GB2205799A

GB2205799A - Apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets in packing machines

Info

Publication number: GB2205799A
Application number: GB08808072A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albrecht Rohrdanz
Original assignee: Nagema VEB
Current assignee: Nagema VEB
Priority date: 1987-04-24
Filing date: 1988-04-07
Publication date: 1988-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 2008-04-07
Also published as: DE3803423A1; IT1219496B; GB2205799B; GB8808072D0; JPS63272618A; BR8801707A; IT8847729A0; DD260042A1

Description

1 1 2205799 -l- J Apparatus for holdinq and wrapping sweets in packinq

machines This invention is used in packing machines and concerns an apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets (candies), comprising a singling-out (separ ating) plate and conveying wheels possessing working devices. in the form of a transfer wheel, a gripper wheel and a wrapping wheel driven on a stationary central ax le by hollow shafts with flanges, on which (wrapping wheel) holding jaw levers connected together in pairs by toothed segments and tension springs and having gauge components, and also inward folding devices, paper holders and ejectors are mounted, the drive elements for the working devices, such as cam discs, cam rollers, levers with lever mountings and straight-line guides,being disposed on the central axle and on the wrapping wheel journalled and driven by hollow shafts.

Apparatuses are known for the wrapping of sweets or candies, which operate continuously. For this purpose, a singling-out (separating) plate, a transfer wheel, a gripper component and a wrapping wheel, also known as a packing head, are present an an apparatus according to DD 134621.

The wrapping wheel consists of two flanges, with hollow shafts fixed there to, which are disposed on a continuous central axle. The flanges are con nected together, corresponding to the nine wrapping stations provided, by eighteen axles mounted concentrically around the centre-point of the flanges.

On the axles, grippers for the sweets and also inward folding levers and finishing folding levers are journalled and guides for ejectors are secured.

The grippers are mounted in pairs, each gripper pair being connected together by a toothed segment. The opening and closing movements are initiated by a central cam via a cam lever. In the centre between two associated grip pers, the ejector is mounted to extend and retract radially.

Adjacent to the grippers there are the folding devices, which are also mounted adjustable in the vertical plane by central cams via cam levers with a cam roller.

The cam discs provided for controlling the working devices are situated between the two flanges, inside the eighteen axles and on the stationary central axle.

By the open form of construction of the wrapping wheel, depositions of sugar dust build up in the interior of the wrapping wheel after the machine has been running for a certain time. As a result, the ease of movements of the gear elements is very adversely affected, which can even lead to func tional failure, especially of the cam rollers and of the straight-line guide for the ejector. Lubrication is possible only for the levers. and the ejector by means of a grease gun. The cam rollers cannot be lubricated nor rendered accessible without dismantling the machine.

The objective of the present invention is, in an apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets or candies, to avoid functional faults and to assure simple maintenance.

The task of the present invention is to protect the working devices,in apparatuses for holding and wrapping sweets,from impurities arising in the a working process, to lubricate them continually and to assure easy mainten ance.

According to the invention, this task is achieved in that, centred between the flanges secured to the hollow shafts, a rotationally symmetrical housing possessing a radial dividing joint and able to be split parallel to the axis, and containing the drive elements, is disposed, which housing possesses cen trally a groove, into which the drive elements for the working devices extend in sealed manner in the axial direction and out of which the working devices fixed to the drive elements extend radially. The housing has a left and a right chamber, formed by the groove, and in each of the chamber walls nearest to the groove and also in the outwardly located walls of the housing, bearing positions are disposed, in which shafts for the working devices, such as levers of the holding jaw levers, levers for the inward folding devices and the shafts of the crank drive for the ejector, are journalled concentrically to one another and sealed by means of sealing rings, these shafts being capable of transmitting several movements. On the ends of the shafts towards the chambers, levers having rollers that are in connection with cams secured to the central axle are mounted, and on the ends of the shafts that are orientated towards the groove, the working devices, such as holding jaw levers, inward folding devices and a housing with ejector are disposed. Furthermore, each of-the crank and rocker articulation points for the crank drive of the ejector are disposed inside the housing for the ejector, which has sealing covers. Oil and grease respectively is present in the chambers and in the housings.

The advantage of the solution according to this invention lies in the fact that by the use of a housing no impurities at all can get into the gear parts and these gear parts are subjected to continuous oil lubrication.

All devices leading outwards are sealed. As a result of this fully encap sulated form of construction, no special maintenance, such as lubrication and the like, is any longer necessary. Cleaning of the working devices with water is possible.

By these measures, shutdown time of the packing machine is further reduced and the efficiency is improved. As a result of the now possible continual lubrication, wear and repairs at the works of the client are reduced.

The invention will be explained in more detail below by reference to an example of embodiment thereof.

The associated drawings show:

Fig. 1: a winding wheel, partly in axial section; Fig. 2: a schematically indicated radial section through the winding wheel in the direction A-A; -ically indicated radial section through the winding wheel Fig. 3: a schemat in the direction B-B.

The apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets or candies in packing machines consists of a singling-out plate, which revolves and possesses, at its peri phery, pockets for seating the individual sweets. This is followed by a transfer wheel, which takes the sweets from the singling-out plate and trans fers them to a gripper wheel. The gripper wheel possesses holding elements for the sweets and clamping levers for a wrapping paper. The gripper wheel is followed by a wrapping wheel.

This wrapping wheel consists of a rotationally symmetrical housing 12 which is centred between flanges 2 and driven by them. The flanges 2 are fixed on hollow shafts 3, which are disposed coaxially around a continuous central axle 4. The housing 1 can be divided parallel to its axis and possesses, for this purpose, a radial dividing joint 5. The two half-housings are con nected together by bolts 6. The housing 1 possesses, at thecentre, a groove 7, which divides the housing 1 into a left-hand chamber 8 and right hand chamber 9. In the chamber walls 10 facing towards the groove 7, and also in the outwardly located walls 11 of the housing 1, bearing positions with rolling contact bearings 12 are provided, in which shafts for the working devices are journalled. Some of the shafts are concentric to each other, so that two movements can be transmitted for each bearing point. On the shaft ends that penetrate into the groove 7, the working devices are attached. These shaft ends are sealed by sealing rings 13, disposed in the chamber walls 10. There are eight working stations. On the shafts 14, square sections are formed, on which holding jaw levers 15 with gauge com ponents 16, adapted to the particular shape of the sweet, are fixed. One shaft 14 per station possesses, at the shaft end towards the left chamber 8, a roller lever with roller 17, which rolls on a cam 18, stationarily mounted on the central axle 4, and causes the pivotal movements of a holding jaw lever 15. On each of the shafts 14 a toothed segment 19 is mounted, by which the opposed pivotal movements of two associated holding jaw levers 15 are produced. The closure movement of the holding jaw levers 15, which causes the sweet or candy to be held between the gauge components 16, is produced by the tension spring 20, which also takes up the play of the teeth of the toothed segments 19. If no sweet is present between the gauge com ponents 16, this spring also causes the roller 17 to bear against the cam 18. The shaft 21 is the drive device for the inward folding device 22. The movement of the inward folding device 22 is provided by a roller lever with roller 23, which rolls on the cam 24, fixed on the central axle 4. The return movement of the inward folding device 22 is produced by the tension spring 25. The shafts 26 and 27 form the pivot points for the crank 28 and the rocker 29 for the crank drive of the ejector 30. The pivot points for the crank 28 and rocker 29 are arranged sealed by sealing rings 31 in a housing 32, which possesses sealing covers 33. The ejector 30 is mounted on the housing 32. The straight-line movement of the ejector 30 is produced by the crank drive, which is set in motion by the shaft 26 of the crank 28.

The end of the shaft 27 situated in the right chamber 9 of the housing 1 possesses a double cam lever 34 with two rollers 35; 36, which roll on the cams 37; 38. Oil and grease respectively is situated in the chambers 8; 9 of the housing 1 and in the housing 32 of the ejector 30, for lubricating all the gear components. For this purpose, an oil feed and discharge screw plug 39 is provided.

The method of operation of the device is as follows:

The sweets or candies to be wrapped first arrive on the singling-out plate, and are arranged on this in pockets by the centrifugal force. From here the sweets are taken over by the conveying wheel and are transferred to the next succeeding wheel and so to the wrapping wheel. The sweet taken over by the wrapping wheel is surrounded by the wrapping sheet in a U-shaped fold and is clamped by the holding jaws with gauge components 16 by means of the tension spring 20. The still open portions of the wrapping sheet are pressed onto the sweet, so that the letter is completely encased. The parts of the wrapping sheet projecting at the ends beyond the sweet are twisted by twisting devices, not illustrated, so that the sweet is now completely wrapped and is now ejected by the ejector 30 radially onto a chute.

The opening and closing movement of the holding jaw levers 15 is provided by the shaft 14 with lever and roller 17 and by the tension spring 20.

The roller 17 is guided by the cam 18, mounted fixed on the central axle 4.

The movement is transmitted from one holding jaw lever 15 to the other by the toothed segments 19 and tension spring 20. Clamping of the sweets is effected by the tension spring 20. The movement of the inward folding de vice 20 is produced by the roller lever with roller 23, the roller 23 run ning on the cam 24. The return movement and continual bearing of the roller 23 on the cam 24 is produced by the tension spring 25. The straight-line movement of the ejector 30 is produced by the crank drive, which is driven by the shaft-26 of the crank 28. The straight-line movement for the hous ing 32 with ejector 30 is produced by the shaft 27, which is controlled by the double cam lever 34 with rollers 35; 36 and cams 37; 38.

An important feature of all the gear components is that they are situated inside the housing 1 with flanges 2 and are sealed against the outside by sealing rings 13. The same applies for the gear components of the ejector, which are situated in the housing 32 and are sealed by the sealing rings 31, the housing 32 possessing sealing covers 33.

Impurities, such as sugar dust, consequently cannot any longer come into contact with the gear components. For"'lubrication, oil is present in the housing 1, and is distributed by the centrifugal force and arrives outwards on the components to be lubricated. When the machine is stopped, the oil drips off and thus wets all the gear components. The housing 32 of the ejector 30 is filled with grease.

Claims

1. Apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets in packing machines, comprising a singling-cut plate and conveying wheels possessing working devices in the form of a transfer wheel, a gripper wheel and a wrapping wheel driven on a stationary central axle by hollow shafts with flanges, on which (wrapping wheel) holding jaw levers with gauge components, con nected together in pairs by toothed segments and tension springs, and also inward folding devices, paper holders and ejectors are mounted, the drive elements for the working devices, such as cam discs, cam rollers, levers with lever mountings and straight-line guides, being mounted on the central axle and on the wrapping wheel journalled and driven by hollow shafts, characterized in that a rotationally symmet rical housing (1), containing the drive elements, possessing a radial dividing joint (5) and capable of being split parallel to the axis, is disposed centred between the flanges (2) fixed to the hollow shafts (3), which housing possesses, centrally, a groove (7), into which the drive elements for the working devices extend sealed in the axial direction and out of which the working devices fixed to the drive elements extend radially.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the housing (1) possesses left-hand and right-hand chambers (8;9) formed by the groove (7), and that in each of the chamber wells (10) nearest to the groove (7) and in each of the outwardly located walls (11) of the housing (1), bearing positions are disposed, in which there are journalled, sealed by means of sealing rings (13), shafts (14;21),some disposed concentric ally to each other and transmitting several movements, for the working devices such as levers of the holding jaw levers (15), levers for the inward folding devices (22) and the shafts (26;27) of the crank drive for the ejector (30).

3. Apparatus according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that, on the ends of the shafts (14;21) orientated towards the chambers (8;9), there are mounted levers with rollers (17;23) which are in connection with cams (18;24) fixed on the cintral axle (4), and that, on the ends of the shafts (14;21) which are orientated towards the groove (7), there are mounted the working devices, such as holding jaw levers (15), inward folding devices (22) and a housing (32) with ejector (30).

4. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the crank and rocker articulation points for the crank drive of the ejector (30) are each disposed inside the housing (32) for the ejector (3)2 which possesses sealing covers (33).

5. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that oil and grease respectively are situated in the chambers (8;9) and in the housing (32).

6. Apparatus for holding and wrapping sweets in packing machines substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 1988 at The Patent OLfice. State Flcrise. 66 11 High Folborn. London WC1P. 4TP. Further c-ples may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sa-les Branch. S,. l.,IaTv Cray, Orpington. Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd. St Mary CraZ,,. Kent. Con. 1,187.