacking plate and the interrupt support 40 for several passes of the arms 18 and the stacking of a given number of bags 32 on the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support 40. During this interruption of production the full stand 22A can be moved out of the production position and an empty wicket stand such as 22B will be moved into a production position.

In Fig. 1 the dotted line position shows the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support 40 in position to receive the first bag 32 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support 40 fully ladened with 115 bags 32 and the stand 22B ready to start receiving bags. At this point the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support 40 will be quickly lowered so that the bags 32 55 are impaled on the wicket 20 and rest on the 120 stand 22B The zero cycle interrupt means generally 28 will now be unutilized until a given preset number of bags are accumulated on the production wicket stand 22B, whence the cycle will be repeated.

The interrupt stacking plate 34 may be operated simultaneously through a linked connection with the interrupt support 40 by means of an air operated cylinder 42 (Fig. 1, left out of Fig. 2-4 for clarity) or other mechanical expedient as is well known in the art to urge an element from one location to a displaced location.

The dotted line presentation in Fig. 1 shows the interrupt stacking plate 34 and the interrupt support in the upwardly extended position where it receives bags as per Fig. 3. The normal position for the zero cycle interrupt means, generally 28, would be the solid line position as shown.

An alternative embodiment of the interrupt stacking plate would have a single upstanding wicket similar to the wickets 20 on the stands 22. As long as the aperture in the bag could accommodate the wicket on the production stacking plate and the wicket on the interrupt stacking plate almost any shape of wicket could be used. The dual upstanding prongs shown in Fig. 1 are just one possible embodi- ment.

A further alternative embodiment would utilize a modified interrupt support wherein a plurality of apertures would be provided in the upper surface and possibly the outboard sur- face of the interrupt support and a vacuum source applied to the apertured interrupt sup port to assist in holding the first bag on the interrupt support when the zero cycle interrupt means is first urged into a collection position.

Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be appar ent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.

Claims

1. Article stacking apparatus for use in the manufacture of plastic bags, comprising a plu- rality of stacking means which can be indexed through a stacking station, and article serving means serving stackable articles to a stacking means at the stacking station, characterised in that there is provided interrupt support means moveable into position between a stacking means at the stacking station and the article serving means to temporarily accommodate said articles whilst another stacking means is indexed into position at the stacking station.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each stacking means comprises at least one upstanding wicket supported on a wicket stand, and the interrupt support means cornprises an interrupt stacking plate located on one side of said stand and an interrupt support located on the other side of said stand which are mounted for reciprocal movement into said position between a stacking means and said article serving means. whereby the interrupt means is moved into said position on a predetermined production frequency basis.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said interrupt stacking plate includes a wicket and a cross arm portion to support said article outboard of said wicket of said 3 GB 2 196 943A, 3 interrupt stacking plate.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said wicket of said interrupt stacking plate includes a plurality of upwardly extending 5 elements.

5. Apparatus in accordance with any of claims 2 to 4 wherein said interrupt support is connectable to a vacuum source to assist in holding said articles to the interrupt support.

6. Article stacking apparatus substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66/71 High Holborn, London WC 1 R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3 RD. Printed by Burgess & Son (Abingdon) Ltd. Con. 1/87.